Popcorn Bucket's Black Neighing Gift (Preview)

Once the drinks were handled, Rachel strolled over to the right auditorium for her screening. Stepping in, she found the room partially packed. A little strange to her given it was opening weekend, but she was fine with it. Less people to annoy her. 

Guess people didn't bother showing up on late night Sundays regardless. She climbed the stairs, scanning the rows as she did. Now where is… bingo!

JD was at the very top on the left side all alone. He was busy texting on his phone, mumbling to himself. He only noticed her when she got close to him, smiling warmly. “Oh! Took a while! Busy out there?”

“Nah. Not many people working the stand.” She placed the tray down on an empty seat and took the bucket, shoving it up to his face. “Lookie here!”

JD flinched, taken aback by the grinning Symbiote head. He studied it closely, curious by the sight. “Gees, how much did this thing cost?”

“Does it matter?” huffed Rachel. That wasn't the reaction she was expecting.

“Well, as long as you know our budget, clean it out, and promise not to prank me with it late at night, it's fine.”

She smiled again. “But of course!” We'll see about pranking later.

Rachel set the head down and sat beside him, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. “Thanks for coming! I know you weren't too excited, but it means a lot.”

When it came to Venom, Rachel was the big fan of the two. She loved the absolute goofiness of the series. It was so wildly different from almost any other superhero or comic book movie. It shouldn't work, but yet, she just loved it! When the trailer for the third film dropped, she knew she had to be there opening weekend.

“No problem, Rach.” JD leaned in and kissed her back. “Honestly, I'm just happy we can have a normal date for once, even if it's late at night.”

“Past your bedtime, grandpa?” snickered Rachel.

“Oh shut up.” The two chuckled and kissed a little more.

They broke as the lights began to dim. The random trivia screen that was running ceased, and a commercial for some truck company began playing. “Oh!” Rachel perked up, looking excitedly towards the screen. “Got here just in time!”

The two settled in. Rachel leaned back into her recliner seat, so happy the theater installed them recently. JD leaned forward, watching the screen intently. The two loved trailers, but only he really watched them. It was almost cute to her.

Rachel placed the bucket in the empty seat beside her and popped it open. Time to snack!

Looking back at the screen, the first trailer began to roll. She dug a bit deeper into her seat and reached over into her bucket, grabbing for her first scoop of popcorn.

Something was wrong. When she reached in, she couldn't help but tremble. Her fingertips didn't brush against the warm, soft, buttery snack like she expected. They hit something that, while warm, was sticky and thick. It was almost like glue but not quite there either.

It almost made her squeal. Her arm felt frozen in place, unable to be pulled back until she actually looked. So, she did. Her head snapped over to the bucket, and her jaw dropped.

Something black was oozing out of the bucket. Well, not oozing out but oozing up and onto her fingers.