However, it was as if Julian had eyes in the back of his head.
He suddenly sidestepped.
Flash’s fist grazed his coat and smashed heavily into a metal water pipe.
Clang!
“Aghhh!”
The pipe dented on impact, and a sickening crunch echoed from Flash’s knuckles.
But before he could even scream in pain, Julian grabbed his wrist, hoisted him up, and violently heaved him over his shoulder.
Boom!
The exact moment Flash’s meaty back made contact with the floor tiles, the entire restroom shook.
The water inside the toilet bowls splashed half a foot into the air, raining down like a sudden shower.
Three minutes later, the restroom was a scene of utter devastation, filled with a chorus of pained groans.
Stall doors were shattered, the mirrors were covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and six burly football players were sprawled across the floor in various states of agony.
Flash lay flat on his back, his chest heaving violently, the knuckles on his right hand a bloody mess.
Julian stood on the only clean tile left in the room.
His breathing hadn’t even noticeably quickened.
He bent down, picked up the snapped mop handle, and casually tossed it into a nearby trash can.
Straightening his slightly wrinkled collar, he spoke in a tone as calm as if he were discussing the weather.
“Remember this pain.
If you guys refuse to learn your lesson, then you’d better get used to feeling like this.”
With that, he pushed open the restroom door.
Peter Parker was outside, pacing back and forth in a sheer panic.
Seeing Julian walk out, Peter’s eyes went wide before he let out a massive sigh of relief.
“Phew!
Thank god, you’re finally out!
What about Flash and the guys?
I thought I heard…”
Julian raised a hand to cut him off.
Pulling a pack of tissues from his pocket to wipe his hands, he said smoothly, “Oh, they’re fine.
We just had a very productive chat.
We clearly expressed our respective stances, exchanged opinions, and held a highly constructive dialogue regarding a few key issues.
After a deep, comprehensive, and multi-faceted discussion, we reached a solid consensus in both thought and action.”
Listening to Julian’s corporate-speak nonsense, Peter nodded, utterly bewildered.
However, through the slowly closing door, he caught a quick glimpse of the absolute carnage inside the restroom.
“…”
‘If I ever believe a single word out of Julian’s mouth again, I’m officially a dog!’ Peter thought incredulously.
‘I’ll figure out the breed later.’
The two of them joked around as they headed back down the hallway toward the biology lab, the tiled floor reflecting the cold, white fluorescent lights.
Walking slightly ahead, Peter enthusiastically threw a few sloppy punches in the air, his voice thick with envy.
“Man, I wish I was as tough as you!
Then I’d be like, pow, wham, swoosh!
I’d beat that gorilla Flash into the ground, and then, hehehe…”
Julian shot the goofball a sideways glance.
“And then what?”
“Then I’d be just like you, beating up all the bullies who pick on other people!
And then, hehehe—”
Hearing Peter’s innocent, heroic aspirations, Julian suddenly felt a sharp twinge of guilt.
If he were being completely honest with himself, if Peter hadn’t actively stood up to Flash for him earlier that morning, Julian absolutely wouldn’t have cared whether the kid lived or died.
Clatter!
“Ah!
My phone!”
Because he was swinging his arms too wildly, Peter accidentally flung his phone right out of his hand, sending it skittering across the floor.
In the exact moment Peter bent down to pick it up, a translucent thread descended silently from the ceiling.
Dangling at the very end of the silk was a spider with vibrant red and blue markings across its back.
It was no bigger than a thumbnail, but its patterns were arranged in an eerie, perfect geometric symmetry that caught the lab lights with a metallic sheen.
It landed flawlessly on the back of Peter’s neck.
Its eight legs moved in a blur, instantly scuttling under his collar and out of sight.
Julian’s right hand twitched upward.
He almost opened his mouth to warn Peter, but then slowly closed it again.
His brow furrowed in a barely perceptible frown, but in the end, he chose to remain completely silent.
“What’s wrong?
Why do you look so weird all of a sudden?” Peter asked, picking up his phone and looking at Julian in confusion.
“It’s nothing.
We should get back.
If Mr.
Jackson notices we’re gone, he’s going to dock our grades.” With that, Julian turned and pushed the laboratory door open.
The second they stepped back inside, Gwen Stacy looked up.
She opened her mouth to say something, but—
“Ouch!”
Peter suddenly yelped in pain.
He clamped his right hand over the back of his neck, his face instantly draining of color as fine beads of sweat broke out across his forehead.
Every eye in the room immediately snapped toward them.
The mock-stern expression Gwen had been preparing instantly vanished.
She hurried over, her face full of concern.
“Peter?!
Are you okay?”
Peter managed to force a highly unconvincing smile.
“I-I’m fine.
I just…
I don’t know why, but the back of my neck suddenly really hurts.
I think something just bit me.” His voice trailed off, his fingers unconsciously clutching his collar.
“A bug bite?
You should probably go to the hospital to get that checked out,” Julian suggested smoothly, his gaze casually sweeping over the faint, swelling red mark on the back of Peter’s neck.
“We’re in a biology lab, after all.
Who knows what kind of weird pathogens these bugs might be carrying.”
Gwen nodded seriously.
“J is right,” she urged.
“What exactly does it feel like?
Is it a sharp pain? This story is hosted at g.com.
A burning sensation?
Do you feel any numbness, or—”
The mere mention of the word ‘hospital’ jolted Peter wide awake.
“No!
No, I don’t need a hospital!” he insisted with absolute, terrifying conviction.
“It just hurts a tiny bit!
It feels like a bee sting, that’s all.
There’s no reason to waste money on a hospital visit!”
As he spoke, he stumbled backward, leaning heavily against a cold lab bench.
His breathing was noticeably faster than normal.
But he truly didn’t dare go to a hospital.
With the sheer, ungodly cost of the American healthcare system, if they actually found something wrong with him, the Parker family would be bankrupted instantly.
Early evening, outside a modest house in Queens, New York.
A deathly pale Peter Parker stumbled up the front steps and clumsily pushed the door open.
The back of his shirt was completely soaked with cold sweat.
“Peter?!
Oh my god, what happened to you?!” Seeing him in such a state, Aunt May rushed out of the kitchen, not even caring when her soup ladle clattered onto the floor.
Hearing the commotion, Uncle Ben dropped his newspaper and hurried into the hall.
His eyes widened behind his reading glasses.
“Good lord, Peter!
Come on, we’re taking you to the hospital!”
“Uncle Ben, Aunt May, I…
I’m fine…” Peter weakly waved them off, trudging blindly toward the stairs.
His voice sounded like it was coming from far away.
“Just…
walked around a lot today.
I’m just a little tired…
I’m gonna go up and sleep.”
He dragged his feet up the steps, but his right leg suddenly gave out, his knee slamming heavily against the wooden staircase.
Uncle Ben lunged forward to catch him, only to jerk back in shock at the terrifying heat radiating from Peter’s arm.
“You’re burning up!
Your fever has to be over a hundred and four!” Ben cried out in alarm.
“Just need to…
sleep it off…” Peter mumbled, pulling away from his uncle’s grip.
He practically crawled the rest of the way to his bedroom.
The very second the door clicked shut behind him, his body completely gave out, and he collapsed heavily onto the floor.
Down in the living room, Aunt May gripped Uncle Ben’s hand tightly.
She stared up at the ceiling with profound worry in her eyes.
“Should we call an ambulance?”
“Let’s hold off for now,” Uncle Ben said, glancing at the wall clock.
“We’ll keep a close ear on his room tonight.
If his condition gets any worse, I’m taking him to the ER immediately.”