Poppy recounts that about a week earlier, before Vince’s big fight with Danny, Vince began a new treasure hunt with a theme of dark places. Poppy interprets this as threatening, given Vince’s recent behavior: she witnessed Vince burying the dead cat Ricky Ricardo in the oak grove, he shoved her when she confronted him, he has been fighting with Lydia, and he attacked Danny two days prior. She frames “dark places” as both literal locations and a metaphor for their family’s situation.

She contrasts this with how their treasure hunts began two years earlier on her twelfth birthday, when Vince made playful, house-spanning clues that led to tennis wristbands. Over time, the hunts became their shared language, with small prizes and spoken riddles that sent her searching familiar, safe places. This history underscores how different and uneasy the current game feels.

Despite the recent fight with Danny, Vince continues the game. While Poppy and Vince brush their teeth, she tries to keep the mood light, but Vince pointedly says his favorite time of year is when their mother brings out the Christmas decorations—clearly a clue aimed at the garage where those boxes are stored.

Poppy, in pajamas, goes to the kitchen and opens the door to the cluttered, dark garage. The light bulb pops and dies, heightening her unease about crossing the space with spiderwebs and junk to reach the Christmas box. Danny appears behind her drinking an Orange Crush and mockingly wiggles his fingers, saying “Creepy,” which makes her worry he might lock her in if she goes inside. She also notices Vince watching from the hallway with an unreadable expression, and decides to postpone following the clue.

The next morning, Poppy gets up early to avoid both brothers and slips into the garage. She pulls down the Christmas box and finds a clue taped to a red ornament. The clue reads, “You’ll find your prize in the…,” indicating there is one more clue to complete before the prize is revealed, and signaling that this unsettling hunt is nearing its conclusion.