What is the story Back into the Woods about?

After Story, the group treks back into the woods as it begins to snow. But on their journey they smell smoke. Miig tells Frenchie to climb a pine tree to scope out the situation. There Frenchie sees smoke rising in the West and trees swaying and falling between flashes of yellow. Miig orders Frenchie to share what he’s seen in private rather than with the whole group. After he does so, Miig tells Frenchie the traumatic history that each group member has survived.

The Recruiters took Minerva’s grandson, raped her, and left her for dead. Wab was alone for two years before joining the group, which she followed for six weeks, unable to trust they wouldn’t hurt her. RiRi and Slopper each lost their parents to the Recruiters. A colony of townspeople experimented on and physically abused Tree and Zheegwon in an effort to extract their dreams. And Miig lost his husband, Isaac, to the schools. As he recalls Isaac, he rubs the marriage tattoo that he and Isaac share: an outline of a black buffalo on the back of his left hand.