Barry Green was a ghost in the city. Despite the relentless rhythm of urban life, he moved through it unseen, a silent observer in a world that roared.
As the sun rose over the concrete jungle, Barry Green could be seen jogging through the streets, his body moving with fluid grace as he weaved through the bustling crowds. The tall buildings towered over him, casting shadows that danced across the pavement. Cars honked and buses rumbled by, creating a symphony of movement around him.
As he ran, Barry could feel the impact of each footfall reverberating through his bones, a reminder of the sheer force he wielded. When he reached out to touch something, it felt as if the weight of the world was in his hand, threatening to crush it with a single squeeze.
Passing the outskirts of the city, Barry angled towards a barren landscape of twisted metal and rusting carcasses. As he ran, the air became thick with the scent of oil and rust, a potent combination that lingered in Barry's nostrils as he breathed it in. The stench of decay and neglect filled his lungs, but to him, it was the smell of home and opportunity.
Barry slowed his pace as he approached the abandoned junkyard. This place had been his haven since childhood, growing up in the suburbs of Las Vegas. He always felt like an outsider, larger and stronger than most of his peers. It wasn't until he started playing sports that Barry fully realized just how different he was from others.
A memory, unwanted and yet vivid, clawed its way into his mind like a sharp knife. It was of the first time he took a life, an experience that left him with a searing trail of guilt and sorrow. He had been just twelve years old then, already strong enough to lift his father during their wrestling matches. He had joined the football team at the urging of his middle school coach, excelling as the center and forming close bonds with his teammates.
Barry and his teammates lined up on the field, their helmets shining under the bright lights of the stadium. He listened as Jamie yells out the play, his arms gesturing and his face determined. Sam stands behind him, ready to take off as soon as Barry makes the block. The grass beneath their feet is freshly cut, the white lines bright against the green.
“Set… hut!!” Jamie Goldberg yelled, and Barry flipped the ball between his legs and planted it on his butt, just like coach taught him. Pushing forward, Barry knew his job. This was run play. They called it “kick the gut” because the running back would just follow Barry as he rammed his body through the defensive line, open holes for his best friend to blast through. The play netted them fifteen yards, a first down and lots of high fives.
“You are a fucking fat ass, you know that!!” one of the players on the other side yelled. “Next time, I’m gonna smash your face in the dirt. Bring that shit on again!” he yelled. Barry hated being called fat. Yes he was fat, but that did not mean everyone could make fun of him for it. He crouched down and decided to teach this kid a lesson.
“Set… hut!!” Jamie yelled. We gave them what they asked for and it worked just the same. Suddenly he was pushed backwards by the same vulgar-mouthed kid. He fell onto the ground, and the rest of the group erupted in laughter. He snapped.
Barry rose quickly and marched over the to offending kid, shoving him hard. He was so mad, so filled with hate and rage that he did not think about how hard he did it. As his hands struck the boy’s torso, he felt something pop and he was launched several feet as if thrown. Landing awkwardly, the boy never moved again. Barry learned later he had struck his chest so hard, the shoulder pads shattered and plastic shot through his chest, shredding the boy’s heart. He died immediately.
Barry never played sports again.
Crouching low beneath the train engine, Barry positioned his hands beneath its thickest section. Gripping the steel underbelly, he braced his legs and heaved upwards. The colossal machine groaned in protest, its immense weight resisting his incredible strength. Yet, with unrelenting force, Barry lifted the train engine off the ground.
With a grunt, Barry hurled the immense train skyward. The behemoth of steel defied gravity, soaring dozens of feet into the air before beginning its descent. Barry positioned himself beneath the falling engine, his left arm outstretched to meet the impending impact. The ground erupted as the train connected with his palm, the force of 400,000 pounds shuddering through his body.
Sensing the strain on the metal, he slammed his right hand into the side of the engine. With a cataclysmic crash, the engine buckled and collapsed into the earth, sending a massive plume of debris skyward.
His morning routine continued with a dramatic display of strength. The train yard, a graveyard of obsolete locomotives, was his secluded gym. Untouched by human presence, it was a perfect arena for his extraordinary abilities. Several hours later, Barry busied himself with cleaning up his makeshift gym.
While others might have been disturbed by the scattered wreckage, Barry took pride in restoring order to the chaotic landscape. After each workout, he meticulously rearranged the debris, transforming the scattered remains into organized piles of scrap metal.
The darkened sky gave way to a blaze of orange and pink as Barry completed his cleanup. Casting a final glance around the deserted train yard, he slipped on his running shoes and began the trek home. His mind was a blank canvas, his senses dulled by the monotony of the run.
The raised walkways of downtown Vegas were usually bustling with people, but now they were flooded with a frenzied crowd, pushing and shoving their way through the pathways. Bright lights and neon signs flashed above, illuminating the chaos below. The streets of downtown Vegas were now filled with a sudden surge of people, their faces contorted in fear and panic. The normally bustling sidewalks were now a chaotic mess of bodies, some running frantically while others froze in terror. Businessmen in suits and tourists in bright shirts were all swept up in the chaos, their eyes wide with terror as they tried to escape the danger.
“Monster!” a woman yelled pointing at the massive skyscrapers in the distance. A deafening crash shattered Barry’s thoughts as a car careened onto the street below, pulverizing concrete and sending pedestrians flying. Far in the distance, a figure emerged, a blur of inhuman speed. With uncontrolled malice, it tore through the fleeing crowd, leaving a trail of carnage in its wake.
Bodies were hurled like rag dolls, vehicles were tossed aside like toys, and the city was transformed into a slaughterhouse. A cold dread seized Barry as the monstrous figure bore down upon the fleeing people, their paths taking them closer to him. Finally able to properly see the approaching menace, his eyes widened in disbelief and his blood went cold. The monster was a titan, its physique sculpted by forces unknown. Fluid movements imbued with raw power that echoed Barry's own, the monster’s face was a mask of born of nightmares, red eyes burning with a predatory intensity.
The monstrous figure was still a distant threat, but the gap between them narrowed with each passing second, the ticking of a grim countdown. A cold dread gripped Barry as he realized he was the only person able to counter this thing. Panic rose within him, inciting him to action. Grabbing a nearby trash can, he hurled it with all his might at the oncoming titan.
The projectile, a mundane object transformed into a weapon of desperation, impacted the creature with a satisfying thud. While the attack proved to be an ineffectual deterrent against such formidable opposition, it did achieve its intended purpose: a brief interruption in the titan's relentless advance. The creature, momentarily diverted from its singular focus, turned its attention to the source of the disturbance.
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In that fleeting instant, Barry caught a glimpse of its monstrous proportions. The creature's massive jet black body towered over the fleeing crowd, easily ten feet tall. Orange and red lines ran through its form, steaming in the hot desert air. Its body was a grotesque amalgamation of rock, muscle and bone, a patchwork of unnatural protrusions and festering boils. Hard corded muscle rippled beneath its skin as it turned its attention to Barry, its movements exuding raw power. Its eyes, twin beacons of savage hunger, burned with a menacing intensity.
With a blur of motion, the creature launched itself forward, a massive projectile propelled by an inhuman force. The ground erupted beneath its feet, a geyser of concrete and shattered asphalt that engulfed the surrounding buildings and shredded bystanders. Time froze as the monstrous figure rocketed forward. In an instant, the creature was upon him, their bodies colliding with a crack, smashing them both onto the street below.
Both the creature and Barry tumbled away from each other after the collision. When his body finally stopped rolling from the impact, Barry looked up. The carnage was too much for his mind to process. A dozen people, mere moments ago alive and fleeing for safety, were now a grotesque mosaic of blood and bone. The air was thick with the stench of death and the acrid tang of shattered concrete.
Adrenaline surged through Barry's veins, a potent cocktail of fear and fury. The carnage before him was a grotesque tableau, a stark reminder of the raw power he was facing. The monster, unscathed by the collision, stood from where he landed, a monstrous figure cast in the shadow of the rising sun. Barry knew he could not afford to be passive. Every second was a gamble, a roll of the dice against overwhelming odds. He surged to his feet and with a roar of rage launched himself at the beast. Matching his intent, the titan charged to meet him.
Their bodies collided once again with a force that shook the very foundations of the city. Modern buildings, designed to weather the long erosion of time, crumbled under the immense force of their impact. Steel twisted and contorted into grotesque shapes. A tempest of shattered glass rained down upon the city below. The elevated pathway, once a bustling thoroughfare connecting different sections of the metropolis, collapsed in heaps of rubble. Any unfortunate souls caught within its confines met a swift and tragic end, their lives extinguished in the cataclysm.
Dazed and disoriented, Barry found himself propelled into the sky, transformed into a human projectile. Like a bullet shot from a gun, he collided with the side of a towering skyscraper, a monolithic structure utterly unprepared for such an extraordinary assault. Striking the building, glass, steel and concrete exploding outward, he tore through the building's facade, leaving a gaping wound in its side. Landing hard in an adjacent building, Barry had just enough time to look up before his attacker was on him again.
The monstrous creature breached the shattered building, its silhouette a dark and ominous presence against the backdrop of the desolate cityscape. With a predatory gleam in its eyes, it stomped towards Barry, its intent as clear as the shattered glass that littered the floor.
"Nice. Someone to play with," the creature growled, its voice a guttural rasp. Its breath, a foul miasma, washed over Barry as their faces drew near. The creature's features were a grotesque mask of violence, scarred and marred by a lifetime of brutality. With a savage lunge, it aimed for Barry's face. Desperate, Barry managed to deflect the attack, but the creature's follow-up punch connected with his jaw, sending a jolt of pain through his body. As Barry staggered, the monster bit his arm in a vise-like grip, its teeth sinking into flesh with a sickening crunch.
The creature's bite tightened, its jaws tearing into Barry's flesh. Pain, a blinding, all-consuming force, surged through his body. He could feel his strength waning, his resolve crumbling under the onslaught of this monstrous foe.
Yet, even in the face of such overwhelming adversity, a flicker of defiance remained. He would not succumb without a fight. With superhuman effort, Barry wrenched his arm free, the tearing of flesh echoing in the shattered chamber. The creature staggered back, off-balance, its face contorted in a mask of rage. It lunged again, its claws outstretched, aiming for Barry's throat. Barry dodged the attack, his body moving with a speed and agility that belied his mortal form. The creature's momentum carried it past Barry, leaving it vulnerable for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity, Barry countered with a powerful blow, his fist connecting with the creature's ribs. The impact sent the monster reeling, its entire body sliding several feet along the smooth marble floor from the power of the strike. For a brief, precious moment, the creature was stunned, its guard down. Barry did not hesitate. He launched himself forward, he struck the creature’s head in a downward angle, sending the creature crashing to the ground.
As the creature rebounded off the ground, Barry stepped back and kicked it in its exposed belly. The creature took off like it was shot from a cannon. Barry jumped after it, catching up easily. Twisting in midair he kicked the creature again, propelling it farther from the city's heart. On his third attempt, a sharp pain erupted in his ankle, a sensation he had not felt since awakening to his monstrous strength. His foot shattered under the impact, the intense agony momentarily blinding him.
Instinctually, he cradled his mangled limb. Before he could react, the creature surged to its feet and landed a devastating blow to Barry's gut. The force of the punch was unimaginable, the shockwave leveling a nearby grocery store and sending cars careening through the air. A sharp crack echoed as Barry was propelled skyward.
His lungs, crushed beneath shattered ribs, were silent. Other internal wounds bled, their pain a deafening roar. He soared higher, the world shrinking to a distant blue horizon. The biting cold of the upper atmosphere seeped into his body as the wind's fury dwindled to a hushed whisper. Time stretched as he ascended, and with it came an inexplicable transformation. His broken bones realigned with unnatural force, his internal organs hardening in a desperate bid for survival. Within each passing second, the agony of the assault lessened.
Barry, finally free from the all consuming pain, tried to comprehend what was happening. He should be dead. That creature hit him so hard, he was nearly in orbit. Gravity's pull finally overcame his upward momentum, and he began falling through a dense layer of clouds towards the devastation below. The creature was a relentless force of destruction, carving a path of ruin through the city.
Pushing aside thoughts about why this was happening, he focused on ending the creature. Turning his body so his back was pointed somewhere near the creature, he spread his arms wide and, with a silent plea, slammed his palms together. In the thin air of the stratosphere, a deafening explosion propelled him towards the city. His speed multiplied by the force of the thunderclap he unleashed, he plummeted to the ground in mere seconds. The collision produced a grumbling roar and a shockwave that leveled any nearby buildings still standing.
Slowly rising from the crater, Barry surveyed the devastation. The creature, a monstrous figure of inhuman strength, casually tossed a city bus into the tranquil waters of a nearby lake. While he was making holes and craters with every action he took, he knew this was not the way to win this. The once vibrant city was quickly turning into a desolate expanse of shattered concrete and twisted metal. A wave of despair washed over Barry as he realized the futility of entering the urban battlefield. To do so would mean the complete annihilation of the city.
With heavy heart, he turned his attention to the wreckage surrounding him. A plan began to coalesce in Barry's mind. The chaos that engulfed the city offered no tactical advantage; he needed to shift the battleground to a more appropriate environment. His thoughts turned to the scrapyard, his desolate expanse of twisted metal and solace that for so long served as his training ground.
Searching for a way to distract the creature, a mangled car caught his attention. Punching through the hood, the metal tearing like paper beneath his grip, he ripped the engine out. Aiming the jagged chunk of machinery, now an improvised missile, he hurled it with all his might. The impact was impressive; the engine shattered upon impact, sending the creature hurtling into the lobby of a nearby skyscraper.
Seconds stretched into minutes as the dust settled, revealing the titan unscathed and glaring at Barry with a cold, predatory intensity. The creature's survival was a testament to its inhuman resilience, undeterred, Barry turned and sprinted towards the scrapyard, his mind racing with possibilities. The twisted metal of his safe haven offered a unique opportunity. It was a place where he could fight without fear of collateral damage, a place where he could unleash his full power without endangering innocent lives.
Running at top speed and chased by a creature he barely understood, he did not notice the helicopters hovering in the distance. Rocket pods on either side of the gunships lit up as the pilots fired their missiles at Barry. Time seemed to slow as Barry caught a fleeting glimpse of the incoming missiles, their fiery trails a stark contrast to the gray, smoke-filled sky.