Burn

Jess sits at a ridge above the town, surveying it with binoculars. Unlike every other population center they’ve encountered in the past few weeks, this town actually has people walking in its streets—a development that concerns Jess and Storey due to how unusual it seems in context. Jess wonders if they’ll be accepted if they walk into town, or if they’ll be shot on sight as outsiders.

Jess decides to go into the town by himself to check for danger. Storey tells him that he doesn’t owe anything to him because of his affair with his mother, as he was only 17 years old at the time. Jess decides to check for danger alone anyway, as he believes he does owe something to Storey. Jess unslings his rifle from his shoulder and starts down the deer trail into Gratham.

As Jess hikes into town, he passes a strange pile covered in a blue tarp, reeking with the unmistakable scent of lime. He lifts the edge of the tarp and discovers bodies underneath, newly deceased. The bodies include both men and women, but no children.

Jess turns on his phone and navigates to its GPS, trying to find the exact spot that Collie’s coordinates are leading them to.