72 pages • 2 hours read
Exhausted from caretaking, Mary (called Mother Mary now) makes coffee to stay awake. Orc’s crew helped her get more diapers, food, and babysitters, but Mary knows it’s not enough to last. When a little girl reaches up for her, Mary accidentally spills her hot coffee on the girl, who shrieks. Another babysitter asks what Mary did, but Mary races outside.
She runs home, feeling overwhelmed and sleep-deprived. She finds treats like ice cream in her fridge. Mary used to deal with bulimia, but she saw therapists and takes medication. Mary sobs and gorges on the sweets. Then she grabs towels, sheets, food, and other supplies for the daycare children. Before she leaves, she makes herself throw up.
At the nuclear plant, Quinn admits he wants life to return to normal, so he and Sam can surf in the ocean again. Quinn gets gurneys for him and Sam to “surf” through the halls, which lightens the mood. They then get ready for bed in the plant manager’s office.
Sam wakes in the middle of the night. He notices an employee’s iPod to listen to music, but he crashes into a display case and wakes up Pete, who howls. Pete keeps screaming, and Sam feels he’s being choked.
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