Board Thread:Series Discussion/@comment-4050367-20151227062651/@comment-4050367-20151227063054

Here's a more in-depth look at '''Preface. '''

15 Years Ago: A man is chased by strange creatures in the woods, and is presumably attacked and killed.

Present Day - Week Zero, Day 1: Ben wakes up in a hospital, greeted by Dr. Bill Gacks. Dr. Gacks reveals to Ben that he has suffered major head trauma as the result of a recent car crash. Ben questions where he is, and Gacks explains he is in Bellwood, California, at its local hospital. Before Ben can continue asking questions, a second man arrives and introduces himself. He explains his name is Max Tennyson, Ben's grandfather. Max explains that Ben was on route to Bellwood with his parents, Carl and Sandra Tennyson. However, the car slide off the road and crashed into the town sign, instantly killing Carl and Sandra, while giving Ben permanant amnesia.

Ben realizes that he has a tattoo on his arm, and asks about what it means. Max explains that Ben had recieved the tattoo some point before the car crash, after asking his parents last christmas. Max tells Ben that he's never been to Bellwood before, as Max has always visited him in Ben's old hometown, but his parents wanted to spend a few weeks in Bellwood for a change. Dr. Gacks tells Max that it's unwise to overload him with info for now.

Ben spends the next week undergoing physical therapy, learning how to walk, move his muscles, stretch, etc. In his spare time, Ben recieves mental therapy from Dr. Gacks, who suggests Ben learn to solve mental puzzles like a Rubik's cube, do fill-in-puzzles, and read history and science books. Max comes to visit Ben during dinner, bringing games such as Chess, the Game of Risk; and puts on television shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune.

During the middle of the week, as Ben is leaving his daily mental therapy section with Dr. Gacks, a nurse notices him. The nurse begins screaming, pointing at Ben in horror. The nurse begins asking questions such as "What happened to you? What did they do to you? Why do you look so different? Where's the old tattoo? How do you have a new tattoo in place of the old one? Where are your piercings?". Dr. Gacks orders two doctors to restrain her and bring her into a backroom to calm down, before apologizing to Ben and helping him back to his room. Ben grows concerned about what she meant, but Dr. Gacks states that she unforunately must have overstressed and had a psychotic breakdown.

The next day, Ben is visited by a different doctor as Dr. Gacks is unavailable, and Ben asks the doctor what had happened to the nurse the day before. When using her name, the doctor looks in confusion, stating that he's never met a nurse with that name, and states he must be mistaken. Ben looks confused when Max rushes in, asking Ben how he is and if he's ready to go to physical therapy. Ben, surprised that Max is there so early, states yes, getting up and walking away with him. Max explains that he felt the need to be there for Ben today, realizing that he must not realize how hard all of this must be for Ben. Ben says it's hard, but he's figuring it all out. Max drops Ben off, before exiting the hospital.

After the week, Gacks states that Ben is ready for the next stage of his recovery. Ben has been cleared to live with his grandfather in Bellwood, making Max the legal guardian of Ben. As Ben exits the hospital, Dr. Gacks heads to the Morgue. He signs some paperwork in the morgue, telling the nurse to cremate the body. As he walks away, and the nurse starts the cremation, the body about to be burned is revealed to be the nurse, who is shown to have a large cut stitched up in the throat.

Max drives Ben into the town of Bellwood, which Ben notes the oddity of the place as Max takes him to a store with the words "Max's Plumbing" on it. Max stops the RV and allows Ben to exit, as the two walk in. Max explains to Ben that he's a Plumber and that he'll be doing work most of the day on the main floor of the shop. Directly above the shop is an apartment containing a kitchen, a small dining room, a living room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Ben is then told by Max that there are some important rules he should remember while living with his grandfather, the most important rules of Ben's life:


 * Rule #1: Do Not Try to Leave the Town. The town line should never be crossed, as the woods are too dangerous. The main roads leaving the town should not be followed past the town line. It's simply too dangerous, hence why Carl and Sandra died.
 * Rule #2: Do Not Ask Questions About Bellwood.  Bothering people with questions about the town wastes precious time. Never ask anyone but me questions, and if I don't answer them then don't ask again.
 * Rule #3: Do Not Go Into the Backroom. There's dangerous equipment, boxes of heavy products, and private belongings that should not be seen or touched.

Max explains that the first rule is life-saving, the second rule is to show honesty and transparency, and the third rule is to just set boundaries. The world is a dangerous place and he just wants Ben to be safe. As Ben explores the upstairs, he lays in his bed, feeling something about his new reality isn't right.