With a ferocious burst of energy, I propelled myself forward, hurtling through the air like a predator on the hunt. I knew I was about to kill somebody and I didn't regret this decision and I don't think I would in the future either.
It was bound to happen, one way or the other.
The door shattered into splinters, exploding in a cacophony of sound that echoed through the room. I could have chosen the stealth route but my mutation combined with Venom's power set didn't really make silence our forte.
In a split second, I materialized before the unsuspecting man, catching him off guard with the sheer force of my entry.
Without hesitation, I unleashed my deadly claws, their razor-sharp tips glistening with a malevolent gleam.
With a merciless and swift motion, I drove them deep into the man's vulnerable neck, the sickening squelch of flesh and bone filling the air as his life force gushed out in a gruesome torrent.
The stairs were now bathed in a gruesome tableau of violence, the taste of blood and the stench of death lingering as a haunting reminder of the brutality unleashed.
I smirked beneath the black tendrils that now adorned my face, reveling in the advantage my powers provided.
They may have outnumbered me but I held the ultimate advantage, I knew their every move before they even made it.
I swiftly spun around, my senses ablaze, sprinting towards the distant recesses of the never-ending corridor.
A chilling adrenaline surged through my veins as I sensed the lurking presence of another man.
"Arghhh!" His terrified shriek pierced the air, a futile attempt to warn the others of my relentless advance amidst the suffocating darkness but his cries only served to fuel my anticipation.
A wicked grin spread across my face as I unleashed a devastating blow, my fist connecting with bone, shattering his jaw in a sickening display of raw power.
The wretched sound of his agony was abruptly silenced, forever.
"Meat!" My mouth suddenly twisted wide.
A long, grotesque tongue slithering out, oozing with thick saliva that eagerly dripped onto the cold, lifeless ground, with the help of the razor-sharp claws I clutched his ankles and lifted the hapless man high into the air, his limp body a mere plaything in my hand.
In a frenzy of unparalleled savagery, I brought his quivering form to my gaping maw, my gnashing teeth clamping down with unyielding force and a sickening crunch, his head ripped from his trembling shoulders.
As I stood there, the echoes of heavy footsteps reverberated up the staircase, growing louder and more menacing with each step. But instead of fleeing back, I felt a surge of adrenaline coursed through my veins, fueling my desire to confront them head-on, I wanted to face them all at once.
Dumb plan but with Venom's strength it could be totally possible.
I turned back and unleashed the monstrous side of the Symbiote, my mouth wide open with teeths grown sharp and tongue slithering in the air.
As the intruders made their way to the ground floor, their movement abruptly halted as the beams of light from their flashlights fell upon me. The piercing illumination froze their steps in an instant.
"Damn it! We've got a Host!" Shouted the potential leader of the crew, causing the men to swiftly reach for concealed weapons strapped to their ankles.
I honed in on their frantic and fear-laden inner monologues as they collectively gravitated towards the handguns in their possession, which had somehow eluded my previous observation entirely.
I swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly evading the hailstorm of bullets that tore through the empty space where their headless comrade once stood.
Determined and undeterred, I propelled myself forward, closing in on the lone adversary stationed at the far right.
Despite their relentless gunfire, the lethal projectiles came perilously close, grazing my body, yet incapable of penetrating through my impenetrable shield, a reflective barrier akin to a mirror made up of Jell-o, courtesy of Venom's protective coating.
They fired their weapons blindly but Venom guided me effortlessly through the chaos, enabling me to dodge the bullets effortlessly.
Their futile attempts only fueled my determination.
Using my heightened senses, I tracked each man's movements, predicting their next move with ease.
I seized the opportunity when one of them made a fatal mistake, leaving himself momentarily vulnerable.
I closed the distance, striking him with a flurry of lightning-fast blows, each one more devastating than the last, breaking his collar bone followed by his ribs and jaws.
He crumpled to the floor, defeated and dead with blood flowing out of his orifices.
My mind raced analyzing the thoughts of the remaining two.
"Screw it!" The leader exclaimed, frustration etched on his face as he retreated into the living room, his firearm trained on the staircase.
The other guy kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings, fully alert and watching their back.
"We need the big guns!" The other guy yelled in fear.
They were growing desperate, their fear mingling with determination but their resolve was no match for Venom's strength.
I followed their thoughts and moved under the shades like a ghost from a horror movie.
Every creak of the floorboards and every whispered breath warned me of their presence.
"Let's make a run for it." The leader whispered as silence dawned in the place.
"Fuck it!" The other dude gave an affirming nod and dashed towards the exit, completely oblivious to the fact that I was lying in wait just a hair's breadth away from it.
He crumpled to the ground the moment he laid eyes on me, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he desperately tried to retrieve the gun he had carelessly dropped.
However, his feeble attempt proved to be in vain as I effortlessly disarmed him, forcefully wrenching the weapon from his grasp.
I cornered him against the wall, paying no mind to the bullets that had been fired in my direction by the leader's pistol.
The expression of terror on his face grew wider as I tightened my grip around his neck.
Meanwhile, my gaze shifted to the leader, who was futilely attempting to reload his gun.
Realizing his efforts were in vain, I forcefully slammed the other guy against the wall, causing him to drop his weapon.
"Who sent you?" I hissed, my voice a low growl that echoed through the room.
The Foreman's eyes bulged in disbelief as my words sank in.
He instinctively recoiled, overwhelmed by fear and hurriedly attempted to flee, abandoning his fellow companion to face his imminent demise.
I, however, took it upon myself to carry out the necessary task, swiftly ending his comrade's life by snapping his neck.
With the lifeless body discarded, I wasted no time and pursued the terrified man.
My claws dug into his shoulders as I reached out, exerting my dominance over him. In a display of sheer force, I effortlessly yanked him back, leaving him disoriented and unable to contend with my superior strength.
Coiling my hand into a clenched fist, I delivered a devastating blow to his abdomen, hurtling him into a corner. As the last man was dealt with, I allowed myself a moment of respite.
The guy cowered in a corner as he threw up his lunch with a bit of blood mixed in, his thoughts consumed by the overwhelming dread of his impending fate. I approached him slowly as he whined in pain.
"Who sent you?" I repeated but this time it was an order, my voice laced with a chilling menace.
His lips trembled as he mumbled a name, half biting it as his thoughts echoed his fear.
I took a breath, calmed myself down and concentrated on his frantic thoughts, ordering them one by one. I absorbed the information and let out a mental sigh of relief as I heard the organization he worked for.
"Tell me!" Placing my gnawing teeths against his face, I demanded it from his own mouth.
"L-Life foundation!" He yelled out loud as I confirmed it once again.
"Why did you come here?! Why now?!" I roared.
"The News! The News!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency and excitement. I released my grip on him and instinctively retreated.
Venom's menacing transformation gradually receded, leaving behind only the sleek black suit that clung to my body.
"The News?" I asked, my brows raised in confusion.
"Yes! The deaths in Hell's kitchen, Life, we knew the patterns, it was a rampaging Host, only one scientist from New York ever worked in the Host project." He took a breath gazing around the house.
"It was Jack Brock, we assumed he faked his death and went under radar to continue his research, so Dr. Drake sent us to retrieve him and the Host."
"What's a Host?"
He blinked in surprise, his hands tightly gripping his shoulders as blood streamed out from the wounds. Reacting swiftly, I instinctively pressed my sharp claws against his body, eliciting a deep groan of agony from him.
"What's a Host?!"
"Host are people!" He yelled.
"People synchronized with a symbiote!"
"How many?" I pressed deeper.
"Three! Arghhh!" He cried as I penetrated into his lungs.
I shook my head in disbelief, swiftly extracting the sharp, lethal claws from my adversary's defeated form.
He crumpled to the ground, blood trickling from his wounds and a noticeable limp hindering his movements. It was only a matter of time before life seeped out of his body, leaving it devoid of warmth and vitality.
"You want a bite?" I asked, pointing at the cold bodies scattered around the living room.
[No, I like them fresh]
Venom chimed in, slinking back into the recesses of my being as I ascended the staircase, making my way towards Jack's office with little regard for the inert bodies strewn in my path.
Once I reached the room, I stood before the plain wall and pressed the button.
A section of the wall gracefully retreated, sliding open sideways, leaving me with the sight of a detective board, except instead of the usual assortment of clues and evidence, this board was adorned with an intriguing assortment of vivid photographs, intricate diagrams and perplexing formulas related to human anatomy.
The board had its title boldly displayed above it in large letters.
The Host Project.
Subject: Edward Brock.
------
I let out a sigh as I closed the file. I've read it five times already and I still can't understand some parts.
Jack was one of the main scientists at the Life Foundation and he was involved in the Host project. As he delved into the genetic structure of the Symbiotes and their inability to bond with humans, he developed various hypotheses until he arrived at the most promising one.
Genetic mutation.
To put it simply, Jack concluded that if Life Foundation modified a child's genetic makeup while it was still in the mother's womb to match the Symbiote perfectly, they could create a perfect host.
However, the project didn't succeed or at least that's what the records indicate.
Edward Brock was one such child who underwent genetic modification to become a Symbiote host. Unfortunately, he was considered a failure because he didn't exhibit any signs of being a suitable host.
As a consequence of the leaked information regarding the illicit research and experimentation on Eddy, which had been kept secret even from Jack's wife, Jack was dismissed from the company.
Everything started to make sense to me now.
Jack's abuse and torment of Ed were rooted in the fact that he saw Eddy as a failure—the very reason he lost everything.
Jack viewed himself as an inadequate scientist because he couldn't produce any successful results and he took out his frustration on Edward.
But the truth was, Jack was not a bad scientist.
In reality, he had indeed succeeded in creating the perfect host: Eddy.
However, Jack mistakenly believed that his son was a failure because Eddy's mutant gene didn't activate until the accident occurred, awakening Venom from its dormant state.
Everything makes fucking sense.
I collapsed onto the bed, closing my eyes and grumbling in frustration as the faces of the men I had killed flashed through my mind.
Retrieving the file had been a necessary task, but the subsequent act of dragging their corpses into the living room and dousing them with a can of gasoline I had found in the attic, before igniting the flames, was undoubtedly a foolish move. I was sure the Brock villa would be burning its last wood right now.
Did I care? Not really.
It was crucial to maintain the illusion that Jack Brock was still alive and working alongside a partner.
Allowing them to persist in this belief would serve me well for the time being.
I knew it wouldn't be long before they dispatched another team to investigate the previous one's disappearance and delve into Jack's family background.
That meant they would be coming for me and the Parkers.
I wasn't prepared to involve Aunt May, Uncle Ben and Peter in this dangerous predicament.
Revealing the truth by saying something like, 'Uncle Ben, I am secretly a man-eater. I murdered those people in Hell's Kitchen, and now an organization is hunting me.' wouldn't benefit anyone.
A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I realized what I had to do.
It was a thought that had plagued my mind ever since I heard the ominous warning last night, to be frank it was something I was thinking about for a long time.
I needed to prepare myself, to train in combat and develop my ability to eliminate threats efficiently and without hesitation.
The notion of being a hero only works in the comic books, where the plot could conveniently favor the protagonist.
In reality, however, the stakes were as high as they could get and I wasn't willing to gamble or rely solely on luck.
I had to prepare for the future and that meant honing my skills and powers to their utmost potential.
Remaining at the Parker residence would only bring trouble to May and Ben and I couldn't afford to carry that burden on my shoulders any longer.
I can't believe I was about to pull a Batman.
A plan gradually forming in my head.
Las Vegas seemed like the perfect destination. With my mind-reading ability, I could potentially earn some money there. However, the likelihood of a 10-year-old kid gaining entry to a casino was highly doubtful.
Considering my powers, the most lucrative avenues for making money would involve either becoming a thief or a contract killer or I guess I could go to carnivals and put on an act.
Yeah, that's a no for me.
Before delving into the dangerous realm of criminal activities, I could utilize my unique skill set to accumulate some cash. By doing so, I could establish connections within the underworld and possibly even conduct a reverse investigation into Life.
I was aware that being taken seriously in the criminal world would be a challenge for a 10-year-old.
However, if I were to don Venom's suit, it would conceal my youthful appearance, making me appear as an average-sized individual rather than a child.
I rose from the cot, making my way towards the wardrobe.
Opening it, I retrieved the travel bag from the top shelf and tossed it onto the bed with a sense of urgency. I began packing everything I needed, focusing mainly on essentials like my underwear and the files.
I also grabbed the last of the pocket money I had saved up, knowing that I could always acquire some extra cash by swindling a drug dealer or someone of that sort. New York City had no shortage of such individuals and their absence would likely go unnoticed.
I understood that it might seem peculiar to run away from home on the very same day I had taken out the Life team but if you think about it, they didn't suspect me of killing their men.
They believed it was either Jack or the Host who had committed the acts. If I, as Jack's only blood relative, were to disappear overnight, they would probably assume that Jack had taken me and escaped New York.
The best outcome would be that they would no longer pose a threat to May and Ben.
Everything was unfolding faster than I had anticipated, and I needed to act swiftly before the Life Foundation realized their team members were unresponsive. For all I knew, they could already be en route to the Parker residence. I had to get out of there as soon as possible.
Once I finished packing, I zipped up the bag and took a moment to survey the room, etching every detail into my memory.
Star Wars posters adorned the walls and a smile tugged at my lips as I gazed upon photos of Peter and me sharing laughter.
I chuckled as I caught sight of a picture featuring Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Peter, and myself taken during a joyful barbecue day on the lawn.
I knew the next time I returned to this place, it would likely be far in the future.
"Venom," I called out, and the Symbiote slithered around, enveloping my body and concealing my face. Instantly, I felt a noticeable increase in height and agility.
Throwing the bag over my shoulder, I left the room and headed towards the adjacent one.
Slowly, I turned the doorknob, revealing Peter peacefully asleep with a book serving as his pillow.
His glasses were askew at an odd angle, and he drooled slightly over the pages.
Taking in his face for a moment, I exhaled softly.
'See you Pete.'
I mentally whispered, before gently closing the door.
Descending the stairs, I proceeded silently, careful not to make a sound.
Reaching the living room, I approached Ben's room and peered inside, finding Aunt May in her exhausted slumber.
Ben was still away at the station.
'Thanks for looking after me, May.'
I murmured, briefly touching her hand before withdrawing and leaving the room.
Exiting the house, my footsteps quickened, matching the rapid pace of my heartbeat.
The sound resonated through the peaceful neighborhood until I reached the main road.
Standing beneath a streetlight, I cast a final glance back.
I took in the sight of the small, compact building that had been my refuge for the past three months and the people who had cared for me since day one.
Closing my eyes, I pivoted on my heels and moved away from Ingrid Street.
The darkness of New York City embraced me, welcoming me into its shadows.