-?Caught in her Web?- (black widow)

Cleo POV

Before the ceiling can crush me, Nat grabs the back of my shirt and yanks me behind a wall. She presses us into the wall, hoping the Widows won't see us through all the debris in the air. The dust swirls, making it hard to see anything.

Suddenly, Nat shoves a body against the wall, ready to strike—but it's just Yelena.

I turn my head for a second, trying to catch my breath, when another explosion goes off. It makes me jump, and my heart slams in my chest.

"To be a Widow, you're very jumpy," Yelena quips beside me. I just roll my eyes, too rattled to respond.

"Where to?" Nat asks, breathless.

"East side. There's a motorbike," Yelena replies.

We sprint out of the building, somehow undetected, but a Widow from below fires a shot that barely misses my head. Before I can even react, Nat grabs my arm and pulls me ahead of her, pushing me forward to run behind Yelena.

We're running across rooftops, and I catch sight of two Widows charging after us.

Nat POV

I'm right behind Cleo when a Widow tackles her to the ground. I rush forward to help, but Cleo's faster—she kicks the Widow off with a hard strike to the abdomen. She stumbles to her feet, and I'm by her side in an instant, helping her stay upright.

"You okay?" I ask, as we run after Yelena.

Cleo nods quickly, focusing on keeping up with us. We're running out of roof space, and Yelena signals for us to grab onto a pipe to escape.

Without hesitation, we follow her lead, hanging on for dear life as the pipe creaks under our weight. Suddenly, two more Widows jump onto the pipe. One grabs Cleo's foot, causing her to slip, and if it weren't for Yelena and me grabbing hold of her, she would've fallen.

But then, one of the Widows lunges at me, losing her balance. I grab her hand to stop her from falling to her death, hoping I can save her. But the second I take her hand, her grip loosens, and she slips from my grasp, plummeting down.

The pipe crashes into a wall, sending Yelena flying through a window. Cleo, the Widow, and I aren't so lucky—we crash into the hard pipes below us before hitting the ground. Pain shoots through my body.

I drag myself up and immediately look for Cleo. I find her, but she's not moving. My heart races, and I rush to her side. Checking her pulse, I feel it—strong but quick. I carefully turn her over and see blood trickling from her head. I hope it's nothing serious.

Nearby, I hear movement. The Widow I tried to save is still alive, though she's clutching her leg, which looks broken. She's in pain, but at least she's breathing.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. I want to help," I say softly, inching toward her. But she points her Widow's Bites at me, ready to fire.

"Please, it's okay. I'm here to help you," I plead. But then she turns the Widow's Bites on herself, tears in her eyes.

"He's making me," she whispers, just before she fires. I close my eyes, heart heavy with guilt. I couldn't save her.

Yelena rushes out with a vial of the antidote, but it's too late. The Widow's gone.

"Believe me now?" Yelena asks, but I don't answer. Instead, I ask, "How many?"

"Enough," she responds grimly. She walks over to Cleo, who's still unconscious, and hauls her over her shoulder.

"Careful," I warn, wincing at the roughness.

Yelena just rolls her eyes. Typical.