NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 1: Prologue
In a filthy, dark alley, two thieves argued over their "earnings" for the night. The air was thick, heavy with the stench of garbage and dampness. The only light came from a broken streetlamp, flickering intermittently and casting distorted shadows on the graffiti-covered walls.
The sound of water dripping from a leaky pipe echoed through the alley as the two men crouched in a corner, dividing what they had stolen.
"How much did we get this time?" one of them asked, pulling a worn leather wallet from a bag before tossing it to the ground with disdain.
"Enough to pay for some girls," the other replied, lifting a few bills with a smug grin.
"Seriously, man? That's all you think about?" The first thief shook his head, clearly disappointed. "We're risking our necks every night, and all you want to do is blow it on women? We need to save up, plan something bigger."
The other let out a low chuckle, as if the idea of planning was a joke. "Bigger? Like what? Robbing a bank? You've been watching too many movies, man. We live in the now, and right now, I just want to have some fun."
The man opened his mouth to argue, but a disturbingly calm voice cut him off from above.
"Didn't your mothers ever teach you that it's wrong to take things that don't belong to you?"
Both men snapped their heads up in terror, but all they saw was darkness and the flickering streetlamp.
Instantly, the air around them felt heavier. They exchanged nervous glances, their faces pale and their eyes wide with fear.
"D-did you hear that?" the younger thief asked, his voice trembling.
"Y-yeah…" the older one replied, swallowing hard. He glanced around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, but there was nothing but shadows.
"Come to think of it, since you two are here, I guess that means no—you weren't properly taught."
The voice returned, relaxed yet carrying an underlying menace that sent chills down their spines.
"H-hey, who's there?!" the older one tried to ask, forcing his voice to stay steady.
Then, something moved in the darkness. A figure silently descended from the rooftop above, landing soundlessly on the alley floor.
The two thieves stiffened, their bodies freezing for a moment as the dim light from the flickering lamp finally revealed the figure. Standing before them, a man clad in red and blue emerged from the shadows, his imposing silhouette upright, staring them down with the white lenses of his mask that seemed to glow in the night.
"S-Spider-Man?!" the younger one murmured, his voice shaking with fear as if he had seen a ghost. He stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a glass bottle while staring at the hero, who watched them calmly with his hands behind his back.
"No way… Spider-Man disappeared five months ago," the older one muttered.
"Ohh~? No one told you? I came back today." Spider-Man's voice was casual, yet for some reason, it sent a shiver down their spines. The hero took a step forward, and the two thieves stepped back in unison, as if being cornered by a predator. "And it looks like I've already found two little rats doing something wrong."
The younger thief looked at his partner, panic flooding his eyes. "What do we do? He… he looks different…"
Spider-Man tilted his head slightly. "Different? Hmm… Maybe. But you? You're just like all the others. Small, insignificant, thinking you can take what others fought so hard to earn."
Before they could react, Spider-Man moved. Too fast for them to follow. One moment, he was standing still, and the next, he was right beside the younger thief, gripping the collar of his jacket with one hand.
The thief screamed as his feet lifted off the ground. He struggled, kicking and punching the arm that held him, but the hero's strength was unyielding.
"You know, I used to joke around a lot in situations like this," Spider-Man said in a low voice, leaning closer to the thief's ear. "But today... today, I'm not in the mood to joke."
With a swift motion, he hurled the younger thief against the wall. The impact was so forceful that it left a small crack in the concrete. The thief let out a pained gasp before sliding unconscious to the ground.
Realizing they were screwed, the older thief didn't even think twice before running. But in the blink of an eye, Spider-Man was in front of him, blocking his escape.
"Please…" the thief pleaded, raising his hands in surrender. "I… I was just trying to survive…"
Spider-Man stared at him for a long moment, the white lenses of his mask seeming to pierce through his soul. "Everyone's trying to survive in this cruel world. But only a few choose to steal to do it."
Before the thief could respond, Spider-Man delivered a quick, precise punch. The impact was brutal, sending the man flying backward, skidding across the ground for several meters before coming to a stop—completely unconscious.
The alley fell silent once more, with only the flickering of the broken streetlamp and the rustling of the wind against the walls filling the air. Spider-Man glanced down at the two unconscious bodies on the ground before shooting a web at each of them, ensuring they would stay put until the police arrived.
"Welcome back to the game," he murmured to himself before firing a web and vanishing into the shadows of the night.
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fictional.