Thank You For The Venom

It’s been two weeks since I first moved in. At first they just had me doing very low grade things, dealing, and delivery and picking up groceries for everyone in the target. I know everyone in the gang now; two girls and twenty two guys. I share the main flat with Gerard and sometimes Mikey. When Mikey stays he stays in his room so I sleep on the couch which is an embarrassingly good size for my shortness.
I’ve managed to photograph six people and send the pics to Stan. It would be easy to photograph Gerard and Mikey but they don’t do street work so it would be very strange if we started targeting them now.
Especially because they don’t look at all gangstery. Mikey is about my age but he was a senior last year, most gangsters don’t finish school but he did and he has another job as well, he works in hot topic. He wears glasses, beanies, band shirts and drinks coffee by the gallon. You would not think he’s one of the biggest fucking gangsters in the state. Gerard too. The guy wears eyeliner and baggy black hoodies with skinny jeans. He looks like the guy on all the drugs, not distributing them. No wonder we never guessed him. Probably never would have.
I met Ryan again. Our conversation was short. “How’re you doing?” “Okay.” “Found out much,” “Loads,” “Like?” “They think I’m five different people” “what the fuck really” “Yep. They have a lot of photos and their territory is so much bigger than ours. Also they have this good way of making money off loans, ask Stan I told him,” “Okay,” “I better go” “Same here, take care of yourself Frankie”.
My inside knowledge of Venom helps me jump ranks in MG and within the two weeks I’m literally just underneath Mikey. No one says who ranks where, it’s something you just know. And I know that my fucking fast ascent is bothering the people I’ve jumped.
“Frank go to Ray’s for me will you?” Gerard says walking into my room at about ten am. I’m dressing and double over completely, trying to hide the fact I’m naked but for underwear. Gerard’s eyes fall down on me and he walks back out, not really feeling bad for intruding more trying to not stare. My skin pricks up. The way his eyes fell on me and grew larger remains imprinted on my brain.
I arrive at Ray’s and pick up the “special doughnut delivery”. “How’s it going Frank?” He smiles as I dip in behind to the ovens.
“Pretty fucking awesome Toro,” I say, picking up the large box full of meth. I hand him the money as we chat pleasantly about flour prices now that a customer has entered.
When I get back to the apartment Gerard is pacing about rapidly, shouting down the phone. “I don’t give a fuck! No- No- No you shut the fuck up this is not o-fucking-kay. No. I’m fucking doing something tonight. No fuck it. I don’t care we’re “seven up”! Fuck that this is too far. No- No- fuck you!” Gerard cancels the call and throws his phone out the window. He runs his fingers through his hair, continuing in his ferocious pace. I put the box of meth down.
“What happened?” I gasp. I’ve never seen anyone this distressed.
“Venom! No this is not okay,” he groans, kicking over a chair. “Not okay… so not okay.”
“What happened!?” I say stopping Gerard with a hand on his chest.
He stares down at me and I see total horror in his eyes. Oh god what a voice inside me pleads. “Shanty… they fucking raped shanty…” he rubs his face violently with his hands. “I can’t believe this. This is too fucking low.” We shouldn’t pick and choose our laws. I shudder. “We can’t let them get away with this, FUCK!”
I grab his arm and pull him down to the couch. He begins shaking. I have no idea how to comfort him. “Er… how do you even know it was Venom?”
His head shoots up, “They cut it into the skin above her chest!” he wails. My head turns and twists up to look at the picture on the wall behind us, the picture of Chantel where they cut into her, letting us know that they know us. Gerard sees where my eyes went, “No this is different, we didn’t rape her or leave her passed out down an alley overnight.”
Oh. “Who?” I growled.
He shakes his head, “oh god I don’t know. I just don’t know. We have to ask her oh god.”
I bight my lip and wrap my arm around him. I don’t know why I’m doing this. I think I should stop. Before I could pull my arm back Gerard is leaning right into me and shaking violently. “She’s only sixteen,” he mumbles, digging his head into my shoulder. I thought she was older, she looks older. Whoever the fuck it was… “Frank, you haven’t said it outright but I see it… I see how scarred you are. I don’t want this for poor Shanty too. I told her this was dangerous. All of this is dangerous… She’s too fucking young and… I’m going to fucking kill them.”
I stiffen and Gerard notices, “What?” he says. Looking up at me. It feels weird seeing him like this… Really weird… It feels like I want him to look at me like that forever.
“Murder..?” I croak. I know it wouldn’t have been Ryan or Ronnie but murder just isn’t cool. Like any of the guys… even Stan.
“Fuck it you’re right. We knocked off their last leader, another murder and I don’t think they’ll go without taking care of more of us…” He sighs and snuggles back into my shoulder, his tremors calming slightly. We remain there interlinked for a while. This is weird.
About half an hour later the door opens. Gerard flies up and runs over to the door as it opens. Guy helps Shanty in. Her face is tear stained and her dress is torn. Her hair is a mess. “Who was it? We’ll get them back just who was it?” Gerard demands in a strangely soft way. Shanty bursts into tears. “Just point to the one okay?” Gerard says and jerks his head in the direction of the photo wall. Guy walks her over to the wall. Oh my god she is so covered in blood. And the big, jerky red cuts where the word Venom is across her chest…
Shanty looks up at the wall, scans the photos and points to one. “Him,” her voice trembles as she marks out her rapist, the boss of Venom.

Guy goes back to work leaving shanty to take a warm bath in Gerard’s apartment as Gerard and I plan things. This is literally how high he has raised me; I don’t have to mix anything, I don’t have to deal. I just plan shit.
“Okay so this is his car,” Gerard says, sliding me a picture. But this is literally all we know. I knew where he lived but then he shot Mikey in the foot so I set his apartment on fire…”
“He shot Mikey?” I gasp. That was never brought up… Ever.
“Yea. I thought it was because he knew who Mikey was. That’s why I started showing them that we knew who they were. Turns out they didn’t and still don’t know Mikey, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway that guy is a total asshole. He needs to be taken down.” It occurs to me as Gerard speaks that he doesn’t actually realise Stan is boss.
“Any idea who is the boss now?” I say casually, looking at the pic of Stan’s car.
Gerard shakes his head, “I wish I did. Fucking bastards.”
“So what will we do?” I say.
“Vandalise his car? Set fire to his girlfriend? Probably doesn’t have one ugly little asshole. We’ll get them. All of them. This is too far, she’s only sixteen.” The young age presses in my mind. I can feel my heart beat and the edge of my vision threatens to engulf my sight in a black veil. But no, I push it back. It’s not fair for me to freak out, not now. This isn’t about me. Venom just don’t care about age. If they can do it they will. The boss didn’t care I was only fourteen. Or when I was only fifteen. Or sixteen or seventeen or eighteen or nineteen…
I’ve never felt such a sway in my loyalty.

I sneak around to the lane where the car is parked. A brand new BMW. Even in the darkness and shadiness of the alley you can see it shine. Like a thing of beauty, showing off the suspicious wealth of a guy who still dresses like a hobo. Stan is really taking liberties as a leader, never paying anyone else anymore yet somehow buying a brand new car.
I take out the knife and yellow spray paint from my belt. My breath is rapid and I can hear my heart and feel it pulsing all over me. I never had to do this kind of shit before but “I’m the only one they definitely don’t know.”
I walk quickly up to the car. I bend over at the back tire and slash it open. It hisses like a snake. I then dig the knife into the metal above the tire. The scraping is atrocious as I drag the knife through the shiny metal toward the front. I pull it out giving my ears a beautiful silence. Checking over my shoulder, I slash the front tyre. No one around. I know they won’t be, Stan never leaves this club before two am anyway. Caution, caution so much caution it borders paranoia. I shake myself and then the can and then begin spraying VENOM on the windshield. I slash the other two tyres quickly. I then Spray VENOM all over the walls either side of the car. I stand on the bonnet to reach higher than I normally could so its not obviously the tiny me. I take a deep breath, preparing for the worst part. I shove the knife in my belt and take out the gun. BANG SHATTER BANG SHATTER BANG SHATTER BANG SHATTER. I turn away and run as fast down the lane as I can until I’m safely back in MG territory.

Notes

Guys I'm torn! Writing divided loyalties makes me have divided loyalties. It's not like agree with either side... like at all, just i can't decide which approach is worse; Gerard's vengeful hypocrisy or Venoms "we shouldn't pick and choose our laws"... Idk what do you think...?
Thanks for reading, as always, and i'll try update again soon :)