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“People who will listen to me. Yes, hello? My name is Arthur Freestone and I am in Las Vegas. I only have a few bars, so my reception is a bit shoddy, but I’m ready to go on the air.”
“He’s calling the news,” Simone said. “Not someone who can actually help...”
Minji returned to the couch, collapsed onto it, and pulled her girls onto her lap. Bailey sniffled loudly. Ava just mimicked a gasping fish and stared at her mother. Simone took a seat near them, crossed her legs, and fastened her gaze to the television. Jesse didn’t rejoin them and Minji suspected he was checking on his few patients.
A minute later the doors to the hallway slammed shut.
It only took a few minutes before Arthur’s name was scrolling along the bottom of the newscast and he appeared in a small box in the corner, his visage shuddering as he streamed live from his phone. Other images of the chaos inside The Palazzo Shoppes began to appear in the opposite corner. Minji hadn’t realized Arthur had snapped photos of the event. Simone folded her arms over her chest and gave the television an incredulous look.
“...yes, I’m here. I’m in Las Vegas with three other people who are not affected. We need immediate help. Also, I need someone to go and get my wife and kids in Atlanta,” Arthur said when the interview started.
“Arthur, can you tell us what you’ve seen and how you’ve avoided being infected?” the anchorman asked.
“I don’t know why I’m immune, and what I’ve seen is awful. Now, if someone could go get my ex-wife and kids. They’re at the...” Arthur prattled off an exact location and ignored the attempts of the neatly coiffed anchorwoman to interrupt him with a question.
“He’s something else, isn’t he?” Simone said with the shake of her head.
Minji shrugged a shoulder. “He’s trying to save his family.”
“True. My husband has it taken care of. Kids and dogs are all in the house. He took all the furniture out of the dining room and has them all in there on mattresses. If the event spreads, they’re not going anywhere.” Long lashes shielding her eyes, she continued, “So...they’ll be safe until help comes.”
If help comes...
The unsaid words hung menacingly in the air.
“Maybe they’ll be immune like Bailey. That’s two people in my family that aren’t being affected. You’re immune, Simone, so maybe the kids will be, too.”
A wry smile pressed onto Simone’s lips. “From your lips to God’s ears. If He’s listening...and I’m not sure He is. But if the kids aren’t affected, they’ll take care of their dad, the dogs, and themselves. They’re smart kids. We’ve raised them well.”
Arthur’s irate voice pulled Minji’s attention back to the screen.
“...somewhere on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s near the Stratosphere. And yes, the city is on fire. I’m pretty sure the Luxor is the building that collapsed earlier. I’m not sure what came down a few minutes ago. And there are dead people everywhere. Once this thing hits, people just die left and right...”
“Well, that won’t cause a panic.” Simone raised her eyes heavenward.
Minji thought of all the children walking silently into the lake on live television. She doubted that anything Arthur said would have any significant impact on the public after all they were witnessing on the news. “He can't make it worse than it already is.”
The doors opened and Arthur’s voice reverberated through the television speakers for a brief second before Jesse hastily closed them to cancel the feedback. Walking over, he perched on the end of the coffee table and focused on Minji.
“I checked on your husband and all the other patients. They’re all doing fine right now. None of them had life threatening ailments or injuries, which is a good thing because we’re not a long term care facility. Most of the center’s patients are people who fall ill while on vacation, such as a sprained or broken a bone, they caught a bug. Sometimes it’s something more serious and we arrange transportation to another facility. All in all, we’re in good shape.”
“Especially because you’re the only one here to take care of everyone,” Simone said.
“Well, my job is a little easier since I’ve sedated them to keep them from...” Jesse jerked his chin toward the windows. “I’m going to move Jake into a room and you can relocate there, Minji. It’ll probably be a little calmer.”
“Are we safe here?” Minji was seriously having doubts. “I know the fires aren’t that close and the construction sites near us will act as a firebreak, but what if more buildings come down?”
“But how do we leave? The roads are packed,” Jesse answered with a grim look.
“We wait until the city is empty.” Simone tapped her long nails against the black leather armrest. “It might take the rest of the day, but it’ll happen. The mesmerized are walking into the desert, so we wait until they’re all gone. Then we leave. We’ll have far fewer obstacles to worry about.”
“Okay. But where do we go? I don’t have any ideas. Do you?” Jesse shifted his gaze back and forth between the two women.
“Out of the desert before the power completely fails and we’re left without water and electricity. Maybe the coast,” Simone suggested.
“West, south, or east?” Jesse clasped his hands together and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Because I have no idea where to go.”
“Texas,” Minji decided. “We go to East Texas. There’s freshwater lakes and plenty of resources there.”
