Pod

Lyla and Ed receive a warning not to come to their family lake house in Maine, but they decide to stage an intervention for Martin. They travel to the house planning to confront him about his erratic behavior and possible danger. The siblings hope to understand his perspective before deciding on the next step.

The siblings arrive at the lake house and find Martin behaving erratically, convinced a government conspiracy is behind a monster in the basement. He describes finding a mysterious pod and links it to the supposed experiments. The tension rises as his story blends fear with delusional certainty.

Martin explains that he pulled several of his own teeth to search for a tracking device he believes the pod contains. His actions underline how deeply convinced he is by the conspiracy. The siblings struggle to parse truth from paranoia.

Ed, a mental health professional, insists they take Martin back to the VA hospital where he was previously institutionalized after an attack. Lyla, however, wants to hear more of Martin's account before making any decision. The disagreement creates a volatile moment in the tense atmosphere.

The conversation escalates when Martin declares they are all going to die and slices his throat. Ed and Lyla rush to manage the crisis, trying to prevent him from harming himself or others. The room fills with panic as blood exposure and fear take hold.

Ed forces Lyla to go downstairs to call for help, but she discovers Martin has cut the phone cord. Unbeknownst to them, Martin has also sabotaged their car, cutting off any immediate escape. The looming danger becomes more real as night darkens around the house.

Martin dies from blood loss after his self-inflicted throat wound. Ed kicks open the barricaded basement door, determined to check if there is an injured person held captive down below. Lyla begs him not to go, but he proceeds into the darkness.

In the basement, a humanoid creature emerges as the power flickers back on. Ed fights for his life, recalling Martin's claim about a hallucinatory venom, and uses a syringe with a mild sedative to slow the monster. He retrieves Martin's rifle and shoots the creature, believing the threat is over for now.

Lyla runs to a nearby house after the power outage and car problems. She bangs on the door in vain, then flags down a passing motorist identified later as Smith. Smith questions her calmly, claims the creature is not a government conspiracy, and kills her with a shot to the head.

Back at the house, Ed deliriously celebrates the supposed victory, having beaten the creature with the rifle butt. He calls to Lyla to return, but Smith shoots and kills him instead, ensuring the threat remains unresolved. Smith then relays that the creature may belong to a wider colony with unknown coordinates.

Smith radios a contact, claiming the creature is dead, but the creature that has survived attacks him from behind, killing him. The situation leaves the region potentially occupied by the monster unresolved. The creature remains alive, continuing its threat beyond the human figures.

The final moments underscore that the creature is still alive after the human protagonists' fates, leaving the conspiracy and danger unresolved. The story ends with the monster as a looming, unresolved threat rather than a clear victory or defeat.