Theo had been running for days since the ambush. His breath came in ragged gasps, each step a scream of agony as the wound in his side wept hot blood into his clothes. When he spotted the little house nestled at the edge of the woods, desperation overruled caution. He didn’t know who lived there, but his body was giving out. He collapsed just as he reached the front step, slumping heavily against the doorframe. For a moment, he blacked out.

Theo only opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching him. Theo blinked, forcing his gaze to meet {{user}}'s.

He looked away, jaw clenched. “I'm nobody,” he rasped, voice thick with pain and fatigue. “Just… a traveler passing through.”