Tom Hiddleston & Loki Imagines (xReader)

Transcendentia

Explore the depths of HYDRA, he said. It's perfectly safe, he said.

You called bull. This was nerve-racking and you hated it.

"Loki, I don't even know what we're looking for. This place has been rubble for a century; whatever it is you want, it's not here."

As usual, he ignored you. That was more irritating than anything else so far. If he was going to drag you into a potential death trap, the least he could do was listen when you spoke to him concerning said death trap. Especially since you, as a mortal human, were more likely to die than he.

Not racism. Just facts.

Your boot left a mark in the dust on the tiled floor as it kicked a box out of your way. The compound was abandoned and had long since fallen into disrepair. Support beams had fallen. Cobwebs took the place of doors. Sections of both the roof and the walls were missing, giving the elements free reign inside the base. Chairs had been blown over, and papers were scattered everywhere. The floor was all but hidden, covered in dirt and garbage.

Worst of all was the dead feeling. The feeling of emptiness, of isolation. Coupled with knowledge of the horrors perpetrated within these walls, being here alone would be enough drive a person insane in no time. The silence, the stillness, was uncanny. There was no wind, no animals, no insects, nothing. It was silent as a tomb... maybe more so. There was something unnatural about it all. A shiver grated its way down the back of your neck, and you hurried to catch up with Loki, nearly tripping over a displaced tile your haste not to lose sight of him. The idiot had gone and left you behind.

A soft green glow emanating from one of the crumbling doorways signified the presence of your captor. You made a sharp left turn into the room and sighed in relief. For once you were glad to see the demigod, even if he was ignoring you in favor of the files he was rifling through. You crossed the floor to meet him, still panting a little; sprinting like a track star down eerie hallways sure did wonders for your equilibrium. You worked to slow your breathing.

One specific exhale caught your attention. It expelled from your mouth in a puff of frozen white, stopping you dead in your tracks.

Cold spots. And of course, thanks to Loki, you didn't have any salt.

Peachy.

It's okay, (Y/N). The chill is most likely from the weather. Not because you're in a compound occupied by probably a hundred angry ghosts of brutally murdered victims. Definitely not because you're being hunted by them. Calm down. Get a grip.

Yeah... you never were good at lying. Not to yourself. You turned in a circle, eyes darting to every corner and shadow of the room, searching for the supernatural occupant. Your skin crawled more by the second. A whisper in your head suggested this wasn't going to end well.

Especially since, when you looked back, Loki was gone.

[ Two Weeks Ago ]

You brushed the tips of your fingers lightly over the charred remains of what was once the grassy forest floor, but now a blackened field.

The burn marks seemed fresh enough. They couldn't be more than two hours old, but who knew how long it had actually been since your prey had passed through. He could have started a fire and left before it died out; there was no guaranteeing that he'd stayed to witness the entirety of his destructive work. That was the thing about creatures like him: there was never any telling what they'd do. Make a guess, and seven times out of ten you'll be wrong.