Iris drops from the ley-line house to the porch roof, then to the ground, injuring her ankle but keeping enough control to hide between rain barrels. After watching a soldier’s patrol pattern, Iris slips into the tall grass and makes a run for Hawthorne Route. She is spotted and ordered to halt, but Roman’s last whispered command—telling Iris to run—pushes her forward through gunfire until she reaches the road.

At first, Tobias’s roadster is gone, and Iris fears she has been left behind even as she is relieved that Attie and Tobias escaped. Before she can form a new plan, Tobias drives back toward her through the grass. Iris runs to the car, Attie hauls Iris inside, and Tobias accelerates away while bullets strike near the vehicle. Once the immediate danger fades, Attie checks Iris for injuries, Tobias warns that pursuit is still possible, and Iris quietly reflects on seeing Roman alive, touching the groove where her wedding ring used to be.

After Iris briefly falls asleep, Tobias notices lights in the rearview mirror. Iris recognizes the glowing red lights as the incandescent hearts of Dacre’s hounds, supernatural beasts closing rapidly on the roadster. Tobias pushes the car hard, then deliberately slows, explaining only that the hounds are built for speed rather than endurance. As the beasts nearly overtake them, Tobias orders Iris and Attie to stay low and grip the rope handle no matter what happens.

When the hounds leap, Tobias brakes so sharply that all three creatures sail over the stopped roadster. As one hound turns back, Tobias launches the car forward, spins it, and slams the roadster into the beast’s hind leg, crippling it. He then threads the car past the other two hounds and drives east at top speed. Even though the remaining hounds gain again, the demands of the twisting road finally slow them, and Iris watches until their glowing hearts disappear into the darkness, confirming that the trio has escaped for now.