I'm Going to Carry You Home

Part 3

And how was I to know? I'm not strong- I should have saved you. And oh- I hope you know...that you're my home
Backwards steps were inevitable, because life was never kind enough to the broken to give them a happy ending. None of them had expected it to be such a far leap. People started disappearing, vanishing from the safety of the camp that was supposed to protect them.
It made Kayla stay up at night, looking like a little owl in her blanket burrito, eyes firmly fixed on the sleeping forms of her two brothers to make sure neither of them disappeared. She would not let herself lose more.
It made Will anxious. He spent less time in the infirmary and more time with his siblings, hoping that by his presence, he'd be able to ward off any potential evils from touching them. He glowed at night purposefully, letting himself be a nightlight in the cabin while he slept, praying that his light would protect the others from monsters or whatever was stealing campers.
It made Nico lose more sleep than he already did, flitting between checking on Will and checking on Will's siblings. He stopped bringing Kayla to McDonald's and started bringing it to her, instead, not willing to risk her crossing the borders they were still half-sure were working. He moved into the cabin almost permanently, and whenever he woke up from his fitful sleep, he'd see Will's glowing hair lighting up the room (almost like in the movies when people left their house lights on after they left for vacation, Nico realized) and he'd see Kayla's tired eyes trying their best to stay awake and watch Will.
"Go to sleep," he'd say.
She'd shake her head. "I can't lose him."
And he had no argument, because how could you argue against protecting those you loved? It was what he was doing, too.