Thirteen-year-old Ben Silver is sitting in his “favorite place” in his house (3), shooting a stop-motion film entitled Within the Woods. Ben hears a knock from the front door and a voice announcing that it is the police. Ben and his little sister, Olive, answer the door and tell the police officers that their parents are not home. The officers leave, and Ben hears a car quickly entering the home’s driveway.

The car that Ben hears is his parents arriving home. They tell the kids they “got a surprise” for them and that they should pack their things and come along (8). Ben and Olive get into the car, and the four of them speed off. Ben’s parents tell them that the family is going on holiday, but they are driving recklessly and will not tell the children where exactly they are going. Ben tells his parents that the police came to their house, but his parents seem to not be paying attention. They continue to act suspiciously, not answering their phone and avoiding straight answers with their children. Eventually, they pull into a driveway and greet Uncle Chris.