14.x (Interlude; Sierra)

Worm, Chapter 14.x (Interlude; Sierra) Summary

Sierra and Jay, former ABB members, carry a door-turned-stretcher bearing one of the Mannequin’s victims. The weight of their task and the sight of the dead man weigh heavily on Sierra. She reflects on his life, now reduced to a statistic. They place him among twenty-nine other bodies, a grim collection of John and Jane Does.

Sierra, emotionally drained, asks Jay to find replacements to move the remaining bodies. She heads back to Skitter’s headquarters, navigating the dark storm drain. Inside, she finds Charlotte managing a group of displaced children, including many from the O’Daly clan, who were heavily affected by the recent attacks.

The city’s infrastructure is failing; no ambulances or support have arrived. Sierra and others have been moving bodies, and there’s talk of a mass grave, but legal and identification issues complicate matters. Food is being rationed, and Charlotte is organizing it by expiry date. Sierra requests dinner, and Charlotte suggests soup, bulked out with rice to feed everyone.

Sierra calls Bryce, her brother, who is with Tattletale’s group. He’s sullen and mentions training with weapons, which alarms Sierra. She learns Tattletale and Skitter have been gone for over a day. Sierra calls Jaw, a member of Tattletale’s team, to discuss Bryce’s training and punishment for his rudeness. Jaw also informs her that downtown is off-limits and a team member, Fish, has gone silent after entering the area.

Sierra tends to her bandaged hands and helps Charlotte distribute soup to the displaced people using the children as helpers. The children leave through the front door, which is not normally used, instead of the storm drain.

Jay, Sugita, and Yan, also former ABB members, arrive, uninvited. They threaten Sierra and the children, demanding food and claiming Skitter’s place as their own. Yan points a gun at Sierra, demanding she choose between getting shot in the hand, knee, or letting a child be shot.

Before Sierra can choose, Skitter arrives, her costume covered in insects. She silently threatens the intruders with a giant beetle and the promise of brown recluse venom. Yan is forced to the ground by the beetle, and the others are coerced into submission.

Skitter reveals she has dealt with the Slaughterhouse Nine: Burnscar, Crawler, and Mannequin are likely dead, Cherish and Shatterbird are incapacitated, and Siberian, Jack, and Bonesaw have fled. However, she states, “I didn’t say we won.”

Skitter has Yan, Jay, and Sugita bitten by spiders, threatening a slow, painful death unless they leave the city. She warns them that they have no safe haven in Brockton Bay, as her allies control every territory. They are forced to flee.

Skitter apologizes to Sierra for her absence, explaining that she thought the headquarters was a lost cause. Sierra mentions the Chosen are encroaching on their territory, but Skitter is unconcerned, planning to deal with them after resting.

Skitter reveals that the spider bites were not from brown recluses, but the threat was enough to scare the intruders away. She also mentions that her biggest challenge now comes from within their organization, hinting at a problem with “the man at the top.”