Here Comes That Same Old Feeling Again || Bruce and Anna
Like all good things, their stay at Dr. Ross' home had come to an end, and like every other time he left, so many things were left unsaid. Dr. Banner honestly didn't want to leave. There was something about the place itself that just felt like home, something that he'd almost forgotten in his days on the road.
Betty refused to let them leave without sufficient funds to take a bus and find a decent motel in which they could stay for a week or two depending on their situation.
After Anna's outburst, she was surprisingly well-behaved, but Bruce still worried about how she might act in public. After all, he had no idea what Blythe had done to her.
Though they had only met briefly, the name Blythe already set his nerves on edge. Never before had he met such a sociopathic, arrogant bastard in his life. Someone who thought it amusing to toy with a child's brain for his own means? Something about that made the fugitive's blood boil.
The rain pelted down on top of the bus Bruce and Anna were taking out of state. It was about ten pm. The cloud cover was thick enough that one couldn't see out the windows save for when they passed well-lit areas or when lightning would flash briefly. Dr. Banner had noticed the bus swerve oddly a couple of times, and hoped that the driver wouldn't make any more mistakes.
This, of course, was not to be the case.
The bus driver must have pulled an extra long shift, because he dozed off right as they were about to pass an off ramp. Needless to say, the bus was now at the mercy of the laws of physics. Luckily for the passengers, the ramp itself wasn't terribly steep. However, there was the problem of the wooded area that stood dangerously close to the road.
As the bus fell, Bruce grabbed Anna, hoping to shield her from any debris in the area, namely flying shards of broken glass, their own luggage, loose branches that crashed into the windows and snapped off.
The sickening screech of twisting metal filled the air, sounding much like a banshee's cry when accompanied by the frantic, frenzied cries of panic ripped from the throats of their fellow passengers and the now awake bus driver. It was all Bruce could do to keep his arms wrapped around Anna and not cover his ears.
And then... Just like that, they landed.
Everyone on the bus was fine. Well, everyone save for Bruce, who felt a sharp pain in his back. A branch had snapped and a larger piece had managed to lodge itself into the back of his rib cage like a stake.
But there were worse problems on the horizon.
[Because he already felt the world
TIGHTENING IN YOUR CHEST ACID IN YOUR BRAIN
I have to fight this, I can't lose control here.
controlCONTROLcontrolcontrolc o n t r o l
can't lose control here, Banner, dammit, you have to fight this
have to fight, too many people somuchNOISE]
Bruce writhed in pain as the first aches of transformation set in. He still hoped, prayed that he could keep himself under control long enough for everyone else to get out of range. He didn't want even more blood on his hands. At first, he tightened his grip on Anna, only realizing just in time that he needed to let go.
[Keep the monster at bay, wait for Anna to get o u t
STOPTHENOISEITHURTSTOOMUCH
Don't you know that's the sound of your ownscreaming?
Come on, Banner, FIGHT THIS. There are people who could get hurt--
Need to get away, too many people, too much at stake, have to remain calm
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAMING
There's been enough damage for one night, please
Bruce groaned, having drawn himself into fetal position against the wall of the bus, tightly balled fists scraping against broken glass and leaving behind a trail of blood. His already growing muscles were rippling under the thin fabric of his shirt, and his shirt seams slowly began to tear around his sleeves, revealing yellowish green blotches on his tan skin that were slowly and steadily spreading.
No one else on the bus seemed to take notice, but rather, they tended to their own wounded.
