[ ACT ONE ]

«  To know us is to love us!   »

« We are Venom. We know the evil that men do. »

♣

LAURA

'Hey, this is Eddie. Kinda busy right now. Leave a message or whatever, and I'll call you back - beep.'

Twenty-one. The number of times I had called him that evening from between eight to nine pm. The exact amount of dates we had gone on since the day we met. This number also happened to be the number of bruises he was going to beget after he returns back to his apartment. 

I never did well with anger. Angry me was practically inexistent because I was known for my collected cool and happened to own one of the best resting bitch-face in my workplace. But when I got one bad signalled missed call with nothing with monosyllables from Eddie, I was scared. And, then furious as to why he wouldn't answer me back. Which made no sense because certainly, he was in trouble.

Eddie had been acting weird all week. I was either completely blinded by his obscure lines of fate and science to not notice this but he was definitely sick. There was something to him that just wasn't right. He was cold unlike normal people but he shot it down as a hereditary thing. And the phone call just heightened my curiosity.

'Don't - I'll be -  just stay - okay?' was all the message said.

 The air outside his old apartment building was chilly and the remnants of the afternoon drizzle embedding on the cotton of my jumper. The old scooter I leaned onto moaned when I sat up straighter to shake off the cold. Yes, I rode a scooter. Not too resourceful, but got me to places as fast as could. I wasn't dressed for the occasion, throwing on the first article of clothing I could find under my oversized tee and darting out the door. Being in a rush was never a characteristic of mine since being a reporter had changed me habitually. I was to be present and ready for any circumstances.

A thunderous clack wracked the cloudy sky. A groan left my lips as I set my shivering palms over my eyes with desolation. I was not about to get stuck in a torrential rainstorm because of one missed call from him. The stairway to the entrance seemed like a good place to wait for Eddie but boy, was I wrong. I could feel the wetness seep into my jeans and introducing more shudders into my skin.

'For the love of - ' I hissed under my breath. Standing up, I stomped up to the centimetre thick shade over the door and plastered my back against it. I redialled his number once again with tight knuckles, only to hear the familiar ringtone nearing me. But, my coast was clear.

Inspecting my earshot further, I tried to trace the direction of the continuous ringing and walked down the steps. The noise was coming from the stinking alley beside the building, the only light source being the lamplights on either end. 

Beyond the dumpster upfront, a disfigured shape resided and clutched Eddie's bold motorbike, bracing it with both legs. The skin of the creature was like petroleum, creating a web-like structure over the wearer's skin. Whatever it was, it was definitely not human. I withheld a screech by slapping both my hands over my lips when it moved, the ringer still beeping and buzzing in the back. Its body moved like an alien, something projecting from the back to support it. 

 After a beat, it spoke. 'Shut. Up.' 

Eddie?

'I will eat if you let me answer this phone call.' 

Something growled, more grotesque than a human. With a flash of something darker than the night, the figure shrunk into the seats and returned to a human state. He searched his pockets for his phone and answered rapidly upon finding it.

'Laura? Okay, I know you're worried but are you fine? Because I swear, that call meant nothing, I swear...'

My palms shook with trepidation as I looked down at the timed numbers across my screen, Eddie's mechanical voice resonating from the call. I sucked in a horrified breath and glanced at the cloaked shadow in the alley. It was from Eddie. 

Shaking myself out of the trance, I spoke softly and my eyes fixed on his back. 'Eddie.'

' - if you'd just listen to what I have to say!' A pause later, he vocalized in a gentle tone after hearing me talk. 'Babe? You good?'

I couldn't not sound distraught. I swallowed to clear the thickness in my throat and spoke up, again. 'Where are you?'

'I,' he drawled and probed his surroundings from the bike. I saw him toss a look behind me. I swerved back to behind the wall, concealing me from his sight. 'I'm in a bar. Thought I'd get a drink before I get home.'

I rolled my lips into my teeth, cringing at his lie. My voice came out weak as I whispered. 'Liar.'

When I peeked from the edge of the brick to gauge his reaction, he was staring right back at me. I didn't know if he recognized me, so I jumped back into my hiding place and begging that I hadn't been caught in the act.

'Laur?' He called out, his voice far away. 'That you?'

Of course, he knew. He had some alienated substance come creature living inside of him, of course, he would know that it was me! With pulsing panic, I strolled away from the wall and backed into the rails of the stairway. My breathing rate sped up as my legs kicked off into a sprint across the pavement, almost reaching my scooter. 

'Laura, wait. Let me explain!' 

Unknowingly, I shook my head and fumbled with the cluster of keys in my hands. A chill rose up my spine when Eddie neared me with his hands up in surrender and approaching me like a rabid animal. Who was the animal here? Sweat accumulated at the nape of my neck despite the cold weather as he took a few steps closer. 

'What was that?' I whispered acridly. 'Tell me what the hell was that!'

His brown gaze turned terrified. Like he wasn't expecting such a reaction. 'It's a - ' he hesitated, fighting with himself. Fighting the truth. 'A - a thing.'

'A thing, what thing?'

He hesitated. And then, a passive-aggressive smile lit his face. 'You're tired and groggy, babe. How about we talk about this after some shut-eye?'

'No, I saw it! It was inside you and it was - Eddie -' 

I was running short of breath, something closing up in my chest. When I couldn't inhale anymore, my eyes closed to their own accord and warm hands swaddling my sides before I crashed to the wet pavement. I was submerged into an abyss of darkness, hysteria getting the worst of me.