Page 38 of Into the Mist

“Nothing on that side of the hotel survived,” said Hilary.

“Well, at least the Cascade Dining Room is well stocked,” said Stella. “That’s something. Let’s get these dishes cleared up, and I’ll check out the egg situation for breakfast.”

“You ladies should choose a few of the ground floor rooms as your own,” Hilary said. “The housekeepers went around andunlocked everything that’s habitable. The family suites have fireplaces. I’ll ask the staff to help me clean up the dishes if you’d like to do that now.”

“No,” Karen said as she stood and brushed off her dirty khaki slacks. “Taking care of hurt people is a lot like taking care of an infant. I know. My father broke his hip last summer, and I was his caregiver. You should sleep when your patients sleep. The ladies and I will clear up the dishes and then choose rooms.”

Hilary nodded wearily. “Thank you. I’ll be in room 101, the first of the suites. I’ll sleep with the door open. Gemma, you should rest too.”

“I will,” said the teenager as she took the doctor’s arm and began to lead her through the foyer. “I’m not tired yet, so I’ll keep an eye on everyone and come get you if I need you.”

“Thank you. You’ve been a lifesaver—all of you have been.” Hilary smiled over her shoulder at them and then trudged away with Gemma, her grace temporarily cast out by exhaustion and grief.

“Let’s get these dishes knocked out, grab a couple stupid-expensive bottles of wine, and find a room. Then we can talk,” said Mercury.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Stella.

The women used luggage trollies to collect the dishes. They moved quickly but quietly, so as not to disturb the sleeping patients, and pushed everything into the dining room. Tyler and Ken had cleared a path for them, so it was easy to get back to the sinks. With assembly-line efficiency, they washed, dried, and put away the dishes.

“Hey, while y’all finish up with this, should I take that big-ass flashlight and go out to the truck and grab some clothes for us?” Jenny looked down at her blood- and dirt-spattered jeans and sweater. “I’m disgusting.”

“No damn way any of us are going outside tonight. Not when we can’t see patches of that green crap,” said Mercury. “But you can go to that boutique. I believe I saw some flannel PJs against the far wall.”

“And the convenience store has toothbrushes and toothpaste,” said Imani. “I’ll grab the flashlight and come with you to get supplies.”

“Go ahead. Karen, Stella, and I will finish up.” Mercury put the bowl she’d just dried on the metal shelf. “I’m going to bring a potato for each of you to our rooms—and a knife.”

They stared at her.

“We need to know,” Mercury said. “Is it just me, or has all of our blood changed?”

“I need to know,” said Imani.

“Ditto,” said Jenny.

“I think we must,” agreed Karen.

Stella’s gaze went to the sprouted potatoes resting in the innocent-looking metal mixing bowl. The green shoots had grown several inches while they were gone. “Yeah. We need to know.”

CHAPTER

12

THEY DECIDED TOshare one suite. It had two queen beds and a sofa bed, as well as a decent-sized trundle. The fireplace was in the bedroom, so that’s where they dragged the mattress from the couch and squeezed in the trundle bed too. One small bedside lamp worked, but the roaring fireplace provided most of the light as well as all of the heat. After they covered the broken windows, stacked blankets across them, and closed the heavy blackout drapes, the room was warm and cozy.

“You think we should stay here?” asked Mercury as Stella opened the first of two bottles of French Bordeaux that would’ve cost them upward of one hundred dollars each.

Karen jolted like she’d been pinched. “Where else would we go? You know how horrible it is out there.”

Stella remained silent, though Mercury noticed she hunched her shoulders and looked suddenly very tired.

“I wish I knew what was going on in the rest of the world,” said Imani.

“Same,” said Jenny as Stella filled her wineglass.

“Oh, no thank you,” Karen said when Stella handed her the next red wine balloon.

“Do you have an alcohol problem?” Stella asked her.