John woke up feeling as though his brain had been dunked in ice water. The sterile smell of bleach and the rhythmic beep-beep-beep of a monitor told him exactly where he was.
"So, I'm in the hospital," John muttered, wiping a thin layer of sweat from his forehead. "That dream... it felt too real to be just a dream." He let out a shaky breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "Well, never mind. The important thing is that I'm alive."
As he moved to sit up, he realized he wasn't alone. His mother, who had been dozing in the chair beside him, jolted awake at the sound of his voice.
"John! You're awake!" Mary cried, her eyes filling with tears of relief. She rushed to his side, checking his forehead and hands. "Thank God. How do you feel? Are you okay, baby?"
John gave her his most reassuring five-year-old smile. "I'm okay, Mom. Look, I'm fine!"
Mary let out a watery laugh and pinched his cheek affectionately. "You certainly seem fine, you little rascal. Stay put—I'm going to find the doctor and tell him the good news."
As the door clicked shut behind her, John looked down at his hands. Suddenly, his fingers began to vibrate. It started as a hum and escalated into a blur so fast his hands seemed to vanish.
"What is this?" he whispered, his eyes widening. "Oh... yes!"
A surge of adrenaline hit him. That black orb in his dream hadn't been a hallucination—it was the Speed Force. But it was different.
He wasn't glowing with the warm yellow lightning of Barry Allen; instead, jagged sparks of black lightning danced across his skin.
"I'm a speedster," John whispered, his voice trembling with excitement. "A real speedster."
He was so caught up in the thrill of his new power that he didn't notice the shadows in the corner of the room deepening.
For a split second, the black lightning coiling around him merged into a dark, towering silhouette with glowing, blood-red pupils. It stood behind him like a silent guardian—or a predator—before vanishing into thin air.
The Doctor's ConfusionMeanwhile, Mary hurried through the hallway, though a seed of doubt remained in her mind. Something isn't right, she thought. The doctor said it was just a shock, but when John woke up, his eyes... they looked darker. Deeper.
As she reached the nurse's station, the lights overhead suddenly flickered and died. A heavy, oppressive cold washed over the corridor. Mary reached for her phone to use the flashlight, but before she could, the power surged back on. Standing right in front of her was their physician.
"Oh! Doctor Mark," Mary gasped, clutching her chest. "My son in ward X89 is awake. Could you please come check on him?"
"Already?" Dr. Mark blinked, surprised. "I'll be there in a moment, Mrs. Snow. Just let me finish this chart."
When the doctor finally arrived and performed his examination, his expression shifted from professional calm to utter bewilderment. He looked at the vitals on his clipboard, then back at the boy.
"Mrs. Snow... have you been feeding him anything unusual?" the doctor asked, his brow furrowed.
"No, Doctor. Why? Is something wrong?" Mary asked, her voice tight with worry.
"Wrong? Quite the opposite," the doctor muttered. "Yesterday, his cellular levels were depleted, showing signs of extreme fatigue. Today... it's as if his body has completely reset.
His muscle density, his recovery rate—it's like he's a newborn in terms of health, but with the energy of a professional athlete. If you have access to medicine that works this fast, you really don't need to bring him to a hospital."
Mary frowned. "We haven't even filled the prescription you gave us yet."
The doctor looked at her suspiciously for a moment, then sighed. "Well, science doesn't lie. He's in perfect health. You can take him home tomorrow morning."
5 Years Later: 2004A ten-year-old John Snow sat on the grass of the school oval, staring up at the clouds with his chin resting in his hand.
Over the last five years, John had mastered the basics of his gift.
His body had finally grown strong enough to handle the sheer pressure of the Speed Force. He had clocked himself at over 1,000 miles per hour during his midnight practice sessions.
But there was something strange about his speed. Unlike the speedsters he remembered from the stories, his black lightning didn't scorch the ground or break windows with sonic booms. When he ran, it felt as though he was slipping into a different dimension—a silent, shadowy world where he moved through the physical realm without touching it.
Everything will reveal itself when the time comes, John thought, closing his eyes and drifting into a light nap.
Across the field, Caitlyn was walking with her group of friends. She stopped, looking over at her brother lying in the grass.
"Is that really your brother, Cait?" her friend Jenny asked, giggling. "You're the top of the class, a total genius, and he just... sleeps all day. How are you two even related? He's always copying your homework!"
The other girls joined in the laughter, but Caitlyn didn't join them. She watched John with a knowing, proud smile.
"Don't underestimate him, Jenny," Caitlyn said quietly. "He's smarter than me—way smarter. He's just bored. The teachers here don't have anything left to teach him, and he's just trying to fly under the radar."
He's not lazy, Caitlyn thought, watching the way the sunlight seemed to catch on his dark hair. He's just waiting for a world that can finally keep up with him.