Part One: Chapters 8 and 9 Summary

In chapter eight, the children set up defenses. Julie and her family train watchdogs. Each household sets up an alarm. Craig holds target practice each morning for all children over five, using 22-calibre rifles. Each family sets up a rock-slide booby trap like the one Lisa and Todd built. The kids make Molotov cocktails out of Coke bottles. The street becomes a line of fortresses, with barbed wire, boarded windows, and wood catwalks connecting the roofs. They hold drills to prepare for battle, and one girl comes up with the idea of using fire extinguishers. The children take pride in what they're doing. They block off the ends of their street with barbed wire, barking dogs, and warning signs.

When the defenses are ready, Craig and Lisa take two cars out at night for a supply run...