The 5th Wave

The people at camp saw the first of many drones on Cassie’s sixth day there. While some ran, Cassie and her family stayed; her father slipped her a weapon from the camp’s cache. They spent a tense night in the main building, but nothing happened.

The people at camp spotted a drone the next day. Crisco tried to give Cassie a gift, but she balked at it because it belonged to a dead person. Cassie’s father and Hutchfield argued over the drone’s meaning; Hutchfield did not think they were in danger.

The following morning, the people at camp heard a helicopter. They rushed outside to see a Black Hawk flying overhead. It left and did not return, but everyone believed it meant the military was still strong and that they would be rescued. Cassie’s father took her to a storehouse and showed her an M16 rifle. He told Cassie to hide it and to remain with Sammy no matter what happened. She hid the rifle in the woods.

A group of vehicles full of soldiers in gas masks arrived at Camp Ashpit, with a school bus full of children. They told Cassie’s father and Hutchfield that they were from Wright-Patterson Airforce, and that they were there to rescue them. However, they could only take children. Cassie’s father insisted that she go with Sammy. Cassie initially refused, insisting they stay together. Finally, she agreed and tried to board the bus with Sammy, but a soldier told her that she could not go. Cassie’s father tried to convince the soldier, but he refused. Again, Cassie argued with her father, insisting that Sammy stay with them, but her father insisted he go. Before being taken away, Sammy gave Cassie his teddy bear and made her promise not to leave it behind.

Cassie and her father were told by Hutchfield that they were to give up their weapons and go into the barracks for a briefing by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vosch, the leader of the soldiers. Cassie’s father reluctantly gave up his gun but kept Cassie’s gun a secret. Cassie recalls this moment and thinks that her father must have had an idea of what was about to happen.

In the barracks, people started asking questions of Vosch. Hutchfield announced that everyone was present, but Cassie pointed out that Crisco was missing. She agreed to accompany a soldier to find him. As they left, the soldier verified with Vosch that Cassie and Crisco were first priority. Cassie and the soldier walked to the ash pit and found Crisco. The soldier then shot Crisco.

When the soldier turned his gun on Cassie, she pulled hers and fired first. She ran back to the compound and was shocked to see her father crawling across the courtyard. Vosch appeared and shot her father. Cassie became aware of gunfire inside the barracks. Vosch saw her and sent two soldiers after her.

Cassie realized she could not outrun the two soldiers—so she had to outsmart them.

Cassie hid in the ash pit. The two soldiers radioed Vosch that they’d found a dead soldier, and he told them to return to camp. Cassie remained in the ash pit, waiting for the soldiers to leave—but she never heard them go. She stopped near the dead soldier to retrieve Sammy’s teddy bear. She was surprised by the soldier’s human appearance despite acting like an alien.

Cassie returned to camp to check for survivors. However, when she arrived, she saw some of the soldiers cleaning up bodies. She watched one soldier set a gray globe in the center of camp. The soldiers left, and the globe began to glow. Cassie realized it was a bomb and ran, barely jumping into a nearby reservoir before it exploded.

Still hidden under a car (Part 1, Chapter 9), Cassie thinks about the soldier with the crucifix and realizes her experience in the camp is one of the reasons why she chose to kill him. She can’t trust anyone is still human. After thinking back on the actions of the soldiers, she realizes they want children for a reason. Cassie has hope that Sammy is still alive, having promised to find him. For this reason, she emerges from the car to face whoever or whatever shot her.