"Don't give in now, we're almost there Cara." I shifted my hands around to get a better grip on her stretcher. I held the front right with Vincent on the back with Mason whilst Emmet was holding up the other front. Caila was on Cara's side, occasionally relieving either of the boys who needed a break.

Together Vincent and Mason were managing to the do the job of one man- neither of them having both hands to support the stretcher with made it difficult.

I was strong, I knew that, and so was Emmet- and Cara was tiny but we were running.

We'd run the entire way, stopping only ever hour to get some water and recover. Caila had been running and taking down the red bands, I wanted to tell her to stop- that Jesse wouldn't be able to find his way home. But there was another person out there that could follow us, and that person was extremely dangerous.

Cara was screaming out in pain, the pain meds that we had been shovelling in her had finally run out. I'd left 98% of what we still had with Rukma- only giving each group a small portion and our group had been no exception. I regretted that now.

Except when I heard Jesse's voice in my mind- waste of resources. I pushed that thought away, the petite blondes screams and pushing my legs harder the only things that I had time to focus on.

"Shut her up." Emmet barked, his words coming out in heavy pants. He reached his right arm down to wipe the sweet that had formed off from his hand. His muscles were bulging threw his tight shirt but I could see his grip beginning to weaken.

He may have been harsh but he had a point, we didn't need the wrong people hearing us- we couldn't have them find out base. I could see Caila out of the corner of my eyes trying to calm her, placing a rag into her mouth to bite onto instead of screaming. Smart.

A quick glance over my shoulder I could see the two boys struggling. Mason was pale behind all the sweet, which contrasted with the fierce determination in his eyes. His muscles were deceiving; he had the build of a thin computer hacker yet he was pulling as much weight as Vincent- the recognisably toned guy. I guess Interpol had trained him in more than just hacking the bad guys.

Vincent was much the same, so determined to continue but I could also see in his eyes how frustrated he was over his inability to do more.

We'd lasted so well we couldn't lose it now. I recognised a large collection of yellow flowers that I'd noticed on the first day. Right when we'd started walking we'd seen these flowers and Vincent had made a terrible joke.

We were so close.

"Come on guys, everything we've got and then you can all have a real nights sleep." I breathed heavily, barely able to finish my sentence before my breath threatened to huff out completely.

We struggled to manoeuvre over and around branches and rocks, having a body between us making this anything but easy. We struggled to push out legs to continue, to tell our arms not to give in- that we were almost there.

It almost felt like we weren't getting anywhere, like no matter how hard we pushed ourselves we weren't going to make it.

Until all at once, we made it.

Cara's stretcher was placed onto the soft sand and I watched Mason fell to the ground- his chest heaving as his gasped for air. Vincent squatted down, his hands on his knees trying to calm himself down. Caila was on her knees next to Cara, attempted to catch her breath too. Emmet raised his hands over his head, shaking out his arms and taking in deep breaths.

Deep breaths, that always helped me. I managed to get in a few deep breaths before my body took off into a run again. I needed the med for Cara.

Everyone was already running our way, the rest of the survivors calling out our names and rushing to our side. I heard a soft voice call out for Jesse and my heart sunk. But there was no time for that.

My eyes found Rukma in the small crowd that was coming towards us, she held up the bag of gear that I had left with her and I nodded before I turned back to Cara and rushed to her side.

I pushed between Jenny and Gemma, bending over Cara as my breaths continued to steady themselves. I reached for the rag, removing it from her mouth with hesitation- I didn't want to hear scream any longer.

She didn't scream, only reached out for my hand and squeezed onto it like her life depending on it.

"Make it go away Dru, please." Her voice broke, tears staining her cheeks and neck. "It hurts." That was no more than a whisper, saliva moving between her lips as she spoke to create columns of spit.

"I will Cara, I promise." I brushed back her hair from her face and tried to ignore the pain her nails were causing as they dug into my healing knuckles.

Rukma was on the other side of her before she could respond, reaching for the girl's mouth with the medication already in her hands.

"Swallow this." Rukma instructed, holding out a water bottle that Cara shook her head at.

"I know how it works. I'm used to it by now." Cara shot back, taking it and gulping it down in one go. Her grip on me loosened the second her swallow had made it down her throat; I pulled my hand out and reached for the arm of her stretcher.

"We need to get her somewhere more comfortable." I signalled for the boys to resume their positions but four other people pushed us out of the way. Joe, Chadna, Jenny and Gemma each reached for an end and carried Cara away before I could even protest.

I finally let myself give in, I fell down onto the group- using my back pack to still be sitting upright. A sigh fell from my lips followed by a groan when I made impact with the ground. My whole side screamed out for attention, wanted to be fix but in this moment all I needed to do was allow my respiratory system to calm itself down.

I took several deep breaths, watching as Rukma hovered over Mason and inspected his hand.

"Where is Jesse?" A small voice snapped my head to the side, I found Ari and Freyja standing with Freyja's arm around her brother like she had just tried to pull him back. The young boy was looking at me with hope, curiosity and fear- fear that the same man that attacked Cara killed Jesse, I could see it.

"He did something stupid to protect us, he'll be back soon." I told the siblings what I had been telling myself. That he was going to stroll back into camp any time now and tell me I was just being dramatic for worrying this much.

"You mean you just left him out there?" That one was Freyja, her own confusion clear.

" We didn't leave him- he left us and saved our lives." Caila cut in from besides me, I sat there silently staring down at my lap- unable to answer them truthfully. Unable to tell them that I had left him out there, just so that everyone else could have a real dinner. How selfish of me.

"Meeting, everyone. Around the fire." Vincent called out from the fire, stopping our conversation, which I was incredibly grateful for. I couldn't stare into their innocent eyes any longer.

It took a minute or two for everyone to gather around the fire, some sitting, some laying and some standing. Even Cara hobbled over on crutches, her face screwed up in pain. She took a seat at my feet where I stood at the beach side of the fire. Caila, Vincent and I stood facing the rest of the group and I know we could all feel the missing presence that should have been there by our sides.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I scanned over everyone as they settled into place. No one looked harmed, sick or even malnourished- I was even met with a few smiles. I noticed Jenny with Addy on her lap, the young girl plaiting Jenny's hair. I'm glad she had someone, both of her parents had died on this island and she'd been completely alone.

I noticed Chadna fusing over Mason, him brushing her away from him but catching her hand and holding it in his. She looked shocked at first but eventually relaxed into the simple gesture.

I watched James bounce JJ on his knee, Elena and Dailia kiss each other, Freyja playing with her brothers hair, Joe and Gemma were laughing at each other, Rukma and Nisha were smiling as they watched Chadna and Mason's interaction. Everyone seemed like they were at peace with the situation.

Everyone was alive and well, despite what ever scars and bruises they held.

I couldn't let this thought comfort me, because not only was Jesse out there still- but there was someone out there that wanted to kill us all. Clearing my throat I began the meeting.

"What did you all find out there?"