The Last Kids on Earth and the Nightmare King

Jack is desperate to inject some fun into his friends’ lives and suggests a monsters versus humans Olympics-style games. The others disagree, wanting to prioritize fixing the radio, but they eventually give in after realizing they could use a fun day. The monsters happily agree to the competition and dominate all of the strength tasks. The humans win the tasks that require agility and small fingers (like video games). The final game is a helicopter drone flying competition, and Quint is tasked with flying it. He can’t handle the pressure and almost instantly crashes Jack’s helidrone. The monsters win by default.

Jack goes looking for his helidrone and finds it landed in the junkyard, which is surrounded by hundreds of swarming zombies. On the way home, he smells a familiar smell, something he describes as “the odor of evil” (70), and finds the King Wretch on top of the old preschool. Jack can’t help but stare into its eyes, and he falls into a deep dreamlike state. 

In the dream, Jack sees himself as a sort of king who protects his friends and lives a perfect, safe, happy life with them. He awakes to Dirk calling his name but refrains from telling his friends what just happened. Jack reports that the helidrone is in the junkyard, and Quint sees it as a great opportunity to find a new antenna for the radio. That night, the monsters and humans celebrate after the big competition, and the monsters are presented with a trophy. Jack can’t help thinking he is responsible for maintaining this seemingly wonderful life.

Jack and his friends head to the junkyard, playing a game called The Streets Are Lava on the way there (84). When they finally reach a roof near the junkyard, they observe no easy way to get inside. The group has a picnic of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on the roof before deciding to head back. Quint promises to find a solution, but June is visibly upset and desperate to fix the radio. Jack notes that both Quint and June’s parents are missing, but Quint doesn’t act upset in the way that June does. 

Back at the tree house, June cheers up playing a game of “Blast the Dirk” (95), where the kids use a tennis ball machine to shoot balls at Dirk. Dirk dresses as Conan the Barbarian and slices through the tennis balls as they approach.

Jack starts to question the vision that the King Wretch gave him and wonders why he was chosen. He also doesn’t see himself as a king. Quint announces that he has a way to get into the junkyard but will need a fold-out couch to execute it. The kids’ friend, Bardle (who happens to be a wizard), offers to lend them his couch as long as Dirk agrees to help Bardle find a way to keep Rover protected in battle. Dirk carries the couch as Jack spots a flyer for a place called Funland. All the other kids have been there before, but Jack never had the chance to go. He thinks it would be a great way to show his friends how fun this life can be, but they lament to inform him that Funland is down the highway (which is heavily populated by zombies).

Quint and Dirk fasten the couch to an old pick-up truck dubbed “Big Mama.” Jack grabs four sleeping bags. Dirk drives the truck to the edge of the junkyard, and the four kids pile into their sleeping bags and onto the couch. Dirk pulls a lever and the four kids are bounced up and over the fence. They roll and land safely, and Jack spots his helidrone at the top of a pile of scraps. He climbs up to get it, and then the kids have fun playing around with all the old junk. Quint eventually finds an antenna that will provide the radio with a long range, which excites everyone but Jack.

Jack suggests spending the night in the junkyard, and everyone agrees. After some makeshift s’mores, Jack asks June what her favorite day has been since the apocalypse. June remembers the day the group heard a voice over the radio, but also the day Jack came to find her. Jack finally admits his fears of the group splitting up once they find other people and how hard it will be to lose his only friends. He looks over to see that June is already asleep and then falls asleep himself.

Jack wakes up to strange smells below him and becomes petrified when he sees that the scrap pile that the group slept on is actually a giant monster. The monster has tentacles and one eye on its head, as well as dozens of teeth. Jack decides to name it a “Scrapken” (like Kraken). He wakes the others and they determine that the monster probably isn’t evil, just angry. The group decides to try and escape rather than fight and manage to use the monster’s own strength to break a hole in the junkyard fence. 

At the last minute, June realizes that she left the antenna behind, and Jack goes back to get it despite knowing that leaving it is a chance to get what he wants. With the other three safe on the outside, Jack is left to find a way out. He climbs into an old car to escape the hordes of zombies, noticing a hula girl on the dashboard that dances back and forth. The Scrapken conveniently whacks the car up and over the fence. Jack reunites with his friends and they drive away as another monster, called a Dozer, chases after them. They decide it was definitely a great sleepover.