Raven fights back but is overwhelmed and curls into a defensive position. The assault stops abruptly, and Perri tells her that the warden will do nothing to protect her. Vale finds her on the bathroom floor and tends to her bruised ribs and multiple cuts. Raven accidentally reveals her concern for Jed’s safety.

Kit and Yara arrive, sent to fetch Vale for a fight in another cellblock. He orders them to take Raven to the infirmary before leaving. Yara points at the shower room’s camera, which is pointed at the floor. She explains that a repositioned camera indicates that a guard accepted a bribe to allow the attack. She details the prison’s currency system: inmates trade information, extortion material, or sexual favors for protection and privileges. As they pass the guards who allowed the attack, Yara taunts one with a warning about consequences.

Raven refuses medical attention, fearing it will make her appear weak. She explains her hatred for Perri, who ran a criminal enterprise selling fake medical treatments to dying Lower Sector citizens. She realizes that Perri is probably still operating from inside Endlock, with guards on her payroll. Despite her friends’ objections, Raven insists on treating her wounds herself, and Kit agrees to help her.

The next morning, Warden Larch enters the cellblock with Verona Shields, the record-holder for most kills at Endlock, to select hunt targets. Vale arrives with the hunting party, which includes a young boy and his father. When the boy considers selecting a younger girl, Raven taunts the father about choosing easy targets, provoking him into selecting her instead. The chosen targets—including Raven, Gus, Momo, and Torin—are led to a prep room.

Gus explains that inmates’ wristbands are tracking devices: green lights mark targets, red lights indicate non-targets, and Endlock’s weapons are programmed not to fire at red wristbands. Vale outlines the hunt rules: Targets receive a two-minute head start before hunters are released. A magnetic force field shrinks the area in stages, funneling inmates toward the Blood Tree. Touching the tree changes a wristband to red, ending the hunt for them. Inmates cannot attack hunters except in self-defense and cannot help each other.

When an inmate has a seizure just before the hunt begins, Vale orders a replacement fetched from Block A. The prisoners are sealed into individual metal stalls, and after a countdown, the stalls open to the hunting grounds.

As the hunt begins, Raven discovers that the chosen replacement target is Jed. They reunite and follow Gus into the forest. Raven tells Jed to hide in a tree while she investigates the perimeter fence for weaknesses. She finds a section overgrown with foliage where she might dig underneath, but two hunters force her to flee before she can investigate further.

Vale ambushes her from behind a tree, covers her mouth, and redirects the hunters with a thrown rock. He warns her that the force field is about to move.

Raven finds Jed, and they run for the center. The force field overtakes her, sending electric pain through her body before she crosses the boundary. Recovering, they hear a whistle and hide in a tree. They witness a clandestine meeting between Gus and Vale. Raven suspects Gus may be an informant.

A scream separates Gus and Vale. Momo runs into the clearing, pursued by a hunter. At Jed’s urging, Raven attacks the hunter from behind with a branch and shoves him into a boulder, knocking him unconscious. She confirms that he is alive, then flees with Jed and Momo, stashing the stolen rifle in a hollow tree.

They reach the Blood Tree clearing, where Gus is already safe. The group watches Verona Shields hunt Torin Bond, shooting him mere feet from the tree. Raven suffers a panic attack, horrified by her role in sending people to this fate. Verona drags Torin’s body away.

Gus signals that it is safe to run. Jed and Momo touch the tree first. Raven touches it an instant before a hunter fires at her; her wristband turns red, and the rifle clicks harmlessly. She and Jed collapse at the tree’s base and embrace, weeping with relief.

Back at the prison, Jed coaches Momo on what to say about the unconscious hunter. The group watches guards extract Torin’s teeth for Verona, and Gus explains she is a Council favorite who specializes in hunting Upper Sector targets. Larch interrogates Momo, who claims self-defense, though the warden eyes Raven with suspicion.

In the mess hall, the inmates’ attitude toward Raven has shifted from hatred to wary assessment. She sits with her usual group: Gus, Kit, Yara, and Momo. Gus reveals that Vale moved Jed’s cellblock and mealtime to align with theirs, deepening Raven’s suspicion about the two men’s secret meeting.

Gus then reveals he knows about the Collective and that Raven is here to help Kit escape. Kit confirms that everyone at the table is involved and plans to leave together for the North Settlement. Kit helped develop Endlock’s security technology, which is why the Collective needs her; Gus is a doctor, making him a valuable addition to any community. Raven proposes digging under the fence, but Kit reveals that it is buried several feet deep. Kit promises to disable the wristband tracking during their escape, once they find a route. Perri and her associate Cyril confront Raven verbally but do not attack.

That night, Jed visits Raven’s cell. They talk emotionally about their parents’ deaths and Raven’s sacrifices. Jed insists on being an equal partner in their survival and escape, and Raven agrees.

The next morning, Raven wakes to find Yara in her cell. Yara explains that the cameras are not always active and can be identified by a blinking red light. She warns that the rarely monitored basement cameras make it dangerous to be alone with guards there. She thanks Raven for saving Momo and gives her clothing, a blanket, and soap, explaining she bribes guards with cigarettes for privileges and access, thanks to the money her wealthy mother gives her. Yara reveals that she was an agriculturist before her arrest and that she is imprisoned for killing her father, who was the Chief Financial Officer of Endlock Enterprises.

Vale escorts Raven to her work assignment. When she attempts friendly conversation to earn his trust, he corners her and questions the sudden change. Raven claims that she is calling a truce because he helped her during the hunt. She admits she became a bounty hunter solely to provide for Jed; Vale tells her he read her file and knows that she only pursued serious criminals. At the workshop, Raven spots wire cutters on the wall as potential escape tools, and she learns that Jed will work in the laundry room alongside Kit and Momo.

Larch then arrives with guards and the hunter Raven attacked, now conscious. The hunter identifies her and notes that his weapon was never recovered. Larch declares he will demonstrate how Endlock deals with rule-breakers. Raven defiantly asks if he plans to kill her. Larch leans close and tells her there are worse things than death.