I Am Alone In The World

“so you’re an avenger?!” 

MY HEART BROKE AFTER READING THIS. This is a message sent by someone who’s in Marawi City. English isn’t my first language but I’ll try my best to translate this text message.

“Arianne. Jessica.

Both of you are my two best friends. You’re like a sister to me. You don’t know each other but I just wanna say that I love you guys so much. There is no signal here right now. We are under attack by ISIS. And we are hearing gunshots and grenade. Our mayor isn’t confirming the situation in here to the media. If you know someone, or if you have a connection to the police, soldiers or whatever, we are calling for help. Marawi is on red alert. Someone was beheaded, civilians were shot, schools were burnt. I am telling you, ISIS does not represent ISLAM. These people are evil. I love you guys. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again. I love you so much. Forgive me if I ever done you wrong. I’m not sure what will happen tomorrow. Heard that it’ll be worse tomorrow. I am traumatized by the gunshots. They’ve been saying that this situation is still mild and tomorrow will get even worse. Electricity was cut off in some places and I hope they won’t do that here.”

credits to: Jessica Hong

PLEASE, I don’t care what religion or what belief you have in you or if you’ve got nothing at all,

but please, P L E A S E  pray for my brothers and sisters in Marawi…! 

Of all things to happen – why must this happen when we see a glimpse of hope in our country?!.. Why now?!..

For weeks he sleeps outside whenever he can because even his room is too small. He keeps the lights on as much as possible because every time it gets dark he can’t help but imagine that there’s a hundred tons of concrete on top of him, pressing in on him from every angle, squeezing the air from his lungs - 

Karen has protocols for when his heart gets too elevated, cooling to suit down and reciting a script of breathing exercises to help him through the panic attacks. They help most of the time, even once when Flash locked him in a broom closet after decathlon practice and Peter forgot that he could punch his way out. A janitor opened the door three hours later.  

The nightmares are worse. He cries out for help until his throat is raw but no one can hear him. Sometimes he thinks he can hear a voice replying from beyond the stone and debris, telling him to buck up and stay close to the ground. No matter how hard he pushes, he’s not strong enough to climb free. Sometimes Ned is trapped beside him, sometimes Liz, or MJ, but he can’t save them either. Their voices die off one by one as they’re starved of oxygen. 

He wakes to Karen’s voice in his ear, urging him to inhale and hold it for eight seconds, and then exhale. The lights are still on and he knows that Aunt May will notice the higher electrical bill. Tonight the protocols are enough and the nightmare eventually fades, though Peter doesn’t dare go back to sleep.