The Dead and the Gone: Chapters 6–10

by Susan Beth Pfeffer
In this sequel to Life as We Knew It, seventeen-year-old Alex Morales struggles to care for his younger sisters in a post-apocalyptic New York City.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–19

Here is a link to our lists for Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. bodega
    small shop selling groceries, especially in a Hispanic area
    There’s a little bit of food coming in, but I can’t afford what they’re charging and even if I could, my customers sure can’t, so there’s no point pretending I can make a go of the bodega.
  2. vanish
    get lost, as without warning or explanation
    “But the reason I came over—well, of course we wouldn’t have just vanished on you—but Lorraine and I talked about it, and we’d like to take Briana with us.
  3. cynical
    believing the worst of human nature and motives
    At least he’d have one runty, cynical weasel to hang out with.
  4. scorn
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    “Electricity really does make things easier,” he muttered to himself, but that was just the kind of statement that aroused Father Mulrooney’s scorn.
  5. inevitable
    an unavoidable event
    “Sometimes the best you can do is postpone the inevitable."
  6. ultimately
    as the end result of a succession or process
    There were cans of tuna and salmon and sardines, two jars of herring in wine sauce, lots of cans of beans and soup, both of which he was tired of but he knew ultimately he’d be grateful for.
  7. confirm
    establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
    He looked around quickly to confirm the apartment was empty, then went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
  8. dwindle
    become smaller or lose substance
    What seemed like a lot of food now would dwindle to nothing in a matter of weeks.
  9. enticement
    qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
    “The archdiocese has requested me to inform the students at St. Vincent de Paul Academy that the school will remain open all summer long,” Father Mulrooney announced before Mass. “If the longing for academia is insufficient enticement, the archdiocese wishes you to know that lunch will be served daily.”
  10. wrath
    intense anger
    Father Mulrooney gave him one of his wrath-of-God looks.
  11. infirm
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    “You’ll have the job of looking after some of the elderly and infirm parishioners in this neighborhood,” he declared.
  12. theoretical
    concerned with hypotheses and not practical considerations
    Everything was still theoretical, but the brightest people in the world were working on it.
  13. mandatory
    required by rule
    “In New York City, the mandatory evacuation of the borough of Queens will begin on Saturday,” the news broadcaster in Washington announced.
  14. implausible
    highly imaginative but unlikely
    Alex knew how implausible it was that Mami was still at St. John of God, working so hard she forgot to call her children for a month, but as long as the hospital existed, so did hope.
  15. concern
    an anxious feeling
    There was some concern because things were being planted late in the season, but most of the vegetables had gotten a head start in a greenhouse: string beans, corn, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cabbage, potatoes, broccoli.
  16. excruciating
    extremely painful
    In spite of the excruciating boredom, it physically hurt to leave the apartment, but he had to get Julie.
  17. waning
    of the period when the visible surface of the moon decreases
    The waning quarter moon seemed larger than the sun.
  18. verge
    the limit beyond which something happens or changes
    They were on the verge of running out, even though all he allowed either of them to eat was half a cup’s worth.
  19. contagious
    easily diffused or spread as from one person to another
    That morning, though, Julie was too excited to eat, and her excitement proved contagious.
  20. tethered
    confined or restricted with or as if with a rope or chain
    Unlike the line at Yankee Stadium, whole families stood in single file, some with little children tethered to their mothers to keep them from wandering off.
  21. contemplate
    think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
    Now go, Mr. Morales, and spend the holiday weekend contemplating the virtues of obedience.
  22. anarchy
    a state of lawlessness and disorder
    Without them there is anarchy.
  23. unreliable
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    But it was the best he could come up with in a world with unreliable electricity.
  24. magma
    molten rock in the earth's crust
    “Now that the moon’s closer, the gravitational pull is stronger, so it’s easier for the magma to get out.
  25. humanity
    all of the living inhabitants of the earth
    The sun had died, and with it, humanity died, also.
  26. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    It was cold in there, not bone-chilling cold, but dank and lifeless.
  27. meek
    humble in spirit or manner
    “Lauren says the meek will inherit the earth, not the strong, and Brittany says who wants the earth anyway, so the strong might as well have it.”
  28. immoral
    deliberately violating principles of right and wrong
    Alex knew immediately that this would be something gruesome and disgusting, and if not illegal, most certainly immoral.
  29. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    The food in the Friday bags was getting sparser, and even though he skipped supper most nights and fasted on Saturdays, there was hardly enough for Julie.
  30. sulk
    be in a huff and display one's displeasure
    Whine, complain, sulk, scream, and carry on, but never cry.
  31. decompose
    break down
    They had just passed one that had been decomposing in front of a pizza place for a week now, its flesh eaten away by rats.
  32. merciful
    showing or giving forgiveness
    Perhaps in her all-merciful heart, she’ll find such a place for Julie, also.
  33. depressing
    causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
    It had grown increasingly more difficult and depressing to check up on the people on his list.
  34. exertion
    use of physical or mental energy; hard work
    He was reluctant to admit it, but physical exertion was getting harder—maybe because he was eating so little or maybe because the air quality was so bad.
  35. rabid
    infected by an acute viral disease of the nervous system
    You have to be careful about the rats, in case they’re rabid, but for the most part they’re okay, too.
Created on Tue Sep 10 19:27:27 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Aug 15 16:55:36 EDT 2018)

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