There were several piles of crashed vehicles, rubble, and bodies that slowed the journey back to the medical center, but Minji expertly swerved around the obstacles. Fear, thick and choking, filled her to the point of panic. What if the entity perceived their plan? What would it do? Of course, maybe it wouldn’t understand why they’d returned to The Venetian. Maybe it wouldn’t connect the black vans to the scientists at the first facility that had inadvertently trapped it. However, she couldn’t ignore the dread consuming her.
“The shuttle is right over there!” Alec shouted.
Minji glanced at the area he indicated. Sure enough, there was an abandoned shuttle bus near a parking garage.
“We should get it now,” Alec continued.
Tempted to ignore him, Minji almost didn’t slow the motorcycle until she realized how close they were to the medical center. Reluctantly, she dropped the bike’s speed.
The smoke parted to reveal a small figure marching down the boulevard, and for just an instant, a patch of sunlight illuminated red curls. Jerking the bike to one side, Minji fought to control the sliding vehicle. The thick ash coating the street made it difficult for the wheels to grip the asphalt and for a paralyzing second Minji was convinced they were going to spin out. Fortunately, the bike found traction and she managed to get it back under her control before narrowly missing a jumble of taxis. Braking hard, she flipped the kickstand down and slid off the motorcycle. The thick air made her lungs ache as her feet pounded against the pavement. The ash collected on her eyelashes and coated her clothing. Following the rut the bike had left through the ash, she sprinted toward the spot on the boulevard where she’d seen Ava. The wall around her emotions had deep cracks in it now and she struggled to contain the overwhelming fear and despair threatening to burst through and drown her.
Ava stepped out from behind a metro bus, Bailey in her arms. Both girls were gray from the soot and the baby was wailing. Stuttering to a halt, Minji instantly fell to one knee so she could meet the eyes of her child and the entity within her. Unable to gather her thoughts into any sort of coherency, the young mother watched in fearful anticipation while the creature within her daughter regarded her.
“I was coming back,” Minji said, more to the entity than Ava.
“Baaabbbyyy.” Ava’s doll-like eyes rolled in their sockets to regard Bailey.
“Yes. Bailey is a baby,” Minji replied, uncertainty gripping her. What should she say?
“Baaabbbyyy.” The creature within Ava returned its gaze to Minji. “Mooommmyyy.”
“Yes, I’m a mommy. I’m Bailey’s mommy. I’m...Ava’s mommy.”
“Baabbbyyy, mooommmyy.”
Staring into the seemingly blank eyes, Minji struggled to understand what the creature wanted from her. “Mommies take care of babies.”
Blubbering, Bailey held out a hand to Minji, clearly wanting to go to her mother. Minji gradually raised her hands, but didn’t lunge to grab Bailey, which was incredibly difficult to do.
“Baaby,” Ava said in a much clearer voice, though her mouth still moved in an exaggerated motion.
“Yes. Bailey is a baby. I’m a mommy. Babies should be with their mommy.” Minji pointed to Bailey then herself, then held her arms open.
Taking a short step toward Minji, the other within Ava tilted the little girl’s head. Ava’s curls bounced against a cheek smeared with gray smut. With surprising care, Ava handed Bailey to Minji.
“Baaby. Moommy.”
Minji rapidly dragged her mask off her face and slid it over Bailey’s. Instantly, her mouth and throat were coated by the gray air. Bailey tried to tug off the mask, but Minji wouldn’t let her.
“Here,” Alec said, startling her. Apparently, he had been lingering nearby watching. Taking off his mask, he handed it to Minji. “For Ava.”
Cradling Bailey against her side with one arm, Minji dragged the mask over Ava’s head and carefully adjusted it over her mouth. The creature’s eyes flicked toward Alec, then returned to Minji’s face.
“Baaby,” the thing in Ava said again.
Holding out her hand, Minji nervously waited for the creature to respond.
Ava’s tiny fingers awkwardly clung to Minji’s thumb. “Baaby.”
“Mommy,” Minji corrected.
“Get them into the shuttle bus,” Alec urged.
Nervously, Minji led the possessed little girl to the vehicle abandoned in the entrance of the parking lot, and to her relief, the creature inside Ava did not resist. Alec followed, the click of his cane against the asphalt a reassuring sound.
“What do you think she did to Simone and the others?” Minji asked in an amazingly even tone despite her terror.