Chapter 15 Summary: Circles, Stovepipes, and the Strange Smell of Funnel Cake
⚠️ 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
Nate rides with his partner Fig through the Pennsylvania countryside in Fig's messy pickup truck. Their conversation drifts from Fig's kombucha habit to the local landscape. They cross the old Dark Hollow covered bridge, its interior thick with spiderwebs, and then pass Ramble Rocks park and the abandoned stone train tunnel that has been converted into a jogging path.
Nate recalls the local legends surrounding the tunnel. One story claims a conductor was decapitated by a loose stone block when he leaned out the window; another says a ghost train will cut off the head of anyone who walks the tunnel at midnight. But Nate notes that the real-life horror was worse than any ghost story. Older kids called it the "murder tunnel" because of Edmund Walker Reese, a killer who murdered four girls in the park, allegedly nailing them to trees with ninety-nine nails each before finishing them with a pick-ax. Reese was caught when a fifth girl escaped, and the state electrocuted him. A persistent rumor claimed Reese vanished from the electric chair, leaving only char marks and the smell of funnel cake.
Nate remembers punching a classmate, Dave Jacoby, who threatened to take his homecoming date, Susan Pulaski, to the murder tunnel because she wouldn't "put out." Nate broke Jacoby's nose and got in trouble, but felt it was worth it. He also recalls asking his father, Carl Graves, a prison guard at Blackledge, whether the funnel cake story was true. His father confirmed Reese died in the chair, then slapped Nate across the face, splitting his lip and leaving him in tears. Nate never told Fig any of this, simply insisting the story was nonsense.
As they round a bend onto Butchers Road, Fig slams the brakes. A whitetail buck staggers in the road, clearly sick—its eyes rheumy, its head sagging, drool slicking its muzzle. It circles an invisible point, and Nate is disturbed to see the same circling pattern he witnessed with the ants in Olly's room. Fig identifies the likely cause as chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease. Fig draws his Glock and takes a shot, hitting the deer's side, but the animal barely reacts. When Fig tries to fire again, the gun jams—a stovepipe jam. The buck charges, and Nate shoots it through the eye, killing it just before it can pin Fig to the truck.
After the deer falls, maggots—nasal bots, Fig explains—begin emerging from its nose. They crawl in a single line, then curve into a circle, mirroring the ants and the deer's own circling. Nate is horrified, but Fig doesn't seem to notice. As they stand over the carcass, Nate's phone rings. It's Olly's school.
Key Events
- Nate and Fig drive through the Pennsylvania countryside, crossing Dark Hollow bridge and passing Ramble Rocks park and the old stone tunnel.
- Nate recalls the tunnel's ghost stories and the real-life "murder tunnel" legend of Edmund Walker Reese.
- Nate remembers punching Dave Jacoby for threatening Susan Pulaski, and later asking his father about Reese's execution, only to be slapped.
- Fig and Nate encounter a sick, circling whitetail buck on the road.
- Fig shoots the deer but his gun jams; Nate kills it with a shot through the eye.
- Maggots emerge from the deer's nose and begin circling in a line, echoing the ants from earlier.
- Nate's phone rings—it's Olly's school.
Character Development
This chapter deepens Nate's backstory and reveals the source of his protective instincts. His memory of punching Dave Jacoby shows a willingness to act violently against threats, especially those targeting the vulnerable. More significantly, his recollection of his father's slap reveals a childhood marked by emotional and physical abuse. Carl Graves dismissed Nate's curiosity with violence, teaching Nate to suppress questions and emotions. Nate's internal reaction—running from the house, fighting back tears—shows a boy who learned to bury pain. As an adult, Nate still carries that wound; he doesn't share the story with Fig, instead offering a flat denial. This suggests a man who compartmentalizes trauma.
Fig, meanwhile, is shown as less experienced and more vulnerable. His hands shake when he aims, his grip is a beginner's thumb-over-thumb, and he panics when his gun jams. Nate has to coach him and ultimately saves his life. This moment humanizes Fig and establishes Nate as the more competent officer, at least in crisis situations. It also hints at a growing bond between the two men, as Fig expresses genuine gratitude.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Circles are the chapter's dominant motif. The sick deer circles an invisible point; the maggots form a circular line; and Nate explicitly connects these to the ants circling a dead mouse in Olly's room. The repetition suggests a pattern of unnatural behavior, perhaps a supernatural or cosmic force at work. Nate tries to dismiss the connection—"He knew one thing had nothing to do with the other"—but the parenthetical "(And yet.)" undercuts his rationalization. The circle may symbolize entrapment, repetition of trauma, or a malevolent design.
Urban legends vs. real horror is another key theme. Nate reflects that "real-life stories were far worse than the imagined ones." The ghost train and decapitated conductor are spooky but fictional; the murder tunnel is real, and its horror is human. This contrast extends to the deer: the imagined "zombie deer" of CWD is less frightening than the actual maggots crawling out of its nose. Nate's father's slap is another real horror that outweighs any ghost story.
Father-son trauma is explored through Nate's memory of Carl Graves. The slap is a visceral symbol of how authority can crush a child's curiosity and trust. Nate's father's words—"What you know wouldn't fill a baby's shoe"—echo the emotional abuse that shaped Nate's guarded personality. This backstory adds depth to Nate's role as a father, suggesting he is determined to be different from his own father.
The mundane vs. the supernatural is also present. The chapter grounds its horror in natural phenomena—CWD, nasal bots, a jammed gun—yet the circling pattern feels almost supernatural. Nate's unease suggests that the ordinary world can be as terrifying as any ghost story.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter serves multiple crucial functions. It deepens Nate's character by revealing his traumatic childhood and his protective nature, making him more sympathetic and complex. It also establishes a recurring visual motif—circles—that connects the deer, the maggots, and the ants, hinting at a larger, possibly supernatural pattern that will likely be explored later in the novel. The chapter also raises the stakes by ending with a phone call from Olly's school, implying that something has happened to Nate's son. This cliffhanger propels the narrative forward and ties the chapter's eerie imagery to the central family drama. Finally, the contrast between urban legends and real horror reinforces the novel's theme that the most frightening things are often the ones that actually happen.
Study Questions and Answers
1. How does Nate's memory of his father's slap shape his character in this chapter?
Nate's memory reveals a childhood of emotional and physical abuse. His father's violent reaction to a simple question taught Nate to suppress curiosity and emotions. As an adult, Nate is guarded and reluctant to share personal details, as seen when he withholds the story from Fig. This backstory also explains his protective instincts—he punched Jacoby for threatening Susan Pulaski, and he later saves Fig from the deer. Nate's determination to be a better father than Carl Graves is implied, though not stated.
2. What is the significance of the circling maggots, and how do they connect to earlier events?
Nate explicitly links the maggots' circular movement to the ants circling a dead mouse in Olly's room and to the deer's own circling. The repetition suggests a pattern of unnatural behavior that Nate cannot explain. He tries to rationalize it, but the "(And yet.)" indicates his unease. The circles may symbolize a malevolent force or a recurring cycle of death and decay, foreshadowing supernatural elements in the novel.
3. How does the chapter contrast urban legends with real-life horror?
Nate reflects that real-life stories are "far worse than the imagined ones." The ghost train and decapitated conductor are fictional scares, but the murder tunnel is real, involving actual violence and death. Similarly, the deer's sickness is a real, gruesome phenomenon—CWD and nasal bots—that is more disturbing than any "zombie deer" myth. Nate's father's slap is another real horror that outweighs any ghost story. This contrast reinforces the novel's theme that reality is often more terrifying than fiction.