Summary

In Chapter 20, “The Burning City,” the group continued on their way, reaching “Hamilton at dusk” (115). Fires burned “along the skyline” (116). Lomax and Quilter were “burning Mount Royal” (116). They collected Mrs. Quilter, disinterested in abandoning her. She was sad Quilter was not coming. In the distance, the black swan took flight.

In Chapter 21, “Journey to the Sea,” the group continued south. Abandoned cars littered the road. They reached the bridge, discovering it had been blown up to bar more people from the coast. Ransom “felt an increasing sense of vacuum,” as if he and his companions were “residues of themselves” (122). In the distance, he watched a lone figure who seemed “detached from the pressing anxieties of the drought” (122).

In Chapter 22, “Multiplication of the Arcs,” the group found a car and drove on. When they saw the road “to the shore” filled with cars, Catherine...