The World I Knew [Discontinued]

Songs of a Nightmarish Backstory

They found Hope's car fairly easily, as it was the best option they had, it was just gonna be a longer, but safer journey. Peter drove them through the streets, dodging zombie feet, flyaway papers, and other debris, but they were hardly paid attention to, because apparently Hope's car could be shrunk, the people inside as well.

Peter found it pretty cool, at first, but after the awe and wonder wore off, he tried to keep a steady stream of talking going, trying to get Hope to talk occasionally, but she'd stay silent for the most bit. He figured she must've been going through shock and grief.

He couldn't blame her.

The apocalypse hit that morning, and by now, probably everyone was a zombie. He didn't know how that was possible, but they found no survivors, so they had to assume that they were the only ones left--in New York, at least.

It was a shock, to say the least.

Either way, Peter kept talking, because he didn't know what else to do. He didn't know how to cope any other way, other than just not let the shock get to him, and just pretend that everything was fine, when it really wasn't.

"--and then when my teachers told us that we'd be going to this huge science thing, I was, like, really excited! Because, I mean, it's science! You like science, right? Since you're Hank Pym's daughter?" Peter was rambling, gesturing to Hope, who kept her gaze out the window, relaxed and seemingly at ease, even though she was probably unhappy with his unhealthy ability to talk for forever.

"Yeah, it's fine," she said.

"Right, well, I was really excited, because I'm into science too, and at first I was scared it was gonna cost money, since me and May are sorta tight on it at the moment, but we won't let Mr. Stark help out with it, since we don't really like being a charity case, even though Mr. Stark's already offered multiple times to give us stuff. Anyway, so I was worried it'd cost money, then it turned out it didn't cost money, and I'm not entirely sure I wish it had, because if it had, I probably wouldn't've gone, and whatever happened wouldn't've happened, and I wouldn't be like this—I wouldn't have powers, I mean."

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"Well, we got to the place, and we were just taking a tour around, but then they pointed out some spiders that they were trying to genetically modify with radioactivity and breed for different combinations of powers. Like, invisibility with projectile venom, or paralyzing venom, but also with a thin membrane between the legs so it'd be able to glide. They were all really cool, and I don't remember how many there were, but one was missing. I don't really remember what happened after that, I just remember that I got bitten by a spider--probably the missing one--and I started to feel real bad. Like, you wouldn't even believe. It was so bad.

"Anyway, so I started to feel sick, and I went to the bathroom, because I thought that I would throw up, and I just ran home after that. Like, poof! I was gone! Yeah..." Peter settled a little, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, "May wasn't really happy to get a call from the teacher while she was on her hospital shift, and she was a bit angry when she called me to ask me where I was. It was fine though! It got sorted out, and May left me alone when I told her that I was feeling really sick, but I think she was just mostly worried.

"She got home and tried to see if I really was sick, and she said I had a bad fever. Not dangerous enough to put me in the hospital, but enough to be really really uncomfortable, on my part at least. I was sick for two days, and I managed to get her to leave me alone for the most part, because I really thought I was fine despite the fact that I felt like dying, but I didn't know that it was a mutation taking place in my DNA and in my blood. I got her to leave me alone, and then after the two days, everything was, like, really bright and strong. It was like my senses were dialed to thirty, and I stayed in bed for another two days after that so I could try to deal with my heightened senses, because it really wasn't fun being controlled by them.