On prom night, Saint goes to the Tooms house instead of waiting for Jimmy Walters to take her to the dance. She has dressed carefully for the occasion, and Norma has tried to compliment her, but Saint leaves ten minutes before Jimmy is due to arrive, choosing the investigation over a normal night.

At the dark farmhouse, Saint crosses the overgrown ground and stands looking out over the land. Saint thinks about Grace and the possibility that Grace might still be alive somewhere on the property, or buried too deeply to be found. That uncertainty drives Saint to keep searching despite her exhaustion.

Saint climbs through a downstairs window and moves through the house in darkness. In the kitchen, Saint notices stores of canned food, including soup, beans, condensed milk, and sloppy joe, and also sees dog food. The preserved food makes the house feel intentionally stocked, but Saint still does not know exactly what evidence she hopes to find. Through the window, Saint can see the distant light from her grandmother's house.

Upstairs, Saint notices the attic door and then hears a sound. Because the noise suggests someone may be there, Saint pulls the chain to lower the attic steps and calls out for Dr. Tooms. Saint climbs up even as her knees shake, dust makes her cough, and her dress tears on the rafters. Then Saint hears the sound again, now close behind her, and turns in terror while trying not to scream.