Us Against The World ｡ Peter Parker [2]

48 - You Are My Sunshine

Sometimes the world was cruel. Sometimes the good died young, the evil winning the day. Sometimes the winds howled and babies cried as their mother's life slipped away as they took their first breath of air. Sometimes loved ones never got the chance to say goodbye just one last time. Sometimes, I woke from my slumber crying because in my dreams my dear brother was alive again. Sometimes my nightmares took away my friends, they took away my sunshine and when I finally woke, the world was alright again. Sometimes though, the world was not alright and that was the true cruel nature of fate.

New York City was covered in shadows that night, every inch of the concrete jungle littered with fear and violence as the lights flickered off with the blackout. We had scurried through the darkness, our hearts aching in our chests with the horror that could unfold tonight. The journey into the heart of the city seemed almost impossible knowing what waited for us all at the Avengers Tower, the only building graced with bright light. It should have been a beacon of hope, but staring up at the tower, it only twisted my stomach with more uncertainly. 

Once we reached the lonely building, we gathered just outside the entrance doors. Sirens echoed in the distance and it felt too strange standing in a sea of darkness where fear drove people to run and hide, while others took the opportunity to smash into stores and take what they wanted. It seemed when darkness truly descended, that's when the horrors deep within humans' hearts sprung to the surface. 

"It's like the city's gone mad," Ned Leeds commented with a deep frown. 

Apparently, that was Green Goblin's perfect time to strike. "When the lights go out, true darkness beckons." Cindy Moon noted quietly, her eyes slicing through the dark streets behind us. Although we hadn't even heard from Cindy in months, she seemed more adjusted to her powers than ever before. Whatever she had been doing with the help of Ezekiel Sims seemed to be working and that almost seemed like a silver-lining in all this mess. 

Peter glanced up at the tower, straining his neck to spy the very top. Nothing seemed out of place and that was a scary thought tonight. I fidgeted with the zipper of jacket, feeling the cool air nibbling at my skin. Nerves were sparking in the bottom of my stomach and I just couldn't shake the terrible feeling covering my body like a blanket. "Okay. Are we ready?" Peter questioned.

We were silent with the question.

Ned had stopped staring across at Cindy Moon, who was decked out in her own white suit, which looked like it had been crafted with white webbing. He had bombarded her with a million questions on the way here and she had kindly done her very best to answer them while getting the run down on New Goblin and Midtown High gossip. Gwen was twisting her delicate ring around her finger, worry filling her eyes. Peter had squared his shoulders with courage and determination. I had moved in closer to him, just wanting to reach for his hand and remind myself we had faced worse before. 

"Are we ready?" Gwen asked.

Ned sent our leader a little look as he began to freak out. "Wait, what's the plan again? I feel like I've forgotten everything. You know? It's kinda' like an exam, once you open the booklet everything just goes blank in your mind. I feel like that. But worse. Is that normal? Is that an okay thing to say before we go up against Harry? I mean, New Goblin." 

Cindy gawked at him. "Deep breaths, Leeds." 

"He's right," Gwen blurted out. "I feel like I've been on auto-pilot and now we're here and this all feels really real and scary. Too many things are going through my head right now. How do you do this hero thing, Pete? I feel like I might throw up."

Peter let out a little sigh, his shoulders sagging. He was so used to suiting up and leaping into danger. He had been swinging through the streets for so long, ready to put his life in danger without a question. He placed a hand on Gwen's tiny shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "It always feels like this, okay? I'm scared all the time too. We bury that fear though. We remind ourselves that we can do this. You've gotta' have courage mixed in with the fear. That's how you get through everything."