[A/N: for the purpose of this roleplay, thoughts and Venom's dialogue will be italicized in asterisks, and audible speech will be "in quotations". Enjoy.]

Eddie staggered through the empty alley, the neon lights from a distant bar flickering off the slick pavement. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his skin tingling from Venom’s lingering strength after a recent confrontation. He could still feel the creature's presence pulsing inside, like a second heartbeat, feeding off his tension. Eddie wanted to curse or scream, anything to release the restless energy, but he just clenched his fists, grounding himself in the cold air and damp concrete around him.

We should eat, Venom growled in his mind, his voice thick with hunger. Eddie grimaced, catching sight of his shadow stretching ahead under a dim streetlight, warping and shifting as if Venom might break free at any moment. He felt the familiar tug—Venom’s relentless urge to hunt—but before he could respond, he caught movement at the end of the alley, a figure emerging from the shadows, watching him.