A live broadcast from the Mandela County Police Department is being shown on television, commemorating the promotion or Sergeant Ruth Weaver and Lieutenant Thatcher Davis.

Thatcher receives a message from a school receptionist, asking if he can check on a missing student of theirs, Mark Heathcliff, to make sure he is alright.

We are shown Mark's home as Thatcher approaches and repeatedly knocks on thе door, to no response. He busts down thе door and we cut to an investigation of Mark's house. We first see the analogue television in Mark's room before Thatcher turns their flashlight on and discovers Mark's body with multiple .50 caliber casings beside the bed. Thatcher finds a cassette player, a Holy Bible, and a notebook on top of the television.

From security footage inside MCPD, we can hear Ruth telling Thatcher he doesn't need to keep working on a bullshit case considering he was just promoted and Thatcher tells her he only has evidence to go over.

A slideshow plays, identifying Cesar Torres as the perpetrator in Mark's case, as his finger prints were discovered on Mark's bedroom door. The following are shown as points of interest:

Mark's camcorder, containing a tape titled "shadow under the door". The tape is dates September 14, 1992. The shadow of an individual is seen outside Mark's door and they knock rapidly, repeatedly.

Mark's cassette player, containing a cassette labeled "voices outside my room". When played the voice tells Mark to let them in before harshly mimicking a different voice. The tape is flipped and a crowd of people can be heard.

Mark's notebook. In Mark's journal he wrote reassurances of God's love, saying that he needs protection and that he is scared. Mark slowly breaks down, saying nobody came for him and begging the reader to stop "it" before "it" does this to anyone else. Mark wrote "Who have I been praying to all this time?" repeatedly before writing it over each other. The last page reads "my eyes are wide open".