VENOM 🕷 CHANGLIX

1

What do you expect on the first day in a country you will be living in for the rest of your life? Maybe some road rage and a little bit of miscommunication because of a language barrier? Well I'll tell you what you don't expect. A man having a heart attack and dying in front of you the second you step onto the streets of your new hometown. But alas, that is what happened to dear old Changbin after leaving the airport. To say he was traumatized was a bit much. He was a future med-student and death was what he was going to be working with until the day he retired. He was, however, startled by the sudden passing of the man he'd tried to save.

He looked fairly young, maybe mid-thirties, and that was a very uncommon age for heart attacks. It got him curious as to what had caused the man's sudden death. Perhaps an illness? No matter what it was, Changbin had to eventually shake it off and continue moving. His apartment wasn't going to unpack itself and the sooner he got it done the sooner he could stuff himself full of take-out and catch some sleep to adjust to the new timezone. Luckily his apartment was small and he hadn't brought much over from Korea. Then again, expecting a large apartment smack in the center of New York as a twenty-year-old was as big a fantasy as mermaids and fairies.

Changbin's stuff was already there when he arrived, so he popped the key out of his phone case and entered. After taking a quick survey of the apartment which consisted of a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen connected to a living room, Changbin began moving his boxes in. He started with his bedroom, setting up his desk and computer first before moving onto his wardrobe. He had a hobby of making music so the first thing he always did was make sure his headphones were set up and his other gadgets were ready to be used when needed. After that he fixed up the bed that was already in the apartment.

He planned to get another as soon as he got settled, but for a few weeks at least he wouldn't be sleeping on the floor. He moved on to his kitchen, the second most important room in his opinion. He was a foodie because he worked out a lot. That didn't mean he was a good cook, though. You would catch him dead greasing a pan and frying up some omelets for anyone. That was a fire hazard. He'd just stick to take-out and the occasional microwaveable meals. He finished off with the bathroom and then fell right into his bed, eyes closing so he could drift in a peaceful sleep.

Only, it never came. He twisted and turned, played music, read a book, and even took some Benadryl to try and knock himself out. Nothing worked. He ended up staring at his ceiling in aggravation. I'm hungry, he thought. Maybe that was it. He was hungry and he couldn't sleep until his stomach was full. Changbin ordered from the nearest pizza place and devoured half the pizza when it came. Then, after placing the leftovers in the fridge, he went back to bed. Still no sleep. He was met with another thought of, I am hungry. Which was strange because Changbin didn't feel hungry anymore. He brushed it off and turned on his other side, screwing his eyes shut once again and trying to focus on nothing but his slow breaths.

"You are ignoring me."

Changbin's eyes shot open and he sat up from his mattress. "Hello?" he called, brows furrowing as he looked around his room. There was no way someone was inside his apartment. Had he imagined the voice? Maybe it was a neighbor.

"I am not your imagination," the deep voice said again.

Changbin brushed his hair back and stood from his bed. "Who's there?" he asked. He rolled his shoulders as he felt the nerves in his back twitch and spasm. Slowly a black head appeared in front of him, large white eyes and pin-needle teeth making it look like an alien out of a horror film. Changbin wanted to scream, but a gooey substance covered his mouth.

"Do not yell or I will eat your brain," the thing growled. Changbin nodded his head rapidly, eyes wide in fear of whatever the fuck was in front of him. "Good," it added.