Tomorrow, When the War Began: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Kevin’s house is much like Ellie and Homer’s—dead dogs, dead birds in cages, and dead lambs. Kevin’s corgi is locked in the laundry room with food and water, however, and he is very happy to see Kevin. They stop to talk in the kitchen. Bicycles will be a much quicker form of transportation and quieter than a car, Robyn suggests, and she asks if they know anyone who doesn’t go to the Show every year. Finding someone who stayed behind is their best bet for some answers. Lee doesn’t think his parents would have gone. They never do, he says.

The group goes to leave, but Kevin insists on bringing his dog. He can’t bear to leave him alone again. They all agree but warn Kevin they might have to abandon the dog later. Kevin agrees and climbs on a bike with the dog. They ride to Corrie’s house, and when Ellie finds Corrie standing in the middle of her empty living room with tears pouring down her face, Ellie knows she will never get the image out of her head.

Robyn encourages them to stop and eat. They don’t know when they will next get the chance, she says, and they will need their strength. They choke down sandwiches, and Ellie thinks about town, where danger seems a real possibility. Corrie is the last one who lives in the country, where it seems relatively safe, and Robyn’s house is just on the edge of town. As they leave, Ellie notices a piece of paper in the fax machine and hands it to Corrie. It is a note from Corrie’s dad. Something has happened, Corrie’s dad writes, but he doesn’t know what. Some people are saying it is just “Army manoeuvers,” but he warns Corrie to stay safe and go to the bush and hide. 

Corrie and Ellie hold each other and cry. But, Ellie interrupts, they haven’t cried since. They grab Corrie’s bike from the shed and head in the direction of town. As they move closer, Robyn and Lee ride ahead and check intersections before waving the rest of the group through. They ride in complete silence and find Robyn’s house empty like the others. When they leave Robyn’s, it is nearly 1:30 a.m. They look to town from the top of the hill, which is in total darkness, except for the Showground. Ellie knows they must make it to Lee and Fiona’s. It wouldn’t be fair not to check on their parents, too, even though they are sure they won’t find them. 

Homer says that they should split up. They need to be out of town before the sun comes up, he warns, and they are running out of time. Plus, Homer continues, if only a few of them are caught by whoever is doing this, it is much better than all of them. Homer offers to go with Fiona to her house; he has always wanted to see the inside of one of the rich houses on the hill, and now is the perfect chance. Robyn agrees it is best to split up and suggests they all put on dark clothes and meet back on the hill at 3:00. Fiona asks what they do if everyone doesn’t come back and suggests they wait until 3:30. If everyone doesn’t make it back by then, they will come back for them once it gets dark again.

Robyn and Lee decide to go check Lee’s house, and Ellie, Kevin, and Corrie head towards the Showground to look around. The Showground is on the other side of town, but Ellie is glad to be moving again. As Ellie walks, she thinks of her parents. Their lives are so unaffected by the outside world. She has seen news coverage of wars, but they all seemed so far away. The only thing from the outside world that managed to affect Ellie’s family was cattle prices. Ellie won’t allow herself to think that her parents are dead, but she does imagine them being held against their will. He father is probably furious and completely disinterested in the language and culture of his captors. Ellie’s mother, of course, is probably keeping everyone calm.

Kevin breaks Ellie’s thoughts and tells her to keep up. Time is running out, and they still have to make it back to Robyn’s. The Showgrounds are in plain sight, and they begin to move closer. For the first time, Ellie knows what it means to be brave. Up to now, it has all felt like a game, but now Ellie must force herself to sneak up to a nearby tree. As Ellie makes it to the first tree, she feels a surge of courage and jumps from tree to tree, Kevin and Corrie close behind. Ellie suddenly feels like an adult, not some kid playing in the bush.

Near the Showground, Ellie can see guards holding rifles. The grounds are still set up for the Show, and games, rides, and food tents are erected everywhere. The parking lot is full of cars, and Ellie thinks about all the dogs who were probably left in the cars. She hopes someone let them out, at least. They watch the Showground for a few minutes, and Ellie sees one of her old teachers exit a tent and go into a portable toilet. This is where they are holding everyone, Ellie thinks. As they approach the last tree, gunshots ring out into the air. Kevin tells them to run, and they all take off.

As she runs next to Kevin and Corrie with bullets whizzing by, Ellie suddenly feels as if they are a family. They run down a residential street, and Kevin leads them into a backyard, which is enclosed with old buildings lining the back. They are trapped, Ellie thinks, as Corrie stops and rubs her leg. She ran into something, Corrie says, and Kevin tells her it was a lawnmower—he almost hit it, too. Terror strikes Ellie, and she looks around. She starts mumbling about the mower and petrol and immediately begins to look for matches or a cigarette lighter. Ellie finds a car in a nearby garage and locates a book of matches.

Ellie goes back to Corrie and Kevin and asks where the lawnmower is. They fan out, looking for the mower, and can hear the soldiers getting closer, speaking a language they don’t recognize. They finally find the mower, and Kevin removes the gas cap. Then he takes off his shirt and soaks it in the tank, leaving a trail of fuel away from the mower and up a brick wall. The soldiers are gaining, and Ellie can hear their footsteps on the gravel. They hide in the darkness until the soldiers come up on the mower, and Ellie strikes a match.

The match doesn’t light, and Kevin mouths for Ellie to strike another one. She does, and it flames, but Ellie drops it too quickly. Luckily, the fuel ignites anyway, and a loud whooshing sound fills the air. Kevin drags Ellie behind the brick wall just as the mower explodes, shrapnel and flames flying everywhere. Kevin yells for them to run, and they head in the direction of Robyn’s house.

By the time Kevin, Ellie, and Corrie make it back to the hill by Robyn’s house, Fiona and Homer are already there, but there is no sign of Robyn and Lee. They wait until 3:35 and then reluctantly climb on the bikes. They can’t wait any longer, so they peddle out of town “like bats out of Hell.”