Parable of the Sower

With shots, explosions, and fire in the distance, the group agrees to forego rest and keep pushing on. Lauren uses an earring radio she took from the body of one of the men who attacked them and finds they must avoid the Bay Area, where the quake hit especially hard and has spurred chaos. They decide to leave US 101 and circle around.

Lauren awakes to the sound of gunfire. There’s one group chasing another one, and fire is burning in the distance. A truck explodes and ends the fight. Bankole has disappeared. She and Harry go searching for him. He soon finds them, and he’s found an orphaned, 3-year-old child. Later, she kisses Bankole.

The young boy, Justin, chooses Allie as a substitute mother. Jill explains that Allie had a child, but their father beat the boy to death. She says they burned their own house down to escape, but she still worries that he’ll follow them, even though he’s a drunkard who would never make it that far alive. 

They’ve passed the San Luis Reservoir. Finding a campsite, they’re able to rest, and Lauren can have a conversation with Bankole. She tells him about Earthseed because she needs to know if he’ll laugh at it.