Hallowed (B. Barnes)

Prologue

Two years following the events of Part One

On the side of a back road, a beat-up RV is parked askew, soft voices from a radio coming from inside. Bucky sits on a foldable chair outside at the side of the van. He makes notes in a thick journal that's almost bursting. He squints a little as the sun seemingly brightens, he shakes his head and then glances up to see that the sun is burning brightly, the sky around it is bright red/orange, as if it is on fire. His eyes widen but to be honest, he is not at all surprised that something else is going wrong with the world.

"So Thanos kills half of everyone and now the sun is dying...." Bucky comments as he stares up at the sky, a radio playing behind him, some news station basically sharing his sentiments.

"When it rains" A redhead inside of the RV behind him grumbles as she opens a beer from a cooler. Natasha Romanoff. Another recovered Soviet assassin. They've been travelling together since Thanos snapped his fingers and dusted half the universe, their friends, teammates and family part of that. Leaving the Avenger numbers very dwindled. Leaving everyone alone. Bucky lost Steve and, reluctantly, Sam. He's not even sure if Sydney came out of the other side. In fact, that's what they're out here doing. Cataloguing the missing for the government. Going from town to town making a list. He's hoping that along the way he'll hear news of Sydney. It's all he can do to keep his mind from sinking into grief. He needs to keep moving. To keep going. If he stops. It will break him. Natasha hands him a beer before dropping into the seat set up next to his. The two of them just watching the sky. Neither one in all of a rush to do anything to help.

..........

Sydney is walking through a garden, touching the tops of the flowers as she walks by them. She looks up to the sun and then turns to look at the flowers. She seems horrified when she realizes they have died and then looks at her hand. She looks back to the sun which is blistering in the sky.

...........

Dean sits on the edge of what was Sydney's bed in what was Sydney's bedroom. The last two years have been tough on all of them. But probably none more so than Sydney. He knows she pushed herself harder than them to prove her loyalty still remained with her family. To make up for all the years that she wasn't around them. And the one thing that got her.....was Amara. Dean accidentally setting her free. Dean accidentally caused her freedom. Amara then took over Sydney's body. Possessed her or something, they're not too sure on the science behind it. Only that Amara is now inside of Sydney's body and they are pretty sure Sydney had no say in that, whatsoever. So they plan to stop Amara. Hoping that they will get their sister back at the end.

"Look, if...if we lose Syd because of this, then..." Dean starts and then shrugs. "She would have preferred to go out than having someone else walking around in her body...." He looks at Sam who stands in the doorway. "You know she would have" Sam looks down. They'd only had Sydney back in their lives for a year when it all went to hell like this, and they've been a year without her since. Winchester curse. Dean shakes his head and rubs his hands on his jeans.

"It's not your fault" Sam tries, but it does little to alleviate the guilt that Dean feels but nothing is going to change the way he feels about this. "How were you to know that Amara would....."

"Steal our sister and use her body to eat people's souls, kill Chuck....and destroy the world?" Dean voices, Sam nods and looks away from him. Dean lets out a snort. "She should never have come back" He whispers. "She should have stayed away from us...."

"Dean" Sam starts.

"Like you haven't thought that before" Dean scolds and then stands. "Right...well...I need a drink" He mumbles and passes by Sam who gives Sydney's bedroom one last look before following after Dean.