Part 2/9:
During a book signing event for the final installment of her series, Emma unexpectedly encounters Caroline, an old friend she hasn't seen in over a decade. Caroline's demeanor is cold, accusing Emma of causing her mother’s mental health decline through the horror stories she had penned in her youth. She insists that Emma return to their hometown to confront the growing darkness that her stories have possibly manifested in reality.
Confronted with Caroline's claims and shown a gruesome reminder of her mother's deterioration—a cloth bundle of her mother's teeth—Emma is drawn back to the shadows of horror that she thought were only fictional. Caroline reveals that her mother has become a living nightmare, one that acts out scenes from Emma's books.