The Curse of Spawn #1

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The Curse of Spawn #1

Written by Sononsj
Edited by Daniel Dyer

9:9:9:9

"Hey, lady. It’s not safe to be out alone, not in this part.”

“Just- just leave me alone.”

The young woman, the target of the gang leader’s remarks, had been warned. Her friends, family, everyone- they’d all warned her. Warned her not to come to New York. But she didn’t listen. Does anybody ever really listen?

“Hey- Heeey. Don’t be that way. I’m just trying to help.”

The telltale sound of a switchblade punctuates the word help.

“No!! I- I didn’t do anything. Please. Just leave me alone.”

He grabs her purse as she tries to run. He’s done this a thousand times before. Gets away with it, too. Not this time. He’s being watched.

A voice rasps out, “She said please. I won’t be so polite.”

“The wha- gaackk!!”

The young lady stood, watching, frozen in place by fear, as her mugger was yanked violently into the air by a pair of living chains.

“Hey, I said give the lady her money!”

As the life ebbed from the lady’s attacker, the monster in the chains was too high up to see clearly. All that could be seen, apart from the chains, were a pair of glowing green eyes. Then the woman shrieked. She ran. And she wasn’t scared of her attacker, no, she was terrified of the monster in the chains.

The monster looked upon her with a glint of sadness in its glowing eyes. It lasted but a moment, as he flung the lifeless body aside.

9:9:9:8

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“This makes what, twenty-six homicides in twelve days?”

The cops had gotten to the scene of the murder. The speaker, a rather large cop, was talking to his partner, his complete opposite. Sam was large, but not exactly muscular, yet he was all brawn, whereas his partner was a skinny man with over-sized glasses. He was the one who usually cracked the case.

“Twenty-eight, Sir.”

“Yeah, whatever, Twitch. Our murderer must be getting soft in his old age, huh? This one only has its neck snapped. Hey, get me one ‘a those boxes ‘a donuts, the jelly-filled ones.”

“Shall I get the usual two dozen, Sir?”

“What are ya, nuts?! You know I’m on a diet! A dozen.”

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

As the creature, object of so many people’s thoughts, slunk back to Rat City, images assaulted his mind. There was a woman- he couldn’t tell (everything was a blur), but she seemed to be black, a man, and then everything was blazing hot, hot, so hot, he couldn’t stand it, and then a figure rose from the flames, and he couldn’t see but it was cackling, and then it changed and it was a man saying you lose and then he turned around and there was the woman, and she seemed so familiar and he was dancing with her still saying you lose and then chains pulled him up and it was a new power and it was all his and he was killing him making him beg and a voice rasped, “No. You lose,” and then- it was all over. He was back, in an alley that had been destroyed- by chains. Had he really lost it, let himself go that much? The man in the red cape with the glowing green eyes and the chains didn’t really know.

9:9:9:7

---

[Spider-Man Beyond]

He went back to Rat City. A city comprised of dumpsters, garbage, and filth, vermin, street bums, and hobos its only citizens. That- and the man called Spawn.

But is he a man? He looks at his gloved hands. Then, he takes off his mask and looks at his reflection in a puddle. Who was that face?! He certainly didn’t know. It was maggot infested and rotting, and it felt strange. In fact, his entire body did. It seemed- off. Like it wasn’t his.

“Oh, Spaaawny!” said a cruel, teasing voice from the shadows.

“Who- who said that?” responded the cloaked creature.

“Are you still sitting on your fat butt? Go kill some innocent bystanders, murder some children… let all Hell loose.”

“Who are you?! Come out and show yourself! Do- do you know me? Who I am?! What I am?! Can you… help me?”

“Oh, I’m not gonna give it to ya that easy. A little taunting, teasing, here and there, but you’re gonna have to figure it out for yourself. Okay, you caught me in a generous mood. (Well, not really, kid, but you new Hellspawns are so much fun to play with). C ‘mon, teleport.”

“What?”

“C ‘mon, you lazy bum. Ya think all this suit can do for you is play jump rope with some chains? Fine, I’ll do it myself. Power’s wasted on the young…”

“How are you going to teleport?” asked the cloaked man wearily.

“By clicking your heels together. No, of course not, you retard. Pay attention and don’t ask so many questions!”

The talking voice finally came out of the shadows. He was a hideously obese clown, only about four or four and a half feet tall. His face was covered in blue face paint, and he was bald except for two long tufts of hair growing out of each side of his head.

Before the creature could say a word, they were teleported to a graveyard. The monster walked over to a tombstone. He didn’t know why, but he felt attracted to it. He couldn’t pull away. He had to see it. He didn’t even know why.

The tombstone read:

“Al Simmons
A True American Hero
You Will Be Missed”

And then, he knew why he felt attracted to the tombstone. It was… his own.

9:9:9:6