The city sparkled under the moonlight as Ben Parker swung effortlessly through the crisp New York air, his red and blue Spider-Man suit gleaming with each twist and turn. Two months had passed since his first date with Felicia Hardy. They'd been on a few more dates since then, and while Ben wouldn't say he was in love, there was something growing between them—a warmth he hadn't felt in years. He couldn't help but smile under his mask as he thought about her.
"Maybe we should go to that new museum opening next week," he mused aloud, flipping over a streetlight. "She loves art and statues, right? Or is that too cliché? Maybe—"
A piercing scream cut through his thoughts.
Ben's head snapped toward the sound. His body moved before his mind could catch up, firing a web at the nearest building and propelling himself in the direction of the cry. Within seconds, he landed in a dimly lit alleyway, his keen eyes spotting a hunched figure looming over a woman who was trembling on the ground. The figure's movements were erratic, animalistic.
"Hey!" Ben shouted, shooting a webline at the figure's back. The web struck true, yanking the creature off the woman and sending it stumbling backward. Ben landed gracefully beside her, offering a hand to help her up. "You should go. Like, now."
The woman didn't need to be told twice. She nodded shakily and bolted toward the street, leaving Ben alone with the cloaked figure.
Ben turned to face it, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, buddy, you picked the wrong night to be creepy in an alley. What are you, some kind of wannabe Phantom of the Opera?"
The figure growled—a deep, guttural sound that sent chills down Ben's spine. Slowly, it threw back its cloak, revealing its pale, almost translucent skin. Blood-red eyes glinted under the moonlight, and dark veins pulsed along its face. Its mouth twisted into a snarl, exposing razor-sharp fangs.
Ben's quips froze in his throat. His heart skipped a beat as the realization hit him. "Vampire!" he shouted, stumbling back and pointing. "You've got to be kidding me. A real vampire? What, did Dracula get tired of Transylvania and decide to try the Big Apple?"
The creature hissed, its inhuman speed catching Ben off guard as it lunged toward him. Ben leaped sideways, sticking to the wall of the alley. "Okay, okay, this is fine," he muttered to himself. "Just a vampire. You've fought thugs, gangsters, and the occasional demon cat. What's one bloodsucker?"
The vampire turned its glowing eyes toward him, crouching low like a predator sizing up its prey. Ben recalled the recent news reports—bodies found pale, lifeless, and with two puncture wounds on their necks. It hadn't seemed real at the time, but now…
The vampire lunged again, claws slashing through the air. Ben flipped over its attack, landing on the ground and firing a quick web at its face. "Oh no, you don't!" he quipped. "Keep those fangs to yourself, Nosferatu!"
The creature ripped the webbing off with ease and snarled, its crimson eyes narrowing with fury. It charged again, faster this time. Ben barely managed to dodge, landing a kick to the vampire's jaw as it passed. The blow sent the creature crashing into the brick wall, but it shook it off like it was nothing.
"Okay, so… super strength, super speed, and apparently a high tolerance for pain," Ben muttered, backing up. "Cool, cool, cool. Definitely not terrifying at all."
The vampire's lips curled back in a feral grin. "You smell… delicious," it rasped, its voice guttural and chilling.
Ben shuddered. "Yikes. Personal space, pal." He shot another webline, yanking a nearby trash can into the vampire's side. The creature barely flinched, swiping the can away like it was made of paper.
"Alright, fine," Ben said, adopting a fighting stance. "If Team Edward here wants a fight, I'll give him one."
The vampire roared and pounced, its claws slashing inches from Ben's face. Ben ducked low, sweeping its legs out from under it and flipping backward to create some distance. He fired webbing at its feet, pinning it to the ground, but the creature tore through the restraints with inhuman strength.
"Oh, come on!" Ben groaned.
The vampire lunged again, and Ben countered with a powerful punch to its stomach, followed by a spin kick to its chest. The force of the blow sent the vampire flying into a dumpster. Ben landed nimbly and crossed his arms. "See? That's what you get for skipping leg day."
The vampire emerged from the wreckage, its red eyes blazing with rage. It leaped toward Ben, moving faster than his spider-sense could fully process. The creature tackled him mid-air, slamming him into the ground with bone-rattling force.
Ben groaned, dazed from the impact. The vampire loomed over him, its fangs bared as it lunged for his neck. Ben managed to twist out of the way at the last second, planting both feet against the vampire's chest and kicking it off.
"Alright, note to self: avoid grappling with the undead," he muttered, flipping back to his feet.
The fight intensified. The vampire was relentless, attacking with a savage ferocity that left Ben barely enough time to react. Each claw swipe came within millimeters of his suit, and each dodge left him closer to exhaustion. Despite the danger, Ben couldn't stop himself from quipping.
"Is it too late to offer you a Snickers?" he called out, dodging another slash. "You're not you when you're hungry!"
The vampire growled and swung wildly, clipping Ben's shoulder and sending him sprawling. Ben fired a webline to the wall and yanked himself upright, his breathing ragged. "Okay, new plan: less talking, more punching."
Summoning his strength, Ben launched himself at the creature. He unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, each strike landing with precision. The vampire staggered under the onslaught but refused to go down. It countered with a powerful swipe that caught Ben across the chest, tearing through his suit and knocking him into a stack of crates.
Ben winced, clutching his ribs. "Alright, I'll admit it—you're tougher than you look. But you know what you're not tougher than?" He fired two weblines, yanking a nearby fire escape ladder down onto the vampire's head. The metal crashed against the creature with a satisfying clang, briefly stunning it.
"Physics!" Ben finished with a grin, wiping the sweat from his brow.
But the victory was short-lived. The vampire recovered almost instantly, its eyes burning with an unholy light. It pounced once more, grabbing Ben mid-air and slamming him into the ground with terrifying strength. Ben gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. The vampire pinned him down, its fangs mere inches from his throat.
This is it, Ben thought, struggling against the creature's iron grip. I'm about to become Spider-Snack.
But just as the vampire reared back to bite, the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. The creature froze, its red eyes widening in fear. It released Ben and scrambled away, retreating into the shadows with an anguished hiss.
Ben lay on the ground, staring up at the sky as his chest heaved. "Yeah, you better run," he called weakly, raising a trembling fist. "Team Jacob all the way."
He let his head fall back against the pavement, too exhausted to move. "Why do I feel like this is just the beginning?" he muttered to himself.
The morning sun warmed his battered body as he closed his eyes, his mind already dreading the inevitable explanation he'd have to give Johnny about the new tears in his suit.