Hostess

Chapter 11; Battle Cry

Rumours were spreading like rats in plagued streets, "didn't you hear? Riot is back" said one voice down the corridor as Annabelle let a sigh escape her lips. "no way, what are we gonna do? No ones doing anything about it" another voice conferenced to another as Annabelle met up with Xander. "Still no Ethan...?" Annabelle asked as her hopes were just slowly draining from the cup in her mind. "No, sorry" he replied looking down at her as he adjusted his glasses upon his nose, "i tried asking around, it's been 5 days of him being missed". Annabelle let out another sigh as her hope was slightly drained away, litre by litre. Then gallon by gallon.

Wrapping an arm around her he suddenly changed within a second, " come on, let's go to class" his lips tugged a two-sided smile. Her eyes rounded some, venom then spoke up in a raspy voice in her mind 'he knows something Shorty". Over these days, venom had become close to her and promised to protect her. Xander smiled and walked down the hall with her before pulling a flower from his pocket from his side bag that was new. "Here" he smiled plastic handing her a flower as to which her eyes widened. A Rosa × Damascena aka the Damask Rose...

Her mind flooded like Niagara falls with memories of Ethan, the time they hung out on her birthday and the flowers on the table. The time he invited her to the cinema to watch some sad movies together and cry, she remembered softly smiling at the end with tiny tears at the ending of a popular movie 'Lost Love' about a couple growing old together and having a child but a tragedy hit them. Annabelle remembered the ending when a dog was adopted into the family, then glancing across she saw the normally "manly" man sat crying with tissues in one hand and a 3/4 empty bucket of popcorn on his lap. She even remembered the jacket he wore, the way it smelt of cement and bits of rubble because of him previously working with his dad.

"Annabelle?" His voice laced concern as she wiped the small droplets falling from the creases in her eyes, 'he's hiding something,' her friend in her head said once more to her as she weakly pulled a smile at Xander heading to class with him ignoring pained memories.

Later that day, on her way home Annabelle scrolled amongst the vast amount of songs on her Spotify ranging from Pop to Rock to Classical and even Parodies, putting on her large red bass boosted headphones she hummed as she put on a song. Yet it reminded her of Ethan too much and the pain of him being away, she was frightened she might never see his tall figure walking into the door and opening his arms wide for her. She wanted more than anything to fling herself into his arms and inhale the scent of old debris and chocolate, he was one of those people you could cuddle throughout the long, cold, infectious hours.

Without warning, Riot launched from a roof with legs like pistons, the energy of a wolf spotting its prey. His jaw hung open eyes glaring round as if locating, his large muscular form being used as a wrecking ball as he smashed into a glass window from a 16 story building. Venom spoke up 'he's hunting, quick! In the alley!' Nodding Annabelle quickly ducked into a dark alley and slowly Venom leaked out her back and began to cover her as she slipped down her headphones so they hung around her neck comfortably, crawling down her arms, over her shoulders and torso and making its way over her within a few seconds she was taller and now bigger.

"Let's do this" their voices merged into one unique gale as the pair sprinted forward throwing themselves into the air with such power that a great white shark would be jealous. When coming into the wrecked glass window Venom looked around 'where is he?' they asked with caution they climbed in and scanned the room. Computers where smashed, desks were thrown about and papers floated down like feathers. No one was there.

A large force came in contact with Venom's back throwing them into a wall with the force of a truck, Riot stood up smirking as he had crashed in through the room "Symbiotes can only die by choice". Seconds later the huge mass of the symbiote collided with Venom throwing them back, Annabelles eyes widened as a single thought crossed her mind " Ethan...?"