I was falling. I kept my eyes locked on Spider-Man but he didn't look back at me. A part of me was grateful that he didn't look; he surely would have seen the fear and desperation that warped my face.
We were within thirty seconds of death. Within reach of my fingertips, Rhino had Spider-Man locked in his grip as the two hurtled towards the ground. I watched in horror as Rhino gripped Spider-Man's wrists and clenched down, forcing an anguished scream to escape from behind Spider-Man's mask. I could almost hear bones crunching above the sound of the wind whistling in my ears. On either of Spider-Man's wrists there was a dim flash of light then plumes of black smoke billowed up and through Rhino's bulbous fingers. Rhino pulled Spider-Man to him, smashing his forehead into Spider-Man's. For a moment, Spider-Man's rigid body went limp.
"NO!" I couldn't stop the scream that ripped from my body.
A small glimmer of life stirred within Spider-Man's limbs. He ripped his wrists free of Rhino's slack grip and in one fluid motion, brought his knees to his chest and kicked Rhino's abdomen, pushing him away from us. He turned his head and reached for me. He pulled me against him, arm snaked around my waist. With his free arm, he reached up (to what I can only assume was attempt to sling out a web to stop our fall) but nothing happened. He lowered his arm, grabbed me with it and tried again with his other side. Again, nothing happened. We were so close to the ground that I could see the frightened expressions on the bystander's upturned faces below us.
"I don't know if this is going to work but it's our only option..." He grabbed me with both hands and positioned me directly in front of him. I could tell by his voice that he was panicked. "Hold on tight."
He held me against his chest and for a moment, I felt like a child again; cheek pressed against my father's chest, the warmth of his body and the sound of his pounding heartbeat strangely soothing to my soul. Our body's began to shift so that we were horizontal to the ground. Over the sound of the wind, I could hear screams. We must have been close to the ground now.
"If this doesn't work," Spider-Man's whisper was the last sound I heard before it happened, "I'm so, so sorry, Mary Jane."
Squealing metal. Air rushing from my lungs. ...and then, darkness.
Reader, don't worry. This wasn't the end of my story. The fates had woven a different demise for me and this was just the end of a chapter, not the end of the whole book. In fact, I guess you could argue that this was just the beginning of a new chapter. A beautiful chapter.
Author's Note: I know what you're thinking "Another cliff-hanger!?" ...but NOPE! I'm actually working on the next chapter right now! Thank you for the reviews! I swear: they keep me going. Please keep them coming :)