lightning veins

Elias strode through the dark, cramped hallway, towards the door at the end. He pushed it open, slammed and locked it shut, and collapsed onto the bed. Trembling, he lifted his head and stared at his veins. Luminescent blue energy swirled in vein like pattens all along his arm, undulating, almost vibrating, whispering, calling out to him, /Elias, let us go, unleash us, free us./ He shook his head violently, coating the already glowing veins on his arms with rivulets of sweat. The power had been growing stronger every day. He could feel it, coursing through his veins like electrical blood, crackling lightning begging him to burst and unleash the energy within. On some days, it wasn’t so bad - he was able to get through the whole day with little to no pain - go to school, football practice afterwards, burgers with the guys afterwards. On other days, he couldn’t get out of bed - the pain was too much to bear. Tonight, he felt different. Something big was about to happen. The life-changing, history-making kind of big.

​The sky turned dark outside. The crackling in his veins became even more fervent, like it was struggling to break out of his skin and join its brethren brewing in the clouds above.  Clutching his arms, Elias staggered to the window and flung it open. The shockwave that surged into him was titanic. Elias felt a power he had never felt before, one that he knew had always been gnawing at his soul but had never been allowed to surface. The lightning fueled him, electrified every atom in his body, until he knew holding it in would destroy him. So he let go. The lighting burst forth from him in majestic strokes, joining those in the sky with a swift, deafening crack. Elias felt a release like he had never known - he had been reborn. The resounding boom of thunder made him look up. The sky was an orchestra, a magnificent cacophony of brooding clouds, torrents of rain and strokes of lightning. What happened next, however, rendered him frozen. The rumble of thunder, and the crackle of lightning, seemed to be saying one word - /Elias/.