"That… that was my life."
A careful and distant male voice spoke next to him.
His eyes opened as slowly as they could, while his sight progressively adjusted to the weak light that embraced his surroundings.
The man continued softly, "There are no sufficient words to ever describe to you what I… once lived... I could only show you."
Fully aware, Peter remained still with eyes fixed at the ceiling but without any real focus. He barely felt his body hold itself together over the bed he was lying upon. He couldn't care less about where he was.
"That was what kept your system high activity as I took care of you," He paused. "I never really knew if I should've given you that… not like this, but I hope you understand." Ezekiel confessed, sat in chair next to Peter's bed.
Peter slowly turned his head to the side so that he could meet him. His damaged and rough voice began, "What was that…?" He cleared his throat, helding a tear back. "Was it any real?"
Ezekiel nodded, gently. "Yes, you experienced a vivid recording of my… brother's life, you, from where I came from. Your heart was failing quickly, I had to keep you alive, and Mary, in a way, saved you."
Peter gulped. A tear finally slid down his cheek as he recalled his last seconds with his mother. He looked up again. His cheek could be seen filled with cuts, stains and bandages along with the rest of his body.
Ezekiel continued, "Peter, I'm not a normal being, I gave up all of that once… the closest person from your world you could compare me to is your friend, Stephen Strange, since we share the same initiation, and that's how I found you all these years ago, I already watched over you -"
"Did mom live a happy life…?"
Ezekiel silenced himself for a brief moment. "She found peace for much longer than she did here. So did your wife, Gwen. They remained close until their last days."
"What happened to my children?"
"After…." He hesitated, "... well, after you passed away, they remained with Mary and Gwen, growing safe and away from any danger."
"I didn't make it for far too long then."
Ezekiel inhaled deeply. "Something similar happened there, this division of vigilantes and the people as well, you fought with every fiber you could for many years even when sometimes you felt unwanted, it was your thing - it always have been, but… thisVenom eventually murdered you in a trap, that's why everyone went into hiding not long after." Ezekiel said reluctantly, "It doesn't mean the same exact thing will happen here, constant and variables, that's why your life here is dramatically different, but still similar in many ways."
Peter began to cough roughly, he rose his head slightly and brought his hand to his mouth, later noticing the blood in the palm of his hand. He lowered himself again.
"At least… at least they got away." He seemed not bothered by the cruel revelation.
"They did, but…"
Peter met his eyes once again. "What?"
Ezekiel sighed, the memories weren't any comfortable to think about. "At one point Aiden and David took your Spider-Man name, against their mother's will, they trained together, and together disrupted everything they could in order to get to Venom in a world where they were not really welcomed… when they got what they wanted, to meet him, Venom put an end to their short lives. I-I… I rather not talk about that."
He demanded, "Then show me."
"Peter…"
"Like you did before, you can, right?"
Ezekiel reluctantly nodded and put his left hand over Peter's forehead, it was his right. He immediately close his eyes. It was his right.
"You murdered my father, you son of bitch!"
Aiden, as the Spider-Man himself, swiftly tried to land a blow to Venom's mug, only to be stopped by his powerful hand and bashed on the head by a headbutt that kept his skull aching intensely. He was knocked away and harshly flew to the opposite side just to slid through the concrete of the last level of the tall and open unfinished building that was still being built.
Venom jumped back to him with teeth and arms ready.
"Dave…!" Aiden shouted from the ground.
Wearing a similar suit, Scarlet-Spider, as David named, quickly appeared with a strong kick to Venom's side and brutally moved him meters away from his brother.
David gave his brother his hand and raised him from the ground who constantly breathed heavily. They were taking a beating despite the combined efforts. "You okay?"
Aiden was about to reply when his inner sense triggered, he had time to spot the incoming metallic pole directed at his twin brother and shoved him away. "Watch out!"
David fell into the ground and saw his brother get impaled in the chest and crash against a wall due to the momentum of the pole due to Venom's strength.
He fell on his back against the wall and grabbed the pole with both hands, realizing what had just happened.
"No!" David yelled.
David sensed a movement next to him, and as he turned with his first towards the symbiote, Venom caught his fist before he threw the punch. He felt his knuckles turn to powder as he squeezed harder and harder. He was on his knees now. With a sharp kick to the ribs, Venom saw blood splatter within David's mask mask. He would make sure he gagged upon it.
Aiden saw all of that and got desperate as the pole wouldn't leave his flesh no matter how hard he pushed back. It was deep stuck. "Get up…! Dave!" He groaned harder in absolute pain, his hands getting soaked by the blood coming from the opening in the suit where the pole had been carved through.
Venom grabbed the nearest Parker by the head. David felt his nails dig into his scalp and cheeks, he began punching the powerful arm that kept him in check. Venom watched the blood oozed under his nails. He was squashing the son of his once most memorable opponent.
And it brought him even more pleasure.
Aiden shot a web-line to David's back so that he could pull him away but Venom was faster and caught the webbing with his own hand, the same that fired a black web line back to him and at the pole which immediately was pushed inside even harder and through the wall behind him.
Blood slowly came through his mask and where his mouth could be seen. His strength failed him.
He raised his shaking and open free hand at his brother as a way to reach him, while the other held the pole.
"David…" He whispered to himself, watching the life slowly live his brother's body. He dropped his chin, slowing his breathing and letting his hand go off the pole.
And then, he only focused on the sound of his calm breathing, while the heavy footsteps that were getting close to him remained on the background.
He thought of his parents.
I'm sorry… I am… sorry...
He slowly blinked his eyes from within the mask, until all that remained was pure darkness.
"Venom… was the head of this new implemented control system, you weren't the first, nor the last to fall to his hands." Ezekiel took his hand off Peter's forehead. "My nephews… they deemed themselves ready, and when Elizabeth disappeared, they wanted to end all of that by themselves and avenge their father in the process. I found them later…"
Peter brought his hand to his bandaged stomach, close to where Aiden was pierced.
"Once all hope was lost in my world, and as I found strength to become something new… I discovered the other side of the verse, you, and away I watched your life, you may not know me, but once I was your brother, and I am here to succeeded where I once failed you. No matter what."
"You waited all this time… Ezekiel? And for what?" He asked again without looking at him.
"I didn't want to mess with your head, your life, you deserve peace, Peter, but you also deserve the truth. I'm sorry, but there was this night once I got aware that Venom had appeared here as well. I'm doing everything I can, he's the biggest threat I ever got to know, Peter… understand this, you're all in danger."
Peter was emotionless. He had suffered so much in the last hours, his thoughts were all over the place.
"It's happening Peter," Ezekiel and stood up. "I… I hope he can make you understand."
Ezekiel rose from his chair and headed towards the door of their small bedroom and opened it.
Peter followed him with his gaze. Another man entered the room. His eyes shot up to the sight.
Harry Osborn stood next to Ezekiel, his face was filled with recent cuts, and his right arm totally plastered with a strap around his neck.
He spoke, "Venom, he did this. He came to me as I went to send you that video of him, and if Ezekiel didn't show up…" He paused. "We need your help now... I need your help, Pete."
"He… he did that to you?" Peter asked, shocked.
Harry nodded. "Ezekiel got me out, but he was there to kill me. And now I hide here."
Ezekiel interjected, "I hope you can forgive me for all of this, it was never my attention, but I did what I had to do so that I didn't lose you too. I set your bones, and I had to stitch you up, but I won't bury you, not again, I buried enough of us…"
Harry leaned his back against the wall and watched them both.
Peter slowly nodded, not holding any grudge, despite briefly living a life he wished it could have been possible for everyone. He sat up in the bed, moaning slightly. "I need… I need some time to digest… that, and you." He briefly looked up to Ezekiel, grunting in pain.
"I know." Ezekiel replied.
Peter ignored and said to himself, "I don't even know who Venom is, how can I stop him…?"
"But you do… remember back at the warehouse, after the explosion… you saw him."
Peter took into his words. He frowned.
I do…?
I do...
Earlier...
The warehouse's atmosphere was burning and ready to consume him if he stayed longer. Spider-Man saw the flames around him as they were reflected by his mask's now cracked lenses.
He had to get out of there.
Spider-Man stood up with an arm across his stomach and a non-stop bleeding hand, limping towards a random direction with the hope of finding a way out.
The fire only made his exposed bruises much worse. It was unbearable.
He caught noises of someone not having a solid time not far away from his side. He turned to the source and spotted the dark figure standing on his knees as portions of his body missed the symbiote that struggled to reach them again.
The man constantly moaned in pain, yelling roughly, as if hell was about to consume him.
His face wasn't fully covered, but a huge chunk could still be seen, the white skin, and what looked to be a blonde hair.
As the man dealt with the burning pain and the sensation of the symbiote crawling back to where it was absent, he saw Spider-Man in the corner of his sight and they finally met each other's eyes.
Blue eyes…
Spider-Man was paralyzed in his wouldn't get fooled by those eyes currently filled with rage.
"I know you…" He said to himself, lowly.
Venom had finally gathered itself and overtaken the host's body. It released a powerful high pitched scream and in a movement of fury, it rose from the ground and rushed towards him.
Spider-Man finally came back to the present and before he could anything else, an explosion took place between them, an explosion that sent Peter flying through the walls of wood and into the cold river.
The warehouse finally fell apart.
Peter slowly fell deeper into the water, with his back facing the distant bottom. He could still see the dark sky and the moon in it, but his view got smaller and smaller as the seconds went by.
Eddie… Brock….?
The water cooled his body, he felt lighter.
Relax man, everything is gonna be alright. Eddie's words came back to him.
We were… why…? Peter questioned.
He closed his eyes and allowed the flow to take him.
What could wrong? You don't have any enemies, right? His friend that eventually ceased contact spoke during his wedding many years ago.
What happened, Eddie…? What happened to you?
A/N : Here we are again, this turned out shorter when compared to the previous chapter which already was a short one as well, this can be a way to release chapters faster, but the real truth is that I recently have lost a very, very dear dear and beloved family member, so I'm still kinda dealing with that. I still tried to finish this one and move the story foward, so hopefully it works decently.
Thanks to everyone that took their time to review and especially ThatSchwayWriter, he helped with a quite a lot with this story, many texts were sent.
Have a good one.