Resurrection

Chapter Nine: Soul Stone

Chapter Nine: Soul Stone

Dust billowed up in large puffs. The sandy ground shifted with the wind. The orange sky was clear, except for the occasional cloud. It was around noon, and the air was blistering hot.

Peter Parker woke up to someone gently shaking him. He suddenly bolted upright, almost hitting heads with a dark-haired man.

Peter squinted at the man; he looked familiar. The long hair, the beard...

"Jesus?" Peter asked, emitting a chuckle from the man. "Am I dead? Is this heaven? Wow, it's a lot different than I imagined. Where are all the angels? Why's the sky orange? Why does heaven look like a desert?" Peter gasped. "Am I in hell? This has to be hell!"

The man fully laughed this time. "It's not hell, but it's pretty darn close."

"What does that mean?" Peter asked.

The man extended a hand, which Peter gladly took and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"You're quite talkative, aren't you kiddo?" the man stated.

Peter took in his surroundings. The ground was flat where he was standing and had trees scattered around, but there were mountains to the east. There was a small stream that gurgled past the two, but that was the only source of water in sight. He could see nothing but miles of endless sand everywhere else.

He blinked sand out of his eyes and ran a hand through his tangled mess of hair. Something seemed off about the whole scenario. Maybe it was the orange sky and sand. Or maybe it was the fact that the man he was with was wearing green pants, a navy blue jacket, and army boots in place of what Peter assumed people in heaven would wear: togas and sandals. Instead of a regular arm, the man's left arm was made purely out of some kind of metal. Vibranium, maybe?

"You're not..."

"I'm James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky. We've met before. At the airport in Germany. You're Spider-Boy?"

"Spider-Man and I'm an Avenger now, thanks to Mr. Stark!" Peter proudly announced and put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.

Bucky laughed. "Alright, kid. Why would Tony Stark allow a twelve-year-old on a team of super-powered adults?"

"I'm fifteen!" Peter pouted. "Nobody knows how old I am unless I tell them. Besides, nobody can see my face. They can't tell what my age is."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "I can clearly see your face..."

"What?!" Peter shouted and started panicking. He tried to pull his helmet on, but it was stuck inside the suit. "Well, at least you don't know that my name is Peter Parker; so there!" Peter gasped and clamped both hands tightly over his mouth. "Did I just tell you my secret identity?"

"I'm afraid so," Bucky said.

"Dang it!" Peter shouted.

"Relax, kid. I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

Peter relaxed a bit. Bucky seemed like a trustworthy guy. "So, where are we?"

Bucky shrugged. "I don't know. The others are down in the valley if you want to join. Actually, you should join us. It's not safe being by yourself. Come on."

Bucky started walking down the hill and motioned for Peter to follow. Peter jogged to catch up.

"There are others?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. Sam, Wanda, Vision, T'Challa..."

"Oh! What are they doing here?"

"The same thing as you and me: stuck. We haven't found a way out or any other sign of human life. You're lucky I found you. It's not safe after dark. We've been attacked by several different creatures already."