Young Writers Society

France was finally all theirs. It had taken three weeks, but it was all worth it. Lord Venom had now fully healed from his ordeal with the four, and was now ready to make his next strategic move. Vincent had told him there was always one strategy to get them to listen. Blackmailing. Although Vincent and all his men knew it was going to be no easy task, they needed to reinstall fear into the heart of the world, as moral had boosted since Lord Venom's defeat. Humanity had won a few battles since that first defeat of the reptiles. They also knew that their message would never be broadcasted willingly on major channels, therefore they needed to force their way onto the airwaves. 

After days of attacking countless links and chains of code, they had finally succeeded in gaining some time to issue some serious threats. Lord Venom stood boldly in view of the world, and as control was lost of all of the broadcasts, he sneered at the camera and began to speak. 

* * *

At last exhaustion and wariness had finally subsided within him. Tom felt secure and safe for the first time in ages. The television blared a news broadcast on the other side of the room, as he stared out over the magnificent city. He sighed as he thought of where his family may be. He hadn't dared to imagine the final possibility. In fact, they were all worried about their families, they had heard nothing of them since the Reptiliad first emerged from the lab building that dreadful day. Tom replayed the scene of that day in his head. The fear. The uncertainty. The hopelessness of it all. Hope had been rekindled yes, but for how long? He then looked over the events of the day he and the others had stood defiantly in the fear-mongering gaze of Lord Venom. The image of a badly wounded Lord Venom surfaced in his mind, as the possibility of his death made him smile against his will. That was when he heard an all too familiar voice behind him. 

Suddenly he felt himself go numb. his eyebrows narrowed in the reflection of the window as he turned a scarlet colour. Tom turned to face the television. There it was. Staring at him as strongly as the moment he leapt from the helicopter to kill him. Lord Venom, and obviously he wasn't dead. 

Get in here, now! 

Tom shouted in his mind. Mere seconds later a group of people including the other three burst into the room. They all had panicked looks on their faces, as the unauthorized broadcast continued. 

"Your saviours did not end me," Lord Venom began, "Your world as you know it is rightfully ours. We were here first, you only did what you are good at; destruction and thievery. If you do not want to be driven to extinction, as you have done to so many before you; then NATO and the United Nations must stand down their armies, and surrender the planet to us. If you resist this, then all of your kind shall suffer the same fate, as these retched scum you see before you." he stood aside, and there they were. Tom's entire family. A mixture of Vincent Dunthorpe's men and Lord Venom's troops held them at gunpoint. The Lord nodded. A clamour of gunfire sounded, and the humans dropped lifelessly to the floor. 

Tom stared at the screen for a moment. Then he howled, both in his mind and out loud. everyone in the room held their heads and growled in pain. Something quite extraordinary then occured. On the screen, Lord Venom and all the other creatures there screamed in pain and clutched their heads. 

Now I would like to address you, if you don't mind. 

Tom began, 

I will not stop, until all of you filthy, wretched diseases are dead! You, Lord Venom, I'll kill you, no matter how stubborn you are, no matter how mighty you think you are, your death will be the most painful. That is not a threat, that, is a promise.  

He then concentrated on the screen with all his anger and hatred, and everything on the other side of the screen burst into flames. The screen then turned to static. 

* * *

 Tom was breathing heavily through gritted teeth. He didn't take note of the fact of what he had just accomplished. Everyone apart from Ian, Maria and Catherine applauded. The three just looked at him in pity and sorrow. 

"I am no hero! Do not applaud me!" he screamed, then bolted from the room. 

Tom sat on the roof of the palace. Sobbing like he had never done before. 

They expect me to be a hero. I couldn't even save my family! I am weak! 

He shouted in his mind as he slammed his fist into a chimney. The chimney collapsed immediately, and he barely felt a thing. He screamed at the sky, as he heard another voice in his head. That clearly was not his. 

You doubt yourself.

It began, 

That is why you are weak. You were destined by prophecy to become this. Look at what you have done so far. Striking fear into one of the Lords of Darkness. Do not falter now, justice will be done, I swear.  

The voice continued. It seemed a deep voice, with a heavy aura about it. It was nearby, Tom was sure of that. 

Who are you?  

Tom asked in reply to the voice as his head swam. 

You shall discover who I am, in time. 

The voice concluded, then silently faded away into the starlit night. 

* * *