“I love you,” she whispered in his ear, kissed his cheek, and then started to remove the baby backpack from his still form. It was difficult to work it loose, but she eventually managed to pry it off. It appeared to possibly be in working order, but she set it aside. She couldn’t get Bailey into it alone.
Carefully rotating Jake onto his back, she tenderly stroked his face. She had no idea how she’d get him out of the area, but at least he was alive and didn’t appear to be in mortal danger. Of course, she had zero medical knowledge, but she thought his color looked okay considering his injuries.
“I’m going for help,” Minji said, though she knew Jake probably couldn’t hear her. “I have the girls with me and they’re fine.” Glancing toward the injured young woman scooting her body along the floor after the other mesmerized, Minji rubbed the tears from her eyes. “Don’t wake up, Jake. Not yet. I don’t want to have to find you like that.”
Bailey’s tantrum was reduced to hiccupping sobs of de
spair. It was time to get back to the baby and Ava. Reluctant to leave Jake, but knowing she had to in order to get assistance, Minji kissed his lips tenderly before rising. If it was true that the event hadn’t affected all of Las Vegas, maybe help was on the way.
Gritting her teeth to keep from screaming or crying, Minji returned to her daughters. Once Bailey was safely in her arms and Ava staggered at the end of the leash, Minji started in the direction of the main entrance of The Venetian that lay beyond the Grand Canal.
It took all her willpower not to look back at the still shape of her husband resting at the base of the waterfall.
Chapter 7
The journey through The Venetian Casino was more harrowing psychologically than physically. Most of the mesmerized had departed the area, leaving corpses behind to mar the opulence of the casino. The chairs around the tables were toppled and strewn about like trees discarded after a tornado and dark stains of blood covered the lush carpeting. The gilded glory of the frescos and chandeliers seemed more appropriate for a cathedral now that the grand room had been transformed into a place of the dead.
Minji rushed her daughters through the disarray and toward the lobby of The Venetian. Kicking away chairs that blocked her path, she guided Ava around the carnage while whispering soothing words to Bailey. The baby’s face was firmly planted against her mother’s neck as she chewed on the tips of Minji’s dreads. Though the slot machines boisterously announced their presence, the absence of humanity was incredibly disconcerting. This was Las Vegas, a place that never slept, but it now appeared empty and abandoned by the living.
Reaching the lobby, Minji half-jogged, half-walked along the palatial hallway toward the exit. The gleaming marble floor with its diamond design reflected the luminous brightness of the recessed lighting giving the elegant beauty a celestial appearance. Corinthian marble pillars gilded with gold ascended toward the high arched ceiling festooned with frescos and murals reminiscent of the artwork of the great Italian artists. The only detractor of such awe-inspiring craftsmanship was the bodies of those stricken in the first few attacks.
Near the entrance, the golden globe fountain consisting of interlocked rings held up by armless mermaids loomed before her. The rush of the water sent a shiver through her limbs at the memory of the earlier chaos at the waterfall. She had to find help for Jake and all the other wounded, and hopefully find out exactly what was happening within the walls of the majestic resort.
She shoved open the doors to the outside, and a blast of hot summer air chased the chill from her limbs. Minji blinked rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the natural brightness of the day lurking just beyond the massive arcade that offered shade to the arriving vehicles. Above her head were the paintings that had so enthralled Ava upon their arrival days earlier. Spherical gilded frames housing the artwork looped across the ceiling as a precursor to the grandeur within the building. The engines of taxi cabs, shuttle buses, rental cars, and family vehicles rumbled despite being abandoned. Luggage, purses, toys and other personal possessions were scattered across the ground.
“Ma’am, I need you to come this way,” a male voice boomed.
Startled, Minji took a hesitant step forward. She saw several men in black armor and gasmasks motioning from up the drive. Beyond them were ambulances, police vehicles, and several black vans with no identifying emblems. People in full hazmat gear were rushing about erecting tents. Help had arrived and her body sagged with relief and exhaustion as the adrenaline rush finally dissipated in her system.
“Ma’am, come here,” the voice called out.
Lifting Ava onto her hip, Minji scampered forward. “My husband is inside. He’s hurt. So are a lot of other people! You need to help them!”
Feet sloshing in her wet boots, Minji felt the weight of all that she’d just experienced bearing down on her as she neared the heavily armored police officers. A little past them, she saw the man that had refused to help her speaking with several officials in hazmat suits.
The officer who had called her over took her arm in his gloved hand and guided her toward the waiting ambulances. “You’re going to be okay, ma’am.”
The tears she’d been suppressing flowed unhindered now that she and the children were safe. Through her blurry sight, she saw Las Vegas Boulevard crammed with people and vehicles. Sirens, booming voices over p.a. systems, and the cries of the scared masses being shepherded southward filled the air. It was sweet music to Minji’s ears after the disconcerting silence within the resort.
“My husband is hurt. Can you please send someone inside to get him?”
“We’ll do what we can, ma’am.”
The dark eyes beyond the face mask were somber and the tone was strangely non-committal. The bitter taste of fear crawled up from her gullet to stain her tongue.
“There are a lot of people hurt in there,” she persisted. “You need to send in the paramedics.”
A woman clad in a white hazmat suit with a badge indicating she was from the CDC motioned for the police officer to bring Minji over to a small tent where various types of equipment was set up on sturdy looking portable tables. The guy in the wine-colored shirt gave Minji a dismissive look before offering his arm to another CDC official armed with a syringe.
“These people will help you,” the police officer said, releasing his hold on her.
“You need to go in there,” Minji insisted. “Please, my husband needs help.”
With a sigh, the officer said, “Ma’am, we’re doing the best we can to help everyone.” He gestured toward the Las Vegas Strip. “We’re trying to save everyone.”
“What’s happening?” Minji demanded.
The female doctor stretched out a hand to guide her into the tent, but Minji stepped out of reach.