Leave the World Behind (2023)

[bunniefuu]

(eerie music plays)

(birds squawking in distance)

(distant siren)

(man groans softly)

Amanda?

What're you doing?

Well, I couldn't sleep.

And it has been such

a hellish year for us as you know,

and I just seem to be working

every day without even realizing it.

And you are just constantly

anxious about your job

because of all the budget cuts.

So, I went online this morning

and I rented us a beautiful house

out by the beach.

And it was such a steal

even though it's barely the off-season.

- (bag zipping shut)

- Wait, are are you packing?

Yeah. I thought I'd get a jump on it.

Wait. I don't understand.

When did you rent a house for?

Today.

I figured if I made the reservation

and packed our bags,

it would eliminate

most of the reasons to say no.

Oh, and I printed out the little thingy

there for you from the website.

It's right by your coffee,

made it just the way you like it.

I didn't want to wake the kids

so I haven't packed for them yet.

But honestly, I think they're going to be

super psyched about this.

Well, you know me,

I'm always down for a little vacay.

Especially with the kids.

We haven't done that in a while.

But help me out here, babe. I mean

(chuckles) why today?

(sharp exhale)

Well, when I couldn't fall back asleep

this morning, I came over here.

To watch the sunrise.

And I saw all these people

starting their day

with such tenacity. Such verve.

All in an effort to

make something of themselves.

Make something of our world.

I felt so lucky to be a part of that.

But then, I remembered

what the world is actually like.

And I came to a more accurate realization.

I f*cking hate people.

("THE REV3NGE" by Joey Bada$$ playing)

b*tch, I'm really really out for blood

this time, look (no, really)

Woo! (man, what?)

I just came back for the win

Lotta new money in my hand

Go and tell a friend to tell a friend

They say success is the best revenge

Heard they was sleeping again

Say it no more

This is a rude awakening

Kick in the door

Back and I'm badder than ever before

Don't get it mistaken

I'm ready for w*r

I see the opps

And I'm upping the score

I catch a body

Then jump in the Porsche

Follow the coroner back to the morgue

Take the sheet off

And k*ll 'em some more

When I am done at the scene

I won't leave anything

You won't even know who was involved

Don't let me do it

'Cause I over do it

And do it 'til I cannot do it no more

All of the doubters

I'm proving them wrong

Back with a classic

I know it's been long

Heard they was missing me

While I was gone

I smell a victory, back up on top

And it's where here I belong

Like it ain't sh*t to me

We making history

Fought through the misery

Weathered the storm

Can't let them get to me

No weapon formed shall prosper

R&B b*tches all over my roster

b*tch, I got options

I keep a chopper

Right on the dresser next to the Oscar

Applying pressure, somebody stop us

Woo!

Applying pressure, somebody stop us

Run in my casa, gon' need a doctor

Gon' need a doctor

Gon' need a (what?)

- I just came back for the win

- Man, what?

Lotta new money in my hand

Go and tell a friend to tell a friend

They say success is the best revenge

"Leave the world behind."

That's what it said on the rental listing,

at least.

(woman on phone) How fun.

East Hampton, right?

No, no. It's a cute little town.

Actually, I think they call it a "hamlet."

That's how cute it is.

It's a lot closer to the city and still

very far away from, well, everyone.

(woman on phone) Ugh, sounds exactly

like what you need right now.

After you answer some questions

about the Confictura account?

Please? Pretty please?

Well, we're going to have

to speed count it here, Jocelyn.

Because we're almost there

and my bars are dropping by the mile.

- (g*nf*re, groaning in headphones)

- (music playing on radio)

Did you fart?

(man) Archie, let her be.

Well, no, Dad,

I don't care that she farted.

I-I care that she lies about it.

We're throwing Phoebe

a bachelorette party.

Yeah. Sorry, boys. This ride's closing.

(audience laughter)

(laughter staggers then cuts out)

(softly) Ugh. Come on. Ugh.

(Amanda) Yeah okay. Okay sure.

(rock music continues on radio)

Dad, when we get back to the city,

can you take me to see

the coffee shop in Friends?

(man) Mm

I don't think that's real, honey.

It's, uh, just a set.

("Misled" by Kool & The g*ng playing)

Is that the goal?

It's a thrill then I will

Misled, won't you be for real?

Baby, baby

What's your claim to fame?

Got me out of bed

Heard you call my name

What's this crazy place

You want to take me to?

Tell me, what's the price

If I go with you?

My heart

My soul

My love

Is that the goal?

It's a thrill then I will

Hey, misled

Race you to the pool.

Won't you be for real?

- Misled

- (kids laughing)

Misled

Misled

Oh, this is nice.

It's beautiful.

(glass clinks)

(inhales, sighs)

Uh-oh

Looks like we have

some top-shelf booze right here.

(bottles rattle)

(Amanda) It says here it's not for us.

Hmm. Worth a try.

The Wi-Fi password is a novella.

The owner must be

one of those cybersecurity guys.

The kids look so happy.

(sniffs, chuckles)

I'll get the stuff from the car.

Uh, when you're done,

I might pop into town for some groceries.

(faint splashing)

(birds tittering)

("Never Gonna Let You Go"

by Blackstreet playing)

Never gonna let you go away

You belong, yeah

- You belong to me

- Yes, you do, baby

And I'm never gonna let you go

Whoa

Never gonna let you go away

(kids laughing)

We were meant to be

In love

Whoa

Love

Take your time

Mark just sing it for 'em

I regret the moment

- (song continuing over radio)

- When I heard you say

You don't want no part of me

No more

(car honks)

(door beeps)

(muzak playing over sound system)

(announcer on television)

Trying to make it a three-hit day.

And keep this one going.

They're not mine.

I swear. They're not mine.

Relax. I bought them.

I know you like to sneak

a smoke here and there.

I figured we're on vacation. Why not?

I want you to have a good time.

Just don't let the kids see you.

Okay. Oh, hey, hey.

I got another idea for a good time. Hm?

M-Maybe?

(sighs)

(Amanda) We've got 15 minutes

before they're begging to go to the beach.

That's all I need.

(eerie music playing)

(seagulls crying)

Sunblock? Sunblock?

- Yep, yep, yep.

- Yeah.

We practically have

the beach to ourselves.

(satisfied exhale)

(young woman) The undertow's horrible

(girl) Look at that boat.

It's so big.

(phone buzzing)

(phone buzzes)

Hey, Mom, Taylor just dropped a pin.

Can you, uh, can you look at that

and see how far her house is?

Just look. Y-You said

maybe we could drive over there.

- Right? So, maybe?

- Mm-hmm.

All right, that's Sag Harbor.

That's at least an hour away, honey.

It's getting closer.

- What is?

- The ship.

Oh, yeah. She's a beaut.

Looks like an oil tanker.

Must be a port around here.

I read this piece in The Atlantic

that says New York has one of the largest

natural harbors on the planet.

(eerie music continues)

You okay, Rose?

I think that ship is heading towards us.

What was that, sweetie?

(rumbling)

(beachgoers murmuring)

- Clay?

- Hmm?

- Clay.

- Yeah.

Wow. It's getting close, huh?

You think that's a problem?

Nah, come on.

It's gonna stop. It's got to.

Right?

Wake up. Archie, come on, bud.

Help us pack up.

Leaving already? Why?

- (boat rumbling)

- Holy f*ck.

Jesus, Archie, let's go.

- Let's go! Go, go, go!

- (beachgoers screaming)

(hull groaning)

(beachgoers screaming)

(hull groaning, rumbling)

(rumbling stops)

Come on, keep it moving.

Keep it moving, guys.

Excuse me, officer.

Do you know what happened?

There's been a handful

of these groundings up the coast,

something to do with the nav system.

Sorry guys, I need you to keep it moving.

Keep it moving, guys.

(man yelling)

There's a Starbucks.

Oh.

I wanted to read up on what happened

at the beach but the Wi-Fi isn't working.

You think the router needs a reset?

Well, sorry, I can't help you there.

You are the tech wiz, not I.

You know, the TV's out too.

I tried to check the game

but there's no signal.

You still gonna be down

for burgers tonight?

Yeah, I could be down for that.

(sighs)

Meanwhile, the kids seem

to have completely gotten over it

like it was something they saw on a show.

They're on to the next episode.

(whispering) Clay.

Come here, look.

(whispering) Oh, wow.

That's a good omen. Seeing deer.

Hmm.

At least according to

Mesoamerican mythology.

You gonna help? Hmm?

Uh, wha... Yes. Yes, I'm here to help.

(dishes clinking)

(eerie music continues)

Uh-oh.

- (gasps)

- (laughs)

(no audio)

(eerie music continues)

- (Clay) Don't, don't do it that way.

- (Amanda) No, no, no, no, no. Well

- Don't, don't go in the middle.

- No, I'm gonna go in the middle.

Because it'll make it harder for you.

And isn't that the point of my life?

(gasps, chuckles breathlessly)

(sharp exhale)

You getting some more?

Would you top me up?

Uh-huh.

Sure, but I think I'm donezo.

I need a glass of water,

or I'm going to have

a m*therf*cker of a hangover tomorrow.

Hey, you remember that student of mine

who was published last year? Maria Miller?

Well, she wants me to write

the foreword to her second book.

I mean, you know, she says

I'm some kind of huge inspiration.

I never know if I'm even

getting through to these kids

- and then something like this happens

- (thud)

Shh!

- Did you hear that?

- Mm-mm.

Her second book is like an exploration

of how media serves as

both an escape and a reflection.

Which is a contradiction

- that she manages to reconcile.

- (thud)

(whispering) Someone's here.

Get a bat.

- A bat?

- Yeah.

Why would I have a bat?

(knocking on door)

(man) I'm sorry. Hello?

(scoffs)

I'm sure it's nothing.

Let me take care of it.

Actually, you know what?

Get your cell phone.

Just, you know, just in case.

I'm so sorry to bother you.

Hello. Hi.

- I'm so sorry to bother you.

- In case you didn't know. (chuckles)

(chuckles) Well, can I help you?

I know it's late.

A knock at the door, way out here.

Couldn't decide if we should knock

at the front door or the side door,

and this went on for some time.

I thought we should try the side door

because it has glass

and you'd have seen us

and known we're just

You must be Amanda.

A-Amanda Sandford, right?

You, you two know each other?

No, we have not had the pleasure

of meeting face-to-face.

I'm-I'm G.H. G.H. Scott.

George. He's George.

That's how it reads in his email.

Oh. (chuckles) Forgive me. I forgot.

See, this is why I much preferred life

before the internet,

because we would have spoken on the phone,

you would have recognized my voice

and known that this is our house.

I'm sorry?

This is our house. I'm the George

you emailed back and forth with.

No, I-I remember the name, I just

This is this is your house?

Mm.

I'm sorry. You think we could come inside?

Oh, yeah. Hey, sure.

Y-Yeah, come, come on in.

Yeah. Got cold out all of a sudden.

I understand how strange

this must be for you.

Us, turning up like this unannounced.

We would have called, you see,

but, uh the phones are out.

Yeah, my phone doesn't

seem to have service.

It's almost as if we're telling the truth.

(Clay) Uh

(chuckles) Hey. I'm Clay.

- Ruth.

- Hi.

- And I'm G.H., again.

- G.H.

- Clay, nice to meet you.

- Yeah.

Why don't we sit down?

And you know, talk.

The children are sleeping.

I wouldn't worry too much about them.

I mean, Archie'd sleep

through the atom b*mb.

You know? (laughs)

Let's go in the kitchen.

(G.H.) Tonight we were at the symphony

in the Bronx. Have you been?

(Clay) Uh No.

(G.H.) Their productions

are in a class of their own.

(Ruth) He's on the board

of the Philharmonic.

He likes to encourage everyone he knows

to take an interest in classical music.

So in other words,

I am one lucky daughter.

(Clay and G.H. chuckle)

Do you mind if I get a glass of water?

Uh, no, no. Uh, help yourself.

(G.H.) Anyway, we were driving

back to the city, home.

And then something happened.

A blackout.

- A blackout?

- (G.H.) Mm.

The lights seem,

seem to be working pretty good.

Um

Exactly, right, so, um we thought

Well, with everything that's probably

going on in the city right now,

we didn't...

We live on the 14th floor and he can't

climb 14 flights because of his knee.

Plus the traffic lights went out.

We would have been sitting in a six hour

parking lot if we'd headed home.

So there was a blackout and you decided

to drive all the way out here?

These roads, they're familiar.

I barely even thought about it.

So when we saw the lights go,

I looked at Ruth...

And said that he would feel better

if we stayed here.

You know, in his house.

(slurps)

Wait. Y-You, you want to stay here?

But we're staying here.

Well, under the circumstances,

we, we thought you might understand.

- Of course. Yeah. It's just...

- Uh

I think what he means is,

of course we understand...

I know it's a surprise,

but we thought maybe if you let us stay...

Because, again

You know, it is like

- our house.

- (awkward chuckle)

What she's trying to say is

we wanted to be somewhere safe.

Well, you know, we're, we're on vacation.

Clay, Amanda, we could absolutely

refund you your money.

You want us to leave?

I-It's the middle of the night.

My, my children are sleeping upstairs.

You come in here

and talk about refunding our money.

I-I think I need to call the company.

I don't even think you can do this.

Um, there's got to be

a number on their web...

Th-That's really not necessary.

Why not?

Because we're not saying you should leave.

We could refund you,

say, 50% of what you paid.

You know, there's an in-law suite.

We could stay downstairs.

Downstairs?

Fifty percent?

I think we need to look at

the terms and conditions here. Uh

A-All right, we need to find

the, the Wi-Fi router.

- Okay, I'll try tethering it to my cell.

- It needs to be reset.

All right, well, the phones

aren't working, Clay.

How's that supposed to make a difference?

I think the internet is down anyway, so...

Okay, look. I'm (sighs) I'm sorry.

I just, uh, I don't feel comfortable

staying in a house with

people I don't know.

Uh, it's a blackout.

I-It could be over in a couple of hours.

May I?

I should have listened to my wife

and had these labeled already.

(softly) Yeah

(chuckles)

Ah Here we are.

(grunts)

Yeah I can give you

a thousand dollars now for the night.

That should cover almost half

of what you're paying for the weekend.

It's a thousand dollars.

We'll be very grateful.

Then tomorrow, we'll know

a little more and

- we'll figure this all out.

- Yeah.

Meanwhile this thing is not responding.

So anyway, I say one night, it's like...

I think we should discuss this privately.

You know, we're gonna go talk

in the other room, all right?

Hmm.

- Say, you mind if I made myself a drink?

- Oh, sure. Make yourself right at... Um.

Yep.

(Amanda) Why did, why did you tell them

they could stay?

(Clay) I mean, it's a blackout.

What, you, y-you think they're lying?

I mean, it's a young woman and her father,

they look innocent enough.

They're strangers.

They introduced themselves.

They knocked on the door

in the middle of the night.

Would you rather them burst in?

They scared the sh*t out of me.

Well, I think, you know,

that they were scared too.

Right? I mean,

they didn't know what else to do.

Well, here's an idea: go to a hotel.

This is their home as, you know,

the girl kept reminding us.

Well, we didn't ask for any proof.

I didn't hear their car. Did you?

No, but it's windy.

Maybe we just didn't hear it.

Or maybe they snuck up the road.

Or, maybe we should calm down a little?

I'm sorry. I just...

This really doesn't seem like their house.

The board of the Philharmonic?

I don't know.

It just all feels like a con to me.

They want to stay here? With us?

Forget it. I wouldn't be able to sleep

with strangers in the house.

Rose is right down the hall.

What if he sneaks in

I don't want to think about it.

You don't think

he'd want to molest Archie, though.

What are you talking about?

I'm just saying I don't like

the way any of this sounds. Okay?

He came here because he doesn't want

to climb a flight of f*cking stairs?

Give me a break.

All feels a little improvised.

God, what if it's a scam?

(stammering) What if the blackout

and whatever

that's just all part of the story?

I don't think they made that up.

I mean, that's probably why the phones

and the internet aren't working.

And besides, hey. He had the keys.

He opened up the liquor cabinet. Remember?

So what if he had the keys?

Maybe he's the handyman.

She's the housekeeper.

The housekeeper always knows

where the stash of money is.

And besides, he had his back to us.

Maybe he broke into it.

I don't see what he has to gain

by giving us a thousand bucks.

Why are you trying so hard to believe

everyone except your own wife?

Something is happening

and I don't trust them.

I think they are scared, nice people

who need a place to spend the night.

All right, I'm going to go down there

and I'm going to talk to them,

and if I get a bad vibe,

I-I'm going to say, "No.

We're not comfortable

with this arrangement."

Okay? But if things are cool,

I say we let them stay.

I wish I had your faith in people.

My own signature c*ck.

Happy to make you one.

Yeah, you know, I might have a drink.

Haven't touched

this one yet, it's all yours.

Oh, thank you.

How about you, Amanda?

What's in it, exactly?

(Clay exclaims in delight)

(laughs)

That is a heck of a c*ck.

You should try this, babe.

I think you'd dig it.

I'll pass.

(slam)

I think I need some fresh air.

Um

You have a beautiful home.

We love it. Glad to hear you do, too.

- (liquid pours)

- How long have you been here?

Oh Bought it almost

twenty years ago now.

But, at this point, it's it's home.

Or a home away from home.

We fixed it up about five years back.

We had a great contractor.

- A lot of little details were his idea.

- Hmm.

Whereabouts is your place in the city?

We are on Park between 81st and 82nd.

What about you?

Uh, Brooklyn. Sunset Park.

Well, it's actually Park Slope.

- Ah, very nice.

- Mm-hmm.

That's where everyone

wants to live these days. Affordable, too.

I think even Ruth looked over there

when she was thinking

about flying the coop.

Where's your wife? I'm curious if you're

worried about her in the city.

She's on a work trip in Morocco.

She's an art dealer so she travels a lot.

Her flight is due back here

in the morning, actually.

Uh-huh.

Could I see your ID?

Oh, Amanda.

It's a fair ask.

You're a stranger showing up

in the middle of the night

and my kids are upstairs.

Of course. I understand.

Mm, well. (chuckles)

You're not going to believe this but I

left my wallet in my coat pocket,

which I checked at the symphony.

In all the commotion,

I must have forgotten it there.

You said you heard about the blackout

while you were on your way home.

- (emergency alert blares)

- (Amanda gasps)

(automated voice)

This is a national emergency.

All radio stations and televisions will

cease their programs during this alert.

This is a national emergency

Well. Looks like you did the right thing

getting out of the city.

- I'm sure it's a mess.

- (automated voice stuttering)

Well, we're only talking

about a blackout here.

- A blackout is not nothing.

- (channels switching, alert continuing)

It could be something. The symptom

of something bigger, like terrorism

or a b*mb like the one that you said

your son would sleep through.

Ruth.

all radio stations

and television networks will cease

I think that you should stay here tonight.

this is a national emergency

Tomorrow, we'll sort through everything.

Things always look different

by the light of day.

I guess self-help clichs

are rooted in some truth, huh?

(clatter)

(Ruth) I can't believe

we're staying in the basement.

What do we get to do tomorrow?

Their laundry?

I'll take the floor. You take the bed.

We need to get them out of here.

We're not going to do that

by scaring them.

They need to think

everything's going to be okay.

Everything is going to be okay, isn't it?

(eerie music plays)

What's going on?

What are you thinking?

Your client didn't tell you

anything else, did he?

There's no point in talking about this

until we know more.

That's what I think.

This is a national emergency.

All radio stations and televisions will

cease their programs during this alert.

This is a national emergency.

All radio stations and televisions will

cease their programs during this alert.

(faint clinking)

She was f*cking with us.

That girl. She was poking.

Don't take it so personal.

I don't think I can listen to

much more of that snark.

Even if this does turn out

to be their house.

Are we still on that?

Well, there is not one photo on the wall.

Not a wedding picture of the supposed

art dealer wife on the business trip

or that spoiled brat as a baby.

Think about it.

I'm sure they take them down when

they rent the house for privacy concerns.

There's just something off about them.

(Clay sighs)

Why didn't you say anything about

what we saw at the beach today? That boat.

It was an oil tanker.

Well, why didn't you? Tell them, I mean.

I don't know.

Just seemed like it was piling on.

Why didn't you?

I was afraid.

Afraid of what?

That it would confirm something.

(Clay sighs)

(faint clinking)

All radio stations and televisions will

cease their programs during this alert.

This is a national emergency.

All radio stations and televisions will

cease their programs during this alert.

- This is a national

- (static)

(glitching audio)

(static)

(static continues)

(silence)

(Rose) Mom.

Mom.

Mom.

Rosie. Rose.

Mom, two problems. One: I was literally

about to start the Friends series finale,

but the internet on my iPad

still isn't working.

I tried to watch it on the TV

because I read somewhere that they...

What's it called when they used to play

old things over and over again?

Reruns.

Why do they do that again?

I don't know, Rosie.

We were really bored back then.

Anyway, th-there's something wrong

with the TV. It's all messed up.

That's problem number two.

Please fix this.

I have incredible anxiety about

how they're going to wrap up the show.

Don't you think you're taking this

a little too seriously?

This isn't fair. It's a vacation.

Dad said on vacation we can have

as much screen time as we want.

Well. A: I did not say that.

And B: Daddy is still sleeping.

Just go wait in the living room.

I'm coming.

Clay.

- (Clay grunts sleepily)

- Get up. Look. Look.

(Clay grunts, sniffs)

- It doesn't say anything.

- What?

- It was just there.

- Mm, you sure? What did it say?

Yes, of course I'm sure.

There were four news alerts. Um

Uh, two about the blackout

and one that said, um

hackers were behind

the power outage.

- Hackers?

- Yeah.

And then there was one that said, uh,

"breaking" but then it was just gibberish.

No words, just random letters.

Maybe they hacked the cell network?

Is that-Is that a question?

Are you f*cking asking me?

How would I know?

Why are you being

so nonplussed about all of this?

Did you forget those people

are still in our house?

- I trusted you to handle this.

- (sighs)

I'm gonna drive into town.

I'll go to the store, buy a newspaper,

find someone who knows more than we do.

All right?

I will take care of this for us.

Whose car is that?

Looks expensive.

Let's get some breakfast.

Uh, so listen, honey. About that car.

Last night, these people

the Scotts. They had to come by.

There's been

um, they had a problem

and they weren't far from here.

So they, they came here.

What are you even talking about?

I'll take some of that coffee.

Oh. I was just telling Rose

about the Scotts.

- Dad, the TV isn't working.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, baby.

- Come on.

- Dad, can you fix it?

Uh

Yeah.

Um

Well, now it's snow.

Last night it was a blue screen.

- I wonder what that means.

- What?

Yeah, see?

No. It's just-it's not working.

I'm aware. Can you like,

reboot it or something?

- Or go up on the roof or whatever?

- No one's going on the roof.

I am definitely not going up on the roof.

Okay? But I'm going

to go to the store later

and maybe I can find something

that will, you know, help.

You know, get one of those, uh,

some rabbit ears or something.

Why would a rabbit's ear help?

(birds tittering)

(faint rustling)

(gasps)

(panting)

(shower running)

Good morning.

You mind if I have some coffee?

Help yourself.

You know where the mugs are, right?

I had news alerts

on my phone this morning.

- Your phone is working?

- No.

They must have come in overnight somehow,

and then they disappeared.

What did they say?

There were two about the blackout and then

something about hackers being behind it.

- Hackers?

- Mm-hmm.

Where are the power plants

in New York City?

I mean, they must be in Queens, I guess.

Or-Or near the river?

Why are you asking about power plants?

Hackers can get into power plants.

That's probably how

they caused the outage.

You remember that thing

that happened in Jersey a few years back?

It nearly caused a meltdown.

Is that your daughter out there?

She's sweet. How old is she?

Thirteen, last month.

Hmm.

Still kind of a baby at heart.

If it's okay with you, I would like to

keep what's going on between the adults.

The kids like the pool.

I'm just going to encourage them

to do that until we know more.

I don't want them to panic over nothing.

I don't want to scare anyone

but I disagree with you.

Disagree with me about what?

I don't think this is nothing.

So, what is it that you do?

Um

I'm in advertising, on the client side.

I manage relationships.

Huh. I would not have guessed that.

And what about your husband?

Uh, Clay is a professor at City College.

English and media studies.

You know, I've had plenty of friends

major in media studies

but I never know what it means.

And you, what is it that you do?

Me, I'm (chuckles)

I'm still figuring my sh*t out,

trying not to rush into anything.

The last thing that I want

is to be sucked into a career

that I regret ten years from now

by which point I will be trapped

by the pressure to stay the course

because I'll be too old to re-enter

the workforce. You know what I mean.

Morning. Any news?

Phone's still not working.

Looks like the TV's out. Where's Clay?

He went to the store to get a newspaper.

Or try to find someone to talk to,

to see if they know what's going on.

Smart. I thought I'd go over

to our neighbors house, the Huxleys.

- They only live a few miles down the road.

- And you think they'll be home?

Unlikely.

You often see no one here

around this time,

but I'll drive over anyway and check.

Before you go, you might

want to hear about the alerts.

Alerts?

Oh, I had news alerts

on my phone this morning.

Two of them were about the blackout

but then there was one that said something

about maybe hackers were behind it.

Uh-huh.

What? Do you think

there's going to be a meltdown, too?

(laughs)

- Is that what Ruth told you?

- Among other horrifying things, yes.

Well, obviously

Ruth is being a little paranoid.

Aren't you the one who always said,

"If you're not paranoid by now,

it's probably too late"?

I'm sure this'll

turn out to be a big nothing.

Like that Love You bug.

Is that coffee?

I-I'm sorry. What's a Love You bug?

Um, it was a computer worm.

Spread throughout

the internet back in 2000.

People would get an email with

the subject line that read "I love you."

You clicked on the attachment,

it would send it to all your contacts.

It crippled businesses

and caused billions of dollars in damages.

Turns out, it was just

two teenagers in the Philippines.

(spoon clatters)

Could be just as innocent as that.

I think I'll go rush Archie along.

I'm worried about Mom.

You think her flight is going to be okay?

Sure.

Matter of fact, I bet she's

been redirected

to some airport in Ohio.

She's probably cursing out

every customer service rep

till they put her on a plane home.

(both chuckle)

Do you remember that time

the three of us went to Italy?

Yeah, I do.

What made you think of that?

I don't know what else to think about.

(eerie music playing)

- (button beeping)

- (static hissing)

(softly) Yeah.

(airplane engine humming)

(inhaling)

(sign creaking)

(typing)

(sighs)

("Winter" by TV on the Radio playing)

Oh, it's the winter of the wanted

Yeah, it's the hardest part of nature

Lord have mercy on this creature

Give me some heat

I know you've got it

(music continues through speakers)

(Archie sighs)

Who'd Mom say these people were again?

What're you looking at?

(horse snorts)

(wind whistling)

(radio scanning)

(garbled voice)

we're now getting reports

that the fallout

from the ongoing Cyber attack

has led to a catastrophic

environmental disaster in the South,

impacting animal migration patterns...

(radio scanning)

(tires squeal)

(eerie music playing)

Archie, I saw something this morning.

Deer.

They're everywhere, dumbass.

They're like squirrels or pigeons.

Who cares?

No, this was different. Like

they were trying to tell us something.

Let's see what else is out there.

Are you really that bored?

Is this because you can't watch your show?

I'm going.

(footfalls squelching)

Hello, anyone home?

It's G.H. I let myself in.

(distant yelling)

(yelling in Spanish)

Hello?

(birds calling in distance)

What's in that thing?

Let's open it and see.

(beep)

- Yeah? Hey, hi.

- Hello!

(speaking Spanish)

Okay, I-I don't understand what you're

saying. I don't, I don't speak, um

I don't speak Spanish.

(beeping)

(beeping stops)

This place is so f*cking boring.

Yeah.

Maybe it's just where he sleeps, though.

Where he hides at night.

Who?

Whoever made that impression.

(birds squawking in distance)

I-I don't, I don't know where I am.

I'm trying to get to town.

(speaking Spanish)

No, no, I-I don't have any service either.

Listen, listen

Look, he's, uh

He's got this little window over here.

So he can see

See what?

(continues frantically in Spanish)

No, o-okay. Okay. I-I

- (woman continues pleading)

- (stammering)

Sorry.

(continues, muffled)

(woman screaming)

(birds cawing)

(distant airplane engine buzzing)

Hey.

Isn't that the room you were sleeping in?

(airplane continues)

sh*t

(tires squeal)

Just imagine.

It's all dark out here.

Oh, my God.

Your little bedside lamp is glowing.

Oh, sh*t.

Oh, sh*t!

He could just

follow that light right up to you.

Oh, sh*t. (panicked yell)

(yelling)

- Ah!

- (yelps)

That's not funny, Archie.

That really hurt.

(laughing) You'll be fine.

No, I won't.

Dude, calm the f*ck down.

It was just a joke.

This morning I saw deer.

Not a deer, a f*ck lot of deer. A hundred.

Maybe more. Right in the backyard.

It was really weird, Archie.

Do they go around in big groups like that?

Why the f*ck would I know

anything about deer?

If you're so worried about it,

why don't you just ask Mom and Dad?

(scoffs) Like they would even care.

No one cares what I say.

That's probably true.

(jet engine approaching)

(airplane engine roaring)

(bottle clinks on ground)

You going in?

No. You?

Seems like a hassle.

Why? Because of your hair, or?

More like I don't trust that

one of your kids didn't pee in the pool.

They wouldn't do that.

And yet, we really can't know, can we?

Your daughter watches that show?

"Watch" is far too weak of a word.

More like worships.

Hmm.

What?

Don't get me wrong, I watched it too.

But it's almost nostalgic

for a time that never existed, you know?

I hope the kids

didn't wander off too far.

(under breath) f*ck

Archie.

Archie, look.

Will you please look?

(Archie) What?

We should go up there.

No. No, f*ck that. I'm hungry.

Come on, let's go.

(geese honking in distance)

Rose, let's go.

So

You going to tell us

why you're soaking wet?

I fell into the pool.

You fell into the pool.

I tripped over something.

Yeah, I fell into the pool.

What were you doing near the pool?

I thought you were looking for Rich.

Do you mind going to my study

and getting me something to wear?

I'm afraid this is the only

change of clothes I had downstairs.

I saw it, you know?

A while ago, before all this happened.

I looked at the market.

And I knew something was coming.

What do you mean?

In my line of work, you have to understand

the patterns that govern the world.

You have to learn how to read the curve.

Spend as long as I have doing it,

it can help you see the future.

It holds steady, it promises harmony.

It inches up or down,

you know that means something.

G.H., why-why are you telling me this?

Did your neighbor say something to you?

No, he wasn't home.

But he has a satellite phone

I thought could help us.

I tried to use it. It didn't work

even though it had enough juice.

Now, the whole point of a satellite phone

is that you always have a signal

if you have a clear view of the sky,

which I did.

Only reason why it wouldn't work

is if our satellites

got knocked out of commission.

Our satellites.

You think something happened

to our satellites. The ones in space.

Satellites are networked

to computers down here.

Mm

So you think that the hackers or whatever

knocked out our satellites?

Don't you think you're maybe

getting a little carried away?

I mean, maybe you just

didn't use the phone right.

I saw a plane nosedive

out of the sky into the ocean.

And it wasn't the first.

I no longer think that this is just

a couple of teenagers in the Philippines.

(rumbling)

What the f*ck?

(distant expl*si*n)

What the f*ck?

(explosions continue)

(rumbling)

Where are my kids?

(shrill electronic tone screeching)

(gasps lightly)

(tone continues)

(thunder rumbling)

(muffled booming)

(whimpering)

(muffled scream)

(shrill tone fades)

(Rose) Mommy.

Where's Dad?

He'll be back soon.

Why are you wet?

I should have covered my ears sooner.

Now my head feels weird.

That's probably normal.

It was really loud.

Was it like a, um, like a-a plane

breaking the sound barrier?

Or whatever that... a sonic boom.

Was, was that a sonic boom?

Planes don't usually

break the sound barrier.

The Concorde doesn't fly anymore.

Maybe it was a plane

that we don't know about.

Archie, why don't you go get changed.

(Ruth) Rose, maybe you should too.

That's a good idea.

Why don't you go cuddle up in Mommy's bed

and read that book Dad got you.

We're, um, we're going to be okay, right?

Yeah.

Since you're the one

with the crystal ball, what was that?

Was that a b*mb? A m*ssile?

Could have been a power plant expl*si*n.

We don't know anything for certain yet.

You seemed pretty certain a minute ago

with your f*cking haunting soliloquy.

Nothing's changed.

Nothing's changed?

Everything has changed.

And we're sitting here like

like I don't know what.

Is-Is this what sitting ducks are?

Ducks sitting and waiting to be shot?

I meant nothing has changed

in terms of what we do.

We wait for Clay to come back

and we see what he's learned.

Should I drive to town and look for him?

We should fill the bathtubs full of water.

Is there enough batteries, and Tylenol,

and food, and the generator,

and one of those hand crank radios,

and a straw that makes it safe

to drink dirty water.

I think we shouldn't do anything

until Clay comes back.

What if he's not coming back?

Okay, my dad is right.

We're safe here. We should just sit tight.

How do you know that we're safe

when you don't know

what the f*ck is happening to us?

Maybe it was like,

what was that? Ten Mile Island?

There are power plants here, aren't there?

- Three Mile Island.

- Why are you obsessed with power plants?

Hey, you're right. We shouldn't speculate.

Stop saying that!

I just want you to f*cking

tell me what you're thinking.

There's the blackout

and then you see the planes crashing and

What?

What? She's an adult.

You cannot protect her,

just like you cannot protect me right now.

The satellite phone not working

and then that noise, and then what?

What happens next in that sequence?

Everything I know I have told you.

I don't believe you.

I haven't believed you

since you walked through that front door.

Golly. I wonder what it is about us

that makes you so mistrustful.

Ruth

You always think you know

what you're talking about, don't you?

Well, ain't that the pot

calling the kettle black?

Ruth.

(tense music)

He knew.

At the market in town yesterday,

there was a guy in the parking lot.

He bought cases of water and canned goods.

He knew this was going to happen.

Bearded guy?

Probably wearing an old Cowboys hat.

That's Danny.

He's the contractor

I was telling you about.

The one who worked on the house.

I wouldn't read into it.

He's a self-proclaimed survivalist.

That shopping list was probably

a typical weekend for him.

Jesus Christ.

I'm here. I'm okay, are you okay?

Where are the kids?

- Everyone's here, everyone's okay.

- Okay.

What happened? Did you get to town?

Uh Uh

I didn't get far.

And then I heard that noise.

What do you mean?

Where have you been?

What were you doing? I was going crazy.

I don't know, I-I just started to drive,

and then I heard that noise,

and I came right back.

So you didn't see anyone that might

help us figure out what's happening here.

No, I did not see anyone.

But I did see something. I saw...

Um, I, uh...

It was this huge, um, drone.

You know, flying in the middle of nowhere,

dropping off thousands of these.

I have no idea what it says.

(tense music)

"Death to America."

What?

"Death to America."

I mean, I don't know

what the rest of this means,

but this part,

it definitely means "Death to America."

I remember from a game I was playing.

Nothing about this makes sense.

If they were attacking us,

why would they advertise it like this?

It's not even in English. What's the point

of dropping these things here?

I'm pretty sure I make that first right,

then it's a straight shot

to the expressway?

With what we know, the city would be

the worst place for you to go.

We're not going to the city.

We're going to my sister's in Jersey.

But to get to New Jersey from here,

you have to drive through the city.

But to be clear, I make a right,

follow signs to the Expressway.

Yes, exactly like how you got here.

But listen to me, please.

This is dangerous what you're doing,

for you and your family.

Dad.

Let them go.

I really appreciate

you taking care of us, I do.

We have to do what's right for our family.

This is in everyone's best interest.

This is for the better.

For who?

For us.

I don't want to have to agree

with that woman, but she was right.

And you really

should've told me what you saw.

Hey, I know what you're thinking,

but I'm certain your mother's plane

wouldn't be flying over here.

It wasn't the same airline.

Is she gone?

Oh, come on now.

Why are you even going there?

I just told you,

it wasn't even the same airline.

Yeah, but does it feel like she's gone?

(voice shaking) Because it does to me.

If we hit traffic, at least

we'll be able to talk to people,

see if anyone has information

about what's going on.

It's crazy we haven't seen anyone.

I'm sure we will see someone

as soon as we hit the Expressway.

(Amanda) Phones could work

in New Jersey.

The truth is we don't know anything

that's going on outside of Long Island.

They could have internet,

the phone lines could be okay.

We'll look back on this one day

and laugh, I guarantee you.

The vacation from Hell. (chuckles)

Things get funnier with time.

Isn't that what they say?

I think they say it a little differently.

But, you know, I know what you mean.

(siren blares)

Sirens.

I thought you were napping, honey.

(Rose) I can't.

Why not?

Because of the sirens.

(siren continues in distance)

What is that?

(siren blares)

You stay with the kids.

I'm gonna go take a look.

(seat belt clicks)

(siren blares faintly)

(tense music)

You know what, you guys, sit...

Sit tight, okay?

See anyone?

(tense music)

There's nobody here.

They're all brand new.

What?

Oh, wow. Hey, someone's coming.

Yo!

Clay!

- Clay, get in the car!

- Wait, shouldn't we wait and talk to them?

- Get in the f*cking car right now!

- All right, all right.

(suspenseful music builds)

(engine starts)

What are you doing?

Shouldn't we flag them down?

- Maybe they know something.

- There's no one in that car!

(tires screeching)

(Rose screams)

Mom? Mom, on your left, there's a car!

Go, go, go, go!

(tires screech)

- (Amanda screams)

- (car scrapes)

(all screaming)

(suspenseful music)

(distant siren wailing)

(thunder rumbles)

What if we went to a shelter?

Does the military have a b*mb shelter

or a base around here?

I mean, don't they

have to have those things ready for

emergencies like these?

I don't know where they are.

Even if I did, you said

all those cars came off the lot.

If they did that to every dealership,

the main roads are most likely clogged up.

We stay here till we know more.

How much more do we need to know?

We're probably

in the middle of a w*r zone.

People we know are likely dead.

Ruth.

(Ruth sobs)

Just...

We just need to make a plan.

We can't sit here and do nothing.

We need to go somewhere.

He's right, Amanda.

It's too dangerous.

We stay here tonight,

and then in the morning, maybe...

- Maybe what?

- Maybe... I don't know.

(somber music)

I was so close.

(sighs)

(sighs)

(sighs)

What are you doing?

Filling up the tub.

That's what they say to do for,

you know, water.

Do you vape?

Not really.

I mean, is that...

That's like, marijuana?

I mean, I know they got different kinds

now, like fruit flavors or...

Like marijuana.

(inhaling)

Have you ever f*cked

one of your students?

(gasps and coughs)

I can't believe you just asked me that.

I mean, is that what I look like to you?

I look like that kind of guy?

You look like the kind of guy

to whom things come easy.

Especially women.

Well, I'll take that as a compliment,

I guess. Hmm?

(both laugh)

(light switch clicking)

(thunder rumbles)

I always thought of myself

as a sophisticated man.

Someone who had seen the world

for what it was.

But I have never seen anything like this.

So now, I wonder if that thing I always

thought about myself was a delusion.

I wouldn't be too hard on yourself.

You dig deep enough,

it's probably all a delusion.

(G.H. chuckles)

I mean, take your line of work,

for example.

Imaginary numbers,

moving around imaginary money,

leading to imaginary success.

Personally, I think my business

is a lot less complicated than all that.

At its most basic, my work is

and always has been about people.

- I'm real sorry for you then.

- And why is that?

Because people are terrible.

I mean, f*ck.

Look at the way I treated you.

And now we are enjoying a drink together.

I am sorry, by the way.

For what I said, did, thought,

it doesn't matter.

I was wrong and I'm sorry.

Some of my smartest clients

have lost a lot of money

because they based their choices

on preconceived beliefs instead of truth.

Seeing the difference is one

of the hardest things a person can do.

When they don't and you do,

gotta be maddening.

Depending on the person,

I might take a little satisfaction

in watching the market punish them.

(chuckles)

The scary ones, though,

are the ones who don't learn.

Even after they lose lots,

and I mean lots, of money.

Nothing frightens me more

than a person unwilling to learn,

even at their own expense.

That's a darkness I will never understand.

The quiet is so noisy.

It's one of the first things I noticed

when we started spending nights here.

Found it hard to sleep.

Not like at home,

where you hear everything.

Sirens, traffic, people.

I miss that.

Which, the sirens or the people?

(laughs)

(both laughing)

I am starting to like you,

and that is a bold statement

coming from me because

I can't remember

the last time I liked anybody.

I have to say, I found you

very prickly at the outset,

but you've grown on me.

(laughs)

Why did you really come here?

And don't tell me

it's because of your knee.

That wasn't a lie.

I did have a knee surgery.

Twisted it up pretty bad

playing ball down at the Y.

But it's not why you came here.

Why I came here involves something

that happened to me a few years back.

One of my clients invited me

and my wife to a private event.

My client, he

Well.

I won't say his name,

but you'd recognize it though.

- Is he a celebrity?

- Oh, no. Nothing like that.

But in the business world,

he's one of the biggest out there.

He deals mostly in defense contracting.

I'm talking hush-hush,

top-secret money from the Pentagon.

Perhaps the most powerful person

I've ever had a meal with.

Anyway, we're at this soiree at his house.

It's getting late.

My wife, she wants to go.

But he and I are just having a blast,

and he doesn't want the night to end.

After a few more glares,

my wife agrees to take a cab

and I'll come home after.

Mm, I bet she was real happy about that.

(G.H.) Mm-hmm. (laughs)

So, we're having a few more drinks,

getting really sauced, and at one point,

I don't think he could stand

and I was pretty wobbly, myself.

I wouldn't know anything about that, sir.

(G.H. laughs)

So he takes me to his study.

Smoke a few cigars

and we're sort of flying high,

laughing at almost everything.

Eventually he starts in

on how much he likes me,

and how he wishes he could invite me

on this trip he's about to go on.

What kind of trip? Where is he going?

That's exactly what I asked.

Then he

turns to me,

serious face.

And he says

"Oh, you know,

"just my annual meeting

with the rest of the evil cabal

that runs the world."

(both laugh)

He was the kind of guy

that was always known for jokes like that.

Again, if I told you his name,

you would understand.

Well, I just have

to take your word for it.

And now if you'll excuse me,

I'm gonna top off my wine.

Then yesterday,

before the symphony,

my friend calls me up.

No scheduled appointment,

like he usually does.

Just calls me out of the blue

and wants me to move around

some of his money.

And we're talking some big numbers,

even for him.

And as we're getting off the phone,

I asked if he wanted to grab a drink.

He tells me he's going away for a while.

And I joke back to him,

"Oh, yeah? You hanging

with your evil cabal this weekend?

I thought that was only

during the winter solstice."

(laughs)

But he doesn't laugh.

And he always laughs, even with bad jokes.

All he said was

"Take care of yourself."

Almost as if he felt sorry for me.

Ever since, I haven't been

able to get it out of my head.

Are you saying that...

Are you thinking that your friend

is somehow behind what's happening here?

No, nothing like that.

A conspiracy theory about a shadowy

group of people running the world

is far too lazy of an explanation.

Especially when the truth

is much scarier.

What is the truth?

No one is in control.

No one is pulling the strings.

Sure, there are those like my friend

who might have the right kind of access

to the right kind of information.

But when events like this

happen in the world,

the best, even the most powerful

people can hope for

is a heads up.

Sorry, this

Guess this story's kind of a buzzkill.

Changed my mind.

I don't think I like you anymore.

Come on.

Let's go.

Where are we going?

I'm gonna win you over again.

(Archie) I see you, Rose.

(coughs)

What do you want?

I'm never going to find out what happens

to Ross and Rachel, am I?

You're still on this sh*t?

Who gives a f*ck?

Well, I do. Obviously.

Why do you care so much

about that show anyway?

(swallows) They make me happy.

I really need that right now. Don't you?

If there's any hope left

in this f*cked up world,

I wanna at least find out

how things turn out for them.

I care about them.

Maybe you shouldn't.

I'm just saying.

You're probably right,

the way things are going

you're not gonna see

that show ever again.

So if I were you,

I'd find something else to care about.

(Ruth) It's weird, we're not hearing

any cicadas tonight.

(vape hissing)

I got lost today.

When I went out this morning.

What do you mean you got lost?

Well,

I thought I knew where I was going

but then there were all these streets

that didn't have any signs anywhere.

So I just drove around.

Then I drove around some more.

And then, you know, I turn around,

and then I got just completely lost,

and I have no idea how I found

my way back here, to be honest.

But I did see someone.

A woman.

On the road.

She waved me down and, um,

she was speaking Spanish.

She was just standing there

by the side of the road

in the middle of nowhere.

(voice shaking) And I

I left her.

She needed help.

And I left her.

Well, is there anything else

that you're keeping from us?

Since you're opening up, that is.

Well, we didn't tell you before

that we saw an oil tanker ground.

Like, right up on the beach.

An oil tanker?

Yeah, it's like a really big boat.

You know, it's red.

I mean, well,

I don't think that they're all red,

but this one was,

and it came right up on the beach.

Why didn't you tell us?

Well, I think at the time

we were both scared, you know?

About what it could mean.

Well, what could it mean?

Well, if we were being attacked,

which I know sounds weird to say,

but oil is something

that you would want a lot of

if, you know,

we're going to defend ourselves.

I cannot believe

we're having this conversation.

I really think we're gonna be all right.

You know, I mean,

in the end, I really do.

I mean, even if it is like, an invasion.

An invasion?

Well, or an occupation?

Okay, dude, you know what?

I know that you mean well,

but your word choices are, like,

freaking me the f*ck out.

(splash)

What was that?

(fluttering)

(rapid flapping)

(flamingos honking)

Those are flamingos.

Those are flamingos?

Those are flamingos.

Why?

Wow, this is an impressive collection.

You like jazz?

You want to listen to jazz?

Sure, why not?

Because I thought

we were going to have some fun.

(laughs)

Let's have something we could dance to.

You can dance to jazz.

In fact, when I bought

my first record, that was...

Oh, please

not another one of your stories.

They end up leaving me severely disturbed.

Wait. What are these records?

Don't look over there.

Those are my daughter's records.

She had a DJ phase in college.

Now this looks like something

a lady can properly dance to.

Oh, come on.

That's not what I brought you in here for.

You said you wanted to win me over.

This is how.

("Too Close" by Next playing)

I wonder if she can tell

I'm hard right now

Hm

Yeah

Come on

Dance for me baby

Ha, ha, ha

Yeah

Uh-oh

You feel that?

All right

Come on

Don't stop now

You done did it

Come on

Uh, yeah

All right

Hold on

- Baby, when we're grinding

- That's right

- I get so excited

- Mmm

- Ooh how I like it

- Ooh

- I try but I can't fight it

- Yeah

- Oh you're dancing real close

- Uh-huh

Plus it's real real slow

You know what you're doing

Don't you?

- You're making it hard for me

- Uh

Oh the slow song's on you requested

You're dancing like you're naked

Oh, it's almost like we're sexing

Oh, yeah

Yeah, boo, I like it

No I can't deny it

But I know you can tell I'm excited

Oh, girl

Step back, you're dancing kinda close

I feel a little poke coming through

(G.H. laughs)

On you

Now girl I know you felt it

Boo, you know I can't help it

(both laughing)

You know what I want to do

- Baby when we're grinding

- Oh, yeah

- I get so excited

- Feels so good

- Ooh, how I like it

- So real

- Try but I can't fight it

- You

- Oh you're dancing real close

- And it's real

We're drunk.

We are

Ah, we're married.

I'm married.

You have a wife.

I do, yes.

Ain't a good idea

I love her dearly.

Cause I want you now and here

The way that you shake it on me

I really

Makes me want you

So bad sexually

Oh, girl

I really miss her.

You'll see her again.

I feel a little poke coming through

On you

No.

Now girl, you know I felt it

Ooh, you know I can't help it

You know what I want to do

- Oh, yeah

- Baby, when we're grinding

I get so excited

No, I don't think I will.

(breathes shakily)

- Baby, it feels so right

- Oh, you're dancing real close

And Ruth.

Real, real close

You know

What if something happened to her too?

I don't think I could live with myself.

Nothing is going to happen to Ruth.

I promise.

We're in this together with you

till things get back to normal.

I try but I can't fight it

Amanda, we gotta start

seeing this for what it is.

- Oh, you're dancing real close

- Oh, yeah

There is no going back to normal.

Don't say that. We have to...

(distant boom)

(high-pitched ringing)

(rumbling)

(record scratching)

(rumbling and ringing intensify)

(both gasp)

(Clay) Ahh!

(flamingos honking)

(Rose screams)

(ringing stops)

Is he okay?

(Amanda) Mm.

He's a little warm,

but I think he'll be fine.

What are you still doing up?

I keep thinking about

this one West Wing episode.

There's this story,

someone tells the president...

You watched The West Wing?

Only the Aaron Sorkin seasons.

Anyway, the story was about a man

who lived by the river.

And he hears on the radio

that the river is going to flood the town

and everyone should leave.

But the man doesn't go anywhere

because he prays every day.

He knows that God loves him

and will save him.

But then the flood actually happens.

And this guy in a rowboat sees the man

and says,

"Hey, come on, I can save you."

But the man tells him

he isn't going anywhere.

Then the helicopter comes flying by,

and the pilot lowers the ladder,

but the man tells him

he isn't going anywhere.

After that, the man drowns in the flood.

And so he goes up to heaven

and he's really angry at God,

and he tells him,

"I prayed to you every day.

I thought you loved me.

Why didn't you save me?"

And God says,

"I sent you a radio report,

a rowboat and a helicopter.

What more do you want?"

What's this about, Rose?

(tense music)

I think I'm done waiting.

- Dad?

- Hmm?

Will you sleep in the bed with me?

Not sure.

The bed's not big,

and I don't mind sleeping on the floor.

- It's sometimes good for my back.

- I'm scared.

It's just us now, isn't it?

What do you mean by that?

What I mean is,

if the sh*t goes down,

do you trust these people

that are in our house?

We already know the wife has no chill.

That boy was sneaking

pictures of me by the pool.

That little girl keeps staring

into the woods like Donnie Darko,

and I'm pretty sure

the husband wants to f*ck me.

How do you know that?

He's not actually going to do anything,

he's not "that guy."

But did he want to? Abso-f*cking-lutely.

My point remains, I don't trust them.

I'm not gonna let anything happen to you,

if that's what you're asking.

I'm asking for you to remember

that if the world falls apart,

trust should not be

doled out easily to anyone,

especially white people.

Even mom would agree with me on that.

I got it.

Do you?

Because we're sleeping

in the basement of our own house

for the second night in a row.

Just what exactly was the point

of letting them back into the house?

It was the right thing to do.

And that right there.

That's what's going to f*ck us in the end.

(tense music)

(Clay) Drink up.

Where's Rosie?

I don't know. She got up before us.

I'm gonna have a look around.

You should get up.

(sighs)

How are you feeling, baby?

Come on.

I know you're sleepy

but I need you to get up

so I can get a look at you

and take your temperature.

You were pretty warm last night.

Well, you're not so warm now.

Yay.

Does your throat hurt?

- No.

- Good.

What is that? Blood, is that blood?

(grunts)

What are you...

What are you...

What are you f*cking doing?

What the f*ck?

Are those your teeth?

(suspenseful music)

Archie.

Stop doing that. Clay!

My teeth.

(Amanda) Clay!

What's happening to me?

(Amanda) Clay!

(Clay) Is everything okay?

- Something's wrong with Archie.

- What is it? What the f*ck?

- That's exactly what I said.

- My teeth just, they felt weird.

And I touched them,

and they just they fell out.

He was a little warm last night

but this, I don't know.

Okay, all right.

Well you... you're okay.

I don't feel okay.

How are you feeling?

Besides your teeth falling out, I mean.

What kind of question is that?

He's obviously sick.

I'm not sick, Mom. My teeth just fell out.

Maybe it was the bug that bit me.

I don't know.

What bug?

A bug bit me yesterday in the woods.

(G.H.) That must be it, then.

Probably just a tick, Lyme disease.

I've seen stranger symptoms.

Stranger than this?

He needs to go to the emergency room.

We need to go to the hospital.

We can't. The expressway's

the only way out of town.

Besides, if the roads are jammed,

no one would be there to help us anyway.

Well, we have to do something.

Archie needs to see a doctor.

(sighs) I can't believe this is happening.

I can't believe this is happening.

We'll go to my contractor's house.

He's not that far from here.

You said you saw him

stocking up on supplies?

If I know Danny,

he's prepared for anything.

He might have something useful.

Antibiotics, medicine.

Danny'll know what to do.

Hey.

I promise you,

I'll get your son some help.

(door opens)

Where's Rose?

I couldn't find her.

What? What does that mean?

I looked all over the house.

She's not here.

- She's not in the backyard.

- I'll look downstairs.

She's probably exploring the house.

She might be playing outside.

I'll look out for her.

I looked there

but feel free to check again.

I don't understand.

Where is she?

- She has to be here somewhere.

- No, she's not!

I'm telling you, I have

looked everywhere and she's not here.

- Well, she should be in the garage.

- I already looked in the garage.

Okay. Where the f*ck

haven't you looked, Clay?

She's not down there.

Okay, this is insane. Where is she?

She wasn't outside,

but I think she may have taken

one of the bikes from the garage.

Took one of the bikes?

Where would she go?

Do you have any idea

where your sister might be, bud?

I don't know.

Um, we were out

by the shed yesterday, so...

The shed? What shed?

The... the shed.

Um, she... she saw some deer

and she wanted to go look for them.

- So maybe there. I don't know.

- Okay, I'm going.

- (Archie retches)

- Archie, you all right?

- (Archie grunts and moans)

- Are you all right...

- (G.H.) He needs help now.

- (Clay) Yeah, okay.

- Okay, I got you.

- (Ruth) I'm coming with you.

(G.H.) No, it's not safe.

Stay here with Amanda. Find Rose.

No. What?

You can't leave me here by myself.

- It'll be okay.

- Dad, we talked about this.

You cannot leave me here by myself.

- He's sick, don't you see that?

- Dad, you will never come back.

Don't you see that something is happening?

It is happening right now.

Whatever it is, it's happening to Archie,

it's happening to all of us.

You can't leave.

The world could be ending out there.

That's why I want you here.

Take out your phone.

Come on, take it out.

Set a timer, one hour.

I'll be back.

It won't work.

It won't work out.

It will, there's no choice.

Look, I'll be back for you

before this goes off.

One hour.

That's what you get. You've promised.

(echoing) Rose? Rose!

Rosie! Rose!

(overlapping echoes)

(Amanda) This is a nightmare.

This is a g*dd*mn nightmare.

Where would Rose have gone?

Why would she leave?

She said she was done waiting.

What did she mean?

What if we just went back to the house

and we waited for my dad to get back?

And then what?

He'll find Rose?

I don't know, but he will help us.

I just want to know

what the f*ck is happening.

I want to know what the f*ck is the plan.

I want to know that we can find my kid

and then get in your f*cking expensive car

and drive to an actual hospital,

find a doctor who will tell me

that my baby is okay,

that we're all gonna be okay,

and then we can just

all go back to our house.

What if that's not possible?

I want to get the f*ck away from here,

and you, and whatever is happening.

It's happening to all of us.

I know that it is happening to all of us!

Stop yelling at me!

You don't care.

You don't care that I'm here.

And my mom is probably

at the bottom of some ocean.

I don't have anyone else in my life.

I have nothing to go home to but them.

Do you understand that?

And I need my mom more than ever.

And I will probably never see her again.

I care, I do.

I don't know what I'm supposed

to do about that, but I do care.

Why are you like this?

What do you get

out of being so angry all the time?

Every day, all day, my job...

My whole job is to

understand people well enough

so that I know how to lie to them,

so I can sell them things

they don't really want.

And when you study people like that,

when you really see the way

they treat each other, well

You're no dummy.

You see what they do, and they do it

without even thinking about it.

f*ck. I did it to you and your dad,

and I don't even really know why.

We f*ck each other over

all the time,

without even realizing it.

We f*ck every living thing on this planet

over and think it'll be fine

because we use paper straws

and order the free range chicken.

And the sick thing is, I think deep down

we know we're not fooling anyone.

I think we know we're living a lie.

An agreed upon mass delusion

to help us ignore and keep ignoring

how awful we really are.

I'm not down with most of the things

that you do and say, but

this is the part of the Venn diagram

where we overlap.

I agree with everything you just said.

But as awful as people might be

nothing's gonna change the fact

that we are all we've got.

I don't want to be this way.

I hate being terrible like this.

And I know I say I hate people, but I

I'd do anything to have them back.

(wall thuds)

(animals galloping)

(suspenseful music)

(hooves thudding)

(tense music)

(seatbelts click)

(Archie) Hey, Dad.

Do you think Taylor's okay?

Who?

Archie, you stay here.

Let's go.

(doorbell chimes)

George.

Danny. Sorry to bother you

at home like this.

I'm gonna need you and your comrade

to step off the porch

and stand by your vehicle.

What?

Off the porch and by your vehicle.

(door opens)

What can I do for you?

(both laugh)

We're just checking on you.

Seeing if you're here, if you're okay.

If you heard anything

about what's going on.

Yeah, I'm Clay.

My family rented G.H.'s...

George's home, you know.

We're from the city.

Well, that's a lucky break

for your family.

Imagine what a sh*t show

the city must be right now.

I got to be honest with you,

I'm surprised you guys are even out.

We came out here

because my son needs help.

He's vomiting. He's...

He's lost his teeth.

They just fell out. Can't explain it.

Oh. His teeth, huh?

Well, it's gotta have something

to do with that noise.

You know something about the noise?

Well, it's not all that dissimilar

to what happened in Cuba a while back.

Microwave weapons, they call it,

produces a kind of radiation

that can be beamed out through sound.

Some people lost their teeth there too.

Outside of that,

the only thing I know for sure is

there's not a lot of information

getting out, so

I assume it's a w*r.

The beginning of one, anyways.

They've been saying there was chatter.

This has to be

what they were chattering about.

Chatter, what do you mean, "chatter"?

You got to read the papers

deeper than page one.

The Russians recalled

their staff from Washington.

Did you even notice that?

Something is afoot.

Now, what that is exactly, I don't know.

Maybe this is as much

as we're ever going to know.

Maybe we just need to sit tight, be safe.

Pray. Whatever works for you.

Well, Danny.

It's like Clay said, his son isn't well.

We're gonna need more than just prayers.

And knowing how primed you are

for these kind of situations,

we're thinking you might have

some medicine that'd be able to help him.

What I got isn't your business.

Danny.

Come on now, it's me.

We know each other.

We're friends.

That's the old way, George.

You're not thinking clearly.

Danny, what are you saying?

You're telling this man

not to take care of his son?

Nothing makes

a whole lot of sense right now.

When the world doesn't make any sense,

I can still do what's rational,

which is protect my own.

What you do is your business.

I thought I was doing the right thing

by bringing them here.

Now if you have some medicine

that can help him...

We can pay.

Um, a... a...

Say, a thousand dollars?

Cash might not mean much

if the government falls.

Well, the whole network's down.

My credit cards aren't going to work.

There's no Venmo or ApplePay.

I mean, cash might be the only thing

that means something.

My son's really sick.

He needs your help. He's 16 years old.

(tense music)

Nothing's here.

Rosie.

(Danny) You're in a difficult position.

I get it.

I would do anything I had to

for my family.

So that's what I'm doing.

I'm locking the doors.

I'm waiting, I'm watching,

I'm getting out my g*n.

Other than that,

I don't have any answers for you.

Ruth, it's bike tracks...

I'm going to go back inside my house now.

I'm gonna say goodbye and good luck.

You come out again,

you're welcome to stop by,

but I can't offer you

much more than conversation.

I suggest you try

your neighbors, the Thornes.

They did a basement conversion

on the down-low a while back,

no permits or nothing.

A buddy of mine worked on it.

He wouldn't even show me the plans.

Now, you ask me?

That's rich as*h*le talk

for doomsday bunker.

Come on, Danny.

You can't desert us like this.

Haven't you been picking up

on what's going on out there, George?

We've all been deserted.

(tense music continues)

(breathing shakily)

(Danny) All due respect.

I would like all of you

off of my property.

Now.

(suspenseful music)

We're not going anywhere

till you give us what we need.

(Amanda screams)

(Clay yelling) What the f*ck

is going on right now?

(screaming)

I promised this boy's mother

I'd get him some help.

The only thing

you're helping him to is a quick death

- unless you lower your weapons.

- G.H., put the g*n down.

- We'll find another way to the hospital.

- There is no other way!

Besides, he's not gonna sh**t us.

Uh It sounds like he's gonna sh**t us.

- I'm telling you he's bluffing.

- The f*ck I am.

(both screaming)

Hold... Hold on!

Hold on!

- Clay, get out of the way!

- Dad!

I'm trying to reason with him!

(both screaming)

The only way this ends

is if you get back in your vehicle

and drive away now.

Drive away to what?

All the roads are blocked.

We're in the middle of God-knows-where.

There's no one else around.

I have no idea

what I am supposed to do right now.

I can barely do anything

without my cell phone and my GPS.

I am a useless man.

But my son is sick.

And my daughter is missing.

And I don't know what to do.

But you are a very prepared man.

f*ck yeah, I am.

That's right, that's why we came to you,

because you're the only one

who can help my son.

- Not my problem.

- No, you're right. It's not.

But it's like you said, right?

What would you do if it was your family?

That's what I'm doing.

It's the only thing I can do.

I am begging you.

Please.

Please help my son.

(both screaming)

(screaming and whimpering)

(hoof beats receding)

(breathing heavily)

(sighs and whimpers)

I guess an old fashioned barter system

was to be expected at some point.

It's still cash,

so it's not really a barter system.

(Danny) Hey, I got another tidbit for you.

Free of charge, if you want it.

It's the Koreans behind all this.

Koreans?

What makes you say that?

Just trust me. It's the Koreans.

Or the Chinese. One of them.

Show him.

I was driving around yesterday.

There's a big drone

dropping these everywhere.

It means "Death to America,"

so we're thinking Iranians.

I remember hearing something on NPR once

about their cyber capabilities.

Why is that funny?

Before the phones went out,

I heard from a friend of mine in San Diego

about a similar event,

drones dropping pamphlets

except they were in Korean.

Or Mandarin.

Like I said, he couldn't tell which.

But seeing as he did four tours in Iraq,

he sure as sh*t would have known

if it looked like that.

We made a lot of enemies around the world.

Maybe all this means

is a few of them teamed up.

(tense music)

I saw flamingos in our pool last night.

The animals, they're trying to warn us.

They know something.

They know something that we don't.

It's like when dogs know

storms are coming.

There's more bike tracks up ahead.

We should go back to the house.

My dad is probably there.

Maybe he can help us.

I'm not going anywhere without Rosie.

That house.

That's gotta be where she went.

(engine revs)

All right, let's go back

and see if they found Rose.

(tense music continues)

G.H., what's going on?

Before we go

I need to know

that you're on the level with me.

No matter how far this thing goes,

I need to know that we're good

because if what just happened here

is happening everywhere,

we need to get to that bunker

Danny told us about,

and we need to get there now.

What are you talking about?

You know something.

I had a sneaking suspicion,

but I wanted more information first.

All signs were there, sure, but I

I didn't want to scare anyone.

You'd have called me crazy

because it is crazy.

It would have made more sense if we were

on the brink of an all-out invasion,

but this

I didn't think we'd actually let

something like this happen.

I thought we were smarter than that.

Let what happen?

Because my primary client

works in the defense sector,

I spend a lot of time studying the cost

benefit analysis of military campaigns.

There was one program in particular

that terrified my client the most.

A simple three-stage maneuver that could

topple a country's government from within.

The first stage is isolation.

Disable their communication

and transportation.

Make the target as deaf, dumb

and paralyzed as possible,

setting them up for the second stage.

Terrorize them with covert attacks

and misinformation,

overwhelming their defense capabilities

leaving their weapon systems vulnerable

to extremists and their own military.

Without a clear enemy or motive,

people would start turning on each other.

If done successfully,

the third stage would happen on its own.

What's the third stage?

Coup d'tat.

Civil w*r.

Collapse.

This program was considered

the most cost-effective way

to destabilize a country.

Because if the target nation

was dysfunctional enough,

it would, in essence, do the work for you.

Whoever started this

wants us to finish it.

(phone timer beeping)

(beeping continues)

(engine revs)

(phone timer beeping)

(phone chime continues, echoing)

(jet engine roars)

(distant expl*si*n)

(distant g*nf*re)

(g*nf*re continues)

(wind whistling)

(munching)

(munching continues)

(gasps)

(Amanda, faint) Rose!

(whirs and beeps)

(lights clicking on)

(electronic whirs and beeps)

(disc tray closes)

(remote clicking)

("I'll Be There For You"

by The Rembrandts playing)

So no one told you

Life was gonna be this way

Your job's a joke

You're broke

Your love life's DOA

It's like you're always

Stuck in second gear

When it hasn't been your day

Your week, your month

Or even your year

But I'll be there for you

When the rain starts to pour

I'll be there for you

Like I've been there before

I'll be there for you

'Cause you're there for me too

("The Paradigm" by Lil Yachty playing)