“I think this is it,” Jesse said, clearly concentrating on the task at hand and not on Ava. He slipped a key into the knob, rotated it, and smiled victoriously when the mechanism unlocked. “Now we can check this out.” Jesse shoved open the door.
A man lurched out, eyes glazed, mouth and nose a battered mess. Disoriented, he crashed into Jesse, knocking him to the floor. Alec made a grab for the man, but missed, lost his balance, and fell to one knee with a pained grunt. Arthur leaped out of the way of the bloodied security guard with a cry of fright.
Careening across the hall, the security guard smashed into Ava, sending her sprawling across the floor. Minji rapidly handed Bailey to Simone and ran forward to help her eldest daughter. The mesmerized security guard’s feet tangled with Ava’s legs and he stumbled, one knee smashing into Ava’s torso before he managed to stand again.
“Grab him!” Alec ordered.
Arthur didn’t obey, and cowered against the wall.
Jesse lunged after the security guard, but was knocked away by the man’s pin-wheeling arms. Thrashing about, Ava attempted to get away from the guard, but the mesmerized man’s feet remained interlaced with Ava’s limbs and his attempts to walk only resulted in him kicking her.
Minji was almost to them when the atmosphere turned frigid so fast, her breath misted and frosted her lips. Invisible tendrils flailed through the corridor, slashing at Minji and the others. Slender, icy whips nipped at Minji’s face and neck. Though she couldn’t see the tentacles, their sting could not be ignored. Wincing under the onslaught, she shielded her eyes with one hand. The air writhed with unseen wisps of ice that left red welts where they lashed Minji’s arms
“Ava, stop!”
A second later the guard started to bleed from every orifice.
“No!” Minji shouted at the entity within Ava.
Finally close enough to reach Ava, Minji yanked her daughter away from the hemorrhaging man. The guard pitched face first into the wall, his injured face making a resounding splat, then slid to the floor leaving a long red mark.
“Please stop!” Minji gripped Ava’s chin with one hand and stared into the glassy eyes. “Stop now! He didn’t mean to hurt you! No one wants to hurt you!”
In the next intake of breath, the unseen assault ceased.
Relieved, Minji leaned heavily against the wall, holding Ava close. “Thank you...”
On the floor near her feet, the security guard gurgled on his blood, then was silent.
“No one wants to hurt you,” Minji said again, her fingers combing through Ava’s curls. “I’ll help you. I promise.”
There wasn’t a response from Ava or anyone else.
Focusing on the others, Minji saw that they were gradually emerging from their transfixed states. The attack had rendered them motionless and blank once again.
Simone was the first to blink her eyes and let out a low moan. Blood trickled from her nose, and she raised one hand to her face. “I’m bleeding.”
In her arms, Bailey let out a desperate sob.
“Me, too!” Arthur shrieked, wiping frantically at his nose with his fingers.
Nearby, Jesse managed to get to his feet and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.
Alec sluggishly shook his head from side to side, rapidly blinking his eyes. “That was a short, but fierce one,” he said.
“It hurt. A lot.” Simone wiped a few drops of blood from Bailey’s lips. She kindly held Bailey out for Minji to kiss her cheek and whisper reassurances to the baby. “She seems to be okay. I’ll keep holding her since you’ve got your arms full with...” Simone stepped back, casting a wary look at the five year old in Minji’s grip.
In fact, everyone was staring at Ava.
Exhaustion and frustration settled like a hot, wet blanket on Minji’s shoulders. Staring into Ava’s eyes, Minji sensed the other looking back at her. Was it so intertwined with Ava that it had seen the security guard’s actions as an attack on it? Or had it been protecting Ava?
“He’s dead,” Jesse said. Blood was smeared across his lips and chin and he looked several shades paler than before. Squatting at th
e guard’s side, Jesse seemed much older and worn down than he had just the day before. “Like the others...before.”
“His face was all beat up.” Arthur’s nervousness made his tone hoarse and his actions jittery.
“From beating it against the wall.” Alec pushed the door all the way open to the security room. The far wall had a fair amount of dried blood on it. “He was trying to get out. The room is soundproofed, so that’s why we didn’t hear him.”