In the present day, Tricia and Ethan eat a makeshift dinner of bologna sandwiches in Adrienne Hale’s cold, powerless-looking house while the blizzard keeps them stranded. Ethan tries to reassure Tricia and offers to see whether he can get the heat working, but Tricia still feels shaken by the possibility that someone could be lurking upstairs.

As they clean up, Ethan is affectionate and proud when Tricia calls him the best husband ever. Tricia reflects on their marriage, on how attached Ethan is to her, and on the difficult conversation she plans to have with him that weekend. That private worry adds another layer of tension beneath the immediate problem of being trapped in the house.

Tricia then searches out the first-floor bathroom beneath the spiral staircase. Looking at herself in the mirror, Tricia notices how pale, cold, and disheveled she appears after the storm, and she hurriedly fixes her lipstick and tries to improve her appearance before returning to Ethan.

After leaving the bathroom, Tricia notices another bookcase hidden behind the stairwell. Unlike the other shelves in the house, which are filled with psychiatry and psychology books, this one holds paperback novels. Curious and looking for something to read, Tricia browses the shelves and settles on The Shining.

When Tricia pulls the book, it resists. As Tricia tugs harder, she hears a click and sees the bookcase shift away from the wall. Investigating further, Tricia pulls the side of the shelf and opens a concealed door, discovering that the house contains a secret room.