Dear Readers, penultimate chapter here and it's a corker. The beginning
part of this chapter takes place at the beginning of the previous chapter
so don't get too confused. If you do get confused I suggest you look back,
maybe have chapter six open in another window. Thanks again for all reviews
and emails, the emails being especially welcome as I now tell friends I get
fan mail!! True Believer
Chapter Seven: Fear the Reaper
Earlier that morning Captain Stacy had met Peter Parker on the steps of his home and after a short conversation had left in his car. He'd been on his way to the police station when suddenly his phone rang.
"Stacy here,"
"Hello Captain," said the voice on the other end, "we got another one."
"Where?"
"Outside the bank on Mitre street," the voice was quivering, "you better get here soon Captain, it's not pretty."
"On my way," Captain Stacy said, putting down the phone and walking to the door. Shortly before he got there he heard a knock, when he opened the door seconds later he saw a young man with brown hair and blue eyes and a slight muscular build stood on his doorstep.
Several hours later Stacy stood in the conference room of the Manhattan Police station with pieces of paper spread all over the long table, there were several letters written in blood, forensic reports, photographs and newspaper articles. On the back wall of the room was a map of the island of Manhattan with several pins in what where seemingly random positions. Stacy was leaning over the table and looking at the photographs, the messages on the bodies, the letters, they were all addressed to him.
"Why me?" Stacy asked himself, "Why did my first case have to be this?"
"Maybe you did something bad in a past life?" a voice said from the entrance to the door.
"Arthur?" the Captain greeted his younger brother, "you should have told me you were in town."
"I wasn't planning on it," Arthur Stacy replied, "but I heard about the case and thought you might need some help," Arthur Stacy was a private investigator, and a very good one.
"I need all the help I can get," George replied, "everything we have on the Ripper case is in this room, see what you can see."
"You have five murders, correct?"
"Yeah, all in a rough circular pattern in the same areas," George replied waving a hand at the map on the far wall. His brother moved closer to take a better look.
"Do you get to the cinema much George?"
"What?"
"Martha rented us a movie a few months back called 'From Hell' about Jack the Ripper's original crime spree," Arthur said, trying to get George to follow his train of thought.
"Was it good?"
"Very," Arthur replied pulling a pen from his pocket, "the original Ripper performed all his murders in the shape of a five pointed star," he drew several lines on the map and the shape of a star began to show.
"Oh my god," George ran up to get a close look at the map, "how did I miss this, thanks Arthur."
"Anything for my older brother," Arthur said as he walked out the door.
George walked out into the main room of the station, "Ok, I need every available uniform and car around the area of St Martin's church," he added for emphasis, "yesterday."
That evening in the pitch black of a New York night Spider-Man was sat on a familiar ledge next to a familiar gargoyle, "Hi Joe," he said, "seen anybody need saving tonight?" The gargoyle remained silent but the pain at the top of his spine screamed out to him, somebody was in trouble. Spider-Man had linked the sensations to danger after several jock's hit and runs, and now it was stronger than ever before, and it was directing him down below him. Towards the street and the huge oak doors of St Martin's church. "Not like I have anything else to do," he said as he crawled over the edge of the ledge where he sat and down the side of the ancient building. Behind his black lenses his eyes registered a man hunched over a woman's body in the steps of the church, Spider-Man let go of the wall and began to move in a mixture of falling and jumping towards the bottom of the structure. When he was halfway down he could see the man stand up and move to the door, somehow he knew she was dead and he'd killed her. She deserved revenge.
The man in the motorbike leathers stood back and admired his carving, he laughed loudly like a pantomime villain before turning around to walk away. When he turned around he saw a man stood in front of him, the prostitute's body led between them.
"You're him aren't you?" The costumed figure said, "The Ripper."
Jack simply bowed before setting off at a pace into a run away from the fledgling hero, but after a few seconds he leapt over Jack's head and stood in front of the evil killer. Spider-Man took a step toward Jack and glared through his mask at the man's face, Jack broke the glare and ran past Spider-Man. He kept running on and on, he had to get away, the Lord told him so, he was chosen. Jack looked back to see an empty street behind him with Spider-Man nowhere to be seen.
"You think this is how it feels Jack?" Spider-Man shouted out from the darkness, Jack looked around but could not see him, "how those defenceless young women feel?"
"Shut up!" Jack shouted to the darkness, "It's not my fault that he chose me," Jack muttered to himself, "I didn't want this, the Lord works in mysterious ways."
"Scared Jack?" Spider-Man said calmly, before leaping from the wall he clung to and into the street again, then running and leaping away. To Jack it seemed to be a red blur punctuating the darkness, taunting him as he had those poor young women.
"No!" Jack shouted back, seeing his bike parked a few feet away.
"Are you sure?"
"Go away," Jack shouted as he leapt onto his bike and kicked the motor into life. Spider-Man cursed himself under his breath for taking this too far and leapt into swing in pursuit of the killer.
Across town a woman dressed in a sharp skirt suit was stood looking out the floor to ceiling windows of her opulent offices at the top of her skyscraper. A police helicopter flew past and she shook her head.
"That bumbling idiot will cost me everything," she said to herself, "perhaps it's time to get rid of him," she walked over to a hidden compartment in her wall and pulled out a laptop computer. This was no ordinary computer, but also a transmitter linked to literally hundreds of miniature receivers throughout the city. She tapped in a few commands before sending her message.
"You've completed your task Jack, now it's time for you to join me in the beyond."
Jack forced his Triumph motorcycle as fast as it would go, weaving in and out of the traffic as fast as Spider-Man swung from building to building in order to keep up. They were travelling down a particularly busy street and the police cars that had begun to follow had fallen behind as they were too big to weave between the traffic, Jack felt that familiar surge in his temple before hearing that familiar voice.
"You've completed your task Jack, now it's time for you to join me in the beyond." Jack smiled, his ordeal was finally over and the Lord was inviting him to join him in the afterlife. Finally he could repent of his sins before his God and spend eternity by his side. Jack turned his bike into a narrow alley knowing only the masked man could follow, he had finally found a worthy adversary and he wanted him to watch as he joined the holy Father in Heaven. Jack had reached his destination and leapt from his bike into a roll, his bike skidded away across the pavement of the alley but he wouldn't need it anymore. He ducked into the storm cellar of his building, two small wooden doors set into the floor that nobody ever paid any attention to, nobody but him.
Spider-Man landed in the alley and saw the bike laid on it's side off to one side, he walked over slowly and bent down to look at it when suddenly his spider-sense peaked from a low buzz to a huge spike and he cringed in pain. Then from behind him, from the doors of the storm cellar, came the loud crack of a gunshot.
Chapter Seven: Fear the Reaper
Earlier that morning Captain Stacy had met Peter Parker on the steps of his home and after a short conversation had left in his car. He'd been on his way to the police station when suddenly his phone rang.
"Stacy here,"
"Hello Captain," said the voice on the other end, "we got another one."
"Where?"
"Outside the bank on Mitre street," the voice was quivering, "you better get here soon Captain, it's not pretty."
"On my way," Captain Stacy said, putting down the phone and walking to the door. Shortly before he got there he heard a knock, when he opened the door seconds later he saw a young man with brown hair and blue eyes and a slight muscular build stood on his doorstep.
Several hours later Stacy stood in the conference room of the Manhattan Police station with pieces of paper spread all over the long table, there were several letters written in blood, forensic reports, photographs and newspaper articles. On the back wall of the room was a map of the island of Manhattan with several pins in what where seemingly random positions. Stacy was leaning over the table and looking at the photographs, the messages on the bodies, the letters, they were all addressed to him.
"Why me?" Stacy asked himself, "Why did my first case have to be this?"
"Maybe you did something bad in a past life?" a voice said from the entrance to the door.
"Arthur?" the Captain greeted his younger brother, "you should have told me you were in town."
"I wasn't planning on it," Arthur Stacy replied, "but I heard about the case and thought you might need some help," Arthur Stacy was a private investigator, and a very good one.
"I need all the help I can get," George replied, "everything we have on the Ripper case is in this room, see what you can see."
"You have five murders, correct?"
"Yeah, all in a rough circular pattern in the same areas," George replied waving a hand at the map on the far wall. His brother moved closer to take a better look.
"Do you get to the cinema much George?"
"What?"
"Martha rented us a movie a few months back called 'From Hell' about Jack the Ripper's original crime spree," Arthur said, trying to get George to follow his train of thought.
"Was it good?"
"Very," Arthur replied pulling a pen from his pocket, "the original Ripper performed all his murders in the shape of a five pointed star," he drew several lines on the map and the shape of a star began to show.
"Oh my god," George ran up to get a close look at the map, "how did I miss this, thanks Arthur."
"Anything for my older brother," Arthur said as he walked out the door.
George walked out into the main room of the station, "Ok, I need every available uniform and car around the area of St Martin's church," he added for emphasis, "yesterday."
That evening in the pitch black of a New York night Spider-Man was sat on a familiar ledge next to a familiar gargoyle, "Hi Joe," he said, "seen anybody need saving tonight?" The gargoyle remained silent but the pain at the top of his spine screamed out to him, somebody was in trouble. Spider-Man had linked the sensations to danger after several jock's hit and runs, and now it was stronger than ever before, and it was directing him down below him. Towards the street and the huge oak doors of St Martin's church. "Not like I have anything else to do," he said as he crawled over the edge of the ledge where he sat and down the side of the ancient building. Behind his black lenses his eyes registered a man hunched over a woman's body in the steps of the church, Spider-Man let go of the wall and began to move in a mixture of falling and jumping towards the bottom of the structure. When he was halfway down he could see the man stand up and move to the door, somehow he knew she was dead and he'd killed her. She deserved revenge.
The man in the motorbike leathers stood back and admired his carving, he laughed loudly like a pantomime villain before turning around to walk away. When he turned around he saw a man stood in front of him, the prostitute's body led between them.
"You're him aren't you?" The costumed figure said, "The Ripper."
Jack simply bowed before setting off at a pace into a run away from the fledgling hero, but after a few seconds he leapt over Jack's head and stood in front of the evil killer. Spider-Man took a step toward Jack and glared through his mask at the man's face, Jack broke the glare and ran past Spider-Man. He kept running on and on, he had to get away, the Lord told him so, he was chosen. Jack looked back to see an empty street behind him with Spider-Man nowhere to be seen.
"You think this is how it feels Jack?" Spider-Man shouted out from the darkness, Jack looked around but could not see him, "how those defenceless young women feel?"
"Shut up!" Jack shouted to the darkness, "It's not my fault that he chose me," Jack muttered to himself, "I didn't want this, the Lord works in mysterious ways."
"Scared Jack?" Spider-Man said calmly, before leaping from the wall he clung to and into the street again, then running and leaping away. To Jack it seemed to be a red blur punctuating the darkness, taunting him as he had those poor young women.
"No!" Jack shouted back, seeing his bike parked a few feet away.
"Are you sure?"
"Go away," Jack shouted as he leapt onto his bike and kicked the motor into life. Spider-Man cursed himself under his breath for taking this too far and leapt into swing in pursuit of the killer.
Across town a woman dressed in a sharp skirt suit was stood looking out the floor to ceiling windows of her opulent offices at the top of her skyscraper. A police helicopter flew past and she shook her head.
"That bumbling idiot will cost me everything," she said to herself, "perhaps it's time to get rid of him," she walked over to a hidden compartment in her wall and pulled out a laptop computer. This was no ordinary computer, but also a transmitter linked to literally hundreds of miniature receivers throughout the city. She tapped in a few commands before sending her message.
"You've completed your task Jack, now it's time for you to join me in the beyond."
Jack forced his Triumph motorcycle as fast as it would go, weaving in and out of the traffic as fast as Spider-Man swung from building to building in order to keep up. They were travelling down a particularly busy street and the police cars that had begun to follow had fallen behind as they were too big to weave between the traffic, Jack felt that familiar surge in his temple before hearing that familiar voice.
"You've completed your task Jack, now it's time for you to join me in the beyond." Jack smiled, his ordeal was finally over and the Lord was inviting him to join him in the afterlife. Finally he could repent of his sins before his God and spend eternity by his side. Jack turned his bike into a narrow alley knowing only the masked man could follow, he had finally found a worthy adversary and he wanted him to watch as he joined the holy Father in Heaven. Jack had reached his destination and leapt from his bike into a roll, his bike skidded away across the pavement of the alley but he wouldn't need it anymore. He ducked into the storm cellar of his building, two small wooden doors set into the floor that nobody ever paid any attention to, nobody but him.
Spider-Man landed in the alley and saw the bike laid on it's side off to one side, he walked over slowly and bent down to look at it when suddenly his spider-sense peaked from a low buzz to a huge spike and he cringed in pain. Then from behind him, from the doors of the storm cellar, came the loud crack of a gunshot.