By Moonlight (P.P + M.J)

31. Midtown Mayhem

*MJ pov*

Students scurried into the cafeteria in a panic, and the hallway was filled with sounds of crashing and glass breaking. Roars echoed through the building, and MJ was instantly filled with dread. All the kids were racing for an exit, leaving everything behind as they fled the terror that was quickly approaching.

"Get out of here," Peter ordered her as teachers attempted to corral the kids.

"What are you gonna do?" MJ questioned, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Something," Peter replied, but she knew that look in his eye. That something was going to be incredibly stupid.

"If you die Peter, I swear to God," she threatened him, letting go of his arm.

MJ watched him take off, throwing himself into the throng of students. He was either remarkably brave or senile. She hoped he'd be smart enough to not get himself killed. But then again, the boy was attracted to danger like a magnet.

As the students flooded down the halls, the fire alarm started to blare. Teachers were trying to calm everyone down, but there was no chance of that. The more ungodly shrieks that rattled the building, the more frightened everybody became. There was nothing that MJ hated more than being shoved around, but she would allow it for this situation.

Suddenly, there was a crash from up ahead, and everyone changed direction, running back toward the cafeteria, back to where Peter was. The crash had come from the main entrance, and all the students were now fleeing from that. MJ ducked into a classroom and got a chair, standing on it so she could look down the hall and see whatever it was that had shown up.

The new creature was tall and exceptionally well-built, with broad, powerful shoulders. But he was struggling to get through the mass of terrified kids, and MJ could've sworn that he was attempting to speak. But when words failed to calm anyone down, he shook his head, breathed deep and thundered at the top of his lungs, "move!!!".

At that, everyone parted like the Red Sea, and MJ was stunned, not believing who it was she was seeing. As the creature strode past, wearing black sport shorts with a blue stripe down the side, his tail waving and triangular ears erect, MJ didn't know whether to be happy about his return or nervous. His blue eyes darted from one student to the next, as if daring them to make a move out of turn. His ears flicked forward to the sounds of shouts coming from down the hall, and took off in a run. Everyone watched him in awe as he shot down the hall and vanished. And MJ's mind was repeating one simple phrase.

He's alive.

-------------------

Peter rushed toward his locker, hellbent on grabbing his suit. But it was in the direction that the roars were coming from. He had no idea what he was going to do. He knew who those terrible sounds belonged to, and he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about facing the lycan-lizard again.

Suddenly, it crashed through the wall, stumbling into the hall. Peter slowed to a stop, and after it shook the dust off its scales, it turned slowly. It faced the boy down, and Peter was frozen to the spot. His locker was another ten steps forward, and he couldn't think to get past the lizard without getting roughed up.

But he hadn't backed down from a challenge yet.

The lycan-lizard roared, and Peter rushed it. He went low and slid past it, using his web-shooters to entrap its legs and bring it to the ground. The lizard bellowed as it felt, and Peter ran to his locker. But the reptilian monster was on him in a second, grabbing his shoulder from behind and throwing him backward. The boy fell hard, and rolled out of the way as the lizard attempted to crush him with its long, powerful tail.