Rick is pretty seasoned as supernatural things now, and he's recently gotten a call that a town in Quebec is having issues with people just... collapsing. A few are dead, but most are in comas. People who've been nearby when someone has collapsed have commented on thinking they saw some kind of dark entity. Only one person saying it could be passed off as some spiritual nut, but with every witness, separately and unaware of another's experience, also saying they saw some dark shadow, really makes it clear this is likely some kind of supernatural entity at work.

It's his first time out of the USA for a job, but he's gotten all the legal stuff worked out and has been approved to work in Canada. And so he's off to this town in Quebec, to find out what sort of entity is putting people into comas. He's just arriving at his hotel, not far from the affected neighborhood, when he receives a call from an unknown number.