"Come on, Katie," he said, looking back at her with that trademark boyish grin. "You won't get in trouble, promise. Your mom is at that council meeting, remember?"
Kate bit her lip, eyeing her best friend with tentative suspicion. She stood at the crumbling brick base of the old Boston Museum of Natural History, hands around the rungs of a rusty ladder at the back of the building.
"I don't know, Pete..." She replied, and he rolled his eyes. "There's probably a million Lurkers in there."
"Don't be silly. We're not even going inside. I just want to show you something."
"Is it something actually interesting? Or is it another arachnid exhibit?"
He paused. "Actually interesting. I think."
"Okay..."
With a resigned sigh, Kate scaled the ladder, keeping pace with her excitable friend. She was slowed by the weight in her cargo pants' pockets- a few peanut butter bars, a walkie talkie, and her newest possession, a sleek black handgun. Kate rarely ever carried, but between the heightening tensions in the city and Peter's unpredictable antics, she felt justified in swiping the gun from her mother's loaded armory.
"Hurry up, Katie," Peter called, already on the roof, looking down at Kate with mischief in his brown eyes. "We gotta do this before sunrise."
"Seriously, where are you taking me?" Kate asked as she hoisted herself up, hands in her bomber jacket pockets as she stood.
"Be patient," Peter said, but at Kate's scowl, he finally caved. "Okay, okay. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I know how stressed you've been."
Kate huffed, knowing his meaning. Though she was not privy to everything happening in Boston, she knew enough. "My mother is going to get us all killed."
"Maybe she knows what she's doing," Peter offered, and Kate once again bristled. "I know you don't approve of her methods, but maybe she's doing all of this for you. To keep you safe."
"I never asked her to. I never wanted this."
"I know."
Eyebrows furrowed and expression stormy, Kate stopped in her tracks, crossing to the opposite edge of the roof. "Man, hold on a sec, Pete."
The boy followed, sitting next to her as she lowered herself to perch on the edge. "What is it?"
"Just something I've been thinking about for a while." Her shoulders slumped, and Peter placed a hand on her upper arm. "I can't do this anymore. I hate it here."
"Yeah, I know you do." Anxiety grew in the boy's chest, nervous as to what his best friend of five years may confess. She had been increasingly discontent, a newfound rage bubbling under her friendly demeanor. "What's really on your mind, KB?"
"Let's just get the hell out of here."
"What?"
Kate locked eyes with him, pleading. "Let's just go. This city is about to implode. Either Fisk gets his way and we all starve to death, or there's a war. I don't want to be around for either of those scenarios."
"You're just gonna leave your mom? I bet she has a pl-"
"Her plan is fucking insane," Kate seethed. "It'll save us from Fisk, but not the others."
"Murdock? Jones?"
"All of them." Boiling like a kettle, Kate's fists clenched, and she felt like tearing her hair out. "I'm sick of it. There's literally undead monsters around every corner, and all the humans do is fight each other!"
"I know it's frustrating," Peter said, pulling his knees to his chest. "Believe me."
"So, why don't we just go? Anywhere has to be better than here."
"They're the devils we know, KB. No telling what else is out there. At least Boston has stable supplies, water, factories..."
Deflating further at every word, Kate shook her head in disgust. "Yeah, alright. Forget I said anything."
"No, come on, Kate. I know Boston isn't perfect. A brewing gang war between five factions and an arms dealer isn't exactly paradise. But for now, it's home."
"This will never be my home."
With a deep sigh, Peter continued, "Okay, then, where would you even go?"
"The woods. Appalachia, somewhere. Anywhere without people."
"You think you could make it? No shelter, no farms, no help?"
"I know I would make it. What about you? Where would you go?"
He shrugged noncommittally. "I'd just like to go somewhere beautiful."
Kate nodded, glancing over to her longtime friend. Gone was his boyish smirk and twinkling expression. His eyes were more sunken and rimmed with dark circles, his lips twisted into a frown. He looked like a survivor now. He looked like her.
"I'm sorry, Pete," Kate said, feeling terribly guilty. "I didn't mean to ruin your surprise."
"It's okay, it's not going anywhere," he quickly placated, some youthful light returning to his expression. "And, Kate," he said, grabbing her hand as she stood. "If you really wanted me to, I would run away with you. Just give things some time to play out. Who knows, maybe it'll work out."
"You'd come with me?" Kate asked, hand in his. "You're not just saying that?"
"You're family."
"Alright, I'll wait a little longer, then. I love you, Pete."
"Love you, too."
The two embraced briefly, clapping each other on the back. As they broke apart, Kate felt more at ease than she had for weeks, and followed Peter's excited scurry with a soft smile of her own. "I've got pretty high hopes for wherever you're taking me."
"Oh, yeah? Well, you may just need to raise those hopes..." he paused, "out of this world."
Elated, he scampered to a small viewing platform on the far end of the roof, hopping over the short concrete barrier. Something sat hidden by a dark green tarp in the center of the platform, and with a flourish, Peter uncovered it. His eyes gleamed like the stars above as he unveiled a real life, honest to God, functional telescope.
Feeling like she was on an elementary school field trip, Kate abandoned all of her fears, her anger, all of her angst of the city's future and her plans to run away as she jumped the barrier, mouth agape.
"No fucking way," she breathed, hands touching the metal tripod as if it were made of delicate glass. "It works?"
"Why don't you try it, Katie?"
And try she did. With bated breath, Kate stepped up, squinting one eye and craning her neck. What she saw was, in short, incredible. Twinkling groups of stars surrounding a cratered, dimpled moon. Light pollution dropped dramatically upon the fall of society, so even in a city like Boston, constellations and even far off planets were visible with a smaller telescope such as this.
"Wish I had my notepad," Kate murmured, still in awe. "It's so beautiful."
Peter crossed his arms in satisfaction. "It's good to look up every now and again. There are bigger things out there than squabbles in Boston, you know?"
"Kate? Hey, Kate, you gotta wake up."
Eyes flying wildly open, Kate sat up with a start, surprised to meet Yelena's concerned gaze. The Widow touched her shoulder to steady her, ground her as Kate came down from the intensity of the dream, chest heaving. Yelena's other hand reached gently for her face, and Kate recoiled, though she stilled when she realized the girl just wanted to wipe her tears.
"Bad dream?" Yelena asked, kneeling beside her.
Kate sniffed, blinking to try and orient herself. They had been in Maryland for about two days, and currently camped under a railroad bridge meant for old locomotives. Yelena had managed to snag a sleeping bag from a nearby house (which she did not let Kate enter), so, ideally sleep would have been more peaceful.
Instead, she dreamed of a different time, one filled with regret and heartache. Kate sighed, packing up her things as she stood, realizing this is the life she wanted with Peter. Kate wished more than anything that he had escaped with her when they had the chance. She kicked herself for ever thinking things would improve, that anything good could have come from that hellhole of a city. She was smarter than that, though she felt no sense of vindication when the first bombs detonated in civilian districts and chaos took hold of the streets.
"Stupid," Kate muttered, bitter tears in her eyes as she aggressively stuffed her sleeping bag into her pack. "I told him..."
Yelena watched, unnerved by this side of Kate, this angry and regretful side. "Are you alright?"
Kate took a shaking breath, nodding unconvincingly. "I'll be fine. Let's get moving."
The archer shouldered past her, determination in her steps. Yelena hurriedly followed, patting down her pockets to ensure she gathered everything- her gun, her knives, and her little purple car.
"You sure you're okay?" Yelena asked, jogging to catch up. "We can take a break-"
"I don't need a break," Kate said shortly, but softened upon seeing the real sympathy in Yelena's expression. "I'm okay, really. I'm sure you're not a stranger to nightmares. I'll shake it off."
"Yeah." Yelena nodded to herself, not remembering a night where her dreams were not haunted with ghosts from her past. "Well, listen, I was thinking we could try hunting today."
"Hm. Not a bad idea, actually. We're almost through our supplies and once it starts snowing, we're done for. You know anything about hunting?"
"Shoot the animal?"
Kate managed a short chuckle. "You're not wrong. You thinking now or later?"
"Later," Yelena confirmed, wobbling as she attempted to walk on the dotted yellow line dividing the roadway. "There was one little store on the edge of town that I was thinking of raiding."
"Yeah?"
"Just a country store. Gas station, really. Saw it on the way in. We can loot it before hitting the interstate again."
"Sounds good to me."
So, with their plan settled for the day, the two commenced their favorite activity- walking. Kate noticed that Yelena always walked on the right side, presumably to have unencumbered access to her sidearm. Yelena walked with such understated grace, with her chin up and her steps sure. Unlike Kate, she had no haggard limp borne from the remains of a crumbling building, when her body gave way as she tried and failed to drag her best friend to safety.
Kate studied her partner's face, analyzing the newly forming scar from the drop kick, and for just a moment Yelena's hazel eyes reminded her of Peter's.
But... she wasn't Peter. Yelena was not as optimistic, not as cheerful, not as naïve, and perhaps she was better for it. In a way, though, Yelena was kind like he was, she was brave in a foolhardy sort of way... and she was Kate's friend, just like he had been for so many faithful years.
Kate cared for her in many of the same ways she cared for Peter. She wanted her alive, safe, and by her side. At the same time, though, the relationship was different than with the brown eyed boy. It was somehow already... deeper. More intimate.
Having someone to care about again really did rattle Kate to her core, but maybe it would end differently this time. It had to.
"There's the store," Yelena said, gun already drawn as she nodded to the quaint, dilapidated structure.
It was a typical rural gas station- two fuel pumps that had been completely dismantled, an icebox with the door ripped off its hinges, and a decomposing body laid on the cement outside. With how much rot the body suffered, it was difficult to tell if it was human or Lurker, but at this point, there was almost no difference.
"You know the drill," Yelena said, silver pistol raised, poised to open the front door.
"Stay behind you," Kate replied dryly.
Yelena promptly flung the door open, sweeping the space through pure muscle memory. She cleared behind the counter first, then between shelves, and finally, the bathroom at the back of the store. Perhaps she was a bit preoccupied worrying about Kate, or she had gotten lazy in her typically monotonous routine, but she was taken by surprise when a Lurker lunged for the open door, groaning with bloodlust.
"Fuck!" Yelena exclaimed, firing an impulsive shot that unfortunately sailed left of the Lurker's skull.
"Yelena?" Kate called from the counter, racing over to find the straining woman with her hands around the neck of the creature, keeping its mouth as far away from her as possible. Kate wasted no time in whipping out her knife and driving it through the Lurker's temple, yanking it out with a disgusting squelch. "You good? It didn't bite you, did it?" Kate asked, suddenly terrified. "Yelena?"
Yelena, out of breath and admittedly shaken, simply whistled back 'all clear'. After a beat, she said, "Not our best day, is it?"
"Could be worse," Kate mumbled, though quickly perked up. "Oh, I did find one thing in there."
With a proud grin, Kate retrieved her find- an ancient six pack of beer. The cans clanged as she jangled it, eyebrows wriggling in expectation.
"Gross," Yelena replied, already heading for the exit. "Not worth almost dying."
"More for me, then."
Kate cracked open a can as they resumed walking, now headed for the tree line. She finished her first brew before they even stepped a few yards into the forest, and Yelena looked back at her with a frown as she downed a second. "Give me the bow."
"What?"
Yelena put her hands on her hips. "Give me the bow. You're not shooting drunk."
Relenting, Kate handed the instrument over, placing the quiver over Yelena's shoulder. In an exchange, she took Yelena's bag, and followed as stealthily as she could with her beer cans and two heavy packs.
"I just don't get how you never used bows with the Widows," Kate quietly confessed, steps slow and deliberate.
"Well," Yelena started, eyes scanning the trees for any flashes of movement. "They're awful at close range, and if I'm far, I'll just use a gun. I do see how they're useful for stuff like this, though."
"How did you guys get food, then? I know you said you had farmers, but I'm assuming you all weren't vegetarian."
"We had livestock. A few chickens for eggs, a pig and a cow or two. But, mostly... meat came from scavenging. Lot of beef jerky, lot of salted stuff."
"How does that...? Oh." Kate grew suddenly solemn. "Doesn't have anything to do with those patches, does it?"
A few tens of yards away, Yelena tracked a sudden movement, just a flash of black in between the trees. She could not tell if it was a squirrel, raccoon, or something else. Something more worrisome.
"You don't like them..." Yelena voiced, feeling the heat from Kate's gaze as she aimed. "It's okay that they make you nervous."
"You don't make me nervous," Kate clarified quickly, "but, yeah. Those do. I just... there's a lot of them. I see the way you hold that gun. I know you've used it. I... hm. I just wonder if you've done what I've done. And I wonder if it haunts you."
"What have you done, Kate Bishop?"
As soon as she said the name, a figure burst from the trees in front of them. Yelena, eyes wide, fired on instinct, downing the sprinting man with an arrow to the thigh. A second black-clad assailant leaped from behind the first, firing warning shots from an assault rifle into the sky.
Bewildered, Kate drew her knife, but was immediately disabled as someone swiftly kicked her in the back of her bad knee. She screamed, collapsing and ordering Yelena to run.
The blonde did not run, though, and despite fighting the squadron of bandana-faced bandits well, their numbers were too overwhelming, and eventually, she, too, was pinned to the forest floor.
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Just a fun side note I'm imagining the five Boston gang leaders as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Kingpin. I'm sure the Punisher is running around the city somewhere too.
This is where things start getting crazy! This book has been way more fun to write than I thought, and I'm excited to see where it goes