It's incredible, he thinks, how easy it is to revert to the same postion he held on that other hill. Mathias melts into the background, helping where he needs to, but not taking charge and not offering any direction. As before, he doesn't know what should be done and it seems that Julie, like Jeff, is at least willing to step up in a way Mathias has never been able to.

He looks at Lucy as he strips out of his own shirt, then offers it to Julie to help with the blood. He wants to say something to her, but he can't. There have been many people on this island who have been important to him, but he isn't sure anyone has felt like family in the way Lucy does and he hates that he's put her in danger.

"Es tut mir leid," he murmurs and he doesn't know if she'll understand him, but he doesn't want to risk the vines throwing his apology back at them in English. As if they know exactly what he's trying to avoid, they rustle, the words quiet at first.

John ist gestorben, they hiss. John ist gestorben.