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The video detonated online.
People had seen Venom slaughter symbiotes before, but no one had captured his human form.
Now there was high-definition footage of a child walking on air, running across the ocean, and transforming into the black monster from the Fisherman’s Wharf massacre.
Views exploded.
Comments poured in faster than anyone could read them.
“Check the people around you.
Your friend or brother could be one of those things.”
“This is terrifying.
Who are we supposed to trust?”
“I’m calling my parents right now.”
Rumor became panic.
Panic became contagion.
Fear spread through the country before noon.
Evan, completely unaware that he had become the internet’s newest nightmare, was still enjoying the feeling of flight.
Then his phone rang.
He had bought the phone the day before.
Only one person had the number.
Peter.
Evan landed on the yacht, let Venom recede, and checked the message.
“Where are you?
You didn’t come home last night.
MJ and I are worried.
It’s really dangerous out there right now.”
A video link followed.
Evan opened it.
There he was.
Walking on air.
Running over water.
Becoming Venom.
“Damn it.”
He looked around the sea.
Whoever filmed him was already gone.
He had been too focused on testing his new abilities.
Too drunk on the first real taste of flight.
Careless.
Then the worry faded.
Peter had watched the video and still had not recognized him.
That meant no one knew who he was.
If the world had seen his new face, so what?
That face was not Evan Reed to anyone who mattered.
He texted Peter back.
“I’m okay.
Don’t worry about me.
Take care of MJ.
I have to leave.
Goodbye.”
He couldn’t go back like this.
His body had changed too much.
He looked like a child now.
Appearing in front of Peter would raise questions Evan couldn’t answer.
So he said goodbye.
Peter replied immediately.
“What does that mean?”
“Leave where?”
“Are you traveling?
For how long?
Where are you going?
Are you alone?”
Message after message arrived.
Peter cared too much, in the best and most exhausting way.
For a moment, warmth moved through Evan’s chest.
He had arrived here with nothing, but at least one person still worried about him.
That was enough.
He did not answer.
Instead, he threw the phone into the ocean.
People came and went.
Some became friends.
Some became enemies.
Most only walked beside you for a while before fading into memory.
Peter had mattered.
Maybe he always would.
But Evan’s path was no longer something Peter could follow.
He took a breath and looked toward the horizon.
His face was public now.
There was no point hiding like a nameless runaway forever.
If the world wanted a monster, then the monster needed a name.
And an entrance.
San Francisco woke bright and warm beneath the morning sun.
Fisherman’s Wharf was already busy, crowded with workers, tourists, vendors, and early commuters.
Then someone pointed toward the water.
“Look.
Someone is standing out there.”
Work stopped.
Heads turned.
Far out on the surface of the bay, a small figure stood on the waves.
At first, people thought it had to be a trick of light.
Then the figure began walking closer.
A boy.
Small against the cargo ships around him.
Tiny against the horizon.
Impossible to ignore.
“It’s him,” someone whispered.
“The kid from the video.”
Yes.
It was Evan.
From the moment the footage leaked, he had decided his next appearance would be unforgettable.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.