Venom followed Peter Parker with such stealth that he impressed himself. He melted into the crowds and weaved his way between buildings as the teenager headed back to his home happily singing along to his music. Peter had a habit of leaving doors open for just the right period of time for Venom to follow him through. Once through Venom clung to walls and ceilings until Peter came to his apartment. The key clicked in the lock and he swung the door open taking out his earphones. Venom got ready to strike.
"Hey May," he heard Peter call and before the teenager could take one more step Venom struck him across the back of his neck and hissed loudly.
May screamed upon seeing Venom. Peter stumbled locking his eyes with Venom, he reached his hand up to his neck and for a couple of seconds he didn't register that Venom was there. Venom took those precious seconds and darted into the room, he lunged for May and heard the faint whisper of,
"May!" from Peter before the teenager collapsed onto the ground.
May was beneath him and he rendered her unconscious. He wanted her to see what was to become of her precious nephew.
Venom panted, both Parkers on the ground. He stood and closed the door quietly, none was coming to investigate the screaming. Good. He walked to the window and jumped out.
The world began to come back into focus and May heard the rustle of the curtains by the living room window. Slowly she opened her eyes and blinked as the ceiling stopped swirling above her. She sat clutching her head, moaning slightly. Then she caught sight of Peter unconscious on the floor with his school bag still on his back, and she remembered what had happened.
"Peter." She said, her voice small and shaken. "Peter?" She called crawling to her nephew. "Peter?" She called again shaking him slightly. He didn't respond. "Peter." She whispered placing a hand on his neck, a wet substance ran between her fingers and she drew her hand back to her. Droplets of red blood dripped down her hand onto the floor. Her mind caught up and she spoke again,
"Shit." May said in horror, her voice clearer now, and she began to search for a phone. She stood up using the kitchen surface to steady herself. "I need a phone." she said to someone who she wished was there. She got to the landline and went to diall 911. As it rang she looked at the open window.
"Hello 911, what's your emergency?" Came the voice at the end of the phone. May said nothing.
"911, what's your emergency?" the voice said again. May hung up. She didn't know what the creature had done, the one who had attacked Peter. But she knew that the emergency crew would be as clueless as her.
She turned back to Peter and stood for a moment. Peter had his eyes open and was crying.
"Peter." May said coming back to him. Peter mumbled something. "Peter can you hear me?" she said again but Peter was looking past her. May's attention was diverted as blood began to seep out of a wound on Peter's wrist that grew as she knelt there.
"May." Peter whimpered, his tone soft yet had a sense of anger and distress to it. Peter pulled his hands into his chest and closed his eyes.
"Peter, come back to me. I'm right here." May said loosing Peter. She remembered the wound on his neck and, happy that Peter was breathing, she walked around him to his back. Kneeling down she saw the wound, it was deep and had a dark purple substance that could seen within it.
"Peter." May said again scared, her voice harsh and serious now. She went to the pockets in Peters trousers and found his phone. Standing up and pressing the phone to her ear, she felt the blood that had dripped down her face. The wind coming through the window was cold and May wrapped an arm around herself.
"This is Tony Stark, I'm not available right now probably because I'm off saving the world or something. Please leave a message and I'll get Friday to listen to it later." May hung up the phone. Frustrated she turned back to Peter who was crying now and scrolled through his phone.
She came to Happys 's name and rang it.
"Come on," she whispered.
"Hello, Happy speaking." Came Tony Stark's voice.
"Tony?" May asked.
"Who is this?" Tony questioned back putting his lab work down.
"May." She said simply. "Peter's unconscious."
"What else?" Tony asked, knowing that May couldn't have called him if Peter had just fainted.
"A creature attacked us and cut him across the back of the neck and now he's unconscious. And crying."
"Are you hurt May?"
"There's blood so I think so." May answered feeling light headed again.
"Mr Stark?" Peter said, louder this time. Tony Stark was talking but May was focused on Peter. "Is that you?"
"Is everything ok?" May heard Tony Stark say.
"Peter's talking again, he's called out for you." May said walking over to Peter. On the other end of the phone Stark was climbing into his suit and setting coordinates for Peter's flat. "Baby, you're ok." He heard May tell Peter. "I'm here, I'm here." May said before passing out herself next to Peter.
"May?" Stark asked, "May are there?" he called out but no answer came back. He flew straight for the flat.
About 5 minutes later Stark arrived at the flat, he banged on the door.
"May?" he shouted. "Peter?" no answer came so Tony burned the locking mechanism and burst in. Peter was lying on his side with his feet towards the door. May was facing Peter, also unconscious. Peter was still wearing his school bag. Quickly Tony checked their pulses and breathing, respectively.
"May, come on May wake up." Tony said shaking her. Sure enough May began to come round. "You're ok May. We're going to get you to a hospital but I need you to help me with Peter. Who attacked you?" May managed to sit up and supported herself with one hand.
"It was dressed all in black." May began, obviously whimpering. "It's teeth were huge and it had the scales of a snake."
"And Peter was wounded?" Tony asked and May nodded. "I'm going to check Peter ok?" Tony said and May just nodded again, obviously not fully aware yet. Tony went round to check the back of Peter's neck, and sure enough there was a deep wound. Tony inspected it more. "Venom." He said.
"Tony." He heard the kid say and Tony rushed round.
"Peter, are you awake kid?" he asked. Peter's eyes were open, but something was wrong. His eyes were glazed over, like he was dying. "You're alright kid, I got you." Tony said.
"I can't Tony." Peter said. No, Peter replied.
"Can you hear me kid?"
"May." Peter whimpered. "My aunt May." Peter began crying and Tony pulled him in close.
"Shhhh kid. It's ok."
"She's gone." Tony looked round at May, who was watching them with a confused look on her face.
"He's been poisoned." Tony began to explain to her. "The creature that attacked you, Venom, it poisons the mind and creates visions that feel completely real to the victim. Only the vision it gives them is one of their worst nightmare and it kills them. Rather they kill themselves in the vision, thus ending their lives in reality too." May just sat staring at him.
"His wrists began to bleed." May said weakly. Tony looked at Peters wrists and he knew what was going on. Peter had self harmed in the vision. "What is happening to him?" May asked.
"He believes that you're dead." Tony said, giving the situation as it was. May began to cry. "That's why he can't hear you."
"Can he hear you?" May asked.
"I think so." Tony replied.
"Can you help him?" May stuttered.
"I can but I need to go back to my lab to get the antidote."
"Then go."
"When I leave he'll be on his own. This vision will kill him May. If Peter stops breathing I need you to do CPR. You got that?" May nodded.
"Go." She said. "Save my nephew." Tony knew that May they only had limited time. He left and Peter whimpered.
May cradled Peter in her arms and she felt him sweating.
Tony got back to the lab and found the antidote. He flew back to the flat as quickly as he could. As he came into the flat May turned to him,
"He's dying." She said in floods of tears. Tony looked at Peter and heard his gasping breaths. Quickly, slamming the door behind him, he darted to Peter.
"Give him to me." He said calmly to May and she did what she was told. Tony took Peter into his arms and took the top off the antidote with his teeth. "I've got you kid, don't give up on me."
"I can't do it Mr Stark, I'm sorry." Peter whispered weakly. Tony injected the antidote into the wound and Peter's eyes shot open. He gasped at the cold air and held onto Tony for dear life. Tony held onto the boy in a strong grip.
Peter's breathing began to settle and his eyes settled on May.
"May?" he whispered. May was sitting against a kitchen cupboard crying, and she staring back at Peter. "What happened?" Peter struggled to say.
"You've been poisoned." Tony said, holding the boy in his arms. "It made you think that May was dead but everything that happened was a vision, it wasn't real."
Peter saw the blood dripping down his Aunt's head but he didn't acknowledge it, instead he tucked his head into Tony's chest.
"I did bad things Tony."
"I know kid."
"Can I hold him?" May asked shaking and Tony turned to her.
"Of course, come here." Tony said gently. May came to him. She took Peter into her arms and held him close. They didn't need to speak.
"May." Peter whispered after a while. May wiped her eyes and looked down at Peter.
"How are you feeling Peter?" she asked.
"Terrible." He said before smiling and May smiled too. "You're bleeding," he said.
"I'm taking her to hospital." Tony said, "come on, lets get you to bed kid." May helped Peter up and together they walked to the bed. Peter sat on the edge of the bed and May knelt infront to him.
"I'm not going anywhere Peter. I'll never leave you alone."
"I love you May."
"I love you too." May leaned in and kissed him.
"On you not going anywhere May, let's get you seen to. Come on kid, in bed." Peter followed Stark's instructions and climbed into bed. "Come on May, I'll drive you to the hospital because I'm nice."