Orphan Annie urgently asks Corbett Denton—nicknamed Drummer—if he now believes her warning about outsiders. Drummer sees three vans and about nine armed men and women clustered near the old movie theater, partially concealed by the building’s brick side. He notes holstered sidearms and two long guns that look like HKs, and he observes scouts crossing the street, likely checking the sheriff’s office.

Annie presses Drummer to fetch his guns, insisting the group is surveilling local law enforcement. Spurred to action, Drummer sprints upstairs to his apartment above his barber shop, straining for breath but energized by the urgency of the moment. He retrieves his loaded .30–06 rifle—previously contemplated for suicide—as well as a .45 automatic pistol and a .38 revolver from his closet and high shelf.

Returning downstairs, Drummer listens for gunfire but hears none. He briefly considers whether the group could be police, then rejects the idea based on their behavior and vehicles; he reasons actual police would have presented identification and arrived in standard black SUVs. The passage closes with Drummer fully armed, alert, and prepared for a confrontation, the first time he has felt alive in years.