Contents
After: Two
Overview
In the aftermath at Narsarsuaq, Allie lies awake, feeling tainted by the night’s violence and deaths. She recalls Horation’s belief in a holy well that could cleanse him. Van counters her guilt, insisting she saved lives, reframing the chaos as survival and setting their path toward recovery.
Summary
After the emergency landing, British Airways billets passengers at the small Hotel Narsarsuaq and nearby facilities, cramming hundreds of shaken survivors into limited beds. Van and Allie receive a room together, a rare pocket of privacy amid the chaos.
Allie cannot sleep. Jolted by raw nerves and images of the night, she showers repeatedly, trying to scrub away the diesel reek, sweat, and the memory of death—the downed F‑16 pilots, Frank Heck’s body removed from the aircraft, and Horation Matthews’s possession-fueled violence. Clean water fails to wash away the feeling of contamination.
Returning to bed, Allie mentions Horation’s faith in a holy well that could purge King Sorrow. Van awakens and counters her spiraling guilt: Allie saved hundreds, including him. He reframes the horror as survival—the villain slain, the good alive to fight on. Allie concedes it could have been worse, edging from shock toward acceptance.
Who Appears
- AllieSleepless and shaken in Narsarsuaq; feels contaminated by the night’s violence; recalls Horation’s holy well; seeks moral cleanliness.
- VanShares a room with Allie; reassures her, reframing guilt as survival and crediting her with saving hundreds of lives.
- Horation MatthewsReferenced antagonist; believed a holy well could cleanse King Sorrow; his madness and death haunt Allie’s thoughts.