Reaper Pt. 2

Continued...

Barry didn't sleep a wink that night.

How could he? He literally had one of the most efficient serial killers of the age set on killing him. The Reaper's name never felt more appropriate.

Barry wasn't even at his apartment. Everyone agreed it might be best for Barry to remain under house arrest at the precinct at least for that night. Probably more. So Barry twirled in a chair in the lab, mulling over his predicament with a strange detachment.

He kept pouring over the little details he found out. Blue eyes. Stubble. Scythe. Black clothes. Barry couldn't determine an exact height because his perspective was all wonky. He also thought maybe the Reaper made his own shoes since they couldn't find anything in the database for prints.

Flashing red and blue caught his attention, and Barry peeked out the window to see emergency vehicles speeding away.

Barry's stomach dropped. He didn't need to listen to the radio to know that more people were murdered. But he listened anyway.

Three victims.

They needed to catch this man.

With that thought, an idea bloomed in his mind. A way to end this man's reign of terror once and for all.

Right then, Otto came in. "Oh no I know that face," he said pointing a flailing finger at Barry, "The answer is no."

"I haven't even said anything." Barry protested.

"And you don't get to," the older man said, "cause you have an uncanny ability to talk me into things that are very much a very bad idea. So no."

"Just hear me out Otto-"

"No."

"Otto-"

"I'm not listening!"

"Otto."

Otto started humming nonsense and Barry just stared at him till he finished.

"I have an idea to catch the Reaper."

Barry had said it low, but Otto heard fine. And against his better judgement, he began to listen.

"He wants me dead." Barry stated bluntly.

"Yes and we don't."

"Stop interrupting please. We can use me as bait."

"No." Otto stopped him, "Absolutely not. Out of the question. Literally there is no way in hell me or anyone else would let you do that."

"Otto listen," Barry snapped, "We have an opportunity here to catch this stale biscuit and put him behind bars for good. We can't waste that. I'm one person Otto. Three more just died and the month isn't even close to over. If we don't get him now we have to wait until next year. More people are going to lose their loved ones. Their son or daughter or parent. Their brother, sister, best friend. What if it's Margot next hm? What if it's Bree? What if it's your nephew? There's no reason he kills anyone, but now he has someone he wants dead. Someone he needs dead. Me. We can use that against him."

Otto was silent. He stared intently at the young forensic genius.

"This is why I know better than to let you start talking." Otto mumbled. "I don't like it and I don't want part of it Barry."

"I'm not too keen on dying myself either," Barry said, a small grin coming through. He was winning, "But if you don't help, I'm just going to do it on my own, so I'd like some help figuring out a way to do this where I won't get killed."

"You are horrible. I'm sure you have a death wish. You know the captain and Joe won't even consider this an option. If they catch wind of this..."

"They won't."

Otto sighed for a very long time and ran a tired hand over his face. "What are you thinking."

*****

Barry swallowed hard as he walked down the sidewalk the next evening.

It was really a nice night. There was a light breeze and no clouds to obscure the painted sky. A few stars began to peek out on one end while the sun finished dipping below the horizon on the other. Normally, Barry would find a park bench and stop to appreciate the scene.

But tonight Barry was on a mission and way way too scared to properly appreciate anything.

Otto had protested several times to their three quarters baked plan, but Barry talked him back into each time, usually pulling the "you know I'll just do it anyway card". Barry had to refrain from looking behind him. He trusted Otto to be trailing him like he's supposed to, but he really wanted the reassurance. But no. Shifty side eyes only.

Not that he'd actually see the Reaper or anything. The Reaper made that mistake once, Barry doubts he would do it again.

Barry wondered to himself as he walked. What was the Reaper's motive? Why did he go on a killing spree one month every year? Was he just clinically insane or was there something else? How has he committed no crime as a civilian that would garner notice? Where does he live? Does he have family?

Barry suddenly looked up sharply. He had let himself get lost in thought and now he wasn't sure about the time. Barry could feel his heart pounding and his sixth sense was going off, his instincts alerting him to !Danger! !Danger! !Danger!

He looked to the side he was at the mouth of an alleyway. Of course. It took all of Barry's willpower to not look to Otto. He called softly into the alleyway.

"I know you're there."

Silence returned his call.

"At least talk to me before you kill me."

Still silence.

"It's not like it'll kill your spooky vibe, I'll be dead. No one will have to know we even had a chat."

A shadow dropped to the ground. It crept silently closer, then beckoned Barry into the alley, out of the sense of safety.

Barry steeled himself and walked out of the light and into the dark space.

"You interest me." The Reaper stated. His voice was buttery and dark. In another world, Barry might have found it soothing.

"How so? He asked.

"You are afraid of me, yet you seem to have accepted your fate. You face me now knowing i am going to kill you before the night it over."

"I was actually wondering about that," Barry said, "Why?"

"Such a loaded question," he said, "I will not answer it though."

Barry frowned, "won't you tell me anything? Can I know who you are? I'm curious and you're gonna kill me anyway so who cares?"

The Reaper regarded him curiously, at least that's what Barry assumed the tilt in his head conveyed.

"Consider it my dying wish," Barry said.

"You are a most peculiar person," the Reaper said, "it does seem a shame to rid the world of you."

"Well if you really don't want to kill me, I won't be opposed." Barry said.

To his surprise, the Reaper let out a short low laugh. He took a step towards Barry, raising his arm slightly. Barry took a mirrored step back.

"You know too much about me boy," the reaper said.

"Do I?" Barry asked.

"I will not tell you anything," he said, "but you amuse me. So, I will give you a choice."

This caught Barry by surprise. A choice was not something he'd been expecting at all, and to be frank he didn't even know what he was expecting. He stayed quiet, waiting for the Reaper to elaborate.

"I can kill you now," the Reaper said, "or you can come with me. I will train you. To be me when I am gone."

Barry laughed. He couldn't help it. This psychotic killer really thought that Barry might choose to save his own skin and start cold-heartedly murdering people.

"You're insane," Barry spat, "if you think I'd ever choose to be someone like you."

"Death it is," the Reaper said.

He raised his scythe up, the silver glinted momentarily in the moonlight. Barry's heart thudded in his ears. And the blade swung towards him in a deadly arc.

At that same moment a gunshot rang out.

The scythe clattered to the ground, snagging Barry's torso as it fell, but he didn't even notice for the moment. The Reaper let out a shout of pain and fell to the ground clutching his thigh.

Otto hopped over the ledge of the window of the adjacent building, gun aimed at the Reaper.

"Hands where I can see them!" He shouted.

The Reaper leveled a deadly stare past Otto, right at Barry as he put his hands above his head. It mattered not what he did now, they would have his blood and DNA.

He was finished.

Otto called for backup and read the Reaper his rights. Very soon, red and blue lights flashed and sirens blared. Officers were now running up, and the entire time, the Reaper's glare never left Barry. And it sent shivers down Barry's spine.

Barry's attention was snatched away when Captain Singh stepped in front of him with Otto.

"I ought to have the two of you fired." He stated bluntly. "How could you two be so stupid?! Barry you could have gotten killed!"

"I'm fine," Barry said weakly, the terror and adrenaline leaving his body. They left so quickly that Barry lost balance and pitched forward.

"Barry!" Otto shouted as Singh caught him as he collapsed.

Singh pulled away slightly and found that Barry's blood was now staining his clothing. "God damn it Allen," Singh cursed. He turned to Otto, "Car. Now."

"Is just a scratch," Barry mumbled as he contemplated slipping into unconsciousness.

"Stupid kid," Singh muttered and he hopped into the back of a cruiser with Barry. Otto turned on the sirens and took off to the hospital.

*****

For once Barry didn't wake to the sound of the heart monitor.

This was only because the arguing voices that were gradually getting louder overpowered it.

"I can't believe you would let him do that!" Joe shouted at Otto.

"He was going to do it anyway Joe! Whether I helped him or not. You know that as well as I do!" Otto shouted back.

Otto had already hashed this out with the Captain, gotten a strong reprimand, but made the reasoning clear. Singh was probably more level headed tho, because even though he cared deeply for the forensic assistant, he wasn't his foster dad.

Joe was.

And Joe was furious.

"You're an adult Otto! He is a kid! You let him nearly get killed! What if things hadn't gone as planned! What if he was dead right now!"

"But I'm not," Barry croaked.

"Barry!" They said in unison.

"Please quiet down," he said, "you're making my head hurt."

The nodded sheepishly, "sorry." They said.

"What happened?" Barry asked, noticing a small throbbing along his chest.

Otto looked down guilty, "the Reaper managed to catch you with his blade just as I was shooting him."

"Was it bad?"

"Yes," Joe said.

Otto rolled his eyes, "it bled quite a bit and was fairly deep, but it was an easy fix and you'll be fully recovered in no time at all."

Barry grinned, "told you it was just a scratch."

Both men glared at him.

"Never again Barry," Otto said pointing a finger at him, "or I swear I'll kill you myself."

***********

A/N - I LIIIIIIIIVE! It's amazing what being bored and lonely in college will drag you back into.

It's been a very long time, I am sorry. I might be posting stuff occasionally now, so keep an eye out.

Sorry if there's typos and stuff, I wrote most of this on my phone at work.

Y'all are awesome!