Vic McQueen/Season 2

### Bad Mother

Gunbarrel, Colorado. 8 years have passed, and Vic has settled into a trailer home with Lou and their son, Wayne. They’ve set up a bike shop, where Vic works on design. Lou and Wayne return home with a new video game: 2K20. Lou wonders how he got so lucky, and Vic tells him that she’s only with him for his comic collection. Wayne then tells his father that he’s too old to play the game with him. Completely unaware of his mother’s past, Wayne asks who Charlie Manx is after seeing a news report of his death. He supposedly died in his hospital bed after spending the last 8 years in a coma. Vic insists that she’s fine, though she takes the truck, claiming that she has to clear her mind.

Vic calls Maggie and tells her to ask her Tiles if Manx is truly dead, but Maggie no longer uses them. Vic is certain that Manx is still alive and determined to prove it. She has to finish the job, and to do that, she needs Maggie to asks her Tiles how to find a new Knife. Maggie refuses. She tells Vic to make an honest man out of Lou and get online, so that she can see photos of Wayne. Vic hangs up with Maggie and takes a drink of alcohol before restarting the truck. She drives it into the woods, hoping that her Bridge will appear, but it doesn’t. She gets a call from Wayne, who informs her that Sam called. He has a bike for them, and Vic has to pick it up.

Vic meets with Sam, who informs her that he discovered the bike while cleaning up his storage space. He remarks that Steve McQueen had one just like it. A Triumph. As Vic grabs the bike from the loading bay, the lights start to flicker.

Vic returns home with the Triumph. She tells Lou that it’s her new Knife, and it’ll allow her to travel the Shorter Way. She believes that she conjured the bike, which excites Lou. He compares them to Han and Leia and Rey and Finn. Vic wants to use the bike to find Charlie Manx. Lou reminds Vic that he’s dead and asks if she’s been drinking. Because every Christmas, she nearly drinks herself to death and starts to hear phones and voices. Vic insists that this isn’t like Christmas, however, she is determined to find out if Manx is dead. Lou tells Vic that now that they’re free of Charlie Manx, they can finally start to consider making things legal, between themselves and with Wayne. She assures him that this is what she wants as well and kisses Lou. As Lou heads out for work, she tells him that she’ll pick Wayne up from school, as she works on the bike. Lou suggests a family name, trying out "Team Carqueen" , "Team McCarmody," and "Team Carqueemody."

While working to repair the Triumph, Vic’s music switches to Christmas carols. Then, the phone rings with ice covering every inch of it. As she’s about to answer, Lou calls out to her and reminds her that she was supposed to pick Wayne up from school. He tells her that the other moms were there and asks if she’s coming to his game. She promises him she’ll be there. Lou then asks Vic to talk about whatever is bothering her. She claims she merely lost track of time. While Lou doesn’t know what it is that Vic was hoping to find, he was hoping that he and Wayne would be enough for her.

Vic lies awake in bed. She kisses Lou awake and they have sex. Afterward, she apologizes for her actions yesterday. She tells him that he and Wayne are enough. They’re much more than she deserves, in fact. Lou tells Vic that she deserves so much more than shacking up with him. While Vic has made a lot of mistakes in her life, Lou isn’t one. She then tells him that it’s "Team McCarmody" forever. Vic tells Lou to get ready for work and she’ll take Wayne to school. Wayne wakes up to find Vic in the kitchen preparing ice cream for breakfast. She tells him that they’re playing hooky today.

Vic and Wayne play basketball outside the shop. Wayne then tells his mother how his father says that the Triumph reminds him of a sewing machine. Vic replies that Lou is a Harley guy. Wayne then asks about Charlie Manx. Vic tells him that Manx is a serial child abductor, and that’s why Vic’s told Wayne that he should never go anywhere with anyone who doesn't know the password: 1048 Fairbanks. The code to the Batcave. He asks if Manx took her, but it was in fact his biological father, Craig Harrison, who was taken. Vic tells Wayne that she'll never allow anything like that to happen to him.

The phone in the shop starts to ring, but only she can hear it. She cuts the cord and the ringing stops. The house phone then rings, followed by her cellphone, as the front screen appears as static. She cuts the cord to the house phone and throws her phone as well as Wayne’s cell phone into the oven and turns it on. As Wayne rushes into his room to hide, Vic grabs two miniature bottles of alcohol from under the kitchen sink and drinks. The ringing continues. She busts open Wayne’s door and answers the green toy dinosaur phone. It’s Millie, demanding to know what she’s done to Christmasland, as it has gone dark. Vic tells Millie to stop calling her house. Millie advises Vic to leave Christmasland alone or else her father will stick a fork in her eyes and pop them out like corks. Millie calls Vic a liar and a pest. Vic informs Millie that she’s coming for Manx and to never call her again. Vic then throws the toy into the oven.

Vic starts the Triumph up and rides off into the woods. Just like before, the Shorter Way Bridge appears before her. The inner left side of the bridge, written in green spray paint, says "the morgue." Her Bridge takes her into the hospital, where she skids out of control. She gets to her feet and pushes her bike to the morgue, where she finds Manx’s dead body on the autopsy table. She takes a scalpel and stabs him in the chest, though he doesn’t move. Vic leaves the morgue, returning to Gunbarrel on her Bridge. She returns home to find that their house has caught on fire from the phones she left in the oven. She finds Lou and Wayne sitting near an ambulance. She greets Wayne with a hug, though Lou doesn’t acknowledge her.

Vic, Lou, and Wayne are forced to spend the night in a motel. After putting Wayne to bed, Vic apologies for her recent actions, though Lou is beyond upset. He accuses Vic of always having one foot out the door. Both he and Wayne can see it. He can’t believe that she got drunk in front of Wayne and set the house on fire. He questions why she needed to know that Manx was alive so badly. Vic recalls Maggie telling her that every gift comes with a cost, and Vic believes that she’s now paying that cost at the expense of using her Bridge. Lou believes that Vic needs professional help. He’s even prepared to sell the bikes to pay for it. He promises her that they’ll figure it all out in the morning.

As Lou and Wayne sleep, Vic lies awake in bed throughout the night. She stuffs her pockets with alcohol from the mini-fridge and prepares to sneak away. Wayne catches her as she’s leaving. She tells him that he’s safer with his father. He accepts that she's leaving and tells her not to forget her jacket. It has armor to protect her. Vic tells Wayne that she loves him before leaving. Vic hopes on her bike and rides out to the Shorter Way, headed to the Lake.

### The Night Road

Vic rides her Triumph over the Shorter Way. She arrives at the Lake, drunk and in pain. Her head is ringing, similar to when she was a teen. She is approached by her father, who doesn’t initially recognize her and cocks his gun. He lowers his gun upon realizing that it is Vic and asks if she drove there all the way from Colorado. She tells him yes, and he invites her inside. Chris gets Vic into bed, where she tells him that Charlie Manx died. He’s aware. He tells her to lay down and they’ll sort everything else out in the morning.

Vic dreams of Wayne and the house fire. She awakens from her sleep and goes looking around the house, where she finds her old sketch journal. Chris explains that Linda gave it to him after Vic left. He often looks through it. Linda also gives him pictures of Wayne. Vic asks for the time. Chris tells her it’s noon. She came to his house with a fever and has slept for the last day and a half. Chris moved to the lake because he rather enjoys the quiet. When he’s not working, he messes around with his guitars and fixes the house up. Vic asks him for a place to stay and a job. Before he answers, he tells Vic that he went through her pockets and poured out all her liquor. He is sober and his house is a dry house.

Vic leaves her father's house and returns to her childhood home, where Linda greets her in the driveway. She welcomes Vic back and rushes her into the house. Inside, Linda makes Vic a grilled cheese sandwich. Vic complements her new hair, to which Linda replies that Sean, her boyfriend, says she looks like Madonna. When Linda asks about Wayne, Vic reveals that she got drunk and accidentally set the house on fire. Linda encourages Vic to call Lou and Wayne and tell them where she’s at. Linda then leaves for work.

Vic leaves Lou a voicemail when he doesn’t answer. She explains that she’s at her mother’s house in Haverhill and apologizes for leaving without saying goodbye. She claims that she didn’t want to hurt them, and she was worried that Lou would try to stop her. After hanging up, Vic goes into the cabinet and takes a drink of alcohol.

Vic dreams of Wayne with a candy cane in hand. She awakens at the sound of the phone ringing. She answers. It’s the Colorado State Police, calling to inform her of Wayne and Lou’s encounter with Charlie Manx. Vic then calls Lou and informs him that she’s talked to Tabitha Hutter, who has pulled some strings and arranged for two FBI agents to escort them to the airport. Tabitha will be there to pick them up and take them to her house. However, Vic intends to go after Manx. Lou worries that Manx will kill Vic. He wants her to join them, but Vic is determined to stop Manx, which angers Lou. He tells her that her actions aren’t heroic and that Wayne needs his mother. Vic goes after Manx nevertheless.

Vic arrives outside Parnassus. Though no one is inside the Wraith, it’s headlights turn on upon her arrival. Vic has a gas canister with her. She sticks a rag inside and prepares to light it on fire, but Manx exits the bar. He tells her that he won’t make the mistake of underestimating her again. He asks if she knows where they are. They’re on the Night Road. An Inscape formed by the collective unconscious of a community of Strong Creatives. Access requires a certain darkness of the soul. He wonders what darkness has been lurking inside her since their last encounter; teen pregnancy, child born out of wedlock, his father burned to death along with Bradley, all as a consequence to Vic’s actions. Vic promises that she will stop Manx, even if it kills her. He believes it to be her wish to die by his hands so that she doesn’t have to face her family or failures. And once Wayne is in Christmasland, he’ll forget all about Vic. The Wraith starts up and has its sight set on Vic. She lights the gas can and charges towards the Wraith, launching the canister in its direction, only narrowly missing it. Vic retreats to her Bridge after a failed attempt to stop Manx.

Linda returns home to find liquor in Vic’s room and her drawings scattered along the floor. Vic arrives and Linda scolds her for getting drunk and joyriding. She advises Vic to get her act together and go back to her kid. Vic tries hard, but she fails. She often makes bad decisions and puts him in bad positions. Linda can relate, stating that she never won a gold metal for parenting either. Linda explains that when you’re young, you never understand how much having a child will take from you. You give them everything you’ve got and more than you have. Vic worries that she doesn’t know how to love Wayne like that. Linda tells her that she doesn’t have to know how. She just has to stay and figure out the rest as it happens.

Vic arrives outside of Tabitha’s home. She knocks on the door, where she is welcomed by Maggie. She’s glad to see that Vic is unharmed. Unfortunately, Vic wasn’t able to stop Manx. Maggie replies that they’ll stop him together. Vic enters the house and thanks Tabitha for her help. She then checks on Wayne and Lou, neither of whom are happy with her. He asks if she’s visiting or staying. Vic announces that she has come to stay.

### The Lake House

Vic awakens to find Wayne humming *O Holy Night* by the window. She calls him, but he doesn’t answer. He instead opens the front door, where only he can see Charlie Manx. Vic tries to wake Wayne up, but he remains asleep. Wayne finally wakes up. Vic tells him that he’s at aunt Maggie’s house and that he was just having a bad dream. In his hand, Wayne holds the candy cane that Manx previously gave him. He looks out the window again to see the moon smiling at him.

The following morning, Vic and Lou ask Wayne about his sleepwalking. However, he’s more concerned about when they’re going home. Vic tells him that they’re about to leave for his grandpa’s lake house. Lou compares it to the bat cave. Vic then tells Wayne that they can’t mention Manx to grandpa or anyone else they meet. Wayne explains that he already knows. Lou then gifts Wayne a brand new phone and tells him to get dressed. Vic and Lou go into the hallway, where Vic expresses her concern for Wayne. He’s never sleep walked before. Lou chalks it up to the fact that they’re on the run.

Vic, Lou, Wayne, and Maggie arrive at Chris’ lake house. He greets Maggie and Lou, meeting them both for the first time. Lastly, he meets Wayne, glad to have finally met him. Wayne remarks that the house looks creepy. Chris turns his attention to the lake and tells Wayne that Vic liked to fish when she was his age and asks if he would like to try.

Vic asks Chris about the access points to the cabin. He tells her that there’s only the lake and driveway. Should they come under threat, he has a 9mm and a rifle, as well as a couple cans of gas in case they have to run. Vic asks if he has any ANFO to keep any cars from getting too close to the house. Vic knows that she sounds crazy, but she repeats the question. Chris admits that he does. They can bury it in the driveway, but they have to do it without the agents noticing. So, they agree to do it after Wayne goes to sleep. Chris assures Vic that everything will be okay.

As Lou pumps air into a blowup mattress, Vic brings him donuts. She tells him that her father is on board with the ANFO. Lou reveals that he wants to adopt Wayne officially. He fears that he’ll lose Wayne should something happen to Vic. She agrees that this is the right call. Lou explains that Wayne needs stability, which they can’t count on Vic for. Lou understands that she is traumatized from her previous encounters with Manx, but she can’t continue to use it as an excuse. He wants them to work, but if Vic can’t work out her problems, he fears the worst.

Vic and Maggie watch the boys go fishing. Maggie asks Vic if she’s okay. Vic doesn’t know how to be normal like them. Maggie replies that none of them are normal, pointing out that Lou dresses like a storm-trooper for fun and her dad has "gone all Bear Grylls in a spooky horror cabin." Meanwhile, Wayne is cooler than them all. Vic replies that they don’t have a Bridge. Maggie retorts that neither did Vic for eight years. For a long time in her life, the Tiles were the only consistency in Maggie's life. And then, she fell in love. Tabitha is her home because she chose her. Vic questions if Maggie actually chose Tabitha considering she’s at the cabin with them.

That night, as planned, Vic and Chris create bombs with ANFO, to bury in the driveway. They joke that this is the first thing they’ve done together in eight years. Chris notices Vic’s hands shaking from the withdrawals with liquor and helps her. She wonders when he stopped drinking. They are alarmed by the sound of the floor creaking. Chris grabs his gun, and they investigate. They find Lou exiting the room, as he is looking for Wayne. He is sleepwalking again. She approaches Wayne, who while still asleep, whispers that "sometimes mom doesn’t like us." Lou takes Wayne back to bed, and Vic walks away disheartened.

Vic finds Chris sitting near the lake. She joins him. While she may not have slept much, he remarks that at least she doesn’t have a hangover. He then tells Vic that they can bury the bombs after Wayne goes to sleep tonight. Vic reveals that she’s worried about Wayne. Chris is certain he’ll be back to normal once everything is over. He adds that Wayne is tough, like Craig. He’d be so happy that Vic found a stand up guy like Lou to help raise his kid. Vic fears that Lou will leave her. Chris tells Vic that the biggest mistake he made with her and her mom was never choosing between staying and going. It tore everyone apart. He warns Vic against making the same mistakes he did. If she truly wants Lou, she’ll have to fight for him. Vic takes off her shoes and joins Lou and Wayne in the lake, splashing them both with water and enjoying time together as a family.

Vic watches from inside the house as Chris puts the bombs into the back of the truck. She is approached by Wayne, who tells her that he wants to find some kids to play with tomorrow. Vic explains that they’re in hiding and tells him to get ready for bed. Lou enters the room, and Vic thanks him. She recalls the time that she broke her ankle at the reservoir. Wayne was only two years old. The shop was busy, and Vic was laid up for weeks, but Lou kept everything under control. He and Wayne even dressed up as Madam Neutron and the Eternal Assassin, just to make Vic laugh. And no matter the mess she made, he’d always been kind and thoughtful She just doesn’t want to lose him. He wonders if she had chosen him if they had met randomly instead of her escaping from Sleigh House. She’s not sure, but she’s glad she did and she'd do it again. She then tells Lou that she wants to quit drinking and be the person that he and Wayne deserve.

Vic, Lou, and Chris bury the bombs at the driveway. They notice the agents headed their way, and so Chris tells the two of them to leave while he finishes up, giving Lou and Vic the detonator. They look over at the dock and notice Wayne sleepwalking towards the lake. Unbeknownst to them, Wayne is talking to Manx, who is filling his head with the joys of Christmasland. Wayne is tired of hiding and his parents being messed up. He wants to go home. Manx tells him that Christmasland can be his home. He’ll be happy and loved, more than he ever was with his parents. All he asks is that Wayne tell him where they are hiding. As Vic recovers Wayne and takes him back inside, he reveals to Manx that he’s at Lake Passamaquoddy. Wayne then starts humming again, causing Vic to notice the candy cane in his hand.

Vic tucks Wayne into bed. She asks him about the candy cane, but he is reluctant to reveal where he got it from. Vic promises that she won’t get mad, and so Wayne admits that he got it from Manx. Vic warns him against taking anything from Charlie Manx, explaining that he’s a bad man. However, Wayne argues in Charlie’s favor, claiming that Vic is a liar who makes Lou sad. Wayne simply wants a regular life with a regular mom. Vic apologizes for scaring him. She tells Wayne that he is the best kid, deserving of the best mom, and she’s going to try her best to be that mom. She assures Wayne that he can tell her anything and pinky swears to never get mad at him again.

Maggie leaves Tabitha another message, begging her to call back. Maggie reveals to Vic and Lou that she hasn't heard from Tabitha since she left the house. Both she and Vic know what happens to cops who cross Charlie Manx. She refuses to let Tabitha die and looks to her Tiles for answers.

The lights flicker, as Maggie asks her Tiles if Tabitha is okay, much to Lou’s amazement. She spells out "HOUSE OF SLEEP." Vic realizes that Bing has Tabitha, just before Maggie has a seizure. Maggie recovers and reveals that she and Tabitha looked for the House of Sleep for years but could never find it. However, Vic can. Lou encourages her to go, and Maggie joins her. Vic gives Lou the detonator and kisses him goodbye.

Vic and Maggie arrive at the Sleigh House on the Shorter Way. Maggie rushes to find Tabitha, who is alive but is being hauled away on a stretcher. Maggie explains that she got scared when Tabitha didn’t call her back. Tabitha looks to Vic and sarcastically asks if she’s Maggie’s ride. Vic replies that she’s glad Tabitha is okay. Tabitha reveals that she had Bing and Manx, but they slipped away. Vic then gets a call from Lou, who reveals that Wayne has been talking to Manx in his dreams. Vic realizes that he must’ve done this through the candy cane. Manx knows where they are. Vic tells Lou that she is on her way and that he must protect Wayne from Manx at all cost.

### Bruce Wayne McQueen

Flashback 8 years ago to the day that Vic gave birth to Wayne via c-section. There appeared to be complications with his breathing. The doctors performed CPR and fortunately managed to save his life.

Vic rides the Shorter Way back to the lake house, where she discovers Bing’s gas equipment lying near the AC unit. She then finds Lou unconscious on the ground. He’s weak, but he tells her that Bing has Wayne and hands her the detonator. Vic finds Manx standing near his Wraith with Wayne and Bing and demands that her son be released. However, Manx gets inside the Wraith and charges towards Vic, who holds in her hand the detonator to blow up Manx, however, she can’t, as it would also mean killing her son. And so, Vic runs away, with Manx following behind. He drives through the gate and mows Vic down. She goes flying through the air, during which time, she recalls her precious memories with Wayne, such as their times on the swings and him joining her and Lou in bed.

Manx kicks Vic awake as she lies on the ground after being run over. She tries to get up, but he beats her with the bone hammer, striking her in the back several times, mercilessly, breaking the metal plates embedded within the jacket she’s wearing. Manx tells Vic that her days of riding are over. He can’t believe they live in a world where a whore like her is allowed to have children. She nearly stole his children from him, and now, he claims hers as his own. She will never see Wayne again. He claims he’ll bring Wayne more joy and love than he’s ever had. As he goes to strike her again, she kicks Manx in the knee and disarms him off the bone hammer. She grabs the weapon and strikes Manx in the face before turning her attention to the Wraith, hitting it many times, weakening Manx in the process. She then finds Wayne sleeping in the back. She wakes him up, as she beats on the window with the hammer, though she leaves not even a scratch. Wayne tells her to run, as Bing exits the Wraith and opens fire. Vic tells Wayne that she loves him and promises that she’ll bring him home. Unable to free Wayne from the Wraith, Vic runs onto the dock and dives into the lake with Bing chasing behind her and firing.

Vic remains hidden underwater, as Bing fires several shots. She recalls all her time spent with Wayne. Vic emerges from underwater but remains hidden behind a buoy. She watches as Bing fires randomly into the lake. Manx tells Vic that only a coward hits a man and runs. She watches as Lou runs towards the Wraith. Vic then goes back underwater and swims to the dock, emerging just beneath Bing’s feet. He asks if she remembers their time together in the House of Sleep. Every time it rains, he thinks about the fun they had together and how much he still has to teach her about being a good mom. He adds that Wayne is naughty as well, but at least Manx will teach him how to be nice. Vic is forced to watch from under the dock as Manx smashes Lou’s face into the window of the Wraith.

Manx returns to the lake and informs Vic that Lou is destined for a ride in his Wraith and reminds her of Craig, who she killed. While it’s unfortunate his kids didn’t get to snack on Craig, they will feast on Lou for weeks. Manx promises that Wayne will call Vic from Christmasland. And when she hears his voice, she’ll know that he’s better off with him. Bing realizes that Vic is beneath him and begins shooting. However, he is taken down by a single shot from Chris, who then turns his attention towards Manx and begins shooting. Bing gets back to his feet and limps towards Chris just as Manx gets in the Wraith and drives off without him. And so, Bing is forced to retreat into the woods. Vic makes it back to land while Chris fires several rounds at the Wraith, though he fails to stop Manx from leaving with Wayne.

Vic approaches Lou and Chris, both wounded, Lou more so. Lou encourages Vic to go after Manx. Chris loads his gun and gives it to Vic. Lou tells Vic to find Manx and kill him. Vic gets on her bike and chases Manx down. She manages to catch up to him. She fires several rounds at the Wraith even as Manx tries to run her off the road. They near an intersection, and he suddenly slams on his brakes, though Vic continues and is run over by the Hourglass Man.

Vic wakes up in the hospital. She is brought in on a stretcher. Chris and Lou are also being tended to, though Lou has become unresponsive. Vic starts the cry, asking where her son is. Linda arrives and comforts Vic, as she exclaims that Wayne is gone and is never coming back.

### The Hourglass

Vic is nearly killed by a doctor while she slept in the hospital. Fortunately, Maggie was there to save her. As her mother shouts at the FBI agents outside her room, Vic wakes up. She gets dressed, determined to find Wayne, as no one else can. Vic tells Linda that she has a gift. With her Triumph, she can find Wayne. Vic reminds her mother of Sharon Smith, who she used her gift to find eight years ago. Linda believes that Vic is delusional, telling her to either get back in bed or she’ll have her evaluated. Vic chooses the former.

Vic sits at Lou’s bedside. He wakes up, and she tells him that he had a heart attack. Lou asks about Wayne, and Vic informs him that the FBI lost Wayne’s phone signal. Lou questions how much time they have before Manx gets away. He tells her that together, they’ll fix her Triumph and save Wayne. Lou compares them to Han and Leia. And Vic’s bike to the Millennium Falcon.

Linda looks through all of Vic’s old drawings in her room. Vic enters and tells her that Chris and Lou went to go get her motorcycle and that they’ll need some place dry to work on it. Linda always thought that Vic spent too much time drawing. But the truth is, she never understood Vic. She was always so quiet and self-sufficient. Linda never felt that Vic needed her. Vic replies that she did need her mother. She still does. Linda asks Vic to tell her how her gift works. However, Vic doesn’t fully understand it herself. Linda then tells Vic that they can fix the bike in the kitchen.

Vic and Linda enter the kitchen, as Lou and Chris bring in Vic’s bike piece by piece. She can’t believe this is all that’s left of her Triumph. Vic is losing faith that they’ll repair the bike in time to save Wayne. She asks Lou if he remembers the kid in the back of the Wraith when they crossed paths with Manx outside of Sam’s. Lou remembers. Vic fears that by the time she finds Wayne, he’ll be like Bradley. However, Lou assures her that Wayne is strong and that they’ll find him.

Vic, Lou, and Chris work on the bike. Vic then gets a call from Wayne, who reveals he’s stuck in the back of the Wraith, in a junkyard. It’s too dark for Wayne to see exactly where he’s at. He begs Vic to rescue him, telling her that something is wrong with him, as he killed a butterfly. Vic tells Wayne to keep fighting and that she’ll be there before he knows it.

### Chris McQueen

With Chris and Lou’s help, Vic manages to get the Triumph up and running again, though only momentarily before it shuts back off. The bike appears to be having electrical problems. Lou gives it a look and tells Vic to try again. She revs the bike up and after a few tries, it starts.

Vic and Chris pack their bags with explosives. Vic thanks Chris for helping with the bike and getting the ANFO. She’s still visibly in pain and has yet to recover after being run down by the Hourglass Man, though she’s intent on finding Wayne. But before she leaves, she kisses Lou goodbye.

Vic joins Chris outside by the Triumph. Before getting on, Linda voices her concern in regards to them taking explosives over Vic’s Bridge, though Vic doesn’t have much of a choice. Linda tells them to be careful as Vic starts the bike and Chris hops on the back. Linda follows them down the street on foot and watches as Vic and Chris ride away on the Shorter Way Bridge.

Vic and Chris ride the Shorter Way to a scrapyard, where they find Wayne’s phone on the ground. Not far from them Bing lays against his truck, dying from being stabbed with a pole. Wheezing for air, Bing reveals that they just missed Manx. He begs for help. Chris takes out his gun, pistols whips Bing, and applies so much pressure to his wound that he passes out, forcing Vic to intervene. Chris apologizes for losing control, but with Bing unconscious, Vic has no choice but to call for help.

Vic meets Tabitha at the local precinct. She reveals that Bing woke up this morning and is out of surgery. No one at the hospital could get anything out of him. He simply kept asking for Vic. It’s been nearly 24 hours since they found him, and Vic doesn’t have much time left.

Vic, Maggie, Lou, Chris, and Linda sit in the waiting room of the police station. Tabitha tells Vic that Bing has confessed to several crimes, including kidnapping Wayne. Unfortunately, he refuses to give up any more information of Wayne’s whereabouts until he speaks with Vic. Chris and Linda advise her against it, but Lou tells her to do whatever feels right. And so Vic decides to speak with Bing.

Vic enters the interrogation room and asks Bing where to find Wayne. Bing apologizes for bringing Manx back to life and putting the engine back in the Wraith. He tried to save Wayne, but he failed. He asks if Vic remembers when they were friends. They used to trade comics, she recalls. She claims to miss the person she thought Bing was. Bing doesn’t have any friends now. He’s all alone and sorry for his actions. He asks if Vic can find it in her heart to forgive him. Vic grabs his hand and asks him where to find Wayne. Bing reveals that before they go to Christmasland, they must hang an ornament on a tree near Sleigh House. It’s the last stop before Christmasland.

Vic returns to the waiting room and tells Maggie that she needs her Tiles. Vic and Maggie head out to the SUV, where Maggie can use her Tiles in privacy. Vic still blames her dad. If it wasn’t for him, they could’ve found Wayne already. Maggie replies that parents always let you down, which is why she doesn’t talk to hers. Maggie then tells Vic that they all screw up sometimes, reminding Vic how she went to a murderer's hotel room without a plan. "I’d shank a thousand assholes for your mopey ass," Maggie adds. She lights a cigarette and burns her arm just before asking her Tiles if Wayne has hung his ornament yet. The Tiles reveal that he hasn’t, and so Vic is headed for Sleigh House. She then notices Tabitha watching and alerts Maggie before exiting the truck. Vic tells Tabitha that Wayne hasn’t hung his ornament yet and there’s still time to save him if they can beat the Wraith to Colorado. Tabitha assures Vic that she’ll keep the F.B.I off her back.

Admittedly, Chris lost control when attacking Bing, but he refuses to allow Vic to ride to Colorado alone. Vic doesn’t want his help. They lost nearly a day because of him. Chris explains that half of those bombs have timers and that only he knows how to rig them. Linda warns Vic against letting her anger screw up her chances of saving Wayne. Vic reluctantly agrees to allow Chris to join her. Linda hugs Chris and tells him to bring Vic and Wayne home.

Vic and Chris ride out to Sleigh House, where they plant the bombs. Chris apologizes again for letting Vic down, though she initially doesn’t respond to him. She eventually explains that it’s easier to be mad at him than herself. Chris tells Vic that Charlie Manx isn’t her fault. Vic was confused when her Bridge brought her to her father at his lake house after burning down her home. However, she knows that whenever she was with her father, she was just a kid who had dreams of being an artist and having a family. She promised herself that she’d be a better parent and provide a better home for Wayne. Instead, she ended up a failure and drunk. She wants to forgive her father because if she can’t forgive him, then she can’t expect Wayne to forgive her. But if she does forgive Chris, then she’s also letting herself off the hook for constantly failing Wayne and Lou. She doesn’t believe she deserves forgiveness. Maggie and Lou then arrive.

Vic, Maggie, and Lou gaze upon the trees, each one with dozens of ornaments hanging from them, each representing a kid. Vic suddenly hears kids singing, but only she can hear them and goes to investigate. Vic follows the singing to the faltering veil, where Millie can see her but she can’t see Millie. She asks if Vic is going to kill her father. If Manx dies then so will all the Christmasland kids, Millie explains. Millie doesn't want to die. She wants to know what it feels like to grow up. So she asks Vic to help her get out. Millie agrees to show Vic a secret so long as she promises to rescue her. Millie grabs a snow ball and rolls it out the veil to Vic, only for it to disappear moments after.

Vic and Chris hide in a ditch, waiting for Manx to arrive. Chris tells Vic to forgive herself. If she doesn’t let herself off the hook, she’ll simply hang for the rest of her life. They then hear the Wraith approaching. Manx meets Vic on the road. She revs her bike, challenging him. He charges towards her in the Wraith. Chris blows the first explosive but he misses. He blows the second explosive and misses again. Without notice, the Triumph cuts off. While the third explosive also misses, it hits close enough to steer Manx off track, though only momentarily. Manx turns his attention back to Vic and drives towards her. With the bike not starting, Chris jumps from behind the trees and pushes Vic and the Triumph out the way, though he is run over in the process. Wayne then emerges from the woods and gets into the back of the Wraith. Vic is stuck under the Triumph as Manx approaches. He stands over top of Chris and calls him a second generation failure and drunk before snapping his neck in front of Vic.

### Welcome to Christmasland

Lou takes another look at the Triumph. He tells Vic he can fix the bike, but the rest will be up to her, indicating towards the bite mark on his shoulder from Wayne. Vic intends to ride her bike to Christmasland. Lou doesn’t want Vic to ride alone, but she insists it’s too dangerous. She tells Lou that he’s the best man she’s ever known and that she’ll bring Wayne back. They share a single kiss and then Vic tells Lou to call Tabitha and ensure that she has backup ready on her command. Before parting ways, Vic tells Lou that she loves him.

Vic meets Maggie alongside the road. Vic knows of a back way into Christmasland — a weak spot in between worlds where the veil is thin. Maggie intends to join Vic with plans to blow up Christmasland. Vic is initially reluctant to allow Maggie to join her, but Maggie reminds Vic that she was hunting the Wraith months before she met Vic, so she wants to see it through together.

Vic and Maggie ride over the Shorter Way to Christmasland on the Triumph. They arrive inside Manx’s Inscape in utter disbelief. Vic reveals to Maggie that Wayne bit Lou and that she isn’t sure what he will be like when they find him. Maggie assures Vic that Wayne will remember her as she’s already done more than most parents ever could, including her own. Maggie’s mom disowned her when she started dying her hair and kissing girls. Maggie asks Vic to think about where Wayne might be. Vic remembers going to Six Flags and how much he loved the rides. However, there wasn’t anything he loved more than the 4th of July and fireworks. They are startled by a vampire kid dressed as Wonder Woman. Maggie says "Red Light!" The girl suddenly comes to a stop. Maggie explains that it always worked with the kids at the library.

Vic and Maggie avoid the Christmasland kids. They sneak up to a kid dressed as an astronaut, who they presume to be Wayne. However, it isn’t, and that mistake result in him alerting the other kids of their arrival. Vic and Maggie are surrounded. Manx then calls out to Vic, who comes out from behind the tree while Maggie hides underneath.

Next to Manx stands Wayne and Millie. Manx claims that Wayne is happy at Christmasland. Vic tries to convince Wayne to join her, but instead, he tells her that Wayne McQueen isn’t his name, much to Manx’s amusement. Manx swears that all his children are happy, but Vic reveals that it was Millie who told her about the faltering veil, which allowed her access to Christmasland. However, when Vic asks Millie to tell Wayne the truth, she is too afraid to speak. Vic gives Millie her word that she’ll be free of Christmasland if she brings Wayne over. However, Manx suggests that they let Wayne choose, and he chooses to stay in Christmasland. Manx then informs the kids that they have some drifters among them, referring to both Vic and Maggie, who plants a bomb under the large Christmas tree before escaping. Meanwhile, Vic flees into the costume shop and plants a bomb while the children bang outside the door until they manage to force their way inside.

Vic finds herself surrounded by the children. One child jumps on her back and bites her. Vic shakes the girl off and runs just as Maggie’s bomb under the Christmas tree explodes, momentarily trapping the children underneath.

Vic sets a bomb under the Sleigh coaster and goes looking for Wayne. She finds him all alone and approaches, but he runs off into the Eternal Maze at the sight of her. Vic follows Wayne into the maze but loses his trail.

Vic comes to Maggie's aid and saves her from the attacking children. Vic and Maggie wander aimlessly through the maze. They cross paths with Wayne by pure happenstance. He wants to play a game with Vic. She says that he can play NBA 2K at home, but he doesn’t wish to leave Christmasland. Vic reminds him that in Christmasland, there isn’t a 4th of July, meaning no fireworks. She calls him Bats, which angers him. He tells Vic that isn’t his name and accuses her of always leaving him. Vic tells Wayne that she loves him and that she’ll always be there for him. She pulls Wayne close and hugs him, though he takes this opportunity to stab her with a pair of scissors, exclaiming that he won Scissors for the Drifter.

Maggie carries Vic on her shoulders as they limp towards the exit of the maze. In an instant, the exit disappears. What was once a passageway is now solid ice. Manx explains that this is the beauty of an Inscape. Everything they see is a product of his imagination. The Eternal Maze is one of his favorite exhibits. Children always find their way out but adults never do. Manx approaches Maggie and hits her in the stomach with his hammer. As he is about to bring the hammer down on her again, the bombs explode, destroying the Sleigh coaster and another shop. Manx instantaneously becomes weaker and ages rapidly. Vic takes his hammer and beats him over the head repeatedly. It takes Maggie to stop her as beating Manx in his own Inscape will accomplish nothing. They need to focus on finding Wayne before Christmasland falls apart.

Vic finds Wayne standing near the gates. She calls out to him: "Bruce Wayne McQueen!" She disarms him of his scissors and forcefully takes him away. He demands that Vic let him go, even calling out to Manx for help. He tells Vic that he hates her and that she’s a monster, to which she replies that she’s his mother. The lights at Christmasland then shut off, with nothing left to light the Inscape but the flames created by the explosions. Vic then tells Wayne that Christmas is over.

### Bats

Vic looks in disbelief as Christmasland goes up in flames. Wayne points out that she’s bleeding, and Vic introduces a new game called "Find the Triumph." She tells Wayne that if they find it before anyone else, they can go for a fast ride. She then finds Maggie searching for her Tiles. The Triumph is too small to fit all three of them, so Vic intends to take Wayne back to the Real World and return for Maggie afterward.

Wayne spots the Triumph. Vic sits him in front of her and starts the bike. She rides onto the Shorter Way. Wayne makes mention of the bats inside her Bridge. Vic tells him that all the bats are his friends. Vic arrives at Sleigh House and drops Wayne off with Lou. Tabitha inquires about Maggie, who Vic informs is still in Christmasland.

Vic returns to Christmasland on her bike to save Maggie. Maggie wants to stay and look for her Tiles, but she is forced to flee on the back of the Triumph with Vic as Manx chases them down in the Wraith.

Vic and Maggie ride over the Shorter Way with Manx following closely behind. Vic comes to a stop as she refuses to lead him to her family. With Manx trapped on her Inscape, Vic grabs Maggie’s hand and takes control. She manipulates the bats in her bridge to attack the Wraith, shattering its windshield.

Manx drives towards Vic and Maggie. However, Vic wills the floorboards beneath the Wraith to crack. In doing this, she brings herself great pain, specifically her eye, but she continues until the Wraith falls off the bridge and disappears into the white static beneath. Defeating Manx seemed to come at a great cost as the Shorter Way began to collapse with Vic and Maggie just barely escaping. They return to Sleigh House, where Vic is greeted by Lou and Wayne, and Maggie by Tabitha, who calls in an ambulance. Just as Vic reveals that Manx is finally dead, the Christmasland children appear from within the trees, human once more. Tabitha then calls in Social Service in addition to the ambulance.

One month later, Vic, Lou, and Wayne have moved back into their home in Colorado. Vic catches Wayne trying to hide his food in his sleeve and says to him that he needs to eat. He tells her to let him go while holding a fork in his hand threateningly. Lou says that it’s alright and tells Wayne to clear his plate. Vic remarks that Wayne hasn’t eaten a normal meal in weeks. Lou asks how long it took for her to get over Manx. He reminds Vic that they’re all safe now.

Vic is having trouble sleeping, so she turns to her sketchpad. She draws a hero robot to protect Wayne and help find him when he’s lost. Lou reminds Vic that she found Wayne and tells her not to stay up too late.

While drawing, Vic overhears a noise coming from outside her room. She finds Wayne standing on the kitchen counter eating sugar. He says: "Sugar for dinner is fun." Vic tells him to put the sugar down and come to bed. He apologizes and jumps into her arms. Before sending him off to bed, Vic and Wayne brush their teeth. Lou finds them in the bathroom and tells Vic to come to bed when she’s done. Wayne spits out a mouthful of blood in the sink. As Vic tucks him into bed, he asks if he’s going to be okay. She assures him that he will be. Wayne asks if she ever got better after Manx hurt her. She promises that she did and that he will as well.

Vic awakens to find Wayne missing. She drives out to the Sleigh House and calls out to him. He comes out from behind the wall of bricks. He asks how she knew he would be there. Vic doesn’t know. She simply had a feeling.

Vic and Linda have packed Chris’ belongings and brought them back to her house in Haverhill. She informs Vic that she met him when she was just 12 years old. Admittedly, Linda misses him. Vic recalls her father telling her to forgive herself. Linda remarks that Chris was always good at giving advice he couldn’t take, and forgiving one's self is hard advice for a mother to follow. Vic wonders if Linda ever forgave herself — for the struggles she had along the way whilst raising Vic. Linda likes to think she has. Vic used to resent how tightly Linda used to hold onto them, but she understands it now. Linda asks about Wayne, who Vic says is different, and she doesn’t know how to help him. Linda’s biggest regret with Vic is covering for Chris. Perhaps if they talked about what was going on rather than hiding it, Vic’s life might’ve been easier. Vic tells her mother that she loves her, and Linda invites Vic to move in.

After discovering that Manx’s body turned up in the lake along with the Wraith, Vic, Maggie, Lou, Wayne, Tabitha, and Linda, gathered at the scrapyard to watch the Wraith get compacted after Manx was cremated. Vic surmised that Manx and the Wraith were dumped in Haverhill because it’s where the Shorter Way originated, before her father helped destroy it when she was a kid.

Vic and Maggie celebrate their victory over Manx at a cafe. Vic reveals that Lou is officially adopting Wayne and that they’re going to stay in Haverhill for a while. Being in Gunbarrel was bad for both Wayne and Vic. Maggie wonders how many other Inscapes there are in the World of Thought. She wants to take Vic’s Triumph out of storage to explore, but Vic wants to stay in the Real World. Maggie reminds Vic that she’s a Strong Creative, but Vic doesn’t want to put her family in more danger. Maggie replies that not every Inscape is Christmasland, reminding Vic of Jolene and her Tunnels. They’re so much left unexplored, such as "The Crooked Alley" and "The Empty Forest." Maggie’s Tiles have told her about all kinds of places. However, Vic isn’t interested.

Wayne draws a picture of himself and Millie at Christmasland. Vic and Lou enter his room, and he hides the picture under his pillow. Wayne asks when they are going home. Lou informs him that they’ll be in Haverhill for a while. Wayne claims to miss his friends, but Vic knows that he misses Christmasland. Admittedly, she used to miss Charlie Manx. She thought that chasing him was fun. She then notices the picture under the pillow. He reluctantly agrees to allow her to see the picture of him and Millie. Wayne believes that there’s something wrong with him. Vic tells him that it’s okay to feel that way. She knows the feeling. It’s why she chased after Manx, drank too much, and why she ran away from them. Vic makes a promise that they won’t run away anymore and that they won’t pretend to feel okay when they don't.

Vic sits at the kitchen table with Wayne’s drawing of Millie at Christmasland. She opens the cabinet. Rather than grabbing the liquor, she grabs her sketch pencils and begins drawing.