The Seventh Avenger

Chapter 72: Strangers

War is destructive. War is cruel. But most of all, war is devastating. Truly, horrifyingly, devastating. And it's something that up until this point, I have never experienced. And looking at the anguish and the demolition around me, I thank God that I haven't.

When my eyes briefly meet Steve's after we've directed an elderly couple into a nearby building, I see that he wears a grim expression on his face as he also takes everything around us in. But beneath the horror, there is also a look that suggests that this is all too familiar for him. And for a moment, I can't help but wonder if being here is taking him back to the enemy bases or the battlefields where he fought and watched fellow soldiers take their last breaths before leaving this world altogether. Hadn't his best friend died during combat? Was he thinking about Bucky right now, standing here and fighting alongside me?

But I say nothing and neither does he. For now, we bottle in our emotions and bury any questions or grievances that we wish to share in the furthest corners of our minds. There is no time to stop and take everything in, or to mourn everything that we have already lost. We have a job to do. Something that only we are capable of doing. We have to keep it together for now. Otherwise, the devastation will only grow.

So, with the grim expressions still glued to our faces, we remain silent and only continue forward.

It's when we draw closer to the lines of police cars that I finally break the silence. "What are we going to tell them?"

"We tell them to help evacuate as many people as they can. And to set up a perimeter. We need to get them and everyone else away from the line of fire."

"Do you think that they'll listen to us?"

"They may not have a choice. The police aren't capable of dealing with an alien army of this scale when all they have to protect themselves is their guns. Not without placing themselves in imminent danger. But they can try and lead as many people as they can away from the fighting, while we hold the chitauri at bay."

"Well, hopefully, they're in an agreeing mood. Because I highly doubt that the police of all people are going to like being told what they have to do."

A chorus of high-pitched, angry screeches from up ahead prevents Steve from responding to this. The two of us slow down to a halt as we wake in the sight of at least a dozen chitauri soldiers congregating on the road in front of us, their weapons raised and pointed in our direction. They pay no attention to the fleeing citizens around them thankfully but instead keep their beady yellows eyes fixed on both Steve and I instead. They know where it is that we're trying to get to, and it seems that the chitauri have every intention of making sure that we don't get there in time.

Steve and I both simultaneously crouch down into fighting stances, my hands clenching while his grip on his shield tightens. As the chitauri begin to move towards us, I hiss through clenched teeth, "One of us needs to get through to the police. The second that you see an opening, you take it, and you run like hell."

"Lydia-"

"There's no point in arguing, Steve. You're a lot faster than me, so you'll get to them quicker than I can. I'll keep the chitauri distracted long enough for you to get through."

He turns to eye the rather large group of aliens in front of us and uncertainty flashes across his face as he silently counts just how many chitauri there are. "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely," I reply with no hesitation, before then casting my eyes to the shield in his hand. "Do you mind if I borrow that for two seconds?"

His eyes widen in surprise to the point where I'm afraid that they may pop right out of his head. But he never the less loosens his hold on his shield and holds it out for me to grab. As I tighten the leather straps around my arm and see the confusion on his face, I say, "Wait for my signal to follow after me. Take cover behind a car or something large enough to protect you from the blasts- I'm going to be taking most of the fire, but there's still a chance that they'll shoot at you as well."