Venomous

Part One

The man shakes his head spasmodically, refusing to look at him. "N-n-no..."

Venus raises an arched black brow. "Oh? Then how about you look at me."

He glances up, only as far as his glossed lips, trembling lightly. Anne hisses, feeling his horror in thick waves. It only increases when he hears her. Venus flicks out his tongue, and purrs at the taste of his terror.

"You know that's not what I meant, Mark." The villain places a long finger under his chin, pulling it up and forcing the man to look him in the eye.

Mark's eyes widen briefly, then glaze over slightly. "How d-do you know my name?" He manages, fighting for the control he surely won't get.

Venus taps the golden rectangle on his chest with a glittering green nail. "You're wearing a name tag. Now, Mark?" He caresses his face softly. "Why don't you give me a kiss?"

Being that Venus chose not to send him into a compelled stupor, he dramatically bursts into tears. The scent of fear spikes up as salt water pools in his muddy eyes, streaming down his drained cheeks. "N-no, please! I have three b-b-beautiful children. A wife! Please, they need me."

The villain wipes an imaginary tear from his own cheek with a coo, "No one really needs anybody, do they?" He brings Mark in close, their lips only a breath away. The man's sobs subside, his entire body a statue. He doesn't dare move. No civilians say a thing, terrified of their own fates. Selfish humans.

After a moment of heavy silence, Venus shoves the mortal away from him with a disgusted sneer. Mark stumbles back, tripping over the curb and tumbling to the ground. He lets out the shaky breath he had been holding, tears once again beginning to flow - these ones of relief. "T-thank you, Venus." He hesitantly stands back up, brushing the dirt from him while avoiding eye contact.

Venus sharply strikes him across the face, sending him sprawling back to the pavement. "Don't utter my name, pathetic human!" This time, Mark stays down. No one attempts to help him. "Disgusting."

Absolutely appalling. Anne spits. Completely disregarding one of their own.

He strokes her scales fondly. "I know, baby. Further proof of the downfall of humans." They surely can't survive with such an animalistic mentality. His children have a much better outlook, despite the fact being born completely relying on instincts. Annie is, by far, the most advanced. She only depends on her animalistic instincts when completely needed. She is almost as intelligent as himself, sometimes he's positive she is more so.

She flicks him with her tongue, hunger coming off her in waves. He nods, not sparing the citizens one last glance before heading down the street, to the large Pet Store his children enjoy terrorizing. He will have to remember to bring some animals back to the factory, the others had run out of meals. He himself will have to get some seeds to grow more food, maybe some meat for himself.

Once they get to the brightly lit Pet Store, Venus shoves the glass doors open. They slam against the wall and shatter, the pieces tinkling against the tiles, making them sparkle. The boy at the register snaps his head up, his eyes wide. He is rather cute; maybe this one will be smarter and stay around longer. One can hope.

Anne slides down his body, moving to the rodent section. He smiles at her, then looks at the cashier. His grin becomes sultry and confident. "Hello, new boy. Could you give me a hand?" he nods to a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner. He can't very well lift one himself - he'd break a nail.

New Boy brazenly locks eyes with the villain. "Nah, I'm good."

Venus cocks a brow at his stupidity. "You know, honey, you don't really have a choice." He points at the boxes once the boy's eyes glaze over. "Now get a box, brat."

He nods dumbly, standing up and sleepwalking to the corner, grabbing a box and returning to the serpentine man.

Venus then leads him to the rodent section, where Anne had already suffocated a rabbit and is swallowing it slowly. It's fluffy white legs are protruding from her jaws. "Attractive, Annie." The Boa rolls her eyes and continues her meal. He returns his attention to the hypnotized shop-keep, motioning towards the cages. "I want a few rats, several mice, and a couple of rabbits. My babies love them." He gushes, glancing at the bird cages. "And maybe some birds."

As the boy gathers up the rodents, he saunters to the large cage. The birds inside go insane, their tweets high-pitched and echoing throughout the room, their wings a blur as they try to get away. They can smell the snake in him. His tongue flicks out, and he can taste their fear.

A pretty baby blue bird catches the villain's eye. Its wings are a bright yellow. When it notices him, its little heart pounds three times the average speed, its body vibrating in place. It is too terrified to move. Venus opens the metal cage, reaching a slender hand in. None of the birds attempt to escape, merely pressing themselves against the back. The blue bird stays in place. He keeps their eyes locked, stroking its soft feathers before taking it and pulling it out. He purrs, "Hello, darling," bringing it to his open mouth and dropping it in. His eyes close gently at the taste. His toxins kill the bird instantly, allowing him to swallow it swiftly. He opens his eyes when he is tapped on the shoulder.

He flicks his gaze over to see the shop-keep struggling to carry the box, being that it's full of struggling animals. They only struggle harder when they smell him. Their squeals and scratches increase ten fold.

The serpentine man moves out of the way and calls Anne back, who slides swiftly to his shoulders in an instant while the boy tosses some bird into the box. Once he is finished, the villain motions him forward.

"This way." Venus says, leading him out. The townsfolk have either evacuated the city, or have hidden in their homes and buildings. They know he rarely goes into other shops aside from a select few.

This makes it much simpler to lead New Boy to his factory. No one aside from him know where it's located, and no one is idiotic enough to try and find out. His babies would warn him if anyone tried to infiltrate his home. Despite this, he still uses back ways and secret routes to get there. One can never be too sure.

They arrive at the overgrown factory just as night fell, the moon being the only source of light. It shines off the villain's flawless skin, an aura of mystery exuding from him.

Venus opens the door gently, getting the boy inside before heading in himself. He relaxes slightly as the humidity welcomes him back, showering over him. The shop-keep breaks into a sweat, inviting his babies to slither around his jean-covered ankles.

"I brought home dinner, darlings." The serpent smiles, motioning for the boy to set the box down on the makeshift table. He opens it and allows his children to feed. Only the youngest ones swarm it, while the others wait for the animals to escape. They prefer to hunt their prey.

He then turns to the still-hypnotized kid. "Go home. Forget this ever happened." he leans in and places a kiss on his clean-shaven cheek. "And thank you for all your help."

The skin around the kiss turns an angry red as New Boy nods. It won't kill him, but it will scar heavily. If someone were to take samples of the skin, they would only find snake venom and ruined flesh.

"Close the door behind you." Venus calls as the boy turns around and leaves. The door closes without a sound, leaving him alone with his children. He sets Anne down after pecking her scaled skull.

"I'm off to bed, lovelies. Enjoy your meals."