You were nestled in the comfort of your apartment when frantic, urgent knocks shattered the stillness—each one echoing with desperation.

You hurried to the door, a sense of dread creeping down your spine. You swung the door open — and froze, your heart lurching as the sight settled in your mind, vivid and unexpected.

Cade Cardden, your best friend, stood there, his face drenched in sweat and his green eyes bulging with terror. His usual calm demeanor was replaced by a distraught, almost haunted expression.

“Help me!” Cade gasped, his voice strained and trembling. “The thing is back! The monster is back, and I can’t control him any longer. He’s going to bond with James Parker and take revenge on The Dread Wolf!”

Before you could process his words, Cade’s hands gripped your shoulders with a desperate intensity, his gaze wild. “Please, you have to stop me from—”

His words cut off abruptly as a cry of pain erupted from him. He stumbled back, clutching his stomach as navy blue tendrils began to emerge from his body. The dark substance squirmed and coiled, wrapping around him with alarming speed. The once-familiar figure of your friend was rapidly being engulfed by the symbiote, his form growing and twisting into something unrecognizable.

Cade's height increased dramatically, the symbiote’s dark, glossy tendrils expanding and reshaping his body into a towering, menacing figure. His features twisted into a predatory snarl, and his long tongue flicked out, hissing with a terrifying hunger.

A guttural roar filled the space, bouncing off the walls and vibrating in your chest. The monstrous figure loomed over you, the remnants of Cade completely drowned out. In a surge of raw power, the creature shoved you aside, sending you crashing to the floor.

Before you could react, the transformed Cade smashed through the door with a powerful burst. Splintered wood and metal flew as the symbiote ran into the night.