The group exits the truck to investigate. An unfamiliar vehicle sits at the gate with a rug thrown over the barbed wire and a dead man lies in the road with a gunshot through his head. Casey’s old truck burns on the lawn. Three more bodies, riddled with bullets, are scattered across the grass. Casey identifies them by smell and appearance as burners. Jimmy extinguishes the fire while Dale explains they spotted the intruders and killed them before they reached the dummy house.

Casey explains that burners are spreading from picked-over cities into rural areas, making the compound a target. The group agrees they must fortify their defenses. Dale asks about the supply run, and Casey confirms they secured eight months of insulin for Elaine. Blake reveals his bite to Dale and Jimmy, claiming he was protecting Casey when it happened. Casey notices the lie but stays silent. Blake insists on going to the holding cells immediately, but Dale and Casey convince him he has over 20 hours before there is any possibility of him turning. Blake agrees to help dispose of the bodies first. Dale decides they will burn the corpses rather than bury them.

The following morning, Casey guards Blake’s holding cell. Blake is feverish and sweating as the 24-hour deadline approaches. He admits he is scared. Blake then reveals the biter who attacked him was Grant, his friend and fellow Navy SEAL. He explains that Grant became sick and lost his memory at the outbreak’s start. Blake took him to the hospital but fled when chaos erupted, abandoning Grant and assuming he was dead. Learning from Casey that there were different outcomes made Blake realize he might have left behind someone who could have been saved, which is why he reacted angrily at dinner.

Casey comforts him by confessing she also abandoned her hospital patients and coworkers when the outbreak began. She theorizes that Grant must have been a Nome who was later bitten, transforming him into a biter. She extends this theory to explain the bus horde: a bus full of Nomes attacked by a single biter would cause mass conversion. With minutes remaining, Casey asks for Blake’s best memory. He tells her it is her. When the deadline passes, Blake feigns memory loss, breaking Casey’s heart before revealing it was a prank. Furious, she throws food at him and leaves to inform the others he is “still an asshole” (198).

Casey tells the waiting group that Blake did not become a Nome. Everyone is relieved, though Casey clarifies he has 12 more hours before they know if he will turn into a biter. Casey shares a tender moment with Elaine, who thanks her for saving her life. Dale rallies everyone to continue fortifying the compound. Helen asks if more burners will come, and Casey confirms it is inevitable.

Greg interrupts to make an announcement. He proposes to Molly, calling her his “forever-night stand” (202) and presenting a diamond ring he took from a corpse at the hospital. Molly ecstatically accepts, and they celebrate and aggressively kiss in front of everyone. Dale signals to Casey that they must refocus, aware of two countdowns: Blake’s fate and the next burner attack.

Casey wakes on a mattress outside Blake’s cell. Blake is feverish and sweating with less than 10 minutes until the 36-hour deadline. They banter nervously. Blake, believing he might die or turn, offers a deathbed confession. He describes his abusive father who had an alcohol addiction and how that trauma made him cruel in high school. His father briefly got sober senior year, and Blake fell for Casey during that time. On the night of the party, he learned his father had relapsed. To protect Casey from his family situation and himself, he deliberately pushed her away, needing her to hate him so she would stay distant forever.

Casey is hurt but understands. Blake asks if she loves him, and she admits she cannot lie about it. Casey then reveals the deadline passed 20 minutes ago and he is officially immune. She asks if he is “still [her] monster,” and Blake answers he “always” is (212). Casey unlocks the cell door. They kiss passionately and have penetrative sex twice before falling asleep together.

Casey wakes naked under a sheet with Blake spooning her in the holding cell area. Tessa discovers them and reacts with shock and amusement. Blake discreetly caresses Casey under the sheet while they talk. Tessa reveals someone claiming to be Casey’s fiancé has arrived at the compound. Casey is stunned to learn Nate is alive. Blake’s demeanor immediately turns cold and rigid. Casey tries explaining that she and Nate had, in a way, broken up and she believed he was dead. She begins doubting her initial assessment that Nate abandoned her. Blake gets dressed and leaves, telling Casey he is going to meet her fiancé.

Outside, Casey finds Nate looking disheveled and thin, talking with her family. Blake joins and is introduced to Nate. Nate embraces Casey while Blake watches with pain. Nate explains he ran from the apartment to lure the burners away, then waited for Casey in his car. When she did not appear, he searched for days before heading to the compound. Overwhelmed with guilt, Casey believes Nate’s story and feels she abandoned him. Nate kisses Casey, and she kisses back while watching Blake.

Dale suggests Blake move out so Nate and Casey can have privacy. Blake objects, but Casey intervenes, fabricating a medical reason for Blake to remain for observation. Nate reluctantly agrees. Later in the bedroom, Nate kisses Casey aggressively. She pulls away, claiming he smells bad and needs a shower. While Nate showers, Blake enters and kisses Casey passionately. She stops him, saying she cannot because Nate is there. Blake challenges her to say she does not love him, but she refuses to answer, adamant that she won’t lie. They kiss again, and Blake says he “wants” her “forever” (230). When Nate returns wearing only a towel, Blake announces that combat training is starting soon.

Blake conducts combat training with cold professionalism. When Nate assumes he will partner with Casey, Blake insists on being Nate’s partner. Casey realizes Blake intends to hurt him. During sparring, Blake brutally dominates Nate. When Nate manages one successful tackle, Blake retaliates by body-slamming him to the ground, dislocating his shoulder. Casey rushes to Nate and furiously confronts Blake. She sees the old cruel version of Blake in his eyes and questions if he has truly changed. Blake dismisses the injury as horseplay. With Tessa’s help, Casey resets Nate’s shoulder. She shoves Blake, and when he claims “it was an accident,” Casey whispers that they were an accident too (235). Blake, visibly wounded by her words, walks away.