章 33: Failure
"I'm so sorry." Spider-Man said, kneeling down next to the girl's corpse and her friend who helplessly continued to resuscitate her. 'Please stop...' Eren thought to himself as the girl kept trying to get her friend to wake up.
'She's already gone... please.' He couldn't take it anymore, with each plea that left the girl's mouth, the so-called hero felt his guilt build up inside of him. He couldn't help but feel like he was nothing more than a failure of a hero.
It truly wasn't his fault, however, every hero makes mistakes. Regardless of that fact, Spider-Man hated himself, he hated Eren Parker for holding him back at the moment, for hesitating.
The hero stood frozen over the two girls and Cindy Moon watched from behind with wide, tearful eyes. Slowly, she approached the hero with her hand extended toward him and her now boyfriend beneath the mask. Once the girl was nearly close enough to touch him, the sound of another's voice immediately stopped her in her tracks.
"Yo! What's going on? Flash here!"
Spider-Man's lenses furrowed upon hearing the energetic, influencer-sounding voice of Flash Thompson behind him. Slowly, the hero turned around to see that his once bully had the nerve to use this situation for internet fame, holding his phone's camera toward himself as if he were making a vlog.
Flash was an up-and-coming YouTube influencer, using his parent's money to make content that showed off his lifestyle. However, due to the massive influx of such content creators, his channel failed to grow in any meaningful way. However, he knew that this would be his moment to finally go viral.
"You'll never believe who came to my school! Look, it's Spider-Man!" Flash pointed the camera at the hero as he still kneeled beside the girl who he allowed to die. He was stunned, he couldn't believe that anyone with a conscience could even think to do such a thing.
Spider-Man's lenses began twitching with hatred and his body shook with outrage, if he hadn't learned restraint over the many months of being a superhero, he would have knocked Flash Thompson's head clean off of his body without a second thought.
𝘛𝘩𝘸𝘪𝘱!
A single web shot from Spider-Man's wrist, latched onto Flash Thompson's collar before the furious hero pulled the boy who used to bully him up close. With a single hand, Spider-Man lifted the boy in the air by his suit, causing the crowd to gasp in unison.
They'd never seen Spider-Man in such a way, remembering him for his positive attitude in the videos they've seen of him saving people. They thought that perhaps the theories were true, that he and the Phantom Spider were one and the same. That his now kindhearted persona was nothing more than a facade to make everyone forget the brutality of who he once was.
"Hey, man, what are you-" Those words left Flash's mouth before the furious words of Spider-Man disrupted him.
"What the fuck is your problem!?" Spider-Man shouted in a furious voice that was never heard by anyone before this day, one that echoed off of the gymnasium walls. That voice was not the voice of Spider-Man, but the authentic, enraged voice of Eren Parker from beneath that mask. "Your classmate just died! She died right fucking here! Her body is still warm and you're recording a fucking vlog!?" Spider-Man took Flash's phone from him before crushing it with a single hand.
His lenses squinted, and the hero used two hands to pull Flash in closely to say something quietly to him, something that only Flash could hear. "I despise weak, privileged, imbecilic assholes like you. If I had things my way-"
*bang bang bang*
Everyone in the room, including the enraged hero, directed their attention toward the door leading to the hallway as someone, or perhaps something, was banging on the doorway as if they were trying to break through it. In reaction to the noise, Spider-Man shot a web at the door, blocking it from being able to be opened from the other side.
Without any hesitation, Spider-Man threw Flash Thompson onto the floor, causing him to crash and slide into a wall before barking orders to everyone in the room. "Everyone stay inside, barricade the doors. I'll web the entrances so they don't get in."
Spider-Man quickstepped around the room, webbing all but one entrance to the gymnasium shut before making his way back to the center of the room. Though the hero gave his orders, most people were stuck in place until another loud bang slammed onto one of the entrances, encouraging them all to do as the young hero said.
Taking one last look at the girl on the ground, Spider-Man transformed into his Ultimate Godspeed form, creating a hot, blue aura around his body and mesmerizing those who saw it. In a flash, the hero grabbed the unconscious lizard boy and looked back at his peers. "Barricade this door, someone stands by it, and do not open it until you hear my voice. I'm going to bring as many students here as possible."
Spider-Man flashed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Using his webs, the hero restrained the reptilian boy against a wall as screams from his classmates echo throughout the hallway. Without a second thought, the young hero blasted off into the hallway, leaving Cindy and the rest of the kids in the gym behind.
_____________
Three teenagers, two boys wearing tuxedos, one wearing white and one wearing black, and a girl in a red dress, held their breath beneath one of the lab tables in a nearly pitch-black classroom. One of the boys, the one in black, held onto the girl tightly, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming while they looked on in horror as another student stared blankly at them from the hallway.
All they could see was the boy's now pale face lying on the ground, twitching every once in a while without breaking eye contact with them. They could hear the sickeningly, revolting sounds of flesh being ripped apart and gnawed, though none could see what was on the other side of the door causing the sound.
They heard screaming, so they all ran into the lab and hid under the table. They were under there for a few minutes, though the boy's face had only appeared just a few moments prior.
The boy outside's eyes continued to look lifelessly at the group as they held their breaths. They continued to look on intensely until suddenly, the boy blinked, causing all three of the hiding teens to jolt and the girl to weep through her partner's hands.
The boy was still alive, at least at that moment, perhaps that was signaling the life leaving his body for good, however, this may have also signaled the end for the three hiding teens beneath the lab table.
The boy's body stopped twitching and the squelching sounds ceased after the girl made a noise.
There was silence.
A long silence.
One that was only broken by the sounds of whatever was behind the door breathing heavily and hungrily before letting out a croaking sound from its throat.
Whatever was behind that door was not a human, at least, not anymore.
There was yet again another silence, this time being broken by the sounds of what sounded like a heavy foot stepping on the tile outside of the classroom, followed by another. After three footsteps, they could make out who was on the other side.
A green, scaley, talon-filled foot stepped into the room, followed by the rest of the beast's scaley body. All three teens' eyes widened as they gawked at the beast standing in front of them with its dinosaur-esque appearance.
It had the head of a velociraptor, including the teeth, but its proportions were almost human-like. It had talons on its incredibly long. blood-dripping hands and its toes had talons as well. There was blood and human residue all over its face and body, its teeth still had chunks of human flesh in between them. It was wearing a tuxedo, or at least what was left of one, which was also drenched in blood.
Its tail wagged back and forth as it scanned the room for its prey, looking closely at a dark corner of the room. It started looking from the left, slowly making its way to the right as it scanned through the darkness, getting closer to spotting the teens.
The three teens could feel their hearts racing, as well as their bodies trembling. The boy holding the girl gripped her tightly, and a lone tear fell from his face as he began to accept his fate. Many of his feelings had gone unspoken for the girl, as were the girl's feelings for him.
The girl, with all of her strength, tried her best not to scream as the monster's gaze slowly grew closer to them. She couldn't help but feel as if it were her fault for making a sound, but she just couldn't help herself.
The other boy, the one in white, scanned the room for anything he could use to get them out of the situation. He searched for an exit, though there was only one and the beast was standing in it. He searched for a weapon, though the only thing he could spot was a scalpel on a nearby table that wouldn't even break the monster's skin.
'I have to try.' He thought to himself, glaring at the scalpel with determined eyes. His friend noticed his gaze, though he could only watch and hope that he wouldn't try it.
The monster's eyes were growing closer, so close that all three teens could feel a pit form in their stomachs as they anticipated their demise. Without any more hesitation, the third wheel decided it was time to play the hero.
With quickness, he ran for the table and grabbed the scalpel, stealing the gaze of the monster and causing it to lunge at him like a feral animal.
"Jacob!" Both the boy and the girl screamed as they watched the beast close in on their friend. Holding his scalpel like a knife, the boy defended himself from the beast, sending a powerful thrust toward the monster's abdomen as it left the ground to leap onto him. "Run!" He shouted, hoping this would buy his friends enough time to escape, but they were too scared to move.
Soon enough, the scalpel met the beast's skin, bouncing off of it like a sword striking stone before the beast brought the boy to the ground and began chewing on his face. His friends could do nothing but look on in spectacle with tears streaming down their faces as they watched their best friend be devoured in front of them.
The monster chowed down on the boy's face for over a minute, slurping his eyeballs from their sockets, eating through the boy's flesh and skull, and devouring his brain. Once the monster had enough of that meal, it was ready to move on to the next one, turning around slowly to see the two teens beneath the table beside him, trembling in fear.
With blood and guts in its teeth, the monster grimaced and growled as it spotted its next meal. Slowly, the monster crawled on all fours toward the teens as they sat beneath the table without any will to live left within them.
Slowly, the beast drew closer to the two teens.
It was just a few feet away from them.
Then a few inches.
Soon enough, the beast and its prey were face to face, so close that they could smell the stench coming from its mouth as it breathed heavily in front of them, licking its lips as it continued to croak. It was too big to fit under the table, so it was going to have to pull the out one by one.
The beast wanted to start with the girl, grabbing her by the dress and pulling her from beneath the table. Her partner tried to maintain his hold on her, though his strength was not a match for the reptilian monster.
Once the beast had its meal in front of it, it licked its lips one last time before opening its mouth and sending a bite down toward the girl. She didn't scream, she didn't move, she just accepted her fate.
The boy could do nothing but watch as the woman he loved was about to lose her life, feeling like nothing more than a weak man and a failure. A failure who could not protect the girl he loved so dearly.
𝑪𝑹𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑯!
A loud crunching sound resonated throughout the room, sending a shiver down the spine of those who heard it. However, it was not the sounds of the beast's jaw meeting human flesh, no, it was the sounds of a fist meeting his.
The beast flew in the opposite direction, crashing into a lab table and reducing it to rubble. The two teens looked at where the beast landed, though their expressions were both still blank as they attempted to process what had just happened.
They then directed their attention back to where the beast was once standing, seeing a man wearing a black and red costume, glowing brightly with a blue aura. The figure shot a web from his wrist, restraining the beast to where it lay before looking down at the teens.
It was Spider-Man.
He had saved them, though no one celebrated as their eyes all soon locked onto Jacob's disfigured body at the same time. His face was completely gone, leaving nothing more than a pile of flesh and some skull fragments where it used to be.
Spider-Man nearly fell to his knees upon seeing another life he had failed to save. He had gone to many classrooms before this one, whether it be to scan for anyone to help, or to come running to the cries of those who called for him, but he couldn't save everyone.
"I'm sorry." He told the teens, all three of them, with a voice that sounded like nothing more than utter defeat.
He knelt down and grabbed the girl, picking her up off the ground before looking over at the boy. "We need to get somewhere safe, okay?" Spider-Man told him. It was as if the boy couldn't even see or hear him as he continued staring at his friend's corpse blankly. "Hey!" Spider-Man shouted, awakening the boy from his daze. "Please... We need to go to the gymnasium now. I need you to come with me. She needs you too."
The boy looked at both the hero and his lover, realizing what he meant. The boy nodded before following Spider-Man into the hallway. Immediately upon entry, the boy's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks in utter disbelief.
Dozens upon dozens of dead, half-eaten teens were spread out throughout the ground, many missing their heads, limbs, or even their entire lower halves. Blood was scattered and spread all over the floors, walls, and lockers as the two men continued walking through the horror show.
Spider-Man ignored the bodies, trying not to acknowledge them.
His failures.
The people he couldn't save.
The people that died because of Dr. Connors.
The people that died because of Eren Parker.
The three eventually made it to the gymnasium, which was now filled with everyone who had survived the attack. Spider-Man placed the girl on the ground gently before looking over at the boy. "Please, stay with her." Spider-Man told her before walking toward the center of the crowd.
They all looked at the hero with a mixture of expressions.
Thankfulness.
Fear.
Anguish.
Admiration.
Though in the hero's mind, they were all looking at him in disgust for letting so many die under his watch.
Spider-Man, looking at the ground as the metaphorical spotlight was on him, spoke. "The school is safe now. Stay put, I'll lock everything up from the outside and come back for you all once things are..." He couldn't bare to lie to them, to give them false hope. He didn't know if things would ever go back to normal, not after this.
"I'll be back. Stay put. They're outside, the building so please..." Spider-Man thought about the millions of people who were defenseless against the monsters throughout the city. He then thought about Harry and Lily, causing his lenses to widen.
He looked over at Cindy Moon, and as if they shared the same thought, her eyes were just as terrified as his.
Without any more hesitation, the hero zoomed out of the gym, locking it from the outside before endeavoring out into the city in search of his friends.
週次パワーステータス
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