“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.