Monster Clash
As Bruce Banner drove down the unpaved road, his head began to clear. After running from the law from his last 'outburst', Bruce decided to distance himself from society even further by escaping to the Everglades. Sure, there were some who resided there, but not nearly the population of the average metropolitan city.
The car he was driving was stolen from a junkyard; he couldn't risk any financial records getting out at this point in time. Bruce managed to get the car back in working order, but once he reached the unpaved, grass and rock covered roads, he wished he would have chosen a truck instead.
The roads were rough on that beat-down old lemon of a car. Bruce somehow managed to keep the car going straight until he reached a fork in the road. Debating which path to take, he waited too long to decide and hastily picked the left path at the last second, thus swerving into a tree.
"Well, this is just fantastic," Bruce sarcastically said to himself as he got out of the car and checked the car for damage. The car was beyond repair; he would have to reach his destination by foot.
He didn't let this fluster him though, he knew that even the government would not find him here as long as he let the other side of him lay dormant in this desolate swamp.
Originally, Bruce planned on making it as close to the shore as he could by car, but since the accident he changed his plans accordingly to his limits; he would try to find an abandoned home or shack somewhere in the swamp and rest until he was ready for the second leg of his journey.
At the same time, a large shadowed figure was slowly lurking around the swamp. Its mere presence caused even the alligators that inhabited the swamp to flee in terror. This creature was remarkably once a man. This… thing now known as Solomon Grundy only knew two things about his past: That he was once called Cyrus Gold, and that he was left for dead in a place very similar to where he was right now. That seemed to be all he needed to go on.
The fractioned remnants of the memories of his past life had lead him to the place where he was left for dead all that time ago. He thought maybe if he returned to the scene, he could find more clues on his killers, and perhaps bring long overdue resolution to his past life. Until that moment presented itself, he lumbered around, searching to see if anyone was following him. "Grundy no like people following Grundy when Grundy is busy."
Bruce had managed to find an empty shack near a large pool of slimy water. Or at least it looked like water. If this was before the accident that has caused Bruce all this desperation and heartbreak, he might have taken a sample of that water to test and research. But the time for things like that was obsolete; he only cared about being safe from the elements and avoiding detection. He had done this for so long that this way of life was engraved into his very mindset.
After he checked the area for anyone that would notice his presence, he began to find things around the shack to build a small fire; the swamp grew ferociously cold at night. As he searched the shack for fire-building materials, he found an old stack of papers, on top of that stack a yellowing letter-size note. In big letters it said, 'BORN ON A MONDAY'.
"Odd…" Bruce said aloud as he threw the top paper off the table and onto the floor, and picked up the rest of the stack of paper to use for the fire.
Grundy flipped a gigantic rock over in anger. "Why can't Grundy find? Grundy good at finding things!" Clearly, Grundy was getting impatient. His luck turned around, however, when he found a patch of moss-covered dirt that for some reason triggered a long-lost memory. "Grundy… remember…" As Grundy walked further towards the patch of dirt, and then came upon the large pool of swamp water that was located next to it. "This is where… Grundy died." He placed his feet at the edge of the swamp, and memories started to flood back.
Grundy remembered he was left for dead right here, that his past self died where he was, and that when he came back to life as the monster he is today, he sought refuge in a long-forgotten shack in the middle of nowhere. Grundy instinctively sought to retrace his footprints in an attempt to discover more. So, Grundy set off to search for that shack.
Bruce had fallen asleep next to his fire shortly after he built it, his body exhausted from everything that had occurred the last few days. For the first time in a while, he was sleeping soundly; he figured he was safe. He would soon discover that this was not the case.
It took Grundy a few hours, but he finally reached the shack that resided at the edge of the swamp. He stepped inside, and noticed that someone else had taken up residence at the shack. "WHY YOU SLEEP IN GRUNDY'S SHACK! THIS GRUNDY'S SHACK!" Grundy's screams awoke Bruce with a startle, and he quickly got up and tried to process what was going on. "W-Who are you?..." Bruce asked.
"Me Solomon Grundy! This my shack! Now leave, or Grundy smash little man!" "This thing reminds me of my other self, only even more stupid…" Bruce said under his breath. "Grundy heard that!" Grundy said as he backhanded Bruce into the wall. Bruce's body was hurled by the hit and collapsed in the corner of the shed. Grundy let out a yell and turned around to find something in the shack that would trigger another memory. It was then that Grundy found the note on the floor. He picked it up with his huge fingers and read it aloud. "Born on a Monday…"
Bruce became conscious again quickly, and he felt his pulse spike. He knew what was about to happen next. He felt his heart nearly beat out of his chest; his skin began to turn a faded green. He let out an animalistic and desperate scream and attempted to regain control. Grundy was surprised by the scream and turned towards Bruce, and was even more surprised by his sudden transformation. As Bruce went the final changes into the hulking creature he was known and feared as, Grundy took a step back and looked on as Bruce became… the Hulk.
The Hulk stood up, having been brought to one knee by the stress of the transformation. He bellowed at Grundy, who reacted by trying to take down the green beast. The Hulk batted him aside, then lunged onto him, mounting him with punches. "No one messes with Hulk! HULK STRONGEST THERE IS!" The Hulk then began to choke Grundy, but Grundy seemed to not be phased by this attack and started flailing his arms and kicking the Hulk's shins. The Hulk staggered back as Grundy regained his composure and got back up. The Hulk must have retained enough of Bruce's intelligence to understand that trying to defeat Grundy in a conventional way would be futile. The best way to try and take him out would be simply pummeling him into submission.
The Hulk and Solomon Grundy started to exchange blows, and it seemed it would become a test of endurance to see who give the other an opening. Hulk then readied his left fist for a punch, and Grundy reacted prematurely by putting his right arm up to block. The Hulk took advantage of this and instead threw a right hook, sending Grundy a few steps back. Hulk went over to a tree trunk and picked it up effortlessly, like an ordinary man pulling a small weed out of the ground. The Hulk then swung the tree at Grundy like a baseball bat, but Grundy grabbed the other end of the tree before it made contact and he planted his feet. He then got a better grip on the tree trunk and pulled it out of Hulk's hands. Grundy turned and threw the tree at Hulk like a spear. Hulk was able to grab the tree trunk, but the momentum by Grundy's throw sent Hulk back several feet and knocked the wind out of the green behemoth.
Grundy then remembered the knives that stuck deep in his back, so he grabbed two of the knives and ran at Hulk to attack him. Hulk dodged Grundy's attacks; After facing men like Wolverine and Deadpool, the Hulk learned not to test the durability of blades by simply letting them pierce his green hide. Grundy then dropped his knives and dug his fists into his body and pulled out a slab of rock he kept in his stomach as a pillow or sorts, and hit Hulk over the head with it. The rock broke in small pieces from it, but it brought the Hulk to his knees.
"Now, Grundy smash green man!" Hulk looked down at the ground and saw the knives lying there. It brought back a distant but prevalent memory of his gladiatorial days. It was something he would like to have forgotten, for it caused him for pain and anguish to even let those thoughts enter his mind. Nonetheless, he picked up the knives and got into a battle stance, all those days of gladiator combat feeling like the day before yesterday.
"Let's go, ugly… HULK SMASH!"
Grundy readied himself for Hulk's rampage, but soon realized he was ill-prepared. Hulk slashed at every weak spot on Grundy's body. Grundy was barely able to get any hits in as Hulk, bordering on pure, blind rage, decimated Solomon Grundy. Doing this to one of Hulk's normal enemies like the Absorbing Man, Rhino, or an M1A1/2 Battle Tank, would have completely destroyed them. But Grundy's invulnerability lived up to its name, though he was not able to mount any offense or move in any direction; He could only wait until the Hulk was finished.
The Hulk then put down the knives and picked up Grundy, grappling him and driving his head into the ground. Hulk yelled at the top of his lungs as he pounded the monster's legs until half of his body was underground.
Hulk began to walk away, until he felt a rumbling in the ground. Grundy started to shimmy out of the ground, and as he emerged, he grabbed the dirt underneath him and pounded it with all his might, causing the entire swamp to shake, and the ground that Hulk stood on to hurl him back with a jolt. Grundy regained his balance and charged at Hulk. The Hulk, however, recovered quickly, and readied his hands by arching them behind his back. Just when Grundy was in direct contact in the Hulk, the green behemoth put his hands together and the action let out a sonic boom, the impact throwing Grundy hundreds of yards away.
"Hulk done with Grundy! Now… LEAVE. HULK. ALONE!"
But Grundy was not finished. As the Hulk started to go back to the shack to calm down, he heard Grundy rushing towards him. Hulk prepared himself for a second round, but Grundy came at Hulk like an unstoppable force meeting an immoveable object. Neither of the monsters were hurled back by the impact, but the sheer force of it caused both behemoths to be stunned. Grundy, however, recovered quicker and started to pound Hulk with clubbing fists.
"BORN ON A MONDAY!"
Grundy pounded Hulk on the back of his head.
"CHRISTENED ON A TUESDAY!"
Grundy started hitting even harder.
"MARRIED ON A WEDNESDAY!"
Grundy kept on the offense, but Hulk was able to telegraph his predictable blows. The Hulk then grabbed Grundy's arm and twisted it. Grundy let out a yelp in agony. Bruce Banner knew the rest of this rhyme; his mother once sang it to him as a kid. As the Hulk, he knew quoting this creature's signature rhyme would throw him off.
"Took Ill on Thursday…"
Grundy tried to reverse Hulk's maneuver by trying to twist Hulk's arm, but Hulk saw his attempt and countered by squeezing Grundy's fingers and twisting his other hand.
"Grew worse on Friday…"
The Hulk then stomped on Grundy's foot, and picked him up while keeping his arm twisted, taking him to the swamp water nearby. Once he reached the water, the Hulk tossed him to the ground and pounded his face in too many times to count until Grundy did not move any longer.
"DIED on Saturday…"
Hulk grabbed a few vines and another tree trunk. He tied the trunk to his ankle with the vines, then sent Grundy into the water, causing a massive thud.
"Buried… TODAY. AND THAT IS THE END OF SOLOMON GRUNDY! HULK DEFEAT GRUNDY! HULK STRONGEST THERE IS!..."
Hulk started to calm down as he realized Grundy was not going to get up. The Hulk started reverting back to Banner, and Bruce sought shelter back at the shack, now even more exhausted then he was before.
Days later, long after Bruce packed his clothes and few belongings and set out to the coast, a couple of kids were playing around the swamp that the massive battle had taken place, and were skipping rocks. "Hey, Jimmy, I bet you're too scared to go into the water!" One of the kids said. "Am NOT!" the other child retorted. He hesitantly stepped into the water, until he saw a figure rise from the water. The child screamed in horror and ran away, finding a hiding place behind a tree. The other kid was frozen in fear, looking on as Solomon Grundy slowly stepped onto the surface.
"What day is it?"
The child was so scared he could not utter a single word.
"WHAT DAY IS IT?!"
The child was finally able to let out a scream and said, "Monday! MONDAY! Please, please don't kill me!" The child was brought to tears.
Solomon Grundy simply walked away from the children… and smiled.
-Fin-