1 Squashed Like A Bug

June 1st, 2006. 1 hour before the incident.

The streets of New York were quiet through the post-rain and cigarette smoke. For most people, today would be an average day, but that was not the case for one Peter Parker. A man who had ruined everything. A man who's own feel for power had hurt the one he loved the most. Now he stood outside her apartment, brooding at what he had done. Should he go up there and apologize to her? How could he when physically and emotionally hurt her an hour before? Lord knows the hurt she felt, knowing the man that she loved turned out to be abusive like every other man in her life.

He could only look at her through her window, not being able to muster the courage to go up and apologize to her. She had been the girl of his dreams ever since she moved in next door all those years ago. A now-grown woman, an actress, a redhead, way too good for a bookworm like him. He wanted to marry her but now he couldn't. He walked away, never wanting to see her face again, knowing the pain it would cause. She looked out the window, but he was already gone. It's like she felt him there. Feeling a sense of guilt, she ran outside to catch a taxi. She wanted to make things right between the two of them. Whatever took over him earlier in the night wasn't him. It was something else, what she did not know. Hopping in the taxi, she turned to look at the man driving.

"So... Where to?" he said before an unhuman like hand grabbed her by the mouth.

"Just thirty minutes ago, police came across this startling sight: A young woman held hostage in a taxi suspended 80 stories above the ground in what appears to be a giant web. Every attempt by the police to rescue the hostage has been flaunted by the Sandman. Compounding the danger is the appearance of a strange black-suited figure. Early reports had believed him to be the black-suited Spider-Man. But he is now been identified as something entirely different. The hostage has been identified as Mary Jane Watson, an actress recently seen on broadway" The words from the newscast made Peter's heart drop. He was now being forced to put up the fight of his life when he knew there was no possible way he could do it alone. There was only one way he could. He needed the help of a man who hated him. He knew there was no possible way this individual would help him, but he needed to try for Mary Jane.

"You don't deserve my help" the answer stood loud and clear as he looked at his former best friend, Harry Osborn. Parker couldn't do anything but nod his head and leave. He was gonna have to do this alone due to Harry's 3-year delusion. Swinging to the property, he had only one goal in mind. Save Mary Jane no matter the cost.

"Look!" a young voice in the crowd shouted, pointing in the direction of New York's greatest hero, decked in his classic red and blue get up.

"He seems to have come out of nowhere to answer the prayers of the city, just when all hope seemed to be lost." the news reporter said to viewers worldwide as Spider-Man swung into battle. Without a second thought, he headed straight for the taxi, where Mary Jane had been suspended 80 stories in the air. Landing on the hood of the car, he looked at the clearly horrified redhead, once again with her life in grave danger.

"Peter, he's gonna kill us both" the words rang out from Mary Jane's mouth as she knew it was inevitable. She felt fear for own life, but more importantly, fear for Peter. She knew he wouldn't have any help in battling this monster. This thing with no care for any form of human life.

"I'm gonna get you out of this" he assured her, knowing that he had to protect the person that he loves the most, even if it will cost him everything in doing so.

"WATCH OUT!" she screamed as it lunged towards Peter, sending him crashing through the window of the taxi. He felt the glass cut his body as he climbed back on top of the vehicle. There he saw a monster made out of the same symbiote that nearly ruined his life. But it wasn't just a symbiote. There was a person underneath it that he knew all too well.

"Hey Parker"

"My God, Eddie." he uttered. The same man he had humiliated and ruined the life of had come back for vengeance.

Without batting an eye, the monster pulled Miss Watson towards him using his thick strand of webbing.

"Ooh, my Spider-Sense is tingling. If you know what I'm talking about" Eddie said, sending Peter into a rage. He flung himself at him, attempting to strike him straight in the face, only to be simply swatted out of the air like a fly and fall to the webbing below. Brock put Mary Jane down and jumped to where Parker was located, hovering over him and removing his mask.

"We can find a way to settle this." he pleaded desperately as one last attempt to make it out with his life intact.

"You're so right. I'm thinking- humiliation. Kinda like how you humiliated me." the words echoing in total spite.

"Do you remember? Do you remember what you did to me? You made me lose my girl. Now I'm gonna make you lose yours. How's that sound, tiger?" he said mockingly before reverting his face back to form, preparing for the killing blow. However, before he could, he felt something crack against the back of his head. A cinder block. before he felt something crack above the back of his head. A cinder block. This gave Parker enough time to free one of his hands from the webbing and grab Venom by the throat. The two began to fall through the air, fists flying left and right until Spider-Man was knocked onto the ground below.

Recovering his mask, Parker looked up to the sense of a truck crashing to the ground in front of him.

"HOLD ON MARY JANE!" he shouted, knowing she was hanging on for dear life before he fell down due to a powerful force. He had been so caught up in the fight with Venom that he forgot about the other monstrosity he would have to face. The Sandman. The same man that killed his Uncle Ben was now gonna kill him. The site set onlookers into a state of fear as Spider-Man had to dodge several hits from the monster. He could hear Mary Jane falling above him and he knew that he needed to save her.

Jumping from the struck, he swung up and struck the beast in the eye with his webbing, sending his arm into the side of the construction site. He was now in overdrive, swinging as fast as he could while noticing Venom in the corner of his eye. He managed to dodge a lunge from Venom and grabbed the redhead by the waist, swinging her to safety on a nearby floor.

"Hey, you okay?" he said, remembering the earlier events of the night.

"Yeah…. I'm.. I'm fine" she said, clearly shaken.

"LOOK OUT!" she screamed as Venom swung in to kick Spider-Man off of the floor. He fell, landing on a metal ledge below. The Sandman roared as he got back to his feet. Parker's mind was racing with a million thoughts of how he'd be able to stop this. However, before he could think of a solution, he felt a tightness choking him out. Venom's webbing. He struggled to stay on his feet, but was pulled down by the force. As he tried to remove the webbing from around his throat, The Sandman brought his fist down, crushing him. Another 3 strikes followed, concussing him. Mary Jane could only look down in horror.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, horrified at the thought of her lover being killed. They didn't pay a thought. The sand monster laid more blows to the hero as the people of New York looked on.

"It's hard to believe what's happening. The brutality of it. I don't know how he can take any more." the reporter said with tears in her eyes.

"This could be a tragic day for the people of New York. It could be the end of Spider-Man."

And it was.

Peter reached up at MJ above, holding out his hand. She was crying, bawling her eyes out. She couldn't watch it anymore.

Another blow ensued, causing his hand to go limp. The Sandman lifted his fist up, preparing for the killing blow.

"CLANK" the metal rang as Sandman's fist bounced upon it. With the last hit, Peter Parker's conscious faded out into a warm darkness. His soul had left his body and Spider-Man... had died.

"Good God. They… they killed him" a voice from the crowd said.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I….. I think it's time we cut from this" the reporter said, distraught at what she had just witnessed.

Mary Jane's heart dropped. She didn't wanna believe it.

"PETER!" she let out an ear-piercing scream as she fell to the ground in uncontrollable pain. She sobbed. This was all her fault. She had insisted on being in his life and this was what it led to. Her lover was gone and so was her heart. New York's heart was gone. Everything changed that night. Spider-Man had been murdered in battle.

And that was only the beginning of the story.

To be continued….