Playlist for the Apocalypse

Chapter 17: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

JONATHAN

Jonathan exited the sewers near the rec center parking lot. The rain had flooded the tunnels badly, so he ended up doing more swimming than walking in the murky rainwater. That might have worked out in his favour considering no one would dare follow him out in this weather.

Jonathan, himself, had never really been bothered by the presence of rain. His mom used to ask him when he went out running on rainy days, how he could go on splashing through puddles without reacting to the wet or the cold like a normal human being. Of course, that had always seemed like another useless skill he possessed... who knew it would become the difference between life or death one day. Yet another hard lesson people had learned in the apocalypse: there is a definite connection between emotion and rain.

Jonathan ducked under the broken doorframe around the back of the rec center and passed through a few of the weight rooms and gym areas. He tried telling himself that he was only looking around for the sake of finding a spare towel to dry off but there was a small part of him that knew the real reason he was scanning every room.

It wasn't like he expected her to wait for him or anything, he had made it more than clear that he did not want to come with her but maybe he thought that she'd leave him a sign like one of those little lottery tickets she was always carrying around. He'd been counting on that misplaced optimism of hers. He anticipated that Evelyn would be long gone, after all, he'd sent her down the tunnel hours ago, it was early morning now. Not that one could really tell with the rain. Being as smart as she was, Evelyn would know not to stay in any one place for an extended period. Still, he pushed past the tattered police tape and continued to wander the empty rec center.

It was so quiet, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he caught sight of his own reflection in the massive glass windows that overlooked the pool area. His hair was damp and messy to a point of wrecking the clean cut, military look that others had tried so hard to instill in him. It was almost enough to make him feel better about the current state of things.

The long-abandoned facilities had never been drained and now resembled a swamp fit for an ogre. Fuzzy mold and algae clung to the walls like thick black eels and with the rain cascading against the glass windows, condensation filled the room with a hazy fog. The whole scene reminded Jonathan of Dagobah, the fetid wetland planet in Star Wars where crazy old Yoda went to hide out in exile. But here, in the apocalypse, instead of a little green alien hermit, there was a Soulless young man slamming into a vending machine in the back by the steam room. Much less whimsical. Much more depressing.

Curiously, Jonathan moved along the glass to take a closer look. The Shell was built like a tank, clad in a camouflage jacket and cargo shorts. Unlike most of the greying Shells he'd seen before, this one was covered in mousy hair that cascaded down it's shoulders and covered it's face in a beard Santa Clause would be jealous of. He wore a matching camo baseball cap and a pair of dark sunglasses.

Jonathan's heart skipped a beat as he realized that it wasn't just slamming into the vending machine, he was shaking it. This was not just another Soulless... this was another survivor. Jonathan drew a sharp, uneasy breath as the man slowly turned to make direct eye contact and worst of all, raised the shotgun that had been strapped to his side.

Jonathan's sneakers screeched against the linoleum as he turned to run, his hand already pulling his gun from its holster.

"HELP!" The muffled cry warbled through the glass.

For a moment, Jonathan froze, not wanting to risk turning around. He couldn't be sure of what he'd heard, especially through the glass and with his impaired hearing. There had been no gunfire. He would have heard that... wouldn't he?