It was early morning when Hal and the group finished packing up their things, ready to set off toward Boston. According to Rahne, who has walked a long track as a wolf around these parts, the outskirts of the city weren't even a full day's walk from Emma's estate. As they prepared to leave, Emma came down to say her final goodbyes.
She approached quietly, while Sam and Hal worked together to patch up the fire pit they had dug. The rest of the group waited nearby, lingering with their packs slung over their shoulders.
When Emma came into view, Dani was the first to move, pulling her into a tight hug. One by one, Emma said goodbye to the others—even those who hadn't exactly been friendly to her. Hal watched it all with a small smile. Once he finished with the fire pit, he made his way over to her.
"I guess this is it," Emma said, offering a weak smile. "We probably won't see each other for a while."
"Well, you never know," Hal said with a shrug. "But I'm sure you'll be fine on your own. Have some faith in yourself. You know, diamonds are made under pressure—the more pressure, the more beautiful the diamond."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me to stop whining about my dad and just suck it up?"
Hal laughed. "Not exactly. I'm saying... next time we meet, I think you'll be stronger. A real force to be reckoned with."
Emma's smile grew a little brighter. "Thanks, I guess."
Without thinking too much about it, Hal pulled her into a hug, giving her a couple reassuring pats on the back before stepping away. "Take care of yourself, alright?"
"Wait," Emma said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a small purse and handed it to him. "Here. For all of you."
Hal frowned and opened it, finding it stuffed with cash—probably around five hundred bucks. "Emma, we can't take this."
"I insist," she said firmly. "I was going to use it to run away... but I don't need it anymore. Besides, if I keep it, I might start getting second thoughts. Better you take it. You guys need it way more than I do."
Hal sighed but accepted it. "Alright. Thanks. We'll put it to good use."
Emma laughed. "Spend it on something important—like real food. Or new clothes. Or maybe a hotel room. Seriously, you guys need a shower. Badly."
Hal shook his head, grinning. "Yeah, can't argue with that."
One by one, the others started climbing over the tall fence that surrounded the estate, heading off toward the forest beyond. Hal followed last, pausing briefly on the other side. He and the others waved at Emma one last time as she stood on the other side, smiling a little sadly.
Then, without looking back, the group disappeared into the trees, leaving the brown-haired girl behind—and stepping forward into whatever came next.
—
It was early evening when the group finally reached the suburban outskirts of Boston. They moved quietly through the neighborhood streets, and once again, the atmosphere weighed heavily around them. Posters of missing persons were stapled to telephone poles and bus stops. Stacks of uncollected trash sat rotting by the sidewalks. Many houses were abandoned, windows boarded up or left shattered.
But unlike the towns they had passed through before, there were signs of life here too. They caught glimpses of it—families returning home from work or school, kids riding bikes down cracked streets, elderly folks tending to neglected gardens. Life, stubborn and fragile, still clung to this place.
As they moved on, they passed a small park where a bunch of black marble monuments stood. Names were carved into the smooth stone, stretching row after row in solemn remembrance. A few people stood before it—grieving, remembering—but the memorial was mostly deserted.
The group slowed their pace, keeping their distance.
"It's a memorial for the Vanished," Dani said softly. "No graves... too many lost. So they put their names here instead."
Hal watched the visitors for a moment. He hesitated, then asked, "I haven't really brought it up before, but... do any of you have family that got snapped?"
Silence fell over the group like a heavy curtain.
"If you want, we can stop. Visit," Hal offered. He glanced at Sam. "Sam?"
Sam shrugged, keeping his eyes forward. "Don't matter none. My folks' names are back in Kentucky, not 'round here."
Hal nodded slowly, then turned to the others. "Anyone else? If you want to—"
"Let's just keep moving, Hal," Illyana interrupted sharply. Her voice was low, tired. It caught him off guard, but he saw there was no anger behind it—only a quiet weight. "None of us lived here."
Hal hesitated, then gave a small sigh. "Right. Sorry. Let's move."
As they left the park behind, the city skyline slowly rose before them. Even as evening deepened, the outline of Boston was unmistakable—tall skyscrapers piercing the sky, their lights pushing back the darkness.
—
The group found themselves resting in a quiet diner near the edge of the city. The place was almost empty, with only the low hum of a news broadcast playing from a TV in the corner to keep them company. They ate in relative silence, picking at the classic all-American fare the diner had to offer—burgers, fries, pancakes, whatever was cheap.
A waitress wandered over, balancing a pot of coffee. She offered a tired smile.
"You kids want some coffee?" she asked, raising the pot slightly.
"Uh, no thanks," Sam said, shaking his head.
"Suit yourselves." She lingered for a moment, eyeing them curiously. "What're you doing out this late? Shouldn't it be past your bedtime?"
"We're not ten," Roberto muttered, leaning back in his seat. "We can go wherever we want."
Hal gave a small sigh and shook his head. "Sorry about him. But, uh, actually—we were wondering if you knew anywhere we could rent a room for the night? We're not eighteen, so we probably can't just walk into a hotel and book something."
The waitress laughed softly, almost sympathetically. "Yeah, good luck with that. You kids runaways or something?"
"Something like that," Hal replied with a faint smile. "You really don't know anywhere?"
"Sorry, hun." She shook her head. "Not much out here unless you've got an adult with you. But you're welcome to hang out here for a while if you want. You need me to call someone? Cops maybe?"
"No," Hal said quickly, a little too quickly. "We're fine. Just... need a place to crash for the night."
"Alright, your business." She shrugged and started to walk away. "If you need anything, holler."
As soon as she was out of earshot, Roberto leaned in, lowering his voice.
"So what's next?" he asked. "We still heading to the refugee center?"
"I thought Hal said it might be risky," Sam said, wiping his hands on a napkin. "They probably got folks waitin' on us there. We did hop on a bus headin' right for it 'fore we got stopped. They know where we was goin'."
"Right, so we avoid it," Roberto said, humming to himself. "Straight to New York then?"
"First, we need to find somewhere to sleep," Hal said. "And we probably need a new look too."
"New look?" Roberto raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. New haircuts, new clothes. Anything to make us harder to recognize."
"Is that... really necessary?" Rahne asked, sounding doubtful.
"Anything we can do to hide our identities helps," Hal said. "But it's up to you. If you don't want to bother, we can just head straight for bus tickets."
"I'm down for it," Dani said with a shrug. "Might be fun to go shopping anyway. Plus, we've got Emma's money, right?"
Hal nodded, then looked around at the others. "Sam? Roberto? Rahne?"
"Sure, whatever," Roberto said with a shrug.
"I'll just stick with y'all," Sam added.
"If it's good for us..." Rahne muttered quietly.
Hal finally turned to Illyana. "What about you?"
"It's an unnecessary precaution," Illyana said bluntly. "But since everyone else is on board, do whatever you want."
"Alright. Then the only real problem left is where to crash for the night," Hal said. "And shower. We can't exactly check into a hotel or motel without an ID."
"Dude, why are you always trying to play by the rules?" Roberto groaned. "Just slip 'em some extra cash. Trust me, they'll look the other way."
Hal sighed. "You sure about that?"
"Positive, especially if we find a cheap motel or something. They're not gonna care as long as they get more money." Roberto said, sounding way too confident.
Hal shrugged. "Fine. Cheap motel it is."
—
Roberto had been right — cheap motels didn't care who you were as long as you handed over enough cash. They managed to get a room, at least long enough to take turns showering.
Now, Hal, Sam, and Roberto sat outside in the parking lot, watching the occasional car pass by on the road beyond the fence. A Coke bottle dangled from Roberto's hand, half-empty, while Hal and Sam munched on chips they'd grabbed from the motel vending machine.
It was around midnight. They hadn't slept yet. Their legs ached, their eyelids drooped, and the cold crept deeper into their bones. But Hal wasn't thinking about sleep — he was thinking about tomorrow, about the future. What if S.W.O.R.D. caught up to them again? What if they got attacked in the middle of the city? Could he even protect everyone in that kind of chaos?
"Hey," Hal said, breaking the silence. "If there's an attack and we get split up... can I trust you guys not to get yourselves killed? Or captured?"
Roberto scoffed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm serious," Hal said. "I can't be everywhere at once. Illyana? I can trust her. Rahne? She can probably run and hide if she needs to. But Dani? You? Sam? I'm not sure yet."
"Why not?" Sam said with a frown. "I ain't helpless, y'know."
"I haven't seen you fight," Hal said bluntly.
"I can take off runnin'," Sam said, sitting up a bit straighter. "Blast outta there. Bullets can't touch me when I'm flyin'. I'm pretty much invincible up there."
"Really?" Roberto said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know that."
"Why d'ya think I didn't snap my neck back when we was trainin' at Milbury?" Sam said with a small grin at Hal. "I'll be fine. You ain't gotta babysit me."
"I copy that," Roberto said, clapping Hal on the shoulder. "I'm a superman, remember?" Roberto added, grinning. "Except, y'know, a superman who can set himself on fire."
Hal chuckled. "Sure. That's definitely what you are."
"And Dani?" Roberto said, lowering his voice slightly. "We'll keep her safe. Right, Sam?"
"Right," Sam said with a nod. "You fret too much, Hal."
"We're not your kids," Roberto continued. "We're equals in this. We want the same thing you do — to stay alive and get somewhere safe."
"That's reassuring," Hal said dryly. "Because if I remember correctly, when those S.W.O.R.D. agents showed up back at Milbury... who actually fought them?"
"Oh, fuck off," Roberto laughed. "You didn't leave us anyone to fight! You wiped the floor with all of them."
"Yeah, while you two were pissing yourselves behind a window," Hal said, grinning.
"We was lookin' out for the girls," Sam said, a little too quickly — and with a smile that betrayed he knew it was a lame excuse.
"Yeah, and we didn't want to ruin your big badass moment," Roberto said, nudging him.
"Right, right..." Hal chuckled, shaking his head. "Sure you were."