Page 103 of Into the Mist

“Nope—what Stella said: you’ve been great. We’ve been walking for three days, and we’re pretty beat. I’m sure we’ll be asleep very soon.”

“Well then, I will see you tomorrow. Oh my goodness! I almost forgot. Tomorrow evening we’re going to have a gathering at Sahalee Park, right down the street from here. There will be food and music. The mayor calls it our first Post-Apocalypse Madras Festival.” Amber laughed softly at their surprised expressions. “Yes, I know. It seemsodd to have a festival in the middle of a disaster that has changed our world and cost so many their lives, but Mayor Cruz believes it will be good for morale to remind everyone that some normalcy remains, as well as joy.”

“I think that sounds lovely,” said Karen.

Amber squeezed Karen’s arm warmly. “As do I. Welcome to Madras.” She breezed past them, and the door closed silently behind her.

“Jesus Christ. She’s a Stepford wife,” said Stella.

“Shh!” Mercury said as she hurried to the door. She paused, and then very carefully cracked it, pressing her ear to the small opening. She heard Amber and Moira’s voices—Amber’s cool and reserved—Moira’s louder and obviously angry. Though she strained, she couldn’t make out words. Then the voices stopped, and the door to the classroom down the hall slammed shut. Silently, Mercury closed the door. “I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Moira is definitely pissed.”

“And mentally ill,” said Karen.

“Oh please, Karen. We don’t know that’s the truth,” said Mercury.

“We also don’t know that itisn’tthe truth,” insisted Karen.

“Fine. We’ll leave the topic of Moira’s mental health for later, but blood tests?” Mercury said. “Blood fucking tests?”

“Perhaps Amber is being honest,” said Karen as she walked to one of the cots and put her backpack down beside it. “Why does everything have to be nefarious?”

“Seriously, Karen?” Stella shook her head.

“Well, one can hope!” Karen said.

“They know!” Stella rounded on Karen. “Stop being so fucking naive and desperate to like that woman and this place because Amber kept saying they’reblessedand the town isgodly—which is a stupid fucking reason to think a school can’t have a shooter.”

Truth!” said Mercury.

“I refuse to judge her prematurely.” Karen set her chin stubbornly.

“Wake up, Karen. They know the green fog changes blood, and they clearly want to know whose blood has been changed. If it wasn’t for ‘nefarious’”—Stella air-quoted the word—“reasons, Amber would be honest with us, like we were with the doc and the rest of thesurvivors back at the lodge after we figured it out. Shit, Karen, I don’t even need my ramped-up intuition to understand that— just half a damn brain and a dose of common sense.”

Ford nodded. “I gotta agree with Stella. Amber sounded fishy as hell, especially about that woman down the hall. Also, am I the only one who noticed those two men, Ron and Wes, were concealing handguns under their jackets?”

“Oh shit! I didn’t notice that,” said Mercury.

“Neither did I,” said Stella.

Karen sighed dramatically. “We’recarrying a concealed weapon in our backpack. For protection! Why can’t it be as simple as that with those two men?”

“The short answer is because Stella’s gut says something could be off here,” said Mercury. “The longer answer is we’ve been here less than an hour, and I don’t need Stella’s gut to tell me Amber isn’t being honest with us.”

“Not to mention the chained-up doors and windows, which arenotto classrooms, painted black,” Stella said. “You know that’s not normal.”

Ford ran a hand through his dark hair. “I don’t know about school stuff like the three of you, but I do know they won’t be taking my blood.”

“Ditto,” said Mercury.

“Right there with the two of you,” said Stella.

Karen began going through her backpack and pulling out semi-dry clothes. She said nothing.

CHAPTER

31

MERCURY ANDFORDexchanged backpacks, and then the four of them each pulled out a change of clothes from their packs and made their way through the silent halls to the gymnasium. From there it was easy to find the locker rooms. Mercury wanted to stand in the stream of hot water forever, but whether Amber was nefarious or not, it wasn’t right to selfishly use up generator power.