Dread Nation

The next morning, Jane, Katherine, and Jackson are loaded into the cargo car of a train and sent off to Summerland. Mr. Redfern keeps watch over them, and as they are about to leave, Miss Anderson pulls out several letters and throws them into the train car. She explains that she is friends with the postmaster and has been making sure that the letters Jane writers to her mother are never sent. She adds that Jane’s mother probably thinks she is dead. Jane is overcome with rage, but the door slams closed. Jane vows to kill Miss Anderson, Miss Preston, and the mayor. The train begins its long westward trek with Jane in a rage, Katherine in tears, and Jackson utterly silent.

The trip to Summerland is hot and torturous, and Jane continues to stew in her rage over the course of five days. Jane, Katherine, and Jackson realize that the mayor and his cronies lied about Baltimore being safe. The train arrives in Kansas, and Jackson attempts to escape by punching Mr. Redfern and fleeing but fails when he is chased down.

Jane wants to escape as well but knows that “now is not the time or place” (194).