96 Miles

Stewart wakes John in the morning in the truck cab. The gas ran out last night, and they stopped to sleep until morning. Based on the tally marks on John’s arm, they have 23 more miles to go to the Brighton’s. Stew shows John a piece of paper he found in the truck that has directions to their house written on it; this shows that the men’s robbery was premeditated.

John burns with anger, but notices Stewart’s face is void of emotion and that he’s stopped sweating. When John tells Stew to drink some water, Stew admits that he drank a canteen before John woke up. A canteen is a half-gallon of water. The next moment, Stewart throws up the water on the roadside.

John changes his clothes as a nod to his father’s trademark saying: “If you want to have a productive day, get out of the clothes you slept in” (207). He needs to get Stewart to Brighton Ranch, and his goal is to walk the 23 miles remaining in seven hours. Cleverly tends to Stew as Will wonders aloud what could have made him throw up. John says that they need to get on the road, but Cleverly argues that Stewart isn’t ready yet.