The Mesmerized

“No, no, no!” Arthur whimpered.

Blood splattered against the face guard of Dr. McCoy’s mask, then she collapsed, striking the table where her tablet rested and taking the setup to the ground with her in a loud clatter.

“It’s happening again,” Minji said in a stricken voice.

“No! No! We were supposed to be rescued!” Arthur clutched his head, disbelief stamped on his features. “No!”

All around the area, people had come to a standstill. Even the mesmerized already under the influence of the event had stopped their trek northward. Ava’s small body remained ramrod straight in her mother’s grip, her face impassive, and Minji wondered if she had imagined Ava looking directly at the now deceased doctor. Even though the muscles in her arms were screaming in protest, Minji did not dare set her daughter on the ground. Meanwhile, Bailey’s sniffles and fidgeting were a small comfort. Apparently, since Bailey, Arthur, and Minji had been immune to t

he first wave of attacks, they were immune to the new one.

Within seconds of the world falling silent and still, the sound of vehicles smashing into one another echoed along the strip while car horns screamed in one long shriek. Minji instinctively jerked backward, upsetting Bailey who let out a plaintive cry. Ava remained silent. Arthur scrambled forward, gazing past all the emergency vehicles toward the strip.

“All the cars on all the roads,” Arthur gasped. “They’re all going to crash!”

Feeling sick at the thought, Minji nodded. “The horns are going off because they’re probably jammed from the collisions.”

Arthur’s eyes enlarged in horror. “If the cars are crashing, then what about the heli—”

Before he could even finish speaking, a helicopter spiraled overhead, its dark shadow flitting over the long drive. The metal beast spun over the fake lagoon and the Bridge of Sighs replica before clipping the large, ornate, animated sign announcing events at The Venetian resort and dipping out of sight. There was a flash of fire, and the air reverberated with the shockwave of the explosion. Black smoke spewed into the air from the crash site. Seconds later, another helicopter smashed into the side of the towering Treasure Island resort, the burning wreckage sliding down its white and red surface to the ground.

Bailey let out a gut-wrenching scream when Minji fell to her knees and scrambled under one of the sturdier looking metal tables, dragging Ava with her. She wasn’t sure if it would be any real protection from the fiery debris, but she couldn’t think of where else to take cover.

Following her example, Arthur ducked under a different table. “How can this be happening?”

Though Minji didn’t witness the crashes, she could hear the impact of the other helicopters as they fell to Earth. Black smoke billowed into the sky, car horns screeched, and the people crowding the boulevard remained still despite the fiery shrapnel raining upon them.

“This isn’t real! It can’t be real!” Arthur wagged his head. “No, no, no...”

Minji attempted to soothe Bailey while Ava remained a statue at her side. Her fingers trembled against her baby’s delicate skin. How could she keep her family safe amidst all the destruction?

Another blast shook the ground and pelted the area with shards of metal. A large chunk of a helicopter’s engine smashed into an ambulance then spiraled through the air to land in the placid blue waters of the nearby lagoon. Steam rose from the wreckage.

In the doorway of the tent, the police officer in his black garb and face mask didn’t even flinch.

The reek of burning metal, rubber, and other foul smells choked Minji and sent her into a fit of coughing. Across from her, Arthur scuttled out from under his shelter and rushed the policeman.

Shoving the man, Arthur shouted, “Wake up! Wake up!”

“That won’t work!” Minji snapped. “Leave him alone!”

“He has to save us!”

Somewhere along the strip there was another explosion. The sound of glass shattering rang through the air. Car alarms screeched, but the mass congregation remained unmoving and seemingly unaware.

“He’s not going to wake up! Look around! They’re not waking up even with helicopters crashing down on their heads!” Pointing at the fallen doctor, Minji continued, “They’re dying and they don’t even know it.”

Arthur stared at the doctor’s bloodied face. “How can this be? She’s in a suit! How can she be dead?” Again he turned his anger on the impassive police officer, attempting to shake him out of his state. “You have to wake up and save us!”

“He’s not going to, Arthur! Leave him the fuck alone!” Minji blinked back tears of frustration.

“Even the people in gas masks are...are...are...” Arthur floundered, searching for the correct words.

“Mesmerized,” Minji finished.

Arthur released the police officer, nodding. “Yes. Mesmerized.”

As one, the transfixed people rotated to face north.