Part V Summary

Steve, Mary, David and Cynthia return to the truck safely, but the danger still exists because they are parked too close to the mine entrance. Steve rushes them into the truck and guns the motor to put as much space between the truck and the explosion as possible. The women scream at him to slow down but Steve does not, and when the explosion does happen, the truck is almost lost in the collapse.

As they reach the town of Desperation, they find dead animals everywhere and the town itself deep in sand. They wonder what people from the outside will think when they see this carnage. They are sure now that Tak has been imprisoned. David is crying, Mary is comforting him, and Cynthia and Steve are realizing they have survived something awful. They are also realizing they have come...