Fallout

The narrative shifts to the days before the attack, during the final week of fifth grade. Scott and his friends, Freak O’Nature and Ronnie, are listening to a Yankees game on the radio. Ronnie wonders whether the friends should steal a Sara Lee cheesecake from a local homeowner’s freezer. When Scott worries about what might happen if they get caught, Ronnie says, “What difference will it make? We could all be dead tomorrow” (7).

The narrative jumps back to the present, and as Scott lies on the concrete floor next to Sparky and his mother, he listens to his neighbors frantically scraping at the doors of his family’s bomb shelter. Scott’s father is still on the ladder, holding the trapdoor shut against the efforts of the neighbors above, who are trying to gain entry. On instructions from his father, Scott finds the dangling string for the shelter’s light and pulls it.

Eventually, the neighbors overpower Scott’s father and pull the trapdoor open. One neighbor, Mr. Shaw, sends his son Ronnie down into the shelter. (Ronnie is also one of Scott’s friends.) Mr. Shaw comes down next, along with numerous others who push their way into the already overcrowded shelter.

The narrative shifts back to the previous afternoon. Scott, Ronnie, and Freak O’Nature discuss the possibility that nuclear war will break out the following day. Scott explains his perspective on the ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis to his friends, stating that the “Russians were evil” and their “chubby bald-headed leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had crooked teeth […] which showed that Russians didn’t even believe in orthodontia” (14). The Russians have been sending weapons, missiles, and fighter jets to Cuba, a country in the Western hemisphere that is allied with them. If the United States sends troops to stop them, the threat of nuclear war will become imminent.

The friends decide to head to the house of their neighbor, Linda Lewandowski, to try to steal her cheesecake. Even though the garage door is shut, Ronnie insists that they break in to steal the sweet treats. Seeing Scott’s reluctance, Ronnie taunts him, calling him a chicken.

The post-attack narrative resumes. The shelter also houses the family’s Black maid, Janet. She and Scott’s father bring Scott’s injured mother to a bunk, leaving a trail of blood on the concrete. Scott’s father confronts Mr. Shaw, telling him that the shelter is already overcrowded and they now risk running out of food and water. The two of them head back to the ladder to prevent more people from coming inside.

Another neighbor, Mr. McGovern, emerges with a long red scratch on his face because he has fought the other neighbors to gain entry to the shelter. Suddenly, the shelter’s lightbulb shatters, sending the terrified group into total darkness. From the direction of the ladder comes the sound of the trapdoor suddenly slamming shut and a deadbolt being thrown. In horror, the people in the shelter listen to the panicked clamor of the unlucky people left stranded outside. A rumble in the distance grows louder and is followed by a roar, a crashing noise, and a terrible silence.

The pre-attack narrative resumes. At the Lewandowski family’s house, Scott and his friends open the garage. Just as they start to explore in search of the cheesecakes, the Lewandowskis’ car pulls into the driveway.

The post-attack narrative resumes. In the shelter, Scott’s dad feels around for a light as Scott listens to the sobbing of his neighbor, Paula. Although Paula and her father are inside the shelter, her mother is still trapped outside. Sparky begins to panic in the darkness, and Scott’s father snaps at him. Scott comforts his younger brother. When Scott’s father finds a flashlight, Scott sees his mother’s head covered in blood. Mr. Porter retrieves a first-aid kit, and Scott’s father attends to his injured wife.

On the day before the attack, Scott and Ronnie from the Lewandowskis’ garage despite the fact that they have been recognized. They meet Freak O’Nature down the street, and the boys collapse behind a tree. Ronnie reveals that he managed to steal a cheesecake. Scott and Freak O’Nature try to convince Ronnie to return it, but Ronnie refuses and opens the box to guarantee that they can’t return it. He breaks the cheesecake in half and hands the smaller half to Scott. Ronnie gives nothing to Freak O’Nature, who had abandoned his lookout post. Ronnie and Scott savor the stolen cheesecake.

In the shelter, Scott’s dad treats Scott’s mother’s head wound, and then Janet takes over. Scott starts to wonder about the welfare of his friends and family who did not make it into the shelter. Janet asks for water, but when Scott’s dad tries to open a valve to fill a water bucket, nothing comes out. They hear an ominous clanking sound from the pipes.

The pre-attack narrative resumes. After eating the cheesecake, the three friends head home, dreading the inevitable punishment for stealing and worried about the potential of nuclear war during the night. Sparky meets Scott at the door and taunts him for being in trouble. Scott’s mother comes out of the kitchen with a frown on her face and sends Scott to his room until his father gets home from work.

In the shelter, Scott’s dad sits next to his mom to comfort her as Janet continues her first-aid work. Scott wonders about the people left outside, such as Freak O’Nature and his family, and the Lewandowskis. Scott wants to go outside to check on them, but he understands that they must remain within the safety of the shelter. Suddenly, Sparky verbalizes everyone’s fear and asks what will happen if they cannot obtain any water.

In the pre-attack timeline, Scott heads to the bedroom that he shares with Sparky and waits for his father’s punishment. His father arrives home and comes to speak with Scott, who is terrified that his father might spank him. His father asks why he stole the cheesecake, and Scott explains that Ronnie told him the theft wouldn’t matter because nuclear war is coming. Scott’s father blinks, asks Scott to stay where he is, and leaves the room.

In the post-attack timeline, Mrs. Shaw and Scott’s father debate whether to open the fallout shelter in order to find water. Scott’s father finds a home radiation testing kit and goes to the ladder to test the radiation levels. He returns, saying that the radiation levels coming through the quarter-inch of iron plating are enough to make them sick. This indicates that the outside air would be fatal if they opened the hatch.

In the pre-attack timeline, Scott’s father comes back into the bedroom and tells Scott that the two of them will go to the Lewandowski’s so that Scott can apologize. Scott wails, seeing this punishment as even worse than the prospect of being spanked. Scott has a crush on Linda Lewandowski and is terrified at the idea of being humiliated in front of her.

The post-attack narrative resumes. Scott’s father takes a radio down from a shelf and turns the dials, trying to find a signal, but there is only static. Scott and Ronnie have avoided interacting with each other thus far, as they had the first fistfight of their lives just a few hours before they were forced into the shelter together. Scott and Sparky get into a bunk, and as Scott pulls the scratchy blanket over the two of them, he makes eye contact with Ronnie. Unable to sleep, Scott watches as his father attempts to draw more water. Scott’s father then sits beside Scott’s mother, trying to hide his tears.