The next morning, thinking they are safe, the couple sees a family in a car passing them—with John Ryder sitting in the back seat. They try to warn the family, but it’s too late. When they find the family’s car later, the parents are dead, and the young son is dying. Trapped in a web of psychological torture, Jim and Grace are framed for the murders by Ryder, who systematically eliminates the police officers pursuing them.

A short time later, they stop at a gas station where they encounter the same man, who introduces himself as . He asks for a ride to a nearby motel, and Jim, feeling guilty about leaving him earlier, agrees. This decision quickly turns into a nightmare. Once inside the car, Ryder becomes menacing, eventually pulling a knife and threatening to kill Jim. After a desperate struggle, Jim manages to kick Ryder out of the moving vehicle.

The terror peaks when Grace is captured and chained between a truck and a trailer. Ryder, sitting in the driver's seat of the truck, forces Jim to watch. Despite Jim's pleas and the arrival of , Ryder guns the engine and kills Grace.