The Mesmerized

by Rhiannon Frater

  Near the entrance, the golden globe fountain consisting of interlocked rings held up by armless mermaids loomed before her. The rush of the water sent a shiver through her limbs at the memory of the earlier chaos at the waterfall. She had to find help for Jake and all the other wounded, and hopefully find out exactly what was happening within the walls of the majestic resort.

  She shoved open the doors to the outside, and a blast of hot summer air chased the chill from her limbs. Minji blinked rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the natural brightness of the day lurking just beyond the massive arcade that offered shade to the arriving vehicles. Above her head were the paintings that had so enthralled Ava upon their arrival days earlier. Spherical gilded frames housing the artwork looped across the ceiling as a precursor to the grandeur within the building. The engines of taxi cabs, shuttle buses, rental cars, and family vehicles rumbled despite being abandoned. Luggage, purses, toys and other personal possessions were scattered across the ground.

  “Ma’am, I need you to come this way,” a male voice boomed.

  Startled, Minji took a hesitant step forward. She saw several men in black armor and gasmasks motioning from up the drive. Beyond them were ambulances, police vehicles, and several black vans with no identifying emblems. People in full hazmat gear were rushing about erecting tents. Help had arrived and her body sagged with relief and exhaustion as the adrenaline rush finally dissipated in her system.

  “Ma’am, come here,” the voice called out.

  Lifting Ava onto her hip, Minji scampered forward. “My husband is inside. He’s hurt. So are a lot of other people! You need to help them!”

  Feet sloshing in her wet boots, Minji felt the weight of all that she’d just experienced bearing down on her as she neared the heavily armored police officers. A little past them, she saw the man that had refused to help her speaking with several officials in hazmat suits.

  The officer who had called her over took her arm in his gloved hand and guided her toward the waiting ambulances. “You’re going to be okay, ma’am.”

  The tears she’d been suppressing flowed unhindered now that she and the children were safe. Through her blurry sight, she saw Las Vegas Boulevard crammed with people and vehicles. Sirens, booming voices over p.a. systems, and the cries of the scared masses being shepherded southward filled the air. It was sweet music to Minji’s ears after the disconcerting silence within the resort.

  “My husband is hurt. Can you please send someone inside to get him?”

  “We’ll do what we can, ma’am.”

  The dark eyes beyond the face mask were somber and the tone was strangely non-committal. The bitter taste of fear crawled up from her gullet to stain her tongue.

  “There are a lot of people hurt in there,” she persisted. “You need to send in the paramedics.”

  A woman clad in a white hazmat suit with a badge indicating she was from the CDC motioned for the police officer to bring Minji over to a small tent where various types of equipment was set up on sturdy looking portable tables. The guy in the wine-colored shirt gave Minji a dismissive look before offering his arm to another CDC official armed with a syringe.

  “These people will help you,” the police officer said, releasing his hold on her.

  “You need to go in there,” Minji insisted. “Please, my husband needs help.”

  With a sigh, the officer said, “Ma’am, we’re doing the best we can to help everyone.” He gestured toward the Las Vegas Strip. “We’re trying to save everyone.”

  “What’s happening?” Minji demanded.

  The female doctor stretched out a hand to guide her into the tent, but Minji stepped out of reach.

  “Tell me what it is!”

  “We don’t know,” the woman answered, her breath misting the clear mask. “That’s why I need to ask you some questions.”

  “How can you not know?” Minji stared at the woman incredulously. “Shouldn’t the authorities have a better idea about this sort of attack than regular folks? What can I know?”

  The police officer, intimidating in his black garb, again took her arm and ushered Minji into the tent. “Ma’am, please understand we’re trying to help.”

  Minji shrugged off his hand, and tightened her hold on her daughters.

  The police officer retreated a few steps, but didn’t depart.

  “I have to ask you some questions,” the woman said, picking up a tablet.

  Staring beyond the doctor, it dawned on Minji that there were two distinctive groups of people on the strip. To the north, a crowd was slowly walking past the other casinos, their bobbing heads in perfect sync. With a sinking heart, Minji realized it was the mesmerized. Thick black trails of smoke snaked into the clear blue sky. How far had the attack extended?

  The south was chaos. Cars clogged the street while police officers attempted to direct traffic. People ran on foot, clutching the hands of loved ones and their luggage. Helicopters swarmed overhead. Some appeared to be from the news outlets, but others had the markings of the police or Life Flight. Two black helicopters with no markings hovered over the boulevard. Minji noted none were flying in the area north of The Venetian.

  She found it difficult to take a breath. “It’s just not inside the casino.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “But not all of Las Vegas?”

  “No. It’s not affecting all of Las Vegas. In fact, we’re near the dividing line that separates the event from the rest of the world. Most of Nevada is being affected though, which is why I need you to answer my questions. I need to know everything you experienced and witnessed.” The face behind the mask was free of makeup, and freckles stood out starkly against the ivory skin. The doctor lifted her hand as if to sweep a lock of the red hair that was barely visible beneath the mask from her face. She caught herself in mid-motion and lowered her hand.

  “You need to send someone to get my husband and all the other hurt people,” Minji insisted. “Please.”

  “We can’t send anyone into the event perimeter without them being immediately affected.”

  “So you can’t get my husband.” Minji’s chest tightened and tears blinded her briefly.

  “No, we can’t.”

  Minji pressed her lips together and fought to contain her anger and frustration. Already her brain was piecing together an idea of how to rescue Jake. If others couldn’t enter the casino, she’d find a way to do it herself.

  “I understand you’re upset, but we’re seeking answers so we can resolve this as soon as possible.”

  “So who are you?”

  “Doctor Tina McCoy of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. I’m here to help. This is what we do.” Tilting her head, Dr. McCoy glanced toward her comrade as he tucked a vial of blood into a case. “We need to find out why you and this other gentleman—”

  “Arthur Freestone,” the man spoke up. “I was in the casino when it happened.”

  Minji threw him an irritated look.

  The man ignored her.

  “What’s your name?” Dr. McCoy asked Minji, pulling her attention back to her.

  With a sigh, Minji gave hers and the girls’ names. Dr. McCoy scribbled the information down with her stylus. The glow of the screen reflected on her mask, obscuring her face. “Where were you when it happened?”

  A hard knot in her throat was nearly choking her, so Minji condensed her story into a simple narrative. It was hard to breathe and think when her wounded husband lay inside the casino.

  “So some of the people died immediately?” Dr. McCoy asked in a voice that was eerily calm despite the information being given to her.

  “They just dropped dead,” Arthur said, speaking up. “They were bleeding out of their eyes! It was awful!”

  “Actually, they remained standing for a few minutes,” Minji corrected.

  Arthur gave her a doubting look. “No, they just fell over.”

  “No, they stood for a while, and then fell. What were you doing when it happened?”
Minji glowered at the man, not willing to forgive him for abandoning her and the girls.

  “I had just come out of the men’s room when they collapsed,” Arthur answered.

  “So you didn’t see it all,” Minji declared.

  “No, I didn’t.” Arthur pointedly looked away.

  The other doctor approached Minji. “I’m Doctor Andrew Ramos. I need to take some blood from you and your daughters.”

  Pressing her lips together, Minji reluctantly nodded her consent. “Please be careful with the baby. She’s very afraid.”

  “But not your other daughter?” Dr. McCoy’s keen blue eyes focused on Ava, who stared blankly in the direction of the horde. “Your daughter isn’t in shock, is she? She’s affected.”

  Minji inclined her head. “Yes.”

  The doctors glanced at each other in a silent exchange that made Minji uneasy. The woman made a notation on her tablet screen while Dr. Ramos immediately strode out of the tent toward another that was heavily congested with people in hazmat suits and body armor.

  “What is it?” Minji demanded, alarmed. “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s outside the event perimeter,” was the clipped answer.

  “So?”

  “We haven’t seen any of the affected up close because we couldn’t enter the event perimeter without falling victim,” the scientist explained, setting down her tablet on a table. She held out her hands. “May I see your daughter?”

  Ava’s head swiveled toward Dr. McCoy, startling Minji. Did her daughter understand what the doctor had said? Was she coming out of her trance?

  “What are you going to do with her?” Minji glanced toward the police officer who had taken a subtle footstep toward her.

  “We need to understand what’s affecting her. Please hand her over.”

  “No,” Minji said automatically. “No, I don’t feel comfortable with that.” Clasping both daughters tighter, Minji ignored the pain in her back and throbbing in her arm muscles. She wasn’t about to turn over her child.

  “I have to insist,” Dr. McCoy said in a voice that was purposefully neutral.

  Backing away from both the doctor and the police officer, Minji shook her head.

  “Don’t you want your daughter to get better?”

  Of course Minji wanted Ava to return to normal, but the thought of handing her daughter over to the doctor sent off warning bells in her head. Glancing outside the tent, she saw Dr. Ramos and several other people in hazmat suits wheeling what looked like a plastic capsule on a stretcher. “You’re going to take her away from me.”

  “Yes, but she’ll be safe. We’ll fly her to our facility in Atlanta. She’ll have the best care. We’ll need you and your baby to come with us as well. We need to know why you’re not affected.”

  The doctor’s calm voice had the opposite effect on Minji.

  It terrified her.

  “She’s not a specimen to be poked and prodded.” Minji scooted around a table loaded with plastic bins filled with medical supplies.

  “Are you going to take me, too?” Arthur asked, taking a sharp step in Minji’s direction.

  Beyond the tent, the people in the hazmat suits were now surrounded by a new set of armed guards. These wore military insignia.

  With an explosive sigh that frosted her mask, Dr. McCoy nodded. “Don’t you want help?”

  “I’ve read Stephen King. I know how this sort of thing goes,” Arthur said, color draining out of his face. “I don’t want to be locked up like some sort of experiment.”

  “Take the little girl,” Dr. McCoy instructed the silent police officer. “We can’t waste any more time.”

  “No! You can’t do this!” Minji protested. She backed into the side of the tent and it wobbled overhead.

  “I want to know exactly what you plan to do with us!” Arthur ducked to Minji’s side, using her and her daughters as a shield.

  The police officer took a firm hold on Ava. “Ma’am, this is to help her,” he said in a pleading voice.

  “Let her go!” Minji shouted.

  The icy invisible tendrils sluiced through the air, rubbing against her skin for the briefest of moments.

  Everyone fell silent and still.

  Chapter 8

  Arizona

  Noon

  Kristen balanced on a rock located on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, attempting to hold her phone in just the right position to get a good selfie. She was having a little difficulty getting a clear view of the majestic panorama behind her and her own face as the wind buffeted her hand, making it shake. Her parents’ admonishments from the nearby viewing area only annoyed her more.

  “I’m being careful!” she shouted into the wind.

  “Don’t get too close to the edge!” her mother responded.

  “Ugh!”

  As a gymnast, she had perfect balance and had high hopes to make the national team in the near future. Besides, she wasn’t that close to the edge of the canyon. There were a good three feet between her and the precipice. Though the gusts were strong and blowing her blond ponytail into a wild dance around her head, there wasn’t enough force to knock her off.

  “If you fall, can I have your room?”

  The fifteen-year-old glowered at her younger brother. “Shut up.”

  He laughed, and then made faces in an attempt to distract her.

  Pointedly ignoring her family, Kristen concentrated on her image on the screen. If she was going to endure a summer vacation with her family, at least she was going to upload some good photos of herself to the social sites to show her ex-boyfriend and backstabbing former best friend that she was having a great time. The service at the canyon was horrible and she didn’t have any bars, but she’d upload all the photos she’d taken once they reached the hotel.

  Somewhere nearby, a car horn honked loudly and voices rang out. Ignoring the ruckus, she tilted her head to one side and was glad to see she’d found a really good shot.

  “Kristen! Kristen! We need to go! They’re closing the park!” her father shouted.

  It was only mid-day, but Kristen was relieved. She was done viewing the Grand Canyon and was dying to get to Las Vegas. She was determined to flirt with cute boys while sunbathing at the resort pool.

  “Just a second, Dad! Just taking one more!”

  Forcing a bright smile onto her lips to wipe away any signs of her annoyance, Kristen pressed the button on the screen of her cellphone.

  A second later, the phone fell from her grip and smashed against the ground, cracking the screen. Swiveling about, Kristen stared blankly toward the far horizon. Her mind completely subsumed in a cold void, she stepped forward and toppled off the boulder she’d been perched on. Her body struck several trees, ricocheting off the trunks before flying out over the edge of the canyon. She fell in silence, never crying out, never even blinking.

  Seconds later her brother, parents, and other park visitors followed her deadly descent to the bottom of the canyon.

  Chapter 9

  Las Vegas

  Noon

  “No, no, no!” Arthur whimpered.

  Blood splattered against the face guard of Dr. McCoy’s mask, then she collapsed, striking the table where her tablet rested and taking the setup to the ground with her in a loud clatter.

  “It’s happening again,” Minji said in a stricken voice.

  “No! No! We were supposed to be rescued!” Arthur clutched his head, disbelief stamped on his features. “No!”

  All around the area, people had come to a standstill. Even the mesmerized already under the influence of the event had stopped their trek northward. Ava’s small body remained ramrod straight in her mother’s grip, her face impassive, and Minji wondered if she had imagined Ava looking directly at the now deceased doctor. Even though the muscles in her arms were screaming in protest, Minji did not dare set her daughter on the ground. Meanwhile, Bailey’s sniffles and fidgeting were a small comfort. Apparently, since Bailey, Arthur, and Minji had been immune to t
he first wave of attacks, they were immune to the new one.

  Within seconds of the world falling silent and still, the sound of vehicles smashing into one another echoed along the strip while car horns screamed in one long shriek. Minji instinctively jerked backward, upsetting Bailey who let out a plaintive cry. Ava remained silent. Arthur scrambled forward, gazing past all the emergency vehicles toward the strip.

  “All the cars on all the roads,” Arthur gasped. “They’re all going to crash!”

  Feeling sick at the thought, Minji nodded. “The horns are going off because they’re probably jammed from the collisions.”

  Arthur’s eyes enlarged in horror. “If the cars are crashing, then what about the heli—”

  Before he could even finish speaking, a helicopter spiraled overhead, its dark shadow flitting over the long drive. The metal beast spun over the fake lagoon and the Bridge of Sighs replica before clipping the large, ornate, animated sign announcing events at The Venetian resort and dipping out of sight. There was a flash of fire, and the air reverberated with the shockwave of the explosion. Black smoke spewed into the air from the crash site. Seconds later, another helicopter smashed into the side of the towering Treasure Island resort, the burning wreckage sliding down its white and red surface to the ground.

  Bailey let out a gut-wrenching scream when Minji fell to her knees and scrambled under one of the sturdier looking metal tables, dragging Ava with her. She wasn’t sure if it would be any real protection from the fiery debris, but she couldn’t think of where else to take cover.

  Following her example, Arthur ducked under a different table. “How can this be happening?”

  Though Minji didn’t witness the crashes, she could hear the impact of the other helicopters as they fell to Earth. Black smoke billowed into the sky, car horns screeched, and the people crowding the boulevard remained still despite the fiery shrapnel raining upon them.