AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Maybe we should stay here?” Simone glanced toward a body near the check-in counter. “On second thought...”
“We should get some masks out of the ambulance,” Arthur said. “The...uh...mesmerized people with the gas masks are already gone, so we’ll have to settle for those surgeon ones.”
“The mesmerized?” Simone tried the word out, and then nodded. “A very good description of them.”
Rolling her shoulders, Minji tried to relax the knot forming at the base of her neck. The other woman noted her discomfort and gently pulled Ava from Minji’s arms.
“You’re doing too much, Minji. Arthur, we need to help her out more. Get the diaper bag. I’ll take care of the little girl.”
“Why should I—”
“Do it,” Simone said, her voice firm.
Grudgingly, Arthur took the heavy diaper bag from Minji.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips. “Thank you.”
Simone clambered to her feet and hoisted Ava onto her hip. Ava’s head immediately swiveled toward Minji.
“Is she waking up?” Minji gasped, pulling herself to her feet.
Ava’s head tilted to follow Minji’s face, but she didn’t speak or give any indication of awareness.
“Ava, do you want to go to your mommy?” Simone asked.
The five-year old continued to stare at Minji, but there wasn’t a hint of recognition in her eyes.
“Try moving over there,” Simone suggested, gesturing with her chin toward an archway.
Nearby Arthur watched nervously. “I don’t like the way her eyes look. They’re all spooky.”
“Arthur, you need to be quiet,” Simone commanded.
Minji took a few steps to one side, removing herself from Ava’s immediate view. Her daughter’s head swiveled to follow. Joy burst to life in her heart and her first smile since the disastrous event flitted across her lips. Ava had to be awakening.
“Ava, can you hear me? Can you hear Mommy?”
The redhead faced Minji, but her eyes still weren’t clearly focused on her mother. Again, Minji scuttled to one side. Ava twisted in Simone’s hold to track her mother’s path.
“What does it mean?” Arthur demanded. “Is she waking up?”
“Maybe,” Simone said cautiously. “Or maybe it’s not affecting her as much as the other
s. Her mother and sister are immune. Maybe she has a limited immunity.”
“Then why is he doing it, too?” Arthur asked, indicating the nearby stretcher.
Minji’s heart stuttered in her chest. “Jake!”
Her husband had craned his head toward her, but like Ava, he showed no sign of actual recognition. Then, very slowly, his lips parted revealing his white teeth. At the same moment, Ava did the same thing.
“Put her down! She’s going to bite you!” Arthur shouted, scrambling backward.
Though Simone threw a nasty look Arthur’s way, she did set Ava down and took a step back, keeping hold on the leash.
Taking a hesitant step forward, Minji held out her hands toward her husband. “Jake, are you waking up? Can you hear me?”
In response her husband’s mouth twisted in odd shapes, his jaw jutted outward, and the muscles in his neck flexed.
