Night of the Hunted

Alice and John return from a convention and spend hours at a motel, heading out around two in the morning. Their intense relationship hints at more than colleagues, and they discuss plans that involve a future family. The secret Alice guards begins to shape the night’s dangerous path.

In the motel washroom, Alice hurriedly disconnects her husband’s call, attempting to hide something from John. The moment underscores a concealed truth she fears will unravel. It foreshadows the peril that will unfold outside the motel walls.

Alice and John are navigating pregnancy plans, with a fertility appointment framed as a pivotal step. The unresolved tension around their secret adds pressure as they prepare to leave. This personal stake intensifies the stakes of the night ahead.

Shortly after departing, the couple’s car runs out of gas and they pull into a 24×7 gas station. John begins refueling while Alice goes inside for coffee, briefly detaching from the looming danger. The ordinary errand becomes the setting for a shocking disruption.

Alice enters the convenience store and, finding the counter unmanned, tries to pay with cash. A sniper's bullet strikes her arm, and a cry of pain cuts through the night. The calm routine of a late-night stop collapses into terror.

John rushes to help but is immediately gunned down by the sniper. A two-way radio at the counter carries a chilling claim from a man calling himself Amelia’s husband, revealing the sniper has been listening and manipulating from behind the scenes. The killer’s presence becomes a suffocating trap.

The radio caller asserts deadly intent and claims to have killed John. The sniper has gathered intimate details about Alice from social media, using them to anticipate her moves. The realization that the sniper knows more than she does compounds the fear.

The sniper justifies his actions with a self-righteous creed, casting Alice as a symbol of a world he despises. He spouts conspiracy-laden blame toward liberals and a perceived betrayal, suggesting his violence serves a supposed higher cause. The motive is laid bare, though its truth remains suspect.

Alice argues about her struggles in an unequal world and her pregnancy, but the sniper remains unmoved. She refuses to surrender, aware that her life now depends on staying sharp and resilient. Her resistance keeps the night from ending in an unquestioned tragedy.

A little girl in a car near the station becomes the focal point of the standoff. Alice pleads with the sniper to spare her life and sacrifices her own safety to protect the child. The situation turns personal and moral limits blur under gunfire.

With bullets flying, Alice uses a back door to reach a garage and hides the little girl inside. She steels herself for a confrontation and turns the space into a temporary fortress. The plan to save the child becomes the last thread of hope.

A man in a camouflage uniform arrives, seemingly an ally or foe with a key to escape. He promises not to harm the girl, heightening the danger and tension. Alice lunges at the moment of opportunity and defeats her attacker, but her wounds prove fatal as she collapses.

The little girl witnesses the brutal fight and the death of Alice, then runs toward the main road seeking help. The film ends with her uncertain but hopeful step into a world she barely understands, carrying the weight of what she witnessed. The night leaves a question-mark about why these events occurred and who was truly responsible.