The Darkest Path Summary & Again and Again

Cal is working in the dog kennel and he is told that there is a stray dog around the highway.  Cal gets the dog and it's name is Bear.  Cal plays with Bear and his higher up comes looking for Cal.  Cal panics and tries hiding Bear but his higher up discovers Bear.  Cal sees his higher up try killing Bear so he hits him.  Cal kills his higher up and takes Bear with him back to his base.  With his higher up being missing and dead Cal needs to leave the base.  So he gets his brother and leaves but he ends up  being chased and his brother James keeps saying they should go back.  James leaves Cal's side and Cal and Bear go off into the desert trying to get to New York.

Throughout the book Cal's hometown Ithaca is always brought up.  Cal wants to get back home because he thinks his family is still alive.  Cal is always thinking, dreaming, and talking about Ithaca because he mostly misses his home.  Characters Cal meets throughout the story tell him that he shouldn't go to New York because theres nothing there but he disregards what they say.