RUDY STARK - SPIDERVENOM

REDEEMED

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As I stared at his body, missing most of his throat. I sensed a bad feeling crawling its way into my heart. I watched the gap in his neck fill with his black gooey blood. The adrenaline depleted. The anger vanished. And all that was left was a growing pain of regret. My heart beating fast.

I looked down at my bloodied hands. "What did I - What's - What did I do?"

I watched blood drip from my black fingers and claws, taking steps back.

I had become exactly what I hated.

I ran out of the room. I couldn't look at Ryan anymore. I couldn't look at what I'd done. I stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at all the men lying lifeless on the ground. I descended the stairs slowly, holding onto my reopened bullet wound. I dropped to my knees at the bottom of the stairs.

I sat in my remorse. Feeling empty. Lost. Alone. My eyes dried from former crying. I felt so much, but I couldn't show it. I stared down at the floor.

"I ruined everything. I made my life miserable. I did. Not Norman. Not Ryan. I'm nothing. Nothing but a screw up. Mom and dad were right."

I ripped my mask off and threw it down to my side, leaving my hair to look like a mess. I felt a cold hand on my chin. It lifted my head to see Harry. He was fuzzy, as if he was a picture from a low quality camera. I wasn't fazed.

"You are much more than nothing." He knelt down in front of me.

His eyes showed more emotion than when he was alive. As his eyes darted from one eye to another, he smiled warmly.

"Yeah, you messed up. You pushed people away... you got rageful -"

"This is a horrible pep talk." I shook my head slightly.

His smile grew at my remark. "But... everyone does. It's only human to make mistakes. Learn from them. Don't run. You are not a screw up, your mom and dad are asswholes who didn't know how amazing their daughter was."

"Listen to him, Rudes." Jay's voice came from beside me.

I turned my head to see his familiar soft face. His eyes so deep. So sad. How I hated seeing him that way.

I closed my eyes tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't be strong enough." I averted my head to the ground once more.

"I was the one who cut the web." His arms embraced me and pulled me to his chest.

I couldn't feel his heartbeat. He was cold. He didn't feel like him. I sighed heavily.

"The people who hurt the most are usually the strongest.."

I pushed away. "Look at this! Look at what I did! Have you seen Ryan?! Why don't you go up there and see how I ripped his throat out!"

He looked me in the eyes, softening his eyes at my pain. "Being strong doesn't mean not falling. It means not giving up. You are SpiderVenom. You face your fears. You face your pain. You do not give up. You keep fighting. For me. For Harry. From Ben... for Tony."

"But -"

"No buts. No worries. The world needs you. Tony needs you."