The Long Walk

The thunderstorm begins. The boys struggle to protect their belongings in the rain. Olson worries that his legs are in pain, and McVries reassures him that it will pass. A boy whose name they don’t know is shot in front of them.

Twenty-five miles in, spectators watch them from under umbrellas. They’re 19 miles from Caribou, and Garraty excitedly anticipates getting to Freeport, where he’ll see his mom and girlfriend. Since he’s the only competitor in this section of Walkers who’s from Maine, everyone asks him how many miles they are from certain towns. Zuck is bleeding, enough that he leaves a trail of blood. Olson’s leg pain persists, and he senses that the soldiers are keeping an eye on him. By the 30-mile mark, night is approaching. Zuck receives a warning; he panics and tries to run, but as he limps on, he’s shot.

Gribble panics and demands to speak to the Major, yelling that the Major is a murderer, and receives a warning. Garraty and Baker discuss the Prize, which includes a large sum of money. The novel never divulges the entirety of the Prize (or amount of money) but implies that it’s a great honor. Garraty maintains that wealth doesn’t matter and death is a great equalizer, but McVries and Baker are enthusiastic about the prospect of wealth and fantasize about what they’d buy if they won.