Ch 3: The Stranger, a Pale man
There I was, in the void, waiting to be awakened. All I could smell was blood. Oh, that blood.
Gwen waits for her father inside his police car. Her face is disinterested in the situation. She can't help but feel numb to the moment. She questions her coldness to the situation, so she puts music to distract herself.
(And We Die Young-Faster We Run)
She observes the policemen as they look worried and scared. She fixes her hair as she notices more activity from afar. The red and blue lights color the entire area. The song goes on.
(Scaries On The Wall-Scaries On His Way)
Her father is farther away, but he seems composed. She sits back and adjusts her seat to lay down. The lights and the song give her an image. She feels seduced by a strange feeling. She then notices through the rearview mirror a pale man crawling on the back of the car.
She's quick, but he's quicker. The night is black, but police lights pour in red and blue hues. A strange color that gives the Pale Man a look of animalistic thirst. His eyes take the night skies romance and seemingly perverse it. The song ends in its abrupt fashion.
(And We Die Young)
Peter firmly makes his way inside the clinic. The lights, for the most part, are broken if not off completely. The room he entered was empty and tossed. Papers are everywhere, and some are flying through the shattered window. The glass on the floor provides eerie sounds as he tries to avoid it. He reaches a hallway with a strong, blue, white, bulb flinching like an eye staring at the sun for too long. He walked towards the visible shadows at the end of the hall. Patients and nurses seemed to be standing still, like dummies in a wax museum, with their expressions without life.
"Hey, mam, are you ok? Did anyone hurt you?" Peter asked, worried that he may be too late.
The nurse starts walking in a certain direction as if she is being programmed to walk. The others seemed to be staying still. Peter notices that there is blood on the feet on some patients, no shoes, damn! I need to get these people to safety. I mean the cavalry is eager to storm in.
He tries to gather everyone, in till he notices a large sum of blood on the floor near a room. The blood reflects an image from inside the room. A light flickers and Peter get closer, like a moth to a flame. What is that, I need to be ready, I've dealt with bad guys before, but this is all kinds of whacky.
The smell of blood is something that stays with you, especially if it's not your blood. For Peter, it is a marker of shame. He failed this person who lies lifeless in front of him.
The body lay on a wheelchair. It seems drained from life. Marks on his arms and neck are visible. A struggle was met with this victim. Strange, the blood is on the floor and walls, but none on him. Who could've done something like this?
Peter notices the cops are finally coming in but in an unusual fashion. The policemen are coming in casual wear. I don't think they know that these people are defenseless. He decides to web-up each patient and nurse to the walls as a safety precaution. He quickly jumps to the nearest exit, a window. Foolishly, he didn't consider the outside police. His senses spiral out of control. His instincts kick in, and he runs. The police in shock that a man can run on walls stay stagnant.
I guess the shock held their guns at bay? Hurray Peter!
Peter's plans take a sudden shift when he spots a police car being torn apart. The Pale Man?
"To hell with this, I'm taking this Spider freak down!" one police officer yells.
BAM.
Several police officers shoot at the Spider-Man.
"Stop! Stop!" Capt. Stacy tells his men. The policemen continue their shooting competition which angers Capt. Stacy, but his curiosity also blames Spider-Man.
Peter shoots his web towards the shaking cop car and swings towards it. The cops are shocked and scared that the Spider-Man will attack. Peter lands on the roof of the broken cop car and sees a trail of blood leading towards the bushes. He follows.
"God damn it, don't shoot! What's wrong with you? Acting like a bunch of idiots over here." Captain Stacy lectures his men. "Our guys and civilians are in that building you guys just massacred!" Capt. Stacy flicks his hair. His stomach suddenly drops when he realizes Gwen was waiting in his car, "the car that Spider-Man landed on."
"Gwen!" he rushes towards the car, only to find the signs of a struggle. He struggles to keep his balance. He composes himself, combing down his chin and beard. He unbuckles his gun holster. "Mike and Jimmy with me, DeWolf keep the perimeter sound. Make sure the men control themselves and get in contact with someone inside."
DeWolf is a good officer moving up in the ranks and a favorite of Capt. Stacy. "Where will you go, sir? You sure you don't want more men—
"No, I'm good by myself, but I'm going to need witnesses," he turns to Mike and Jimmy. He gives them a stern look, a superior looking at his students, "Ok, DeWolf? —
"…"
"Good"
Capt. Stacy goes into the night as he follows the blood trail, confused and worried. His thoughts only arrive at his worse fears. Death is always a thought a policeman dwells on, it's part of the job, but a death in the family? That is true fear.
As he rushes towards a never-ending goal, the Pale Man smells prey. Gwen, barely able to breathe and see, notices Spider-Man following them. Her eyes widen, afraid, but unable to emote. The Pale Man has her from the arm, dragging her through grass and dirt. She bleeds from her forehead, her lips, and neck.
"What kind of thing does this kind of damage?" Peter says to himself. His thoughts centered on what will be at the end of the trail.
Soon enough, the Pale Man is visible. His hair is black as night, standing in stark contrast to his skin, pale white. He's dressed roughed up attire—a jacket and torn up jeans— yet, he walks with a certain bravado. The Pale Man turns to look at Gwen when he notices her staring back at him. She seems calm as if she knows him.
"Pleeese, le..let…let me go…" she said as tears roll down her cheeks.
The Pale Man pulls out a cloth from his jacket and wipes the tears off her cheeks. Peter meanwhile hides atop a tree, waiting for an opening. He doesn't quite get the situation, but getting Gwen is a top priority.
"Spider, don't make me kill you" His voice is cool, collected.
What! How! Peter surprised to be spotted doesn't know how to handle the situation. He drops down, "you were dragging her, and now you're the good guy. Why the pleasantries?" Peters' voice is stoic, trying to sound calm. Trying and trying.
"What can I say, I don't want to kill her." He looks at Gwen with a caring smile. "She reminds me of someone I use to know, a long time ago, but alas I want to know if she can help me find her." He sits down next to Gwen. He breathes a sigh of relief.
Peter surprised by the question. What's his game, why Gwen and why not just run away?
"She's innocent. She isn't a part of—"
"I asked you what does this girl mean to you? Not if she was a good girl. Now, what does this girl mean to you?" The Pale Man's face is charming, but his eyes unearth hidden desires. Peter can't shake off the feeling that his answer will seal Gwen's fate. The Pale Man's eyes turn from blue to black as he holds Gwen life at his fingertips.
"She means a lot to me. To others. She is important to the people she knows, what else can I tell you?" Peter knows that this pale figure can easily kill her. If he is the sole person responsible for the clinic attack, he is more than capable of killing him.
The Pale Man raises his arm to strike.
"Wait!" Peter quick to throw his web to his hand, but the Pale man tears through his web. Peter jumps towards him, but alas his movements do not fulfill his potential.
The Pale Man flies atop a tree with Gwen by his side. "Are you ready to answer my question? I can smell your blood Spider. In all my years I've never smelled one like yours, and someone how I can't smell your feelings." He laughs in the excitement of talking with Peter. "I can't tell if you're lying to me or not, it's fantastic. Do you know how tiresome it is to know each person's motives," he looks to the sky, he looks towards the lights approaching.
"Ah, the law is near. Now please answer me, my question…" he looks down at Peter eagerly awaiting his answer.
"I…I care for her. I know her." Peter knows what he's done. He has endangered Gwen but was it the right choice?
"I like that answer. She's yours." He drops her gently on the ground. He caresses her hair as he leaves her with Peter. "Spider, let's continue out talk in private, yeah?" He backs away slowly until he flys to the top of the tree again. "Before I leave," he looks at Peter with strange blue eyes. "My name is Morbius."
Without a sound, he vanished in the dark.
"Gwen!" Capt. Stacy said as he and his squad rush towards her.
"She is alone, but she is fine, sir."
Capt. Stacy looks around with his gun in his hand. He examines a circle perimeter. "Send the dogs, and some men to check the area, now!"
He checks his daughter. He fears the worse, but she is with him. He holds her in his arms as he whispers, "I'm here, I'm here."
Peter wakes up in his room, surprised, sweating, and confused. He looks at his room, full of posters, a cheap laptop, and dirty clothes. What happened, bad dream? To his surprise, he slept with his costume. Not a dream, Damn. What the hell was that situation?
He gets ready for school when he notices a note placed on the outside of his room door.
"Peter, I left some breakfast, your favorite chocolate banana pancakes, covered on the kitchen table. Anyways, I'm out with the new neighbors, the Watsons, so don't worry about me. They seem nice. Also please be careful on your way to school since there was a man outside laughing hysterically last night. Also, don't overwork yourself.
Love you,
Aunt May.
P.S. I didn't know you liked that Spider fellow on the news so much!"