Chapter 195: The Infected Jenny
"What's wrong, Uncle Ben?" Silas asked, turning around as he heard the door open.
"Have you seen my toolbox?" Ben Parker asked. He remembered always keeping it in the storage shed, but when he went to get it this time, it was gone.
"Toolbox? Is it this one?" Silas pulled a black toolbox out from under his bed.
"Yes, that's it." Ben Parker knelt down and opened the box. "How did it end up in here?"
"My desk lamp broke, so I borrowed your toolbox to try and fix it myself. I guess I forgot to put it back," Silas said sheepishly.
"I see. Did the lamp get fixed?" Ben walked over to the desk and switched it on; the lamp glowed brightly.
Silas teased, "Of course it's fixed. I'm the nephew of a master repairman, after all."
"Naturally." Ben Parker picked up his toolbox and headed out the door, a bit embarrassed that Silas was now making fun of him.
As he passed Peter's room, Ben noticed the lights were off. He pushed the door open slightly and saw that, as expected, Peter wasn't there.
"Out again, I see," Ben whispered, closing the door and turning to leave.
"Looks like your identity as Spider-Man has been discovered by Uncle Ben, Peter," Silas thought as he leaned against the wall, having overheard Ben's remark.
Silas had suspected for a while that Uncle Ben knew. Especially that time Peter left his suit in his room—Silas realized later that Uncle Ben had almost certainly seen it.
"Uncle Ben, do you need any help down there?" Silas shouted as he ran down the stairs.
A Hospital in New York
"What exactly is going on, Doctor?" a woman asked anxiously. Beside her, her husband rubbed her back, trying to calm her nerves.
"Your daughter is fine. In fact, she's doing very well," the doctor said, holding up a lab report. "The cellular activity in your daughter's body is equivalent to that of a four- or five-year-old boy."
"Doctor, I don't really understand that. Just tell us the bottom line," the husband urged.
"In short, there's nothing wrong with her. Her extraordinary behavior is likely just a result of this high cellular activity. As for that black 'birthmark' on her back that you said appeared suddenly... we tried to remove it, but it was useless."
"It's as if the mark is fused with her flesh and blood. To remove it, we'd have to cut out the muscle itself," the doctor said, puzzled. It was the strangest thing he had ever seen.
"Thank you, Doctor. As long as she's okay," the husband said, breathing a sigh of relief. The wife also relaxed; she had been terrified her daughter had some terrible disease.
"Alright. Pay the fees at the front desk. Your daughter is with Nurse Melinda; you can go pick her up now." The doctor signed a form and handed it to the woman.
Outside the office, the husband looked at the bill and gritted his teeth. "Vultures. All they did was a check-up and they want this much?"
"It's fine, Evander. As long as Jenny is okay," the woman said.
Evander nodded. "You're right. Sara, you go get Jenny. I'll go handle the bill."
Sara hurried off, desperate to see her daughter. Evander watched her go with a small smile before heading to the reception.
Soon, the family walked out of the hospital. Sara held Jenny, a one-year-old girl, whose head rested on her mother's shoulder. Her long blonde hair brushed against her ears. Her watery black eyes scanned the surroundings. On her back was a black mark that looked like a tattoo, though the doctors had mistaken it for a birthmark.
Jenny looked like any other child, but every night, she became different. For instance, in the dark, her black eyes would glow with a feral red light. When Sara first saw it, she was terrified, but once the lights were on, she realized Jenny was just awake and hungry.
Jenny's appetite was also monstrous—she ate nearly twice as much as her father, Evander.
"Mommy, I'm hungry," Jenny whispered. This was the phrase she used most often lately. While other one-year-olds were just learning single words, Jenny could speak clear, full sentences.
"Alright, my dear Jenny. What do you want to eat?" Sara gave her a loving smile and kissed her forehead.
"I want meat," Jenny said.
"Okay~ we'll go get some right now," Sara laughed.
Evander watched them and sighed inwardly. Their household expenses were becoming too much. If Jenny only ate meat it might be manageable, but she also needed formula and vegetables, and her appetite grew every day. Most importantly, the family was $10,000 in debt, not including interest.
Back home, after putting their daughter to sleep, Evander spoke to Sara about Jenny. He suggested giving her up for adoption. Sara and Evander had a massive argument, and Jenny heard every word from the room next door.
"Father doesn't seem to like me, Little Five," Jenny whispered sadly, clutching her teddy bear.
A small black shadow, less than ten centimeters tall, appeared behind her, showing only white teeth and making a soft chirping sound.
"Thanks, Little Five. It's good to have you. At least I have a playmate." Jenny reached out a chubby hand and hugged the creature she called Little Five. She couldn't relate to other one-year-olds, and older children either ignored her or called her a monster.
Jenny never told her mother about this. When Sara asked why she had no friends, Jenny would simply say: "I don't want to play with them. They're too childish."
The arguing in the next room eventually stopped, followed by the sound of Sara's muffled sobbing.
"They've decided," Jenny whispered.
The Next Morning
"Jenny, we're going to take you somewhere fun today," Sara said as she dressed her daughter. Her red-rimmed eyes showed she hadn't slept at all.
"I understand, Mommy," Jenny said quietly. She already knew.
Hearing her daughter call her "Mommy," Sara almost burst into tears again, but Evander arrived just in time.
"Let's go," Evander said.
Sara picked up Jenny and got into the car. As the engine started, Jenny clutched her teddy bear and looked out the window at the home she had lived in for a year. She knew she was saying goodbye.
"Jenny, are you okay?" Sara asked.
"I'm fine, Mommy," Jenny said calmly.
Sara forced a smile. She felt like her daughter already knew everything; she had always been such a sensible child. The drive was peaceful until they passed through Hell's Kitchen.
BANG! A gunshot shattered the silence of the day.
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