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In the living world, these impossible events would be seen as signs—although no one would agree as to what they were signs of. Global warming? The Second Coming? Solar collapse? Armageddon? The living would come up with endless theories to argue, because the living were exceptionally good at arguing, especially when no one knew the answer.
In Everlost, however, the effect of a mourning universe was very simple and very clear. It was a silent wail that echoed through every soul, culminating in a powerful twinge of pain—yes, pain—deep in every Afterlight’s gut. And with that pain came a sudden awareness that something undoable, something irreparable had occurred.
Awareness.
Few things are more powerful than awareness, and it resonated within the sleeping, dreamless souls of all spirits in transition between the living world and Everlost. The sudden spark touched every Interlight regardless of how long they had slept, and jarred them all back to premature consciousness. It was a Great Awakening borne from one of the most profound pangs of mourning ever to be felt by the universe.
The Interlights in Milos’s bank vault all sat up, wondering where they were, and how they got there.
The Interlights in the arms of the Neon Warriors, who had left the Alamo that very morning, were suddenly walking on their own two feet, and asking lots of questions.
And in a glass coffin, a girl dressed in glorious green opened her eyes and smiled.
“Well, now,” she said to herself. “Let’s see what I’ve missed and what still needs to be done.”
. . . While in a lonely chamber deep beneath the Alamo, a Wurlitzer jukebox, without coin or question, began to play ‘Eve of Destruction.’”
PART FOUR
Mary Rising
High Altitude Musical Interlude #3 with Johnnie and Charlie
London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down . . .”
Sing-alongs, Johnnie-O had decided, were invented by the darkest forces of evil as hell’s ultimate horror.
“London Bridge is falling down . . .”
Johnnie was convinced that whatever memory of a brain he had, had been eaten by big fat everworms, and all that remained were the ghosts of swiss cheese holes.
“. . . my fair lady!”
And maybe cobwebs.
There was no telling how many journeys they had made around the world. Now, thanks to the gravitational tweak the giant deadspot had given them, each revolution left them a few hundred miles farther south. They were spiraling toward the equator. Eventually they would pass it, and wind up spinning in circles at the south pole.
“Take the keys and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up . . .”
With no contact from any of their friends on the ground since that fateful day Mary attacked the train, they had no way of knowing who had won that battle. They could only hope that their sacrifice was not for naught.
“Take the keys and lock her up . . .”
For many weeks now, looking out of the windows had provided no solace. Deadspots were few and far between, and the sight of them was nothing more than a cruel tease from a cold world.
“. . . my fair lady!”
Yet even with his Swiss-cheese, cobwebbed, empty head, Johnnie-O still didn’t reach the same absolute mindless, happy, sing-along stupor that Charlie had found.
“It’s gotta mean something, don’t it, Charlie? The fact that I’m not a complete blithering idiot like you?”
Charlie’s answer was just a vacant smile, and another verse.
. . . But halfway through that verse, a shadow swept across the bulkhead.
“Wait! Did you see that?”
Charlie must have, because he actually stopped singing. At first Johnnie thought that it might be a living-world airplane cutting through their airspace, but as he rose to look out of the window, he saw something flash by. A colorful flash of feathers, and a powerful beat of wings—and then another, and another.
