Z For Zachariah

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and death.

Ann spends the next day continuing to watch the man. When he never comes out of his tent, she realizes that she cannot bear losing the first human she has seen in a year.

Ann goes down to the man’s tent and finds that he is extremely sick, delirious and sweating. He calls her “Edward” and then asks for water, which she fetches for him along with soup. Once he recovers enough, he asks who she is, and Ann explains about the valley and the creek. He shows her how to use the Geiger counter and then has her check the creek; the dial goes to the max reading. He explains that his body absorbed enough radiation that he will become extremely sick and possibly die. There is little that Ann can do to help, but she promises to continue to bring him food and water and sterilize everything to prevent him from being exposed to any diseases.

The man tells her that his name is John Loomis. He spent the last 10 weeks traveling from Ithaca, where he was a chemist developing the radiation-resistant material from which his suit is made.