SPIDER-MAN: MARK LEE

20

𝟮𝟬: 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗘𝗗, 𝗦𝗢 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗢𝗠

Thud, thud, thud.

"About damn time." I mumbled to myself, as soon I heard the familiar knocks coming from the windows of my balcony. I briskly pulled the blanket off me, and brought my legs to the edge of my bed before slipping my feet into the fuzzy slippers. Then, I rushed to the balcony and rolled the blinds open.

I knew Venom was gonna show up tonight, especially after what happened in Midtown. The incident still peaked my curiosity and dread, so I was very much eager to hear out what he had found out, along with Spiderman and the police.

And there he was, standing by the metaled barrier.

"Hey." I greeted as soon as I entered the balcony, and closing the door behind my back a bit. I smiled. "I knew you would come."

"Of course I would." He said. "I'm glad you're safe after the incident in Midtown. Are you feeling good?"

I nodded my head before tucking my hands into the pockets of the hoodie I was wearing. "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." I looked at him a bit reluctantly. "So... What did you figure out? What on earth was that thing? And why the hell did it just spawn in my school?"

Initially, I doubted Venom was ever gonna share something confidential to me, as I was a mere citizen. But he actually did, and I sharpened my ears for all the information he was about to fill me with.

"Do you know about what happened Rosedale, Brookeville South And Richmond Hill?" Venom asked and positioned himself on the barrier, his hands on his knees. "And Bayside, Fresh Meadows, and Whitestone."

"About the bomb and shooting incidents, with all those sketchy weapons?" I shot my guess. "I saw it on the news last week in detention."

Venom nodded his head. "Yeah. There's been shooting sprees going on in Queens, with the use of the Goliath, the one you saw in your school. And you're right, there were bomb sprees as well. Those bomb attacks were so massive they nearly destroyed those districts. Lucky for our district, that hasn't happened yet."

I took a nervous gulp. "What do you mean... yet?"

Venom sighed lowly and hung his face down. "I won't sugarcoat this, but that'll most likely happen. Because of the appearance of the Goliath in your school, that suggests the commencement of destruction in here."

Silence passed by. It was obvious I was feeling frenzy right now about what he just said.

I took a step closer to the barrier and cleared my throat to say something. "That thing people described as the Goliath, what exactly is it?"

"It's exactly what it looks like." Venom said. "For all we know is that it's a weapon to make it easier to kill. And we also know that this weapon is legal in many countries, but not here. The explosives as well, and all those high-tech weapons. They're too dangerous to be allowed in here. We don't know who's sneaking them in our territory. We really don't know. Police are looking and searching for answers, and we can only pray and wait."

I merely nodded.

I didn't know what else to say. And the dread that lingered in my body after all this, added more to my silence.

With a heave, I trudge over the barrier and set my elbows on it, feeling the icy metal against my skin. "Good job though, about today or in general. Thanks for keeping Queens safe."

Venom looked towards my direction. He was staring at me, and I felt even more awkward since I wasn't sure of what his expression was behind that mask he wore. I just hoped he was at least smiling.

"Wanna see something cool?"

I flickered my eyes. "What?"

"Do you wanna see something cool?"

"Uh sure."

"Okay, take my hand." Venom extended his arm out to me, his head tilting slightly to the side. "Trust me."

I gulped and shifted my gaze on him and his hand. I wasn't sure of what he was up to, but I was a bit skeptical. "Okay..." I said, then placed my hand on top of his.

Venom stared at my tensed face, then looked at our hands touching. He firmly held onto me, though cautious and assuring. "Just relax." He said. Soon after, his suit on his hand started to dissolve and transfer over to my hand. I winced, wanting to pull away, but he held on tighter. "Hey, it's okay. Just trust me." He whispered.

The entire Symbiote had engulfed my hand. From my fingertips, to my wrist, it was coated by the black goo. It didn't hurt, but it felt weird. It was a nice feeling I would say. I felt a bit stronger. "This is fascinating." I mumbled and inspected my hand, twirling my fingers in and out with a small smile on my lips.

"It is?" Venom repeated with a grin. He then patted on the barrier. "Try grabbing this."

Confused, I swathed my fingers on the barrier, then looked at Venom for another cue.

"Crush it."

I squeezed my grip on the barrier, and I found myself gasping as I saw the metal being crushed because of my strength, though not my strength exactly, it was because of this suit. "Oh shit-" I muttered. My smile grew bigger as a small chuckle escaped my lips, as well as Venom's. "That's amazing." I expressed.

"Thanks."

There was a voice in my head, so deep and husky, it had low tones that scraped like nails on a blackboard and a hiss on the letter.

My entire body shuddered out of surprise, my hand somehow automatically grabbing onto Venom's hand, a trace of dread seen in my terrified face. "Who was that?" I spoke, my head shifting left and right to see if there were any new presence.

Venom chuckled. "It's just Venom."

"Oh... The Symbiote?"

"Indeed. It's nice to meet ya Juliane."

I looked back at Venom, surprised and fascinated about the entire circumstance. The vigilante gave me a nod, a gesture for me to continue the conversation.

"It's nice to meet you too... Venom."

"Hmm... I sense loyalty, kindness, curiosity and many more positive traits."

I cocked an eyebrow with tilted head, looking at the vigilante for more explanation.

"When the Symbiote attaches to a someone, it becomes aware of the person, because now they're one." Venom explained, making me nod. "When Venom somehow appeared in earth, it chose me, I was chosen. Now we're just buddies, right Venom?"

"Sure I guess... Though sometimes he's annoying."

I snickered. "That's amazing. So you guys are practically one person."

"That's true, I know everything about him, I know what he thinks of and what he dreams of. I know everything. For example, he thinks a lot about you actually-"

"Okay Venom, that's enough." The vigilante warned with a sheepish snicker. He'd held my hand firmly, now the black goo returned to mesh with his suit. "Umm, anyways..." Venom mumbled, his hand scratching the back of his head. "I should go now. I just wanted to check up on you, that's all."

"Ohh." I felt my cheeks turning a bit hot. "Okay then~"