Driving through the mist, David returns home to find his house destroyed and his wife dead. Heartbroken and in tears, he drives the group south, seeing destruction and a gigantic multi-legged, tentacled beast. After hours of traveling, they run out of gas. While Billy is sleeping, the four adults hear a monstrous sound and decide that there is no point in going on. With four bullets left in Amanda's gun and five people in the car, David shoots the other four rather than have them suffer from the beasts. Distraught and determined to die, David gets out of the car and calls out for the monsters to come and get him. To his horror and surprise, a US Army Paladin emerges from the mist, followed by a large army unit equipped with NBC suits and flamethrowers. As the mist recedes, burning carcasses of huge spiders are seen, while several truckfuls of both soldiers and survivors also pass David. Among them is the woman who left the store at the storm's outset, along with her two young children, whom she left to save. Realizing that they were only moments from being rescued and had been driving away from help the entire time, David falls to his knees, screaming, while the soldiers look on in confusion.