The Mesmerized

With a sigh, she strode over to one of the couches, drawing Ava after her. Though the little girl was clearly under the influence of the event, she had stopped trying to follow the other mesmerized. Minji decided to experiment and set Ava on the black leather seat. The little girl stared at her, her lips flexing, but didn’t try to scoot off. Relieved, Minji sat next to her and carefully freed herself of the backpack. Bailey was deeply asleep inside the contraption. Drool had left a large wet spot on the face mask and Minji tossed it aside. Cradling Bailey in her arms, she allowed herself the luxury of sinking into the softness of the couch.

“Landlines are dead,” Simone announced striding into the waiting room. “I couldn’t even get a dial tone. I tried getting onto a computer, but they’re password protected.”

Arthur raised his head. “At least we have the television. That’s a good sign, right?”

Simone shrugged. She was obviously peeved with Arthur.

Minji bent over to retrieve the diaper bag from where Simone had discarded it. She was so tired, emotionally drained, and confused that it was difficult to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. For the moment, her baby needed to be the priority.

Bailey hardly roused as Minji changed her sodden diaper and for a moment of panic, the young mother feared the baby had fallen victim to the event. Relief came in a great flood when Bailey yawned, gave her mother a slight smile, and sank back into her slumber.

The other two adults in the room weren’t paying attention to anything other than the news report and didn’t seem inclined to help her search or help with the kids. Simone perched on the wide armrest of a chair while Arthur stood with his arms crossed over his chest, both staring avidly at the television.

Ava continued to watch Minji, her mouth always in flux, but never uttering a discernible word. Tucking Bailey onto her lap, Minji leaned her head back against the leather and focused on the television. She just needed a minute or two to rest before searching the medical center to see if any of the staff had survived. Her head was pounding and her feet felt like they were about to fall off.

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“...difficult to ascertain what areas of the country have been affected so far due to the complete information blackout that occurs...”

The words said by the newscaster gradually sank through the layers of dismal emotions clouding Minji’s thoughts.

“What we know at the moment...at least six commercial passenger jets circling the Las Vegas airport crashed before all others were diverted away. Commercial air flights have been grounded, though more crashes were reported before most of the West Coast went dark...”

Simone sighed. “Thank God my plane landed before all this hit.”

Minji thought of the Nordims and hoped their plane had landed safely in an unaffected area. Maybe her parents had heard about the event and pulled the car over. The thought of her folks mesmerized and trapped in their car was too horrible to contemplate.

Bailey woke again and frowned at her mother. “Baba,” she commanded, using her word for food.

Minji fumbled around in the bag for the bottle they had packed earlier. She liberated it from the bottom of the bag and set about feeding her child. Half-listening to the news reports, the terror inside Minji swelled into a dark tidal wave. There were no apparent answers to what was happening and the hopelessness she’d been fighting against since the event had started was close to winning the battle.

“Do you see that?” Arthur asked aloud.

Minji wasn’t sure who he was speaking to until he turned and glared at her.

“More than half of the United States is affected! And you’re just sitting there acting like it’s nothing!”

“I’m feeding my baby, Arthur,” Minji snapped.

“Do you even see that?” He motioned to the television screen and the map showing the reported affected areas. “My family is in danger right now!”

“What does that have to do with her?” Simone asked sharply. “Why are you getting in her face?”

“Because she’s acting like she doesn’t care!” Arthur snapped. “I guess those Asian stereotypes exist for a reason.”

“Hey!” the two women chorused.

“You’re so unemotional!” Arthur continued.

Bailey glared at him over her bottle.

“I am taking care of my baby,” Minji said in a low voice trying not to upset Bailey.

“What about him? Not going to help him?” Arthur pointed at Jake. “I guess fathers are just expendable, huh?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Minji gaped at him in disbelief.

Simone stood and stepped between Arthur and Minji, disrupting their stare down. “You need to calm yourself. She’s taking care of her child. You and I could’ve easily looked for someone to help her husband, but we didn’t, right?” Simone gave Minji an apologetic look over one shoulder. “Sorry about that.”