Hellfire (The Flash - Book 2) [RE-UPLOAD]

Chapter 20 - Versus Zoomfire

Sometimes, terrible things happen to us when we're children. Things that can define who we become, whether we want them to or not. Some of us become stronger. The man who took me in helped me heal and move past everything that happened. He's responsible for who I've become today. But I know that I'm one of the lucky ones. Not everyone gets that kind of support. Without it, I don't know where I would've ended up. Or what I could have become.

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THIRD PERSON

Amber was sleeping in her room at S.T.A.R. Labs, dreaming about her traumatic childhood.

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FLASHBACK - EARTH 2

Young Amber Hale woke up, hearing a crash and sat up. "Ruby?"

Amber's twin sister, Ruby was lying in the bed next to her. She woke up, rubbing her eyes.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"I heard something downstairs," Amber answered.

Young Amber and Ruby walked downstairs, seeing their parents in the living room.

Noah Hale was walking around in a rage, pouring alcohol everywhere.

"Noah, stop it!" Cassandra Hale told him.

"You wanted me to give up drinking, didn't you?" Noah said. "Well, here you go, Cassie! No more drinking!"

Noah threw the empty bottle, shattering it and making Cassandra flinch.

"You know what, let's just get rid of all the alcohol in the house!" Noah yelled.

Noah opened a cabinet, taking out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and started to douse everything.

"What are you doing?" Cassandra asked, fearful.

"I'm doing what you wanted, Cassie," Noah answered. "Are you happy now?"

"Noah, stop it!" Cassandra cried. "You're scaring me!"

"What else do you want from me?!" Noah yelled, accidentally knocking over a lamp.

The lamp hit the floor and the lightbulb broke, lighting a spark that instantly ignited as it came into contact with the alcohol. Fire started to spread everywhere, startling the entire Hale family.

Seeing the fire seemed to snap Noah out of his rage and he looked around in fear, moving closer to his wife.

"Mom?" Amber called out. "Dad?"

Cassandra looked at her daughters. "Girls, stay back!"

"Honey, I'm sorry," Noah apologized, holding her close. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's okay," Cassandra said in a soothing voice.

The entire living room was soon engulfed in flames, consuming everything. The floor, the furniture, the curtains.

Noah and Cassandra tried to move away as the blaze inched closer, but were unable to. They were trapped.

"Amber, Ruby, run away!" Noah told his daughters. "You don't need to see this."

Amber shook her head. "No, we're not leaving you!"

"Go!" Noah shouted. "Now!"

The twins were frozen in place, unable to look away as their parents started to scream in agony from being burned alive.