Luna

Chapter Five - The River

"Do you every get bored up here?" Wally asked Joan. She nodded and took her eyes off of the television screen. Even in the afterlife they had actors and actresses. Most of them were regular people before they died. They were following their dreams. Some of them were celebrities before they died, though. Those people weren't famous. No one was famous up here. Now one had a secret identity either. Wally was just Wally, not the man who saved the earth.

"Sometimes, but I try new things."

"I've done everything there is to do. The only thing I haven't done is go to the dog department and let myself just get slobbered on," He sighed, "And it's not only about being bored. It's lonely up here and the only thing you can do is think about life before you died."

Joan made a "I knew it face." When Wally noticed and raised a brow, she said, "I knew you were talking about Artemis."

"I was not."

"Oh please. That woman is all you think about," She rolled her eyes, "Am I wrong?"

"Sometimes I think about Mom and Dad, Uncle Barry, Aunt Iris and the twins that I've never met. There's the team and the league," Wally listed.

His grandma figure interrupted him, "Son, you need to accept death."

"I accepted it before I even died," He never told a bigger lie and maybe that was what hurt the most.

"Can you please get your hair out of my face!?" Peter yelled at Joseph. Wally glared at the two and watched them argue back and forth. He couldn't believe this was his life now: Watching grown men argue with each other like they were catty teenagers.

Joseph snapped back, "Get your face out of my hair! You know how hard it is to maintain these curls!"

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but  Wally scolded them, "Can you please make out or shut up already? I'm tried of your bickering," He was finally feeling bad about arguing with Artemis so much those eight years ago. This must of been what the team thought.

"I wouldn't touch Peter with a twenty foot pole."

"I would give him to the French."

Wally sighed and leaned back against the booth they were sitting in. They went to get burgers. Most of their activities consisted of eating, "I did not save the world for this."

"I did not get killed in a war-

-Oh please. You both died being heroes and what not and I died in a well. I get it. You don't have to rub it in," Joseph rolled his eyes, "Gosh."

Peter and Wally glared at Joseph. Joseph made the most innocent face you could imagine which made the other men sigh and ignore what he had said. They decided to eat their burgers in peace, until Joseph said another stupid thing.

He proposed, "How about we go to portal?"

Wally's glare returned. "No," He said in a strict tone. They had been over this a day ago and countless times before that. Wally would not go to the portal. He wouldn't go down to visit the living world, either.

"Please? You don't have to watch over anybody you know. Maybe just check on a few strangers or something," Joseph pleaded. The redhead shook his head and put down his food.

Peter pitched in, "Perhaps Joseph is right? I have not been to the portal in a more than fifty years and I want to know about those new ePhones."

"First of all, it's called an IPhone. Second of all, you can go by yourself. You guys already know how I feel about that stupid thing."

"Wally, you can't just live in the past," Joseph attempted to persuade. Wally sighed and looked down at his plate. He remembered what Joan had said earlier. He needed to accept death and he said that he had before he even died. Wally knew he was lying to Joan and himself. And maybe Joan and his friends were right? He couldn't live in the past or keep avoiding the things that came with dying.

"I'll go," He gave in.

Wally was always told the river was beautiful. He was sure it was but never wanted to experience it. But now that he saw it face to face, he was glad he had. There were people crouching by the river. The river itself was clear and sparkled with every step they took. It shimmered blue, purple, pink, and several different colors. The sky behind the river was grey and some strong clouds. They were more calming than gloomy.

Joseph walked up by Wally's side, "Bet you wished you came here sooner, huh, Bud?"

"I won't know until I look into the portal," Wally responded honestly.

"Then let's go," Joseph nudged Wally closer to water. Before he kneeled down, he gave his friend a nervous glance and looked for Peter. Peter was already looking into the river. He was staring at it with a puzzled face, which was sort of funny. He loved to be updated on modern tech and watch it evolve.

"Can you not stare at me? It's kinda weird," The speedster asked. Joseph made an 'O' shape with his mouth before running off to find his own spot. Once he was gone, Wally looked down into the river and put his hand in. It felt weird to be doing this, but he ignored it and closed his eyes. He swirled the water and thought of the person that was always on his mind: Artemis.

Wally peeked at the river with one eye open and started to see an image form. When the image was fully clear, he opened both green eyes and watched the clear liquid like a movie.

He saw Artemis sleeping on a bed with a little girl by her side. They looked close and sort of similar. His first reaction was him to freak out. Was that Artemis' daughter? She looked about three years old and had reddish hair. Was that his daughter? Had he gotten her pregnant before he died? Had he left a child when he died too?

Wally calmed down and took a deep breath. He focused on Artemis. She looked pretty much the same. Her hair was bit shorter, her cheekbones and jaw looked a bit sharper, and her arms a bit stronger. Wally smiled when he noticed the red jersey she was wearing. It was his old one and gave him hope. She still cared for him.

The child started to stir a little bit, yawned, and opened her eyes. Artemis didn't move, so the girl moved the blonde's arms with a bit of struggle. Once she managed to do that, she rubbed her brown eyes. Then she poked Artemis' cheek.

"Aunty Mouse, time to eat breakfast!" Wally took a sigh of relief. It was Lian. She had grown so much. When he last saw her, she was still a baby.

Lian sat up and kept poking Artemis, "Aunty Mouse, why aren't you waking up? It's time for pancakes and chocolate milk ... or coffee! And Brucely has to go use the bathroom and play!"

The three year old shook her aunt as strong as she could. Wally furrowed his brow and looked at Artemis. She was breathing slightly but wouldn't move an inch. He whispered to himself, "Wake up, Arty."

Lian kept shaking Artemis and tears started to form in her eyes. She yelled, "Daddy, there's something wrong with Aunty Mouse!"

Wally couldn't watch anymore of this scene and stood up. The image of Artemis and Lian disappeared. His heart was racing and panic pumped through his blood. He stared down at the now clear water and took deep breaths.

"Artemis," He muttered.