Us Against The World ｡ Peter Parker [2]

35 - A Smidge of Luck

Luck was a fickle thing; sometimes it worked in your favour and other times you were quite literally smacked with the unlucky stick and demanded to swim or sink by yourself. I wasn't sure if I considered myself an unlucky person, some might indeed paint me that way because of all the trouble I usually found myself in. But on a good day I somehow always came out on the other side alive and breathing. So, did that actually make me decently lucky because no matter how, I still lived to see another sunrise? That was naturally debatable.

Tourists and New Yorkers alike were alive with fire and confusion while purple flares of energy blasted through the ferry's structure. Hollow screams flooded the second deck and it set my teeth on edge, not quite clear on what was happening suddenly. My thoughts were already racing back to my little knowledge about Vulture's unstable weapons and connecting a few odd pieces of the puzzle. The entire Staten Island Ferry was lit up with purple colour for a blinding second and then within a flash, the rumbling from below had stopped and every single person on the ship paused in wonder. A few children a handful of meters away from me had begun to cry but that was the only snippet of sound, a haunting notion when the engine should have been pacing along steadily.

Suddenly, a loud metal cry doused the ferry and my head snapped downwards to watch a crack spread open wide from below, the ferry quite literally falling apart from the middle. Down below water was clearly flooding the lower decks already and in panic, people started to scream loudly. With my arms slipping away from the pole that I had been clinging to, my body started to follow suit with gravity as the side of the ship billowed towards the cold water. The structure around me was falling apart and somehow, I tumbled sideways through an open doorway and hit the outside railing harshly.

The air was knocked from my lungs, my hands gripping the metal railing so I didn't fall overboard into the dark waters below. Frantically, my eyes scanned the area around me, noticing a few people actually jumping from the ferry and into the water, figuring it was safer than sinking to the bottom of the ocean. I was already weighing the options in my head myself when somebody was shouting out Spider-Man's name. Twisting around with difficulty, my eyes fell upon the white webbing that was thankfully connecting the two halves of the ferry together. A sigh of relief was falling from my lips with realising he had quite possibly prevented a disaster.

But the luck slipped away when the ship jolted again, the cries of awe and admiration for the hero dressed in red and blue vanishing within seconds. Another hard jolt vibrated through the metal while Spider-Man's webbing snapped free. Faster than before, the ship continued to fall towards the water below and when a third shaky jolt went through the structure, it was enough to cause my grip to slip on the railing and before I knew it, my body was being pulled with gravity again and I tumbled over the edge. A scream froze in the back of my throat and was gulped up quickly when cold water filled my mouth. I didn't hear the splash when my body hit the water but I could desperately feel the coldness seeping into my bones.

I kicked my way to the surface, gasping from air. A few other people were already swimming towards rescue boats that were making their journey towards the sinking ferry. Although now, the ship wasn't falling apart or sinking. Bopping in the cold water, I managed to catch a glimpse of Iron Man flying away from the damage, apparently saving the day instead. I barely got the chance to swim towards an oncoming rescue boat when Iron Man was backtracking and heading towards me. Swiftly, he was scooping me up into his arms and flying right for the shore line of high-rise buildings. With a smidge of luck, I hadn't even been injured and the day had been saved.

When we safely landed on a rooftop, Iron Man turned his attention back to me. My arms wrapped around my shoulders, trying to stay warm with the harsh breeze. A lonely boy without his mask on sat on the ledge, shoulders hunched forward and looking defeated. But nobody made an attempt to speak with him just yet. "Are you okay, Florence?"