The Remedy (22 page)

Instead, Phil ceased his tapping and turned his chin to the left, loudly cracking the stiff bones of his aging neck, then rolled his neck the other direction, before returned his gaze to his captive.

“Are you familiar with the motto of the United States Navy?”

Jake was caught off guard. “Um,” he said, suddenly feeling as if he were on a twisted version of
Jeopardy
. “I know
Semper Fi
is the Marines. And then there’s ‘Be All You Can Be’…but that’s the Army, right?”

Mercifully, Phil cut off his nervous blather. “It’s
Non sibi sed patriae
. Do you know what that means?”

Jake just shook his head.

“ ‘Not for self, but country.’ ”

“Oh…kay.”

Phil chuckled. “They may just be mere words to someone like you,” he said, raising his chin with pride. “But to me and others like me, it’s code, even after one’s days of military service have come to an end. Maybe we can’t always protect our
entire
nation, but a man can certainly do all he can for his home. And that, sir, is exactly what I did.”

Jake’s vision began to blur, and he realized he hadn’t blinked once in the last minute or so. He averted his gaze so Phil wouldn’t mistake his watery eyes for those of fear. He stared out the four-paned window behind his captor. The glass revealed nothing but darkness outside. Not that there would be anything to see in the daylight.

What about Doug?

Doug was probably starting to wonder what was taking Jake so long, and would quite possibly turn around and return at any moment. But while Jake could certainly use the assistance right about now, he hoped Doug would stay wherever he was. Phil would undoubtedly hear the engine of the approaching ATV and spot the vehicle’s headlight long before Doug stuck his head through the front door. The younger ranger wouldn’t stand a chance.

Phil, who had noticed the vigil Jake was keeping on the window, turned to see what was so captivating. With nothing outside but the silhouettes of tree branches against the night sky, he looked back at Jake with a confident smile.

“Doug won’t be coming back,” he said. “I’m sure he’s nice and preoccupied right now. Now, what was I saying?”

Jake looked the man right in the eyes. “Some shit about Uncle Sam, I think.”

“Ah, yes. When I returned home, Embry was not as I left it. The lumber industry was extinct. The town’s economic survival had been put entirely in the hands of outsiders: tourists. Summer vacationers, hikers, and day-trippers. But who in their right mind would risk exposing themselves to a fungus that eats a person’s entire body? Embry seemed like a lost cause, destined to the same fate as so many ghost towns of the Old West. But then I met Seymour Cedar.”

For the first time since Phil had begun his autobiographical rant, Jake’s head shot up in interest. “Seymour Cedar? The guy we found axed to death on my first day out?”

“That would be the one.” Phil uncrossed his legs and removed the rifle from his lap. With an arthritic crack, he sat up and paced to the window. Staring out through the glass, he continued his story.

“I was about your age the day I met him. I’d just gotten a job with the Forest Service, solely because I didn’t know what else to do. Reports of the fungal disease had significantly dwindled, and the local chamber of commerce was beginning to discuss how to raise Embry’s appeal and make it the woodsy vacation destination it had once been. With the risk of infection lower, I figured the best way to help was to get right to the source of the problem: the forest. My plan was to just start exploring the woods and hope I stumbled upon a solution. Turns out, that’s precisely what I did.”

A slight numb prickle was now tingling Jake’s left buttock, and he shifted his weight. The ropes allowed just enough movement to relieve the pressure from his tailbone, but the discomfort remained. Jake breathed through his nose in order to control his frustration.

“And how’s that, Phil?”

The older man rubbed his eyes. “I stepped on a yellow jacket nest. Goddamn things swarmed me instantly, so I took off running. I had no idea what direction I was heading in; all I cared about was getting away from those stingers. Hard to say how long I ran, but by the time I’d lost the last yellow jacket I was staring at a cabin I’d never seen before. There was smoke coming from the chimney so I knew someone was in there. With the thought of putting some cold water on my stings, I didn’t think twice about knocking on the door.

“Unfortunately, no one answered so I moseyed around the back and found one of those old-fashioned water pumps. My wrist was beginning to swell, so I started pumping away and dunked it under the flow. The cold water had just about numbed the sting when there came Seymour, aiming a shotgun right at my chest. I, of course, threw up my hands and said ‘Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!’ And that’s when I saw this fuzzy green bracelet wrapped around my wrist.”

Jake glanced up from the floor. “You caught it?”

“Yep,” Phil said matter-of-factly. “And though I wouldn’t admit this to just anyone, I panicked like I’d just gotten bit in the face by a rattler. Totally forgot about the double barrels aimed at my midriff. Just stood there, grasping my arm at the elbow and blabbering, ‘Oh shit oh shit oh shit!’ or some nonsense. Didn’t notice Seymour walk up to my side, but somehow he got close enough to grab my wrist and say, ‘Look what you’ve done here. Don’t you know that pump pulls water right from Emerald Lake? Well c’mon, ya dumbshit. Let’s go.’

“Next thing I know he’s leading me inside, sitting me down at his kitchen table, and hands me a tin cup filled with something dark. Looked like black coffee. ‘You better drink this,’ he said, ‘and I’ll cook you up some meat. Better make myself some, too, just in case.’

“I looked at the cup and saw that this wasn’t no coffee. When I asked him what it was he grabbed the shotgun again and shouted, ‘Drink!’ So that’s what I did. It tasted like old rainwater but thick as maple syrup. I downed the whole thing.”

“What was it?”

“I’m getting to that,” Phil said, putting up a hand. “I didn’t know what it was at the time, either, but I did know that my heart rate was starting to slow, my breath coming a little bit easier now. It had literally only been about thirty seconds since I finished the mystery drink but I just felt…
better
. It’s hard to put into words, but it didn’t even occur to me to so much as glance at my fucking green bracelet of a wrist.

“Instead, I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the high I was getting off of Seymour’s homemade concoction. Hell, the stuff was better than moonshine. I savored the air flowing into my lungs and the peaceful sound of the breeze blowing through the branches outside. And a wonderful smell—the most delicious, heavenly scent I’d ever smelled—was coming from Seymour’s stove. When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was my wrist. My perfectly healthy, normal-looking wrist.”

Phil paused to let this information hit Jake with full force. The younger man cleared his throat and said, “Hold on, Phil, back up a second. Either I must not have understood you, or you must not be remembering right, because what you just said is impossible. You were cured of the fungus?”

Phil winked.

“Jesus, man, are you getting early onset Alzheimer’s? You’ve read the newspapers. You’ve seen the pictures of the loggers with stumps for hands because they had no choice but to amputate. Try again.”

The older man smiled and shook his head like a schoolteacher facing a student who thinks he knows better. He then returned to his chair, placing the rifle across his legs again. “Yes, Jake, we’ve both read the articles. And seen the pictures. But you never had the pleasure of eating dinner with Seymour Cedar. And he didn’t share his discovery with you—the secret to survival in Embry, Vermont. Only he knew about the remedy. And now I did, too.”

Jake swallowed hard, a bowling ball-sized lump traveling down his throat. “The…remedy?”

Phil leaned forward, staring Jake right in the eyes. “Flesh and blood. Human flesh and blood.”

There was a beat of silence.

And then Jake erupted in laughter.

“You, sir, are a crazy son of a bitch, you know that?” He let loose a few more hoots. “Soylent green is people! It’s people! Fuck me, we’re supposed to be friends. The least you could’ve done is shot me in the head and spared me the longest joke in history.”

Phil’s face remained stoic.

“I suppose that’s how I would’ve reacted, too, had a glass of blood not instantly cured my life-threatening disease. So I don’t take offense at your disbelief.”

“Hey, I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have laughed. And I appreciate the efforts you’ve gone through to convince me. Tying me up, the gun in my face. It was just because you just wanted me to listen. I get it. But you obviously need some help, Phil. I didn’t go to an Ivy League school, but I’m smart enough to realize when a troubled friend is reaching out.”

The captor cocked his head at the captive. It was impossible to tell what was going through the busted gears of Phil’s broken mind. When the older ranger finally spoke, he said, “You really are a good man, Jake. A good friend, too. That’s why I’m telling you this. A lesser man would’ve already been taken care of by now, but you deserve to know the truth. You deserve a chance.”

Both men flinched at a sudden thump against the window. Jake caught a glimpse of the fluttering wings of a bat before it continued on with its hunt of insects.

Jake turned his head back from the window. “What do you mean, a chance?”

“A chance to join our cause, Jake. I know you care about this town as much as I do. I know you would’ve done the exact same thing if Seymour had shown you the bodies in his basement. If he’d explained to you how he and his family nabbed a drifter now and then and stored them in their cellar to be consumed later. Wouldn’t you have listened if he had proposed that as long as you let them capture a hiker or camper now and then, they’d never let an infected person escape the woods? What loyal Embry native would say no to that?

“Seymour and his clan are the sole reason that reports of fungal infection have dropped to basically zero. As long as they are allowed to hunt, tourists will believe the disease had gone completely extinct. So after talking over the best steak I’ve ever tasted, Seymour and I came to an agreement. He and his family would do their part, and I would do mine.”

“Yours?” Jake still didn’t believe the old man, but he couldn’t help but take the bait.

“As I’m sure you can imagine, I couldn’t have every hiker and camper disappearing—it would bring far too much negative attention to our town. And what would that solve? So I started handing out my provisions at the ranger station where every visitor has to check in. As you’ve seen with your own eyes, people will accept anything if it’s free. So as long as they took a complimentary stick of jerky or one of our other meat products, I knew they’d be safe for the duration of their visit. And if a vegetarian comes our way, all it takes is, ‘Oh please, try our jerky substitute.’ Turns out soy strips soaked overnight in blood work just as well.

“But every once in a while, we get a stubborn son of a bitch, or a poacher or trespasser who doesn’t check in, and that’s when the Cedar family takes over. Or I suppose I should say, when a very unfortunate bear attack could happen.”

Phil winked again but Jake ignored it.

“Listen, man, I won’t pretend to know what’s going on inside your head, but I’m sure you still got enough of your wits left to realize the holes in your story,” Jake said. “So let’s take a minute and think about it: if human blood or flesh was the only sure way to avoid catching that damn fungus, we would’ve had to ingest some ourselves every time before heading out into the woods. I mean, come on, we’re out there just about every single day. And I don’t know about you, but I know my breakfast has been eggs and toast every single day since I started working for the forestry department. Not a finger or an eyeball anywhere on my plate. So, how do you explain that?”

“Well,” Phil said, turning the rifle over in his lap “allow me to answer that question by asking you another: besides a hearty breakfast, what else do you consume to start each day?”

The answer Phil was fishing for was obvious enough. “You’re talking about the coffee.”

The older ranger nodded. “Exactly. I’ve been brewing up a fresh pot every morning and offering you a cup since your first day. I doubt you’ve ever thought twice about the cup I put in your hand, but for as often as we’re in the woods, constant inoculations are necessary so the immunity doesn’t wear off. Lucky for both of us, I’ve never seen you turn down my special roast.”

Before Jake could offer anything in reply, Phil was unbuttoning the cuffs of his uniform sleeves and rolling them up.

Jake’s mouth hung open as he stared at Phil’s forearms. The aged flesh of his underarms were completely covered in old scars, countless nicks where a straight razor had drawn blood from the tender skin. It was if someone had tried to trace constellations between his freckles and liver spots, leaving his arms looking like a game of tic-tac-toe.

“Holy fuck. Phil…” Jake’s statement came out as a whisper.

Phil rolled his sleeves back down. “It’s not as bad as it looks. It doesn’t hurt, but it does leave me looking like a piece of sharpening leather. But nothing comes without sacrifice. These scars mark my commitment and devotion to my home. I wear them with pride.”

Jake fought back the urge to gag, an unexpected sour taste overtaking his tongue. Phil’s self-inflicted mutilation had catapulted this situation into a realm where Jake was an outsider, utterly unprepared how to handle the world around him. He was becoming aware that the room was spinning and picking up speed.

I’ve been drinking his blood. All these years, I’ve been drinking his blood
.

“So now here we are.” Phil stood up, stretching his neck and producing a pair of loud cracks. “And now you know the truth. So what next? That’s the question, isn’t it?”

He looked down at Jake as if he actually expected an answer.

“Well, Phil, if I didn’t know you any better, I’d say you were going to kill me now to keep your secret safe.”