Dell narrates from her own perspective, recalling her old friend Valeria teasing her with the nickname "Dell against the Dark" during late-night basketball sessions when they played for Uz Poultry & Eggs. The memory surfaces as she sprints through driving rain toward Sheriff Iscoe, who is on all fours groping for his fallen gun in the muddy field.

Channeling her coach's mantra about never giving up until the final buzzer, Dell hurls her basketball at Iscoe's head, sending him sprawling. The scarecrow's hat blows free and strikes Iscoe in the face, and Dell easily picks up the gun, threading her finger through the trigger. She points it at his chest and orders him to his car, briefly relishing the power.

Dell realizes the Sheriff's terror is not directed at her but at something behind her. Turning, she sees what Cleo, Antonina, and her uncle Harp are also witnessing: waves of light pouring out of the fallowland. Iscoe screams, shields his eyes, and flees, driving backward down the drive without headlights into the rain. Dell, Cleo, Antonina, and Harp remain together in the rain, gazing in awe at the strange, beautiful, terrifying light emerging from the ground.