Chapter 64: Bad Omen

The Parker House — Afternoon

The sun shone high in the sky, and its light now bathed every room of the Parker house. Yet, despite this warm atmosphere, the young teenager remained trapped in the darkness of his own mind. Peter was sleeping deeply in his bed... far too deeply.

At the heart of his sleep, his mind was being assaulted by a succession of memories that endlessly blended together: George's death, the guilt eating away at him, the hatred of the police and civilians, his anger, his resentment, his frustration... then that conversation with Yuri Watanabe after his confrontation with the Terrifying Six.

Images of all his sacrifices, each of his battles, and every wound, whether physical or emotional, flashed through his mind without giving him the slightest rest. They collided with one another, gradually feeding a cold anger that continued to grow inside him.

Everything he had accomplished for this city... everything he had endured to protect its people... and in return, he had received nothing but contempt and indifference. His body tensed beneath the sheets as his breathing grew heavier and heavier. Then, in the middle of that inner chaos, a familiar voice gradually reached him, slowly pulling him out of his nightmare.

— "Peter? Peter? Wake up, sweetheart. Pete—"

He suddenly opened his eyes and, purely by reflex, violently grabbed Aunt May's wrist as she leaned toward him to wake him up. His grip was far too strong. Startled, she immediately let out a groan of pain.

— "Peter! Peter, you're hurting me!"

As though he had been brutally brought back to reality, Peter immediately loosened his grip. A reddish mark had already appeared on his aunt's wrist, and she instinctively stepped back a few paces, still shaken by what had just happened.

— "Peter, what's wrong with you?! You really hurt me!"

For several long seconds, neither of them said a word. Only their breathing broke the silence of the bedroom. May remained in shock, unable to understand what had just happened to her, while Peter gradually regained his senses after that particularly restless dream.

Yet, despite returning to reality, his irritation did not disappear. His jaw remained tense and his teeth clenched.

— "And you, why did you wake us up? Who told you to wake us up?!"

Aunt May frowned deeply, completely confused. She stared at him, stunned.

— "Us?"

Completely bewildered by that answer, she frowned even more, unable to understand what he meant.

— "Peter, it's past three in the afternoon! You can't sleep all day!"

Annoyed by her words, Peter simply looked away with unusual indifference before saying sharply:

— "Leave us alone, will you? You're pissing us off."

Those words struck Aunt May head-on. Since the day she had taken him in when he was still only a baby, Peter had never spoken to her that way. Not once.

Especially not to her. For a few moments, she remained completely frozen, her eyes wide, unable to find anything to say. When she finally spoke again, her voice was trembling.

— "E-Excuse me?! What did you just say to me?!"

— "Get out! Leave the room!"

— "What?! But are you—"

— "We told you to GET OUT OF THE ROOM! GET OUT!"

Trembling, she took a step back. Her confusion was complete. She still couldn't believe that her nephew... the one she considered her own son... could speak to her with such violence.

— "Peter... what's happening to you...?"

Furious, Peter suddenly got out of bed. Still dressed in nothing more than a white T-shirt, black shorts, and white socks, he rushed out of his bedroom and ran down the stairs at full speed.

Behind him, Aunt May tried to follow, but her physical condition forced her to move much more carefully.

— "Where do you think you're going like that?! Peter?!"

When he reached the front door, Peter quickly put on his shoes, opened the door, and left without the slightest hesitation.

A few moments later, Aunt May finally reached the hallway. When she saw him running away without even turning back, a terrible anxiety immediately overwhelmed her.

— "PETER?! PETER, COME BACK! PETER!"

Only a few seconds had passed, and he had already disappeared at the end of the street. She could no longer even see him.

With a heavy heart, she eventually went back inside and gently closed the door behind her. She was about to pick up her phone to try to reach him when a news broadcast interrupted her movement. On television, the weather forecast announced a sudden change in conditions. According to the maps displayed on the screen, heavy rain accompanied by violent thunderstorms was likely to strike New York within the next few hours.

Seeing those images, the worry already consuming Aunt May only continued to grow.

TO BE CONTINUED.