The Mesmerized

“Right.” Alec motioned for her to get on the bike. “First, let’s leave. Arthur is watching and he’ll make things more complicated if he gets any more suspicious.”

Minji glanced toward the splintered windows and saw Arthur watching them through the cracks with a scowl on his face. By this point, Arthur probably didn’t trust either one of them. She meaningfully looked away, straddled the bike and waited for Alec to climb on. Once she was satisfied that he was situated, she flipped the kickstand upward, flicked the kill switch to ON, turned the key, and started the bike. The air filled with the roar of the Harley, and Alec let out a chuckle while she let the engine warm up.

“What?”

“You really do know how to drive this thing.”

“I’m full of surprises,” Minji replied, then throttled forward.

The bike was big, heavy, and powerful beneath her body, and it felt wonderful. For the first time in twenty-four hours, she was in control of some aspect of her situation. Because of the cars and debris obstructing the road, she directed the motorcycle along the sidewalk, but kept the speed on the low end. Despite the sun blazing above the thick haze, the air was searing cold, and Minji fought to keep her teeth from chattering.

“Head over there!” Alec shouted in her ear, pointing toward a Ross department store.

Minji complied, scooting the bike around a snarl of crashed vehicles and far too many dead bodies. Plumes of black smoke rose into the ashen sky, a threat that was difficult to ignore. The fires were creeping closer.

“You need to grab some jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a jacket of some kind,” Alec said, hopping off the back of the bike and quickly leaning against his cane. “Running around in shorts and a tank top isn’t going to work.”

“Plus, I’m freezing,” Minji admitted.

The glass doors to the store were shattered and the frame smeared with blood. Inside were several dead bodies, the stink of rot seeping in around the edges of Minji’s face mask.

“Why are we going to The Venetian?”

Alec shuffled toward a rack of men’s jackets and grabbed one. “Okay, I’m done. Grab some things for yourself.”

Minji resisted rolling her eyes. She hated how easy it was for men to find clothing. As she walked to the women’s section, she said, “Well? Answer my question.”

“I’m trying to decide how to say this and not sound crazy,” Alec answered while following her, the now familiar wry smile touching his lips.

“My daughter is possessed by something that’s watching us through her eyes and it’s probably behind this massive event that is killing everyone in the world. Nothing you say can sound crazier.” Minji found a selection of long sleeved shirts in her size and pulled a black one off the hanger. She tugged it over her tank top, and though it was a little tight, she decided it would do.

“Okay, here’s the truth. Like you suspected, I did call the Army as soon as I knew I was in an affected area and immune. I fully expected to be recalled into service and I was right. I was immediately transferred up the chain of command until I was talking to the President and the Secretary of State, among other top officials. They debriefed me as quickly as they could for fear of another event hitting before they could divulge everything I needed to know in order to perform my duty. By then they’d estimated how long it would take for the East Coast to fall under the effect of the event and knew they were on limited time.”

Minji perused a selection of pants while she listened. The knot in the pit of her stomach coiled tighter with each of his words.

Resting his elbows on the bar of the rack, Alec gazed at her over the hanging clothes with a grave expression. “They also estimated how long it would take before the whole world would be affected.”

Fingers quivering, her palms sweaty, Minji bit her bottom lip, abruptly not wanting for him to continue. If he said the words, it would only make difficult decisions easier and make her guilt deepen.

“As of this morning’s attack, the world has come to an end. All of humanity is being drawn to the epicenter of the event. Do you know where the epicenter is?”

Minji shook her head, but then realized she did know. How many documentaries detailed the secret tests performed in the Nevada desert? Lifting her eyes, she saw that Alec looked even older than before. The weight of responsibility was biting into him, wearing him down, and also scaring him.

“It’s outside Las Vegas, isn’t it? Somewhere in Nevada at one of those so-called secret bases.”

“Yes.”

“And you know where?”

“Yes. That was one of the things I was told before the government went dark.”

“What else did they say?” Black cargo pants with a wide pant cuff caught Minji’s eye and she tugged them off the hanger and held them to her hips. They looked about the right fit. She unbuttoned her shorts and tugged them off over her boots and attempted to drag the pants on without falling over. If Alec was going to be bothered by her Hello Kitty underwear, he’d have to deal.

“You’re not going to

ask me why they divulged top secret information to a staff sergeant?”

“You’re the last soldier standing. Of course they’d tell you. How else could you save the world...and them?” Minji managed to get the pant legs over her boots. Tugging the cargo pants up, she was relieved when they fit perfectly.