#theblip

Prologue:

The Culling. That’s what they called it. But where we went? It was empty, burned orange, like we were living in a sunset. Except there was no living, just violence. The Expanse was what we called it, little pieces of Earth appeared; little places of Oasis. But no one was really sure what was happening in here. But it was filled with people, kids, adults, teens, half of families, whole families, dogs, cats, animals, plants at random sprouting up. None of it made sense. Until I found them. The heroes.

Part One:

Clara heard the sounds before she saw them. That’s how it always was in the Expanse, everything was like an echo. Grinding and soft all at once like the fucking sand beneath her feet.

She wouldn’t fall for that again, gripping the axe close to her chest she rolled too her feet, pulling the bag onto her back tightly. The weight familiar, setting her even in the dusty expanse.

Crouching behind the dune Clara shifted in the gritty sand,

“I saw footprints. Maybe it’s that bitch that got away boss.”

Clara winced, it was them. She’d manage to catch him by surprise last time. They wouldn’t make that mistake this time. So Clara did the stupidest thing she could, Run. And so did they.

“There she goes!” She could hear the whooping hunting cries. The sound of them behind her rippled in her ears and, coming and going with the sound of her heaving breath.

“Run run as fast as you can!” The taunts throbbed in her ears as she ran. Clara felt something strike her shoulder, pain like fire ran down her back and she tumbled down into the sand. Gritting her eyes to avoid the grains that flew past her face, sticking to the blood on her chin.

“Thought you could get away pretty thing.” His body was heavy on her, pinning her into the sand. Panicked she swung the fire axe as hard as she could. It stuck it something with a crunch and squelch. Warm acrid smells sank in, like sweaty bodies and stifled metallic blood crawling up into her nostrils. Invasive and harsh, Clara breathed it in hard trying to force her palate past it.

Kicking out Clara pushed the body away and pulled her axe running up the dune, her shoulder was screaming electric pain as she tumbled over the edge of the sand and slide down.

“Pretty bird!” His voice echoed in her memory doubled in his spitting cries as Keen was on her, his knees digging into her chest. “I told you I’d find you pretty bird.”

“Get off me! You sick son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!”

“You know you can’t.” His eyes flashed in the sunset light red brown. The knife dug into her shoulder as a scream ripped from her mouth as the laugh tumbled from his.

Bucky sat up from his spot by the fire. Sam blinked at him blearily, this hand reaching for the hunting knife next to his head.

“What is it?” Sams spike gravelly, sleeping fading from his face.

“A scream.” He rolled to his feet and started toward the sound. And then another scream shrill and frantic came from the east.

“East let’s go!” That rocked Sam out of sleep, following Bucky as they ran across the sand, they rounded the edge of a dune and looked down. Four men jeered holding a woman down, the man above her twisted the knife in her shoulder.

“Can we join the party?” Sam quipped before he launched into the fight. Bucky flung men off the woman, an arm snapped in his hold.

“Go ahead kill me. I’ll keep coming back for her.” The man who’d been on top of her gave a wide mouth grin, his teeth shiny with blood. Buckys jaw tightened at the jab and knocked the man unconscious like the others.

“He’s right.” She whispered tears streaming down her face, hands shaking as she gripped her axe.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked as he stepped toward her, “I’m pararescue can I check your wounds?”

“There’s no need.” She showed them the wound that was slowly closing. When she took in their faces she knew. “Let me guess, you came through at an Oasis. Let’s move before they come to.” She shifted her bag and walked past them but Bucky could see her hand shaking before it tightened around the bloody axe.

“Hey-what the hell is going on?” Sam grabbed her shoulder as they rounded the dune and she spun axe raised eyes frantic. “Woah Jesus.” He held up his hands backing up, but he could see the bloody spray across her face, the tangled mess of a braid, and the exhaustion and fear plain in her eyes.

“Look I don’t know who you are or what kind of charmed life you’ve had since the arrival. But some of us woke up in the Expanse not an Oasis. There’s no kindness in the Expanse. The next Oasis is about three cycles or whatever goes on here. And it’s a bad place. You bend to the will of the warlord or you risk it out here with people like those men.” Her words were quick and heavy, Bucky could hear her heart pounding in her chest with his enhanced hearing.

“What did he mean he’d come back?” She swung her gaze toward Bucky.

“You can’t die here. This place, hell or whatever. You just come back.” Even and hard, the tenor of voice told the two men she wasn’t lying.

“Did they kill you?” Sam questioned gently, he took in her smaller figure and the tears in her clothes. Blood stained and tattered.

She rubbed her face, “Keen kept me captive but Cole, sweet kid shaggy blonde hair, didn’t realize what the others were after. He tried to set me loose and I watched Keen slit his throat. And he left that kids body next to me until he came back to fucking life. They left him tied up in the Expanse, Keen changed when he realized we couldn’t die. You don’t want to die here. He got complacent and I got out. I ran as far as I fucking could until I found the Oasis. I’d rather take my chances out here in the Expanse than be a prisoner again.”

“What’s your name.” Bucky asked gently.

“Clara Dove. And I hate to be a broken record but we need to keep moving.” She snapped and turned on her heel walking up the next dune. Her stride was heavy and tired but purposeful. Sam supposed her purpose was to get away from Keen and his men.

“We came through with a group but we’ve only see a handful of people. Our Oasis or whatever you called it is about four days- cycles.” Sam explained as they walked. “We didn’t know society had devolved that much.”

“What society.” Clara snorted, her hair swung and her mouth quirked; “We turned into fucking dust and woke up in this permalight orange nightmare. Feudalism was inevitable.”

Bucky cocked a eyebrow, his arm calibrated as he focused on her feet slipping slightly in the sand as she started up a dune.

“You don’t talk like a normal gal.” Bucky commented and Clara spared him a backwards glance.

“I’m a student professor. I was teaching cultural anthropology when this happened. So I know a thing or two about reversion to baser society.” Clara kept walking her voice pained.

“Where’d you get the fire axe?” Sams long strides brought him almost even with her.

“Turns out, I am an excellent thief.” Clara threw Sam a grin. “What are your names by the way?”

“Sam Wilson.” She stopped to shake his hand.

“Bucky Barnes.” She shook his hand too and paused.

“Wait you’re both Avengers.” Recognition dawned, back lit my the orange sky her eyes glanced between them. Bucky was close enough to smell the blood and sour fear sweat.

“Sort of.” Bucky responded wryly, he brought his hand back quickly, metal arm calibrating nervously.

“I’m a professor my dudes. I keep up on current events and conspiracy theories.” Clara looked back again, “I read all the leaked files over spring break.” She slowed down. “This place is one of those super hero things isn’t it.” They came up on the campfire. Sam shifted his bag on this back and Bucky swung his up.

“Unfortunately. Big purple asshole from space. Wanted to cut the universe in half to make it prosper again.” Sam explained and Clara rubbed her face making a face at the blood on her hands.

“So magic genocide? That’s where we’re at? Fucking great. A fucking plus.” Clara snapped, she looked at the sky.

“We need to put out the fire before it gets dark-well darkish. Keen is deranged but he isn’t stupid. He’ll track us unless something else catches his fancy.” Clara scooped sand over the fire while the men watched.

“We can keep going, our Oasis is up against the mountains, the more we walk the sooner we’ll be there and you’ll be safe.” Buckys voice was low and reassuring. Her shoulders were tense while the sand shifted through her fingers. The soft face turned back to them, Bucky recognized the reflection of war in Claras glassy gaze. She wasn’t here with them, she was somewhere out in the Expanse. Reliving hell in every heart beat and foot fall.

“There is no safe here. You two of all people should understand that.” Clara tightened the strap on her bag as the fire smoldered out.

“Hey not that I don’t understand this whole Mad Max thing you got going, but lighten up girl.” Sam commented, “You can’t loose the light to fight the dark.” He could see the worry in her body, something he’d seen in every Solider in his group. The constant intensity, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Clara sighed; “How about you promise to use your Obi-Wan Kenobi schtick when I’m not five minutes free of being tortured? And I’ll promise to remember how to function around people who aren’t crazed wannabe warlords?” Clara offered a small smile, Sam returned it. Maybe there was hope in the Expanse after all.