Vengeful Carnage
A cacophony of blaring car horns, police sirens, and other loud noises assaulted my ears as I stepped out onto the roof of my building. I loved the city, as there was plenty to keep myself occupied and always plenty of parties around to go to, but the noise was something to give even a coma victim a headache. I had grown used to it at this point, but I was used to dealing with flesh wounds, not headaches. I adjusted my camouflage jacket and cracked my neck, tipping my black stetson back to allow myself more vision of the city below. Clearing my throat, I checked my phone as I turned around and started walking backwards, my boots making light clacks against the rough concrete. As I slipped my phone back into my pocket the ground beneath me vanished, and I found myself plummeting towards the ground. A smile formed across my face as I righted myself, falling towards the ground feet first and a loud boom sounded as my boots made contact with the pavement. The ground cracked and shattered and pushed inwards before I stood back up to my full height and stretched, beginning to make my way through the bustling city.
A ring from my phone burst me from my thoughts and I snatched it from my pocket quickly and looked at the brightly lit screen. There showed someone calling, someone I knew well. I smiled and laughed a little and brought the phone up to my ear, answering the call. "Eddy, the fuck you callin' me for?"
"Nice to hear from you too Damien," The voice of one Brock sounded in my ear, "But I was wonderin' if you were free. There's something I need to talk to ya about."
"Not over the phone I guess. Where's the place?"
"That restaurant you like, Stoia's?"
"Gotcha," I replied and hung up the phone, slipping it back into my pocket. I shrugged my jacket back on fully and took off running. A few years prior a virus had broken out in New York. Something called the Blacklight. This virus created vicious monsters and powerful evolved creatures, this virus was now almost eradicated, with myself being the only remaining specimen. I was one such evolved, so the world quickly blurred around me as I sprinted. I could outrun cars easily, so making my way across town was no daunting task. Nary a minute had passed before I spun and dug my fingers into the concrete, skidding to a halt and righting my posture. Stoia's was a small cafe like place in between a phone store and some kind of sex shop. An odd place and its lackluster colors were easy to miss. Upon entering I noticed the place a bit more packed than usual, but I wasn't here to eat like most times. There near one of the corners was a rather muscular man, dressed in a black leather jacket, white shirt, and blue jeans. I quickly noticed him as the one I was looking for, and quickly made my way over, and sat down in front of him, narrowing my eyes a little.
"Whatcha got for me slick," I asked and leaned back in my chair.
He rolled his eyes and spoke, "You told me once you like serial killers, right," Eddy asked and leaned forward.
"Careful how ya say that Ed, but yeah. I find em interesting," I said and tipped my hat upwards to look at him better.
Eddy grinned cockily and stood, his thin jacket getting pushed back a little by the table, and extended a hand to me, "Then come on, we're meeting a famous one. Ever heard of Cletus Kasady?"
"I have. We're headed to meet him?"
"Yep! I'm helping make a documentary about him," Eddy chuckled and pulled me to a standing position as we started walking out of the cafe.
"That's kinda fucked if you ask me, making a documentary about a serial killer, y'know?"
"Yeah, and normally i'd agree with you. But i'm getting paid big dollars to do this."
"Money makes the world go 'round," I replied evenly as we climbed into the cab, and our destination was set. The cab ride was taken in silence, a heavy air of quiet and tension remaining between us with the parting comment, a tension born of the silence no less. Neither of us dared to break it, choosing to keep to the silent ride. The concrete jungle scenery both changed but didn't around us, new blocks but the same scenery until we began to go up. Our sights became that of grass, and a maximum prison/mental ward. The cab stopped, and I insisted on paying, before we both got out. My boots made cracking sounds against the loose gravel as I stepped out and shut the door. The clang of metal sounded as I did so, and the cab driver peeled out, spraying the air with bits of rock and dust. Me and Eddy continued on our way up the hill, and one of the two armed guards nodded at us.
"Who's this Eddy," He asked in a low tone, seemingly trying to intimidate one of us.
I growled and grimaced before looking at him with burning eyes, "Name's Damien Deathhand, fuckface, the guy that could turn you inside out in half a second, and no one would know."
He jumped a little and looked at me, before Eddy spoke, "Yeah…..well, he's going to tag along with me. Lead the way?"
The guard eyed me, scowled a little, and turned, leading us deeper into the complex. Dingy gray walls and floors was what met our eyes as we walked, bright fluorescent lights studding the ceiling in a blinding pattern of annoyance. I always hated these types of buildings, they annoyed me to no end. The lights, the walls, the lack of decorations, the company that was held within, all of it. These buildings always seemed deplorable to me, why not shiny suns and bright rainbows in a place for the mentally disturbed? It would serve their purposes so much better. During my short pondering I had not noticed us being led into a room with a cage attached to the floor and ceiling in the center of the room. A single man sat in the cage itself, his form somewhat thin and his head a bit too long. A mess of wild orange hair sat upon his head, in tangles and with more than a few rats nests shifting in between. He looked up at us and a maniacal grin spread across his face, "Why hello there!"
"I was expecting more," I thought aloud and walked around the cage slowly, watching him.
"Don't underestimate him Damien, he's still Cletus."
The man in the cage cackled louder and smiled wider, "That's my name! Don't wear it out!"
I narrowed my eyes a little as Eddy took a picture of him and started to rattle of questions.
"Do you regret what you did?"
"Now why would I do that!?"
"Do you like your circumstance?"
"I make the best of it," The questions droned out after that, as I stopped paying attention. Instead, I mapped the man's body, clocking out any weak points, and spots on him where he could be hurt. The way he held himself, his disposition and the twitchy nature of his mania. I knew he likely couldn't be helped. Meds would only fix so much damage, damage that would eventually return. I snapped out of my thoughts once more, when Eddy clasped his notebook shut and spoke.
"Alright, I think we're done here," He said and waved over to me. I nodded and walked over, still keeping an eye on the man.
"Before ya go," Cletus said excitedly, before his face fell, and he took on a low, menacing tone, "When ah get outta here, and I promise yuh, ah will, there'll be Carnage," he growled. Eddy visibly shivered before leading me out, shaking his head in disgust.
"The only place you'll be going when you get out of here, IF you do," I said as we walked out, "Is under my boot," I said, and Cletus growled deep in his throat, looked me in the eyes, and smirked. That wouldn't work on me. I scoffed angrily and took a step towards him, but Eddy put a hand on my chest and led me out into the hall all the same.
"I got a bad feeling about him," I said and looked at Eddy.
"Same," Ed replied and shrugged, looked over his notes, and led us back out of the complex, escorted by an armed guard. Once outside I looked at him, and spoke a single sentence.
"Keep an eye on this place," I said and dug the heel of my boot into the gravel, before launching myself from it. A bloody red mist trailed from my arms and legs as I initiated a glide, soaring through the air with the occasional burst forward, expending some of my accumulated mass to do so. When I finally landed, I did so in the confines of the city, and quickly scaled a building, sitting down on the edge, and thinking. I knew I was likely overthinking things, but still, what if Cletus had a plan to get out? He was a dangerous criminal, and while I knew he would be easy to kill, he might still harm others before i could get to him. It was an odd thought, not one I was used to having, so I decided to throw it to the side, and step off the building. I plummeted downwards towards the concrete, and landed. The pavement cracked as I landed, having not gathered enough momentum to truly shatter it. I twisted my foot a little and started off, drawing my jacket a little tighter, heading back towards where I lived.
Looking up towards the sky, I could tell that dusk was fast approaching, heralding the arrival of nighttime. However, before I could arrive at my home, a loud boom rattled my ears, and I spun around. Massive, jagged claws grew from my hands as my arms became tightly wound tendrils, glowing red with spikes protruding from them. I looked left, and I looked right, unsure of where it had come from before a cackle met my ears. My eyes narrowed in anger as I sent out a pulse, hunting one Cletus Kasady, and the return pulse returned instantly. The wall to my side exploded in a shower of rock and pebble, as a creature clad in red burst from it. I reacted instantly, waving a mess of tendrils toward it as I jumped back, ready for a fight. He cackled again, and lunged forward, a number of jagged spikes flying from his chest and arms, slamming into me and piercing through my chest. I grunted and swung my claws 'round, splitting them free and expunging them, before shoulder bashing the creature. He slid back, dust flying up from his feet as I tackled him again, ramming him back through the wall he had slammed through. Clamping my hand down on his throat I slid him up and planted him through another, and chucked him. He instantly retaliated, and flew backwards, raking a set of claws down my front. Blood sprayed outwards as I leaped backwards, tendrils running over my body, healing my wounds. My claws were exchanged for scythes, and I pressed one into the ground, whirling around and delivering a sharp kick to the creature, and piercing my scythe under his chin. I planted my boot back against the ground and crushed him against the ground, demolishing the earth below. My scythes dissipated and I slammed a fist against his skull, before roaring.
The volume of my roar caused the creature's face to peel back with a shriek, showing the face of Cletus. I snarled and reached my hands up, ramming my thumbs through his eye sockets. He shrieked out as I split his skull like a pomegranate, before pressing it back together and slamming my fist against it, turning it to nothing but a bloody pulp. I snarled again and stood, fluffed my jacket, and spoke.
"Fuck with me," I scoffed and turned, stepping out of the ruined building and starting off. I pressed my stetson harder into my head before force slammed into my back, shooting me across the street and hitting the next wall. I spun around, ready to kick off it, before the creature from before collided with me, exploding me out the other side. I slid to a stop and growled deep in my throat.
"Alright, enough games," I growled as it cackled loudly. My hands hardened and swelled, growing giant spikes along the entirety of them, and I cracked them together with a loud boom, before slamming them against the ground. The noise caused it to retreat, and I grinned maniacally.
"Gotch yer weakness bitch," I smirked and charged forward, and instead of hitting him like normal, cracked his head between my titanic fists, the resulting boom causing the suit he wore to peel back again. I raised one hand up and cracked it against his torso, knocking him to the ground roughly. I pummeled both fists into his body, not caring for style or flash, murderous rage fueling my strikes.
"Attack me! Escape your cell! FUCK UP MY GODDAMN JACKET," I roared and snarled, saliva turning to foam at the edge of my lips as rage consumed me, where he stood now a giant crater, before I raised my fists up, and slammed them back down, the area exploding as I hit a gas line with his body. I soared backwards from the explosion, my fists returning to their natural state, and I landed on my feet. I couldn't see out of one eye, and pain gnawed at one side of my body. I looked over with my good eye, and saw the other hanging out of its socket, and I shrugged, my body healing once more.
"Can't mess with this, bitch," I snarled and started back towards the smoldering, burning crater. The creature's shriek split the air as It launched out again, and landed, stepping backwards as it folded from itself.
"GODDAMMIT WHY WON'T YOU DIE," I roared and charged him, anger coursing through me once more. It's chaotic state anticipated my attack however, and it kicked the ground, a massive spike appearing from the ground and piercing clear through my chest. A blob of blood spat from my mouth as it did so and I growled deep in my throat, now trembling with anger as I ripped forward, splitting myself through the spike and continuing my charge. The creature cackled once more and whirled, smacking me with a larger fist and sending me hurtling backwards. I skipped across the ground and slid to a stop, before a voice echoed in my head.
"Damien, you must calm down, focus," It said, and I looked around, smacking my head.
"Who the fuck said that!?"
"That information is not important right now, but calm. You must focus on beating this enemy, you know his weaknesses, now put it to use," It said in a rumbling tone and I looked around, took a deep breath, and calmed myself down a little.
"Alright, now who are you," I asked as I grew claws again, clenching them once.
"I am a part of you Damien, and have been for some time. I have no name, however.'
I thought for a few moments as I sprinted back towards where I had fought Cletus, "Vengeance, you are Vengeance," I snarled out. I was given no response, as I cracked my neck and burst back into the area. The red skinned being still stood there, cackling happily and crazily, before it saw me.
"Awww, you aren't dead yet? Why not," I asked in a distorted voice, and I growled again, but stifled my rage. I kept my sprint, until I saw it kick the ground again, and I vaulted over the spike that flew from the ground. I grasped it tightly and once my boots met the ground, ripped it free and hurled it back into Cletus. He shrieked as it ripped into his flesh, and I leaped forwards, kicking it deeper into him before whirling around, and slashing his face open with my claws. Next, I sweeped his legs and rammed my claws through his torso, and pressed him against the ground as tendrils whirled around me, as I pulled my claws free. My hands reverted to normal and I banged my forearms against him, and the area around us shattered, many things gettting launched upwards and I trembled once more, before I exploded. Tendrils flew from my body and yanked things around, demolishing the surrounding area. Nothing but blood was left of him, and I stood, and breathed a sigh of relief. I rolled my eyes as I saw him begin to regenerate from it, and I snuffed out those hopes with a powerful stomp. Tendrils peeled from my sides and approached the blood, before they were yanked back.
"No, do not consume him. It will only harm you. Allow me to do it, I can pick and choose," Vengeance rumbled in my mind, as a single black strand touched it. Power surged through my body as it did, my molecules moved faster and I clenched my hands, feeling all that coursed through me. I could regenerate faster, move faster, and my weapons less crude. I smiled wide and turned to walk away, and checked my phone. As I looked back, and grimaced as I saw the blood gone.
"That's not the last we've seen of him, is it," I asked aloud and sighed.
"No, I do not think it is," Vengeance rumbled, and went quiet as I leaped off, before I was seen on scene.
"So what are you," I asked and looked myself over.
"I am a Klyntar, or as your species call us, Symbiotes. I've been with you for a long time now, but did not feel the need to make my presence known. You have taught me much," It said and I nodded.
"I ain't no teacher," I said.
"But you are, together our might will be unmatched. Carnage back there, will never prevail even his fever dreams," he said. I shrugged and landed on a building a distance away. I looked up at the night sky and smiled a little, and started back home.