The book starts out in New Jersey where we meet our character Jack Blank who lives in an orphanage called St. Barnabas. The orphanage for the hopeless, forgotten, and lost, and on the sign it said crushing the spirit of childhood since 1898. Jack is made to do chores while everyone is on a field trip. He was glad to miss this field trip because the other children were going on a "scared straight" trip to a maximum security prison to show them where they would go if they didn't "fly straight". Jack was sure that if he didn't land himself in prison Rex and his buddies would put him in it. Jack was doing chores and also battles a "robo-zombie". Then a man comes named Jason comes and talks to the head-disciplinarian and says he works for the department
