Read Online The Cured by Deirdre Gould - Free Book Online Page B

burned it away. Stop thinking that. I’ll get through this. It’s just a flu. But the doubt wouldn’t go away and his annoyance grew with it. You’re sick Henry. Just a day or two away from the lady in the city maybe. You’ll muckle on to the first person you see tomorrow. You’re sick. And getting sicker by being out here. It’s them that’s making you sicker faster Henry. It’s Dave and Elizabeth. If you’d stayed away from them, maybe you’d be okay. But now, now you’re going to freeze or Dave’s going to bash you in the head. Henry shook his head and pulled at his hair. He took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on his feet and the crunch of the snow. Or else you’re going to eat him. You’re going to eat Dave all up. And then . . . The thought stung him suddenly and he sat down in the snow and sobbed before it could get any farther. It made him feel even weaker to cry, but there was no one around, and so he did for a minute, low and shaking. He thought for a minute about not going back, about wandering into one of the vacant cabins behind him and locking himself away. Let Dave come out and find the sled himself. It would be safer that way. For everyone.
    But then there was the kid. What would Marnie do without food until her father or mother gained courage enough to come looking? And Phil. Henry didn’t know him, had no idea if he were rotten or decent, but no one should die from a simple infection that few tubes of ointment could knock out.
    Henry’s feet continued toward the lodge even as his mind debated. He pulled a glove off and began absent mindedly biting his nails. Maybe he could return the supplies and then leave again after a night’s rest. Did he have another day in him? And then what? Break into one of the cabins and freeze to death inside instead of out here? Who would feed him after he became delirious? And what if there were worse parts of the infection later on?
    He hissed as a sharp pain sliced into his thumb. He looked down at his hand and was surprised to see he had bitten all of his nails to the quick. The thumb nail was bitten even deeper and a round drop of blood trembled up from the skin. He pulled his glove back on and decided to get back to the lodge before he worried about what would come next.

Ten
    Henry was chilled and his wet pants were heavy and clinging below the knees as he struggled the last few hundred feet up to the lodge’s driveway. The trees had eaten the sun, their dark crowns made a great jaw that sank into the sky. He heard the birds at last, calling to each other as they began to roost. He stumbled into the driveway and the lodge leaked golden lantern light from its windows. Everything around it looked darker and colder to Henry. He felt part of the dark, a shadow, a footprint, a memory left behind the living man. He wondered if he should just push the palette ahead of him down the drive and then turn back to one of the empty summer cabins behind him. But then a little shadow jumped up from the front steps and waved to him.
    “Henry? Is that you?” asked Marnie.
    “It’s me. What are you doing out here? Aren’t you cold?”
    “Not as cold as you I bet,” said Marnie jumping down the steps and into the snow between them. Henry kept the palette behind him and hoped it was dark enough that Marnie wouldn’t see the stocking. “I was waiting for you,” continued Marnie, “I thought it might be scary in the dark. Is it far to the store?”
    Henry smiled. “Not so far in the car. But it sure felt far walking there.”
    “What did you bring?”
    “Nope, no peeking.”
    “Aw, c’mon Henry, it’s almost Christmas.”
    “Almost. But not quite. What’s today?”
    “Christmas Eve.”
    Henry felt dizzy. He couldn’t make the days add up to Christmas Eve, no matter how he tried. “Are you sure about that?”
    Marnie laughed. “I’m sure. Mom showed me on her watch.”
    “Well what are you doing up then? You need to get to bed so you don’t miss