Carnage Unleashed:
The psychotic symbiote Carnage has but one single all-consuming mission in life: To Kill. But when he receives a sudden message while imprisoned at Ravencroft that mission becomes all too personal. Can Spider-Man stop Carnage's latest rampage alone?
Issue One of Four
Ravencroft Asylum:
"She's dying." Cletus Kassidy whispered almost in disbelief inside the confines of the iron-tight cell. Normally at this time of day he preferred to scream out profanities to the guard and make promises of how he'd eviscerate them at a moment's notice; just to keep them on their toes. Cletus very rarely felt anything but murderous glee or furious hate but today he felt speechless, lost. The warden, Dr. Kafka had told me the news just an hour ago. His aunt was dying: Cletus had spent years hunting down the members of his family that had survived the original killings that had set him down this horrid path so long ago. She was the only one left, the one who had yet to experience death at his hands.
And that irked him. Cletus grimaced recalling Kafka's exact wording. His aunt had contracted breast cancer, it was quite advance. She only had a month maybe two to live. The whispering in his head grew louder edging him on. He had no inhibitions to resist with, Cletus listened all too willingly.
We should act.
Yes, I know. But they have me imprisoned here, restrained by a straight jacket. How can I release you?
We flow through your blood, Cletus, wound yourself and we will be free.
I can't move my arms and this cell's padded? Help me.
Bite our tongue, Cletus, bleed.
Yes. Bite, bleed, bite and bleed.
---
Downtown Manhattan:
"This sucks. I mean that. This sucks to the tenth power." Peter muttered grimly at the kitchen table in their small but cozy apartment. "Go over this one more time?"
His wife, Mary Jane Watson, sat down beside him on the couch, handing him a hot cup of coffee as she did, "You see when I left California I had not completed several photo shootings. I had talked to the company and told them I was no longer going to be doing work with them and I had thought that was the end of it. Apparently, they didn't see it that way. So what happened was they've decided to sue us because several companies withdrew after they learned I was no longer doing the shooting."
Peter slumped into contours of the couch and took a small sip of his coffee, "Sons of bi-."
"Don't curse." MJ interjected in a rather timely fashion.
"Those are some pricks." Peter declared shortly before sighing in an exasperated manner. "So have you called your lawyer?"
She nodded very candidly, "He say's he can get the case thrown out of court but its going to cost us."
Peter frowned, "How much?"
"About fifty grand he said." She responded. "Let me ask you a question, tiger."
"Shoot."
MJ brushed her long red hair away from her eyes and pursed her lips together and then finally rocked her head back wearily, "How come whenever some wacko like the Rhino or the Juggernaught starts tearing the city up he always crashes into an orphanage or church but they never demolish any of the buildings that these people work in?"
"Because the universe has turned my life into a reality T.V. show." Peter replied in a monotone voice. "At least we know where our savings are going this year."
"Don't shed another hair over this, tiger." Mary Jane leaned in and kissed him on his forehead before heading towards the phone, "We'll get through this."
Peter smiled. Mary Jane, his sunshine, the eternal optimist, a perfect foil for his doom and gloom predisposition. Thank God for her.
"I think I'm going to go out for a swing." He declared heading for the closet, "I need to clear my head."
"Okay, Pete." She replied dialing in the number for their lawyer, "Be careful. Love you."
"Ditto." He chimed in reaching for the familiar crimson mask.
---
Ravencroft Asylum:
The door to Cletus' cell burst open and slammed violently against the brick interior sending debris everywhere. The three guards outside of his cell twirled around as Carnage emerged in his glorious true form. "Hi boys, figure I'd go out for a stroll."
A hideous cackle burst out from his black mouth before tendrils suddenly lashed out from his torso literally dicing one guard apart in seconds. The other two opened fire with their automatic rifles pumping rounds into the symbiote as quickly as their guns could muster.
With amazing speed, Carnage dodged the bullets while moving in on his prey. Turning his hand into a sharp blade he thrust it through the guard's neck and twisted it around sending his head cleanly off. He eviscerated the other and in less than thirty seconds it was all over.
Carnage stood there for a moment, caught in his deadly pose and savored the moment in its unbridled brutality. It was an art-form: death he meant. Anyone could kill, but it took a unique talent to bring it out to its fullest, to appreciate it. He made it a ballet, carefully orchestrated, powerfully brilliant, almost beautiful in a way.
Guards began to flood down the corridor towards him. Fresh fodder was what they were. The ballet could continue.
---
Less than a mile away
Peter landed on the ledge with more grace than the best Olympic athletes. But he certainly didn't feel that way. This business over a lawsuit bothered him. He and MJ had just finished getting their financial situation in order; they had considered buying a home and now all that planning out the window. He wanted to hit something, when was the Shocker when you needed him?
Mary Jane had seemed so sure, he wished he could have shared the sentiment. But Parker luck had been running its course thus far, one hundred percent true to form. If only he could find a condemned building to take out his frustrations on.
Suddenly, his spider-sense flared ever so slightly and alerted him to action taking place not to far away, in the direction of Ravencroft. Shriek is probably on the loose or something. Maybe that's what I need. Some second-rate loser to make an idiot out of, make a few cracks and be home in an hour, piece of cake.