Running Blind (Avengers Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

It was eerily quiet. And for a place as busy and bustling as New York City, that in itself was strange. The streets were baron, cars blocking the streets from what looks like multiple accidents.

Katie walked down the middle of the street glancing in the cars, but there were no drivers at all. That's when she heard it. That deep, throaty laughter. The laughter that she instantly recognized, and always made her skin crawl. Katie slowly turned around, and was face to face with the monster who'd become a constant centerpiece of her dreams. Her eyes went to the gauntlet he wore proudly on his hand, the stones seemingly sparkling in their place along his knuckles. She looked up meeting his eyes.

"One more left." he laughed as he rose his hand, and Katie frowned before bolting toward him, but before she knows it his fingers snap, and a blinding light swallows everything.

Katie's eyes snap open, and she sits up frantically trying to catch her breath, and calm the drum of her heart. She takes a couple of breaths, before turning, her eyes going wide at the sight of a red cloak just standing there at her door as if watching her.

"Strange!" the cloak quickly went flying out of the room.

Katie stalked down the halls, her eyes searching for the man. She'd been here for about a month, and still gets turned around. She stops for a moment suddenly unsure where she is. She turns down a hall and continues her search.

"I've told you to keep that stupid security blanket locked in a closet somewhere!" she stopped when she felt a presence, but didn't see anyone. She slowly turned, closing her eyes, before suddenly reaching out, feeling his arm and pulling him forward. When she opens her eyes, she sees whatever cloaking spell he'd been hiding behind is gone allowing her to finally see him. "It was watching me sleep."

"Well that is kind of impossible because it doesn't even have eyes, so watching you do anything-" he saw the glare in her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Fine, I will talk to it." Katie folded her arms over her chest. "Alright, I'm not going to talk to it, it's an article of clothing, and-" she swat his arm before turning and walking away from him. A smile came to his lips before he went to catch up to her. "So is there a reason, you're in a mood today?"

"I thought the shit story that is my life sort of justified my mood." she said glancing over to him with a sarcastic smile. "I mean, my husband left me and took my daughter, I keep having weird dreams, I'm stuck here with you, and-" their eyes look up as Wong walks by sipping on a cup of tea. "And for the life of me I can not beat that man in checkers!" she glances back at the sound of Wong's laughter and she just shakes her head and continues to walk. Stephen doesn't say anything and she glances over to him as he silently walks beside her. "This is where you say something reassuring and poetic to give me hope for the future." the man lets out a snort before turning to her. "Why do I even stay here?"

"Because you have no where else to go." he said before walking ahead of her. "At the moment, I am the only friend you have."

"Friend is a stretch!" Katie called after him. "I like Wong better than you!" she heard him laugh and and she rolled her eyes.

"Five minutes!" he called back to her. "I suggest you change, kitten pajamas are not permitted during training." she looked down to her pajama pants and smirked at the kittens that covered then, before looking back up to see the man was gone.

Katie doesn't know how her life turned into a never ending episode of karate kid, but here she was, sitting cross legged in one of the sanctums many rooms, the sunlight filtering in. Her eyes are closed, her breathing slowed as she tries to focus. After a few moments she opens her eyes, lifts her hands and begins spinning them just as she's seen Stephen do so many times. And just as she expects, nothing happens. She looks over to Stephen who sits across from her, his eyes closed as well not even paying attention to her. She narrows her eyes at him, before a sinister thought pops into her head, and so she reaches up to grab his nose, only for his hand to quickly shoot up and grab her wrist