Rock-Bottom Runaway

The Accident

"If the flavour melts in your mouth, you've chosen the right one." Natasha answered Bruce, her plump lips pulled into a smirk as she watched him concentrate on the busy New York road.

"But ice-cream always melts either way." Bruce replied, chuckling lightly. The couple were always involved in random conversations, yet they always lasted long and entertained them both. They were heading towards Central Park, their minds both locked on buying deliciously cooling ice-creams to help cope with the summer heat.

"Anyway, Smart Guy." The redhead began again, her arm resting halfway out of the window. "I wonder if Derek the Duck will be at the pond today."

Bruce smiled, remembering the day where him and Natasha had sat by the pond feeding ducks, when a sudden outcast came wondering towards them. Natasha fed it, named it, and made friends with it. On the other hand... The good doctor attempted to pet it, but was suddenly attacked and chased around by it.

"Maybe he'll have a better temperament this time." He replied, tilting his head slightly. "What's your technique? I think it's time Derek and I made up."

"The same technique I use on the Big Guy. It's a secret." Natasha teased, averting her gaze out of the window as she watched faces and buildings flash past in a blur. Bruce looked to her, and back to the road. Even in a short second, he captured sight of her beautiful flames blowing in the wind, her flawless visage, and her gorgeous figure. Every time he saw her, his heart became warm and fuzzy.

"Is the secret love?" He asked with a timid smile. Natasha looked over at him, then lowered the sunglasses that rested on her head to cover her eyes.

"If you tell Stark I said that, I lose a bet." She said. Bruce scoffed and changed into second gear and he slowed to a stop, parking messily at the edge of the pavement. He remembered that he was missing a piece of equipment, and the mentioning of Stark's name reminded him to get it. He had already forgotten numerous times and ended up being scowled at by Tony.

"I'm just gonna grab something... I'll be right back." Bruce told Natasha.

"Is that the piece that Tony won't shut up about?" She asked. Bruce smirked and nodded.

"There are plenty of things he never shuts up about. I'm just going to take this one off this list..." He replied, putting on a cap, which he usually did to keep a low profile.

Natasha hummed a light laugh and pecked him on his cheek. "Go, dork." As Bruce left the car, Natasha turned on the air conditioning and enhanced the volume on the radio. Her finger cooly tapped the side of the car to the beat of the song.
The woman's eyes slowly fixed into the outer mirror as she watched a taxi pull up behind their car and leave.

Then, she saw something... unusual. Natasha slowly lowered her sunglasses and raised an eyebrow. A truck in the distance was racing forwards at a high speed. The sight of it in the mirror grew larger and larger as it approached their car. It was out of control, crashing back and forth, hitting other cars and causing destruction.

Bruce walked out of the store with the parts in a bag and headed towards their car...
But suddenly, everything to him became slow motion.

Natasha quickly unclipped herself and attempted to crawl over the driver's seat to exit closest to the pavement. Her haste wasn't enough... A gigantic metallic bang screamed throughout the city as the truck collided with their car.

Bruce stared in horror as Natasha flipped around as violently as the car toppled. Conflagrations of fire erupted from the accident, creating great clouds of thick black smoke.

He could barely even scream out her name. He couldn't even run towards her. Bruce merely stood, his head frozen in utter shock.
"N-Natasha...?" Bruce couldn't hear the word escape his own quivering lips from the sirens and screams of casualties caught in the pileup.
Suddenly, everything around him grew silent as the sound of a heart beat battered louder and faster by the second. His eyes filled with tears, until the shock was finally gone - leaving the man with nothing but a mind of dangerously swirling emotions.
Uncontrolled rage burned Banner's blood. He clenched his heavy fists and clamped his jaw shut. His trembling knees failed to stand, making him fall to the ground. He panted for a moment, trying to gasp for an impossible breath, his heart shredding quicker than it was pumping.

"Sir, you have to get out of here." A civilian called, crouching beside him. The person's voice was like a faint echo at the end of a tunnel. The aggressive yelling in Bruce's head grew louder and louder until the explosion of sounds came screaming out of his mouth.
Natasha Romanoff was dead. She was gone. He wasn't there to protect her. It was his fault for stopping.

"Let me help you up! Get out of here, the smoke will harm you." The person called once more to him. They attempted to lift him up, but Bruce suddenly thrusted his hand around the person's throat. His heavy breathing transitioned into menacing growls. His shirt slowly began to rip as his body enlarged. His hand grew muscular around the person's throat until Bruce's tight grip snapped their neck, killing them instantly.

Throwing the corpse aside mercilessly, The Hulk had officially finished his transformation, and the fire burning within was more livid than ever. He let out a thunderous roar that could've been so loud that it shattered glass. Then, he began his raging attack, and this time, there was nothing and no one to stop him.
His empty and angry soul was back into its original lonely, isolated and rage filled void.