Potato Guns and Web Slingers

Chapter 2

"Hello? Is anybody in here?" I called out.

"Help me! Please!" I heard what sounded like a young woman. I followed the yelling and almost fell through the floor on my way. I found a young woman caught under some debris and she kept yelling at me about a 'Bree.' I picked up the plank of wood that was holding her down and she scurried out. She was coughing like crazy, as I was.

"Bree! My daughter! We got separated! I don't know where she is! Oh, God! Please not her!" The woman cried.

"I have to get you out of here! I will come back for her okay? Come on." I tried to reason with her, but she was in hysterics, as she should be. I took in a deep breath (which was idiotic on my part and I instantly coughed out) and wrapped my arm around her waist and found the nearest window and jumped through it. I set her down gently on the ground near the paramedics.

"She needs medical attention." I said. I turned around to swing back up there before there was a big explosion. I heard the woman screaming in the background. I held her back as she tried to run towards the building which started crumbling.

The building came crashing down and there was nothing I could do but just stand there. I felt numb. The woman's crying became tuned out as I stared at the rubble that used to be a place where these people lived.

"Karen?" I choked out. Wishing, hoping that I was imagining this.

"I'm sorry, Peter." Karen solemnly said as the woman clung to me, sobbing.

I couldn't save her. Bree. I couldn't save her.

I stumbled back as a paramedic pulled the lady off of me. Turns out I was holding onto her As much as she was to me. I turned away from the pile of rubble and just started swinging on autopilot.

I couldn't save her.

I got home, went through the front door with my regular clothes on, because I wanted to get out of that suit as soon as possible. I found May staring at the TV with a shocked face as they explained that everyone got out safely except for a eleven year old girl who was found under all the debris, dead at the scene. May turned her head and her eyes were filled with sympathy. She got up and tried to hug me, but I dodged it and made my way to my room.

I couldn't save her.

Only until I heard May's room door close, did I let the tears rapidly fall down my cheeks.

———————

I walked through the open doors of the school letting a small smile play on my lips as I walked on the school tiles for the first time in 5 years. Junior year. We were brought back in April and the school board decided to let us get settled and come back in August. Yeah, like four months would let us get back five years.

I saw in the corner of the hallway, Betty Brant still doing the School news and even that little thing made my smile get brighter... until they brought up a picture of the familiar burning building where "SpiderMan saved everyone."

Not everyone.

"Peter!" I heard a familiar voice behind me and smiled as I turned to see Ned bring out his hand to do our handshake. Afterwards I pulled him into a hug. I saw him once back in May, but since then I've been busy with an actual Stark internship.

"God, I've missed you Ned. I'm sorry I haven't been able to—"

"You don't have to explain. I know how stressful life has been for you lately." He interrupted me and leaned closer to me, "I saw what happened on the news. Peter, you better not beat yourself up about this. It wasn't your fault." I nodded, not really taking what he said in to consideration. If I was faster I could have saved her. If I—