When the others enter the bus station, Stacy lags behind. A young boy runs up to her and grabs her breast, distracting her, which allows another boy to grab her hat and sunglasses, then run off. Dazed and upset, Stacy goes into the station. She tries to tell the others, but only Pablo responds; he doesn’t understand what she is saying, instead looking at her with amusement. Mathias then asks her what happened. Stacy finds being with Mathias uncomfortable, even though he responds with sympathy. He often stares at her, and she feels as though he is constantly judging her in silence. Eric joins them. Although Stacy is on the verge of tears, Eric ignores her, instead urging the group onto the bus before they miss it.

The bus is nicer than Stacy expects, with air conditioning and TVs that play a Spanish soap opera. Amy takes Stacy’s hand and offers her her own hat, a gesture which immediately comforts Stacy. As they ride, Stacy feels “safer, happier” being with her friend and grows excited to see the ruins. Similarly, Eric manages to fall asleep on the ride. When they arrive in Cobá, he feels rested and prepared for the trip.

Next, the group finds a man nearby with a taxi. It is a pickup truck with an angry, chained dog in the back that barks at them aggressively. Jeff haggles with the driver about the price, then the group gets in, seeing no other option. The 11-mile drive seems to take much longer than expected, causing a sense of apprehension and fear to fall over the group.

Jeff begins to think that they made a mistake in trusting the man and imagines them all being killed. Similarly, Stacy thinks about her uncle, Roger, who died in a car that got caught in a flash flood; its color was the same yellow as the truck. She is thinking about how people “ended up in places they’d never chosen to be” (24) when the taxi finally stops.

As the others get out of the truck, Amy, who is in the passenger’s seat, is stopped by the driver. In broken English, he urges her not to go down the path. He keeps insisting that the place is “no good,” and Amy repeatedly tries to explain to him that they’re looking for Mathias’s lost brother. After a minute, the driver grows angry, then quickly drives away.

Stepping outside, Amy is immediately hit by how oppressive the heat is. As Jeff brings over mosquito repellent for them, Amy realizes that they have no way of getting back to the bus station. Jeff explains that the travel guide he looked at stated that they could always catch a bus or car passing through, but Amy points out that they have not seen a single other vehicle and the road is broken and narrow. Stacy interrupts them, comforting Amy and urging her to just enjoy the trip.

Looking back at Henrich’s hand-drawn map, the group sees that it is a two-mile walk along a path that leads into the trees. Then, another trail branches off, leading them gradually uphill to the ruins. The path ahead is dark, shaded by large trees on either side. Despite this, it is sweltering with large swarms of black bugs. After about 20 minutes of walking, they end up atop a hill looking down at a Mayan village, which the map notes is a sign that they’ve gone too far.

As the group looks down at the map, Jeff is apprehensive. A dog comes up and barks at them, then runs away, yet none of the villagers they see walking around acknowledge them. He also sees that the village is likely without electricity or running water, as he sees a woman pull a bucket up from the well. Feeling as though they have no other choice, they decide to go into the village despite their apprehension.

As they descend the path, Stacy notes how no one acknowledges their arrival. Most of the people are out in the fields. They pass one woman holding a baby, and Stacy has the frightening thought that the baby is dead because of how still it is. She averts her eyes, and the group continues toward the well. The dog from earlier returns; up close, Stacy sees that it is covered in fleas. Another dog joins it, and they continually pester Stacy until she has the urge to hit them to get them to leave.

The six friends arrive at the well. They wait for several moments, then a man finally comes down from the fields. He asks them a question in Mayan, raising his eyebrows. Jeff tries to explain what they want, in both English and Spanish, then tries to use his arms and body. The man continues to stare at them until eventually Jeff gives up.

They decide to leave, returning back up the slope toward the forest. The dogs continue to circle Stacy, causing her to fall behind, until she gets angry and slaps one on the nose. She immediately regrets it, but the dog ignores her apology, running back to the village.

When the group gets back to the path, they realize that two young boys on a bicycle and one of the dogs have followed them. The boys watch them silently as they debate what to do. They decide that it’s possible the path is off the fields, so they start out together into them.

As the group walks, Amy realizes that it is unlikely that their day will end well. It is getting late in the day, they have no way back to the hotel, and have no tents to sleep in. Despite this, she tries to be optimistic, encouraging the group to gather together for a picture.

The fields are covered in patches of mud, causing the group to stop repeatedly to clean off their shoes. Growing exhausted and feeling hungover, Eric isn’t sure how much longer he can continue when Mathias suddenly stops. He moves into the trees, pulling away palm fronds, revealing a hidden path. Behind them, the dog suddenly begins barking. The older of the two boys gets on the bike and quickly peddles away back toward the village. The other boy stands there, looking nervous, as the dog continues to bark.

Mathias points out that the path was hidden, intentionally covered with green palm fronds. The thought makes Amy extremely nervous, and Jeff does his best to calm her down. The group walks single-file down the path, eventually coming to a large clearing. In the center of it is a hill covered in green vines. Growing on the vines are bright red flowers. They stand for several minutes looking at the hill, awed by its beauty. As Amy takes pictures of everything, she realizes that Mathias has stopped and is looking at the hill. He points out a square of orange fabric near the top, questioning whether it is a tent. Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of a horse’s approaching hoofbeats.

A horse comes off the path into the clearing, ridden by the bald Mayan man that met them at the well in the village. He fights with the horse as it avoids entering the clearing. When the man gets off, the horse bolts back onto the path. The bald man begins yelling at them, and the friends debate what he wants. He repeatedly points toward the path, urging them to leave. Mathias turns and begins calling his brother’s name, yelling up the hill. When he starts toward it, the bald man pulls a pistol from his belt and shoots it in the air, causing everyone to stop.

A moment later, two more horses ridden by two other villagers come into the clearing. These horses fight with their riders, too, bolting as soon as the riders dismount. These two men draw bow and arrows, which they point at the group. The three men argue amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Amy takes pictures of the men. She starts to back up closer to the hill, hoping to get her friends and the Mayan men in the same picture. The men turn toward her and begin yelling, pointing their gun and their bows at her. She takes one more step, then realizes she is standing amongst the vines. One of them is wrapped around her ankle. As she tries to pull her foot free, the vine pulls taught.

The three men begin to fight more intently, the two new arrivals clearly arguing with the bald man. Eventually, the bald man loses, then turns and points his gun at Jeff. He gestures toward Amy and the hill, threatening him, so Jeff begins to back up. Amy notes how the bald man is visibly upset, wiping tears from his eyes. He yells at all the friends, forcing them to move backward to the hill.

The group makes their way up the hill following a path. The vines and the red flowers cover everything. They glance over their shoulders and see that the three men are still watching them. Eric notes how eerie the situation feels: Everything is silent and even the bugs have disappeared. Eventually, they come to the tent, which is empty and overgrown with vines. Mathias calls his brother’s name but gets no answer.

More than halfway up the hill, Eric turns back and sees that several more men have joined the others. The bald man speaks to them, ordering them around, and they disperse in different directions. As Mathias calls for his brother again, Eric realizes, with a sense of foreboding, that there is no one around to hear them yell except the Mayan men.