Hero (Loki & Avengers)

Three

Fear.

I would say that's the main emotion I'm feeling right now, so much so that my chest feels tight and my lungs feel like they're on fire.

The only relief from the heat that is spreading across my face from the anxiety is the cool metal of the van that I have my back pressed to. I feel my cheeks to try and calm the redness and my fingers feel water from the tears I didn't even notice I was crying. My senses are on overload, and I've almost completely tuned out the chaos ensuing outside of my hideaway.

I return to reality when a large thud on the back door bangs and reverberates through my skull. I scurry backwards to the far corner of the van's rear, and fearfully wait for the warped metal door to be pried open. My head is glad to hear police voices outside the door rather than the hijackers, but my heart is still just as scared. I can't let anyone see me like this, like a freak. They'll take me away and lock me up somewhere for sure.

"Police! We know someone's in there, open up!" A man screams as he bangs his fist on the door and my heart drops and tightens in fear. Oh no, they must have seen me crawl in here or heard me screaming.

I can only sit helpless as to my horror the door is eventually forced open, both sides swinging out viciously. My wide eyes look straight into the barrel of a gun and I squeeze them shut, ducking down and shielding myself with my arms, bringing them swiftly up to my face. As I do this I hear a loud bang, but I feel nothing. No gunshot, no bullet hole, nothing.

That's when I look up and notice the doors slammed shut, but I didn't close them. So then who did?

I'm broken out of my confusion when the doors reopen, and I'm met face to face with three angry police officers. Instead of rage, however, I'm met with confusion as they all lower their guns. I hold my breath in the ensuing silence, too terrified to make a sound.

"Where did she go?" One of the officers asked, looking blankly at me and the empty spaces next to me.

"I don't understand, the girl was just right there!" One of them shouts in a pissed off tone, pointing directly at me. Panic turns to confusion as I realize something...odd. They can't see me, even though I'm sitting right in front of them.

I look down at my hands and immediately feel foolish when I see that they're still there. Of course they are, it's impossible that they'd be invisible. That doesn't even make any sense. However, to my absolute terror and dismay, when I glance over at the rear view mirror on the ground...I'm not in it.

I'm just not there.

"What?" I whisper very gently. I was right, I think. I'm invisible.

I know that this will present a million challenges and questions in the future, but right now my instincts kick in and all I can think about is getting out of this situation and going home. I quietly stand up as much as I can in the cramped van, grit my teeth, and run for it.

If the cops can't see me, they can't catch me either. I push against the officer with my forearm to shove by him, and though he barely stumbles his gun goes flying twenty feet in the direction I pushed him. I don't have enough time to realize how weird that is before he regains his balance and looks around for the source of the blow.

I start sprinting straight down the street away from the chaotic scene, jumping over rubble and dodging abandoned cars as I do so. I can't help myself, so I turn back to check if the cops are following me. I don't know what's going on, so I could be visible again for all I know.

I notice they haven't spotted me, and I begin to turn my head back forward when I'm stopped dead in my tracks. I fly backwards after bumping into something hard and solid. My head slams against the pavement and I groan, timidly sitting up and trying to see what I slammed into through squinted and dazed eyes.