Residents of nearby towns, including the narrator Booth, live in unspoken fear, wearing religious symbols for protection and never venturing near the area.

One night, Booth and his friend, bar owner Herb "Tookey" Tooklander, attempt to rescue the wife and daughter of a motorist named Gerard Lumley, whose vehicle is stranded in a ferocious blizzard.

Initially contemptuous of Lumley for driving in such weather, both are horrified upon realizing that his vehicle is stranded in Jerusalem's Lot.

Lumley's wife emerges from the dark and he hurries toward her; he notices her fanged teeth and red eyes too late and is bitten.

Booth nearly falls victim to Lumley's daughter, but Tookey throws a Douay Bible at her as both men scramble into the Scout, quickly fleeing the area.