𝔭𝔬𝔦𝔰𝔬𝔫 | e. brock

•16•

Willow's POV
(45 minutes earlier)

The man removed the knife from the Willow's throat as he hung up. The room was eerily silent, no one daring to speak a word.

Time trickled by, each minute feeling like an eternity to Willow. Eventually, Danielle broke the silence.

"Who the fuck are you and what the fuck do you want?" she spat.

The man sighed. "Did you want a meet and greet?" he responded sarcastically.

Danielle glared at him. Willow had to admit, that woman had guts. They were tied up, the man had a weapon, and yet she still wouldn't take his shit.

"I'll tell you if she answers my questions," he said, pointing the knife at Willow.

Willow glanced at Danielle. "Fine. I'll answer them." It was better than him torturing her to get them.

He smiled. "Perfect." He paused. "So, is your boyfriend really the Demon of San Fran?"

"... Yes," Willow mumbled.

"What did you say, sweetheart?" the man said, voice unchanged.

Willow was silent.

The man slashed the knife against her cheek. She cried out, more out shock that pain. The blood ran down her cheek. The wound stung, though it didn't feel too deep.

"What did you say?" he asked, anger clear in his voice.

"Yes," she said, slightly louder than before.

Amber's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. Her jaw dropped and she attempted to say something. No words came out.

His smile grew. "So he really did keep that parasite," he muttered under his breath.

"H- how do you know about Venom?"

Amber was even more confused. Which was understandable. She opened her mouth to say something, but the man spoke first.

"You see, Willow, I used to work for the life Foundation. I was one of the head scientists working on the symbiote project. I had a good life. My job paid well. Well enough to support my family. I had a loving wife and son. Then, your boyfriend tries to expose us. Drake shuts him up, and we think nothing of him. Six months later, he breaks into our lab and steals one of our subjects. He gets his evidence, blows up the rocket, and what happens to us? I lose my job. I can't support my family, and my wife and son leave me." The man eyes begin to water. He pauses, getting his emotions under control. "So if you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's to get back at your boyfriend. And to take a threat off the streets of San Francisco."

The air in the room was heavy as the implications of words set in.

Danielle raised her eyebrows. "Okay, two questions. One: how do you expect to be able to kill the Demon of San Fran? Secondly, what the fuck is your name, Mr. 'I'm so important'?"

"I am Lucifer Reed, to answer your second question. As for your first question, I know of that creature's weaknesses." He pointed to the sound systems set up around the room. "That creature is no match for those."

Danielle raised her eyebrows more. "Okay, but how is a speaker supposed to defeat it?" She said, surprisingly sassy for someone tied to a chair.

"It's weakness is sound. That and fire. We figured that out during our tests." He sounded cocky and arrogant as if nothing in his plan could go wrong.

"Look, I'm sure Eddie's dealt with something similar. What makes you think you'll succeed?" Danielle asked.

"Oh, I know this will work," Lucifer said arrogantly.

"Well, I'll leave you three alone for a minute. I'll be back when your dear boyfriend shows up," Lucifer pointed at Willow before walking out of the room with his head held high. He stopped at the doorway.

"Oh yeah, don't try anything. There are cameras set up in here." He left.

The room was silent for a few minutes. Willow felt guilty about not telling Amber sooner, Danielle was pissed, and Amber looked hurt.

"How come you didn't tell me you were dating the fucking Demon of San Francisco?!" Amber chided.

"I dunno..." Willow trailed off. "I guess I wasn't sure how you'd react? And I guess partially because Eddie said not to tell anyone else." Her voice was quiet. Her head hung low, avoiding eye contact with her friend.

"You knew about this?!" Amber nodded at Danielle, who nodded.

"Why did you tell her and not me! Do you not trust me, Willow?" Her voice broke on the last word, a single tear falling from her eye.

"It's not that Ambs! It's just that... Danielle was the one who came after I found out. It wasn't that I didn't trust you, it was that you didn't respond when I called. Dani did. She picked me up, and helped me." As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she had said the wrong thing.

"So I'm just a bad friend?! I wasn't there for you, so you just stop telling me things?"

"No one's saying you're a bad friend! You're one of the best friends I've had! It's just that... that you were busy when I tried to call you. That doesn't make you a bad friend! It just means you have other things going on in your life, which is totally fine."

Amber was silent.

"And also would you've believed me if I just came up to you and said 'Hey Amber! My boyfriend's part alien'?"

Amber let out a dry laugh. "I mean... that's pretty unbelievable. But you still should've told me." The hurt was gone for her voice, though she still sounded guarded.

"I'll tell you next time something insane happens in my life, I promise."

"That seems to happen pretty frequently with you." All three of them laughed at that. The conversation ended and the room fell back into silence.

After several minutes, Willow heard footsteps approach the door. Her head shot up, hope flooding through her.

The door opened slowly. Eddie stood in the doorway. He held some of Venom's features, his teeth had sharpened into daggers, his eyes were a milky white, and his fingers ended in long black claws.

The hope was replaced with dread as she realized he had walked straight into a trap. She glanced at Amber and Danielle, who both looked slightly terrified. Well, slightly was an understatement for Amber. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she was shaking slightly.

"Willow!" he exclaimed, taking a step towards her. Lucifer walked into the room from a hidden door in the corner behind her. He closed it, and it blended seamlessly in with the wall. He had his knife in his hand, twirling it as he walked in between her and Eddie.

"Hello, Brock. I wasn't sure if you were going to show up."

A/N: I'm sorry this took longer than usual to write. I had writers' block, but it's gone now. So expect a normal-ish update schedule.