by Tim Moon
“That’s some serious shit,” Ben said, in awe of the enormity of the situation.
“So much for going to China after this, huh?” Ty said.
Ben nodded. Damn.
International drama on this scale was unlikely to be resolved in a matter of a few weeks or even months. If for some reason war broke out, Ben felt certain neither of them would be going anywhere in Asia anytime soon. The implication of one of the world’s largest economies suddenly slamming the door in the rest of the world’s face was daunting. It almost made Ben wish he was still in college, to discuss it with other political and foreign policy geeks.
“I wonder if the government will be able to airlift citizens out of China? I mean, what’s going to happen to the expats still there if all travel is blocked? Will that policy affect U.S. government flights too?” Ty asked.
With a shrug, Ben said, “I don’t know how it will affect that, but my guess is that the lock-down means everyone. I guess it depends on what actually happened, they weren’t very specific. If it was just a terrorist attack, there’d be no reason to evacuate people.” Ben shoveled omelet into his mouth as he thought about it.
“I guess that’s true,” Ty said, between bites. “Dude, aren’t Steve and Aubrey in China backpacking? I wonder if they even know what’s happening.”
“Oh, that’s right. Wow,” Ben said with his mouth full.
Ty glanced at the clock on the wall. “We need to roll out soon or we’ll be late to the race.”
They finished breakfast and headed back to the room. When they got there, Ben flipped on the TV and turned up the volume so they could listen while they got ready to go meet Anuhea and Charlotte. The news was still showing some clips from a news conference with the Japanese prime minister.
Jordan Jackson came back on screen and announced that the U.S. president would be making a statement soon. She went on to say that video clips had been recovered from social media accounts before the internet shutdown in China. They were from the last 48-hours and showed what appeared to be riots in the big cities.
The screen cut to one of the video clips. The streets were full of people, police swung batons and threw gas grenades, and bodies were lying on the ground.
The president’s speech was surprisingly calm and reassuring. He encouraged China to maintain open trade with the world. He mentioned China’s friendly ties to America and suggested that his administration would help seek out any group responsible for attacking China. But he also reassured America’s allies that he would stand with them in case of a conflict. The president said he was confident that the world could work with China to peacefully resolve whatever difficulties they were dealing with.
Nothing was said about U.S. citizens in China though, which troubled Ben. Thousands of people, including their friends, would now be stranded there without communication for an undetermined length of time. He couldn’t imagine how stressful that would be for them or their families.
After the President’s speech, the coverage cut back to Jordan who passed the issue over to some commentators.
“Lame. They didn’t really say anything.” Ty threw a sock at the TV.
“Vague political posturing.”
“Exactly.”
It was disappointing. Ben also wondered what would happen to flights currently in the air heading to and from China. Would they be turned away by their destinations?
“Times like this make me wish I was working in D.C. so I could have the inside scoop,” Ben said.
Chapter Sixteen
October 10, 2015
Alii Drive, Kona
0630 Hours
KONA HAD SWELLED almost to bursting with people – from athletes and their families to reporters, photographers, film crews, police officers, federal law enforcement and security officers, and private security.
Ben and Ty joined Charlotte and Anuhea near the King Kamehameha hotel. From there, they all pushed their way as close to the waterfront as they could, which wasn’t very far. Energy radiated off the competitors as they stood, ready to launch themselves into the ocean and battle it out. All they needed to hear was the boom of the cannon.
It looked like madness to Ben. The idea of swimming with that many flailing arms and legs around him made his chest tighten. With his luck, Ben figured he’d get kicked in the head and drown.
Helicopters hovered high above the crowd. The buzzing mixed with the excited chatter of thousands of spectators as they awaited the final countdown and the start of the race.
Charlotte’s hair danced in the breeze, tickling his neck. For a second, the memory from the airplane flashed in Ben’s mind. He flinched and wiped his face, half expecting his hand to come away red.
The cannon boomed and the crowd exploded with exuberance. Charlotte’s cheering rang in Ben’s ears.
Startled out of his memory, Ben spilled his coffee. Hot liquid rushed over his hand like lava.
“Damn it,” he said, drying his scorched hand on his shorts.
Charlotte looked at him confused. “Sorry, Ben. Are you okay?”
Ben smiled despite the pain. “I’m sure I’ll survive. Thanks.”
The ocean churned like sharks in a feeding frenzy as thousands of athletes swam away.
Ty pushed his phone to the limit taking pictures.
The swimmers quickly took the shape of a pointed comet, with a small line of leaders, then a mass creating the body, which eventually tapered into a thin tail.
Waiting for the lead pack to return would take quite a while.
“Should we move for when they switch to the bikes?” Anuhea said, leaning toward them so they could hear.
“Sounds good to me,” Ben said. The view from where they were wasn’t very good anyway. He looked at Charlotte and she seemed to agree.
Anuhea recommended they make their way to the north side of an intersection that all the athletes would come through on their bikes.
Moving through the crowd on the narrow street would be tedious. Given a choice, Ben would normally avoid huge crowds like this. The press of warm bodies, everyone breathing the same air in close proximity, was stifling.
Ty tapped Ben on the shoulder. “Take the lead.”
Ben’s height and broad shoulders lent themselves well to several things, one being moving through crowds. And despite his dislike for the sheer number of people surrounding them, Ben realized he now had the perfect excuse to take Charlotte’s hand as he led the way though the press of bodies. Her soft, warm hand felt comfortable in his as they walked. Charlotte smiled at Ben and put her other hand on his arm. Ty and Anuhea fell in behind her, following in their wake.
When they had cleared the bulk of the crowd, Ben looked back. Though he was keeping up, Ty was still snapping pictures with his phone. The kid was everywhere with that thing.
As they walked up Palani Road, Ben noticed some space along the sidewalk further up the street near the corner of Palani and Kuakini Highway. That’d give them a good view of cyclists as they rode south, turned around, and came back north.
Turning to suggest the spot he’d seen, Ben’s breath caught as he watched Charlotte talking with Anuhea. Her lips danced as she spoke. His lips tingled with hope of someday joining that dance.
As if reflecting how Ben felt, the crowd broke out into cheers.
Startled again, Ben nearly bumped into two police officers walking past them. Out of habit, Ben apologized in Korean with a small nod of his head. “Mian hamnida.”
One of the officers scowled at him, but they continued walking. Ben didn’t understand why he was feeling so jumpy.
Anuhea leaned forward and said something to Charlotte, who nodded.
“We have some time before the swimmers get back. Let’s grab some more coffee,” Anuhea said.
Ty nodded. “We can grab that spot once we get some caffeine.”
“Sounds good to me. I spilled the last of mine,” Ben said.
Chapter Seventeen
October 10, 2015
; Palani Road, Kona
0721 Hours
THE RISING DIN of the crowd’s cheering, signaled that the athletes must be in the transition area.
After ordering coffee, they had claimed a spot along the curb near the edge of the crowd. Ben and Ty moved the girls in front of them so they could see better. So far, the event was actually turning out to be more fun than Ben anticipated.
The first cyclists came into view, pumping their legs furiously. They practically flew across the asphalt as they raced past. The riders were so in the zone, they seemed completely oblivious to the crowd. One of the helicopters buzzed away, following the race leaders.
A few dozen riders soon grew into a massive swell. The tightly packed swarm of finely tuned bodies cruised by in a blur of color. Although the cheers dampened over time as the crowd’s hands and throats tired, their enthusiasm never let up. Excitement radiated off the crowd.
“Amazing athletes. I don’t think I would want to do three events back to back like that,” said Charlotte.
“After you told me yesterday that you run marathons, I thought we’d be watching you out there.” Ben bumped Charlotte playfully with his shoulder.
“I’m not a great swimmer though.”
“It’s pretty easy to learn, but I wouldn’t want to be in a big group like that. I bet a lot of people get injured out there.”
“Think they’d let me wear water wings?” Charlotte said with a playful smile.
“Maybe for pre-race entertainment,” Ben said, smiling back at her. He glanced down at her lips then met her eyes again.
A primal, terrifying scream pierced the air.
Everyone stopped and looked toward the sound, like meerkats. Almost immediately, people started yelling and the crowd spilled into the road. It almost looked like a fight was breaking out. The two police officers from earlier ran back past them toward the commotion.
More screams joined the noise, the sound rising like a tortured chorus, making Ben’s skin crawl.
He noticed that the majority of the racers sped by with singular focus, never glancing at whatever was causing the fuss.
“I wonder what happened?” Ty said, looking concerned.
“Maybe a big bike wreck?” Ben said, wondering if that could cause such a scene.
A few people ran away from the crowd but almost everyone else just turned and watched, fascinated to see what it could be.
Over the heads of the crowd, Ben caught glimpses of movement. Were people brawling? Some people fell. A few yelled and pointed. Some seemed to be pulling others back from the fight. A few people were bleeding.
Whatever it was, it was bad.
“It looks like some people got hurt,” Ben said, glancing at Ty. “There might be a fight.”
But Ben wondered why a fight would break out at a triathlon. It didn’t seem like that kind of sport.
Gunshots erupted.
Everyone jumped from the shock. The people closest to the shots scattered.
Ben grabbed Charlotte’s hand and pulled her back away from the street.
“Ty, come on,” Ben yelled.
Trapped within the panicking crowd, the four of them struggled to stay together. People flowed past them like a flash flood cascading through a canyon.
They still had no idea what actually happened.
More gunshots sounded, followed by more screaming. Police sirens wailed in the distance.
Ben turned, looking for refuge, and pulled Charlotte and the others behind him, forcing his way through the crowd. “This way, follow me.”
They ducked into a narrow alley.
“Stay back,” a police officer shouted at someone they couldn’t see. He backed slowly down the street, holding his gun up in front of him. His hands trembled. Several people walked toward him and he shouted at them to stop but they ignored him.
All of three of them were pale and covered in blood. One of them was a woman wearing a bikini. She dragged one leg slowly behind her. Thick strips of muscle swung from a gaping wound in her thigh with each step. Dark fluid dripped onto the asphalt.
“Jesus,” Charlotte said, covering her mouth. Tears sparkled in her eyes.
The police officer yelled again, but the people trudged on after him, growling and snapping their teeth. Halting his retreat, the officer fired two rounds into the man closest to him, striking the man in the chest. The man’s body jerked from the impact, but it barely slowed him.
“Can we get to your car from here?” Ben asked Anuhea.
She shook her head slowly, eyes wide.
“Is it happening again?” Anuhea asked, alluding to the attack at The Brewing Company.
Ben looked at her seriously for a moment. “I don’t know, but we need to get out of here. Where is your car?” Ben glanced toward the back of the alley for the first time. It was a dead end. Shit.
“We’d have to cut through the crowd. It’s on the other side,” Anuhea said.
“What are they doing?” Charlotte said, pointing out into the street.
Ben turned to see.
A man and woman had walked into the road toward the oncoming cyclists. How the hell was anyone still riding their damned bike through all of this?
The two people had the same wild look as the crazy guy from The Brewing Company. Their ebony eyes gave them a sinister look.
A sinking feeling hit Ben’s stomach as he realized they were going to attack the riders. Whatever had happened to turn these people into monsters, there were now dozens of them loose in the streets.
Blood stained lips curled into angry snarls, as the man and woman each reached out for their next victims.
The oncoming cyclists tried to swerve around them, but the man lunged like a wolf. A small pack of riders, unable to dodge him, crashed in a flurry of arms, legs, and spinning wheels.
Blood dripped from the fingers of the woman as she quickly walked toward the tangled cyclists, hopelessly intertwined and vulnerable, throwing herself onto the pile and ripping into the thick, juicy leg of a trapped rider. His shrieks of pain made Ben wince.
“No,” Ty said repeatedly, as he back pedaled down the alley. Color drained from Ty’s face as he too realized exactly what was happening. This was the airplane and The Brewing Company all over again but on a much larger scale.
“We have to go,” Ben said firmly.
“This way.” Anuhea motioned for them to follow her, leading the group back to the sidewalk.
A thunderstorm of gunshots rumbled through the air. Wailing people and sirens filled the lulls. People cried.
Blood began to pool in the street and on the sidewalk. Salt and copper mixed on the morning breeze.
Ben saw one man across the street fall in the stampede. His arm stretched out and gripped the curb as he tried to pull himself toward the street. Feet constantly rained down on him until a foot landed on his neck and ended his struggle.
“Ben, c’mon,” Ty said, urging him to keep up.
The whole crowd had erupted into pockets of chaos. People ran through the streets, piling into buildings, and searching out any safety they could find. Ben followed his friends, but his gaze was glued to the scene. In the back of his mind, Ben wondered why he couldn’t look away.
They ran across a parking lot and moved along the edge of a building. Once they reached the front of the building, Anuhea pulled Ty inside, Charlotte and Ben followed.
Ben walked in and noticed the row of big Harley-Davidson motorcycles that lined the windows in front of the shop. Further back stood several tall racks of Harley t-shirts and other biker graphic tees. Part of one wall was filled with a vast collection of mugs. A row of shelves held motorcycle helmets, and more racks and shelves lined the perimeter of the store with other gear – leathers, jackets, hats, and gloves. The middle part of the store was devoted to displaying the latest hogs, rows of gleaming beauties that made Ben wish he knew how to ride. Over to the far right, Ben noticed a giant sign – Service – above a counter. Motorcycle parts could be seen on racks b
ehind the counter.
Although the door was unlocked, the store was empty. Either the employees had left or they were hiding somewhere in the back because no one was there.
Turning to look outside, Ben crouched behind the row of bikes and saw that some of the crowd had thinned enough to expose clusters of people crouched on the ground tearing into bodies. Some of them dug into the corpses like dogs uncovering a buried bone. More of the attackers chased after people who were fleeing their greedy fingers, but for some reason, the attackers never ran.
A woman was bent over a man who was struggling to escape her grasp. As she lifted her head, her blonde hair came up matted with blood, contrasting sharply with the dark pits that her eyes had become. Blood spurted out of the crater she’d created in the man’s neck, like a volcano and his scream quickly faded.
Another woman, this one across the street, was pinned against a building. She wriggled against the rough stone exterior, wailing. Ben could make out the glistening tears racing down her face to drip on two kids as they chewed their way into her stomach.
Ben was stunned. This attack was massive and it was too gruesome to watch, yet he found that he couldn’t turn away.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ben noticed a young boy that looked similar to one of his students back in South Korea. The boy stood on the edge of the sidewalk, crying. He looked lost and terrified.
People rushed past him, uncaring. Someone bumped him, and he toppled off the sidewalk, landing in a heap in the gutter.
In the midst of the madness, something clicked in Ben’s head. Time seemed to slow as he thought back. Seventeen months ago, Kristin had looked coldly into Ben’s eyes and told him two things that had changed the course of his life.