Catch Me // Spider-Man (BOOK 1)

Chapter 16 - Stay with me

You wouldn't believe how the tables could turn in such a short amount of time. 10 seconds to be exact. One moment we had the upper hand. Pete was on his way up the antenna, antidote in his grasp, whilst Connors was writhing in agony from the liquid nitrogen blasting all around him. In the next moment Pete had disappeared from view, too high up now for me to see through the freezing fog, and it was with a wheezing pop from the nitrogen filter tube signalling it was running out that myself and Captain Stacy knew we were in a heap load of trouble.

"That can't be good," I voiced in trembling concern as I watched the mist clear in front of me, the nitrogen keeping our assailant at bay stopping abruptly.

Captain Stacy turned to me, rifle still secured to his arm and was about to say something. I say about because before any words could leave his mouth Dr lizard decided he wasn't done with us.

In one fell swoop Connors had broken from his icy shell, re-grown the limbs that had broken off due to the intense cold and was now heading our way. We were out of time.

20 SECONDS UNTIL DETONATION

"PETE...HURRY," I screamed at the top of my lungs, not knowing if he'd be able to hear me or not. I had to try something.

The Captain immediately opened fire, using all the ammunition the rifle carried to try and hold Connors back. Sufficed to say it didn't work. We were well and truly funked.

Have you ever experienced one of those times where you're going through something. You're part of an event or a moment in time and you know it's important, it's the turning point. It's life changing? Whether it a good event or bad, it's like it's not really happening. Like you're seeing it from an outsider's point of view. In reality you're right there, slap bang in the middle of it, but it feels like you're not in your body, like you have no control over what happens next. That's how I felt in that exact moment, the moment I watched Connors rip the rifle out of the Captain's hands and then impale him in the stomach with one of his claws, Captain Stacy falling limp to the ground in an instant.

I should have screamed, I should have cried, I should have done everything in my power to get away from the monster, but I didn't. I just watched my best friends Dad get wounded, wounded so badly that I doubted he'd ever come out the other side. My whole body went into shock, I froze. I didn't know what to do. Turns out I didn't have time to do anything anyway.

The lizard turned to me, not sparing a thought for the harm he'd just inflicted and then proceeded to wrap his bloody claw around my already injured arm. I'd never experienced physical pain like it in my life. He could have ripped it off all together and I doubt it would have hurt more.

He raised me off the floor, didn't even bother to look where he was aiming and then flung me across the roof top like I was a rag doll.

I hit the ground with an almighty thud, the crashing sound from my impact reverberating all around me. Everything started to spin, my body felt cold and with one glance over to a still unmoving Captain Stacy and noting that my arm was throbbing with the amount of blood now pouring out of my previous wound, that the blackness started to close in. This was it for me. I was sure of it.

As I gave in to the dark, my body not having an ounce of strength left I spotted with my blurred vision Connors making his way up the antenna and closing in on Pete, my Pete. That was it. That was the last thing I saw before I went totally under. It was now or never.

Come on Pete.

10 SECONDS UNTIL DETONATION

Coming around was shock enough in itself, but what I was coming around to was even more eye opening. It took a few seconds for me to fully regain consciousness. The first thing I was aware of was how much pain I was in, my arm and head throbbing to the extent that I could almost hear it. When my senses started coming back to me I could feel the icy cold air, what seemed like rain drops showering my tingling skin and then the unmistakable sound of twisting metal and shattering glass.