The front door came into my view. The clanky, dirty, and worn out sign read, “Joe’s Pizza.” I glanced down at my watch. It read 9:03 and ticked rapidly every idle second. I sprinted harder towards the entrance of my soon to be gone job. People eyeballed me as I entered the impending doorway, hoping Joe himself wouldn’t fire me. The chirping bell shot out a loud ring that, for some odd reason, put me in the spotlight of the pizza joint. I searched around for the boss, but I didn’t see him. My shoulders, which were tighter than a military knot, finally loosened when my mind told me Joe wasn’t here. I casually trotted back to the backroom to clock in, still a bit nervous but altogether starting to ease down after an intense morning. Then, my memory began to play the whole morning back over again. It all started when I woke up to a screaming alarm clock. I got up from my uncomfortable bed and went to the kitchen to get my usual from Aunt May; Pancakes with more syrup than really needed and a glass of OJ. I kissed her goodbye and went to my concealed room to start my day in NYC. Not as Spiderman, the iconic hero though, but as a pizza deliverer for a place in Manhattan called, “Joes Pizza”. I hopped out my window with my spidey suit hidden underneath my delivery uniform and spun a web that shot out towards the opposite building. I went on my daily course. I stopped by the old cat lady’s house which I could hear all the purrs even from up on the swaying buildings. Everything went as normal as could be until I passed by the Collison’s TV place where there was some breaking news. I never actually stop by that place, but today I decided to since I got up earlier than normal. The news had its normal, lame headlines. Then a newscaster who looked panicked spoke out louder and more urgently than before. I remember his exact words about an apartment fire up in Queens. Instinctively a worry broke out inside me. The first thing to come to my mind was Aunt May. I looked even harder at the tiny TV screen. The sound of a helicopter soared above me, which was heading towards Queens. I stepped away from the window and took a deep breath. I pulled out my suit that I swore I would not use in Public ever again and propelled myself back up towards Queens, towards the only real family I had in this world, Aunt May. My heart pumped faster than ever as I traversed from building to building. The smell of fire came to my senses now. Then, the view of the apartment complex got put right in front of me. Police and firefighters were already on the scene. Everything seemed like chaos. Panic ran all around me just like the heroes running in and out of the building right now. “Aunt May,” I said to myself. “I need to save her and anyone else.” I saw an open window on the 4th floor, which is where Aunt May probably is. I jumped into the flames. The black smoke covered all the doorways now. Faint screams echoed the seemingly lonely hallways. I ducked through doorways checking every corner for possible life. “Help!” Screamed a familiar voice. Hope shot out like a gunshot. I raced towards the sound and found someone laying on the ground. Aunt May to my disbelief sat, laying there coughing up the smoke in the room. “Peter?!?” Aunt May asked, on the verge of fainting. “Yes!” I cried out to her. I picked her up and ran to my window of my room which was still opened from before. The open window filtered out some smoke, but not enough to keep Aunt May safe. I had to get her down. I picked her body up. A feeling of bravery and power washed over me now. I hustled to the window and spun a web to get us both down to safety. Firefighters rushed to our aid as I sat down on the ground looking up at the burning apartment. Before I could even speak with Aunt May the paramedics took her into the ambulance and she sped away into the distance. Something wasn’t right though. I felt incomplete. Then, I remembered Joe’s Pizza! I got up from the commotion and spun another web. I had to get to Joe's Pizza on time. Turning around now, I saw Joe himself standing in the doorway. He said only two words to me, “You’re fired!” I wasn’t sad. Walking out of the old, rusty door, I had a sense of pride, not sorrow. Something inside me felt completed. Ben Hadley Grade 8 *Click on ¨previous¨ to read more articles and stories.* Comments are closed.
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