The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 36

May was dead.

Peter was missing.

Happy had been arrested.

Nothing made sense. Lydia was terrified, but she didn't stop running. She couldn't stop.

The pain in her shoulder was unbearable. Her neck was stiff, her ankle was dislocated from the force of the web changing directions, and there were still pieces of glass in her skin. There was also an injury to her head, which she had yet to assess.

Lydia, luckily, was different than most. Her mutated genes from the experimentation made healing a bit easier. She recovered faster than most. Still, the injuries she currently suffered were worse than anything she had dealt with in the past, at least in a long time. The adrenaline helped, but eventually, that would fade.

Lydia had never felt so lost.

Natasha wasn't here to guide her. Tony wasn't here to reassure her. Wanda wasn't here to comfort her. Everyone was gone.

She left Peter. Why did she do that? He needed her. May had been killed, and she had been too weak to do anything. It was her fault. Why hadn't she done more? Lydia should have recovered quickly, but she was being weak.

She was weak.

Lightning illuminated the sky for a few seconds. Lydia's body was shaking from the cold and blood loss, but she kept moving.

She couldn't go home. Her home was gone, destroyed by the Green Goblin.

There was only one place she could go—Ned's. That's where MJ and Ned were, or at least had been a few hours ago. Lydia had gone there only once. It took a week to convince Happy, who hated the idea of her going to a boy's house.

Once there, she would collect herself before searching for Peter. It seemed unlikely he would seek comfort from his friends after watching May die. He would want to remain alone. Lydia knew what it felt like to lose family. Nobody understood Peter better than her right now.

Arriving at the apartment complex. Lydia inwardly groaned at the idea of scaling the fire escape. She couldn't enter through the lobby without drawing unwanted attention.

Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself for the climb. The pain in her shoulder and ankle would not make the journey easy. Shaking off her hesitations, she began. Each step caused her body to tremble. The pain, the discomfort. It was almost too much, but still, she kept going.

"Your pain only makes you stronger."

It was something Natasha had told her a few times. Lydia used to idolize the words. Truthfully, Natasha could have told her anything, and she would have believed it.

But right now, her pain was not making her stronger. Her pain had never been worse, and she had never felt weaker.

Ned's apartment was on the fifth floor. Lydia had never been more thankful for something. Arriving on the floor, she found the rest of her energy leaving her. Her body slumped against the window loudly, nearly shattering it. The two teenagers inside gasped, leaping from their spots. "Lydia," MJ cried, running toward the window. Ned followed closely behind. He grabbed the frame, lifting slowly. Lydia's body slumped forward. MJ reacted quickly. Wrapping her arms around her, she helped the girl inside. "Oh my god. What happened? Are you okay?" The panic in her voice was unmistakable.

Lydia let herself fall to the ground. It was the first time she had been able to rest since everything had happened. The adrenaline had left her body entirely at this point. She could barely keep her eyes open. "Lydia?" Ned fell to his knees beside her. "What's wrong with her?"