Spider-Man
Shadows of Night

Written By: SMVENOM

Rated T+ for strong language and strong violence

Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-Man... all that stuff.

QUICK AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HIGHLY Recommend That You Read My Other Story "Breaking Point" Before Taking on Shadows of Night. You'll Be Left in the Dark If You Don't!

"Breaking Point" Universe Info: On the night of his Uncle Ben's death, Peter Parker made the ultimate decision: he killed his uncle's murderer. Now, despite being regularly haunted by the ordeal, he has started brandishing his own brutal form of justice against the criminal underworld of New York City, as the dark, mysterious Spider-Man. He'll have to face his darkest demons to overcome the hell that waits him.

"But Uncle Ben was dead. I pulled the trigger. And with my action, now his killer was too."
-Peter Parker, recounting the worst night of his life

xXx

The dark heart at the center of my city is outmatched by one other: mine.

After pulling the trigger on that father of a little girl who didn't get to see her daddy come home that night because he was killed by a fifteen-year-old kid, all out of revenge, I fell apart.

I was on the road to being valedictorian of my class at Midtown High; 11th grade and an A+ honor student, even though I was still coping with the death of my uncle two years after his death. I hadn't shown too many signs of depression at the time. Then... there was the argument.

xXx

"Aunt May, I'm home," I shakily called out, entering the house I shared with my aunt, the house we formerly shared with my uncle. Aunt May had been in the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are dear," she replied, walking towards me with a worried expression on her face. I set my back-pack down on the floor.

She wrapped her arms around me, and held me in her embrace. When she released her arms, she kissed my cheek. I couldn't meet her eyes.

"Peter, is something wrong?" she asked. Her hand motioned for me to follow her to the kitchen table.

After taking our seats, I still found it difficult to meet her gaze.

"Is something wrong?" she repeated. "Are you in trouble?"

She moved her hands over mine; I hadn't even remembered resting them on the table.

"Did you do something wrong?"

I had been dreading this moment the whole day. I was finally going to tell Aunt May, after two years of pain and suffering... I was going to tell her the truth. The truth of what happened the night Ben Parker died. I almost decided not to call out to her upon my arrival, and just skip what I was fearing altogether. But I couldn't live a lie anymore.

"Uncle Ben was murdered." I told her.

A strange look of sadness, but also confusion crossed her face.

"I know, Peter. I know," she put her hand under my chin, lifting my head up. "What do you really want to tell me?"

I bit my lip.

"I could've stopped it from happening... I went to a place where I thought I could make some money, help you guys out for all you've done for me... I got cheated out of the cash, and when the manager running the place got robbed right in front of me... I let the burglar walk free. I could've easily stopped him, and I didn't." It all left my mouth in one breath.

A look of even more confusion played across her face. Her hands pulled back off mine, but only slightly. I still noticed it, though.

"I don't understand," she told me, her voice cracking. She understood.

"The burglar killed Uncle Ben," I told her, my voice cracking as well. I lost it "Because of me, Uncle Ben is fucking dead! He's dead, and there's not a God damned thing we can do about it!"

"Don't talk that way!" she yelled, fully removing her hands from atop of mine. "This isn't you!"

"Yes it is," I told her, my gaze shifting towards the ground. "And you know what? I found the guy at a warehouse..."

I raised my head up, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"And I put a bullet in his head."

Her jaw dropped.

After a handful of seconds of complete silence, she struck me across my face.

"Get out," she demanded in a monotone voice.

"But I-"

"GET OUT!"

I couldn't believe what was happening. I didn't expect it to go over well, but... this had taken a terrible turn; and I fully embraced it, through the tears and the heartache I felt.

"Fine!" I screamed back, standing up, and knocking my chair over onto the tile. "I don't fucking need this place! I'll find my own place, and... I'm gonna get a job! I'm gonna make it without you! I thought you'd understand. I was a fucking Freshman! My uncle had just been killed, and you don't think I'd do something drastic?"

"You killed another human being. I don't care what he did, nobody deserves to be murdered. You are not the boy I raised. Get out of my house. And don't you dare make me say it again."

She quickly stood up from the table, and ran for the stairs. I heard her slam her bedroom door. I guess I couldn't blame her.

Deciding there was nothing of interest to me in the house, I picked up my back-pack, and casually walked out the door, slowly closing it behind me.

It hadn't been a good two years after Uncle Ben's passing... but that was the last day of the best of my life.

xXx

The following morning, I dropped out of school. I was on my way to my high school diploma, countless scholarships, a real chance to attend Empire State University; and I threw it all away.

I haven't talked to Aunt May much since that day. I've tried to reconcile with her, and she's had her fair share of tries as well, but things haven't been the same. I don't think they ever will. Things will never be the same.

xXx

Every night for the past five years, I've harbored a secret.

Every night for the past five years, I've watched over this city - my city - and I've protected her.

Every night for the past five years, I've helped to put away at least one more criminal, in some misguided effort to redeem myself.

Every night for the past five years, my city has looked upon a vigilante.

Every night for the past five years, Spider-Man has left his mark.

It was on that night five years ago that I had reached my breaking point.

I am Spider-Man.

xXx

Author's Note: This is something I do with almost all of my prologues: you don't get to see any real-time events. You get brought up to speed on the current events (not all of them, but most), and you're hopefully left wanting to read more. This is going to be, and I can't stress it enough, VERY dark. I am not going to rate it M because I don't plan on including any explicit sex in it. Something I did not explain, but it will eventually be stated, is that my "Breaking Point"-Spidey does not wear the standard red-and-blues (though he did when going after Ben's killer). The suit I have planned is slightly inspired by Batman, the Symbiote Suit, and Noir Spidey. Maybe I'll get a drawing of it up somehow. In fact, this Spidey took some inspiration from Batman even non-suit wise, as I only have him operate at night instead of the day-to-night Spider-Man we all know, and he employs scare tactics and stealthiness to take out his enemies. But anyway, let me know what you think. I already have quite a few ideas lined up, and they're going to show a Spider-Man we have yet to see. Also, yes, I know the phrase is "the first day of the rest of my life", but I added a pretty sweet sounding (if you ask me) twist to it, haha! Thanks for checking out the prologue! Here's to more soon.