Upon arriving at the Severn City Airport, Clark watches the news with a crowd. As the extent of the crisis becomes clear, airport staff distribute food vouchers. One more plane lands, but it turns away from the terminal, apparently under quarantine. The airport officially closes, but with nowhere to go, Clark and a hundred or so other passengers remain and separate themselves to minimize risk of infection.

After reading Arthur’s obituary in the New York Times, Clark calls his contacts, but no one answers. A teenage girl circulates through the airport asking for Effexor, an antidepressant, to no avail.

Clark wonders about the fate of his boyfriend, Robert, and imagines reuniting with him after the pandemic.

During the first week, as TV stations blink out and calls to 911 go unanswered, the airport’s inhabitants become increasingly comfortable breaking into restaurants and shops for supplies. They also hunt deer to cook and eat. The girl who could not find Effexor wanders out and is never seen again.

A week later, a pilot announces that he intends to fly to Los Angeles; several people go with him. Two days later, another pilot leaves on a reconnaissance mission but never returns. As the days pass, Tyler spends his time reading comic books and Elizabeth’s New Testament.