One by One

by Freida McFadden

Belladonna berries look very much like blueberries. They’re shiny black, about half an inch in size, and they’re sweet. The berries are highly toxic. They cause delirium and hallucinations, and they disrupt the body’s ability to regulate its sweating, heart rate, and breathing. Eventually, seizures and cardiovascular failure will occur. Early humans made poisonous arrows using belladonna. In an adult, fifteen to twenty berries are enough to kill you. A child could die from two or three.

Noah has his phone in his hand. My eyes light up when I notice he has a single bar. But then he shakes his head. “No service,” he says.

“She’s dead, Claire. And if we don’t get moving, we will be too.”

“Thanks for offering to stay,” I say to him. He’s quiet for a moment. “I’m really glad you didn’t eat any of those berries.” Me too.

“That’s why mosquitoes bite you so often,” Warner says. “Mosquitoes love type O blood.”

He lifts his bloodshot eyes. “I lied.” It takes him a minute to assemble the pieces of the rifle.

Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should live another day I pray the Lord to guide my way. Amen.