Secret World

5

      Peter made another call and less then forty minutes later a very nice black car pulled up to the curb. I looked around the streets, long shadows already being created by tall building, inky black figures in constant movement hiding from the remaining light. The kid pulled open one of the doors for me and I hesitated looking into the darkened cab before looking back at him.
     "Can you turn the light on?" I asked quietly, he didn't argue but shrugged his shoulder and climbed in flipping the over head light on. I slid in, the car had that unmistakable smell of new car. Black rich leather seats, with dark tinted windows, the vehicle was impeccably clean and screamed of wealth.
     "Happy, can you take us to the compound?" Peter asked as he buckled up, then sending a text off.
     "Who's the girl?" The man in the front seat asked as he pulled away from curb, my flight or fight response trying to kick in. A screaming in the back of my head to escape was already there as the rest of me yelled that the world outside was rapidly descending into darkness.
"She's a friend, and she needs a place to stay." Peter explained, pulling his backpack in front of him all while shooting off another text.
"A friend? She looks a bit older then you so I know you don't know her from school." The man Peter called Happy shot back as he continued to drive, glancing every so often in the review mirror.
"Happy don't worry about it, she's okay." Peter sighed while rolling his eyes and shooting me smile. "I should probably text one of the guys and let them know your coming."
"Can you tell them to have the lights on? The more the better." I breathed out, giving him a shaky smile.
"Uh, yeah I think they can do that." Peter replied texting once again.
"Does Aunt May know her?" Happy asked from the front seat. "Does she know you are going to be late?"
"Happy, I've already texted Aunt May." Peter coolly replied not bothering to look up at the man as he pulled notebooks out of his backpack, sticking a pen between his teeth.
"Who is that guy?" I whispered, leaning over into Peter.
"Oh him? That's Happy Hogan, he's a good friend and works for Mr... he works for Pepper and the Avengers from time to time." The kid told me, taking the pen out of his mouth. I kept my attention focused on him and not the darkened void beyond the car windows.
I didn't want to freak him out, sure he took my rambling of it being 2019 in stride but tell someone that there were things they couldn't see was another. As is the massive beast that clung outside the window behind him since we got in the car kept trying to distract me.
It was blacker then the night surrounding it, it's smooth elongated forehead remind me of the aliens that Ellen Ripley fought in the movies from the 90's. But that's was where the similarities ended. It's sharpened jagged teeth and forked tongue kept moving, whether chattering or licking at the window, oil like limbs moved effortlessly as it slipped from one window to the next, talon like fingers gripping easily at the smooth surface of the car. It's eyes were slits and ghostly white with no pupil, in all my life I had never seen one this size. I tried to focus on the smooth face kid in front of me but it kept pulling my focus.
He rambled on about the snap, and how it happened. About Thanos, the glove, about outer space and what it had been like for him and the others that had been snapped when they came back. The longer the car ride went the harder it was for me to focus as smaller creatures, the sizes I was used to, covered the windshield, making it impossible for me to see where we headed. Happy had no trouble navigating through the shadow beasts, again it was a curse that I only would only bare.
As the kid spoke he seemed to come alive, his hand animatedly moving. Eyes wide and full of expression, he spoke effortlessly, quite the opposite of the person I had met this morning who stumble over his words.
    "So where are we headed?" I interjected, trying to keep my breathing even.
    "The avengers compound." He replied, looking out the window. "Those two guys from earlier that's where they live, with a bunch other guys."
    "Great, just what I need to be surrounded by men I don't know." I sighed, leaning my head back against the cushions.
    "No, there are some girls. And trust me they really cool people." He stated, almost talking over himself again. "I just meant guys like you know.. like a group."
     "Still people I don't know." I reiterated, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. "Plus, I still kneed one of them."
    "Oh, Mr Barnes, he'll be fine." Peter laughed lightly, he looked back out the window and inched forward in his seat some.
    I couldn't tell at the moment what he was looking at but it seemed to make him excited. His face lit up and he could barely sit still, I could tell whatever he was looking at beyond the shadow creatures that he couldn't see made him happy.
     "I hope so, it's not always the greatest way to meet someone I imagine." I retorted.
     Slowly, the shadows began to burn away, bits of light filtered there way between the creatures. The smaller ones released the car, jumping off while still covered the darkness that the night provided. The larger one, the one that been snapping it's teeth while watching me from the safety of the confines, held tight, head turned toward the expansive building. It snarled, holding on longer then rest, slowly it turned its attention back to me and gave me a wide toothy grin before pushing off.
    "We're here." He stated, almost gleefully.
    The building was enormous, and reminded me of a military style compound. Large glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling, I could see what seemed to be a plane inside. A giant A was plastered to the side, the parking lot and surrounding grass was lit up like it was day. Setting my nerves more at ease, at least I would be safe walking from the car to the door.
    Happy pulled the car up close, and Peter jumped out, making sure to hold door open for me. Slowly I stepped out and saw the two guys from earlier, except ice man wasn't smiling, he held a sneer as he looked at me. The other one took easy smooth stride last as he walked towards us.
    "Yeah, he looks fine to me." I whispered as I leaned over to Peter, earning a snicker from him.
     "Hey Peter, see ya found your friend." Mocha stated with a board grin. "I'm Sam and that grumpy ice cube is Bucky."
     "Guys this is Echo." Peter announced, it was then I could feel a cold sweat run down my spine and my heart pounding in my chest.
     It was like something I had only felt one other time in my life. The closest feeling I could describe it to is when you recognize something without knowing why. A dream I had had as a child, long forgotten, only the voice and words echoing about in my head lost until this moment in time. I had heard him introduce himself before, but long ago. Which meant no matter what had happened today, at this exact moment in time, in alternate reality, I was supposed to be here.