Doug: One Man's Saga of Massive Muscle, Part IX: Media Matters
by fillups44
It was a dark and stormy night.
NEWSFLASH:
The perfectly coiffed, broad shouldered, blue eyed, blonde anchor Ace Hanson appears on the screen mimicking concern.
“Airlifts continue from the devastated state of Colorado. There are still aftershocks and tremors following last week’s unprecedented disaster. Many people isolated by the large rifts in the land and the roads that were rendered impassible by the geologic event. The nation is responding with millions of dollars in aid.
“Investigation continues on the cause. Former Russian KGB agent Emil Blonsky, also formerly the monster known as The Abomination, is being charged with the greatest disaster in recorded history including the murder of this nation’s top superheroes. He is claiming self defense both from them and some mysterious figure he claims caused the environmental damage as well as stealing his powers.
“Across the country the realization is just settling in that almost all of the world’s superheroes are no more. Monuments are springing up throughout our nation like this heartfelt tribute to Behemoth Woman.”
The Camera pans on a rough massive cement sculpture of a muscular woman done in the style of Rodin. In front of the statue, a woman with a Mohawk, a rainbow cat on her t-shirt, several piercings on her eyebrows, ears and nose is sobbing uncontrollably, “She showed all of us that women could be strong, heroic AND feminine. I’m so angry that a man destroyed her but it’s typical as they destroy everything beautiful in this world. I mean she fought but where were Superbear and Supercub? All the men talk about them like they’re the strongest and bravest but they never even tried to take on The Abomination!”
A skinny young man with tears on his face raises a thin arm up, “Buff women rule forever!”
The camera returns to Ace Hanson’s unruffled features. “Yes the nation’s mourning has turned to the question, “Where were our greatest heroes when the nation needed them the most?
“We return you now to our regularly scheduled programming.”
The screen goes dark and an orchestra strikes up the John Williams theme from The Empire Strikes Back. The screen starts to light with a fog swirling around gradually revealing a row of silhouettes that appear to be hugely muscular men standing on a stage.
ANNOUNCER: It’s the Mr. Olympiad!! Where we will crown the world’s greatest bodybuilder!!! Please join seven time Mr. Olympiad Bob Mentzer and record holder with 9 wins Mike Paris for the show.
Two men wearing suits although the suits are obviously straining at their very wide shoulders and large arms, both are lightly tanned and handsome with brown hair. Bob is on the left with a mustache and Mike is on the right, clean shaven and a bit younger than Bob.
Bob shakes Mike’s hand and smiles for the camera: “This is going to be a true muscle extravaganza. We should be happy we retired when we did because I don’t know what I’d do against this lineup, Mike.”
Mike: “I was actually thinking the same thing Bob. These are the best bodybuilders in the world and they’re all gathered here. Let’s get right to our first contestant. Don Heck. This guy brought the MABBA Universe title back to the US with an incredible win. That was the amateurs though. Let’s see what he has against the big guys.”
The screen switches on to show a massive man squeezing his muscles in a rear double biceps. He’s wearing a black posing suit and his hair is light brown. His back is extremely defined showing deep thick striations as it make the much sought after “Christmas tree”.
Bob: “This guy is incredible. He stands at just over 5’9” and weighs 296 lbs. Just incredible the amount of muscle he’s carrying and yet shredded beyond belief. Look at how beautifully his hamstrings arch out while he does his side chest. His calves are perfect full and separated.”
Mike: “You’re not mentioning his chest Bob. Truly awesome. That looks to be close to 60 inches he has there. It’s like a shelf. I could store stuff on it!! And those guns. Man I think he’s carrying about 25 inches of ammo up there. This guy is going to do some damage tonight. In fact he totally destroys last year’s champ Ray Butler who looks like a pipsqueak next to him. That’s saying something.”
Bob: “I agree Mike. Next up is Nationals winner Xythan Shadow, also making his Olympiad debut.”
Mike: “This guy rocks. Look how sliced he is. I’ve never seen intercostals quite so separated his symmetry is spot on.”
A black man in a red posing suit fills the screen. His dark skin glistens in the lights like black marble as he moves smoothly from one pose to the next.
Bob: “ His posing is awesome too. The one drawback on Heck is his posing which is still a little stiff. Shadow is moving through each pose with grace. Look how he transitions. His preparation is just perfect. If he was as massive as Heck, I think we’d be looking at the next champion.”
The next two competitors are former champions who look much smaller and less defined compared to the debuting bodybuilders. The screen captures their expressions which look resigned to defeat already.
Mike: “Before we get a look at the next bodybuilder, I have to let our audience know that he is the most controversial competitor tonight. Brutus Blutowski slid into this competition with almost no previous competitive experience. He won a small national championship somewhere in Eastern Europe I think and the Powers Company has petitioned for his entry into this contest over the objections of the other competitors.”
Bob: “He’s coming out now. Let’s see if it was worth the furor.”
A crash of a recorded orchestra as the 1812 Overture booms out of the speakers. At first all that can be seen is a deeply massive valley of muscle filled with twitching, thick striated fibers. The figure is too big, almost too big to be human the camera pulls back to take in the enormity of the figure before it.
Brutus stands an intimidating six-foot-six and weighs over 420 pounds of rock-solid absolutely super shredded muscle a full 30 pounds larger (and harder) than when Doug saw him perform. His 87-inch chest seethes with superior muscularity tapering down to a 25-inch waist. Brutus oozes a testosterone driven confidence as he raises his 35inch arms into the air slowly. He savors the collective gasp from the jaded crowd who thought they had seen muscle before as he arms peak majestically in a double biceps pose. The orchestra crashes to a crescendo and the lightning crashes outside. His tan skin shines with a combination of hormone laden sweat and posing oil. His midsection hardens into a tremendous eight pack. Chords of muscle and veins lace across his abdomen and across his intercostals under his wide lats. His massive quads roll with each movement, huge chorded muscle cresting as he puts a leg forward and hits another pose. His calves are perfectly cut and look harder than the diamond shape they resemble. His posers barely cover his massive penis which threatens to rend them apart even hanging heavy and flaccid. His veins stand out from every part of his body. As he turns his perfect bubble butt towards the camera for his rear poses, the camera lingers over the feather like striations moving across his ass, barely covered by the stressed briefs.
The two announcers are silenced for a minute, in awe of the masculine specimen strutting on the stage.
Mike: “Oh my GOD! Fuck, this guy is beyond freakish. It says here that he’s passed the mutant screening and the drug screening and come out clean. He’s 100% human but---“
Bob: “I know Mike, this guy. With a guy this big you look for little imperfections. High calves, high lats, skinny legs for the upper body. He has none of that, he’s thick, he’s striated, he’s symmetrical, he looks hung as horse.”
Mike: “Ummm I think you meant he’s absolutely huge everywhere, Bob and you’re right. Look at the level of muscular detail. No one is as striated as this guy and no one is as big or as symmetrical. No need to pose, Rose. There will be a riot if this guy doesn’t take the crown.
“He claims his fantastic development is largely due to a new all natural supplement developed by Powers Inc. It looks like they are going to have every guy in the world looking for this new product.”
The posedown proceeds. Brutus totally dominated the other men. At one point former champ Lonnie Goleman is seen staring up at awe at Brutus’ shelf of muscle hanging above him. Brutus looks like he could pummel the guy with his pectorals alone. Goleman actually looks afraid for a moment. The storm outside is rising in intensity. The pounding of the rain barely audible over the loud posedown music.
Announcer Ronnie Pepper: “In fifth place, Lonnie Goleman.”
Warm applause as the chagrined former 4 time champ looks almost bashful compared to the larger contestants.
Ronnie: “In fourth place, Ray Butler.”
Quieter crowd reaction as the blonde returning champion angrily takes his place on the dais.
Ronnie: “In third place, Xythan Shadow.”
Large hand for the first time Olympiad competitor.
Ronnie: “ In second place, Don Heck.”
The massive Southerner out muscles all the other men on the dais and smiles proudly with his debuting placing. The crowd gives him a standing ovation.
Ronnie: “And in first place, with the first perfect score that this contest has seen, the amazing Brutus Blutowski!!!!”
The crowd erupts cheering until there is nothing but deafening noise as the muscle giant comes up to stand on the highest spot on the dais and receive his money and his statue. Flash bulbs erupt all over the auditorium even as more lightning and thunder erupt outside.
The image of Mike and Bob return shaking their heads in awe.
Bob: “Mike this is one for the books. This contest tends to favor returning champs but tonight history was made as three newbies wiped the floor with the returning champs and one man raised the bar for muscle so high, I don’t see anyone touching it for a long, long time.
“A new day is dawning in bodybuilding.”
********
The hot afternoon sun glowed on Jimmy’s massive hairy pectorals, bringing out the subtle colors of red and darker brown in his hair, as he lay stretching out on the open sand of the beach. Dan moved next to Jimmy and started passionately licking and kissing Jimmy’s humongous chest.
“MMMMMmmmm, Jim, see I told you this would be heaven. We needed to get away. Just a few weeks away with no communication from the rest of the world.”
Jimmy had a dreamy smile on his face as he relaxed into the warmth of the sand and the heat of Dan’s kisses. “Yes, this feels absolutely right for us. We never did get a real honeymoon. And the world will spin a little while without us.”
“I’m so glad you saw that there are enough superheroes without Supercub and Superbear solving every crisis. I know they belong to the world but it’s nice just to belong to each other for a little while. It’s nice to be totally cut off.”
The waves washed up on the empty beach on the remote deserted island as the two muscular marvels began to make love. The sun glistened off of their mighty entwined bodies.
******
A handsome Hispanic man’s concerned face looks piercingly towards the screen. He is seated in a non-descript living room with a mike in his hand interviewing a muscular Asian man.
“This is Enrique Mas coming to you from the home of a desperate man with an extraordinary tale to tale. A tale all the more important in light of the results of our country’s most important sporting event, the Mr. Olympiad. I’m speaking of course of one of the most wanted men in America who supposedly created the muscular giant who menaced much of Utopolis. I’m speaking to former top U.S. gymnast Eryk Dim. Eryk you have a very different story from the one that many believe.
Eryk clenched and unclenched his fists. This was it, his biggest moment. He faced the camera, steeled his nerves and went over the speech he had long wanted to give.
“Thank you Enrique for giving me this chance to tell people my story. It is important you all understand that we need to stop the growth of one of the biggest criminals in our country.
Eryk quickly told the story he needed to tell, exposing how the Zon Powers Corporation was actually behind the fiendish experiment that had ruined his career and his life. Enrique did not interrupt except to occasionally ask clarifying questions.
After the interview Eryk sagged back into his chair sweating as if he had just done routine on the pommel horse.
“This will be great ratings. You were great kid,” Enrique said smiling.
*****
Buz was in a rage. How could that wimp Billy had gotten so big? The guy was like a huge grizzly bear. It was the first time in a long time that Buz had felt small. And it had been obvious to him that Billy and Crystal had been…Buz let out a guttural roar as he drove his Hummer towards the family ranch. Nobody moved in on his girl…his property.
He skidded to a halt in the driveway in front of the doc’s lab. No one was inside. On the top of the counter was the vial of red stuff the doc said was super dangerous, super experimental. His dad said it was for the bulls and not for his son. The denial made Buz only want it more. Especially now that Billy and Crystal had fucked, he growled thinking of it.
Buz pulled off his dress shirt. Using one of the syringe packets he tore open, he extracted the contents from the vial. His hands shook with anticipation as he lowered his jeans exposing his round muscular ass and plunged the needle in. The stuff was thick and hurt going in as he slowly injected himself. “Now, let’s try this shit out!”
Buz felt a wave of nausea hit his body. It staggered him momentarily. He ran out of the lab towards his private gym. He pulled on his workout shirt and his sweats. He racked up 150 lbs. After twelve reps the nausea returned and he felt the room spin a bit. He growled, shook his head to clear it and added more weight. The bare moved up and down as if it were empty. He quickly threw on two more 45 lb plates. The weight was now almost 400 lbs. “Fuck yeah,” he exhaled as he moved the weight up slowly but smoothly. He started pumping out reps like a machine. “I’m gonna be the biggest stud in town, not some white trash hick.”
He could feel his t-shirt which was usually slightly loose tighten over his pumped up muscles as he forced more and more blood into his muscles. He piled on two more 45 lb weights. Again the weight moved slowly at first and then his muscles met the increased poundage with more power. He hear a ripping sound as the seams burst from around his chest.
Buz jogged over to where the full length mirrors were set up. He pulled a most muscular pose in front of the mirror. His tattered shirt ripped away revealing his rock hard chest covered with a road map of veins. His chest was swollen with the pump of his workout but his abs were a rock solid six pack of muscle. He continued to squeeze all of his muscles and heard the ripping sound as his sweats gave way to his now humongous legs.
“Billy Hawkins is going to beg for mercy. YEAH! Big Man Muscle. And to think Dad wasn’t even going to let me have this stuff. “ Buz felt his muscles getting bigger and harder. Suddenly his whole body spasmed as all of his muscles simultaneously locked up. Buz fell down in front of his mirrors and watched his prone body continue to grow with muscle. “Grrrrraaawgh! ,” he groaned as his purple cockhead burst through his underwear shredding it away. It looked swollen and thick and he didn’t recognize it as his own. He watched his thighs swell with even greater muscle pushing themselves apart. A wave of intense pain and nausea passed through him and then blackness.
*****
Heat and dust. A terrible tsunami of hot wind roared and the world exploded with fire. Then quiet and darkness and then the wind began again pouring heat across the face of the planet. All was nothing.
Doug sat up quickly coughing dust out of his mouth. His mouth was horribly dry. He felt thirsty and hungry. He stopped and stared around in the darkness.
How long had he been out?
It felt like it had been days. He moved and a thick layer of dust and garbage fell away from his body. He felt around him. There was smooth steel and then a rough indentation where his body had impacted it. He stared upwards through the darkness and saw thin sliver of light that looked impossibly high up.
Doug remembered the horrible battle with the Abomination and all that transforming, his own growth. Had all of that made him pass out? Was it the end of the world?
Suddenly there was a low pitched humming in the darkness and a hot wind rushed past him blowing various bits of detritus swirling around past. The wind was very strong, Doug could feel it pushing hard at him tugging at his hair, pulling at the remains of his clothes.
Where was he?
Doug ran his hand over his chest and shoulders. Their size was mind boggling even compared to his former size. Not only had his shoulders and chest gotten bigger the muscle there was much harder. It was if every fiber were constantly firing away and flexing even when he was at rest, not moving. Then when he moved, he felt his muscles bulge massively with even deeper striations. The ruin of his shirt burst under the strain and fell away completely.
There was a delicious smell of cooked food—hamburger---steak—coming from wind source. Food. He felt the ache in his midsection and he could hear an audible growl from his stomach.
Doug looked up at the tiny piece of light above him. That was one way out. The way he had crashed in to. He wanted to know the source of the wind though and it smelled like the fastest way to eat as well.
It appeared that he was in a large cylindrical cave. He got up. He swayed slightly. Even in the dark he could tell he was taller, bigger. His body felt more massive.
His body ached slightly from all the time he had spent prone on the ground. He wished fervently for a cell phone, or an organizer or a watch even.
Doug began a careful march towards the source of heat. He felt his long, thick prick pushed down one leg of what was left of his pants, into the deep rutted groove of his monstrous quads. With his first step the muscles erupted into an even more mountainous mass and his heavy pants tore the rest of the way off. His flaccid penis flopped down brushing against his knees as it came free of the clothing. Doug sighed at his nakedness but there was nothing around to cover him up so he continued on. “Shit, this is gettin’ expensive and I bet I at least lost one day of work without callin’ in.” He tried to move fast without stressing the steel around him. Every once in a while the hot wind would start up again. It almost felt furnace hot.
After a time he became aware of a flickering light in front of him and a sound of motors humming. The smell of food was more intense. A motor switched on and the lights started flashing and the wind came up again. In a minute he was in front of a monstrous fan that stretched the full size of the cave he was in. It was spinning in a blur. Doug reached his hand towards the spinning giant blades and WHAM! The blade was stopped cold by his hand. He didn’t even feel pain as the piece of steel slammed into his palm. He heard the large engine uselessly torquing and squealing in protest as it strained against him. In this light he could see how much bigger his arm had gotten. His truly mammoth biceps and humongous fur covered forearms were newly surfaced with twisting veins and striations.
There was a metal mesh in front of the fan and on the other side some sort of room. With his other hand Doug easily bent back the steel. It contorted back screeching its own protest to Doug’s unimaginable power. Doug carefully stepped forward into the room.
It was large, he was in the middle and there were at least 30 other fans like the one he had just stepped through alternately turning on. Next to the mesh was a series of metal pipes and machines. The pipes all ran across into the next room. There was a door marked ZP in the familiar script of the Zon Powers company. Doug let go of the fan and moved to the door. At his approach the door slid into the wall.
The next room was dimly lit by rows and rows of large cases standing upright almost like large coffins. Each one had rows of flickering lights at their bases. The room was cavernous and warehouse like. There was a low pitched humming and the room felt cold. Doug shivered as he started to walk between the rows. Still the smell of hamburgers and now the delicious smell of fries pulled him onwards.
The rows were over nine feet wide but Doug had to pull in his shoulders to keep them from grazing the sides of the machines. The colored lights reflected off Doug’s pale skin, turning it blue, then green, then red, then yellow and amber. Doug turned towards one of the cases and there was a huge muscular man, staring at Doug with an expression of sheer hatred.
*****
“NUMBER ONE!!” the cheer went up from the crowd as Brutus entered the banquet room for the Zon Powers Inc. party. A huge phalanx of muscular men moved forward clapping their hands and smiling. Brutus had a woman on each arm, stroking the biceps that bulged out of the tight black t-shirt he was wearing.
Zon and Onyx sat near the back of the room watching the celebration. “Onyx, you were so right, his face, his body is going to sell our new muscle gainer to everyone. Already there is a buzz in the press room about what the new supplement Brutus was using.”
“Hey I know prime man meat when I see it,” Onyx said leering in Zon’s direction.
Brutus walked towards the power table and Zon stood up to greet him. Zon towered over him and his size XXXXL suit clung to him like a wet t-shirt on a hot day in August. As Zon extended a congratulatory hand the seams on the suit groaned audibly at the strain of keeping Zon’s tremendous size clothed. Brutus winked playfully and said, “Hmmmm why am I Mr. Olympiad, when you’re here?”
Zon smiled mirthlessly, “There is a rule against mutations and I’m afraid, I wouldn’t pass. Besides I dislike being the center of attention.”
Brutus moved quickly on to his table of lovely women at the head of the room.
A large red headed man built like a large and very muscular linebacker ran up to Zon’s table. He looked sweaty and anxious. “Mr. Powers, there’s been an interview,” the man slammed down a monitor in front of Zon with an ear bud attachment, “You need to see this.”
Zon quickly fast forwarded through the Enrique Mas interview with Eryk, his face flushing red with anger. In a low angry voice, he told the red haired man, ”Tober, you and Onyx need to handle this. We have contacts in the media, discredit this little shit—hell we run the fucking media machine. Contain this.” Tober blanched and then turned and ran off. Zon turned to Onyx, “Do what you need to stop this thing, cold.”
Onyx nodded without betraying an expression and discreetly glided out of the room.
*****
Dr, Calgari turned the lights on his lab and sighed heavily. It had been a long day of probing bull testicles and he needed the nice smooth metallic sheen of the lab to brighten his mood. As he sniffed the reassuringly sterile air laced with the barest hint of chemical sanitizers, he glanced around to make sure everything was in its place. The order of lab was broken by a used syringe and a discarded empty vial. The vial showed the red traces of… the doctor rushed over to inspect it… of Doug’s blood.
He somehow knew it was Buz. Who else?
The stupid boy had injected himself with that mutant’s blood. No telling what had happened. Going into damage control mode, the doctor hurriedly picked up syringes and vials with various chemicals and a healthy supply of hypno gas. He rushed over to the main house towards Buz’s room. He knocked on the door. The room was empty and a bigger mess than usual. Clothes, ripped to shreds, lay strewn about the room.
Dr. Calgari hurried through the room, holding his nose so as to avoid the pungency of the smell of male sweat, into the gym which was in even more disarray. A weight bar twisted like a pretzel lay next to several 45 lb weights bent nearly double. Dr. Calgari heard a screech of tires outside and ran out in time to see Buz’s car peel away towards town.
*****
The man was almost as tall and looked almost 2/3 of Doug’s present size—meaning he was well over 2,000 pounds of beef. The man stood over 6’5” and had dark brown hair and piercing, deep green eyes. His torso appeared to be hairless and he wore nothing but a pair of gym shorts. The man’s whole body was impressive from his gigantic calves to the thick traps strapped around his wide neck but his most impressive feature was his heavy hanging, incredibly massive, muscular beach ball pecs. There was almost a glow of power from them.
Doug gasped startled by the stranger’s size and intense glare. Doug clenched his fists ready to battle but the man didn’t move. Doug became aware of the utter silence of the room, only the hum of the machinery broke it, no sound of anything living.
In the dim twilight of the room, Doug looked more closely at the unmoving man. He was actually inside the case and there was a wall of clear material between him and Doug. At the base of the container was a control board filled with lights and a small gold colored plaque. “Frank Legion” it read in deeply carved writing.
Doug waved his hand in front of the other man’s face. The eyes remained fixed and glassy with the same angry expression. “He’s frozen or somethin’,” Doug muttered. He moved to look at the next case in line.
A young man with glasses perched on his delicate face, stared from an absolutely monstrously muscular body. He was wearing a tight black shirt, stretched tight across his massive chest and tailored down to fit over his tight midsection, rolled up sleeves revealed his massive forearms networked with veins. His fists were clenched and one meaty arm was drawn back as if he was about to break open the case. His hair was a light brown and his expression looked dazed. “Jayson Pat,” the plaque reads under his case.
A tall, humongous figure in brown robes holding his huge arms up as if he was summoning the sky was in the next case. The robes have fallen partially off his arms revealing their chorded tree trunk like density. The man looked like he could lift a truck. The plaque simply reads, “Magus,” There was a dark look of menace in the man’s eyes.
Doug glanced at the next case. A huge man almost nine feet tall stared back, bulging out of a black karate gi. Thick heavily muscled legs and arms, almost hairless bulged outwards. The man’s chest looked close to exploding out of the fabric. His expression was exhilarated as if he was winning a fight. Both of his fists were clenched and his massive legs were planted apart. His bare feet looked like they were pushing deeply into the case’s material. Despite his incredible build, the man looked like a youngish college student. His light, longish brown hair fell slightly across his face. The gold plaque read, “Oliver Hanazin.”
Doug looked down the long aisle of cases. It looked like there were well over a thousand of these cases. Each with it’s own super muscular man inside. “What the fuck is this place?” Doug thought about smashing the cases. Harm or good? “Sleeping dogs,” Doug muttered and moved on.
Doug sped down the row trying not to stare at all the eyes that seemed to follow him as he walked. The silence of the place was ominous. Doug kept hearing footsteps. He spun around almost knocking a case with his own humonstrous shoulders. Nothing was there. He turned quickly around and kept walking quietly and quickly.
There was a door in the opposite wall. Doug gently pushed it open, snapping both the bolts that locked it and the hinges. Gently he rests the door back into place so it appears unbroken. Smashing the hinges back together carefully with his thick fingers.
He was in the back of a large storeroom. Almost all of the boxes are stamped with the Zon Powers logo. While there are aisles between the boxes, they are too tightly packed for Doug’s massive girth. His shoulders knocked against a pile of boxes knocking them into the next aisle with a loud crash.
“What the hell is going on?” a loud voice came from the other end of the storeroom and a flashlight shone on Doug’s eyes.
*****
Buz pulled up to the little greasy spoon next to Lowry’s Dry goods. He’d show Billy Hawkins. Strongest guy in the town, he was the strongest guy in the fucking world. A growth surge rippled through his body, his arm spasmed and he ripped off the door of his Hummer. The car had been riding low under his growing tonnage and sprang up as soon as he exited. “Cheap shit little car, cheap shit little town,” Buz scowled and felt contempt for everything around him. He flexed his right arm. The round muscle swelled in response, it had been over 35 inches when he measured back home, it looked even bigger now. Bigger than a lot of guy’s waists bigger even than some guy’s chests. He loved the feeling of power and the thought of smashing Billy’s face in with his giant guns.
His over sized designer black t-shirt started to tear along the seam where it was hugging his chest. He felt a warmth running from his chest out towards the rest of his body. Fire surged in his veins.
Buz strode into the diner knocking the door in with a wave of his arm, it crashed into an empty booth.
Dirk, from his football team, started up, “Hey assho----. Shit!! Mr.---are you---Buz? You look like Buz?’
“I used to be that little fucker, now you can call me, The Barbarian,” Buz felt a spasm moved across his body. He tensed up almost falling, he closed his eyes, welcoming the pain. The back of his black jeans made a ripping sound as the material burst open revealing his muscular legs.
“Jesus, Buz. are you okay?” Dirk looked both frightened and concerned.
“I am The Barbarian,” Buz roared and strode across the diner, he picked up a large industrial size stainless steel refrigerator that was behind the counter. Buz knew it was over 800 lbs but it felt like a bulky paperweight in his hands. He blurred around flinging the refrigerator in the hapless Dirk’s direction. It smashed him into goo and cleaved a jagged hole in the drywall of the diner.
Mary Ann, Dirk’s girlfriend, started screaming a high-pitched, terrified wailing.
“Shut up bitch or you’re next,” Buz snarled, “Remember to address me with respect or I’ll waste all of you. Did you guys see Billy and Crystal?”
Benton, the wannabe rich guy, sprung up, “I saw them, Barbarian—sir—I saw them walking towards the old water tower.”
“Groaargh,” moaned Buz as another spasm visibly rippled across his body. The crowd in the diner stood paralyzed afraid to move. Buz turned quickly and sped down the street.
*****
Billy and Crystal were walking towards the water tower and what was left of some old train tracks at the end of town. There was some old farm equipment and an old rusty shell of a car. Billy’s massive arm was draped over Crystal’s fragile shoulders. He sure did like the sight of all that muscle sitting protectively over his new girlfriend. Things had changed so much since he got that new truck.
“Buz could make things uncomfortable for you and your folks Billy. He was pretty darn mad this morning.” Crystal squeezed her arm around Billy’s substantial muscle gut.
“An army of Buz Turner’s can’t ruin this fine day for me Crystal,” said Billy smiling down at her.” The late afternoon sun glanced through her honey colored hair and all sorts of delicious thoughts drifted through Billy’s mind.
A massive wooden pallet crashed down nearly five feet away from them destroying the idyll. “Billy Hawkins!! Let go of my woman.” A towering, shirtless hulking man stood at the opposite end of the area. His muscles were squirming and moving underneath his skin. Buz’s face contorted with rage and pain. The massive chest moved up and down swelling larger with each labored breath.
“Crystal run over there, I’ll take care of this. Buz, what all did you do to yourself? You look like you escaped from a Martian of some sort.” Billy planted his substantial bulk squarely in front of Buz, he tucked his thumbs in his belt.
“I am the Barbarian now,” Buz screamed, “ and you, Billy Hawkins, are a dead man.” Buz heaved up the remains of an old car. The tonnage felt substantial but he was still able to easily fling it at Billy.
Billy dodged out of the way and picked up two big tires and spun them back at Buz. The impact caught him squarely in the jaw, staggering him back. Buz let out a wail and charged at Billy.
Billy tugged hard at the door of the flung car, the rusted hinges gave in and he pulled the door up just as Buz powered into him. The metal splintered under the impact. Shards of metal flew every which way. A piece embedded itself deeply into Billy’s muscular thigh. Billy gritted his teeth against the pain as he moved to avoid Buz’s fist.
Crystal was cowering off to the side, forgotten by the struggling men. Behind her suddenly a car screeched to a halt. She turned in relief, hoping to see the cops. Instead out bounded the slight figure of Mr. Duchaine.
“Oh Mr. Duchaine, we need to get help.”
“Help has arrived, sweet girl,” he said pulling out a syringe in one hand and a strange gas dispenser in the other. Billy was flat on his back and Buz was straddling him, both men’s big arms were a blur of motion as they exchanged and blocked each other’s blows.
The slight man bounded over to the fighting men. A large piece of metal flew off like shrapnel and caught the Mr. Duchaine in the shoulder spinning him around. Somehow the needle got stuck in his arm and the gas dispenser released dosing him with his own gas. Crystal gasped and quickly moved to pull the man out of harm’s way.
At first she could drag his fairly light body without too much effort but something was making it heavier. She looked down. The large flannel shirt was no longer fitting him loosely. In fact, as she watched his chest lifted and pushed the fabric tighter. His shoulders were wider too. Blonde hair was sprouting all over his head and there was a growth of blonde stubble on his chin and cheek. He was looking more like a big lumberjack rather than the thin scientist that had come to town a few weeks before.
He blinked up blearily at Crystal and said in a pleasantly deep voice, “Where---who am I?”
“Why you’re Doctor Daniel Duchaine, up from the city to help out ‘round here in Dooleyville. I gotta go get some help before someone gets killed Mr.” Crystal hated to leave this suddenly helpless (and attractive) man but she needed to get someone to stop Buz and even though he looked to be twice as big as he used to be, Mr. Duchaine wasn’t nearly as big as either man.
Billy’s ribs were broken and he knew he was bleeding in several places. It hurt to breathe. He knew he was stronger than he looked but he was still not nearly as strong as Buz. Buz was landing enough hard blows to severely slow him down. Fortunately, both Billy’s blows and the occasional spasm slowed Buz down considerably or else he would surely be dead.
Billy risked a glance toward Crystal. There was no one except a strange man lying down and a sharpened pike of metal, probably thrown off from some vehicle. Billy lowered his defense to make a grab, his long arm just clasping the metal baked hot in the sun.
Buz’s fist caught Billy fair in the face causing him to see stars and taste blood in his mouth. He moved instinctively with his free hand glancing the second killing blow away. He pulled the pike fast and hard up into the left side of Buz’s chest with every bit of strength he had left in him feeling the sharp point dig hard into the body and sink deep within Buz’s massive torso. Buz flailed and screamed striking Billy hard and snapping his head back. Billy lost consciousness.
The town was deserted. Crystal ran frantically and no one was around. They had all ran away. Crystal caught a glint of silver in the car in front of the empty health food shop. She got a rock and banged and banged against the window. Spiderweb cracks formed across the window and, finally the glass gave in. Crystal reached in frantically hoping. The bit of silver was the tip of a barrel of a gun someone had stuck under the car seat. Crystal pulled out the firearm—it was loaded and ran back to Buz and Billy.
Buz lay there gurgling, a metal pole stuck clean through to his chest and protruded out the other side. His hands slipped on his own blood as he weakly tried to pull it out.
Billy’s back lay at an odd angle and she could hear his shallow breaths coming slower and slower. Crystal ran over to Billy screaming.
*****
Distantly, Doug could hear screaming. Lots of it and many people and there were loud crashing noises. The flashlight moved away from his eyes and Doug could see a heavyset man standing in a doorway holding a flashlight in one hand and a hamburger in another.
“Out of the way,” Doug said and moved quickly, pushing the man aside, his shoulders gouging out a new sized doorway. Doug didn’t even feel it. He was in a small, dusty, normal looking health food store. He sped outside, his long cock slapping the sides of his legs as he ran.
The glare of the light hit him as he came out of the shop. As his eyes regained focus he saw a woman with a gun in her hand speeding around the corner at the end of a deserted street in a little town. As he moved to follow her, he heard her frantic screaming.
He sped up and saw the woman kneeling down over one of three men’s bodies. One blonde man lay prone and seemingly unharmed. There was a monstrous looking man who lay with a pole through his chest. Doug could see the faint outline of a shadow and moved to change the man but the shadow evaporated as Doug approached and the man was no longer breathing. The third man was making liquid sounds and spitting up blood and the woman was sobbing over him. He was also inhumanly huge and try as he might, Doug could see no smaller shadow within him.
“Crystal,” the man sputtered, “if you could get me to my truck....please get me there---there’s something there that could save.....”
The woman started to try to drag the huge man, but he was too large she couldn’t even budge him with all her strength. “Miss,” Doug said, “If you could show me, I could get him to the truck.” Doug reached over to pick the man gently up. Doug could feel the big bones of the man were splintered. He felt like a big sack of guts in Doug’s arms.
Crystal sniffed too overcome to notice Doug’s own strange appearance, “It’s down the road maybe four blocks in front of the Dry Goods store. It’s blue with an American flag on it—it’s real big you can’t miss it.” Doug sped there as fast as he can easily picking out the massive vehicle in the empty town. The door was open and Doug laid the man inside.
“What—where is the first aid,” Doug asked.
The man couldn’t move but he coughed blood and then managed, “My keys, start the engine, close the door.” The man spoke with such certainty that Doug found the keys slippery with blood but did as the man said.
The truck hummed to life and after Doug slammed the door shut, it began to glow.
*****
The computer screen was glowing as Xythan and Omelissokomos came in with Xythan’s third place trophy. They were smiling and laughing in triumph. The screen was a strange red and green words were scrawled across the message. “In regards to your enquiry. The aliens are coming..........The aliens are here---Rowan.”
Omelissokomos stared at the screen and back at Xythan.
*****
Far away, in the city of London a teenage boy stands outside the great House of Commons selling hot chestnuts in the cold of the night. “Guv’nor ‘ave a ‘eart, buy somethin’ hot for you and your missus,” he says to two passing well heeled tourists. The woman’s diamonds glitter and shine in the moonlight and she laughs cruelly.
A large shadow falls across the young man. “You’re just a boy. You shouldn’t be out here so late,” an American sounding voice says. The boy turns and sees a large red haired bearded man in a suit looking down at him with concern. The man slides several pound notes into the teenager’s change box.
“I’m aces now guv’nor. Everythin’ is right as rain with me,” the young man says jovially, shovelling up a large portion of chestnuts to serve the man.
Suddenly there is a whining sound from the air. The frail boy and the kind man are surrounded by a green glow.
Post Script: This chapter owes much to one of my favorite all time growth stories. Truckland parts 1, 2, 3 where Billy, Buz and Crystal come from. I also included the names of some favorite authors from the site. I recommend reading anything by Rowan, Jaypat, LegionXP, The Magus and Oliver904. They’re all wonderful writers and deserve much better than to be frozen in cases or invaded by aliens!!
As always any praise or criticism makes the story stronger and I’m grateful for both!