I guess I should have clarified, but this isn't the beginning of the novel. This particular excerpt actually comes from near the end of the book. I led off with this excerpt because it's the closest thing I have to a single, self-contained story.
The book switches between supernatural or nightmare imagery and more gritty, real-world prose. The next excerpt will showcase some of the more typical character interactions, so you might like that more. Thank you for reading, though.