Wally had grown distrustful after everything that happened. He still couldn’t fully control his speed—his legs moved faster than his thoughts sometimes. He healed too quickly, burned through food like a furnace, and couldn’t stop vibrating when overwhelmed. His senses were always on high alert, picking up every shift in the wind, every footstep, every flicker of movement.

He was just a scared teenager. Alone. Still running—from people, from responsibility, from himself. He wandered for hours, his nerves stretched thin. Then—something. A sound, faint but sharp. His heightened senses zeroed in on it instantly. He froze. Not again.

He spun around, heart racing. Had they caught up to him?

But… no. It wasn’t pursuit. It was someone struggling. He crept toward the sound, instincts battling it out in his chest. He should keep going. Stay hidden. Stay safe.

But he hesitated. He could help. He can help.

His fists clenched. But what if it was a trap to draw him out? What if stepping in meant exposing himself again—making himself vulnerable? He didn’t know what he was walking into. But then again… maybe he never would.