Good day to you all again! Lovely Wednesday isn't it? I'm really loving where this story is going. I'm also making it a bit more… okay, no dancing around it. Once I really get going, it's going to get real bloody. I'm definitely leaning more on the upcoming Venom movie than I was leaning towards… whatever I was leaning on before.
Creativity: So, are we talking an all out splatterfest, or something more tame?
Author: Somewhere in the middle. Not sure if we'll do any head-chomping, but we're definitely looking to draw more blood this time.
Okay, no more preamble and no questions today. Let us begin chapter 3!
Today felt strange to Ana. All day, she'd felt this nervous buzzing. It made it hard to sit still in class. After some time, she was able to ignore it, but it was still there.
Then, when she had been in gym class, it suddenly spiked. The activity of the day was dodgeball. Every time someone threw a dodgeball at her, even if she wasn't looking, the buzzing would instantly go through the roof! Weirder than that, she would almost always dodge the ball without fail, regardless of whether she saw it coming or not!
No one seemed to notice, or they at least didn't bring it up with her. She was confused about this for the remainder of the day. Thankfully, they were let out early today. As she rode home on the monorail, the buzzing continued. Though, it was much more subdued. That didn't make it any less annoying.
Soon enough, she reached her station and disembarked. She still had to pack her bags before her mother arrived to drive her to her grandparents' home. She hurried home and began rummaging through her closet for her suitcase. Once she pried it out, she threw two sets of clothes into the suitcase, as well as a couple of holo-books, she lifted the suitcase and went to wait in the living room. Strangely, the suitcase felt much lighter than the last time she'd used it. It was almost weightless! Granted, she did have much less packed this time, but it still felt lighter than it should. She opened it again to make sure everything was still packed and found it as she left it.
Then she felt her holo-glass buzz. She checked it to find a message from her mother. She was waiting outside. Ana hurried out the door and into the car.
"How was class today?" Her mother asked. They didn't to talk to much recently since she had to work many late hours. She even put in hours on weekends, though it was only a two or three per day.
"It was fine. Still don't like history." Ana replied. Her mother's lips twitched.
"Nobody did when I was your age. Anything interesting in your other classes?" Her mother continued. Ana shrugged.
"Chemistry isn't too bad. We're going over advanced organic compounds right now. Physics isn't too bad either." Ana responded. She decided to omit the strange buzzing sensation she'd had all day. If it persisted, then she'd talk to her mom about it.
The chatted a bit more until they pulled up at her grandparents' home. It was a modest house, only one floor with an attic. It was painted dark tan color with wooden steps leading up to the door. There was also a ramp put in for her grandparents' ease. On the right side of the house there was a large bay window with translucent white curtains.
She walked up to the front door and knocked a few times. There were only a few moments before her grandmother answered the door. She was rather thin, wearing a flower-print dress and shawl over her shoulders. Her gray hair was pulled up in a bun and behind her glasses were those kind blue eyes.
She greeted Ana with a hug before doing the same for Ana's mother.
"Have fun!" Ana's mother called out as she walked back to her car. She was still needed at the lab where she worked. Ana's grandmother ushered Ana inside. Ana took her suitcase to the guest room where she always slept when she stayed over. The room was painted gray and had basic white sheets and blankets over a double bed. There was a dresser with a mirror across from the bed, white and gray, respectively.
Once she had unpacked her things, Ana went back to the living room where her grandmother was waiting for her. Her grandfather was settled in his chair. He smiled as she walked in and stood up to give her a hug as well. He was only an inch taller than Ana and despite his age, had a very strong grip. He wore flannel shirts almost all the time and was a bit heavyset. Despite his years working as a guardsman on the walls, he still had a happy twinkle in his eyes. A refusal to be beaten by the horrors he'd witnessed over his life.
By now it was nearing dinnertime, so everyone went to the kitchen to start preparing supper. Ana was practically drooling already. Every time she came to visit, they always had her favourite meal: Beef and potato casserole with cream of mushroom sauce.
With three people working, it wasn't long before the casserole was in the oven. While they waited, Ana talked about her research. It was actually her grandparents that had initially supported her in the endeavor. Her grandfather had been a bit iffy on it initially but supported her interest. It was only harmless research after all. However, when she got to the part about Peter Parker, her grandmother seemed to tense up a bit. Her eyes flicked down the hallway for a split second. Ana noticed this but didn't point it out. She didn't want to pressure her now. Besides, the alarm had just gone off, indicating the casserole was ready!
The table was quickly set, and they began digging in. By the end of dinner, she had eaten four servings! Normally she only had two, possibly three if she was really hungry. Her grandmother commented on this newfound appetite, which Ana shrugged off as just being really hungry that day. Afterwards, they all went to the living room and watched an assortment of old movies, with popcorn of course. Her favorite movie was an old movie about an alien world threatened by shapeshifting sorcerers. The good aliens create an army of cyborgs called the Space Knights, who set out to battle the shapeshifting sorcerer aliens. It was one of the first movies she remembered watching and every time she watched it, it made her feel at home.
Soon, it was time for bed. After going through her evening rituals, she bid her grandparents goodnight and crawled under the covers, drifting off to sleep nearly instantly.
It was but a few hours later that she woke up with a start. She'd had that dream again. That disjointed dream of flying, then falling, then flying again. Realizing that her throat felt parched, she got up for a glass of water. As she was walking to the door, she heard a loud CLANG! that caused her to jump. She immediately heard a number of curses in an undertone that sounded like her grandfather. But her attention was yanked away from that when she realized that she was currently stuck to the ceiling. Her feet and fingers were glued to the ceiling, preventing her from falling! Almost as soon as she realized it, she fell down, but her feet and hands shot out and she landed on all fours without making a noise! She slowly straightened up, looking at her hands in shock and awe. She had just been stuck to a wall like some sort of insect or…
Or a spider.
Garter jerked awake. He was lying in a small alcove of a tree that had grown through a building. It looked familiar, but not quite the same as the one he remembered falling asleep in. He shook his head. He remembered being chased by two groups of Rippers, then… nothing.
He looked around and saw no evidence of a fire or Rippers, but he did find his pack nearby. He sorted through it and found everything how he'd left it. After checking his belt to make sure his knife was still there, he peered out at his surroundings. He was closer to the city borders. Closer than he remembered getting yesterday but considering that lunatic dream he'd had, he chose not to think about it too much.
He looked around and found a good place to climb down. It felt easier to climb down today, Garter noticed. He didn't pay it much mind. After getting his bearings, he continued North.
He set off a brisk jog. He kept up the pace for a few hours, before stopping for a quick break. He didn't even feel that winded, but he'd already travelled farther in one stretch than usual. After a quick drink and a snack, he set off again. He picked up the pace a bit more, keeping an eye out for any potential danger. His dream from the previous night had him on edge. Especially since it felt like there was something… missing. Taken.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He could seem something approaching a trail and slowed down to check it. It was well worn, definitely used often.
This was definitely a path made by Rippers. There wasn't enough wildlife that travelled around to make a path like this. Symbiotes didn't travel enough to make a path like this.
He adjusted his course slightly to take him away from the path, just to be careful. Soon he was closer to an old, decaying settlement. Curiously, there was smoke rising from within it. Rippers never lit flames during the day.
Garter continued into the town but approached with plenty of caution. His instincts were telling him that there was something not good about the situation. As he got closer, he saw a group of three Travelers seated around the smoldering remains of a fire. They were all older, maybe in their mid to late twenties. Early thirties if he was to stretch it. They were all cooking something on the end of sharpened sticks. They were chattering amongst themselves until they noticed him approaching.
"Hey! You better not be here to ask for food! We're running a bit low on rations at the moment!" One of them called out. Garter held up his hands to say no.
"I just noticed the fire and came to investigate. You travel in a group?" He asked. The group nodded.
"Safety in numbers. There's been a few Ripper packs moving through the area lately and we don't want to be caught off-guard." Another replied. Then Garter noticed something. They were all wearing scarves. It seemed a bit strange since the weather was rather warm, but Garter paid it no mind as he leaned against a crumbling wall to relax, then took a drink of water from one of his skins.
"You have a grappling hook?" One of them asked. Garter looked up and realized he hadn't stashed it away. Rather, he had clipped it to his trousers.
"Yeah. Found it yesterday." He said nonchalantly. He didn't want to draw too much attention to it. All of a sudden, he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He could swear he felt a faint buzzing all over his body. He stood up to leave and began walking away from the camp.
"Well, I got more ground I want to cover. Good luck!" He called out as he walked away, to suddenly feel the sudden urge he was in danger. His body suddenly tucked down and rolled to the side, just as a knife whistled through the space that his neck had once occupied! He popped back to his feet and saw the other Travelers were now on their feet, knives drawn. Then Garter noticed something by the edge of the fire. Blood droplets. Worse, he could see more bloodstains in an area he couldn't see before. All of it leading to the corpse of another Traveler. His eyes turned back to the Travelers with scarves.
"You're Branded." He realized. They snarled and stalked forward, circling around him. His eyes shifted between all of them and he realized just how much trouble he was in.
Branded were Travelers that were deemed too dangerous, disruptive or insane to interact with. Criteria for being labelled a Branded included the murder of fellow Travelers, cannibalism, thieving at gatherings of Travelers, the list went on. And he knew which ones he had just come across. Cannibals.
Once someone was labelled a Branded, they were, well, branded on their neck, before being thrown into the wilderness to fend for themselves. Killing them would be a kindness.
Garter quickly assessed the situation. He couldn't run, and he couldn't hide. That left fighting. The odds were three on one, not in his favor, as well as experience not being in his favor. He needed more favorable ground. When the first Branded charged him, he rolled under the strike and sprinted back into the settlement, vaulting a wall and drawing his knife. He turned and saw a knife whirling towards him and ducked, allowing it to pass over harmlessly. He turned and reeled back as a fist smashed him in the face, sending him sprawling! He saw the culprit bearing down on him and swung his knife, landing a hit on his arm! The Branded shouted in pain and retreated. His companions stalked forward, a knife in each hand. Garter grit his teeth and held his knife in front of him, waiting for the cannibals to get closer. Finally, one lunged. He swiped his knife and scored a lucky hit, only to gasp as he looked down. The second knife was lodged in his side. Then another was planted in his stomach.
The knives were ripped free as he staggered back. Blood poured from the wounds. The Branded smirked as they advanced, ready to finish him off. Garter vision began to blur.
Then it suddenly snapped back into focus. His arm snapped forward and suddenly, a mass of goo launched from his sleeve and slammed into the first one like a bludgeon and throwing him through the air before smashing through a crumbling stone wall! The goo immediately retreated back into the sleeve, leaving Garter staring at his arm with a shell-shocked expression. Then his other arm snapped out and another massive goo tendril shot forward and grabbed the second one, yanking him within arms reach! His left arm suddenly became goo-covered and swung around in a left hook that snapped the Branded's neck!
The final Branded stood and saw what Garter had done and turned to run, only for several tendrils to erupt from Garter's shirt and grab onto his legs, hauling him towards Garter. Garter watched in horror as the tendrils suddenly sharpened and slammed into his back with a loud squelching sound! Then, tons of black spikes erupted from the Branded's body with sprays of blood. Then they retreated, and the tendrils were sucked back into his shirt. Garter stared in horror at what had just happened. He knew that slime. He knew what he was.
He was the host of a symbiote.
His eyes turned to the smoldering embers of the fire and he stared for a few seconds before charging at it, intent to dive on it and force the symbiote from his body! He didn't make it two steps before black tendrils erupted from his clothes and dragged him back, pinning him to a wall while a voice echoed through his mind. It sounded weak and panicked.
"NOOOooooo…" It exclaimed but died away. Garter was trapped for a good two minutes before the tendrils released him. He stood up in a daze and contemplated trying to leap on the fire again, only for the voice to return.
"Noooo." It said again. Garter stood there, looking at the fire. Then he turned and stumbled off in the general direction of North. He didn't even notice that his wounds were healed. All he knew was that he was the host of a symbiote. And not even the release of death was open to him.
The sun was already setting, and he was nowhere near anything that could serve as shelter. Even if he wasn't necessarily out of energy, he was walking as if he were dead on his feet, his mind reeling from the day's events. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he stumbled before collapsing to the ground. He didn't even feel the impact or make any effort to stand up again. He just lay there on his side, staring deadly at the horizon. Eventually, he faded into unconsciousness. The symbiote began to awaken, wrapping around his body until he looked like a man who had just swam in tar. The body stood up roughly and began to stagger towards somewhere with proper shelter.
The symbiote had found a host. Now it needed to protect it.
It was second day since Ana had found herself clinging to the ceiling of her room and she was freaking out. She hadn't told her grandparents at all, but they seemed to know something was up.
As if it wasn't written all over my face… Ana thought. When she was sure that everyone was asleep again, she had tried to climb the wall again. It took a few tries, but she'd eventually figured out how to do it every time. Still, she was reeling from the revelation of her new abilities. How had she gotten them? Why had they only appeared now?
She wished she had her research notes. Not that they would be any good, but it would at least be a start.
She had initially thought of asking her mother, but immediately discounted that. With the symbiote paranoia and general dislike of age-old heroes, it was probably better if she kept it to herself for now. Besides, she didn't know the full reach of what she could do. She obviously had wallcrawling, as well as enhanced strength, considering how effortless it had been to hold herself flush against the ceiling of her room, as well as how her suitcase now felt lighter than air. Another thing that sprang to mind was a danger sense, explaining the game of dodgeball on Friday. That didn't explain why that buzzing was going on all the time, though it had significantly quieted down since she got to her grandparent's house. Then she had a thought. Her grandmother had been acting funny after Ana had mentioned Peter Parker, the only one who had managed to get proper pictures of Spider Man two-and-a-half centuries ago. Maybe she knew something that could help.
She began looking around the house for her, eventually finding her in the living room, watching TV.
"Hey grandma, could I ask you something?" Ana asked a bit hesitantly. Given how her grandmother had been acting, she didn't want her to react badly to the question.
"You already did dear, but do you have another question?" Her grandmother joked. Ana groaned. That was usually her grandfather's joke.
"I was wondering if you knew anything about Peter Parker." She asked. Immediately her grandmother's expression changed.
"Why are you interested?" Her grandmother asked with equal hesitation. Ana took a seat and tried to think of an answer to that question that would not cause her grandmother to clam up about it.
"It's just that his name keeps popping up when it comes to Spider Man. Plus, when I mentioned his name on Friday, you started acting strange. You looked down the hall, towards the attic. Even all of that aside, his name sounds familiar to me. Do you know something about him?" Ana lightly pressed. Her grandmother sighed.
"I think its best you stay away from that, dear. I know you want to know more about the age of heroes, but some of that information can be dangerous to you." Her grandmother said carefully. Ana tilted her head, confused by her grandmother's response, and disappointed that she hadn't a clear answer. Still, she wasn't deterred. If her grandmother wasn't going to tell her, then she'd just have to do some investigating by herself.
And that meant getting into the attic.
Ana has spider powers now! I mean, if you read the previous version of this story, you already knew that. However, I'm really shifting around the details of how and why all of this works this time around.
Creativity: And how about that scene you lifted from the Venom Trailer?
Author: Well yeah, because its just AWESOME! But yeah, I included that for a few different reasons that I might explain later.
I really like this revised origin I've come up with. Plus, I get to dig in and flesh out the Traveler (New name for Runner) culture, as well as Ripper culture. I didn't do much of that last time and that was one of my biggest regrets.
I'm also liking the idea of five chapter sets more and more, as it lets me keep things neat and contained for what segment of the story I'm creating.
Well, I think that's enough for today. See ya tomorrow!