Z For Zachariah

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and death.

Loomis’s fever goes up to 105, and Ann does her best to feed and hydrate him. He comments on the fact that she probably wishes he never came to the valley. In response, she says that she wishes she had stopped him from getting into the creek. Loomis is surprised to learn that she was watching him. She tells him that she was on the “hillside” but omits telling him about the cave—although she is unsure why she hasn’t told him yet.

The next morning, Ann goes out and milks the cows. However, when she comes back, Loomis is distressed that she left him alone. He starts to tell her what he thought he saw but then stops. She reassures him, but from that point forward, she is afraid to leave the house, as his fever makes him delirious.

Ann continues to care for him, waking up every hour, monitoring his temperature, and hydrating him. However, she realizes that she needs to go for more water and to the store. When he is lucid in the day, she explains to him that she has to leave, and he seems unconcerned about it.