'I'm going to check the alley we searched first last night, just in case he came back." Vinny explained and the brothers headed just around the building. The cop's search was faster this time, not looking for microscopic evidence, just a full size body.
"Where to next?" Joey asked.
Vinny looked up and tried to figure out which window was Joey's. He left the light on and hung a rag out to make it easy to spot. "There's your window, so he headed that way," pointing across the alley to the other building. "Let's check around the other side."
When they turned the corner of their neighboring building, they found the alley too small for anyone to fit. "Ok, onto the next one."
When they reached the third alley, it was large with lots of places to hide. "C'mon, let's start at the far end and work our way back."
"Where do we look?"
"Everywhere. Inside dumpsters, boxes, trash cans, whatever is big enough to hold someone the size of Spider-man."
"Yeow!" Joey jumped back about 3 feet when he moved aside a large box and a cat jumped up and ran away.
"You ok?"
Taking a deep breath, Joey said, "Yeah, that cat scared the shit outa me."
Vinny stopped and glared at his brother, "Watch your language young man."
"Uh, sorry."
Minutes later, as they emerged from the alley, Vinny muttered, "It's gonna be a long night."
That's when they heard the shot.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" sang one of the gang members. "We won't hurt you, we just want you off our turf."
Another member said to the leader, "Maybe he's gone."
"Well, if you think so, why don't you just waltz right in and check it out for us?" he taunted, who then turned to another member, "Wolfie, you know this alley. The wall at the end is just a plain wooden fence. Why don't you run around the block, come in the other side and climb over. Take a look see. Bring a couple of buddies with you."
The remaining gang members inched into the dark alley on this side, using whatever cover was available. Rat, the leader, turned to the youngsters next to him, "How many did you say you saw?"
"Um, now that I think about it. I didn't actually see any."
"What do you mean, you didn't see any?" Rat growled.
"We's heard a gun and a deep loud voice told us to scram. He sounded really big and mean. And it was definitely a gun we heard."
"I oughta make you go in there first."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wolfie had made his way around the block and was sneaking up the alley from the other side. "Bend over," he commanded under his breath to one of the two other gangbangers."
"Whadaya mean, 'bendover'?" he hissed.
"I need to take a look see over the fence. Do you see anything over here I can climb on?"
The teen reluctantly bent over near the fence.
"Hold still, will ya, this ain't easy." Wolfie complained.
"Well it ain't easy being a human step ladder either."
Wolfie placed just his fingertips on the top of the fence then ever so carefully, lifted his head high enough to see over. "HOLY SHIT!" he yelled just as a bullet ripped a hole in the fence a few feet away.
"Ha! You missed," he cried to his attacker as he jumped back.
"No I didn't. I hit exactly where I aimed," came the reply.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"The shot came from just over there," Vinny said worriedly. "You stay here."
"No way! That could be Spider-man!"
"Joey. This is a bad neighbahood, it's dark, late at night. What makes you think this has anything to do with Spider-man? Now, I'm going to check it out and call in backup. You stay here!" Vinny commanded.
"I know it's him. And that's your gun we heard."
"Oh and since when have you become on expert on telling the caliber of gun by the sound!" He turned and trotted away, glancing over his shoulder once to make sure that Joey didn't follow.
Not to take this hiding in a corner, Joey just knew in his heart, it was Spider-man. He was probably shooting in the air asking for help, just the way cowboys did it back in the old west when they needed help. Disobeying his brother, the boy slunk along the buildings staying deep in the shadows. He would stay just within earshot of his brother.
Vinny walked slowly, hand on his unbuckled but still holstered gun. The shot came from this vicinity. He peered into each shadowed doorway, slipped around each uninviting alley, and generally was on full alert. He froze in his steps when he saw three people run from an alleyway half a block up. Taking to the streets, using the parked cars as cover, he scurried up to the opening. He could make out several people in there, talking softly, hiding from something. That's when he heard it.
Joey was mimicking his brother's footsteps several yards behind him and also took to taking cover behind the cars, but on the far side of the street. He also heard it.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Spider-man was on full alert, his spider-sense screaming off the hook. Even though he didn't see anyone he felt that there were at least four men at the opening of the alley. But it was the noise coming from the other side of the fence a few feet away that worried him more. There were at least two on the other side, which he suspected were trying to ambush him.
He looked down at the gun. He really didn't want to use it. He hated them. But in his condition his options were limited. Whoever came over the fence could easily be knocked out with a webball, but that's a silent weapon. The noise of gunfire might just draw enough attention that the gang would chose to leave instead of go after just one trespasser.
The decision was forced upon him when a head peeked over the top of the fence. Spider-man aimed the weapon to go through the fence at least two feet away. The splintering of the wood added to the dramatics. He had just hoped that the bullet didn't ricochet on the other side, hurting someone.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Wolfie and his two cronies took cover away from the flimsy fence. He called out as loud as he could, "Rat! Hey Rat! You'll never guess what we caught in our little trap. We's caught ourselves a SPIDER!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" the leader growled back.
"Our bum with a gun is Spider-man. And he doesn't look very good. He's sprawled behind the dumpster. But look out, he got a gun."
"He, he. Well, whadaya know. We done caught ourselves a spider." Rat said to his fellow thugs. Then yelling back into the alley, "Hey Spider-man! What's wrong, get sprayed with Raid?"
In response to the silence, the leader continued, "We know you're in there wall-crawler. And if you think we're gonna run, forget it. You're worth millions dead."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
When the goon spoke about being missed, Spidey hoped that it meant he didn't get a good look at him. But his hopes were dashed when the guy yelled over to someone named 'Rat' that he was their victim. 'I don't believe this. I have taken on super-villains, and come away almost unscathed. But a 10 yr old kid and a gang of thugs do me in.' He looked up and judged the distance to a fire escape platform. He webbed it and attempted the swing up, only to collapse in pain. Clutching his side, he thought, 'That's not going to work. I wonder if a have a better chance against those idiots on the other side of the fence. I'm sure there's not as many of them. And I could probably get away with just webbing them. But, can I even make it over the fence?'
When he heard the bad Raid joke, Spider-man responded only to himself, "I'm the one who's supposed to be doing the wisecracks." He took a deep breath, and looked at the gun once again. 'I know definitely it was fired twice. Once at me, once at the fence. But was that all? So I could have as many as four shots left, or as little as none. Looking at the gun from the front will solve that problem, Spidey.' Under the mask he laughed, 'Yeah, go ahead and point the gun at your face. With your luck, you'll blow your head off too.'
Spider-man reviewed his dire situation. His insides were aflame from the injury. He didn't have the strength to climb out of the alley or web out. He wasn't even sure he could walk. There were at least four, if not more, goons waiting for him at the mouth of the alley, and at least two on the other side of the fence. He wasn't in any condition for a frontal assault on the gang, and he wasn't sure if he could climb the fence with the necessary speed and agility to catch those on the other side off guard. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he could climb that fence at all. Gritting his teeth to the pain, all he could think of was sitting here and waiting. They weren't going to attack as long as he had a loaded gun. But the next big question was how long could he remain conscious?
'Where was the cavalry when you needed them?'
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vinny couldn't believe his ears. Joey was right, it was Spider-man in there. He was concentrating on his next course of action when he was tapped on the shoulder. Jumping about a foot up, but biting his lip to keep from screaming, he spun around only to come face to face with his younger brother. Heart pounding a native dance in his chest, he whispered through clenched teeth, "I thought I told you to stay PUT!"
"I told you it was Spider-man."
"I don't care. I told you to stay back there out of danger!" Looking around he realized that it would probably be more perilous for him to move back to safety than to remain where he was now. "Listen, you had better obey every command I give you until we're out of this mess. UNDERSTAND?"
Joey nodded.
Vinny turned his back to the car he was hiding behind and sat down on the road. "Think! C'mon Tarentetta, think. There's got to be a way to save Spidey without getting your own head blown off."
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and placed a call.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rat taunted, "We can wait forever, bug. We don't have no place to go. Even when the sun comes up, no one bothers with us." Then turning to two of his buddies, "Go around to the other side of this building and climb to the roof. You should be able to get a couple of shots off at him from up there. Don't worry about hitting him, just draw his fire. We'll take him when he runs out of bullets."
"But suppose he comes up after us? He climbs walls, remember?"
"You moron. If he was in good enough shape to climb the wall, he would have done so a long time ago. But instead he's sitting in there with a pop-gun. Means he's hurt real bad. Now get going!"
Feverish, Spider-man struggled to stand. As he listened to the Rat mock him, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. His reflexes were still sharp and he shot a web ball at the gang member climbing over the fence. He was knocked back to the other side. 'I sure hope he's out cold. That would be one down.'
He eyed the fence and noticed a handy stack of wooden crates along side. Apparently somebody had already set up those makeshift stairs for an easy climb over. He had staggered over to the lowest box when his spider-sense went off. He ducked just as a bullet from above ricocheted off the brick wall. He dove back to the dumpster. Shoving it away from the building he sandwiched himself between the two as another bullet slammed near him. A rat jumped out of the dumpster and landed on his chest. Before he could react, the rodent scampered down the length of his body and disappeared into the depths of the alley. Holding back the repulsion, he coughed out a laugh, "I never thought I end up dying like this, in a slime-coated, rat-infested, roach-laden alley."
Spider-man couldn't believe his ears when police sirens sliced through the air. 'There is a cavalry after all. Keep coming guys, keep coming.' The sound of departing feet on the other side of the fence was music to his ears, but he didn't hear the same from the mouth of the alley. Not knowing if the sirens would pass him by or were coming to his aid, he juggled whether to make a run for the fence or not. He knew most of the gang members were still between him and the street. He didn't know if anyone was still on the roof. But he was almost sure that they were gone from the other side. He was preparing to leap for the fence, when he heard, "Police! Freeze!"
He let out a breath of relief until he realized that the running feet he heard next were not going farther away but coming closer. The gang members were running from the police in his direction. 'Oh great!' He was not sure if they were going to try one fleeting attempt to kill him as they went by. Lying on his back, sandwiched between the dumpster and wall, he aimed the gun towards the opening and held his breath. His view of the fence was limited, but he heard several bodies climb over it. He released the lungful of air he was holding and relaxed the death grip he had on the gun, when he heard the last of the gang drop over the fence.
On the verge of passing out, he jumped when the dumpster rolled away from him. Heart exploding in his chest he almost fired the weapon when he saw Vinny peer around the bin.
"Spider-man!"
"Oh, Vinny, am I glad to see you."
"How are you doing?"
"Not so well. Think you can give me a hand?" Spider-man said with a cough.
"Listen, I had a buddy of mine use the siren on his car and do a drive by. But right now, it's just me. There's more cops on there way and I got to get you out of here before they get here. It'll get way too complicated if they find out about this whole mess. I sent Joey home to pick up a few things, then we'll waltz you out of here." Vinny turned towards the street as the sounds of more sirens approached. Then back to the super-hero, "Can you make it over the fence?"
"I can only try."
"C'mon. But gimme my gun first." The young officer took the gun and put it in his ankle holster.
"Damn you're heavy," grunted Vinny as he pulled Spidey from behind the trashbin. Half holding him and half pushing him, the cop got the wounded man to the highest box only inches from the top of the fence. Although he was trying to climb it, Spider-man ended-up crumbling over instead and landed hard on the other side.
"You, ok?"
"Ok just overall, or ok from the fall?" came the wisecrack from an otherwise unmoving body.
Vinny hesitated as he waited for his brother. He was rewarded moments later when Joey came panting up. "Where's Spider-man?
"Over here," came a weak voice.
"Stop chatting and get on the other side, quick. I don't want to have to try to explain this whole ordeal to my boss."
The brothers quickly vaulted the fence and landed beside Spider-man.
Getting the hero into a sitting position, Vinny said, "Sorry Peter," and yanked his mask off before Spider-man knew what happened.
Words couldn't even escape his lips, he just stared at the cop, unbelievingly.
"I already knew, Pete. C'mon, put my sweats on over your outfit. Let's get you some help."
"Just get me back to my place. I'll take it from there." Peter was finally able to say after the shock of being unmasked.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vinny and Joey struggled with the half conscious hero up the stairs. They weren't looking up when they ran into a middle-aged African-American man.
"Oh God, Peter. What have you gotten yourself into now?" he asked.
"You know him?" Vinny asked.
"Yes. I'm Doctor Carl Jackson, his personal physician."
"You're Doc Jackson? I'm Vinny Tarantetto"
Opening the door to Pete's apartment, he said, "You're the officer that I spoke to earlier? What do you know of what happened to him?"
Before Vinny could make up an excuse, Joey blurted out, "I shot him. It was an accident."
Seeing the pain in the young boy's eyes, Carl knew immediately that it was an awful accident. "Well, why don't we get him inside and fix him right up? What do you say?"
The boy just nodded.
The doctor looked at the cop with a questioning expression on his face.
"He's my brother." Vinny stated.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Just as the doctor was finishing tending to his wounds, Peter came to.
"Doc. What are you doing here?"
"I came over as soon as I heard you were missing and hurt. I hoped you'd be here. Peter, I'm going to go broke if I have to dump all my paying patients to tend to you." He said with a smile.
"Where's Joey?"
Carl looked towards the boy, "I think he's probably referring to you."
Joey stepped forward, tears clouding his eyes, "Peter, I'm really …" but before he could get the word 'sorry' out, he started bawling.
"C'mere, Joey." And Spider-man reached for him. "Sit."
Looking straight at him, Peter said, "It was an accident. I shouldn't have startled you like that. It was my fault. You shouldn't have been handling a gun, but I should have known better than to sneak up on someone with a gun. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm ok. I'll be just fine. I've been hurt a lot worse, believe me. Right Doc?"
"Yes, you have. And we need to talk about that."
"There, ya see Joey, Spider-man's gonna be ok." Vinny added. "And we'll discuss the gun thing later."
The tears had abated when Joey spoke, "I am really sorry Peter. About everything. And I'm also sorry that I told Vinny where you lived. But I thought you were hurt. I had to find you."
"You did fine, Joey. I won't have wanted it any other way. I'm really lucky you guys were looking for me, or I'd be history by now."
"You can thank Joey for that. He insisted that we go out looking for you." Vinny stated.
"Well, I owe you one, young man. You saved my life"
"Uh, uh. We're even, Peter. Remember you saved my life and Vinny's. I think we still owe you one."
Peter smiled, "Nah, we can call it even. So, Vinny, is Peter Parker still invited to the wedding?"
End