Chapter 3: The Shifting Tide

The days bled into each other, indistinguishable in their weight. Every morning felt like a reminder that the clock was ticking, and every evening was a cruel marker of how little time was left. Life, once a predictable rhythm of work, school, and plans, had become a series of random moments, interrupted by the overwhelming knowledge that everything was coming to an end.

Evelyn had never known the world could feel this small. But now, as the minutes slipped by like grains of sand through an hourglass, she felt as though she was trapped in a cage—constantly aware of time slipping away, but unable to make the most of it.

She spent the next few days in a haze of disconnected thoughts. The lab was quieter than it had ever been. Most of her colleagues had either stopped coming in altogether or were simply working on projects that seemed more like a futile gesture than any true attempt at salvation. The world was in the middle of a collective breakdown. How could anyone concentrate on science when the very ground beneath their feet was crumbling?

As much as Evelyn tried to keep her focus on the data, her mind kept straying. She thought about Liam’s words—his refusal to accept the finality of the situation, his drive to help others. Despite her own despair, she couldn’t help but admire his optimism. She had always known him to be idealistic, but now his idealism seemed like a lifeline, something to cling to as the world collapsed around them.

But Evelyn had never been the idealist. She had been the problem-solver, the rational one, the scientist who found explanations for things that seemed beyond understanding. Now, she felt lost. She had no answers, no way to explain what was happening.

There were no more scientific papers to write. There were no more discoveries to make. There was just the empty knowledge that everything they had worked for, everything they had strived to understand, would soon be irrelevant.

She leaned back in her chair, staring blankly at the wall. Outside the lab’s window, the city continued to function as though it were any other day. People moved in and out of stores, children played on the streets, the world carrying on as if nothing had changed. Evelyn had always admired the human ability to compartmentalize, to continue on in the face of tragedy. But now, it felt like a desperate act—like the last vestige of denial in a world on the brink of destruction.

A knock on her door snapped her out of her reverie.

“Come in,” she called, her voice quieter than usual.

Liam stepped inside, his expression as determined as ever. He had been the one constant in the chaos of these past days. While Evelyn had struggled to focus, Liam had thrown himself into action. He had been organizing community groups, arranging food drives, finding ways to help those who had been hit hardest by the news. He was the one holding onto the idea that people could come together, that there was still some purpose to be found in their final days.

“We need to talk,” Liam said, walking into the room. His face was flushed, a mixture of excitement and frustration radiating from him.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“I’ve been talking to some people,” Liam began, sitting on the edge of her desk. “The world’s falling apart. People are losing it, Ev. But there’s a group I’ve been working with—a community of people who want to do something. They’re organizing. They’re reaching out. They believe we can do more than just wait for it all to end.”

Evelyn leaned forward, intrigued despite herself. “What are they doing?”

Liam’s eyes lit up with a spark of enthusiasm. “They’re planning events. They're trying to get people to find purpose in the time we have left. Gatherings. Workshops. People are teaching each other skills, sharing what they’ve learned over the years. Some of it’s practical stuff, like how to grow your own food, how to survive when the infrastructure starts to fall apart. But it’s also about mental health, too—helping people deal with what’s coming. It's about offering something meaningful, even if it’s just for a short time.”

Evelyn sat back in her chair, absorbing his words. She had heard whispers of groups like these—people seeking to create a sense of community in the wake of the announcement. But until now, she hadn’t really thought about what they might mean. It was almost laughable, wasn’t it? A group of people trying to build something in the final year of life on Earth.

And yet, as Liam spoke, something stirred deep inside her. She had been so wrapped up in the scientific certainty of the situation that she hadn’t considered how people might actually respond to it. How they might need something—anything—to hold onto.

“Maybe I could help,” Evelyn said, her voice almost hesitant. It wasn’t a suggestion she’d ever thought she’d make. She had always distanced herself from the world of activism, from anything that seemed like futile idealism. But the world was already ending. And there were still people, like Liam, who wanted to make a difference, no matter how small.

Liam looked at her with a mix of surprise and relief. “You’d come?”

She nodded slowly. “I think I could. Maybe not in the way you expect. But if people are trying to help each other, maybe that’s worth something.”

Liam grinned, his enthusiasm palpable. “I knew you’d come around.” He stood up and began pacing the room, his energy contagious. “This group, they’re calling it The Last Collective. It’s a movement—small right now, but I think it’s growing. And I think we could be a part of it, Ev. I think we could make sure people don’t just give up.”

Evelyn stood and walked to the window, staring out at the darkened sky. She could see the faint glow of streetlights flickering in the distance. The world outside seemed eerily calm, as if nothing had changed. But everything had changed.

As she turned back to Liam, she felt the weight of her decision settling into her bones. She had spent so many years studying how to fix things, how to understand the world. Now, there was no “fixing” it. There was no salvation. But maybe, just maybe, there was something in these final moments worth fighting for.

“I’ll come with you,” Evelyn said, her voice firm now. “We’ll do this together.”

Liam’s face broke into a wide smile, and for the first time in days, Evelyn allowed herself to feel a flicker of hope. It wasn’t much. But it was something. And in a world where nothing made sense anymore, that was all they had.