Short Stories

Writing Challenge - Day 5

5. Write a story about your favourite fictional character
Ugh a quick note, I do not have a singular favourite character, but I'll choose one of the many for this day...

The day was alike any other, another typical day at high school, it was the same everyday. Even the timing of the bully was the same, causing his senses to spike at roughly around 8:45 everyday. Flash Thompson appeared, and pushed him against the locker, it took every ounce of his body and mind not to fight back against the loser that pinned him. His secret was worth more than a life of embarrassment, he would not have  this normal life if they knew about his other one. His superhero alter ego.

Of course a small handful of people knew, that small handful being his closest friend Ned, the guys over at S.H.E.I.L.D and the Avengers. But most of them knew him as Spider-Man not as Peter Parker. Dragging themselves through their classroom door on another slow Monday, Peter placed his books on his desk and Ned did the same on the desk beside him. They settled into light conversation as they waited for the teacher to enter before ending their conversation as the lesson began, only to continue it again at lunch. "So when do you want me to be the guy in the chair again?" Ned asked Peter quietly. Peter shrugged his shoulders, "at any time, I might be needed at any time of the day, I always have to be prepared." Peter replied. Ned nodded and continued to eat his lunch. Michelle sat across from them, her head stuck in a book, her mind too absorbed by the literary text to be able to pick up on their secret whispering.

Peter was going to eat his lunch, but it was quickly swiped away by a larger hand. Peter didn't have the effort to be bothered to deal with Flash and got up to go buy himself another lunch. Michelle looked up from her book, a bored and cold glare directed towards Flash. He noticed her stony glare and quipped, "have a heartbeat?" Michelle's facial expression remained unchanged. "Yeah, do you?" She countered. Flash walked away, too burned to think of a clever comeback and Michelle smirked at her triumph. Peter sat down again, going to eat his lunch again.

Just as he was about to take his first bite a tingling sensation ran through his body. Spider sense is tingling. He looked around and saw no direct hazard, but something felt a little off. He tugged on the shoulder of Ned's jacket and warned him, a subtle enough message that he dashed off to the computer lab to get online and hack into the school security systems. Michelle sat across from Peter, but he had to get her to move. "Hey, I I heard that book you were looking for was in the school library, someone returned it this morning," he tried. Michelle looked up from her current read, "I've got it now anyway, but thanks" she replied. Peter had to try again, his spidey sense was still tingling. "Uhhh I heard they got a new collection of poems written by this poet Carol Ann Duffy. Apparently they're really feminist and satirical towards patriarchy," he tried, hoping to intrigue her to move. "Really? Hm, thanks Pete," she replied gathering her things and leaving. Peter watched her leave just as he heard the gunshot at the other side of the school cafeteria.

Screams filled the room and Peter heard Ned yell through the phone, explaining what exactly what was going on. Peter had to find a way to get his suit on without being spotted. Dashing for a table for cover he slammed his hand around his watch, checking his back as it formed over his clothes, relieved that the only camera on him was being controlled and it's data wiped by his guy in the chair. He pulled a mask from his bag and dived back out into the fray, shooting various forms of webs at the intruder. Luckily there were no hostages and Peter had been reassured by Ned that Michelle had done a u-turn halfway down the corridor and helped the other students escape. "What do you want!" Peter asked, in his best intimidating voice. "Where's Osborn!" The gunman shouted, the weapon now pointed at Peter. He stood firmly as the gunman crept closer, the gun safety off and the clip fully loaded. Peter recognised the model of weapon and reminded himself of how many bullets there was in a single clip. 7 bullets. He needed the gunman to waste 7 bullets.

He continued to tail the gunman around the cafeteria using his charm and lame jokes and insults to make him waste his bullets. Now there was only one left in the clip. "Are the only shots you take alcoholic as you keep missing me!" He taunted. The gunman snarled and shot, the bullet coming at Peter a lot quicker than expected, grazing his forearm. Using his adrenaline and strength to ignore the pain Peter lunged forward to disarm the man and if needed fight him to the ground. The police had been called and Peter could hear the sirens from here. Just one more moment was all he needed. Just one more!- he sighed with exhaustion as the battle was won, smiling as he heard Ned's excitement and celebration through comms. Another victory for the Spider-Man.