David Drayton
David is happily married to Stephanie and is the proud and loving father of Billy, whom he has with him at the supermarket in which they become trapped. He is a commercial artist, successful and well liked. He is the narrator of the novella. David is one of the few survivors of the incident in the supermarket, largely because he takes the initiative and organizes an escape for himself, his son and his small group of allies. He falls foul of Mrs Carmody who does not like him and sees him as a rival for the position of leader; she also earmarks his son for her sacrifice which makes David act even more urgently than he otherwise would have done. He is a good leader, level headed and listened to by the others.
Billy Drayton
Five year old Billy is with his father at the supermarket and is frightened by the experience despite his father's mostly successful attempts to shield him from most of the violence and gore. He is singled out by Mrs Carmody to be the group's sacrifice and is rescued by his father who gets him away from the supermarket by car.
Amanda Dumfries
Amanda carries a gun, which turns out to be a blessing as events spiral out of control within the supermarket. She is a young woman who is married to a very protective man who encourages her to carry a weapon whenever he is out of town. Ollie Weeks uses the gun to kill Mrs Carmody which enables Amanda and the rest of David's group to escape. She is also a survivor of the incident. She is attracted to David, and in the adrenalin-charged atmosphere of the supermarket the two have a brief encounter.
Brent Norton
Norton is at the supermarket with David and Billy, having ridden there with them when his car was out of action due to a fallen tree. This gives a deceptive impression of their relationship; the Nortons and the Draytons do not get along due to a land dispute. Norton does not believe David or Ollie when they report having seen a monster in the mist, and consequently he identifies the supermarket as the more dangerous place, leading a small group out of the door and into the fog. His screams are heard by those who did not follow him and he is assumed dead, killed by the monsters.
Ollie Weeks
The assistant manager of the grocery store where the bulk of the story unfolds, Ollie is a quick-thinking and responsible young man. He manages to keep his wits about him and pragmatically accepts what is happening which in some ways prevents him unravelling mentally due to fear. He kills Mrs Carmody to prevent her sacrificing Amanda and Billy, but he does not survive the events of the night, as he is killed trying to escape the supermarket, sliced in two by a giant crustacean's pincer.
Mrs Carmody
Is she a witch or is she an eccentric religious zealot? The towns people do not know and the book does not make it clear. What we do know about Mrs Carmody is that she is unusually bloodthirsty and assumes leadership of the group in the supermarket primarily so that she can orchestrate a human sacrifice. She is shot in the stomach and killed by Ollie Weeks as she attempts to sacrifice Billy.
Bud Brown
By focusing on the grocery store that he manages, Brown manages to compartmentalize the events that are happening and consequently manages to maintain his sanity by ignoring what is happening around him. He does not try to escape and his survival is not confirmed.
Mike Hatlen
Mike is one of the leaders in the market but meets a very unpleasant end when a giant arachnid captures him in its web, cutting his throat.
Dan Miller
Dan is not a local; he is in the area for the summer as he owns a vacation home there. He is also killed by the spider, who this time encases him in its web which is coated in acid.
Hilda Reppler
Although elderly, Hilda is a warrior. She is physically capable, smart, and utilizes the products in the grocery store as weapons. She uses a can of Raid against one of the monsters and joins the final escape attempt after earning David's trust by resisting Mrs Carmody. She survives the mist.
Mr McVey
McVey is the store's butcher and almost fills this post for Mrs Carmody when he attempts to assist her in sacrificing Billy and Amanda. After she is killed, he loses his nerve and backs off.
