Spider-Man: Camp Cretaceous

Darkness is spreading

Carla and Mae were deeply engrossed in their research about the mysterious cube that had been inexplicably introduced into the dinosaurs' food supply. Meanwhile, a group of kids sat nearby, trying to master the tricks of card games.

"Mae, I really need your help!" Kenji exclaimed a look of desperation in his eyes.

"Yes?" Mae replied, her attention shifting to him.

"Can you tell me if a full house beats four of a kind?" Kenji asked, his brows furrowing in concern.

"Uh-uh. Sorry, Kenji. Not today, not ever," Carla interjected with a teasing grin, shaking her head.

"Aw, man!" Kenji groaned, frustration evident as he watched his cards slip away into defeat.

"Boom!" Darius declared triumphantly, slapping his winning cards down on the table.

"Just a quick heads up—if anyone wants to gather some chestnuts from the forest, I whip up a mean soup," Mae announced, trying to entice them with the promise of a delicious meal.

"I'll go! It's getting kinda boring losing to Yaz anyway," Peter said eagerly, leaping to his feet and inadvertently scattering his cards in the process.

"Ha!" Yaz celebrated, her laughter ringing out as she proudly displayed her winning hand.

"Aw, man!" Kenji sighed, feeling the sting of defeat.

"Girl is on fire!" Darius exclaimed, impressed.

"I knew it all along," he added with a chuckle.

With a heavy sigh, Peter made his way out of the makeshift game area, his mind set on the quest for chestnuts. As he stepped away from the sparkling waterfall, he ventured into the lush forest, his eyes scanning the ground for the coveted nuts. The air was filled with chirping birds and the rustle of leaves, but as he walked, he suddenly sensed a disturbance—a faint rustling from the underbrush that piqued his curiosity.

His instincts should have alerted him to danger, but the sound felt innocuous. However, that sense of safety abruptly faded as an ominous darkness began to creep through the vibrant jungle. Peter's heart raced as he heard footsteps emanating from the shadows. The terrifying silhouette of the Indominus rex burst forth from the gloom, freezing him in sheer horror.

"No, you can't be here!" he shouted, panic surging as a chorus of growls emerged from the looming shadows. Turning, he was met with the fearsome figures of Scorpion, Rhino, Vulture, and Scorpios Rex emerging from the thick foliage, all swallowed by the encroaching darkness.

Suddenly, Peter felt a sinister, slimy tendril wrap around his ankle, pulling him downward into the sinister abyss. "No!" he cried out, struggling in vain against the grip, but it felt as though his powers had abandoned him. "No, no, no, no!"

As he was drawn nearer to the menacing jaws of an unseen beast, his breath caught in his throat, and he gasped awake with a start. He looked down to find Jeff the Landshark sprawled across his chest, blinking sleepily at him as he stirred from his own slumber.

Jeff gargled when he saw Peter wake up. "Hey, Jeff." He sighed as he gave the shark a pet. "Sorry for startling you, buddy."

"Can't sleep either?" Yaz asked, surprising Peter when he saw she was awake while Carla and Mae were still working. "Me neither."

"Yeah," Peter sighed. "Wanna get out of here? Take a stroll?"

"There are dinosaurs out there," Yaz reminded him.

Peter then pushed Jeff off his chest as he got up and sighed. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," He said, morphing the V252 on him. "Come on, while they're not looking."