The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) Chapter 42 Summary

Last Road to Haven

  • Viola starts to shake violently. Todd holds her as she rocks back and forth, and he remembers how he felt after he killed the Spackle.
  • After she gets sick, Todd tells her that he would have killed Aaron. She knows that he would have, but the thing is, she wanted to kill him.
  • They grapple with the idea of everyone making mistakes and decide that what matters is whether they pick themselves back up.
  • With that thought, they realize it's time to get moving to Haven. Todd touches his face, which is bruised and missing a few teeth, and realizes that it hurts.
  • Just then, something comes flying through the air and Viola cries out—she suddenly has a hole in her stomach, which is bleeding.
  • Mr. Prentiss Jr. is on the cliff, sitting on a horse and holding a gun.
  • They have nowhere to run, and Todd's knife is gone.
  • But Todd addresses Prentiss Jr. like he did with Aaron—a.k.a. man-style.
  • Todd calls out "snake," which frightens the horse and gives Todd the opportunity to get close enough to punch Prentiss Jr. in the face, breaking his nose and making him drop his gun.
  • Viola complains that she is turning cold and she tells Todd that she's dying. Todd refuses to let this happen, though, and picks her up and runs down the hill.
  • Todd runs into Haven, screaming for help. He runs down the streets, as Viola is nodding off, but the city is empty.
  • Todd is in disbelief: There's nothing there. Viola is bleeding a lot and all of their belongings were left on the cliff. They have nothing and no one.
  • They hear hoof beats. Mayor Prentiss himself rides into the empty square. He tells them that he spread a rumor about the army coming so that he could have Todd all to himself.
  • Todd sees that Viola is dying and begs them to save her, offering to join the army in return.
  • And here's the big finale: Mayor Prentiss is now President Prentiss, and his new headquarters is Haven.