Chapter 59: Lizard

In a New York City subway station, two maintenance workers were inspecting the tracks and nearby facilities.

One of them, though not very tall, was clearly in his forties and highly experienced. The other was a young man, likely no more than thirty, who listened attentively to the older worker's explanations.

"Trust me, you'll come to love this job. That's my opinion after over twenty years in this field," said the older worker.

"Sure, it's a bit dark down here, but it's warm in the winter, cool in the summer—always a comfortable temperature. Plus, you don't have to deal with your boss all the time, avoiding office politics, haha." he continued, efficiently checking the electrical box while talking to the new worker holding a flashlight.

The young worker had been on the job for a few days and was starting to get the hang of it. Nodding in agreement, he replied, "From what I've seen these past few days, it's definitely better than my last job."

"I used to work in the television industry. Not only did we have to do a lot of overtime, but the boss had a bad temper. We got yelled at every day—it was pissing me off."

Surprised by his answer, the older worker exclaimed, "Television industry! Then you must know how to fix TVs. My TV at home keeps showing double images."

Scratching his head, the young man apologized, "Sorry, I don't really know much about that. I used to be a supervisor at a TV station, not in charge of repairs."

"That's a shame," the older worker said. "But compared to being a TV station supervisor, this job is definitely better."

"Yeah, no one's yelling at me or ordering me around anymore," the young man agreed, smiling with satisfaction.

Just as he finished speaking, the older worker's face turned pale with terror. He pointed behind the young man and stammered, "Wh-what is that?"

The young man quickly turned around to see a pair of blood-red eyes staring at them from the darkness not far away.

A beast-like panting grew louder in their ears as the red eyes drew closer with heavy footsteps.

"Ahhh! A monster! Run!" the older worker screamed in panic, grabbing the stunned young man and pulling him along as they ran for their lives.

They ran faster than they ever had before, driven by sheer terror.

The subway line connected to the sewers, and they had just come down from a street-side manhole.

They quickly ran to the spot where they had descended. The ladder wasn't long, and in a few swift moves, they clambered out of the manhole, scrambling towards the car parked nearby.

The young man moved faster, already in the driver's seat, turning the key to start the car.

The older worker had just opened the passenger door when another manhole cover nearby was pushed open by a large, green-scaled hand.

The hand grabbed his ankle and started pulling him down.

The older worker clung to the car door, shouting in terror, "Help me! It got my leg!"

The young man in the driver's seat urgently grabbed the older worker's hand, trying to pull him up.

But the monster's strength was far beyond what the two men could manage. Within seconds, the older worker was dragged into the sewer.

The young man, still reeling from shock, watched as the older worker disappeared into the manhole. He had tried his best to hold on but couldn't.

He quickly started the car and drove towards the nearest police station. However, the red eyes from the darkness kept appearing in his mind, making his hands shake uncontrollably.

Originally aiming to drive to the police station, his route became increasingly erratic. The more he panicked, the less control he had over the car.

The car's wild path forced many vehicles off the road, with several unlucky ones getting sideswiped or crashed into.

The young man finally remembered to brake, but no matter how hard he pressed, the car wouldn't slow down. The successive collisions had likely damaged the brakes.

"Red eyes! Red eyes! Oh no! Stop chasing me!"

The extreme tension made the young man feel as if the monster was still following him. In the rearview mirror, he kept seeing those terrifying red eyes.

The car had already broken through several barriers and reached a road near the sea.

At that moment, a red and blue figure descended from the sky, landing squarely on the car roof.

The commotion had, of course, attracted Spider-Man's attention. Peter had been trailing the car, swinging along, but its speed after losing control was quite fast.

If it weren't for the collisions with roadside vehicles and barriers that slowed it down a bit, he might have ended up fishing someone out of the sea.

"Hey! Sir! Calm down!"

"Get a grip on the wheel, steer away from the sea, head towards those road barriers to slow down, and pull the handbrake!"

Peter shouted, his head poking through the car window while lying on the roof.

Seeing Spider-Man appear, the young man calmed down a little, but his hands still trembled uncontrollably. He didn't steer towards the barriers but continued heading straight towards the sea.

"Damn it!" Realizing the dire situation, Peter flipped off the roof, yanked hard, and tore the driver's side door off.

The car was beyond control, and he had to ensure the man's safety.

As he pulled the door off, the car hurtled off the road, suspended momentarily above the sea.

Peter accelerated his actions, pulling the young man from the driver's seat while shooting a web to stick to the guardrail, preventing them from falling.

The car plunged into the sea, sending up a massive splash.

Peter, holding the young man, used the web's elasticity to jump back onto the road.

"Phew~" Peter set the young man down, exhaling deeply. "Hope your car insurance is up to date. And I think you might need to retake your driving test. This kind of driving won't do."

"Red eyes! There's a monster in the sewer!" The young man hugged his legs, still muttering in terror.

Listening to his rambling, Peter scratched his chin. "Uh-huh~ Are you sure it wasn't a hallucination? Red eyes could just be some kind of equipment light."

"No! Sir, I swear it's real!" The young man exclaimed with wide eyes. "My colleague and I had already escaped the sewer, but it dragged him back in."

"Alright, seems like more trouble." Peter rubbed his forehead, a bit distressed. "New York City never gets a moment of peace."

"By the way, sir, make sure the police don't blame this on me again." Hearing the approaching sirens, Peter said to the young man sitting on the ground, then shot a web and left.

He was supposed to be heading to work at the Daily Bugle but got caught up in this incident, so now he was going to be late again.

°°°

Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!

Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction

I post 10 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.