Clues to the Dream of Murder

Back in New York, Ezekiel Sims jolted awake from a nightmare in his apartment.

Ever since gaining the spider's powers, he had been plagued by dreams of his own death. The dream was far too real. Even after waking, everything in it remained vivid in his mind, making it impossible for him to ignore those scenes that felt like warnings.

After Spider-Man appeared on the streets of New York last year, these dreams had become increasingly frequent.

The reason he had not gone looking for trouble with New York's friendly neighborhood hero was that he was certain the ones who killed him in his dreams were three women with similar abilities, not that Spider-Man kid.

When he first saw news reports about New York's friendly neighborhood hero, Ezekiel Sims had indeed considered capturing Spider-Man and demanding to know where he had obtained his powers, as well as whether he had any leads on those three Spider-Women.

But after watching news footage of Spider-Man battling Green Goblin and Boar Man, Poison Spider quietly put his suit back at the bottom of his closet. He did not possess the ability to fight as nimbly in the air as those three freaks.

Though Poison Spider's jumping ability was impressive and he could easily walk across any surface, whether the exterior wall of a skyscraper or an indoor ceiling, he could not shoot webs and swing between buildings.

Although he had never fought Spider-Man directly, Ezekiel Sims judged that he had no confidence in taking him down. So he decided to delay any action, wait for a better opportunity, and search for clues about the three Spider-Women who killed him in his precognitive dreams.

He glanced at the old oil painting leaning against the wall, which he had purchased from a young creator and