By stuff, Big T likely meant drugs that he and his gang would sell back on the streets to people like Steve. “And how were you going to get this ‘stuff’?” Clarke asked.

“Well… my boys and I were—”

“You were going to steal it, weren’t you?”

“That ain’t your—”

“Stealing hurts others you know,” Clarke lectured. “Constantly doing it just further damages the economy, though I suspect you’re not competent enough to hold down a job, so it’s unfair to expect you to understand this anyway.”

In a profound moment of bravado, the second thug standing nearby rushed to Big T’s side and pulled a gun on Clarke, aiming it for his head. “Stop it!” he cried out. “Stop it now or I’ma blow your fuckin’ head off!”

Clarke barely batted an eye at the second thug. “Quiet you. We’re having a conversation.”

He held up his hand like he was going to flick the thug, even though his reach was too short. However, when he shot his finger out, the thug jerked back, then fell to the ground in a brief spasm. Clarke had pushed the thug’s heart back until it ruptured all over his spine.

“Where were we?” Clarke asked.

Big T just screamed as his underling fell dead. Blood poured out of the second thug’s mouth from the massive internal rupturing. Big T tried to escape, thrashing wildly on frozen legs, but Clarke wasn’t about to let him go. Big T was quickly pulled down to his knees, then flopped forward onto his stomach. The enormous pressure crushing his body kept him entirely still.

“Parasites hold no value,” Clarke said without emotion. “You are, at best, an example to others.”

With a snap of his fingers, Big T’s head was compacted and the rest of his body soon followed, collapsing in a grotesque display of power. His organs and vital fluids were pressed into the crater growing around his body, seeping into the dying soil.

Clarke looked up from the dying man to see the third thug out of reach on the sidewalk. He didn’t even reach for his gun, too petrified to resist the powerful homeless man.

“Go,” Clarke finally said. “Tell the rest of your gang, and everyone other gang that you know, that I’m coming for them. If any of them dare to harm anyone, I’ll come for them sooner.”

The thug just fell backwards at first, as if he forgot how to use his feet. He crawled away on his hands, kicking his legs uselessly until they managed to get traction on the ground beneath them. He ran away as fast as he could, disappearing into an alleyway across the street.