Krista explains Julie was saying “less,” not “Les.” Weems runs after Pete to stop him from confronting Les, but he doesn’t get there in time. Jason gives Weems a recap later. Pete burst into the shop and accused Les of molesting Julie. Pete took a swing, and then Les took Pete down, which Jason describes as “like watching someone take apart a drum kit” (183). Weems explains the mistake to Pete, but Pete’s too beat up to laugh.

After the fight, Les and Elijah move back into the room with the others, and the earlier subgroups return. As a whole, they quietly feel hopeless about rescue, which allows them to hear the whine of “something giving up” above them (189).

The group stays broken up. Jason, Pete, Julie, and Krista have colds. The snow slows down, but none of them get excited about it. Weems prays again. This time, it’s to the angel Gabriel, figuring most people wouldn’t be praying to the “less glamorous of the two archangels” (191). Prayer doesn’t help Weems sleep. Instead, he stays awake wondering if it’s “better to die in your sleep” (191).