THE BLINK

- PROLOGUE

Barry 'The Flash' Allen ran. For his life. After what he'd seen him do, he was mentally unstable.

He sped through the streets of central city at night, losing control of himself, crashing left and right, speeding for a second and slowing down the next. He made the speed force flicker in Barry.

He ran and crashed into an alley tumbling and rolling multiple times. There was a constant ringing in his ears from the concussion.

He held his head as the pain tore through.

It was happening all over. Zoom.

The same mask, but an unimaginable speed and power.

Green flashed before his eyes. His life flashed before his eyes.

"Barry!" Cisco yelled through the earpiece finally establishing contact.

Barry was either hallucinating, or he was right in front of him. "I'm real Barry." The demon's voice spoke. Zoom's voice. Putting himself together, he spoke, "Who are you? I know you're not Hunter."

An elevating evil laugh echoed through the dark alley. His vision blurred. "I… Barry, am something you don't wish to face. Don't ever tamper with the speed force."

"What is this about?"

"Keeping track of time, Barry. Time."

He shut his eyes tight, fighting the pain. He leaned on the wall and opened his eyes. The demon was gone. He took a step holding his head. As he did, he tripped, falling in a puddle of rain water. The demon was behind him. He screamed and ran. Speed coursing through his veins. He ran between so many cars and streets towards STAR LABS.

RUN BARRY. RUN.

He heard the voice in his head. There was a flash of white-green lightning and the sound of a hundred demons roaring, his face covering Barry's field of vision. Barry ran into a car and went head over heels. He ran again as the yellow streaked, until he reached just outside STAR LABS when he heard that demonic roar again. He collapsed, losing control for a moment, getting on his knees, he cried, on the verge of giving up.

"What did I ever do to you? Leave me ALONE!"

He was in a dark room, when he opened his eyes, carpeted floor. A huge black ape stood in the corner, Grodd. The huge beast turned as its red eyes glowed in the dark. It charged towards him, roaring, and leaped. He had nowhere to run. He saw the bare fangs and monstrous arms come at him, flying.

Another flash made him shield his eyes. Now he faced the trickster, holding Iris' neck. He took a gun and pointed at her face. There was an evil grin on his face. Barry got up to run, screaming his lungs out. When trickster pulled the trigger, light exploded on his face and he flew backwards.

He crashed into a wall. His bedroom wall. The same one from his childhood. He saw his younger self sleep. The water in the glass beside levitated, floating in the air. There were flashes of red and yellow coming from the door. The night his mom died. But he'd saved her. He was confused. Just then the door shot open and the streaks of lightning disappeared. Eobard Thawne was against the wall. The Flash beating him up. Barry fell to his knees. Crying his eyes out.

"Mom", a wavered breath.

"You have to stop him Barry." The demon's voice said, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Stop him, or reality will change."

"I can't", he cried.

"Stop him Barry. Stop yourself."

He shook his head saying no. he saw The Flash hold his mom in his arms, talking to her.

"You'll never be The Flash, Allen." The voice spoke.

"It doesn't matter." He closed the door. His younger self woke up.

"It isn't about you Barry. It's about the speed force. Time. Reality. It will change everything. Everyone with the speed force."

"I can stop the paradox."

"This isn't the Flashpoint Paradox Barry!"

"What is?"

He stood there, appearing with such a speed the papers placed on the table went flying. He caught Barry by his and ran out of the house. He kept running down the street, a vortex/breach opened. The next moment Barry was in space, floating, miraculously breathing. Breaches opened around him, showing portals to destroyed Earths.

"Take a good look, Barry Allen." The voice was too serious.

"Flashpoint Paradox would look like the happiest course of time you could easily get through. You've started a paradox on every other Earth in the multiverse. How does that sound?!" the voice roared.

"I can't fix every mistake of yours, Barry…" All the breaches closed except for one. Earth Prime.

"I'll have to erase you to fix the speed force. Not everything is under my control."

He materialised, floating beside Barry. The demon suit Zoom wore, but the lightning was pale green. The symbol on his chest was completely different.

The demon held his palm out as if he was holding a cup from the bottom. He slowly contracted his fingers, bringing them closer as if crushing something in his hand.

Behind the breach, the Earth split. Cracking up, Lava erupting from every side. Barry watched. Expressionless, as Earth crumbled.

"That was one of the timelines you wouldn't have made out of, in turn destroying you." He turned to him.

"What are you?" Barry's voice rasped. The breach closed. Leaving them in utter darkness. Barry noticed a green glow on the demon's hand, a ring.

Light from the ring, exploded, blinding Barry. He was in an old dark room of Janitor supplies.

"A time guardian, Barry. Your time guardian. If anything happens to the speed force, remember. You, are at its core. Replacing you, sets everything right." The demonic voice turned slightly human.

"Things may have changed in your timeline. It's for the better." Barry opened his mouth to speak.

"We will meet again, Barry. Soon."

The pain in his head disappeared completely. Barry collapsed, falling on bottles of detergent. The door unlocked and opened.

"Barry?" Harrison asked. He looked up for a moment, and his head fell back the next.