Oscar: "You need to try to deal with the pain for now until it's over."

Oscar took another small tree branch and placed it into Lee's mouth.

[It's easy for you to say. I'm the one who's dying from the pain here.] Lee thought.

Oscar applied the ointment from the small watch to the bite mark. He also used the needle at the end of the scalpel to sew the cut. After applying the ointment to the bite mark, he used the broad side of the scalpel on it, causing a burn where the ointment was.

Oscar: "That should be enough for now."

Lee spat out the branch.

Lee: "Man, that hurt like hell."

Oscar: "What did you expect? This isn't a walk in the park. It's a treatment to save your hand."

Lee: "So, we're done here?"

Oscar: "Almost."

Oscar took Lee's right hand with the bite mark and secured a wooden plank next to it. He then wrapped it with a piece of cloth from his sleeve.

Oscar: "This should keep your bones from breaking."

Lee moved his right hand a little and felt less pain than before, even the itching sensation was less intense.

Lee: "Wow, you're excellent at this, Oscar."

Oscar: "Of course, I am. I know what I'm doing. But, Lee, I have to say this to you: you're very lucky. If I hadn't taken care of that wound now, you might have lost your hand in a couple of hours."

[He's right. I need to be more careful in the future.] Lee thought.

Oscar gestured: "Don't hide your injuries next time from us, okay? We're your friends, and we need to trust each other to get out of here alive. I'll go check on the situation and look around the place to see if there's any danger. Try to relax and rest a little to let your body heal itself."

Lee smiled: "Thanks, Oscar."

Lee started to close his eyes but overheard Oscar talking to the others.

Oscar: "Okay, guys, stop for a moment. If any of you aren't feeling well, come to me, and I'll check your medical condition."

Lee felt safer being among friends, even if they had only just met. He closed his eyes and allowed his body and mind to rest.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

/

An hour and a half later, Lee woke up feeling better, although the itching sensation persisted. He got up and headed to where Oscar and Ira were sitting before the bonfire.

Lee: "Oscar, how's the situation here? Did you find anything around us?"

Oscar, with a serious expression: "The situation is good for now. It seems there's no danger here. Everyone did their work and is now resting. Ira and I are on the first watch. About your other question, yes, I found something quite interesting. It's better if you come with me to see it for yourself."

Oscar got up and walked over to Ira, who was nearby. "I'll go and show him what we found. Watch the others until I'm back."

Ira: "Okay."

Oscar left the cave, and a few seconds later, Lee followed him. Lee wasn't sure what Oscar was taking him to see.

After a few minutes of walking, Oscar stopped and signaled for Lee to narrow the gap and stand beside him. After a few seconds, Lee looked ahead and was shocked by what he saw. There were three dead bodies and a lot of blood all over the place. The ground was littered with bullet shells. Based on their uniforms, they seemed to be some kind of soldiers, although different from the ones they had encountered so far. There were bite marks around their bodies, signs of a struggle with some kind of animal. But the most disturbing sight was one of them missing its entire head.

Lee felt sick at the sight, so he turned to the side and started vomiting.

Oscar's voice broke through Lee's nausea: "This is hard to see. The others aren't ready for it yet, so I haven't told them. Only you, me, and Ira know about this."

Oscar turned and saw Lee continuing to vomit.

Oscar gestured: "Maybe it's too early for you, but if you want to be the leader, you need to know about this."

As Lee began to recover, he got up and said, "Man, you could've given me a warning first."

Oscar: "Sorry, Lee. Next time. But there's good news and bad news. The good news is that they left a few useful things behind for us."

Oscar reached behind his back and pulled out a small black gun.

Lee: "This is what I think it is?"

Oscar: "Yes, Lee. This is a Glock 17. There are two more guns like that here, but I've already given them to Ira for safekeeping. She and I are the only ones who can use them properly for now, so we can save bullets. And besides..."

Lee: "Besides what?"

Oscar: "We've killed people before, so taking a life is something we're familiar with. But that doesn't apply to you. I can sense that you haven't taken a person's life before, Lee. What if we have to kill another person to get the spiral key? Can you do it? Because I can."

Lee was about to say something, but he realized Oscar was right. He didn't know how to use guns or any of the other items, and he wasn't sure if he could take someone else's life.

Lee: "I agree with you, Oscar. I don't know how to use guns or grenades, and I don't think I can take another person's life, even if it's what could get us out of here."

Oscar sighed and looked at Lee with understanding.

Oscar's sign language: "Don't worry. You have a good heart, and that's something that will hurt you a lot. But you're a brave man who jumps into danger for his friends and does all he can. That's enough for us to follow you."

Lee nodded in agreement.

Lee: "So, what do we do now?"

Oscar: "For now, how about I teach you how to use the gun and grenades?"

Lee was surprised by the suggestion but nodded and listened carefully to Oscar's instructions. Oscar, being a combat medic, was well-versed in the basics and more. For the next ten minutes, Oscar taught Lee how to handle guns, grenades, and even gave a brief overview of how to use the military knife. Lee sat and absorbed everything Oscar was saying, trying to remember it all. Oscar advised Lee to keep the grenades and knife on him.

The sound of Lee's stomach growling interrupted their session.

Lee apologized: "Sorry, let's go back to the others. I'm hungry."

Oscar laughed: "Haha, sure, Lee. Let's head back."

Oscar and Lee walked back to the cave together.