Chapter 18: Arc One. Chapter Eighteen. We All Fall Down

Patrons scattered, not caring about the two fighting in their midst, lights fell and sparks flew as bulbs shattered. Rhino gave Venom the finger before punching his way through the glass-windowed wall and Sandman more oozed than ran after him. Venom had no choice, if he chased them then the people would suffer, "Run Run" he yelled and the stiff statues, frozen by violence began to panic, rushing towards both the smashed doorway and the broken front wall. 

He began to spray the stickiest web fluid he could make on the supporting pillar and the ceiling surrounding it, but Rhino had done too much damage, even if he got underneath it the ceiling was going to come down.

Grabbing and throwing as many people as he could out through the doorway he watched as Flash pushed MJ out the door before the ceiling collapsed onto him, squashing him into the goop and blocking the only way of escape. 

Leaving only himself and Gwen, he threw out a web line and webbed her and as he pulled her towards him, he dove under a table in one of the booths. He winced as he heard the sickening crunch of Gwen's head impacting against the table edge. She hadn't been low enough and was at the wrong angle, and she had taken the full brunt of the impact across the side of her head as she fell.

Venom stared in horror as the blood pooled in her hair and he knew that in trying to save her, he had condemned her instead.

The TV still connected and still working hung loosely from the wall, its sound blaring as the staff and patrons scrambled and tried to escape the disaster.

"This just in. The menace, Venom, has just been spotted fighting with other super-powered freaks. A diner, a good honest to god all American diner was destroyed, trapping several what looked like high school students within. This shows these freaks need to be captured, these menaces need to be given a taste of their own medicine. I, J. Johnan Jameson, will give anyone a reward leading to the capture of these heinous villains, especially the one calling himself Venom."

Peter cradled Gwen in his arms as her blank eyes stared holes into his soul. He knew that the scalp injury coupled with her other symptoms, shallow breathing and one fully dilated pupil, meant the worst. She had suffered some kind of brain injury and without immediate help, she would most likely die.

He closed his eyes, seeking how to within his vast knowledge, but this time it didn't come from his mind, he felt an instinct, his senses tingled when he focused on himself. It was a long shot, whatever had been done to him rebuilt his body, stronger and faster, maybe he could use that to heal Gwen. The only problem he had was how? It wasn't like being trapped under half a tonne of rubble he could give her a blood transfusion and anything else was much much creepier.

It had to be the one thing he had, so holding her tightly he brought his lips to hers and with no resistance kissed her deeply. His first kiss was taken with someone barely alive but if he saved her he could explain, and make it up to her later. He felt something rising in his throat, not an acid taste of rising vomit but a sticky sweetness and whatever it was made its way from him into Gwen's mouth, pulling back he saw her throat bulge as whatever it was moved down her neck.

Gwen spasmed as the thing, the lump he gave her, diffused itself into her body. The lump seemed to split and two lumps now branched down, he could see that it hadn't gone down her gullet but had entered her lungs, forcing them to take deep breaths. Small white, almost imperceptible, threads made their way across her chest down towards her heart, he stopped himself as he lifted her neckline to see where the threads went too and were greeted by very erect plump dark pink, almost brown, nipples. She had gone for smart casual. Jeans with a nice dark blue top and a white blouse underneath, however, she wasn't wearing a bra and Peter cursed himself as he grew erect at his peaking.

Gwen's breathing steadied, and he watched in rapt fascination as the white lines moved through her arms, spreading through her veins and then branching out to her capillaries. The wound on her head stopped bleeding and soon began to ooze with the same white liquid, touching it gently he recognised it as the same material he secreted when he became Venom. 

Whatever the intent was, he had infected Gwen with the same thing that he hosted, thankfully its abilities were healing and repairing the damage done to her body. It oozed out of the wound and then retreated back into her skin, leaving the cut deep but looking much better. The blood had stopped and now it was just messy rather than flowing

Peter had to bite his lip. Tears welled up in his eyes as he knew that even if she was changed that she was alive and he hugged her close to him. Her breathing stabilised and the smaller cuts on her body began to heal at a visible rate, the large gash on her forehead had stopped bleeding but still looked bad. Her pulse was steady and her eyes, even through closed lids, now reacted to the small amount of light Peter had from his phone.

He held her tightly and he could hear the calls of the rescue services.

"Hello? Search and rescue, how many under there?" A voice yelled through a small opening and Peter spotted an inspection cam.

"Two, and she's injured, head wound." He yelled back and moved the camera with his hand to show the gash.

"Help is coming, hold tight, if you can move her, lie her down and support her neck, we'll get the hole opened further and send in water and something for you to clean the injury with." The EMT shouted.

While the hole was only a few inches they sent in pouches of water, a few packets of sweet energy gel and a roll of sterile wipes and plasters with instructions as to what to do. Peter made a show of cleaning the wound, even though he knew it was already healing and sat eating the apple flavoured paste as he waited for them to get to him.

As the floodlights illuminating the collapsed building began to filter through into their small alcove, Peter felt relieved to know they had been saved, he was sure he could have just lifted the rubble off the tabletop but not without the consequences of revealing himself to anyone out there. Soon enough firemen stabilised a tunnel and an EMT had crawled into their cramped shelter, checked them both over for broken bones and given them the all-clear to at least move.

Once outside, Peter was helped to an ambulance while Gwen was stretchered on the spot, her father came over

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George had been here since the start, knowing the diner Gwen had gone to and hearing the report of fighting he had scrambled everyone to get there as fast as possible. They had caught sight of a van leaving but with three giant freaks fighting in the diner where his daughter was, he had paid little attention to it. The units had watched helplessly as the fight destroyed the building and the pair of grey and sandy criminals made short work of the squad cars in their escape. Instead, they focused on the building, helping survivors and clearing what rubble they could.

"What the hell did you do Parker?" George yelled as if the scene before him could be blamed on Peter.

Peter ignored him and was taken over to an ambulance. An EMT shone a light in his eyes and asked if he was okay? if he had any pain or dizziness? Peter answered the questions mechanically. His arms and legs were gently pressed and checked for broken bones but Peter could barely feel the man’s touch let alone any pain. 

Physically he was fine but inside he raged, he had been surrounded and beaten, his hand almost severed, his dignity trampled by bullies once more. Four vs one was never going to be a fair fight and he vowed it would never happen again.

Peter watched as Gwen and her father were loaded into an ambulance, all around him the rescue work was still continuing and already several cloth covered stretchers were being moved out of the public eye. He saw an EMT working on Flash, his legs being wrapped in bandages that seemed to immediately turn red, the EMT yelling and he was lifted and rushed into an ambulance. Its sirens wailed in the still night as it sped off. 

The barista that had recommended the toffee flavoured cider he never got to finish was dry heaving into a bucket, a sheet covering something, or more likely someone, she knew. MJ had thankfully been saved, Flash pushed her out of the diner before the collapse, from the angle of the collapse, Peter knew Flash would probably never walk again but he found it difficult to care.

The survivors were interviewed, at first by the police and then by the never-ending hordes of news crews. Each one jostling the staff and patrons who had made it out of the diner unharmed. He saw MJ shielding her face as a young Asian reporter waved a microphone at her and he bounded over to her. “Hey, fuck off,” he snarled at the pair and pushed the camera down to point at the ground. “Go fucking creep at a cemetery, fucking ghouls,” and the reporter gave him the finger as they left to find another victim to interview.

MJ grabbed onto him, her face was streaked with dirt and soot from the diner and tears had left track marks down her cheeks. “Hey MJ?” Peter asked her but she was staring blank-eyed at nothing. “Anyone?” and an EMT came over and shone a light into her face.

“It’s shock. Was she in the diner?” and Peter shook his head 

“She got out before it collapsed.” He explained. The EMT took her pulse and gave her a quick once over. 

“She’s fine, just don’t leave her alone and she’ll snap out of it,” he said as he slipped the penlight back into his jacket, moving on to the next patient.

After the EMT had finished her check-up he left with her. They walked silently to a taxi and even though the place was unfinished he decided to take her to the warehouse. He doubted her father would come to collect her or that he was sober enough to.

He sent a text message to Aunt May to let her know they were alright but Gwen was in the hospital. It wasn’t great, Aunt May deserved more but right now he had to take care of MJ. While Gwen had her father and he had Aunt May, Peter knew her parents were not the loving caring kind and she would be left to take care of herself. He didn’t care that they weren’t speaking, he didn’t care if Flash might have a problem with it, he cared that MJ was okay, even after all that time he still worried about his friend.

MJ was quiet on the ride back and even after drinking a cup of coffee and wiping her face with a damp cloth, she was silent. It wasn’t until he got her settled in one of the cots he’d grabbed from the junkyard that she acted on her own. 

He had moved his own bed into the same room, to keep a close eye on her and MJ crawled over and into his bed in the night, seeking comfort as she wept at the events of the evening. Silently, with anger etched on his face he stroked her hair.

He had tried his best and failed, he had tried to save Gwen and the rest and failed. As he held onto MJ, hearing her quietly sobbing he knew he had to do better, he had to be better.

~

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