Jenny couldn’t see Maddie anywhere, and the longer she looked, the more she convinced herself she wasn’t going to find her. Maybe she’d already disappeared back to the moon as quickly as she’d materialized? Maybe she’d never been here at all? The teeming crowds weren’t helping. Maddie had a hardworking, lived-in face that became less distinct in Jenny’s memory the longer she thought about it. The chances of spotting her were slim to none.
Jenny walked at speed along the Esplanade that ran parallel with the ocean, knowing there was every chance she was going in completely the wrong direction. The walkway was busy, with occasional rowdy groups gathered around the regular public barbecue points, cooking food and drinking booze and doing everything in their power to distract themselves from the pending apocalypse. Jenny envied their freedom and lack of responsibility. She helped herself to a can of beer when no one was looking, then knocked it back fast as she scoured the place for Maddie.
There were lots of people who just seemed to be loitering, she noticed. Drifting. Not going anywhere. It didn’t make a lot of sense, (not that anything made much sense anymore). There was a huddle of them on a street corner with placards telling people to have faith, proclaiming: “Love and Jesus would show them the way.” It was as if they were waiting for the gods to swoop down and save them. Frigging idiots. Had they not seen how the gods had let her down and betrayed the entire human race in London? These fools were so fucking naïve, but she had neither the energy nor inclination to tell them.
Jenny changed direction and cut through the middle of another crowd, then heard someone call out after her.
“Hey, you!”
She kept moving, thinking—hoping—they were talking to someone else, but she already knew they weren’t. They called out again, and she continued to ignore them, but whoever it was wasn’t giving up on getting her attention. She could sense them right behind her now. Another burst of speed and they were alongside. She glanced across and saw it was a well-tanned surfer dude. He had long hair that might have suited a bloke ten years his junior. He swigged from a bottle of drink.
“Leave me alone,” she said. “I’m busy.”
“It is you, isn’t it?”
“I think you’ve got me confused with someone else.”
“No way, mate. You’re a Brit, I can tell from your accent. That girl was a Brit too.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t give me that…you’re her, I know it. You’re Jenny. You’re the one who got mixed up with all that god business in London. Your face was everywhere when it happened. You were badass. Fucking awesome.”
Jenny smirked and tried not to let him see. She’d been called plenty of things, but she couldn’t remember ever having been called a badass before.
“Look, I’m really sorry, but I’m not who you think I am. I’m just trying to find my friend.”
“I’ll help you find her,” he said, grinning at her like a madman. “Serious!”
“Thanks, but I work better on my own. I don’t have a lot of time.”
“None of us do I reckon.”
Jenny looked across again. The tone of his voice had changed. The enthusiasm and excitement had disappeared, replaced with a gloomy despondency, and he was making her feel uneasy. She noticed also that there were fewer people around in this part of town. Just when she most wanted the reassurance of other bodies, there were none.
She sped up, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
“What’s she look like, your friend?” he asked, sounding brighter again.
“Average height, average build…pretty hard to describe, if I’m honest,” she lied.
“No one’s gonna believe me when I tell them I’ve been talking to God’s mate Jenny.”
“I’m not God’s mate. I’m not anybody’s mate.”
“How’d you get here, Jen? All the planes from the UK were grounded when the Bleed took ahold, so how’d you get from London to Oz? This place was locked down pretty quick, not that it made any difference.”
There was something menacing about his voice now. She needed to lose him quick. She pretended to spot Maddie in the distance and started to run, but he was one step ahead. He shot out his hand with the kind of reaction speed a drunk should never possess and grabbed her wrist so she couldn’t get away.
“Got friends in high places have you, love?” he sneered, pulling her closer. “You got some new-fangled god-powered way of travel the rest of us mere mortals don’t have access to?”
“It’s not like that. Look, none of this is my fault.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What do you want from me?”
He answered with only one word, but it was sufficient to terrify her to the core.
“Revenge.”
“Get off,” she snarled, wrenching her arm to try and get away. “You’re hurting me.”
“And you’re killing us.”
Before she could react, the man twisted her arm behind her then put his free hand over her mouth to stop her yelling out. He hauled her away from the ocean and towards the imposing shadows between the bases of two tall apartment blocks on the opposite side of the road. Everything happened so fast that she couldn’t process what he was doing or what he might be about to do to her next. There were people nearby and she was distracted by the fact that no one else was reacting. No one seemed to give a shit. With the inevitable end of everything looming on the horizon, the fate of one random girl appeared not to matter in the slightest. Barely anyone even looked up. They all had enough personal drama of their
