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Content Warning: This section of the guide depicts abduction, suicide and suicidal ideation, domestic violence, and the exploitation of minors.

A boy who has been missing for 10 years steps into light. The narrator, Win Lockwood, is not easily shocked, yet his pulse races as he sees the boy. Patrick Moore is standing under a dirty underpass with two other teenagers, including one wearing a dog collar. London’s King’s Cross has been recently gentrified, but the area is still an option for people who are looking for in-person sex tourism. Win wants to sprint to Patrick and save him, but he cannot do this, because he does not see Rhys.

Rhys is the son of Win’s cousin Brooke. Both boys went missing while on a playdate when they were six years old. Win fears that if he grabs Patrick, Rhys will be killed or punished. He plans to follow Patrick when he leaves the area. A man in a melon-colored shirt approaches Patrick, and Win recognizes that this man is dangerous. Two men in camouflage pants also approach Patrick and begin to beat him. Win approaches them. He is wearing well-tailored, expensive clothes and stands out in this bleak underpass. He wonders if the men are carrying weapons but does not worry.