The Mesmerized

by Rhiannon Frater

  “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.”

  “When was this?”

  “Yesterday, in the early morning.”

  “Shit.” Minji’s mind reeled. The end of the world had started while she had been at breakfast with her family.

  “Then the event expanded and encapsulated a good portion of Las Vegas. The second team was nearby, so they were sent to the area. According to what I was told, the head scientist did discover two people who were immune to the effects of the event. A man and a woman. Arthur Freestone and Minji Nordim. She also reported that she’d secured one of the affected. They were supposed to be transported out of Las Vegas, but then all communication with her was lost when the event expanded again.”

  “And here I am,” Minji said, rubbing a knot forming at the back of her neck.

  “Yes, here you are.”

  The face of the female scientist behind the glossy facemask of the hazmat suit came vividly to Minji’s mind. “Her name was Dr. Tina McCoy,” Minji said with a sigh. “I saw her die when the event expanded.”

  “So she’s not one of the mesmerized?” Alec raised one eyebrow.

  “No. She died in front of us.”

  “Well, that’s a bit of good news.”

  “Excuse me?” Minji gave him an incredulous look.

  “I was sent to locate her, and frankly, I was terrified it was a lost cause. But if you know where her body is, that will save me a world of grief.”

  “But she’s dead. How can she help you?”

  “She’s our way into the facility where the creature is. You and I are going to stop this, Minji. We’re going to do what no one else could do. We’re going to kill the creature causing this and save the world.”

  Chapter 25

  The wind whistling through the broken windows was the only sound in the store. The temptation to return to the medical center and forget everything Alec had divulged so far was nearly overpowering. For an instant Minji imagined whisking her family away and taking care of Jake and Ava while raising Bailey in some remote area where she could fend for them. It was vivid, alluring, and a distinct possibility, but the image promptly diminished in the face of reality.

  “I’m sorry to put this on you,” Alec said in a soothing voice. “I really am, but your immunity means that if the creature stops me, you can continue on.”

  “I get it,” Minji said, raising her chin. “Let’s do this.”

  Alec scrutinized her face and posture. “You’re tough, you know.”

  “Life has a way of toughening you up,” Minji replied.

  Alec chuckled lightly while gesturing to her tattoos and dreads. “A bit on the edge, huh?”

  “Sure,” she answered, shrugging.

  There was no point in explaining her inner steel had nothing to do with her tattoos, piercings, dreads, or counterculture existence. Alec didn’t need to know she’d been the oldest child and comforted her younger brother while her parents fought endlessly. Or how she’d been forced to become a co-parent alongside her mother after her father had left the family to “find himself.” Or how she’d learned to support herself and contribute to the care of her brother and mother at a relatively young age in the aftermath of her parents’ divorce. Or how she’d endured several toxic relationships with bad boys. Minji’s entire life had been one big lesson on how to overcome obstacles which in the end left her with a much tougher skin and a keen eye for bullshit.

  For a long time, she’d only trusted in herself, and then Jake had entered her life. One of the wonderful things about life with Jake was that she was finally revered and acknowledged for not only her strengths, but everything about her. It had taken time for him to prove that he wasn’t like the other jerks she had dated and was worthy of her love and commitment. With Jake she’d learned that being in a partnership was not always 50/50. Sometimes one partner carried the other when times were tough. Jake had done his fair share of being there for her and the girls and now it was time for her to be the strong one. Alec didn’t need to know all of this though. He saw
her strength, intelligence, and competence, and that was enough.

  “We should get going,” Alec said, gesturing to the front of the store and the motorcycle at the threshold.

  With a nod, Minji started toward the front of the store, weaving through the aisles. She took a different path than the one she’d taken to grab the new gear. It was a more direct route to the front doors. The need to move forward and get things done had her firmly in its grip.

  Glancing to one side, she froze in mid-step.

  A little girl dressed in a white dress covered in tiny yellow flowers lay face down on the floor surrounded by a dark puddle of dried blood. Like tumblers clicking into place, Minji’s mind came to a dire conclusion.

  “It killed everyone in white because of the scientists. They were wearing lab coats, right?”

  “I haven’t seen the footage, but I suppose so.”

  “Or maybe white hazmat suits?”

  “Possibly.” Alec took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face away from the child. “Let’s go, Minji.”

  “It’s afraid of anyone in white. That’s why it killed them.” Minji walked on, but she kept speaking in a rush. “It killed everyone in the facility wearing white and when the event expanded, it killed people wearing the same color as the scientists.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then it killed the security guard because he was hurting Ava. It’s watching through her eyes. It sees what she sees. It chose to kill the guard to protect Ava, or maybe just itself.”

  “Possibly.”

  “It sees through the eyes of the mesmerized, doesn’t it?” Minji persisted, stopping to face Alec.

  “Yes,” he said, his blue eyes meeting her gaze directly.

  “It knew you. When you walked into the hospital, it was so afraid it recoiled and let my daughter speak for just a moment. So, which facility were you at? The first or the second?”

  Alec exhaled slowly, staring past her, one hand on his hip and leaning on his cane.

  “Alec, it knows you. Why does it know you?”