The Flash: Silent Whispers
Chapter Six
The Flash grit his teeth hard, clenching his fists as he stood back up. The Trickster jumped up and down in glee, a wide smile encompassing his face.
"Oh, goodie! The Scarlet Speedster can finally stand up again!" he taunted. Barry took a sharp breath as he ran towards Trickster. However, as soon as he went to punch him, his fist seemed to go through Jesse.
"The hell?" asked Barry, confused as he whipped his neck around. The Trickster was now standing to his right.
"What's wrong, Flash? Can't trust your own senses?" asked Trickster. Barry ran forward to Jesse, who was standing next to a stall lined with pitching machines. The Flash raced to him, only to once again be tricked as he stepped on a pressure plate.
In an instant a flurry of baseballs was shot towards him, some hitting him right in the face and chest and knocking the wind out of him. Flash quickly rushed away, and ended up stumbling into a bouncy castle.
"Let's see how bouncy this castle gets!" exclaimed Trickster, pushing another button. The Flash stood back up and took a step forward, but the surface of the castle was much more elastic and reinforced. As soon as Barry ran forward, an equal amount of force was exerted back onto him, sending him flying back.
"It's a material I designed, for infinite bounces!" chuckled Trickster in glee. As soon as the Flash hit the wall of the castle, it bounced him back as he hit another surface, bouncing to another boundary.
Barry was being tossed around the castle hard yet elastic surface, before he finally managed to break through the material and landed outside back on the boardwalk, directly on his face.
"Tsk tsk, Flash. I thought you'd be better!" shouted Trickster. Flash looked up and noticed Jesse on top of the Ferris Wheel, waving excitedly at him.
"Get down now…and no one has to get hurt…" winced Flash, still trying to counteract the effects of the poison. He rushed up the Ferris Wheel and grabbed Trickster by the neck, surprisingly not being deceived by the poison.
"You're done, James," said Flash. Trickster laughed as he pulled out a knife and sliced at Flash's arm. Barry instantly pulled his hand back and Trickster graciously backflipped off of the cart, swinging down the supports of the Ferris Wheel and landing back on the ground.
Flash ran down the Ferris Wheel and towards Jesse. However, he felt himself run through a tripwire and before he knew it, the ground under him gave way as he fell into a pit of cold water.
"DUNK! AHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Trickster. Flash climbed back out, only to be surrounded by multiple Tricksters.
"Questioning reality yet?" they all asked in unison. Barry looked around, before closing his eyes and recalling what his father had said to him.
"Slow down, don't run through your life like you always have been."
Barry slowed down his thinking, his movements, everything. He could feel every energized cell in his body start to slow down, every nerve impulse beginning to ebb. He slowly opened his eyes, and the world stopped spinning around.
Flash looked to his right and saw only one Trickster. Instead of running up towards him, he ran at a normal speed. Before Trickster could even react as Flash's unexpected reaction, Barry delivered a right hook to Trickster's jaw, sending him to the floor.
"You're under arrest," huffed Flash, feeling the toxin get flushed out of his body.
Trickster laughed, blood spurting from his mouth. Flash quickly grabbed him and rushed back to the Central City Police Department.
"Make sure those files are organized correctly, okay? It takes me ages to go through them," said August to one of the police officers. Just then, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
"Patty, hey," replied August, as Patty stood behind him. She had a nervous look on her face.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
"Y-Yeah. I just needed some advice, but I don't know if it's the right time," replied Patty, adding to August's confusion.
"Well, I mean there's no harm in asking, is there?" chuckled August. Patty breathed out.
"I want to ask Barry out," she blurted. August let out a laugh but quickly stifled it. "See, I know it's not the right time with everything happening, but I just-"
"Patty, Patty. It's okay. Just ask him if he wants to go for a coffee sometime. Hell, seeing as how there's no new evidence regarding Murmur or Trickster, you might as well do it today," suggested August.
"Are you sure? I don't want to come off as pushy. Or impulsive. Or uncouth. Or-"
August placed his hand on Patty's shoulder. "Just be yourself, I'm sure that'll be enough for him," said August, giving her a reassuring look. Patty nodded and smiled.
"Thanks. Also, have you been getting enough sleep?" she asked.
"Truth be told, no. I've been dedicating all my time to the Murmur case. I can tell my wife is tired of it too," sighed August. "Don't know how much more of this I can take,"
"My advice, take it one day at a time. The more you take on at once, the worse it'll get. Also, please get some sleep," she replied.
Just then, a gust of wind hit the floor, as the Flash walked through the front door of the CCPD, much to every officer's surprise. He dragged a handcuffed Trickster with him, who seemed to be laughing uncontrollably.
"I need to speak with the captain," said Flash. An officer nodded as he walked into Singh's office. Flash looked around and caught August's glance, as he nodded at him. August slightly smiled and nodded back.
Singh came rushing out of his office, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Flash holding Trickster.
"I believe this man belongs here," said Flash, handing Trickster off to Singh.
"Hiya, cap!" chuckled Trickster.
"Shut up! August, call Joe. I need you both in an interrogation room with him as soon as possible. And Flash, thank you," said Singh. Flash smiled and waved goodbye as he zoomed out of the precinct.
Minutes later, Barry walked in from the elevator, eyeing Trickster who was locked up in a holding cell.
"Looks like you guys got him," remarked Barry, patting August on the shoulder.
"Actually, it was your friend, the Flash. I owe him a thank you, he's made our workload so much easier," replied August. Patty cleared her throat and Barry looked at her.
"Hey Patty, I'm glad to see you're back," said Barry. "I was thinking, we should compile all the evidence we have on the Murmur case. Get one proper report and present it to Singh, how's that sound?" he asked.
"Uh well, we could do it over coffee, maybe?" asked Patty. August lightly whistled and walked away, mentioning how he had to call up Joe.
"Yeah, sure! Just say when," said Barry.
"Right now! I mean, not "right now" right now, but in a couple of hours?" she suggested.
"Works for me," replied Barry.
"Great, it's a date then! I guess, kind of, it is," stumbled Patty, awkwardly rushing away. Barry chuckled for a second, before walking towards the forensic lab to gather all the data they'd need.
Barry waited at the coffee table, tapping his foot nervously on the ground. He almost started doing so at super speed, but managed to calm himself down.
Patty finally rushed through the door, her blonde hair flowing as she awkwardly rushed towards Barry.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, I missed my bus and-"
"Don't worry, I know what it's like being always late," joked Barry. The waitress came by and the two of them placed their orders, while Barry steadied a stack of files on the table.
"I think it's time we compile all the data we have on Murmur," said Barry. Patty nodded slowly, her lips pursed. Barry cocked his head to the right, but distributed the files to her.
"Not a lot of space on this table, but here. Dark hair and about 6 foot," started Barry.
"Mid-30s, and he seems to have some knowledge on anatomy and possibly surgery judging by the removal of a malignant tumor following Horton's murder. I'm adding that to the report," remarked Patty.
"Wears Millar shoes that were discontinued years ago…" continued Barry.
"High levels of eumelanin, suggests that the killer is caucasian. Anything else?" asked Patty.
"Nope, I think that's everything. Which unfortunately isn't much," lamented Barry. The two of them continued to pen down their reports. Patty raised her head from the paper to talk to Barry, but realized he was too engrossed in his work.
"Hey Barry," signaled Patty. Barry scribbled down some words before looking up. "Yes?"
"Anyone ever told you that you go too fast? Slow down a bit, the report isn't running anywhere," she joked. Barry laughed.
"You have no idea," he replied, contemplating a little.
"How do you think August does it?" asked Barry.
"What do you mean?"
"Balance his work and personal life. He's the most hardworking detective I'ver ever met, but at the same time he's married, and to a doctor no less. How does he find the time?"
Patty sighed. "Truth is, I don't think he's hanging on that well either. This whole Murmur case has thrown everyone off for a toss. I spend overtime in the lab since we've been focusing on Murmur so much, other cases have piled on," she lamented.
"I know, and I'm so sorry I've been late recently. Truth is, you're right, I'm living too fast," said Barry. Patty squinted her eyes.
"What do you mean?" asked Patty. Barry gulped, realizing he may have said too much.
"You know…stuff," reasoned Barry. Patty laughed.
"The mystery that is Barry Allen. I think the biggest case no one's ever cracked is you," she chuckled. "C'mon, you can tell me!" she protested.
"Okay…" started Barry. "I'm still trying to get evidence on my mother's murder…15 years later," he confessed. "No matter what, I can't stop revisiting that night. And this case, plus the constant torment of my nightmares of that night, plus…other stuff, I'm just stretched too thin," he continued.
"Oh, Barry. I had no idea," she replied, placing her hand on his.
"I know there's a gap in my memory, some 2 minutes were repressed. What sucks I've spent years trying to recall what it was, but whatever it was, something in me tells me that it's the key. I just wish I could remember," sighed Barry.
"Are you sure?" asked Patty.
"About?"
"Wanting to relive the memory,"
"I have no choice. If I want to find the man who killed my mother, I have to remember,"
Patty squeezed his hand tighter. "Barry, we repress memories subconsciously for a reason. Maybe whatever it was, be it traumatic or terrifying or both, your brain chose to repress it for a reason,"
"Whatever it is, it's hiding me from the truth," replied Barry, somewhat stubborn. Patty nodded.
"You said you're living life too fast. This may sound obvious, but try and slow down," said Patty.
"I'm trying, but nothing works. I'm swarmed," he groaned.
"Your problem isn't out here. It's in there," said Patty, pointing to his forehead. "There's a billion things running around in Barry Allen's head. You need to slow down, and take it one at a time," she explained.
"Right. Meditation never worked for me," said Barry.
"Not meditation then. If you want to remember that night, it's better to head back to the same environment. Some triggers about your scenery, plus like I said, slowing down, might help you remember," she explained. "I took an extracurricular course on hypnosis in college," she continued.
Barry chuckled, then noticed her hand was still on his. His nerves suddenly lit on fire and he felt like instantly pulling away out of fear. However, he took a deep breath, and suddenly, the urge to move disappeared.
"Woah," he gasped.
"What happened?" asked Patty.
"Nothing, I just feel…here," he remarked, grinning from ear to ear as he stared into Patty's eyes.
Suddenly, his phone began to ring on the table. It was Joe.
"Great," sighed Barry, as he picked up the phone.
"Hey Joe," he replied.
"BARRY, GET TO IRIS NOW!" shouted Joe. "She's in danger!" he exclaimed.
Barry looked back at Patty. "I need to go," he stumbled away from the table, placing the money for the coffee at the table.
"Wait, I'm coming with you!" protested Patty, following Barry as he rushed out the door, turning the corner. Patty followed suit and turned the corner, only to realize that Barry had disappeared.
10 MINUTES AGO
James was led into an interrogation room, that seemed more like a windowless steel box with one flickering white tube light fixated on the ceiling. He chuckled to himself as he sat on the chair, and was handcuffed to the table by August and Joe.
"Now, we can do this the hard way, or the harder way," started August.
"Bad cop, badder cop? Detective, this seems to be a new tactic you've invented!" chuckled James. Joe slammed his fist onto the table.
"I guess now we know who is bad cop. Or probably badder cop," joked James.
"Keep it up and we'll test that theory. Tell us about your partner in crime," ordered August.
"How's your wife, detective?" asked James. Joe noticed August clenching his fists, but he silently let out a breath.
"She's doing fine, stressed at work," replied August.
"Like you, I suppose?" asked James. "After all, it must be when you're coming after such menacing, murderous savants like me and–whoops, I almost said his real name," taunted August.
"Savants? The two of you are nothing but common murderers," barked Joe.
"Careful there, sergeant. Any more stress and whatever hair is remaining on your head will fall off," laughed James. Joe grabbed James by the collar, causing him to laugh even louder.
"That's enough games. Tell us what we want to know and the judge will be more lenient on you," negotiated August.
"Ah yes, because a detective can guarantee what a judge would do. On the law pyramid, you're not even close to mid tier, Heart," smirked James. August sighed.
"Joe?" asked August. Joe looked at him, then back at James, and backed away.
"Oh thank you detective, you got the badder cop to back–"
Before James could finish, August unlocked his handcuffs, before grabbing him by the collar and slamming him to the wall.
"YES!" exclaimed James.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of, you freak. If we don't get answers, I swear with God as my witness that you're gonna be in a world of pain that'll make Hell look like a stroll in a garden," threatened August.
James continued laughing. "This is gold, I wish Murmur could watch this!" he taunted. August punched James across the jaw with a right hook, as James fell to the ground.
He spat out blood and continued to laugh.
"Isn't it frustrating, detective? Trying to push my buttons, only to realize there's nothing to push!" he exclaimed. August picked him up and punched him down again.
"TELL! ME! NOW!" shouted August, punching him between each word. It was as if all of August's pent up anger and frustration towards his life was being let out on Trickster.
"Detective Heart, enough," said Joe, trying to pull August away. However, August pushed Joe away, as he started to kick James in the face multiple times.
"TELL! ME! WHAT! I WANT TO KNOW!" he said through gritted teeth, punching down on his back. Trickster's taunting laughs and screams of pain were indistinguishable at that point.
August picked up the steel chair, ready to slam it down on James.
"AUGUST, ENOUGH!" shouted Joe, shoving him away, causing him to drop the chair. August stood up again, huffing loudly, trying to catch his breath. He looked at Joe, then James' bloodied face. He grunted and stormed out of the interrogation room.
"I guess…now we know who was badder cop…" groaned James, trying to get up.
"You shut the fuck up," ordered Joe, handcuffing him to the leg of the table and walking to the door.
"Oh by the way, how's your daughter, sergeant?" asked James. Joe stopped dead in his tracks, a chill shooting up his spine.
"How do you know her?" asked Joe. James smiled through his blood caked lips.
"What was her name? Rose? Lotus? Ah! Iris," he chuckled. Joe rushed over to him and grabbed him by the collar.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW HER?" exclaimed Joe. Trickster spat out a broken tooth.
"What's the time?" asked James.
"Answer me, you son of a bitch!" exclaimed Joe. James quickly glanced at Joe's watch.
"Anytime now, sarge," replied James. "Hey, is my nose broken?"
Suddenly, Joe's phone began to ring. He noticed it was Iris and immediately picked it up.
"Iris? Are you okay?" asked Joe worriedly.
"Dad, send all the help you can to my house, fast," whispered Iris.
"What happened? Why are you whispering?" asked Joe. There was a long silence.
"Murmur is here."
Iris held her breath as she hid under her desk, cutting the call she had given her dad. She could hear Murmur skulking around her bedroom. He lightly whistled, as if trying to draw her out.
Iris noticed the footsteps were getting closer, as she looked around her small study room.
"I need to move…can't stay here," she thought, creeping to the door of the study. She stepped out, turning left to go to the kitchen. Suddenly, she heard the footsteps getting closer.
Iris turned around, only to notice Murmur right behind her, holding a large knife high up.
"OH GOD!" she screamed in terror, barely avoiding the knife as she scrambled to the kitchen. She picked up a knife and threw it at Murmur, who managed to dodge it.
"Before I kill you, I must say, thank you for the publicity you gave me," laughed Murmur, slamming his knife down again. Iris managed to dodge as the knife just nicked her hand enough to make it bleed.
She picked up a pan and slammed it across Murmur's face, causing him to get disoriented as she ran past him.
Murmur regained his composure and noticed that Iris had disappeared. He looked around, and noticed drops of blood leading out of the kitchen, towards the living room.
He tracked the blood spatter to the back of a couch. He slashed the knife behind the couch, only to hit nothing but air.
Iris jumped from behind him, slamming the pan on the back of his neck. Murmur staggered forwards, but turned around and slashed the knife to hit Iris.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Iris frantically.
"I just want to repay you…for calling me a PSYCHOPATH!" shouted Murmur.
"Then what do you call yourself?" asked Iris.
"A cleanser. But I'll make an exception for you," chuckled Murmur.
Suddenly, the two of them heard a sonic boom. Iris grinned at Murmur, as the Flash rushed straight through the door and slammed into Murmur, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him into the wall. He punched him across the face and held him straight.
"You're done," said Flash, through gritted teeth.
"If only Trickster were here to see this," remarked Murmur.
"You losing?" he asked. Just then, Barry felt something sting in his side.
"No. This," replied Murmur. Flash looked down, and saw Murmur's blade lodged into his side. Murmur gave it a hard twist, causing Barry to let him go in pain.
"And just to make sure…" said Murmur, as he jumped to the ground and slashed at the back of Barry's right ankle, causing a river of blood to spill out. Barry tried to run, but found himself unable to move his right ankle.
"Oh shit," he gasped, realizing what Murmur had done.
"Better hope you heal fast," taunted Murmur, running out of the house and dashing down the corridor, disappearing down a flight of stairs.
Flash had been completely immobilized, as he bled out from his side, the stinging getting worse.
"I-Iris…" he groaned, finding himself losing consciousness. Barry had realized what Murmur had done: He had severed his Achilles tendon, making it impossible for him to move his right foot.
He fell to the ground as Iris rushed to the Flash, holding a cloth to stop the bleeding. Flash held onto her arm, and he lost consciousness.