An hour ago, I felt a sharp sting on my right calf. At the time, I thought it was a tick bite or maybe even an ant. Either way, I didn’t think much of it. Now though… Now, I’m not so sure. Recently, my leg has started to feel a bit stiff, and the spot where I was bitten is swelling more and more and feels like it’s burning. Lucky for me, according to my map Benton is just a few miles’ walk away.
Turns out a few miles through a forest is a long way when you have to carve your own path through underbrush and spider webs. It feels like I’ve been hiking forever. The bump on my leg has grown a bigger, and my head is starting to hurt. I try to remember what sorts of spiders are out here. I know there’s brown recluse and black widows. I hope I wasn’t bitten by either of those, but I’m starting to think I might’ve been. I should be okay though, I’ve heard no one actually dies from spider bites anymore.
I had to sit down for a bit, my leg started cramping and my head hurts even worse. I’ll get up soon though and make it to Benton. It shouldn’t be far now. I just need a quick break to rest and stretch my leg, then I can get back up. Spider bites aren’t that bad. I’ll be fine.
My backpack is a lot heavier than I remember it being. My leg hurts. Even my stomach hurts. I sit back down again, lean my back up against a tree. Looking around, I notice there’s a lot of underbrush. Hopefully I don’t get bitten again, once is more than enough for me I think. Who knows, maybe once was all I need. Maybe this will be some sort of transformation for me. Maybe by the time I get to Benton, I’ll miraculously feel better, and the doctor will be astounded and tell me he’s never seen a healthier guy, never seen a guy with faster reflexes. That would be pretty cool.
It’s gotten cold out here. It’s still daylight, still sunny, but I’m freezing and my backpack isn’t enough to cover me. Oddly enough, even while the rest of me shivers, my leg feels like it’s on fire. This is just temporary though, just a setback. Soon, I’ll swing my way into Benton to the shock and surprise of onlookers, and this’ll all be worth it. I just have to suffer through this temporary pain first. Sure is an awful lot of suffering though.
I puked a few moments ago, and I barely had the strength to turn over to do so. A bit nasty, honestly. Now cramps are forcing me into a ball on the ground, and I’m still shivering. I don’t recall anything about Peter Parker throwing up after he got bit, but I suppose the artists wouldn’t want to show that in a comic. He probably did puke. I mean, I puked, so it would make sense. Soon enough, this will be over, I’ll be Spider-man, and I’ll have this hike to thank for it. This hike was a good idea.
This hike wasn’t a good idea. My head hurts, my entire body hurts, and the rest is numb. I just want to get to Benton, but I feel like I haven’t moved in hours. This shouldn’t have taken so long. Peter’s transformation didn’t take so long. He did sleep though. Maybe, maybe that’s what I need. I’ll go to sleep. Sleep sounds nice. I think I’ll just... sleep...
