Re: twd: spidey crew
[Later, he might worry about Harry and what the difference in him here meant in terms of what was happening to him out there, back home. But right now they couldn't do anything either way, so Peter tried to focus on the task at hand. And survival; not just for himself, but for everyone. He appreciated Flash's attempts to keep the mood light and normally he'd have joined in, but he kind of lost his taste for humor in the midst of, well, all of this. He hoped it wasn't permanent, because it would be like losing a part of himself-- and maybe he should've tried harder, but it was too late now. Once they were back and safe he'd get back into the swing of things.
He had no idea Gwen was trying not to look at him. Well, okay, maybe he'd noticed only because he kept sneaking glances at her to make sure she was okay, but he didn't realize why. He didn't think of her as weak, far from it, and he didn't think crying was weak either. It was human. But he was trying to be strong, too, to put on a brave face, so it wasn't like he didn't understand. Superhero or not, he just wasn't like Flash. Neither was she, and there wasn't anything wrong with that.
Whatever he'd expected to find, as he climbed the front steps and came up behind Gwen and Flash, it wasn't this. The screams set off alarm bells in his head, but he couldn't look away, and his eyes widened when the man stumbled into view. His gaze dropped to the ugly wound and right, okay, that was bad, but there was barely any time to process before MJ showed up. Peter stared, because she looked so different than the girl he remembered; it had nothing to do with alternate universes and this not being his MJ, no, it was just the way she looked. The shotgun, the way she carries herself, even her hair. He couldn't have ever imagined her wielding a gun, much less shooting someone's head off, but seeing was believing, right?
And he saw.
Right before his eyes, no time to interject, and the man never stood a chance. On some level, logically, he knew it made sense. People who got bit turned, and there wasn't any way (that he knew of) to stop it. And zombies, they weren't human. They were just reanimated corpses; he knew that too. But none of that could change the fact that he was so not prepared for this. Shooting an undead thing when it was trying to eat you was one thing, but a human being? Maybe he hadn't been here long enough to become capable of that. He hated that MJ had. It wasn't her fault, but like Gwen, he didn't ever want to get to that point.]
Hey. [It was a weak greeting, and he looked over at Gwen, her step back, her whisper. He didn't know if Flash and Harry would go in and talk, if they were going to stick around or leave right away, but she shouldn't be out here on her own. Forget making things weird; it was Gwen, and she was upset.] I'll stay with you. [His voice lowered to a whisper, matching hers, and he stepped back, away from the door.]