Dry: Part 5 Summary & Analysis

As Jacqui climbs back into the driver’s seat of the truck, she considers that at this point, drinking mud sounds great. As a discussion about why Alyssa and Kelton don’t have their licenses yet devolves into insults, Garrett shouts for everyone to be quiet. Talking hurts now, anyway. Jacqui navigates through the woods, unsure if they’re going the right way—and then they see a firefighting aircraft heading the same direction. They’re going the right direction. But the bumpy road is painful to drive, and Jacqui’s eyes aren’t working right. Henry, meanwhile, considers what to do next. He’ll stay in the truck and with the group until a better opportunity presents itself.

Kelton knows that everyone is experiencing acute dehydration. They have maybe six hours before they die, and they’d need less than a cup of water each to stay alive. But what if the reservoir is dry? Do they give up? He thinks of the ribbons in his room, which are for second and third place in various sports and activities. Mr. McCracken didn’t want Kelton to put up too many, thinking it would be a “shrine to mediocrity.” Mrs. McCracken, though, let Kelton put them all up. He realizes now that both his parents had a point. But right now, there’s only winning—surviving—or dying.

Garrett addresses Alyssa’s mom and Alyssa’s dad, asking if they’re thirsty or dead. He isn’t scared to die if there’s water on the other side. His eyes hurt, and it feels for a minute like he’s watching something fictional on TV. When he can hear people talking but is pretty sure nobody’s actually talking, Garrett thinks he’s turned into a water-zombie.

Alyssa remembers hearing that people can only think of three things at once. She tries to distract herself from thinking about water by thinking about soccer, geography, and Spanish. But Henry interrupts her and insists he isn’t a terrible person. Had they met “in the real world,” he would’ve taken her on a date and been very charming. Alyssa scoffs. But Jacqui suddenly stops the car and rolls a window down. Someone is playing music.

Hearing Mr. McCracken’s voice in his head, Kelton knows he should be careful. He volunteers to go see what’s going on. He can barely make it to the top of the nearby ridge. Down below, there’s an old camper and two men sitting around an open fire, roasting rabbits, their “nasty” weapons close at hand. They’re drinking from water bottles. Fighting the urge to steal the water, Kelton notices a dumped purse. These are the kind of preppers “who bring the chaos” and see what’s happening now as “their own personal video game.” Alyssa appears behind Kelton, and he insists they have to go. They return to the truck, but once Jacqui hears the men have water, she gets out and insists they “make [the men] share.” Just then, Garrett faints, and Kelton realizes that Henry—and the truck keys—are gone.

Henry saw his opportunity, and he took it. Somehow, he doesn’t really care that Alyssa won’t forgive him for this. He races over the ridge, his hands up, and falls down in front of the two men. He knows he has to save himself right now, so he stands and begins to negotiate.

Back at the truck, Kelton races after Henry, Alyssa sits with Garrett, and Jacqui tries to hotwire the truck. Alyssa wishes now that Jacqui had shot Henry. Then, the two men from the camp appear and, in a friendly tone, offer to help. Still, the men look unfriendly and violent—and they tell the girls to step away from their truck. Henry sold it to them for a drink and then ran off. One man pulls out a handgun, and Alyssa asks if they can take the truck to the reservoir first. But the other man looks Alyssa over—and Jacqui leaps on the first man. He twists her to the ground, while the other man approaches Alyssa and pins her against the car. Suddenly, Garrett leaps out of the truck and bites the man holding Alyssa. The man holding Jacqui points the gun at Garrett, and a gun goes off.

Jacqui watches the whole thing. She watches the man pin Alyssa, Garrett bite him, and then she tries to unbalance her captor before he shoots Garrett. But a gun goes off, and the man holding Jacqui goes down. Kelton then shoots the man holding Alyssa. Both men are dead, and now Alyssa and Garrett are splattered in blood. Alyssa embraces Garrett, while Jacqui goes to Kelton. He tells her to get the keys and the men’s guns so they can take their water. Only one man is armed, and Kelton takes that gun. Alyssa asks to take Kelton’s original pistol.

Alyssa can’t think about the men’s dead bodies, Garrett’s near-death experience, or her possibly dead parents. She focuses on the water at the camp—until Garrett says he feels unwell and can’t move. She remembers Kelton saying that bodies experience a burst of energy before you die of dehydration. That’s what Garrett experienced when he bit the man. She picks Garrett up and hauls him up the hill.

Kelton expected killing the men to feel more “monumental,” but it didn’t. He wasn’t angry or scared, but he does wonder if that’s because he’s living by video game rules now. The group tops the ridge to see that the campfire is out of control and is burning the cooler with water in it. Alyssa, Kelton, and Jacqui race to it, but it’s too late. Alyssa decides to check in the camper before the flames consume it, too.

Inside, it stinks—and there’s a confused and suspicious woman in there, asking where Benji and Kyle are. Alyssa takes in the photographs, all of two boys—Benji and Kyle, the men Kelton shot. She tells the woman to get out of the trailer, but she refuses. Then, Alyssa sees a cup of water. The woman grabs for it first, and the two scrabble for it. Alyssa slaps the woman, grabs the cup, and runs, telling the woman again to leave the camper. She feels like a monster, but she’s going to survive and make sure Garrett does, too.

Jacqui’s hands are blistered and burned from reaching into the fire. Kelton tries to fish a bottle out with a stick, but the fire consumes the rest of the cooler before he can. Just then, Alyssa races out of the trailer, clutching a cup. Jacqui could steal it and drink it, but she feels like she’s finally found her humanity. Alyssa, meanwhile, races for Garrett and pours a tiny bit in his mouth. He barely responds, and Alyssa wishes she’d shot the woman to begin with so she could’ve gotten here faster. But Garrett perks up a bit and finishes the few ounces in the cup. Jacqui and Kelton approach, and Alyssa asks them if the woman escaped the camper. They’re shocked that anyone was inside—but now, the fire is consuming the entire campsite and spreading fast. Alyssa picks Garrett up and carries him to the truck.

Since Jacqui’s injury means she can’t drive, Kelton drives the truck. Alyssa rides shotgun, helping with the gear shift. Kelton’s lungs hurt from the smoke, and he struggles to stay awake. But then, the truck turns down a steep slope, and Kelton loses control. The airbags deploy, and the truck stops. Everyone climbs out onto the narrow road they’ve fallen onto, and Kelton sees that the truck is done. Still, the reservoir is only about a mile up the road. They begin to walk—and Kelton feels a burst of energy.

Alyssa struggles to walk. She can’t think of anything but water. The smoke gets denser, and they see flames ahead. The fire is on both sides of the road now, and Kelton insists they go back and around it, through the woods. Jacqui argues that she can see the water ahead, but Alyssa figures Jacqui is hallucinating. Behind them, they hear an explosion. It was probably the fire consuming the truck, which means they can’t get back out. Jacqui and Alyssa lock eyes, and Alyssa knows Jacqui is going to run for the water. She nods to Jacqui, who runs into the smoke.

Jacqui feels the heat on her cheeks as she runs down the hill. She plans to drink the entire reservoir before anyone else gets there. A burning branch trips Jacqui, but she gets back up and runs. She can hear something saying her name and she’s certain it’s the call of the void. Though she hears it often, for the first time, she’s afraid. She vows to fight it and catches sight of the water beyond the flames. Jacqui runs through the pain and closes her eyes, unwilling to give up.

The fire follows Alyssa, Kelton, and Garrett at a steady pace as they move up the hill. Wind blows down the hill; the fire is sucking it in. Alyssa can barely concentrate. Garrett pulls into the lead, while Kelton lags behind. Alyssa goes back for Kelton, yelling that he can’t rest now. Somehow, helping him helps Alyssa keep going. This, Alyssa realizes, is her final burst of energy. Garrett is now far ahead, and Kelton collapses on the ground. He deliriously tells Alyssa to get to the safe room, but Alyssa screams that if he dies here, she’ll die, too. Happily, this motivates him. This, she realizes, is “the true core of human nature: When we’ve lost the strength to save ourselves, we somehow find the strength to save each other.”

Alyssa and Kelton join Garrett at the top of the hill, on a flat boulder. The reservoir is below—but the fire is between them and the water. Alyssa realizes Kelton is face down on the ground, and she tries to revive him. But he’s minutes from dying, and she and Garrett can’t carry him. Garrett calls to Alyssa and points to the only way down the hill. It’s a sheer 50-foot drop. They’re stuck here. Alyssa hugs him and says it’ll be okay, leading him back to the boulder. As Garrett sits and stares at the water, Alyssa knows what she must do. Dying by fire is extremely painful, so she pulls out Kelton’s gun. Hiding it from Garrett, she points it at his head and says she loves him. He says it back—and tells her to shoot him.

Snapshot: Los Angeles Fire Department Bombardier 415. The pilot swoops down and scoops up a thousand gallons of water. He’s supposed to dump it about 20 miles east, along the road to Lake Arrowhead. Fires have already killed lots of people heading for Big Bear Lake, but by keeping the road to Arrowhead open, the pilot feels like he’s helping. He flies up from the reservoir, taking in the out-of-control wildfire here. He tells himself this is low priority, and every day, he tells himself that it would be a waste to drop water on people at evacuation centers. Then, to his surprise, he sees a girl running through the flames and notices several others trapped on a cliff by the fire. He decides he can’t leave them to die.

Alyssa is ready to pull the gun’s trigger when she hears a screaming sound and a shadow passes overhead. Then, water falls on her, soaking her and stopping the fire from coming closer. Alyssa drinks what she can, and Garrett licks the boulder. Then, Alyssa remembers Kelton. She can’t carry water in her hands, so she drinks from a pool in the boulder, runs to Kelton, and spits it into his mouth. He coughs, but Alyssa won’t let him spit the water out. Alyssa runs and brings him more, and this time, he sucks the water out of Alyssa’s mouth. Kelton can now speak. Alyssa looks to Garrett and then to the plane, watching it scoop up water and then fly away.