“5,4,3,2,1!”
Bella slammed her drink down, letting out a breath burping loudly. We all laughed as her face went red and she groaned.
“My turn” Grady said, grabbing his glass off the table. Sajani stopped him.
“I think we’ve drunk enough tonight” she said.
“Yeah” Bella added, slurring slightly.
“Oh. Ok” Grady said slumping back in his chair. I stretched out, glancing at the time. It was probably time to go soon. I stood up, wincing at pain across my bicep. The stitches must’ve come loose.
“Where you going Pete?” Sajani asked, slightly drunk.
“Toilet. I’ll be back” I said. I made my way to the back of the bar when I heard a few gasps. I turned frowning and froze upon seeing the TV. A feed of the hospital was on screen, smoke pouring out several windows and a hole in the side of the building, illuminated by flashes of yellow, and a hue of orange. Any trace of drunken stupor vanished, replaced by a deep feeling of sickness. I stepped back slowly, my head spinning, before turning around and breaking out into a sprint.
“Pete?!” Sajani shouted concerned as I rushed past the table.
“Hospital” I said back, bursting out the front door.
The cold winter air hit me, but I ignored it rushing forwards. Change. I needed somewhere to change. I brushed past someone and cut into an alley. Hundreds of thoughts swirled through my mind as I pulled off my clothes, revealing my costume. Idiot. You absolute moron. Of course, this would happen if you hung out with your friends. You knew this was wrong and you still did it. Just like staying the night at Liz’s house or waking up late over and over and over. Now Grandpa might be dead.
I slapped the sides of my face dispelling the thought. I’d stop whatever this was and save him. I stuffed my clothes under a dumpster and pulled on my mask. I leapt into the sky, swinging faster than I ever had before. I shot past buildings, narrowly missed cars and swung dangerously close to people’s heads. Long webs helped build speed, but it still wasn’t fast enough. I could see it now, the hospital. The flashes of yellow were brighter now, as the lights throughout the building flickered intermittently, the orange hue of fire growing brighter.
I needed to get there and I needed to get there now.
I leapt up and landed on a building. I quickly set up a slingshot and pulled back with all my might, angling myself slightly upwards. I let go and shot forward into the sky, the cold air harsh against my face. Beneath me the city glowed with the lights of cars, and buildings, a sprinkle of lights in the darkness. Above me a helicopter flew, the Bugle’s logo on the side, it’s rotors thumping loudly. I shot past, struggling to stay straight against the force of the wind. My spider-sense blared as I neared the ground and I fired out a web slowing myself before I slammed against a building roof and skidded across it, crashing into a pile of carboard boxes. Ow. I’d gotten the angle wrong. I really needed to figure out a better way to travel faster. I quickly leapt up and turned to the much closer hospital. I could see the where the hole was now. Thank god, it wasn’t Grandpa’s floor. Hopefully medical staff could evacuate him quickly. I needed to help other people in danger. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. They wouldn’t be here for a while.
I leapt off the building and swung inside the hospital, landing in the hole in the wall. The light from the hall barely got through. Smoke poured out the room and it was difficult to see with my eyes, but I could sense well. It was a small, single patient room. Well, what was left of it. There was a hole in the roof and the floor had been broken. I put out the small fires with my webs, then paused. There were two bodies on the floor, both dead. They’d been fried to a crisp. My spider-sense buzzed, and I leapt back as sparks flickered from a wire. All the medical machines in the room still smoked slightly. I frowned. Sure, electricity was dangerous, but that hadn’t been anywhere near me. What was going on?
Suddenly distant screams echoed beyond the room as a faint yellow hue illuminated the halls, followed by a flicker of the lights. I rushed out of the room and looked around. It was empty in this hallway, and there was a lot less smoke. It felt weird though, I could feel my hairs standing up on end. There were more screams, and I took off, glancing back at the rooms in the corridor. Hopefully everyone had evacuated.
As I charged forwards, I sensed out. Shit. There were people here. Hiding in rooms. What were they hiding from? There was another scream and this time the lights flickered and didn’t stop. Shit. This seriously bad for any mental equipment. I carried on charging forwards, when I turned a corner and spotted a figure wreathed in a blinding yellow glow. His body seemed to flicker, strands of electricity shooting off. It was difficult to make out where he ended. The edges of his form were hazy. A trick of the light and constant shifting of electricity. Even from here I could feel the hum of energy. Wow. He was new.
He stood in the waiting room as a few people cowered, back into the corners except for two people who lay on the floor, unmoving and a receptionist, who sobbed violently at the desk.
“Why’d you stop dammit?!” he shouted at the receptionist. His voice carried with it a low but powerful hum.
“The power” she said sobbing. He cursed, then cried out, a large flicker of electricity shooting off of him as everyone cried out.
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I leapt into action firing a web at him. He cried out and slammed to the floor, the web crackling with electricity, but holding him firmly against the ground.
“Run!” I shouted to the others. They didn’t need to be told twice, all of them bolting for the nearest exit. I grabbed the two unconscious people and moved them away from the villain. I glanced back to him as he writhed about on the floor whimpering. Geez, people usually took getting captured bad but this different. He must’ve been a sore loser. Electricity lanced off him wildly, and I put more distance between us.
“You struggling to breakout, buddy?” I quipped. He mumbled something incoherent before grunting as he writhed about more. His whimpers grew louder, before he turned to me, then clamped his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. The electricity and light faded, followed by an anguished scream. The whimpers continued as he writhed about. He wasn’t having a tantrum; he was in pain. I set the people down on some chairs and leapt over to him.
“Hey… you alright?” I asked uncertain. He turned to look at me, his eyes glossed over.
“Why’d- why’d you attack me?” he mumbled. I blanked. I’d never had something like this happen before.
“I… you were threatening these people”
“I wasn’t! I wasn’t threatening anyone!” he shouted.
“O-ok, we can just wait till the police and MDA get here and-“
“Police?!” he said looking up at me with a horrified expression. “You don’t believe me! I didn’t attack them! It was an accident” he said tears streaming down his face. His face contorted, his expression varying wildly but constantly pained. I paused, unsure of what to say. He seemed genuine.
“Hey it’s ok. I believe you” I said gently, stepping forwards.
“You don’t!”
“I do. Come on, just talk to me. Tell me what happened” I said. He continued writhing about, more frantic now.
“What’s your name?”
“Why do you care?”
“I’m just trying to talk to you. I want to help” I said, gently. He calmed slightly.
“Max. It’s Max” he said.
“Max. Ok. Now we’re getting somewhere” I said, smiling. “Max, just try to stay still.
“I- they were saying I didn’t have insurance”
“What?”
“Insurance. I got injured and-ow!- they said I didn’t have insurance” he said, wincing. He mumbled something incoherent.
“Cathy?” he said, clearly pained.
“Max?” I responded. He turned away from me, his face contorting in pain and he began mumbling under his breath.
“Max I’m here I-“
“I didn’t attack anyone!” he shouted, suddenly writhing about. I blanked again not sure how to respond. He wasn’t in his right mind. Maybe it was the pain, maybe it was something else. Either way I didn’t know what to do. I’d just have to call and wait it out.
“Fuck you!” he shouted more desperate now.
“Max I’m trying to help you, just please calm down”
“No you’re just trying to arrest me!”
“No I-“
“SHUT UP!” he roared.
There was a blinding flash of light and my spider sense roared. Before I could react I felt the lining of my suit grow hot against my skin and my feet left the floor. I opened my eyes, my costume steaming as I lay against a cracked brick wall surrounded by a plume of dust. I took a few breaths, my chest burning and ears ringing. My body refused to listen, my arms and legs limp. I watched in my periphery as Max pulled himself off the ground, his hair standing on end as the occasional burst of electricity crackled off him, sparking against the floor. He turned to look at me and jogged over. He shook me but I remained immobile, unable to do anything as he knocked me unceremoniously onto the floor. He cursed then made a break for it. Did he think I was dead? I shifted slightly, trying to call out to him, but only managed a groan. Too late, he was booking it down the hall.
His lightning crackled against the walls and floor, leaving burn marks. Shit. He might not mean any harm, but he was dangerous, and their were still people in the hospital. Grandpa might still be here. With a burst of grit, I forced myself up, slow and uncoordinated, but up. I stumbled but caught myself, then with a grunt of effort, pushed forwards making my way down the hall. I needed to talk to him. Get him to calm down and figure out what had happened. From the looks of it, his powers had spiralled out of control because of some kind of injury. Probably some kind of head injury. Maybe it was why he was in pain. He’d said the explosion was an accident, and I believed him, but evidently he was still a threat to other’s safety. I needed to end this before anyone else got hurt. I leapt forwards and fired a web pulling myself down the corridor as quickly as possible.
Screams echoed round the corner and I swung round landing on a wall. Max clutched his neck as he stumbled towards people. I hesitated but tackled him and we crashed to the ground. His skin was hot; just touching him made my hair stand up on edge. He pushed me away, blasting me back with electricity. My body seized up, but I recovered quickly, and flipped through the air jumping off a wall back at him. He raised his hands and blasted me with concentrated electricity. It threw me back and I crashed on the floor, laying there in a smoking heap. Ow. The electricity was too fast for my spider-sense to matter. That should’ve been obvious.
“Idiot” I mumbled.
I forced myself up as he ran again, and grabbed a chair, throwing it at him. It slammed into him and he crashed to the ground. I ignored feelings of guilt as I webbed his hands and feet to the floor and rushed over to him. He struggled against them, electricity pulsing through the webs, but holding firm. He couldn’t break free. I stopped a few feet away from him as blasts of electricity zipped, striking the floor between us.
“Max?”
“Fuck off!”
“Max stop, you could hurt other people”
“Let me go!”
“You need to stay here so I can help other people. The hospital’s in a bad way and”
“I didn’t do anything wrong! It was an accident!”
“I know. I’ll vouch for you -make sure the cops don’t do anything stupid.”
“JUST LET ME GO!!!” he roared, his voice echoing within itself.
All the lights cut out and the sparks of electricity crackling off him stopped dead. A silence permeated the space, the sudden absence of noise alien. Max had stopped struggling.
“Max?” I whispered. My spider sense roared and I dived to the side as waves of roiling heat washed over me. I didn’t even have time to recognise I’d been blinded by light before a sonic boom reverberated through my bones. I crashed to the floor, completely disorientated.
My ears rung, and my body trembled. Half of my mask had been torn off. No most of the left right side of my costume had. I looked back down the hall, staring as a faint light down trickled through a hole into the dark expanse. I pushed myself up and limped over, looking up through the hole in the ceiling.
The smoking hole cut through floor after floor until it revealed the night sky. Flashes of lightning arced through the clouds and the low rumble of thunder echoed down the hole, accompanied by a host of sirens and distant shouts. I stared up in shock, transfixed on the sky above. I glanced down, looking at the jagged black burn marks that lined the floor. As my hearing returned a shout from above drew me back to reality. I still needed to help people. I leapt up into the hole, the sound of shouts and sirens echoing all around me as a uneasiness rose in my stomach.