Chapter 0:
The rain beat heavily and thrashed against the bus window. Edward Mulligan, however, hadn’t noticed for he was caught in a daydream. His senses preoccupied with destruction, explosions and superhero antics, all rehearsed and narrated in spectacular and cinematic fashion. He noticed his heart beat faster and faster as he fought in climactic battles against Spiderman’s greatest enemies.
During these fantasies, Toxin became attentive and would listen with hungry ears. Edward ignored the fact that the symbiote was intoxicated on his heroic fantasies, and would often exhaust them. It whispered in his mind, its voice sounded like a crying child. More—give us more! Merge with us! Edward would contend with the creature and ritually defeated it with a monologue drawn from his life experience. But the symbiote was too excited to remain calm.
Edward, irritated, grabbed onto a bar and easily lifted his heavy body off the ground. He had forgotten how strong the symbiote made him. The power was unbelievable. He trailed off the bus and stepped into the rain. Unlike the people running for shelter, Edward enjoyed the rain. His enhanced senses opened him up to the vibrations, and his body was alive with chaotic energy. He wandered if he could give the symbiote away, but for pleasure purposes. He didn’t think he could.
‘I love this,’ he smiled. Thenmerge with us!
He continued his journey home, his arms swinging as he walked. Rain soaked his brown hair but he could care less. The symbiote took this as an opportunity and began to sliver delicately across his face. If it wasn’t for the rain, Edward wouldn’t have noticed. He commanded the symbiote to return; his face became tense and scared a passing woman.
‘Damn it.’
Edward's stomach thundered and growled. He knew he hadn’t eaten since morning but hunger wasn’t the case. He could feel Toxin moving around in his stomach. It made him sick. It made him want to throw up but he knew Toxin was more resilient than that, it was attached to him and wouldn’t live anywhere else.
Listen kid. Your father is a police officer and your mother a nurse. This should come natural to you. Merge with us! Edward could feel Toxin’s words weighing on his will. He wanted to be a superhero more than anything. Not for the recognition but responsibility. The symbiote would whisper tales of responsibility. It told him that power came with responsibility. But that wasn’t the full story. In the mind of Toxin there was an urge to control, to torture and kill. This is what Edward feared the most.
‘Sometimes,’ he sighed. ‘I get tired of the fighting. One day I’ll give up. Is that what you want?’
Edward jumped at the sound of gunshots firing. A woman screamed. He jerked and saw a man barging through people as he ran. Edward jogged to the scene and saw a man on the floor. He knew the man; he was a shop-keeper. His son knelt by his side crying, begging him to stay awake. What if that was your father? Edward imagined if that were him and his father. The boy rested his head on his father’s chest. The crowd was frozen; instinct told them he was dead.
Edward slipped out the crowd and began to follow the criminal’s scent.
‘You win…’ he said.
He ran into an alley way and began to cling to the walls. The symbiote, alive with dark fantasies, unravelled as he climbed. Tiny tendrils stretched across his body. In less than a minute he was transformed.
‘We are Toxin,’ they said in unison.
The criminal pulled up his hood before slipping between buildings. It was a place where gangs prowled at night. The criminal panted while running, his body wanted to stop. His head shot up as a shadow quickly loomed over.
‘Who—who’s there?!’
‘Death,’ a voice hissed. ‘I am death.’
‘Stay back,’ the man screamed as he pointed his gun. He spun and turned, looking to see his stalker but Toxin was too fast.
‘Kill you,’ he said before pouncing on the man.
The criminal fired repetitive shots which harmlessly rippled across Toxin’s chest. He laughed at the man. His fingers extended into rake-like claws, and slashed across the man’s face.
‘Please, I’m sorry,’ he cried. ‘I just got out of prison. I needed the money. I was desperate.’
‘You should have stayed in prison,’ Toxin laughed, shooting a web over his mouth. ‘Now be quiet. No one should have to hear you scream.’
The man watched in fear as Toxin grew a gaping jaw, vampire-like teeth and a black tongue. It bent and curved around his neck. Hungry!
‘I’m going to eat your brains.’
He held the man’s head in his hands; tiny tendrils grew of his knuckles and slivered into the man’s ears. He moaned heavily through the web as they pierced his eardrums. Kill him!
‘Shut up,’ he screamed as he punched the man to a bloody pulp. ‘This is your fault. You deserve this!’
By the time Toxin realised he was dead, his hands were dripping with blood. He had hit the man so much his face was disfigured. Yet, Toxin wished to do so much more. He loved the godlike power it gave him, to see the villain writhe in fear under his weight. But beneath his wild energy, was a void. His monstrous face returned to a smooth mask as he began to feel empty.
‘Did I just do that,’ he said. ‘Oh god.’
The symbiote detached itself and flew down his throat, returning to his stomach. He felt sick again. He tumbled and then ran onto the street before vomiting. He coughed but the symbiote was stubborn and remained immovable in his stomach.
‘What have I done,’ he cried. ‘I’m a monster.’
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