Kumo

Chapter 1

The sun had gone down hours ago, the city now sleeping with it. Nobody was out except criminals, villains and the occasional bar-hoppers. Crickets chirped. The wind howled.

It howled so loud he nearly missed the scream.

His feet stopped at the ledge of the building. It was an apartment. He had to be quiet if he didn't want to alert the residents. He crouched low, lowering his hood so his ears could hear better. The scream came from the west.

He bolted. As he came to the edge, he leapt. He swung his arm out, pressing two fingers to his palm. A white substance shot out from his wrist, catching on the roof of the next building. It pulled him forward, and he fell into a roll. He jumped up and started again.

The scream wasn't far. It was only a few buildings down. He skidded to a halt, sitting down against the ledge. He peered over, spotting a man in dark clothing approaching a woman. The glint of something shiny caught his attention. The man had a knife.

The vigilante pulled out a phone, and called for the police. He pocketed the device, making sure the end was facing the opening.

"This will teach you not to ignore me," the vile man sneered. He swiped, aiming for the woman's chest. She screamed and ducked as the blade sliced her shirt. She backed into the wall with an audible thud.

The vigilante took the opportunity with the gap and jumped down, landing in a crouch. He stood up, moving his hair out of his face. Normally he'd have his hood, but it had been torn by a villain earlier that night. He didn't worry too much, though, as the lighting was terrible and his hair was much too dark to make out the color.

He held out his hand, more of the substance shooting out towards the villain's hand. He yanked, taking the knife away. The vigilante pocketed the weapon.

The attacker was too shocked to notice. He was too busy trying to get the substance off his wrist.

The vigilante briefly looked back at the woman he was protecting. She was cowering, her entire body shaking and tears poured down her face. Her outfit gave the idea that she was returning from the night shift from a restaurant. He turned his attention back to the man in front of them.

He seemed to shake off his surprise, and immediately charged at the masked man. One thing the vigilante noticed was how much taller the man was than him. He could use that.

He dodged the sweeping arms, sliding under the man's legs and spinning around. He continued to duck and dodge. He held his arms behind his back, one wrist wrapped around the other. He led the man out of the alley, leaving room for the woman to escape.

The attacker swore as each attempt to strike the masked man failed.

Faint sirens could be heard from the east. The vigilante smiled under his mask. The villain didn't seem to hear them yet.

In his brief moment of distraction, the man had actually gotten a hit on him. The masked man doubled over, pain erupting through his stomach.

The vigilante smirked. That was what he was waiting for.

No longer held back by laws, he stood and got into a fighting stance. The man seemed to laugh and came barreling towards him. The masked man dodged again, this time kicking him to the ground after he turned. The villain fell, and the vigilante shot the webbing out, essentially chaining the man to the ground.

He watched the villain struggle for a while, before taking the phone out of his pocket. "He's pinned down," he said, his voice heavily modified. He heard the officer on the other end swear. He glanced up, seeing no traces of the woman. "The woman he tried to assault is in the alley." He hung up.