67 pages 2 hours read

Ruth Ware

In A Dark Dark Wood

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2015

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Chapters 20-22Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 20 Summary

Nora can’t sleep, thinking about the group and how badly she wants to leave. As she is drifting off to sleep, she hears a strange noise coming from downstairs. Nora goes out to the hallway to find Flo outside on the landing. Clare comes out of her bedroom as well. Flo says it sounds like a door opening, though Clare says she checked them all.

Clare goes to get Tom, and they all creep down the stairs. The outside door in the kitchen is open, letting in a cold breeze. Flo says she will get the gun to scare an intruder, even though it contains only blanks. Flo enters the kitchen, but no one is there. Clare sees footprints in the snow that blew inside. Tom asks Nora if she is sure she locked the door, which she confirms. Flo accuses Nora of not locking it properly, but Nora does not waver. Flo goes upstairs with the gun, and the others follow.

Nina is now awake as well. Everyone checks to see if their belongings are there, which they are, and they return to their bedrooms. Nora goes to reach for her phone but finds it missing. She remembers having it at lunchtime the day before but not since.