Between Tin Lurvy's arrival and suppertime, Reuben and Davy escape into the woods for a while and inevitably end up talking about the situation with Israel Finch and Tommy Basca. Davy asks Reuben if he thinks their father is afraid, and Reuben says no, because he hadn't hesitated to put a beating on the two of them in the locker room. Davy then asks if Reuben is scared; again, he answers 'no'. After a pause, Davy asks if Reuben thinks God looks out for them and, when Reuben answers in the affirmative, follows up with, "You want Him to?" Reuben nods yes, but is confused by the question.
That night after Swede's birthday supper, Tin Lurvy eventually makes his farewells and motors away. Almost right after he leaves, Jeremiah comes down with one of the severe migraines he's prone to and has to go to bed. When their bedtime arrives, Reuben and Swede both retire to their rooms while Davy takes himself outdoors to have a smoke. When Reuben looks out the window from the room he shares with his brother, he can see Davy's cigarette end glowing in the dark. Later that night- around midnight- Reuben awakes suddenly when he hears the sound of the back door squeaking as it's opened. At first he thinks confusedly that it must be Davy coming back in, but then realizes how late it is and that he can hear Davy breathing deeply in the bed across from his. Reuben's asthmatic lungs contract as it becomes clear to him that someone is in their house, quiet but audible footsteps moving across the living room floor. As the steps reach the bedroom door and the knob turns, Reuben realizes, terrified, that he's waited too long to wake Davy up and now it's too late. But then Davy's voice comes out of the dark, ordering whoever's in the doorway to turn on the light. It flicks on, and Israel Finch is standing there, one hand on the light switch and in the other, a baseball bat. Tommy Basca is right behind him, looking over his shoulder. When Reuben glances at his brother, Davy's sitting up in bed with the family Winchester across his knees. For a moment everyone seems frozen in place, but then Israel raises the bat, and Davy fires, drilling Finch right between the eyes. As he slumps to the floor, Davy levers up a second round and fires again, taking down Tommy. Jeremiah comes running from his room, as does Swede; when he sees what's happening, Jeremiah grabs Swede and drags her to the bathroom, locking her in so she can't witness the carnage. While he's doing this, Tommy Basca, mortally wounded but not yet dead, is clawing the floor and screaming. Davy levers up a third round, lowers the gun to the back of Basca's head and pulls the trigger, finishing him off. In the sudden silence, Reuben can hear Swede sobbing behind the bathroom door. Then Davy says, "Well." and without looking at anyone, steps over Tommy's inert body, goes out the front door and sits on the step, waiting for the police to arrive.