Prologue; Part 1, Friday, July 1: Chapter 1, and Chapter 2 Summary

Prologue

John Ross dreams of a town called Hopewell, Illinois, which has been devastated by an unspecified disaster. Something horrible has happened to the town and the people he knew there. The town is mostly empty, and the few residents are highly wary of him, including a few children scavenging along the main street. Ross wakes up. He is riding on a bus, but no one wants to sit near him.

Part 1, Friday, July 1: Chapter 1

Nest Freemark is in bed, sleeping, when she is awoken by Pick, a sylvan or woodland creature that resembles a piece of wood. He tells her that Bennett Scott, the sister of Nest's friend Jared Scott, is trapped by the feeders in Sinnissippi Park. Enid Scott, their mother, left Jared in charge, but his epilepsy makes...