Venom x Multiverse [5]

The others followed suit, unleashing a hail of bullets. The flashes of light illuminated the Licker’s monstrous form, but the barrage barely seemed to faze it.

Instead, the creature’s muscles bulged and twisted, its body undergoing rapid mutations as it fed on its prey. The more it consumed, the stronger it became.

Its tongue lashed out, snaking through the air and wrapping around another soldier’s leg.

“Ahhh! Get it off me!”

The man struggled, clawing at the slimy appendage, but the Licker began dragging him closer.

“Stay calm! Don’t panic!” the captain yelled, pulling a combat knife from his belt and lunging forward.

In one swift motion, he sliced through the Licker’s tongue, severing it completely.

The monster let out a feral shriek, thrashing violently as blood sprayed across the floor.

But instead of retreating, it grew even more enraged, smashing containers and tearing through equipment in a blind rampage.

Dante, still in disguise, observed the chaos without flinching.

Amid the rubble, Dante rose first, dust and shards of concrete falling from his black, sinewy frame. His gaze locked onto the Licker, which was already regaining its footing a few meters away.

Dante’s fists clenched.

The Licker hissed, baring its grotesque, exposed muscles as it hunched low and charged.

Dante didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped forward and delivered a devastating punch to the creature’s torso.

The impact echoed like a cannon blast. The Licker’s body crumpled, slamming into the ground so hard that cracks spiderwebbed across the floor.

Before it could react, Dante grabbed it by the skull, lifting it effortlessly into the air. The creature thrashed, its claws slashing wildly against Dante’s arm, but the attacks glanced off his symbiotic armor without leaving so much as a scratch.

With a low growl, Dante hurled the Licker like a ragdoll, sending it crashing into the far wall. The impact left a deep crater before the creature collapsed to the floor.

It scrambled back to its feet, but this time it hesitated. The predator’s instincts were giving way to fear.

The Licker backed toward the wall, then began climbing, scrambling upward in a desperate attempt to escape.

Dante’s eyes gleamed.

Raising his left arm, it transformed, the black liquid reshaping itself into a gleaming blade.

The Licker, sensing danger, lunged from the ceiling, claws extended and fangs bared.

But Dante was ready.

Thanks to his Spider Sense, he sidestepped the attack with ease, twisting his body and bringing the blade down in a clean arc.

Steel flashed.

The Licker’s head separated from its body mid-air, landing at Dante’s feet with a wet thud. Its lifeless body collapsed a moment later, twitching once before going still.

Dante looked down at the severed head, then casually raised his foot and crushed it, brain matter splattering across the floor.

The blade on his arm rippled, melting back into liquid as it merged with his body. He flexed his hand, the transformation seamless.

Brushing off the blood and debris, Dante turned and strode away, his voice echoing in the empty space.

“The hunt has begun.”

….

The dimly lit corridor resembled the aftermath of a war zone—walls cracked, debris scattered, and the faint stench of death lingering in the air. Alice and her group moved cautiously, their weapons raised, scanning every shadow as if death might leap out at any moment.

The earlier encounters with the monstrous creatures had shattered any illusions of safety. They were deep in the Hive now, and every step carried the weight of imminent danger. Yet, retreat wasn’t an option. They pressed on, pushing toward the central control room.

“What the hell was Umbrella experimenting with down here?”

The voice came from Rain Ocampo, one of the team’s more outspoken members. Her grip on the rifle tightened as she muttered, the earlier attack still fresh in her mind.

“Those things back there… what were they?”

The scene replayed in their heads—the grotesque Licker tearing through steel and flesh with equal ease, and the shadowy figure that had crushed it with terrifying efficiency.

Alice shook her head, her expression unreadable. “I don’t know.”

Her memories remained fragmented, leaving her just as lost as the others.

“Enough talk,” the captain snapped, voice sharp as he swept the area with his weapon. “Stay focused and keep moving. We finish the job and get the hell out of here.”

His words carried authority, but even he couldn’t hide the tension in his voice. The appearance of the mutated creatures had rattled him. If not for the mission, he might have ordered a retreat already.

A sudden thud echoed through the tunnel behind them, breaking their concentration.

“Hold position!”

The team turned as one, guns aimed down the dark corridor, fingers hovering over triggers. The sound repeated—thud… thud… thud—growing louder, heavier, closer.

Alice tensed, her eyes locked on the darkness.

With every impact, the walls seemed to vibrate, the noise drilling into their nerves like a countdown to something unknown.

Then, silence.

The absence of sound was worse than the noise.

Seconds passed, stretching into an eternity. The tension thickened, breaths quickened, and fingers twitched against triggers.

But nothing came.

One of the soldiers, unable to bear the suffocating stillness, turned toward the captain. His voice cracked as he tried to speak.

“Capta—”

Before he could finish, something black shot out of the shadows—a web-like tendril moving faster than the eye could follow.

It wrapped around the soldier in an instant, yanking him into the darkness before anyone could react.

“Help—! No! No—!!”

His screams pierced the air, but they were cut short by a sickening crunch and the wet sounds of flesh being torn apart.

The corridor fell silent again, save for the grotesque sounds of chewing echoing from the void.