Chapter 25 Summary: The Screwworm's Infestation and the Rot Beneath Survival

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The day after learning of Luz's death, the Fort Dykers gather for her funeral. A trader named Jenna Losa brings news that Luz was hanged at the edge of the Burn Zone. Mariana, upon hearing this, attempts to take a gun and a truck from the armory, but Zia and Beth restrain her until she collapses sobbing in the courtyard. Indi doses her with valerian tea. At the service, held against the old sea wall in the rain, attendees share memories of Luz. Steph recalls Luz making bait fish talk; Persephone mentions Luz doing her laundry; Rachel credits Luz with bringing her to the fort. Mariana speaks last, mostly in Spanish, recounting how she and Luz escaped Ecuador together when the new state's secret police began disappearing transsexuals. Fran translates, and Mariana expresses a wish that they had died together.

Meanwhile, in Raymond's burn zone, Teach conducts a public execution. Karin, a traitor accused of selling out her sisters to men, is tied naked to a burned tree. Ramona stands beside her, holding smelling salts. Teach denounces Karin, then cuts out her uterus before a jeering crowd, declaring "No life without a womb" and raising her bloody fist. The crowd screams "Forever!" as Karin dies. Ramona, crying, fears the same fate.

Back at the fort, a vote is held: thirty-six votes to stay and defend, eleven to abandon. Zia announces she will stay and fight, arguing that the men know where they are. Mariana, speaking in Spanish, urges them to stay and lure the men into traps, invoking the names of the dead. Laurel and Addison, newcomers from the bunker exiles, argue for hiding or talking, but Fran speaks up about her own attacks. Indi supports fighting. After the vote, Zia orders Leda to go inland to George, but Leda angrily refuses, screaming that she is not an invalid and that she is a shitty mother. Fran slips out, and Beth comforts her.

Later, Indi reflects on the screwfly, Cochliomyia hominivorax, and wonders if the plague was a deliberate sterilization of humanity, perhaps by America or some external force. She imagines someone releasing a virus into a water supply, and thinks about how humans have always seen themselves as parasites. She also thinks about the old industry of teaching women to attract men, now replaced by kiting tactics.

Alyssa, meanwhile, loves kiting detail. She rides in a truck with Layla, chumming the highway with rotten meat and blasting music to lure a horde of men toward the fort. She feels a thrill similar to the one she felt with her abusive ex-boyfriend Billy, where being hit was better than being afraid. She brings the horde westward, planning to turn back toward the sea fort, with Teach heading north to be the hammer.

Key Events

Luz's funeral is held at the fort; Mariana attempts to take a gun and truck but is restrained.
Mariana delivers a eulogy in Spanish, recounting her escape from Ecuador with Luz.
Teach publicly executes Karin, cutting out her uterus before a crowd.
The fort votes: 36 to stay and defend, 11 to abandon.
Zia orders Leda inland to George; Leda refuses, screaming about being a bad mother.
Indi reflects on the screwfly and the possible origins of the plague.
Alyssa leads a kiting detail, luring a horde of men toward the fort.

Character Development

Mariana: Her grief is raw and violent, but she channels it into a call to fight, invoking the dead. Her speech shows her resolve and her bond with Luz.
Indi: Her reflections reveal a philosophical, cynical side, questioning the plague's origin and humanity's self-destructive nature. Her love for Beth is reaffirmed during the funeral.
Beth: She supports Indi and Mariana, showing her steadiness and care.
Leda: Her refusal to leave and her outburst about being a bad mother expose her guilt and fear, complicating her tough exterior.
Alyssa: Her enjoyment of kiting detail is tied to her past abuse, showing how trauma can warp pleasure and power.
Teach: The execution reveals her ruthless ideology and her willingness to use spectacle to enforce loyalty.
Ramona: She is horrified by the execution, crying and fearing for herself, showing her internal conflict.
Fran: She feels like an outsider, unable to intercede, and is sickened by the violence and the vote.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Grief and Remembrance: The funeral contrasts with the execution, showing how community honors its dead versus how power destroys its enemies.
Community Solidarity vs. Violence: The fort's vote and Mariana's speech emphasize solidarity, while Teach's execution shows violence as a tool of control.
Betrayal and Punishment: Karin's execution is framed as justice for betrayal, but the method is dehumanizing and brutal.
Dehumanization: Teach's speech and the crowd's jeers reduce Karin to a symbol, not a person.
Parasitism and Sterilization: Indi's screwfly reflection links the plague to sterilization, and Teach's removal of Karin's uterus echoes that theme.
Motherhood Guilt: Leda's outburst about being a bad mother ties to the broader theme of reproduction and survival.
Resistance vs. Exile: The vote and Leda's forced exile highlight the tension between fighting and fleeing.
Violence as Spectacle: The execution is a public performance, with the crowd baying for blood, mirroring the kiting of men as entertainment.
Apocalypse Origin: Indi's speculation about a designer virus suggests the plague may be deliberate, not natural.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it sets the fort's course for the coming conflict. The vote to stay and fight, combined with Alyssa's kiting detail and Teach's execution, establishes the stakes and the moral compromises the characters face. It deepens our understanding of the plague's possible origins through Indi's reflections, and it humanizes the grief of Mariana while showing the brutality of Teach's regime. The contrast between the funeral's communal mourning and the execution's dehumanizing spectacle highlights the novel's central tension: how far will people go to survive, and what does that do to their humanity? Leda's forced exile and Alyssa's twisted pleasure in kiting also complicate the notion of resistance, showing that survival often comes at a psychological cost.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the funeral scene contrast with Teach's execution of Karin, and what does this contrast reveal about the two communities?

The funeral is a communal act of remembrance where individuals share personal stories, and grief is expressed openly. Mariana's eulogy honors Luz's life and their shared history. In contrast, Teach's execution is a public spectacle designed to enforce loyalty through terror. The crowd's jeers and the ritualized violence dehumanize Karin, reducing her to a symbol of betrayal. The contrast shows that the Fort Dykers, despite their hardships, maintain a sense of shared humanity, while Teach's regime uses violence to control and divide, prioritizing ideology over individual lives.

2. What does Indi's reflection on the screwfly suggest about the possible origin of the plague, and how does it connect to the novel's themes?

Indi speculates that the plague might be a deliberate sterilization of humanity, perhaps a designer virus released by America or an external force. She compares it to the screwfly's sterile-male technique, suggesting that humans are being bred out of existence. This connects to themes of parasitism and dehumanization—Indi sees humanity as a wriggling mass of parasites. It also raises questions about who would want to exterminate humanity and whether such an act is justified, echoing the novel's exploration of survival and moral compromise.

3. How does Alyssa's enjoyment of kiting detail relate to her past relationship with Billy, and what does this reveal about her character?

Alyssa feels a thrill when luring men, comparing it to the nervous excitement she felt with Billy, her abusive ex-boyfriend. She recalls that being hit was better than being afraid, and that after violence, Billy would cry and profess love, making her feel powerful. In kiting, she experiences a similar sense of control over the horde, but now she is the one leading them to destruction. This reveals how trauma can warp pleasure and power, and it shows Alyssa's complex psychology—she has survived abuse but has internalized its dynamics, finding empowerment in dominating others.