Chapter 97: A Deep Realization

On the other side of the city, in a narrow, poorly lit alley, the situation was very different.

The attacker had grown more and more aggressive. His movements lost all restraint. He was undressing his victim with growing impatience, pinning her against the wall next to a row of trash cans. A sharp knife sometimes slid along the lower part of her stomach, leaving light scratches meant to draw out moans. Every sound seemed to excite him further.

— "You like that, don't you? Admit you like what I'm doing to you."

The woman's voice was nothing more than a broken whisper.

— "P-Please… stop…"

— "SAY IT! SAY YOU LIKE WHAT I'M DOING TO YOU!"

Above them, hanging from the fire escape, a silhouette in a red and blue suit was watching the scene.

The suit floated slightly around Gwen's thinner frame. It wasn't as tight as when Peter wore it. But in that moment, it no longer mattered.

— "Facing him head-on is pointless." she thought, her heart pounding hard in her chest. "I need to catch him by surprise and tie him up with Peter's webs." 

She began to descend, step by step, as silently as possible.

That was when she came across the cat.

The animal was perfectly perched on the railing, balanced, motionless, as if it too were watching the assault unfolding below. Gwen stopped. She tried to gently move it aside. The cat growled, claws ready.

— "You're going to let me pass, right?! Someone's in danger!"

Refusing to waste any more time, she forced her way past. In response, the cat leapt at her face. It sank its claws all over Gwen's face, and she let out a cry of pain and surprise. The noise immediately reached the attacker and the victim just below.

The attacker abruptly stopped in the middle of his pleasure. He quickly put away his knife, then grabbed a pistol from the back of his pants, while his victim remained there, frozen. He looked up toward the source of the noise. But before he could even make out who it was, Gwen stumbled and fell into the void, while the cat managed to catch itself without difficulty.

Out of pure survival instinct, she reached out toward the fire escape and shot a web that caught. But by bad luck, the stairwell was extremely damaged. The sudden impact of her weight broke it in less than a second.

— "N-No, this can't be happening!"

Without even meaning to, she crashed violently onto the attacker, making him drop his weapon, which disappeared among the trash, and causing him to lose his bearings for a brief moment.

— "Fuck… what the hell is this?"

Gwen groaned as she got up, the pain still radiating through her entire body.

— "Ow… that hurts…!"

As the two of them slowly got back to their feet, the attacker was the first to see who was on him: Spider-Man. At the sight, he cried out in surprise.

— "Spider-Man?! Sh-Shit!"

He instinctively tried to aim with his gun, but quickly realized he had lost it in the fall. His eyes frantically scanned the surroundings, unable to find it.

The woman, for her part, couldn't take it anymore. She was absolutely terrified and understood nothing of what was happening. Taking advantage of the confusion, she tried to run, but the man grabbed her by the neck before she could get past him and lifted her into the air with both hands.

— "You're staying right here!"

— "Hey!"

Called out, he quickly turned his eyes to the side, just behind his victim. That was when something suddenly stuck to his face, completely blocking his vision. It was a web fired from the web-shooters. He cried out in surprise and let go of the woman, who fell to the ground.

Without waiting, Gwen shoved him with all her strength, sending him to the ground. Then, without hesitation, she covered him with several webs, making sure he couldn't escape.

The attacker growled in frustration as he tried to free himself from his bonds. At the same time, Gwen helped the victim to her feet, still in shock.

— "Are you okay, ma'am?"

As she finished her sentence, their eyes met. For a moment, the woman stopped moving, staring at the person who had just saved her, as if she were only now realizing what had just happened. Gwen, for her part, was perplexed. She stared back at her, not really knowing what to say or how to react. She simply said hesitantly:

— "M-Ma'am… are you o—"

Suddenly, the woman threw herself into her arms, desperate and relieved. She began to cry.

— "T-Thank you… thank you…!"

At first caught off guard, Gwen's eyes widened slightly beneath her mask. Then, in a surge of understanding and empathy, she wrapped her arms around her in return. This moment was very special for Gwen. By saving her, she realized that her choice to act had been the right one… and above all, that she had just saved someone. Not just from a simple assault, but from something that might have followed this woman for the rest of her life… or even killed her.

And despite all the terrible thoughts she had had on the rooftop earlier, having managed to save this life outweighed any negative thought or fear. She was beginning to truly understand what Peter felt and why he did what he did. And that was with or without powers.

After a few moments, they let go of each other. The woman began to straighten her clothes as best she could, then started running out of the alley, thanking her one last time with a sincere look. When she left the alley and rushed into the streets, Peter, who was still on the rooftops observing the different streets, saw her.

While all the passersby ignored her, he jumped into a nearby alley, waited for her to pass close by, then deliberately bumped into her clumsily, making her fall.

— "O-Oh, I'm sorry! I'm… hey, are you okay, ma'am?"

He played the role of the perfect innocent stranger, concerned about the woman he saw in such an alarming state. He held out his hand to her. She quickly calmed down, accepted his help, and got back to her feet.

— "What happened to you?"

— "Y-Yes, I'm fine! I-I'm sorry…!"

She simply tried to leave as quickly as possible, but Peter calmly stopped her, still acting innocent, not wanting to worry her. He wanted to ask her about Gwen, but no… what would be the point? She would probably tell him the same thing as everyone else. Unless he changed his approach. And that was when an idea crossed Peter's mind.

— "W-What? Please, I really have to—"

— "Did you… see Spider-Man?"

The woman stared at him for a few moments, clearly caught off guard by the question. Her eyes, still red from crying, widened slightly.

— "W-What…?"

— "Please, answer my question…"

She found the question completely out of nowhere. And above all… she was now slightly skeptical. She had just been assaulted, she was still panicking, but she had also just been saved by Spider-Man. Without him, she surely would have been severely sexually assaulted… or worse. A hint of concern couldn't help but cross her mind.

— "Are you… are you planning to hurt him…?"

Peter quickly shook his head.

— "W-What? N-No! Spider-Man saved me recently and I want to thank him! I owe him my life!"

Peter stared straight into her eyes. He didn't understand why she was hesitating so much to answer, but he hoped to hear a response that would lead him to Gwen. After a few seconds of hesitation, the woman finally answered softly.

— "Y-Yes… I saw him."

That answer made Peter happy inside… but also worried. He might finally find Gwen… but would she be safe?

— "Where?!"

After a slight hesitation, she turned slightly and pointed toward a street farther behind her.

— "Go that way, then turn left and stop at the first alley. If you're lucky, he hasn't left yet…"

Peter quickly and suddenly hugged her.

— "Thank you! Seriously, thank you!"

He let go of her, then turned around, already ready to run.

— "Take care of yourself, okay?! And if you have any kind of problem, go to the police!"

Still surprised by the whole scene and this unexpected encounter, she didn't answer. She simply watched the young man run off at full speed until he disappeared at the intersection she had pointed out to him.

When he reached the place she had indicated, he rushed into the alley without waiting… and found Gwen. She was covering the attacker in webs from all sides, making sure he wouldn't be able to escape.

— "These webs are really useful…" she thought.

Then, raising her head, she noticed Peter. When she saw his expression, she froze. The young man seemed both relieved to have found her… and deeply angry. Deep down, she couldn't pretend to be surprised. She knew what she had done. But the look in Peter's eyes affected her deeply.

Knowing she was in the wrong, she simply removed her mask and lowered her eyes slightly, like a child caught doing something wrong.

— "I… I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have—"

But against all expectations, she couldn't finish her sentence. Peter rushed toward her and hugged her tightly. Despite his anger, his relief and joy at finding her quickly took over.

— "Never do that to me again."

Surprised at first, Gwen was happy and relieved by his reaction. She hugged him back.

TO BE CONTINUED.