Unwind

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses the source text's depiction of child abandonment.

Lev wakes up tied to a tree. Though he remembers Pastor Dan telling him to run, “He’s sure that it must be a false memory, because he can’t believe Pastor Dan would do such a thing” (40). Lev assumes that the people holding him against his will are maniacs. When Connor and Risa feed him, Lev believes they are being nice because they want to give him a false sense of security. Connor reveals he “saved” Lev, but Lev disagrees: “It’s no use trying to explain to this godless pair what tithing is all about. How giving of one’s self is the ultimate blessing. They’d never understand or care. Save him? They haven’t saved him, they’ve damned him” (42). Lev then decides to allow Connor and Risa to believe he is on their side.

Connor contemplates his travel companions. He “[…] knows that Lev can’t be trusted, that’s why Connor tied him to the tree—but there’s no reason to trust this girl who had come running out of a bus either.