10 Years Ago
Silence filled the air as gears and sparks scattered around them. Gwen and Peter's eyes met as she plummeted like lightning toward the bottom of the clock tower.
Her hand reached for him—for a fraction of a second. No sound escaped her lips. Gwen felt her heartbeat race as she fell, watching Peter above her as Spider-Man leapt in desperation.
Peter had been right about what could happen to her. Deep inside, guilt gnawed at her since the moment she believed everything would be fine.
A web shot from Peter's wrist. Its thread stretched toward the hand reaching for his beloved. The thin line of hope barely wove its way through the flying gears. It finally reached Gwen, latching onto her clothes—but by the time it did, it was too late.
Inches above the concrete rising fast behind her, Gwen closed her eyes for the last time, staring up at Peter bracing for what came next.
The web stopped her body mid-fall, jerking backward from the impact. It kept her from hitting the ground—but the snap of her spine, the sound of her head striking the concrete, ended everything. Her final breath escaped her lips, painless, swift.
Peter searched the depths below and descended toward her limp body, dangling from the fragile strand.
Terror gripped his heart as he whispered again and again, asking if she was all right. When he laid her down and cut her free from the web, his heart shattered into pieces that tore through his chest.
Color still lingered faintly on Gwen's face as he shook her gently, waiting for her eyes to open and that bright smile to return.
He imagined it—waited for it—but all he saw were her closed eyes, shaded by the darkness of her makeup. Tears welled up as he stared, refusing to believe she was truly gone.
Peter cradled her head softly, afraid that even a touch might hurt her more than he already had.
She couldn't be gone.
She couldn't be gone.
There was so much waiting for her in life.
It was all his fault.
In the shadows of the clock tower, he saw Gwen's father. Captain Stacy's eyes fell from his daughter's still body back to Peter—empty, expressionless.
Peter almost spoke, but no words came. He had failed. He had broken his promise to a dying man. If only he had stayed away… if only—
He couldn't finish the thought. The horrible word that would forever follow Gwen Stacy's name was now reality.
Dead.
Captain Stacy faded into the ruins. His last words echoed in Peter's mind, again and again. Peter buried his face in Gwen's neck, clutching her tightly, refusing to let go.
Leave Gwen out of this.
He wished he had. But maybe keeping that promise… was the only thing he couldn't do.
――――― Time… stops. ―――――
Gwen Stacy opened her eyes slowly, her eyelids heavy—as if refusing to believe she could still see. The light was white… completely white, so bright it made her eyes ache. She breathed unevenly, feeling cold air fill her chest—but it had no scent, no taste… as if the place itself was empty.
She sat up suddenly, scanning her surroundings—smooth, glossy walls stretching endlessly. No windows. No doors. No shadows. She looked down and saw her reflection on the floor like a mirror—pale, drained, lifeless.
Her hand went to her head. The last thing she remembered was… the thread.
The thread that snapped.
The wind screaming in her ears as she fell from the bridge.
Peter's voice shouting her name, fading away.
Then—silence.
Her breath quickened. "No… this isn't real." She ran toward one of the walls, slamming her fists against it. No sound. No mark. Only a faint echo that mocked her.
"Peter!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her voice bounced off the endless white, then vanished.
No answer.
She stumbled backward, falling to the ground, burying her face in her hands.
Was she dead?
Was this death?
No bridge, no city, no time—only this eternal whiteness.
Tears slid down her cheeks. She tried to convince herself it was a dream—an illusion.
But the cold beneath her hands felt too real.
Her heartbeat thudded in her ears.
She opened her mouth again, her voice breaking, full of pain unlike anything she had ever felt before.
"Peeeeeter!"
Silence. Long, unbearable silence.
Then, from the void, a calm voice echoed—mocking, almo
st amused:
"Oh, come now… what's with all the screaming?"
To be continued.
Sorry for the delay, my father passed away 13 days ago
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