Welcome back to the world of fiction! Ok, so its my own fault for being gone so long, but I have really good excuses I swear. And not to bore you with them, I'll get straight to the story, thanks to those of you who stuck around waiting and perhaps hoping for updates. Welcome to those who have just read this story for the first time and stick around, it will be finished. However long it takes! I am in the final few chapters now! Two more updates coming right up. Enjoy and please review, reviews are 50 of my life, the other 50 is just crap :P
Sweet Sacrifice-Evanescence
It's
true, we're all a little insane
But its so clear
Now that I'm
unchained
Fear is only in our minds
Taking over all the
time
Fear is only in our minds
But it's taking over all the
time
You poor sweet innocent thing
Dry your eyes and
testify
You know you live to break me- don't deny
Sweet
sacrifice
One day I'm gonna forget your name
One sweet
day,
You're gonna drown in my lost pain
Yeah
Fear is
only in our minds
Taking over all the time
Fear is only in
our minds
But it's taking over all the time
You poor sweet
innocent thing
Dry your eyes and testify
And, oh, you love to
hate me don't you, honey?
I'm your sacrifice
I dream in
darkness
I sleep to die
erase the silence
erase my life
our burning ashes
blacken the day
a world of nothingness
blow me away
Do you wonder why you hate?
Are you
still too weak to survive your mistakes?
You poor sweet
innocent thing
Dry your eyes and testify
You know you live to
break me - don't deny
Sweet sacrifice
Sinking.
Falling into emptiness.
Black. Cold. Dark.
Familiar.
It was home. Home to the evil inside her, that refused to be satiated. Its hunger was never satisfied. No matter how many fell, it could not find the peace for which its host ached. It had no desire for that. All it wanted was more death, more blood, any taste of revenge for however long it lasted and at the hands of anyone. Man, woman, couple... families... it didn't matter. All that mattered was someone suffered, for all the suffering in the world could not seem to equal the horror of her one lifetime.
Even if she couldn't see it, the evil inside would not stop.
However, Peter could end her misery. Peter could bring her the joy she needed to keep the evil at bay. She just knew it. The darkness would end and the debt would be settled as far as she was concerned.
However, the evil knew nothing and no one would end their tirade. The evil would never let go of her.
Right now, she did not mind at all. The power was too strong, too intoxicating tonight. Four had fallen tonight. It started with the happy couple who now lay side by side in death. Then, she moved along to a prostitute who was propositioning an attractive male. Of course, when she finished the prostitute off, one look at the male and his fear of her left her aching to fill his veins with poison.
Therefore, it was done.
Now she dived in and out of the shadows of the night, from street to street, sometimes leaping and swinging from fire escapes and buildings in her travel of the insatiable hunt. She leapt to a fifth story fire escape on an abandoned building that gave a clear view of the Westside's streets near some of the slower avenues. Crimes often happened on the streets known to be abandoned by this time in the early morning.
Dawn was still a few hours away, so the dark of night still held its veil over the city.
Widow Maker was bound to find more prey soon. The city was filled with those who needed to suffer and she was more than obliged to be the bringer of such tidings.
The wait was the hardest part.
With the wait came the memories. She didn't even have to close her eyes anymore to envision the past. She could see it with her every moment; hear the screams of terror with every police siren wailing in the distance and the sound of car horns blaring. They all sounded like the shrill sound of her voice crying over the crack of the baseball bats, the smacking sound of fisted flesh crashing upon flesh, the tearing of clothing as the men forced themselves upon her, burying her under their weight and brutally raping her body and breaking apart her soul.
She shook violently, the rage intensifying with the visions. The venom poured from her body, her eyes staring ahead at the street intensely.
"Is this revenge not as sweet as promised, my dear? Is your cold, dead heart not alive and jumping now? Is it not all you hoped for?" his voice asked upon the wind.
The Widow Maker cackled, while inside Amber wished to cry. The old man had promised her a great gift and he had delivered. She was able to make those suffer. Yet, her own suffering did not end either.
Emmeret the sorcerer whom desired the book Amber had acquired. Emmeret, another man who in the end of all things, only used her for his desires and tricked her for his sick pleasure. In exchange for the power now coursing through her, he wanted the book. He promised Amber great power to deal with men, and that power came from the sorcerer and the book. Little did she know that this rage would take over her life, become a part of her so overpowering that she was no longer Amber but the Widow Maker.
Emmeret had tricked her and she couldn't even use the power he had given her on him.
A car passed down the block slowly, the bright lights shining from the head of the car trapped her gaze. The white light swallowed her up.
"Don't you like your new power? Is it not everything you wished for? The power to obliterate any man, who dare touch you, hurt you, again." Emmeret grinned wickedly at her, shadowed in darkness amidst the bright light.
The light dimmed and they were alone in a dark room, the walls peeled and chipped and the only light came from an overturned lamp flickering on and off from its fall.
Amber stared down, shaking uncontrollably, her hands not seeming her own. For her own hands were soft and small, and pale. These hands... they were bulging with veins, a terrible sight, her nails were long and razor sharp and the bulging veins were green and they throbbed, but did not hurt. In addition, worst of all... the nails dripped liquid. So quiet was the room, you could almost hear the drops of liquid hitting the skin of the dead body on the floor at her feet.
She remembered taking deep breaths, her body reacting to what had just happened. She turned to Emmeret and he was not there. However, her reflection was there. Her scream was so loud at the sight of her reflection, that it shattered the glass. Black eyes, black hair, and veins pulsing under her skin across her face. She was a monster.
This was her first kill, her first attack, not knowing minutes before that this would happen, let alone continue to happen again and again.
A door swung open, crashing against the wall.
Dark eyes smirked at her, peeking out from a bruised and battered book. "What's the matter my dear? You got what you wanted."
"No. What have you done to me? You have turned me into a killer!" she shrieked, frightened.
"That is your desire, is it not? To hurt them, kill them for hurting you..." Emmeret put the book down.
She was confused suddenly. Part of her wanted to scream out, "Yes!" and part of her was adamant that her answer should be no. "What have you done to me?" she repeated.
"I made you the thing to fear..." Emmeret answered, folding his hands calmly over the beaten, faded brown, leather bound book. "With a little help."
"I...I..." she slumped to the floor, broken and defeated.
"I gave you the power you sought in return for the power I also deserved. A black widow is a deadly animal that destroys its mates without care. Their venom is amongst the most deadly poisons there are. You wanted revenge, I gave you the means."
"You made me a monster!"
"You already were, my dear. Now, you have power, uncontrollable power. No fear, soon you will become a killing machine, without thought. Any man who dare hurt another woman will suffer your wrath. Any woman who has a man she does not deserve will receive the same if you so wish it. Embrace it. Amber is no more. There is only the Widow Maker."
This was not her desire when she gave the crusty old sorcerer the most sought after spell book in the past century. She wanted power, she wanted revenge, but not like this. She gritted her teeth and glared under her lashes at him. Her fists balled and the rage became unbearable.
Her hands began to throb, it began all over again, her veins bulging, and a feeling she would grow quite accustomed to enveloped her. Her eyes and hair were now black as pitch; she stood towering over the sorcerer. She raised her hands, nails protruded and ready to strike. "You used me. Just like every other man in my life. You tricked me. I am your toy."
"Oh no, my dear. You may not use your powers on those who gave them to you." Emmeret's hands flipped open the book again, ignoring her attempt to attack. "It was an even trade off. Feel whatever you like, it only adds fuel to the Widow Maker's fire. She will show you. Fear has a way of eating you up inside or breaking free and taking everything down with it. Your fear wanted to break free and your fear chose this fate. Use it well. Fear no man again, go and destroy."
She screamed with defeat, knowing she would never be able to escape what lived inside her now. It was a part of her.
Soon she learned not only to co exist with the power inside her; she let it take over. The thrill, the hunt, the kill... it was so sweet, so intoxicating and insatiable. There could never be enough.
She found that she was lost inside her mind. Lost to the memory of when it all began. The car had passed nearly an hour ago now, triggering the images running wild in her mind. She never saw Emmeret again; the old man had hurt her and given her all she asked in one. Nevertheless, like any other man, her feelings did not matter. Emmeret chose what was best for her. He had said it was the darkness inside her all along that chose the Widow Maker. It was the fear that had decided in the end.
She did not believe it.
Now, she did not care. She had power and revenge was hers for all time. Nothing could be better.
Until she had met Peter. Now it seemed as if it was not just power that gave her satisfaction. She wanted Widow Maker to go away; she wanted Peter to replace the power's position in her life. She had not felt like this since the night she discovered her powers, since the night of the flashback she just relived. For so long now the power dominated her, controlled her and she enjoyed it. However, maybe if she stopped, maybe if Peter was not like the others...
"Please! Stop!" screams interrupted her thoughts.
Her eyes searched the streets, trying to find the source of the shouting.
It did not take long.
A man pulled a screaming woman into the alleyway where the Widow Maker was crouched upon the fire escape. He threw the woman to the concrete with a sickening thud.
She whimpered in pain, groaning and rolling to her side.
The man jumped atop of her in a flash, pinning her arms to each side. "Pretty girls like you are just asking for it..."
The woman sobbed, unable to match his strength.
That's all it took to drive the Widow Maker to snap into action. The previous events of the night still fresh inside left her more than prepared and ready to act right away. A front flip and a few acrobatic stunts later, she stood above their heads, arms crossed.
The man first noticed the shiny black heeled boot, his eyes liking what he saw, his eyes roved upwards, and finding himself facing a very attractive body in a very tight black suit, decorated only with a red hourglass figure. He grinned, until he noticed a mask donned her face, her jet-black hair falling over the rest of her face. "Who the hell are you? Spider-Woman?"
"I am death's dealer. And you are dead. You died the moment you touched her and for every pain you attempted to inflict, may it be doubled in your punishment." she spoke calmly, deadly.
The man laughed, coming to his feet, the would-be victim gasping for air with the small amount of freedom she'd received.
"Go." Widow Maker ordered the female, before the man could stop laughing.
"And just how you gonna punish me, doll? I may enjoy it. Looks like you are into whips, chains, and shit... You're a hot lil number..." he snickered.
The victim got up and ran away in terror, screaming and crying.
"Eh, you're definitely hotter than her. You'll be fun to play with. Bet you like it on top baby, don't ya?" the man circled Widow Maker, checking out her curves.
Widow Maker's anger was growing and growing. It would not be much longer before she could take no more. She grinned wickedly, allowing the man to circle her. She rubbed her hip as the claws on her hand ached for relief. She could feel the venom sliding down her leg, dripping to the floor. "Do I ever..." she replied, whipping around in one fluid motion and pinning the man against the brick wall.
"Oh, baby likes it rough. Where have you been all my life?" the man still found this amusing.
"Killing your kind..." she answered, tilting her head to the side, running her tongue along her teeth.
The man smacked her arms away from his sides and shoved her into the other brick wall, coming upon her quickly. His hand gripped her inside thigh. He then made a move up higher but suddenly her hands gripped his hand. He cried out as the bones in his hand snapped one by one.
She shoved a booted heel into his groin and he doubled over. Her other hand came across his head, smacking her claws into his head. She then sent her knee into his face, crushing his nose. As he fell to his backside, she gripped him up again, sending punch after punch into his bruised and battered face. Blood began to seep out onto her gloved hands as she beat him relentlessly.
He groaned, too hurt to fight back and he fell limp in her arms.
She tossed him into the brick wall and he fell down. She slinked over to his battered body, bones broken, blood pouring from wounds and skin peeling off. He was unlike any other kill she had before. The power inside her was so overwhelming, it had never attacked this efficiently before… Before she left that alleyway, every bone in his body was broken, his face was unrecognizable; it was beaten so excessively. When no more damage could be done, she finally rammed her claws deep into his chest, filling the veins closest to his heart first with the venom that would put his already unconscious, damaged body to his death.
She surveyed her work with a sadistic smile and a tinge of satisfaction. She heaved heavily with the exertion of her efforts. Despite the extremity of the latest kill there was still a longing inside for revenge. She knew it would never be quelled.
However, on the bright side, the night still held time for her to try.
Peter sighed with exhaustion as he opened his mailbox. It was just after ten in the morning and he had only arrived home from his night sweeps of the city at six. Unable to sleep, he sat on his couch with files and papers from his research poured all over the coffee table and a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. He had needed a break and decided to check the mail.
Bad idea.
Inside was a friendly reminder that school started again in a week. His new schedule stared back at him. Oh boy! Was it ever going to be jam-packed too. Dr. Connor's class was set for an early morning when he usually caught up on some semblance of sleep after a night of patrolling the city. He would have to cut back on his web slinging time or sleeping in general in order to make the class on time. He certainly couldn't afford to miss them. His scholarship depended on it. Besides, Dr. Connors was ticked off at him enough already for missing so many classes, missing anymore may find him booted from the class and out on his rear. Man, how was he going to manage! He slammed the mailbox, putting a small dent in it. He groaned. "I bet Captain America doesn't have as many problems...," he muttered, stomping to the elevator.
He waited two minutes before his patience wore out and a handyman walked by to inform him the elevator was out of order. He shook his head, heading for the stairs. Not even superhero strength was enough to keep him from dreading the nine flights of steps he'd have to take up.
By the time he reached his apartment, he felt as if he was going to pass out. He stepped inside being greeted by the blinking red light on his answering machine. Part of him wanted to just walk past it and not even bother but it could be a message from Aunt May. He pressed the playback button, sorting through some junk mail, since Harry had all the bills sent directly to his care, it was all Pete ever got. He'd have to talk to him about that... it was hardly fair that he lived practically for free in such a nice place.
"Pete, its MJ. Where are you? Asleep I hope..."
Peter snorted, rolling his eyes. "I wish."
"Anyway, I just saw on the news... There were a few attacks last night; one of them was confirmed as being poisoned with Black Widow venom. They wouldn't disclose any other information but it seems they all may be connected. Ok... call me back when you get the message. I don't have work until three. Talk to you later, Tiger."
A shrill beep rang then even worse was the sound of one highly-strung, ticked off editor in chief of the Daily Bugle. "PARKER! Where the hell are you? You're fired!"
"I freelance Jonah, you can't fire me," Peter drawled at the machine.
"The whole city is going crazy! People being murdered, their bloodstreams pumped with venom. Spider's venom! I KNOW Spider-Man has something to do with this! Why don't I have pictures? Damn it. You best bring your scrawny butt down here with some pictures fast or...or... you're FIRED!" Jonah screamed, slamming down the phone.
Peter sighed, brokenly. How could he have missed all these attacks last night? He patrolled most of the night and found nothing... He had to find some kind of link so he knew what to look for. What did all the victims have in common? Certainly, the attack on Betty was not random if someone was going around killing people with poisonous venom. Of course, Spider-Man would be blamed! This had to stop. He looked at the files on his table and groaned. There was so much to look through. He needed help. However, he couldn't put MJ in danger. He fell back onto the couch, picking up another stack of paperwork to search through. He should really see about a superhero partner. "At least Batman has Robin..."
Webslinging always made him feel so free and it was definitely cool of course. But tonight there was no thoughts of how high he could leap, how far he could swing on a strand or how many flips he could manage before needing to catch another building with his webbing. Tonight was all about hunting and finding out just who was behind all of the attacks. Which overall was a good plan, right? Sure, if he had any idea where to even start looking! Sorting through all those files seemed to leave him with more questions than answers. They were all so random… The attacks varied from the wealthy, to the middle class, to the common criminal, and convicted felons. The most solid connection he could make was the convicted felons that were victim to the attacks were mostly guilty of the crime of rape or domestic disputes. Ok, so it was possible it was a vigilante killer, but why the randomness then? What else did these people have in common? He gave up trying to make a connection on paper and decided to hit the sky and hope he came across something this way.
MJ had called quite a few times, and by the tone of her last message she was less than pleased he had not returned any of her calls, but he had to keep her out of this as much as he could. If this vigilante, psycho, whoever it was found out Spider-Man was on his trail, he could go after MJ if he found out who he was and she could get hurt. It was the right thing to do, for now at least. All the paperwork was crazy and he could have missed something another set of eyes could pick up but did it have to be MJ's eyes? Those beautiful blue-green orbs that reminded him of the many pictures he saw of the oceans in the Caribbean during a storm... He sighed, and his spider sense went off like a bolt of lightning but he had no time to react. His entire body made full force contact with the brick building instantly. With a loud oomph that did not sound nearly as loud as it hurt, the bricks gave way and cracked leaving a lovely, squashed Spidey indentation on the surface. His hands and feet clutched the wall as he slid down past an apartment window and finally stopped by the grace of God or his spider powers, just below it.
Not a moment later, a head popped out of the window and gazed down at him. "What's the big idea, webspinner?"
"Sorry, I just can't help but leave pieces of me wherever I go..." he groaned, attempting to move. There had to be internal bleeding... Oh, that had to have been his spleen that just popped. Oh yeah and that was definitely a kidney out of place...
"Yeah, well, I'd rather not have pieces of you littering my building, you menace. Go bug someone else!" the man growled.
"Oh, that was cute. Bug...Spidey...get it? Yeah ok, obviously not a big fan of the arachnid/not a bug joke. You should get out more often; everyone else finds it most humorous..."
The head disappeared shortly and returned, carrying a broom. He proceeded to poke at Spidey. "Get outta here, will ya!"
"Alright, alright!" Spidey dodged the broom, scampering down the wall a bit further. "Geez, I'm going!" he put his hands up in defeat. Then with a quick TWHIP, he snagged a cornerstone. He swung off, groaning in protest as his body thanked him for not looking out for brick walls. Spidey sense was not all it was cracked up to be.
Recovering quickly from the pains and aches that would have any other man hospitalized, he continued his search for answers.
"Well Bruce, after three sweeps of the city, I've stopped five muggings, none of which led to my black widow spider issue and I'm still where I started this morning. Well, I did lose hours of study time, managed to piss off MJ yet again, and I ache in places I did not know I could ache… Yup, just a typical day for your average spider guy superhero," Peter complained, comfortably resting on the cornerstone ledge of his favorite building. It was also home to his favorite leaning post and chatting companion, Bruce the gargoyle.
Bruce stared at him silently in all his menacing glory.
Peter sighed, resting his chin on his fist, gazing down at the city below. "Ya think something this crazy would be easy to spot. Then, we really don't know how the venom is being injected, or by who or what… Let us not forget, it is N.Y. Anything is possible."
The city howled with noise below, sirens and alarms ringing, people pounding the pavement coming and going. All the different sounds seemed to bleed into one after many nights of watching over the city from above. It was the sound of N.Y. in constant motion, even when a guy in a scorpion suit or a rhino costume came barreling down the block ready to wreak havoc, N.Y. never stopped going, even when a crazed maniac was drugging people with the most deadly venom in the US.
Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a giant black widow spider attacking people. Pete thought. "Well, Bruce, it's been nice chatting with ya. Maybe I'll go do some legwork if it's not too late. Think I'll go check the hospitals and see if there are any more cases of poisonings." If only he could let MJ help him, two things could be done at once. He mulled over the thought in his brain and went as far as to take out his cell phone. One look at the screen told him he had another message from the stunning subject on his mind. "No. I can't get her involved." He scolded the phone. "I won't do it. I won't put her in danger."
He quickly pocketed his phone before he could argue with himself more. If it was too late (given the rising moon it probably was) to check out the hospitals it would just have to wait until tomorrow. He stood up on the ledge, looked to his preferred take off point and leapt off the building with a short wave to the stone gargoyle he left behind as he plummeted to the noisy streets below.
The sound of cars speeding by on the avenues grew louder as he descended closer to the pavement. He snapped back up just high enough to keep out of the view of the New Yorkers below. Only the ones who actually looked up for him would spot him, if they were quick enough to catch him with their eyes.
It wasn't until he swung all through uptown, downtown and the East Village and back again before he finally got a trigger from his spider sense just off Bleeker St. With a sideways flip and a twist, he headed in the direction his spider sense aimed him.
A growing feeling in the pit of his stomach told him this could be the break he was looking for. He came to a halt atop the edge of an apartment building, casting a glance into an alley below. The break he was looking for would almost be a shock to his system if he had not been witness to the whole Rhino and Scorpion incident previous.
However, this was slightly different. This was no overgrown person in a rhino suit or a crazed man in a giant green scorpion outfit. This was a woman. A very appealing looking woman, in a very tight black suit, donned with a red marking. Even if he wasn't a scientist or heck, even if he didn't have half a brain, it didn't take much to derive a conclusion. This had to be the Black Widow problem attacking a random man below. Besides, he was a fellow spider. Ok, so that had nothing to do with it at all, but still… A Black Widow's marking were no secret and this woman's outfit was plain as day a perfect match to the description.
Peter took a moment to set up his camera, positioning it over the alley. He flipped the automatic shutter and in thirty seconds, the camera would start snapping the action.
Now, it was time for answers. He shot a web line to the building adjacent to the alley and leapt off swinging to the ground, landing in a two-legged, one handed position he had grown accustom to settling into. He knew this drew the woman's attention and quicker than he anticipated; she spun around to face him. "So is this where the spider's gather to play?"
The woman's face was masked cleverly, only her eyes and dangerously curved red lips were visible. Her jet-black hair flowed long and freely. Her hands rested upon her slim hips, her legs spread apart slightly, giving her the stance of a comic book character.
"Well, if it isn't my fellow arachnid. Don't you know it's dangerous to play in a Widow's web? I don't play well with males…," she cooed, leaning down to stroke Spidey's chin. She spun around back to her prey, attempting to catch the man who interrupted her kill off-guard. When she spun back, hoping to clip him with her boot, his hand reached up as if he knew what she planned and shoved her away.
"Well, I don't plan on staying. I just thought I would drop in, say hi; see how the kids were and all. You know, since we're family…" Spidey quipped, eyeing the beaten victim of this insane woman's rage. Currently, he lay on the cold concrete, seeming dazed.
"Oh, very cute Spider-Man. However, this is no concern of yours. Go about your business and perhaps I will forget all about your rude intrusion!" the woman spun back, keeping her balance quite easily. She didn't crouch like Spider-Man, but more or less loomed over the red and blue clad arachnid, as if she were sizing him up.
"Family reunions, always bitter…" Spidey shrugged, front flipping over the woman and landed beside the victim. He lifted the man to his feet. "Are you ok?"
"I…I…think so…" he grounded out, breath reeking of alcohol.
Spidey instantly recognized the face once he was up close. He was a criminal that Spidey himself had sent to jail not more than a few months before. He caught the man in the midst of a mugging and then a beating of a teen girl just a few blocks away from here. He stole a glance at the woman clad in black and she was seething with anger, gasping deep breaths of air. "So it is a vigilante thing, huh?"
"Wrong." she stated simply. "It's a revenge thing. It's punishment."
"I didn't do anything man… I…"
"I remember you. I don't know what you were up to, but if you were up to your old tricks…"
"Nah, man! I'm clean! Now I got two spider freaks chasing after me! She called herself the Widow Maker or something. This is crazy shit!" The man tried to pry himself out of Spidey's grasp.
"He lies. Let me have him Spider-Man. He hurts people. He doesn't deserve to live!" Widow Maker glared at the squirming man in Spider-Man's grasp.
"Now, call me crazy, but for some reason, I believe the lady. Maybe I will let her have you. In the spirit of family reunions and all…." Spidey attempted to goad the man.
"No, please! She's going to kill me! I thought you were a good guy!" the man pleaded, trying to break free of the hero's hold. "Man, I was just looking for a little fun. Half the women out here are asking for it!"
"That's a lie!" Widow Maker's voice became enraged, lunging forward at the victim.
Spidey tossed him quickly against the alley wall webbing him to it in fluid motion. He gripped Widow Maker's arm, a bit surprised at the muscle mass there and held her back. "Now, now cousin Mable…."
Widow Maker growled, ripping free of his grasp and snarled at him. "I tell you once more stay out of this…."
"Unfortunately that's a no can do, my young padawan. Why don't you tell me the story and then, maybe, just maybe we can make a deal." Spidey eyed the woman over, wondering just what kind of spider's powers she possessed. Could she also climb walls and web sling? How did she achieve these powers? So many questions he sought answers to. However, it was obvious she was not quite stable and her strength was impressive. Something told him she was not looking to be the superhero sidekick he longed for earlier in the day.
"There is no bargaining in my brand of revenge. He suffers, he dies… there are no alternatives," Widow Maker informed, crossing her arms to stand off against the brightly colored superhero. "He doesn't deserve to live. None of them do. They hurt us, brutalize us, destroy us, and break us. Death is almost too good for them, if it weren't for the torturing part that is."
"So it wouldn't be a long shot that you are responsible for the Black Widow poisonings going around New York, huh?" Spidey frowned.
"I am the Widow Maker. I deal death to those who think its okay to hurt woman, rape us, beat us, kill us. Men like this die under my hand, yes…," she admitted freely, smiling smugly, as if she were quite proud of her efforts.
"But what about Betty Brant and the other women you've attacked?" Spidey asked in confusion, yet confident he would get all the info he needed from her. This Widow Maker seemed too far-gone to be smart. Deadly, yes. Intuitive? No.
"They simply got what was coming to them. Enough with the questions. Are you going to leave me with my prey or do I have to destroy you too?" Widow Maker snapped, tiring of being kept from the kill.
Spidey was once again impressed. He expected answers easily, but maybe they wouldn't come just that easily. "How'd you do it? How do you poison them?"
She threw back her head in laughter. "Wouldn't you like to know! Perhaps I will give you a first hand look if you do not leave now!" With each word, she grew more enraged.
His spider sense tingled vaguely and he prepped himself for an attack. Her voice was deep and filled with such anger, he wondered if were ever her own, it seemed so warped. He tilted his head, trying to inspect her quickly, hoping to find some sign of how she drugged the victims.
She giggled darkly, hands roving over her hips. She licked her lips and eyed the hero who saved her hosts life once. "Do you like what you see, Spider-Man? Perhaps, you wish to see more. Maybe you are no different than the rest of the men I punish."
"Oh, no. Mating season with Black Widows is closed as far as I'm concerned. I know what you crazy spiders do to your mates. No thank you." Spidey waved his hands, taking a step back to reiterate his words.
She laughed again, amused at his antics. "Too bad… Imagine the fun we could have…." she smiled, her lips curving attractively. "Be on your way then, or I will have my way with you little spider."
"I appreciate the get out of jail free card, Widow. Nevertheless, I am afraid, I'll have to take your playmate with me. But don't worry, I will drop him off with the proper authorities on my way back to my web," Spidey informed her, seeing her stance change immediately.
She put a hand out to stop him from moving. "I am the proper authority now."
"Show me your badge, and I'll think about it," Spidey gripped her wrist, twisting her hand off his chest.
"Oh, you would like that wouldn't you?" she cocked her head, flipping her whole body over the arm he used to twist her wrist, taking his momentum away. She sent a sharp heel into his torso as she landed, obviously catching him off guard.
And not only him, but his spider sense as well. Boy, she was quick! He was taken a few feet back, but he remained standing. A sharp pain sprung in his torso. "Nice heels, what are they like, 7 inches long?"
"Not nearly as long as my grip, fellow wall crawler…" she hissed, sending another roundhouse kick at him, but this time he leapt away clearly, clinging to the brick wall, beside the webbed up man.
"So, gimme the scoop Widow. Why the revenge bit? Obviously, Mr. Black Widow treated you badly and he was dealt the whole, 'kill your mate bit'. But, all men don't deserve this." Spidey scrambled up the wall a bit; prepping his next move while in hopes he could get her to open up.
She growled again enraged at his words and leapt up the wall quickly, sending a flying punch at his jaw, but connected with brick instead. She hopped down, seeming dazed at his quickness now.
Ok, so she can't stick to walls, but she could jump pretty high. He appeared at her side, gripping at her arms again, finding himself unable to take a swing at her. He would have to take her down eventually, but he needed to muster up the will to.
She squirmed, rising a leg up and again sending her heel into his body, but this time she used it to back flip away, landing gracefully on those long heels. She raised her eyebrows, surprised he hadn't raised a hand to her yet. "C'mon Spider-Man. You know you wanna play."
"Obviously you've been hurt, and I'm sorry, but you can't use the powers you've been given to take revenge. Don't you know, with great powers come great responsibility? Think of the good you could do!" Spidey blocked a flurry of kicks and punches, some landing despite his speed.
"Good! I am doing good things!" she argued.
Spidey gripped her fist as she attempted a punch and shoved her hand away, throwing a punch of his own at her jaw.
She stumbled back in shock, which soon turned to furious rage and she leapt at him with a fury of well-trained attacks.
They fought back and forth; exchanging blows and attacks only people with their caliber of power could pull off.
There came a moment where they ended in a standoff and they eyed each other down closely. "What you don't see is I am destroying that which deserves destruction. I was given these powers to kill the ones who deserve to die. And that's what they do!" she shouted, frustrated by his agility.
"Who are you to decide?" Spidey asked, trying to web her down, but she flipped out of the way and caught him with a spin kick.
He fell to the ground, the back of his head connecting with the concrete. Stars swam before his eyes and then came blackness as she descended over him. He watched as her hands lifted and from her very fingers came long razor sharp needles.
"I am death's dealer. For every scream I have partaken, for every beating and rape, for every abuse no woman, no person should suffer from another's hands, I end it. I end it all. All their terror and anarchy. I have been given the powers of a Black Widow who destroys her mates, and I will use them to end their power over me! I am the Widow Maker." she leaned down, her claws dangling just in front of Spidey's view. "I gave you the option of walking away, I gave you the chance to prove you were not like other men, but you failed. Now, you will feel the wrath of my power!"
Disorientated as he was, he managed to web her face quickly and she fell back. He leapt up as quickly as he could, ready to pin her against the wall with webbing. However, her claws easily removed the webbing stuck to her facemask. He watched her stalk around him, and he attempted to web her a few more times. Eventually, she had to falter!
She came at him again and more blows were exchanged. Spider-Man was losing his speed.
The bump he took to his head was slowing his reaction time down. She used what was left of his own strength against him again, leaping up the brick wall and running alongside it before crashing down on Spider-Man, bringing him to the ground. Her claws came into Spidey's distorted view again and she lingered almost hesitantly over him. "Looks like you'll suffer the same fate as any other spider caught in my web." her hand came down, claws ramming into the flesh of his shoulder, pumping the venom into his system.
Spidey struggled violently, but her hold was relentless. He could feel the venom pumping into his body and he never felt so helpless in his life. He wanted to scream but could not find his voice. He wanted to shove her away but his strength seemed to have failed him. All he could do was lay there as the venom found its way into his bloodstream, running poison throughout his system.
Widow Maker ripped her claws away after she heard a squeaking gasp rise from his throat. He would be dead in minutes. "I hate to kill and run, but there are more men out there who must die. Goodbye Spider-Man. Give my regards to the family."
She hopped up onto her feet, and looked to the man who first crawled into her web. She stalked over to him, knowing he was fully helpless stuck to the wall. She smiled satanically at the man, claws throbbing for more destruction. "Black Widow's always get there way." she informed, gently teasing the skin at his neck with the edge of her claws. She turned back to look at Spider-man lying helplessly on the ground. "At least you won't die alone." she snickered, lowering her hand to his webbed chest, then slowly and teasingly jabbed his flesh with each of her claws, one at a time.
The man gasped in pain, crying out as the venom filled him.
Spidey could hear his cries as he fought to stay conscious. He felt even more helpless than he did before. He couldn't let the man be killed. He had to find a way to fight the poison. The world spun and everything that was loud before seemed a dull roar now. He fought with his body to move his limbs but it just wouldn't work. He managed to turn his head and watched as the Widow Maker escaped, launching a hook and rope and climbed up and away from the alley where her destruction was left behind.
Spider-Man gasped for air under his mask; suddenly feeling like someone was choking the air from his lungs. It was an effect of the poison no doubt. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on something besides the pain. The first and only thing to come to mind was those he loved, MJ and Aunt May. He could not give up!
He felt waves of nausea collide with his body and if he got sick, he could very well be smothered by his own vomit inside the mask. That was the most unappealing thought he ever had. Ever!
His right shoulder was completely numb, blood oozing out the stab wounds from Widow Maker's claws. His arm was twitching in convulsions. Not before long, his entire body started to shake with muscle spasms and convulsions, and the muscles in his arm soon locked up. He had to get up, had to get moving before his entire body locked up and the poison killed him.
It would take all his spider strength to get him to his feet, but he had to do it. He had to find help. Therein lay another problem, where could he go for help? It's not exactly as if he could web sling into the hospital and ask for help. If he could just get home and rest, his spider strength might be strong enough to fight the poison.
While these thoughts ran through his clouded mind, he managed to get to his knees leaning most of his weight on his left arm. His right arm felt like lead and yet was weightless all at the same time. The motion made his head swirl and he grew very lightheaded again. He fell back to the ground, jaw colliding as his face and chest took the blunt of the blow. "MJ…" he wheezed, eyes fluttering closed as he tried to fight the venom. "Help…"
He knew this was the moment where everything would change. He could picture Aunt May and MJ sobbing over his casket, mourning their loss. Aunt May was so frail and now so very alone. He had let Uncle Ben down yet again.
"Why, Peter? Why?" she would question him. No answer would she get.
And MJ. Her eyes would be swollen and puffy from crying, her heart broken all over again. "If only you would have let me help you, Tiger. I love you…"
Then, everything went black.
