Claws of the Beast
Eddie stumbled down the streets. Venom had saved him and then gotten them out of there, but was too exhausted to keep up much else. Man, but that had gone wrong so fast. It was doubtful that Kasady and his symbiote were done in by the building. They had to be too strong for that. The only thing that he had going for him was the fact that he had time to put distance between him and the site of their conflict. But how long until Carnage came searching for them? He couldn't say. The only good thing was that he didn't know Eddie which meant he could lose himself amongst the masses.
A few stray newspapers from a nearby ally helped staunch the bleeding but that alone wasn't enough. He needed time and rest along with actual bandages. As if in answer to his need, his cell rang. "Anne?"
"Eddie…tell me that you're not in trouble, that my fears aren't true?"
"Annie, we're in trouble. This guy is bad news. He hurt us both bad; tore into me a bit and exhausted Venom so…we ain't movin' too fast."
"I knew something was up. Felt it. Already on my way. Don't tell me where you are, I just already know because…well I just know."
. . . . .
The scent. The scent was everything to the lithe figure swinging and vaulting off buildings. The scent was everything, and once he was close enough, then he'd spot him with ease. The hunt was on, and Kasady was feeling alive as was his symbiote.
. . . . .
Anne Weying was desperate. Somehow, in the middle of her dinner, she had suddenly felt a stabbing sensation. A sense of panic engulfed her and she fled the plate she had just placed on the table, snatched up her purse and keys, and ran as fast as her feet and the stairs would permit to her car. The moment when she was inside and out the garage, she dialed his number. She was praying that her fears weren't true, but Eddie confirmed them.
She didn't need GPS, she just knew in her heart where he was. People had said that there were experiences where you knew someone was in trouble or hurt, maybe even dying. It was a kind of connection that couldn't be described, only experienced. She fought to keep everything together as she dodged traffic, her heart racing for the one man in this world she loved. Where are you Eddie? Please, please God show him to me, she begged. There; there he was, thank you Lord.
But then… "Eddie!" Anne shrieked at the sight.
"BOOOYYYAAAAHHH!" yelled the grotesque plummeting form.
She didn't comprehend anything except that she was out of the car and running, running hard and fast as she could but it wasn't enough, not fast enough…
. . . . .
"You probably both think today's the dyin' day, and boy but it is, but…I ain't killin' ya fast, oh no, this is gonna be a slow one. Ain't skinned anybody yet, but hey, first time for everything know what I mean?" With that Carnage, teeth gleaming in the dim light of the ally hurled the black symbiote's remnants away. Venom had attempted to fight back and defend Eddie, only to be ripped away with contemptuous ease.
Eddie braced himself for a painful end, but then it all changed. Something…Eddie could swear that someone tackled Carnage from out of nowhere; because all that he knew before he blacked out was that he heard Carnage screaming.
. . . . .
He was about to have fun with Eddie when something bodily hit him and then he felt claws tear into him, and teeth bite him hard. Next thing, he was tumbling blindly end over end down the ally. He quickly got to his feet, only for whoever got him to run into him again. Everything became a blur. He felt pain and confusion as he kept lashing out but hit air. His opponent was nothing but constant motion and painful strikes that were actually hurting him. One particular bite tore into the vulnerable man underneath the symbiote causing Cletus to scream as blood spurted.
One brutal uppercut later and he began to blindly limp away. Whoever had just handed him that cruel beating, didn't pursue him; a fact that Kasady and Carnage both, were thankful for. For Carnage, it was the first true time he had actually been bested. He had grown used to the thought of others being weaker on this world, so he had not been prepared for such a violent assault, and Kasady had never been hurt like this in his whole life so he too was reeling from the encounter.
As he limped away, he cursed through clenched teeth, "Nobody told me there were more than one of 'em. Dang, but whoever that was they have got mean jaws and claws. Boy but that hurt."
. . . . .
Eddie didn't know anything for some time. He finally stirred after what seemed like minutes. First thing he knew was that he was in a bed. "At last you're up. Man, but you were really out of it."
"Anne?"
"Yes, and dang but you were lucky I found you. We almost thought we might lose you."
"We? What? Wait, does that…?"
"I found you just before that freakish guy was about to do you in. Let's just say, it brought out something in me that I never thought I would bear witness to. I sent him running."
"You actually did?" Eddie smiled at that.
"I had a little help," Anne continued as Eddie sat up with a slight wince but his eyes finally open to the fullest. "Carnage should know better than to just throw things away. Guess he never heard about what assuming does to a person. In any case Venom found me, and the rest is history. We gave him a very nasty thrashing. You did say I can fight ugly, but I never knew I could be so mean until last night."
"Dang," Eddie sighed with a smile at the sight of Anne smiling as well. "Um, so sorry to spring this on you but-"
"Breakfast coming up," she calmly said striding out of the room.
She's a really good cook. You should ask her to do that more often.
. . . . .
"This is Hawkins. We got ourselves a positive I.D. and trail. Kasady was here and got worsted by somebody who could fight from the look of things. We gonna have him back and in a strait jacket before the caffeine hits."
"Do be careful Hawkins. This guy is unhinged enough to force our hands. Handle with caution, please. I ask this for the commissioner as well. She wants this to not get bloody if it can be avoided, but… Well, just do watch it."
"You have my word, Cathy."
. . . . .
Kasady was on the run. His "partner" was somehow absent from the scene. So much for the "carnage" he would wreak. Darn it all, but who had attacked him? Didn't know who and it stung his pride as a man to so easily have been reduced to a pained mess on the run. As for the symbiote, it was too busy to do much aiding of his host due to having been injured.
Carnage was not used to superior opponents because he avoided direct conflict in fights that he could not win. He ambushed those he consumed. He was used to a much softer life than Riot because he did not intend to follow any path, rather, he intended to simply just follow whatever random desires struck, just like his host. So being forced to actually regroup, to actually think, was something foreign that was interfering with the symbiote's functionality and the bond with his host.
It didn't help that he was bleeding. He was leaving a trail that almost anyone could follow if they were looking. But that only illustrated how scared he was. When in a blind panic, its funny how one does things without considering their impact. Kasady finally got to an intersection and saw his one chance. He was out in the open but…there, there was his salvation.
. . . . .
"Looks like our boy turned into a mole," commented Hawkins. He was staring at the manhole were the dogs had tracked the blood trail. This guy was obviously quite desperate. He was going down where all the other vermin lived. "We're goin' in boys. Fall in!"
"Either we're chasing him down," muttered a rookie at the rear, "or we happen to be going where we shouldn't." He just couldn't help but feel like it might be a bad idea to be heading into the sewer system after a killer like this guy. Maybe it was the dark, or something else, but he just felt nervous.
. . . . .
Hungry. So very, very, very hungry. It was becoming a quite painful, gnawing sensation in the pit of his being. It had gone from nuisance, to an overpowering need. Where? Where? Need it nownownownow.
Voices. Voices meant life, meant food, meant hunger go away. Stealthly, to the best of his hampered ability, the killer slunk off into the shadows. There, that was perfect. But which one first…ah yes, the fat one who looked like he was getting up to relieve himself.
. . . . .
"Guy ain't hiding. That bothers me," commented the rookie.
"Means he's scared and desperate is what he is," said Hawkins.
No one said anything after that for several minutes. Then they heard noises. Crunching and growling. What in the world? Something was really off, and very disturbing. Cracking, and grunting, snarling even. It almost sounded like an animal feeding off a carcass. Suddenly, the rookie recalled a documentary that talked about the Tasmanian Devil. He remembered that they snapped and snarled at each other even if there was enough food to go around, and how could he forget how nasty they sounded?
That was precisely what it sounded like as they crept closer to the source. "Ulphmmmmppphhh!" gagged the rookie at the sight of a corpse. Gross. Looked like it had been bitten in the throat and then torn into without even waiting for him to die. Were those human teeth-marks? Oh, gross, so very disgusting. What in the world were they getting themselves into?
"Quiet now. We got him pinged. Now just need to surround him; cut off escape," said Hawkins.
"Dude, those are bodies around him, and it looks like he's eating them." The rookie shuddered. "You want us to go mess with that? Shoot him dead; this guy isn't ever going to come quietly or ever stop. Really. This guy is an animal."
"Trust me, this sicko will get what he's got coming in the jail. The people will see to it."
Why did he not believe that this would end with Kasady surrendering? Why? Why? Hawkins confidently stepped into the light. "Kasady, you really should know how to run better."
The man looked up with a bloodstained mouth. "Yeah, and you should know better than to try and sneak up on me when I have a set of eyes that knew you were coming."
A black slithering mass of stuff began to surge and coat his body. "Hungry!" roared Carnage and leapt. All Hawkins saws was teeth and that face as he desperately yanked at his revolver.
. . . . .
Two whole days. Anne had been quite insistent, and Venom had also been quite vocal about the need to rest. So they rested, and they planned. Eddie quietly watched some movies on wrestling and talked with Venom on the idea of fighting. There had to be some way of besting an opponent who was superior to them. Venom had some notes to give. First, Carnage had no skill, just raw fury and seemingly boundless energy. Second, for all menace, he was really just a man whose only real power lay inside of his sick mind. Cletus Kasady had no true power if you took away the symbiote. The third thing in their favor was that he was not expecting a rematch or that things might be different if they met again.
So the two days passed with the pair thinking and talking. Anne had a few comments to make herself. Serial killers targeted people weaker than themselves, or rather liked ambushes. They didn't want a fight, just the pleasure of killing someone, nothing more. A struggle was the last thing a person like Kasady would want.
The problem was his strength, but especially, the eyes he seemed to have on the back of his head. He was essentially like Riot, but the ability to be caught unawares was a nasty issue. Eddie felt it best to hit him hard and fast. Venom agreed but said it would only work for so long. Carnage would regain his balance and commence with a violent and unrelenting assault once he found his rhythm. Therefore, the name of the game was controlling the fight. They must keep the balance in their favor. Still Venom said the big problem was Carnage himself rather than Kasady. They must do something about the symbiote. Yes…that was the real problem.
. . . . .
"Dude you see that!?" wailed one of the teens. He was from the streets based on his appearance and the same was true of his partner.
"Boy did I ever! Freakin' ugly what it is!" They both stopped in an ally breathing harshly and ragged through their mouths.
"Just killed all those officers," shuddered the first. He and his partner both had been brought in without cuffs when… when that thing had exploded through the glass with ugly laughter and started attacking the officers. They had both been pushed to the side by the officers who had held them and told to run, which they had. Now both of them were scared out of their minds and praying that they weren't found.
"So whatta we gonna do now?" whimpered the younger of the two.
"We-yyyyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" The oldest boy screamed as he suddenly was yanked off the ground with his partner.
"We have questions," said the black, hulking figure, "And we would simply prefer it if you answer us like good little boys."
"Don't kill us please!" yelled the oldest, Peter by name. Bart his younger companion was flailing about and screaming.
"We won't," hissed Venom as he held them over the edge of the fire escape. "But we might just start eating you in pieces if you don't talk. If you do talk…"
"Gonna eat us gonna die help oh help somebody! Please someone—"
"Shut up," growled Venom glaring at Bart. The boy blanched and promptly went silent, but he was still shaking with fear and sweating profusely.
"R-relax man," Peter said to his pal. "This guy just wants us to t-t-talk. So, uh," he swallowed, "whatta ya wanna know?"
"You have seen him. He looks like us and we are hunting him. We hunt him to end him and what he does. So, tell us where, and we don't drop you for starters." Venom glared at Bart who had just opened his mouth but promptly clammed up again.
"D-d-d-d-dude he'll k-k-k-k-k-ill us anyway," whimpered Bart tears streaming down his face.
"Only if you don't. Start. Talking."
"Okay," groaned Peter since he wasn't good at heights, "he ambushed the police precinct. W-w-we were there and then-"
"Carnage attacked the place," finished Venom. "Where?" he growled his face coming closer.
"On 7th street and Baywatch," gulped Peter trying not to stare at those teeth.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Venom said with a nasty smile.
"C-c-c-could you put us down man?" whimpered Bart.
"Not yet," said Venom. "First, you have been bad, bad boys. We can smell it and see it all over you. Second, we usually eat bad people. People like for instance. People who go around doing very, very, very bad things. But you don't seem too bad. So," his tongue flicked around a little, "we offer you a deal."
"A-a-a-a-and what's they deal?" gulped Bart. "W-w-w-w-what do ya want us to do?"
"Behave. We catch you out here again, and we eat you. Slowly. Very slowly. Young ones like yourselves are so tender and soft anyway. But it would be a shame to waste such little lives like yours. So, go get yourselves off the streets, grow up and be good guys…we don't ever bother you again."
"Done!" yelped Bart.
"Was thinkin' I wanted to do like my momma told me when I was younger anyway considerin' that ugly freak that attacked those poor officers," Peter gasped sweat soaking his clothes.
"Good. Now, hold on tight!" And with that, Venom dropped to the street with both boys screaming at the top of their lungs. He gently set down the boys and released them from his hands. "Be good," he said and then he was off swinging across the city buildings.
"Bath and bed for me," breathed Peter. "Dang but that was so scary."
"Yeah man," wheezed Bart. "Say, you remember that shelter, right?"
"Yeah I do. Let's go." They both were never happier to take a bath, or to start listening to other people's instructions.
. . . . .
All was quiet in the Light House district of San Francisco. Then it was destroyed. The ugly, writhing figure of Carnage emerged from the sewer explosively. "I'm baaaaaaaaack!" he roared happily. "And nothin's gonna stop me again!"