He tells Bangley shortly afterward that he wants to explore a radio signal he heard three years earlier. It is a narrow escape, but Hig is restless. Bangley talks Hig in, telling him where to hide, how to shoot and when. When he returns, Bangley sets himself up in the tower to protect Hig across the open space, and sees that he is being pursued. When Jasper dies on one of Hig's hunting trips, he is gone much longer than expected and Bangley is sure he is dead. It is Hig's job to patrol their perimeter daily to ensure their safety. A sign informing travelers that they have the blood disease keeps them safe from renegades, and Hig, keeping his distance, lands to help them on occasion if necessary. A group of about thirty Mennonites live ten miles to the south.
Bangley tries not to resent the time that Hig is gone, feeling unprotected on his own. Now, all that remain are bottom feeders, but he makes the best of it.
He also enjoys fishing, although the trout are long gone. Hig takes his dog Jasper and hunts deer, using a sled to drag them back down the mountain. Hig and Bangley settle into a routine of sorts. Now, the earth is slowly ridding itself of all species with only few exceptions. A blood disease similar to AIDS followed closely behind, killing most of the flu survivors. The illness spread quickly, taking people in days and overwhelming medical services. First the flu had hit, beginning when a sample was being shipped from one lab to another and the plane it was in crashed. Now, Hig and Bangley are part of a small group of survivors. Hig retreated there when his wife and child died, unable to face life in the home they shared. Bruce Bangley, Hig's only neighbor, arrived after Hig had already made his home in the hangar near his plane. Hig still flies his 19556 Cessna, hand pumping the fuel when necessary and keeping his flights local to conserve the fuel that he has. Earth is warming, not cooling as was predicted.
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