Lost (part two)
Phage twisted in the man’s grip and bit his hand hard.
“Augh! The little shit’s got fangs!” The man snatched his bleeding hand back.
Phage hissed, sharpened the blades on his shoulders and arms and bared his fangs and claws, trying to make himself look as much like his dad as possible.
He really wished his dads were here right now.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay. Phage couldn’t have just disappeared.” Eddie was talking out loud and kind of freaking out.
“Except the kids can camouflage themselves like you can- oh my God.” His plan to be self reassuring was quickly getting away from him.
“Eddie, it is alright. We are going to find him.”
“Yeah its not like there are millions of horrible things that could happen to him in this city or anything.”
“You have to calm down, love. I can still pick up his chemical signature near here.”
Eddie let Venom lead the way to a grimy alley near the corner where their kids last saw Phage- it was unremarkable but Venom was certain that Phage had been there. The signature lingered in the mouth of the alley then backtracked out to the sidewalk where it faded away.
“I can not sense his chemical signature beyond here, he must be too far away for me to sense now.”
“Far? How far?” Eddie asked.
“I do not know the math. We need to move quickly.”
“Hey, you tryin’ to find a kid that looks like you? Orange? Has a loudmouth?” A homeless man spoke up from his spot near the mouth of the alley.
Eddie didn’t even realize that Venom was covering half his face still, that other people could see them very clearly.
“Y-Yes...Yes! Did you see him?!” Surprised, Eddie begged the man for more information.
“Kid came out of the alley and looked lost. Then some lady offered to help him and they took off in her car.” The man said.
“No, no, no! He got in a car with a stranger?! Phage!” Eddie yelled in frustration, surely their son knew better than that?
“Eddie, the store cameras. We can check them!” Venom pulled Eddie’s attention to the shoe store across the street.
“Thank you! Thank you!” Eddie thanked the man and pulled all the cash in his wallet to give him before racing across the street towards the innocuous shoe store.
“We need a new look.” Venom said as they passed by a police officer on break.
Eddie really didn’t want to rope that poor cop into this but they needed to find Phage and fast. So he just looked the other way as Venom slinked out of him and up the cop’s shoes, making themselves at home.
“Okay, let’s go.” Venom’s voice came out of the man’s mouth.
Inside the shoe store Venom was quick to show the police badge pinned to the man’s breast pocket.
“NYPD. We need to review your security footage.” Venom said in the anonymous cop’s unfamiliar voice.
The employee was quick to obey and they were diligently going over the footage of the last few hours outside the store.
They watched until an unmistakable streak of orange and black appeared on the tiny screen and they watched as Phage got into the mystery woman’s car just like the homeless man had said. Eddie thanked the employee as Venom made the police man yell into his radio for an APB on the license plate number of the car Phage had gotten into. This was their best lead.
They helped themselves to the cop’s police cruiser and started driving around the city.
The woman touched Phage lightly on the shoulder and he tensed up even further at the contact.
“Come on dear, let’s show you what you’re here for.” She told him and lead him out of the garage.
She lead him to an elevator and they rode it up for several floors, when the doors slid open again they were at the mouth of a large room filled with around forty other children who were all about his own age. When they saw the woman they all inched away from her though there was nowhere to escape to- everyone looked so frightened.
“I’ll come get you later.” The woman told him and then got back on the elevator.
After the doors closed Phage pressed the elevator button again but nothing happened. He turned around and looked at all the other children who were quietly and curiously studying him.
“What...what is this place?” Phage finally asked aloud to the other kids.
“How did she find you?” Another boy a little bit older then him asked back.
“I was with my class from school but I lost them, she said she would help me.” Phage answered.
“She’s a bad lady. She found all of us while we were alone. Most of us don’t have any family and she told us all she would help us.” The older boy stepped forward.
“My name’s Tyler.” He stated.
“I’m Phage.” Phage responded.
“How old are you Phage?” Tyler asked.
“I’m...I’m seven.”
“I’m ten.”
“I don’t understand what this is. Why does she keep us all here like this?”
“They make us fight each other. People place bets and they make us fight.” Tyler said bluntly.
“I don’t want to fight anybody!” Phage cried, the situation becoming much more real.
“Kids without any powers always get to leave but mutants and other kids with powers, we have to stay. She says we make better fighters and people pay more to see us fight.” Tyler explained.
Phage felt himself tearing up, he didn’t want to be here, he didn’t want to fight anyone, he didn’t want to hurt any of the other kids here who were just as scared as he was. He wanted to go home. He wanted his dads.
As they drove aimlessly through the city Eddie and Venom listened intently to the static chatter coming from the radio on the cop’s shoulder.
“Vehicle obstructing fire hydrant. Plate number: Bravo Delta Charlie One Eight Three.”
“That’s the plate! That’s the plate!” Eddie said from the backseat.
Apparently putting out that APB paid off.
They followed the dispatcher’s directions to where the offending car was parked and it brought them to a run down area full of warehouses near the pier.
“I can sense Phage! He is close!” Venom tore the backdoor off the car in their frantic haste.
It wasn’t long before the woman came back and found Phage in the small crowd of children all waiting and all afraid.
“Have the older boys told you about our game here?” She smiled at him, calling the fighting a game.
Phage nodded, terrified and unsure how to please her.
“Good. Since you’re new, Phage, you’ll be going first today. Let’s go take the bets.” She grabbed him by the hand and he struggled a little until he met eyes with Tyler again whose face told him that struggling was a bad idea.
The woman waved Tyler over and brought the two of them onto the elevator again, she hit a button and the three of them were carried up to higher floor. The floor they got off on was set up like an arena- a large caged octagon surrounded by bleachers full of clamoring, raucous people. The lights shining into the caged octagon were painfully bright and Phage found himself having to squint against them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, its time to place your bets.” The woman announced loudly.
She placed on hand on Phage’s shoulder and one hand on Tyler’s shoulder.
“You all know Tyler but tonight we also have someone new- this is Phage.” She introduced him.
“$500!” A deep voice called out.
“$600!” Another voice.
“$650!” And another.
“Your fangs and claws are making you popular, Phage.” The woman told him.
Faceless voices yelled out dollar amounts one after another until it felt like everyone in the room had spoken. Once the crowed quieted down the woman fondly squeezed Phage and Tyler’s shoulders and smiled warmly at them both.
“Okay boys, give them a good show.” She said.
Then she left the cage and it was just the two of them facing each other. Phage wanted to cry- there was no way out of this cage, there was no way away from the many eyes watching him.