Bruce Banner's Cruelty: A Short Story

Fear has always been a part of Bruce Banner's life. His earliest memories were of anger, rage and screams. A victim of abuse and tragedy, young Bruce was caught in a war between safety and murder. The arms of his mother the only defense from his father’s wrath. Her battered body only a shell that served one purpose. To protect her son at all cost. Even at the cost of her own life. A price that was paid full. Innocent blood of his mother’s dead body tainted his soul that day. One last lullaby which haunts him to the day. Unable to abandon the guilt, Bruce felt at fault for his mother’s death. Because, all the times she had kept him safe, he failed to protect her. The weight of his mother’s death became a harsh burden to bear, corrupting what innocence he had left as a child. And no longer safe in his mother’s arms, he suffered at the violent hands of his father’s -silencing the precious memories he had and enflaming the bruises on his body and soul.

Pleas for mercy did not end the abuse. But social services did. In and out of homes he went, from one family to another. A child prodigy, none could challenge his brilliant mind. None could cure the turmoil in his heart. None could tame his anger. Like father, like son. Left to inherit his father’s instability, the young Bruce Banner hit a low point, and for a child, it made it
A stupid notion really. Bruce knew the Hulk wasn’t real. He knew the difference between imaginary and reality. But there were days he felt the Hulk really did exist. Hulk was a mask, harboring every one of his secrets and the protector of his weak body. A weak body gave to him his father’s abuse, but a strong mind nurtured by his mother. Unable to comfort the rage which grew inside, the Hulk was there to channel it. Take the blunt of the blame so he wouldn’t have to face the grim reality. Truthfully, he was a monster, hiding behind false smiles and quick humor. Just like his