On the morning of the Deliria-Free America rally, Lena travels into Manhattan with Raven and Tack. Raven instructs her to watch Julian Fineman, who is scheduled to receive the cure after the demonstration, but refuses to explain why. Long lines and heavy security slow their progress. Tack gives Lena an umbrella despite the clear weather, then disappears into the crowd before they can arrange a meeting point.

Lena pushes through massive crowds to reach Times Square, now a shadow of its former, pre-cure state, with strict energy controls resulting in darkened lights and faded billboards. She positions herself near the stage, where Julian and his father, Thomas Fineman, stand surrounded by bodyguards. As Thomas begins his speech, three sharp pops ring out. Scavengers swarm from sewers and rappel down buildings, attacking the crowd by looting and using weapons, and police open fire. In the chaos, Lena is knocked down twice but fights back.

She sees Julian being hustled into a hidden subway entrance disguised behind a wooden barrier. After fighting off a female Scavenger, Lena follows him underground. In the dark tunnels, she discovers two of Julian’s bodyguards—one hanged, one stabbed. She hears Julian crying for help. As she runs blindly through the darkness, she is suddenly seized by two unknown figures. Pain explodes, and she blacks out.

Miyako, who was meant to be a scout, falls gravely ill in the sickroom. Her condition deteriorates rapidly—she develops a severe cough, fever, and begins coughing up blood. One night, Lena awakens to find Raven sitting beside Miyako’s lifeless body. Raven blames herself for making Miyako work when she felt unwell.

The next day, snow falls as the homesteaders attempt to dig a grave, but the frozen ground proves impenetrable. Frustrated, Raven declares they must burn the body instead. Despite Lena’s protests, they carry Miyako to a gully and cremate her using a limited amount of gasoline. The process is difficult, and Raven struggles to complete a eulogy. Filled with rage at their desperate circumstances, Lena returns to the burrow and retrieves the tattered clothes she wore when she arrived from Portland. Under a juniper bush, she digs with bare hands and buries these last remnants of her old life.

Two scouts, Roach and Buck, return, but Hunter and Tack remain missing. The nests turn yellow for three consecutive days, signaling trouble, indicating a delay or disruption in the supply system. On a warm, sunny day, Lena climbs to check them and finds birds covered in red paint. “Red means run” (95). She races back toward the homestead as planes roar overhead. The first bomb falls, and the Wilds erupt in flames.

Lena regains consciousness in a small, windowless underground cell. Julian Fineman is also imprisoned there, bruised and cut. He offers her water and confirms the door is locked from the outside. Lena deduces they have been captured by Scavengers. She still has her backpack; the Scavengers let her keep it, as it contains no useful tools or weapons. She has a granola bar, which she decides to ration.

She questions Julian about the attack. He describes his bodyguards taking him into the subway tunnels, hearing a “cracking noise” (134), and then being choked unconscious. He says he does not remember anything else after that. Hours pass in the dim light. When food arrives through a small flap in the door, Lena tries but fails to glimpse their captors. From the delivered rations, she offers Julian her bread, and they discuss the procedure. Julian admits he hates hospitals and has never spent much time with anyone his own age.

The light is switched off, plunging them into darkness. Unable to sleep, Julian confesses he suffers from nightmares and hopes the procedure will cure them. When he asks if Lena had nightmares before her cure, she lies and says she “never did” (141).

Fifteen homesteaders escape the burning settlement, staying close to the river for protection from the spreading fire. Raven carries a terrified Blue while Lena leads Sarah. They share coats with Lu, who fled without one. Squirrel and Grandma are missing, unaccounted for in the chaos. After the bombers withdraw, helicopters spray chemicals over the woods, forcing the survivors to cover their mouths as they run.

When they stop at nightfall, they discover they salvaged only a quarter of their food and no medical supplies. Bram argues they should return for more, but Raven insists the homestead is destroyed and they cannot go back. When he mentions Hunter and Tack, Raven says they must fend for themselves. Raven continues leading the group as they set up a temporary camp and reorganize their remaining supplies.

The next morning, snow falls again as they begin the 80-mile trek to the first supply cache. Sarah asks if they will die, and Lena tells her to conserve her strength and not worry. The group continues moving while discussing how the attack may have happened and why it occurred. After three days of difficult travel, they reach the cache, which is marked by a red bandanna and a pile of stones left by the scouts, and celebrate. Raven decides they should stay longer to trap game. The narrator reveals they will later learn the attack was retaliation for escalated resistance activities across the country, specifically a series of bombings at government facilities.