Pulse 2: Afterlife

In a world plagued by mass suicides and deaths caused by technology-spawned ghosts, Michelle searches desperately for her daughter Justine. Stephen begins tracing Michelle's movements and uncovers evidence that she intended to hurt Justine and herself. The pursuit sets a tense, supernatural backdrop to a human drama.

Justine is seen on the road returning to her apartment. Michelle rushes downstairs and heads toward her, but Stephen intercepts and drives away with Justine in his truck. As they drive, Michelle, now a ghost, watches angrily from the distance.

Stephen takes Justine to his cabin; she explains that her mother has died, dissolving into ash while attempting to kill her. The two find temporary safety, but tension rises as Marta arrives later that night. The atmosphere tightens with looming threats from both living and spectral observers.

Marta arrives and protests being locked inside a red-taped room, insisting she should not be kept away from the world outside. Stephen watches over her cautiously as he tends to basic needs and keeps a wary eye on the fragile balance of their group. The argument foreshadows trouble to come.

Marta tries to seduce Stephen to prove her usefulness, pulling him toward a table. The laptop on the table suddenly comes to life and begins receiving messages from Michelle, catching everyone off guard. Marta complains about the tech and Stephen insists the device isn’t plugged in, but the moment grows tenser as the uncanny happenings continue.

The laptop continues to relay instant messages from Michelle to Stephen, turning their quiet night into a disturbing link to the ghostly mother. In a fit of fear and anger, Marta shoves the laptop off the table and it crashes into a wall, yet the messages persist. The presence of Michelle seems to grow stronger by the moment.

Stephen goes to speak with Justine, who reassures him that her mother is dead. While everyone sleeps, a new message beep prompts him to interact with the damaged laptop, and Michelle suddenly appears at the cabin. In the ensuing confrontation, Marta is killed by Michelle, forcing Stephen and Justine to flee for their lives.

They are stopped by a man dressed in red who orders Stephen at gunpoint to take him to a computer supply store to find a processor that could 'save the world.' After Stephen completes the task, the man gives him red tape as payment and the uneasy journey continues. The stranger's presence hints at a larger plan behind the chaos.

With the processor in hand, Stephen and Justine drive on, then stop in the middle of a road where Stephen wraps the car in red tape. They fall asleep, but Stephen wakes to find the passenger door open and Justine missing. He racingly retrieves her just before she would touch her mother's ghost, forcing a return to the car.

The next day, Stephen spots a bus heading to a refugee camp where wireless signals cannot reach. He tells Justine to run straight to the bus and join the others, hoping to keep her safe. Michelle appears as they near the vehicle, and Stephen sacrifices himself to invite Michelle to take him instead of his daughter; she kisses him and disappears with a smile, while Marta's ghost drains his soul before retreating.

Justine boards the bus with other refugees and escapes unscathed, leaving the nightmare behind for now. The ride to safety marks a fragile conclusion to the family tragedy, with the future uncertain but the immediate danger behind them. The film closes on Justine finding solace among strangers who share a common plea for safety.