He finally reached his house, breathless, his hand flying to the doorknob. Without thinking, he yanked at the door, and the doorknob broke off in his grip. He stared at it, wide-eyed. The piece of metal dangled uselessly from his fingers.
"Oh no..." he muttered.
Trying to stay calm, Matthew gently pushed the door open. It swung inward with barely a nudge, the force of his touch sending it flying open as if it weighed nothing. He winced at the loud bang when it hit the wall behind it.
Stepping inside, Matthew closed the door as quietly as he could and leaned back against it, breathing heavily. The house was dark and still, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Suddenly—the door of his mother's bedroom swung open, and there she saw the door being broken.
"What did you do Matt?!" Matthew's mother exclaimed.
Matthew couldn't simply say that it broke due to him accidentally yanking it too hard. His mind raced, trying to think of a plausible explanation, but nothing seemed right. How could he explain what had just happened?
"I... I don't know, Mom," Matthew stammered, his heart pounding in his chest. "It just... broke."
His mother crossed her arms, giving him a skeptical look. "It just broke? There's no way that door will break that easily. Your father is going to be mad when he returns home."
Matthew swallowed. His father wasn't one to take things lightly when it came to the house, especially when something expensive like the door was damaged. But what could he say? He couldn't admit the truth, that he had somehow gained incredible strength after touching a meteorite.
"Dad could fix this easily. It'll just need some bolts and stuff. It's easy don't sweat. I'm going to my room."
Without much of an explanation, Matthew went to his room, and opened the door, carefully this time, and locked the door behind him. He sat on the edge of his bed—whose wooden frame snapped as soon as he sat down. Matthew jumped up in shock, staring at the now-ruined bed.
"Not again..." he muttered, frustration bubbling up inside him.
Everything he touched seemed to break. The truck, the door, now even his bed. He clenched his fists. It was like he was too strong for the world around him. Things that were supposed to be sturdy felt fragile. It made him feel like he didn't belong in his own body anymore, like his strength was out of control.
First thing he needed to do was to control his strength. Luckily, there was a hand gripped on his bedside table. He used it for leisure as it often helped him wander around his thoughts. He grabbed it carefully and gave it a gentle squeeze—and it was completely crushed in his hand. The once sturdy metal handgrip crumpled like a piece of paper. Matthew dropped it immediately, staring at the mangled remains with wide eyes.
Then—he looked at his hands. Everything was real, he has power now…and it is scaring him. He doesn't understand how this power works and he certainly don't want it making a mess inside of their house.
So he decided. He exited his bedroom carefully and his mom was still there, hands over her head as if trying to come up on how he would explain this to his father.
"Mom, I'm going out. I'll be back."
"Where are you going? Your father is going home soon," his mother asked.
"I'll just be around town. I'll be back in two hours. I just need to fix some things, okay mom?"
"Okay…be back before midnight."
"I will mom," Matthew kissed her mom on the forehead before leaving the house.
Time check…it was now ten o'clock in the evening and there's barely even people walking around the streets. For him to assess the situation, he needed to know what he is capable of.
As he turned right to a block, there was a closed van truck parked on the side of the street. It looked abandoned as the tires were deflated and the paint was peeling off in patches. Matthew approached it cautiously. This was his chance to test the extent of his strength without worrying about breaking anything valuable at home.
He glanced around to make sure no one was watching and then crouched down beside the truck. His hand hovered over the rusty metal for a moment, hesitating. Could he really lift this thing? He had to find out.
With a deep breath, Matthew placed both hands under the side of the truck and slowly started applying pressure. At first, nothing happened, and he wondered if maybe this was all some strange dream. But then, the ground beneath his feet shifted, and the truck began to lift.
Matthew's eyes widened in amazement as he lifted the entire truck above his head with ease.
"This is... unreal," he whispered to himself.
Slowly, he lowered the van back to the ground, making sure to place it down as gently as possible. The van settled back into place with a soft thud.
"I really have fucking powers," Matthew exclaimed under his breath.
He spotted a small stone about the size of his fist lying on the ground. It looked like an ordinary rock, but to him, it was another opportunity to test his abilities. He crouched down and picked it up.
"How far can I throw this?" he muttered, gripping the stone tightly.
Without much thought, Matthew cocked his arm back and hurled the stone into the air with all his might. The stone shot upwards, faster than he could have imagined, whistling as it cut through the night sky. Within seconds, it broke the sound barrier with a loud boom, leaving a faint shockwave in its wake.
Matthew stared up in awe, watching the stone ascend until it disappeared into the darkness of the sky. The force of the throw had been unimaginable. He had thrown it with such speed and power that it probably exited the Earth's atmosphere.
"Whoa…" he whispered, his eyes wide.
He couldn't believe it. He had just thrown a rock with enough force to break the sound barrier.
But then, a new thought crossed his mind. If he had thrown the rock that hard, what would happen when it came back down? He hadn't thought of that. Panic gripped him for a moment as he scanned the sky, waiting for some sign of the stone's return. Would it crash back down with enough force to destroy something?
He didn't hear anything immediately, but the potential danger left him feeling uneasy.
"I really need to get a handle on this," Matthew muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. But—he thought of other things he could try.
Matthew took a deep breath, and began thinking about possibilities.
If his strength was beyond anything he could have imagined, what about his speed? He glanced down the empty street, the dim glow of streetlights illuminating the wet pavement. There was no one around. It was the perfect time to test it out.
He adjusted his stance, taking a moment to focus.
What if he could run faster than anyone? Maybe even faster than a car? The thought both thrilled and terrified him.
"Alright... let's see what I can do," he whispered, bracing himself.
In one swift motion, Matthew pushed off the ground. His legs moved faster than they ever had before, propelling him forward with a burst of speed. The world around him blurred, the streetlights turning into long streaks of light as he raced down the road. The cool night air whipped against his face, the sound of the wind roaring in his ears. He could hardly keep up with the sensations—his body was moving so fast, it was like time had slowed down.
He darted past intersections, his feet barely making contact with the ground as he flew across the city streets. Buildings and trees zipped by in a flash, and before he knew it, he had crossed several blocks in mere seconds. He was running faster than anything he'd ever imagined.
"This... this is insane!" Matthew shouted, his voice lost in the wind.
The exhilaration surged through him, but he realized he had no idea how to stop. His legs were moving on autopilot, each stride carrying him faster and faster. Panic set in as he saw a sharp turn ahead—a corner he couldn't possibly make at this speed.
Instinctively, Matthew dug his heels into the ground, trying to slow down. The asphalt beneath him cracked as his feet skidded, sending chunks of concrete flying in all directions. He finally came to a halt, sliding to a stop just before the corner, leaving a deep gouge in the road behind him.
Panting, Matthew looked back at the damage he'd caused. The street was torn up where his feet had dug in, a long trail of broken asphalt and debris stretching several meters.
"Okay... maybe I overdid it," he muttered, catching his breath.
But despite the destruction, Matthew couldn't help but grin. He just covered a distance of 10 kilometers in a matter of ten seconds. And he could hear the faint sound of car alarms blaring from the path he had just sprinted through.
"This is enough…time to go home."