Jessica Jones
Pounding on the front door breaks Jessica out of her deep alcohol-ridden slumber. She rolls over, grumbling profanities while pressing a pillow to her ear. The knocking persists and she throws the pillow across the room, glancing at her clock before sliding out of bed and slipping on a pair of jeans.
"You assholes better not break my door. That's the fourth time I've replaced that goddamn glass." She yells, unlocking the deadbolt and whipping the door open. At her door stand about ten or so people, all with bloodshot eyes and puffy cheeks that look to be from crying. "What the hell?"
"Ms. Jones," the one that looked to be doing the persistent pounding steps forward. "something terrible has happened."
On any other day, Jessica may have chased them away, yelling about showing up at her door before the sun has risen. Today just feels different. There's a weight to the air that she can't seem to place her finger on. That and the fact that the dozen people at her door are all from completely different neighborhoods, socioeconomic backgrounds, and races makes her instantly believe they are telling the truth and she should hear them out.
"Okay, uh, come in." They file in, some clutching photographs and others glancing at their cell phones every few moments. Jessica glances into the hall, expecting to see Malcolm come bouncing out his apartment door help set up interviews and bring her Red Bull. In fact, she's surprised he didn't wake her up earlier if there was some big incident that happened.
The door pounder is sitting at the chair in front of Jessica's desk. She closes the door and takes her spot, pulling out a notepad.
"What seems to be the trouble?'
Eleven times Jessica asks the question. Eleven times, the same response is given.
"My brother is gone. My parents are out of town and he was in the next room and then he suddenly disappeared into thin air. I only left to go to the bathroom."
"My girlfriend won't reply to me at all. She's not at her apartment, she wasn't supposed to be going anywhere for work this week. I'm getting worried."
"My husband didn't return from work."
"My daughter crawled into a tunnel the park and didn't come out the other side."
"I watched my best friend dissolve into thin air."
"You what?" Jessica stops, staring at the college-aged girl sitting before her.
"She dissolved. Like broke up into pieces and blew away in Central Park."
"Like a damn crossfade? Did anyone else see something like this?"
The people look at each other. Some nod.
Jessica groans, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You assholes didn't think to mention the part about seeing people literally dissolve into thin air? You didn't think that was important?"
Jessica's head snaps up. She stands from the desk, pushing past the crowd and running into the hall. She opens Malcolm's door, breaking the lock with her strength and walking straight into his apartment.
"Malcolm! Are you here?" she yells, looking into each room for any sign that he could be out doing something. The apartment is empty, his jacket that he wears everywhere hanging on the kitchen chair, his cell phone plugged into the wall, and his bed unmade. Malcolm doesn't leave his bed unmade. It's part of his sobriety.
"Shit, what the hell is going on?"
Panic strikes Jessica now, and she pulls out her phone. The phone continues to ring as she runs out of the apartment and down the stairs, leaving the people lingering in the hallways and her office. "Shit, shit, shit, Trish, pick up the fucking phone."
Three times Jessica receives no answer. She's running through the streets, jumping over cars that seem to have crashed into the sidewalk and dodging people running around the streets, also in full panic mode. The city seems eerily empty, only a few people outdoors and hardly any cars on the road. Jessica has never seen anything like this, the city so silent.
She reaches Trish's apartment building and resorts to jumping up to her balcony. No time to chat with the doorman or break through her security door. Jessica pulls herself onto the balcony and breaks through the lock on the back door.
"Trish! Trish!" She yells, looking in each room and coming up empty. There's no sign of her anywhere, just like Malcolm.
Idiot, check the news.
She turns on Trish's TV, heart pounding in her chest. She turns to the news channel to see a distress stricken woman she has never seen before.
"...millions disappeared in an instant. All around the world. We received word that The Avengers were dispatched to fight aliens in Wakanda that attacked New York earlier this week. Nothing more has been heard on the status of the Avengers, but from the losses received around the world, the President has declared it a tragedy of humanity of the greatest proportions..."
Jessica is dizzy. She collapses down onto the couch, her head spinning. It doesn't make sense. How could people all around the world just go missing in an instant? Malcolm is gone... Trish is gone. Jessica pulls out her phone, battling with whether or not she should start going down the very short list of people she cares about. She's already lost the one person she loves above everyone, so things can only add into the pain she will drown out with a few bottles of whiskey later. With any hope, maybe she will join them in whatever alien realm or wherever they went.
To her surprise, there is a missed call from Luke. She immediately presses the redial button.
"Jessica." his voice sounds relieved. Jessica lets out a deep breath. If she had lost Malcolm, Trish, and Luke, she isn't sure what she would have done.
"You're still here." she can feel a sob in the back of her throat. She swallows it.
"I am." the pain in his voice shines through now.
"Who did you lose?"
"Claire was at the hospital. She won't pick up. I'm praying to God that she is tied up with treating everyone from all the crashes. I'm about to go up there and check."
"Shit."
"Did you lose anyone?"
Jessica squeezes her eyes shut, the tears trying so hard to come out with every reminder. She's felt loss before, why the hell is this so hard?
"Jess."
"Trish. and Malcolm."
"I'm sorry."
"What the fuck happened in Wakanda?" she growls, shifting her grief to anger.
"I don't know."
"Well, I want to know. Thor's hammer is about to find a new home up Steve Roger's ass for this one."
"I'm coming over after I go to the hospital to find Claire."
Usually, Jessica would make a snarky comment about having other plans or give him shit for not being invited. If it were any other day she'd blush, remembering Luke and her past together, somewhere in the back of her mind wishing that things were different.
"Okay. Bring your own booze, I'm not sharing."
Jessica hangs up before he can reply.
She leaves Trish's apartment, feeling even more in a daze than when she got there. The road is barren, devoid of life. She walks home, hood up, staring at her boots to hide the tears streaming down her face.
She's a block from her apartment when there's a thud behind her. Jessica whirls around, her fists up, heart pounding with adrenaline.
"Matt?"
He steps forward, hugging her tightly. It catches her off guard. He didn't even bother to call and tell her he was alive after Midland Circle until "Daredevil" suddenly appeared back in the press.
If it were any other day she would throw him off of her and punch him in the jaw for letting Danny, Luke, and her believe he was dead for months.
He releases her, his tinted glasses barely hiding the puffiness under his eyes.
"Sorry," he mutters, stepping back and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I had to know."
"Taking inventory?"
"You probably know the feeling."
"I talked to Luke."
"Danny?" he cocks his head.
"No..."
"I can't find him. Or Colleen."
"You don't think..."
"I don't know. I'm going to keep looking."
"Maybe he'll turn up in a few months."
Matt's shoulder's fall and Jessica immediately regrets sliding in the guilt card. I'm a fucking asshole, what the hell, Jessica?
"We have much to talk about. Later," he says, his expression hardened. With a nod, he goes back into the alley he came from, hoisting himself up on a fire escape to be back among the rooftops.
He cares and you're a dick. She thinks to herself, walking the remaining block and walking up the stairs to her building. There are a few people, new people than from earlier, sitting outside her door.
"I can't help you, the aliens did it. Ask the fucking Avengers." she growls, breaking her own lock to get in, slamming the door in the face of some distressed strangers, and sliding down to the floor with her back against the door.
Putting her head in her hands, she sobs.