Arachnids Don't Cry

This is purely a work of fiction. Not meant to offend or incite, but to entertain and maybe inspire.

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SPIDERS AND SKULLS(II)

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I told my parents I would be going to bed early. And by the looks they"ve been giving each other since I came back, I knew they were elated at that. s.h.i.t, now the picture is in my head…

I went to the meeting location by 9pm, setting up some cams and recorders. I could use the images and voice recs to track these representatives of HAND, get some personal info on them from any database I could access and see who they interacted with. From there I could piece together a proper target, devise a working strategy and execute an efficient solution.

I stood at the roof"s edge and waited for my visitors to reach me. I could see them alight from their black limo and enter the main building. Through the video feed of the security cams in the building, I observed them. It was only a male and female, both of them sporting black suits the female wore an office skirt with hers. I nodded at the guard who proceeded to shut the roof door after they walked in. Their posture was confident and natural, similar to the smiles on their faces. The female"s steps were more steady and calculated, of the duo, she was the muscle.

"Mr Spider, you"re a hard man to reach" The male said, standing across from me with his partner beside him. I stood with my arms crossed, quietly watching them.

"Get to the point"

"Ah, a straightforward man. I see" He smiled even brighter.

He pointed to himself and the woman beside him.

"I"m Henry, and this is my colleague Linda, and you might have heard of our organization the HAND."

"Our prime superior has taken quite an interest in you, and your set of abilities. He sees much untapped potential buried away in you and as such we are here with an irresistible proposal, straight from the top."

He stretched out his arm to bring his watch into view, where a holographic display popped up from.

"We offer you an esteemed position in our elite ranks, not only that but a wide array of trade options via your acquired company. I"m talking everything you"re not selling now, ranging from hardware to consumer products even human resources." the holograps displayed guns, drugs, weapon tech, transportation and human trafficking. His eyes spoke of confident results. He was absolutely sure that I would without a doubt accept his offer.

Maybe if I was a cutthroat businessman without a hint of morals or responsibility.

"I want you to take your offer and leave my roof before you fall off it" I spoke with such a cold tone, I surprised myself.

The man backpedalled. The lady behind him taking a step forward to protect him, who"s expression was one of confusion.

"You reject our offer? We are the HAND, not even the now useless Fisk rejected us. Are you certain of your choice" he spoke again.

"Leave" I answered.

"The HAND, does not take no for an answer" He intoned matter-of-factly.

"You just haven"t tried the foot yet"

He fixed his smiled, nodded at me and turned around to leave. His lady friend flashing me a s.a.d.i.s.tic smirk. Like I had no idea of what I just got myself into.

"We"ll meet again" she said, following behind him.

"Yes, we will" First was Fisk, now it"s the HAND. I am going to take them apart.

I looked into the video feeds of the railways I had tapped into. Partly to keep my first under tabs, but mostly to focus on this new serial killer. I had an algorithm running that would point out people based on parameters I set before hand. It wasn"t perfect, of course, if it was than I would"ve caught the person two weeks ago. But it was rapidly improving, and right now, it pointed out a very likely target.

"I"m coming for you" I said to the shifty tall figure outlined by the software, he - his height, structure and stature allowed me to determine his gender- wearing a large coat, face cap and dark gla.s.ses. I jumped off the roof, the wind singing in my ear, the lights blurring past my vision.

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Leonard Appleton. That was his name. He grew up in a typical broken home. His mom divorced his dad. She took everything and left them to suffer. That was a while back, Leonard wasn"t bullied at school. If anything he did the bullying. He wasn"t going to let anyone else f.u.c.k him over. He found his truth, the very first time he tried the drugs he met the lord. The lord in all his glorious brilliance gave Leonard a purpose. He was important, he was the lord"s chosen. He tried to tell everyone, he tried to show them. But they called him insane, called him crazy! How dare they? He the lord"s chosen?

Leonard refused to believe that he had a hallucinatory trip. He believed it was all real. So to prove it, he tried the drugs again. He saw the lord, and the lord told him what to do to those who blasphemed him. The Lord blessed him with strength and power. He had never felt more alive. He was important, he was chosen. All the others were just sheep and he was their shepherd.

Leonard was presented with two options. He could either preach peacefully and patiently to them and get them to accept his truth, or he could force them to. He chose to force them, because that"s all Leonard knew. If things didn"t work out at college he forced others and things got better. If he was famished at home, he forced his father to hand over his money. Like how his father used to force him when he was just a child.

Leonard observed the lady on her phone. She had dark circles under her eyes from a clear lack of sleep. Her hair was put in a pulled in a ponytail behind her. A bunch of folders occupied the entirety of one of her hands. On her shoulder hung a slightly worn leather handbag.

The woman"s name was Wendy. Wendy just got off from work. Her superior was a b.i.t.c.h who kept unloading all workload on her. Maybe it was partially her fault since she was so good at doing her job.

She considered quitting but she needed the job—the money, she had a kid to care for. She as a single mother, had no one else to depend on. Recently she applied for a position at Excel Industries, it was a major acquisition and rebranding of the Fisk industries. She sent her application and they were supposed to get back to her tonight, which was why she was so focused on her phone. This could be her big break, the prospects were excellent, the work time was beyond attracting and the pay was magnificent. They"d even provide full scholarships to anyone who needed them. If she could land this job, the life of her 6yr old son would be set.

Leonard crept up on his fourth victim. He had done this three times now. He had sent the other three lost souls to meet his lord. He never once doubted that his lord was fake, he never once considered that he needed professional help. He let all his repressed feelings of negativity fester.

Leonard stood inches from behind her, from his height advantage he could even see Wendy"s phone. The text that came in saying she got the job, the moment of shock and joy that flooded her as she couldn"t believe the miracle that came through. Before she even got the chance to celebrate, she felt a hard push on her back.

"OhmyG.o.d!"

"Ohno!"

People gasped in terror.

The folders flew out her arms as she flew off the platform. Time slowed for her, she could see her life flash past her eyes. As bright as the incoming lights of the train. Images of her child flashed in front of her eyes. Her thoughts raced a mile a minute, she had just gotten the job, everything was finally about to fall into place, and now she was going to die. What type of a sick joke was this? She would"ve cried if she was paralysed in fear and shock.

She felt something stuck to her back, and then a tug. She was pulled away from the train car lights, sailing back onto the platform and into the embrace of someone. She felt warm and safe in this embrace, even while her heart threatened to burst through her chest. She looked dumbfoundedly at the glowing blue eyes of the masked figure. A glowing spider emblem drawn across his chest and the outlines across his arms.

"Hey, it"s Spiderman!"

"He just rescued her, I have it all on camera!"

"Holys.h.i.t, did you see how he flipped in"

"Are those webs??"

She didn"t hear his words at first, she was still in shock at the roller coaster of events that just occurred.

"....Lady, you"re ok? It"s alright now, ok. I"ll set you down now, can you stand?" she couldn"t speak, her mouth wasn"t listening to her, she responded with a slow nod.

She felt safe and rea.s.sured by his words.

"Ok, good. You"re fine lady, nothing is going to happen to you. Now let me deal with this" she gazed at the place the masked man"s gaze was, she saw another tall man in a large overcoat clawing unsuccessfully at the white net wrapped over his feet.

"You, you do this in my city?" the masked figure held the Leonard up with a single arm. Leonard saw the devil, this was the devil who went against his lord works. This Spider devil. He tried to put up a brave front for his lord, but he couldn"t. Leonard was scared, scared as he"d ever been in his entire life. Looking at those demonic eyes that changed from a blue to a deep b.l.o.o.d.y red. He felt the reaper"s scythe on his neck, he knew he was very, very close to dying.

"P-please don"t kill me. I-I-I"m just doing the Lord"s wor--" Webs sealed his mouth shut cutting his words off. The figure stared in contemplation. He then dropped Leonard roughly to the floor and proceeded to web his arms and feet together, restraining him.

The glow of his eyes went back to calm blue walking back to the distraught woman.

"Lady the cops will be here soon alright? They"ll take care of it all"

She nodded, but this time spoke.

"Wendy. My name"s Wendy"

"You have a beautiful name Wendy, I"m Spiderman. And it"s nice to meet you" she could feel the smile in his words.

"Kid, when you start a job, you finish it" A distinctively male voice spoke from behind the masked figure. The voice belonged to the towering figure of a muscular man with a thick and broad build, who stepped out of the shadows, A militaristic cut on his angular face, the black shirt with a white skull imprint on it drawn tight across his chest. His gait steady as he walked forward to the restrained Leonard.

He drove his leg forward, kicking Leonard in the pit of his stomach with his black combat boots, sending the tall man over the platform.

The figure shielded the eyes of Wendy. As another train pa.s.sed through the tracks. Shredding the tall man into pieces and chunks of flesh and gore. Splattering blood all over the platform.

Everyone ran away from the scene of the blatant murder.

"Frank Castle" the Spiderman spoke.

"Spider" the punisher replied. "Like what you did to Fisk, but next time you put them down put them down for good. You don"t let them walk or in your case, live."

The man turned around to leave the scene, his steps as steady as his gaze which never flinched even as he kicked Leonard over the platform.

"We"ll be seeing each other a lot more kid. The punisher is back in town" he said, blending back into the shadows.

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A man was focused on the video being displayed on his monitor. It was the video feed of the spider themed hero rescuing a woman who was pushed over the subway platform and the punisher doing the same to alleged perpetrator. The man rose from his seat, donning his black leather jacket and an eyepatch across his one damaged eye.

"We"ll ain"t that interesting" he commented, leaving his office.

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Surprise!! Yeah, you weren"t expecting another chapter were you? I"m that good.

So the Spiders and skulls arc is progressing. (how many of you guessed the skull was a reference to the punisher?) We have the HAND at hand(pun intended) and someone else now has eyes on him.

Hehehe, things are kicking off.

I am coughing to death here, I bought all these cough syrups with the weird menthol taste and it has become slightly addictive now….. I"m in trouble aren"t I ^ 0 ^"

Anyways, leave a review a comment, a like and a FAVE. Don"t be shy, I don"t bite…too hard. *wink wink* G.o.d, what the h.e.l.l am I doing?? Stop, Rain don"t make this any more weird than it has to be.

OK then.

You can come find me,

On Twitter: ******* : YouTube, yes youtube, come check out my s.e.xy voice as I narrate stuff: SHOUTOUT TO ZA PATRONS OF MINE, (Secret lovers on the low low..hah!) SKULLY(the silent death giver).

BIGTOFU(the Goliath king slayer),

JEP148(The vibranium ninja) and

KEVIN J ROSARIO (The mandalorian of durasteel).

THE BREAKER (The forger of End Times)

Till we meet again,

Rain away!