Page 98 of Into the Mist

Ford straightened. His smile widened. “Absolutely. My headache is completely gone, and I don’t feel dizzy anymore.”

“Really? That’s awesome!” Gemma spoke enthusiastically and then grimaced in pain and staggered so that Stella had to steady her.

“How areyoufeeling now?”

“My head hurts and I’m kinda dizzy,” said Gemma. “And, uh, I may puke.”

Stella nodded slowly. “Imani, I think you should warm that soup. Be sure Gemma eats—slowly—and also drinks a full bottle of water and then rests.”

“I—I don’t want to take water from the kids,” said Gemma as she rubbed her forehead.

“I have a water purifier in my pack.” Ford gestured for Mercury to turn around. He unzipped an outside pocket and pulled out aneatly packed water purifying kit. “You can get all the fresh water you need. The instructions are still in the case.”

“Y’all, it’s dusk. We need to go,” said Mercury.

“Where are we going to say we’ve been?” asked Karen.

“I have our fiction ready. I’ll give you the details on the way,” said Mercury. “See y’all soon.” She turned to head up the gentle slope when Cayden detached himself from his sister and ran to her, wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly. She smoothed his hair and rubbed his back. “Thank you for the hug.”

He looked up at her, tears poised in his worried gaze.

“Hey, I’m coming back. Promise.”

Cayden released her, but instead of returning to his sister, he stared up at Stella.

“Oh, I get it,” Stella said. “Yes, we’re coming back—and that includes Mercury.”

Cayden nodded somberly and turned back to hug Mercury again, and as he did, she glanced at Stella—and Mercury’s breath caught in her throat. Her best friend wasn’t looking at her, but instead stared into the distance as pain flashed across her face—and Mercury Elizabeth Rhodes shivered as if someone had just walked over her grave.

CHAPTER

30

“IDO NOT LIKEa town with no electricity. Right now in particular.” Karen spoke softly, rubbing her crucifix between her forefinger and thumb. They were walking down the center of the residential street Ford said would lead them back to highway 97 and the best way to enter Madras. “It may seem childish, but I have never been comfortable with the dark. I don’t mean to be ghoulish, but it makes the houses seem like tombs, especially as we know there are probably dead people within.”

Stella wiped at the rain slipping past the hood of the jacket she’d taken from Timberline’s boutique. She, too, spoke in hushed tones, as if not wanting to disturb the dead. “It reminds me of the Tulsa icepocalypse of 2007. Remember, Acorn?”

“I’ll never forget it. And I’ll always be glad we were having wine at my condo the night it hit. We were totally iced in for a week.”

“Your fireplace saved us,” said Stella.

Mercury laughed softly. “I still thank the Goddess that I’d just made a run to Columbia Liquor and was stocked up.” She glanced at Karen. “How long were you without electricity?”

“Ten days. It was miserable,” said Karen.

“I remember reading about that,” said Ford. “The pictures looked like a hurricane had hit Tulsa.”

“It was bad,” Mercury said. Then she grinned at Stella. “But those snow days were so, so good.”

“Fuckin’ A they were.” Stella returned her grin.

“All those snow days really messed up my lesson plans,” said Karen.

Even in the dark Mercury and Stella shared an eye roll.

“There’s the highway,” Ford said. “Good. My head’s starting to ache again.” He glanced at Stella as the four of them climbed the on ramp and walked down the middle of the deserted highway into Madras. “So, Gemma’s extra powers definitely have to do with healing.”

“About that,” Stella said. “We need to not say anything about our, uh,extraabilities. And I mean none of them. Agreed?”