Louise helps Alice as Alice vomits from the sight of the rotting meat on the dinner table. Dave from Collections calls Alice and says that they've taken over her loan payments. As he gives her advice on her credit score, Alice hangs up on him. When the two women turn back to the dinner table, they discover that it's disappeared. They both wonder what is happening, and Alice explains that Joseph put her to sleep. She remembers Joseph cutting open her skull, and tells Louise that they have to go. Louise figures that she's important to Joseph and they can use that against him. Alice hears Mr. Schizophrenia singing, but Louise doesn't. Louise says that Alice has drawn Joseph out and they can do some good. Alice calms down and Louise leads her out of the park. Behind them, Smart Mouth swings on the swing set.
At home, Zoe sits in the tub and smokes, staring up at the ceiling. She sinks beneath the water and then lifts her head, and when she opens her eyes she sees Joseph sitting on the edge of the tub. He says that he came to see how Zoe is doing, and ask if there's any difference. Zoe tells him that she feels sick, and Joseph points out that she's still weak and she's changing. He advises her to embrace it, saying that she's stronger than she was before, and he's responsible for her. Joseph assures Zoe that he would never hurt her and she'll feel better if she eats something.
As Alice and Louise leave the park, Luke approaches them and asks what they're doing there. Louise asks him what he's doing there, and Luke says that he's looking into things. When he says that he now believes what Alice claimed the day before, Louise wonders what changed and Luke just advises them to stay out of the park. Alice walks on and Louise tells Luke to call her if he wants to talk before following Alice out.
When the women pull up to the house, they find Nathan there. He tells Alice that she's missed work, but Alice ignores him and goes inside. She calls to Zoe and looks in the bedroom, and finds someone under the covers. Alice pulls them aside and Zoe looks up at her, smiling, and quotes Alice in Wonderland. She reminds Alice that she didn't like the book, and Alice asks her what Joseph did to her. Zoe ignores the question and wonders if Alice was afraid she was going to fall down the rabbit hole.
Louise takes Nathan to the kitchen and they wait for Alice. The landlady wonders if Nathan likes Alice, and Nathan says that he likes her in a professional way. He rambles on about how she's fragile and that's part of her charm, and asks Louise about her taxidermy. Louise says that they're silent companions.
Alice notices that Zoe has been carving on the dresser with a knife, and asks how much she took. Zoe insists that she's fine, and winces. Alice wonders why Zoe has the sheets pulled up and yanks them down, and discovers that Zoe's leg is bleeding. Zoe says that it's not as bad as Alice thinks.
Luke finds his father at a local diner listening to a self-help tape. He asks if he ever saw anything like Robert eating Jeff the previous day, and the chief just chuckles and says that shit happens. Luke then asks him if he got the intake report on Robert and if he can see it. The chief says that he got it and tells Luke to look at it at the office. He tells Luke that he doesn't have to write it up, and Luke wonders what's going on. The chief talks about a kid who picked on Luke when he was a boy, and Luke thought that the kid stole the paper Luke read. Then Luke attacked the kid, and the chief told Luke that he forgot to renew the subscription. He then asks Luke if he wants some eggs, and orders some for his son even though he doesn't want them before leaving. Luke takes out Louise's card and looks at her phone number.
After Alice takes Zoe to the hospital, an orderly puts an IV into Zoe's arm and asks if she's hungry. Nathan and Louise are there, and Nathan wonders everyone else is. The orderly says that the hospital is closing after the city cut their funding, and they're the last ones there. Louise gets Luke's call and steps outside to take it, telling Nathan that she met Luke in the park. As they walk down the hall, Nathan notices an old intercom speaker on the wall, the cloth over the speaker quivering.
Robert enters the hospital and begins dancing down the hallway.
Joseph and Smart Mouth sit at a piano and play the music Robert dances to.
Once Robert finishes, he continues on.
Louise and Nathan meet Luke in the hospital cafeteria and Louise asks Luke what's going on. He explains that the chief is connected to the staircases in the park, and the chief's men set a killer free in Medallion Park. The killer met another man and they walked up a staircase and disappeared. Louise explains that they're the Peaches, and they're interested in Alice. Nathan remembers how people used to threaten children with stories of the Peaches, and Louise explains that the Wood sisters are upstairs. Robert comes in, sees them, and dances away. Luke draws his gun and goes after him.
Zoe asks Alice if she's okay, and Alice asks her what she did to her leg. Her sister tells her that she has a brain that misfires and she wonders why it's happening to her. Alice takes her hand and says that the schizophrenia is a genetic disorder passed on from their mother. Zoe tells her that the universe is just one big random act of violence, and Alice repeats her question.
Sitting in the bathtub, Zoe takes a knife and cuts into her leg despite the pain. She cuts off a strip and hesitantly eats it.
Once Zoe finishes her story, Alice explains that Joseph went into her head and woke something up. Behind Alice, Zoe sees Mr. Schizophrenia crawl briefly up on a table, and tells Alice that it's okay. Alice asks Zoe if she wants anything to eat, and Zoe says that she's not hungry.
As Alice leave the room, she sees a woman in the room across the hall. It's Nora, stabbing herself in the stomach with a pair of scissors as blood drips on her feet. She's using the same knife that Zoe cut herself with. After a moment Nora disappears, leaving no trace of her presence.
Luke, Louise, and Nathan go through the hospital looking for Robert, and Robert steps out behind them and calls to Luke, calling him "Mouse". Luke aims his gun at him and tells him not to move, and Robert holds up his hands like he's holding a gun. He says "bang" and runs off, and Luke goes after him.
Zoe clutches at her unharmed leg and the lights flicker and then go out. She sits up and calls to anyone.
Nathan falls behind as Luke and Louise go after Robert. A sliding door closes between them, and Nathan can't get it open. He calls to Louise and Luke, and they come back but can't the door open. Robert steps out behind Nathan and walks down the hallway toward him as the lights go out behind him as he walks forward. Luke runs off as Robert grabs Nathan and cuts his throat with a knife. Louise goes after Luke, who finds a side hallway, comes out, and orders Robert down on the floor. Robert immediately complies, laughing, and Luke handcuffs him.
Alice runs through the hospital looking for medicine. She finds the pills that she's looking for and spills them on the floor.
Louise comes around and confirms that Nathan is dead. Robert smiles, and Louise suggests to Luke that they take Robert to her place and break his knees. The blood spills out of Nathan's neck and Robert sucks it up.
Zoe pulls the IV out of her arm and licks the blood, and Edie comes into the room with a covered hospital dish.
Alice sits on the floor humming to herself and remembers the past.
A psychiatrist tells Alice that Zoe suffered a psychotic break and it's not a one-time thing. Alice knows about it, and the psychiatrist says that it might be better if Alice spent less time with the literature. Undeterred, Alice recites the statistics and wonders if it will happen to her as well.
Alice goes to the door and finds it closed. She turns and sees Mr. Schizophrenia in the opposite doorway, hanging from the top. Alice realizes who it is and runs out, and Mr. Schizophrenia chases after her.
A pregnant Edie introduces herself to Zoe and opens the drapes. She sits down the dish and removes the cover, revealing meat. Edie takes a bite and smiles, and Zoe asks what it is. The woman says that Zoe knows what it is, and tells her to just eat if she's hungry. Edie assures Zoe that there's a place at their table and a room for them in their home, and the stairs lead there. She insists that they're just a real special family, and figures that Zoe has never had a real family. Edie asks if Zoe is tired of feeling that every day is a battle that she can't win, and the Peaches will love Zoe if they'll let her. She promises that they'll have a lot of fun and pushes the dish to Zoe.
Alice continues running and reaches Zoe's room... and discovers that her sister is gone. There's a note on the bed with the Peach insignia, and in it Joseph says that Zoe has come upstairs with them and Alice is also welcome. Alice goes back out in the hallway and makes sure that no one is there, and then runs. Dave from Collection calls and she wonders if he's real. He says that they'll take her court to get the money that she owes. Alice hangs up and hears Zoe calling to her. She follows the voice to a nursery where Smart Mouth is playing with other similar-looking children. Smart Mouth speaks in Zoe's voice, asking Alice to help her. Alice screams and runs away.
Luke drives to the station with Robert in the back seat. Robert whistles until Luke tells him to stop, and says that Luke always goes by the book. He sticks out his tongue and invites Luke to hold it for him, and says that Luke is a ghost mouse. Robert points out that Luke couldn't shoot him to save Nathan, and that the "ghost mice"'s lives don't stick. None of what they do matters to the Peaches because they're just protein. He says that Tanya and Izzy don't matter, and if they did then Luke would have tried to find them. Luke stops and shoots Robert in the chest, then shoots him several more times before driving on.
Alice drives to the park and runs to the playground. Joseph is leading Zoe up the stairs, and Alice calls to her sister. Zoe turns to look at her, but then goes through the door. Alice runs to the stairs and remembers the face of the Pestilent God, and then hesitantly walks up. She reaches the door at the top, opens it, and goes inside, closing the door behind her.
Written by Gadfly on Feb 22, 2018