Sixty Fifth Friday Flash: Fire Fountain

Part 1, Part 2 Part 3 and Part 4

Phoebe was at home. It had been a week since her last blackout. She had pretty much become a shut-in. Ordering takeaway. Or just ignoring food altogether during her low points. How could she be trusted to be a nurse again if she was prone to blackouts during stressful situations?

She had ignored three calls and seventeen messages. She liked Tony, but she didn't feel like herself or having company anytime soon. It was most probably a good thing that he didn't know her address.

She had just eaten her last potato chip and the next episode of her favourite was about to start when she nodded off to sleep with a tear in her eye. She felt so disgusted with herself, sleep was her only solace, maybe she would have a good dream for a change.

Ding dong. Phoebe rolled over. Ding dong.

“Alright!” Phoebe snatched the door open. “Just get lost, okay!”

A man barely out of his teens stood there before. “Hello, you don't remember me do you?”

“Should I?”

“You saved my life. You're nurse Phoebe right?”

“Not anymore.”

“You can still help.”

“I doubt it.”

“Your friends sent me to try talk sense into you.”

“I have friends?”

“You do, more than you know.”

Phoebe paused for a moment and looked at the boy, there was something oddly familiar about him, and that sense of hope in his eyes. Maybe he could help her. “Tea?”

The young man smiled. “I would love to.”

He followed her to the kitchen. She put the kettle on and turned away to get some cups, when she turned back he was holding a knife. She dropped them, they shattered. “What is this?”

“You see,” he said turning deathly pale and his very body shriveling before her. “You didn't save me, in that hospital you miscalculated my medication and put me into a coma.”

“How... how are you here?”

“Look,” he said pointing at her reflective chrome kettle.

She caught her breath. She was dressed in her River Fire costume.

“I've been watching you, I saw you burn that doctor and fry those nurses. So much rage and anger. You taught me to not just carry on sulking and make something of my situation.”

“Good for you.”

“It is,” he said. His smile ghastly. “First I will get revenge on the person who killed me.” She advanced at him with the knife.

River Fire snatched up the boiling kettle and threw it at him. It bounced harmlessly off his head, spilling all over the floor. “What...?”

“You're not the only one with powers.”

She tried to bring her fire powers to bare, but nothing came out.

“Haha, just as I thought, your subconscious knows you did wrong on me. No one to save here.”

“Don't do this. People come out of comas.”

“Not me, I don't want to leave this, abandon this power.” He charged at her with the knife.

A flashback with the gang on the street and Tony flashed into her mind. She froze in terror. A sharp pain erupted in her chest.

“Haha I've got you... hey, no! Why are you fading? I'm not done with you yet.”

oOo

“Ah, there you are!”

“Tony... we need to stop meeting like this,” she said, wiping the drool, from her chin, wait it wasn't drool, her whole face and front was wet. “You threw water on me?”

“You were shouting, and screaming, and I couldn't get you to wake. I had to do something.”

She felt her chest, it was very painful, but looking down there didn't seem to be any blood. “I don't understand.”

“What happened?”

“I don't know, but I don't think I will be able to sleep again.” The young man's eerie haunted face popped into her mind when she closed her eyes. “Coffee?”

“Please. And I guess you're wondering how I found you?”

“Oh, yes.”