Chapter 7 – When the Ground Trembled
The Harlem rooftop was alive with sound, music playing low from someone's Bluetooth speaker, soft conversations, and laughter drifting through the warm night air. String lights hung from poles and chimneys, bathing the group of teenagers in a golden glow. The city below was humming as usual, distant sirens and street noise just part of the rhythm.
Eli sat on the rooftop ledge with Jamie and Luis nearby. Luis was trying to balance a soda can on his head while bobbing to music. Jamie threw a piece of popcorn at him, laughing when it knocked the can off.
"You're hopeless," she said.
"I'm not built for grace," Luis grinned. "I'm built for rebounds and bad dance moves."
Eli chuckled quietly. Moments like these were rare. Peaceful. Human.
He took a sip of his drink, eyes scanning the skyline. The storm inside him, ever-present, was calm for once. There was still so much he didn't understand about the quirk, about his place in the world, but here, among friends, it faded just a little.
"Hey," Jamie said, her voice quieter now as she looked at him. "You ever feel like you're... holding back all the time?"
Eli looked at her, the rooftop lights catching the sharp lines of her thoughtful face.
He hesitated. Then answered simply, "More than you know."
She didn't pry. Just nodded.
And then the world changed.
The blare of a car horn tore through the air. Then another. Then the unmistakable whup-whup-whup of helicopters.
Conversations stopped. The music cut out. Everyone turned toward the sound.
In the distance, a plume of smoke rose into the air.
"What the hell is that?" someone whispered.
Eli was already standing. He and the others rushed to the edge of the roof. From here, they saw the chaos unfolding below.
A massive shape, inhuman and monstrous, was stomping down the street, scattering vehicles like toys. Green, hulking, and roaring with each step. Cars crumpled, windows shattered, and terrified screams filled the streets.
"Is that... a monster?" Jamie breathed.
"We have to go!" Luis said, grabbing both of them by the arm. "NOW."
Panic spread like fire. The group scattered, voices shouting in confusion. Eli ran down the stairwell with Jamie and Luis, heart pounding. Every impact from the creature made the building tremble slightly underfoot.
On the street, it was chaos, horns blaring, people yelling, emergency vehicles pushing through crowds. Helicopters thundered overhead.
Luis grabbed Jamie's hand. "Come on, subway entrance! Now!"
Eli followed a few steps, then stopped.
The roar came again, closer now.
He turned. Looked back.
"Eli!" Jamie called. "Where are you going?!"
He didn't answer. Just gave a quick, tight nod.
"I'll catch up. Go!"
In a side alley, Eli pulled up the hood of his jacket, heart racing. The city was erupting into chaos. He'd seen this before, on the Incredible Hulk movie, where hulk defeated the enemy in the city.
He knew the name: Abomination.
And he knew this was where it started. The destruction. The loss. The helplessness.
You're not ready.
You're not strong enough yet.
But he also knew what would happen if no one acted.
People would die.
He clenched his fists. Lightning pulsed faintly under his sleeves.
Just 5%. Enough to run. Enough to save.
He stepped out of the alley and sprinted toward the chaos.
A woman screamed. A child cried out.
Eli turned the corner and saw it, a car, airborne, hurtling straight toward a mother clutching her daughter, both frozen in place.
In an instant, Eli was moving.
5%.
Time slowed. Lightning flickered along his calves, golden trails streaking behind him as he raced forward. His feet hit pavement like thunder, controlled and fast.
He reached them just as the car was about to crush them.
One arm wrapped around the mother's waist. The other scooped up the little girl. He dove, rolling behind a half-toppled truck. The thrown car crashed into the sidewalk where they'd stood just seconds earlier, metal crunching like thunder.
Debris flew.
Silence followed.
The woman gasped. Looked at him with wide eyes. "Who?"
But Eli was already gone.
From the top of a parking garage, he looked out over the devastation. The monster was tearing through the street like a beast unleashed. Helicopters circled. Soldiers were setting up barricades.
And still, it was not enough.
Eli pulled the hood tighter around his face.
Lightning sparked at his heels.
I'm not ready. But I'm here.
And I won't run.
To Be Continued...