It Ends

Recent graduates James, Day, and Fisher are picked up by their friend Tyler, whom they have not seen in a year. Tyler drives them down a forested road, while James and Fisher have a theoretical discussion about which animals would win in a fight. Struggling to find a turn off the road, Tyler turns the car around, and they find the road inexplicably blocked by a thick wall of trees. After Tyler exits the car to investigate, a horde of frantic people emerge from the forest, swarm the car, and plead for entry. The four manage to drive off down the road, but Fisher's arm is clawed in the attack. When they stop to tend to Fisher's wound, the car is swarmed again. As they shakily make sense of their predicament, they notice that the road is seemingly endless. After driving through the night, James notices that the fuel meter has not changed. Reasoning that the engine should not be functioning, Tyler instructs the others not to turn off the ignition. Continuing for a full day and driving in shifts, they realize they feel neither tired nor hungry but that Fisher's injury is still healing. They begin to theorize why they are trapped on the road; James surmises that they have died and are in some kind of Hell or purgatory, then presses the others to confess if they have done anything that would warrant divine punishment. Day admits that she attempted suicide the previous year, which shocks the others. Using their phone timers, they deduce that they have 90 seconds after stopping before the car is attacked. Tyler explores the woods and finds that the people within them are docile. They inventory the items within Tyler's car, including a Clif Bar, which James suggests they not eat. Frustrated, Tyler and James restrain and interrogate a man in the forest for answers, but he does not respond. Later, they find an abandoned car on the opposite side of the road, with its keys missing and its odometer maxed out at 999,999 miles. After over 50,000 miles of driving, a despondent Tyler resolves to stay in the forest as the rest of the group continues. Some time later, Day and Fisher have adapted to their situation by taking items from abandoned vehicles to amuse themselves, abiding by a routine of similar conversations and stop breaks, and having daily screaming sessions to vent their frustration. Meanwhile, James remains determined to figure out how to escape the road. While inspecting another abandoned car, they realize that nobody is emerging from the woods anymore. James is elated, believing the change must mean something, but is frustrated when Fisher and Day are less enthusiastic. At 835,000 miles, Day removes the keys from the ignition while the car is stopped. She and Fisher implore James to stop driving since they have accepted that there is no escape and believe that James is torturing himself with false hope. James wrestles the keys back and desperately tries to restart the engine, which seemingly fails until he prays aloud. James drives off without Day and Fisher; the pair embrace for comfort as they cry. At over 1,100,000 miles, it begins to rain, which confuses and scares James. After an inordinate amount of driving later, he encounters dozens of abandoned cars blocking the road. Walking past them, he finally reaches the end of the road, which comprises a circle of asphalt surrounded by cars from various periods and a single sign reading "road ends." Aghast, James sits on the ground for several days before he returns to the car, where he breaks down in tears as he finally consumes the Clif Bar. He begins to scream before he enters the car and begins to drive back down the road. James finds another empty vehicle and drags a lethargic man from the side of the road into his car. As he drives, James begins to converse with the now-responsive man about which animals would win in a fight.