Simone kindly helped cover Bailey’s mouth with the neckline of the baby’s t-shirt, while Minji shielded Ava’s by doing the same thing. Her daughter’s dark eyes stared up at her, devoid of emotion or any sign of comprehension. On the stretcher Jake strained to keep his gaze pinned on Minji, but his eyes, too, were devoid of his personality. The longer the phenomena continued, the more unsettling it became. Minji was starting to wonder if their persistent stares were really a sign of them gradually awakening. She tried to cling to hope, but it was already sifting through her fingers like vapor.
Arthur dashed around inside the tents searching for face masks and managed to produce enough for everyone. His jubilant expression rendered his dour face rather pleasant and Minji pondered if the current circumstances had brought out the worst in his personality. Though there had already been many times when she’d wanted to sit and sob at the sheer awfulness of what she was suffering, she’d shoved all those emotions to the back of her mind in order to concentrate on the undertaking of rescuing her family. She was not her usual vibrant self, but a darker variation.
“See! I know what I’m talking about,” he said with a cocky tilt of his chin.
Simone took a mask grudgingly. “So you did...in this case.”
Minji claimed masks for her and the children. To her surprise, Arthur set about putting one on Jake. “Thank you, Arthur.”
It took a little work to get Bailey to wear the mask and not tear it off, but Simone maintained an eye on the baby for Minji. The face mask wasn’t particularly comfortable, but it made it easier to breathe.
Once the small group was ready, Simone carried the diaper bag and held Ava’s hand while Arthur pushed the stretcher as Minji guided it. In silence, they trudged down the long drive toward the boulevard, winding around the emergency vehicles and black vans. What were these strange vehicles with no markings? Minji was mystified by their appearance. Stepping toward the nearest one, Minji craned her head, attempting to peer inside, but the windows were tinted so dark it was impossible.
“I wonder where these are from,” Minji speculated aloud.
“Black ops,” Arthur suggested.
“What’s that?” Minji cast a curious look his way.
“Uh, those secret government agencies. We are in Nevada. They have all sorts of secret bases out here, remember?”
Simone bestowed the man with skeptical glare while Minji mulled this over.
“They were here really quickly, weren’t they?” Arthur waved a hand at all the rescue vehicles. “The CDC was here immediately. I think they knew this was going to go down.”
“How?” Simone asked. “How would they know?”
“A terrorist threat probably.
Something the NSA picked up. That’s probably why we can’t call out on our cell phones. They’re keeping it all hush-hush.”
“Or a cell tower went down, which is more likely,” Simone said with a shake of her head.
Arthur gave her a disdainful look. “There is a whole lot more going on than you know.”
“Uh huh.” Simone chuckled and kept walking.
A few more footsteps brought them closer to the vehicle. Hard thumps resounded from within.
“They’re trying to get out,” Simone observed. “They don’t know how to get out. That’s how my driver was, too. He kept battering himself against the steering wheel. He wanted to join the others, but didn’t know how.”
Somewhere up the boulevard came a series of sharp popping noises followed by loud whooshes. The situation was growing direr by the minute.
“We should get them out,” Minji said, feeling the weary burden of responsibility settle on her psyche. How could she keep walking and not help? There were so many in need it was impossible to assist everyone. If she could rescue a few, however, she would try to do so. It was the right thing to do.
“No way! We keep moving! You did just hear those explosions, right?” Arthur rammed the stretcher into her hip to keep her moving.
“Hey!”
“They might be safer in there then out here,” Simone said significantly, her dark eyes resting on a spot beyond them.
Directing her attention to the boulevard, Minji wondered if Simone was right, and for a split second, considered returning to The Venetian. The mesmerized continued to march to the north. The endless stream wove through the wreckage in a mass of stumbling flesh. Most were injured, some grievously. Despite the wounds inflicted on their bodies by the car collisions, helicopter wreckage, fire, and debris cloud, they continued walking. Some were so severely burned Minji couldn’t tell if they were male or female. Most likely the only reason they were able to even move was because they were mesmerized. The reek of burned flesh sifted through the face mask and Minji found it difficult not to retch.
“Leave them inside the van,” Simone decided. “It’s more humane.”
With a mute nod, Minji agreed and they continued down the drive. When they reached the wide footway, they found it littered with bodies, crashed vehicles, chunks of helicopters, and rubble. The mesmerized filled the road and spilled onto the sidewalk. It would be challenging to find a path for the stretcher.
“We should get off the boulevard,” Arthur suggested. “There are so many people...”