Page 39 of Into the Mist

“Well, no. Of course not.”

“Then have a few sips. It’s the fucking apocalypse, Karen.”

Karen looked from Stella to Mercury, who sipped from her own glass, shrugged, and told her, “I’m gonna cut your finger here in a sec, so you might want to have a drink.”

“Plus, what was Jesus’s first reported miracle?” said Jenny with a grin.

“Our Lord did turn water into wine…” Karen lifted her chin and took the glass from Stella. “Just a little, please. I’m not used to it.”

Stella poured Karen and herself a glass as Mercury stood and opened her big suitcase-like purse. The women watched silently while she pulled out four steak knives and four small, round new potatoes. She passed the knives and the potatoes out.

“I didn’t sanitize them, but I did bring some antiseptic from the kitchen first aid kit, along with Band-Aids. Though if you’re anything like me, you won’t need the Band-Aids long.” Mercury lifted her hand so that they could see her finger—the one she’d cut just a few hours before. The only evidence left to show that it had been injured was a small pink line.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Imani.

“Well, I hope I have the magic blood,” said Stella firmly as she sat on the edge of one of the beds and pressed the knife against her thumb. She sucked in air as scarlet beaded the small wound, and then squeezed until the beading dripped onto her potato.

Mercury took the potato and handed her the antiseptic and a Band-Aid. “’Kay, I’m going to put these on the bedside table under the lamp. First one on the left is Stella’s.”

“Ouch, fuck!” said Jenny as she cut herself. “I hate knives.” Then she exchanged her blood-spattered potato for a Band-Aid and some salve.

“Jenny’s is beside Stella’s. Who’s next?”

“Well, shit. I’ll do it,” said Imani. She bit her bottom lip as she quickly cut her finger and bled on the spud while she averted her gaze. She still kept her head turned when she handed Mercury the potato. “I really hate seeing my own blood.”

Jenny smiled and scooted over nearer Imani. “Here, I’ll put on the salve and the Band-Aid. You don’t have to look.”

“Thanks, I’ll drink.”

“Karen?” Mercury asked.

The older woman held her breath and pressed the blade to her finger. “Ooh! Stings!” Then she wiped her blood on the potato and gave it to Mercury.

Mercury placed them on the nightstand and pointed as she called out. “From left to right—Stella, Jenny, Imani, and Karen. I’ll take more wine.”

“I’ll gawk at the potatoes,” said Jenny. “Oh, and take more wine too.”

Stella refreshed wineglasses and put more wood on the fire. With everyone curled up in the middle of heaps of blankets and pillows wearing entirely too big pajamas in bold red and black plaid flannel, it almost seemed as if they’d closed the door on the apocalypse. Then Mercury cleared her throat and broke the interlude.

“So, I’m just gonna say it. I agree with what the doc was saying. That green stuff kills men.”

Stella sat cross-legged beside her on one of the queen beds. She nodded contemplatively as she swirled the bold red wine around her crystal balloon. “Fucking A right it does.”

Karen had chosen the trundle bed, and she perched primly on its edge, where the group had dragged it to warm near the hearth. She swallowed a sip of wine and looked up at Stella, brow furrowed. “Does that mean you think it’s a good thing?”

Stella shrugged. “Not necessarily. But if I could choose, I’d sure as hell have it kill more men than, say,us.”

Jenny had her legs pulled to her chest as she rested against the headboard of the other queen bed she shared with Imani. She picked at her lip. “It killed Amelia.”

“Did it?” Mercury said. “Or did it kill her baby boy in a way that caused her to hemorrhage to death?”

“We don’t even know whatitis,” said Imani. She held a glass of wine, but had barely touched it.

“That green stuff,” said Mercury. “The fog, whatever—that’s whatitis. I think it’s a biological agent that breaks something inside men and makes them bleed out.”

“And it also did something to your blood, and now you make potatoes grow.” Jenny fluttered her fingers a little tipsily at Mercury.

“Doesn’t mean I know shit, though,” said Mercury.