Natasha's POV

Blinking the smoke out of my eyes I searched for the closest house. Praying that I made it in time. Knocking upon the first door there was no answer. Without hesitation I planted my foot against the planks and the door flew easily off its hinges. The small family inside cried out in alarm.

"Fire!" I yelled. This got there attention seeing as how they dropped everything and rushed out the door in a panicked frenzy. Taking it upon myself to save something of this soon dead village I grabbed a bag and searched the house pulling out valuables and placing them in the bag from money to pictures. Exiting the house I tossed it to the family that watched in horror as the glowing mass of flames drew nearer. I watched as Thor picked up a child rushing her to safety. Steve was busy guiding his fellow senior citizens away from their home.

Slowly it seemed people began to comprehend what was happening and began scrambling in the snow trying to get as far away as possible. Making my way to the next house I noticed a few rusty cars out in the open. As the smoke thickened and the heat neared ,melting the snow to a dreadful slush, I shattered a window calling inside the same message as before. A father gathered up his two sons and made his way outside. Calling over his shoulder at me for what I took as a thank you though from the crackling of the enclosing flames I wasn't sure.

Turning away from the house I observed the forest. The angry flames roared like a pack of hungry monsters tearing through anything that stood in their path. The heat was closing in and I could feel my throat burning slightly at the sickening smoke and dry air. I watched as a tree whose branches were ablaze landed on one of the houses that had been cleared. It all to quickly burst into flames turning the house into nothing but a burning skeleton. We needed to hurry.

Turning back to the task at hand I made my way into the house collecting valuables as I went just like before. Stepping outside I thrust them into one of the boy's hands before sending them on their way. As I watched them go I saw Maria emerge from the smoke coughing and blinking furiously.

"We've cleared out at least a dozen but the progress is slow." She croaked covering her mouth with the crook of her arm.

"We have to keep going." I pressed making my way around the house just as the roof caught on fire. As I peeked around the corner I couldn't help but feel dread fill me. "Shit!"

Maria noticed it too. Three fuel barrels were sitting unprotected by the side of the house that just caught fire. Gazing up at the roof I could see it happening before it actually did. By the way the shingle tilted and how the fire ate away at it. Turning I grabbed Maria by the hand and dragged her away dropping to the ground just as the shingle landed on the barrel flicking sparks into the open plug hole. Barely seconds later a loud explosion shook the ground.

The rubble rained down stinging my skin and in some places I could already feel blisters forming. moments later I shook my head trying to get the ringing out of my ears. Pushing myself up to my knees with my elbows I noticed Steve coming our way yelling at us. Without being able to hear what he had said I looked to see Maria laying unconscious next to me with a large piece of shrapnel embedded in her shoulder. Slowly panic consumed me and I tried desperately to wake her up when Steve knelt in front of me and scooped her up in his arms.

"Go!" He called nodding to the other houses that held victims in their flaming clutches. Scrambling to my feet I crossed the street shoving panicking citizens out of the way. I cocked my head to the side listening carefully despite the screams and the crackling of flames. One panicked yell caught my ear. Spinning I located the general direction and struggled through the sea of people in the direction in which I had heard the cry.

Seeing the flaming house I noted the window towards the front. Sprinting I slammed my shoulder into it shattering the glass and tumbling through. Once inside I could feel the heat rise greatly and in a matter of seconds I was covered in a thick layer of sweat. Getting to my feet I rested an arm on my brow trying to block out some of the light. My breathes came in heaving gasps but I shook aside the thought to turn around.

I heard the call again and dodged the snake like tongues of flame as I headed towards it. As I made my way to the hall my eyes fell upon the cause of distress. A whole family was trapped behind the rubble of their collapsing ceiling. A boy reached his arm through a gap in the debris calling out for help. "Please! Help Papa is hurt!"

"It's okay. I'll do what I can but you need to listen to me!" The boy retracted his hand with an okay. Stepping back I observed the overall damage. Large parts of the metal shingles along with household items were piled high at the base. A large log ran horizontally from one end up into the corner completely barring half of the way out. On the other side large stones were piled high. The stones had probably belonged the stove or fire place but had been scattered when the barrels exploded. Overall there was no possible way they could squeeze through a gap.

If I tried to pull loose any of the rubble it would loosen the log causing it to tip over on top of the family. My best bet was to un-wedge the log without collapsing more of the ceiling. Walking forward I wrapped my arms tightly around the beam and pulled. It shifted slightly causing dust to sprinkle on my head. Sadly despite my normally advanced capabilities I couldn't move it. Searching the ground I found a bent metal bar. Also finding some some shredded leather I looped it tightly around the bar. The fire continued to grow licking at the far corner of the rubble.

Wiping sweat out of my eyes and coughing once I found the beam again. Looping the bar around the inside I grabbed the leather corded ends and turned around so that they rested on my shoulders. Digging my feet into the char covered ground I struggled forward trying to gain traction.

"Push!" I called to the boy. Hoping he took my instructions to heart I pulled harder groaning in pain as the my muscles tightened significantly and the straps dug into my shoulders. It felt like my legs would snap like rubber bands. Suddenly there was a slight shift from the log and I peaked over my shoulder to see that it was coming loose. Tugging again it slid to the edge of its perch. Moments after I let go of the strap it slammed hard into the ground cracking the planks that were smoldering due to the proximity of the fire. My legs burned and seemed to scream in agony. I almost collapsed on the spot but rushed forward helping the boy over the pile of rubble. His sister and mother followed, their cheeks tear stained. Looking back over the pile I saw the father laying on his back with a large spike of wood jutting from his chest. He died protecting his family.

Pulling at the stones I yelled at the family to go and get as far away as possible. They hesitated but the boy tugged on his mothers arm shoving them out the door. As his mother and sister ran he turned looking at me eyes glazed with tears. The flames reflected in his devastated gaze his bottom lip quivered. Without much more than a warning he rushed forward curling his arms around my waste. I was more than shocked, I was at a loss for words. Pulling back I studied him one last time his jaw clenched and determined. His eyes now filled with purpose but the most evident was the sincerest of thank yous. With a curt nod I let go of his shoulders and he ran out of the house.

After clearing a section of the rubble away I struggled to get the corpse of the boy's father positioned on my shoulders. Staggering I leaned against the wall trying to suck in clean air but none came. Fumbling my way out, the heat continued to fight me making my eyes water and my skin burn. Breaking through the door I forced my way through the snow before resting the body in the snow where one of the neighbors continued the journey. Extremely fatigued I continued on. My entire body shook with exhaustion and my breaths became more frequent and pained.

Making my way into another engulfed house the edge of my shirt caught fire and traveled up the material rather quickly. Grabbing a handful of snow I smothered it angrily. How could this be happening? With watery eyes, aching limbs, pained lungs, and desperation I searched for the family inside. As I neared the back I noticed a little boy crying and screaming at his mother who lay dead and pinned under the rubble. Dodging the tongues of fire I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him away from his mother's body. He screamed thrashing in my arms but I restrained him.

Turning I went to move towards the door when I noticed the wall of flames in my way. It licked the ceiling as the smoke slipped between the cracks. As it began to bend and creak I looked for another way out. A window or a hole in the wall, but there was nothing. Stepping back I tucked the boy up in my arms and ran as fast as I could before leaping forward. I felt the temperature rise as we passed through the angry blaze and a deafening snap hurt my ears. Landing I rolled across the floor the boy coming loose from my grasp. Flicking my hair out of my eyes I saw the ceiling give way. Cracks shot through the logs as the fire burned through them.

Following the path of cracks I noticed that it was heading for the boy who lay on the floor dazed. Moving as fast as I could I pushed him to the ground using my body as a shield predicting exactly when the roof would cave before it actually did. Thanks super brain I thought sarcastically. The boy screamed his eyes widening as he realized what was happening. Large chunks of searing wood and metal pelted my body covering me in gashes, burns, and bruises. Thinking the worst of it was over I looked up only to see a large beam come plummeting towards us. Standing I braced myself for the impact.

The log landed hard on my back forcing a cry from between my clenched teeth. My legs gave out and I collapsed to my knees feeling the full weight of the object. The wood pressed against my skin causing sharp jabs of pain to shoot through me as I knew I was being burned.

"Go!" I screamed at the boy who lay curled up in a ball at my feet. Registering my words he scrambled to his feet heading for the exit. His feet slipped occasionally on loose debris as he dodged falling objects and the threatening fire. Disappearing from sight I felt the log growing heavier, or was that just my fatigue? Steeling myself I tried desperately to push myself to my feet. Gritting my teeth I struggled raising my weakening body above the ground a few inches only to collapse back into my previous position.

Feeling my fear and desperation rise in intensity I noticed the rest of the house was starting to fall apart as well. The fire slowly snaking its way towards me and I had no way of fleeing. This is it. This is how I'm going to die. Trapped under a log and burned in a fire. At least I saved the family. Lowering my head I almost missed the small pair of feet scurrying towards me. For a moment the load of the log didn't seem as heavy. Looking over I saw the boy who had lost his father. He was kneeling beside me his back pressed against the log muscles tightened and straining. No.

"What are you doing? You're going to die!" I protested. He turned his head towards me that same look of fierce determination etched in his features as when I had first seen him.

"I lost my Father! I won't lose you!" He pleaded.

"You don't need to save me. You have a family, a sister!" He shook his head at my words and I could tell he wasn't going to leave. He had already excepted his fate I could see it in the way he shouldered the weight. Proud, he was proud of what he was doing. He was making a difference as best as he could. He would be with me to the end, to the moment we were crushed or burned. My heart swelled a little and I reached out taking hold of his hand.

There we stayed kneeling in quiet defiance. As my vision slowly faded in and out of focus I took another long look at the boy. He was struggling but hiding it well behind his mask of an expression. Shoulders shaking I could make out the small trail of tears that wiped away the soot on his face. Looking up I noticed the flames growing closer. For a moment I thought I saw someone but it must have been a trick of the light. Bowing my head I closed my eyes. As I did the sudden release of pressure on my shoulders surprised me. The boy cried out in happiness and I looked up to see Tony towering over us with the log in his hands. He tossed it aside effortlessly before beconing us over.

""Grab on." He spoke picking the boy up in his arms while I crawled slowly over to him before barely making it to my feet and wrapping my arms around his kneck. Moments later we were lifted into the air. As I looked down at the house I watched it collapse inward and I couldn't help but feel relieved that I had not been inside.