Chapter 34: Embrace

Spider-Man swung through the city of New York, through the mayhem that had already undergone in the sectors beneath him. With his phone in hand, he checked his for Harry's location while spamming him with calls, but received no response. "Damn it." He whispered, continuing to scan the area for any soul to help.

Cars were abandoned, corpses were laid out, and a few transformed humans were left dead with bullet wounds in them, presumably from police or people choosing to defend themselves from the monsters with weapons of their own.

"What am I going to do..." Spider-Man thought to himself, soaring through the air using flash-steps on the side of buildings with Godspeed and web-zips using his web shooters in order to cover as much ground as possible while still maintaining his altitude.

"How did I let this happen? I did this... I let all of these people die..." He whispered to himself, hopelessly searching for anyone to save, but he was far too late for the hundreds of half-eaten corpses he was traversing past. "Are they going to be stuck like this forever? Can I save them?"

"I need to call Reed." Spider-Man said to himself as he began phoning Reed Richards, praying that he would pick up the phone and be able to tell him what to do.

The phone rang three times before being picked up by the man himself. "Spider-Man?" Reed answered, sounding as if he were in distress. "I'm glad you're okay."

Spider-Man sighed in relief, holding the phone in his hand while still checking for Harry's location. "I'm glad you're okay too. I need your help. These people all had the Connors Procedure, I recognized some of them from my classes and they all had it. I know a little bit about the serum but not enough to make a cure for these people do you think it's possible?"

Reed paused for a brief moment, taking a second to think to himself. In the background, Eren could hear screaming, along with the sounds of the other members of the Fantastic Four fighting. "It's possible, but I need samples of the original serum to do so."

"I'm friends with Curt and I..." Spider-Man paused, the weight of the situation along with the guilt was beginning to take a toll on him once again. "It's my fault Reed, if I didn't help him, none of this would have happened."

"It's not your fault, Spider-Man. Do you know where he keeps the serum?" Reed said quickly, giving the message that now wasn't the time for the young hero to brood. Spider-Man pushed his pain aside once again before giving Reed his answer.

"I know where his lab is, there should be a few old samples in there, along with his prototype Neogenic Recombinator-" As those words left the red and black-wearing hero's lips, Harry began to finally return his call and his location appeared on the screen. 'He's alive! He's at Oscorp.' He thought before quickly dismissing himself. "I'll send the location to you and we can meet there. I need to find my friend right now. See you then."

Spider-Man switched the line over to Harry before answering the phone frantically. "Harry!?" Eren screamed, receiving the same amount of enthusiasm in response from Harry himself. "Eren! You're okay! Where's Cindy, is she okay?"

"She's okay. We got separated but she's safe. What about you and Lily?" Eren answered.

"She's okay, we barely made it to Oscorp in time. My dad had this whole initiative set for a situation like this, his private military is protecting the building. It's safe here and he's letting survivors in one by one" Harry told him.

"Thank God. I'm glad you're okay. Your father is a good man, Harry." Eren admitted, surprised that Norman would have prepared for something like this.

"Right..." Harry said reluctantly. "My phone is going to die again, I'll call you back later. Stay safe, dude. Please."

"I will, Harry. I'll see you soon." The undercover hero told his friend before the two ended their call. Spider-Man let out a small sigh of relief, now knowing his best friend was safe.

Using his webs, the young hero flung himself into the air as if he were a slingshot before fully transforming into his Ultimate Godspeed form once again. With the blue aura surrounding his body, the hero landed on the top of a nearby building before taking off, turning into nothing more than a blue streak of electricity as he dashed through the city toward Connors's lab in hopes that if he and Reed could somehow find a cure, they could save those who have turned and prevent more deaths.

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Shrouded in darkness, a few dozen people of all ages sat in silence inside a boarded-up diner. The only sounds heard by those hiding in fear were the sounds of their harsh breathing and the repeating sounds of a clock ticking above them.

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Each second felt like an eternity for those hiding away inside the diner. They could hear the screams of people outside, those who weren't lucky enough to find sanction amongst them inside of the dark diner.

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Every once in a while, a person would bang on one of the windows, begging for someone, anyone to help them escape from the beasts outside. Though those pleas would eventually cease, only being followed by the sounds of growling creatures and flesh being ripped apart.

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There was a brief moment of silence for those hiding in the diner. 'Are we safe?', they all wondered. That silence, the suspense, was almost excruciatingly painful.

Their breathing.

Their heartbeats.

Their whimpers.

The sound of that damned, dreadful clock ticking away continued on until a sound far worse would make itself known to them.

The harsh, high-pitched sounds of a metallic door, the back entrance, being opened slowly sent a shiver down the spines of those taking refuge inside the diner. The chefs and the waitresses looked at each other with wide eyes, eyes that said 'I thought you locked the back!'.

All hope was lost amongst those who decided to hide within the confines of the diner walls. Those who somehow maintained hope sought out more elaborate hiding spots, including a pregnant woman who seemed to have been accompanied by no one.

People hid under tables, behind counters, or anything that they felt could conceal their presence for even just a second longer when the inevitable makes itself known. The pregnant woman, along with a few others, hid behind the bar in hopes that they'd go unnoticed when the time came.

Footsteps, those of multiple creatures, began to slowly make their way into the building. Their footsteps were heavy, fleshy, and somewhat slimy sounding as each step grew louder.

Pots, pans, plates, and the like were heard smashing on the ground as the footsteps of the unknown made themselves more clear by the second.

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Almost in unison, the clock continued to tick and the footsteps continued to grow louder and louder until the door to the kitchen began to slowly creep open until it came to an abrupt stop.

Trembling in fear, those taking refuge looked on at the door which was only being held open about one-fourth of the way. Slowly, a reptilian eye looked inside the room, making eye contact with a single human, a man wearing business attire that chose to hide under a table.

Noticing the beast's gaze, the man attempted to move, whether it be to run or hide elsewhere, it didn't matter. Before the man could stand up, the reptilian beast busted through the door, lunging at the man before ripping him to shreds with his talons and taking a chunk out of the man's neck.

The businessman screamed in agony, a retched scream that was only capable of showcasing an ounce of his insurmountable pain to those sharing the room with him. At the same time, two more beasts lunged through the same door, latching onto two individuals that they decided were best suited to be their dinner.

The humans began to panic, running around the inside of the diner aimlessly as if they were going to be able to avoid their fate. Their screams and pleas for help did nothing more but attract more monsters, causing them to burst into the diner through the haphazardly barricaded doors as if they were made of paper.

Soon, the sounds of flesh tearing, bones being pulled from their sockets and knawed on, and the sounds of hungry beasts consuming their prey would exceed the sounds of the humans' screams.

Most were too afraid to move, accepting the fate that would soon overcome them, however, one of the men behind the bar whispered to his peers "Run!" before taking off out of the building. Everyone, including the pregnant woman, dashed past the dining beasts in an attempt to escape their fate.

A group of seven was able to escape, running aimlessly down the dimly lit New York streets. The pregnant woman ran with the group as those more capable than she ran past and around her.

All around her, she could hear the sounds of footsteps and screams, both human and inhuman. Rather than just the sounds of shoes hitting the ground, she could hear flesh stomping behind her, fleshy steps that sounded like they were from someone or something running on all fours.

One by one, a human's scream could be heard and their footsteps, along with the beast's pursuing them, were gone for good. In front of her, the would-be future mother could do nothing but watch as lizard creatures, all in various stages of their transformation, lept from seemingly nowhere to devour those around her.

She began to grow fatigued due to being several months pregnant and knowing she couldn't run away much longer, the woman fled into an alley in hopes that she could cut through the streets and escape her pursuers without them noticing.

However, as she turned the corner, her eyes widened in fright. It was a dead end, if she were to continue down that path, she would be met by nothing more than a brick wall. She turned around and began trying to make her way back out the way she came, only to be met by another human, startling her.

Before she could feel any sense of relief upon seeing another human being with her, the man was ambushed by a lizard creature, pushing him to the ground before tearing him limb from limb and devouring him with its sharp teeth.

The woman stopped in her tracks and began backpedaling back into the alley until her back hit the aforementioned brick wall. With her hand covering her mouth and tears falling from her face, she slid down the wall and fell to the ground.

For thirty minutes, half an hour that felt like an eternity, she watched as the lizard continued to devour the man, consuming the desired parts until there was almost nothing left. This monster seemed less developed than a lot of the others, retaining most of its humanity in terms of appearance. The only inhuman thing about it was its green, scaley skin and long, sharp talons.

The woman tried to remain silent in hopes that she would continue to go unnoticed, though the beast was very easily able to detect her scent. With a quick head turn, it made eye contact with the woman, causing her to jolt in fear. "Help! Someone, please!" The woman yelled to no one, hoping anyone in the world could save her and her baby. When her pleas went unanswered, she began to weep in her palms once again.

The creature crawled on all fours toward the woman, slowly as if it were stalking its prey, locking its gaze on her enlarged abdomen. "Please... Please..." The woman begged. "Please don't... You're a human, you aren't a monster. Please." She pleaded to the monster, hoping somehow her words would get through to it.

The beast stopped for a second, looking at the woman with the eyes of a human, but only for a brief moment. During that moment, however, the person's eyes, the one trapped inside the beast, begged the woman to somehow save them from their reptilian prison.

Those kind, scared, begging eyes soon shifted back to that of a hungry beast as the half-human, half-lizard monster lunged at the woman. She shut her eyes and turned her back to the monster, using her own back as a shield to protect the baby inside of her.

A warmth soon covered her body, followed by the sound of the beast wailing and a metallic bang on the other side of the alley.

Slowly the woman opened her eyes and turned her head to see the red and black hero covered in a blue aura. However, the young hero did not stand before her in triumph. The hero looked down at the lizard creature, webbing him down for the time being before looking down the alley at the poor soul he was too late to save.

He then looked at the mother, and despite his face being covered, she could feel the young hero's pain through the expressive lenses on his mask. If his mask had brows, they'd have been furrowed. The lenses themselves were halfway shut, and the hero's demeanor showcased his feelings of loss and defeat.

With a single hand, he extended it out to the woman, unable to say a single word to her. She grabbed it, allowing the hero to lift her to her feet. The woman looked into the young hero's eyes, and though they were concealed, she could feel every ounce of his pain through them.

Grief.

Regret.

Despair.

Guilt.

These emotions were all building up inside the hero, and the mother could sense it all.

Though she didn't know the boy, she felt that she was obligated to show him compassion at this moment. The mother hugged the young hero tightly, feeling the benevolent heat of his Godspeed energy and giving the hero the warmth of a mother's embrace for the first time in so long, surprising him.

Spider-Man's eyes widened in reaction to her gesture, though his arms remained at his sides. "Thank you, Spider-Man. You're him, right?" The woman told him, recognizing the spider symbol on his chest despite the new costume. "It's okay, you can't save everyone." She whispered, immediately sending a metaphorical shock into the boy's chest.

It was as if she read his mind. All he could see were the bodies of those he failed to save in his mind, imagining their screams and their dying breaths in his head. "It's not your fault, Spider-Man. I know you're hurting, I can see it in your eyes." The woman whispered, crying into the boy's shoulder as he continued to stand with his hands at his sides.

"Please, don't put the weight of all of this on your own shoulders. It's not your fault, no one could have predicted any of this and you can't be everywhere at once, no matter how hard you try to be. What matters is that you were here for me, my unborn child, and the countless others you have saved and will save. Thank you, Spider-Man. Go be the hero that I know you are."

The mother gripped the hero tighter, sniffling as tears continued to stream down her face. "If you were my son, I would be so proud of you for everything you've done for those of us that you did save." As those words left the woman's mouth, Spider-Man hugged the woman back before gently saying two words to her.

"Thank you." He told her softly.

The woman felt his body heat up for a few seconds before feeling his embrace dissipate. When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by other survivors and men wearing white battle armor that had a logo with a silver 'S' on them.

"Ma'am?" A voice said behind her, startling her for a second. It was Harry Osborn, holding a few bottles of water in his hands. "How'd you get in here? Where's your wristband?" He asked her.

She looked around to see that everyone else had the wristband that he mentioned around their arms. "I don't know, Spider-Man brought me..." She said, causing Harry's eyebrows to raise.

"Oh, he did? Well, we have to give you a screening to make sure you're fully human, then we can call any family you have, okay? Come with me." Harry began walking toward the screening area and the lady followed.

She stopped for a second, looking back up at the sky in hopes that she could catch a glimpse of the hero one last time but he was gone.

"Ma'am?" Harry uttered.

"Sorry." She whispered, taking one last look into the sky before following the young man once again.

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