Death
The dark heavens poured their souls out on the city. Black clouds blocked out the moon, shrouding the night in a dark shadow. Rain water engulfed the roads with a thick layer of water on top of the pavement. No one dared to come out in such treacherous conditions. The streets showed no sign of life except for one silhouette running through the streets.
The mysterious figure ran through the city and didn't stop until he reached his destination. He halted in front of a giant building, about seven stories high. Light poured out of the windows providing a beacon for the lost. The neon blue sign on the side of the building displayed "Waterside Hospital".
Peter burst through the entrance doors and slid on the linoleum floor. His anxious heart pounded like a bass drum. He had just received a message from the New York Police Department telling him that he they had a patient identified as a Parker. The fear of his Uncle or Aunt scared him enough, but the end of the message scared him even more. Whoever the patient was, they were about to die.
Peter sprinted to the front desk. His heavy breathing echoed through the empty room, only he and the administrator behind the desk were there. He caught his breath than explained his situation to her. She typed something into her computer then turned to Peter. "Room 149," was all she could say before Peter dashed away.
Peter ran through the hall, his sneakers were squeaking all over the clean floor. His footsteps echoed through the empty hall. The hospital was unusually quiet, bringing more of an eerie silence than a calming peace. Crazy thoughts entered his head as he ran. Fear flooded his body and the voice only amplified it. "Prepare for the worst."
Peter followed the signs towards the hall the room was in. He turned a corner and saw Uncle Ben sitting in a chair. His spirits were lifted to the point that he almost cried. Seeing his uncle could brighten any moment, especially seeing his uncle in good health. He expected to see the caring grin that greeted him so often, but Uncle Ben didn't even acknowledge Peter. Ben's eyes were stuck on the door in front of him, a door with the number 149 on it.
Peter walked to the door and cracked it open. The room was silent, no machines were on. No one was in the room except for a body laying on the bed. Peter looked at a frail hand that was sticking out of the sheets. It was cold, gray, lifeless. When Peter looked at the corpse's face, a lump came into his throat. It was Aunt May.
"NOOO!!" Peter burst out of the room and back into the hall. Even though he had run more in the last half an hour than he had ever in his life, his legs managed to carry him at the amazing speed that he had recently developed. He wanted to get away from the nightmare he saw.
His body started to wear down as the fierce weather beat down on him. The wind howled, the clouds wept, and the thunder moaned. It seemed that the whole world was joining Peter in his sorrow.
Peter was approaching the downtown area where tall buildings loomed over the normally crowded streets. The fearsome storm had driven the inhabitants inside because they all knew that only a fool would challenge the elements tonight. That didn't stop Peter.
He eyes searched for the perfect spot. It didn't take long before he found the perfect place. Peter jumped onto the side of the building and climbed to the top. It took him a while to reach because the building was about ten stories, which was perfect. Peter scanned the area around him; it was such a different view from the earth bound one he was used to. But the view didn't matter right now; all Peter was going to be looking at in a few minutes was the ground speeding towards him.
Peter stood on the edge of the roof. He looked down and saw the street far below him. He straightened his body, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Just like diving off the diving board was the thought that came into his mind. He tipped his body forward and waited for the free fall.but it never came. Something was holding him back.
Peter opened his eyes and looked around. Someone was holding on to him. He turned around and saw one of the most astounding sites he could even imagine. Holding onto his shirt was an angel with platinum blonde hair. She wore a black mask around her beautiful green eyes, and Peter was grateful that the mask didn't cover her whole face, because beauty seemed to radiate from her entire body. She was wearing a black spandex outfit that clung to her shapely body, and Peter just wished he could be that outfit for just one second. Models and actresses would kill to have her figure. Peter thought of what to say, but as with most teenage boys when they met teenage girls, had his proverbial foot in his mouth.
"Hey cutie, you don't want to do that," came a sing-song voice from her luscious lips.
Peter just stood and babbled. This had to be the most beautiful girl on the planet, and she just called him a cutie. Girls in chess club wouldn't even look at him let alone the hotties in his school. Peter's thoughts were taken away from the life-changing tragedy that had happened not ten minutes ago and were focused on this goddess that stood before him.
The girl waited a minute for Peter to talk, but when she realized that he was speechless she giggled and said, "Well I guess I'll be seeing you around. See ya Peter." She twirled around gracefully, ran quickly but elegantly, and soared through the air onto the next building. Her stylish moves were consistent as she disappeared from Peter's view.
Peter just sat in awe, and when her words hit him he was shocked even more. Somehow that girl knew his name. He couldn't think of anything to say, which was fine because the voice was doing it for him. "Whoa baby! Can you say HOT?!? Try and jump again, maybe she'll come back."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Peter trudged into his house. The storm had started to calm, but it was still wreaking havoc on the city. Peter was soaked to the bone when he entered the house. If someone had seen Peter like this, they would have thought that he had gone swimming with his clothes on. It took him about five minutes to get his shirt off. After his shirt was off he just walked around the house, his dismay over the loss of Aunt May and his amazement over the mystery girl pushed the worries of getting the carpet wet out of his mind.
When Peter reached the family room he found Ben sitting on the sofa. The TV was glowing, casting a mysterious shadow over Ben. Peter flicked on the light and sat next to his uncle. "They're showing a clip about May on the news in a second," Ben muttered.
As he finished his sentence the news caster came on. "A depressing story tonight as the murder of May Parker, a local resident, occurred tonight," came a voice from the TV. "Police say that while May was out exercising she was shot in the chest by an unnamed man. Police believe that the time and place of the murder coincide with an earlier robbery at a local wrestling federation. Here's a clip of the robbery."
The clip rolled and Peter's heart sank. The TV showed a black-and- white image of a man in a masked costume in a locker room. Suddenly another man came onto the screen and collided with the costumed wrestler. The wrestler stood up and let the man go by.
"The manager of the wrestling federation has confirmed the identity of this masked wrestler as Spider-Man. The manager believes that if Spider- Man had stopped the robber than the both crimes and perhaps future ones could have been prevented. Following these commercials we'll have a segment on how to remove plak from cat teeth."
Ben turned off the TV and turned his head to Peter. "Did you watch that Peter? Do you remember what I always tell you? With great power comes great responsibility. This Spider-Man character could have stopped that criminal and easily taken him in to the cops. He had more power than most people do in a situation like that. But did he do what he should have? No! He should be jailed just because he didn't do what he should have."
Peter was traumatized. His aunt, the woman who had been a mother to him most his life, was dead because of him. Why did he let the guy go? He knew that something was wrong; he could have at least delayed him until he found out what it was. Now the world would hate Spider-Man, and even if they didn't, Uncle Ben would.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The sun beamed down on the grim crowd. The sky was an ocean of blue, not a cloud to be seen. Birds were singing, flowers blossomed, and the grass couldn't have been greener. Peter thought that it was unfair to have a funeral on such a beautiful day. Funerals were supposed to be grim, not cheery. Uncle Ben made a good point though, it was the way Aunt May would have had it.
Peter watched as people paid their respects. Most of the people he knew, but when this peculiar old guy approached the coffin he felt uncomfortable. The man was practically drooling when he looked at May, and he stayed there longer than anyone else had. Peter asked Ben about him.
"Oh, that's Adrian Toomes, he's the mortician. A lot of people call him the Vulture, they believe that he's a necrophiliac. It's weird, I know, but he's the best around."
They funeral continued for about an hour. Ben gave a beautiful eulogy and old friends of May stood and told of the wonderful woman that she was. Most of the attendants were in tears by the end. Peter had his head buried in his lap, trying to hold back as many tears as he could, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Peter turned and saw Harry staring back at him. "Hey man," was all that Harry had to say that pushed Peter over the edge to a full out bawl. He stood up and gave Harry a friendly embrace. Harry was a good friend, he knew what Peter was going through and didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
"Don't worry Pete, it'll be alright. It's hard now, I know. I lost my mom a couple of years ago and I thought it was the end of the world. You just have to let it out, if you hold anything in it just increases the pain. If you ever need help, you know I'm here. Remember, I know exactly what it's like, so don't be afraid to come to me."
Peter was grateful that he had Harry as a friend. Whenever Peter was stuck, Harry always helped him. If Peter was sick or hurt, Harry was one of the first people that came to make sure he was alright. Harry was able to look past the geeky intelligent that was on Peter's surface and see the person that was inside. He would selflessly do things for Peter, never requiring any payback. Harry was the best friend Peter had.
The crowd died down and so did the day. Ben went up to pay his respects. He stayed for quite a while, but Peter understood. Ben left to the car to give Peter some privacy. Peter approached the coffin and looked down at the cold face of death.
"I'm sorry Aunt May. I know that I should have tried to stop the robber. I didn't know that he would kill you. But I guess ignorance doesn't excuse my actions now does it? Ben always told me, 'With great power comes great responsibility', but I abused my power, and you felt the effect. Now Ben hates me and New York sees me as a pathetic loser who can't even go out of his way to stop a thief. I have to gain back Ben's respect, even if he doesn't know that it's me. Peter Parker might have failed you May, but Spider-Man won't. I'll do whatever I can to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again. I have power, and stopping criminals is now my responsibility."
The dark heavens poured their souls out on the city. Black clouds blocked out the moon, shrouding the night in a dark shadow. Rain water engulfed the roads with a thick layer of water on top of the pavement. No one dared to come out in such treacherous conditions. The streets showed no sign of life except for one silhouette running through the streets.
The mysterious figure ran through the city and didn't stop until he reached his destination. He halted in front of a giant building, about seven stories high. Light poured out of the windows providing a beacon for the lost. The neon blue sign on the side of the building displayed "Waterside Hospital".
Peter burst through the entrance doors and slid on the linoleum floor. His anxious heart pounded like a bass drum. He had just received a message from the New York Police Department telling him that he they had a patient identified as a Parker. The fear of his Uncle or Aunt scared him enough, but the end of the message scared him even more. Whoever the patient was, they were about to die.
Peter sprinted to the front desk. His heavy breathing echoed through the empty room, only he and the administrator behind the desk were there. He caught his breath than explained his situation to her. She typed something into her computer then turned to Peter. "Room 149," was all she could say before Peter dashed away.
Peter ran through the hall, his sneakers were squeaking all over the clean floor. His footsteps echoed through the empty hall. The hospital was unusually quiet, bringing more of an eerie silence than a calming peace. Crazy thoughts entered his head as he ran. Fear flooded his body and the voice only amplified it. "Prepare for the worst."
Peter followed the signs towards the hall the room was in. He turned a corner and saw Uncle Ben sitting in a chair. His spirits were lifted to the point that he almost cried. Seeing his uncle could brighten any moment, especially seeing his uncle in good health. He expected to see the caring grin that greeted him so often, but Uncle Ben didn't even acknowledge Peter. Ben's eyes were stuck on the door in front of him, a door with the number 149 on it.
Peter walked to the door and cracked it open. The room was silent, no machines were on. No one was in the room except for a body laying on the bed. Peter looked at a frail hand that was sticking out of the sheets. It was cold, gray, lifeless. When Peter looked at the corpse's face, a lump came into his throat. It was Aunt May.
"NOOO!!" Peter burst out of the room and back into the hall. Even though he had run more in the last half an hour than he had ever in his life, his legs managed to carry him at the amazing speed that he had recently developed. He wanted to get away from the nightmare he saw.
His body started to wear down as the fierce weather beat down on him. The wind howled, the clouds wept, and the thunder moaned. It seemed that the whole world was joining Peter in his sorrow.
Peter was approaching the downtown area where tall buildings loomed over the normally crowded streets. The fearsome storm had driven the inhabitants inside because they all knew that only a fool would challenge the elements tonight. That didn't stop Peter.
He eyes searched for the perfect spot. It didn't take long before he found the perfect place. Peter jumped onto the side of the building and climbed to the top. It took him a while to reach because the building was about ten stories, which was perfect. Peter scanned the area around him; it was such a different view from the earth bound one he was used to. But the view didn't matter right now; all Peter was going to be looking at in a few minutes was the ground speeding towards him.
Peter stood on the edge of the roof. He looked down and saw the street far below him. He straightened his body, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Just like diving off the diving board was the thought that came into his mind. He tipped his body forward and waited for the free fall.but it never came. Something was holding him back.
Peter opened his eyes and looked around. Someone was holding on to him. He turned around and saw one of the most astounding sites he could even imagine. Holding onto his shirt was an angel with platinum blonde hair. She wore a black mask around her beautiful green eyes, and Peter was grateful that the mask didn't cover her whole face, because beauty seemed to radiate from her entire body. She was wearing a black spandex outfit that clung to her shapely body, and Peter just wished he could be that outfit for just one second. Models and actresses would kill to have her figure. Peter thought of what to say, but as with most teenage boys when they met teenage girls, had his proverbial foot in his mouth.
"Hey cutie, you don't want to do that," came a sing-song voice from her luscious lips.
Peter just stood and babbled. This had to be the most beautiful girl on the planet, and she just called him a cutie. Girls in chess club wouldn't even look at him let alone the hotties in his school. Peter's thoughts were taken away from the life-changing tragedy that had happened not ten minutes ago and were focused on this goddess that stood before him.
The girl waited a minute for Peter to talk, but when she realized that he was speechless she giggled and said, "Well I guess I'll be seeing you around. See ya Peter." She twirled around gracefully, ran quickly but elegantly, and soared through the air onto the next building. Her stylish moves were consistent as she disappeared from Peter's view.
Peter just sat in awe, and when her words hit him he was shocked even more. Somehow that girl knew his name. He couldn't think of anything to say, which was fine because the voice was doing it for him. "Whoa baby! Can you say HOT?!? Try and jump again, maybe she'll come back."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Peter trudged into his house. The storm had started to calm, but it was still wreaking havoc on the city. Peter was soaked to the bone when he entered the house. If someone had seen Peter like this, they would have thought that he had gone swimming with his clothes on. It took him about five minutes to get his shirt off. After his shirt was off he just walked around the house, his dismay over the loss of Aunt May and his amazement over the mystery girl pushed the worries of getting the carpet wet out of his mind.
When Peter reached the family room he found Ben sitting on the sofa. The TV was glowing, casting a mysterious shadow over Ben. Peter flicked on the light and sat next to his uncle. "They're showing a clip about May on the news in a second," Ben muttered.
As he finished his sentence the news caster came on. "A depressing story tonight as the murder of May Parker, a local resident, occurred tonight," came a voice from the TV. "Police say that while May was out exercising she was shot in the chest by an unnamed man. Police believe that the time and place of the murder coincide with an earlier robbery at a local wrestling federation. Here's a clip of the robbery."
The clip rolled and Peter's heart sank. The TV showed a black-and- white image of a man in a masked costume in a locker room. Suddenly another man came onto the screen and collided with the costumed wrestler. The wrestler stood up and let the man go by.
"The manager of the wrestling federation has confirmed the identity of this masked wrestler as Spider-Man. The manager believes that if Spider- Man had stopped the robber than the both crimes and perhaps future ones could have been prevented. Following these commercials we'll have a segment on how to remove plak from cat teeth."
Ben turned off the TV and turned his head to Peter. "Did you watch that Peter? Do you remember what I always tell you? With great power comes great responsibility. This Spider-Man character could have stopped that criminal and easily taken him in to the cops. He had more power than most people do in a situation like that. But did he do what he should have? No! He should be jailed just because he didn't do what he should have."
Peter was traumatized. His aunt, the woman who had been a mother to him most his life, was dead because of him. Why did he let the guy go? He knew that something was wrong; he could have at least delayed him until he found out what it was. Now the world would hate Spider-Man, and even if they didn't, Uncle Ben would.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The sun beamed down on the grim crowd. The sky was an ocean of blue, not a cloud to be seen. Birds were singing, flowers blossomed, and the grass couldn't have been greener. Peter thought that it was unfair to have a funeral on such a beautiful day. Funerals were supposed to be grim, not cheery. Uncle Ben made a good point though, it was the way Aunt May would have had it.
Peter watched as people paid their respects. Most of the people he knew, but when this peculiar old guy approached the coffin he felt uncomfortable. The man was practically drooling when he looked at May, and he stayed there longer than anyone else had. Peter asked Ben about him.
"Oh, that's Adrian Toomes, he's the mortician. A lot of people call him the Vulture, they believe that he's a necrophiliac. It's weird, I know, but he's the best around."
They funeral continued for about an hour. Ben gave a beautiful eulogy and old friends of May stood and told of the wonderful woman that she was. Most of the attendants were in tears by the end. Peter had his head buried in his lap, trying to hold back as many tears as he could, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Peter turned and saw Harry staring back at him. "Hey man," was all that Harry had to say that pushed Peter over the edge to a full out bawl. He stood up and gave Harry a friendly embrace. Harry was a good friend, he knew what Peter was going through and didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
"Don't worry Pete, it'll be alright. It's hard now, I know. I lost my mom a couple of years ago and I thought it was the end of the world. You just have to let it out, if you hold anything in it just increases the pain. If you ever need help, you know I'm here. Remember, I know exactly what it's like, so don't be afraid to come to me."
Peter was grateful that he had Harry as a friend. Whenever Peter was stuck, Harry always helped him. If Peter was sick or hurt, Harry was one of the first people that came to make sure he was alright. Harry was able to look past the geeky intelligent that was on Peter's surface and see the person that was inside. He would selflessly do things for Peter, never requiring any payback. Harry was the best friend Peter had.
The crowd died down and so did the day. Ben went up to pay his respects. He stayed for quite a while, but Peter understood. Ben left to the car to give Peter some privacy. Peter approached the coffin and looked down at the cold face of death.
"I'm sorry Aunt May. I know that I should have tried to stop the robber. I didn't know that he would kill you. But I guess ignorance doesn't excuse my actions now does it? Ben always told me, 'With great power comes great responsibility', but I abused my power, and you felt the effect. Now Ben hates me and New York sees me as a pathetic loser who can't even go out of his way to stop a thief. I have to gain back Ben's respect, even if he doesn't know that it's me. Peter Parker might have failed you May, but Spider-Man won't. I'll do whatever I can to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again. I have power, and stopping criminals is now my responsibility."