The Mesmerized by Rhiannon Frater

Author:Rhiannon Frater [Frater, Rhiannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: undead, as the world dies, rhiannon frater, horror, zombie, supernatural, female lead, apocalypse, strong female protagonist, lovecraft
Publisher: Permuted Press
Published: 2014-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

***

“Help me, Mommy,” Ava whispered in her ear.

The universe was a churning miasma of inexplicable beauty and terror, the colors so vibrant it seared her corneas and sent a sharp stab of pain through her brain, and the sound was so ethereal yet gruesome it was agony to her ears. The blistering cold touch of spider silk sliced through her flesh and ripped her open.

All the while, Ava whispered, “Help me, Mommy.”

***

With a grunt, Minji stirred awake and gripped her head with both hands. The agonizing pulse shredding her brain sent her reeling across the room to the small bathroom. She just made it to the toilet before she vomited what little she’d eaten for dinner. She fumbled with the sink and managed to twist on the faucet. Her vision was smeared with darkness and bright spots, rendering her nearly blind. Unable to quell the trembling of her hands, Minji tilted her head so she could sip directly from the spigot and rinse out her mouth. When the foul acid taste was gone from her tongue, she drank several gulps of lukewarm water before sliding to the floor.

In the darkness, Minji sobbed in both sorrow and horror. The cold seeping from the tiles underneath her bit through the fabric of the rolled up scrub pants and sent shivers up her spine. Swiping the back of her hand across her wet face, she realized the air was vibrating with invisible strands of icy silk.

It was happening again.

Rising to her feet, she padded into the room and heard the whisper of the mesmerized slithering through the dark.

“Heeeeeeeelp moomee,” was the eerie chorus.

“Ava?” Minji called out, shivering.

A quick flip of the light switch left her blinking the dark spots out of her vision. The bright illumination from the overhead fixture revealed Bailey in her crib, clutching the bars, and staring at her mother with wide eyes. Jake’s eyes remained closed, but his mouth was moving in sync with Bailey’s. Ava was not in the room. With a start, Minji rushed to where she had tied the child leash to the chair. The end was still attached to both the chair and the backpack. Ava had obviously slipped out of the straps and wandered off.

“Ava!”

Rushing toward the door, Minji slipped on the slick floor, barely catching herself in time on the end of the bed. She discarded the thick socks and ran barefoot out of the room and along the corridor. The floor was so cold, it burned her feet, but she was desperate to find her child.

Jesse had placed all the mesmerized patients, Simone, Arthur, and Minji’s family in rooms close to one another on the main floor in an area just beyond the examination rooms. From each doorway came the creepy, raspy whispers of the mesmerized.

“Heeeeeeeelp moomee.”

Minji shoved each half closed door open all the way, flipped on the light, and searched for Ava. Though all the mesmerized appeared to be sleeping, the cry for help continued to slither out of their mouths.

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