The Cured by Deirdre Gould

plastic covering the interior of the shed. It made Henry feel cold and achy. A pile of blankets and a sleeping bag slumped in one corner and the camping lantern sat in the center of the small floor. Otherwise, it was empty.
    Dave stopped stapling and turned toward him. “Go where Henry? To freeze in the dark? If you are really sick, I don’t think you’ll be able to take care of yourself.”
    “You won’t be able to take care of me either. I’ll just be another mouth to feed. And a dangerous one.” Henry shuddered.
    “It’ll be okay. Elizabeth and I can manage until you get better. We’ll be careful, keep Marnie away. Keep– keep the door locked.”
    “I don’t think you’ve really thought about this Dave. I won’t be able to have a fire or even a heater without burning the place down.”
    Dave shook his head. “No, the plastic will keep your body heat in. I’ll make sure there are no gaps. We’ve got lots of blankets. You won’t freeze. Look, I know it might be uncomfortable, but even if you made it to one of the other cabins and were able to get inside, you really would freeze. At least now I can keep an eye on you and figure something else out if this won’t work.”
    “What happens when I’m delirious and begin attacking people?”
    Dave kicked the pile of blankets over and exposed a snaking bundle of rope and thick cargo straps from the car. He didn’t look at Henry. “That’s what these are for.”
    Henry was startled and brushed away sudden tears with the back of his arm. “Like an animal Dave? You want to tie me up like a wild dog? Someone would have to feed me. And– and clean me. And I would be trying to hurt whoever was helping me the whole time.”
    “It’s only for a little while, you’ll either beat this thing in a few weeks or they’ll start developing a cure.”
    Henry shook his head and swiped at the tears still escaping him. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Maybe I’ll die. Maybe I’ll be ill for months or permanently damaged if I survive.”
    Dave slammed a fresh staple into the wall. “What do you want me to do?” He shouted, “If you leave, you’ll starve or freeze for sure. At least here you have a chance.” He sat on the floor suddenly, shoving his glasses up with a gloved finger. “I know I haven’t been the best or bravest of friends Henry. I know I’ve made stupid mistakes in the past few weeks. But we’ve been friends a long time. Can’t you trust me to do this for you? If things are as bad as you say, if there are people shooting the infected and no one is reporting any news or directions on where to go and what to do, we’re going to need each other Henry. You are going to need me. And if– when you get well, I’m going to need you.”
    Henry slumped against the cold plastic. “This isn’t like running Trevor Harmon off when he was going to beat you up for lunch money. I can’t save you from this. I can’t even save me from this.”
    Dave nodded. “I know. But stay anyway. Just stay.” Henry just shook his head.
    “Don’t decide now. Have some dinner with us, so at least I know you’ve had something to eat. Eat and warm up at least, for my sake. Then, if you feel the same after dinner or in the morning, I won’t stop you.”
    Henry sighed. “Okay,” he said, “I’ll go after dinner.”
    It was a relief for Henry to walk away from the tiny woodshed and into the warm kitchen. Dave followed him in and Henry barely paid attention to the bustle of Elizabeth and Dave over the stove. He sat down as Marnie set the table. The meal was filling and the stove was very warm. Henry felt more and more drowsy. He tried to fight it, but his body seemed more and more unresponsive and at last he fell into a heavy doze in his chair.
    He woke in the pitch black and he was shivering on a floor. He tried to sit up, but his hands were bound behind him. There was a weight on his chest and Henry tried not to panic as he struggled