DCU The Flash #2 One Fateful Night (Rebirth)

"Shoes… check, wallet… check, flowers… check," Barry mumbled as he stood at the front door of his apartment.

 

 

Barry Allen, a 25 year old forensics specialist for the CCPD was currently preparing himself for a date. He patted down his blazer, making sure no wrinkles remained on the jacket using the hanging mirror next to the door.

 

 

"Barry?" a voice called, causing him to look up. Patty Spivot, his roommate and best friend from college, stood outside the kitchen with a glass of hot chocolate in her hand.

 

 

"Uh… hey, Patty," he greeted, rubbing the back of his head.

 

 

She stood there, an eyebrow raised and mouth slightly parted. "Um… Barry?"

 

 

"Yeah?"

 

 

"What are you doing?" she asked, taking a sip of the drink.

 

 

"I… uh, y'know," he replied, sliding his cellphone into his pocket. "I have that date… with Iris tonight."

 

 

"Mmhmm," she hummed with the cup pressed against her lips.

 

 

"So, y'know, I gotta make sure I'm prepared."

 

 

"Yeah," she said, a smile finally winning over her confused expression. "I'm sure you'll be very prepared."

 

 

Barry sighed, rolling his eyes. "Patty, you really just don't get it. I've been head over heels for her since… well since forever ago," he explained, sighing once more. "Now's finally my shot."

 

 

"Oh no, Barry I totally understand," she said, small giggles escaping her. "When I went on my first date with my crush back in highschool, I had everything planned out."

 

 

Barry chuckled slightly as she walked over to him, placing her arm on his shoulder and looking at both their reflections. "Then I guess you do understand. Everything needs to be perfect."

 

 

"Yep," she responded, leaning in near his ear. "Buuuut, maybe the best way to be prepared is not being ten minutes late."

 

 

Barry's eyes widened, his gaze shooting to the clock on the wall.

 

 

7:12

 

 

"Oh crap!"

 

 

-^-

 

 

"Are you ready to order, ma'am?"

 

 

Iris West, journalist at the Central City Picture News, shook her head at the question asked by the waiter, frowning slightly. "No thank you," she responded, taking a sip of her water. "He'll… he'll be here."

 

 

"Alright ma'am," they responded, walking away from the table.

 

 

Her gaze fell to her watch, the time reading 7:26. "Barry…" she sighed, her chin falling to rest on her hand.

 

 

She was ecstatic when Barry finally approached her with the idea of a date, no matter how cheesy it was. His feelings for her were blatantly obvious, ever since back in middle school. She never would've turned him down if he mustered the courage to ask her out, but she had a goal she needed to make first. Her career was more important, so she never made a move. After she got her diploma, she decided to travel the world for two years, and on the day she returned, he finally asked her out.

 

 

"And in other news, the wild snow storm continues to rage on with no immediate signs of stopping."

 

 

Iris's head turned, eyes focusing on the tv situated in the corner of the room. For two weeks a near constant snow storm had been plaguing Central City and its neighboring towns. It wasn't normal, Iris knew. No snow storm in the history of Central City had ever been this bad for this long.

 

 

Her eyes fell back on the door, watching the heavy snowfall. "Barry, please be okay…"

 

 

-^-

 

 

"I'm okay!"

 

 

Barry sat in a pile of snow, his thumb up in the air. A man with his dog stood over him, a confused, and slightly irritated look on his face.

 

 

"Boy, what the hell are you doin'?" asked the man, his dog's bark following the question.

 

 

"Uh, sorry about that," he explained, shivering from the snow. "I'm late for a date and-"

 

 

Smack

 

 

The man's cane struck down onto Barry's head, causing him to yelp.

 

 

"All you young folk are stuck on stupid," he chastised, waving his cane in the air. "Running around these icy sidewalks for a date."

 

 

"You didn't have to hit me!" Barry said, rubbing his head.

 

 

"Well someone needed to," the man replied, placing his cane back down.

 

 

"Yeah yeah, alright," Barry agreed, lifting himself to his feet. "Thanks, I guess."

 

 

"Don't make me hit ya again, boy," he snapped back, lifting his cane. Barry's flinch seemed to subdue him, as he lowered it.

 

 

"Sorry… it's just… this is something I've been waiting to do my entire life," he sighed, looking at the man. Barry cringed seeing his facial expression. "Oh, that sounds weird, I mean she's a childhood friend of mine and I finally asked her out."

 

 

"How the hell are you running late then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

 

Barry sighed, looking at his watch, "Well, late is an understatement… Iris probably already left… I'm… something of a basket case."

 

 

"Yeah no kidding," he chuckled, shaking his head at Barry. "Names Eddie, Eddie Jones."

 

 

Eddie reached his hand out, Barry accepting the gesture. "Barry Allen, it's nice to meet you and…"

 

 

"This here's Buster," he spoke, introducing his pitbull. "He may look mean, but there's never been a breathing creature he ain't tried to cuddle."

 

 

Barry chuckled, but his expression was still showed his sadness.

 

 

"Tell ya what," Eddie started, "you go an' apologize to that girl and ask her for a second chance. When she says yes, c'mon down to my restaurant Vulcan's Veggies for the best vegetarian food in the city, on the house."

 

 

"I uh, I guess I will," Barry said, a smile forming on his face.

 

 

"Ya damn right you will," Eddie said, smacking him with his cane once more. "Nobody turns down a free meal."

 

 

A soft buzz in his pocket caused both of them to look down. Pulling out his phone, Barry viewed the message.

 

 

Joe: Emergency at the station.

 

 

Joe: Get here asap.

 

 

"Uhh… apologizing will need to wait, work emergency," he said, sighing as he typed his response.

 

 

"That's fine… but if I don't see you in the next week, we gon' have a problem," he threatened, causing Barry to laugh.

 

 

"Right, I'll see you then, Mr. Jones," he spoke, waving as he began running to the station.

 

 

"And kid?" Eddie called, causing Barry to turn his head. "Live life in the now, it goes away in a blink."

 

 

Barry smiled, nodding. As he turned his head back, he lost his footing, face planting in another pile of snow.

 

 

"And what did I tell you!"

 

 

-^-

 

 

Barry stepped through CCPD's front door. The building had its heating on, thankfully, so he was able to warm up rather quickly. He still took off his winter jacket, hanging it on the rack with the other coats.

 

 

"Barry…" a voice to the side spoke. Barry turned his head to see a man dressed in all black, his hair swept in a messy, yet refined fashion. August Heart, his childhood friend and Joe's partner. "Uh… what the hell happened to you?"

 

 

Barry looked at himself; his clothes drenched, hair wet, and flowers soaked. "Oh… uhm, traffic?" he suggested, cringing at his response.

 

 

"Right… sorry, I know you had your big date tonight," he said, frowning apologetically.

 

 

"I uh… I kinda was late for it anyways…"

 

 

August's apologetic frown turned to an annoyed one. "Barry…" he sighed, facepalming and pointing to the stairs. "Joe's in your lab… it's that case again."

 

 

Barry nodded his head, walking past August and heading to his lab. Arriving at the room, he saw Joe, his surrogate father, standing at one of his many crime boards. His hat was placed on the table, arms crossed.

 

 

"Eradicator again?" Barry asked, gaining Joe's attention.

 

 

The man nodded to Barry, his head moving back to the board. "Damn right it's that bastard," he said, almost a whisper through his clenched jaw.

 

 

"Hey," Barry called, placing his hand on Joe's shoulder. "We'll get him, I promise."

 

 

"I know we'll get him, I'm not retiring until we do," he snapped back, shoving his hand off and locking eyes with Barry. "When though? He's been out there for 10 years now dammit… who knows how many more it'll be until we stop him…"

 

 

"Joe…"

 

 

"I'm… I'm sorry…" he apologized, handing Barry a casefile. "Here's the casefile… there… there isn't a body."

 

 

"I'll get right to it," he said, giving Joe a smile as he left. As soon as the door shut, Barry's smile faltered. The casefile in his hand was placed on his desk, his hands following.

 

 

Creed Phillips; The Eradicator, a former state senator who had his metagene activated, the cause still unknown. Since then, he'd become a serial killer, murdering those he saw fit. His motives have never been found, the victims seemingly at random.

 

 

Barry lifted his head. He didn't have time to dwell, he needed to find out who the victim was and any possible leads.

 

 

Before Barry could open the casefile, a flash of lightning appeared outside the window, booming thunder crackling seconds after.

 

 

'That seems pretty close,' thought Barry, opening the casefile fully with another duo of lightning and thunder following, much closer than before. 'It's mainly been snowing these past few weeks. If this keeps up, Patty isn't in for a fun time.'

 

 

Barry held up the baggy of decayed flakes that were once a human. The first time he had to analyze a body with this modus operandi, he hurled, twice. It had almost become second nature to him now.

 

 

Moving to his chemical rack, Barry began shifting through the bottles of various acids and bonding agents. The crackle of thunder occurred once more, but then stopped.

 

 

Barry paused, turning his head to look out the window. 'That's odd…' he noted in his head. 'Thunder usually follows the-'

 

 

KRAKAKOOM

Done