HOMECOMING On Monday, a young girl with burn scars on her arms sits on the sidewalk outside the ruins of St. Estes Home for Boys, drawing a picture of her family on the sidewalk with chalk. An older man named Jerry notices her and approaches, asking what she's doing. She responds that her father Frank and mother Dee don't like her being in the house during the day, and Jerry replies that he thought all the neighborhood's street people know not to go near St. Estes'. The girl introduces herself as Elsie and says she's not homeless -- at least not all the time -- since Frank found an abandoned townhouse for them to squat in. Elsie asks what's wrong with St. Estes', and Jerry replies that it used to be a school of sorts until a psychopath burned it to the ground years ago, killing almost everyone inside. Jerry offers to take Elise to the local covenant house, but Elsie refuses. Jerry points out that based on the burn-scars on her arms it's clear she's being abused, but says he won't force her to go anywhere she doesn't want to, warning her that he's heard crazy stories about the man who burnt it down and that people still go missing around the ruins. Elsie insists she'll be fine, but Frank warns her not to stick around St. Estes' after dark unless she wants to disappear too.
That night, Elsie sits out on the sidewalk drawing when a trio of drunk college students - a girl and two boys - come across her. As the girl complements her drawing, one of the boys snatches away her chalk and the other -- Mike -- kicks her box of chalk like a soccer ball. As Elsie protests in dismay, the girl scolds Mike before telling him to at least give Elsie some change. Smirking, Mike belches and says he doesn't have any money on him, the girl apologizing as they walk away. As it starts to rain, Elsie recalls Jerry's warning and ventures into the burnt-out ruins, falling down a collapsed floor into the basement level. As she ventures deeper into the ruins, a sinister voice asks if she's lost and needs a new friend, adding that it lost its last one. Unafraid, Elsie says that monsters aren't real, only for the sinister voice to reply that it thinks she knows better. Elsie hesitantly turning around just in time to see the Carnage symbiote lunge at her from the shadows.
At the abandoned townhouse, Dee sleeps on a sleeping bag while Frank listens to music, Bamf sleeping next to him. Elsie enters the building, slamming the door and waking Dee up. As she walks past, Dee sleepily mutters to Frank that she thought she heard a man's voice, but he ignores her and she goes back to sleep. The next morning, Dee wakes up and hears Elsie talking to someone upstairs. Barging into her daughter's room, Dee angrily demands to know who Elsie is talking to, and Elsie responds she's playing with her new friend Cletus. Looking around the otherwise empty room, Dee tells Elsie to get out of the house since she and Frank will be doing stuff. Going back downstairs, Dee complains to Frank that Elsie's talking to an imaginary friend now, but Frank brushes her off and asks if Dee has seen Bamf anywhere. Unconcerned, Dee says that the dog will turn up.
On Wednesday, Jerry walks past the ruins of St. Estes' and notices Elsie isn't there. Concerned, he spots a nearby NYPD officer, Mitch, and asks if he's seen a young girl hanging around. Mitch says he'll keep an eye out and that Jerry's right to be worried -- a trio of college students went missing with evidence pointing to them having been brutally murdered. Jerry denies knowing anything about that, and gives the cop Elsie's name and description.
Thursday night, Dee shouts at Frank to fix the draft blowing in from the shattered windows. Covering the windows with cardboard, Frank wonders if it's coming through the closet; opening it and recoiling in horror upon seeing Bamf's bloody pelt suspended on coat-hangers. Giggling maliciously and speaking in a distorted voice, Elsie - her eyes glowing red - mockingly asks if she did a bad thing. Enrag