Playlist for the Apocalypse

Chapter 33: Come to Your Senses

EVELYN

Evelyn wasn't ready for what lay ahead, but she tried her best to keep those worries to herself. As she stood before the row of heavy glass doors at the entrance of the mall, her eyes snagged on the lottery ticket she'd wedged in the doorway. It hadn't been long since she'd been standing here with Jonathan, but the weather had battered the piece of paper nearly beyond recognition. Even so, Evelyn spied her own swirling cursive carved into its surface as the scrap of paper flapped weakly in the cold, March wind like the final leaf on a winter branch.

"What's that?" Elliot asked, peering past her to get a closer look.

"Nothing important," she said, turning away. The Evelyn who had written that seemed like a different person entirely.

Liz was examining the warnings scrawled across the doorways in faded graffiti in angry block lettering. Though her expression was shrouded by a cloth mask, Evelyn could still tell that she was worried.

Evelyn glanced up at the sky that was already beginning to darken. It hadn't been so long ago that the moon that was rising overhead had been her only companion, back when she'd been convinced that the Soulless were more dormant at night. There was still so little they knew about Soullessness, she realized. Amid the web of misinformation and lies from River District, the Serenity Society, and NeuroGen, one thing was clear: no one truly knew what these creatures were.

What he had become.

She didn't know what state he'd be in when they found him, or if they'd even find him at all. She wasn't sure which scared her more. Evelyn reached into her pocket and flicked on Jonathan's Walkman, drowning out her thoughts with the music. She hadn't taken off the earbuds since Liz had given them to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Liz asked.

Evelyn hefted the hatchet; they'd scavenged from the garage they'd stayed in the night before and took a deep breath. She adjusted the mask covering her face and then offered Liz and Elliot a quick, decisive nod. This was something she had to do.

Liz said nothing but tightened her grip on the knife she'd taken from the garage. It was small, but in this world, it was better than nothing. Elliot offered a double thumbs up in response and without further delay, the Li siblings, pried open the doors and entered.

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The mall seemed eerily deserted, probably thanks to Jonathan's "taxi line" system. Still, Evelyn's heart remained in her throat as they navigated the rows of darkened storefronts. Even though Liz kept clicking her tongue at Elliot to remind him to stay close, it was far too quiet for Evelyn's liking. She resisted the urge to turn up the volume on Jonathan's Walkman. She needed to be alert, just in case. As they made their way across the top floor, the expansive glass roof cast beams of scattered moonlight across the floor like light through a prism.

It was only once the faded red signage of Sunrise Records came into view that Evelyn felt the pit of doubt begin to take root again in her stomach.

Swallowing her fears, she turned to face her siblings, holding out a hand motioning for them to wait for her outside the store. Above his mask, Elliot squinted at her curiously but, Liz gently laid a hand on his shoulder and motioned for Evelyn to go.

Evelyn nodded at her siblings to communicate her gratitude and then slowly approached the store. The gate was locked, just as they'd left it, but Evelyn tried to remind herself that that was a good sign. That meant he could be in there. Locking the door was second nature to the Soulless, and those few who actually remembered to come home nearly always made sure to lock it.