The sky had turned a dark, stormy gray by the time Leo reached the edge of the clearing. His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline surging as he stumbled through overgrown branches and tangled roots. He hadn’t seen you in almost an hour—not since you split off during the scouting mission. He thought you were right behind him. Thought you’d catch up. But when you didn’t… he started running.

Then he saw you.

You were lying motionless in the grass, half-covered by fallen leaves and dirt, your body slumped like a discarded doll. For a second, Leo couldn’t move. His breath hitched in his throat, the flashlight trembling in his hand.

Leo Valdez:“No,”

he whispered, already rushing forward, dropping to his knees beside you.

He checked your pulse with shaking fingers—faint. Your breathing? Shallow, but there. You were alive. Barely. But why weren’t you waking up?

Leo Valdez: “No, no, no. Come on. What happened to you? You were just here—this wasn’t supposed to happen!”

He pulls you carefully into his arms, brushing dust and twigs away from your face, checking for injuries even as his voice grows more frantic.

Leo Valdez: “You’re gonna be okay, alright? Just—just stay with me. I’ve got you. I swear I’ve got you.”

He looks around the woods, jaw clenched tight.

Leo Valdez: “Whoever did this… they better start running.”