SANCTUM | Avengers

6

- SIX -

The plane lands with a thud onto the runway. People file out of the small space, all going in different directions.

I quickly walk towards the exit, pulling my bag right across my shoulders. I almost gasp at the cold air, my lungs struggling to breath in.

With a whistle, I step in to the road and hail taxi. The car pulls over and I open the door and then shut it quickly in a attempt to keep out the blizzard.

The man driving turns to look at me in his seat and smiles. He seems like a kind man; he had red cheeks and a friendly face. This will be a shame.

"Where would you like to go?" he asks in broken English.

"To this address" I reply, handing him a small piece of paper with a road name scrawled onto it.

His eyes widen. Looking up at me, he tries to hand back the paper.

"No- no," he stutters, "we do not go there. Too far and- uh..."

He stutters again, trying to find the right words.

"Dangerous," he says finally, nodding his head.

"You'll find, sir," I say, reaching into my bag, "that danger is not much of a deterrent for me."

I pull out my handgun and load it. His eyes widen as I place it onto my lap; I let it sit there and hand him back the slip of paper. I try to smile at him.

"Drive."

He hits the gas and speeds down the narrow Sokovian streets. Each building shows different signs of bomb damage. Although I did my research about this small country, the damage is way more intense then any article ever written about the explosions had described. Soon enough, though, the scenery changes. The worn out buildings and cobbled roads turn into wider, gravel, roads bordered by dark forests and massive trees.

The car putters down the icy roads until the it pulls over. I peer over the driver's head to see the end of the road. The only thing laying ahead of me is a dense forest.

Rummaging through my bag, I grab some money and hand it to the man. He hesitantly takes the cash, but begins to speak in quickly.

"I- I am sorry, but traveling up this road is illegal. I have lived in Sokovia my whole life, and the forces that work up that hill..."

He points to the west, where the top of a hill can be seen poking out behind the trees.

"They are beyond what you can imagine. They do many things- bad things. I can not stop you but I will have to tell the police. Those woods are filled with danger."

I try to give him a reassuring smile. In all my years of training, I never practices how to smile.

"Don't worry, Sir."

Quickly, I pick my gun back up and pull the trigger. No hesitation. His body slums against the steering wheel, honking the horn.

"So am I."

I lean in the to window and grab the cash out of his hand. Once again, the tremendous cold bites at any skin showing. I shudder as I quickly I peel off my outer layers of clothing, leaving me in the tight suit that I first laid my eyes on only the day before.

The material reflects my body heat, so although my face is frozen, my muscles are warm- ready to fight.

Stashing the pieces of clothing in a large pile of snow on the side of the road, I turn back to the car and pick my bag off the back seat. I pull out other weapons and put them in my suit or attach them to the belt around my waist.