It Ends

Three recent graduates – analytical, reserved James; secretly troubled Day; and laidback Fisher – are picked up by their friend Tyler, whom they have not seen for a year. Tyler drives them down a forested road while James and Fisher have silly theoretical discussions about which animals would win in a fight, but struggles to find the turn-off they are looking for. Turning the car around, the four find the road inexplicably blocked by a thick wall of trees. After Tyler exits the car to investigate, tens of people run out from the forest and swarm the car, pleading for entry. The four manage to drive off down the road, but Fisher's arm is clawed at in the attack. When they briefly halt to tend to Fisher's arm, the car is swarmed again. As the four shakily make sense of their predicament, they all notice that the road goes on and on, seemingly endlessly. Driving continuously for six hours into the early morning, James notices that the fuel meter has not changed and, after stopping to inspect the car, Tyler reasons that the engine should not be functioning and that they should not turn off the ignition. When they hear more people running and screaming for help from the forest, the four drive off. Continuing for a full day and driving in shifts, the four realize they feel neither tired nor hungry, yet Fisher's arm still heals. They begin to theorize why they are trapped on the road, with Fisher and James hypothesizing they are in Purgatory or cursed. Using their phone timers, they work out that they have 90 seconds after stopping before the car is attacked. Tyler quickly explores the woods, finding it goes on endlessly and the people are docile within. They inventory the items within Tyler's car, including a Clif Bar, which James jokingly suggests they not eat lest they digest it forever. Frustrated, Tyler and James restrain and interrogate a man in the forest for answers, but the man only pleads for help upon hearing the car horn. Later, they find an abandoned car parked on the opposite side of the road, with the keys missing and the odometer maxed out at a million miles. At 56,182 miles of driving, Tyler gives up. After bringing James to the forest, Tyler tells him to drive on without him and to "let him know if he finds an end". Although Day screams for Tyler to come back when James emerges alone, the three drive off after people again swarm out from the forest. Some time later, the trio have adapted to driving the endless road, stealing items from abandoned vehicles to amuse themselves and creating routines. Day and Fisher have daily screaming sessions to vent frustration, which James does not participate in. The group also engage in pointless, playful arguments over which things they like or hate. Day and Fisher take to this more comfortably than James, who is determined to figure out how to escape the road. One day, while inspecting another abandoned car, they realize that no one is emerging from the woods anymore. James spots a man, whom he presumes to be the driver, lying by the roadside and uninterested in them. James is elated by the change, believing that it must mean something, but is frustrated when Fisher and Day are less enthused. At 835,471 miles, when James briefly stops the car, Day removes the keys from the ignition. The pair tell James that they have accepted that there is no escape and believe James is torturing himself with hope by continuing to drive. Wrestling the keys from them, James tries to restart the engine, becoming desperate when it seemingly fails. Praying aloud that he will "do anything", the engine eventually starts. After looking back at Day and Fisher, James drives off. Left on the road, the pair embrace. At 1,153,956 miles, James experiences rain for the first time since arriving on the road, confusing and scaring him. After an inordinate amount of driving later, he eventually arrives upon dozens of abandoned cars blocking the road. Going past them on foot, he finally reaches the end of the road - a circle of asphalt surrounded by cars from various periods, with only a single sign reading "ROAD ENDS". Aghast, James sits motionless on the ground for over a day. Eventually returning to the car, he consumes the Clif bar and weeps over the taste. After finally having a screaming session like Day and Fisher had, James drives off in the direction he came, speaking aloud that he "is coming". Down the road, James happens on another empty vehicle, and drags a lethargic man from the side of the road into the car. As he drives, James asks the man one of the questions that he and Fisher debated before they were trapped on the road.