Hunger

The FAYZ has been slowly starving, because of the initial waste of food. Sam Temple, the mayor of the town, tries to find various ways to solve this through agriculture. However, his efforts are hampered by the fact that no one wants to work, and that food is distributed evenly. His attempts are further harmed when mutated, territorial worms with razor sharp teeth are found hiding in the cabbage patch, a main supply of food. The worms kill a boy named E.Z. by eating him from the inside. Sam eventually has to bribe Charles "Orc" Merrimen, who is mainly made of stone and may be invulnerable to the worms, or "Zekes", with beer so that he will gather cabbages.

Meanwhile, Albert Hillsborough, who ran the old McDonald's before the food ran out, starts a dance club, where kids must pay an entry fee of toilet paper or batteries in order to get in. Sam and Astrid arrive, but Sam decides to let the McClub, as it's called, stay open. Meanwhile, Quinn Gaither starts a fishing business with Albert, also charging toilet paper and batteries. Albert eventually ponders on creating a monetary financial system.

Caine Soren, Sam's enemy and twin brother, has spent months in a state of insanity due to his interaction with the Gaiaphage, also called the Darkness. Diana has nursed him back, though Drake, who serves the Gaiaphage willingly, attempts to undermine her. Caine then resumes command of the Coates' kids, although he must put up with Drake's planned rebellion!

Meanwhile, Duck Zhang is enjoying his swimming pool. Zil Sperry and his crew find him and decide to push him off of his raft. Duck somehow falls through the pool bottom and almost sucks Zil and his crew down with him. Later on, Duck realizes he can change his density so he can float or fall.

Almost immediately after he awakes, Caine devises a plan to break into the nuclear plant to control the electricity of Perdido Beach. Caine also has Diana go to town and get Computer Jack to assist them. They succeed but become trapped in the plant after Sam's soldiers surround them and Caine realizes that he has barely any food. Diana then begins to question what this plan was meant to accomplish. Caine then receives a message from the Gaiaphage telling him to feed it. Caine has the horrible realization that his entire plan may have just been him unconsciously obeying the Gaiaphage.

Meanwhile, Lana has also been receiving messages from the Darkness telling her to come to it because it has need for her. She devises a plan to destroy the mine shaft using Hermit Jim's truck. She goes to the mining town with Cookie and manages to back up the truck to the cave mouth and kill Pack Leader, but is stopped by the Gaiaphage before she can blow it up and is brainwashed. She then is lead to the Darkness.

While this is all going on, a mutant called Hunter, who is able to fire waves of heat from his hands like a microwave, has a fight with his roommate Zil Sperry and accidentally kills their mutual friend Harry. Zil sets up a group called the Human Crew, who are all normals and believe all freaks are evil and should be killed. They capture Hunter and try to hang him in the plaza. Astrid, with Little Pete in tow, try to stop them but are captured and Little Pete receives a blow to the head. Orc eventually prevents the execution, and saves Astrid, Little Pete, and Hunter. Because Hunter killed Harry he is banished and cannot enter the town so he decides to live up to his name and hunts for the kids in the town. He received brain damage being hit over the head with a bat by the human crew and, although perfectly sane, has trouble remembering (especially words) and is more simple minded than before.

During this Edilio Escobar and Dekka Talent are on their way to destroy the mine shaft. They arrive and are met by Lana, under the control of the Gaiaphage, who tells them to stop and then shoots Edilio. She then retreats into the cave and leaves Dekka to the coyotes, who attack her. It is then revealed that the Gaiaphage plans to use Lana's powers to create a new body for itself, one that, if destroyed, reveals an even more deadly monster, like a nesting doll. It will achieve this after Caine arrives and feeds it the fuel rod. Astrid discovers the Gaiaphage is in contact with Little Pete, using him to give it the idea of a near-invincible body. She also works out that the Gaiaphage is the result of an accident at the plant thirteen years ago, when a meteorite hit. She theorizes that a virus may have been alive on the rock when it hit, and that virus + radiation = mutation. The accident might have affected the kids as well, giving them their powers.

Thanks to the distraction in town Caine is able to use his powers to levitate a uranium rod to the mine shaft, with Diana and Jack. Drake stays behind to deal with anyone who follows. Sam receives this news and heads to the plant to fight Drake. He arrives but Drake tells him that with a push of a button he can release the radiation and destroy everyone, unless Sam lets Drake do whatever he wants to him. Sam, who is in the process of being tortured by Drake, is saved by Brianna, who cuts Drake's whip hand off; as well as stopping the radiation. Drake then flees to Caine.

Sam, who is gravely injured and barely alive, tells Brianna to take Duck Zhang to the mine shaft. Duck Zhang may be the only weapon they have that the gaiaphage does not know about. He then gets picked up by Quinn and gets taken to the mine shaft where he sees Dekka and Edilio, both of who are near death, as well as Caine, Jack, Diana and Drake. Diana is injured by Drake and in a fit of rage Caine hurls the uranium rod at Drake's chest, knocking him into the mine shaft, and then collapses the entrance.

Brianna then arrives with Duck and together they devise a plan to get Lana. They climb over the shaft and Duck uses his powers to make a hole in the ground to the gaiaphage. Duck, Caine, and Sam go in and Caine uses his powers to throw Duck into the gaiaphage. While Duck is flying through the air, he becomes heavier than a mountain and smashes into the Gaiaphage, creating a massive hole that drags him and the gaiaphage down to the bottom of the bubble surrounding the FAYZ, however, it is hinted that Duck dies in the process. Quinn then enters and finds Lana dazed, Sam passed out, and Caine stunned. They then use Lana's powers to heal Edilio, Dekka, Brianna, and Sam. Caine then heads back to Coates.

In the aftermath they mourn Duck who saved them all. Zil and his gang run wild, the kids negotiate with the zekes, and Albert reveals his new system of money, using 'Bertos made of gold. Sam and Quinn then head out into the ocean on their boards, with Dekka on a boat, who uses her powers to create waves for them. The book ends with Brittney, a girl who was killed during the fight for the power plant and has the power to not die, alive in her grave with a pale slug (the end of Drake's whip hand) attached to her while she asks her dead brother to pray for her in Heaven.