Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to murder, violence, kidnapping, self-harm, child abuse, and police harassment.

An unnamed young woman—later revealed to be Madison Perkins—narrates her awakening in a ditch at the side of a rural Oregon road. She is in great pain and has no idea where she is or how she got there. It is completely dark, and she is cold and panicked. She can hear cars passing now and then, and she struggles to get herself on her feet. She notices that she is covered in bruises and there are blood stains on her clothing. When she touches her nose, her hands come away bloody. She worries that her nose might be broken. Suddenly, she has a single flash of memory: She is standing at a bank of mailboxes when large hands reach for her. Her panic soars as she wonders whether she was abducted. No further memories come to her, however: It is “Like there’s a wall between [her] and understanding what’s happening” (3). Slowly, she makes her way out of the ditch and onto the road. She is badly startled when she sees flashing lights and hears a police siren.

Flooded with relief, she turns toward the cruiser.