“Oh, shit.” Luther’s eyes widened, even less able to hide his emotions than I was. “What do you need me to do?”

Thank God for Luther’s steadiness, and willingness to help. He was such a rock when I needed it most, and I was clinging to him for all he was worth. “I need you to sit with him while I boil some water. It might be too late to stop the infection from spreading, but I have to try.” I paused, frowning. “I just don’t understand how he didn’t notice. We could’ve treated this so easily if we had caught it right away.”

“Hydrogen peroxide is in the pantry.” Luther was already walking towards Felix’s bedroom.

At Felix’s door, Luther paused. His eyes widened, and his face paled. He swallowed hard, and then shifted his face before he turned back to me, trying to put on a calm face for my benefit. But it was too late, because I had seen his true reaction. “If that spider really was a black widow, you often don’t feel the bites, but you would react to the venom. Or maybe he got a secondary infection from the soil. Let’s hope not both, and that it doesn’t turn necrotic.”

I tried to ignore the last words he said, because they weren’t going to be a reality for Felix. We could ride out the venom, and I’d stop the infection before it got any worse. He was going to be absolutely fine. Except I couldn’t stop the thoughts from cycling as I made my way downstairs. Because while I knew how to handle Theo’s withdrawal, having experienced it before, I had no idea about venom or how to treat an infection without medication. Dad knew his limits, so any bites or scrapes I had gotten as a child were treated with antibiotics as soon as they began to turn red. A quick trip to the doctor usually sorted it all out in a matter of days. But we didn’t have access to a doctor. We were trapped in this godforsaken house with supplies from 1907.

I filled the kettle with water, and set it on the old stovetop. Then I sat down in the old kitchen chair. While I waited for it to boil, I started to cry. For the first time in the house, I let myself cave to everything I felt—bad and good. I felt utterly and completely stuck. We didn’t have doctors. We didn’t have medical supplies. We couldn’t leave the house. And Felix was either poisoned or infected. Two very bad words.