Dread Nation

As Lily returns home, Jane ventures into the forbidden building, and as she travels deeper inside, she catches “the scent of something powerful rotten” (303). She hears the moans of shamblers and finds “a giant, rolling shambler cage” (303), and as the shamblers try to reach a Black man asleep in a chair, the cage turns like a giant wheel. Gideon appears and explains that the town uses shamblers to generate electricity, but Jane is horrified at the thought of taking this kind of risk with bringing shamblers within the walls of the town. Gideon shares some peaches with her and explains that he had a vision for Summerland to become “a shining beacon of hope” (308) where everyone was equal, and the country could start over. Gideon, in fact, was the one who hatched the idea for Summerland, but once his father got involved with investors, the dream became “a Survivalist nightmare” (311). He sends Jane on her way, but as Jane approaches the Duchess’s saloon, she is caught breaking curfew by the sheriff.