[COMPLETE/EDITING]Be My Hero

Nine

Being alone in the jungle wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was. It was more peaceful than I expected and the animals seemed rather friendly and left me alone. Of course, I came across the occasional snake, but that wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I had a limited amount of food, and I was afraid that at some point, I would need to hunt for my meals. Keeping that in mind, I knew I needed to reserve my food and use it sparingly. When the sun began to set, I settled down near some brush and successfully made a fire and a small place to sleep. I knew the nights would be cold and the days hot, and luckily Zackary had the common sense to pack a small blanket for me. I ate one granola bar and made sure everything was ready in case I needed to escape somewhere during the night.

As I tried to sleep, I kept thinking of Steve and Sam. I was mad. Pissed off that they left without even telling me. When I finally fell asleep, I was jolted awake by a loud, monstrous cry that shattered my dreams and perhaps even the dark sky above me. I was up in seconds, slinging my backpack over me and running through the jungle as if my life depended on it; not knowing what all was around me, my life probably did depend on it. The roar rang out again, followed by the terrifying sound of trees snapping in half and crashing to the ground with thunderous rumbles.

I suddenly stopped when the realization hit me; it was Bruce. It had to be him. What other creature could make that sound? I didn't want to attempt to fight him; that would be a very idiotic move. I had to locate him and keep my distance until he cooled down. I glanced around, using the moonlight to my advantage to see which trees I could and couldn't climb. As I made my way up a particularly thick, vine-covered tree, I scoured the ground around me and the treetops that slowly came into view. 

Where are you...

In the distance, not too far from me, I saw trees shaking and crashing to the ground violently. I stayed on top of one sturdy branch, glancing to other trees in hopes that I could find one that I could jump to in case something happened. If the Hulk got a hold of me, I would be dead in seconds without a doubt. Noticing that the green monster was headed in my direction, I climbed down the tree as quickly as possible, nearly slipping many a time. At this height, slipping would be fatal. The Hulk's roars were increasing in volume, and the sound made my heart beat faster every time. Waves of fast, forceful wind hurled leaves and sticks near me, and I realized just how close the beast was getting. As I clambered down the thick tree, he finally came into view, gigantic and more vicious than I remember. Fear enveloped me when he spotted me; I couldn't help but keep glancing over my shoulder to see what he was doing. We made eye contact for a brief moment, and I saw something in his eyes flash dangerously.

In seconds, he was after me, and I knew I was in deep shit. I didn't know how I was supposed to get away from him; if I tried to hide, he would rip up every tree in the area and crush me in the process before he would ever find me. I turned around to face him and came to an abrupt stop, hands raised. Come on, big guy. My heart was racing and it took every fiber of my being to stop myself from running the opposite direction. I had to show him that I wouldn't hurt him. My objective was to keep him alive, not kill him.

He stopped and flared his nostrils, clenched his fists. "Hey," I said gently. "I'm here because of Natasha." For a moment, the Hulk didn't do anything. Then he let out a small growl and took one giant step towards me that shook the ground and almost sent me to my knees. I took a few steps back and crouched down. "She's in trouble," I said slowly, loud enough for him to hear me clearly. "She has been captured by an organization. Think you can cool down for a bit?"

The Hulk seemed to think, his head tilted curiously. Stopping enough for him to listen to me was definitely considered progress. In seconds, the Hulk was decreasing in size, the green tone to his skin fading and his rippling muscles shrinking back down to their regular size. Once Bruce was completely settled, I tossed him my backpack. He was shivering and a thin layer of sweat coated his skin. "There should be clothes in there. Zackary said you would need some," I said. With a quiet, jittery thanks, Bruce shuffled through the pack and found himself a sleeved shirt and pants with a pair of shoes that were a tad too small, but worked anyways. "Who is Zackary?" he asked nervously, staring at me as he shrugged on a thick jacket.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, we have to go to our designated spot to be picked up."

"But what about Natasha? I'm not just going to walk away with you. Out here, I'm away from people. I can practice controlling it. As you can tell, I've gotten a lot better, eh?"

I nodded and grinned. "I have noticed. Very good. Natasha and Clint have been captured by V4. They're an organization from Europe that wants to take over America. Word is, they're brainwashing them."

"Sounds a little familiar," Bruce grumbled, stepping towards me. Unexpectedly, anger flared inside me. I suppressed it and inhaled deeply. Of course it sounded familiar.

"Exactly. So you either come with me or get captured by V4. Your choice," I said, holding my arms out.  Bruce stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. Where do we need to go?"

I smiled and jerked my head back the way I came, through valleys and thick brush. "Back that way. Let's go, big guy."

60 days until the accident