In a dreamlike memory, John walks with Harrow up a dry, sun-blasted hill while floodwater rises below, swallowing cars, buildings, signs, and debris. John pauses to name the things being lost, then breaks down crying at the sight of the world being destroyed again.

John explains that after the lights went out, A— believed in what had happened first, then M— and G—, and soon everyone believed because John’s eyes changed from brown to gold. At the same time, the corpses around them refused to rot, proving that something impossible had happened.

John and the others test two bodies, a young man and a young woman, to see whether normal decay can be forced. M— pushes for a scientific explanation, while C— helps keep the group legally inside the facility despite having effectively gone AWOL from her own work. The bodies remain perfect: their temperatures do not change, they do not decay, and exposure, cold, heat, and water make no difference.

As John spends more time in the facility, John becomes obsessed with the corpses and begins sensing bodies around the building without being told where they are. A— tries to keep John connected to the outside world, while M— shifts from panic into careful observation and experimentation. John realizes he is not merely noticing details but perceiving bodies in a new way.

After two sleepless days, John brings M— and A— into the room with the two test bodies and names them Ulysses and Titania. John curls each corpse’s hand into a fist while introducing them, then reveals that John performed the movement from across the room. M— vomits, because John has demonstrated the first clear sign of remote control over the dead.