Book One, Part Five, Chapters 27-33 Summary

In Chapter 27, Sister, Beth, Julia, Artie, and Doyle have taken shelter from the storm. Beth receives water from the glass ring. The group discusses their experiences with the ring and think perhaps the blast made it magic, though Doyle accuses them of suffering from mass hypnosis. Sister, Artie, and Doyle go into the storm in search of supplies. Sister and Artie return to find Doyle—actually the man Sister met at the movie theater—has killed the others. He demands that she give him the glass ring but the part he touches turns dark. They fight and Sister breaks off one of the ring's spikes in Doyle's black eye, giving them time to escape.

Chapters 28 and 29 return to Josh and Swan in the basement. Tiny shoots of corn have begun to...