This chapter has been rewritten as of 4/9/21.

Note: The transition into the next chapter probably won't make sense right now since this edited version is a lot different from before.

Streetlamps flickered above her, barely emitting enough light to illuminate the path she was following. Her footsteps echoed throughout the eerily silent night; she had long since lost the main streets and she was now wandering about the abandoned backstreets of New York.

Ashley wasn't really sure what had drawn her to walking about the city streets this late at night. Perhaps it was her swirling thoughts or the restlessness that grew throughout the muscles of her legs. The polluted air did little to clear her thoughts, so she was only left with her repetitive strides to ease her mind.

Originally, she had heeded no attention to the warmth that dusted her hip. Although, as foot after foot fell on the pavement of the street, she couldn't ignore the burning sensation it had evolved into. Her fingers trailed down to her hip, where she discovered that the source of the heat was the pouch attached to her belt.

Curiosity wound its way onto her features as she undid the clasp and rifled through the bag. The pads of her fingertips finally brushed against a hard, scorching surface. She yelped in surprise and jolted her arm, though her hands seemed to be under trance inflicted by the object. Within moments, they were grazing against it.

The longer her fingers lingered on the surface, the cooler it became. After several seconds, the warmth had left her hip, and pain no longer tingled throughout her skin from the burning.

She was just about to pull the object out of the pouch when a pulsing warning echoed in the back of her mind. It drew her gaze to a nearby car's side mirror, which revealed a scene of five darkly-dressed men trailing behind her. They were all rather scrappy looking except for the burly male that stood in the front. A sadistic, twisted smile was plastered upon his lips as he intently stared at her.

Panic surged through Ashley and she began to realize all the mistakes she had made that led her to this. For starters, she was a small female walking alone at night. She hadn't even remained on a bustling street that would deter criminals, let alone bringing something that could serve as self-defense for her.

Not wanting them to know that she had caught on, Ashley kept her head forward and only saw them through the reflections of windows and mirrors. Her pace hastened, but it was obvious that the men were gaining ground on her.

When the distance between them had grown far too short for Ashley's comfort, she broke into a dead sprint. Her legs throbbed and pleaded with her to stop, though there was no turning back now. Heavy, weighted footsteps echoed behind her and she knew that they were following.

Before she could realize what was happening, the muscles in her left leg gave out and her knee buckled. This sent her crashing down onto the coarse pavement and caused her to lose any momentum she had going. Ashley quickly scrambled to her feet, only to find that the men had easily caught up and had formed a circle around her.

She nervously backpedaled into a nearby ally and swiveled her head around to find an escape. Dismay flitted across her face when she realized she was completely trapped.

"Wait, please! I don't want any trouble!" Ashley pleaded, feeling her back roughly slam against the cool stone of the building. The leader's hand harshly gripped her shoulder. She could even feel his nails piercing her skin through the jacket. By now, her hood had fallen off of her head, and her icy white hair gleamed in the moonlight.

"I don't care what you want," he spat before firmly gripping her chin in his palm. A nasty, rumbling cackle bounced off of his lips and he moved to the side to let the rest of the men see. "Look at that, boys. I don't think I've ever seen such a fine-looking broad before."

Cat-whistles pierced the terrifying silence as the man nodded in agreement. Her eyes anxiously flitted back and forth, begging that someone would have the decency to put an end to this, but her attempts were futile.

"I don't know, G. Ain't she a little young? Can't be older than 16," one of them spoke up, although the disturbing look of lust never left his eyes.

"He's right! I'm only..."

"Shut up!" The man pinning her against the wall hissed, clamping his free hand against her mouth. She tried to yell and scream for help, but any noise that came out of her mouth was reduced to a mere whisper.

"Nobody's gonna help you, little girl," a man to her left spoke up and flashed her a sickening, malicious smirk. "You should just stop trying."

Well... if nobody's going to help me...

Her mind wandered off as she noticed a gap in the gang's defenses. If she could wiggle her way out of the man's grasp and make a sprint for it, she might be able to get into the main streets and signal for help.

Not wanting to stay in this situation any longer than she had to, Ashley hastily freed a hand and used it to give the man a hard right hook to the cheek. He staggered back, loosening up on his hold just enough for her to pull free and made a dash for it.

Almost there...

She hadn't noticed one of the men stepping toward the opening and reaching out a hand until it was too late. His fingers latched onto her hoodie and threw her to the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.

"Stupid brat," he scoffed, staring down at her as though she were a small insect. "You really think that you could fool us?"

Before she could respond, the man reeled his leg back and delivered a powerful kick to her side. Upon impact, a loud crack rang through the air and sharp, blinding pain shot through her body. Ashley tried to scream in agony, but the lack of air from her collapsed lungs prevented her. Instead, she had to endure multiple more kicks to her broken ribs in silence with tears streaming down her face.

Finally, after what was probably a decent fifteen kicks, the leader of the group roughly picked Ashley up by the throat and brutally slammed her back against the wall. His other hand snaked down to her waist and locked her in place as he forcefully pressed his lips against hers. Bile threatened to rise up her throat at the taste of his disgusting lips and tongue. The man's hand began to venture lower, causing Ashley to squirm in fear. Her skin twitched underneath his revolting touch, but even more panic settled in when she felt him tugging at the hem of her sweatshirt. Judging by the blotches that were beginning to swarm her vision from lack of oxygen, she'd probably pass out before he could try anything.

"Hey! What happened to treating ladies with respect?!" A voice called out from behind them. Before the man could react, a sticky, white string shot out from nowhere and attached itself to his back. He was immediately jerked away from Ashley, allowing her to crumple to the ground while moaning in pain. Black dots were threatening to take over her as she curled up in a ball. Due to her fading in and out of consciousness from the harrowing pain, Ashley hadn't been able to witness the scene that was happening beside her.

The next thing she knew, a figure clad in a skintight suit walked to her side. She screamed once more and frantically tried to crawl backward, but the pain in her ribs paralyzed her.

"Hey, hey. Look at me. It's alright-- I'm not going to hurt you," a young, masculine voice said.

Still, when he kneeled on the ground and held out his hand, she flinched away and let sobs overtake her body. Even if the male didn't seem to be a threat, fear still tenaciously clutched at her body and allowed every worst-case scenario outcome to play out in her head.

"Shh," he soothingly whispered. What was he supposed to do?! He had never saved a woman from a predicament like this before. It broke his heart to see her so terrified and traumatized, and he certainly didn't want to inflict any more fear upon the poor, beautiful girl. This was, without a doubt, way beyond his paygrade. "The bad guys are gone now, ma'am. Everything will be alright." He had never truly wanted to kill anyone before, but the men he had tied up and knocked out were really testing him. If it hadn't been for his self-restraint, all five of them would've already been six feet under.

She was still unresponsive and trembling. With a sigh, he repositioned himself so he was leaning against the wall with her. Her frail frame shifted a few inches away from him, but it was apparent that she was too weak to go anywhere.

Spider-Man noticed her upper body slowly rock back and forth, hinting at what was to come. This wasn't good. What would happen if...

He didn't get to finish asking that question as the girl's consciousness finally slipped away from her and she fainted. Her body fell from its propped-up position like a ragdoll, causing her head and shoulders to land on his stomach with a thump. He immediately tensed from his now-trapped position.

"Oh no," he mumbled, pressing his middle and index fingers to her neck. Thankfully, her pulse was still fine, but his senses warned him of the severe injuries in her abdomen. What if she was bleeding internally? What if one of her broken ribs had punctured her lungs? Thousands of questions swirled around in his mind as he blankly stared at the girl laying on him.

Wait a minute... there was a girl laying on him!

His cheeks flushed a bright red underneath his mask at this realization and he mentally slapped himself. No, this was not the time to think about things like this. It didn't matter how beautiful she was, he was here to help her, not stare. Although, he wasn't sure how much help he could be when the person in question had passed out and was preventing him from moving.

It looked like all he could do now was wait.

>>>>>|<<<<<

The desolate black she had slipped into provided no comfort. She wanted to scream, she wanted to move, but her body was rigid with trauma. Over and over, tear after tear, the wretched scene played out before her.

Ashley could still feel it: the excruciating pain reverberating through her abdomen and the rough skin of his lips assaulting her. Every single inch of skin his prying fingers grazed over burned. Then, right before the scene would restart, the leader's eyes would maliciously shine through the dark. Shivers ran down her spine as he stared straight into her soul.

"Stop!" Her body finally obeyed her demands and let out a yell. Ashley's eyelids flew open to be met by a similarly dim scene, save for a figure looming over her.

The warm presence against her sent her into hyperventilation again. Her arms and legs flailed in the air as she tried to pull her body free, but it was useless. The figure had a firm arm wrapped around her, preventing her from going anywhere.

"Hey! Hey, look at me. It's fine. You have to stop moving ma'am, or you're going to hurt yourself even more," he quietly instructed her, keeping his arm gently wrapped around her. While she did put up a decent fight, his enhanced strength made it easy to contain her.

Admittedly, he wanted to remove his arm and free her, but he knew that she would put herself in even more danger if he did. The shock that was coursing through her veins was probably overriding the immense pain she was in, and when it wore off, she would've wished that she had remained still.

Surprisingly, the girl heeded his words and stilled her limbs. Her chest still rose and fell rapidly, but that was still a lot of progress from her previous state. "What's your name?" He asked gently, trying to create a diversion for her so she wouldn't think about her pain. Her lips remained pressed together in a tight line and she eyed him suspiciously. Several silent, awkward moments passed before she finally caved.

"Ashley."

"You have a beautiful name," he said, but his compliment went unnoticed by the girl.

"Who are you?" Ashley coughed, causing a small amount of blood to paint her lips. He immediately frowned; that was not a good sign. There was a multitude of reasons for someone coughing up blood, and a lot of them were dangerous.

"I'm your friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man," he responded with his trademark grin, despite the fact that she couldn't see it through his mask.

Realization settled into her eyes when she heard the name. "You're a superhero," she half-stated, half-asked. He absentmindedly nodded in response, but his attention was focused on her abdomen.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a train," she grunted, wincing as she spoke the words.

Spider-Man remained silent for several seconds in contemplation. He hadn't ever encountered a situation like this before. "You won't be able to walk home on your own. You wouldn't be able to make it a block with those injuries," he began, gently repositioning his arms to where they were both underneath her. "So I'll have to carry you. Do you know your address?"

"You promise you're just taking me home?" She questioned, her voice wavering in fear.

"I promise."

Ashley thought back to the street sign she had seen when she was first leaving Bethany's home. "I live in an apartment building on 15th street. Do you know where that is?"

"15th street? Yeah, I'm familiar with that area," he nodded. "Which apartment number?"

"364."

For some reason unbeknownst to Ashley, Spider-Man tensed at her answer. Within moments, his muscles had relaxed and he began to pick her up, but she couldn't help but wonder what had made him seemingly nervous.

"Now hold on tight. I'll try to make the ride softer so it doesn't hurt your ribs," he instructed, shifting her weight to one arm and using the other to launch a web. Within moments, their feet had left the ground and they were soaring through the air. Buildings and streets beneath them became a blur as they went on, and Ashley couldn't tell if it was from Spider-Man's speed or her failing health.

Ashley had to give it to him: Spider-Man had taken extreme precaution during the trip to minimalize the discomfort she was in. Each swing was executed with grace rivaling that of a Tolkien elf. Perhaps, the fact that she had undergone severe pain since she woke up in the ally, also helped lessen her misery.

"Is this it?" His voice brought Ashley out of her trance. She hadn't even noticed that they had reached the apartment building, much less that they were crawling on the wall right next to her bedroom window. Just to be certain, she peered around Spider-Man's arm and studied the room.

"It is," she mumbled, although she couldn't help but wonder how he would've known which one it was. There wasn't a number by the window, nor was there a sure way of counting the apartments from outside. So, how could he have known?

Without saying a word, Spider-Man silently pressed his adhesive fingertips against the window and pulled it up. His movements were just as soundless as he crept through the window with Ashley in his arms.

"Lie here for now," he instructed, delicately laying Ashley on her bed as though she was a piece of glass. "But you'll need to be changed into pajamas before I get back. Just take it easy though; we don't want anything else to get injured."

"Pajamas?" Ashley echoed with a small snort. "How old are you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm Spider-Man. Man. I said sleepwear," he said. Ashley chuckled in amusement when he deepened his voice and bowed his chest up.

"Sure you did," Ashley mumbled with a good-hearted shake of her head. Between his actions and high-pitched voice, Ashley could unmistakably identify him as a teenager. "But why would you be coming back?"

"I'm getting something to help with your ribs. It's not like you'll be able to walk to a store anytime soon," he replied, tiptoeing his way back to the window and crawling out. Ashley was now left alone to deal with the immense pain that plagued her.

>>>>>|<<<<<

A soft rapping on her window awoke the girl from her light dozing. She had changed into a soft set of shorts and a hoodie a long time ago and had accidentally fallen asleep while awaiting Spider-Man's return.

Between sharp hisses of pain and grunts, Ashley gingerly waddled over to the window and let him in. The fingers of his left hand were tightly wrapped around a small plastic bag from a nearby pharmacy. Spider-Man laid the bag onto her bed and pulled out its contents, then gestured for her to sit down on the mattress.

"We've got to be careful with this," he said, though his words were so quiet that Ashley could barely hear them. He picked up a white roll of elastic cloth. "Wrapping your ribs might help, but if it's too tight, then it can do more harm than good. Now sit really still and uh..."

He wandered off in embarrassment and wasn't able to complete his sentence. Ashley nodded with a smirk when she realized what he was trying to ask. Her fingers delicately wrapped around the hem of her sweatshirt and she pulled it up to where her ribs were visible.

"Oh," he mumbled, a frown spreading across his face underneath his mask. "That doesn't look good at all."

She looked down at what he was talking about. Ashley could barely stifle the gasp of shock that escaped her mouth. The majority of her abdomen was splattered with purple, red, and blue bruises and a small area where her ribs were supposed to be was dipped in.

"I'm not sure how much I'll be able to help," Spider-Man admitted. "I usually just do the saving. I'm not much of a doctor." With that, he began to wrap the cloth around her ribs. His movements were gentle and calculated as to not accidentally brush against her.

When he had finished with the bandages, he pulled out an ice bag, a bottle of ibuprofen, and some ointment.

"Keep the ice on your ribs for now," he instructed, handing the bag to her. "And take a couple of painkillers. They'll help with the inflammation a bit too. Hold still for a second longer, though; you've got some scratches on your face."

After cleaning his hands, Spider-Man put some of the ointment on his index finger and carefully applied it to the scrapes on her face. Despite not even knowing who he was or what he looked like, Ashley couldn't hide the blush that crept across her skin when his finger trailed across her cheekbone.

Spider-Man paused mid-motion as they locked eyes. Tension thick enough to cut with a knife rippled through the air as they remained frozen, but Spider-Man mentally gave himself a sharp reminder and pulled away.

"You should be good for now," he announced, twisting the lid back onto the ointment before walking towards her window. "Get some good rest, Ashley."

"Wait!" She called out, causing his body to come to a stop right before he swung out of her room. "I... I just wanted to say thank you. I don't know what would've happened if you didn't come along."

"Just doing my duty, ma'am."

With that, Spider-Man disappeared into the night.

Just curious, what do y'all think the hot object in her bag is?