The next morning, Abby regained consciousness to a throbbing headache and blurry vision. She groaned and tried to sit up.

'Abby?' Lourdes called, hurrying to the girl's bedside. 'Just stay down,' she said, pressing the girl's shoulders back into the bed. 'How are you feeling?'

'Like my head is going to explode,' Abby moaned. 'And I can't see; everything is blurry.'

'I'm going to go get Dr. Glass,' Lourdes said. 'Just hang tight for a minute.'

Lourdes hurried out of the bus, the door slamming shut behind them. Abby stared at the ceiling above her, willing her vision to clear.

'Hey,' Ben called softly from the other cot.

Abby turned her head and squinted at him. To her relief, her vision began to focus, revealing Ben, sitting against the wall of the bus and staring at her.

'Hi,' she croaked, realizing how dry her mouth and throat were.

'Are you going to be okay?' Ben asked

Abby nodded painfully. 'Side effects of connecting with Samson. For me, anyways.' She attempted to swallow, trying to wet her mouth and throat. She coughed, the explosion of air ripping through her sore, dry throat.

'That doesn't sound good,' Anne said, boarding the bus.

'I'll be fine,' Abby smiled wanly. 'It's just side effects of my connection with Samson.' She groaned and sat up. 'I was connected to him for a long time. It'll wear off.'

'If you're sure,' Anne said. 'Is there anything you need?'

'Um, can I have some water?' Abby asked. 'I'll be okay in a few minutes, but I'm really thirsty.'

'Here,' Lourdes handed her a canteen full of water from the med-bus's tank.

'Just sit in here until you're feeling better,' Anne advised. 'We haven't found shoes for you, but once you're feeling better you can help me set up the bus to travel, if you feel up to it.'

'Of course,' Abby nodded. She sipped water from the canteen.

'What about me?' Ben asked.

'You're free,' Anne smiled. 'But I do want you to ride in here. Actually, we're all going to be riding in here, because of the weather. It's going to be crowded.'

'Okay, everybody, load up!' Abby heard Weaver's bellow from inside the bus. She had been helping Anne pack the bus for the past hour. Two of the cots from the Masons' tent had been bunked over the ones Abby and Ben had slept in for the past few nights. Backpacks had been stored under all three of the lower cots, blankets were folded and stacked in the cabinets, and the sleeping bags were rolled up and packed with the backpacks. In the rear-most section, with the couch, the medical supplies from the folded out section had been stored.

Outside, the clearing had been emptied of all of the 2nd Mass's belongings. Tents were folded up and packed into vehicles, and the platforms underneath them had either been dismantled or strapped onto the vehicles. For example, the Masons' tent's platform had been strapped and tied securely onto the bus, with the tent, third cot, and mattress pads loaded into it and covered by fastened-down tarps.

With the tents and everything gone, the clearing was eerily empty. The fire circles had been dismantled, the ashes scattered, log seats tossed into the woods (by Jimmy, Harlem, Dallon, and Ben who had looked like they were having a contest to see who could throw the wood farthest), and piles of extra wood scattered. The only evidence that anyone had lived there was the footprints and tire tracks in the melting snow and mud.

The door of the bus opened and the kids started boarding. Abby watched for her pack as they boarded, checking for each of her packmates.

'Professor!' Jimmy called, jogging up to the bus as Tom watched his family board.

'Yeah, Jimmy,' Tom said, turning towards the boy. 'What's going on? I thought you were riding with Weaver and Jeanne again.'

'Yeah, I am,' Jimmy nodded. 'Have you seen Dallon and Harlem?'

'Um, no, actually,' Tom frowned. 'Not since we packed the top of the bus. Why?'

'I can't find them anywhere,' Jimmy replied.

'Did they go on patrol?' Tom asked. 'You should check with Weaver.'

'I did already,' Jimmy sighed. 'He didn't send them out.'

Inside the bus, Abby watched the dialogue. As Summer passed, Abby grabbed her arm to stop her. 'Summer, what are they talking about?' she asked, nodding towards Jimmy and Tom.

Summer cocked her head towards the door, listening intently. 'Harlem and Dallon are missing,' she said. 'Jimmy's worried about them.'

Abby groaned and looked up at the ceiling. 'Great. Fantastic.' She stared up for a few seconds before turning to Ben. 'Hey, what did you say those guys Harlem and Dallon were hanging out with were?'

'The Berserkers?' Ben asked, halfway through lifting Lexie onto the cot he had spent the last few days on. 'They're just obsessed with killing skitters. Why?'

Abby groaned again and ran towards the door, pushing past the other occupants of the bus. 'Abby!?' Anne cried as the girl flashed past her and outside, only wearing socks.

'Professor!' Abby called, sprinting towards Tom and Jimmy, who had moved away from the bus. Ben followed her after Anne cast a scathing glare in his direction. 'Professor, Jimmy, they're gone.'

'Dallon and Harlem?' Jimmy asked. 'What do you mean? How do you know?'

'Those people they've been hanging out with, the Berserkers,' Abby replied. 'Ben told me that they're basically obsessed with killing skitters.'

'Yeah, that's right,' Tom nodded, looking confused. 'What does that have to do with anything?'

'So are Dallon and Harlem,' Abby replied. 'They always have been. It's a revenge thing. They hate the skitters, for everything. For killing their families, for harnessing them, for destroying the world… everything. They've kept it down until now. They've stayed with us, and were happy to just fight how the rebel skitters wanted.'

'But they didn't try to go with Samson last night, even after everyone went to sleep,' Jimmy protested.

'Maybe they didn't want to upset the little ones,' Abby shrugged. 'Maybe they thought they could just slip away during the fuss of leaving.'

'But why leave?' Tom asked.

'Samson wanted our help to attack the Espheni,' Abby sighed. 'We refused, but Dallon and Harlem… I don't know. They didn't say anything or protest last night. It definitely wouldn't be a surprise.'

'You're probably right,' Jimmy sighed.

'So what do we do?' Tom asked. 'Let them go?'

Jimmy nodded. 'Nothing we can do, I guess. They're probably too far away by now.'

'Then board up,' Tom said. 'We need to get going.'