Trapped

In the wake of Elijah’s proclamation, Weems considers the people he’s trapped with. A few days ago, he thought it was an odd group. Now, he realizes all the labels high school students put on each other mean nothing and that serious situations bring out who people really are. After what they’ve gone through, they don’t “seem like such an odd group anymore” (168).

Pete and Julie go to the cafeteria and come back with more food, including hotdogs they can heat over the fire. The group gets excited about hot food. Someone shouts, and then they hear a cracking noise, “like someone had fired a cannon thirty yards away” (171).

They run out into the hall, where they see part of the ceiling has caved in and there’s snow in the building. They aren’t sure if the loud noise caused this, but they all stay quiet. Jason comes up from the shop and ends the chapter on the somber note of “this is not good” (173).

The group cooks and eats their hotdogs; though, none of them are really hungry. The reality of how much trouble they’re in hits Weems. The school, where they thought they’d be safe, is coming down and might be “what killed us” (175).