A day had passed since Will defeated the Scorpion, and he was still slightly recovering. He had shown clear signs of exhaustion from the battle and was now trying to recover his stamina by getting some food. Thankfully, that was helping him feel much better, but he still had something to take care of. But thankfully for him as well, there was no crimes going on, none of Fisk's Fists out yet. Though this could also mean that there's something bigger on the way. He just wasn't sure what it was yet. But for now, he was just glad that Peter let him take the day off. But since he was technically a part of the war Fisk started, he still had his suit under his clothes just in case.
As the curly haired boy was walking through the city, he was starting to think about the last time he talked to Gwen. Ever since their last call, he hadn't had a chance to talk to her again. It's not that he didn't want to talk to her, but he wasn't sure what to say to her yet. Especially since his job now had bigger stakes than before. Lives were definitely in danger, but now supervillains were actively being made to take him out.......he had a lot to concentrate on recently, and he was really trying. But, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think about what she said .... about how he didn't understand what she was feeling.....the memories of his dad's death played in his mind on an endless loop because of that.....how he felt so powerless to stop them from killing him, how he failed to get him to a hospital.....as he thought about everything that happened, the curly haired boy walked ahead, having a set destination in mind.
After walking for an hour, taking a scenic route along the way, Will stopped by a familiar, yet empty house. He stared at it with a saddened expression on his face as he thought about his father. But another thought raced in his mind. Those words Gwen had said during their last phone call. She was wrong about not knowing the feeling....he had known that feeling at the time with his father..... but he did feel guilty for sticking his nose in business it shouldn't have been in in the first place......he stood in front of that house, seeing the For Sale sign still stuck on the front lawn. He truly wanted to go inside and reminisce about his time living there, but he knew it wasn't a good idea to. Not only because he had severe trauma from that happened just under four months ago, but because he wasn't sure it was legal to.....so all he could do was stare at the house.
A block and a half away, Gwen was walking down that same street, staring at her phone. She was waiting for a response from Will since their last conversation. She tried to talk to him before classes, after classes, even after school, but he either got lost in the crowd or ran away. He couldn't have seen her when he tried to run ...too many people in the crowd......he must've gotten busy because his boss had to call him in for work....at least that was what she thought. Sure she had the time to say what she wanted to say, but she felt the sooner she did, the better. Especially since she genuinely wanted to apologize for their last talk. She wouldn't blame him for not wanting to talk to her, but she had to try. She didn't want to lose him because of a mistake.
She looked all around the neighborhood Will once lived in, observing the older houses. She did wonder why his dad once lived in an area that looked.... relatively cheaper compared to the money he earned. Was he trying to be financially smart? Did he help his ex wife with her home and figured the house he lived in was fine? She didn't know....but she'd like to learn from Will when she could.
Meanwhile, another block away, the opposite direction Gwen was headed, the now Rhino stomped his way down the block in hopes to find the web slinger. Along the way, the neighbors in the area were all running, terrified by what they saw. Especially since a near 2-3 story sized rhinosaurus man was on the loose. "Where's the bug? Tell me so I can squash em!" He demanded, his voice much deeper and rough compared to his original human voice. But no one would answer him, making him angry as he ran into cars with his horn and destroying other cars or tossing them with his newfound strength.
Back with Will, he could feel the ground shake from some source he didn't know about. What he saw was a family running as fast as they could and tried to get answers. "Hey what's going on? Is it that Terrainia guy again?" He asked with concern.
A woman held her frightened child close to her body as she looked at Will. "Worse than that Will......a large rhinosaurus man is running wild searching for Spider-Man!" She answered as quickly as possible to escape from the danger zone.
As soon as the words "rhinosaurus man" hit his ears, the curly haired boy's eyes widen. 'Rhinosaurus man???? Oh no.....' He thinks to himself realizing what this meant. Another supervillain being made. He had to change into his suit as fast as possible. But he could tell this rhino man was close.....and getting closer.....based on the previous two enemies he fought he could guess it was one of Bunzisky's men. First it was Bunzisky himself, then it was Jonathan. The only two people left were Drake and Aaron. He knew he'd figure out who based on the speech pattern, but he had to get him talking first. But he had to make sure to get him away from the neighborhood. So out of instinct, the boy ran towards the danger and took a deep breath.
Back with Gwen, she saw people running away and was curious to see what was going on. Without thinking, she sprinted forward, not thinking about the danger she could be in because Spider-Man would help her.....she hoped.....what she saw made her heart stop and drop to the floor. She immediately recognized Will thrusting himself towards a large rhino man without any fear. "What is he doing?!" She asked herself as she tried her best to reach for him.
But as Will ran and got closer to him, he slid under the villain's legs and stood on his hands squatting down. "Hey, Toro Toro!" He tried to get his attention to get him away from the neighborhood.
Thankfully, or regretfully, Rhino had his attention squarely focused on Will now. With moves like that, he smirked seeing someone so clever. "So....you think you're pretty clever eh boy? Why don't I show ya you ain't as clever as you think Richardson?!" He asked while getting ready to charge.
Will could recognize exactly who it was based on what he said. That was undoubtedly Drake. Now he had a man that was larger than before, trying to kill him in both forms. He had screwed with him as both Will and Spider-Man. So this concerned the troublemaker more than before. He could feel the monster get closer based on his footsteps getting louder and the ground shaking more frequently the closer he appears. He didn't have much time to think of a way to get away. So with panic, he dove toward an alley, getting in front of a dumpster and crawling underneath it the best he can. Once Rhino slammed his horn in the dumpster, it got stuck on his head. This gave Will a little bit of time to get further away and change into his suit.
Meanwhile, Gwen was trying to catch up with them to the best of her abilities. She had to help Will get away from this.... gargantuan beast before he got hurt. But what she saw first was the dumpster on his horn....stuck like it had glue on it. Was Will able to make a clean getaway? All she knew for now was that she had to find a way to get to him.....the other side of the alleyway! It was her only way since Rhino was blocking one way. Or the fire escape! Maybe she could climb up it to get down to him! No that'd take too long..... the other side it is. It's the best chance. She sprinted as fast as she could to get to Will, being sure Rhino didn't get to him first! "Please hang on! I'll be right there!" She pleased with herself, praying that she'd reach him before he was killed.
Meanwhile, the curly haired troublemaking boy was desperately trying to get away from Rhino. All he needed was another pathway, a fire escape, or....a sewer! Either would work. But seeing him run into the open city would risk a lot of people figuring out his secret or people getting hurt. The fire escape was too high up and who knows who'd see? The sewer was his only hope. Immediately, he ran to get to the sewer and remove the manhole cover, which would give him the privacy he was searching for. "Okay....just gotta hurry!" He said while frantically trying to get it open. In his panic, he saw Gwen about to run to him to get him to safety. "Stay back Gwen! This isn't safe for you!" He called out frantically to get her away. But all it did instead was make her get closer to him.
Gwen was far too determined to get to Will to be afraid. So much so that she was going to get him away from the threat and anywhere she can get him. "I don't care! I'm not leaving you behind!" She called out as she got closer and closer to his hand.
Will was immediately able to sense danger with his spider sense. With it, he could tell the dumpster that was stuck on Rhino's horn was off and launched into the air. Though in his panicked state, he didn't know if it would crush them if he couldn't get them to safety or not. So without thinking, he first shoved Gwen away from him, all while opening the manhole cover....until the dumpster slammed on top of where he was standing.
In a flash, Gwen felt everything happen all at once. The moment she felt herself tumbling on the ground, she saw the dumpster land on him. Tears started to burn her eyes and hit the pavement. "No...nonono WILL!!!" She pleaded desperately trying to get to the dumpster. She wanted to help him lift it, but Rhino immediately intercepted her with his running speed.
As Rhino towered above her, he couldn't help but snort at what he had done. "there goes that punk. Now for the bug." He boasted proud of his accomplishment before seeing Gwen. "Although....."
Upon hearing him, and in her already frightened state, Gwen sat frozen by the dumpster that was basically flipped upside down. All the thoughts of Will raced in her mind, like how she couldn't apologize for what she said, or couldn't save him......she was so close......she stared at the large rhinosaurus man, frozen with tears falling down her face, body trembling, breathing very shaky and no idea what to do.......this could be her last moment.....that was all she really knew.....
(Editor's note: yes a cliffhanger. Trying to plan out this chapter took forever but I promise it was worth it. Hope you're enjoying so far! :3)