After Scott’s father lectures him about stealing, he marches the boy through the kitchen and toward the door. Scott apologizes to the Lewandowskis and feels humiliated by Linda’s judgment of him. That night, as his father is tucking him into bed, Scott asks what will happen if the Russians decide to drop a nuclear bomb on the United States. His father responds, “It’ll be the end of everything, I’m afraid” (54), and states that he has been considering building a fallout shelter just in case.

The post-attack narrative resumes. Upon awakening in the shelter, Scott realizes that Sparky has wet their shared bed. Unwilling to humiliate his younger brother by announcing his accident, Scott curls up and thinks about the consequences of nuclear war. He wonders what will happen to the group without water and questions how long they might be able to survive in the shelter. He also speculates as to how the societal rebuilding might take place. Scott decides that if they truly are the only people left on the planet, then Ronnie will be the one to have babies with Paula because he is taller and more athletic than Scott.