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forty-four

   Vision was forced into the air by his throat after Thanos had used the Time Stone to bring him back to life.

   Everything Wanda has worked to prevent was slowly becoming reality and no one could do anything to stop it. I watched in horror as she was swatted to the side like a nuisance and as the titan had regenerated Vision. He gripped the AI's throat firmly and lifted him off the ground.

   The smirk across the alien's face made me sick to my stomach, but I still couldn't find the will to look away from the scene.

   He dug his fingers into Vision's head without a sliver of remorse and gripped the stone viciously. With one last look, he ripped it out of his head and dropped him to the ground as if he were nothing.

   The usual red and silver that covered his body was taken over by shades of grey and his eyes became a hollow white.

   Thanos gently set the Mind Stone into the gauntlet that adorned his hand. Pure energy surged through his body in flashes of colors, causing a loud groan to leave his mouth and his torso to shake under the pressure. I could only hope that the power would be too much and he'd die from it, but I knew that we wouldn't get so lucky.

   Moments passed as the titan regained his composure and began examining his completed gauntlet. His eyes raked over the six Infinity Stones like his life depended on it.

   An unexpected crack of lighting echoed from the skies above and illuminated the forest around us. I couldn't help the breath of pleasant surprise that left my mouth at the sight of Thor sending a bolt of lighting into the titan. It sent him into the ground and practically threw the maniac backwards.

   Through the threes, I could see the man bring his arm back and sent his axe hurling towards Thanos, the weapon not even slowing down when it was opposed by a blast from the gauntlet. The axe barreled down and implanted itself into the alien's shoulder. The impact forced him to a knee and a clear expression of distaste covered his features.

   A feeling of weight came over me and I looked down at myself, noticing that my body was becoming tangible once more. I credited the occurrence to Thor's attack finally weakening the titan. My form became true and I let out a relieved sigh.

"You don't look like a ghost anymore," Natasha spoke up, her eyes scanning over me. "Does that mean you can get me out of this?"

"I think so." I channeled my strength and pressed my body into the large slabs of rock that confined her. They were balanced against each other in such a way that if one moved, they could all collapse on top of her. "Ready?" She nodded. "One, two, three." I pushed the rock and the others began to fall. I forced my powers outward and the purple aura wrapped around them and held the slabs as she rushed out from beneath them. I let them drop once Nat had moved.

   "Where are the others?" she questioned.

   "I don't—"

   My words were cut off as a loud yell echoed through the trees and a deep ringing sound came right afterwards. It sounded like a dull rocket launching into space and my heart dropped at the noise. Oh no. I looked to Nat and didn't bother trying to mask the shocked expression on my face.

   I turned on my heel and ran towards where I'd last seen Thor, not bothering to wait for her. I shoved branches out of my way and slid to a stop once I'd found him. He was panting heavily and staring at the ground, but there was no Thanos.

   Leaves crunched beside me and I turned to see Steve holding his side and looking between Thor and I as he stumbled up next to us. "Where'd he go?" he asked with a pant. "Thor, where'd he go?"

   A sense of dread came over me and it only worsened when I saw Bucky walking towards us with an uncertain expression on his face. My brows furrowed as I made eye contact with him.

   "Raven?" The way he said my name made me uneasy and I gave him a once-over, looking for injuries. "Steve?" he said, glancing over to his best friend, then back to me.

   His gaze fell to his hands and a gasp escaped my lips. His skin was turning into a grey ash and fading away into nothing. Bucky stumbled forward, but he was fading quickly. My heart stopped and time felt like it slowed down as I watched him fall to the ground and disappear. The gun he had in his grasp clattered to the ground and the sound echoed in my ears, taunting me.

   "Bucky!" I cried out, my eyes filling with tears as I ran and tried to catch him, but I failed and got there too late. "No . . . no, please," I begged, my voice cracking. "Please, come back," I pleaded quietly. I fell to my knees and reached out slowly, my hands shaking softly as I did so. My head shook in disbelief as I tried to piece together what the hell had just happened. Where would the ones Thanos snapped away go?

   I could feel the pitiful stares of the others boring into the back of my head, but I didn't care.

   I lost him.

   I could hear the footsteps of others coming into the small clearing we sat in. I looked up at them, my eyes brimming with tears. Confused and hurt expressions covered their faces as they tried to make sense of what had just happened.

   Steve looked at where Vision's grey body laid, dropping defeatedly to his knees and sitting down. It was as if the weight of the situation had finally caught up to him. His brows furrowed as he glanced around, trying to catch his breath still.

   "Oh, God."