In A Flash

Pied Piper

I lay on the ground for a few minutes and try to recollect my thoughts. My back aches as I stand up and put a hand to one of my ears. My finger came back stained with blood. That wasn't the only thing Hartley did; with the ear device thingy, he managed to create a constant ringing in my ears and everything was three times as loud.

I can't believe that douche bag came after me. He's the one person I fear and hate the most.

I must've looked like hell, because when I got back to Jitters, everyone was staring at me.

"What happened?" A waitress named Katie came up to me with a concerned look. She was speaking in her normal tone, but it sounded like she was yelling.

"Long story," I let out a sigh and head for the counter, but she stops me.

"Maybe you should take the rest of the day off. You look like you need it."

"Do I look that bad?"

"Your hand and ear are bleeding, and the back of your shirt is torn up. So to answer your question, yes," she hands me my coat. "I don't know what happened, but you should take the day off and rest." She guides me to the entrance.

"If you say so..." I say as I walk out the door. "Thanks." Katie's generosity warmed my heart.

I get home and take a shower, my cut hand and my scratched-up back burning as the water falls onto my skin. To be honest, I have no clue on how to treat my jacked up ears. I could still hear the constant ringing.
What the heck did Hartley use against me?

"Megan, you in there?" I hear Barry's voice on the other side of the door.

"Why else would the shower be on?" I turn the water off and step out of the shower with a towel wrapped around my frail body. Then I open the door to face Barry.

His eyes widen to the size of baseballs when he sees my hand and the top of my back. Then he sees my ears, which still held traces of blood. "Oh my god, what happened, Megan?" He examines my injuries.

"Hartley." That's the only word he needed to hear before his worried expression turns to one of fury. "He found me at Jitters and took me to the park," I explained what happened, not meeting Barry's eyes.

"He's going to pay for this," Barry says after a few moments of complete silence. "Come on, we're going to Star Labs."
*****
"He did what to you?" Cisco asks in gritted teeth. I'm definitely not the only one who hates Hartley.

"He payed me a not so friendly visit," I really didn't want to explain the same thing over and over again. I sigh, "So, how do we stop this...'Pied Piper' guy?" I use Hartley's nickname.

"Well, to ensure Hartley doesn't hurt you or anyone else, we need to destroy his gloves," Caitlyn speaks up.

"How do we do that? The last time I tried to get near him, the force from his gloves threw me against a tree. And what was that thing he pulled out from his ear?"

"It's practically a hearing aid. He'll design them into something else, like into a bomb or in your case, a high-pitched frequency transmitters," Barry explains.

"That explains why my ears are ringing and all of you sound like you're shouting," I cover one of my ears. "But it doesn't explain why I feel like something's in my ears," I claw at my ears.

"There's no need to shout, Meg." Barry says in a quiet tone.

"What're you talking about?"

"You're yelling."

"Sorry," I lower my voice. How am I yelling? I can barely hear myself!

"Anyways, we need to get ahold of his gloves," Cisco gets us back on track and turns to me. "Megan, do you think you can get him to contact you again?"