The Ravenous Dead

Before dawn at Blighty Cemetery, Keira, the new groundskeeper, attempts to communicate with the spirits that inhabit the graveyard. Through her supernatural second sight, she can see the ghosts that linger among the tombstones, though most seem reluctant to interact with her. She encounters several spirits, including Marianne Cobb from 1835, who quickly disappears, and Tony Lobell, a friendly but naked ghost from 1998 who can't remember why he's still present.

During her exploration of the cemetery, Keira encounters a particularly disturbing spirit - a man in old, tattered clothes from 1891 whose face has been completely carved away. This faceless ghost proves unresponsive, and his gravestone unusually lacks a name, showing only a date. The encounter is interrupted by Pastor Adage, who knows about Keira's ability to see the dead and has given her the job of helping the spirits move on.

The chapter concludes with Keira and Pastor Adage discussing her cover story for staying in Blighty. They agree she will pose as his niece who has come to tend the graveyard, an arrangement that will explain her presence without revealing her true purpose. Adage provides her with copies of the cemetery's map, and it's revealed that Keira has recently experienced trauma, including defending herself against someone named Gavin Kelsey, and that she apparently woke up in a forest with no memories of her past. The chapter sets up Keira's mission to investigate the identity of the faceless ghost, using his death date as her only lead.

Keira returns to her cottage with the cemetery maps, planning to use them to track the spirits she encounters. She finds Mason and Zoe waiting outside, engaged in a spirited debate about conspiracy theories. The trio moves inside the cottage, where their casual banter reveals more details about Keira's living situation and the sparse furnishings she inherited from the previous groundskeeper.

The chapter provides deeper insight into recent events, including Keira's trespassing on the Crispin estate and her encounter with Dane Crispin that led to being chased through the woods. Mason checks Keira's injuries, revealing she has two separate wounds - one from when she first arrived in Blighty with no memories, and another from her confrontation with Gavin Kelsey. The truth about Gavin weighs on her mind, as she knows he previously killed someone but cannot prove it.

Keira fabricates a cover story about her newest injury, claiming she fell while running with a knife, though Zoe remains skeptical. The chapter concludes with important developments regarding Keira's situation in Blighty - she reveals she was supposed to leave for another job but can now stay permanently as the groundskeeper, posing as Pastor Adage's niece. The news cements her friendship with Zoe, who declares them best friends, and demonstrates the support network Keira has built despite her mysterious circumstances.

Keira goes for a morning jog with Zoe and Mason through Blighty, but the run is cut short when Zoe realizes she needs to get to work at the convenience store, where she's perpetually late. After Zoe departs to open the store, Mason mentions his plans to help a neighbor with gardening, and Keira asks if he could get some plant clippings for her cottage garden, though she can't remember if she had any favorite plants before losing her memories.

Keira then visits the local library, where she meets Hanna, the librarian, and maintains her cover story as Pastor Adage's niece. While filling out a library card application, she struggles with basic information like her surname and date of birth, ultimately borrowing Adage's last name. Her true purpose at the library is to research the faceless ghost from 1891, and she accesses the town's archived newspapers to investigate the murder.

Through her research, Keira discovers that the faceless man was an unidentified murder victim, explaining the unnamed grave marker. The newspaper articles reveal he was found strangled and stabbed multiple times under a tree near the outskirts of town on Farrier Street. Despite police investigation, the killer was never found and the victim remained unidentified, eventually being buried after two months. The chapter concludes with Keira's shocking realization that Farrier Street leads to Dane Crispin's house, creating an unexpected connection between her recent trespassing incident and the historical murder.

Keira visits Farrier Street to locate the exact spot where the unidentified victim was murdered in 1891. She identifies a dead tree stump that matches the location from historical photographs, but when she attempts to use her ability to glimpse the past by touching it, nothing happens. This failure leaves her frustrated and embarrassed, especially when a passerby spots her examining the stump.

Keira's investigation leads her to Two Bees florist, where she encounters Harry Kennard, working reluctantly in his mother Polly's shop. What starts as an attempt to buy two small bouquets results in Harry forcefully giving her an entire bucket of flowers, desperate to sabotage his mother's business. With eight bouquets in hand, Keira returns to the cemetery as dusk approaches.

At the graveyard, Keira places flowers at various graves, including those of the faceless man, Marianne Cobb, Tony Lobell (who appears and playfully exposes himself), and the elderly Victorian woman. During her visit to the unnamed grave, the faceless spirit appears behind her, emanating intense cold and making disturbing breathing sounds through his mutilated face. Keira realizes the spirit is too weak to manifest for long periods. The chapter concludes with Keira returning home to find Mason has left her some plant cuttings with a note inviting her for coffee, and she spots the elderly Victorian ghost showing a rare moment of emotion while looking at the flowers left at her grave.

Over dinner at Pastor Adage's cottage, Keira discusses her investigation of the faceless ghost, explaining that despite Adage's suggestion to focus on easier spirits first, she feels compelled to help this particular spirit due to its evident suffering. During their conversation, Adage reveals that news of Keira's presence as his 'niece' has already spread through town via Hanna at the library, and that some townspeople have begun forming opinions about her, including Mrs. House's concerns about Keira's odd behavior at the tree stump.

Their dinner is interrupted by an emergency call about an injured parishioner, forcing Adage to leave for the hospital. After finishing her meal alone and cleaning up, Keira prepares to return to her cottage through the misty graveyard. As she walks through the cemetery, she notices an unsettling absence of the usual ghost activity, with none of the familiar spirits visible even with her second sight.

The chapter culminates in a tense sequence where Keira follows a high-pitched, supernatural cry into the forest behind the cemetery. Despite her better judgment, she ventures into an area where graves spill into the woods, discovering ancient, deteriorating headstones jutting from the earth at unnatural angles. The pursuit leads her to a hollow formed by four massive trees, where she finds a broken grave covering emanating powerful supernatural energy. The chapter ends with Keira face-to-face with a horrifying apparition that causes her to fall back in terror, suggesting she's encountered something far more dangerous than the cemetery's usual spirits.

The malevolent spirit that emerges from the broken grave is unlike any entity Keira has encountered before. Rather than the transparent ghosts of the graveyard, this creature appears as pure black smoke with dark pit-like eyes and a gaping maw. When it lunges at her and grabs her wrist, causing intense pain, Keira experiences a flash of light emanating from herself that seems to startle the entity. She flees into the increasingly dark forest, realizing the spirit's earlier cries weren't pleas for help but rather calls for victims.

Disoriented and exhausted in the thick fog, Keira is rescued by Daisy, who leads her through the forest. Though the journey seems unusually long, Daisy eventually guides Keira not to her cottage but to Mason's house. Mason takes her in, immediately noticing her distressed state and the mysterious finger-shaped burns on her wrist. Despite his gentle questioning and sincere offer to help, Keira finds herself unable to tell him the truth about what happened, fearing he wouldn't believe her supernatural encounter.

The chapter concludes with Mason and Keira sharing a moment of connection as he reveals details about his unconventional family. His parents, a zoologist mother and botanist father, are currently in Bolivia, and their eclectic home reflects their scientific interests, including a controversial bird skeleton his mother believes to be an undiscovered species. Though Keira briefly considers opening up to Mason about her abilities, she ultimately decides against it, choosing instead to enjoy his company and stories while keeping her supernatural encounter to herself.

Keira wakes up at Mason's house, where they had fallen asleep together on the couch after her terrifying encounter with the malevolent spirit. She leaves him a thoughtful note and carries Daisy home through town, noticing increased attention from townspeople who now know her as Pastor Adage's niece. Upon returning to her cottage, she observes the cemetery's ghosts have returned to their normal activity, with no sign of the twisted spirit from the previous night.

Keira's interactions with Daisy become increasingly puzzling as she reflects on the cat's extraordinary behavior from the previous night - leading her to safety and somehow entering the locked cottage. These observations lead her to question whether Daisy is more than just an ordinary cat. She also examines the burn marks on her wrist left by the malevolent spirit, choosing to cover them with a scarf to avoid questions.

Determined to understand more about the entity she encountered, Keira visits the library where Hanna provides her new library card. Her research reveals the spirit's identity as Gerald Barge, who died in 1892, but the newspaper accounts prove frustratingly mundane - merely stating he 'passed away peacefully' with no additional details about his life or death. This peaceful passing stands in stark contrast to the twisted, violent nature of his spirit, leaving Keira more confused than ever about what could have caused such a malevolent transformation.

Having discovered Gerald Barge's identity at the library, Keira meets Mason and Zoe at Has Beans café, where she immediately senses something unusual about their demeanor. Her suspicions are confirmed when Mason reveals he has deduced her ability to communicate with the dead, citing various unexplained incidents including her disappearance on the night of finding infant bones at the old mill, her collapse at the cemetery, and most recently, the mysterious burns on her wrist from the malevolent spirit.

Instead of denying Mason's revelation, Keira finally opens up about her abilities, explaining that she can see but not clearly hear the spirits, and that most ghosts gather at places of death or burial. She clarifies that the majority of spirits are harmless, with only the twisted entity in the forest proving dangerous. The conversation reveals that Pastor Adage's involvement was intentional, having hired her specifically to help spirits move on, much to Zoe's theatrical dismay at not being told sooner.

The chapter showcases a significant shift in relationships as Mason and Zoe process this supernatural revelation differently. While Zoe responds with enthusiastic curiosity and even suggests outlandish theories about Blighty being purgatory, Mason expresses deep concern for Keira's safety, particularly regarding her living situation at the cemetery. Despite his offers of alternative accommodation, Keira maintains her commitment to staying at the graveyard, assuring them of her ability to handle herself while acknowledging her own limitations in understanding her ghost-related abilities.

Keira continues sharing the details of her supernatural abilities with Mason and Zoe, explaining that she can see spirits from as far back as the 1700s, describing them as misty forms that use moisture in the air to manifest and are tethered to specific locations. The conversation reveals new insights about her abilities, including her theory about Daisy possibly being magical due to the cat's inexplicable behaviors and navigation skills.

The discussion takes a dark turn when Zoe reveals the horrifying truth about Gerald Barge, the shade Keira encountered in the forest. Far from dying peacefully as the newspapers suggested, Barge was actually a prolific serial killer who murdered over thirty people while maintaining a respected position in the community. His crimes were only discovered years after his death when bodies were found buried in his yard and at his hunting cabin in the woods. Following public outrage, his grave was desecrated by teenagers, his skull was lost, and his remains were relocated to the forest where Keira encountered his twisted spirit.

Concerned for Keira's safety, Mason suggests a sleepover at her cottage, thinly disguising his protective intentions as a casual pizza party. Though Keira sees through his motivation, she agrees to the company. The chapter concludes with a tense encounter in town, where Keira spots Gavin Kelsey and his father, Dr. Kelsey, watching her from across the street. The moment is interrupted by Polly Kennard, who delivers flowers supposedly from Harry, though Keira suspects Harry is actually avoiding her despite his mother's matchmaking attempts.

While placing fresh flowers at graves in the cemetery, Keira attempts to communicate with the faceless spirit about Gerald Barge being his killer. Though the spirit acknowledges her presence with a wet, clotted moan, he remains largely unresponsive to the revelation, suggesting that knowing his killer's identity isn't enough to help him move on. The interaction leaves Keira frustrated and uncertain about what else the spirit might need for resolution.

Keira's day takes an unexpected turn when Pastor Adage returns from the hospital with news of Brody McCormack's death. Adage requests Keira's help in ensuring Brody's spirit has moved on properly, requiring a visit to Cheltenham Medical Center. Despite her intense internal resistance to hospitals and a mysterious sense of danger, Keira agrees to accompany him out of compassion for his obvious grief.

The hospital visit proves intensely challenging for Keira, who experiences overwhelming sensations of accumulated suffering and emotional imprints throughout the building. Their first stop at the morgue reveals Brody's body, a victim of a car collision, but no lingering spirit. However, when they visit the hospital room where Brody died, Keira opens her second sight to find his spirit present - a tall man with a shredded torso standing beneath the window, turning his mottled face toward her in a haunting confirmation that his soul hasn't yet moved on.

At the hospital, Keira attempts to communicate with Brody's spirit while Pastor Adage keeps watch outside. Though Brody acknowledges his death, he appears lost and unable to move on despite having no unfinished business. In a crucial moment, Keira discovers she can perceive his essence as a bundle of glowing threads, reminiscent of the Greek Fates. By untangling these threads, she successfully helps Brody's spirit cross over, developing a new understanding of her abilities just before a nurse interrupts them.

While leaving the hospital, Keira experiences intense unease that leads her to examine her mysterious past. The photograph she found in her jacket when she arrived in Blighty takes on new significance as she considers whether the uniforms might be from a medical institution, though the cryptic warning about 'men with flaky skin' remains puzzling. Her contemplation is interrupted by a supernatural chill that leads her to another spirit.

In an empty hospital room, Keira encounters an elderly female ghost with striking intensity and clear desperation. Unlike Brody, this spirit actively resists Keira's attempt to help her cross over, indicating she has unfinished business. The ghost's emotions convey urgency, anger at injustice, and profound dread. Despite Keira's growing sense of danger in the hospital, she follows the ghost to the window where the spirit points to something outside, suggesting a crucial task that must be completed before she can move on.

The elderly ghost's urgency becomes palpable as she leads Keira to a window overlooking the hospital parking bay. Despite her reluctance, Keira follows the ghost's insistent gestures and climbs out the window, making her way down an oak tree after creating an excuse to separate from Pastor Adage. The ghost grows increasingly faint, making Keira understand she has limited time to see whatever is so important.

The ghost leads Keira to a black van in the parking bay, where she discovers a hexagonal emblem made of curling leaves painted on its doors. The symbol triggers an intense emotional response in Keira, filling her with inexplicable dread and hatred, though she can't access the memories associated with it. As she approaches the van, considering investigating its contents, she's discovered by the driver who has an alarming characteristic - skin that's flaking off his fingers, directly connecting to the warning note she'd found about 'men with flaky skin.'

The encounter quickly escalates as the driver recognizes Keira, referring to her as 'Sarah Tomlin' while making a phone call to report that she's 'still alive.' Keira flees, deliberately avoiding running to Adage to protect him, and makes her escape by scaling the hospital fence and heading toward the mountains. Her instincts seem to guide her actions, suggesting deeper knowledge of how to evade pursuit despite her missing memories.

Keira flees into the mountains after her escape from the hospital, using her instincts and apparent previous experience to evade capture. From a boulder overlook, she observes the hospital parking lot filling with black vans and men in dark uniforms searching for her, while a worried Pastor Adage lingers by his car. She's forced to leave him behind, hoping he won't draw attention to their connection, as she recalls they had previously shot at her on the night she lost her memories.

As night falls, Keira faces intensified pursuit as helicopters circle overhead and tracking dogs are deployed to hunt her. Following an inner prompting, she takes refuge in a tall oak tree, securing herself with her jacket to prevent falling while sleeping. Her rest is interrupted by the appearance of hunters wearing skull masks and accompanied by wolf-like dogs, though they pass by without detecting her presence. The search continues through the night with helicopter spotlights sweeping the forest canopy.

After two days of careful navigation through the mountains, dealing with thirst, hunger, and physical exhaustion, Keira finally reaches the outskirts of Blighty. Despite her deep longing to return to her home and friends, she grapples with the knowledge that her presence could endanger them. Upon approaching the cemetery, she notices her cottage's lights are on, suggesting someone is waiting for her, forcing her to confront the difficult choice between seeking comfort and protecting those she cares about.

Keira returns to Blighty Cemetery to find Mason waiting at her cottage, their emotional reunion soon joined by Zoe as both friends demonstrate their relief and concern for her wellbeing. Mason immediately tends to her needs with hot food while Zoe supplies dry clothes, including a comically inappropriate Christmas sweater that helps Keira reconnect with her sense of belonging in Blighty.

Keira shares the full story of her hospital escape, including the encounter with the van driver who recognized her as 'Sarah Tomlin' and the subsequent two-day journey through the mountains without food. She shows Mason and Zoe the photograph with the warning about men with flaky skin, connecting it to the van driver's peeling hands. During their discussion, Keira makes a crucial realization about the hospital - it was unnaturally empty of spirits, with only two ghosts present where there should have been many more, suggesting a disturbing connection between the organization hunting her and the absence of spirits.

The conversation turns to Keira's safety as she expresses concern about needing to leave Blighty to protect her friends. Both Mason and Zoe strongly oppose this idea, with Zoe dramatically threatening to follow her and die of dysentery if she tries to leave. The chapter ends with Mason and Zoe exchanging a significant look before indicating they have something important to show Keira, suggesting they may have discovered new information during her absence.

After returning to her cottage, Zoe shows Keira photographs she took the previous night of two cloaked figures wearing skull masks and walking a large dog through Blighty - the same hunters who had pursued Keira through the mountains. Mason and Zoe reveal that these figures had already searched the town for Keira, but only at night, suggesting they want to avoid drawing attention. The photographs confirm that the organization hunting Keira has already infiltrated Blighty, though they appear to have moved on after failing to find her.

Despite Keira's protests about putting them in danger, Mason and Zoe firmly commit to helping her, revealing they had already decided to investigate even if she hadn't returned. Keira sketches the hexagonal leaf emblem she saw on the van, and Zoe theorizes that it belongs to a private organization rather than a government agency, based on its modern design. This leads to speculation that Keira's abilities might be threatening their financial interests, providing a possible motive for their pursuit.

After Mason leaves to get pizza, Zoe reveals how worried Mason had been during Keira's absence, even entertaining Zoe's outlandish theories. The friends' concern is demonstrated through gifts they brought - including a surprisingly expensive toaster that Keira insists on paying for. The chapter concludes with a disturbing discovery: when Keira checks the graveyard, she finds it unusually empty of spirits except for Gerald Barge's malevolent form at the forest's edge, watching her from the darkness with his pit-black eyes.

Late that night, Pastor Adage arrives at Keira's cottage to check on her wellbeing, clearly exhausted but relieved to find her safe. After sharing some pizza, he departs, while Zoe and Mason arrange to stay the night for Keira's protection. The sleeping arrangements become comically complicated when Zoe abandons the floor to share Keira's bed, leading to Keira ultimately retreating to the floor by the fire with an overly affectionate Daisy.

As Keira lies awake contemplating whether to stay in Blighty or leave to protect her friends, she hears a terrifying shriek from the graveyard. Upon investigation, she discovers Gerald Barge's shade attacking another ghost near the forest's edge, literally tearing it apart. Keira attempts to intervene, throwing a rock at the shade before it turns its attention to her. The encounter reveals that ghosts can be physically destroyed by the shade, as demonstrated by the victim ghost dissolving into mist.

The confrontation with the shade becomes violent as it attacks Keira, plunging its clawed hands into her body and attempting to tear her apart. Despite her efforts to unravel its essence as she had done with Brody's spirit, the shade proves too powerful and its threads too tangled. Mason and Zoe rescue her, with Mason physically dragging her away from the shade, which appears unable to pursue beyond a certain distance from its tether. Though Keira initially believes she's fatally wounded, she discovers that instead of physical injuries, her body is covered in red burns where the shade touched her, marking her first direct confrontation with the malevolent entity.

Keira awakens wrapped in blankets, her body covered in burns and unnaturally chilled hours after her encounter with Gerald Barge's shade. Mason has maintained a vigilant watch through the night, attempting to warm her with fire and sweet drinks, while Zoe prepares breakfast in the kitchenette. Despite Keira's attempts to downplay her condition, the supernatural attack has left lasting effects that concern her friends.

During their morning discussion, Keira reveals crucial information about Gerald Barge's shade, including its ability to destroy other ghosts by absorbing their energy, making it progressively stronger. The conversation also reveals that Mason was able to feel the shade's presence when he tried to help Keira, receiving similar burns on his hand - a significant discovery suggesting that particularly powerful spirits can affect even those without supernatural sensitivity.

Though both friends express deep concern for her safety, with Mason particularly troubled by her decision to investigate alone, Keira remains resolute about staying in her cottage despite the danger. After Zoe leaves for work, triggering another haunting cry from Gerald's shade, Keira pretends to rest while Mason stays to watch over her. Once he falls asleep, exhausted from his night vigil, Keira quietly prepares to venture back into the graveyard, accompanied by Daisy, determined to face the supernatural threat despite her friends' concerns.

Despite her friends' concerns, Keira ventures into the graveyard to assess the supernatural situation, finding most of the regular spirits in hiding. Through an interaction with Marianne Cobb's ghost, she learns the devastating news that the shade has already destroyed seven other spirits, growing stronger with each one it consumes. The spirits are now showing themselves to Keira more frequently, desperately seeking help despite their previous reluctance to interact with her.

Keira's investigation reveals that the shade's territory has expanded, allowing it to edge closer into the cemetery. The surviving spirits, including the elderly Victorian woman who maintains her pride and Tony Lobell who attempts to maintain his cheerful demeanor, are forced to constantly hide to avoid being consumed. During her rounds, Keira visits the faceless ghost's grave, apologizing that she must prioritize dealing with Gerald's shade before continuing to help resolve his situation.

Returning to her cottage, Keira finds Mason has awakened from his nap, concerned about her venturing outside alone. Their interaction reveals the toll recent events have taken on Mason, who has been dedicating significant time to helping Keira while managing his other responsibilities. The chapter concludes with them planning to visit Zoe at the store to gather more information about Gerald Barge's potential descendants, hoping this might provide clues about his unfinished business. Meanwhile, Daisy's mysterious behavior continues, as she returns with a leaf in her mouth, prompting further speculation about her true nature.

Keira and Mason walk through Blighty's main street, where Keira experiences the town's small-town mentality firsthand as locals greet her warmly, recognizing her as Pastor Adage's supposed niece. Their journey takes them to the general store where they find Zoe dealing with difficult customers, including a woman insisting on using a five-year-old coupon. In a moment of exasperation, Zoe abandons her post for lunch break, leaving customers to operate on an honor system with a humorous threat involving Pastor Adage and Santa Claus rules.

Over lunch preparations, Zoe shares her research about Gerald Barge, revealing he was a charming, manipulative type of serial killer rather than a creepy, incompetent one. She explains that Barge never married, though townspeople at the time considered it a tragedy that no woman would have him - a perspective that changed dramatically after his crimes were discovered. The conversation illuminates the darker history of 1890s Blighty, including an eccentric mortician named Timothy 'The Barmy Embalmy' Weller who would dress corpses in costumes and stage conversations with them.

The group's investigation leads them to the library, where Zoe has a tense but familiar exchange with Hanna about book ordering habits and the library's budget allocation between Zoe's obscure interests and the romance book club. The interaction reveals the complex dynamics between the town's residents while highlighting the urgency of their research into Gerald Barge's past. Throughout the chapter, Keira grapples with the pressure of finding a solution to the shade problem, privately wondering what she'll do if Barge's unfinished business proves impossible to resolve.

At the library, Zoe leads Keira and Mason to a rare book titled 'Fox in the Henhouse: The Life, Death, and Mystery Surrounding Gerald Barge,' written by local historian Kenneth Malone. Though the book is noted for its excessive verbosity and occasional irrelevant tangents, it provides crucial detailed information about Gerald Barge's life and crimes. The three friends gather at a back table to review the book while sharing sandwiches, with Zoe guiding them through the most pertinent sections.

The book reveals Gerald Barge's background as a seemingly upstanding citizen of Blighty. His early life was marked by his mother's mysterious disappearance when he was twelve, though officially reported as a death. He inherited his family farm, lived frugally despite having savings, and was known for his helpfulness and friendly demeanor. However, the facade crumbled when the book detailed his evolution as a serial killer, targeting primarily women through three distinct periods - moving from possible strangulation and stabbing to bludgeoning, and finally to dismemberment. Most victims remained unidentified due to decomposition and the limitations of period forensics.

Studying Kenneth's detailed maps in the book, Keira discovers the location of Gerald's hunting cabin where he killed and buried many victims. The cabin's remote location, roughly two hours off the main path through the forest, presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Believing that visiting the cabin might reveal crucial information about Gerald's unfinished business through her ability to sense past events, Keira plans an expedition. Despite the risks, Mason and Zoe immediately volunteer to accompany her, offering camping equipment and agreeing to depart the following morning at first light.

After parting ways with Mason in the village, Keira returns to her cottage alone, grappling with guilt over how much time her friends have been dedicating to helping her. Though she initially questions whether involving Mason and Zoe in the search for Gerald's cabin is wise, she acknowledges that their presence helps keep her grounded and human, remembering how isolated she felt during her mountain escape.

While reviewing the maps and victim lists from the library, Keira discovers that none of Gerald Barge's identified victims are buried in Blighty's cemetery, as most were taken from the neighboring town. Her evening is interrupted when she wakes at 1 AM to an unsettling presence, finding Daisy unusually spooked and staring at the window. A large figure appears, scanning the cottage's interior, followed by a loud bang at the door that sends Keira scrambling for a weapon.

After a tense standoff, Keira discovers a note nailed to her door warning her to leave town or face repercussions. Though initially relieved it's not from the organization hunting her, she's hurt by the local rejection and puzzles over its author. She rules out both Gavin Kelsey and Dane Crispin as suspects, leaving her uncertain about who in the seemingly friendly town might harbor such hostility toward her.

Mason and Zoe arrive early at Keira's cottage for their expedition to Gerald Barge's cabin, with Mason thoughtfully bringing hiking equipment and preparing breakfast while they discuss their journey plan, estimating an eight to nine-hour trek through the forest. Before departing, Keira uses her second sight to check the cemetery, making the disturbing discovery that Gerald's shade has consumed another ghost and is now closer to her cottage, with bones visible swimming through his smoky form.

The group begins their journey, carefully circling around Gerald's territorial boundary to reach the main path. Keira demonstrates natural navigation abilities but must slow her pace to accommodate her less athletic friends. Zoe provides comic relief throughout the challenging hike with her complaints about exercise and threats to consume potentially poisonous mushrooms, while Mason maintains a steady, supportive presence. Their journey takes them through increasingly dense forest, with frequent rest stops and water breaks.

As they near their destination in the late afternoon, Keira's supernatural sensitivity guides them off the main path. The atmosphere grows increasingly oppressive, with Keira experiencing the same kind of dark energy she felt at the old Crispin Mill. Despite the physical and emotional toll, she pushes forward through the dense vegetation, leading her friends downhill until they finally discover Gerald Barge's cabin—a structure that served as his killing ground—hidden in a clearing behind a curtain of vines.

Gerald Barge's cabin stands largely destroyed by time, with only the stone doorway arch and remnants of walls still standing when Keira and her companions finally reach it. The forest has reclaimed much of the structure, with trees growing through what was once the living room. As they approach, Keira becomes overwhelmed by the psychic impressions of death and suffering that permeate the area, hearing the metaphysical screams of Barge's victims.

While investigating the cabin ruins, Keira accidentally falls into a concealed pit that served as Barge's mass grave for his victims. The physical contact with the burial site triggers an intense vision where she experiences being surrounded by decomposing corpses, feeling their presence pressing against her and hearing their desperate whispers of 'Talk to me.' The vision is particularly vivid, with horrifying details of rotting bodies and reaching hands, until Mason's voice breaks through and brings her back to reality.

After Mason and Zoe work together to help Keira out of the pit, followed by extracting Mason who had climbed down to help her, the group takes stock of their situation. Though Keira wants to continue investigating, Mason insists they make camp elsewhere and return in the morning, noting her exhaustion and evident distress. The chapter ends with Keira reluctantly agreeing to leave, while knowing the site holds crucial memories and death-echoes that she must eventually confront to resolve the situation with Gerald's shade.

After leaving Gerald Barge's cabin due to its overwhelming psychic energy, the group hikes twenty minutes away to make camp for the night. They find a relatively flat area where Keira's supernatural headache subsides enough to rest, and set up their tent and equipment. Unable to risk a campfire in the dense forest, they use a gas cooker to heat their dinner of beans and sausages while discussing their exhausting journey.

The evening's conversation reveals deeper insights into Mason's childhood, with Zoe explaining that he was a 'latchkey kid' whose parents frequently left him alone while traveling for work. When the topic shifts to Zoe's mother and some pending test results, Zoe becomes uncharacteristically evasive and attempts to change the subject, displaying fear beneath her usual cheerful demeanor. Keira recalls a previous incident where Gavin Kelsey had taunted Zoe about her mother's medical tests and made references to a funeral.

Unable to sleep and concerned about Zoe's situation, Keira decides to return to Gerald's cabin alone in the middle of the night. She realizes that if Zoe's mother is ill, they should return to Blighty as soon as possible, which wouldn't leave time for another cabin visit in the morning. Despite her fear of the cabin's dark energy, Keira determines that investigating alone might be more appropriate for communing with the dead, knowing her friends can help ground her in reality once she returns.

Keira returns alone to the clearing at night, carefully approaching the pit where she had fallen earlier. Upon touching the ground near the pit, she experiences intense psychic impressions of a victim's final moments, feeling their terror as they were thrown in while still alive. The experience leaves her physically ill, but she pushes forward to investigate the cabin's stone doorway, where more violent visions await.

As Keira explores the cabin's interior, she encounters increasingly disturbing death echoes. Each touch of the walls, floors, and surfaces triggers vivid visions of Gerald's victims - women being attacked with axes, knives, and ropes. The visions reveal Gerald's brutal methods and his tendency to collect trophies from his victims, including a fob watch taken from a dying woman. Despite the physical and emotional toll of experiencing these deaths, Keira forces herself to continue searching for information that might help her defeat Gerald's shade.

The investigation leads Keira to discover a series of crates along the cabin wall, where she recalls seeing Gerald hide something in her final vision. Beneath the floorboards, she uncovers a hidden metal chest, though the chapter ends as she opens it. Throughout her exploration, the psychic impressions grow stronger and more damaging, leaving Keira concerned that prolonged exposure to the cabin's dark energy might permanently affect her consciousness. The experience also reveals the tragic reality that many of Gerald's victims remained unidentified, their bodies left to decompose in the mass grave without anyone knowing their names.

Keira spends the remainder of the night examining the contents of the metal chest she discovered beneath Gerald Barge's cabin floorboards. When Zoe and Mason wake at dawn, they find her sitting outside their tent, still methodically sorting through the box's contents despite her evident exhaustion from the cabin's psychic drain on her energy.

The box reveals itself to be Gerald's carefully organized collection of trophies taken from his victims, including letters that explain his methodology for luring women to their deaths. Through newspaper personal ads, he would engage in lengthy correspondences with potential victims before inviting them to meet his fictional sisters in the forest, using the presence of supposed female family members to establish trust. The discovered items include various personal effects like hairclips, lockets, and rings, along with small photographs his victims had sent him or brought to their fatal meetings.

The most significant discovery comes in the form of a blood-stained photograph that appears deliberately stored separate from its associated trophy - a decorative pocketknife used by one of Gerald's victims to stab him during her attempt to escape. The photograph shows a woman in her forties and her son, identified as Maria and Adrian Holcombe. Keira recognizes the son's brown, mended coat as the same one worn by the faceless ghost in her graveyard, finally revealing the identity of the unnamed spirit she's been trying to help.

Keira explains to Mason and Zoe how she discovered that Adrian Holcombe had come searching for his mother Maria, who was one of Gerald's victims. The group pieces together that Adrian confronted Gerald near dawn, leading to his death and subsequent burial as an unidentified body. This revelation explains why the faceless ghost remains tethered to earth - he died seeking justice for his mother's murder before he could expose Gerald's crimes.

As they trek back toward Blighty, the group analyzes Gerald's motivations, theorizing that his murders were driven by resentment toward middle-aged women, stemming from his own mother's abandonment when he was twelve. However, they realize this psychological motivation doesn't explain why his shade remains after death, particularly given its increasingly aggressive behavior and expanding territory. Zoe suggests that the shade's consumption of other spirits must serve some greater purpose beyond mere destruction.

The breakthrough comes when Keira recalls that Gerald's shade has been collecting his own bones from his disturbed grave, leading to the realization that he's seeking his missing skull - stolen when an angry mob desecrated his burial site. After discussing possible solutions, including Zoe's suggestion of creating a replica skull, they determine that Gerald would likely only be satisfied with his original skull. The chapter concludes with Keira's sudden recollection that Harry Kennard owns a skull, suggesting a potential resolution to their supernatural crisis.

With daylight fading fast, Keira leads Mason and Zoe through Blighty Cemetery toward the florist shop, knowing they have limited time to retrieve Gerald's skull before nightfall. Though exhausted from their forest expedition, they must act quickly to confront the shade while daylight remains. The group notices the shade's concerning absence, suggesting its territory and influence may have expanded during their absence.

At the florist shop, they execute an improvised plan to obtain the skull. Mason distracts Polly with conversation about flowers while Keira and Zoe approach Harry about the skull displayed on his entertainment unit. The skull, with its missing upper left canine, matches Keira's vision of Gerald Barge from the cabin, confirming its identity. They learn that Harry received the skull from Dane Crispin, suggesting a connection between the Crispin estate and Gerald's remains.

In an unexpected turn, Harry agrees to give them the skull when Zoe explains they need it for an occult ritual, even requesting to join them. Despite the potential complications of including Harry in their plans, Keira agrees to his condition, knowing he won't be able to see the shade. The group hurries back toward the cemetery with the skull as sunset approaches, with Harry maintaining his characteristically deadpan demeanor even as he informs his mother he may 'forever be changed' by the ritual.

Armed with Gerald's skull from Harry, the group ventures into Blighty Cemetery at dusk to return it to the shade's broken grave. As they approach the forest's edge, Keira notices only the Victorian ghost remains visible, silently urging them to hurry. Despite her attempts to convince Mason and Zoe to stay behind for their safety, they stubbornly refuse to leave her, while Harry maintains his characteristically detached demeanor throughout the supernatural proceedings.

Guided by the dark energy permeating the ground, Keira leads the group to Gerald's grave site, where the crack in his grave marker has widened significantly since her last visit. With her friends providing light, Keira carefully approaches the stone slab with the skull, making a formal declaration that Gerald must leave earth in exchange for its return. When she places the skull over the crack, it falls into the darkness below, initially leading the group to believe they've succeeded in resolving the situation.

However, their relief proves premature when the skull reemerges from the grave, followed by Gerald's shade in a horrifyingly enhanced form. The spirit, now twice its original size and incorporating both the skull and collected bones into its smoky form, attacks with renewed ferocity. In this climactic moment, Keira realizes her fundamental misunderstanding of Gerald's nature - he hadn't remained on earth due to unfinished business but because his soul had been corrupted by his own evil during life. As the chapter ends, Keira prepares for a desperate final confrontation with the enhanced shade, despite her exhausted condition.

Gerald's transformation after receiving his skull engulfs Keira in the shade's enhanced form, subjecting her to intense cold and draining her energy as she struggles to breathe. In a desperate final attempt, she reaches through the skull protecting Gerald's essence and grasps the threads of his being, but discovers they won't unravel as other spirits' threads had before. As her strength fades and death approaches, Mason, Zoe, and Harry physically connect with her, lending her their energy.

Drawing on her friends' combined strength, Keira changes tactics and begins forcing energy into Gerald's essence instead of trying to unravel it. The shade expands dramatically, crackling with blue lightning until it reaches a breaking point and explodes in a massive energy surge that leaves all four humans sprawled on the ground. In the aftermath, the forest gradually returns to life, and the group recovers from their ordeal, with Harry maintaining his characteristic detachment despite the supernatural experience.

As the group prepares to leave the cemetery, they discuss their varying levels of supernatural sensitivity, with Zoe revealing she caught glimpses of the shade and Mason and Keira sharing a tender moment. Their relief is short-lived, however, as they emerge from the forest to find Keira's cottage engulfed in flames, suggesting their troubles are far from over.

Keira returns to find her cottage engulfed in flames, with Pastor Adage managing to rescue only Daisy from the inferno. Mason prevents Keira from rushing into the burning building, while the group quickly realizes that firefighters won't be able to reach the cottage due to the cemetery's layout. As Zoe and Adage leave to fetch water from the parsonage, Keira is left to watch helplessly as her few possessions, including the mysterious photograph from her past, burn inside.

The true culprit behind the fire reveals himself as Dr. Kelsey, who steps out of the shadows to confront Keira. He admits to leaving the threatening note on her door and makes it clear that he's trying to protect his son Gavin's secrets by forcing Keira to leave Blighty. The confrontation escalates when Dr. Kelsey reveals a silver pistol, threatening Keira's life, but she remains remarkably unfazed by his threats, even taunting him about losing her new toaster.

The situation takes a supernatural turn when the elderly Victorian ghost appears, followed by all the surviving spirits of the graveyard. In a powerful display of solidarity, the spirits work together to manipulate the weather, creating a torrential downpour that extinguishes the fire. Dr. Kelsey, terrified by the inexplicable weather phenomenon and the supernatural cold that causes him to drop his pistol, flees the scene. The chapter concludes with a touching moment between Keira and the Victorian ghost, who finally makes physical contact with her before disappearing, followed by the return of Zoe and Adage with firefighting equipment they no longer need.

The cottage fire has been extinguished by the supernatural rainstorm, leaving Keira to watch as Mason, Zoe, and Pastor Adage inspect the damage to her home. Though the structure has suffered significantly from Dr. Kelsey's arson, Keira remains determined to repair it, refusing to let his threats drive her away from Blighty. Before addressing the damage, however, she decides to complete one final task - confronting the faceless ghost with the truth about his identity.

In a shocking revelation, Keira discovers that the faceless ghost is actually Gerald Barge himself, not Adrian Holcombe as previously believed. Through careful observation of a distinctive scar on the ghost's hand and consideration of historical details, she realizes that the mortician Timothy Weller had accidentally switched the bodies during their time in the morgue. This means that the violent shade they destroyed in the forest was actually Adrian Holcombe, consumed by revenge and hunting for his mother's killer for over a century.

Armed with this knowledge, Keira peacefully helps Gerald's spirit move on, feeling no grief for the true monster who had hidden behind a respectable facade. The chapter concludes with Mason finding and returning Keira's mysterious photograph from her past, which survived the fire. Despite Mason's offer of accommodation while the cottage is repaired, Keira chooses to stay in the cemetery, viewing it as her true home. Zoe also reveals she has received information about the mysterious logo, suggesting new avenues to explore regarding Keira's forgotten past.