Page 46 of Ring Around the Rosie

Nobody spoke except for Doug. “Are you serious right now?” He snapped his head around at all of us. “You don’t think I did this to myself, do you?”

“No one’s saying that, Doug,” Willie groaned. “But, it’s kind of hard to take you seriously about, well, anything. I mean, obviously something happened.” He motioned to Doug’s bandaged leg. “I’m just not sure it happened exactly the way you say it did.” That was a bit harsh. “Even Rodney said he didn’t see anyone!”

Doug looked pissed. “Fuck you, Willie! I saw who did this! I saw that fucker with my own fucking eyes!” He moved a little too quickly and winced. “Fuck!” Sol tried to stop him, and Kaila rushed to help him. She shined her light down at his leg, and we noticed blood was already seeping through the bandages. “I’m going to die!” He was truly panicked.

“You’re not going to die,” Willie groaned. “But we should probably move to the cafeteria. It’s safer there.”

Kaila scoffed. “How the hell are we supposed to move him all the way to the cafeteria? He shouldn’t be walking!”

Willie stood and adjusted his jacket. “And what do you suggest? Huh? We can’t just leave him here. This cabin is falling apart as it is. It might be raining, but you’re counselors! Your job is to take care of the campers. And right now, they're all packedinto that cafeteria with Beatrice, probably scared half to death. We need to do our fucking jobs and stick with them, alright?” It was weird to see him and Kaila butt heads. I mean, I knew she wasn’t a real fan of him, but to see her challenge him so openly was strange.

“Not all the campers are there.” The tension between Willie and Kaila dropped, and everyone slowly looked over at Rodney. He had been quiet most of the time, probably from the shock of seeing his friend’s leg so brutally wounded. “We left our campers with Sabbath in Cabin Six.” He shook his head and rubbed his face. “They’re still out there.”

Solomon stood and grabbed the small lantern. “I’m going to go get them.”

Everyone, except Willie, began to shout and argue. Kaila and Sandy begged him not to go alone, as did Wolfe, but for his own reasons. Rodney simply kept repeating that we shouldn’t split up, and Doug wouldn’t stop shouting at how dangerous it was. Everyone’s voices rose and mashed together until Sol finally snapped and shouted, “Enough!” The cabin fell into silence, aside from the immense storm. He tilted his head at me. “No offense, Aster, but I don’t trust Sabbath with my own life, let alone the campers.” If only he knew. “And he probably has no idea what the protocol is at a time like this. You guys get to the cafeteria, and I’ll head out to their cabin and bring the campers back. Once we get everyone there, we’ll figure out what to do next.”

Willie shook his head. “We just need to stick together and wait out the storm in the cafeteria.” He smiled and tried to laugh the rest off as if it were nothing. “I mean, come on, you guys can’t seriously think there’s a masked plague doctor out there just waiting for us to drop our guard. Guys, come on!” The rest of us remained silent.

Sol stepped around Doug and past Rodney to Willie. He stood directly in front of the man and raised his lantern. Despite the decade or so age difference, Solomon was taller and bulkier than Willie. And at that moment, he looked a lot more intimidating. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I’m not going to just sit here and pretend everything is fine. It’s not,” he growled. “Doug has a fucking gash in his leg and both he and Aster saw someone in this camp. Now, you can either help us figure out what the hell is going on, or you can just shut up and get the fuck out of our way.”

Sol’s temper gave me chills.

He glanced back over his shoulder at all of us. “Kaila, Sandy, you guys grab some extra supplies and try to find a bag. We’re taking everything we can. Rodney, Wolfe, you two help Doug to his feet. Aster? I need you to see if you can find some more lanterns or flashlights.” I nodded and began to search around. Willie remained still and glared back at Sol.

The rest of us all moved with haste to do as Solomon asked. Kaila and Sandy returned to the front room with a small backpack filled with medical supplies and extra things to help Doug. I found a second lantern in Willie’s room and lit it with the lighter I kept. We all gathered around as Sol laid out an old camp map we found, and Kaila aimed her flashlight at the map.

“There.” He tapped along the faded paper and spoke. “This is the trail you guys should take. The normal one will be flooded by now and isn’t safe. Head this way and try to stay away from the trees.”

“Why?” Kaila asked.

Sol looked up at Wolfe, then me, before Wolfe spoke up. “Because that’s where things tend to keep happening.”

“You guys are ridiculous,” Willie groaned.

Sol raised his brows and sighed. “I’ll head this way towards Cabin Six. And as long as the path from the cabin to the cafeteriais clear, I should be able to meet you guys back there in no time.” Everyone understood the plan and prepared to head out. Sol walked back over to Willie and slapped the map against his chest as he handed it to him. They held a silent exchange before Sol took one last look at Wolfe and smiled. “Meet you guys at the cafeteria.” He raised the hood of his small jacket and bolted out into the rain. We all held our breath and watched as his silhouette faded into the darkness.

“How are we supposed to get Doug to the cafeteria?” Rodney asked. “I mean, I’m not strong enough to carry him. Neither is Wolfe.”

Kaila snapped her fingers. “There’s a cot in the nursing station. Maybe we could use it and work together to carry him?”

Doug scoffed at her plan. “A cot? No thanks, I’d rather just bleed out here!”

Willie rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to bleed out, Doug. I’ll carry you.” We all exchanged a similar look between each other. “What? Think I can’t do it?”

More like we don’t trust you.

“Oh, come on, guys. Aside from Sol, I’m the strongest one here!” He walked over to Doug. “I’ll be as gentle as I can and carry you over to the cafeteria, okay? Besides, if we take the path Sol suggested, there’s no way you guys are going to be able to bring that cot.” Doug hesitated before nodding to Willie. “Alright.” He carefully braced himself and scooped Doug up. Doug cried out and winced as Willie settled him in his arms. “There.” Willie smiled. “All safe.”

Doug rolled his eyes. “I feel like a fucking damsel in distress.” He noticed Kaila and Sandy smirking. “Hey, knock it off!”

Willie shook his head. “What’s wrong, Doug? Don’t like having a big, strong man saving you?”

Doug’s face burned red. “Knock it off!”

Everyone laughed a little. It was a nice reprieve from the seriousness of our situation. And truthfully, I think we all needed it.

“Alright.” Willie carried Doug towards the broken cabin door. “Kaila, you lead the way with the flashlight. Rodney, you take the lantern and head up the back. The rest of you? Stay close. We need to stick together and keep an eye open. This storm isn’t letting up anytime soon, and the last thing we need to do is to get lost out there in the dark.” I raised the hood from the jacket he’d given me and zipped it up tight. “Let’s go!”

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