Boyd and Kenny follow Reggie inside, and he shows them Paula’s horrifically broken body. Reggie explains that she was resting while he was downstairs and heard her screaming. He tried to wake her, but she was talking in her sleep before it was if her entire body cracked. As Reggie begins to sob, Boyd asks what Paula was saying in her sleep. Boyd tells him that he needs to tell him what Paula says, and Reggie says she kept on repeating “they touch, they break, they steal, no one here is free” before dying. Boyd asks if she was still asleep, and Reggie angrily answers yes as he continues to break down. Boyd leaves to think outside, and sees a number of concerned people. Ethan asks if everything is alright, and Boyd tells him yes, and asks if he can go home while he talks to Julie. Tian-Chen leads Ethan home, while he and Kenny tell Julie that they have 30 minutes before dark and need go door to door and tell everyone that they can’t be alone. Julie asks what is going on, and Boyd says that something killed Paula in her sleep, so everyone has to stay awake. Julie then remembers that her father is at the RV.

By the RV, Jim is shocked while Randall insists that Donna is in on the conspiracy and he saw her burn Smiley’s body, asking if it was a faulty animatronic. Donna says Boyd managed to kill it, and Randall says she is changing the rules. Randall tells Jim this was his idea, and Jim calls him crazy. Randall insists Donna is part of the reason they are trapped. Jim moves to free Donna, but Randall grabs him and voices the possibility that Jim put all these ideas in his head to see what he would do, and asks how he knows Jim isn’t a part of it too. Jim angrily points out that his house collapsed on top of him and asks what is wrong with Randall. Jim tries to untie Donna but Randall throws him down and draws his knife. Boyd then arrives and fires his gun in the air and orders him to drop the knife. Jim apologizes for what’s happened and cuts Donna loose, while Boyd says they have five minutes to get to safety before dark. However, Randall throws the keys away, and says they will have to stay the night and see what happens.

In Town, Julie stands on the porch looking for her father as the sound of cicadas continues to permeate. Tabitha tells her to come inside as Jade and Victor arrive. Ethan says they can’t leave their father out there, but Julie assures him that he will be fine. Tabitha adds that Boyd will keep him safe, and the best thing they can do is be safe. Meanwhile, Sara and Kenny prepare to spend the night in the Sheriff’s Office. Sara thanks him for staying with her, even though he does not want to. Kenny gruffly replies that he is not doing it for her. Sara remarks that things now feel different and wrong, much like it did in the Forest. Sara asks him if Boyd ever told him what happened, and tells him that as they got further into the Forest, Boyd said it was like the place feeds on their pain, but she thinks it does more than that. Kenny is confused, and Sara reveals that Nathan used to be terrified of cicadas as a child because he thought they were monsters. Sara asks if the fears of the people that die in the Township become part of the Forest, and they are experiencing Nathan’s nightmare.

Outside, the cicadas swarm across Town and the grounds of Colony House, where Reggie explains to everyone what happened to Paula and searches for Donna. Fatima says that she isn’t inside, and Kristi adds that she last saw her at the Clinic hours ago, and she was supposed to go to the house after. Reggie worries that they are all going to die, and Fatima steps up and tells him to relay Boyd’s instructions. Reggie says that no one can go to sleep, and Fatima steps up and says they will focus on following instructions while Boyd and Donna get themselves sorted. Fatima takes Reggie to change his clothes and tells everyone to partner up to make sure they don’t fall asleep. Bakta asks how long, and Fatima answers that they will figure that out later. Ellis, noticing Marielle’s worsening condition, asks Kristi if they are ok, and Kristi asks for a room, and he helps them upstairs.

In the RV, Donna and Boyd set up the Talisman, but Randall criticizes Jim for turning against him just as they were about to get answers,  and tells him that he is the reason his family is a mess. Jim and Randall begin to physically fight, but Boyd breaks it up and hand cuffs Randall, telling him to keep his stupid ideas to himself so as not to get any of them killed. Boyd then turns to Jim and admonishes him for treating their situation like a game after all they have been through. Jim apologizes for how things happen, but Donna tells him he shouldn’t be surprised. Jim says he has to return to his family, and thinks he can probably hot wire the van, but Boyd refuses to take the risk. Randall stands up, refusing to obey Boyd because he thinks Boyd is either part of the conspiracy or simply an idiot. Boyd restrains Randall, and tells him that he lost his wife and best friend as a result of this place, and threatens to tie Randall to a tree outside so Randall can find out the truth for himself.

Ellis leads to Kristi and Mari to an empty bedroom. After Mari notices the braces on the bed, Ellis explains that it’s for people who freak out on their first night. Kristi and Ellis leave to get supplies for the night, and he asks whether not sleeping will affect his and Fatima’s baby. Kristi promises him that Fatima is not far enough along for that to be a concern. Ellis remarks how ordinarily this would be amazing, but he is constantly afraid because of the Township that something awful will happen. Kristi tells him that pregnancy is beautiful and weird wherever they are, they are simply used to it because they see it every day, much like the magic ball of fire. Kristi explains that it is an analogy from medical school to explain how even though they think they know much about the world, it’s still a mystery floating through space surrounding a ball of magic fire that keeps them warm from a million miles away. It’s weird, but they are used to it.

In the Liu Home, Tabitha and Jade go over Victor and Eloise’s drawings. Jade notices one of Civil War soldiers, and asks why a little girl would draw that. Tabitha says the pictures were based off the stories Victor’s mother would tell, and Jade then asks why he is having visions of stories that a dead woman told 40 years ago. Tabitha then points out the drawing of the Lighthouse, and how Victor’s mother said she needed to go there to free the children in order to get everyone home. Tabitha reveals that since her arrival, she has had dreams about a tower just like that, and theorizes that the children are asking for her help. In the living room, Tian-Chen brings board games to Julie, Ethan and Victor in order to make them feel better. Julie agrees, but Ethan glumly asks if Jim is going to die, shocking everyone. Julie says he will be fine, but Ethan then asks if they will die. Julie says they will be fine, but Ethan points out that everyone died when Victor was little. Victor tries to assure him that it won’t happen like that again, but Ethan is skeptical. Julie tries to comfort him by referencing the Cromenockle, but Ethan dismisses it as a stupid story. Victor says that his mother used to say everything was a story, and they’re the ones who get to decide how it ends. Ethan asks if her story ended the way she wanted, prompting Julie and Tian-Chen to scold him. Ethan then storms off with Julie following him.

In the RV, Boyd finishes explaining what happened with Smiley at the Clinic as he coats his bullets in the Creature’s bile. Donna suggests letting Randall go outside and test it. As several Creatures advance on the RV, Boyd offers the gun to Randall, who agrees. As Boyd uncuffs him, Donna notices that the Creatures have stopped moving, as does Jim. Donna is worried because this is abnormal for the Creatures. All four of them hear the music box, and realize the noise is coming from the RV’s radio.

In Colony House, a seemingly delusional Marielle begins trying to break out of the room. Kristi rushes in and stops her as Mari insists that there is something in the room with them. Kristi reminds Mari that when she first went through withdrawal she hallucinated, and all of the monsters are outside the house. Mari then blames Kristi for causing her relapse and continues to tear apart the room before breaking down in tears and apologizing. Kristi says they are fine, but Mari says they are not and apologizes again. Kristi hugs Mari and is able to calm her, assuring her that she is there for her. Mari then asks to be restrained to the bed.

In the Sheriff’s Office, Sara points out her pin on the map. She mentions how Tian-Chen used to say she was grateful her family got trapped all together before apologizing for bringing it up. Sara then tries to apologize for causing Bing-Qian’s death. Kenny stops her, and Sara says she knows it is painful for Kenny and his mother to see her every day. Sara continues to say that she tried to convince Boyd to let her go back into the forest but Kenny stops her. Kenny tells her that he does not care about her or her pity party, and that she is a murderer  who deserves to go into the Box. Sara continues to try and apologize but Kenny tells her to shut up and stop talking about his father. Sara refuses, telling Kenny that he is not the only person who lost something as she has lost everything, including her sense of self, and that she is tired of being afraid and being Kenny’s monster. Kenny tells her that if she wants out, Boyd has an extra gun in his desk, and she can do what she wants before leaving the room.

In Colony House, Reggie runs around in a panic shaking people, telling them not to go to sleep and that nothing can protect them. Ellis and Fatima try to calm him down, but Reggie pushes Ellis down. Elgin restrains him as Fatima tries in vain to calm him as Reggie tells everyone that they are all going to die. Ellis orders Elgin to bring Reggie upstairs, and Elgin drags the screaming Reggie upstairs.

In the RV, Boyd prepares to leave to test the bullets. Donna tries to restrain him, but Boyd says he has heard this music and every time he does, bad things happen, so they have to leave. As he prepares to exit, something thumps the bottom of the RV, scaring them all. Jim says this is impossible because there is no space underneath them. The lights then begin flickering, and Randall breaks a window and runs away on his own. Donna and Jim head for the van, while Boyd fires his gun at the Creatures. A vision of Abby then says his name, telling him to come back to her. However, she disappears, and Boyd continues to fire at the Creatures, but the bullets have no effect. Boyd then runs to the van, which Jim successfully starts and they drive off. Meanwhile, Randall runs through the Forest, and is surrounded by a swarm of cicadas, which knock him down and crawl all over him and into his mouth.

In the Sheriff’s Station, Kenny returns to find Sara with Boyd’s revolver. Kenny tells her to put away the gun, but Sara says everyone wants her to die anyway, and Kenny even wanted her to go in the Box. Kenny repeats his order, but Sara muses about how if she went in the Box, the burden would not be on Kenny to kill her. Therefore, they will pretend she is in the Box and let this place decide for him. Sara then loads two bullets, spins the cylinder and points it at Kenny, telling him that he does not get to decide. Sara then puts the gun to her head, cocks it and pulls the trigger. Kenny grabs the gun and asks what is wrong with her.

In Colony House, Elgin teaches Tillie how to crochet  when Fatima arrives. Tillie compliments Fatima on her leadership, and tells her that she will be a great mother. Fatima and Elgin are shocked, and Tillie says that she has multiple children and grandchildren, and can spot an expecting mother. Fatima asks a crestfallen Elgin what is wrong, and he answers that he just remembered his dream. At that moment, Matthias notices Donna returning in the van. Upstairs, Kristi tends to Mari, and gets her some water at her request. After Kristi leaves, Mari notices a rustling noise in the walls, and soon cicadas fill the room and swarm her just as they did Randall as she shouts in terror. Kristi returns but cannot see the cicadas and tries to calm Mari. Downstairs, people crowd around Boyd and Donna, with Bakta and Meredith asking how long they have to stay awake and why it’s happening. Donna tells everyone to  calm down and that they know they are scared but are trying to figure it out. In the meantime, they should listen to Boyd’s instructions. Jim tries to sneak past the distracted door guard and leave to get back to his family. Boyd tells him that opening the door puts everyone at risk but Jim says they are always at risk. Jim continues to struggle with the guard until both he and Boyd draw their guns on Jim. Kristi then calls for help, and Boyd leaves to help her while Donna pushes the crowd back.

Upstairs, Mari goes catatonic while her eyes glaze over. Kristi begins to break down but Boyd calms her and tells her that Mari needs a doctor, not a fiancee. Kristi points out that there is nothing medically that she can do, but Boyd tells her to help by holding on. Donna chases away onlookers while Ellis tries to tell Boyd something. Donna tells him to go, and Ellis brings his father to Elgin. Elgin explains that Fatima saying she was pregnant made him remember the missing portion of his dream. Boyd is shocked by the news, but tells him to continue. Elgin says there was a Boy in White who kept repeating the same phrase: here they come, they come for three, unless you stop the melody. Bakta says it’s an old nursery rhyme that she remembers from her grandmother, and recites in its entirety:

They touch, they break, they steal, no one here is free. Here they come, they come for three, unless you stop the melody.

Boyd then realizes that he has heard portions of the rhyme before.

Jade tells Tabitha her theory is crazy, but Tabitha thinks it is promising. They are interrupted by a shriek from Julie, who is experiencing the same ordeal as Randall and Marielle. Everyone stares in fright, helpless.

Ball of Magic Fire

As daylight fades, Sheriff Boyd Stevens walks through the Town ringing a bell, signaling for people to return to their homes. Sara Myers locks up the Diner, and touches a talisman by the doorway, while a tabletop jukebox mysteriously turns on. At the local Clinic, Kristi informs Deputy Kenny Liu and his elderly father, Bing-Qian, that it is time for him to go to the basement. Bing-Qian gets agitated, but Kristi calms him, and Gina helps the old man downstairs. As he exits, Kenny compliments Kristi’s skill in calming his father. He awkwardly lingers, clearly enamored with Kristi, but she instructs him to get home before locking up and checking the talisman. After watching the residents of a nearby mansion get inside, Boyd retires to his office, but not before checking the sign outside that reads “NIGHTS WITHOUT INCIDENT: 96.” Tom, the owner of a bar, tries to rouse Frank Pratt, Meagan’s father, from his drunken stupor, but gives up and leaves him passed out on the floor.

Meanwhile, Frank’s wife Lauren anxiously waits at the door for her husband while instructing her daughter to say her prayers. Upstairs, Meagan concludes her prayers when she hears an old woman knocking at the window, calling herself Grandma. Meagan says she is not supposed to open the window, but the old woman promises to keep it a secret. Lauren gets upstairs just in time to see Meagan open the window, and the old woman turns into a horrifying creature and attacks them.

The next morning, the Matthews family is embarking on a roadtrip in an RV. Inside, the elder daughter, Julie, plays with her younger brother, Ethan’s, toys, enacting a scene for him where one of them, Norman, succumbs to his wounds from a monster. Norman’s death agitates Ethan, who asks him to be brought back to life, but Julie refuses, prompting Ethan to complain to their mother. Tabitha chides her daughter and asks what happened. Ethan says that the monsters killed him, and Tabitha tells him that monsters aren’t real, which means that Norman is still alive, cheering her son.

In Town, a hungover Frank walks back to his house, where he sees a crowd gathered outside. He is then met by a furious Boyd, who berates him for not nailing the windows shut when he had a small child in the house. Frank, realizing what happened, breaks down in tears while Boyd drags him upstairs to look upon the eviscerated bodies of his wife and daughter, causing him to break down even further. As Frank sobs on the floor, Boyd orders Kenny to lock him up. On his way out, he passes Father Khatri, who goes upstairs to presumably administer last rites.

On the road, Jim Matthews fondly recalls the first time he and Tabitha drove up to meet her parents. The two reminisce about the car he had back then, and how her parents did not end up hating him. Jim says it reminds him that things weren’t always the way they are, and Tabitha tells him not to try and do that. They then come across a lone Fallen Tree blocking the road. They inspect the tree, finding it odd that there is only one fallen tree. Soon, the family is frightened by the appearance of a flock of crows, who loudly squawk overhead. With no way of moving or getting around it, they get back in the RV and try to circle around.

On the outskirts of Town, Boyd approaches Donna, the leader of the group at the mansion known as Colony House, who scolds him for going against their agreement by coming there. Boyd asks to see his son, and is invited inside. Upstairs, Ellis, Boyd’s son, is sketching his girlfriend Fatima, who is modeling for him. Ellis praises her beauty when Boyd walks in, and Fatima enthusiastically greets him before leaving him alone with his son. Ellis sullenly asks his father why he’s come and Boyd explains the deaths of the Pratt women. An irritated Boyd tells Ellis that he should come to the funeral service before leaving.

Back on the road, the Matthews struggle to find the highway, and have no cell reception. Eventually, they make it into Town. As the funeral for the Pratts is concluding, the townspeople notice the RV arriving and Boyd and Kenny go to talk to Jim, who asks for help getting back to the highway. Boyd tells him to follow the road up the hill and he’ll see it. As they drive, Julie tries to scare her brother by telling him that groups of crows are called murders, and that they’re going to peck at him in his sleep. Jim angrily tells her to stop, while Tabitha says that she thinks the birds were ravens, groups of which are called “an unkindness,” and pointedly looks at her daughter. However, the road leads them back into the center of town, frightening them. Sara finds her brother Nathan as he heads to the Barn to feed the livestock, and mournfully remarks how the worst part is when they still expect to find the road that leads to home. The Matthews try to rationalize what’s happening to them, but return to the center of Town.

Jim then makes a U-turn and heads in the opposite direction, while Boyd tells Kenny to get the spike strip. However, on the way back the Matthews encounter a speeding car heading their way and swerve to avoid it, going down a hill and the RV turns over on its side, while the other car crashes into a tree. The driver of the car finds Boyd and Kenny on the road and informs them of the accident. Boyd rushes to the accident and orders Kenny to get Kristi and help. Kenny brings him to Kristi, who hands the driver, Tobey, off to Gina, while Boyd finds Jade, the second passenger in the car, who is clearly intoxicated, and cuffs him to his car. Boyd finds the RV  and begins helping the Matthews out of the RV, but Tabitha is knocked out and Ethan’s leg has been impaled by a table leg. Kenny, Kristi, Khatri and Ellis arrive to help the crash victims. Boyd successfully retrieves a panicked but otherwise unharmed Julie, while the others work on helping Jade and the trapped family members.

At the clinic, Sara brings recently awoken Tobey a glass of water and tells him that things will be ok and that he should rest.

Tabitha is successfully retrieved from the RV, but Kristi says that it will take at least an hour to safely remove the table leg from Ethan’s leg, while Kenny informs them that they have 40 minutes until dark. Boyd and Kristi decide to stay in the RV overnight with a talisman. Jim, Tabitha and Julie try to stay, but Boyd tells them that the woods are not safe after dark and pleads with them to head to town, but permits Jim to stay.

Meanwhile, Sara observes Tobey as he wakes up again and asks if everyone is okay. Sara answers that she doesn’t think so and Tobey begins panicking. Sara shushes and kisses him, calming Tobey before telling him that it isn’t his fault before stabbing him in the neck, killing him.

At the RV, Boyd tells his son that if the guy cuffed to the car gives him any trouble, he should cut him loose before thanking him for coming. Ellis tells his father that he knows his plan is suicide, but Boyd tells him to just take care of the family. Nearby, Tabitha tells Jim she can’t leave, saying her baby is inside the RV and they’ll just get Thomas out and leave. Jim reminds her that it’s Ethan that’s stuck and Tabitha breaks down in tears, explaining that her head just hurts. A crying and frightened Tabitha tells Jim that she doesn’t trust the people from Town but Kenny arrives and says the need to leave. Jim enters the RV, where he helps Kristi prepare to remove the table leg from Ethan while Boyd prepares the RV by blocking all the windows and exits and hanging the talisman. The rest of them head back to Town on the truck, but the tires are popped by the spike strip Kenny had laid down earlier, so Khatri and Ellis lead them on foot to Colony House.

Inside the RV, Ethan begins seizing, and Kristi has Jim hold him down. Night falls completely, and Boyd peeks outside the window and sees dozens of Creatures surrounding them.

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Out in the forest during daylight, a bloodstained Kenny furiously chops at a tree with an axe.

Back in the RV at night, Ethan stops seizing when he hears movement outside and someone asks if they are ok in the RV. Jim thinks that the townspeople have returned for them, but Boyd refuses and restrains him. Meanwhile, Kenny leads his group to Colony House, and they struggle to make it through the rain. Father Khatri, who is carrying an unconscious Jade, falls, and Kenny helps him up. However, the people inside sound the alarm. Fatima tries to let them inside, but the guard doesn't believe that it's really them. As the Creatures approach, Donna arrives and grants them entry. However, she orders that Tabitha and Julie be tied up, as per protocol, much to their distress.

In the RV, Jim asks Boyd and Kristi what the Creatures are. Boyd answers that he doesn't know, only that the talismans prevent their entry into enclosed spaces. Ethan then wakes up, but Kristi quickly sedates him to keep him calm. Inside Colony House, Ellis ties Jade to a bed, while Trudy asks about the cars. After Ellis stops Trudy from stealing Jade's watch, she remarks that he's attractive. As he leaves, he has her promise not to touch anything, though she stays just to look at him.

Donna approaches Tabitha and apologizes for their treatment of her, cutting her ropes loose. Tabitha immediately makes a run for it, but is stopped by an armed guard. Donna sits down with her, and explains that though none of it makes sense to Tabitha, these are precautions they must take. She promises that no one wants to hurt her or her daughter, and they have all been in her shoes before. Donna then begins to explain the situation of the Town and some of the laws and customs.

Downstairs, Victor retrieves a can of peaches from the pantry near where Julie is tied up. Victor remarks that two cars haven't been seen together in a long time, and asks her what she thinks it means. As Julie begins to cry, Fatima arrives and shoos Victor away, apologizing for him and explaining that he has simply been trapped there for a very long time. She further apologizes for the restraints, but explains that it's only because they don't want anyone to get hurt. Fatima then unties Julie, and shows her Ellis' room, which is covered in his artwork, remarking that he'd love to draw Julie because she's beautiful. Fatima then shows her the view from the window, in order to show that if you climb high enough, even a nightmare can resemble a dream.

Back at the RV, a voice outside says that they should have let them help. A scared Jim asks what happens if they get in but neither Boyd nor Kristi answer. Boyd calms him by reminding him that with the talisman up, they can't get in. Kristi also begins to get rattled, but Boyd reminds her that the Creatures are just playing their usual tricks. They then hear footsteps on the roof, but Boyd tells them to focus on Ethan.

Kenny and Khatri drunkenly climb the stairs while Kenny talks about his father's dementia diagnosis. One night, his father left the house and took the bus all the way into the city, and on the way back, they became trapped in Town.

Sara reveals that she left the Clinic door open. Kenny finds his father's torn-apart body, which he cradles and sobs over. Kenny then points out that the Creatures always walk and never run, as if they know there are only so many places the people can go. Kenny hands Boyd the bloody chess piece and concludes that they are running out of space on the board. Boyd erases the sign that had said "NIGHTS WITHOUT INCIDENT: 96."

In Colony House, Julie tells another story with Ethan's toys, telling him that everything will be ok. However Ethan is distracted by a vision of a Boy in White outside the window, who shushes him.

The Way Things Are Now

At night in the Colony House, Tabitha has a nightmare about the Creatures, but wakes up to see everyone is fine. However, Jade is shouting for Tobey from the bed he is tied to, and Donna angrily tells him to shut up. Jade continues to demand to be released, asking Donna if she knows who he is, prompting Donna to bitterly remark that he's "one of those." Donna then begins to explain his situation.

Boyd wakes up in the morning with something clearly on his mind as he stares out his window at the Box outside his office. Boyd visits Frank in his cell and asks him if he's hungry or if there is anything he needs. Boyd then tells him that it is important to understand that what is going to happen that night is not personal. Frank understands, and adds that Lauren liked Boyd because he was hard on people because he had to be, made the difficult decisions, and was going to be the person to get them all back home. Frank then says that he wasn't always an alcoholic, and Boyd understands, and asks if there is anyone Frank wants to see or to tie up loose ends, and Frank says there is one thing.

Back in Colony House, Jade digests what Donna and Ellis have just told him, but believes that it is all an elaborate escape room-like ruse that Tobey is putting on for him and that Donna and Ellis are paid actors, leaving Donna and Ellis stunned, but Donna lets him wander. Jade runs outside, where he sees Clara passing by on a bicycle, which he takes. Inside, Ethan is awake, and staring at the Boy in White apparition outside his window. Tabitha and Julie arrive with the news that Jim went to the RV to fetch their belongings. Ethan asks how long they will be there, and Tabitha replies that they are figuring it out.

In the Diner, Kenny's mother, Tian-Chen, frantically prepares food while Kenny begs her to get some rest. Tian-Chen replies that she has too much to do but knocks over a glass. As she chides her son for making her break the glass, she tries to clean up the shards but cuts her hand. Kenny helps her and tells her that she needs rest. Tian-Chen begins to say that if she were with her husband the previous night but Kenny cuts her off and says it would not have changed anything. As the two are talking, Sara walks in and seeing the broken glass, begins cleaning it.

At Colony House, Victor measures the amount of steps it takes to get from the house to the trees. Fatima finds Julie on the porch and offers her some berries. Julie declines, but notices that they grow their own food. Fatima jokes that the local supermarkets are terrible. Noticing that Julie is feeling down, Fatima tries to comfort her. Inside, Jim brings their stuff from the RV. Tabitha and Jim imitate creatures from the Cromenockle, one of the Ethan's books, when Julie walks in. However, Donna cuts their reverie short to inform that Father Khatri has arrived to explain the Choosing Ceremony. Khatri explains that all newcomers have to decide whether they want to live up in Colony House or down in the town, and offers to give them a tour of both, including the house that they would stay in in Town. Julie wants to go with her parents, but they order her to remain in the House to look after Ethan, annoying her.

In the Diner, Jade loudly makes an entrance and asks where the clues are. Jade rudely cuts the line and begins taking food, prompting Tian-Chen to hit him on the head with a whisk and yell at him in Cantonese. Outside, Sara meets Nathan who reminds her that she promised she would stay home. Sara says they would have wondered why she didn't show up, and promises that she wants and needs to help. She tells her brother to get back to the Barn, and promises that it will be okay. Meanwhile, Khatri explains how the talismans protect them, but with kids in the house they must nail the windows shut. Tabitha is shocked that people can act like this is normal, and Khatri explains that people adapt. He promises that if they follow his instructions, all will be well. Tabitha then asks about the box-like structure near the Sheriff's Office, and Khatri answers that rulebreakers are sentenced to a night in the box, which will soon be used for the first time.

The tour continues in the house that belonged to the Pratts, where Khatri explains that a family lived there previously, but were killed the previous night while their father was passed out drunk on the other side of town, showing them the bloody room. This frightens Tabitha and she asks Jim why he is taking any of this at face value. Jim grabs her and says he can still hear them whispering outside the RV and tapping on the glass. He tells her that their situation is very real and they are stuck, so they need to make the best of it, lest they end up like the Pratts.

Frank and Boyd go to Meagan's favorite place, a swing Frank made for her in the woods. Frank reminisces about how Meagan always asked him to push her higher and higher, but Lauren was afraid that it was not safe. Frank then asks if he will be buried next to them, and Boyd promises that he will. Boyd then leaves him alone by the swing for a few minutes.

At Colony House, Ellis makes a crutch for Ethan to help him get around while he recovers. A sullen Julie asks Fatima why they are helping her family, and Fatima answers that it is just what they do. In the Diner, Jade eats with Kenny and continues to believe that he is in an elaborate escape room. Kenny asks if anyone has talked to him, and Jade says he got the whole "intro" from Donna, but feels that there are flaws in the logic. Jade points out that he is eating eggs in a diner, and that his nightmares do not usually serve breakfast, and jokes that they have chickens out in the forest. A tired Kenny replies that they don't know where the chickens and cows come from. Jade then asks if he is supposed to get a clue from Kenny, but leaves on his own. Kristi then walks in, and Kenny remarks to her that Jade is going to get himself killed. Kristi, seeing Tian-Chen, asks how she's doing, and Kenny repeats what he previously said about denial being a part of his family tree.

Ethan comes across Victor outside Colony House and asks if he is looking for something and if he needs help. Victor replies that he is checking something, and when asked what he's checking for, complains that Ethan asks a lot of questions. Ethan offers to help him check, but Victor calls him trouble, and tells him to go away. Ethan then asks about the Boy in White, and Victor becomes interested. Victor then tells Ethan that he's checking to see if the trees moved, but says he isn't done checking. Julie then sees Ethan and yells at him to get back inside. Julie tells him not to hang out with Victor anymore, believing him to be creepy.

Jade continues biking around and finds the doors to a root cellar. He descends inside and finds another wooden door. When he opens it, he sees a bloody corpse crushed by a boulder, whose face suddenly turns towards him and starts shrieking, frightening Jade and causing him to fall, where he sees a symbol painted on the ceiling above him. When he looks at the cabinet again, he sees nothing there. As he exits, he declares that Tobey is a genius, and continues on his way.

In the Church, Boyd pays a rare visit, and says that God isn't answering. Khatri counters that he isn't listening closely enough. Boyd then says that he can't put Frank in the box, revealing that it was supposed to be a deterrent, not an actual punishment. Khatri says that if Frank is absolved of his crimes, after he had several public warnings, the rules that hold the town together will carry no weight. Boyd points out that Khatri should be talking to him about the virtues of mercy. Khatri asks if that's what he would prefer, and Boyd angrily shouts that he would prefer not to put Frank in the Box to be torn apart by the Creatures after sundown. Khatri refuses to pretend that this is an easy decision, but asks what happens when people realize that Boyd is too weak to use the guillotine he built in the town square. Boyd calls Khatri a terrible priest and leaves. On his way back to his office, he stops by the Box and goes inside, trying to imagine what it must be like. Boyd then walks into Frank's cell and tosses a talisman on the bed, and tells him that there's a small shack a hundred yards beyond the tree line, and orders him to take the talisman and make whatever life he can there. Frank asks what Boyd will tell everyone, but the Sheriff walks away.

Khatri then holds the Choosing Ceremony, and explains that if the Matthews want to live in Town by their rules, working for the communal good until they can return home, they will choose a rock. If they prefer Colony House, where they will live for the present because the future is not guaranteed, they will choose the flower. Boyd then interrupts to address the issue of Frank and the Box. As Boyd begins his speech, Frank asks to speak, and is given the floor. Frank says he used to be a good father, but let the horrors of the Township get to him, making him forget what really mattered and getting his family killed. He instructs his fellow townspeople not to let that be taken away from them, and to take care of each other. He expresses gratitude for Boyd's attempted intervention, but points out that the only two things that he loved in the world are gone, and he just wants to see them again.

Jade, still believing that this is a performance, begins clapping and laughing. Boyd then restrains Jade and orders him to choose one and he picks a rock. As he begins threatening retribution at Boyd and the rest of them, Kenny offers to show him something and takes him away. Boyd then hastily concludes the ceremony, asking each member of the Matthews family what they're picking. All pick Town except Julie, prompting an argument. However, according to the rules, the choice is final. Boyd assuages the Matthews parents, pointing out that his son will be up there and that she will be looked after. Khatri then reminds everyone that sundown is approaching, and tells them to get home.

Kenny takes Jade to the graveyard, and explains that no one is trying to be cruel to him, but he needs to understand what is going on. Jade continues ranting while Kenny approaches a grave that has yet to be filled in with a shrouded body inside. Kenny unwraps the shroud and shows Jade Tobey's mutilated face, and Jade begins sobbing. As the sun sets, Boyd and Khatri take Frank to the Box. Before entering, Frank makes Boyd promise to get everyone home. Meanwhile, the Matthews (minus Julie) move into their new home, and Jim and Tabitha read to Ethan as they put him to bed. At the Lius', Tian-Chen cries over a shrine to Bing-Qian when Kenny arrives with Jade, and explains that he is going to stay with them for a few days. In Colony House, the residents have a toast to celebrate Julie's arrival.

As the Creatures approach the Box, Boyd struggles to watch from his window, while Frank at first tries to prepare to go down fighting. However, he breaks down and sits on the floor, resigned to his fate. The Creatures then break in and attack him.

Choosing Day

In a flashback, a child Victor emerges from the root cellar on the outskirts of Town and finds the road littered with dead bodies. In the present, he draws Julie in crayon while she sleeps. When she wakes up, she recoils in fright. Victor asks her if she knows the feeling of forgetting a dream but then remembering it later and realizing that it may have actually happened. Victor continues to say that he is starting to remember things he thought were dreams while she looks around uncomfortably. He then hands her the drawing which he made for her, leaving her confused. Trudy then greets her and asks for her pillow back, explaining that it’s like a security blanket for her, which she calls Meredith, explaining that the things that matter should always have names. As Trudy leaves, Julie says she has a shirt just like hers, and Trudy says she got it out of Julie's suitcase, explaining that they share everything at Colony House, bothering Julie.

Outside his office, Boyd lugs a cart full of wood to repair the Box and finds Frank’s body. In the Diner, Sara arrives and finds Tian-Chen crying, who quickly regains her composure upon seeing Sara. In the Matthews’ new home, Jim finds in Tabitha in the kitchen. Tabitha sadly recalls how “he” used to love this time of morning, and he’d stop crying as the sun came up. As she starts crying, Tabitha asks her husband if they are being punished. Jim is shocked by the question, and Tabitha points out that she is drinking tea from a dead woman’s mug in a place that can’t exist, in a house where a child died while their daughter is doing God knows what. Ethan then comes downstairs and asks if his mother is crying, but she answers that she just has a headache. Ethan says that he misses Julie, but Jim says they should go to the Diner for the big community breakfast. Tabitha says they should go without her while she unpacks and reorganizes their things.

Boyd puts Frank’s body in the cart,  covering it with a tarp as he heads to the graveyard. On the way, he passes Jim and Ethan on their way to the Diner. Ethan asks what’s in the cart, and Boyd answers its supplies for Father Khatri, declining the boy’s offer of help.

Inside the Diner, the tabletop jukebox mysteriously turns on as Jim and Ethan enter. Sara introduces herself and says she’s glad they came because Ms. Liu tries to make something special for newcomers, with Jim realizing that it was her husband that died in the Clinic the previous night.

Boyd arrives at the Church with the body. Khatri grimly remarks that the Creatures don’t leave much before asking if Boyd will return for the service. Boyd laughs, reminding Khatri that he was the one who wanted Frank dead. Khatri asks him if that made him feel better, but Boyd just walks away and says to return the cart when he’s done.

Kenny finds Jade sitting by the entrance to the root cellar and Jade has him follow him downstairs. Jade explains that when he found it there was a strange symbol on the ceiling and he found a dead body crushed by a boulder that began screaming in the cabinet. Jade gets angry when he sees Kenny’s face and promises that what he saw was real. Kenny explains that the first few days are really hard on everyone before Jade interrupts and says he knows the difference between this vision and drug-induced hallucinations. Jade admits he has a healthy imagination that helped him build a software company, but even he is incapable of imagining this. Jade says that there is an explanation but none of them seem to be looking for it. Kenny then tells Jade to follow him to the Sheriff’s Office.

Back at the Diner, Tian-Chen brings a plate stacked with pancakes to an excited Ethan, telling him to enjoy. Before leaving, she places a comforting hand on Jim’s shoulder. Ethan asks his father if they live here now, and Jim says he should think of it like a vacation. Ethan responds that it’s like a hero’s quest, like when his toy, Norman, went to the Lake of Tears. Jim acknowledges that he might be onto something before Ethan says he pretends Thomas went on quest to save the kingdom. Jim is stunned, and says he is going to the bathroom, where he cries by himself. In the house, Tabitha regains her composure begins unpacking. Victor then arrives in the Diner and says the trees have moved four inches closer, which is bad. Ethan asks if they should tell someone, but Victor says they wouldn’t understand. Victor then asks something important: if the picture he drew of the Boy in White is the one Ethan saw. Ethan says it’s him, and seeing Victor’s face fall asks what’s wrong. Victor answers that it means the Boy was real when Jim returns, and seeing Victor’s drawing, marches Victor away, ordering him to stay away from Ethan, shoving him out the door. Ethan scolds his father, who declares it’s time to leave.

In Colony House, Fatima finds a crying Julie, who explains that she thinks she made a mistake. Fatima admits it was hard for her at first too, but it helped once she figured out how to get her clothes back from Trudy.

Jim and Ethan return to their house, and Ethan tells Jim that he shouldn’t have treated his friend Victor that way. Jim begins to apologize but Ethan asks to be left alone.

Fatima and Julie take down laundry from the clothesline, and Fatima explains that Trudy has a habit of hoarding clothes she likes. Tabitha then arrives with a sweater of Julie’s. Tabitha says that they miss her, and Julie admits she misses them. Tabitha entreats her daughter to return with her , pointing out that she can leave whenever she wants. She says they can tell Donna she made a mistake, and Julie grows angry and says she feels like they always treat her as if she’s making mistakes and has to admit she was wrong. As she begins to walk away, Tabitha stops her and says that they need to stick together in this place. Julie scoffs, and admits that she knew her parents were planning on getting a divorce and the roadtrip was a final hurrah before they broke the news, and tells her mother to stop treating her like a child. Tabitha admits her daughter is right, and explains that she and Jim love Julie and Ethan very much before Julie stops her and says that Thomas is dead, but they have two other kids and asks why they aren’t enough for her. Tabitha says it is not that simple but Julie walks away. As she wipes away her tears, Fatima promises to give the sweater to Julie.

At the Sheriff’s Office, Kenny shows Jade the map of all the locations the inhabitants of the Town were originally from before they became trapped. Jade was driving on the East Coast when he entered the Town, while the Matthews, who arrived on the same day, were driving in Arizona. Kenny lists several other examples, and explains that all the residents drove in from wildly different locations. Jade declares that impossible and begins laughing and says the difference between them is that he doesn’t accept the world as it is and won’t rest until he figures it out. Kenny tells him he’ll lose his mind that way, and that the people who don’t bend and adapt will break. Kenny adds that the hardest part isn’t the monsters, but it’s what it does psychologically. Jade then overhears the radio static and takes it with him as he leaves.

Jim sits on the porch of his house and glumly looks at the drawing Victor made. Tabitha arrives and quips that he looks how she feels. Jim asks her about unpacking, and Tabitha explains she went to see Julie, which went as well as he’d expect. She adds that Julie knows about the divorce. Jim insists that everything will be ok and Tabitha tells him to stop saying that and admit that he has no idea what to do because he’s insistence that things will be ok makes the rest of them feel as if they’re doing something wrong. Jim retorts that that isn’t fair, and Tabitha counters by asking what part of the last 14 months have been fair. Ethan overhears them from the kitchen when he sees Victor out back. Victor tells him that they need to find the Boy in White, because they need to ask him why he’s back. Ethan says he can’t leave but Victor says he has to because the Boy chose him like he once chose Victor. Ethan asks if this is like a quest, and Victor agrees, giving him a walking stick more befitting of “a quest” than the crutch.

As Boyd repairs the Box, Khatri returns the cart and tells Boyd that if he needs to say shitty things to him to feel better, he fine with that. Boyd refuses to engage, prompting Khatri to launch into a sermon, citing Psalm 23 from the “Book of Cut the Self-Pitying Bullshit and be a Leader.” Khatri tells Boyd that what happened to the Pratts was not Boyd’s fault, but none of this is about what happened to them. Boyd warns him to be careful about what he says, and Khatri tells him that he needs to stop punishing himself because “she” wouldn’t want that. Boyd gets angry, but Khatri tells him that prior to Boyd’s arrival, he was burying more people every week than he had in the past two years. Khatri credits Boyd with creating order out of chaos and finding the talismans, acknowledging the price Boyd paid. Khatri sympathizes with Boyd but tells him that he doesn’t have the luxury of grief. They went three months without a death but had six in the past three days. Khatri forcefully tells Boyd that he needs to tell the people that it will be okay. Khatri volunteers himself to be Boyd’s punching bag, but Boyd needs to lead them and lead them home, or else she died for nothing, concluding the sermon. Boyd doesn’t respond, and goes back to repairing the Box when his hand starts shaking.

As they trek through the forest, Victor explains that it had been so long he thought the Boy in White was a dream, who first appeared after two cars arrived on the same day, just like with Ethan, although long ago. As they talk, Victor reveals that he has been in the Township longer than anyone, but he gets angry and defensive when Ethan asks what happened to his parents. Ethan then reveals that his baby brother, Thomas, died recently. Victor is shocked by this revelation, and Ethan explains that he is telling him because Victor is his friend. Victor then spots the Boy in White and points him out to Ethan, and has them follow.

Tabitha returns to her house with Jim on her heels asking to try and figure this out. Tabitha says she can’t do this and says she’s going to visit Julie with Ethan. However, she can’t find him, and Jim finds his crutch in the backyard. The two then frantically begin searching for him.

In the forest, Victor and Ethan come across a large tree with a hollow near the base of its trunk, which Victor dubs a “Farway Tree.” He then demonstrates its properties by throwing a rock down into the hollow. The rock then falls near them as if it dropped from the sky. Ethan is amazed, and Victor reveals that it works for people too, but the problem is that you never know where you’ll end up. Victor adds that there are many more, but this one is new. Victor then hears a dog barking, and flashes back to when he was a child and saw a dog near all the dead bodies. Victor then says they have to go. As Jim and Tabitha search through the forest for Ethan, they come across a dog that looks exactly like the one in Victor’s memories. The two are then surrounded by barking dogs until Victor scares them away with a shot from the revolver he keeps in his lunchbox. Ethan is happy to see his parents, who are frightened by Victor. Jim angrily steps towards Victor, reminding him that he warned him about going near Ethan. Victor points the gun at Jim and promises that he is not a bad person and would never hurt Ethan.

Victor then returns to his room and begins sorting through his drawings and finds a drawing of the dog, remembering that he saw the Boy in White the same day as he saw the dog and fall the bodies as a child. In his flashback, the young Victor follows the Boy in White, who begins playing on the merry-go-round outside what is now the Matthews’ house. The Boy in White waves at young Victor, who waves back. Victor then places the drawings on his wall.

Jim approaches Boyd and says he has a problem with Victor. Jim explains that Victor is taking Ethan out in the woods, and Boyd promises to talk to Donna. Jim adds that Victor has a gun in his lunchbox. Before he leaves, Boyd admits that things have been crazy since the Matthews arrived so they haven’t gotten to know each other, and invites them to dinner.

In Colony House, Fatima and Ellis surprise Julie with a new bed, telling her that there are no mistakes, only choices, delighting her. Fatima then gives her the sweater her mother had brought earlier.

Before dinner, Boyd trims his beard and neatens his hair. He then screams at the mirror for a few seconds. At the Diner, Boyd sits with the Matthews and talks with them about Julie. Tabitha thanks him for what he did, and Boyd says that they take care of each other in Town, and compliments them on how they’re coping. Sara brings over another plate of food and asks Ethan if he wants to help her. The tabletop jukebox then turns on, confusing the Matthews parents, and Boyd explains that they do that sometimes. Boyd then excuses himself to go talk with Kenny for a moment. Jim apologizes to Tabitha, and admits that he doesn’t know what he is doing, and never meant to make her feel bad, explaining that he feels broken. Tabitha holds his hand and promises that they will figure it out together. Ethan then comes over with a plate of sweet potatoes. As Sara observes them, she becomes agitated, and notices the words “KILL THE BOY” painfully appearing on her arm before vanishing, disturbing her. Sara then collapses and has a seizure, and Boyd rushes to help.

Outside Colony House, Victor digs graves in the yard while the other inhabitants watch from the porch, concerned. Donna rushes out and tells him that he is freaking people out, and Victor replies that he is just trying to get a head start this time.

A Rock and a Farway

While Nathan feeds the animals at the Barn, someone informs him that something happened to Sara at the Diner and she’s being taken to the Clinic. There, Kristi checks on Sara and says she should stay the night, offering to have Nathan stay with her. Sara insists she is fine and asks that she tell Nathan that she is asleep to avoid troubling him. Kristi informs Boyd that Sara is doing fine and will stay the night, but without an MRI there’s no way to know what’s going on. Boyd asks if she’s ready for that, and Kristi promises she will not let the door to be opened again. Boyd then asks if Sara’s and Ethan’s seizures are physical reactions to the Town. Kristi says she would have thought almost everything that happens in town is impossible. Noticing the tremors that Boyd is trying to conceal in his hand, Kristi tells him to come by tomorrow. She then spots Nathan heading their way from the window, and tells Boyd that Sara wants to be left alone. Boyd meets him outside the Clinic and tells him that she’s fine but asleep and he can come by tomorrow, assuring him that Kristi will watch her overnight. Nathan frantically tries to get in, and Boyd asks if something else is going on. Nathan says he’s just worried about his little sister. Boyd reassures Nathan that Sara is in good hands and tells him that he can see her in the morning.

At the Matthews’ house, Ethan asks if Sara will be alright, and Jim and Tabitha assure him that she’s being taken care of by Kristi. In the meantime, Jim proposes that they try and figure out the mysteries of the Town by writing all the questions they have on the wall, beginning with “where are we.” In his house, Nathan sits by Sara’s bloodstained dress, pondering what to do.

As the night begins, Sara walks around the Clinic, and ponders stealing a scalpel. When found by Kristi, she says she can’t sleep, and Kristi admits the same, and offers her some tea. While they drink, Sara says Kristi and Kenny make a cute couple. Kristi insists that they are just friends, and Sara asks why, pointing out that he is sweet and clearly loves her. Kristi explains that it’s complicated because she had a fiancee at home named Marielle, and often thinks about what it must be like for her. Sara admits that she was with someone back home, but it’s better that he’s gone. Things were not good for her but Nathan saved her. Now, Nathan is all she has in the world. Sara then asks Kristi that were there were something that would allow her to see Marielle again and for everyone to go home, even if it was something bad, if she would do it. After ensuring that they are speaking hypothetically, Kristi says she would do anything to see her again, and if everyone else got to go home, it’s a lot of good for one bad thing.

The next morning, Jim continues looking at the wall with all the questions on it. Tabitha asks him if he’s figured it out, and Jim jokingly answers “12.” Jim repeats that everyone arrives from different parts of the country, sees the same fallen tree. Tabitha points out that everyone else has asked the same questions , and asks what difference writing on the wall will make. Jim explains that there is something they aren’t seeing yet, a question they haven’t yet asked. Jim hands Tabitha the marker, but she is reluctant to voice her question because she is not sure she wants to know the answer.

At the Clinic, Sara leaves, thanking Kristi, adding that she enjoyed their “girls night,” which Kristi says she’d love to repeat, medical emergency or not. Nathan then arrives, and the two walk away together. Nathan says they need to talk and Sara apologizes for worrying him. He says he just needs to know what happened, and she explains that she was standing one minute and on the floor the next, but does not remember anything else. An exasperated Nathan asks her why she’s acting like everything is okay, and she responds that she needs to get to the Diner before Mrs. Liu starts to worry. Sara promises that everything will be okay, and tells Nathan she loves him.

At Colony House, Fatima finds Julie making a list of everyone who will be wondering where she and her family are, thinking about how it’s worse for them not knowing. Fatima admits she did the same thing when she arrived, and asks who is on the list. Julie lists her grandparents and friends, and Fatima teases her and asks if she has a boyfriend or girlfriend. Julie says she doesn’t have anyone like that, but grimly remarks that it’s probably a good thing, because it means one less person losing their mind over where she is. Fatima decides that Julie needs some fun, and tells her to meet her downstairs in five minutes. Fatima then tells Ellis that Julie is making a list, and they should show her the Brundles.

In Town, Jade wanders muttering to himself while carrying a radio when he passes the Bar, where Trudy asks him what he’s doing. Jade explains that the radio helps him think. Trudy says that he’s even cuter when he’s awake, explaining that she had watched him while he slept. Trudy declares it’s too bad he chose Town, otherwise she would have “rode him like an alabaster dragon.” She then walks away, leaving Jade stunned. Jade then goes inside the Bar.

In his Office, Kenny updates Boyd, who is studying the map, that Sara is okay, and brings him some food. Boyd asks him to hold down the fort while he stops by his wife’s grave.

Back in the Bar, Jade stares in amazement at the Bar, and Tom explains that he built it because he figured people need it. He asks Jade if he is okay, and he answers no and asks Tom if he is. Tom answers that he is great and pours Jade a glass of moonshine. Jade asks everyone how they are all just sitting there, and spits out his drink when he first tries it. Tom recalls that Jade recently arrived and lost his friend, and tells him it gets easier. Jade says the immediate problem is figuring out how to get home, but they don’t even know where they are. He likens it to throwing darts blind, and begins throwing darts around and shouting until Tom tells him to sit down. Jade declares that he will be the one to figure out how to escape. He explains that he just sold a company for an obscene amount of money based on his algorithm, wistfully adding that he should be out celebrating. Jade then returns to the subject of escaping and says they need to understand their paradox and frame it to solve it. Tom compares there to Schrodinger’s Cat, adding that he taught Intro to Philosophy at USC. He admits he knows nothing about computers, but if Jade is so smart, he should figure out how to get his radio to broadcast, glibly remarking that if the cat turns on a radio, people will at least know it’s still alive.

Outside the Matthews House, Tabitha redresses Ethan’s wound, and points out that it’s healing very quickly. Ethan wonders if this place also helps people, and says maybe they should ask that question. Downstairs, Sara asks for Ethan. After assuring his parents that she is okay, she takes Ethan up on his offer to see the playground outside his house with him, and joins him on the merry go round. At the Church, Nathan seeks out Father Khatri, but he is not present.

In the woods near Colony House, Ellis and Fatima lead Julie to the Brundles, a small lake where the residents have built a dock and added toys. Julie is shocked to see the happy, normal atmosphere the place has. Fatima remarks that it’s like being anywhere else in the world, prompting Julie to ask how Fatima remains positive. Fatima then explains that she grew up in Iran until she was 11, with an outspoken cleric for a father. On one of her birthdays, men came for her father and her mother instructed her to hide. Her father was dragged outside the house and shot. Fatima concludes that there will always be monsters in the world wherever you are, and that she promised herself that she would not allow them to scare the life out of her. Ellis then returns from the water, and says that Fatima looks too dry, picking her up and carrying her to the water.

Tabitha observes Ethan and Sara from her window, and remarks to Jim that it’s the most like himself he’s seemed since they arrived. Outside, Ethan asks Sara how long she has been in the Town, and she answers just a few months. Ethan tells her that his parents are trying to figure out where they are so they can all go home, which is what the Cromenockle would do. As they talk, Tabitha comes outside and tells Ethan not to make Tabitha sit on the dirty merry go round. Sara offers to show Ethan the goats and chickens at the Barn, explaining her brother cares for the livestock. Tabitha joins them, while Jim remains to ponder the questions on the wall.

Outside of Town, Boyd visits his wife’s grave. After putting flowers by the grave marker, he apologizes for his absence, explaining that recently the Creatures killed a family and several others at the Clinic. He adds that they were doing well for a while and things almost began to feel normal. He then reveals that the began getting tremors in his hand, just like his father did meaning that the clock is ticking for him. However, he has a crazy idea that might get everyone home, but if he fails it will leave everyone even worse off. He remembers how she always made all the hard calls, laughing as he does. Although he doesn’t believe in signs, he says he could really use one and needs a little help.

Nathan finds Father Khatri meditating in a field, and asks what the rules are regarding confession. Khatri promises that anything he says will stay between them and God. Nathan then asks him what if it’s really bad. At the Barn, Sara introduces Tabitha and Ethan to Alma the goat. Sara tells Tabitha that she has a very nice family, and that it’s ok to be sad and scared due to their circumstances. However, she adds that Tabitha will be surprised by how quickly it becomes normal. Tabitha replies that she doesn’t want this to become normal, but to go home. Sara agrees, but is thankful for the Talismans, mentioning that Father Khatri always mentions how much worse things were before they found them. Prior to the Talismans, the people used hiding places. Sara adds that it’s useful to know about them if she ever gets stuck outside after dark, and offers to show Tabitha one in the Barn.

After Nathan reveals everything, Khatri says he should have come forward much sooner. As Khatri begins walking away, Nathan stops him and says she doesn’t want Sara to go in the Box, and reminds him that he promised it would stay between them. Khatri says he plans on keeping his promise, but they have to worry about the townspeople. Nathan says Sara will be at the Diner, and the two begin heading that way.

Sara leads Tabitha into the Barn, and opens a door. As Tabitha walks towards it, Sara pushes her in and locks the door, apologizing as Tabitha pounds on the door and demands to be let out. In Town, Khatri tells Nathan to find Sara, and Boyd hails Khatri, and asks him how someone who asked for a sign would know what they are looking for. Nathan searches for Sara in the Diner, but Tom tells him that he saw her heading to the Barn with Tabitha and Ethan. At the Barn, Sara approaches Ethan, and tells him that she really likes him, and that what is about to happen will save everyone, just like in one of his stories, and that he will be the hero. Noticing something is off, Ethan says he wants his mother as Sara grabs him. Nathan arrives and tells Sara to let Ethan go, but she tells him that this how they go home. Ethan is able to wriggle out of her grasp, and Nathan runs behind his sister and restrains her. As she tries to escape his hold on her, she accidentally slashes Nathan’s throat with the scalpel, causing her to begin weeping just as Khatri arrives.

As Julie, Fatima and Ellis return from the Brundles, Ethan comes running up crying for his sister. At the Barn, Jim gets Tabitha out and she tells him to go find Ethan, and Julie arrives with him. Meanwhile a crowd has gathered around the Barn. Kristi checks on Nathan, but he is dead. After Boyd checks on the Matthews, Khatri explains to him and Jim that he was too late and she ran off into the woods. Boyd promises that if she returns before dark, they will handle it, and if she doesn’t, it will have been handled for him. An angry Jim then excoriates the two, reminding them that they described the Town as one big family. In their house, Jim and Tabitha compliment Julie on her handling of the situation. Tabitha has Julie take Ethan upstairs, with Julie promising they can read the “Cromwhatsit.” Once they’re gone, Tabitha writes “did we survive the crash?”

At the Diner, Boyd finds Kristi struggling to cope with the situation. She explains that Sara had asked questions such as what she would do to go home. Boyd assures Kristi that this is not her fault. Kristi explains that it was so nice spending the night with her, but Sara took the scalpel from the Clinic, asking if it’s not her fault, whose is it. Boyd tells her that she did not bring them to Town, did not put any thoughts in Sara’s head, and reminds her that she saved Ethan’s life, and tells her to cut herself some slack. As the tabletop jukebox begins playing, Boyd declares that he just received his sign.

Silhouettes

While Kenny and Boyd bury Nathan, Father Khatri gives a sermon about how chaos and faith are the duality of their existence, both in Town and in the larger world. He says that from birth, they are faced with incomprehensible chaos, which they try to understand. As they search for answers and meaning, they find their faith that they are in the world as part of God’s mysterious plan, understanding that chaos is the meaning, and it is through the struggle and search they find their purpose. Khatri concludes with Proverbs 3:5- “trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not into thine own understanding.” Meanwhile, Jade goes through Town gathering equipment for the radio, while Tabitha looks through things in her house, and Julie looks at the graves Victor dug outside Colony House, and finds a bouquet of flowers on the porch.

At the end of the sermon, Tabitha drops off papers with Bible verses written on them that she found in the Pratt’s belongings. Khatri asks her how Ethan is doing, and she admits that he is scared and confused, not understanding why Sara would try and hurt him. She asks if anyone has seen Sara, and Khatri says not since she ran off into the woods and he was unable to keep up with her, and was probably killed during the night. Tabitha then asks if he wrote down the verses from memory, and he says that he did. He then asks her what she really came to ask him, and Tabitha asks how he knows any of this is real, and whether they are alive or dead. Khatri responds by asking if it mattered. If they were dead and trapped in some awful purgatory, they would still be stuck and searching for a way to go home, and all that would change is the home they are searching for. Tabitha guesses that she isn’t the first to ask that, and he says he has had plenty of chances to work on his answer. He adds that if it’s any consolation, the Matthews were all alive when they crashed in the Town, and that she and her family are alive. After Tabitha departs, Khatri goes down into the basement, where he is keeping Sara tied to a chair, and tells her that they need to talk.

As they finish digging the grave, Boyd asks Kenny if he is alright, and Kenny admits that he is having a hard time wrapping his mind around the kind and nice Sara doing this. He adds that his mother is taking it hard, having viewed Sara as a daughter. Boyd tells him that he has been thinking about what Kenny said about running out of room on the board. Kenny dismisses it as him having been upset, but Boyd says it does not mean he was wrong. Boyd explains that he feels that things are changing, and points out that the talismans can work in the RV. Now, he is determined to go out into the forest but Kenny begins to walk away. Boyd scolds Kenny, who asks if he is going alone and how far he is going. Boyd says he is trying to find a way out, but Kenny says there is no point and he is simply going to his death.

In the Matthews home, Tabitha finishes packing away the Pratts' belongings while Jim examines the wires in the lamp. When asked, he reveals to Tabitha that there is no wire in the cord, and points out that their outlets are fake too, meaning that none of their lamps should work. Jade then barges in, and sees that they noticed the wires. Tabitha points out he nearly killed them when they arrived in Town. Jade points out that he wasn’t driving, and his best friend since fourth grade is now dead, so they should call it even. Jade reveals he has an idea, and asks if they want to participate.

In the Church basement, Khatri asks Sara if she knew that there isn’t a single copy of the bible in Town. He admits that she is probably wondering why she isn’t in the Box given her crimes, but he reveals that Nathan told him about the voices. Khatri then removes Sara’s gag, and tells her that despite the awful things she’s done, he thinks she can still do something good.

At Colony House, Julie puts the bouquet she found in a pot. Fatima compliments her on her eye, but Julie explains that she found them arranged. Fatima tells her it is laundry day, and takes her with her. Out on the road, Jade and Jim strip Jade’s Audi for wire. Jim asks why they went all the way to Jade’s car when they could have stripped wire from the cars in Town. Jade explains that his car is a top of the line model, not a “peasant-model jalopy.” Jim eyes his crashed RV before leaving with Jade.

At the Diner, Tabitha and Ethan drop off the Pratts' things, and Tian Chen lead them to the storage area. Tabitha notices that Ethan is nervous, and promises that Sara is not here or able to hurt him. In the storage room, Ethan is amazed by how much there is, and starts touching things, but Tabitha says not to, because it belonged to people who used to live in Town. Ethan compares it to the cavern of the lonely dragon, explaining that when the Cromenockle was lost in the rainbow sky, she found the cavern home of the lonely dragon, to whom the things no one else wanted were treasure. In one of those piles, was the map of the rainbow sky, which the dragon gave the Cromenockle allowing her to find her way. Ethan then says that they could find the map in the storage room. Tabitha then notices a bracelet which she takes.

Out in a field, Jim and Jade approach a tree. Jim doesn’t think it’s tall enough and they won’t have the signal strength, but Jade says it’ll just be a test run. After Jade rudely says that he built a multimillion dollar company while Jim did safety tests on teacup rides, Jim walks away. Jade runs over to him and admits he is not great at talking to people, but needs Jim’s help. The antenna needs to go up high, but he can’t climb the tree because of his vertigo. Jade begs Jim to try to see if the radio will work.

At the Clinic, Boyd visits Kristi, and asks her how Kenny is doing. Kristi admits that he has been having a hard time since his father’s death, and is trying hard to be a person that he thinks people need him to be because he is Boyd’s deputy and doesn’t want to fail him. Boyd admits he hasn’t been trying to push him too hard but Kenny needs to be ready to lead. Kristi bluntly tells Boyd that she understands Boyd wants to prepare him for the worst and to be his successor, but at the moment Kenny is in pain and needs a father, not a sheriff. Boyd realizes that she is right, and thanks her as he leaves. Kristi eyes the room where Bing-Qian died, and shuts the door.

In the basement of the Church, Father Khatri tells Sara that people think the bible is a fixed object. Khatri asks how it can be completed when all the players are still on the stage. He then explains that the bible is composed of 73 books filled with tales of miracle and wonder, as well as darkness and gruesomeness. Khatri admits that since he arrived, he has pondered whether the people of the Town are living through the unwritten 74th book of the bible, and if they were chosen. Sara asks what they were chosen for, and Khatri admits he does not know, but it is why she needs to tell him about the voices she has been hearing.

At the Matthews’ home, Ethan comes across his mother staring at the bracelet. Noticing the flickering lamp nearby, Ethan asks her what is causing it to do so, and Tabitha says she does not know, but says they should have an adventure, where they try to figure out where the light comes from. After unplugging the lamp and moving furniture, Tabitha begins hammering into the wall, shocking her son.

In the forest, Jim climbs the tree with the antenna, and asks Jade to shake the wire free after it gets snagged. As Jim continues upward, Jade checks on him, but hallucinates that his hand is covered in blood and that the tree is festooned with dismembered corpses dressed in Civil War uniforms, whose blood drips all over him and that a peculiar symbol is carved into the bark. Jade then turns around and notices a Civil War Soldier aiming at him and flees into the forest as the soldier fires. The soldier pursues him into the forest, and after Jade trips and falls, bayonets him. As Jade hyperventilates, Jim comes to his aid and helps him up, assuring him that whatever he saw as not real. Jade angrily pushes him away and leaves.

In the Church, Sara explains that the voices told her they wanted to help and had been in Town for a long time, waiting for someone who could help them escape and return home. Khatri asks her why she would believe them, and Sara answers that they told her things that they could not know, such as the two cars arriving on the same day, which happened before causing everyone to die due to the actions of those cars’ passengers. The voices further told her that if she did as they bid, they would be safe and return home. Khatri asks her how they would return home, and Sara says she does not know. Khatri further asks if she still believes them. Sara answers that they told her Nathan would be ok, and begins sobbing. Khatri holds her and tells her that if the voices are real, it means that the Town is communicating with her in a way and she is uniquely connected to it, making extremely valuable. However, they need proof for Sheriff Boyd that the voices are not just the product of a troubled mind. Sara then cries out in pain and shouting “no” as Khatri helplessly looks on. Sara asks for a piece of paper, because the voices want her to show him something.

Out in the forest, Jim fiddles with the radio at the base of the tree. He is seemingly able to get a signal, and asks if anyone is out there. In the Diner, Jade obsessively draws the symbol he saw on the tree when Tian-Chen approaches him with tea, which he rudely dismisses. Tian-Chen speaks to him in Cantonese, and Jade relents and sips his tea, thanking her. Tian-Chen notices the symbol on the paper, and Jade begins to explain that he keeps seeing the symbol but Tian-Chen leaves to the storage room. Jade follows her inside, and he realizes that it is all the belongings of the former inhabitants. Tian-Chen finds a box and begins sifting through it before finding a journal whose pages are covered in the same symbol Jade was drawing, scaring him.

In the Church basement, Sara draws on a piece of paper, begging the voices to stop. When she is done, she hands him the drawing, explaining that they said when Khatri arrived, they watched him bury the bag, asking if he knows what it means, shocking the priest. In his room, Boyd looks through his drawers before finding his baseball mitt. Boyd goes to the Liu home, where he finds Kenny carving chess pieces. Boyd asks his protege to play catch with him, but Kenny is not interested. Boyd explains that he played first base in college, and had a chance of going pro. Kenny asks what happened, and Boyd replies that life, as always, had other plans. Boyd admits to Kenny that he has Parkinson’s disease. He explains that it has already begun chipping away at him, and eventually he will not be able to protect the townspeople. Thus, he has to find a way out while he still can, but he can only do this knowing that it will be in good hands. Boyd praises Kenny, telling that there are many in Town who are alive because of him, and while his father is not around to say it, he, like Boyd, is proud of him. Boyd adds that if he is not ready and needs more time, he will stay. Kenny then rises, and asks him if they are playing catch or not, and Boyd follows him out.

Jim returns home only to find the hole in the wall. Ethan then emerges from the basement with a bucket of dirt, explaining that his mother told him to bring it outside. Jim descends, and finds Tabitha digging a hole in the basement floor. Jim informs his wife that he was able to get some static on the radio, which she interprets as a good sign. She then explains that she is searching for the source of the electricity, given the lack of power lines or wires, and that all the cords simply lead straight down. Jim asks her to stop digging and asks her what is going on. Tabitha stops and asks Jim if he remembers the bracelet she made him out the laces from his father’s boots from early in their relationship, and how he lost it in the hospital the night Julie was born. Tabitha then directs Jim’s gaze towards the shelf, where she has put the bracelet. Jim simply believes the bracelet is similar to the one she made him, but Tabitha insists it is the same. Tabitha points out a mistake in the bracelet from when she made it, which caused her to worry but Jim simply said “accidents are the best part” at the time. Tabitha asks him why he said that and he answers that they make it one of a kind. Jim insists that it is impossible, but Tabitha counters that no part of their situation makes sense, and while they may not be able to find out how the bracelet arrived in Town but they can find out where the wires go. Jim then tells her to give him a shovel.

Out in a clearing, Father Khatri digs and finds a bag containing a bottle of alcohol, bloodstained clothes, and a Cosmo chocolate bar, whose logo matches the drawing Sara made at the voices’ direction, leaving him stunned. Back in town, Boyd and Kenny play catch. Kenny offers to carve them a bat, so they can play proper baseball when he returns.

After nightfall, Kevin walks through Colony House while everyone is asleep. He goes upstairs and opens a window curtain, and outside on the balcony a creature in the form a beautiful young woman holds a bouquet of flowers. The Creature compliments it, delighting Kevin, and asks him when she can come inside.

Book 74

In Colony House, the residents hang decorations in preparation for a party, while Ellis looks around. Upstairs, Julie finds it odd that they are celebrating the day Fatima got stuck in the Town. Fatima, who is looking for something under her bed, says that she is looking at it the wrong way, and that they are actually celebrating survival, cheekily adding that it’s nice to have a party once in a while. Fatima then finds a sweater, which she keeps from Trudy, who loves it. An admiring Julie tells Fatima that she makes the Town seem almost normal, and that she is special. Fatima is touched, but says that they are all special, even Trudy. Ellis arrives and asks if they want to pregame, both decline, and Fatima tells him to go easy. Ellis teases them both and leaves calling for Victor. Julie asks Fatima if Ellis is alright, and she explains that nights like this are difficult for him, because it makes him remember the people who didn’t make it. Fatima then gives Julie a dress for the party.

Downstairs, Ellis tells an uninterested Victor that he of all people should get drunk, considering how long he has been trapped in the Town. Victor asks to be left alone before Donna arrives. Ellis offers her a shot before leaving. Victor informs Donna that there aren’t any peaches in the pantry. Donna tells him that they are completely out. Victor says that this is the first time they’ve ever run out of peaches, and Donna apologizes. Out on the porch, Kevin leaves a bouquet of flowers on the porch, before someone tells him to get inside before dark.

In Town, Boyd walks through the streets ringing the bell telling people to get inside. In her home, Tabitha reads to Ethan from the Cromenockle, and after noticing that Ethan has fallen asleep, begins closing the curtains. In the Liu home, Kenny finds Jade squirreled away in his room repeatedly drawing the mysterious symbol he saw in his hallucination. Kenny admonishes Jade for drawing in his book. Jade angrily shouts that he was out of paper and asks Kenny if he wants him to draw on the walls like a psychopath.  Meanwhile Father Khatri waits on the porch of the Sheriff’s Office for Boyd. When he returns, Khatri tells Boyd they need to talk in private urgently. Inside, Khatri notices that Boyd is preparing to leave, and remarks that they have even more to talk about.

Back at the Matthews, Jim sketches plans for a radio tower, and Tabitha informs him that Ethan is passed out. Jim jokes that she violated numerous child labor laws by having him dig in the basement, but Tabitha assures him that their son enjoyed it. Tabitha reveals that she gets nervous whenever he is out of her sight, and Jim admits he does as well, but points out that all the windows are nailed shut and doors locked, so it would be impossible for him to let the Creatures inside. Tabitha then admits she’s also worried about Julie, but Jim assures her that Donna will take good care of her. Tabitha asks Jim how the radio tower is going, and Jim responds that if he can convince Boyd to let him use all their building materials, drain all their batteries and get Donna to allow them to use Colony House’s high ground, it will be enough for everyone to hate him when it fails. Tabitha tells him not to doubt himself and reminds him that he got a signal. Jim corrects her and says it was static, but she assures him that it’s something, and kisses him. The two then joke about the hole in the basement before Tabitha leaves to continue digging.

At Colony House, the party is in full swing while Ellis drunkenly stumbles through the crowd. Fatima tells him to slow down but he insists that he is fine. Donna then gives a heartfelt speech praising Fatima and gifts her a dreamcatcher. Everyone then raises a glass to Fatima. Afterwards, Stacey kisses Fatima, and Julie awkwardly stares.

At the Sheriff’s Office, Boyd concludes explaining to Khatri his plan to go out into the forest in search of a way out. Khatri then reveals the bag that he buried the day he arrived in Town and has Boyd look through the contents. Boyd gets frustrated and asks what is going on. Khatri says they have never discussed who they were before they arrived in Town. Khatri explains that there was a young, quiet and sensitive boy with very strict parents in his congregation. One day, the boy asked Khatri if he could stay for a while, but Khatri, not wanting the parents to worry, gave the boy a candy bar and sent him on his way. Later, Khatri went by the house to check on him and the mother came rushing out of the house hysterical. Khatri recalls the smell of alcohol while the father  was yelling at the dead body of his son. Khatri becomes distressed as he remembers the candy bar in the boy’s pocket, and how the father insisted that the boy would be fine. Khatri continues to say that he began beating the boy’s father. Khatri excoriates himself for failing to help the boy, and says that he contemplated suicide after drinking the bottle of alcohol in the bag, but heard the voice of God, who told him to return to the car, for there was another path to follow. That path led him to the Town. Boyd asks the priest why he is telling him all of this, and Khatri says it’s because he has Sara tied up in the basement of the Church. Khatri tries to explain that he knows there is a reason they are all trapped in Town but Boyd aims his gun at him. Boyd tells a shocked Khatri to tell him that he is joking. Boyd angrily recalls how Khatri insisted that Frank Pratt go in the Box, but Khatri tells him that Sara may be the way they go home, and Boyd demands that he explain.

In Colony House, Kevin sneaks away from the festivities to see the Creature he has been talking to, who he calls “Jasmine.” “Jasmine” tells him that she only came to say goodbye, distressing Kevin. She asks him why he won’t let her inside, and he says he can’t but begs her to stay and talk to him. She tells him that she can’t keep coming to see him knowing that she will never feel him, and that he is frightened and disgusted by her. She adds that she is just as lonely as he is, and it was not her choice to be as she is. As she turns to leave, Kevin tells her to wait, and says there’s a party downstairs, but she is the only one he can really talk to. He asks her to promise that only she will come in, and she says that once they shut the window none of the other Creatures will enter. Kevin then retrieves a crowbar and begins removing the nails keeping the window shut.

Downstairs, a drunk Dale talks to Stacey about the number of dimensions there are, and the differences in theories. Stacey asks if they are in another dimension, and Dale answers that they are in a pocket universe. Ellis rudely tells him that no one cares and to shut up. Ellis begins to pick a fight but Fatima defuses it. However, Dale tells her to get Ellis upstairs before he starts shooting up the place. But Fatima and Donna restrain him before he can hit Dale. Fatima asks Ellis if he is ok, and he apologizes and goes to lie down in his room, telling her to stay and celebrate her night. After he leaves, Dale calls Ellis an animal, adding “like mother like son,” and Donna punches him in the face. Upstairs, Kevin opens the window and Jasmine hops inside, shutting the window behind her. The two embrace and begin kissing. However, Jasmine scratches him with her claws and bites his tongue off before attacking him further.

In the Lius’ home, Kenny informs Jade that dinner is ready. Jade refuses to come down, and Kenny begins to argue with him when Tian-Chen arrives and begins yelling at him in Cantonese, prompting Jade to relent.

In Colony House, Fatima finds Trudy sitting by herself and asks what’s wrong. Trudy says she knows Fatima does not like her, which Fatima denies. Trudy remarks that it’s a nice party, and Fatima tells her that she will also get one, but Trudy ominously says she doesn’t think she will. Fatima tells her to take off her shirt, surprising her. Fatima admits that Trudy drives her crazy sometimes, but she is not alone, lending her the sweater Trudy likes, delighting her. Fatima tells her to think of it as an early anniversary present. Trudy is touched by the gift, and leaves to find a gift for Fatima. Julie finds Fatima and compliments her for giving Trudy the sweater. Julie then awkwardly asked what the deal is with Fatima kissing Stacey but being with Ellis. Fatima explains that Ellis is her boyfriend, but was just fooling around with Stacey. A nervous Julie asks if she could kiss Fatima, surprising her. Julie then runs away before Fatima can answer.

Boyd finds Khatri’s explanation of the voices Sara hears difficult to believe, but Khatri pulls out the drawing she made of the chocolate bar logo. Boyd tries to rationalize it, but Khatri insists that there is no way she could have known that story. Boyd asks if he thinks whatever is talking to Sara is trying to help them, pointing out that it ordered her to kill Bing-Qian and Ethan Matthews. Khatri says that it is part of the fabric of this place, and Sara’s connection makes her valuable in ways they do not yet understand. Khatri tells Boyd that it is not a coincidence that Boyd is about to go on his journey at the same time as this connection is revealed. Khatri suggests that he and Sara accompany Boyd on his journey and use her connection to their advantage.

In the Matthews’ house, Tabitha continues digging in the basement. Jim arrives and tells her that they’ll soon need a taller ladder, before descending to help his wife. Tabitha says she is fine, and Jim responds that none of them are really fine before massaging Tabitha’s shoulders. He offers to take over digging while she goes to rest with Ethan. As Jim continues massaging her, the two begin to kiss.

Back at Colony House, Jasmine washes the blood off her hands and face after killing Kevin before opening the window for the other Creatures. Meanwhile Victor is sorting through his belongings when Julie arrives at his door and asks to come in. Victor reluctantly lets her after she says that she needs to be alone and is having a bad night. Julie asks if he is going somewhere because it looks like he is packing up, and he says it’s hard to explain. She then asks about the graves, which he does not want to talk about. Julie then begins asking him questions about the Town.

Jade continues to stare at the journal with the symbols during dinner with the Lius before realizing that two of the pages are stuck together. He is able to pry them apart, and a polaroid photo falls out of the book. The picture is of a smiling man holding the journal in front of the diner. As the three look at it, Tian-Chen points out that a young victor is in the corner of the picture, identifiable by his signature lunchbox, shocking Jade and Kenny.

Meanwhile, Trudy prepares to give Meredith (her pillow/security blanket) to Fatima. Overhearing laughter, she goes into a nearby room but the door is shut behind her. Surrounded by three of the Creatures, she begins panicking, and Jasmine calls her by name, explaining that they know all their names. The Creatures then begin mauling Trudy. Downstairs, Dale complains about the lack of respect that he is shown but gets distracted by blood dripping onto him. He then looks up and sees the Smiley Creature staring down at him, covered in blood. Stacey screams, and other residents begin to panic. Someone rings the alarm, waking Ellis up while chaos ensues. Fatima runs in search of Ellis, while Victor begins to lead a panicking Julie to safety. Donna leads people into the van trying to keep order when Fatima finds her. Realizing that Ellis and Julie are missing, Donna prepares to look for them but Fatima tells her to follow protocol and get everyone to Town. Donna agrees and gets inside the van while Fatima stays behind. Victor and Julie climb outside his window. Once they reach the ground, Victor sees the Boy in White, and leads Julie into the forest.

Inside the house, Ellis sneaks through the halls while the Smiley Creature walks around. Seeing Fatima’s sweater, Ellis approaches the body believing it to be hers and finds Trudy’s corpse. However, he is discovered by one of the Creatures. Ellis breaks the window, climbs onto the roof the porch and jumps off. Fatima finds him and helps him inside. She then shuts the doors to the foyer in the hope that the Talisman will protect the room. Her idea works, and the Creatures knock on the doors and taunt her. Ellis asks her how she knew that would work, and Fatima tearfully admits that it was a guess based on his father’s experience in the RV. Ellis apologizes to Fatima, and the two say they love each other. Victor leads Julie to a Farway Tree and tells her to get inside and warn Ethan that “it” is starting. Julie says she doesn’t understand but Victor says that Ethan will and promises to be right behind her. Julie climbs inside and emerges in the Root Cellar.

In the Sheriff’s Office, Boyd and Khatri make plans for their journey. Khatri is excited, and believes that this is why he was told to get back in the car, so he and Boyd could help find a way home for those trapped in the Town. Boyd calls him a madman, but their conversation is interrupted by honks from the van. Boyd asks where his son as he and Khatri begin helping the passengers inside. Before Khatri can make it inside, his throat is slashed by a Creature. Boyd shoots the creature to no effect and helps Khatri inside. Boyd tries to stop the bleeding while Khatri gasps for breath and says that his path doesn’t end like this. Khatri asks Boyd to pray with him, and the two begin to recite the Lord’s Prayer as Khatri dies.

All Good Things

The morning after the Colony House attack, Kenny informs a bloodstained Boyd that he’s gotten most of the Colony House residents set up in Town. Kenny warns that things are getting tense, and suggests gathering everyone to say something. Boyd agrees and says Kenny should do that, but Kenny says it will mean more coming from him. Kenny asks Boyd if he is ok, and Boyd explains that Father Khatri risked his life to save his family. Boyd then remembers something and tells Kenny to give everyone his regards and prepares to leave. Kenny tells Boyd that people need his guidance. Boyd tells Kenny that he needs to learn how to do this himself and leaves. He goes to the Church basement where he finds Sara.

In a flashback, Boyd, Abby and Ellis drive through the country listening to “If I Had a Boat” by Lyle Lovett. Boyd muses about how peaceful the song sounds and how nice it would be to have a boat. Abby tells him that they still cannot afford a boat, but Boyd believes they can manage it. Abby and Ellis tease Boyd, but Boyd recalls his nickname from the army, “Mr. Fish and Loaves,” and his logistical expertise. Ellis points out that his mother’s nickname was “Iron Abby,” which she tells him not to forget. As Boyd continues to talk about the boat, Abby looks through her bag and asks Boyd to hold something. Boyd takes the object and realizes that it’s a boat key, and realizes they bought him a boat, delighting him. However, Ellis interrupts their celebration to stop Boyd from hitting the Fallen Tree on the road. Boyd exits the car, and hears the familiar sound of crows.

In the present, Boyd and Sara walk through the woods. Sara nervously asks where they are going and where Father Khatri is. Boyd tells her that the Creatures used to shriek all night until they found the Talismans, and then they began to whisper. Boyd asks if the voices told her that, and she says no. Sara refuses to go any further until Boyd talks to her, and Boyd is aghast that she thinks she can make demands after what she’s done. Sara repeats her request for Khatri’s whereabouts and Boyd reveals that he died, along with many others from Colony House. Sara asks if Ellis is ok, and Boyd tells her that he is fine, albeit scraped up. Sara begins to cry, and Boyd asks her if she cried for Bing-Qian. Sara asks if he thinks she is a monster and Boyd replies that he does not care, stating that the only reason she is alive is because Father Khatri thought she could help them get home. Boyd tells her that the second she proves Khatri wrong, he will kill her himself.

Kenny settles Clara and some other Colony House people in his home while Colony House gets fixed up. Jade objects and asks how long they are staying. Clara recalls how Jade thought the Town was a giant escape room and asks how that is going for him. Jade insists that they don’t belong in Town. He then asks where Victor is, and Clara remembers seeing him run into the woods with Julie Matthews during the attack, and Jade leaves to find him.

In the Matthews home, Julie explains how she escaped with Victor’s help and how he said “it’s starting.” Tabitha asks how it is possible that the tree transported her and Ethan explains that it was a Farway Tree, which can transport people to different places. Julie begins crying and asks what is happening to them, and Ethan innocently answers that they are digging a hole in the basement to find the source of the electricity. As she continues breaking down, Tabitha comforts her daughter and tells her that things will be ok. Jade barges in and asks where Victor is. Jim furiously pushes him outside and tells him to stay away from his daughter. Jade acknowledges that Jim is being a protective father. Jim further scolds him for making him climb a tree and then running away before they can even try it. Jade apologizes before Jim tells him that he was able to get some static, and that he thinks if they get it above the tree line, it might get a signal.

The flashback continues with the Stevens family driving through town, grimly noting the “SAVE US” sign painted on the Barn. Boyd asks where all the people are when Father Khatri runs in front of the car, shocking them. Khatri begins to explain their predicament, but tells them that there isn’t a lot of time and they need to get to safety. Abby tells Boyd to drive away but before he can they hear an inhuman screech. This convinces them to follow Khatri, who leads them to an underground location where Donna and Dale are also sheltering for the night. Donna tells Abby she can put the gun away, as the only things that will hurt her are outside, and the gun will be useless against them. Khatri says he understands they have questions, but they can talk in the morning. They hear footsteps and screams up above as the Creatures find and kill someone.

In the present, Kristi sets Ellis’s arm in the Clinic. Fatima asks if she can help, and Kristi tells her to make sure Ellis does not leave the bed until Kristi can do a final checkup. Kenny arrives and asks if he can help Kristi, and she asks if he can help secure the building. Kenny adds that he finished chapter 6 of the book, and says things are getting interesting. Kristi replies that she doesn’t think she’ll be able to read much tonight, but kisses him on the cheek and thanks him for his help.

Jim and Jade arrive at Colony House and find Donna outside, loading the body parts of those killed the previous night in a wheelbarrow. Jim asks her if they can build a radio tower on the roof of the house, explaining that they think if they can get it high enough, they can broadcast a signal and ask for help. Donna is hesitant, but agrees. Jim asks if she is sure, and Donna replies that 14 of her people died the previous night, and the others are not likely to come back soon, so they might as well use the house for something.

Boyd and Sara continue their trek through the woods and find an old wooden shack. Boyd tells Sara to stay in the shack while he wraps things up in Town before they leave to find a way home. Sara promises not to run, and that she wants to help.

The flashback continues as Boyd emerges from the hiding place the next morning, and finds maimed corpses in the street. Khatri sympathizes with them, and promises to explain more at the Diner. Abby asks Ellis if he is ok, and he answers that he is not. In the Diner, Khatri finishes his explanation of their predicament, and Boyd is shocked that their solution is to hide and pray every night. Abby asks if they know anything about the Town, and Khatri says that they know what they see, and that everyone is just trying to live through the night. Boyd says that they need to start working together and taking care of each other. Khatri and Donna are interested, and ask where they can start. Boyd organizes their supplies to be rationed, and puts Donna in charge of doling them out. Abby draws up a system for where they hide during the night, and Boyd says that they will be constantly rotating to avoid being caught by the Creatures.

In the present, Ethan looks through Victor’s drawings in the bundle he gave to Julie, and finds one of Boyd with a goat. Tabitha finds a despondent Julie sitting by the hole in the basement, and asks if she is hungry. Tabitha, concerned, offers to make Julie some food. Julie asks if her parents are still going through with their divorce, and Tabitha honestly says she does not have an answer. Julie replies that it’s a simple question, which Tabitha disagrees with. Julie reminds her mother that she said they love each other and begins crying, asking if it is her fault. Tabitha hugs her daughter and assures her that she did nothing wrong. Tabitha says that there are things she will only understand when she becomes a parent, one of those things being that you live for your children, and your one job becomes loving and protecting them. Tabitha confesses that when Thomas died, something inside her broke, and she has no idea how to fix it. She keeps reliving that day, remembering how normal it was, and in one split second while she and Jim were momentarily distracted, Thomas rolled off the table. Tabitha tells Julie that Jim is the love of her life, but sometimes when she sees him it reminds her of Thomas’s death. Julie asks her mother why she didn’t tell her that, and Tabitha responds that it is because Julie is still her little girl, so they pretended that everything was fine, making it worse. Tabitha apologizes to Julie, and the two hug.

Boyd returns to town and finds Tom and Eli at the head of a crowd arguing with Tian-Chen, who is barring them from entering the Diner. Tom explains that the Colony House people are using up their supplies, and if he has to choose between himself or the Colony House people raiding the Diner, he’s choosing himself. Boyd says that no one is raiding anything, but Eli points out that the Creatures weren’t supposed to get into Colony House either. Boyd chastises them for acting like animals, and promises that they will figure it all out, telling them to go home in the meantime. The crowd disperses, grumbling as they do. Tian-Chen tells Boyd that they are scared before going inside.

In a flashback, Boyd asks Father Khatri if the Creatures walk around the forest during the day. Khatri says they don’t think so, and Boyd decides to scavenge the forest for resources. Khatri asks Boyd how long he was in the military, and Boyd answers 30 years, explaining he set up operations in some of the worst places on the planet, while his wife was a marine. Meanwhile, Abby observes the Town, and Ellis asks if she is ok. Abby says that she’s remembering an old dream from when she was a child, and tells Ellis to help his father.

In the present, Boyd tells Kenny that he can’t leave now given that they nearly had a riot at the Diner. A surprised Kenny reminds Boyd that this is why he said he had to leave, because things are starting to fall apart. Boyd points out that they lost over a dozen people the previous night, and Kenny argues that they’ll lose more if they start to panic. Boyd tells Kenny that he is going to stay until things settle down. Kenny retorts, asking what if they don’t when Donna walks in, asking if she is interrupting. Boyd tries to end the argument, but Kenny refuses, and reminds Boyd of his words, asking what’s changed. Kenny argues that the Talismans made them complacent, but are only a temporary reprieve, that things will never be ok in the Town, and they need to find a way home, or they will all die. Kenny says that there are answers and Boyd will find them before turning to Donna, telling her to pull herself together and be the leader she is, because that is what the people need. Kenny concludes that if they aren’t willing to fight like hell to get home, they might as well kill themselves now, before leaving. An amused Donna remarks that she didn’t know Kenny had that in him, and demands that Boyd explain what he was talking about. Boyd asks her to take a walk with him, and offers to explain on the way.

In the flashback, Boyd returns to Town with  a goat, shocking Father Khatri. Boyd explains he found it in the forest, as well as some chickens. Ellis arrives and asks to talk to Boyd. Boyd hands the goat off to Khatri, and begins musing about what else he might find in the woods. Ellis tells him that he needs to stop going out into the forest and tend to Abby, who is not doing well. Ellis says he believes that things are starting to get to her, which Boyd is not seeing because he is so busy. Boyd says he understands that he is scared but points out that what they are doing is working, and the second they stop looking for answers, they lose. Ellis tells him to find someone else to do it because they need him present. Ellis tries to explain but Boyd tries to assure his son that his mother is as tough as can be, reminding him of her nickname: Iron Abby. He says that he knows that this is hard but it is what they have to do. Ellis gets angry, and says that Boyd is not really listening to him. Boyd says that there are 4 hours of daylight left, and promises that they will talk that night. Ellis begs him to stay, but Boyd promises that they will talk during the night. Boyd goes out into the forest, marking trees so he can remember his path. While he does, he finds a dog. When the dog runs off, Boyd goes to follow it, but gets lost in the woods, with darkness quickly approaching. After nightfall, Boyd wanders through the forest, trying to avoid the Creatures. He stumbles into a cave, and is spotted by the Creatures, who ignore him. Boyd looks around in surprise, and notices the talismans in the cave, and realizes it must be what repelled the Creatures.

In the present, Boyd approaches Ellis and Fatima in the Clinic, and informs them that he is going to be leaving to try and find a way out. Ellis grimly remarks that he is going off into the forest with no idea what he is looking for, which worked well the last time. Boyd asks Fatima to excuse them and when she does, Boyd tells Ellis that he can be angry with or hate him, but he will listen to what he has to say. Boyd says that if he does not make it back, he does not want Ellis to regret what he did not say. Boyd says that Ellis is his son, that he loves him and is proud of the man he has become, adding that there is not a single day where that is not true. Ellis responds “ok” and Boyd leaves. Outside, Donna asks him how it went, and Boyd answers as well as expected. She assures him that Ellis will come around, and asks if he is really leaving. Boyd says it appears so, and notes that while they have had their differences, he thanks her for looking out for him. Donna tells him that he has done more than anyone should ever have to. Donna tells him to come back, asking who else she’ll argue with, and hugs him before telling him to leave before people begin thinking that they are friends.

Inside, Fatima returns to Ellis’s bedside and says that she will say something that may make him hate her, but she is ok with that. She tells him that what happened was neither his nor Boyd’s fault, but the fault of the Town. While Fatima may not have been there, she knows that if there was anything else he could have done, he would have. She acknowledges that what happened filled Ellis with rage and made him inconsolable, and he directed that rage at his father, which his father accepted, because that is what parents do. Fatima asks Ellis if he has ever thought about what that day was like for Boyd, and what he has carried with him ever since. Fatima tells him that if he does not get up and go after his father now, he will regret it for the rest of his life.

In the flashback, Boyd emerges from the forest the next morning carrying a large number of Talismans with him when he hears gunshots. Boyd runs towards Town, where Abby is shooting randomly into the crowd. Boyd asks her what is happening as she continues shooting people. She aims at Donna, who asks her why she is doing this, and Abby answers that it isn’t real and they are in a nightmare, and the only way to escape is to wake up. Abby says it will be okay, because it is impossible to die in dreams. Boyd draws on his wife, who turns to him and says that it is impossible that he survived out in the forest after dark if their situation was real. Abby insists that they have to wake everyone up, and she begins singing “If I Had a Boat.” Ellis then come running up, and Abby begins to aim at him, prompting Boyd to shoot her to save their son.

In the present, Boyd arrives at the shack in the forest when Ellis catches up to him. Ellis admits that he has been following him trying to find the courage to say something. Ellis explains that during the Colony House attack, they would have died if not for the Talisman on the door. Ellis confesses that he has been angry for such a long time, and didn’t know how to deal with it, but had Boyd not brought the Talismans back, and struggles to finish the thought. Ellis tells Boyd that Abby’s actions were not his fault and apologizes, and the two begin crying and hug each other. Ellis says that he did not want to let Boyd leave without saying goodbye. Boyd tells him that this is not good bye, and Ellis notices Sara watching them. Ellis asks what she is doing and Boyd tries to explain that he needs her for his journey, offering to explain everything when he returns, asking Ellis to trust him and not reveal that Sara is with him. Ellis agrees, and tells Boyd to come back. The two say they love each other before Ellis leaves.

In Town, Kenny gives a speech to the assembled people. He admits that they are in a tight spot, but Boyd is risking his life to find a way out for them, so the least they can do is keep things together while he does. Kenny says that going forward, there will be no more division between the Town and Colony House. Donna then steps up, and tells the Colony House people to be good houseguests, and says that Jim has an idea on how to get a signal out to people in the normal world, giving the floor to him. Jim explains that they will need batteries and people to build the radio tower, which they agree to. Ellis finds Fatima, who asks him if he found his father. Ellis answers that he did, and Fatima asks if he is ok. Ellis admits that he is not, and she hugs him.

In the forest, Boyd and Sara prepare to head out. Before they do, Boyd handcuffs Sara, explaining that he can’t take any chances. The two then begin trekking deeper into the woods.

Broken Windows, Open Doors

FROM

Paula's dying words aren't a nightmare—they're the operational manual for the force that hunts the Township.

Paula's cracked body during sleep

Boyd demanding the exact phrase

Boyd's stay-awake directive

Boyd names a new threat

Shared rhyme across victims

Sara's nightmare-manifestation theory

Rhyme lines map to physical effects

The Township does not merely trap its residents; it administers them through at least three simultaneous control channels: a verbal/cognitive protocol delivered through the dream state that encodes the rules of captivity and may constitute the kill mechanism itself, a behavioral protocol in which the music box melody functions as a command signal that pauses and resumes creature activity rather than deterring it, and a census protocol in which the number 47 monitors population count and appears to trigger creature mobilization when thresholds become relevant. The phrase Paula repeats before her body cracks, the synchronized halt of the creatures outside the RV, and the unpowered CB radio displaying a precise headcount are not separate mysteries. They are three outputs of a single administrative system speaking through multiple frequencies at once.

Paula's Death Phrase Encodes Predatory Rules

The Township Runs Three Control Protocols Simultaneously

Tabitha's visions guide her toward the same lighthouse where Victor's mother vanished, drawn to finish what she started forty years ago.

Tabitha Recognizes the Lighthouse Drawing

Drawings Sourced From Mother's Stories

Victor's Mother Went to the Tower

Tabitha Reads Children as Seeking Help

Civil War Soldiers Among Eloise's Images

Victor's Everything Is a Story Line

Tabitha is not completing Victor's mother's unfinished mission but repeating her fatal mistake, guided by the same inherited belief system that moved the mother toward the lighthouse forty years ago. The ash-covered children Tabitha reads as a request for help may be the same signal Victor's mother received and acted on, with the same result. The theory holds that Tabitha's sense of independent vision is a transmission from a woman who disappeared, not a discovery of her own.

Tabitha Is Walking Victor's Mother's Path

The Forest feeds on the dead's deepest fears, transforming personal nightmares into monsters that hunt the living.

Sara Names Nathan's Cicada Fear

Cicada Swarm Blankets Town and Colony House

Boyd's Forest-Feeds-on-Pain Testimony

Town Now Feels Like the Deep Forest

Sara's Question Framed as Explicit Theory

Fear Absorption as Collective Unconscious

The theory holds that when people die in the Township, their deepest fears are absorbed into the Forest itself and then manifested as the supernatural threats the living experience. Sara articulates this directly: Nathan's childhood terror of cicadas, which he believed were monsters, may explain the cicada swarm now blanketing the town. If true, the horrors of this place are not arbitrary but biographical, built from the accumulated traumas of everyone who has died there.

The Dead's Fears Become the Forest's Monsters

Randall's descent into paranoid violence transforms him from eccentric liability into the group's deadliest threat.

Randall Draws Knife on Jim

Boyd Handcuffs Randall

Sabotaged Escape via Thrown Keys

Randall Refuses Boyd's Authority

Conspiracy Logic Expands to Include Jim

Randall's conspiracy thinking has crossed from eccentricity into active danger, culminating in him threatening Jim with a knife and sabotaging the group's escape. His instability now poses a concrete survival threat to everyone trapped in the RV overnight.

Randall's Paranoia Makes Him Dangerous

The town weaponizes Boyd's grief, manifesting as Abby's ghost to lure him deeper into its psychological grip.

Abby's Unsettled Appearance

'Come Back to Me' Instruction

Sara's Forest-Feeds-on-Pain Theory

Creatures Pause Before Vision

Music Box Precedes Apparition

Town Exploiting Resident Grief

The town is using Boyd's grief as a precision instrument, deploying Abby's image not as haunting but as a calculated psychological intervention against a resident it has identified as a structural threat. The apparition's unsettled appearance, the coordinated creature pause, and the music box signal place the vision within the town's established pattern of harvesting individual trauma and redeploying it as leverage. The phrase 'come back to me' is not a message from a dead wife but a command to surrender, timed to arrive at the moment the town determined physical pressure had stopped working.

Abby's Ghost Is the Town Speaking

Victor has witnessed these cycles before and speaks from knowledge that this generation can finally break the pattern.

Victor's 'It Won't Happen Again' Assurance

Victor's 'Decide How It Ends' Philosophy

Victor's Sole Survivor Status

Mother's Stories as Knowledge Transmission

Victor is withholding a functional understanding of how the township's cycles operate, derived from his mother's documented knowledge of the township's structure, and his reassurances to Ethan represent controlled disclosures from that understanding rather than comfort or faith. His phrasing, 'It won't happen that way again,' encodes a distinction between this cycle and the last one that he has not explained to anyone. The theory holds that Victor's silence is not protective but strategic, and that the cost of what he knows has not yet been paid.