Adam wakes on the couch, startled by someone entering through the front door, and he grabs his pistol. He finds his mother and Herb having coffee in the kitchen. After putting his gun away, Adam joins them. Herb grimly informs him that the doctor could not save Mr. Smith; he is dead. Adam’s mother has just returned from telling Mrs. Smith the news. They discuss sending a social worker to the Smith family and arranging counseling for Sergeant Evans. Herb comments on how hard it is to take a life, admitting he has been in that position before.

Herb asks for the survey papers Adam had taken earlier, and Adam returns them. He confronts Herb, asking about the “Farm” annotation. Herb initially deflects, but Adam presses him. Kate also requests an explanation, and Herb outlines a secret contingency plan. He argues that the neighborhood cannot be defended and that last night’s attack was just the beginning. He reveals his plan to abandon the neighborhood and relocate about 150 people with essential skills to the more defensible Peterson farm, leaving over 1,400 people behind.

Adam protests that this means sacrificing the others. Herb defends it as a “necessary evil” to ensure some people survive rather than everyone dying from starvation or attacks.