Unveiling Cade Donovan

Venom

{GRAY}

 Scorpion's death had been unexpected. I hadn't seen it coming, just like the recent events that had occurred in my life. The days that followed had been tough because I had been unexpectedly thrown below the food chain, leaving me prey to Venom, Scorpion's rival. One year later, she was still making my life a living hell. Presently, I was the only one sitting at a table in the cafeteria, since I had become an outcast, munching on an apple. Surprisingly, the menu had been changed some months ago, getting rid of the soup. Now we have got to eat pasta and other appetizing meals together with fruits and desserts. It was the only thing that made life here bearable. I heard a sinister laugh from behind me. A few seconds later, Venom and her minions, Jet and Fairy, appear before me. 

 Frankly, I was getting so tired of our encounters that I didn't raise my head to look at them. Whether it was taunting remarks, stolen belongings or just an air of menace that seemed to follow her everywhere, Venom had been a constant torn by my side. Her ink-black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a curtain of shadows, and her tattoos seemed to writhe and twist as if they had a life of their own.

Venom slammed her hand on the table, getting the attention of everyone in the cafeteria excluding me. Pissed off by nonchalance, she pulled the chair next to me and sat down on it. I finally raised my head to look her straight in the eye. We had a staring competition, neither of us wanting to break eye contact. It went on for a while and just as I thought I'd had enough, she averted her gaze, admitting defeat.

"You have some guts for such a small girl." she spat hatefully, embarrassed she'd lost.

"Let's just say I was taught well. What do you want? Are you that obsessed with me?", I retorted. Her minions looked at me shocked that I'd posed that question. I even shocked myself by saying that. My hands shook slightly because of nervousness. I quietly placed them between my legs to not draw attention to them. I didn't want it to give away what I was feeling inside.

Venom chuckled, "Why would I be obsessed with you? If anything, I want you out of this world. You get what I mean?", I understood what she said, since it wasn't the first time those words had come out of her mouth. She wanted me dead and I didn't know why.

She moved closer so her mouth was next to my ear. I tried to move away but Fairy stood on the other side of me, cornering me. Her tongue darted out and licked inside my ears. I flinched, appalled by the action.

"Should I give you an easy death like scorpions or do you want me to beat the hell out of you until you let out your last breath? What's your take? I think the latter would suit you better, but I will respect your choice. So tell me, which one do you prefer?", she whispered into my ears. It had always crossed my mind that Scorpion had been murdered. I always brushed the thought away but her words just confirmed my assumptions. I pretended to be in thought. She stared at me hopefully, waiting for an answer. I looked her in the eye and said, "You talk too much," before spitting on her face. A series of gasps erupted from the crowd in the cafeteria. Most of them looked on, stunned that I had the guts to do that to Venom.

She cleaned the saliva using her shirt. I knew my fate was sealed as soon as she glared daggers at me. Without any prior warning, she shoots her fist at me, hitting me square in the jaw. The sound of a crack passed through my ears. I didn't know if it was from her knuckles or my jaw breaking. The pain that shot through me told me it was the latter. I fell to the floor and grumbled as the inmates started screaming, 'Fight'. Not a second later, Venom was on top of me, her fist colliding with my face. Punch after punch, she wouldn't stop, not when blood oozed from my nose and my lips split. She wanted to finish me off. I could see it in her angry eyes and the way her fist collided with my skin. She wanted me dead. I didn't mind, I wanted myself dead too.

Venom suddenly roared like a beast, before grabbing the collar of my shirt, pushing me up and then smashing my head to the floor. The pain that overcame me was out of this world, it felt like my head was being pierced with a thousand needles. Before she could crack my head open, an officer grabbed her shirt and pulled her from top of me.

"What the hell is going on here? I thought I warned you the last time not to start any fights." He sneered at Venom, held her arms back and pinned her to the table before placing handcuffs on her hands. Jet and Fairy stepped back, not wanting to end up in trouble. Two officers approached me, lifted me from the ground and sent me to the infirmary. My presence wasn't a shock to Mary, the young nurse there, since I'd become a constant visitor ever since Venom passed.

She gave me a disapproving look even though I was the victim here. My head felt heavy and my legs would nearly give out on me if not for Mary ushering me to the bed before I could fall. The scent of soap enveloped my senses as my back hit the soft mattress, a vast difference from the bed in my cell. It was the only reason I loved staying here despite Mary's continuous nagging.

"What trouble did you get yourself into this time?", She placed a wet towel on my face, cleaning off the blood.

I didn't answer but rather gave a crooked smile which she did not return. I sighed before saying, "It was Venom. I was sitting at my table minding my own business when she and her clowns suddenly appeared". I winced because my face hurt whenever I opened my mouth. Mary and Scorpion had been friends so she knew about the whole thing with Venom.

She wiped my face with cotton dipped in spirit and I let out a hiss. She ignored my pain and continued with her assault on my face. An hour later, my face had already been cleaned up and was beginning to swell. Mary gave me some pills to help with the headache and pushed me out of her office. I spent the rest of the day in my cell since Mary warned me I might get a concussion. Lucky for me, my new noisy roommate, Scarlet, wasn't around to annoy me.

The following day I was able to step out. The pills worked like magic and although I still felt pain, it was mild and not as severe as yesterday. Venom and her minions were nowhere in sight when I entered the cafeteria. It could only mean that they would be spending the next five days in the suspension room. But I knew it wouldn't end here. They'd beat me up, get into trouble, get out and beat me up again. It was a cycle that never ended. I dreaded that it would remain so until I finished my sentence or ended up dead.

Deep down I knew the latter was most likely.