The chapter opens before dawn in the Uwharrie forest, where Jasper hides behind boulders after having managed to collect the Littletons' bait corn, spread deer repellent, and set up ultrasonic deterrent devices near their hunting spot. Despite severe back pain and a swelling knee, he remains motionless with his dog Arlo as Josh and Eric Littleton arrive and discover their corn is missing. They detect the foul smell of the deer repellent and eventually find the ultrasonic device, correctly deducing that Jasper—the "old burned-up guy"—is responsible. Josh shouts a threatening warning into the forest before the brothers leave.

Interleaved with the present-day events, the chapter provides an extended account of Jasper's life after the fire that killed his family. After leaving the burn center, he exhumed his family's remains and reburied them near his cabin. For years he was suicidal, loading his hunting rifle but never using it, believing God intended him to suffer for failing to protect his family. He found menial work at a home supply store owned by a sympathetic woman named Nell Baker. Surgeries and painful recovery consumed years. Then, about a decade after the fire, he developed chronic psoriasis across his unburned skin, an autoimmune condition doctors could not cure. Embittered, Jasper packed away his Bible, religious carvings, photographs, and albums, convinced that God had never truly cared about him.

As Jasper waits behind the boulders, he reflects lovingly on each of his four children. David, the eldest, was mature, kind, and serious, becoming a pastor before his death. Mary was a tomboy who loved animals and books, struggled with self-confidence around boys, and was on track to become a veterinarian with a promising boyfriend. Deborah, the smallest at birth, grew into a popular, talkative girl with a divine singing voice who aspired to be a teacher like Audrey. Paul, the youngest and most sensitive, craved approval, kept journals, and—as Jasper cryptically notes—"simply couldn't live with what he'd done," implying guilt over the fire that killed the family.

After the Littletons depart, Jasper begins a grueling, hours-long trek back to his truck, limping from tree to tree on his injured knee and deteriorating body. Near the final ridge, he hears the Littleton brothers still in the area. Arlo wanders into the open, and Jasper spots Josh nearby with his rifle. Trying to retreat back down the ridge, Jasper's foot catches between rocks; his ankle snaps audibly and he tumbles down, hitting his head hard. Josh appears above him, refuses his plea for help, mocks him, and leaves. Jasper loses consciousness.

He wakes to rain falling on his face, his ankle clearly broken, his body wrecked. A storm moves in, bringing steady rain, cold, and darkness. He drifts in and out of consciousness through the night, weeping and shivering in agony, with only Arlo lying beside him for warmth. As the chapter ends, the long night finally begins giving way to dawn, with Jasper stranded, gravely injured, and alone in the forest.