The Mesmerized (21 page)

“I can manage, Jesse,” Alec answered. “Plus,
you need to pack up the medical supplies since you know where all
the items are that we need to take with you. Have Arthur help you.
Simone can watch the kids for Minji. If that’s okay with you,
Simone?”

“I’m fine with taking care of the girls,”
Simone said after a hesitant pause. Her dark eyes rested on Ava for
a second, then returned to Bailey. Minji speculated that Simone
deduced that something was watching them through Ava’s eyes.
“They’re not a problem. Minji should go.”

“We’ll be back as soon as we can.” Alec
glanced at Minji. “Besides, she’s technically my ride.”

“Biker chick to the rescue.” Minji gave him
a wry smile, then squatted before Ava, her fingers resting on the
child’s waist. “I’m going with Alec to get us a ride out of Las
Vegas. I will come back. I will take care of you.” She pondered if
the other understood and hoped Ava could hear her. Pressing a kiss
to Ava’s cheek, she experienced an unexpected throb of repulsion
that surprised and saddened her. Again, she was reluctant to
acknowledge her growing fear of the thing inside Ava.

“I’ll keep her leash tied to my chair so she
can’t wander off,” Simone promised when Minji rose and approached
with Ava in tow.

“We should just sedate her, since that’s
what we appear to do around here with problem people,” Arthur
grumbled.

Jesse grimaced, but said nothing.

Bailey struggled to cling to her mother when
Minji gave her a tender kiss on the forehead. It broke Minji’s
heart in a million pieces when she had to pry the small fingers
from her dreads. She lovingly kissed the chubby digits. “Mommy will
be right back, Bailey.”

The baby fretted in Simone’s arms, which
made it even more difficult for Minji to return to Alec’s side.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do while you’re
gone,” Jesse said. “Be careful out there, okay? And are you sure
you can handle my motorcycle?”

Holding out her hand for the keys, Minji
plastered a confident smile on her face. She could definitely ride
the bike, but she was worried about the condition of the boulevard.
Jesse already looked anxious enough about their foray outside that
she opted not to share her trepidation with him. “Trust me. I know
what I’m doing.”

Reluctantly, Jesse handed over the keys.
“Just be careful.”

Closing her fingers over the cold metal,
Minji nodded. “You got it.”

“Just try not to ding it. Though I guess
I’ll have to leave it behind anyway.”

This elicited a snort from Arthur. “The
world is falling apart and you’re worried about a motorcycle.”

Jerking his head about, Jesse bestowed
Arthur with a disdainful look.

Before Jesse could say something in
retaliation, Alec hurriedly said, “It’ll be faster than going on
foot. Thanks for letting us take it. We should go and y’all should
get things packed and ready.”

Minji gave everyone a forced smile and a
little wave before following Alec into the hallway. Bailey let out
a slobbery wail, which made it even more difficult to keep walking
toward the waiting room. Squaring her shoulders and tugging on a
fresh face mask, Minji fought the desire to run back to kiss the
girls and Jake one last time. She’d spent most of the last day
fiercely protecting her family and it was disconcerting to leave
them behind. She knew she was doing the right thing even though she
was afraid. With the fires burning on the south side of the
boulevard, they had to leave the city soon. The most exciting part
of their foray in Minji’s mind was that Alec had important
information about the event he didn’t want to disclose to the
others.

The air outside was acrid with the stench of
smoke, decaying flesh, and burning materials. Thick clouds of smoke
drifted overhead, obscuring the sun and limiting visibility.
Jesse’s bike was parked on the sidewalk covered in a thick layer of
ash and grime. Alec brushed off most of it with the back of his
hand while Minji waited and scrutinized the apocalyptic landscape
around them. The boulevard didn’t resemble its former self at all.
Most of the famous Las Vegas landmarks were swathed in a thick
layer of smoke and blackened remains of buildings poked through
like skeletal hands through a shroud.

Minji shivered from the cold and fear.
“Where’s the shuttle again?”

“We need to go to The Venetian,” Alec
replied.

Minji started at the mention of the resort.
She hadn’t told Alec about what she had experienced the day before,
or where she’d been staying when the first attack came. Warily, she
asked, “Is that where the shuttle is located?”

“No, that’s where I need to go. Where I’m
being sent.” Alec cocked his head, studying her expression. “Minji,
I need your help. You did agree.”

“So you’re going to tell me the truth,
right?”

“Right.” Alec motioned for her to get on the
bike. “First, let’s leave. Arthur is watching and he’ll make things
more complicated if he gets any more suspicious.”

Minji glanced toward the splintered windows
and saw Arthur watching them through the cracks with a scowl on his
face. By this point, Arthur probably didn’t trust either one of
them. She meaningfully looked away, straddled the bike and waited
for Alec to climb on. Once she was satisfied that he was situated,
she flipped the kickstand upward, flicked the kill switch to ON,
turned the key, and started the bike. The air filled with the roar
of the Harley, and Alec let out a chuckle while she let the engine
warm up.

“What?”

“You really do know how to drive this
thing.”

“I’m full of surprises,” Minji replied, then
throttled forward.

The bike was big, heavy, and powerful
beneath her body, and it felt wonderful. For the first time in
twenty-four hours, she was in control of some aspect of her
situation. Because of the cars and debris obstructing the road, she
directed the motorcycle along the sidewalk, but kept the speed on
the low end. Despite the sun blazing above the thick haze, the air
was searing cold, and Minji fought to keep her teeth from
chattering.

“Head over there!” Alec shouted in her ear,
pointing toward a Ross department store.

Minji complied, scooting the bike around a
snarl of crashed vehicles and far too many dead bodies. Plumes of
black smoke rose into the ashen sky, a threat that was difficult to
ignore. The fires were creeping closer.

“You need to grab some jeans, a long sleeved
shirt, and a jacket of some kind,” Alec said, hopping off the back
of the bike and quickly leaning against his cane. “Running around
in shorts and a tank top isn’t going to work.”

“Plus, I’m freezing,” Minji admitted.

The glass doors to the store were shattered
and the frame smeared with blood. Inside were several dead bodies,
the stink of rot seeping in around the edges of Minji’s face
mask.

“Why are we going to The Venetian?”

Alec shuffled toward a rack of men’s jackets
and grabbed one. “Okay, I’m done. Grab some things for
yourself.”

Minji resisted rolling her eyes. She hated
how easy it was for men to find clothing. As she walked to the
women’s section, she said, “Well? Answer my question.”

“I’m trying to decide how to say this and
not sound crazy,” Alec answered while following her, the now
familiar wry smile touching his lips.

“My daughter is possessed by something
that’s watching us through her eyes and it’s probably behind this
massive event that is killing everyone in the world. Nothing you
say can sound crazier.” Minji found a selection of long sleeved
shirts in her size and pulled a black one off the hanger. She
tugged it over her tank top, and though it was a little tight, she
decided it would do.

“Okay, here’s the truth. Like you suspected,
I did call the Army as soon as I knew I was in an affected area and
immune. I fully expected to be recalled into service and I was
right. I was immediately transferred up the chain of command until
I was talking to the President and the Secretary of State, among
other top officials. They debriefed me as quickly as they could for
fear of another event hitting before they could divulge everything
I needed to know in order to perform my duty. By then they’d
estimated how long it would take for the East Coast to fall under
the effect of the event and knew they were on limited time.”

Minji perused a selection of pants while she
listened. The knot in the pit of her stomach coiled tighter with
each of his words.

Resting his elbows on the bar of the rack,
Alec gazed at her over the hanging clothes with a grave expression.
“They also estimated how long it would take before the whole world
would be affected.”

Fingers quivering, her palms sweaty, Minji
bit her bottom lip, abruptly not wanting for him to continue. If he
said the words, it would only make difficult decisions easier and
make her guilt deepen.

“As of this morning’s attack, the world has
come to an end. All of humanity is being drawn to the epicenter of
the event. Do you know where the epicenter is?”

Minji shook her head, but then realized she
did know. How many documentaries detailed the secret tests
performed in the Nevada desert? Lifting her eyes, she saw that Alec
looked even older than before. The weight of responsibility was
biting into him, wearing him down, and also scaring him.

“It’s outside Las Vegas, isn’t it? Somewhere
in Nevada at one of those so-called secret bases.”

“Yes.”

“And you know where?”

“Yes. That was one of the things I was told
before the government went dark.”

“What else did they say?” Black cargo pants
with a wide pant cuff caught Minji’s eye and she tugged them off
the hanger and held them to her hips. They looked about the right
fit. She unbuttoned her shorts and tugged them off over her boots
and attempted to drag the pants on without falling over. If Alec
was going to be bothered by her Hello Kitty underwear, he’d have to
deal.

“You’re not going to ask me why they
divulged top secret information to a staff sergeant?”

“You’re the last soldier standing. Of course
they’d tell you. How else could you save the world...and them?”
Minji managed to get the pant legs over her boots. Tugging the
cargo pants up, she was relieved when they fit perfectly.

Again, Alec chuckled. “You’re a very smart
woman.”

“So, what else did they say?” Minji
persisted, repeating her earlier question.

“This is the part that’s going to sound very
crazy.”

“Try me.”

Minji pointed toward the section with
jackets and Alec shadowed her journey over to the racks.

“Well, apparently there was an experiment
taking place out at one of those top secret facilities that
everyone knows about, but isn’t supposed to. It wasn’t on UFO
technology or anything like that. A group of scientists were
attempting to create a way to transport soldiers and equipment long
distances.”

“And you don’t mean with trains, planes or
automobiles.”

“No, not at all. More like
Star
Trek’s transporters, but not quite. They were trying to open
windows in space. The idea was to tunnel through space and time,
creating a bridge between two points.”

“Kinda like
Dr
.
Who
,” Minji
mused.

“A pretty, smart mom who rides motorcycles,
and is also a geek. You’re full of surprises.”

“I also kickbox.”

Alec started to say something, then thought
better of it.

“It’s a good work out. Besides, I used to
work at a bar and got out late. I decided to get fit and learn how
to defend myself.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

“No kung-fu or karate jokes from you?”

“No, not from me.”

Minji spotted a lightweight leather jacket
and shrugged it on. It fit. “My bad ass uniform is complete.”

“It’s also a ‘keep your flesh on your bones’
uniform.” Alec tugged on his own jacket, balancing carefully on one
foot, his cane resting against his thigh. “Anyway, the first
attempt at opening the tunnel yielded unexpected results.”

Minji met Alec’s intense gaze over the top
edge of her facemask. All she had witnessed over the last
twenty-four hours was clicking into place. “Something came through
the tunnel, but not from our world.”

“Yes.”

There was so much weight in his answer it
crushed what little hope remained within her. She grappled with an
inevitable conclusion. Tears unexpectedly stung her eyes and she
lowered them to gaze at her wedding band. The dark ruby glittered
against the platinum band, a symbol of love from a man rendered
nearly lifeless by the results of an experiment in the desert.
Minji would do anything to save her family, which meant she’d have
to leave them in the care of others and put herself at risk.

Alec was quiet, allowing her to process this
new information before continuing.

“It doesn’t seem real,” Minji whispered.

“No, it doesn’t.”

The destruction outside the shattered glass
doors and windows looked like a movie set of a horror film, not
reality. A piece of her mind desperately wanted to cling to the
notion that none of it was real, but the pungent smells of death
and fire shoved that sliver of insanity away. “So something came
through and then what?” Minji wanted to hear the whole truth so she
could deal with the emotional repercussions, then focus on what she
needed to do to help Alec.

“The scientists managed to isolate the thing
that came through. At first they weren’t even sure it was a living
being, but it started to...cry out. According to my briefing, every
man and woman in the facility died exactly like the security guard
did this morning. They bled to death in a matter of minutes. The
feed from the main facility was being fed to the second one where
the tunnel’s exit was supposed to be located, so their deaths were
documented. The scientists at the second site were immediately
dispatched to contain the situation, but the team soon realized
they couldn’t enter the event radius without being affected.”