It's eerily quiet in the woods. He and Ellie's car had run out of gas a few miles back, and they just gave up the whole car thing. They've been walking since then, and now they're looking around for a good spot to spend the night. Ellie had decided to split off, and he was decidedly worried about her. She's a teenage girl in the middle of the woods at night, and he sees her as his daughter. Of course, he's worried, he just doesn't know what's off about this place.

Until he hears Ellie's scream.

He runs as fast as he can, ignoring the burning in his lungs and ribs in favor of getting his pistol out. He ducks through trees and tries to avoid tripping over roots, breaking through a line of trees into a clearing. He aims his gun at the first person he sees.