These afternoons were preserved in a series of photographs taken by strangers. When his mother and father dragged him to the city for that season's agreed-upon exhibit or good-for-you Broadway smash, they usually dropped in on Uncle Lloyd for a quick hello. His Uncle Lloyd lived downtown on Lafayette, and in the long stretches between visits he daydreamed about living in his apartment. In the novel’s final scene, he descends into the mass gathering of skels.He always wanted to live in New York. He has no choice but to fight his way through the crowd. He leaves the truck to go find his team when he encounters many skels amassing on the street. He escapes in a truck with the remaining officials, learning from the survivors that there is never going to be a summit and that reconstruction may not be possible. Upon returning to Fort Wonton to get help for his team, he realizes that the base is being swarmed by hundreds of skels. He determines that the skels are evolving into more intelligent forms. Mark notices the cunning speed of this particular straggler and puts this information together with his recollections of other advancing skels from his past. On the last day, Omega is patrolling the area when Gary is suddenly attacked by a straggler. Despite these disasters, officials from the main military headquarters in Buffalo attempt to maintain a hopeful public face, promising that Zone One will be ready for rebuilding soon. Mark finds out that the Lieutenant has committed suicide and that Bubbling Brooks, a renowned stronghold, has been destroyed by skels. When they encounter another team in their area, they attempt to contact Fort Wonton to find out why their duties have overlapped. As the end grows near, Mark reveals more of his sentimental past and hope for the future.ĭuring the three days, team Omega continue their sweeps of Zone One.

He also reflects on his early encounters with skels as a recruit at Fort Wonton, especially through the eccentric mentorship by his superior, the Lieutenant. He manages to barely escape to safety and is eventually rescued by the U.S. He also tells of the various human settlements in Connecticut and Massachusetts that he joined briefly during the early days of the virus.

For instance, Mark recalls finding his infected mother feasting on his father’s entrails.

While the novel is primarily told in real time, Mark’s flashbacks are interspersed throughout the narrative. Zone One takes place over the course of three days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), leading up to the eventual total takeover of Zone One by the virus.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead