Out of the Darkness

Six humans arrive on the shores of unknown land in search of a better life. The group is led by Adem and includes his mate Ave, his younger brother Geirr, 11-year-old Heron, and companions Beyah and Odal. They push inland with the aim of finding a cave to shelter them from the wild.

The group begins trekking toward the mountains, hoping to settle in a cave. They press through unfamiliar terrain, wary of threats that lurk in the wild. The search for a safe shelter becomes the central purpose of their days.

A mysterious creature raids the camp at night and abducts Heron. The rest of the group awakens to fear and immediately prepares to pursue into the forest. They are driven to follow Adem’s insistence despite the danger.

Adem attempts to track the creature into the woods but returns to the camp with mortal wounds. Beyah makes the painful choice to mercy kill Adem to end his suffering. The group faces a grim dilemma as hunger and fear press in on their fragile cohesion.

Geirr leads the group through the forest, but they become lost and fearful. Odal blames Beyah, fearing a demon, and he and Ave conspire to sacrifice Beyah to protect Ave. A scuffle knocks Geirr unconscious and Beyah escapes into the trees.

In the struggle, Odal stabs Ave, and she counters by breaking his ankle. As the forest lights up with aurora borealis, the creature appears and carries Ave's body away. Beyah and Geirr watch the eerie scene unfold with mounting dread.

At dawn Beyah and Geirr witness the creature kill Odal as it drags Ave’s body toward the mountains. They ambush the creature, but it escapes, leaving behind the growing realization that it is a female Neanderthal wearing a mask. The hunt for answers continues.

Beyah and Geirr follow the Neanderthal’s trail toward the mountains and locate a cave they believe could be her lair. The pursuit becomes a harsher trek as they search for shelter and the truth about the threat they face. The cave offers both danger and a glimmer of hope.

Inside the cave, Beyah is pinned by a male Neanderthal who tries to strangle her. She feigns death, then stabs him and mortally wounds him, reclaiming her spear as she presses deeper. She then discovers an unharmed Heron waiting in the shadows.

Geirr, drawn by Beyah’s screams, curses deeper into the cave and encounters the female Neanderthal. She attacks and fatally wounds Geirr with a stone ax, leaving Beyah to confront the danger alone. The loss further tests the survivors’ resolve.

The female Neanderthal threatens Beyah, who then sets fur bedding on fire to create a distraction. She and Heron scramble through a small vertical opening and escape the cave. The pursuer struggles to follow as the cliff’s edge blocks her path.

The female Neanderthal remains trapped at the top of the opening, and Heron attempts to help. Beyah ends the threat with a rock, killing the Neanderthal and freeing themselves. They emerge into the daylight, shaken by what they have endured.

Back outside, Beyah tells Heron that the Neanderthals were not monsters but people as terrified of the unknown as their group. Heron replies that they are like us, underscoring a shared humanity beneath different appearances.

Inside the cave, Beyah and Heron discover Ave’s body laid out by the Neanderthals in preparation for a funeral. They bury the dead, honoring the fallen and seeking a measure of understanding from the night’s violence. The experience leaves them with a sobering sense of loss and continuity.

Beyah declares the cave theirs and recognizes a turning point for their people. She and Heron bury their losses and vow to move forward with the lessons learned. Heron’s question, 'What do we do now?' receives the resolute answer: 'We try again.'