Re-read: Chapter Eleven- Dehydrated

"Okay! You were right, you were right!"

After running out of gas, Wanderer is forced to abandon the car and continue on foot. Packing the remaining food and water, Melanie instructs her to camouflage the car before following the wash. Wander hesitates to leave the wash's path, but Melanie asks her to have a little faith.


Continuing on, the scorching heat gets to Wanderer and she goes through her water supply too quickly for comfort. After resting for the night, they move further into the desert and come upon a dirt road. Melanie would prefer to not deviate from their path, but Wanderer presses on, promising to leave the road when it goes the wrong way. Wanderer spots a something in the distance and as they move closer, it appears to be an abandoned building.


Once inside, Wanderer begins to examine the contents of the shack. Coming across a sink, she attempts to turn on the faucet despite Melanie's warning. When that is of no avail, she moves onto cupboards. While the first is empty, the next contains old newspapers. One headline reads: "Man Burns Three-Year-Old Daughter To Death." The humans knew something was wrong when positive news stories became the norm and criminals were surrendering on their own. The other articles she comes across are no less painful, but Melanie reminds her that these situations were the exception, not the norm. 


While Wanderer scarfs down some stale food she found in another cupboard, Melanie's attention is drawn to three bottles of bleach and relays what her father taught her about storing water. When she finishes off another sleeve of stale crumbs, Wanderer begins to drink down the stagnant water. After discovering the last cupboard to be empty, Wanderer loads up her spoils and heads back out onto the path.

From Stephenie Meyer's playlist: "Walking After You"- Foo Fighters (Chapter 11, page 101)