Stephen's POV
"You can go," the guard said, letting me leave after a thorough check.
Half an hour ago, they sealed the building and ordered everyone to stay put.
Of course, before anyone could leave, we had to go through a full search clothes, bags, everything.
It seems something's missing. My guess? The spider. Though, there's always a chance it's something else.
I stepped onto the bus and headed straight for the back seat.
My phone vibrated it was an unknown number.
I stared at it for a second before answering.
"Yes?"
I listened for a moment, then leaned back. "Oh? But didn't you reject it before, saying it was too dark for readers?"
Another pause.
"Hmm." I tapped my fingers on my knee.
"Alright, we can meet tomorrow. I'm ready with the second volume."
As I hung up the call, I decided to take a nap on the way back.
But luck didn't seem to be on my side.
BOOM!
The bus jolted as the driver slammed the brakes, sending everyone lurching forward, me included.
Shouts filled the air.
"What happened?"
"You okay?"
"Was it a bomb?"
In seconds, everyone snapped to attention, their grogginess replaced by fear.
"Students, don't panic! Stay calm!" Mr. Smith tried to take control, but it was useless.
Because outside the window, everyone could see it the road ahead was engulfed in flames.
People were running in different directions. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the whole area was thrown into chaos.
Peter was already out of his seat, camera in hand, snapping photos through the window.
"This is bad," Ned muttered beside him, eyes wide.
"Alright, listen up!" Mr. Smith clapped his hands, trying to keep everyone under control. "No one leaves the bus until I say so! We need to wait for—"
He never finished his sentence.
RROOOAAARRR!
A deep, guttural roar tore through the chaos, shaking the windows of the bus. It wasn't the sound of fire. It wasn't an explosion. It was something alive.
Ned, his hand trembling, slowly raised it. "Uh, sir… do we still stay here?"
For a second, Mr. Smith didn't answer. His face had gone pale, eyes darting toward the source of the noise. Then—
"NO! MOVE! EVERYONE, GET OUT! NOW!"
Panic exploded in the bus as students scrambled from their seats, shoving towards the exit. I too didn't hesitate whatever made that sound was not something to sit around and wait for.
Stepping off the bus, the burning street came into full view. Smoke billowed high, flames licking at twisted metal. But that wasn't what made my breath hitch.
No, it was the shadow moving through the fire.
A hulking figure, barely visible through the smoke, though the ground trembled beneath its steps.
Felicia, beside me, whispered, "Tell me I'm hallucinating."
I didn't blink. "If you are, then so is everyone else."
The creature stomped forward, parting the smoke like a curtain. Green skin, thick muscles yeah, it had that Hulk vibe.
But I wasn't buying it.
"That's not him," I muttered.
"What?" Felicia asked, but I wasn't in the mood to explain.
My eyes were glued to the scene. The beast was big, sure, but shorter than the Hulk maybe seven feet, stocky, built like a wrecking ball. And something about it felt... wrong.
Not that I had time to dwell on that.
My attention shifted to the group of people facing off against it. A girl and three others one man, one boy, and... a rock.
"It's the Fantastic Four!" Flash shouted, clearly excited, and a few others around me caught on, whispering in disbelief.
The Thing charged forward, landing a solid punch on the green monster, knocking it back. For a moment, everything went still.
"Did it work?" Johnny asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he stepped forward, waving to the group. The heat radiated from his body, the flames licking at the air around him.
"I...," The Thing paused, his stance tense, still on top of the creature, "I don't think so," he shouted just as the ground beneath them trembled. In the blink of an eye, the green monster threw the Thing off with a monstrous roar, sending him flying across the street.
The green beast slowly rose to its feet, looking angrier than ever.
The creature stood, shaking off the impact, and before anyone could react, Johnny was already ahead of him. He launched himself at the beast, his body engulfed in flames as he sent a stream of fire straight at the monster's face, not wasting a second. "Let's see how you like this!"
"Leave this area immediately!" someone shouted, passing beside me. They looked like some kind of soldier, but I immediately recognized them by the eagle logo on their uniform.
S.H I.E.L.D
Not wanting to take any risks, I quickly followed the others, staying in the shadows, leaving the fight to the heroes. My eyes scanned the area as we moved, careful not to miss any details. The streets were chaotic, and bodies littered the ground. Some were unconscious, some were worse.
The sounds of explosions and shouting were drowned out by the pounding of my heart. The world had gone from normal to disaster in a matter of moments, and all I could think was that things were never going to be the same again.