The Battery

After a zombie apocalypse overtakes the New England area, Ben and Mickey travel the back-roads of Connecticut with no destination in mind. They survive by scavenging for supplies and staying on the move. Indoor sleeping is avoided, and their uneasy companionship is defined by constant tension and moments of camaraderie.

Mickey's backstory reveals that he and Ben were trapped in a house in Massachusetts for three months with Mickey's family. The time inside shaped Ben's pragmatism and Mickey's longing for a normal life. The family tragedy deepens the stakes of their survival.

At Mickey's girlfriend's abandoned house, they find two walkie-talkies and overhear a conversation between two survivors, Annie and Frank, who belong to a group called the Orchard. Mickey eagerly contacts them and asks to join, but he is flatly refused. The discovery sparks a fragile hope and a renewed sense of purpose.

Mickey ignores Ben's advice and keeps trying to reach the Orchard through the walkie-talkie. He attempts to make contact again, hoping for acceptance, but there is no reply. Ben urges caution and warns against chasing organized groups.

That evening, the two explore a forest house and decide to sleep inside. Ben takes back Mickey's CD player to prevent distraction, while he drinks and dances to music. Annie responds on the walkie, ordering them to stay off the channel and stop contacting her group.

The following morning, Ben discovers a zombie tied up near the house and releases it into Mickey's room. He instructs Mickey to kill it with the baseball bat he left earlier. After the struggle, Ben finds that Mickey has killed the zombie, marking his first kill.

Killing his first zombie and the Orchard rejection changes Mickey. He begins to heed Ben's advice, learns to fish, and spends less time with his headphones.

As they stop to inspect a car on the road, a man grabs Mickey with a knife and forces Ben to hand over their keys. Ben tricks the man into releasing Mickey and shoots him dead. Two other survivors arrive, and they explain that the thief stole their car, and they warn against following Annie and her group.

Mickey, recognizing Annie's voice from the walkie-talkie, calls her by name. Annie shoots Ben in the leg and throws the car keys into a grassy area, then leaves with Egghead and the others, unwilling to be followed.

With darkness making movement dangerous, Ben and Mickey decide to sleep in the car. Their shelter is compromised as the car becomes surrounded by zombies, forcing them to endure an increasing siege of the undead.

Mickey attempts to escape via the sunroof to find the car keys and returns with a bite on the hand. He pleads with Ben to let him live, but Ben is forced to shoot him to prevent infection, ending their companionship in tragedy.

Ben vows to come after Annie and the Orchard to avenge Mickey's death, signaling a grim purpose beyond the car. The mid-credit scene shows Ben escaping the car and walking down the road with a horde of zombies shambling behind him.