Family Tree ~ An El Hopper and Peter Parker Story

Chapter 22

El ran back into the mall with Mike, MJ, and Max behind her. She looked around everywhere for a sign of someone else, but no one was there. Nancy, Jonathan, Will, and Lucas had left and there was no sign of Peter, Doctor Octopus, or the monster.

"Where could he have taken him?!" El asked the others, worried. When she only received shrugs, she groaned.

Just then, the four teens heard what sounded like a toilet flushing. They looked over to the men's room and saw Happy walking out of it. They stared at him for a few moments, as he didn't seem to realize that a monster and a supervillain came to kill them. Happy looked over at the kids with a confused expression, but then he noticed the destruction in the mall.

"What the fuck did I miss?" He asked them.

"A lot," MJ said, rolling her eyes. "The monster and Doctor Octopus came to kill us and you were in the bathroom the whole time? You didn't even hear us yelling?"

"I had my AirPods in," Happy explained, holding up his AirPods.

"Goddammit," MJ said, exasperated.

El sighed and looked around the mall. She caught sight of some boxes that Lucas, Will, and Mike has earlier. They were the fireworks they had picked up from the store, due to Lucas's suggestion. She ran over to them and picked them up, walking over to her friends.

"Guys," she said. "If the monster comes back, use these against them. And thank Lucas for them because it was his idea."

"Are they even going to work?" Max asked, rolling her eyes at the mention of her boyfriend and his fireworks.

"We have to try," El said, pushing them into Mike's arms.

"What are you going to do?" Mike asked his girlfriend as he handed the boxes to Max, MJ, and Happy.

"I'm going to find Peter," El said. "He needs my help whether he wants it or not. That supervillain is going to get it for hurting my brother the way he has. He already killed his aunt. I'm not letting him kill Peter or anyone else in this town."

Mike nodded and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Good luck," he said after he pulled away, giving her a smile. "You got this. I believe in you."

El smiled back, then turned to Max. She gave her a huge hug and squeezed her tight. Max hugged her back and smiled. "Stay safe, alright? Can't have my best friend dying on me," she said.

"I'll be fine," El reassured her. She then looked over at MJ, who gave her a hug. "He'll be okay. I promise," El said to her.

"I know," MJ replied as she pulled away from the hug. "Cause I'll kill him if he dies or hurts himself. Keep him away from being self sacrificial because I'm sick of that bullshit from him."

El giggled and nodded. She then turned over to Happy and smiled at him. "Keep them safe, okay?" She asked him. "I'm counting on you."

"You got it," Happy reassured her.

El then ran off as Mike, Max, MJ, and Happy preparing for battle.

...

Jonathan drove the car as fast as he could. The monster was close behind them, roaring as loud as it could. It could wake up the whole town, so they were surprised when they saw no one to come check out the noise. Nancy would occasionally pop out of the window to shoot at the monster, but it had no effect on it. All they could do was keep driving.

Unexpectedly, the monster stopped chasing them. The group watched as it roared and started to go the opposite direction. Everyone exchanged confused glances as the monster left their sight.