I crashed to the ground and skidded across the floor before slamming into more debris. The world seemed to spin for a few seconds, and I rolled over, groaning. My eyes flew open, and I jerked my head back blinking as I shielded my eyes from the light. As my eyes adjusted, the hazy shapes of grey focused into clouds, the white surrounding them dimming into blue. The sky. Through a clear gap in the debris, I was looking up at the sky.

“Thank god” I mumbled, through deep breaths of relief. I twisted onto my side, then with a grunt, forced myself up. My entire body hurt, and I wanted to lie back down and never get back up. But I had things to do. I wiped sweat off my face, then glanced behind, spotting my mask back in the darkness. I webbed it over, holding it tightly before pulling it on. Quickly, I webbed up my wounds before grabbing a support and pulling myself to my feet.

I propped myself up on the remains of the pillar, closing my eyes as I took in deep breaths. The sounds were clearer now. I could hear sirens, helicopters, and the low chatter of people. The atmosphere felt familiar. Like the one outside the hospital the night Max had attacked. The air of tragedy was almost palpable. Knives of guilt stabbed through me and I stumbled, barely catching myself. A lot of people had died. People in a place I’d grown up around. Potentially people I might’ve gone to High-school with. Possibly a friend of a friend. Maybe even family.

The concrete beneath my hand cracked, crumbling within my fingers. No. People had to have survived. They're had to have been at least one, or two. I couldn’t... I couldn't have any more blood on my hands. I felt out with my spider sense, scanning through the debris. A lot of people had been caught up in the explosion. Even more had been caught been caught up in the rubble of collapsed buildings. I could feel their bodies. Unmoving. Devoid of life. Some crushed into nothing, some dead from suffocation. It was haunting.

I continued searching, growing more hopeless with every passing.

"Come on, come on" I whispered to myself in desperate. Then I paused. A heartbeat. There was someone out there. Someone small. A child. Barely breathing. They were trapped, unconscious, but still alive. They wouldn’t last much longer. I glanced up to the sky, feeling the anxiety seep back into my chest. It was darker. I’d definitely lost a lot of time from getting knocked out. It’d be stupid to go back now. I’d be wasting precious seconds that I’d need in saving my loved ones. But I couldn’t just leave the child. Somewhere in my mind I’d already decided that. I was wasting time agonising over it.

I pushed off the wall and leapt back into the debris, quickly and carefully crawling through the debris. The smell of iron in the air made me feel ill. How many people had died in the wreck while I’d been unconscious? How many had cried out for help as they’d suffocated in the darkness, surrounded by others doing the same? I knew how it felt, I knew the fear of being trapped like that, knowing there was nothing you could do. But I’d lived. And they hadn’t.

I shook my head, focusing on the task at hand. I crept over debris, and crawled around metal, weaving my way through the obstacles. In seconds I spotted the child, contorting myself under a large pillar to finally reach them. In one smooth motion I jumped down and slipped my hands under the wreath of beams trapping the child. With a grunt I lifted upwards, raising the beams. The rubble around us creaked, moving as dust fell. I fired webs around us, patching together the rubble, as I held the beams with a single trembling arm. Finally I webbed up the beams and grabbed the child, pulling them close. I turned back, crawling through the mess as I held the child gently.

I reached the opening, and began crawling upwards, the rubble creaking beneath me. The sounds of everyone, of freedom, beckoned, as the light from a helicopter flashed overhead, temporarily illuminating hole. I climbed faster as the child moved in my arm, coughing.

“We’re nearly there. You’ll be safe soon” I whispered. As I neared the top, the voices grew louder, followed sound of movement. I crawled out of the final pieces of rubble, towards the now completely visible sky. I clamped a hand onto the last piece of debris and pulled us out.

I clambered into a ditch, surrounded by even more rubble, but now the sky was open. Now I could breathe properly. I glanced down below. The building must’ve collapsed into the sewers.

“Look, it’s Spider-Man!” someone shouted above me. I looked up to see firemen pointing down at me.

“Take the child” I said, hoarsely. One stepped forward, holding out his arms as I handed him the child. He lifted them up then stepped back, walking out of view. I let out a sigh, resting against the floor.

“You alright Spider-Man?” another fireman asked. I flashed him a thumbs up before taking a breath and quickly pulling myself out of the rubble. I was wasting time.

I emerged on a mountain of debris, looking over a group of fire trucks, some ambulances treating injured, a police car and off to the side a crowd of people looking over the scene behind a set of barricades. Further down the street, some more buildings had partially collapsed. Dammit. I looked back to the crowd. People pointed at me, and some began calling out, shouting out things at me. I could see their faces so clearly. I could see their anguish, their fear. They must be looking for loved ones, for answers in the wake of devastation. Then a woman rushed forwards from the crowd, past police officers as the fireman reached the asphalt, carrying the child. She grabbed the child from the fireman, weeping as she clutched them tightly.

“Thank you” she sobbed to the fireman, “Thank you”

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“Don’t thank me, it was all Spider-Man” the fireman said.

“Thank you” the woman said, looking up at me through tears. I offered a small nod in return then looked around, looking over the hopeful faces of the crowd as they stared to me, some crying out for me to rescue their loved ones. They needed help, but I needed to go. I knew it was wrong but I wanted to take off. Part of my brain was screaming at me, telling me to leave as quickly as I could, warning that every second was another chance that Aunt May, MJ and everyone else could be in trouble.

But I couldn’t just leave. At the very least, I owed these people an apology.

“I’m sorry!” I shouted, to everyone in the crowd. “I have to go. I’ll come back, I promise”

Varying faces of emotion passed through the crowd and some began shouting back, their voice mixing in a mash of anger and pleading. I couldn’t bear to look at them. I turned and leapt from the pile of rubble, firing off a web then pulling away. It was time to go home.

-

I landed, stumbling and falling to one knee. I caught myself on the floor then stood again, leaping and firing another web. My vision was tunnelling, my senses fading, my body failing, but I pushed forwards. I was nearly home. I recognised these roads, I’d ridden my bike past these houses hundreds of times. I landed again, gasping as I stumbled, before leaping back into the air. I scanned the area, searching desperately all around, before looking ahead. There wasn’t any smoke. That was good. That was good, right? I landed again, stumbling and falling onto the asphalt. I laid there for a few seconds before forcing myself up again, groaning as I pushed myself to my feet again. I stumbled forwards, before steeling myself and leaping again. Now I could see the house clearly. It was completely intact, thank God. Dammit, the lights were still on! Had Aunt May not listened to me?

I pulled myself forward again, and landed on the house, stumbling as I tried to stop myself. I fell and slipped down the roof, sliding towards the garden. I caught myself, on the edge of the house then descended with a web, landing on the ground before falling to my knees. I forced myself up and opened the back door, stepping inside. I heard the sound of chatter seize and people stand as the floorboards creaked. There was more than just Aunt May here. Shit! I rushed through the kitchen and stopped in the doorway to the living room, hands raised.

Aunt May, Liz, MJ, Kevin, Phillip, and Helen stood looking at me in surprise. A hundred different thoughts flashed through my mind. The fact that I’d forgotten to call Gwen’s mum in my panic, the questions I had at why they were still here, but mostly one thought. I ripped off my mask and stepped forward.

“You’re okay. You’re okay” I said, sobbing as pulled Aunt May into a tight hug. Aunt May hugged, me tightly whispering. Liz pulled me in tightly too as MJ and the others neared. Aunt May pulled away, holding my face tenderly.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, her cheeks tear stained.

“I’m… sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t want you to worry” I said breathless.

“Peter?” Aunt May said, her voice concerned.

I felt my legs grow weak and I fell, Aunt May catching me.

“Peter?!” Aunt May cried, clutching me tightly.

“I’m… I’m fine” I replied, breathing heavily.

“No you’re not. Sit down, I’ll call an ambulance and-”

“No Aunt May. I can’t stay”

“What?!”

“I have to back”

“Peter, look at you? What are you saying?!” May said. I stood slowly, breaking eye contact with a mixture of guilt of shame. Of course she didn’t want me to go. That look in her eyes, that’s exactly what I’d worried about.

“People need help. The bombs an-”

“You need help! You’re hurt Peter!”

“Aunt Ma-”

“No! I won’t allow it. You’re staying here end of. Helen call an ambulance, and for godsake will someone grab some bandages!”

“Aunt May, please. Please. I have to go”

“No. That’s final” she said, serious. I looked to the others who looked at me, their faces a mixture of concern and uncertainty.

“You can’t stay here anyway, it might be dangerous”

“Peter, we left for an hour and then came back. Nothing happened” MJ said.

“Well, you could still all be in danger. We’re there anymore attacks?” I said, suddenly on edge.

“Peter stop, just sit down and we can sort everything out-’”

“Please! Just… were there any more attacks?” I asked, my voice shaking.

“Yeah” Liz said, stepping forwards and taking my hand. “There were a few big explosions in Chinatown and one on the high street downtown, but they were a while ago an there’s been nothing since” she said. Chinatown? That was close to my base.

“How long ago? The ones in Chinatown?” I asked.

“Twenty? Thirty minutes ago?” Liz said, her eyes worriedly scanning my injuries.

“Has my identity been leaked?” I said.

“No. Nothing on the internet that I could find” Liz said..

“Thank you. Seriously” I said to Liz, squeezing her hand. I nodded, relieved, before turning to leave.

“Peter?!” Aunt May said, grabbing my hand.

“I- I have to go Aunt May”

“Why? Why?” she asked, almost pleading, as she held my hand tightly.

“I- I have to help. People… everywhere” I said, rasping.

“Peter you can barely stand!” Aunt May said.

“That doesn’t matter. I have to go”

“Why?”

“People need me”

“Just stay here. Please, please stay here” Aunt May wailed.

“I’m sorry Aunt May. I have to go Just, please go somewhere else just in case” I said. “All of you” I added, looking up.

I tried to pull away from Aunt May, but she held me tightly, pulling me forward and kissing me on the brow.

“Promise me you’ll come back to me” she said.

“I promise” I said. She looked at me, wiping her tears as she nodded.

“Go”

“Wait!? Aunt May?!” MJ cried, stepping forwards.

“He’s made up his mind. You should know we can’t change it. If he needs to help people, he needs to help people. Now come on, let’s get somewhere safe” Aunt May said. MJ looked over me, her expression filled with concern.

“Come back safe” she said.

“I will” I said. I turned and made my way towards the garden as the others followed.

“Wait” Liz said, pulling me back, as I prepared to leap away. She pulled me into a quick kiss, then wiped some of the dirt of my face.

“Come back quickly”

“Will do” I said, pulling on my mask.

I stepped away, then leapt up, firing a web and pulling myself away. My shoulders felt lighter now, even if my body still hurt. But that didn’t matter. Thoughts of the clones, and possible attacks raged through my mind as I tried to figure out what had happened. The last clone attack had been half an hour ago. Did that mean they’d stopped attacking, did it mean all my friends and family were safe now? Probably, but it was still better to be safe than sorry, I needed to borrow someone’s phone, and call Sajani and the others. But now I had to focus. Even if the worst of it might be over, I still had to find who’d done this. Plus, there was a whole city to clean-up. I landed and leapt up again, firing another web as I felt my shoulders tense up again. Tonight was going to be a long one.