Mrs. Hardy does her best to deflect her son’s questions about his schoolteacher, Miss Thompson. The boy enjoys school, but the idea that one day he’ll go to college to study art is not one his grandfather has any time for.

Shortly after the start of the epidemic, deaf-mute Nick Andros is beaten by some local thugs while walking on the street at night. He is mildly injured in the assault, and has dreams of Mother Abigail telling him to come see her in Nebraska.