The air felt heavier now, thick with the weight of unanswered questions. Leroy and Aisha stood amidst the debris, the faint glow of firelight casting their shadows long and distorted across the broken pavement. The figures were gone, and so was the bomb, leaving only a hollow unease in their wake. Leroy's chest still heaved from the confrontation, but it wasn't exhaustion gripping him—it was frustration.
"They knew exactly what they were doing," he muttered, his fists clenching and unclenching. "They weren't just some gang. This was planned."
Aisha's gaze didn't leave the spot where the strangers had vanished. Her hands rested on her hips, but Leroy could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her jaw tightened with barely restrained anger.
"Whoever they are," she said, "they're playing a different game. The police won't stop them because they don't even know they exist."
Leroy's fingers twitched, and he felt the faint stirrings of the web in his palms. The power didn't feel as foreign now, but it still carried an edge of danger—like holding a flame without knowing if it would burn him or light the way.
"Then we find them," he said, his voice steady. "We figure out who they are, what they're planning, and we stop them before they can do more damage."
Aisha turned to him, her expression skeptical. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that, Mr. Web Shooter? We're two people in a city that's literally on fire."
Leroy met her gaze, his voice firm. "We start by following the thread."
The words carried more weight than he intended. Leroy couldn't explain it, but he felt something—an almost imperceptible tug, as if the web wasn't just inside him but connected to the city itself. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sensation.
The world around him faded, replaced by a faint hum that seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat. It wasn't sound, not exactly—it was more like an awareness, a sense of direction that pulled him forward.
"There's something… there," he said, opening his eyes.
Aisha raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"
Leroy shook his head. "I can't explain it. It's like… the web is showing me where to go."
Aisha's lips pressed into a thin line. "This is getting weirder by the second."
Leroy offered a faint smile. "You're just now figuring that out?"
They moved quickly, following the pull that guided Leroy like an invisible compass. The streets grew quieter as they left the heart of the riots behind, the chaos giving way to an eerie stillness. Boarded-up buildings loomed on either side, their windows dark and unwelcoming.
Leroy's senses were on high alert, every shadow and sound magnified in his mind. The web's pull grew stronger, more insistent, leading them to an old factory on the edge of the industrial district.
The building was a hulking mass of brick and steel, its once-grand facade marred by years of neglect. Broken windows gaped like empty sockets, and the faint smell of oil and rust lingered in the air.
"This place is giving me bad vibes," Aisha said, her voice low.
Leroy nodded, his gaze fixed on the factory. "Me too."
They crept closer, their movements silent. As they reached the entrance, Leroy noticed a faint glow emanating from inside—an unnatural, pulsating light that set his nerves on edge.
"You see that?" he whispered.
Aisha nodded. "Yeah. And I'm guessing it's not the friendly kind of glow."
Leroy took a deep breath, his hands tingling as the web stirred. "Stay behind me."
Inside, the factory was a maze of rusted machinery and crumbling walls. The glow grew brighter as they ventured deeper, its source obscured by the labyrinthine layout. Leroy's pulse quickened, the web's pull guiding him forward with unwavering certainty.
They rounded a corner, and the source of the glow came into view—a cluster of strange devices, their surfaces sleek and alien against the backdrop of decayed metal. Each one pulsed with an eerie light, casting warped shadows across the room.
Standing among the devices was one of the figures from earlier. He worked quickly, his hands deftly adjusting knobs and switches.
Leroy stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Stop right there."
The man froze, his head snapping toward them. For a moment, his expression was one of surprise, but it quickly shifted to something colder.
"You again," the man said, his tone laced with disdain. "Should've known you'd stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
"What are you doing here?" Leroy demanded, the web thrumming in his hands.
The man smirked, his movements calm despite the tension in the air. "You wouldn't understand. This is bigger than you. Bigger than this city."
"Try me," Leroy shot back.
The man sighed, his gaze drifting to the devices. "Baltimore is just the beginning," he said. "The unrest here is a spark, but we're going to make it a wildfire. This city, this country—they need to burn before anything new can rise."
Leroy's stomach churned. The man wasn't just feeding the chaos—he was trying to ignite it.
"You think destruction is the answer?" Leroy said, his voice rising. "You think this city hasn't suffered enough?"
The man's smirk widened. "Suffering is the only way people learn."
Leroy didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hands, the web forming instinctively.
"Walk away, kid," the man said, his tone almost bored. "You're in over your head."
"Not a chance," Leroy replied.
The room erupted into chaos. Leroy moved first, sending a strand of web toward the devices. The man reacted quickly, drawing a compact weapon that emitted a sharp, high-pitched whine. He fired, and a bolt of energy slammed into the web, disrupting it and sending a shockwave through the room.
Aisha ducked behind a nearby console, shouting, "Leroy, watch out!"
Leroy dodged as another bolt streaked past him, the web thrumming with urgency. He focused, sending multiple strands toward the man, but the weapon disrupted them with precision.
"You're predictable," the man taunted. "You don't even know what you're fighting for."
Leroy gritted his teeth, the web's pull guiding him as he maneuvered through the room. He had to stop the man, but he also had to figure out a way to disable the devices without triggering them.
The fight was far from over, and Leroy knew one thing for certain: he couldn't afford to lose.