The House at the End of the World

Katie wonders if they will escape the radiation from the blast radius. She is surprised when Libby asks if she can stay with her after all this is over. Libby has no close or safe family, and she’s worried that the government might come after her for what she knows instead of taking responsibility for their mistakes. Katie admits that Libby has a point and that humanity is guided by lies and a lack of empathy. She thinks that they will both have to change their identities when they’ve reached safety and feels grateful that Avi has left her with what she needs to do that. Ahead, they see the lights of the mainland.

They dock the boat and walk down Main Street armed, accompanied by Michael J. They see a cop cruiser in the distance, and Katie stashes their guns in a bus stop. Libby picks up the fox and pretends that he is a dog. The cop passes them without stopping. They make their way to a garage where Katie has a Range Rover stored. They drive the vehicle toward where they’ve stashed the guns, but on the way, they see the armed figure of Robert Zenon.

They follow Zenon surreptitiously in the Range Rover and watch as he shoots and kills a cop who tries to stop him. Libby notices that Zenon is moving strangely, like a scarecrow. They wonder if he has been compromised by Moloch. Katie decides to follow Zenon and kill him because he represents a threat to the town, regardless of his biological status. She thinks that if more people felt a responsibility to stop evil when they saw it, the world would be in a better place. Libby decides that she is coming along, and, after a brief argument, Katie agrees. They leave the fox behind.

In a flashback from five days prior, the narrative introduces Giana Gasparelli, Robert Zenon’s Italian grandmother and the person who raised him. As a former mob wife, she inherited a lot of money when her husband, Nino, died. She dotes on her grandson whom she calls Bobby, but she is racist and xenophobic to everyone else. She cooks Zenon a big Italian meal, complaining about family members while they eat. He tells her that he has big news: In the course of his work with the ISA, he’s learned about Moloch and is going to leverage this classified information in the upcoming election to become the director of the ISA. Nonna Giana tells him not to be weak but to rule with an iron fist once he gains power.

Back in the present, filled with courage and determination, Katie and Libby pursue Zenon through shadowy streets. Katie feels a renewed kinship with humankind as she passes the dark houses of the sleeping town. They avoid a series of cops going to investigate the shooting and continue following Zenon up to a gated home. At the gate, Libby and Katie confer about whether or not to continue. Libby argues that the potential consequences of not following Zenon are too high. They agree to continue.