DC : Crisis of infinite hunger : Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Hal Jordan's Curiosity

The morning sun bathed Central City in a golden glow, the hustle and bustle of the waking city in full swing. Up in the skies, Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, soared through the crisp air, his mind preoccupied with the absence of his friend, Barry Allen. The Flash had failed to show up for their usual patrol last night—a rare occurrence that left Hal more than a little uneasy.

Hovering outside Barry’s apartment, Hal rapped his knuckles against the door for the third time, but there was still no answer. His instincts kicked in, and with a slight flick of his wrist, Hal used his ring to scan for any sign of Barry. It wasn’t long before the ring pulsed, locking onto a signal from a nearby Big Belly Burger.

Hal furrowed his brow in confusion. “Big Belly Burger? At this hour?” he muttered. With a faint green streak, Hal shot into the sky, heading straight for the location.

When he stepped into the fast food joint, he scanned the room, and there, in the corner, was Barry—or at least, someone who resembled him. Hal's eyes widened in disbelief as he took in the sight. Barry sat at a booth, surrounded by an obscene number of plates, his once slim frame now alarmingly bulky. His stomach pressed firmly against the edge of the table, the red of his suit pulled tight over his protruding belly. Barry's cheeks were rounder, his face fuller, and his once lean arms appeared thicker as they moved food toward his mouth with methodical precision.

“Barry?” Hal called out in shock as he approached the booth.

Barry glanced up from the mountain of food in front of him, momentarily startled but quickly returning his focus to the burger in his hands. “Oh, hey, Hal,” he mumbled through a full mouth, giving a sheepish smile before swallowing hard. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

Hal slid into the booth across from him, his eyes darting between Barry’s bloated stomach and the empty plates that littered the table. “What the hell happened to you, man? You look... different.”

Barry paused briefly, glancing down at his gut that was practically wedged against the table. His brow furrowed, but he gave a nonchalant shrug. “Yeah, I know... I’ve been... really hungry lately,” he muttered, before taking another bite. It was as if he couldn't stop himself, the food calling to him as though it held some power over him.

Hal stared at him, his concern deepening. “Hungry? Barry, you’ve put on a lot of weight in... what, just a few days? This isn’t normal.”

Barry gave a dismissive grunt, his attention already drifting back to the burger in his hand. “Yeah, I’ve noticed,” he said, though it sounded as though the words were an afterthought, eclipsed by his insatiable need to keep eating. “I don’t know, I just can’t stop. I’m hungry all the time. Like, no matter what I eat, it’s not enough.”

Hal reached across the table, placing a hand on Barry’s shoulder, his tone softening. “Barry, something’s wrong. You’ve got to get this checked out. This isn’t just overeating.”

As his hand touched Barry’s shoulder, Hal felt a faint tingling sensation pass through him, a momentary flicker of something strange, but it was so subtle he hardly gave it a second thought. Barry, for his part, barely registered the contact, his focus entirely consumed by the next burger on his plate.

“Yeah, yeah... I’ll look into it,” Barry mumbled, but there was no conviction in his voice. He didn’t even lift his head from his food, his hands moving with a mechanical rhythm, as though eating had become his primary function.

Hal sighed, preparing to push the issue further, when a sudden wave of hunger hit him like a punch to the gut. His stomach growled, loud and insistent, and he blinked in confusion. He hadn’t eaten since the night before, but this hunger was different. It was sharp, gnawing, and all-consuming. He glanced down at the menu absentmindedly, his mind fixated on food.

"Actually, maybe I could use a bite too," he muttered, as if to himself, before flagging down the waitress. He ordered a large combo meal, figuring it would be enough to stave off whatever was gnawing at him.

But as his food arrived, something in Hal shifted. The first bite tasted incredible, and he found himself reaching for another before he even finished chewing. He tried to pace himself, to eat normally, but soon the food became like a drug—each bite only seemed to heighten his hunger. He devoured the fries, then the milkshake, and then moved on to the burger with alarming speed, more combo meals piling up in front of him.

Across the table, Barry didn’t notice. His eyes were glued to his own meal, his focus completely absorbed by the act of eating.

Hal, however, began to feel the changes in his body almost immediately. His uniform, usually sleek and perfectly fitted, started to pull tight against his chest and midsection. His ring felt snug on his finger as his hand swelled slightly, the emerald light adjusting to accommodate his expanding body. Glancing down, Hal noticed that his stomach was beginning to bulge against the table, the once flat plane of his abdomen rounding out into a small, but growing paunch.

"What the...?" Hal muttered under his breath, pausing momentarily as he felt his belly push against the waistband of his pants. His thighs spread wider, pressing against the edges of the booth as his uniform strained to contain his growing body.

For a moment, Hal was alarmed, the reality of his rapid weight gain creeping into his mind. But the gnawing hunger quickly overpowered his concern. He couldn’t stop—he needed more food. His mind rationalized it as he tore through another plate of pancakes, brushing aside the obvious signs of his expanding figure.

“It’s probably nothing,” he told himself, though the tightness of his suit said otherwise.

Box after box disappeared in front of him, and with each bite, Hal's body continued to swell. His chest broadened, the green emblem on his suit stretched awkwardly across his expanding torso. His arms grew thicker, his once chiseled muscles now softened by the layer of fat that seemed to appear out of nowhere. And yet, he couldn’t stop. The food was too good, too irresistible.

The two heroes sat across from one another, neither fully aware of what was happening to them. Barry, too engrossed in his own meal to notice Hal’s transformation, and Hal, too overwhelmed by his newfound hunger to care.

Unbeknownst to them both, the virus that had first infected Barry was now taking root in Hal’s body, passed on through their brief touch. The same insatiable hunger that had consumed Barry was spreading rapidly through Hal, altering him in ways neither of them could yet comprehend.

As the food continued to pile up, and their bodies continued to expand, the city outside carried on, oblivious to the strange transformation happening within the walls of the Big Belly Burger.