Re-read: Chapter Thirteen- Sentenced

"Are they here?"

Choking out the words, Wanderer asks Uncle Jeb about Jared and Jamie, but he tells her they are not with him. Uncle Jeb asks they to rest for a bit before taking off into the night and the two resign themselves to the pain of the news. Waking some time later, their memory of Jeb seems to be a dream, but finding a canteen of water beside them assures them that their encounter was real. 

"Why did you give it water, Jeb?"

Hearing the harsh voice, Wanderer and Melanie turned around to find eight humans, two women and six men, circled around them. In each of their hands were weapons, including Uncle Jeb who now carries a rifle. Melanie urges Wanderer to tell Uncle Jeb about her presence, but Wanderer insists that they will not believe their story. 

One of the men carrying a machete takes a menacing step towards them, but is stopped as Jeb calls for him to stop. When Kyle asks why, Jeb reveals that the girl in front of them is also his niece. Kyle moves on them again, but this time, Jeb points his rifle at his back. A man, who Wanderer and Melanie believe to be Kyle's brother, steps in an questions Jeb's intentions. A woman in the crowd believes that their doctor might be able to learn something, which causes Wanderer to cringe at its implications. Looking at the woman who had spoken, Melanie makes the connection between the person before her and her memories. 

"Aunt Maggie? You're here? How? Is Sharon-"

At their words, the woman moves towards them, slapping them twice across the face. Jeb tries to soothe the situation and, in spite of others' thoughts, believes Wanderer and Melanie to be acting on their own. Despite the protests of the others in the group, Jeb reaches out and pulls them to their feet, deciding to take them back with him. The man they believe to be Kyle's brother stops Jeb, telling him that they cannot simply show her where they live. Resigning to this, Jeb pulls the bandana from around his neck and covers Wanderer and Melanie's eyes. 

They start north and they can overhear conversations at various points during their journey. Maggie  wonders if Jeb will tell "him" and the brother wonders why Jeb is bringing them back, to which Jeb replies, "curiosity." Continuing on for some time, they come to some new terrain. Ducking down, they are lead along a path, up and down until Jeb removes the blindfold, revealing their surroundings. Taking in the place, they realize they are underground in a cave. Jeb leads them further through a tunnel, leading to a large chamber where the sounds of an argument can be heard. Silence falls over the crowd as they step into sight. Melanie is shocked by the number of people staring at them, counting on past twenty-seven. 

One man stepped forward from the crowd, not carrying a weapon, but with his fists clenched. With their eyes dusting to the light, recognition passes through them as their eyes focus on the face before them. 

From Stephenie Meyer's playlist: "Down In It"- Nine Inch Nails (Chapter 13, page 120)

"Blood"- Editors (Chapter 13, page 123)