It has always only wanted you

Chapter 1: The store robbery

"Put the money in the bag, NOW!" one of the robbers shouted, his voice echoing through the small store. "If you don't, I'll be forced to hurt you!"

The shopkeeper, an elderly man, struggled to move faster, his hands trembling with age. "I'm trying, okay? Just don't hurt me or the others," he pleaded, glancing nervously at the other robbers who were busy taking money from his customers.

"That all depends on how fast we can get out of here," the robber replied, his patience wearing thin. He slammed his shotgun onto the counter and barked, "BE QUICKER!"

"Please," the shopkeeper cried out, his body shaking from the stress.

"Shut it! I don't want to hear it! Understa—"

A gunshot rang out, silencing the store. Customers screamed in terror as the old shopkeeper crumpled to the floor, a bullet wound in his chest. "Why the hell were you wasting our time with this old skeleton?" the shooter sneered, stepping past the robber who had been threatening the shopkeeper.

"I-I didn't want to kill him."

"I don't care what you want," the shooter snapped, his anger rising as he stormed behind the counter. He kicked the lifeless body out of his way with a snarl. "The only thing I care about is not getting caught by the police. With all the time we've wasted here, there's a good chance that will happen!"

"Can you two shut up!" another robber shouted, his voice cutting through the tension. "Firing that gun was a terrible idea. Someone probably heard the shot, and now we need to hurry up and get out of here!"

The shooter glared at his accomplice, "I needed to do something! He was slowing us down!"

"Slowing us down? Now you've just sped up our deadline," the third robber shouted. "Grab whatever cash you can and let's move. We've got maybe minutes before this place is swarming with cops."

As the robbers kept on arguing, the bell over the store entrance door rang. The three robbers turned in unison to look at the door, their eyes narrowing at the sight of the man who had just walked in. A man stood in the doorway. The man was tall and muscular, he had short blond hair and his sharp blue eyes scanned the room with a mix of curiosity. He was dressed in a black leather jacket over a black shirt and jeans. To the robbers this man was just another person to rob, a customer who had walked in at the wrong time.

"Who's this now?" one of the robbers muttered under his breath, gripping his gun tighter.

The man's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before him: the terrified customers, the scattered money, and the lifeless body of the shopkeeper.

"Hey, you!" the robber who had fired the shot barked, pointing his weapon at the man. "Get down on the floor, now!"

The man didn't move, but the robbers could see a dangerous mix of anger and glee in his eyes.

"Did you not hear me? Get on the floor before I shoot you!" the shooter shouted, pointing his gun directly at the man.

The man didn't even acknowledge him, his eyes fixed on the robbers with an unsettling intensity.

"To hell with this!" the third robber exclaimed, storming towards the man. "Do you value your life? If so, I recommend that you get down and give me all of your—"

His words were cut short as the man suddenly lunged, grabbing the robber with one hand. With a surprising show of strength, the man hoisted him into the air and hurled him across the shop. The robber crashed into the wall with a sickening thud, slumping to the floor unconscious.

The remaining two robbers stared in shock, their faces pale with fear as they watched their accomplice fly to the other side of the store.

The shooter turned his attention back to the man, now ready to shoot him. But he froze as he saw something he wished he hadn't. The man's clothes were moving like living things, tendrils emerging from his leather jacket. The fabric began to completely engulf the man's body. The man's silhouette started to change, growing larger and more muscular. A white spider-symbol appeared in the center of his torso. Then, his face morphed into a monstrous visage, splitting in half to reveal a mouth filled with sharp, pointy teeth, and a long, serpent-like tongue. Two white eye patches formed where his eyes should be, they looked like two angry lightning bolts.