Chapter 10 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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 chapter opens with the six travellers—Evan, J.C., Amber, Cal, Nangohns, and Tyler—waking before dawn at a lake just south of the dead city (Gibson, as Evan later recalls). They walk south along the highway until midday, passing abandoned cars buried in ditches and on the shoulders. The farther south they travel, the more deer they notice through the trees.

That evening they camp on the beach of another small lake. J.C. prepares trout fillets on green branches over a fire in a circle of rocks. Amber returns from ranging the bush with a satchel of medicinal supplies—flowers, leaves, roots, and bark—harvested with modest tobacco offerings (semaa) to each plant. She identifies sumac (baakwaan) as a medicine that Evan's mother and Nicole had taught her to recognize, knowledge passed down from Auntie Aileen. The group sleeps on the sand without tents, wearing long sleeves and pants against the cold, under a star-filled sky.

The next morning, the group splits into hunting and gathering parties. Nangohns takes her bow around the south side of the lake, Cal takes the rifle to the opposite shore, Amber and Tyler pick ripe blackberries along the road, and J.C. and Evan gather wood to build a smoking tripod. Nangohns kills a young buck with an arrow and whistles to signal the others. J.C. and Evan climb to where she's butchering the deer, and both men offer tobacco (semaa) in thanks for the animal before helping with the work. Cal returns with a dead rabbit. Evan estimates the young deer will yield about fifty pounds of meat, which can be distributed among the five backpacks they carry.

Tyler, returning from berry picking, shows the group a crumpled silver wrapper he found by the road. J.C. identifies it as an MRE—a Meal, Ready-to-Eat army ration. Evan explains he'd used boxes of these to feed people back home when the power went out. The wrapper shows no signs of weathering, and the ingredients are still legible, but no food remains inside. The older men exchange a guarded look; J.C. pockets the wrapper and dismisses it as old garbage.

By evening, grey clouds obscure the sky. With the smell of meat strong around them, the group decides to stand watch through the night against bears, raccoons, and other hungry animals. Each takes a turn.

During his last watch, Evan reflects on their progress. They are more than halfway through their journey south. The MRE wrapper and the empty streets of Gibson confirm the chaos Nick and Kevin witnessed right after the blackout, and the eventual deadly result. No living human has passed through Gibson in years. Evan accepts that scavenging supplies is no longer part of their mission, but the land here is healthy and full of life. He considers the possibility of resettling among these lakes—going back north to get everyone and returning south to establish a new encampment before winter.

When the others wake, they reach a consensus to continue south for at least ten more days, following the main highway where possible but seeking parallel bush roads and paths. They'll scout a few larger towns but otherwise stick to backcountry routes. Over the following days, Evan, Cal, Nangohns, and J.C. plan the route they'll take when they bring the others down, memorizing landmarks, travel times, hazards, and good stops for water, hunting, and shelter.

On the twentieth day of their journey, rain falls in the afternoon. The group pushes through until darkness comes early under the clouds and thick bush, then retreats from the road to build a shelter. They eat softer pieces of cooked deer meat and keep the fire burning all night, with the overnight watch now a regular routine.

The next morning, J.C. and Nangohns volunteer to refill their water supply. They descend a ridge to a small lake, navigating large boulders at the shore. J.C. steps onto a big grey rock and warns Nangohns to watch her step. He squats to fill bottles, groaning about his knees. Nangohns, filling bottles herself, lets her mind wander to home—her mother, her brother, his partner, and her new niece—and swallows the sadness that rises. When she finishes, she forgets to transfer a wet bottle from her elbow to her hand, and it slips and clangs on the rock. The sound startles J.C., who turns mid-step, slips on the damp stone, and falls with his front leg into a crack between the rocks. Nangohns hears a dull snap. J.C. screams in agony and tells her his leg is broken.

Nangohns runs to get the others. Evan, Tyler, Cal, and Amber rush down. Evan lies flat to inspect the leg, which is clearly broken and lodged between the rocks. They work together to push the smaller boulder aside, and Nangohns pulls J.C. backward out of the crevasse. His tibia is snapped, his leg zigzagging at the break.

Amber takes charge of the medical response. She instructs Nangohns to find wood for a splint and makes sumac tea mixed with dogwood bark to help with the pain. J.C. bites down on a stick as Amber sets the leg, pulling his foot to straighten the broken limb. Evan reassures her with a pat on the shoulder. Amber then splints the leg with two long tree limbs and strips torn from an old T-shirt, checks for a pulse in his foot, and asks him to wiggle his toes. J.C. thanks everyone—Chi-miigwech kina wiya—and the group decides they won't be walking anymore that day.

Key Events

The travellers camp south of the dead city and continue south, passing abandoned cars and noticing more deer.
Amber harvests medicinal plants, including sumac, with tobacco offerings to each plant.
The group hunts and gathers: Nangohns kills a buck, Cal shoots a rabbit, Amber and Tyler pick blackberries, and J.C. and Evan prepare wood for smoking.
Tobacco is offered in thanks for the deer before butchering.
Tyler finds an MRE wrapper, which the older men recognize as evidence of the collapse.
The group decides to continue south for at least ten more days and plans a route for bringing the rest of their community down.
On the twentieth day, they travel in rain and camp.
J.C. slips on rocks while refilling water and breaks his leg.
Amber sets and splints the leg with sumac tea, dogwood bark, wood, and cloth strips.
The group stays put for the day.

Character Development

Amber emerges as the group's healer. She has been gathering medicinal plants throughout the journey, and when J.C. breaks his leg, she steps into the role with visible nervousness but steady hands. She admits she's never set a bone before, yet she performs the procedure with care, prepares pain-relieving tea from sumac and dogwood bark, and checks the leg afterward. Evan's quiet reassurance—a pat on the shoulder—acknowledges both her skill and her anxiety.

J.C. shows remarkable composure under extreme pain. He jokes about needing a wheelchair and later about wanting a smoke, using humour to steady himself and the group. He thanks everyone after the procedure, and his calmness—now the calmest of them all—contrasts with the panic around him.

Nangohns is shaken by the accident. Her mind had wandered to memories of home and family, and the slip that led to J.C.'s injury happens in the wake of that distraction. She responds with urgency, running to get the others, and later helps pull J.C. free.

Evan continues to lead. He assesses the injury, directs the rescue, guides the carriers back to camp, and reassures Amber. His earlier reflection on resettlement shows his long-term thinking about the community's future.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Traditional Indigenous medicine and gratitude: Amber's harvesting of sumac and other plants is framed by tobacco offerings to each plant—a reciprocal relationship with the land. The same semaa is offered to the deer before butchering, honouring the animal's sacrifice. These practices ground the group's survival in cultural continuity.

Community cooperation: The chapter's success—hunting, gathering, smoking meat, and later the rescue—depends on everyone contributing. The group splits tasks, shares the load, and works together to free J.C. and carry him back.

Injury and vulnerability: J.C.'s broken leg is a sudden reminder of how fragile their situation is. One misstep on wet rocks can disable a member of the group, and the chapter ends with them unable to travel.

Evidence of societal collapse: The MRE wrapper—pristine despite years of exposure—is a concrete artifact of the old world's military infrastructure. Evan's reflection on Gibson confirms that no living human has passed through in years, and the group accepts that scavenging is no longer viable.

Perseverance: Despite the injury and the evidence of devastation, the group resolves to continue south and plans for resettlement. The night watches, the rain travel, and the decision to keep moving all reflect their determination.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter Ten marks a turning point in the journey. The MRE wrapper and Evan's reflection on Gibson provide the clearest evidence yet of the collapse's scale—waves of survivors struggled and died, and the dead city has been empty for years. This shifts the group's mission from scavenging to resettlement, and they begin planning the route they'll take to bring the rest of their community south.

The chapter also tests the group's resilience in a new way. J.C.'s injury is the first serious medical emergency of the journey, and it falls to Amber to set a broken bone with traditional medicines and improvised materials. Her success—and the group's coordinated rescue—demonstrates the skills and cooperation that will be essential if they are to survive and rebuild. The chapter ends with the group immobilized, facing an uncertain recovery, and the reader is left to wonder how this setback will shape the rest of their journey.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does the MRE wrapper reveal about the world the travellers have left behind, and how do the older characters respond to it?

The MRE wrapper is a military ration package that shows no signs of weathering despite years of exposure. Evan recognizes it from feeding people back home when the power went out, and the older men exchange a guarded look before J.C. dismisses it as old garbage. The wrapper, combined with Evan's reflection on Gibson's empty streets, confirms that the collapse was widespread and deadly—waves of survivors struggled and died, and no living human has passed through the city in years. The older characters' guarded response suggests they understand the implications more deeply than the younger ones.

2. How does Amber's response to J.C.'s injury demonstrate the value of traditional knowledge?

Amber has been gathering medicinal plants throughout the journey, including sumac, which she learned to recognize from Evan's mother and Nicole, knowledge passed down from Auntie Aileen. When J.C. breaks his leg, she prepares sumac tea mixed with dogwood bark to help with the pain, sets the bone with her hands, and splints it with wood and cloth strips. Though she admits she's never set a bone before, her preparation and steady execution show that the traditional knowledge she carries is practical and life-saving in a world without hospitals.

3. Why does the group decide to continue south rather than turn back, and what does this reveal about their priorities?

After Evan reflects on the possibility of resettling among the healthy lakes to the south, the group reaches a consensus to continue their trek for at least ten more days, scouting towns but sticking to backcountry routes. They also begin planning the route they'll take when they bring the rest of their community down. This decision reveals that the group prioritizes finding a viable new home over returning to their old one, and that they are thinking beyond their own survival to the future of their people.