In this chapter, we are introduced to the mother and daughter of the protagonist. The mother is Zillah, and the father is Mr. Chen, the officer in charge of the "safe zone" . Zillah asks the father to take her to the safe zone so that she can rest and recuperate. The father tells the mother that he is not a burden to the other survivors, but that he has to do his share of the work to stay safe in the zone. He tells her that he still looks young and beautiful, and that he would not have known she had a child if he had not been with her