At dinner, the cafeteria was crowded with a mix of talkative and distressed children. Harry Cross, typically flanked by twins Gerda and Greta, arrived late, sunburned, drooling, and vacant-eyed, alarming the room. New arrivals were horrified, while older kids who had experienced testing grew anxious.

Luke Ellis, Helen, and Avery Dixon observed as Harry collapsed, smashed his face on the floor, and fell into severe convulsions with bloody foam and growling. Gerda and Greta rushed to him; in the chaos, Harry’s flailing arm struck one twin with great force, throwing her into a wall. Staff members, including Gladys, Norma, Joe, Hadad, Chad, and Carlos, responded amid flying cutlery triggered by Gerda’s panic.

Chad and Carlos restrained Harry while Hadad and then Joe used high-powered zap-sticks to stop the seizures. Harry went limp with bulging eyes and a protruding tongue, and Luke noted he appeared not to be breathing. Avery, eerily calm, stated that both Harry and Greta were dead; Gerda, screaming, had telekinetically hurled silverware, then tried to wake her sister. Staff issued reassurances that everything was fine even as the scene remained dire.

Luke, Helen, and Avery withdrew to the hallway as Dr. Evans hurried in. Avery concluded that the "dots" and powerful injections had killed Harry, speculating that kids with high BDNF should not get the big shots until Back Half. He admitted he had not yet received those treatments but expected them once transferred. Helen and Luke expressed fear about the shots, with Luke recalling his own severe reactions.

Joe and Hadad carried Harry’s body to the elevator, while Carlos carried Greta, her broken neck causing her head to loll. Luke compared Greta’s appearance to a doll and wondered which level housed the morgue. Avery then broke down crying, his calm revealed as shock.

Helen said goodnight and left for her room. That night, blue-uniformed caretakers came for Helen, and she did not return, implying she was moved to Back Half.