CHAPTER TWO
March 10. Tensions were rising, Peter could feel it. Coronavirus was all over the news, and on everybody's tongue. But on the streets, everything was shockingly, eerily normal. 'The calm before the storm,' Peter thought to himself as he walked to the Daily Bugle newsroom. Well, at least he had subjects to photograph for the stories. The Bugle had a piece about the virus every day now. And sometimes, only sometimes, there was a picture to go along with it. On Peter's daily walk to the office, he passed a preschool. Children were being kissed goodbye and ushered into the building by their busy parents as usual. Peter wished they could be home, where it was safe, instead. He turned on his Sony Alpha and snapped a poignant photo of a mother hugging her child goodbye.
Just a few minutes later, Peter strolled into the Daily Bugle office with a chocolate frosted donut in hand. Ever since a Dunkin' Donuts (he couldn't get used to calling it just Dunkin') opened up next door to the Bugle, Peter had made it a habit to stop there for breakfast. The newsroom was bustling as usual, but everything was digital now. Some things had changed since Peter was first hired, but J. Jonah Jameson's hatred for the internet was not one of those things. He couldn't stand working online. However, he was rational, and knew that to stay on top, one had to keep up with progress. And so, everyone in the office had a computer and worked digitally to create the newspaper. The Bugle also had an online edition, of course, which featured a multitude of photographs taken by one Peter B. Parker.
Peter sat down at his desk- he had a desk now, and was totally jazzed about it- and finished his donut. Usually he would lick his fingers, but with the virus going around, he'd become much more aware of such things. Deciding to take the loss, Peter wiped his hands off on his pants and turned on his computer. Inserting the SD card brought up a dozen new pictures that he'd taken since the last time he'd uploaded.
"I swear, Robbie, people are looting the big stores already! Target, Walgreens, Duane Reade, you name it. The governor only declared a state of emergency three days ago! I'll bet Spider-Man's behind this!"
Typical. Peter rolled his eyes. He was by no means well off at any point in his life, but one thing Aunt May and Uncle Ben had taught him was that stealing wasn't something a good boy should do. Even now, Peter wouldn't dream of shoplifting. He had enough money and budgeting skills to pay for the things he needed. At any rate, he was tired of Jameson pinning things on Spider-Man, and at some point he'd all but given up on standing up for his alter ego.
Studying the screen in front of him and sipping on a cup of coffee, Peter looked at the stories that needed a photo or two. 'Citizens prepare after Governor Cuomo declares state of emergency,' read one headline. Click. He picked out a good picture to go along with it and inserted it into the story, like he'd done so many times before. Click. Done. Peter was about to go on to the next one when he heard someone crying a few feet away. Furrowing his brow, he looked around and noticed Betty Brant wiping tears from her face. Well that wasn't good.
Betty was always, since day one, nice to Peter. If there was one person in this office that he genuinely enjoyed talking to, it was Betty. Peter, not wanting to draw attention to the poor woman, stood up and headed for the water cooler. He filled a little paper cup with water that he didn't really want, and stopped by Betty's desk on the way back. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle. Sincere as ever.
Betty looked up at Peter with pain in her eyes. "My aunt." She sniffled, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "She's dead. Emphysema. Coronavirus. Dead." She pressed a tissue to her lipstick-painted lips.
The words 'aunt' and 'dead' struck Peter's heart like a dagger. His blood ran cold. "Oh, Betty- I'm so sorry." Peter never knew what to say in these situations. People never seemed to know what to say to him when his loved ones died, either. Maybe it was something everyone struggled with. There never were enough words in the English dictionary to express the deepest emotions.
Betty understood. "Thank you. I appreciate that, Pete."
The man nodded, a sign of solidarity. "If you need anything, I'm- I'm just over there," he pointed towards his desk, although of course she knew where he sat.
It made her smile, just a little. "Thanks."
Peter patted Betty's shoulder comfortingly and returned to his seat. His eyes were on his screen, but his mind was elsewhere. How could anyone focus at a time like this? He felt his spidey senses screaming at him! Things were getting worse! People were dying! And there was so little he could do to stop it. 'At least Aunt May is safe,' he thought to himself in an attempt to calm his nerves. Oh boy. Aunt May. Already she'd missed two of her club meetings, and Peter felt bad about it. He hoped they'd call them off before she could miss a third. He always hated to break a promise. He had to go shopping for her after work. He wouldn't forget. He'd been doing a good job and actually kind of enjoyed it, considering he rarely went shopping for himself. Peter prefered to order out most of the time, but Aunt May loved to cook for herself, and he wasn't going to take that away from her. Besides, it was safer if she and Peter were the only people touching the things she ate or used.
"New headline: Spider-Man steals goodies from Rite Aid! Parker! Get me a picture of that!" Jameson proposed to Hoffman, and barked at Peter, respectively.
"I'll do my best, Mr. Jameson," a weary Peter replied.
Lunch break finally rolled around, and Peter called Aunt May from the Sbarro that he liked to eat at now and then. He smiled as her soothing voice greeted him.
"Hey Aunt May! Just checking, you needed bread, butter, and eggs today, right? How are you doing with soap? And toilet paper?" Listening for her reply, he nodded, shoving a stromboli into his mouth. He wondered if she could hear him chewing on the line. "You got it. I'll be around at about 7, okay? Love you."