Bird Box

In the earlier timeline, five hours after Tom and Jules left, Malorie and the others nervously repeat routine chores to pass the time. Malorie goes down to the basement for a break, where she examines the food supply before sitting down and drifting off. She wakes up to the sound of Victor barking at something outside. She joins the others in the living room. At Malorie’s suggestion, Felix goes to get some of their garden tools for potential use as weapons.

The housemates stay together in the living room; eventually Victor stops barking. By noon the next day, Tom and Jules are still gone. Don suggests that, even if Tom and Jules do return, he’s not sure they should let them back in, since they could be followed or captured and used as hostages. Malorie and the others disagree forcefully. Don points out that their food supply would last longer if Tom and Jules don’t return. Cheryl and Felix are about to get in a fight with Don when there is a knock at the door.

In the later timeline, Malorie instructs the Boy to rub water from the river where his blindfold is irritating him without removing his blindfold. She recalls Don telling her and Olympia, before their children were born, that they should blind them at birth. Though the idea repulsed her, she understood Don’s position. Later, when the children were still babies, Malorie nearly blinded them with paint thinner, but she was unable to follow through. On the river, the Boy tells Malorie that he feels better.

In the earlier timeline, Malorie and the others hear Tom and Jules call from outside. Felix is about to let them in when Don objects, pointing out that something might be following them. The others overrule him, and they let Don and Jules enter with two huskies they found. Tom shows something else they found: a box containing two live birds, who chirp loudly when anyone approaches, which he intends to use as an alarm. Everyone gathers in the kitchen, where Tom and Jules drink water before telling their story.

The narrative follows Tom’s perspective, starting with his and Jules’s departure in Chapter 17. Together, they move towards the street, using sticks to feel their way. Before leaving, they mark the front lawn with a stake to help them find it again. Tom imagines his daughter, Robin, encouraging him. Jules trips over something, which turns out to be a dead woman’s body.

Arriving at a house, they knock and call out. Hearing no response, they break in through a window. Keeping their blindfolds on, they gather a few supplies, then proceed to the next house, which they also enter after finding no signs of life. After verifying that the second house has cardboard protections behind the windows, they remove their blindfolds and search for supplies. Upstairs, Tom checks a few rooms before proceeding to the master bedroom, from which a strong smell emanates. Inside, he finds the body of a boy who apparently starved to death.

Jules calls Tom back downstairs and shows him the boy’s parents, who are lying dead in the basement. Nearby, the family’s pet dog is still alive. Jules feeds the dog and slowly earns its trust. Hours later, he and Tom decide to visit another house.

In the later timeline, Malorie’s arm continues to hurt. She recalls teaching the children to recognize her expressions based solely on her breathing. Now, hearing her labored breathing, the Boy and the Girl ask her if she is okay; she insists that she is fine. When Malorie paddles too much with her strong hand, causing the boat to spin around, the Boy helps her row.

In the earlier timeline, Tom and Jules explore a third house, where they find useful supplies and food. They spend the night in the house. The next morning, as they are crossing the street, they bump into something which they determine to be a tent in the middle of the street. Examining it, Tom remembers Robin’s curiosity about how things work.

In the kitchen of the next house, where it is not safe for them to secure their blindfolds, Tom realizes that there is a dead body of a person whose eyeballs were removed, presumably to avoid seeing the creatures. Tom and Jules leave and decide to make their way back home. On the way, the dog becomes excited near a particular garage, where they discover another husky and some birds in a box. Bringing both with them, they return home. Just before knocking, Tom hears a sound on the street behind him.

In the later timeline, Malorie makes sure the children eat as she considers an unpleasant truth: At a certain point in their journey, she is going to have to open her eyes. She wonders how the world looks now, and she remembers a time she lay on her back finding images in the clouds with Shannon.

Injured and exhausted, Malorie’s rowing slows, then she falls unconscious.

In the earlier timeline, two days after Tom and Jules return, Malorie wakes up during the night and contemplates giving birth at home without trained professionals. Suddenly she hears the birds cooing from outside the front door, where Tom posted them to serve as an alarm. There is a knock on the door, then another one. Malorie wakes Tom. A man’s voice calls out, asking to be let in. Hearing the noise, the other housemates appear one by one.

With the door closed, Tom talks to the man, who introduces himself as Gary. Gary explains that he left his previous residence after the people he was living with became violent and says he has been going from house to house, looking for a place to stay. When Don says he does not want to let Gary in, they put it to a vote; Malorie’s vote breaks a tie, and they let Gary in. After making sure he’s alone, they open their eyes to find that Gary is older and heavier than any of them. At Don’s request, Gary shows the supplies of his briefcase, including papers and personal items.

Tom offers to stay awake with Gary, and the others go back to sleep. Olympia and Malorie decide to sleep in the same room.

The next morning, Gary tells Malorie how meaningful it is to have human contact again; she finds him somewhat theatrical. Gary also shares his experiences prior to arriving at the house. In the early days of the Problem, Gary was skeptical, but as reports grew, he agreed to accompany his brother, Duncan, to a house belonging to Duncan’s friend, Kirk. Kirk and the others who gathered there made military preparations to fight off what they suspected was an invasion.

One of the housemates, whom Gary refers to as Frank, became convinced that the creatures weren’t dangerous; rather, people’s reaction to them was just a psychological phenomenon driven by mass hysteria. Alone in his room, Frank wrote extensively on the subject. One day, Gary snuck into Frank’s room while Frank was bathing and read his notebooks. In them, he found the alarming claim that people who believe the creatures are harmful should be allowed to die. The next day, the window covers were all pulled down, and Frank was gone. As Kirk and the others plotted revenge against Frank, Gary decided to leave, feeling it unsafe to stay.

After Gary’s story, Malorie senses a growing divide between the housemates.