The Dead Zone

Johnny proudly attends Chuck’s graduation. Afterward, Chuck emotionally thanks Johnny for the tutoring. As they hug, Johnny has a vision of a terrible fire at a graduation party at a steakhouse. He warns Chuck not to attend. The other guests are shocked. Roger tries to help Johnny, though he doubts the veracity of the vision. When Chuck is concerned, Roger offers to drive them over to the steakhouse to inspect the place. The owner of the steakhouse rejects Johnny’s ominous warning. Chuck stays at home but cannot convince his classmates not to go to the steakhouse. Those that do not go to the steakhouse attend a party at the Chatsworth home. While the kids party, Roger and Johnny play cribbage. News of a fire at the steakhouse interrupts their game; 75 people are dead. The party comes to an immediate halt. Roger, shocked, suggests that they go to the hospital to donate blood. 

Johnny leaves the Chatsworth house. Roger writes to him, thanking him for saving Chuck’s life. Roger pays off Johnny’s outstanding hospital bills and wants to give him more money, though he knows Johnny will likely refuse. Roger feels guilty for not doing more to stop the party at the steakhouse. Herb writes to his son as well, advising Johnny to see a doctor regarding the increased frequency of his headaches. He encourages Johnny to come home. Chuck writes to Johnny to thank him. He wants to pass along messages of thanks from other people whose lives were saved by Johnny’s warning. Johnny and Chuck exchange letters; Johnny asks him about Greg Stillson, who seems to be doing well as a Congressman. A newspaper article reveals that the FBI agent following Stillson was murdered, just like a reporter who investigated Stillson years before. 

Johnny’s obsession with Greg Stillson deepens as Stillson’s political career progresses, spreading a reactionary, ultra-conservative brand of politics across the United States. Johnny keeps copies of newspaper articles about the steakhouse fire, believing that his correct prediction saved lives in that instance, so he needs to prevent Stillson from becoming President to save even more lives. He plots out the best way to deal with this crisis. The only way to be sure is to assassinate Stillson but Johnny still does not know whether he can kill a man. 

In December 1978, Johnny buys a rifle, an attaché case, and a train ticket to New York. He pays with cash and the people serving him remember his distinctive, tired appearance and his pained limp. On January 3, 1979, Johnny begins his train ride and arrives in New York by January 6. From there, he takes a Greyhound bus to New Hampshire. He visits a bar and talks to the owner, a Stillson supporter named Dicky O’Donnell. As Dicky praises Stillson, Johnny reflects on his desire to kill the politician. At his hotel, Johnny thinks about events after he tries to kill Stillson. He thinks about the impact on his friends and family, writing letters to his loved ones. 

Johnny visits a town hall where Greg Stillson plans to host a meeting the next day. He examines the hall and finds a gallery overlooking the small stage. After a night of bad dreams, he posts letters to his father, Sarah, Dr. Weizak, and Bannerman. Hours before Stillman’s meeting, Johnny takes his rifle to the town hall and uses a coat hanger to open the locked door to the gallery. He loads the rifle and waits.

The custodian arrives to prepare the meeting hall. Two hours later, Stillson’s retinue arrives. Sonny Elliman talks to the custodian, who assures him that the door to the gallery is locked. Johnny sweats and bleeds from old wounds in the gallery. Men, women, and children shuffle into the hall and take their seats. Eventually, Stillson enters and takes the stage. The press takes photographs and the crowd cheers. Johnny stands and aims his rifle at Stillson. A woman in the crowd spots him and screams. Johnny fires, Stillson ducks, and the shot misses. Stillson’s security team shoots at Johnny, wounding him in the neck. Stillson darts into the crowd and grabs a child, using the little boy as a human shield. As Johnny’s vision blurs, the blue of the child’s clothes and the sight of Stillman blend into the same images from his previous haunting visions. The press photographers’ bulbs flash. Two more bullets hit Johnny, who drops the rifle and falls from the gallery into the room. As Johnny lays dying on the ground, convinced that he has failed, he hears Stillman order someone to find the photographer and to “smash his camera” (407). With the last of his strength, Johnny touches Stillman’s ankle. He has a vision and knows that “everything had changed” (407). Johnny cries as he lays dying on the floor, happy to know that he has changed the future.