Blood Thirst

Chapter 4

Peter returned to the streets for the first time well-rested and not starving, though he knew the feeling wouldn't last long. Unfortunately, he still had no money and nowhere to go, but he would make it with what he had; he always did. Now maybe his blood would replenish even faster so he could have a couple more bucks to get by for the week.

However, Tony and Steve weren't as happy. "What do you mean he isn't in the room?" Steve asked, not waiting for an answer before rushing to their room to see for himself. The room, of course, was empty, with the bed unmade, but that didn't stop Steve from turning it upside down, hoping to find Peter hiding somewhere. He wasn't, and in the end, Steve was standing in the middle of a destroyed room. "Find him," he said in a dangerous tone.

"We will, don't worry," Tony said reassuringly.

Not long after, Tony gathered them all in the living room. "What happened?" Bucky was the first to ask, noticing the gloomy atmosphere in the room, along with Steve sitting quietly in the corner, looking down at his feet like someone had died.

"It's Peter. He left this morning without telling us. We need to find him and bring him back."

"Do you know where he went?" Natasha asked.

"No, the security cameras lost track of him a little after he left the tower," Tony explained, showing them the last-seen footage of Peter. "I want you all on the street looking for the kid. I want him found and brought back here," Tony ordered, making his coven all rise from their seats.

"We will find him, honey, I promise," he said, hugging Steve.

Unfortunately, despite all attempts, they didn't manage to find the young boy, and a week later, Steve was frantically pacing around the room. "It's been one week, Tony, how much longer will it take? It's cold out there and dangerous. What if someone drinks too much?"

"We'll keep looking. He'll have to resurface," Tony assured.

Peter quickly found a new hideout, an industrial place that seemed to be abandoned. He even found a thin mattress so he could lay down. It was the best he'd had since he had to live on the streets. While it guarded him from the rain and the dangers of the street, Peter couldn't stay there all day. He still needed to eat, and unfortunately, his small stash of food had run out.

It was cloudy that day, rain threatening to start falling at any minute, but that didn't matter right now. He started to make his way to his usual alley where he sold his blood, hoping to make some quick cash.

But Peter didn't make it to the alley. Something stopped him. He had a feeling that something was wrong, and perhaps that's what made him look to the electronic shop that he passed every time but never spared a look. But this time he looked, just for a brief second, but that was all he needed, because on the TV that was displayed in the front was his face.

Peter stopped walking, staring at the news that was playing. "...Police urge to find the missing boy Peter Parker, that was claimed by a coven..."

Peter couldn't hear what was said next; he could only stare at the screen in shock, his ears ringing as the news continued to play in the background. He felt his heartbeat starting to race, looking around, but no one was looking at him. No one had noticed. In his head, he imagined everyone looking at him, but in reality, no one seemed to care. He was invisible to them.

Everyone was going on with their life, everyone except one. One man stood on the other side of the street, so still that Peter almost didn't notice him. But there he was, staring right at him, a phone in his hand. Peter froze, his eyes wide. Did the man know? Peter didn't wait for an answer before he bolted out of the street.