Station Eleven

The next day, the Symphony comes to an abandoned town. Kirsten and August, along with two others, scour a nearby school for anything useful; they find some rosin and a mouthpiece for a flute. They also find a skeleton in the bathroom, and August offers a prayer of respect. The Symphony moves on.

Kirsten’s interview with Diallo continues. He asks her what she thinks of “how the world’s changed” and about a tattoo of two knives on her wrist (132). She refuses to discuss either topic.

Kirsten’s thoughts about the changing world are revealed: following the harsh aftermath of the pandemic, she hopes that Alexandra, as part of a younger generation, will be able to “live out her life without killing anyone” (133).

Kirsten and Dieter, who are just friends but share a tent, discuss Dieter’s dream about an airplane that passed overhead. They then join August and Sayid for the second watch of the night; Kirsten stays with August near the Symphony, while Dieter and Sayid take up a post half a mile back. Kirsten and August hear a brief cry. After waking the third watch, they go to investigate, but Dieter and Sayid are nowhere to be found.

The Symphony searches for Sayid and Dieter for several hours, to no avail. They eventually decide to move on towards Severn City, as it is their policy to reunite at their destination when separated.

That afternoon, Sidney, who plays clarinet, goes missing while filling containers of water. Jackson, who was with her, explains that she vanished noiselessly. Some Symphony members wonder if Sidney left on purpose; they search her belongings and find a note apparently announcing her intent to go “rest in the forest,” though the date suggests she wrote it months earlier (140).

After another fruitless search, the Symphony moves on. They set up camp at an abandoned golf course, and Kirsten and August collect fish from a pond during a rainstorm. Upon returning, they are surprised to find no sign of the Symphony, even as they hurry down the planned route. They spend the night on August’s sheet.

Kirsten and August continue on their way. At an abandoned gas station, they encounter a scarred man and his twin children who left St. Deborah by the Water when the prophet took over. Hearing that they are headed for Severn City, the man points out that the prophet came from Severn City and wonders whether those that live there now are “the prophet’s people” (148).

Back on the road, Kirsten and August discover a house that has never been looted. The remains of two parents and a child are still lying where they died in their beds. August says a prayer of sorts for each of them, but Kirsten notices that “he seemed to be talking only to them” (150). They collect various useful and interesting items, including magazines, clothing, and, to August’s delight, a miniature Starship Enterprise. Kirsten mentions that, apart from more issues of Dr. Eleven, what she would most like to find is a copy of Dear V.: An Unauthorized Portrait of Arthur Leander. Kirsten used to have a copy, but she misplaced it a few years earlier.

This chapter consists of several letters published in Dear V., all written by Arthur to his childhood friend, Victoria, who is identified in the text only as “V.” Several date from his early days in Toronto and mention his newfound friendship with Clark, his struggles as an actor, and his fond memories of growing up with Victoria on Delano Island. He stops writing for several years, accusing Victoria of lacking interest, but he resumes just before his marriage to Miranda. Another letter, written the day after their third anniversary dinner party, demonstrates his “disorientation” due to falling in love with Elizabeth. A final letter recounts a visit from Clark a few months into Arthur’s marriage to Elizabeth; Clark appears to warm up to Elizabeth.

A few months before the collapse, Clark receives a call from Elizabeth, who tells him of the upcoming publication of Dear V. Both are concerned. After the call, Clark hurries from his office to conduct an interview as part of a “360º assessment”: His job is to interview a target executive’s peers and subordinates before presenting their anonymous feedback to the executive as part of a coaching process. He explains the process to Dahlia, his interviewee, and she expresses doubt that people can change, going on to characterize “adulthood” as being “full of ghosts” and “sleepwalkers” who live meaningless lives without realizing it (153). Her words resonate with Clark, who realizes that he fits her description.