The Mesmerized Read online

  But her walls were starting to show stress fractures. Already she’d cracked when Arthur had been a jerk. Her emotional vulnerability in the face of his accusations angered her in retrospect. She should’ve just walked out of the room and not given into anger. Unfortunately, Arthur’s barbs had wiggled under her skin and now festered. It made her feel weak. If Jake were awake, he’d listen to her rant, then he’d say just the right thing. Now, she was alone, scared, and angry.

  Across the room, Bailey snored softly in the bed Jesse had wheeled into the room. It was a comforting sound. Minji was well aware of the fact that she was luckier than her companions. Even though the fates of her parents, in laws, brother, friends, and customers were unknown, she at least had the comfort of hearing Bailey snore, feeling Jake’s warmth, and seeing Ava’s silhouette against the window.

  If only the being within Ava would let her rest. No matter how hard Minji had tried to get Ava to lie down, the little girl had resisted. Now she stood near the window, her back to the destruction, her eyes glinting in the dim light seeping in from the hallway around the edges of the slightly open door.

  Stretching out her hand, she stroked Ava’s cheek with her fingertips. “I love you, Ava.”

  The strange mewling continued to issue forth from the child’s lips.

  Adjusting the pillow under her head, Minji closed her eyes to block out the frightening view beyond the window. Her husband’s long, lean body was warm against her back and she was careful not to jostle his leg encased in a cast, or his heavily bandaged chest and arm. She’d tried sleeping on the rollaway bed, but wasn’t able to relax. Finally, she’d crawled into bed with her husband since she was small enough to stretch out beside him. She missed him so much it was physical pain. If only he would open his eyes and be himself again.

  If only she could wake up and find the world restored...

  ***

  “Help me, Mommy,” Ava whispered in her ear.

  The universe was a churning miasma of inexplicable beauty and terror, the colors so vibrant it seared her corneas and sent a sharp stab of pain through her brain, and the sound was so ethereal yet gruesome it was agony to her ears. The blistering cold touch of spider silk sliced through her flesh and ripped her open.

  All the while, Ava whispered, “Help me, Mommy.”

  ***

  With a grunt, Minji stirred awake and gripped her head with both hands. The agonizing pulse shredding her brain sent her reeling across the room to the small bathroom. She just made it to the toilet before she vomited what little she’d eaten for dinner. She fumbled with the sink and managed to twist on the faucet. Her vision was smeared with darkness and bright spots, rendering her nearly blind. Unable to quell the trembling of her hands, Minji tilted her head so she could sip directly from the spigot and rinse out her mouth. When the foul acid taste was gone from her tongue, she drank several gulps of lukewarm water before sliding to the floor.

  In the darkness, Minji sobbed in both sorrow and horror. The cold seeping from the tiles underneath her bit through the fabric of the rolled up scrub pants and sent shivers up her spine. Swiping the back of her hand across her wet face, she realized the air was vibrating with invisible strands of icy silk.

  It was happening again.

  Rising to her feet, she padded into the room and heard the whisper of the mesmerized slithering through the dark.

  “Heeeeeeeelp moomee,” was the eerie chorus.

  “Ava?” Minji called out, shivering.

  A quick flip of the light switch left her blinking the dark spots out of her vision. The bright illumination from the overhead fixture revealed Bailey in her crib, clutching the bars, and staring at her mother with wide eyes. Jake’s eyes remained closed, but his mouth was moving in sync with Bailey’s. Ava was not in the room. With a start, Minji rushed to where she had tied the child leash to the chair. The end was still attached to both the chair and the backpack. Ava had obviously slipped out of the straps and wandered off.

  “Ava!”

  Rushing toward the door, Minji slipped on the slick floor, barely catching herself in time on the end of the bed. She discarded the thick socks and ran barefoot out of the room and along the corridor. The floor was so cold, it burned her feet, but she was desperate to find her child.

  Jesse had placed all the mesmerized patients, Simone, Arthur, and Minji’s family in rooms close to one another on the main floor in an area just beyond the examination rooms. From each doorway came the creepy, raspy whispers of the mesmerized.

  “Heeeeeeeelp moomee.”

  Minji shoved each half closed door open all the way, flipped on the light, and searched for Ava. Though all the mesmerized appeared to be sleeping, the cry for help continued to slither out of their mouths. The first few rooms housed people Minji didn’t know, but she quickly found the ones with Simone and Arthur. Simone stood near the window, uttering the disconcerting words. Ava wasn’t in her room. In the next one, Arthur’s eyes were open though he was still reclining on his bed, and Ava was not in his room either.

  The doors to the rest of the rooms were closed, so Minji hurried past the bank of elevators and around the corner. At the far end of this hall were the open doors to the waiting room. The examination room doors were all shut, but one door further down was wide open. The glow of a television pooled on the white tile and the cackle of static mingled with British voices murmured from within. She paused in the doorway long enough to see Jesse standing before a small television with a makeshift antenna made from wire, hangers, and lots of foil.

  “...are in the affected areas and immune, please call the number on your screen, or log onto the website listed below. The BBC will continue to broadcast until the event reaches the United Kingdom...”

  As though sensing her presence, Jesse’s head swiveled toward her.

  “Heeeeeeeelp moomee.”

  Chills caused not only by the frosty air and freezing floor flowed over her skin, popping out gooseflesh. Shuddering from the both the cold and fear, she turned and hurried to the waiting room. Dread filled Minji at the thought of Ava slipping outside to follow after the mesmerized horde. Bare feet slapping against the tiles, she ran the last few feet to the double doors opening to the waiting room shrouded in night.

  “Ava!”

  Flailing her hand against the wall, she searched for the light switch. The contrast between the varying shades of darkness deepened as her eyes adjusted to the deep gloom. The blocky shapes of the furniture gradually emerged from the murkiness, but the form of a little girl did not appear. Minji brushed her gaze back and forth over the room as her fingers sought out the light switch.

  A gasp broke free from her lips.

  A figure stood in the entrance of the building and, for a beat of her heart, Minji thought it was Jake. Tall, broad shouldered, golden hair haloed by the low light spilling in from the hallway, the man remained unmoving.

  “Hello?” Minji said cautiously.

  “Heeeeeeeelpmeeeeee,” a deep voice moaned.

  “Are you hurt?”

  A long, unnerving silence followed.

  It had to be one of the mesmerized, but why had he entered the building? The last trickles of the population of Las Vegas were continuing northward out of the city and none had shown any interest in entering any of the buildings bordering their path.

  Something soft bumped into Minji from behind, and she let out a startled scream, jumping to one side. With relief, she saw it was Ava. The child’s eyes weren’t turned toward Minji, but the newcomer.

  “Heeeeeeeelp moomee.” It was Ava who spoke this time.

  “Ava?”

  There was a short intake of breath, then a heavy footfall. Minji looked up just as the man staggered toward her. Minji stepped back sharply, dragging Ava with her. She bumped into the wall and felt the light switch under her shoulder blade. Promptly flipping it upward, she blinked in the abrupt brightness of the overhead lights.

  A man in his late forties stood in front of her, blood st
reaming down the side of his face and staining his shirt. Listing slightly to one side, he stared at her in surprise. At last, he raised the wad of cloth he held in one hand to his head and pressed it against the wound.

  “Ma’am, I need some help. Are you a nurse?”

  “No, no, I’m not.” Both relief and apprehension flooded her. Another survivor had found them.

  Keen blue eyes appraised her before shifting to Ava. “Hello, little lady.”

  At her side, Ava screamed.

  Chapter 21

  Kneeling at Ava’s side, Minji attempted to draw the screaming child into her arms. “Ava, Ava! Look at me! It’s Mommy!”

  “It hurts, Mommy! It hurts!” Ava wailed, gripping Minji’s shirt.

  “Ava, you’re awake!”

  “Mommy, it hurts so bad! Please, Mommy, make it stop!”

  “What’s hurting you, Ava? Please tell me. What can I do?” Relief and terror fought for dominance as she tugged Ava into her embrace. The slender arms of the child hugged her neck.

  “Ava, please tell me how to make it better,” Minji murmured into the red curls.

  “It hurts, Mommy. It hurts!”

  “I’ll fix it. Just tell me how. Tell me what’s happening.” Minji wanted nothing more than to protect her daughters from the terrors enveloping the world, but she was helpless in the face of Ava’s suffering and fears. Crying inconsolably, Ava’s grip on her mother’s body was almost painful.

  “Ava, please, talk to me. Tell me what’s happening to you,” Minji pleaded.

  “Make it stop!”

  “Ava, I will. I promise! Just tell me how!”

  Ava’s hiccupping sobs ceased. Her small frame grew still. Though her arms remained around her mother’s neck, the limbs drooped over the curve of Minji’s shoulders.

  “No!” Minji tugged Ava from her chest so she could see her face. One look at the doll-like eyes and blank expression confirmed Minji’s fear. Ava was once more mesmerized. “Ava, come back to me. Ava!”

  Minji had forgotten all about the stranger until his hand rested on her shoulder. “Ma’am, she’s one of them. I don’t think she can hear you.”

  “Maybe she can’t, but it can,” Minji growled in agitation. Setting Ava on her feet, she squatted and gripped her wrists. Staring into Ava’s eyes, she said, “Let my daughter go. I know you can hear me. Let her go! Please!”

  Ava’s head tilted just a tad.

  Convinced the entity was listening, Minji restrained her wrath and forced her voice to be even. “I will help you. Just let my daughter and the others go.”

  “What’s going on?” Jesse bounded into the room and started at the sight of the newcomer. “Who are you?”

  “My name is Alec Markham. I just got here.”

  “Jesse, Ava was awake.”

  “What?” Jesse crouched at Minji’s side. “Seriously?”

  “Yes, for just a little bit. When she saw this man, she screamed, but then she woke up! She said something hurt and begged me to help her. Then...” Minji’s voice cracked.

  Jesse sorrowfully regarded Ava’s appearance. “She went back into it...”

  Minji nodded, swallowing sobs and fighting tears. “Is she hurt? Is there something I’m not seeing?”

  Guiding Ava to face him, Jesse tenderly started a cursory examination. Ava kept her gaze firmly on Minji. “No broken bones, no lacerations, I don’t see anything, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a fracture.”

  “I don’t think she’s physically hurt,” Alec spoke up. His voice reminded Minji of a cowboy’s. It carried a slight twang, was deep, and a bit rough. “What has her trapped is hurting her.”

  Looking up, Jesse appeared to take note of the man’s condition. “You’re pretty banged up.”

  “I was in a car accident and hit my head. That’s the reason for all the blood.” The man had a nice, but worn face. The lines around his eyes and mouth told the story of a hard life, though his blue eyes had a gentle quality.

  “I’m sorry, Minji,” Jesse said, “but I don’t know what to do for Ava since I can’t find anything to treat. Let me take care of Alec.”

  Resting her face in her hands, Minji struggled to maintain her composure. Ava stayed in front of her, unmoving. That fact made it even harder to gain control over her emotions. She’d seen her beautiful daughter’s spirit for just a few precious seconds and the hope that had filled her seeped away into a terrible dread. What if it never happened again? What if Ava never woke up? She couldn’t allow herself to entertain such dark thoughts. Ava needed her and Minji had to find a way to rescue her.

  When she had her emotions firmly under control, Minji lifted her head and saw Jesse helping Alec to one of the examination rooms. The newcomer ambled with a distinct limp, so their pace was a little slow. She waited until they turned into the room, and then lifted Ava into her arms. Carrying her over to the front entrance, she gazed out at the last remaining mesmerized in the city staggering through the rubble. The orange haze in the sky appeared to have intensified and Minji wondered if the fires were spreading, and if so, how far.

  “Do you see what you’re doing?” Minji asked the entity within her daughter in a hushed voice. “This is what you’re doing to us. Do you even understand it? Are you the one asking for help? Or is my daughter somehow using you to speak to me?”

  The invisible silken threads throbbed in the air, but Minji could hear Jesse speaking to Alec. Was this the beginning of a new attack, or something different?

  “I’ll help you. Just let everyone go. Stop doing all of this, and I’ll help you.”

  “Huuuuuuurts,” Ava answered.

  But it wasn’t Ava.

  It was the other.

  “Tell me how to help you.” Minji forced herself to look into the eyes of the being within her daughter.

  Tongue flailing, lips twisting, Ava made sounds that were inhumane and terrifying. Was it attempting to speak to her? Was this its language? The way Ava’s mouth moved and the noises issuing from her lips were reminiscent of something Minji had witnessed before, but she had difficulty focusing her thoughts.

  “Please let Ava come back to me,” Minji begged one last time.

  The bizarre enunciation continued, but the stir of invisible tendrils receded.

  Close to tears again, Minji carried Ava on her hip through the waiting room and into the corridor. The male voices attracted her to the open doorway of the examination room. Jesse stood next to Alec cleaning wounds on the other man’s scalp hidden by his dark blond hair.

  “How’s your daughter?” Alec asked, spotting Minji.

  “Mesmerized,” Minji answered, revolving so the men could see Ava’s face.

  “Mesmerized?” Alec appeared to consider the word before giving her a brief nod. “It works.”

  “Alec was just telling me about his accident, and how lucky he was that it happened close to here.” Jesse’s gloved hands were gentle as he plucked glass from the other man’s hair and flesh.

  “How did you know we were here?”

  “Arthur Freestone’s call was all over the networks,” Alec replied, barely wincing at Jesse’s ministrations. “He said exactly where you were. I was in Phoenix, so I drove here to find you.”

  “Did you see anyone else along the way? Like us?” Minji slipped into the room and sat on a chair.

  Alec shook his head. “No. They were all like,” he glanced at Ava, “...her. When the event hit Phoenix, I tried to find others, but I never saw anyone else like me. I’d given up and gone home when I saw Arthur’s interview on the news. I got in my truck and drove here.”

  The story sounded plausible, but Minji felt a twinge of uneasiness in her gut. “All those people on the roads...how did you avoid them?”

  “They’re not always on the road unless it’s in their path. The ones in this area are being funneled through the boulevard, but elsewhere there are a lot of empty roads. Well, except for the car accidents. I have a 4x4, so I went off-road when I had to.” Alec
didn’t even cringe when Jesse started to stitch him up.

  “And when you reached Vegas?”

  If Alec was bothered by her questions, he didn’t show it. “The south side is relatively empty. They’re all heading northward. I was nearby when...I don’t know what happened actually. One second I was driving, the next I woke up with my truck wrapped around a pole. I think my head took the brunt of it, but luckily, I’m hard-headed.”

  The smile that spread on his lips provoked one out of Minji before she realized it. He was charming in his craggy, cowboy way.

  “You were probably mesmerized,” Jesse said, sewing little stitches into Alec’s scalp with skillful motions.

  “I’m not affected,” Alec replied.

  “Well, sorry to break this to you, but no one appears to be truly immune but Minji. We didn’t even realize we were going under at first. It wasn’t until Minji appeared to vanish in front of our eyes that we realized we really were being affected during the attacks,” Jesse explained. “Well, everyone appeared to disappear in my eyes. It took me longer to wake up.”

  “You probably didn’t even realize you were mesmerized during the attacks. That’s why you hit the pole,” Minji suggested.

  A stoic expression settled over Alec’s features at Minji’s comment. Shifting slightly was the only sign of his discomfort at either her words, or the needle. “I see.” After a long pause, he asked, “So how do you know you’re immune?”

  “I’m pretty sure I am since I witnessed everyone else being affected,” Minji answered. “In the first attacks I was able to shake it off, though it did blind me a few times.”