Pip rushes home in tears after Barney disappears during their walk in the woods. Victor immediately comforts her, gathers torches and warm clothes, and returns with Pip to retrace her route through the dark woods while calling Barney’s name.

After two hours of searching in the cold, Victor insists they must stop until morning because the darkness makes the search ineffective. Pip resists leaving without Barney, then goes home to a tense dinner and a sleepless night, blaming herself and fearing Barney may have been taken because Pip ignored the warning to stop investigating.

The next morning, Victor takes the day off work and organizes a wider search. Pip and Victor return to the woods, Leanne and Josh make missing posters, and the family plans to expand from the woods to nearby streets, the high street, and other woodland areas.

As the search continues, strangers with dogs and neighbors all say they have not seen Barney. Ravi texts after seeing the missing posters and offers help, but Pip is too cold and overwhelmed to respond. The family searches all day, including through trees and farmland, but darkness falls again with no sign of Barney.

That evening, the family sits through a miserable takeaway dinner while Leanne tries to soften the mood with a Disney film. Pip receives a message from an unknown number asking, Want to see your dog again? Pip hides her terror, lies that the message is from Cara, and realizes Barney’s disappearance is tied to the threats against her investigation.