Chapter 23 Summary

The section titled "The Field" begins with a sign that appears at the exit of a town warning those who pass through the gates that they are entering the "orange zone." The sign indicates those who pass through should keep an eye on the clock, note the locations of hardboxes which provide a safe haven from the virals, and that anyone left outside the city walls after dark should not expect to be rescued. The year is 79 A.V.

In chapter twenty-three, Dee Vorhees and several other women decide to take their children on a picnic in the orange zone while the men work the fields on a particular day. Her daughters, Nitia and Siri, have been outside the walls before. Her husband, Curtis, gives in, especially when all the other husbands are pushed by their wives as well. The children are excited...