The dim crimson sky hung loosely in the sky, behind a neighborhood of houses. Inside one particular home, the lights were off. Everyone was sleeping upstairs in this household, besides one indivual. He was laying on an armchair, with his feet hanging off one side. He wore red and white forces, which were wiggling to some beat. Over his legs, he wore navy blue jeans. Finally, he wore a red pullover hoodie. His dark skin matched his dark brown eyes, which were gazing into the abyss of his ceiling. In his ears were white headphones, which blasted music.
"Liarrrr! If we're keeping score!" The young man sung, his eyes closing as he lost himself in the music. It was then, that the lock to his front door began to wiggle and click. "Wha?" He muttered, pressing pause on the ipod which was resting on his lap, and placing it in his pocket. He then pulled his headphones out his ears and let them hang out the neck of his hoodie. He quickly stood up, and pulled his hood over his head; walking toward the door.
"Whose there?" The young man called out from behind the door. There was no response, yet the lock continued to twitch in it's place. Suddenly, it stopped, and voices were heard on the other side of the door.
"Just break the god damn door down!" A gruff voice shouted.
"Alright, alright." Another voice responded. A few moments later, a large impact was made on the door, and it slowly toppled over. The young man had to jump back in order to get out the way of the door.
When the young man's dark brown eyes regained focus from his sudden movement, their were fifteen men standing in front of him. Each of them wore all black outfits, with block skull hats. Night vision goggles were over their eyes.
"Whose this kid?" One of the men questioned.
"I'm Darryl, and this is kinda my house. Who the hell are you bastards?" Darryl questioned, taking a fighting pose.
"He must be Sgt. Barnes' son." Another man answered.
"What the hell do you guys want with my father?" Darryl retorted. He was growing rather impatient with the men whom broke into his house, and then chose to ignore him.
"He's gotta go to. The whole family remember? Take him out." One of the other men answered.
"To hell with that!" Darryl cried out, as he charged the men. The men, whom were counting on the young sixteen year old's fear as an advantage, were taken aback by Darryl's sudden sprint. He threw one quick jab toward one of the men's adams apple, and caused him to drop to the ground. He then did a spinning kick toward another man's ribcage; breaking two of them and causing him to hit the ground.
"What the hell is this, a family of martial artist or something?" A man questioned. Just then, Darryl had ran up next to him, and delivered a low sweeping kick to his legs. The man tripped and hit the ground, only to recive a full-force kick to the face. He rolled a few feet, before slamming into a wall and passing out.
"He's just a freaking kid!" One man shouted. This caused Darryl to set his targets on him. He charged him, rapidly approaching him.
"A kid whose about to kick your as-" Darryl began before noticing the man reach behind his own back. He withdrew a shotgun, which had been strapped to his back the entire time. He aimed it carefully at Darryl, whom was traveling too fast and was too close to get away in time. "Oh sh-" Darryl began to mutter, before the shotgun went off. He was blasted in the stomach, and sent flying across the room, into a wall, and then slid on the floor stomach up.
"Not so tough now, are ya punk?" The man who held the shotgun taunted. He had walked over to the wounded Darryl, withdrawing a hunting knife from his shoe. He kneeled over Darryl, whose breathing had began to grow shallow. Slowly, the man placed his knife on Darryl's left eyebrow, and pressed down. It pierced his skin, causing blood to splurt out. He then ran the knife down Darryl's face.
"Gah!!" Darryl cried out in agony, which caused him to close his eyes. Luckily, this saved his left eye from being slashed, and instead sacraficed his left eyelid. When the man got to his cheek, he removed the knife. However, Darryl's face had already become a bloody mess.
"Just put the baby out of it's misery and let's go." Another man snarled. He was significantly bulkier than the rest; his body seemingly that of a body builder.
"...Understood boss." The shotgun-weilding man responded, as he pressed the shotgun into Darryl's heart. He pulled the trigger, causing a large hole to appear where his heart once was.
"Good. Now let's go get the rest of our targets." The boss stated, as they all ran up the stairs.
Darryl's eyes opened, and he was surrounded by flames.
"...Hell? Somehow I saw this coming..." Darryl muttered, as he looked around. A large being appeared in front of him; it was horned and it's mouth contained numerous sharp, jagged teeth.
"I am Malebolgia." The creature spoke. Every word seemed to shake Darryl to the core. "Darryl Barnes...age sixteen. You're a pathological liar, a slave to your own lust, perhaps the king of sloths, an envious bastard, its no wonder why you ended up down here boy." Malebolgia stated.
"Yeah well, you know how it goes." Darryl retorted.
"You intrest me boy. I've got a propotion for you. How would you like to become my new hellspawn?" Malebolgia offered.
"The new Spawn? Wait, what happened to the old one?" Darryl questioned, suddenly remembering who Spawn was.
"Simmons finally recieved punishment for disobeying me, and suffers eternal slumber. Are you intrested?" Malebolgia anxiously explained.
"Run it by me, let's see." Darryl replied.
"As long as you agree to serve me, I will grant you superhuman strength, superhuman speed, immortality, and a variety of other powers. As long as you lead my army of minons, all of this will be yours." Malebolgia informed Darryl.
"Wait hang on. If Spawn is immortal then how the hell did the first one die?" Darryl pointed out.
"Oh right, minor detail. You can die if you're beheaded by a weapon of heaven." Malebolgia told him. "Small detail. However, a legion and life back, in exhange for your soul and a few organs? It seems balanced to me. You could even protect that pathetic family of yours thats currently about to be slayed." Malebolgia's words seemed to strike a cord in Darryl's non-beating heart.
"You have a deal." Darryl replied. Malebolgia grinned, as Darryl became consumed with hell fire. When it faded, Darryl was wearing the armor of spawn, albiet some minor changes. Due to his physique before dying, he was significantly less muscular than Al Simmons, his eyes on his mask was yellow instead of green, and on his right hip was his ipod. He was then transported back to earth.
He arrived in the same spot where he died, however the men were no longer there. Well, besides the two whom were knocked out by him previously. He removed his mask; he did this by will and it vanished by shattering off his face and fading away. "Where are th-" Darryl began, before he heard gunshots coming from his parent's room. Using his will, his cape wrapped itself around him, and caused Darryl to vanish. The next thing he knew, he was in the shadows of his parent's room. His mother and father were on the ground, covered in blood. They were alive, but barely.
His eleven year old sister was screaming, hiding behind their unconcious bodies. The man with the shotgun was slowly approaching his sister, his shotgun aimed at her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I don't suggest pissing me off." Darryl stated, as he stepped out of the shadows. His cape flowed behind him, as his now amber eyes looked disgustingly at the man.
"Impossible. Your dead, I killed you! I even checked to make sure you died!" The man exclaimed once he saw Darryl, his knees shaking.
"Yeah well, you pissed me off enough to bring me back from the grave." Darryl replied, as he slowly walked toward the man. He shot Darryl straight in the stomach and grinned. However, Darryl hadn't missed a step. The bullet fell out his stomach, and smoke began emitting from his wound. It sealed itself up, and healed as if nothing happened. A chain flew out from Darryl's forearm, and wrapped itself around the man's throat. He gave it a tug, and he flew toward Darryl, who had cocked his fist back. He smashed it into the man's head, cracking his skull.
"Sorry, but you guys..." Darryl began, as he placed his right hand over his unmasked face. His spawn mask slowly began to form overtop of it. "...won't have time to regret." Darryl finished; his voice sounding slightly distorted and more demonic due to his mask. His cape then twisted around his arm and formed a large demonic sword. He picked it up, and his amber eyes began to shine brightly.
He had charged the remaining men, and began to hack them to death with his blade. When he finished, he looked at his sister, before noticing the cops coming. "Take care of them." He muttered to her, as he dove out the window. His cape flailed in the air, as it wrapped around him and he vanished.
He next appeared on the window ledge of his mother and father's hospital room. He listened in, as they talked to his sister.
"I saw him! He protected me from the men! He saved us!" She cried out.
"Yes, I know he took out two of them before they came up the stairs but -" His father began, before his sister cut him off.
"No! After that! He's alive!" She replied.
"He was confirmed dead. It wasn't him. Your seeing things." His mother responded. Her voice was laced with sorrow, as was his father's.
Suddenly, he was lunged from earth, and he was standing in front of Malebolgia. "Now, prepare to join my army. I gave you what you wished." Malgebolgia spoke.
"Uhh...nah, I'm good." Darryl replied, as his mask shattered away.
"What?! We had a deal! You agreed to it!" Malebolgia angrily shouted.
"I'm a pathological liar...remember?" Darryl retorted with a grin. His cape then wrapped itself around him, and he vanished back to earth, just as Malegebolgia shot a blast of hell fire at him. When Darryl returned to the mortal world, his parents were sound asleep. He teleported into the shadow's of their hospital room; his sister awakening as he did so.
"D.J.?" She questioned. Darryl's mask was off, as he stepped out the shadows to reveal himself.
"Shh." Darryl replied, placing a finger to his lips. "I can't come back just yet. Everyone thinks I'm dead, and it's gotta be that way for a while. Plus, I'd put you guys in danger if I kept contact with you. Don't tell mom or dad...but I'll always be watching over you guys from the shadows." Darryl told his sister. And with that, he placed his right hand over his face, and his spawn mask formed. It was just in time, as his mom and dad awoke from their slumber.
"...Spawn?" His father questioned.
"It was Spawn, daddy. He saved us from those men." His sister explained.
"Thank you..." His mother spoke. She was slightly frightened, but overall grateful.
"It was no problem. Stay safe." Darryl spoke; his voice contorted from wearing the mask. And with that, his cape wrapped around him and he vanished.
He reappeared on the tips of a skyscrapper, his cape wildly flowing in the air. "So long...Halcyon days." He muttered, as he reached his hand down onto his chained belt, and hit play on his ipod. Darryl let the sweet lyrics consume him, as he contemplated over his new fate...
As Spawn.
