The Last Kids on Earth

Jack and Quint drive around the city in Big Mama looking for June. Quint thinks it’s foolish to look for a survivor since there is no evidence of anyone living. They go to the school—where Jack last saw June—and Jack calls out for her on a megaphone. She isn’t there. Jack tells Quint to check the mall next but Quint refuses to be his chauffeur and instead decides he will teach Jack how to drive. While learning how to parallel park, Jack decides he wants to have fun so starts speeding around the lot, but has to suddenly swerve when a living person appears. It’s Dirk Savage, the school bully.

Jack decides they can’t abandon him, despite Quint’s refusal to get involved. Dirk has bullied them before and Quint doesn’t think they should go back for him; but Jack firmly believes they shouldn’t abandon a fellow survivor. They finally compromise to retrieve Dirk, as long as Jack makes sure he will be “nice” (98). As they approach him, a flying wretch monster swoops down from the sky. Dirk saves Jack by grabbing the monster in mid-air and flinging it into the side of a building.