Into the Mist (Into the Mist 1)

“That we should stop here. That’s it. Right now I can’t tell if it’s me worried about the green stuff and bands of marauding assholes, or my intuition.”

Mercury scanned the area around them as she spoke. “I say let’s all get out, have a bathroom break, confer with Karen about where we are, let the kids stretch their legs, and then head into the last stretch without stopping.”

“My gut says that’s a decent plan,” said Stella.

They climbed out of the cab and went to the rear of the truck to let down the tailgate and lift the camper shell window. Karen crawled stiffly out of the bed of the truck, with Imani and the three kids following closely.

“’Kay, huddle up for a sec,” Mercury said, and the small group clustered around her. The twins held their sister’s hand and remained silent, though they didn’t look as wan as they had when she and Stella had plucked them from their porch. All three kids, as well as Gemma, gravitated to Imani, which didn’t surprise Mercury at all. “So, we’ll stop here to go to the bathroom and whatever else you need to do.” She pointed down at the river. It flowed well below the level of the road, and the current moved so quickly that white caps lifted around boulders and hunks of dead trees. The steep bank that framed it gave way to a wide, rocky shoreline. Just a few yards to their left was a small cluster of junipers and shorter, gnarly-looking vegetation Mercury thought might be sagebrush. “You can have some privacy over there by the junipers, but y’all need to listen up: Be vigilant.” She paused when Georgie raised her hand. Mercury called on the girl. “Georgie?”

“Jayden and Cayden don’t know what that means.”

“Oh, sorry.” She smiled at the silent boys. “It just means not to get distracted. Keep an eye on what’s going on around you.”

“Like, in case there are more bad men?” asked Georgie.

“There are no bad men close to us right now,” said Stella.

Mercury nodded. “If Stella says that, you can be sure it’s true. What we’re mostly worried about is the green fog. You know it’s dangerous, right?”

Georgie nodded somberly.

Mercury drew a deep breath before she continued. “So, you and Jayden and Cayden understand how important it is to stay on the lookout for it, right?”

Georgie nodded again and the boys mimicked her.

“Do not let it touch you,” said Stella. “If you see any, get away from it as fast as you can, and holler for help.”

The kids stared from Stella to Mercury with wide, frightened eyes.

“Hey, I have to pee. How about I go with you three down to the river?” Gemma made a show of squinting her eyes and peering at the bank. “I see some crazy big boulders down there. We could each potty behind one—no problem.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” said Imani. “I’m going to talk to Mercury and Stella for a sec, then I’ll join you down by the river. It’ll feel good to walk around a little. Jayden and Cayden, I’d love for you to help me with one of my favorite hobbies. Can you two guess what that could be?”

The boys didn’t say anything, but their eyes brightened as their gazes lifted from scanning the riverbank to Imani. Slowly, both shook their heads.

“I collect heart rocks!” Imani said with a grin. “And you two are the perfect height to make sure I don’t miss any. Plus, I’m a science teacher, and I can tell you what the rocks are made of and maybe even how old they might be.”

“Oh, they’d like that,” said Georgie.

“Then it’s a date! Gemma, I’ll be down there soon. Oh, and here.” Imani reached inside the open tailgate, grabbed a roll of toilet paper, and tossed it to Gemma. “Don’t forget this.”

“Got it!” Gemma tucked the roll under her arm and led the three kids to the incline. She helped them down, and then they made their way to the bank. Gemma slid down it first, then turned and lifted each of the three kids down.

“She’s a really good girl,” said Imani as they watched the four young ones walk over big, round rocks as they headed to the river.

“Yeah, she’s a keeper,” said Stella. “Ladies, I have a prickly feeling about Warm Springs and Madras.”

Mercury’s brows went up. “Should we not go to Madras?”

“I still believe we have to, especially knowing Rutland and his goons are somewhere behind us, but I don’t think we’ll be staying long. No, my prickly feeling says that we need to gas up, drive fast through Warm Springs, and then—somewhere close but still outside Madras city center—hide the truck and walk the rest of the way.”

“Stella, we have three children with us.” Karen picked at the hem of her cardigan. “They cannot walk miles.”

“I don’t mean miles. We can hide the truck inside the city limits somewhere. But I know for sure we should not drive it very far into Madras.”

“Then we won’t. We’ll hide it. And we’ll carry the boys if we have to. They’re small and skinny. They can’t weigh much,” said Mercury.

“I still wish we didn’t have to walk.” Karen’s lips pressed into a line.