ANTEBELLUM: XX

PETER PARKER

STUDENTS WALKED BY, ALL PLUNGE INTO THEIR OWN LITTLE WORLDS AS THEY MADE THEIR WAY TOWARD THE CAFETERIA OR THE SCHOOLYARD. Brown eyes scanned the myriad of bodies, trying to spot a particular Latina but there was no luck. I frown, head moving from left to right before I eventually gave up and instead turn to face the locker, maybe Ramsey was already at the schoolyard. I unzip my schoolbag, getting out a few notebooks I didn't need before shutting the locker's door just in time as a pair of footsteps came my way. I turn around with a smile, but instead of meeting with a pair of hazel eyes, I met with big blue eyes, and my smile turns into a frown.

"Hey...?" The greeting came out as a question, and Gwen's smile brighten almost teasingly.

"Hey to you too. How's our friendly neighborhood doing?" Gwen came to a stop in front of me, thick books smooshing against her chest as she hugged them close.

"Wha—oh! You mean... yeah." I chuckle, shrugging as I lean on the locker. "Great! Everything's great. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, have you seen Ramsey; did she skip a day or something?"

A crease formed in between Gwen's thick eyebrows, eyes clouded by confusion. "Didn't she tell you?"

Now it was my turn to furrow my eyebrows as I asked her. "Tell me what?"

"The Nationals Outdoor?" Gwen blurted, my eyebrows immediately relaxed as realization dawned on me. "Track competition? Ring any bells?"

I let out a sigh as my mind recalled last night, a lot could've happened that night but instead, it turned into a night of revelation. Ramsey trusted me with her past and fears, she allowed me to see her vulnerable state, and Peter felt privileged to do so since everybody knew how reserved Ramsey Bianchi is.  "I thought Track competitions weren't until the weekend." 

Gwen bobbed her head up and down, she gripped her books tighter against her chest. "Yeah, they were but then they decided to move them mid-week. I think a storm is expected to hit New York over the weekend which is why they moved the event."

"Oh, right, makes sense. Well thought." I nodded along as the words pour out of my mouth, Gwen shrugged. An uncomfortable silence settled in, both of us glancing awkwardly at one another and around the place as we tried to think of what to say next. "So, uh, what about you? How's OsCorp?"

Gwen let out a grimace, her expression coming out unease. "Tense. Things have been feeling extremely off with Dr. Curtis. He's changed. His lab coworkers think so too."

I listened to her speak, my eyebrows etched together with worry for Dr. Connors. Gwen kept repeating his alarming obsession for reptiles and she pointed out his aggressive behavior, for a man as calm and collected as Dr. Connors to act out on impulse and lash out at others for silly things could only mean one thing. He used the serum. I was positive he had experimented on himself, science can be beautiful and extraordinary but it can also be greedy and delusional, science can mess with your mind. We often think science is the key to everything, the answer to everything, and it's true but what we fail to keep in mind is that even science has a limit. There are things that cannot be done or reversed, life has laws, and breaking them would only create something perverse. 

"It's him. All along it has been him, right under our noses." Gwen mumbles, her big blue eyes staring back at me alarmingly. "His research finally consumed him. This is terrible." 

I stare at Gwen; my expression might've been serene but on the inside, I was totally panicking. Regret and guilt ate me up from within, my mind took me several weeks back when I first worked with Dr. Curtis. I can still remember it so clearly, the look of admiration and joy he wore when the serum was ready, there was no hint of evil or ambition in his eyes. My head started to shake, lips pulling up to form an unconvincing smile, Dr. Curtis was a good man. 

"It can't be... He wouldn't do this without a good reason. There has to be a reason." I defended. "Dr. Connors- Dr. Connors is a good man, Gwen. You would know that he's your mentor."

"Oh, Pete..." Gwen's eyes sadden, taking in a deep breath before looking at me with certainty. "As you said, I would know. So trust what I'm saying. He's not the same man you met weeks ago. Now he's aggressive and all he talks about are reptiles, he even took a mysterious trip to the Czech Republic for God knows what reasons."

"Czech Republics?" I repeated, voice laced with confusion. "Why? Is he after something?"

"Beats me, Pete. All I know is that it's him, and I'm telling you this because I saw something I shouldn't have." I stared at her inquisitively. "He tried so hard to conceal it, but I saw it, I saw his arm. It grew back." This was a mistake, my mistake. Dad hid that file for a reason and I was stupid enough to go and hand it to a man that might've had corrupted intentions since the very beginning. "And we all know limbs don't regrow themselves, it's impossible. Unless enhanced. What more evidence do you need?"

"Oh boy, I messed up. I messed up big time." I groan, barely slamming the locker as I kept beating myself over and over again. Loud screams caused both, Gwen and I, to turn around to witness a group of students running towards the exit. 

"Peter?" Gwen turned to me with fearful eyes. 

Spider senses started to tingle giving me goosebumps all over my body, my hand landed protectively on Gwen's shoulder. Those who had seen the danger ran toward the exit and those who didn't know what was going on stood idly in the hall as they wonder what was the issue. All eyes were set at the end of the hall as the sound of heavy footsteps and an animalistic growl brought shivers to everyone, my eyes widen as I recognize the growl, and almost instantly I began to push Gwen toward the direction of the exit just in time as the giant lizard rounded the corner. The lizard's reptile eyes settled on me, and its face morphed into a scowl as it bears its canines at me, it started to walk toward me while digging its long nails into the blue lockers leaving huge scratches.

"Peter!" Gwen shouted, trying to make her way toward me but she was constantly pushed and grabbed by several students who hurriedly made their way out of the building. "Peter!"

"No, Gwen! Run! Just leave!" I shouted just as she was pushed out of the building and the last students vanished behind the double doors leaving just the reptile and me.

"Peter... Parker." The lizard sneer, dangerously inching himself closer to where I was standing.

I stare at him with different eyes, now knowing that the thing I fought back in the sewers and at the Manhattan Bridge was the man who talks to me about his broken family and offered me a job at OsCorp once I finished high school. I was glued to the floor, not out of fear but uncertainty, there was a high chance that Dr. Connors was under the influence of the serum and wasn't himself, it was an unfair fight. "You don't have to do this, Doc."

I force myself to walk toward him, my steps were cautious and my eyes imploring, but my poor attempts to reason with him were in vain as he slams his tail at me. I groan as my body went through the wall of a classroom, my back slams against the white tiles, and I gasp as I struggle to fill my lungs with oxygen.

"Nowhere to hide, Peter!" Dr. Connors taunted me, I cough as I stood up and realize I was in the chemistry lab. An idea pops inside my head, I hurriedly concoct a makeshift bomb with the chemicals in the chemistry lab before throwing it at the wall where I came through.

A cloud of smoke appears, buying myself a few seconds as I change into the Spiderman suit. The Lizard steps inside the classroom looking like a predator, his reptile eyes scan the empty classroom, I grabbed one of my shoes and throw it across the room causing his attention to diverge.

I then jump from behind the teacher's desk and land on top of him, the lizard growls furiously while trying to grab me. "You're not thinkin' straight, doc! Stop this! This isn't you!" We stumble back in the hallway, Dr. Curtis manages to grab my ankle and throw me across the hall but this time I landed on my feet. 

"Let's talk this out!" But in response, Dr. Curtis threw a locker at me which I barely had time to dodge, I groan as I tried to dodge his scratchy attacks, not feeling like sewing tonight. "Alright, so you don't wanna talk?" 

I shot a web to his mouth, temporarily shutting him up before I worked quickly and grabbed his tail which resulted to be a terrible idea as he started to sway his tail from wall to wall, left to right. "Don't... make me... have to... hurt you!"

But the Lizard kept smashing me from side to side, so with one swift pull, I yank his tail off which resulted in me getting thrown down the hall, sliding to a stop mid-hall with his wiggling tail on top of me. "Ugh! Disgusting!"

The lizard turns to face me, its tail quickly regrowing back as he started to march his way toward me. I tried to sidestep him but instead, I was met with his tail, the thick limb wrapped itself around my neck causing me to let out a choking noise just as it suspended me in the air. I was now eye-level with the Lizard and for the first time I was terrified, there was no soul nor emotions in his eyes, I tried to fight but the lizard pins my hands down with his larger one. 

Dots started to appear on my line of vision as the reptile began to squeeze my neck, I could feel the blood rushing up to my skull threatening to explode. Heroes aren't brave, sure they put their life on the line and are quick to answer a call of danger, but they're not strong super beings. Heroes are also human, no matter how enhanced... sometimes I sit in my room holding Spiderman's mask in my hands, wondering when will be the last time I wear this.

Whether because I'm retiring or well... I die in combat. My eyelids flutter shut, at just the age of eighteen I was about to die by the tail of a scientist I used to admire. It was scary, just being suspended in the air by the neck was a traumatizing way to go—but then I fell, my eyes snap open as my body was brought down by gravity and I hit the floor once again. Blood rushed down my head and flew freely through my body, for a moment I couldn't hear anything but the sound of me taking a huge gulp of air. I blinked, forcing my body back to its feet, and just like that the noise and my bearings rushed back to me, I was once again on high alert.

"Gwen!" The lizard snapped toward the blonde girl who stares back at the lizard with frightening eyes as she held a trophy in her hands. Without hesitation, I began to wrap the lizard in webs, trapping him until he looked like a cocoon.

Once finished I made my way to a shock Gwen Stacey, I take the trophy from her hands and throw it at the window before facing her. "I told you to run."

Gwen swallowed, snapping herself out of whatever trance she was in. "I— I thought you could use some help, which by the way, you did."

"I had him on the ropes." I joke. "But thanks for the assist, now I'm gonna throw you out the window."

"What?" Gwen deadpanned, I smirk knowing she will hate me for this but there wasn't much of a choice either.

So instead of repeating myself, I grabbed her by the hips and hurled her out the window not before attaching a web string to her waist and pasting the other end on the wall below the window. I heard her scream as she went down, taking a quick glance at her just to verify she made it out alright before turning to face a Lizard who had freed itself from my web cocoon. The lizard snarled at me and began to advance before the sound of sirens caused him to halt, I smirk and crouch down into my Spiderman pose.

"Uh-oh! Someone's been a bad lizard." I taunted before engaging in one last fight.

🅷🅾🅻🅰

I'M BACK WITH ANTE BELLUM!!

So sorry for the wait, seriously, I
Wasn't inspired enough to write
And I was also focusing on other
Project which you should totally
Check out. (My other books)

So no Ramsey this chapter but don't
Worry we'll be seeing her next chap.
A lot is in store for our lovely Latina,
She has no idea what's going to happen
And she won't be prepared.

Stay safe kiddos💕