Three years ago..
It was raining the day they buried my uncle, Barry, in an empty casket. Nobody knows what happened to him, but I do. I know he was facing a new villain, and in order to live, or trap him. Barry had to run into the speed force. Barry left so he could save the world, and well. He’s gone. I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. I stayed behind as the grave diggers started throwing dirt over casket. It was a strange secret to have. Barry was my hero, he was the father that I never had.
Why?
Why did he have to do this?
Why did he have to go away?
“Wallace…”
“Wallace…West”
“Wallace West. It is time for you to become my herald”
The voice was all around me, but nowhere in front of me. By now, even the grave diggers had left to go bury another. In the distance, I can hear the thunder rolling through the clouds. Slowly getting louder and louder. Soon, the sound is thundering in my ears and brings me down onto my knees. My knees sinking into the damp Earth under me. Covering my ears, I can feel my eardrums pop. The sound is so loud that I can’t even hear my own thoughts.
Then… then the impossible happened.
The rain around me just stopped. The clouds in the sky stopped, the thundering in my ears is now just a dull roar. I have no idea what’s going on? Coming to a stand, I poke at one of the raindrops as my curiosity gets the best of me…Seeing a reflection of light, I look up in time to see a bolt of light race across the sky in a jagged formation before stopping above me, then coming down and striking me where I stand.
The flash was so bright. It was so hot, I can feel it melting my skin. I feel the light blinding me. But… then the most incredible thing happened. It was like… every single fiber of my being just ignited. Infused with a new kind of energy. I’ve never felt this way before in my life. Never been so alive. It’s then I realize that this bolt of lightning is the same that struck my Uncle all those years ago.
I feel so alive.
I’ve never felt so alive.
When I was struck, it’s like… a spark opened in my mind. So many things made so much more sense, I had an understanding and channeled the Speed Force in another way than my Uncle did. He was always afraid of running too fast…
My Uncle used the Speed Force as a tool. As a way to save people and the city.
Me? I tend to use it as a weapon. As a force that this world has never seen.
And now it’s time to run.
(Loving the Rebirth, Rich! Can’t wait to see more.)