Sage sprints away from the quarry; she hears a gunshot and realizes that Andy is shooting at her. She runs without a purpose since she is unfamiliar with the area and doesn’t know how to get out.

Eventually, she catches sight of lights in the distance and runs towards them. When she comes to a gate blocking the road, she quickly climbs over it. She notes that the gate has a sign reading “West Entrance: Northside Quarry.”

Andy pursues Sage on foot with the gun, screaming at Ted to get in the car and follow him. However, Ted receives a notification on his phone that the money has been deposited into his account. He considers grabbing the cash and driving away, eluding Andy and taking all the profits from the kidnapping. He also feels tormented about the fate of the children in the bunker. Abruptly, he makes a decision.

Jessa and the children hear strange sounds above them, and more dirt begins to fall into the bunker. She quickly directs the children to fashion a shelter out of the mattresses, and they crouch under it. Even if the shelter will only protect them for a few minutes, Jessa does not want to give up.

Sage heads towards the buildings she can see in the distance, noting that they seem familiar for some reason. When she hears the sound of someone else climbing over the gate behind her, she runs faster. A white fence blocks access to the buildings ahead, and Sage finds that she is unable to open the gate in the fence. She is preparing to climb over when she hears a voice telling her to stay still or she will be shot.

Sheena drives towards the last spot where the tracking device was detected. She tells the 911 dispatcher that she has reason to believe the kidnappers are in that area and pleads with them to send police. The dispatcher tells Sheena not to go to the area and instead to focus on providing any pertinent information. Reluctantly, Sheena pulls over, accepting that she cannot confront the kidnappers alone and will need to rely on help from the police.

Sage recalls that Andy failed to shoot her when he previously fired the gun at the quarry and calculates that he will miss even if he does shoot at her. She begins climbing over the fence, even though she does not know what the building is on the other side. Sage successfully climbs the fence, runs to the building, and begins pounding on the locked door. She can hear Andy struggling to climb over the fence and pursue her.

A woman opens the door, and Sage staggers inside. She has realized that the building is the elder care facility where her mother had been considering placing her grandfather. The woman is confused, and Sage is barely coherent as she pleads, “[Y]ou have to come back with me, you have to help them, they don’t have air!” (323). To Sage’s shock, her grandfather approaches, recognizing her voice.

Suddenly, Sage, the staff member, and her grandfather hear the sound of the front door opening. Sage realizes that in the confusion of her bursting into the building, no one locked the door behind her, and Andy is now entering the building. Sage’s grandfather lunges forward and confronts someone in the doorway, out of Sage’s line of sight. She hears the sound of a struggle and a gunshot. A moment later, her grandfather returns holding the gun and locks the door. Andy got away, but Sage’s grandfather was able to seize the gun. He tells the staff to call the police.

By now, Sage is calmer: She is able to explain that she is one of the kidnapped children from the bus and that the others are buried in the quarry. As the staff calls the police, they are confused when the dispatcher states that the police are already almost there.

Sheena recounts the whole story to the 911 dispatcher. When she sees an incoming call, Sheena hangs up, hoping the call is from the kidnappers. She is astonished that the call is from a staff member at Cherished Hearts, explaining that Sheena’s daughter is at the care facility. Sheena speaks briefly with Sage, overwhelmed with joy and relief. Then she begins driving towards the care facility.

Eventually, Sheena realizes that Bonnie is not with Sage. However, she focuses on getting to the facility as quickly as possible, “clinging to hope that maybe I’d gotten it wrong, that Bonnie and the other children were nearby” (330). When Sheena arrives, there are many police present, but she pushes past them and reunites with Sage.

Meanwhile, after Andy left the quarry in pursuit of Sage, Ted began excavating the collapsed shaft, trying to dig out the bunker. He has access to machinery, but progress is still slow, and he fears Jessa and the children will have died before he can get them out.

The police arrive on the scene. They immediately arrest Ted and continue the excavation while questioning him. Ted tells them everything. As the police dig deeper, Ted is overwhelmed with relief when he hears cries for help coming from the bunker. This confirms that the children are alive.

Sage and Bonnie are now in the hospital recovering; all of the children have survived. Sage sits with her daughters in their hospital room. She reflects that had she waited even a few minutes longer to call the police, the children would have died. Sage’s bravery allowed her to quickly direct the police to the correct location, and Ted’s decision to start digging before the police arrived meant that they were able to reach the children much faster. Sheena marvels at the bravery and determination Sage showed: Her hands are badly injured.

Andy still has not been located, and Sheena is being monitored to make sure she does not flee. It is unclear if she will face consequences for concealing information from the police and trying to carry out the ransom instructions. Ted has returned the money from the digital transfer and turned in his half of the cash; Andy’s cash is still at large.

Jessa is still under investigation, but all the children have stated that she cared for them and kept them safe during the ordeal. As Sheena watches her children sleep, she begins to write a note to Jessa.

Sage is happy to be safe in the hospital with her sister, but she often wakes up frightened and confused as to where she is. Sage tries to focus on positive things, using the skill that Jessa taught the children during their ordeal.

Sage’s grandfather comes to the hospital to visit them. Sage is still not entirely clear on the details of how her mother and grandfather converged on the night of her rescue, but doesn’t care. Sheena shares that her father has been meeting with specialists at Cherished Hearts, and they have adjusted his medications. While he still has Alzheimer’s, he is likely going to be more lucid and will be able to spend nights at home, while spending his days at the care facility. Sheena explains that she is confident Sage is responsible enough to look after Bonnie, so the girls will come directly home after school and no longer need to go to Bright Beginnings.

Jessa is also in the hospital, recovering from significant injuries she sustained when the shaft collapsed. Her sister, Lisa, has been supportive and has shared that Sophie has been interested in her mother’s well-being.

Jess scrolls through the news and learns that Andy has been arrested after trying to pawn the watch. Jessa also learns that public opinion is divided about her: While some people deplore her decision to hide her true identity when she applied for the bus driver job, others celebrate her as a hero. There are many people who are also sympathetic to why she killed her husband and think she should not have been convicted.

Jessa begins reading the note from Sheena, thanking her for her courage. She is interrupted when Lisa unexpectedly arrives in the hospital room with Sophie. Jessa cautiously greets her daughter, not wanting to overwhelm her, and is flooded with joy when Sophie approaches and sits next to her.