“Are you sure this is what you want?”
“Positive.”
“This is a one way trip you know. And I can’t say I agree with your motivations.”
“Just let me have this.”
“You’ll lose yourself. You’ll end up becoming a monster. You’re still young you know, you don’t have to do this.”
“I don’t have to do anything, but I WANT this.”
“So be it. Make a good show of it before you’re gunned down.”
Ryan snapped to attention after having been lost in thought, staring at the amulet in his hands. Well, it wasn’t much of an amulet any longer for him, just a golden speck in the palm of his hand.
He didn’t know how much he grew after activating it. Judging by nearby apartment buildings, he was at least over 20 stories in height and stature. Huge. Bigger and stronger than he has ever been, or felt in his life. He had lost his clothing during his ascension; fabrics torn to shreds and scattered to the winds. His tanned body glistened in the light of the sunset; portraying him as some sort of statuesque god.
But his image didn’t matter to him. His size didn’t matter to him. All that mattered was having the power to do what he wanted to do. To get his revenge.
He didn’t care for the screaming crowds feeling for their lives around his feet. He didn’t care about his powerful, heavy footsteps crushing innocents into red paste; pressed deep into the foot shaped craters on those concrete streets. He didn’t care as entire vehicles were flattened instantly with a force that would make a hydraulic press jealous.
He was focused squarely on one thing, and one thing only: Isabelle. Her; his beloved Izzy, the one who broke his heart.
Carving an uncaring path of death and destruction; his feet sticky with the remains of unnoticed victims, he approached her apartment building. There were 25 floors. She was on the 15th. Today was her birthday; no doubt everyone she cared about would be there. Friends, family, and his replacement; her new boyfriend.
Already, his dark brown eyes bore down into the windows. They didn’t notice him, not yet. They were all dancing, drinking, having fun. Izzy and her new squeeze kissed; her parents cheered, her friends were laughing and teasing.
If he were in a different state of mind, he’d be impressed by his improved senses. He could hear better, he could see better; more superhuman abilities granted by the amulet.
Not willing to bide his time any longer, he approached the windows, stooped down, and stared daggers right into them. Massive hands gripped the sides of the building, and he gave it a little shake; smiling with amusement as he watched them all topple over. Books and objects fell from shelves, food and drink had fallen off the table.
“Oh my god what is that?!” One of Izzy’s friends called out, Claire, if he recalled correctly.
The remaining women screamed once they saw his eyes in the windows. Her parents huddled together. Izzy and her new significant other held tightly to each other. But Isabelle’s bright blues stared into those dark browns. She knew those eyes. “R-Ryan? Is that you?”
The giant leaned his head back and smiled, allowing her to see all of his face. “Long time no see, Izzy.” His voice boomed. It was powerful, heavy; all those who heard his voice, could also feel it; like a heavy weight shoved against their body.
“That’s your ex?! What happened? He’s huge!”
“What does he want? What is he gonna do?”
“Look out!”
The giant’s hands suddenly thrust through the wall and windows; thick fingers reaching eagerly for his ex.
Isabelle’s current squeeze, with a burst of courage, ran over to the fireplace to grab one of the pointed tools and leapt right in front of Ryan’s hand, stabbing at one of the fingertips in defense. “I don’t know what the hell is happening, but leave us alone!”
The skin of the giant’s finger yielded, but didn’t break; the young man’s attack proving fruitless as Ryan simply knocked away the poker and quickly curled those powerful digits around his replacement; grabbing him and pulling him from the apartment.
“You’re Mark, right? The one Izzy ditched me for?” Ryan grinned, glancing from the man in his fist to the scared little woman in her residence. “So what was it Iz? Is it because he looks better than me?” He pressed his thumb firm against Mark’s face; pushing, pressing, tapping and rubbing his thumb against the poor man’s features. “Do you think he’ll still be handsome after this? Can you hear that? I think I broke his nose! Aw his jaw certainly broke with that one,” Ryan spoke with sadistic glee, keeping his eyes focused on Isabelle while he pummeled away at her boyfriend with just his thumb alone.
“Oh gross, I think I broke an orbital with that one,” Ryan said with amusement, pulling back his thumb; now wet, red and sticky with Mark’s blood. He slipped his fist into the apartment, giving everyone a close up of the beaten man. Mark’s face was bruised, swollen and bloodied red beyond belief. His nose had been broken and bent, his jaw unhinged, and some of his teeth were missing. “Think he’s still handsome?”
Isabelle stared at Mark and the giant that held him in horror; her beautiful blue eyes as wide as dinner plates, the color gone from her face, her mouth agape in terror. “Y…you monster!” She choked out, her voice held in her throat.
Her friends were screaming, her parents were shouting curses at him in a foreign language.
“Oh don’t be like that Izzy,” Ryan replied as he drew Mark back, gripping him tighter; a loud snap heard and Mark yelled out a horrifying noise of pain. “Oops. Not sure what that one was.” He shifted his index finger slightly; a gross popping noise was heard, “That was his arm alright. I think his shoulder’s smashed too, but I’m not the medical expert like you are, Iz. Still want him back?” Ryan grinned once more, pointing the index finger of his free hand and pushing it against the side of Mark’s head, starting to bend it much further than one’s neck would allow. “Because I don’t think he’s in very good condition. He might even be worse off when I’m done with him,” He pushed even harder, driving Mark’s neck to a breaking point.
“Just stop it!” Isabelle screamed at the top of the lungs, “Leave Mark alone! What did he ever do to you?”
Ryan narrowed his eyes and shoved his finger hard against Mark’s head; a loud, sudden, disgusting snap heard by all in the apartment. He was dead without a thought. “He took you from me. This trash.” He tossed the dead, limp body over his shoulder with hardly a care; not even noticing when it splattered against the wall of a nearby building.
“Mark!” Isabelle screamed once more, “You…you killed him! How could you?”
Ryan’s hand darted into the building once again, this time snatching up his precious prize. His grip on her was far gentle then it was on Mark, but still firm with intent, “How bad does it hurt you Isabelle? Do you want to cry, are you torn up over his death?”
Tears were already flowing from her eyes; from anger, sadness and fear, but still she glared up at the giant. “Why are you doing this?!”
“You broke my heart, Izzy. In return, I’m breaking everything of yours,” Ryan spoke flatly.
Isabelle’s voice got caught in her throat; unsure if it was the shock of his words, or if he had squeezed her tighter. She squirmed in his blood stained grip, “But to resort to murder?! Can’t we talk this out?”
“Oh did you forget? I tried to talk it out, you blocked and ignored me at every turn. You didn’t want to talk before, why now?” Ryan’s powerful voice spoke firmly.
Isabelle had no reply. She had decided to simply move on and forget him after their falling out. She would have never imagined this could happen.
“Say Izzy, you finished paying off your car right?” Ryan turned his attention to the adjacent parking lot; focusing his eyes on a luxurious white sedan. He promptly plucked it up from the ground as if it weighed nothing; the doors and roof caved inward from his grip. He held it up to eye level, looking it over with a certain fondness in his eyes, “Our first time was in the backseat, wasn’t it? Quite a few memories in here huh?”
“Hey you bastard! What do you think you’re doing?” yelled a gruff voice from the broken-in apartment, “Leave Isabelle alone and put her car down! We got her that as a gift!” The voice came from Isabelle’s father, her mother standing right next to him.
Ryan smiled, shifting his eyes towards them, “Oh that’s right. It was a gift to celebrate getting her driver’s license. Perhaps you want it back then.”
“Mom! Dad! Get away from the edge! Run!” Isabelle warned her parents.
Ryan gingerly tossed the car at the married couple; powered by a godly strength that sent the vehicle flying at high speed right into the apartment. The vehicle slammed right into them and followed through into the opposite side of the cozy condo with a loud crash and a lot of red sticky liquid flying everywhere. “Guess I don’t know my own strength.”
“NO!” Isabelle screamed with fire in her lungs, sobbing loudly with a pained voice, “You didn’t have to kill them!”
“You’re right, I didn’t have to,” He said while peering into the residence to survey the damage, “Hmm that’s odd. I don’t see the bodies of some of your friends.”
It was then his ears picked up the sound of a vehicle starting and tires squealing immediately afterwards. His eyes drifted back to the parking lot, spotting a dark blue sedan attempting to exit the parking lot and speed away from the deadly giant. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t fast enough as Ryan’s foot stomped down right in their path, forcing them to slide to a sudden stop.
“Wait, Ryan! Please! Don’t hurt them! They have nothing to do with this!” Isabelle pleaded.
“They’re important to you,” Ryan said as he pressed his heel onto the hood of the car; caving it in and effortlessly crushing the engine block with hardly a scratch. “They’re apart of this,” He grinned, leaning his weight forward while lowering the rest of his foot; the car now crumpling and compressing underneath his mighty sole. His listened to the helpless screams within as the roof pressed down on the attempted escapees; metal and plastic digging in as they was crushed flat with the rest of the vehicle; pressed firm into an embedded footprint now filling with blood.
“No!” Isabelle cried an ugly cry; banging her tiny fists against the index finger curled around her, “Why?!” She sobbed, “It didn’t have to be like this!”
Ryan didn’t say a word and moved to deposit Isabelle on a nearby rooftop, “You’re right. It didn’t. Remember when I said those words to you?” He reminded, loosening his grip to let her go. “Sirens…police are coming. I’m going to destroy your office and then you’ll never see me again, and you get to live with this.” He dropped her before grinning. “One thing left, you’re a lefty, right?” He pressed his thumb down onto her left arm until there was a loud, audible snap and a blood curdling scream.
“Take care Izzy, have a wonderful life,” He said before stomping off as the sirens drew closer.
“Wait!” She yelled, clutching her broken arm in between pained sobs, “Don’t leave me like this! Kill me too! Please! Wait! Come back!”
She would never know when she’d stop crying.