After returning to their cul-de-sac in Hungry Eyes, Carl, still trapped in dachshund form, realizes his slugpox is flaring again and rushes toward the Vendor Village so Imani can cure him. Samantha drives poorly while Donut works the pedals, Jamal stays behind to guard the truck, and Carl notices that every garage except their own is now marked out, underscoring how few teams remain.

As Carl, Donut, and Samantha head for the Hairpin, Donut and Elle discuss the Russians' deaths in chat. Elle argues that the tracksuit team chose betrayal and would have killed other crawlers if they had escaped, while Carl privately reflects that fear drove them and that the dwindling survivors cannot afford to hate one another.

The Vendor Village is eerily deserted, and Carl admits that he forgot Mordecai's prepared cure. A new slug bursts from Carl's back in the street, creating another sluggalo named Lil' Mello Haze, but Carl keeps moving rather than dealing with it. During the run, Elle tells Carl that even failed "crazy Carl plans" matter because they give the remaining crawlers hope and a reason to fight together.

When the group reaches the Hairpin, they find about thirty crawlers waiting. Carl is struck by the sight of Chris in human form again because Chris's werewolf transformation leaves him mostly human, and Carl realizes that if their plan succeeds, Chris may never have to descend another stairwell and lose that state. Carl also notes Elle's goblin form, Prepotente's presence because of Jurgen, and Jurgen's refusal to leave before Lucia Mar is safe.

The tense reunion breaks when everyone bursts into laughter at Carl's dachshund body. Imani steps forward, cures Carl's slugpox, and carries Jacobus in a tiny transformed form. After Louis and Donut add more jokes at Carl's expense, Carl accepts the moment of relief and redirects the group toward the next objective: robbing a casino.