Playlist for the Apocalypse

Chapter 14: California Dreamin'

EVELYN

The moment the light disappeared above her, Evelyn knew she was on her own again. She didn't bother to take inventory of her surroundings and instead splashed down the tunnel at top speed. She didn't think they were still following her, but she wouldn't risk stopping to check. She kept running.

Once she was certain she heard no foot falls behind her, she fished her Swiss army knife from her backpack and flicked on the flashlight. There wasn't much to look at, every tunnel looked the same; dank with curved concrete walls that seemed to grow narrower by the minute. She tried not to think about the quiet squeaks and scampering sounds of the rats or the foul stench of sewer water that was filling her senses. It was all making her head hurt and, even worse, messing with her focus. She pressed on, clinging to her father's journal.

Jonathan's drawing was far from the most effective navigation tool, then again, she had never been good at reading maps even when they didn't look like a child's drawing. Every now and again she would wipe the sweat and condensation off her glasses and squint at it. She knew she shouldn't be second guessing which direction the top of the drawing was, but she did anyways. She wasn't sure how far to keep going. Jonathan's drawing made the path seem so simple, but it was hard to follow his birds eye view sketch from the darkness of the tunnel. Finally, just when she felt as though she couldn't slog through the rodent infested waters any further, she came upon the part of the map that Jonathan had marked with what Evelyn thought might have been the greatest letter in the English language, X.

When she emerged from the tunnel, she was soggy, exhausted, and covered with grime. The sky was still dark. Misty grey clouds choked the moonlight casting ominous shadows across the empty intersection. Wind whipped through the trees, plastering her damp hair against her face. Her mask was in her bag, but she knew she didn't have time to stop and put it on, it wouldn't be long before the downpour began, and it would be unwise to stay out in the open for much longer. She sucked a few sharp breaths through her teeth to calm her nerves as she scanned the area. The intersection was clear of Soulless though she couldn't be completely sure in the dark. She was shocked to realize that she hadn't traveled far at all, in fact she could still see the rusting border of shipping crates that walled off River District. A few old buildings lined the far side of the street, but were too large to be safely secured on her own. Her only other options seemed to be the dilapidated looking shops in the distance. Even from where she stood, she could tell they were riddled with battle scars. The roofs were slanted inwards but otherwise seemed relatively intact. Her head snapped back and forth between the buildings; she'd have to make a choice. Suddenly she was a little girl lost in a grocery store aisle, whirling back and forth searching for her parents. Without her mom, dad, Popo,Beth... there was no way of knowing what to do. There was just her. Her choices. Her moves on the chess board. The only trouble was, she'd never been very good at chess.

The wind howled and she tugged her windbreaker against her body as if gathering the fabric in her fist would keep her warmer. She knew she should go but she found herself turning back towards the sewer she'd just emerged from. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she stole a glance behind her, but the street was deserted. She knew why she was waiting. He's not coming. She reminded herself. She forced herself to look away from the manhole cover and took off towards the shops.

Evelyn hadn't realized how exhausted she was until she found a place to lie down in small church tucked in amongst the ruins. She didn't remember falling asleep, but before she knew it, she was startled awake by the racket outside. Torrents of rain slammed against the walls and rattled the roof like a tin can. She sat up groggily and glanced towards the grimy windows. Faded newspaper clung to the dirty glass like wet leaves, obscuring her view of the rain. The bloated and waterlogged pages told the story of a world frozen in time, days before the Blackout.

The virus had been rampant, hospitals were swamped, quarantine orders had been made, objected, and disobeyed. There were the hopeful headlines of a cure on the horizon from NeuroGen, a multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation, before it had been bombed by the Serenity Society. Perhaps if their big roll out had gone to plan, the world could have been saved. Black and white photos showed images of grim-faced school board executives who were struggling to appease those who begged them for closures and ones who demanded they stay open.

They should have closed them sooner, Evelyn thought. If they had, she could have been home with her family. On a night like this, she would have wrapped herself in a fluffy blanket and snuck into Beth's room. Even now, with Beth well into her twenties, they would curl up next to each other and spend the whole night giggling and telling bedtime stories. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep from shivering. She would give anything to be that girl again. The one who would be able to cling to her older sister's arm when something was scary. The girl who could climb into her mother's arms and ask for advice when things were tough. The girl whose father knew the answer to every riddle in the universe. The girl whose grandmother could cook a meal that could fix anything. The girl whose "brave" face could fool her little brother into thinking she had everything under control... It was nights like these when the homesickness was overwhelming.

Apart from the sounds of the rain and wind outside, the world was quiet... too quiet... Instinctively, her fingers stretched out into her backpack and turned on the radio. She was greeted by the sound of radio static and quickly she flicked it off. Once again, she surprised herself with just how much Jonathan's voice on the radio had become a source of comfort. She shoved the radio back into her pack and instead pulled out her father's journal. She flipped through its worn pages, taking in the view of his indiscriminate scrawl and the coordinates she and Jonathan had been circling.

They are alive.

They are still alive.

She hugged her father's journal to her chest and whispered a silent prayer. It felt strange to do that in a church, whilst lying between the pews, considering she had never been particularly religious in her previous life. She wasn't sure whom she was praying to or if they would even care, but she figured that if anyone was listening it was worth a try. There was comfort in knowing someone might be watching out for her, for her family. She was about to go back to sleep when she suddenly felt the back of her neck prickle as if a sixth sense had been aroused. Slowly she peered over the pews and swallowed the scream that lodged in her throat.

A Lost Soul had found its way into the building. Still dripping with water from the rain, it slogged down the aisle, bumping into pews and tripping over its own feet. Its vacant eyes stared out from dark eye sockets. It's stringy dark hair, hung in clumps around a gaunt and dirt covered face and a long black trench coat hung loosely around its hunched and disfigured body. Without taking her eyes off the creature, she slowly slid herself further beneath the benches. The newly transformed ones terrified her more than the soulless and after what she'd seen of Martha, she'd seen first-hand how unpredictable lost souls were. Evelyn closed her eyes; all she could do was wait and pray.

"You wanted to see me, so I came!" The Lost Soul shouted into the empty church, its voice reverberating off the walls, "I came! I'm here!"

Evelyn flinched as she heard the shuffling footsteps draw nearer.

"I'm here!" it was screeching down the aisles, "You said you'd be here! You said you would! YOU PROMISED...promised." 

She could hear items clattering to the floor as the Lost Soul hurled them to the ground. Anger was rising in its voice.

"She sent you, didn't she?" it wailed, "SHE'S A LIAR! SHE'S A LIAR! SHE'S A LIAR! GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"It's okay, friend."

The voice that had spoken was calm, gentle even and all too familiar. Evelyn's eyes flew open at the sound of it. After so many months she'd given up believing that she'd ever hear it again.

"It's alright, friend." Adam said again softly as if speaking to a child, "there's no need to be afraid anymore."

Perhaps it was the shock or maybe just the relief of knowing that he wasn't dead but for once Evelyn forgot to be cautious. Instead, she found herself rising to her feet to look between the Lost Soul and the original owner of her radio now dressed in the beige robes and faceless mirrored mask of the Serenity Society.