Slowly, the man's eyelids opened, the world around him coming into focus. The lighting was dim and easy to adjust to, so it didn't take long, but despite his ability to see clearly, he couldn't figure out exactly where he was. The room looked like what he imagined any old dusty building might look like, with worn walls and some lights that definitely needed new bulbs.
The man then sat up from his position on the ground. His head began hurting, almost thumping a little as if it had its own heartbeat. It wasn't the most painful feeling, but it was uncomfortable. He put his hand to it instinctively, finally managing to get his legs underneath him and gently rise to his feet. He moved virtually at a snail's pace it seemed as he made his way out of the room, taking a left into the hallway. He didn't know why he chose that way; it just seemed like the way to go for some reason.
Eventually, the man made his way into a large room, and he finally put together that he was in some warehouse, though not likely one that had been used for anything for a long time. The hanging, flashing lights on the ceiling and the large rat he saw randomly scurrying across the floor gave that away. A powerful boom suddenly rang out around the man, causing him to almost jump out of his skin until he realized that it was merely a loud crack of thunder in the sky. He narrowed his focus to a window for the first time, realizing that rain was coming down from the sky, smacking against the glass.
Putting his hand to his head again, the man moved over to a small crate sitting on one side of the room, taking a seat on it. His other hand soon joined in the same position as its opposite, his fingers performing a rubbing motion on his temples. He tried to think back, to remember how he had ended up in this dump in the first place. Yet, nothing would come to him; he tried a little harder but doing so only served to make his head hurt, so he relented. He couldn't even get so much as a flash or a picture of a memory of what had happened in the moments before he'd woken up. Maybe if he just went home; yeah, that was it, he just needed to go home, and then he could...
As he stood up to do so, a startling question dawned on the man's mind: where WAS home? He tried again to think, to remember something that should be so simple to anyone. He had to have a home, a place he called his own, maybe even a roommate or a family member that he lived with. Try as he might though, nothing would come to him other than a bad headache: no flashes or memories of a living space, of friends or loved ones...not even of his own name.
"What happened to me?" he questioned out loud. "How could I not know who I am?"
Turning and running over to the nearest window, the man observed his reflection. He was met by a man in a mask, so he yanked it off, revealing his true face. He had brown hair and dark eyes, and he looked like he could have been anywhere in between his mid-twenties or early thirties, but he couldn't remember. His name wasn't even coming to him.
"Who am I?" he thought to himself.
The man slowly backed away, his mind beginning to spin as to why this was happening. He then caught a better glance at his reflection, able to see more of himself now. He was clothed from head to toe in what looked like a skin-tight dark red and blue suit, with a big white spider in the center that was strangely comforting in its appearance, looking almost as if it had been designed and put there to protect him somehow. Yet, none of this even began to ring any bells in his brain.
How could he not remember any of this, remember who he was? He was dressed LIKE A HUMAN SPIDER for some reason; even his mask had a web pattern on it, just like the rest of his suit. Surely something like that wouldn't escape his memory!
The man then squatted down, his hands once more pressing against his head as he fought to regain at least something, anything that could give him a clue as to who he was, why he was here, or why he was presently dressed like he was trying to win a costume party. Once more his brain seemed to fight him; he tried to press on and push through it, but it was as if a wall had been erected in his mind, his memories trapped somewhere behind it. He kept trying, but with every effort, his head only hurt even more than before.
Suddenly, a new, strange sensation came over the man. It wasn't just in his mind though, as the feeling went through his whole body. He swore he could almost feel the hairs on his body standing up on end. The man slipped on his mask, his hands and arms carrying out the motion almost unconsciously, the bizarre sensation going through him seemingly having taken over his whole person.
Just as the mysterious feeling reached its peak, the shattering of glass could be heard above him. The man glanced up to see that a figure had indeed burst in through a window in the roof. He jumped back as the individual came in for their landing, coming to rest in a crouched position, most of the person's weight on their back foot and the fingers of their right hand. The figure then slowly stood up, revealing his appearance: he was wearing a black and red suit, with web patterns and a spider symbol on his chest. It was a design that almost appeared to be inspired by his own, or perhaps it was vice versa.
"Hello?" the man said, trying to be polite as he waved at his new visitor. "Um, do I know you? Maybe you can tell me what's going on; you see, I'm having trouble remembering anyth..."
The figure suddenly leapt into the air, his right fist suddenly glowing with an almost orange energy as he cocked it back. The man fell back, rolling out of the way just in time to avoid what surely would have been a crushing blow from the intruder, the impact of his strike sending cracks shooting through the floor and electricity cackling around him.
Quickly, the man sprung up, holding his hands out.
"Woah, easy!" he called out, backing up slowly as the figure began to approach him. "Look man, I don't know why you're after me, but if I did something to hurt or offend you, I'm sorry! Can't we just talk this out like normal people?"
His attacker seemingly wanted to hear none of it, leaping after him again, this time grabbing him and slamming him up against a nearby column. The man's assailant drew his fist back, his target only barely managing to move his head out of the way of a blow so hard that it put a dent in the structure.
"Woah," he said, observing the damage that the individual currently after him was capable of. The figure drew back his fist to strike again, but this time the man got out of the way, managing to free himself and perform a side somersault on the ground in order to get at least a little distance between him and his attacker.
He then began sprinting, determined to do whatever he could to get away. He looked behind him, only to see the determined individual already having leapt toward him yet again, on the verge of bringing down his fist once more. In desperation, the man leaped forward, suddenly finding himself shooting into the air.
"WOOOAH!" he called out, his arms flailing as he was fast approaching a nearby wall. Thankfully, he was able to reach out and catch himself, sticking his hands and feet to the wall.
Wait...his hands and feet were STICKING TO THE WALL!
Glancing down at his fingers and then at what was likely the twenty feet or so between him and the floor below, his brain suddenly flooded with a million more questions.
"How am I doing this?" he muttered aloud, daring to remove one of his hands from the wall. He turned his hand, looking at his fingertips, or at least the glove that was covering them. Was there something on them that was allowing this perhaps, like some miniature suction cups? If there were any, they certainly didn't appear visible.
Suddenly, the bizarre sensation came over his being again. This time, his whole body reacted along with it, his hands and legs shooting him off his spot on the wall just in time to avoid another devastating blow by his attacker. Screaming as he neared the floor, the man braced himself, ultimately landing hard as he tumbled to the ground. He was alright though, even if he felt the impact a little bit as he tried to pick himself up. He had no time to relax however, as his attacker came at him again, fists swinging.
The man dodged a couple of blows before suddenly shooting his fist forward as if on instinct, striking this assailant in the chest and sending him crashing to the ground a few feet away.
"Wow," the man said, once again stunned by the physical abilities he was displaying. Not only could he apparently cling onto walls somehow, but he was also strong...like, superhumanly strong.
"Alright," he said, raising his fists up in front of himself. "Come on, you want some more?"
The individual then got up from the ground, immediately walking his way. The man threw a punch once he was in range, but this time his attacker was ready, ducking underneath before delivering a devastating blow to the man's midsection, causing him to bend down in pain. The individual then delivered another punch, this time to the face of the man, then one to the side before performing a spin kick straight to the side of his face, causing him to drop to the ground.
That last blow especially had really hurt, the man suddenly feeling as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. He tried to force himself up, but the individual stomped on his back, forcing him down with his foot, causing the man's already sore cheek to smack hard against the concrete floor beneath him and send a fresh wave of pain through his face.
Groaning, the man caught a glance of the shadow of his attacker, the individual raising both of their fists, joined together as one as they prepared to deal what could be the killing blow. Was this seriously how he was about to go out: no memory, no idea of who he was, and about to lose to some random stranger?
It sure seemed that way.
Suddenly, the pressure on the man's backside was relieved, his attacker crashing into a bunch of boxes behind him. He glanced back, observing as his assailant tried to collect himself, before another figure came to face him. This person appeared to be wearing some kind of green suit and a long, purple cloak as he floated in the air. From the angle the man was at, he couldn't see the face of his savior, and it appeared as though something might be obstructing it.
The man's assailant crouched down, likely preparing to spring at his new opponent, only for the mysterious new figure to blast some kind of green mist out of his arm. The stuff clouded the area surrounding the two figures so that neither were visible for a few moments. It soon started to clear though, the green and purple figure emerging from it. He floated back down until his feet were on the ground, at which point he sprinted over towards the man, squatting down beside him.
"My friend, are you okay?" he asked.
"Ugh," the man said, slowly sitting up. "Well, my face hurts a little still, but other than that, I think I'm alright."
"Come," the figure instructed as he helped the man to his feet. "I might have driven him away for now, but he'll be back. When he is, we need to be far away from here."
The figure turned and started to sprint, and for a moment, the man started to as well. However, he stopped in his tracks and that sensation came over him again. This one was different; whereas the feeling around the individual who'd attacked him was almost overpowering, this time, the strange feeling felt more subtle, yet no less assertive.
His rescuer stopped once he realized he wasn't being followed, turning and coming back to the man, who backed up a step or two on instinct.
"My friend, what's wrong?" the figure asked.
"I-I'm sorry," the man stammered. "It's that I'm not grateful or anything, it's just...who are you?"
"Unfortunately, we do not have time for me to share everything with you," the figure with what seemed to be some kind of crystal ball covering his head replied. "All you need to know right now is that I am a friend."
The man pondered this development. The man's assertion made sense, since he did, you know, save his life. However, he couldn't shake the strange feeling that was over him.
"Can you tell me who I am?"
"I can provide you with the answers you seek," the figure assured him. "But again, we must do so elsewhere, before our enemy comes back."
The man considered his options: either he could go with this guy despite the almost instinctual apprehension he had towards him or try and fend for himself against his assailant again. Given the choice between the two, he felt the better of the two was to go with this person. He had saved the man's life after all; more than that though, if he had even a chance at getting the answers he so desperately wanted right now, he felt he had to take it.
Making his decision, the man took off with his rescuer.
I've had this base idea in mind for forever, but only recently have the pieces really started to come together. Hope you all enjoy! I'm not 100% sure how often I'll update this. Since I'm deep into my TASM series, that one will be priority, but I will seek to update this one as often as I can, even if it's only once every couple of weeks. Again, I hope you'll stick along for the ride!
Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36
