I wake up and find Oz in the exact same position as the night before, he's still sleeping so I feel his pulse again. It's stronger than yesterday's so I can tell that he's getting better, but it's a slow recovery and it might take a while. He moans and shifts in his sleep, I feel confident enough that if I go and find Arthur and his nice camp with nice people he'll be alright. I sit up and stretch my arms, it's almost the best feeling that I've had in a few months. I stand and stretch my legs, my bruises aching as they're expanded, I walk into the forest and follow the river.

Further along, I start to hear a lot of laughing, shouting and campfire singing. I head towards the sound and find a large clearing filled with canvas tents and temporary gazebo structures.
"Arthur?" He sticks his head out of a tent almost immediately.
"Nova, back for more?"
"Um, well, no." I hesitate. "I need supplies, well just a bit of food really and medical supplies, and maybe a few weapons. The friend I was looking for was attacked, I think, and severely injured."
"Oh, ok. Come with me to the food tent." His body protrudes from the tent and I follow him as he walks through the clearing to the far side. "This is our cook, Frypan." I laugh a little at the reference.
"Hey Frypan, I really enjoyed the Maze Runner too." He smiles and laughs and flicks the black hair out of his eyes.
"Um, anyway. Frypan, Nova needs a few day's food for two people?" He questions and I nod. Frypan nods and gestures to a large cardboard box of canned food and long life produce.
"Thanks. Now, weapons." I say, turning to Arthur again. Picking up the box, Arthur turns round and hands me the moderately heavy box.
"No, first, medical supplies." He says, very demanding and powerful for a twelve year old. He strides out of the canvas structure and marches towards another one, almost identical to the rest. Exactly identical apart from the red cross painted onto the flap posing as the door. I follow slowly, held down by the box he gave me. Finally, as I reach the medical tent, I jump back to allow Arthur to walk past and he dumps another box, smaller this time but filled with bandages and steri-strips and utensils, onto the first.
"I'll just wait here, shall I?"
"No, you're blocking the entrance to the medical tent. Follow me." I sigh and trudge along next to him as he walks out of the clearing and to a fallen tree trunk. It has been hollowed out and stuffed with all manner of weapons. Including guns, bows and arrows, swords and varying lengths in daggers.
"Wow. You guys are quite the armoury, aren't you?" He pulls out a sword that's a foot long at least and holds it out to me. "Excuse me?" I say, making him look up and realise he's making it difficult. He nods and smiles apologetically, pulling his hand back and also producing a crossbow and a quiver of bolts from the tree. I shift uncomfortably and feel the sharp point of the dagger in my boot piercing my ankle. Arthur pulls out another crossbow, a quiver of bolts and another sword out of the tree,
"I'm sorry but that's the best I can give you. If my camp gets attacked we need all we can get for defence." I nod to say I understand and turn my back to him and start to walk back to where I left Oscar.
"Thanks for your help." I call back to him.

"Hannah, Hannah." I hear Oscar murmuring in his sleep before I see him. "Nova... Hannah..." He's been rolling around in his sleep and I see dead leaves crushed into his dirty blonde hair and clothing. I sigh. Every time he says Hannah my heart cracks and now, it's so much closer to breaking. "Nova!" This time Oz practically screams my name and I drop all of the boxes and weapons and kneel next to him. His arms and legs are thrashing and kicking and punching nothing. I bend my leg and put it over his legs and hold his arms down with mine. Putting all my pressure on my limbs makes them ache and burn but my efforts are wasted. Oz's strength gains the upper hand and his arms start to thrash again, every angle, everywhere, which means that I get a punch in the gut, throat and chin. His other hand manages to reach over and punch me in the eye.
His eyes open for a heartbeat, unseeing and unknowing, fear and terror flash in his eyes before he once again fall unconscious. Taking me with him.