The safe room is a reused fast-food restaurant. There is a population ticker that lists how many crawlers have survived; Carl realizes that over five million more people have died in just a few hours. Now, a caretaker named Tally takes Carl’s order. Carl and Donut open some more prize chests. Donut receives a collar charm called the Talisman of the Slate Butterfly and immediately puts it on. Carl loves the food, but he feels a wave of grief in the realization that the entire world is gone.

Carl suggests that they stay in the safe room and fight nearby scatterer bugs to gain experience points. Then, he suggests that they attempt to find the entrance to the second level when it appears. Donut agrees and reminds him that they need to catch the attention of viewers to attract followers and patrons.

For 10 hours, Carl sleeps soundly with Donut on his neck, and he “didn’t dream, wasn’t haunted by nightmares like most nights” (88). Upon awakening, he showers and eats. He wonders how people above ground fared, especially those in the winter storm. Carl and Donut leave the safe room to hunt scatterers, which are like large cockroaches.