NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: Blood
The next day, Natasha Romanoff in her black tactical suit, and Clint Barton, his quiver loaded with arrows slung over his shoulder arrived at the scene. The cops couldn't handle the situation and called the nearest Shield outpost for help.
The local police had sealed off the area, but the officers seemed relieved when the agents arrived. One of them, a young detective with a pale face and trembling hands, gestured toward the bar. "You'll want to see this. It's... bad."
Natasha raised an eyebrow but said nothing, stepping inside with Clint close behind. The sight that greeted them was worse than either expected.
The bar was a scene of utter carnage. Blood coated every surface, dripping from walls and pooling on the floor. Body parts were scattered across the room as if someone had detonated a bomb filled with human remains. The smell of iron was suffocating. Near the counter lay a dried-up corpse, its skin shriveled and stretched over brittle bones. Its face was frozen in a mask of terror, with hollowed-out sockets where eyes once were.
"Ugh," Clint muttered, covering his nose. "This place smells worse than a butcher shop in a heatwave."
Natasha ignored his comment, crouching near the dried corpse after she took a quick look around. "This isn't just a simple attack," she said with a grim expression. She had seen two similar scenes previously, one in Kingpin's base and the other in Oscorps' hideout, but this was even worse than those two. "The blood's still fresh—still liquid—even though hours have passed. And it's... boiling." She looked at the little bubbling pool of blood on her right. "That's not natural."
Clint nodded, pointing to a blood-splattered wall. "I've seen some messed-up things, but this is new. You think it's vampires?"
Natasha stood up, shaking her head. "No. If it were vampires, they'd have drained the bodies completely, not wasted this much blood. This is something else."
He tapped an arrow against his chin, thinking. "Some kind of blood magic, maybe? I mean, I'm no wizard, but this feels... ritualistic."
She didn't answer immediately, her eyes narrowing as she examined the scene. "Look at this." She spotted scorch marks on the floor near the corpse and bent down, brushing her fingers over the charred surface. "These markings... could be from some kind of portal. Someone came in and left quickly."
Clint frowned. "So, we're dealing with someone who's not just a killer—they've got powers. Great."
Natasha turned to the detective, who had cautiously stepped into the doorway. "Who called this in?"
The detective swallowed hard. "A couple of neighbor kids found it. They were messing around when they saw the... mess. Ran straight to the station."
"Any witnesses? Cameras?" Clint asked, gesturing around the room.
"Nothing," the detective replied. "This area's a dead zone. No cameras, no foot traffic. Whoever did this picked the perfect place to go unnoticed."
Natasha crossed her arms, her expression hard. "This wasn't random. Whoever was here had a reason for killing so many people. A grudge, maybe. Or probably just for fun. Sigh! Keep the cops on alert. If we got a maniac on the loose, they might kill again."
The detective nodded. "Yes, ma'am. We'll stay vigilant." He looked around nervously.
Natasha's gaze swept over the blood-soaked room one last time. "We need to report this to Director Fury. Get a team to analyze that blood. Whatever's boiling it might tell us something."
"What should we do about... the bodies?" The detective gestured towards the corpse.
"Keep the area sealed. No one goes in or out till the agents arrive." She instructed, her voice firm.
"Yes, ma'am." The detective nodded.
Natasha walked out, followed by Clint, and they headed toward their parked car. Once inside, Clint looked at her. "So, what now?"
She sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Fury will probably send us after the culprit. We don't know enough about them, but I can already tell this won't be easy."
"Should we ask Emma's team to join in? Don't get me wrong. We are dealing with freaks with power here, and Emma's team has dealt with their fair share of freaks. So, it wouldn't hurt to have extra hands on deck." Clint suggested.
Natasha didn't answer immediately, her eyes lost in thought. Finally, she nodded. "It might not be a bad idea. They are good at their job. So, it might not be a bad idea."
...
[Meanwhile in NY]
Peter Parker, dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, sat across from Sue Storm at a small table in the bustling food court of the local mall. The two of them had finally managed to find some time away from their responsibilities—something that had become rare in the whirlwind of family life and superhero duties. Sue was happily sipping her iced coffee, and Peter, with a grin on his face, was trying to enjoy a much-needed break. It had been a month since his last date with Wanda and Rogue, and now it was Sue's turn. Though it was a simple outing, Peter had missed moments like these.
The sounds of children laughing and the hum of people chatting around them created a peaceful atmosphere, a stark contrast to the chaos Peter was usually wrapped up in. With that many superpowered kids, yeah, it's chaos. Right now, he was focused on his wife. Sue caught his gaze, her blue eyes softening.
"You've been a great dad," she said with a smile, her voice affectionate. "It's good to see you take a breather every once in a while. Don't get too used to it, though. The kids will need their superhero dad soon enough."
Peter chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah, I don't think I could go too long without saving the day. But I'll admit, these little breaks do feel nice."
Suddenly, his smile faltered, and his spider senses spiked. A tingling sensation crawled up his spine, alerting him to danger nearby. His gaze snapped around the food court, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the crowd. There was something off in the air, something he couldn't quite place yet, but the feeling was unmistakable.
Sue noticed his shift in the mood instantly. "What is it?"
Peter's fingers tightened around the edge of the table as he focused on the source of his unease. "There's something wrong," he muttered, standing up abruptly. "I don't know what, but I can feel it." He used his Celestial power to check, but the feeling disappeared. All he got was a streak of red energy and a strong scent of blood. "It's gone! It just vanished!"
"What was it?" Sue asked, her tone tense.
Peter shook his head, looking around the crowded food court. "I don't know. Just a red energy signature. Whatever it was... it was gone in an instant."
"Go," She said with a smile, understanding the situation.
"You sure? I can check it out later," He said.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. Take care of it and then we can continue our date."
Peter stood up with a nod. He teleported outside into the sky and used his power to track down that energy signature.
...
[Location: Somewhere in the Bronx]
In a deserted alley, Skarlet appeared with a spark of red energy. 'That was close. To think he could detect me from that far despite the artifact hiding my power.' she thought, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
She was wearing a tight-fitting dark red dress, black leather boots, and a black jacket. A ruby pendant hung from her neck, and her red hair was tied back in a ponytail. Her face was pale, her eyes cold, and her expression stoic.
"So much power..." She looked at her trembling hands. "I wonder what his blood tastes like?" she wondered out loud.
The thought of drinking Peter's blood sent a thrill through her. She couldn't stop drooling at the thought. 'It must taste as delicious as he looks.'
She licked her lips and grinned. She couldn't wait to savor his taste.
"What kind of freak are you, lady?" A sudden male voice came from behind.
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