The Blood That Binds by Madeline Sheehan

 

Logan

Antibiotics. I shook my head, still unable to believe it.

Sitting on a cushioned chair, my legs bounced anxiously, my feet tapping against a spotless linoleum floor. Nearby an old box fan was noisily blowing warm air in my direction. At my side, Willow lay asleep in one of two hospital beds—actual hospital beds—with a blood pressure cuff wrapped loosely around one arm and an IV line inserted in her other. The IV pole stood between us, a bag of fluid dangling from each hook, one filled with saline, the other with antibiotics, both dripping slowly through the tubing. There was more medical equipment arranged around the small room—several tanks of oxygen, an ultrasound machine, even a small x-ray machine. It even smelled like a hospital—the sharp scent of antiseptic and cleaning products.

And electricity, I thought, still feeling rattled as I blinked up at the overhead light for the hundredth time, watching as it flickered.

And an actual fucking doctor.

She’d introduced herself as Keshia. But everyone calls me Doc, she’d said with a warm smile and a shrug. She was an older woman, tall and thin, with long salt and pepper locks that hung halfway down her back. Instead of a white lab coat, she wore cutoff denim shorts and a black tank top, showing off a full sleeve of tattoos on both arms. Fiddling with the stethoscope hanging around her neck, she told me that Willow had a bad case of cellulitis on her leg and what looked to be blood poisoning.

She explained that the bagged antibiotics had expired long ago, but with limited resources available, anything at all was better than nothing at all. Then she’d treated Willow’s leg with a topical ointment she’d made from her homegrown penicillin cultures, the same ointment she used to treat the wounds on my hands. Both my hands were bandaged now and throbbing fiercely.

Willow and I were alone now, but the door to the room remained open, allowing me full view of an adjoining room—a waiting area that also doubled as triage. On one end of the room were a handful of mismatched chairs and a cluttered desk; on the other end, a wheeled stretcher sat surrounded by emergency medical bags—the sort that EMTs used to carry with them.

Currently, Doc was seated at the desk, idly flipping through the pages of a large hardback book. In a nearby chair, Davey was staring at me, his rifle cradled in his arms. On the wall behind him hung several health educational posters. Just above the front door hung a wooden sign with the words: CAMP NURSE crudely painted in white and red.

I’d seen similar signs on my way here—REGISTRATION OFFICE, CAMPSTORE, DINING HALL, BATHHOUSE—making it clear that this place had once been a summer camp. Despite its origins, to call this place a mere camp would have been a grave understatement. Roughly the size of a football field, the cordoned space bordered a lake and was protected by a fortified wall. They had children here, families, even a goddamn doctor. I still couldn’t quite believe it.

Looking at Willow, her skin had taken on an ashy hue and she had deep, dark circles ringing her closed eyes. Staring at her, I was reminded of someone else. Somewhere else.

“Logan.”

The door creaked open; Mackenzie stood in my bedroom doorway, holding a candle in her hands, motioning for me to join her.

Beside me, Lucas was sound asleep, shivering as he slept. Tossing my blankets over him, I moved quietly into the hall, closing the door partway behind me.

“We’re leaving Asheville,” Mackenzie whispered, her breath visible in the freezing cold corridor. “Tomorrow.”

I blinked at her. “What do you mean, you’re leaving? It’s the middle of fucking winter, where the hell are you going?”

She shook her head and the candle flickered, reflecting off the tears in her eyes. “My dad heard another FEMA broadcast on the radio today, and my mom has been begging to leave for weeks, ever since… ” she trailed off, her gaze dropping to the floor. “They just told me we’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Just the three of you?” I asked.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gleason are coming—the Harts too.” She began shifting uncomfortably,

My nostrils flared. “So everyone is just picking up and leaving?”

Mackenzie shifted uncomfortably. “I think you and Luke could probably come,” she said in a small voice.

I doubted that. Mackenzie’s parents might have loved me once, but that had changed once we’d begun living under one roof. They’d gotten to see firsthand how my family operated, and they hadn’t liked what they’d seen.

“I can’t even get Luke out of bed,” I told her, growing angry. Mackenzie already knew this; every day she’d watch me attempt to coax him from beneath his covers, trying desperately to convince him to eat.

“I’m sure he’d get up if he knew you were leaving…”

“What about Willow and her mom?” I bit out. “Are we just going to leave them here?”

“My dad said Willow’s mom isn’t going to last the week,” she whispered. “… and you know my mom doesn’t like Willow.”

“Nobody likes Willow,” I snapped. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything? We still can’t leave her here alone.”

“Logan, my mom is scared of her. She’s been coming up with all these insane theories about what happened and she’s got it stuck in her head that it was Willow who… you know… ”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “I’d forgotten what a really scary time it’s been for your mom lately.”

“Don’t do that,” she whimpered. “That’s not fair.”

“Don’t talk to me about what’s not fair. Both of your parents are still breathing.”

“Exactly!” she cried out. “So come with us—let’s leave this awful place behind!”

I stared at her in the near darkness. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed varsity cheerleader with a cheery disposition, Mackenzie had checked all the right boxes for me. She’d been the cheer to my game and the easygoing smile that had always countered my ever-present scowl. Only now, ever since the world had gone insane, I’d come to realize that all she’d ever really been to me was a means to an end, a helping hand in getting me out of this do-nothing town. In reality, the feelings I had for her had never been more than tepid, at best.

“Luke won’t leave Willow,” I ground out. “Fuck, Luke won’t even leave his bed.”

“And you won’t leave Luke,” she finished in a harsh whisper.

I stared at her, disgusted. “Yeah. He’s my little brother, remember?”

Chuffing, she shook her head angrily. “Then I guess that’s it.”

“Guess so,” I bit out.

Her eyes flashed in the candlelight. “We’ve been together since sophomore year and now I’m leaving and that’s all you have to say?”

“What the fuck do you want from me?” I demanded. “Jesus Christ, if you’re looking for someone to beg you to stay, look somewhere else. This is bigger than you!”

Mackenzie blinked hard, her tears spilling over just as she spun away with enough force that her candle went out. Leaning back against the wall, I was staring blankly at the empty space Mackenzie had vacated when a coughing fit erupted throughout the hallway.

Moving quickly down the hall, I entered a dimly lit room on the right. A low fire crackled in the fireplace, casting shadows over the figures on the bed.

“Logan,” Willow breathed. “Can you hold her still—make sure she doesn’t fall? I need to get her some water.”

“Go,” I told her, taking a seat on the bed as Willow rushed from the room. Her mother offered me a weak smile; shriveled and emaciated, with dark circles ringing her eyes, she looked nothing like the vibrant, bright-eyed woman she’d once been.

“Logan,” she whispered. “Logan, once I’m gone… I want you to take Willow and Luke and… and get out of here. You can’t stay… here. You need to… go south… where it’s warm. Find… food.”

She began to cough again, deep, rattling spasms that shook the entire bed. As blood sprayed from her mouth, I grabbed a nearby towel, already stained with her blood, and wiped at her chin.

“And keep Willow… safe,” she wheezed once she could speak. “She’s a smart girl… but she’s stubborn. Too… stubborn for her own good. Promise me… you’ll keep my… baby… safe.”

My throat tight, I gripped her hand between both of mine. “I promise,” I whispered hoarsely. “I’ll keep her safe—you don’t need to worry.”

“You’re a good… boy,” she rasped. “You’re not…like… ” she trailed off as she began to cough again. And this time she didn’t stop.

A few hours later, she fell into unconsciousness.

By the end of the week, she was dead.

“Come on, Willow,” I quietly gritted out. “Where’s the girl who never backs down from a fight—who’s always up in everybody’s face?”

A flood of memories flashed, the thousands of reckless things she’d done throughout the years. Stupid things, selfish things, but also brave things, too. Yeah, she was definitely brave. And stubborn. And overwhelming. And… so… goddamn all-consuming.

“I knew a woman like that.”

The short-haired woman from earlier, the one who’d claimed this camp as hers, was standing in the doorway, holding my bag and tool belt in her hands.

“She was always primed for a fight.” Entering the room, the woman placed my things by the door. “And never afraid to speak her mind, and sometimes she was brave to the point of stupid.” She paused at the edge of Willow’s bed. “The infection took her,” the woman continued wistfully. “I’ll never get over it. A spirit like hers deserved so much better than to die in a bed.”

I snorted softly. “Willow says that shit all the time—how she wants to go out in a blaze of glory.”

The woman smiled. “Your Willow certainly does seem to have a lot in common with my Evelyn… and if Willow is anything like she was then I know she’ll fight this with everything she has.”

My Willow. Shaking my head, I said, “She’s not mine—we’re not together.” I fumbled to get the right words out. “My brother and her—they were together.”

The woman’s gaze shot to mine, the faraway look in her eyes fading fast. “I see. I guess I just assumed you two were together—you seemed like a man desperate to save the woman you love.”

Shocked silent and blinking rapidly, I spent the next several seconds clearing my throat. “No, it’s not like that between us… we, uh, we don’t even like each other… ” Realizing how ridiculous I sounded, my words dwindled and I quickly changed topics. “Yeah, so about earlier—you guys were right to be cautious. I’m sorry I was being a dick.”

She laughed lightly. “Apologies aren’t your forte, I’m guessing? Look, I’m not in any position to be holding someone’s emotions in a time of crisis against them. As long as you’ve got yourself under control now, I think we’ll be fine… ” she trailed off, tilting her head to one side. “You know, I’ve just realized, I haven’t even asked you your name.”

“Logan,” I offered.

“It’s nice to meet you, Logan—my name is Liesel. And now that we’ve been formally introduced, I’d like to officially welcome you and Willow to Silver Lake, formerly known as Silver Lake Summer Camp for Youths.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I replied. “… you seem to have a really nice setup here. I haven’t seen anything like it in… ” I trailed off as I realized I hadn’t ever seen anything quite like it. Most of the camps we’d come across had been shoddily thrown together with no real sense of order. Fanatics or hopeless cases seemed to be all the world had left to offer.

Leisel flashed me a wry smile. “Exactly. So you can understand our caution when it comes to newcomers, yes?”

“Yeah. I get it.”

“Good, and now that that’s settled, Davey will be showing you to your cabin.” Stepping aside, she waved Davey forward.

“My cabin?” Startled, I looked at Willow. “Can’t I just stay with her?”

Leisel pressed her lips together, her gaze hardening. “I’m afraid not. This isn’t just our doctor’s office, it’s her home too.”

She said nothing else, though the rest went without saying—I was still a stranger who still posed a threat, and they were going to continue taking every necessary precaution.

“Is this cabin nearby?” I asked. “I’d like to be close to her.”

“It’s a small camp; everything is close. However, you don’t need to worry. If Willow’s condition changes in any way during the night, someone will come for you.”

Glancing again at Willow, I rubbed anxiously at the back of my neck. They weren’t going to hurt her—I felt that in my gut. But I still couldn’t fathom leaving her, especially after everything I’d gone through to get her here. Yet, if I wanted these people to trust me, I knew I needed to trust them first.

“Alright,” I said reluctantly.

“Good.” Liesel clapped her hands together. “Logan, Davey, I’ll leave you to it.”

Davey stepped forward, eyeing me contemptuously. “You comin’ or what?”

As we passed through an area cluttered with cabins, a dozen different smells assaulted me—burning wood, cooking meat, and the fresh damp scent of a nearby body of water.

Counting twelve cabins in total, Davey led me to the last in the row, the seemingly worst of the bunch, with a thin, rickety door and a crumbling front step. While Doc’s home merely had the outward aesthetics of a log cabin, the smaller structures on this side of camp were actual cabins, each with a suspended floor and a crawl space underneath.

Upon entering, Davey flicked a switch and two wall-mounted lantern lights flickered on. The cabin consisted of two rooms—the room I was standing in, and what looked to be a small bathroom. Two sets of wooden bunk beds, along with two small dressers, adorned each corner of the room. A lamp sat alone in the center of the room, missing both bulb and shade. Near the entrance, a dust-covered wrought-iron stove had been fitted with piping that crawled up the wall and out through the roof, serving as a chimney. All above me, exposed beams crisscrossed beneath the peaked ceiling, draped with cobwebs.

“Don’t be keepin’ the lights on all night—we run on solar power here,” Davey said. “And don’t be leavin’ the cabin either until someone comes for ya. We got patrols going round the clock and the guards at the gate can see the whole place at any given time. Ain’t nobody does nothin’ without someone else seein’, ya get me?”

“What if I have to piss?” I asked, deadpan. “Should I just pick a corner?”

“The whole camp runs on well water,” Davey retorted. “Got a septic tank, too. You can piss in the toilet—you can even flush it.”

I blinked in surprise.

Smiling smugly, Davey turned to leave. “Welcome back to civilization, shithead,” he said, slamming the door behind him.

I hurried to fasten the lock—a single hook-and-eye latch, where one good shove would render it useless. Turning, I faced the room with skepticism. Was this place for real? Lights, a doctor, and running water?

Dropping my bag, I rushed inside the small bathroom. It was nothing special—an old toilet with exposed piping and a porcelain sink set atop a small cupboard, its metal fixtures rusted and flaking. A mirror hung above the sink, cloudy and speckled with spots. Twisting the levers on the sink, my breath hitched as clear water sputtered from the rusty faucet.

I might have run my hands beneath it if they hadn’t been bandaged; instead, I dropped my head beneath the stream, swallowing mouthful after delicious mouthful. Having drunk my fill, I flushed the toilet merely to see if it would. As water rushed into the bowl, quickly spiraling down the drain, for several seconds, I could only stare.

Making my way back into the other room in a daze, I eventually wandered to the nearest window. Pulling back the torn swathe of fabric hanging there, I pushed open the cracked and cloudy glass-paned window and peered outside.

The lights were on inside the cabin closest to me and I could see figures moving in a way that seemed like they were dancing. Although faint, I could hear music—a familiar song that had me quickly closing the window and staggering back. Backing straight into a bunk bed, I sat down hard, the unexpected feel of the soft mattress beneath me had me shooting back up to my feet.

“Fuck,” I whispered, swallowing hard.

This was the kind of place I’d always hoped to find; somewhere safe for Lucas and Willow, where they could carry on being careless and reckless and completely self-absorbed, and I wouldn’t have to constantly worry about them. A place where I could finally fulfill my promise to Willow’s mother.

Unshed tears burned behind my eyes; what sort of cruel cosmic joke was this—finding the answer to my prayers just days after losing Lucas, and with Willow barely hanging on? I couldn’t be here alone. This wasn’t right; I didn’t deserve this without them—this place with electricity and running water. Without them… none of this meant anything.

I heard a noise—a weak, anguished sound that had me glancing wildly around the room, searching for the source. Realizing it was me, I barked out a laugh that caught in my throat and ended on a sob. Sinking to the floor, I stared miserably across the room.

“I found it, Luke,” I whispered hoarsely. “I found that fucking place I’d always promised.”