It was simple to get out of New York. After all, who notices one taxi among the thousands of them that drive there every day? Getting to California...well, that was more complicated. I'll just say it involved a lot of hitchhiking and plain old hiking (the walking kind). With no physical Slash involvement. But we made it, to the Golden State. And I have to say, its cities are just as butt-ugly as New York's. And smelly. Guess things don't really change, no matter where you go. Oh well. I can only hope that there aren't as many trigger-happy villains or heroes here. Of course, my luck isn't the greatest...
Venom is hunting. Hunting wrong-doers in San Francisco. In their city. They find trouble -and to be future meal- soon enough. A pair of men trying to rape a woman who was just a little too late in hurrying home from work. Now she is going to hurt for it. "Don't shorry." One of the men drunkenly slurs. "Shwe shon't hurt ya. Shill shwe?" The other man smiles. He is obviously quite sober. "Of course not. Not much. Now, I get to go first, If I remember our deal." He pushes the drunk aside, landing him heavily in the shadows. Shadows that are suddenly alive with malice.
A small grunt, and then no more sound comes out of the darkness. The man doesn't even notice, intent on the prey cowering before him. Unaware that now he himself is the prey and the tables have turned...
Something splats on the back of his head. Cursing, he reaches to wipe it off then freezes. It is a glob of flesh. Human flesh. The man only has time to scream once before he is pulled into the open maw of Venom. The woman flees, grateful that tonight, of all nights, she won't die. Blood dribbles on the ground. Bones shatter. Flesh tears in shreds. One more high pitched, almost girly scream and nothing else comes out of the alley. The cold stars continue to twinkle in the now-calm night.
I know I've promised Slash free reign when we reach the city, but first I need to check things out here. Make sure that there won't be too much trouble to run into. Yeah right. You're going to trap me inside forever. Slash snorts. It's been a while since she's been out; I've enjoyed it, she has not. In fact, the last time I remember is the fight with Carnage, a whole week ago. No, make that one and a half weeks ago.
The name of the city is San Francisco. I'm actually sort of relieved that it's not called something like California City. Now that would be creepy. Not to mention weird. The place is even more dirty and messed up than the Big Apple. I guess that makes sense, since there aren't heroes rushing around all over the place to clear it up. I haven't seen any police anywhere, so that probably adds to the factor.
If that's even possible, everyone here is even less out-going than New Yorkers are. To keep trouble from noticing them would be it. Unfortunately, trouble always finds me no matter where I hide. No matter where I go. Already, my bright red hair is starting to draw notice, even more than usual since this is such a dingy grey place. This part of town anyway. Come to think of it, maybe it's just this part of town that's so muddy. It's very on the edge of things.
L! You're being followed by some males, about your age, give or take a few years. Slash's voice cuts in. I would say they don't mean anything good, but you already know that, don't you? Great. Not even five minutes, and already trouble's after me. Maybe it's fate. Maybe it's destiny. Maybe it's my family and past. Probably the last one.
I cut into a back alley, relying on the hope that it'll lead me to somewhere safer, at the very least. Bad idea. It's a dead end. I'm trapped. But at the coming guys' mercy? No way! My strength and speed should give me a bonus that will help me escape. I have no doubt what they will do to me if they get me. Slash senses where my thoughts are going. No. I will handle this. I protest. I have to take care of my problems every once in a while. Let me do it! Her answer is almost a feral growl, making me tremble. NO. Protection is my job! My purpose! What was going on with her? What did she mean? I fought too late. By then, she was already out. Out to kill.
Scum! I hate the sewer trash that constantly interferes with me and L. My mind is in control, L still wailing and pounding away with mental fists. I ignore her. This is for her better good. But I let my body come out of hers slowly. Best to take them off surprise suddenly in this deepest end of the alley. Don't want them to run for it and spread the news of a monster here in the city.
It doesn't take long for them to show up. "Hey girl. You need to pay costs since you're new in this city." A punk, shaved head and all, says. "Our boss is in charge of everything, so you can't do anything if you disagree." A wimpy thin blonde one says with nervous pride. The punk is the leader in this group, I determine, judging by how the others defer to him. I'll get him first, before the others.
One of the guys in the back notices something strange about this girl they are about to get their 'toll' from. "Uh, Tony? Maybe we should-" Before he could finish his possibly helpful advice, the seemly innocent girl steps forward. "What do you want?" Her voice is strange, but that's probably because she's an outsider. A couple of the teens snort before Tony, the punk/leader, shoots them a glare that quiets them. Everything about her, from her stance to her hair, had proclaimed her an outsider. A newbie in town. And therefore, free game. That was the reason for all this. She was a free opportunity for them, lowest of the pecking order.
"We want you to pay up. Toll, you know-" Tony stops, all bug-eyed. The transformation of the girl is complete. She is now a dragon-looking creature. One with angry yellow eyes that looked like it wanted to tear them apart. They all back up, but they are all too slow. The creature strides forward, every motion smooth and powerful. "No, I don't know, actually. Tell me who your 'boss' is and maybe I'll spare you." The words hiss out of its half open mouth as it regards with now lazy lidded eyes. Some of the boys relax, thinking it's not going to kill them after all, but Tony isn't fooled. Owning street-smarts that made him the leader of this small group, his mind compared the beast before him with a sun-bathing crocodile he had once seen at a zoo. Calm-looking, yes. Safe, no.
The skinny blonde speaks up. Tony silently curses himself. He knew he shouldn't have had Ky with him, he was too liable to crack. Like he was breaking now. "Wwe worrkk ffor the ggang leadderr." Ky manages to get out, after a few false starts of plain terrified mumbling. "Nice to know this leader is the type to agree to this type of behavior." It snorts and then leans closer to Ky, eyes fastening on him. "Which gang do you belong to? Don't lie to me, I'll know."
Ky swallows, throat dry. "Therree issnn'tt aah rreal nname for itt, bbut-" He pauses to nervously lick his lips. Tony steps up to him in the brief pause. "Don't say anything! It'll just kill us all once it has the information it wants!" The earnest tone in his voice makes the boys nervous again, shifting back and forth. The creature gives an annoyed sigh. "I swear I'll spare you if you give what I need." When Ky hesitates, it cuts its arm with its large claws, catching a vein. Blood spills out, staining the concrete road beneath. "I swear by blood." Gang members like these, even the lowest of them all, can appreciate blood oaths. The murmuring dies down as everyone calms down, safe in the knowledge they won't die by nasty monster claws. Tony isn't convinced but he steps down, keeping on an eye on the two, Ky and monster.
The boy continues, a little more confident than before. Well, barely enough to stop stammering. "But some call the gang the Blackbirds. The guys who name these sorts of things, that is. Our boss is the Big Birdie." Tony buries his head in his hands in an effort to keep from attacking Ky. Thanks to Ky's information giving, the Big Birdie was gonna see them all dead. If this thing didn't do it first.
"Thank you for the commentary." The yellow eyes narrow, looking over the group. "Now what to do with you all is the question."
The cowards tried to get away, but failed. I took them out, every single one. I may have promised not to kill them but that doesn't cover maiming, now does it? Apparently they thought it did. Except for the punk. He was clever enough not to trust me at all, unlike the rest of the fools in his group.
I look around at the bodies around me. They aren't dead, just going to wake up with a very large headache. I squat down next to one of the boys lying sprawled near me. There needs to be a mark, a way for to know they can't bargain with me. No one can make deals with me, not when I have to keep L safe. My teeth show in a grin, as I gently trace my claws on his cheek. Pressing harder, blood runs out...
Three claw marks on each boy's cheek. Right or left, I don't care. Leaving the alley is easy, since the building making this a dead end has many cracks in it, leading me up without having to make my own handholds. Or clawholds. Over the building. Dark enough for me to hide on the edges of life here, unnoticed. Far enough that no one notices me, will remember me. Close enough that I can catch snippets of conversation.
A police radio comes on, blaring loudly. The cop in the patrol car, groans. "What's it now?" He sets his coffee down on the dashboard and reaches over to shake his partner, who is staring out the window. "Oh yeah, sorry." He says, absentmindedly picking up the coffee left on the dashboard, only to get swatted by his partner, who's driving. "Don't touch that! It's my coffee. Pay attention for once, Jones."
At the scene of the crime...
"What the ^&* # happened here?!" A officer barks at a nearby ambulance. One of the medics looks up and shakes his head. "We're not sure, actually. There's blood all over the place-" "Then it's probably a Venom set-up." The hospital worker glares at the officer interrupting him. "No, it's not. I was just getting to that. One, No one here is dead, though a few will never wake up again. Two, each person has some sort of claw mark on their cheek. Correct if I'm wrong, but I don't think Venom does anything like that. Three, there's been a few scattered mumbles of a 'dragon monster', not black one." The cop drops his chin to his chest, deep in thought. "Well, if Venom didn't do it...who did?"
On a nearby wall...
Venom had been listening to every word that had been said. They hiss, thinking. Someone new in town seemed determined to take the city. But whoever it was would soon discover, that this was their city, Venom's city. And they didn't want to share.
I do this eavesdropping thing for the next several nights, hiding in alleys to sleep during the day, out of the sight of peering eyes. It is hard to piece together anything from the smallest of crumbs I hear. But I try. L refuses to talk to me or help, upset about what I did, taking over and hurting those who would have hurt her. Blood ran freely...I lick my claws in memory of it. Then realizing what I'm doing, I shake myself. I was going faster into my bestial state than usual without L to help hold me back. Soon I would kill humans just because I could. Just like Carnage. Written into my genetic code, it was a trait and promise in my flesh that fighting is my life. Without somewhere or someone to take it out on, I would become hungry for killing and harming humans around me. Not that I knew much about that. It was L that discovered it in our creators' computers. An attempt to control us, even more than they already have.
I growl, annoyed at myself. I was wallowing in memories and thoughts again! It is what L does all the time and I am not her. I need to track down this 'Birdie'. I can fight him and the rest of his gang, staving off the hunger and paying him back for what he allows to happen. Like the human saying, killing two birds with one stone. Watch out Birdie, Slash is coming for you...
