Late that night, Nick wakes and prepares to unscrew the grate to his room. The bolts are rusted shut, and he makes almost no headway in two hours. Mya, who has been waiting in the tunnels for hours, checks on Nick and makes a plan. She returns with oil and a pipe to add leverage and soon has the bolts unscrewed. Nick and Mya escape with little time to spare. Nick stays behind to watch the discovery of their absence through the peepholes. Bukong sounds the alarm, and the Colonel arrives promptly and begins to form a search party. The Colonel then beats Bukong with his own cane: “‘I blame you for this,’ the Colonel said, hitting him on top of the shoulder. Bukong fell to his knees. Nick shuddered. He knew how that cane felt” (186). Nick watches as Bukong and the Colonel realize that Mya must have helped Nick gather supplies. Bukong's face falls when he realizes his bride has disappeared. 

Nick listens to the goings-on of the house for weeks after his escape. The Colonel is vigilant, insisting they will find the missing children. It shocks everyone, even Hilltop, how long he searches for them.