Carrying Bongo, Mouse enters the Building. The group ascends a long spiral tunnel with walls carved similarly to those Mouse previously noticed. They emerge onto a rooftop platform overlooking a vast pit filled with detritus where new effigies are being constructed: “The surface rippled like a pregnant animal’s sides, heaving with contractions. Effigies picked their way across the mound like water bugs skating on the surface of a pond, tugging bits loose, binding them together” (338). Putting all that she has heard together, Mouse realizes that the holler people have largely died out and that the effigies are now making themselves.

Anna presents the captives to the assembled effigies, who debate their fate with sharp clicking sounds that Anna translates. She explains that if the effigies do not choose to “keep” Mouse and her companions, they will use them to construct more effigies. She further notes that the creatures, who seek to breed new masters, are unsure whether they can use Mouse for this purpose: “The old ones say that they must wait for better stock. Masters bred from your flesh will be weak, even with the white stone, as mine have become weak. The newer ones say that even those can be used for materials” (340).

Anna turns away, apparently disappointed, and Mouse realizes that Anna hoped that by bringing them to the effigies, she could earn her own freedom. As the effigies continue to debate, Anna leads Mouse and the others toward the Building’s exit. Seizing the chance, Foxy restrains Anna and forces her to cooperate. As they emerge outside, Anna grabs a piece of rebar and kills Uriah.

Anna explains that Uriah’s murder will create a diversion, as the effigies are compelled to perform mourning rituals for their “masters.” The group flees through the dead city. When Foxy shoots two pursuing headless effigies, Anna begins crying, and Mouse realizes that her two surviving children were used to create them.

They race up a hillside, fighting off another attack before reaching the hill of white stones, where a massive tide of effigies appears behind them. Their escape through the wicker tunnel is also blocked by an effigy. Foxy shoots it, and Mouse stomps its remains to free Bongo, whom it grabs as it falls. As Foxy enters the tunnel, Anna grabs Mouse and offers her to the pursuers in exchange for her own freedom. Mouse trips Anna with Bongo’s leash, injuring her own wrist as they fall. Foxy then pulls Mouse into the tunnel as the effigy swarm converges on Anna. Foxy fires her last bullets into the mass as Anna’s screams fade. They race down the tunnel, emerging to find the front door of the grandmother’s house standing wide open.

As Foxy and Mouse debate what to do, the deer effigy emerges from behind Mouse’s truck. Foxy, Mouse, and Bongo race inside, shutting the door behind them. The effigy begins tapping on the windows. In addition to horror, Mouse now feels confusion, as she knows she is of little use to the effigies. As she stares at it, she realizes that its rib cage looks human and suddenly understands that it is made from Cotgrave’s remains and is trying to reenter its own house.

Just then, Bongo begins to growl at something in the doll room: a new “hoarding effigy” assembled from the junk and doll parts that Mouse left in a bin in her truck. The effigy chases them but slips on a linoleum floor. This gives them time to run upstairs, where Mouse, Foxy, and Bongo barricade themselves in a room. The hoarding effigy begins breaking through the wall, apparently animated by the “gleeful malice” of Mouse’s grandmother. Trapped, Mouse decides to burn the house down. Using Foxy’s lighter, she starts a fire, and they escape onto the porch roof, pursued by the effigy, which is now on fire. They jump from the roof to Mouse’s truck, but the burning creature lands on the hood as Mouse turns the engine on. She accelerates and then slams on the brakes, throwing it off. As they drive away, Mouse sees the Cotgrave effigy calmly lie down beside the other.

Foxy drives Mouse to an emergency room. They give Officer Bob a cover story about squatters to explain their injuries and the fire. Tomas picks Foxy up, and Mouse eventually drives home to Pittsburgh with Bongo. She receives Cotgrave’s Green Book manuscript in the mail, stores it in a safe-deposit box, and donates the insurance payout on the house to public radio in Cotgrave’s name.

Mouse does not tell her father what happened but struggles with her trauma—in particular, the knowledge that it was only the hoarding effigy slipping on the linoleum floor that saved her life. However, she finds comfort in Bongo and her hickory beads and stays in contact with Foxy, who is managing her heart condition. Mouse concludes that Foxy must have used her last bullets to kill Anna but resolves never to ask so that Foxy will never have to lie. She hopes that Anna did not survive, as she cannot imagine enduring what Anna did.