Weapons

On a regular Wednesday at 2:17 AM, 17 second-grade students from Ms. Justine Gandy’s class vanish without explanation, leaving their homes and running into the darkness. The townspeople are confused and frightened, with no knowledge of where the children went or what caused their sudden departure. Justine and Alex are interviewed but remain clueless about the event.

Parents gather at the school for a meeting led by Principal Marcus Miller, where many lay blame on Justine, accusing her of somehow causing the children’s disappearance through her actions or words. Marcus defends her, trying to shield her from the angry crowd, while Justine copes with worsening depression and threats.

Justine’s car is spray-painted with 'WITCH,' and she receives anonymous threatening calls from the parents. She reports the vandalism and threats to the police and becomes increasingly paranoid about her safety. Her personal life deteriorates as she seeks solace in alcohol and memories of her past interactions with students.

Justine experiences disturbing nightmares where her students sit silently with one wearing clown makeup. She is also haunted by a creepy red-haired woman. Her obsession with the disappeared children grows as she follows Alex and others, while her suspicions about supernatural causes deepen.

Concerned parent Archer Graff, whose son Matthew is among the missing, replays footage of his son's last moments. He visits other families of missing children and analyzes their movements, trying to piece together where the kids might have run to, suspecting something supernatural or sinister.

Paul Morgan, a cop and Justine’s ex, patrols the town and confronts a young man named James, who is later revealed to be involved in the disappearances. Paul’s day is marked by tension as he deals with crime and suspicion, and his relationship with Justine deepens as they reconnect.

James, a junkie living in the woods, breaks into the Lilly house after his run-in with Paul. Inside, he witnesses the children standing catatonically and is frightened by the red-haired woman. Paul chases James through the woods, revealing James knows where the missing children are hiding.

Marcus, with his husband Terry, encounters Gladys, Alex’s aunt, who claims the children’s parents are unwell. She performs a sinister ritual, using blood and hair, which results in Marcus and Terry being attacked—leading to Marcus’s death by a car accident caused by Gladys.

Gladys, revealed as a witch, uses objects from the children’s belongings to summon the missing kids at 2:17 AM. Justine and Archer infiltrate the house, trying to stop the ritual. Alex, heretofore silent, pricks his finger with a tree branch and breaks a spell to set the children free.

As possessed adults and children attack, Justine shoots and kills James and the red-haired woman, freeing the children. Archer fights Gladys but is eventually possessed, leading to a chaos of children tearing her apart in a frenzy and breaking her spell. The house descends into chaos as the children escape.

The children are returned to their families, some speak again, and their parents are reunited with them. Alex is now living with a kind aunt after being institutionalized, while the remaining adults deal with the aftermath of the supernatural events that took over Maybrook.