…Minus 068 and COUNTING… He made slow, molelike progress for

Richards crawls backward through the narrow horizontal pipe after escaping the Y.M.C.A. basement. The oil tank explodes behind him with a violent roar and flash, confirming that the fire he set has become a major inferno.

The explosion sends heat and pressure through the pipes, and Richards realizes the metal around him is absorbing the fire’s heat. Fearing he will be cooked alive, Richards forces himself to move faster despite the cramped space, foul air, and growing pain in his head.

Richards reaches the end of the small pipe without being able to see what lies behind him. With no safe alternative, Richards backs out cautiously and drops into a larger pipe filled with cold, slow-moving water, where he can stand bent over.

Richards looks back and sees the glow of the fire still visible through the smaller pipe, which tells him how powerful the explosion was. Richards reasons that the authorities and Hunters will assume he might still be alive, though the fire may delay their discovery of his escape route.

Richards briefly questions whether the men at the Y.M.C.A. were truly the Hunters, then rejects the doubt because he feels certain of their presence. After a rat swims past, Richards follows the flow of the water deeper into the storm drain system.