Charlie tells Thomas and his family to sleep in the upstairs study, making it clear that Eve and Charlie want distance as much as they want to help. Left alone on the couch by the fire, Eve tries to explain why the family, and especially Thomas, unsettles her. Eve describes finding Thomas in the basement standing unnaturally still and blocking the way out, and she also recalls that Thomas had started to ask whether she had ever seen anything in the house before stopping himself.

Charlie listens but remains skeptical, partly because Eve has a history of turning anxiety into worst-case scenarios. Charlie agrees that Paige is unpleasant, but she does not think the family is likely to harm them. Eve still cannot shake the feeling that inviting them inside was a mistake, and the joking talk about vampires only partly relieves the tension.

The mood softens when Eve notices a new locket around Charlie's neck. Inside is a rare photograph of Eve, which Charlie secretly bought in town that day. The gift reminds Eve of Charlie's affection and of how few photographs of Eve exist, and the moment draws them toward a kiss.

The interruption comes from Shylo, who starts growling and cowering toward the foyer. Eve and Charlie discover that the front door is open and blowing against the wall. Outside in the yard, they see Thomas kneeling in the snow in his nightclothes, shaking, crying, and muttering frantic apologies as if trapped inside a nightmare.

Charlie goes out to him, and when she shouts his name Thomas suddenly seems to come back to himself, confused about where he is. Charlie assumes he has been sleepwalking, but Thomas's panic surges again when he asks where Alison is and says she was just there. Charlie steadies him with breathing instructions until he calms down, then helps him up and leads him back inside under her jacket. Eve lingers behind, staring into the dark trees and feeling watched, which leaves the chapter on a note of deepening dread.