Chapters 16, 17 and 18 Summary

The walk continues and a boy named Tubbins who had to constantly pull up his hip-hugger jeans begins to ramble, citing scripture, until Parker says that he's going to kill Tubbins himself if he doesn't shut up.

Now Abraham comes to Garraty and says that several of the walkers have agreed that no one is to offer any help to another walker. While Abraham says they can't stop someone from helping someone else, he says it's come to a point, and Garraty finishes that it's "root hog or die." Garraty agrees, thinking that he's now just an animal, and wonders if McVries heard. The little groups break up and Garraty dozes, thinking of many things - Scramm and his wife, heavy with child, Jan, his mother, his father. He's shocked to see Parker standing on the halftrack with a gun in...