Summary

The narrator’s imagined story continued on its dark trajectory, with Ruth’s father clutching the bleeding stump of his severed hand, Ruth fending of the relentless teasing of the other students, and a police officer examining the body of Ruth’s now deceased mother. The narrator briefly moves ahead in the classroom narrative to state that when armed police officers arrived at the classroom, the only students still in the room were the narrator, Mandy, Frank, and Chris. Mr. Johnson did not turn to face the officers, and the officers, afraid and unnerved, opened fire on Mr. Johnson. The narrator then returns to where he had left off in the classroom narrative. The students were still stricken with fear, and Chris DeMatteis awoke with a start and a slight yell. This yell suddenly caused the fearful students to scream and run for the...