Page 78 of If They Knew

“Karissa! Karissa!” shouts Mary.

“I'm here, Mary. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you,” Karissa responds. I look over at Mary, who is lying on the ground.

“So am I. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you,” I croak out.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Mary whispers, before returning her attention to Karissa.

“The baby formula,” Mary says weakly as whatever Julie just injected into her takes hold. “Get the baby formula!”

Karissa gives her a confused look, and I'm also confused about why she’d need baby formula at a time like this. Mary lifts her head just enough to point towards the closet. I glance over at the closet, then back to Mary again, and realize that she has nearly stopped breathing. She’s trying to speak, but only gurgling noises come out. She is trying to tell me something, but I can't understand her.

“What do I do?” I ask in a panic. Mary coughs, trying to clear her throat.

“Antidote,” Mary answers almost inaudibly. If I weren't right next to her, I would have missed it.

“I’ll find it,” Karissa yells, running to the supply closet. I slowly stand up, hoping the pain will subside, and when it does a little, I'm relieved. I follow Karissa over to the closet, and in the back, I see a small box. It's the only box in the closet, and it's labeled 'cleaning supplies.' Karissa quickly pulls it out and opens it, revealing two cans of baby formula. Karissa grabs a can and opens it—it's sealed with a silver aluminum lid that hasn't been broken. She grabs the other can, and something rattles inside. When Karissa lifts the lid, there's no powder; only a glass vial filled with clear liquid and three needles. I breathe a sigh of relief and follow Karissa back outside. Mary, Theo, and Tyler lie motionless on the floor. Every few seconds, they each take a shallow breath, showing they are still alive. Karissa kneels beside Mary, who isn't responding any longer, and I try to do the same, but with every move I make, a sharp pain runs through me, nearly crippling me. I do my best to breathe through the pain

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I ask, but Karrisa ignores me, focusing on Mary.

“Mary, wake up! What should I do?” shouts Karissa as she shakes Mary's body. Mary lies there, breathing short, shallow breaths like a fish slowly dying out of water.

“Mary, please wake up!” Karissa cries out. Mary doesn't move. Then Karissa raises her hand and slaps Mary across the face. The sudden jolt gets Mary’s attention, and her eyes flutter.

“Oh, thank goodness! What should I do?” Karissa asks, holding the vial up for Mary to see.

Mary whispers, “Five… here,” her hand slowly reaches up and points to the side of her neck.

“What does that mean?” asks Karissa.

I look at the syringe in Karissa's hand. “Maybe she means five units? On the syringe?”

Xander comes up behind me. “Yeah, that's probably what she meant.”

Karissa inserts the needle into the vial and pulls back the plunger until it reaches five. After that, she flicks the syringe to remove any air bubbles and injects it into Mary's neck. Nothing happens. White-hot pain shoots through my stomach, and I let out a piercing scream. Karissa stares at me, and I grab my stomach.

“Help Theo and Tyler!” I scream through gritted teeth.

Without hesitation, Karissa rushes to them. I watch as she repeats the process and then injects into each of their necks. Moments later, Mary sucks in a deep breath beside me and sits up. A few seconds later, I watch Theo and Tyler do the same.

“Where is she?” shouts Theo, so angry that his veins bulge from his forehead.

“Oh fuck. It hurts so much!” Please don't let me lose my baby. I feel a wet sensation between my legs. I look down and see I’m soaked. I feel around, hoping it’s not blood.

Tyler looks up at me, “What is happening?”

“Contractions…I think. When Julie pushed me—ughhhhh—it did something!” I scream.

“Oh my god,” responds Tyler. I look over, and he looks like he is about to pass out again. The pain is nearly all-consuming now, and I drop to the ground, screaming. When I look up, I see Karissa, Sara, Chris, Theo, and Tyler standing around me. They all look like they are trying to help, but I don’t know what to say. I can’t think straight.

“I need you to breathe, Kelly,” says Mary, grabbing my face.

“I am breathing,” I snarl.

“I need someone to grab all the supplies,” says Mary, still holding me.

“What are you doing?” asks Tyler, crouched down, squeezing my hand. I close my eyes and do my best to focus on breathing, in and out.

“I need all the supplies in case we need to move,” says Mary.