Stem Cell (2009) - full transcript
- Hello?
- Dr. Time?
It's me, Rita.
Are you all right?
- I'm having the dream again.
The shadows.
The things.
Well, it was only a nightmare.
Have you been taking your pills?
- I was thinking maybe I
could come back to the clinic
for a few days.
Rita?
- Yes?
Have you considered
maybe taking some time off?
You're probably pushing
yourself too hard at school.
Not focusing on your writing.
You owe yourself a vacation.
- I guess.
Rita, the
clinic's done all they can.
You broke down because you were stressed
and not dealing with your grief.
I can take you off the
medication for awhile,
see what happens,
but you should really go
somewhere alone and relax.
- Campers.
Extremely bad for business.
- Excuse me?
- Oh, they play a flat fee
for use of the camp
grounds and the showers
instead of rending a cabin.
Any other time of the year
it wouldn't be a big deal
but since it's the off season.
You okay?
- I'm fine.
You just startled me is all.
- Sorry about that.
What can I do for you?
- Yes.
I'm looking for
cabin 11.
I would've asked the main
office but nobody was there.
- There it is.
I was just making sure
you had clean sheets,
plenty of teepee, the usual.
It's all set.
I'm Ben.
I assume you're Rita.
- That's me.
- You picked an odd time of the
year to come out here, Rita.
You're about a month early for ski season
and about three months late for summer.
Place is deserted.
Trying to get away from it all?
- You could say that.
- So, you're the manager?
- You could say that.
My family owns he resort.
I'm sorta the one who
got stuck running it.
No car.
- I took a cab from the airport.
If you're looking for civilization,
the nearest city's about 20
miles over those mountains.
Where's the rest of your stuff?
- I packed light.
I wanted to bring as
little baggage as possible.
- Someone could interpret
that in a variety of ways.
- That's the idea.
Look,
I better get to my cabin,
it's been a long ride.
- Yeah, sure, if you
need anything just call
the manager's office.
I'll be around.
- Thanks.
And thanks for the key.
Hello?
This is Dr. Time.
Hello?
Hello, is anybody there?
- It's Rita, again.
Oh, how are you doing, Rita?
- I'm still have the nightmares.
They're shorter.
Shorter's an improvement.
- But more detailed.
I thought that they'd go away.
It'll take time.
How's your blood sugar?
- I'm keeping an eye on it.
Well you know it's
important to prick every day
and record the results.
Insulin shock is the last
thing we need right now.
- Everything makes me so jumpy.
Could I take something?
More drugs, I'm not sure.
- Please?
Okay, fine.
I'll phone in a prescription
and have them delivered to the resort.
Please reserve it only for emergencies.
- Thank you, Doctor.
Now, Rita, back
to the important stuff.
Are you focusing in on
your work, are you writing?
That's what you're there for.
- Yeah.
It's just kinda hard to focus.
It'll come.
You'll be fine.
I'll talk to you later.
Goodbye, Rita.
- This camping trip is a bust.
- Brad.
- I'm serious, dude, there's
nothing to do out here.
- I'm sorry.
Must've forgot to pack our widescreen TV.
- A stereo, a video game,
I'm not asking for much.
- We agree we are coming out
here to get away from it all
before practice started.
- Yeah, well when we agreed
that we were getting away from it all,
I didn't know we were literally
getting away from it all.
- Tomorrow we can go fishing.
You like fishing, right?
- Yeah, as long as you clean them.
Where are you going?
- Camp ground showers
is just over that hill.
- You're leaving me?
- For like five minutes.
Can't be by yourself for five minutes?
- In a swanky hotel suite, yes.
In the woods alone, no.
- Try not to set the place on fire.
- All right, knock it off.
- Morning, Rita!
Sleep well?
- Yes, thanks.
I was just headed out to
do a little sight seeing.
Did I get a package?
- Candy from an admirer?
- Something like that.
- And you dropped this, your notebook.
- Did you read it?
- No, of course not.
- Thanks.
I'm a writer.
- Rita the writer.
I'd love to show you
around these mountain paths
but I'm sorta stuck here for the deration.
- Well I appreciate it.
But I'm sure I can find my way around.
- Is everything okay?
- I think my tire's a little low.
I was down in the city
running some errands
and it was fine there but
I just worry about it going
out on me up here, you know?
- Does that whole tire
thing work on a lot of gals
that you run into out in the woods
or is this your first time trying it?
- I'm that obvious, huh?
You don't appear to be local?
- Neither do you?
- I'm Pierce.
- Rita.
- You on vacation?
- Yes.
What about you?
- I'm a doctor.
I have a place up here in the mountains.
- Like a vacation home?
- Well it's my family's home
but I run a small clinic out of it.
It's hard for locals here
to make it down in the city
so they come see me.
- You're quite a Samaritan.
So...
What else does a doctor
do out here in the middle of nowhere
besides offering basic healthcare?
- I'm doing stem cell research.
- As in cloning?
- Yeah but it's therapeutic cloning,
not baby cloning.
- What's the difference?
- Well, what I do is I
transplant a patient's own DNA
into an unfertilized egg in
order to create stem cells
to cure diseases.
See, most diseases are just
caused by damaged cells,
so I create replacement cells and tissue
to allow organs to function.
And because I used the patient's own DNA,
the body won't reject it.
- How does that work?
- If you'd like, I
could show you my place,
it's not too far away.
- Oh, I--
- Come on, I love to show off my work.
- Okay.
Thanks.
Sorry, I should probably.
- Well.
In case you have a change of heart.
- Morning.
I'm sorry.
- Hello.
- I saved the best seat
in the house for you.
- Thank you.
I'm actually going out to do some hiking.
Sorry.
- Oh no, that's okay.
But hey, I've been meaning to ask you.
Have you seen those two
campers since you've been here?
You know, the two we saw
the first say you showed up.
Brad and Logan, I think.
- No.
I haven't seen anyone
since I've gotten here.
Why?
- They're supposed to stop by
the manager's office yesterday
but I haven't seen them either, so.
Just wondering.
- Well, if I see them,
I'll definitely tell them
that you're looking for them.
- Do you wanna maybe grab a drink later?
Get a beautiful view
of the stars from here.
- Okay.
- Great.
Seven?
- I'll see you then.
- Okay.
- Can I help you, miss?
- Hi, I'm Rita.
I'm here to see Pierce.
- You have a lovely guest waiting for you.
Welcome to my home, Rita.
- Thank you for the invitation.
- I see you've met my assistant, Dale.
- Nice to meet you.
- This is an impressive place.
Sure doesn't look like a clinic.
- My parents were rich
but they died when I was in high school.
I inherited a lot of money and this house.
It's nice and secluded out here
so I converted a few rooms for research.
- Why stem cells?
- Well, in a lot of ways,
it's the last frontier
of medical research.
It got a bad rap at first because the way
we had to harvest the cells
by using fetal tissues,
so the first trick was to find
a way to harvest viable cells
that didn't include the controversy.
But stem cells hold promise for people who
suffer from diabetes, heart disease,
brain damage, spinal chord injuries.
The possibilities are really endless.
I see you're diabetic.
Type 1 or 2?
Type 1.
Juvenile diabetes.
I went through onset at eight,
so it's safe to say I'm sick of needles.
- See, if my research pans out
then you'll never have to take a needle
or check your blood sugar again
and part of my work is to create new cells
that contain disease
so that we can actually
study these diseases and
find out how they develop.
- I'm curious,
did you say that you plant
stem cells into human eggs?
- Yes, correct, however
I use unfertilized eggs,
so there isn't any implantation
or pregnancy involved.
See, that's the different between cloning
to create a human being and
cloning to treat disease.
- Wow, that's cutting edge science.
- You know, a lot of religious scientists
actually believe that stem cells are
the key to the human soul?
It's amazing, all the
superstitions I've had to overcome
just to study one of the biggest
medical miracles of our time.
- And how did you decide to
divide your time between this
and treating the poor locals around here?
- Rita, I have to explain.
I use volunteers.
Desperate people.
Many are homeless or drug addicts,
juvenile delinquents,
people with nowhere else to go
and obviously no health insurance.
And they'd probably die on the streets
if I didn't help them.
But this experimental research
is already curing
sickness and saving lives
and I feel that if I can prove
it here, on these people,
then everyone will have to listen.
- Rita,
why did you really come here?
What's your interest
in stem cell research?
- Maybe I have personal reasons.
- Gus,
this is Rita.
Gus, here, is my primary test subject.
His parents first brought
him in a couple years ago
after a boating accident.
He lost all oxygen to his
brain for almost seven minutes.
When they brought him here,
he was in a complete vegetative state.
But I've been using my stem
cell therapy on him since then
and he's really coming along.
- They're not helping me.
- Gus, come on, now.
- Help me, Rita.
Please.
- Gus.
- Please.
- Dale! Dale!
Get the restraints!
We're
coming for you, Rita.
- Hello?
Somebody?
Hey, hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
It's okay.
Come on.
- Gus, come on.
- Please, help me, Rita.
Please.
- Sorry about that.
He's normally very docile
but he's still trying to
regain full use of his brain.
- I better go.
- Whoa, who, wait, wait, wait.
Let me take care of this
and I'll walk you out.
- Hey, you're late.
- I know, I'm sorry.
I guess I got held up.
- It's okay.
How was your day?
- Interesting.
- Really?
What'd you do?
- Just the typical tourist thing.
- You want a drink?
- Oh, I haven't had a drink in so long.
Not since...
- Hey, you wanna go for a walk?
I could show you a place
that isn't on any tourist brochure.
Come on.
Completely safe with me.
Okay.
Do you like to travel?
- I used to but
I discovered there's no
better place than here.
I like to be close to my family.
- Oh, you have kids?
No, no.
I never had kids.
Never been married.
I got the resort and
that's a full-time job, so.
I was in love once.
With a girl from the city.
I brought her out here and
she thought it was beautiful
but not quiet beautiful enough to stay.
I felt the same way about the city.
Enough about me.
Come on, it's up here.
She's a healer.
Reflex and mind-body therapy.
Incantations, natural
remedies, you name it.
She does this ritual every night,
whether anybody's watching or not.
- If no one's watching, how do you know?
- You don't have to whisper, you know.
Sorry about that.
Hello, Benjamin.
So,
did you bring your girlfriend
here to watch or to learn?
- Oh, I'm--
- Actually, I brought her here to meet you
and see if you can help her.
- Well, hopefully I can.
You have a darkness within you, child.
Both physically and emotionally.
- What does that mean?
- Oh, it just means you
energy is imbalanced.
You know,
I've studied chiropractic medicine,
kinesiology, homeopathy.
I know how the body works
chemically and mechanically
and I know the signs when
it's not working right.
- Imbalance?
No, I'm fine, really.
Well, I'm diabetic.
- Well, I didn't necessarily mean
that you were physically sick.
You see,
when people get sick,
it starts in their energy fields first
and then filters into their
mind and then into their body.
For example,
why do placebos work for cancer patients
or the power of prayer
when chemotherapy doesn't?
Because their minds believe it will.
Diabetic, huh?
- Yes.
- Boy, those lancets can
sure mess up the finger tips,
can't they?
And unfortunately,
I don't have a homeopathic
remedy for that.
You did well to bring her to me, Benjamin.
- Look,
I really appreciate the hospitality
but I don't really
believe in faith healing.
- Well this isn't faith healing.
My medicine is real.
My methods are real.
Okay.
Well, maybe I should.
- You know,
indulge me.
Now,
I'm not going to try to hypnotize you.
I just want you to relax
and then I'll tap into the part of you
that knows what's wrong.
So, I want you to see
this crystal as your heart
dangling on a chain in front of your eyes.
And I want you to feel
the crystal as your soul,
moving back and forth.
And when it's ready,
it'll point us to the
root of your problems.
Tell me your problems, Rita.
- I know him.
Rita, hey!
Hey, hey, hey, it's me, it's Ben!
It's Ben!
Rita?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!
It's okay, it's me, it's Pierce.
Hi.
You okay?
I just stopped by to check in on you.
You didn't look so good when
you left the place today.
- Rita, hey, you okay?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I'm okay.
- Is he bothering you?
- No, no.
I was just...
I just got scared.
- Okay.
Let's get you inside.
- Thank you.
- It's the least I could do.
Look, before I go.
It's just a little
something to help you sleep.
- I think I've had
enough pills for awhile.
- It's nothing major, it's
just some sleeping pills.
You need your rest, Rita.
Goodnight.
Feeling a bit better?
- Yes.
- You shouldn't get too
friendly with the locals.
Around here, they tend
to be very superstitious.
Good people but just uneducated.
- I can take care of myself, Pierce.
I'm a grown woman.
- I certainly see that.
Still, doesn't hurt to be careful.
- Well thanks for the input.
- You're welcome.
Do you wanna have dinner with me tonight?
I'm not a bad cook.
- That would be lovely.
- Okay, could you meet me
at my place around nine?
- Sure.
- Okay.
Than I will...
I will see you later.
You stay out of trouble.
- Hello?
I saw you watching me.
I won't hurt you.
I just want to talk to you.
Is anybody here?
We're
coming for you, Rita.
- Hold it together, girl.
- Rita.
I meant to talk to you earlier
but I saw that you had a gentleman caller.
- That's one way of putting it.
- Look, I'm truly sorry about last night.
I didn't mean to scare you.
- Last night?
- The Healer.
She means well.
And she's actually very
good at what she does.
But sometimes she could be a
little much for an outsider.
You look like you had a
rough day, are you okay?
- Yeah.
No.
I keep seeing things.
- What?
- People
lurking about.
Like...
I don't know.
It's nothing.
I must sound like a
paranoid schizophrenic.
Do you have something that I
could wash these down with?
- Wait, people lurking around?
What kind of people?
- I don't really know.
Definitely
odd.
- Come on, let's get you inside.
Rita!
Hey, hey.
Hey, you okay?
Hey.
It's okay.
- I want you to prepare
the procedure for tomorrow.
Are you sure, Doc?
- No more time to waste.
I need results I can
start showing investors.
- But we--
- I want it done!
Do it!
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, you have a good night.
See you in the morning.
- Have a good night, Doc.
You really
shouldn't do that, you know?
- What?
- Please don't take any more pills.
- What is this?
- It's a gift from the Healer.
Your own crystal.
Supposed to wear it around your neck.
Focus your energy.
It'll keep you safe.
- Safe from what?
- Homeopathic medicine has been around
for thousands of years.
How long have those pills
you been taking been around?
A few months?
Five years?
Modern medicine is just as mysterious
as wearing crystals or mixing herbs.
One day, the experts tell
you something's good for you,
the next day, it'll kill you.
Nobody knows anything.
- So you're telling me
that this little rock can?
- I'm just telling you
that it's a matter of what you believe in.
I'll leave you alone.
Evening, Pierce.
- Pierce.
- You missed our date.
- Oh my God.
I'm sorry.
Something unavoidable came up.
Come in?
- I was a bit worried.
Did you have dinner?
- No, no, of course not.
- Well I can still cook for
you, if that sounds good.
Listen, Rita, it is obvious
that something is bothering you.
Okay, we all get stressed a bit
but a beautiful woman like
you does not go on vacation
by herself out in the middle of nowhere
unless she's trying to escape
from something back home.
- Yeah.
Okay.
Dinner sounds good.
- Just a little something
to help you relax.
Take them when we get to my place.
My truck's outside.
- Okay.
Did the pills help?
- Oh yes.
- See?
I know what I'm doing.
- Thank you for dinner, Pierce.
- Well, you gotta eat.
You can't let your
blood sugar get too low.
- Hey, what's your take
on natural healing?
- What do you mean by natural healing?
- You know, new age stuff.
Herbal remedies, hypnosis,
crystals.
- Sounds to me like your pal, Ben,
has been filling your head
with a lot of nonsense.
- Well, I don't know.
He made some sense to me.
- Okay, have you ever seen a
fire and brimstone preacher
laying his hands on someone
and curing their cancer?
No.
I mean, if you think that
stuff actually worked,
we'd waste our time with
radiation or antibiotics
or surgery?
- Well,
it's been around a lot longer
than contemporary medicine.
- My work's cutting-edge.
Rita,
I am in this to save lives.
And did you know that only 100 years ago
the average life expectancy was 37?
Now?
77.
What does that tell you?
- It's been a really long day.
I should probably go
home and get some sleep.
- I really should make
sure that you're okay.
- Goodnight, Pierce.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
Sleep well.
- Thanks.
- Hey.
You busy?
- Just writing.
- I'd offer you a shot but...
Okay.
I'm glad to see you're
returning to old medicine.
Are you seeing that doctor, Pierce?
- We had dinner last night.
Do you know him?
- Yeah, some trust fund kid
playing Frankenstein in
Mommy and Daddy's mansion.
- He's doing research.
- Yeah, stem cell research, I know.
But why do it out here,
up in the mountains?
- Why not?
- The United States and Europe
regulate stem cell research
for a good reason.
Why doesn't he get corporate funding?
Why not do it legitimately?
- Well, maybe he doesn't
want to be bothered.
- Please, he damn near runs a
free clinic out of that place.
- What are you saying?
- What I'm saying is that maybe
what he's doing is illegal.
Maybe that's why he's not
doing it in a real lab.
Is he the one giving you those pills?
- I have a prescription for those.
- Okay.
I'm just saying that what he is doing
is a dangerous area of medical research.
Do you know anything about stem cells?
- No.
- They're self-replicating.
You monkey around with
their genetic makeup,
maybe marry them to a virus or something,
and then a sudden accident in a lab
quickly becomes an epidemic.
Even out here in the middle of nowhere.
- Okay.
I get your point but why would he do that?
He's doing this out of his house.
It's not exactly the CDC
in there or something.
If something went wrong, he'd
be the first to be infected.
- Okay, two years ago, scientists
created Polio in a lab.
It's a lot easier to create than destroy.
So we could accidentally
create a fatal new disease
and not even know it until it's too late.
And nobody knows what old
Pierce and his assistant
are doing up there.
- Well he's hiding nothing.
- Believe me, he is.
- Just because his methods are new--
- Rita.
- Doesn't mean--
- Rita.
If you had the handle on
a medical breakthrough,
you might be willing to turn a blind eye
to a lot of danger to get there.
Some crazy old doctor up in the mountains,
playing God with the common folk.
Hey, what's wrong?
- I shouldn't have had that drink.
It messes with my blood sugar.
I just need to lie down.
- Okay, well let's get
you back to the cabin.
- No.
Thanks.
- Oh my God!
Oh my God!
- It's Pierce.
It's Pierce.
- What are you doing here?
- I told you I'd come check in on you.
You didn't answer and
the door's unlocked, so.
- I'm fine.
- No, you're not, Rita.
Please, tell me what's wrong.
I'm a doctor
and it's obvious that you've
had some recent trauma.
- Well, my brother was killed.
He was only a year younger than me.
It was my fault.
- I'm sorry.
- I had a nervous breakdown.
I came to this resort to grieve.
- Look, I want you to come back
to my place for the afternoon
so I can keep an eye on you.
I'll even fix up a guest bedroom for you
so you can have some privacy.
What'd you do to her?
- Me?
I might ask you that question.
- Get away from her right now.
- No, she needs medical supervision.
- Well, we'll call a
doctor, a real doctor.
- All right.
Don't you dare touch me!
I warned her to stay away
from your backwoods insanity!
This is the last thing she needs!
- Let go of her!
- You have no idea what
she's going through!
- Ben, it's okay!
He's going to watch me.
- Dr. Time.
You have reached
the McCain Psychiatric Facility.
At this time our offices are closed.
- Is everything prepared?
- The stem cells may be contaminated.
They not replicate normally.
- You have no idea what I went
through to get those samples.
We don't have time to
wait for another shipment.
We'll have to make do.
- But we don't know
what we're dealing with.
What if we can't control it?
- The patient is restrained
to his bed, for God sake!
Worst case scenario, we can't
stabilize his brain function.
- I can't do that, Pierce.
- Yeah?
Then I'll do it.
Go prep the subject.
- Rita!
Hey!
Hey!
- Ben!
I think I'm hallucinating!
- What did Pierce do to you?
- What?
Do you believe me now?
Why did you bring us here?
- Come on, we'll receive
protection inside.
I wish you had come back
under more pleasant
circumstances, Benjamin.
- Me too.
- Your friend, here,
has suppressed a very
great and horrible sadness
and it's finally manifested
itself in the real world.
- You think that I caused this to happen?
- I think you're the
last piece of the puzzle.
This misery that you're harboring,
it's feeding them.
I can hold the monsters off for awhile.
- Monsters?
No.
No, there's no such thing as monsters.
There's no such thing as magic either.
- Rita, we both saw them.
They're very real.
- And it's not magic.
That's a common misperception.
It's
sensitivity.
You have a very powerful gift.
You can see things that
other people can't.
Some people will call it your imagination.
I would say you have the gift of sight.
- I believe her.
I trust her.
She's my mom.
We're
coming for you, Rita!
- They know you're in here.
They can only harm you
if you allow them to.
Stay strong in that knowing.
My will will hold them off for now.
I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure, I am protected.
I am, I am, I am, I am the
only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure, I am protected.
I am, I am, I am, I am the
only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure.
I am, I am, I am, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am the
only source at work here.
- I hope that this is all a nightmare.
- It's real.
I'm sorry.
- At least I know I'm not going crazy.
- Whoa, hold on, I locked
this place up last night.
Hey.
Someone's been through here.
- Yeah, this doesn't look like you.
- I was gonna sell the
resort and move to the city.
Business hasn't been very good.
My mother.
My father raised me growing up.
I didn't even know she was a live
until I was in high school.
Dad moved to the city and
I took over the resort.
I've tried to reach out to
her but you've seen her.
Dad said she was a real hell raiser
before I came into the picture.
Her mother, my grandmother,
was also a healer.
She sorta brought her into
the fold after I was born.
- I'm sorry.
- No, don't be.
She's a highly educated woman.
She's just different.
I guess I kept the resort going
as a way of stay close to her.
I try to visit her as much as I can
but most of the time she's
just alone or working.
I stay here and pretend
to have a normal life.
A lot of ways, it's probably no different
than how most people get
along with their parents.
- There's something else.
- What?
- My brother.
He died a year ago.
We were out drinking
and I shouldn't have been driving.
I certainly shouldn't have been drinking,
not with my diabetes.
I crashed my car.
I just got a couple of bruises.
He got the worst of it.
Brain damage
and they couldn't fix it.
He was in a comma and
they knew that he was never coming out.
- I'm sorry.
- I keep seeing him.
Here, at the resort, out in the woods.
- That's okay.
He's probably protecting you.
Death shouldn't be feared.
It's just the next step.
For all of us.
- No.
No, don't.
You're normal.
They didn't get to you yet.
- I've seen you before, you
live around her, don't you?
- Yes.
My name is Max.
They killed my whole family.
I was gonna hide up in the
cellar but it was locked up
and I didn't have enough
time to get the door open.
And then,
and then everybody they killed
started coming back to life.
- Where did they go?
- I didn't see.
I hid here all night.
Your mom is the Healer.
- Yes.
- Does she have something to do with this?
- No.
We need to get back--
- You're bitten.
- Yeah.
One of those things got to me
when they attacked my family.
- Well, we should get you bandaged up.
Do you have maybe some
bandages, some alcohol?
- Yeah, I've got some over here.
- Are you okay?
- He's gone.
- The bite.
That is what turned him
into one of those things.
- We need to end this.
Whatever's happening, it's getting worse.
It's spreading.
We need to talk to Pierce.
- Everything's destroyed.
- What did you do?
- Me?
Everyone knows about your mother
up there in the mountains, Ben.
Why don't you go ask her?
- She had nothing to do with this!
Whatever it is, it's like a virus.
- My research has nothing
to do with creating viruses!
- Oh come on!
- Stop!
We don't know what caused this.
- We better stay here tonight.
- No, that's not a good idea.
The place has been destroyed.
The security system's
down, there's no phones,
the power's out.
We gotta get to the city.
What about your truck?
- Not running.
What about your SUV?
- They wrecked it last night.
- Great.
We're trapped then.
- We could walk.
- We'd get attacked the
minute we left this place.
- Then you're coming with us.
- What is this place?
- It's the only place
we're safe right now.
- I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here, I am.
I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
Oh, Benjamin.
Who is this man?
- He lives up in the mansion.
Pierce.
- Oh, yes, I know you.
You're the boy who likes
to play in God's sandbox.
I know what these things are.
They're angry, unhealed spirits.
My will has kept them at bay
but I can't go on much longer.
- What do you need?
- The source of their anger.
- What does she mean?
- Maybe you can tell us.
- Once I break, they'll be in here.
- Then well stay here, hold
them off while you rest.
- No.
You have to go find the source, now.
We're
coming for you, Rita!
- I am, I am safe.
- You go ahead and tell me
you didn't create all this.
- I was using black market stem cells.
I had to, it was the only way
I could prove my research.
I needed the genetic materials
on the human test subjects.
- So you implanted them
into your patients?
That's why it spread so quickly.
- Gus was the worst.
He was one a therapeutic
stem cell regiment
to reverse his brain damage.
And it was working too.
And I swear,
I had no idea the cells
I bought we contaminated
and I certainly had no idea
they could ever cause this.
- So you lied?
About everything?
- Could you imagine how
many lives would be saved
if I proven this could work?
What about your brother, Rita?
Your diabetes?
- Oh my God.
- Hey, how do we stop it?
- We can't.
The stem cells apparently mutated
and evolved into a spark virus
that completely takes over its host.
It's a byproduct of the contamination.
The effects rapidly spread
through the subject
and from person to person.
- Through being bitten.
- Any blood contact.
- So the cause of this is--
- Stem cells.
- Then that's what we need.
Got anymore?
- They're all gone.
I used the last batch on Gus.
- So we need to find him.
- Sounds like our best shot.
- I am, I am, I am safe, I
am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am.
- What if we can't catch him
without being infected ourselves?
- It's our only chance.
- I have restraints in my house.
We can chain him up and extract a sample.
- What makes you think that
we'll find Gus out here?
- When he was brought here,
he was completely brain dead.
This is the only home
he knows or remembers.
He's here.
- Looks like the coast is clear.
- Okay, I'll get the restraints.
- Ben!
- Oh, hey, Gus!
Gus! Gus! Gus!
Come here!
Hey, hey, hey.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Are those the stem cells?
- Yeah.
This should be enough.
- What do you think's wrong with her?
- Well, it's hard to say.
She hasn't been very lucid
since the police brought her in.
They seemed to think I could help.
Who found her?
- Two campers back at my resort.
Last time I saw her, she seemed fine.
I know a doctor delivered
some pills to her
but next thing I know, Brad and Logan,
the two campers,
found her stumbling around the woods
talking about hallucinations and crystals.
I guess she thought that she
might have killed the campers
and that they became
phantasms or something.
- Well, everyone I've consulted does feel
that it is some form of schizophrenia
or possibly even brain
damage caused by a car wreck
she had awhile back.
That's why she's here now.
I'm hoping that my new stem cell therapy
will help her regain some brain function.
- Was there somebody in here with her?
- She's hallucinating, Ben.
She's all alone in here.
She's in good hands.
Rita.
It was only a nightmare.
- Dr. Time?
It's me, Rita.
Are you all right?
- I'm having the dream again.
The shadows.
The things.
Well, it was only a nightmare.
Have you been taking your pills?
- I was thinking maybe I
could come back to the clinic
for a few days.
Rita?
- Yes?
Have you considered
maybe taking some time off?
You're probably pushing
yourself too hard at school.
Not focusing on your writing.
You owe yourself a vacation.
- I guess.
Rita, the
clinic's done all they can.
You broke down because you were stressed
and not dealing with your grief.
I can take you off the
medication for awhile,
see what happens,
but you should really go
somewhere alone and relax.
- Campers.
Extremely bad for business.
- Excuse me?
- Oh, they play a flat fee
for use of the camp
grounds and the showers
instead of rending a cabin.
Any other time of the year
it wouldn't be a big deal
but since it's the off season.
You okay?
- I'm fine.
You just startled me is all.
- Sorry about that.
What can I do for you?
- Yes.
I'm looking for
cabin 11.
I would've asked the main
office but nobody was there.
- There it is.
I was just making sure
you had clean sheets,
plenty of teepee, the usual.
It's all set.
I'm Ben.
I assume you're Rita.
- That's me.
- You picked an odd time of the
year to come out here, Rita.
You're about a month early for ski season
and about three months late for summer.
Place is deserted.
Trying to get away from it all?
- You could say that.
- So, you're the manager?
- You could say that.
My family owns he resort.
I'm sorta the one who
got stuck running it.
No car.
- I took a cab from the airport.
If you're looking for civilization,
the nearest city's about 20
miles over those mountains.
Where's the rest of your stuff?
- I packed light.
I wanted to bring as
little baggage as possible.
- Someone could interpret
that in a variety of ways.
- That's the idea.
Look,
I better get to my cabin,
it's been a long ride.
- Yeah, sure, if you
need anything just call
the manager's office.
I'll be around.
- Thanks.
And thanks for the key.
Hello?
This is Dr. Time.
Hello?
Hello, is anybody there?
- It's Rita, again.
Oh, how are you doing, Rita?
- I'm still have the nightmares.
They're shorter.
Shorter's an improvement.
- But more detailed.
I thought that they'd go away.
It'll take time.
How's your blood sugar?
- I'm keeping an eye on it.
Well you know it's
important to prick every day
and record the results.
Insulin shock is the last
thing we need right now.
- Everything makes me so jumpy.
Could I take something?
More drugs, I'm not sure.
- Please?
Okay, fine.
I'll phone in a prescription
and have them delivered to the resort.
Please reserve it only for emergencies.
- Thank you, Doctor.
Now, Rita, back
to the important stuff.
Are you focusing in on
your work, are you writing?
That's what you're there for.
- Yeah.
It's just kinda hard to focus.
It'll come.
You'll be fine.
I'll talk to you later.
Goodbye, Rita.
- This camping trip is a bust.
- Brad.
- I'm serious, dude, there's
nothing to do out here.
- I'm sorry.
Must've forgot to pack our widescreen TV.
- A stereo, a video game,
I'm not asking for much.
- We agree we are coming out
here to get away from it all
before practice started.
- Yeah, well when we agreed
that we were getting away from it all,
I didn't know we were literally
getting away from it all.
- Tomorrow we can go fishing.
You like fishing, right?
- Yeah, as long as you clean them.
Where are you going?
- Camp ground showers
is just over that hill.
- You're leaving me?
- For like five minutes.
Can't be by yourself for five minutes?
- In a swanky hotel suite, yes.
In the woods alone, no.
- Try not to set the place on fire.
- All right, knock it off.
- Morning, Rita!
Sleep well?
- Yes, thanks.
I was just headed out to
do a little sight seeing.
Did I get a package?
- Candy from an admirer?
- Something like that.
- And you dropped this, your notebook.
- Did you read it?
- No, of course not.
- Thanks.
I'm a writer.
- Rita the writer.
I'd love to show you
around these mountain paths
but I'm sorta stuck here for the deration.
- Well I appreciate it.
But I'm sure I can find my way around.
- Is everything okay?
- I think my tire's a little low.
I was down in the city
running some errands
and it was fine there but
I just worry about it going
out on me up here, you know?
- Does that whole tire
thing work on a lot of gals
that you run into out in the woods
or is this your first time trying it?
- I'm that obvious, huh?
You don't appear to be local?
- Neither do you?
- I'm Pierce.
- Rita.
- You on vacation?
- Yes.
What about you?
- I'm a doctor.
I have a place up here in the mountains.
- Like a vacation home?
- Well it's my family's home
but I run a small clinic out of it.
It's hard for locals here
to make it down in the city
so they come see me.
- You're quite a Samaritan.
So...
What else does a doctor
do out here in the middle of nowhere
besides offering basic healthcare?
- I'm doing stem cell research.
- As in cloning?
- Yeah but it's therapeutic cloning,
not baby cloning.
- What's the difference?
- Well, what I do is I
transplant a patient's own DNA
into an unfertilized egg in
order to create stem cells
to cure diseases.
See, most diseases are just
caused by damaged cells,
so I create replacement cells and tissue
to allow organs to function.
And because I used the patient's own DNA,
the body won't reject it.
- How does that work?
- If you'd like, I
could show you my place,
it's not too far away.
- Oh, I--
- Come on, I love to show off my work.
- Okay.
Thanks.
Sorry, I should probably.
- Well.
In case you have a change of heart.
- Morning.
I'm sorry.
- Hello.
- I saved the best seat
in the house for you.
- Thank you.
I'm actually going out to do some hiking.
Sorry.
- Oh no, that's okay.
But hey, I've been meaning to ask you.
Have you seen those two
campers since you've been here?
You know, the two we saw
the first say you showed up.
Brad and Logan, I think.
- No.
I haven't seen anyone
since I've gotten here.
Why?
- They're supposed to stop by
the manager's office yesterday
but I haven't seen them either, so.
Just wondering.
- Well, if I see them,
I'll definitely tell them
that you're looking for them.
- Do you wanna maybe grab a drink later?
Get a beautiful view
of the stars from here.
- Okay.
- Great.
Seven?
- I'll see you then.
- Okay.
- Can I help you, miss?
- Hi, I'm Rita.
I'm here to see Pierce.
- You have a lovely guest waiting for you.
Welcome to my home, Rita.
- Thank you for the invitation.
- I see you've met my assistant, Dale.
- Nice to meet you.
- This is an impressive place.
Sure doesn't look like a clinic.
- My parents were rich
but they died when I was in high school.
I inherited a lot of money and this house.
It's nice and secluded out here
so I converted a few rooms for research.
- Why stem cells?
- Well, in a lot of ways,
it's the last frontier
of medical research.
It got a bad rap at first because the way
we had to harvest the cells
by using fetal tissues,
so the first trick was to find
a way to harvest viable cells
that didn't include the controversy.
But stem cells hold promise for people who
suffer from diabetes, heart disease,
brain damage, spinal chord injuries.
The possibilities are really endless.
I see you're diabetic.
Type 1 or 2?
Type 1.
Juvenile diabetes.
I went through onset at eight,
so it's safe to say I'm sick of needles.
- See, if my research pans out
then you'll never have to take a needle
or check your blood sugar again
and part of my work is to create new cells
that contain disease
so that we can actually
study these diseases and
find out how they develop.
- I'm curious,
did you say that you plant
stem cells into human eggs?
- Yes, correct, however
I use unfertilized eggs,
so there isn't any implantation
or pregnancy involved.
See, that's the different between cloning
to create a human being and
cloning to treat disease.
- Wow, that's cutting edge science.
- You know, a lot of religious scientists
actually believe that stem cells are
the key to the human soul?
It's amazing, all the
superstitions I've had to overcome
just to study one of the biggest
medical miracles of our time.
- And how did you decide to
divide your time between this
and treating the poor locals around here?
- Rita, I have to explain.
I use volunteers.
Desperate people.
Many are homeless or drug addicts,
juvenile delinquents,
people with nowhere else to go
and obviously no health insurance.
And they'd probably die on the streets
if I didn't help them.
But this experimental research
is already curing
sickness and saving lives
and I feel that if I can prove
it here, on these people,
then everyone will have to listen.
- Rita,
why did you really come here?
What's your interest
in stem cell research?
- Maybe I have personal reasons.
- Gus,
this is Rita.
Gus, here, is my primary test subject.
His parents first brought
him in a couple years ago
after a boating accident.
He lost all oxygen to his
brain for almost seven minutes.
When they brought him here,
he was in a complete vegetative state.
But I've been using my stem
cell therapy on him since then
and he's really coming along.
- They're not helping me.
- Gus, come on, now.
- Help me, Rita.
Please.
- Gus.
- Please.
- Dale! Dale!
Get the restraints!
We're
coming for you, Rita.
- Hello?
Somebody?
Hey, hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
It's okay.
Come on.
- Gus, come on.
- Please, help me, Rita.
Please.
- Sorry about that.
He's normally very docile
but he's still trying to
regain full use of his brain.
- I better go.
- Whoa, who, wait, wait, wait.
Let me take care of this
and I'll walk you out.
- Hey, you're late.
- I know, I'm sorry.
I guess I got held up.
- It's okay.
How was your day?
- Interesting.
- Really?
What'd you do?
- Just the typical tourist thing.
- You want a drink?
- Oh, I haven't had a drink in so long.
Not since...
- Hey, you wanna go for a walk?
I could show you a place
that isn't on any tourist brochure.
Come on.
Completely safe with me.
Okay.
Do you like to travel?
- I used to but
I discovered there's no
better place than here.
I like to be close to my family.
- Oh, you have kids?
No, no.
I never had kids.
Never been married.
I got the resort and
that's a full-time job, so.
I was in love once.
With a girl from the city.
I brought her out here and
she thought it was beautiful
but not quiet beautiful enough to stay.
I felt the same way about the city.
Enough about me.
Come on, it's up here.
She's a healer.
Reflex and mind-body therapy.
Incantations, natural
remedies, you name it.
She does this ritual every night,
whether anybody's watching or not.
- If no one's watching, how do you know?
- You don't have to whisper, you know.
Sorry about that.
Hello, Benjamin.
So,
did you bring your girlfriend
here to watch or to learn?
- Oh, I'm--
- Actually, I brought her here to meet you
and see if you can help her.
- Well, hopefully I can.
You have a darkness within you, child.
Both physically and emotionally.
- What does that mean?
- Oh, it just means you
energy is imbalanced.
You know,
I've studied chiropractic medicine,
kinesiology, homeopathy.
I know how the body works
chemically and mechanically
and I know the signs when
it's not working right.
- Imbalance?
No, I'm fine, really.
Well, I'm diabetic.
- Well, I didn't necessarily mean
that you were physically sick.
You see,
when people get sick,
it starts in their energy fields first
and then filters into their
mind and then into their body.
For example,
why do placebos work for cancer patients
or the power of prayer
when chemotherapy doesn't?
Because their minds believe it will.
Diabetic, huh?
- Yes.
- Boy, those lancets can
sure mess up the finger tips,
can't they?
And unfortunately,
I don't have a homeopathic
remedy for that.
You did well to bring her to me, Benjamin.
- Look,
I really appreciate the hospitality
but I don't really
believe in faith healing.
- Well this isn't faith healing.
My medicine is real.
My methods are real.
Okay.
Well, maybe I should.
- You know,
indulge me.
Now,
I'm not going to try to hypnotize you.
I just want you to relax
and then I'll tap into the part of you
that knows what's wrong.
So, I want you to see
this crystal as your heart
dangling on a chain in front of your eyes.
And I want you to feel
the crystal as your soul,
moving back and forth.
And when it's ready,
it'll point us to the
root of your problems.
Tell me your problems, Rita.
- I know him.
Rita, hey!
Hey, hey, hey, it's me, it's Ben!
It's Ben!
Rita?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!
It's okay, it's me, it's Pierce.
Hi.
You okay?
I just stopped by to check in on you.
You didn't look so good when
you left the place today.
- Rita, hey, you okay?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I'm okay.
- Is he bothering you?
- No, no.
I was just...
I just got scared.
- Okay.
Let's get you inside.
- Thank you.
- It's the least I could do.
Look, before I go.
It's just a little
something to help you sleep.
- I think I've had
enough pills for awhile.
- It's nothing major, it's
just some sleeping pills.
You need your rest, Rita.
Goodnight.
Feeling a bit better?
- Yes.
- You shouldn't get too
friendly with the locals.
Around here, they tend
to be very superstitious.
Good people but just uneducated.
- I can take care of myself, Pierce.
I'm a grown woman.
- I certainly see that.
Still, doesn't hurt to be careful.
- Well thanks for the input.
- You're welcome.
Do you wanna have dinner with me tonight?
I'm not a bad cook.
- That would be lovely.
- Okay, could you meet me
at my place around nine?
- Sure.
- Okay.
Than I will...
I will see you later.
You stay out of trouble.
- Hello?
I saw you watching me.
I won't hurt you.
I just want to talk to you.
Is anybody here?
We're
coming for you, Rita.
- Hold it together, girl.
- Rita.
I meant to talk to you earlier
but I saw that you had a gentleman caller.
- That's one way of putting it.
- Look, I'm truly sorry about last night.
I didn't mean to scare you.
- Last night?
- The Healer.
She means well.
And she's actually very
good at what she does.
But sometimes she could be a
little much for an outsider.
You look like you had a
rough day, are you okay?
- Yeah.
No.
I keep seeing things.
- What?
- People
lurking about.
Like...
I don't know.
It's nothing.
I must sound like a
paranoid schizophrenic.
Do you have something that I
could wash these down with?
- Wait, people lurking around?
What kind of people?
- I don't really know.
Definitely
odd.
- Come on, let's get you inside.
Rita!
Hey, hey.
Hey, you okay?
Hey.
It's okay.
- I want you to prepare
the procedure for tomorrow.
Are you sure, Doc?
- No more time to waste.
I need results I can
start showing investors.
- But we--
- I want it done!
Do it!
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, you have a good night.
See you in the morning.
- Have a good night, Doc.
You really
shouldn't do that, you know?
- What?
- Please don't take any more pills.
- What is this?
- It's a gift from the Healer.
Your own crystal.
Supposed to wear it around your neck.
Focus your energy.
It'll keep you safe.
- Safe from what?
- Homeopathic medicine has been around
for thousands of years.
How long have those pills
you been taking been around?
A few months?
Five years?
Modern medicine is just as mysterious
as wearing crystals or mixing herbs.
One day, the experts tell
you something's good for you,
the next day, it'll kill you.
Nobody knows anything.
- So you're telling me
that this little rock can?
- I'm just telling you
that it's a matter of what you believe in.
I'll leave you alone.
Evening, Pierce.
- Pierce.
- You missed our date.
- Oh my God.
I'm sorry.
Something unavoidable came up.
Come in?
- I was a bit worried.
Did you have dinner?
- No, no, of course not.
- Well I can still cook for
you, if that sounds good.
Listen, Rita, it is obvious
that something is bothering you.
Okay, we all get stressed a bit
but a beautiful woman like
you does not go on vacation
by herself out in the middle of nowhere
unless she's trying to escape
from something back home.
- Yeah.
Okay.
Dinner sounds good.
- Just a little something
to help you relax.
Take them when we get to my place.
My truck's outside.
- Okay.
Did the pills help?
- Oh yes.
- See?
I know what I'm doing.
- Thank you for dinner, Pierce.
- Well, you gotta eat.
You can't let your
blood sugar get too low.
- Hey, what's your take
on natural healing?
- What do you mean by natural healing?
- You know, new age stuff.
Herbal remedies, hypnosis,
crystals.
- Sounds to me like your pal, Ben,
has been filling your head
with a lot of nonsense.
- Well, I don't know.
He made some sense to me.
- Okay, have you ever seen a
fire and brimstone preacher
laying his hands on someone
and curing their cancer?
No.
I mean, if you think that
stuff actually worked,
we'd waste our time with
radiation or antibiotics
or surgery?
- Well,
it's been around a lot longer
than contemporary medicine.
- My work's cutting-edge.
Rita,
I am in this to save lives.
And did you know that only 100 years ago
the average life expectancy was 37?
Now?
77.
What does that tell you?
- It's been a really long day.
I should probably go
home and get some sleep.
- I really should make
sure that you're okay.
- Goodnight, Pierce.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
Sleep well.
- Thanks.
- Hey.
You busy?
- Just writing.
- I'd offer you a shot but...
Okay.
I'm glad to see you're
returning to old medicine.
Are you seeing that doctor, Pierce?
- We had dinner last night.
Do you know him?
- Yeah, some trust fund kid
playing Frankenstein in
Mommy and Daddy's mansion.
- He's doing research.
- Yeah, stem cell research, I know.
But why do it out here,
up in the mountains?
- Why not?
- The United States and Europe
regulate stem cell research
for a good reason.
Why doesn't he get corporate funding?
Why not do it legitimately?
- Well, maybe he doesn't
want to be bothered.
- Please, he damn near runs a
free clinic out of that place.
- What are you saying?
- What I'm saying is that maybe
what he's doing is illegal.
Maybe that's why he's not
doing it in a real lab.
Is he the one giving you those pills?
- I have a prescription for those.
- Okay.
I'm just saying that what he is doing
is a dangerous area of medical research.
Do you know anything about stem cells?
- No.
- They're self-replicating.
You monkey around with
their genetic makeup,
maybe marry them to a virus or something,
and then a sudden accident in a lab
quickly becomes an epidemic.
Even out here in the middle of nowhere.
- Okay.
I get your point but why would he do that?
He's doing this out of his house.
It's not exactly the CDC
in there or something.
If something went wrong, he'd
be the first to be infected.
- Okay, two years ago, scientists
created Polio in a lab.
It's a lot easier to create than destroy.
So we could accidentally
create a fatal new disease
and not even know it until it's too late.
And nobody knows what old
Pierce and his assistant
are doing up there.
- Well he's hiding nothing.
- Believe me, he is.
- Just because his methods are new--
- Rita.
- Doesn't mean--
- Rita.
If you had the handle on
a medical breakthrough,
you might be willing to turn a blind eye
to a lot of danger to get there.
Some crazy old doctor up in the mountains,
playing God with the common folk.
Hey, what's wrong?
- I shouldn't have had that drink.
It messes with my blood sugar.
I just need to lie down.
- Okay, well let's get
you back to the cabin.
- No.
Thanks.
- Oh my God!
Oh my God!
- It's Pierce.
It's Pierce.
- What are you doing here?
- I told you I'd come check in on you.
You didn't answer and
the door's unlocked, so.
- I'm fine.
- No, you're not, Rita.
Please, tell me what's wrong.
I'm a doctor
and it's obvious that you've
had some recent trauma.
- Well, my brother was killed.
He was only a year younger than me.
It was my fault.
- I'm sorry.
- I had a nervous breakdown.
I came to this resort to grieve.
- Look, I want you to come back
to my place for the afternoon
so I can keep an eye on you.
I'll even fix up a guest bedroom for you
so you can have some privacy.
What'd you do to her?
- Me?
I might ask you that question.
- Get away from her right now.
- No, she needs medical supervision.
- Well, we'll call a
doctor, a real doctor.
- All right.
Don't you dare touch me!
I warned her to stay away
from your backwoods insanity!
This is the last thing she needs!
- Let go of her!
- You have no idea what
she's going through!
- Ben, it's okay!
He's going to watch me.
- Dr. Time.
You have reached
the McCain Psychiatric Facility.
At this time our offices are closed.
- Is everything prepared?
- The stem cells may be contaminated.
They not replicate normally.
- You have no idea what I went
through to get those samples.
We don't have time to
wait for another shipment.
We'll have to make do.
- But we don't know
what we're dealing with.
What if we can't control it?
- The patient is restrained
to his bed, for God sake!
Worst case scenario, we can't
stabilize his brain function.
- I can't do that, Pierce.
- Yeah?
Then I'll do it.
Go prep the subject.
- Rita!
Hey!
Hey!
- Ben!
I think I'm hallucinating!
- What did Pierce do to you?
- What?
Do you believe me now?
Why did you bring us here?
- Come on, we'll receive
protection inside.
I wish you had come back
under more pleasant
circumstances, Benjamin.
- Me too.
- Your friend, here,
has suppressed a very
great and horrible sadness
and it's finally manifested
itself in the real world.
- You think that I caused this to happen?
- I think you're the
last piece of the puzzle.
This misery that you're harboring,
it's feeding them.
I can hold the monsters off for awhile.
- Monsters?
No.
No, there's no such thing as monsters.
There's no such thing as magic either.
- Rita, we both saw them.
They're very real.
- And it's not magic.
That's a common misperception.
It's
sensitivity.
You have a very powerful gift.
You can see things that
other people can't.
Some people will call it your imagination.
I would say you have the gift of sight.
- I believe her.
I trust her.
She's my mom.
We're
coming for you, Rita!
- They know you're in here.
They can only harm you
if you allow them to.
Stay strong in that knowing.
My will will hold them off for now.
I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure, I am protected.
I am, I am, I am, I am the
only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure, I am protected.
I am, I am, I am, I am the
only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am, I am safe,
I am secure.
I am, I am, I am, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am the
only source at work here.
- I hope that this is all a nightmare.
- It's real.
I'm sorry.
- At least I know I'm not going crazy.
- Whoa, hold on, I locked
this place up last night.
Hey.
Someone's been through here.
- Yeah, this doesn't look like you.
- I was gonna sell the
resort and move to the city.
Business hasn't been very good.
My mother.
My father raised me growing up.
I didn't even know she was a live
until I was in high school.
Dad moved to the city and
I took over the resort.
I've tried to reach out to
her but you've seen her.
Dad said she was a real hell raiser
before I came into the picture.
Her mother, my grandmother,
was also a healer.
She sorta brought her into
the fold after I was born.
- I'm sorry.
- No, don't be.
She's a highly educated woman.
She's just different.
I guess I kept the resort going
as a way of stay close to her.
I try to visit her as much as I can
but most of the time she's
just alone or working.
I stay here and pretend
to have a normal life.
A lot of ways, it's probably no different
than how most people get
along with their parents.
- There's something else.
- What?
- My brother.
He died a year ago.
We were out drinking
and I shouldn't have been driving.
I certainly shouldn't have been drinking,
not with my diabetes.
I crashed my car.
I just got a couple of bruises.
He got the worst of it.
Brain damage
and they couldn't fix it.
He was in a comma and
they knew that he was never coming out.
- I'm sorry.
- I keep seeing him.
Here, at the resort, out in the woods.
- That's okay.
He's probably protecting you.
Death shouldn't be feared.
It's just the next step.
For all of us.
- No.
No, don't.
You're normal.
They didn't get to you yet.
- I've seen you before, you
live around her, don't you?
- Yes.
My name is Max.
They killed my whole family.
I was gonna hide up in the
cellar but it was locked up
and I didn't have enough
time to get the door open.
And then,
and then everybody they killed
started coming back to life.
- Where did they go?
- I didn't see.
I hid here all night.
Your mom is the Healer.
- Yes.
- Does she have something to do with this?
- No.
We need to get back--
- You're bitten.
- Yeah.
One of those things got to me
when they attacked my family.
- Well, we should get you bandaged up.
Do you have maybe some
bandages, some alcohol?
- Yeah, I've got some over here.
- Are you okay?
- He's gone.
- The bite.
That is what turned him
into one of those things.
- We need to end this.
Whatever's happening, it's getting worse.
It's spreading.
We need to talk to Pierce.
- Everything's destroyed.
- What did you do?
- Me?
Everyone knows about your mother
up there in the mountains, Ben.
Why don't you go ask her?
- She had nothing to do with this!
Whatever it is, it's like a virus.
- My research has nothing
to do with creating viruses!
- Oh come on!
- Stop!
We don't know what caused this.
- We better stay here tonight.
- No, that's not a good idea.
The place has been destroyed.
The security system's
down, there's no phones,
the power's out.
We gotta get to the city.
What about your truck?
- Not running.
What about your SUV?
- They wrecked it last night.
- Great.
We're trapped then.
- We could walk.
- We'd get attacked the
minute we left this place.
- Then you're coming with us.
- What is this place?
- It's the only place
we're safe right now.
- I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here, I am.
I am safe, I am secure, I am protected.
Oh, Benjamin.
Who is this man?
- He lives up in the mansion.
Pierce.
- Oh, yes, I know you.
You're the boy who likes
to play in God's sandbox.
I know what these things are.
They're angry, unhealed spirits.
My will has kept them at bay
but I can't go on much longer.
- What do you need?
- The source of their anger.
- What does she mean?
- Maybe you can tell us.
- Once I break, they'll be in here.
- Then well stay here, hold
them off while you rest.
- No.
You have to go find the source, now.
We're
coming for you, Rita!
- I am, I am safe.
- You go ahead and tell me
you didn't create all this.
- I was using black market stem cells.
I had to, it was the only way
I could prove my research.
I needed the genetic materials
on the human test subjects.
- So you implanted them
into your patients?
That's why it spread so quickly.
- Gus was the worst.
He was one a therapeutic
stem cell regiment
to reverse his brain damage.
And it was working too.
And I swear,
I had no idea the cells
I bought we contaminated
and I certainly had no idea
they could ever cause this.
- So you lied?
About everything?
- Could you imagine how
many lives would be saved
if I proven this could work?
What about your brother, Rita?
Your diabetes?
- Oh my God.
- Hey, how do we stop it?
- We can't.
The stem cells apparently mutated
and evolved into a spark virus
that completely takes over its host.
It's a byproduct of the contamination.
The effects rapidly spread
through the subject
and from person to person.
- Through being bitten.
- Any blood contact.
- So the cause of this is--
- Stem cells.
- Then that's what we need.
Got anymore?
- They're all gone.
I used the last batch on Gus.
- So we need to find him.
- Sounds like our best shot.
- I am, I am, I am safe, I
am secure, I am protected.
I am the only source at work here.
I am, I am, I am.
- What if we can't catch him
without being infected ourselves?
- It's our only chance.
- I have restraints in my house.
We can chain him up and extract a sample.
- What makes you think that
we'll find Gus out here?
- When he was brought here,
he was completely brain dead.
This is the only home
he knows or remembers.
He's here.
- Looks like the coast is clear.
- Okay, I'll get the restraints.
- Ben!
- Oh, hey, Gus!
Gus! Gus! Gus!
Come here!
Hey, hey, hey.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Are those the stem cells?
- Yeah.
This should be enough.
- What do you think's wrong with her?
- Well, it's hard to say.
She hasn't been very lucid
since the police brought her in.
They seemed to think I could help.
Who found her?
- Two campers back at my resort.
Last time I saw her, she seemed fine.
I know a doctor delivered
some pills to her
but next thing I know, Brad and Logan,
the two campers,
found her stumbling around the woods
talking about hallucinations and crystals.
I guess she thought that she
might have killed the campers
and that they became
phantasms or something.
- Well, everyone I've consulted does feel
that it is some form of schizophrenia
or possibly even brain
damage caused by a car wreck
she had awhile back.
That's why she's here now.
I'm hoping that my new stem cell therapy
will help her regain some brain function.
- Was there somebody in here with her?
- She's hallucinating, Ben.
She's all alone in here.
She's in good hands.
Rita.
It was only a nightmare.