On F-Level, in the cold service areas of the Institute, Mrs. Augusta Sigsby meets Trevor Stackhouse to move Maureen Alvorson’s canvas-wrapped body. They take a utilitarian tunnel between Front Half and Back Half, noting flickering lights and small signs of neglect, which Mrs. Sigsby interprets as drift and carelessness. She unlocks the Back Half door, and a short elevator ride brings them to a lounge where Dr. Everett Hallas (nicknamed “Heckle”) greets them with manic cheer and tics, patting the body bag and making glib remarks about death.

Guided by Hallas, they push the trolley along a carpeted corridor in Back Half, where doors are locked for safety. From one room, they hear Iris Stanhope pounding and demanding release and pain relief; Hallas says she is unwell, but other recent arrivals are doing “remarkably well,” mentioning an upcoming movie and fireworks. Mrs. Sigsby feels an unsettling, buzzing pressure in her body that she recognizes as not electrical but tied to Back Half’s psychic environment.

They pass the screening room where Kalisha Benson, Nick Wilholm, and George Iles sit in red and blue singlets. Benson watches with a candy cigarette; Wilholm smokes and stares ahead; Iles rubs his temples. Mrs. Sigsby notes with satisfaction that Nick seems diminished. The group continues to the smaller Back Half cafeteria, where two children eat listlessly and a girl of about twelve sits before an untouched bowl.

When the girl spots the trolley, she eagerly asks if it holds a dead person and wants to see, confusing the name as “Morris” or “Morin.” Hallas identifies her as Donna, and says she will attend the movie but may soon “move on,” implying progression to the deeper, final section of Back Half. Mrs. Sigsby reflects on the Institute’s three stages: Front Half, Back Half, and the back half of Back Half—the end of the line.

Donna suddenly screams a jumbled association—calling a Plymouth a “Valium”—and begs to go home, clutching her head. Two caretakers in red scrubs quickly restrain her as Hallas orders no pills because “we need her tonight.” As Donna Gibson is led away, Mrs. Sigsby’s intrusive, broken thoughts subside, but the pervasive buzzing sensation remains, underscoring the constant psychic noise in Back Half.

Stackhouse checks on Mrs. Sigsby and admits he feels the same oppressive force. Mrs. Sigsby questions why bodies must be rolled through the children’s quarters; Stackhouse, under apparent psychic influence, blurts, “There are tons of beans in Beantown,” then apologizes. Hallas attributes such outbursts to “loose transmissions” in the air and likens the feeling to choking on food. He says no one knows why the routing goes through living areas. When asked about Dr. Joanne James ("Jeckle"), Hallas reports she is in her quarters and unwell but sends regards.