This is day 5 with the nomads. We're half a day's walk from DC. We'll get there tomorrow. The longer it takes to get there, the more I'm second-guessing my decision to come along on this trip. We have no idea if there's even anything there. I don't know if this trip will have been worth the risk. After all, we were attacked today. I should explain.

       There was a sadness hanging in the air today after what happened yesterday with Nick. However, everyone was being quiet, which turned out to be a good thing and, luckily, everyone was also being extra careful and defensive or we might all be dead.

      We were walking and Sophia, Simon, and I were trying to comfort Melanie, who was leaning her head on my shoulder as we walked, still sniffling every so often.

      "He's in a better place now, Melanie," said Simon, in another poor attempt to make her let go of Nick. "He wouldn't want you to mourn him. He would want you to let him go."

      "Seriously?!" demanded Melanie, getting really annoyed at us. "Would you be able to let it go if it was Sophia who had died?"

      "Listen, Mel," broke in Sophia as her boyfriend's face became a mask of anger. "I know that you're mourning, and I respect that, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be rude to us when we're just trying to help you."

      "Melanie," I said gently, wanting to stop this before it turned into an argument. "I barely knew Nick, but I know that he loved you. He wouldn't want this for you. Before he died, he said that if he didn't survive the journey, he wanted me to take care of you and keep you safe and that's what I'm going to do."

      "Nico said that?" she asked, sniffling. "He knew that he was dying?"

      "He knew that he was sick, yes," I replied. "He loved you so much. If he didn't love you enough, he wouldn't tell me to take care of you if he died. He'd just leave you alone."

      "Yeah, Mel," agreed Sophia. "He loved you more than you know. You were the only person that he opened up to."

      "Do you really think-" Melanie began, but I clamped my hand over her mouth.

      "What was that?" I wondered aloud.

      "Rival nomads!" yelled Simon. "Coming from directly ahead!"

      Immediately, all the armed nomads drew their weapons. I grabbed Melanie and dove into the bushes lining the road. I had to keep her safe. I'd promised Nick.

      The moment we hit the leaves, the first gunshots erupted. I peeked out of the bushes and saw a group of maybe ten men and women with weapons drawn. I had to help our group, I couldn't just hide in the bushes.

      "Stay here!" I said to Melanie, having to yell to be heard over the guns, then I jumped out of the bushes and into the battle.

      I grabbed a gun from the ground and looked around. Nearly everyone from our group had been carrying guns, and the unarmed people were all taking cover. Oddly, I saw Simon nearby, slicing away with two short-bladed swords, one in each hand.

      I also saw the attacker sneaking up behind him.

      "Simon!" I yelled, but he didn't hear me.

      On instinct, I aimed at the attacker and pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed from his head in an arc, and he collapsed.

      We walked on a bit after the battle, Melanie beside me, but I couldn't forget the look on the attacker's face as he collapsed, no matter how many times Simon told me that I had saved his life. I will never forget.

      Still, we'll reach DC tomorrow. This trip will finally have been worth it. Nick would have been proud of me. Talk to you tomorrow journal.

      Jacob Crowley