Bitten

Chapter 32

I sat up on the ground. I was in pain. I tore my mask off, I heard a loud ringing in my head. I stood up unsteadily. I looked over to see the plane on the ground a few hundred yards away from me. I turned around and squinted my eyes. I saw Vulture speeding towards me. I couldn't react in time to move out of the way. He hit me in the stomach and I was sent tumbling across the sand. I got up off the ground unsteadily to my feet. I watched as Vulture stood up. His suit was completely destroyed. "Hey Pico." Vulture said looking at me. He dove at me, I rolled on the ground. I jumped into the air and shot a web at him. It missed. Vulture dove at me and grabbed me with his metallic talons and threw me to the ground. His talons went into my chest. I screamed out in pain. He began punching me in the face repeatedly. He went to punch me again and I grabbed his fist. I launched into the air with me still in his grasp. I broke the talons off my chest. I fell towards the ground. I shot a web at Vulture before I could be impaled by a sharp piece of metal from the wreckage. He pulled me up to him and grabbed me. He spun me around and threw me to the ground. "Oof!" I exclaimed as Vulture landed on me. He lifted me into the air and slammed me into the ground. He lifted me up again and kicked me away. I rolled over onto my back. Vulture stabbed a metal wing next to my head. He lifted me into the air and I was dangling in the air. He dropped me suddenly and tore off his helmet, he then launched forward a bit. He landed on a box of something. I lifted my head to look at him. "Your wingsuit! Your wingsuit is going to explode! Gah!" I exclaimed as I tried to lift my right hand to shoot a web at him. I shot a web at him and got to my feet. I screamed out. "It's time to go home, Pete." "I'm trying to save you!"

Vulture cut the web and I fell backwards. I could hear the whine of his suit getting ready to explode. He turned around and began to fly away. I tried to shoot a web but I couldn't I was out of webbing. I looked at him as his suit glowed bright purple. It began to spark. "GOD!" I exclaimed as I shielded my face from the explosion. I sat up. "No!" I got up and ran to Vulture. I ran through flames. I saw him and picked him up and slung him over my shoulder. I ran out of the fire and set him down on the ground. "Like I said before.. it's over. I've got you." I stated breathlessly. "Yeah, you got me...but I got you too." "What are you talking about?" I asked. Vulture's eyes went to my stomach. I looked down to see a long metal shard in my abdomen. I started to become unsteady and dizzy. Well...shit.

I fell to the ground clutching my stomach. Blood poured out of my wound. I grabbed the metal shard and pulled it out of me. I screamed loudly as the shard moved around inside of my gut. The metal was at least a foot long. And completely covered in my blood. I dropped the bloody jagged piece of metal and tried to get to my feet. I heard the familiar voices of the Avengers heading towards me. "I just heard a scream." It was Steve. My eyes widened. I struggled to  stand up. I webbed Vulture up to a crate. I stumbled forward a bit and groaned in pain. I hissed as I tried to stand up to my full height of 5'11" and stopped. I shot a web into the air and pulled myself up into the sky. I lost my grip and fell to the ground 45 feet up. I went head over heels to the ground hard. I cried out lowly, I have to get up. Get up, Peter. Get up, Spider-Man! Come on, GET UP!! I turned over onto my back and lay there with my eyes closed, all I saw was pure white light.

I saw a figure in white with blonde hair. "It's not your time Pete...not now...not yet." "Gwen? Is it really you?" "Yes Pete it's me." "I don't want to leave you. I can't do it again. Don't leave me. Please, I beg of you! I'm begging you! Don't leave me again." "Pete...I never left you...I have and will always be with you...right here." Gwen said as she put her hand to my head. "And here." She added placing her hand over my heart. "I miss you, Gwen. You know how hard it is to sit in Physics when you're...when you...you're..." "I know. I miss you too Bugboy, but you have to keep on going. The people of New York need a hero, they need Spider-Man." "I'm not a hero." I said.

"Yes you are Pete. You were a hero before you had powers and you're a hero now. Remember, when you used to be just 147 pounds with pale skin and sarcasm used to be your only defense? Look...Pete...you may think you're not a hero...but there are other people, plenty of people that think that you are. Your friends and family need you, Peter Parker and Spider-Man. I need you to do that for me, Pete. I need you to promise me." "I hate these kinds of promises." I said as tears rolled down my cheeks. She nodded as she stepped close to me. Our lips were centimeters apart from one another. "I need you to promise me to keep going no matter how tough things get or how much you struggle to move on or how much your heart aches every day and every night...I need you to promise me...keep on going." Gwen said. "I miss your speeches the most." I said crying. "Hey. Hey. Look at me. Peter look at me." She said pulling my head towards her to look her in the eyes. She wiped my tears away with her thumbs. "I love you Gwen. I always will. Till the day I die." I said. She smiled. She leaned forward and kissed my lips. The kiss was unforgettable. Gwen pulled away. "Now...go be the hero I fell in love with." She said. She started to get farther and farther away from me. "Gwen? Gwen?! I'm not ready to go back. Please!" "I love you Bugboy. Promise me...Keep. On. Going." She said her voice fading away. Then she was gone...

I heard the familiar voices of Mr. Stark and Cassie. "Kid. You got to wake up." Mr. Stark said. I could hear Cassie crying. Wake up for me Bugboy. My eyes snapped open.