ONLY FAITH REMAINS

Locusta felt useless. She was telling the truth to Curio when she said that it would be beneficial to have one of them in the field; she needed to get out of there. The sight of Octavian writhing in agony, the guy she'd seen as indestructible, now a shell of who she thought he was. It hurt her heart seeing him in that pain, and it hurt worse knowing that if it was anything like the pain Curio and Locusta carried with them, he would be in constant torture.

She gripped Proxima's spear tighter. Her blood was still stained on the end, now stuck to the metal. Locusta tried not to look at it too much, avoiding the strange gleam of her blood and focused her efforts on moving through the forest. 

A wind came out of nowhere, whipping at her hair and slapping at her skin. She squinted against the sudden attack of air, her knuckles turning white around the spear. Something was off. The wind was setting her hairs on end, and she knew in a battle, she had to trust her instincts. 

She hated that trust a lot. 

She picked up the pace, wandering through the endless trees. It seemed like everyone fighting had disappeared, and in their place was bark. She had to readjust her grip on the spear. 

Far ahead, a dark collection of clouds gathered. They were a mixture of blue and black, the two colours fading together so perfectly she was unsure of where one colour started and another began. It was a breathtaking colour. 

The clouds suddenly vanished. 

Her gut screamed at her to run. To run far in the opposite direction, to grab Curio and Octavian and flee. To hide until all of this was over, until they could finally live the normal life they deserved to live. Sometimes, she had to ignore her gut. Humans were cowards by nature, but the true heroes were the ones who fought valiantly against the ominous feeling. 

Even if it meant that they were one step closer to death. 

Locusta picked up her pace, jogging to where she'd seen the clouds. They hadn't seemed that far away when she first saw them, but now it just seemed as if the distance kept growing wider. It must be her mind playing tricks on her, her cowardice pleading for her to succumb to it and let her weak will take her to safety for at least a few days. 

She knew she found the right place when she saw him. 

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Even in her own reality, she never came face to face with the man himself. Thanos was a broad, intimidating man whose shadow fell over them all. She never thought it was possible for someone to cast such a large shadow - Thanos had a habit of defying expectations. 

Before the infamous titan, stood the only defence for Vision. She frowned at the sight of the android - he should be somewhere safe, not in the middle of a fight. Wanda seemed to share the same idea, standing protectively in front of him, her hands lit up in her red magic. 

Bruce Banner in his towering armour stared at the titan, addressing Steve just below him. "That's him." 

"Eyes up. Stay sharp." Steve commanded, his shield raised in front of him and a defiant look painted on his face. 

His defiance was infectious. T'Challa, dressed in his Black Panther uniform, was riled up for the right, his fists splaying open, claws shooting out of his fingertips. Sam, adorned in his signature wings and red goggles set his jaw. She felt the feeling spread to her. Her eyes were set on Thanos, the spear positioned offensively in her hands. 

She crept towards the fight, pressing her back against a tree. Before she could convince herself to do otherwise, she dragged the edge of the spear along the palm of her hand. The sting joined in the harmony of aches and pains ravaging her body - this torture was nothing she couldn't handle. 

Peeling away from the tree, she stepped out of the treeline just as Bruce reached Thanos. He threw his armoured fist at the titan, his entire body twisting with the movement. Thanos barely lifted a finger, activating the gauntlet. The blue stone in his glove pulsed. Bruce was thrown into the cliff behind them, his body morphing into the rock. 

Steve barely had time to raise his fists to attack before he was blown away. 

T'Challa was undeterred by blow to the super solider. He pounced high into the air, his claws extended. It didn't take long for Thanos to grab him by the throat. Ruthlessly, he was punched into the ground. T'Challa's armour flickered in protest. 

Sam swooped down, his two pistols aimed at Thanos. Locusta thought this could be it. This could be the attack that at least makes Thanos bleed. 

She was so naive. 

His wings transformed to rubber. He crumbled to the ground, rolling to safety from the sudden drop. Locusta couldn't spend too much time pondering the fate of Sam as he rolled from sight, throwing herself into the fight. 

Letting out a battle cry, she jabbed the spear at the titan. His vacant hand grabbed a hold of the spear. She felt her heart drop. She tried to struggle out of his grip, tugging with all of her might to free her weapon from his grasp. 

His eyes crawled down to take her in. A small smirk grew on his face as he spotted the signature weapon of one of his followers. "Is Midnight dead?" 

His voice was devoid of emotion. He didn't even care about those who fought for him. She didn't expect much from him, but she expected at least some compassion for those closest to him. She felt her stomach turn. 

Locusta didn't answer. She just carried on trying to pull the spear from Thanos' grip, eyes frantically darting from Thanos to the spear in her hands. She couldn't hear the heartache taking place behind her as the two lovers said their goodbyes, all of her energy focused on the spear. 

With a final tug, he pulled the weapon out of her hands. 

She stumbled forwards, tripping over her feet. She had no time to collect herself. Thanos backhanded her so hard she flew through the air. Locusta couldn't even scream, the wind stealing her of her voice. 

On the inside, she was shrieking. 

It ended as soon as it begun. She rolled to the ground, her body vibrating from the impact. By now, she had become immune to the pain, feeling only annoyance as she rolled onto her front, pushing herself to her feet. 

Instantly, Wanda's red energy pouring into Vision's head entered her eye line. The sorrow was evident on her face, with her trembling lip and quaking hands. Locusta paid no mind to her sacrifice - she could pay her respects later. His death would serve a greater cause. 

Rhodey joined the fight in the War Machine armour, releasing a turrent of bullets at Thanos' body. He didn't even bat an eyelid at the impact of them. He just used his gauntlet to crush the suit around Rhodey's body. He tossed him aside as if he was litter. 

Locusta witnessed Bucky, another super solider, someone who was meant to be advantaged over the rest of them, run in firing his gun. This trained assassin was punched away with the power of the gauntlet. 

One of T'Challa's generals joined the fray. She activated her spear, flinging it towards the titan. Thanos stopped it mere inches away from his body. Just like the rest of the heroes, she was thrown aside. 

The heroes were dwindling down one by one. 

Black Widow didn't even have chance to land a punch - she was wrapped in vines. 

Locusta watched this with wide eyes. It was clear coming at the titan head on wasn't going to work. They needed a different angle.

Her gaze drifted to the tree. 

Locusta didn't waste another second. She frantically scrambled up the tree, the bark scratching at her hands as she fumbled for purchase. She clumsily clambered up the wood. Locusta kept her gaze trained straight in front of her, not paying attention to the teenage tree who Octavian arrived with beneath her try to wrap Thanos in roots. She heard a burst - instantly she knew whatever had attacked him had failed. 

She crawled up onto one of the branches, trying not to think too hard on whether or not the tree could support her weight. Locusta kept a careful eye beneath her, breathing soothingly, watching as Steve dodged a blow from Thanos, deploying his arm shields. He thrust them into Thanos' chin and gut. In a fluid movement, he grabbed a hold of the gauntlet, prying Thanos' fingers apart. 

Even from where she was sat perched, stalking her prey, she could see the awe flash over Thanos' face. 

The admiration didn't last long. Thanos slammed a fist into Steve's head. He collapsed to the ground like a sack of rocks. 

Now there was no one between Wanda and Thanos. 

She focused a continuous stream of energy on Vision, her body shaking with effort. As Thanos got closer, she swung her spare hand towards him. Another beam of scarlet energy shot out of her hands, hitting Thanos directly in the chest. He was halted in his steps. 

This was her chance. 

Locusta pushed all doubt from her mind. She was a strategist. This would work. 

Putting all of her faith into gravity, she let herself fall. 

Her hands were reaching for Thanos, ready for even the slightest of brushes. She would at least hinder his progress, even if it killed her. 

Her hair flew behind her as she fell, all of the air stolen from her lungs. She plunged closer. 

The gauntlet pulsed. 

In a fraction of a second, her body was sent careening into the air. 

She failed. 

-

hey guys! can you believe that there's only 7 chapters left of this book? it honestly feels like yesterday that i posted this ❤ after the main chapters are posted i'll be posting the deleted scenes and then thats the first half of this book done!

does anyone have any questions about this book etc?

anyway i hope everyone is doing well, hope you enjoyed this chapter. see you guys soon!

-thirdwheelchurchill