TWENTY-NINE

Juliette follows Adam away from the asylum, Warner, and the life of imprisonment she has known. Adam’s promise of “home” fills Juliette with confusion, hope, and a new sense of agency as each step feels like a choice she is finally allowed to make.

Adam leads Juliette into an abandoned shed on the edge of the overgrown, irradiated field. Inside, Juliette discovers a hidden tank. Adam explains that he tricked Warner into believing the tank had been damaged by the area’s chemical traces, then deactivated it himself so it would remain abandoned and available for escape.

Adam’s deception worked because Warner trusted Adam’s willingness to risk radiation and because civilians and other soldiers avoid the area. Juliette realizes Warner never expected Adam to disobey him, especially after the strange effects of the tracking serum made the zone seem unpredictable.

Adam helps Juliette into the tank and notices the cuts on her legs. While Adam prepares to clean the wounds to prevent infection, Juliette is overwhelmed by the intimacy of Adam’s touch and by the unfamiliar freedom of being wanted and safely touched.

Juliette asks whether Adam’s tracker will reactivate once they leave the irradiated zone. Adam explains that Warner had to renew the tracker serum each time Adam returned, and now that the serum is gone, they can truly flee. When Juliette asks where they are going, Adam reveals that he is taking her to his house.