(= Chapter 2…Thanks for the reviews (: I'm winging it here…so thanks for sticking along! =D

….

They were about to enter the house. They were entering the house. We are in the house. I am in the house! I'm back in hell. Wally couldn't relax. I need to turn back! His mind wanted to run away, trying to force his limbs to cooperate, yet he kept moving forward next to the limping Artemis. Suck it up West, you've been through worse! THIS IS THE ONLY OPTION. He was disgusted with himself at his weakness.

He's going to be here; he-he'll know that I've been bad! Wally wanted to run, to hide, and to just become invisible as flashbacks began to arise in his mind from simply being on the porch.

"Wally"…

I'm so screwed.

-"Wally", called Artemis again, a bit louder.

The scenarios wouldn't quit mocking him in his mind. He's going to be here, waiting for me. I don't want to get hurt again…

I don't! I don't-I don't I don't I don-"WALLY"!

That got his attention. He spun to look over at where the distraction was coming from and found Artemis, with her hand on his shoulder with a concerned look on her face. There was no annoyance shown, nor smirks- just a dumbfounded look in her eyes. As if she just realized that her hand was there, she moved it awkwardly back down to her side and gained eye-contact with him instead. He also quickly realized that they weren't actually inside the structure, and was able to breathe a little easier.

"You okay", she asked awkwardly. Wow, she thought, something is definitely in Ginger's focus. Wally quickly looked at her, and plastered a forced, fake smile with his lips.

"Just Dandy, it's-uh- been awhile", he stuttered as the speedster made his way onto the porch in which they didn't even step on yet. She simply took a seat on a step, thankful for the replacement in standing. He knew that he had to calm down or Artemis would think-no, know- that something was up. It wasn't like he could just hide it; she was on YJ after-all. Artemis was about to say something back when she realized that they had no way to get in.

"Kid Flash, how are we-

She was cut off as he pulled out an aged-silver key from underneath a moldy welcome mat that rested in front of the entrance. He shrugged his shoulders.

She smiled. "Key under the mat; original", Arty commented as she dusted her hands off on her pants and painfully stood up to make her way over next to Wally from the porch step. He seemed to ignore her, while staring at the door. Suddenly, he wasn't with Artemis anymore.

…

"WALLACE, GET YOUR ASS DOWNSTAIRS NOW", screamed his father Rudy. Six and a half year old Wally made his way down the creaky, over-used staircase. He had way to solemn of an expression on his face for somebody under the age of seven.

Some 15 seconds later, when the little red-head reached the musty, cigarette smoke infested form of a living-room, he simply stood in front of his father. Rudolph West was sprawled out on an old-fashioned recliner while taking drags off a cigarette and not caring to avoid Wally's youth presence with it as he blew the pollutant out from his chapped lips.

After a moment or so of silence, Rudy grunted and put the butt out in the ash-tray with a disgusting swallow. As if he forgot Wally was there, Rudy spat on the carpet, and took deep swigs of a half-full beer bottle. He carelessly downed the rest of it & dropped it on the floor. Then, the middle-aged man turned his attention to some playboy magazines under some-no, more like a lot of- beer cans on the side-table next to him. The look on his face after opening the first page would make the sex talk seem like an invitation to go out for ice cream.

Wally, growing a bit impatient as any little boy would, attempted to make his presence known to the person who called him down there in the first place by making a small cough into his elbow. Rudy didn't notice, so he did it again, but a bit louder this time.

Yet again, there was NOTHING.

-& again…

-& again…

-& AGAIN!

He slumped in defeat. Man, he hoped he didn't inherit this guy's attention span, or horny mind when he heard his dad giggle. He shuddered at the sound. Wally was a sharp kid, and knew all too well what was going on. While putting his arm down, in preparation to leave his father to his nasty release, he accidently knocked over the lamp next to the recliner that Rudy was in.

The bulb smashed off the wall, diminishing the source of light for the jerker in front of the first grader. Wally was sharp indeed, but definitely a klutz. The older male was outraged as he got up off the seat way too fast and made his way over to Wally, with his fist raised.

"YOU LITTLE FUCKING SNOOP, TRYING TO GET INTO MY BUISNESS", hollered Rudy in outrage toward Wally as the kid backed away toward the front door. His mom wasn't home; nobody could help him.

"D-dad", stuttered Wally; "I wasn't. You called me downstairs and I"-

-he was silenced as his father smacked him across the mouth- hard-, then pushed the scrawny little red-head against the door. He managed to knock the back of Wally's head against one of the hard, glass diamond-windows within the wood.

KF could taste copper, quite a bit of it. His head was spinning and he only managed to let out a light cry before the husky man gripped him by the neck of his over-sized Flash t-shirt, lifted him up, and throttled Wally into the closest route of escape while screaming insults at him.

"YOU INSIGNIFIGANT LITTLE FREAK!"

You're the freak! Wally's thoughts were the only thing that seemed to be working right at that moment.

"YOU'RE A MISTAKE"!

I AM NOT!

"YOU'RE WHY YOUR MOTHER AND I CAN'T EVEN TALK TO EACHOTHER ANYMORE WITHOUT FIGHTING"!

THAT'S NOT TRUE!

"IT'S ALWAYS YOUR FAULT"!

But he finally seemed to give up. Wally saw stars. His mind was screaming at him. WAY TO GO STUPID! YOU COULD'VE AVOIDED THIS, BUT NO, YOU HAD TO MAKE DADDY MAD. WHY ARE YOU SUCH A SCREW-UP? NO WONDER WHY HE DRINKS! EVERYTHING HE SAYS ABOUT YOU IS TRUE! IF I WASN'T BORN, NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING! Scrunching together his eyes in both pain and desperation to stop the insults from himself, he managed to piss off his psycho father enough to earn a kick in the abdomen.

"YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO YOU!"

Wally knew he had to leave, or at least do something to stand a chance. His dad never got this bad before when he was drunk. He managed to open his eyes, and pull himself- painstakingly- up to a slight crouch when he noticed his father's expression. The hate radiating off of his face was more than enough to make anyone want to die on spot. It was too bad that Wally knew this look all too well. Rudy's bloodshot eyes explained everything else; words weren't needed.

Wally had to get out, NOW! Rudy yelled and went to punch him in the face with his huge, meaty fist when Wally's adrenalin kicked in. He ducked, barely missing the impact. He rolled onto his side, ignoring the burning pain erupting from his torso, and sped upstairs the fastest that he ever did go before he got his powers to his bedroom where he could get out from the window, and call 911. From upstairs, he could hear his father's yells of pain as Rudy picked out splinters of harshly aged wood from his bruised knuckles and made his way toward the kitchen.

….

"WALLY", yelled Artemis.

She was shaking his shoulders at this point, ready to deck him in the face if she had to. The look of horror on KF's face was painful; she never saw him like this. He was simply tracing over a dent that was clearly still on the outside of the thick door, not disappearing under various paint jobs and such from over the years. That was when he snapped back into reality. His left hand was death-gripping the door knob; his knuckles were ghost white, along with his complexion.

Taking in his surroundings, he visibly relaxed and tried to shake off the flash back. "Sorry Artemis, there's just a lot of past in this place," he explained as he put the key in the lock, and walked into the house, with Artemis' disapproving glance eating him alive. She knew- oh beyond knew- that something was wrong.

….

Wooooh…another chapter done! Stay posted! (:

-Kristie =]