Dry

Kelton feels surrounded by strangers—even Alyssa and Garrett, whom he knows. He thinks about how his fight response finally kicked in that morning at his house, and now he decides he needs to channel that energy into helping the others. Kelton directs the group toward the bug-out and, as they drive, they pass more military. They come close to another roadblock, but Garrett realizes that he knows how to get around it. He directs them to a chain-link fence, which they decide they’ll need to bust through. Somehow, with Henry at the wheel, they manage to bust through and safely land at the base of the urban creek below. Everyone feels relieved at this point for the first time in days. Kelton thinks, “Realizing that my thoughts are no longer nagging anxieties, I finally take a moment to breathe. We all do” (261). They navigate the dried-up waterways toward the bug-out, passing an encampment of people, although at night Kelton realizes that they need to backtrack. The low-fuel light then comes on, forcing them to find more gas.

Alyssa thinks about how Henry has changed the group dynamic, and she can’t decide whether she likes him or not (although she finds him attractive). The kids manage to navigate to a freeway and find a clog of abandoned cars. There, Henry tries to siphon gas from a car, and the others let him struggle to realize that it’s a Tesla and has no gas. Kelton tries to take control of the truck keys, but Henry gives them to Alyssa. Even when they find a car to siphon, they realize that no one knows how. Alyssa then sees that Garrett is missing. She runs around, calling for him, before stumbling into a group of people around a campfire who have Garrett. She’s nervous around the other people, but they seem nice. She realizes that many people are nearby. An older woman named Charity, whom the others call the Water Angel, offers to let the kids stay the night. In return for shelter, they must help collect supplies. A tough biker man goes with Alyssa and some of the others to siphon gas, while Garrett and Henry help Charity collect supplies. The biker tells them how about this makeshift commune and how people have been helping each other.

Henry thinks that Charity is incredibly wise to have figured out how to siphon water out of certain cars. As they search the vehicles, Henry looks for abandoned high-value items. He and Garrett smash into a car to grab some diapers and have so much fun that they keep smashing. As he and Garrett bond, Henry tries to get Garrett on his side and fish for information to use against the others. Garrett reveals that Kelton has a crush on Alyssa and used to spy on her. Together back at the camp, the kids debate how well the commune works, and each has a different opinion on humanity. In addition, Kelton explains how dehydration works, saying, “You’ll feel more and more tired—but then, right before the end, you’ll get a sudden burst of energy. It’s the body’s last stand. After that, it’s all over” (289). Eventually, Jacqui starts joking around with Kelton’s gun, making Henry realize how unstable she is. Henry resolves to get her and Kelton out of the way so that he can protect Alyssa and Garrett.

Alyssa tries to sleep, but anxious thoughts and nightmares plague her. Henry wakes her up, saying that she was talking in her sleep. Ash falls from the sky, indicating a fire somewhere. Henry apologizes for misleading her about his last name, and Alyssa decides to trust him, even if it’s a stupid risk. Henry conveniently lets it slip that Kelton used to spy on Alyssa, manipulating her against Kelton. Alyssa furiously storms over to confront Kelton. Henry’s plan backfires, however, because Alyssa is mad at him, too, for sharing the information.