How It All Goes Down
Section 41
- They're "in the foothills of the eastern mountains" (41.1). (We think these are the Appalachians.)
- They feel the tremors of an earthquake.
Section 42
- The Man reminisces about the first years after the disaster. Back then, more refugees wandered the roads.
- The Man thinks about the frailty of the world.
Section 43
- In an old abandoned house, The Man asks himself if he'll be able to kill The Boy if "the time comes" (43.1).
Section 44
- They eat cold beans and rice on the road.
- The Man knows that The Boy is all that's keeping him alive.
Section 45
- The Man thinks about the road ahead. They'll have to cross the mountains, and the pass tops off at 5,000 feet. It's going to be really cold.
Section 46
- They pass through a resort town and cross a stone bridge. The Man remembers seeing trout in these waters.
- It's tough going uphill. The Man has to stop to rest. He coughs up some blood.
Section 47
- They build a lean-to against a boulder. The Man gets a fire going.
- The Man drops some of his cryptic knowledge: "Not all dying words are true and this blessing is no less real for being shorn of its ground" (47.1). We're waiting for our special decoder ring in the mail.
Section 48
- It's morning. The Man sees a forest fire along the ridges and is inspired by this sudden burst of color.
Section 49
- They're definitely up in the mountains.
- They travel "a few miles each day" and are "hungry all the time" (49.1).
Section 50
- In a dream, The Man cares for his wife. He knows this isn't how things happened; his wife died alone.