Contents
Chapter Fifty-Three
Overview
Seven years earlier, Stuart wakes injured and confined in Thornwood’s locked attic room, disoriented and in pain with his ear and eye bandaged. When Stuart calls for help, an unidentified person threatens him with a knife, ordering him back to bed and implying his ear was severed, cementing his captivity.
Summary
Seven years earlier, Stuart regains consciousness in an unfamiliar attic room and realizes he is still in Thornwood. He feels severe, muffled pain on the left side of his head, notices bandaging over his ear and eye, and senses something sharp irritating his eyelid. The room contains sparse furnishings and bottled water that he recognizes, suggesting someone in the household provisioned him.
Weak and dizzy, Stuart tests the door and finds it locked from the outside. He calls out, first hoarsely, then louder as his voice returns. The house is otherwise silent, reinforcing his isolation and the deliberate nature of his confinement.
Footsteps approach; a thin, fearsome face appears through the cracked door, small hands gripping a knife. The unidentified person orders Stuart to step away and get back into bed, threatening to cut off his “other” ear. The threat confirms his maiming and establishes the captor’s control, solidifying that Stuart is a prisoner in Thornwood.
Who Appears
- StuartWakes injured and disoriented in Thornwood’s locked attic; ear and eye bandaged; realizes he is captive.
- Unidentified captorThin, fearsome face with small hands; wields a knife and threatens Stuart to force compliance.