The Widows Daughter

Part one hundred and eighteen

(Chloe's POV)

I landed on my arm. Hard. I groaned and rubbed my elbow. I was laying on the ground. I looked up and took in my surroundings. I was in a jungle.

Was I back in Wakanda?

I looked around for people. "Mom?" I called out pushing myself off and brushing the dirt off as I stood up. My legs were shaky, so I leaned against a tree near me. "Mom!" I called again, louder this time.

"Chloe?" I turned to see Bucky on the ground, and Sam running to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "What happened?" I asked.

"I have no idea." Sam looked around. "Where is everyone?"

I could see Bucky standing now. A little ways off,  the tree thing–Groot—was looking around confused. I could see Wanda on the ground, near where she was standing with Vision a few minutes ago.

I stumble over to her quickly, Sam right behind me. "Wanda, what happened?" I asked her kneeling next to her. She was looking down at her hands.

"I-I don't know. Vision was here, and now he's not." I frown. "Where did they take his body?" I looked up at Sam and he shrugged.

Where was everyone? Did we fall asleep? And if we did, why would they just leave us?

"Chloe, what's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked.

"Um... talking to Mom. I was crying, I think." I wiped my cheeks but they were dry. "I saw Bucky...disappear."

Wait.

"What do you mean I disappeared?" Bucky asked coming closer, his gun now in hand.

"I mean you turned into dust or something," I said looking up.

"I-I remember that, I think. I called out for Steve, but after that, it's all a blur." Bucky announced.

I turned at a noise in the bushes and saw T'Challa. He was walking towards us, a confused look on his face. "Where did Okoye go?"

"Where did everyone go?" Sam asked.

Where was Mom? Where was Steve? Where were Thor and Bruce?

Where was Mom?

I turned hearing a noise coming from somewhere nearby. Okoye came running out of the bush. She gasped seeing us, walking up to T'Challa she started crying and knelt. He grabbed her shoulders and she hugged him. He looked caught off guard. "Okoye, what happened?"

"My king," She bowed her head. There is much to talk about, you must come."

———————

"What do you mean five years?" Bucky asked his voice raising.

"Five years ago, when Thanos came, you fought him and lost. He killed half the population, and since then, we've been trying to make life works." Queen Ramonda explained gently.

"You mean we've been dead, for five years?" I asked looking at my hands.

"Yes,"

T'Challa was standing next to Shuri, his arm around her shoulders. She had been gone too, for those five years.

It made sense, logistically. It would explain why everyone was gone. Why Vision's body wasn't there, why the landscape looked slightly different. Why there weren't aliens covering the ground.

It would make sense why Mom wasn't here.

"How did we come back?" Sam asked.

"We have no idea," Okoye said. "People just started showing up out of nowhere after five years. I believe it has something to do with the Avengers."