“Imani and I already tried to do that this morning,” said Ford. “We couldn’t reach her, but Imani said we should drive the truck up as high as we can in the hills. That might help the signal stretch to Timberline.”
“That’s a good idea,” said Mercury.
They were silent as the truck topped the incline and the town of Mitchell stretched before them.
“Uh, this is a town?” Mercury said.
“Yep, to about one hundred and twenty-five people,” said Ford.
“Shit,” Stella said as she braked the truck. “It’s a valley. This is not going to be cool. At all.”
“What are those black things on the street and in front of the—” Mercury began, and then she understood and echoed Stella. “Shit!”
“They’re crows on bodies. Aw, man.” Ford shook his head. “A lot of bodies.”
Vehicles, mostly trucks and old SUVs clogged the two-lane that went through town. Around the vehicles, in the street and on the sidewalks that butted up to the parking spaces that lined the highway, were dead people. Many of them were deflated sacks of skin and clothes, but some—the women—had remained intact so that it was obvious they’d died sometime after the flattened men. Mostly it seemed they died from injuries that happened either after or during the earthquakes.
Stella steered the truck slowly around vehicles as clouds of dark birds lifted from their feast. She tried not to run over the remains of anyone, but had little choice. The three of them cringed and shuddered as the truck’s wheels squished along the street.
“Do you see anyone alive?” Mercury’s voice was hushed.
“I don’t think there is anyone left alive,” said Ford. “Look at this. Nothing’s been moved—except by those carrion birds. It looks like the entire town was wiped out.”
“Mitchell is in a valley,” Stella said. “It must have been completely filled with the green fog, and until the storm blew through two days later, chances are the fog just sat here.”
Ford nodded. “It’s like Warm Springs. Remember, I told you I could see the fog was still there, even days after the bombs.”
“Yeah, that town was in a low valley too,” said Stella.
“But no one lived? No one was like us, able to survive the fog and change because of it?” Mercury turned her gaze from the bloated bodies of two women who had died with their arms around each other.
“They were exposed too long?” Stella stopped the truck in the middle of the road and look at Mercury. “This is proof that we can’t even continue to expose ourselves to that stuff.”
“That makes sense,” Ford said. “It’s logical that the human body can only change so much before it quits being able to adapt. We know it kills men, whether right away or after a few days, it still kills us. You ladies have to stay away from it too—until or unless we can figure out how much exposure becomes deadly.”
Mercury shivered. “I’m not volunteering for that scientific study.”
“Yeah, me neither,” said Stella. “This is going to be gruesome, but let’s get as much stuff loaded as quickly as we can and then get the hell out of here.”
“I’m all for that.” Mercury redid the ponytail she’d hastily pulled her hair up into before they left the Painted Hills. “I really do not like dead things.”
“Just remember that they can’t hurt you, Acorn, but I’m with ya. I don’t like them either. Makes me feel like someone’s watching us.” Stella let the truck creep forward again. “Okay, jackpot! Up there on the left side of the street, next to that little post office, is the Wheeler County Trading Company—and I do believe that sign also says groceries, sporting goods, and hardware.”
“It does! And across the street is the Feed ’n’ Farm.” Ford pointed. “There should be garden seed in there and tools, like the shovels and picks we need to dig the latrine. Oh, and also Imani’s straw and sand.”
“Maybe they’ll have some chickies?” Mercury said hopefully, then her shoulders sagged. “But it’s been six days since the apocalypse. They’re probably dead chickies by now.”
“I’ll check,” said Ford. “Stella, if you stop in the middle of the street between the two stores, I’ll take the Feed ’n’ Farm—”
“And we’ll take the grocery,” Mercury finished for him.
“I’ll turn the truck around so that we can get out of here fast. We’ve seen how the green fog can creep into low places without any warning,” said Stella.
“Are your spidey senses tingling?” Mercury asked.
“We need to be here. I know that. But I’m also thoroughly creeped out—so much so that I can’t tell if it’s my intuition screaming to hurry and get the fuck out, or just regular ol’ common sense.”
“Either way, let’s be fast,” said Ford.