Beyond Human Ch. 1

Jim hates being human. Who can blame him?

"I hate people." Jim thought to himself as he rode his bike home from school after a particularly miserable day. Not that any day was very good for him to begin with. "I really, really, REALLY hate people." From Jim's point of view, there were innumerable reasons to despise these pompous, self-righteous hypocrites with a perpetual superiority complex known as humans. For one, the vast majority of them believed themselves to be the smartest creatures on the planet, even though they were actually stupider than a bag of bowling balls. Then there was their insatiable greed.

No matter how much they may have, be it money, possessions, land, or power, they could never have enough. They always had to have more, with absolutely no concern for who or what they may destroy in the process. Thirdly, and this was perhaps the biggest reason in Jim's mind, to be blunt, they just seemed to be assholes by nature.

It doesn't matter to the average human that their fellow humans are of the same species, and for the most part, are probably facing the same everyday problems. They just have to make life even more miserable for each other in any way they can, just to make themselves feel better about their pointless, insignificant existence.

Case in point, Marcus Thorne. He was an upperclassman at Jim's school who, for some unknowable reason, decided to make it his mission to make Jim's school life a living hell. From the day Jim began his freshman year onwards, he was Marcus's favorite target, whether it was for demeaning pranks or public humiliation. And the worst part was the school faculty, which officially had a "No Tolerance" policy towards bullying. But everybody knew that was the biggest joke of the millennium, because the worst they would do was give the offender detention, which did absolutely nothing to deter their behavior. And if the victims dared to actually defend themselves in any way, then they were the ones who would be punished instead!

Marcus and all the other troglodytes knew full well that, as long as they didn't actually touch their targets, absolutely no consequences would befall them. At least, that was the case on school grounds. Off campus, however, all bets were off. Which was why Marcus and his posse of other schoolyard thugs were waiting in a nearby alleyway for Jim to come along on his usual route home after school. As Jim drew closer, he and his gang stepped out into the pathway, forcing Jim to stop.

"How did you like my surprise this morning?" Marcus asked mockingly, his gang grunting and chuckling stupidly with amusement. That morning, Marcus had somehow managed to get into Jim's locker and stuff it with various foul objects. Dead fish, garbage, used diapers, etc. Jim was in no mood for any more of Marcus's shit and tried to go around them. But Marcus just had to keep pushing it.

"Hey, Jimmy, let me ask you something. Were you born on a highway? I just sort of figured you were, you know? Because that's where most accidents happen!"

That was the final straw. Jim turned and retorted, "Hey, Marcus, did you ever blow bubbles when you were a kid? Because he's back in town and he wants your number!" Jim knew he had made a terrible mistake the instant those words left his lips, because Marcus and his goons immediately boarded their bikes and began to give chase!

Jim peddled as fast as he could, knowing that if they caught him, he was in for serious pain. Or maybe worse. He tried shaking them off his trail by taking multiple back roads and alleys all across town, but they just kept after him. For what felt like hours, they pursued him through what must have been the entire neighborhood. Now I know how the roadrunner must have felt, Jim thought sarcastically to himself. You just had to open your mouth, didn't you?

Eventually, the chase culminated with Jim taking a narrow dirt path that led into the woods. Maybe he could lose them in there. MArucs and his gang followed in hot pursuit, forced to ride single file along the path with Marcus at the front, shouting various threats and insults at Jim. His voice echoed through the forest, making it seem like they were coming from every direction at once! Riding deep into the maze of trees and brush, the chase finally came to an end when Jim's front tire hit a rock he failed to notice, sending him tumbling forward as he came to a sudden halt, faceplanting into the dirt and scuffing his face and clothes.

As he picked himself up, Marcus and his thugs surrounded him and dismounted, each of them prepared to give Jim the beating of a lifetime. "Marcus stepped forward, pulling a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket. "I hope your family has good insurance, Jimmy." He sneered, "'Cause I'm gonna put you in traction for the next five years!"

Jim knew there was no way out of this, except on a gurney. Or even a body bag. He closed his eyes and awaited the incoming pain, but opened them when he heard a sudden thud against the forest floor. Everyone turned to see another young man about their age, with a grim look on his face. Where had he come from? It was like he had just dropped down out of the trees! What was even stranger...he was naked.

"You should not be here." Said the stranger, his voice low, but with a warning tone. Marcus and his gang suddenly burst into laughter. "Who the hell are you?" Marcus asked between snorts and chuckles, "One of those crazy nudist hippy freaks?" The stranger did not respond to the insult, instead saying, "You should leave. All of you. Now." On the last word, his voice became deathly serious.

Marcus continued laughing before finally turning his attention back to Jim. "Get lost, Tarzan. I have an ass kicking to give." The young man looked to Jim, then back at Marcus. "Hardly a fair fight, using your pack to take on one who poses no threat." "Mind your own business, George of the Jungle!" Marcus snarled, "Fighting fair gets you nowhere, anyway! Now piss off, before we decide to add you to our list too!"

Marcus clearly meant that as a threat, but instead of being intimidated, the young man smiled in amusement. "That would be a grave mistake on your part. Neither you nor your pack together could best even one of my kind in a fight." As Marcus and his gang turned to face the strange young man, Jim wondered just what the hell he meant by "his kind".

"Alright, I've given you plenty of warnings. Now you get to share in the pain too!" Marcus charged the stranger, thrusting his fist towards the young man's face. But before any of them could blink, the stranger dodged to the side, before grabbing Marcus's arm and bringing it down across his knee. There was a loud SNAP, and a scream as Marcus's funny bone was now protruding from the skin of his forearm. Marcus lay on the ground, wailing in agony, clutching his injured arm while his gang charged forward all at once. One by one, quick as a flash, he neutralized each of them. Some got broken limbs or ribs, others were pummelled into submission.

When it was all said and done, the entire gang went limping back towards town with their proverbial tails between their legs. The stranger looked to Jim with a blank expression, as he could only stare in disbelief at what he had just witnessed. "Th...th...th...thank you." He finally managed to stutter. The stranger said nothing. He simply nodded in acknowledgment of Jim's gratitude before sprinting off deep into the backwoods. There was something in the way he moved, in the way he ran, that Jim could tell meant this stranger, whoever he was, was definitely not human. He may have looked like one, but no human could have fought like that and come out on top, or run with speed surpassing an Olympic athlete.

And he had said that Marcus couldn't win against "his kind", did that mean there were more like him? Jim didn't have the faintest clue what was going on, but there was definitely something unusual going on, to say the least. On the positive side, he had avoided being beaten to a bloody pulp thanks to that stranger's timely intervention. And it was unlikely that, however Marcus and his friends explained their injuries to their families, they would blame him. Who would believe a scrawny sophomore like him could take on Marcus and his gang and win? Or that a naked man in the woods was responsible?

Either way, Jim picked up his bike and rode his way back home. All the while, replaying what he had just seen in his head. He neglected to tell his family what had happened. As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as the sun sank behind the horizon, his brain buzzed like a hornet's nest with questions. Tomorrow was the weekend. Perhaps he would go back to the woods and try to find that strange man again.

And maybe get some answers.

Maybe.