Playlist for the Apocalypse

Chapter 24: (Watching) Worlds Crumble

EVELYN

It pained Evelyn to admit it but she had expected a somewhat warmer reception from Beth, especially after having been separated for over two years, by all accounts, should she not be feeling elated? Relieved at least? She'd been so emotionless when Evelyn had told her about SFU's bunker, the thunderstorm, River District, the Serenity Society and Guy. The only details she'd left out was Adam, the particulars of the radio, Jonathan's broadcast and the night in the Skytrain station... but she couldn't bring herself to talk about those parts just yet.

Perhaps everyone experienced shock in different ways and this was just the way Beth was handling things. Evelyn tried not to blame her sister for that. How could she when she, herself could barely describe how she was feeling? Evelyn knew her sister and Beth never did anything without reason, so she sidelined her concerns and trusted Beth's lead. After all this time, Beth was alive. Her family was still alive.

As they exited the jeep and followed Beth through the fortified gate blocking off the entrance to the building, she snuck a glance over at Jonathan. Even though he no longer seemed to be experiencing the panic attack she was almost certain he'd been having in the car, she could tell he'd retreated into himself again as he walked with his shoulders hunched, and his arms folded tightly across his chest. The chevron tattoo on his forearm rippled as his muscles tensed and she knew that even though his face didn't show it, he was far from okay. It hadn't been obvious before, but she was starting to wonder if he had some form of phonophobia, or fear of loud sounds. It seemed like a strange fear for an avid music lover like him, but she had started to guess that his interest might also be a sort of coping mechanism.

Evelyn was trying her best not to bring it up, but things had been awkward between them since last night. They'd stayed up talking until they couldn't keep their eyes open anymore and she'd fallen asleep with her head on his chest. It would probably have been the best sleep she'd had since before the Blackout but then he'd woken up screaming. She knew it wasn't in her nature to keep secrets, she'd never been good at it, but she knew this was something that she had to wait for him to address. If he wanted to talk about what happened, he would. She would give him space and she would be patient. She could offer him this kindness even if she couldn't consol him when he'd bolted upright with a look of terror etched on his face so haunting and painful that it killed her that she didn't know how to help.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" He had hysterically begged the invisible gunman on the floor of the empty train car, his hands clamped over his ears as if waiting for the sound to strike.

He had opened up to her about his mother and what had happened to her, but Evelyn couldn't shake the thought that tugged fearfully at the back of her mind; what if it's my fault? I am a killer. I killed Adam. What if he thinks I'm a monster too?

Even if it wasn't about her, it was still her fault that he'd had to relive his trauma just to satiate her curiosity. Leaving things well enough alone had never been her strong suit, it was something she hated about herself.

She imagined taking those thoughts and shoving them in a box, burying them in the recesses of her mind, this was not the time to obsess about the past, she could do that later tonight when she was alone. Right now, she needed to focus on reuniting with her family. They were alive. After all this time, they were all alive and she had found them.

Beth's colony was even more thorough than River District and SFU put together, and their security requested not only blood and saliva tests but also hair and urine tests. Once their group submitted their samples for testing, they were led through the doors to a holding space tucked beneath two no longer functioning escalators by a dark-haired woman who'd introduced herself as Jacinda or Jaycee as Beth had called her over the walkie-talkie. The area was walled off and looked to be what was once the store's play area for children. The majority of the area's toys had been cleared out leaving space for a couple of chairs and a few sleeping bags located at the top of some stairs that may have once served as a movie viewing area.