Blood River

Clark and Summer's car blows a tire and, lacking a spare, they decide to walk for help. They reach a small cluster of buildings and quickly realize the town is deserted. With no obvious rescue in sight, they press on into the empty landscape.

A drifter in a cowboy hat named Joseph materializes in the desolate town and immediately dominates the scene with his charisma. He dwarfs Clark with his self-assurance and unsettling confidence. The encounter sets a tense, uneasy tone for what follows.

That evening, the three sit around a campfire and exchange words that reveal their different beliefs. Summer shows Joseph a photo of her older son, Ben, while Joseph contrasts his own independence with Clark's supposed servitude to society. The mood shifts as Joseph's influence grows.

The next morning, Joseph suggests that he and Clark walk back to the car to siphon its gas and then drive away in Joseph's truck. Summer wants to join, but Clark and Joseph insist she stay back due to her delicate condition. The plan marks the beginning of Joseph's control over the group.

Joseph pulls out a revolver and begins teaching Summer how to use it, crossing boundaries as he touches her during the lesson. Clark's fury is evident, yet he and Joseph proceed with the plan. The lesson cements a dangerous dynamic.

When they reach the car, Clark opens the trunk and discovers Ben's rotting body, buzzing with flies. He is horrified and suddenly realizes Summer was left alone with Joseph. He rushes back to find her and avert a tragedy.

Summer enters a room in an abandoned building lined with photographs, including her own image with a cross scratched over Ben's face. Joseph confronts her, subdues her, and uses a razor to carve a cross into her forehead, declaring it God’s will. She begs for answers as Joseph claims his mission.

Clark shows up and attacks Joseph, subduing him. Joseph is tied to a chair as Clark demands to know how they can escape the town. The power struggle intensifies as fear and desperation take over.

Clark uses pliers to sever one of Joseph's fingers to force a confession about his true purpose. Joseph finally admits that he is an avenging angel sent to punish the wicked, and he offers to help but only after taking them somewhere down by the river.

They reach a field of rough wooden crosses marking graves, and three empty graves rise up as a grim backdrop. Joseph presses Clark to reveal his sin; when Clark refuses, Joseph hands the gun to Summer and tells her to pull the trigger. Summer shoots Clark, an act that cuts through the tension with devastating finality.

Joseph proclaims that Summer's sin is apathy and that she did nothing when something was wrong. He raises his hand to the sky and, seemingly miraculously, his finger reappears and his face is no longer bloody. He leaves Summer alone at the graveyard with the gun and disappears, and she tries to shoot herself, only to find there is only one bullet left.