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Chapter 26 ended with Wanderer looking for her “prison hole” and this chapter begins with her finding it. At first, she has difficulty and comes across obstacles that are as a hard as rock, yet not any type of rock or stone. She fears that she may have taken a wrong turn, but then after she inhales the smell of rice, she realizes that she is in the right place and that her ‘hole’ has been filled up with food and supplies. After all, Jared and the others had just turned from a raid, so it only makes sense that the hole would be full of bags, boxes and the like.
Wanderer thinks of eating the treats that are possibly contained within the stacks (like Cheetos!), but then returns to the real matter at hand: What happens now? She asks Mel, who replies that they need to figure out their priorities. The girls agree that Jamie is more important than staying alive. Escape is quickly ruled out, as there would be nowhere to go and the Seekers would suspect that Melanie had taken over. The girls come to the conclusion that they must go down fighting. They will stay in the caves and with Jamie, while trying their best not to die.
As this decision is made, there is a shuffling sound outside in the corridor. Wanderer freezes, while Melanie orders her to stand up and run. Before Wanderer is able to do so, a voice calls and it is Jamie. She’s utterly relieved and explains to Jamie that she’s not hiding from anyone. She just needed to be alone to think. Jamie tells her that she should go stay with Jeb now and get some sleep. They argue for a bit about where she will sleep and where Jamie will sleep, and in the end it’s decided that Wanderer will go with Jamie, only if she has Jeb’s permission. When Wanderer asks Jamie what Jeb is doing, he avoids the question. She asks him what is going on. Jamie tells her that he’s not supposed to tell her and that he won’t. She accepts this answer, and as they comfort each other, Jared’s voice calls for Jamie. Jamie and Jared argue intensely about Wanderer, both verbally and physical (shame on your Jared; he’s just a kid!). “You aren’t the man I thought you were,” Jamie says to Jared before he walks away, leaving Wanderer alone and defenseless. Instead of seizing the opportunity to be done with Wanderer, Jared goes after Jamie instead, pleading and apologizing.
Wanderer is upset that she has caused such a riff between Jamie and Jared, yet she’s always relieved that Jared did not take the opportunity to kill her after Jamie left. This is one of her last thoughts before she falls sleep on the bags of rice.
