When dawn hits, Mathias leaves the tent to get Jeff. He shows them how the vines have entered Eric’s skin, five tendrils in all. They start to pull them out, but Eric begs them not to, afraid that it will allow them to burrow freely into his skin. Instead, they pick Eric up and carry him out of the tent and into the sunlight.

Jeff has Mathias build a fire. He finds a bar of soap and a sewing kit in one of the camping packs in the tent, which he uses to clean the knife. He holds the knife over the fire to sterilize it. He tells Eric that they are going to cut out the vines, then sew his wounds shut. Eric initially argues, believing that the vines will still be inside him, but Jeff assures him that he will get it all.

Stacy watches as Jeff opens Eric’s wound further and pulls out the two tendrils in his chest. They are only a few inches in, coming out easily when Jeff pulls. When he starts to stitch him up, Eric stops him, insisting that the vine is further up in his chest. He begs Jeff to cut into his sternum, insisting that the vine is there despite Jeff’s argument that it is just normal swelling. Finally, Jeff obliges, then shows Eric that there are no other vines. As Mathias begins stitching, Eric repeatedly asks if Jeff thinks they are all going to die; Jeff refuses to answer directly, instead stating that they need to be “smart” to survive.

As Mathias finishes stitching Eric’s wounds closed, Eric notices the smell of baking bread. The group begins to look around, wondering if the Mayans are baking, when Jeff points out that the smell is coming from the vines. It changes to cooking meat, then apple pie. Stacy sobs, questioning how “a plant” could be smart enough to mimic smells. Jeff points out that they aren’t even sure that it is a plant, as it could be something else in disguise. He divides an orange for them to share. Through it all, Eric obsesses over how the vines could know what these things smell like.

Jeff again assesses their situation, noting that water will hopefully no longer be an issue, though he’s still worried about food. He calls the group together. He tells them that they need to discuss what to do with Amy’s body. He explains that they are waiting for rescue but realistically that will take longer than they can survive. He suggests preserving Amy’s body in case they need to eat it down the road. Stacy reacts immediately, insisting that they can’t do that, even if they are desperate. Jeff tries to reason with her, but she repeatedly claims that she won’t allow it to happen. When Mathias and Eric remain mostly silent, Jeff finally relents. Realizing that they can’t bury the body without a shovel and because of the heat, Mathias and Jeff settle for zipping it into a sleeping bag.

For most of the day, Eric lies on the ground, unsure if he can move without opening his wounds. He ignores the feeling that the vines are within him. When he awakens late in the afternoon, storm clouds have begun to gather. Jeff arrives with two bananas which he cuts into four pieces for them. They are interrupted by the sleeping bag thrashing wildly.

Jeff, Stacy, and Eric run toward the sleeping bag. They begin to hear Jeff’s name being called from inside it. When Jeff finally gets the bag unzipped, massive vines spill out of it, the flowers calling out Jeff’s name. The vines are carrying Amy’s bones, already stripped of their flesh. As Jeff backs away in disgust, the flowers start to make a choking sound, mimicking Amy. They then begin calling, “Help me, Jeff” (270). Jeff backs away, insisting that it was too dark for him to realize that Amy was choking. He takes the other part of the banana and goes down the hill to find Mathias, who is watching for the Greeks.

Jeff finds Mathias at the bottom of the hill. They sit and discuss the Mayans, wondering why they spend so long standing guard rather than just killing them. Mathias posits that perhaps their confinement on the hill isn’t an act of quarantining, but rather a religious act: Anyone who touches the sacred ground is unable to ever leave it. Jeff wonders whether what is being done to them is “murder” or a twisted form of self-defense.

Mathias then asks Jeff about his guidebook and the Mayans. Jeff remembers a creation story that he read about and recounts it for Mathias. First God made man from mud, but they deteriorated too quickly; He then used wood, but man was mean and unintelligent; He finally settled on corn, though he had to “cloud” their minds because they were too perfect. Mathias insists that he doesn’t believe in God, while Jeff admits that he is unsure about what happens after death.

Mathias leaves Jeff alone on the hill. He watches the Mayans cooking dinner. He smells it, while also noting his own smell beneath it. He contemplates going to get the bar of soap to clean himself in the rain. However, he then realizes it’s futile. He feels like a “failure,” thinking how, even if he were to survive the ruins, he would never be able to cleanse himself of what happened here, especially Amy’s death.

Back by camp, Stacy sobs uncontrollably for several moments. After, Eric ushers her into the tent. They lie down together. Eric complains about how tired and cold he is, despite the fact that he slept most of the day. Stacy knows this is strange but ignores it. He asks her to hold his hand and she obliges, though she drops it as soon as he falls asleep, feeling disgusted by his wounds and his overheated body.

The rain begins to fall, so Stacy goes outside. She takes off her clothes and cleans herself up as it grows stronger and begins to thunder. She has the overwhelming feeling that someone is watching her, then realizes it is the vines. She goes back into the tent to put on new clothes, feeling the urge to lie down. She then remembers that Jeff has not come back. She asks Mathias, and he tells her to watch Pablo so that he can go find Jeff.

The vines begin to mimic the sounds of Stacy and Mathias having sex. Mathias’s voice questions whether someone will find out, while Stacy’s voice urges him to continue. Stacy goes into the tent, insisting to Eric that the vines are making the scenario up to trick him. They argue, then Mathias returns, so Eric questions him about it. Mathias insists that it doesn’t matter: Jeff is gone and Amy is dead.

Just then, they realize that Pablo is no longer making any sounds. Stacy runs to him and sees that the vines have smothered him to death. She sobs next to him, pleading for forgiveness for leaving him alone while she fought with Eric.

Even after it starts to rain, Jeff continues to wait at the bottom of the hill, hoping the Greeks will arrive. After 20 minutes, he decides to return to the tent. He stops partway up, realizing how dark it has grown. Unable to see the Mayans guarding the hill, he reasons with himself that they will not be able to see him, either. After internally debating with himself for several moments, he decides to try to run for the forest.

Jeff makes his way to the bottom of the hill. A mist covers the area from the rain, so he still cannot make out any of the Mayans. He takes one step, realizing that it would be smarter to move slowly. Instead, afraid that his nerves will fail him, he begins sprinting for the tree line. After only a few steps, he senses movement, then sees one of the Mayans fire an arrow at him. It strikes him in the throat. He still tries to run, but is hit by another arrow, then collapses onto the ground. He tries to crawl but has no strength. Instead, he feels something grab his ankle, then wrap around his body. The vines pull him back to the hill as he dies.

Back on top of the hill, Mathias, Eric, and Stacy lie in the tent. Eric and Stacy talk about where Jeff is. They speculate that he escaped off the hill and will bring help. When they ask Mathias’s opinion, he initially ignores them, then insists that they are doing themselves harm by hoping.

The sound of Pablo’s breathing begins from outside the tent. Even though she knows it’s the vines, Stacy jumps up. Mathias stops her, telling her that he will go out and check. As soon as he leaves, the vines begin to speak in German. They repeatedly say “Bruder,” which Stacy recognizes as “brother,” though she doesn’t understand the rest. Mathias returns and tells them that the vines are eating Pablo. He has a hat in his hands which belonged to Jeff. Stacy asks what the vines are saying in German. Mathias translates that they are asking where Mathias’s brother is, then saying that he is dead. The name switches and the vines begin saying the same things about Jeff.

The next morning, the three emerge from the tent. Amy’s bones are scattered, while Pablo’s body is completely covered in vines. Stacy begins collecting Amy’s bones.

Eric feels something in his chest, then looks down to see that a tendril of vine is visibly moving beneath his skin. He finds another in his leg. He asks for the knife, feeling surprisingly calm. Mathias tries to sanitize the knife, but Eric insists that there is no point. After a moment of hesitation, Mathias offers to remove the vine for him. He cuts into his chest, then removes a long tendril, throwing it to the side. He does the same for his leg. He tries to sew the wounds shut, but Eric insists that there is more in there. He feels dizzy from blood loss but ignores it.

Mathias suggests that he go and try to find Jeff. Stacy offers to go with him, and Eric gets the sense that she is afraid of him. However, he does not have the energy to be concerned with it. Instead, he worries about what will happen if he is left alone with the knife, sensing more vines moving within his skin.

Stacy and Mathias get to the bottom of the hill. Off to one side, jutting out into the cleared soil, there is a new mound of vines. They clear them away and find Jeff’s half-eaten body. Mathias removes a ring from his finger and takes his watch and wallet. As they start back for the trail, Stacy breaks down. She thinks of how calm she has been about everything, like collecting Amy’s bones and seeing Jeff’s body. She asks Mathias if they should walk off the hill now and let the Mayans shoot them. He insists that there is still hope that someone will come. He gingerly leads her back to the trail and up the hill.

Alone by the tent, Eric sits holding the knife in his lap. He sees a bulge on his calf, pokes it, then feels the vines uncoil and recoil. He then sees one in his arm, much smaller; when he touches this one, it disappears. He begins to cut himself to try to get them out.

Stacy and Mathias make their way up the hill. As they near the top, they hear the vines speaking the same phrases in German again. This time, it is Eric’s name. Mathias runs ahead, then Stacy hears him speaking to Eric in German. When she gets to the top, she sees Eric sitting there, knife in hand, with most of his skin peeled off his body and blood running everywhere.

Eric removes his ear, convinced that a vine is inside it, then begins cutting open his rib cage. He notes how the pain is bad, but his fear is worse. He hears Mathias call to him, then Stacy. Mathias runs to him and reaches out to stop him. Eric puts his hands up to push Mathias away but forgets that the knife is in one hand. He stabs Mathias through the chest, directly into his heart. Mathias falls to the ground, the knife moving with his heartbeat. The vines immediately come out and begin covering his body. Eric watches as Stacy desperately tries to stop them, but there are too many.

After the vines pull Mathias’s body from the clearing, Stacy sits with Eric’s head in her lap. She wonders why they are leaving Eric alone, instead sending out tendrils to drink his blood. Eric begins speaking to her, begging her to kill him. She insists that she can’t, but he continues to plead with her. She goes and retrieves the knife from Mathias’s body, then gives it to Eric. He tells her that he is too weak to do it himself. He puts the knife up to his chest, still begging Stacy to kill him. She finally relents, pushing it into him. As she sobs, she thinks the words, “Am I still me?” (314), after everything she has been through. The vines slither out and take Eric’s body.

Stacy gathers the remaining supplies. She eats the little food they have left, then drinks both iced teas and the Coke. She grabs the bottle of tequila and the knife and moves down the hill. She stops at the start of the trail, sitting in the middle of it. She drinks from the bottle of tequila, then waits for the rest of the day, thinking that she will give the Greeks one more day to arrive.

As night begins to fall, Stacy uses the tequila to clean the knife. She cuts one wrist, then the other, bleeding onto the trail. Tendrils emerge quickly, snaking onto the trail and grabbing hold of her. They drag her body back into the collection of vines.

Three days later, the Greek travelers arrive. They are with three new Brazilian friends that they met. They follow Pablo’s map and quickly find the path leading to the ruins. A young girl watches them at its entrance, motioning to them. They try to entice her to come forward, but she refuses. When they turn onto the path, the girl runs away.

As the five of them emerge off the path, they are surprised by the beauty of the ruins and the flowers growing from the vines. They start up the hill, calling Pablo’s name.