Avengers: A Darker Shade of Scarlet

Come Little Children, I'll Take Thee Away

When the light of the Bifrost subsided, Thor kept an arm wrapped firmly around Dean's waist. It made him feel more secure, though he knew Dean could flicker out of his grip again if he wanted to. Just having him close and on his arm made him feel better despite the anger he felt. His relief that Dean was back with him superseded that. It frustrated him that Dean had gone off against his wishes. A ghost of a smile crept across his face as he reflected that only his husband would be headstrong enough to frustrate him.

"That place looks terrible," Kyle assessed as they stood at the base of the mountain.

"Then we've come to the right place," Steve said, his expression troubled. He looked at Dean. "You said she's lost to darkness."

"For now," Dean said in a determined voice.

"Just so we're clear," Thor spoke up. "If it comes down to her or us, there is no room for a debate." He looked down at Dean. "I will kill her if I have to."

Dean shivered and looked up to the apex of the mountain. From his vantage point, he could see what looked like an archaic castle perched at the mountaintop. A foul aura resonated from it and dragged its talons across Dean's psyche. He winced and Thor looked down at him. "I'm okay," Dean said in a firm voice. "There's a lot of evil resonating up there. Hatred, rage. Pain."

"Don't need psychic empathy to see that," Tony said. "Place looks like something from a nightmare."

"We can't waste anymore time," Dean said. "We have to get up there."

A shrieking noise rang out overhead and the heroes looked behind them to see the figure of Dr. Strange ripping through the sky, an entourage of dark, horrific shades accompanying him.

"As if things weren't cryptic enough, now we've got a zombie Strange," Bruce said.

Thor took off into the air with Dean still on his arm. Kyle took Steve's hand and shoved off of the ground after them. Tony followed and Bruce jumped up through the air, his powerful body tearing across the sky. They convened at the entrance to the castle just as Strange had arrived.

"Dreamwalking, you hypocrite!" Wanda screamed from her place near the altar where America was held in place by her magic. She hurled a blast in Strange's path and the dark shades that surrounded him formed a defensive wall, absorbing her power.

"This time, it's going to take more than killing me to kill me," Strange said, his voice gruff as it came from a decaying throat. The shades opened before him like a pair of wings and granted everyone an unobstructed view of the body he occupied. His skin was peeling away, revealing the dead tissue beneath it. His lips were peeled away at one side, revealing his teeth in a demented type of smile.

"Yeah, that's...that's really something," Tony said, his palms aimed at Wanda.

Wanda hurled another blast and Strange flipped through the air, then threw the shades directly at her. As they swirled around the witch in a dark vortex, she screamed and attempted to fight back.

"She's terrified," Dean reported before pointing at America. "We have to get her away from here."

Kyle reached out with his mind, attempting to pry America loose from the altar but she remained in place. "The magic is too strong," he grunted. "I can't pull her free.

Thor leaped across the room and landed near the altar. He wrapped an arm around the girl and attempted to pull when a massive beast leaped from the shadows and tackled him off of her. More similar monsters appeared, rising up from every shadow and advancing on them.

"Where the hell did these things come from?" Tony asked.

"I think you just answered your own question, buddy," Bruce said. He took hold of the fist of one of the beasts as it tried to punch him. He threw an uppercut, tearing the creature's upper body away and sending it up to the ceiling with a loud, crunchy noise.