Ted and Andy have been passing the time drinking and waiting idly at the quarry. When Ted looks at his phone, he is surprised to see the news story about Jessa’s past. Upon learning this information, Andy immediately begins speculating about whether they can pin the crime on Jessa, as that would make it less likely that Ted and Andy would ever be pursued as suspects. When Ted counters that the children saw two men hijack the bus, Andy suggests either that they kill the children or that they try to deceive the children into believing that Jessa has been colluding with them. The latter plan would necessitate killing Jessa.

Ted dismisses both plans, increasingly alarmed by the violent bent of Andy’s ideas. It is now time to retrieve the cash from the drop-off point where Sheena will leave it. Although the original plan was for Ted to go alone, he is not comfortable leaving Andy alone at the quarry for fear that “[he]’d come back to a scene that all the money in the world couldn’t cover” (243). Although Andy is initially resistant, Ted persuades him to come along for the pick-up.

As they approach Andy’s Civic, Andy notices where the paint has been scratched off the van window. Ted is horrified, and Andy is outraged to realize that the children could have observed them during the times when they had removed their disguises. Andy is now more insistent on killing the children or abandoning them in the bunker. To buy time, Ted suggests they focus on picking up the ransom money and decide what to do about the children later.

Sage overhears the conversation between Ted and Andy, realizing that they have noticed the scratch in the paint on the van windows. She realizes there is no way the men will release the children now. Sage regrets not listening to Jessa and scratching the hole, since she has endangered everyone. Sage listens as both men drive away in Andy’s Civic.

She confides what she has heard to Jessa and adds that she has recognized Ted as the former bus driver. Sage cries, expressing her regret, but Jessa comforts her and tells Sage not to blame herself. Jessa encourages the children to envision what they want to do once they get out of the bunker and their spirits rally. Sage decides to keep trying and continues to scratch and tear at the plywood, widening the hole she has created.

Jessa wonders if she is giving the children false hope but decides they need to keep trying. She is inspired by the children’s optimism and resilience.

Sage is able to enlarge the hole to the point that she can lift her arms and shoulders through it. She believes she will be able to wiggle through the hole and enter the shaft. Jessa instructs the children to hold the mattresses and bucket steady as she climbs atop the mattress stack and then boosts Sage up and through the hole. Sage pushes through the pain as splinters of wood tear into her flesh, and eventually she is fully in the shaft, standing on the plywood.

Sage climbs atop the industrial battery, testing to see how far up the shaft she can reach. The metal sheeting covering the opening to the shaft is still more than two feet above her head. Sage asks for the bucket so that she can try standing on it as well, but the bucket does not fit through the hole. Jessa suggests enlarging the hole, but a different idea has dawned on Sage.

Sheena arrives at the trailhead where she has been instructed to leave the cash. She is early. She is anxious because she has been told to leave the cash and drive away, so she has no way of knowing if the kidnappers will release the children. Sheena fears she has made the wrong decision by not telling anyone about the ransom note.

As Sheena sits anxiously in her car, awaiting the precise time of the drop-off, she catches sight of her father’s broken watch and has a sudden idea. She places the broken watch in the bag with the cash and adds a note explaining that since the cash is not the full $50,000, she has included an expensive watch that they can sell to make up for the shortfall. Sheena then places the bag with the money and the watch in the precise location. She drives away, but, contrary to the ransom instructions, does not begin driving home.

Ted and Andy watch through binoculars from a safe distance until they determine that Sheena has driven away. They walk through the forest to the trailhead to collect the bag and then get back in the car. Andy is delighted by the piles of cash but irritated by the watch, wondering if it is a real Rolex.

Ted sees an opportunity and proposes that Andy can keep the watch (meaning he will get a larger share of the ransom profits) if he, Ted, is allowed to decide what happens to the children. Ted reassures Andy that he is still open to killing the children to protect their identities but wants more time to think. He points out that it is only Saturday, and the quarry won’t open until Monday. Andy agrees.

Sheena drives away from the trailhead, presuming that the kidnappers will follow her on the same road. Once she is far enough out of the woods to have some cellular service on her phone, she pulls off to the side of the road and conceals the car in the dense brush. Sheena then turns on the tracking app connected to her father’s watch, allowing her to track Ted and Andy. However, the tracking device has not been charged recently, so very little battery remains.

A car speeds past; Sheena uses the tracker app to confirm this is the kidnappers and then begins driving after them. Balancing the need to track the car with the need to preserve battery life for as long as possible, Sheena decides periodically “to open the app for a few seconds at a time only, taking screenshots of each location” (278). She also needs to return home and complete the digital transfer before the kidnappers become suspicious.

Sheena is momentarily frustrated when a deer stops in the middle of the road, blocking her path. However, she sees two fawns following their mother safely across the road. Taking this as a good omen, Sheena continues to drive towards her home.

Since the plywood forming the shaft is soggy and soft due to rainfall, Sage is able to carve footholds into the wood, making it possible to climb up the shaft. She makes rapid progress up the shaft, towards the metal covering. When she is close to the top, Sage begins to dig in the dirt, creating a hole she will be able to slither out of.

Finally, Sage wriggles through the hole and is free. However, as soon as she climbs out of the hole, the soggy plywood shaft collapses under the weight of the disrupted dirt. Sage calls out to see if anyone in the bunker can hear her. She is alarmed to realize that the air hose is no longer connected and is not drawing fresh air into the bunker. She can also hear a car approaching in the distance.

Ted and Andy drive back to the quarry. Ted is increasingly anxious about what to do with the children. As soon as they arrive at the quarry, Ted staggers out of the car and vomits. He notices that the large metal sheet is sitting at an awkward angle. Upon closer inspection, he sees the hole that Sage dug. Then Ted notices footprints in the muddy earth, confirming that one of the children has escaped.

Without alerting Andy, Ted begins scrutinizing the nearby area until he catches sight of Sage, hiding behind some equipment. They lock eyes, and Sage whispers Ted’s name, confirming that she has recognized him. While he hesitates, she confides that the shaft caved in, and the children in the bunker no longer have access to air. Ted remains frozen as she pleads for him to help the others.

When Andy (who has by now also noticed the hole) begins to approach, calling out for Ted, Sage takes off running. Andy comes over to where Ted is standing: he hasn’t realized that anyone has escaped and believes that the shaft simply caved in, burying and likely killing everyone in the bunker. Content that the problem of what to do with the children has been solved, Andy suggests they leave so that they can check if Sheena made the digital transfer. Then, Andy catches sight of Sage in the distance. Andy begins running after her.

When the shaft collapses, Jessa is knocked off the mattress stack and down to the floor of the bunker. The children are frightened, and some are injured from the falling plywood. Jessa reassures them that Sage has gone to get help, but is unsure whether Sage was injured or even killed in the collapse.

Jessa feels increasingly certain that both she and the children are going to die but resolves that “if I was going to die down here, I was going to die with hope” (298). She focuses on how, if she survives, she wants to focus on mending her relationship with Sophie.