"Is she okay?"
"Maybe not right now but she will be."
"What happened?"
"I don't know."
Olivia was laying unconscious in a hospital bed with her friends and parents gathered around her. It was nearly two in the morning now. The only sounds were people whispering and machines beeping. About an hour ago Olivia was attacked on the street while going back to the auditorium to retrieve her wallet. Gwen followed her but Olivia was too far ahead of her and couldn't get to her in time when someone jumped out from an alleyway next to a restaurant.
She could still hear Olivia's scream. Gwen couldn't see who it was due to the mask covering his face. She kicked him between the legs, making him stumble, then running away. Olivia was laying on the sidewalk with a concussion from being hit with something and also a stab wound. The wound wasn't that deep, barely penetrating the skin, but it was still enough that it needed stitches.
"Who would do something like this?" Olivia's mother asked. Her face was stained with tears.
"We've got some bad people out there. Ones that want to hurt others." Miles said.
"Do we know who it was?"
"His face was covered. He looked about mid twenties and over six foot. That's not helpful information but it was the best I could make out."
"It's good enough Gwen." Miles put a hand on her shoulder. "It's still helpful."
Miles was wondering who was responsible since Isaac woke him up. It obviously wasn't Carnage due to the description that Gwen gave but he still had to consider if there was a connection. When Olivia woke up they'd have to ask her what she remembered and if she could identify him. Once Miles got the information he needed he would set out and find the person responsible.
It was around four in the morning when Olivia began to stir. Her mother noticed it first and immediately went to her daughter's side.
"Liv?"
"Mama?"
Hearing her speak made everyone get up. Her eyes were open and her mom helped her sit up. She looked groggy and in pain, it showed on her face. She was handed a cup of water which she downed in seconds.
"How are you feeling?"
Olivia gave a weak chuckle. "Not very good."
"You were attacked baby." Her mother's voice cracked slightly. "Do you remember anything?"
Olivia squeezed her eyes shut. Miles got closer to her and grabbed her hand carefully. She felt his touch, relaxing slightly.
"Yeah I do. H-He came out of nowhere. He lunged out for me and tried to stab me. When I screamed it scared him and I guess hearing Gwen or whoever it was show up scared him off. His face was covered but there was something on his shirt.."
Tears forming in her eyes caused her to stop. Her mother rubbed her back to try and calm her down. She stared at Miles. The amount of pain in her eyes broke his heart.
"T-There was this symbol on his shirt. I couldn't really make it out. I-It looked like a spider.."
Miles stood up straight. A spider?
"A spider as in Spider-Man's spider logo?" He asked her.
"Yes."
It could've been just a weird coincidence that whoever it was was wearing a Spider-Man shirt. Maybe it was just a random shirt he had on. He knew that wasn't the case though.
"Spider-Man?" Ganke wondered out loud.
"It was different though." Olivia said. "It wasn't the logo he has but it was similar. Like it was another version."
"Someone pretending to be a good guy when they're not." Gwen concluded.
"Do you think it could've been someone involved with Carnage? Like someone was wearing his version of a Spider-Man logo?"
"Someone who thinks Carnage is a good guy."
"Yeah. Wants to be like him and not Spider-Man."
Miles felt sick to his stomach. Someone targeted Olivia because of him. He had a flashback to the day where he saved Olivia. When Carnage through the piece of cement at her but he stopped it before it could hit her. There was someone standing off to the side, he could vaguely remember it now. Down on the sidewalk below, standing not too far from Olivia and her friends, was a man watching them.
He was wearing the same shirt. He could remember it now.
The man saw Miles save Olivia. It could've made her a target since he stopped what Carnage was trying to do.
"So it was just a random person who doesn't like Spider-Man and likes Carnage? Who's a bad guy?" Ganke couldn't make sense of it.
"Why you though? Why you?"
Olivia had tears in her eyes again. "I-I don't know."
They all stayed with her for a little longer. Her parents were asleep on the small couch, Gwen asleep in an uncomfortable position in a chair. Ganke and Isaac went back to Visions since they had no where else to sleep. Miles stayed and took the other chair and was sitting in it. She had fallen back asleep only waking up when a nurse walked in, sometimes not even then. It was around five in the morning when she woke up again wanting some water. Miles gladly gave her some.
"Feeling any better?"
"Actually yeah. The pain isn't so bad anymore. Just really thirsty for some reason."
"Drink up, you need to stay hydrated. Here have another cup."
As she sipped on her second cup of water she noticed that the room was emptier than it was a few hours ago. "Where did they go?"
Miles nodded over to where her parents and Gwen were. "They stayed. Isaac and Ganke went back to their room."
There was a soft smile on her face. Olivia was glad that some of the best people in life had stayed with her as she went through this. She knew Ganke and Isaac had to go back since they had no where else to sit or sleep. They'd be back later anyway whenever they got a chance.
"You stayed too. Thank you."
He squeezed her hand. "Yeah of course. Whenever you need me I'm here."
She looked back over to where her parents and Gwen were to make sure they were asleep before continuing. "Do you know who it could be?"
"Not a clue. I remember seeing him back when you got cement thrown at you but I still don't know who he is."
"He was there too?"
"Unfortunately." Miles sighed. "It's almost like he wants to help Carnage out or something."
"He attacked me because.. you saved me?"
Miles looked at her. The fear was back in her eyes. He hated this. He knew the minute she found out about his life as Spider-Man there'd be nothing but danger. Even though that happened before she knew she was still in danger. Miles felt as though he should've been more careful. Maybe it would've prevented this from happening.
"That's what I'm assuming. I'm sorry.."
Olivia took a deep breath. The entire time she was here she was trying so hard not to cry. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."
"I put you in danger. What I do almost every single day of life has now brought danger into yours. I knew this would happen but I was still hoping I could prevent it."
Miles let go of her hand and leaned back in his seat. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and leaned his head on his right hand.
"You can't save everyone from everything Miles. You just can't."
Olivia wasn't the first person to tell him that. Cindy said a similar thing. Miles was completely aware that saving everyone is almost impossible depending on the situation but that wouldn't stop him from trying. He'd always try, no matter what.
"I'll still try." He said. "You always have to try."
Olivia gave him a soft smile then a nurse walked in to check her vitals and see how she was doing. Since she was awake the nurse checked the wound.
"The stitches really helped, it looks way better now. You should be fine in no time. We can send you home within the next day or so."
"That's great!" Olivia was so relieved. "Thank you."
The nurse smiled and offered to get her something to eat and help her to the bathroom. When she got back into the bed the nurse left to get her something to eat.
"I almost forgot how to walk I've been laying here so long."
"It's only been a few hours." Miles laughed.
"Of laying in the same position not moving."
By the time Olivia got done eating it was past six in the morning. She noticed that Miles was starting to get sleepy.
"Go back to Visions Miles, I'll be fine here."
He didn't want to. "I'm fine. I can stay a little bit longer."
She rolled her eyes. "You're falling asleep while talking you're clearly not fine. It's Saturday so you can sleep in without worrying about school. The dance made you tired plus staying up all night with me. Go back home."
It took a few more minutes of convincing before he finally got up to leave. He told Olivia he'd be back sometime that night.
"I'll see you later. I'll get Gwen to go home at some point too. Thank you for staying."
"Just for your information, I'll find who did this." He said from the doorway. "I'll find him. I promise."
Olivia just looked at him. She didn't bother trying to tell him not to because she knew he wouldn't listen to her. They said goodbye and Miles went back to Visions. When he changed out of his clothes and laid in his bed he was asleep within literal seconds. By the time he woke up around four that afternoon he was starving and in need of a shower.
Sitting up in his bed, he knew the one above him was empty. During this time of the day on a weekend Olivia was usually in her bunk reading or working, sometimes sleeping. Majority of the time she was out with a friend of hers or back home with her parents. That's what Miles did too along with a lot of other students.
Miles took a shower then decided to go out and get some food, preferably pizza. He called Ganke and asked if he wanted to go with him.
"Yeah sure!" Ganke said. "Can never say no to pizza."
They met up and walked to the pizza place that wasn't far away at all. Miles still felt tired but he slept a good bit but apparently his body wanted more sleep. That happened all the time after he came back from being Spider-Man.
"I still can't get over what happened to Olivia." Ganke said on the way there. "Someone actually tried to harm her."
"I know. The entire school is talking about it. Have you heard anything while I was asleep?"
"She's doing better, way better actually. I called her earlier and she said the pain was lay less now but was still there. She's been sleeping a lot and taking the medication like she should."
That helped ease Miles some. He didn't want her to be in anymore pain than she had to be. If none at all. "I'm so glad about that. Is Gwen back?"
"Yeah she came back a few hours ago. I think she's sleeping now. She was so worried."
"Her and Olivia are really close. I think she feels responsible."
"How?" Ganke was confused. "It wasn't nowhere near her fault."
"I think it's because by the time she caught up with her it had already happened. Maybe she feels like if she was fast enough she could've saved her."
Miles was right, Gwen did feel that way. Her and Olivia had been best friends for so many years and watching her friend be in that state made her so unbelievably upset. All of the friend group that night felt bad for letting Olivia go by herself that late.
They changed the subject while they were eating and talked about a new game that was coming out along with some school related topics. Then Ganke brought up Spider-Man.
"What do you think about the spider logo thing Olivia talked about? Do you think she man she encountered is trying to be like Carnage."
"It makes sense." Miles finished a mouthful of pizza before answering.
"I can't wait for Spider-Man to finally get rid of Carnage. He's causing so much harm."
"He will. Probably soon."
"You think?"
"He has to. This can't go on anymore. Something needs to be done, and it needs to be done now."
Miles was telling himself that. He now knew what had to be done. Carnage couldn't keep disappearing right when Miles almost had him. The next time they had an encounter, it had to be the end of it.
The absolute end of it.
Once and for all.