Garth McLarnon's house is a sprawling one-story modern upper-middle class abode. A large treehouse peeks over the roof of the house. Neighboring houses are pretty far away. Behind the house, about the same distance away as the neighbors is a wooded area, with a path leading away from the McLarnon home.
Garth sleeps in his bed. He tosses and turns in his bed. His father can be heard through the wall, yelling at someone on the phone. The phone conversation ends and the house goes silent. A few moments later, the front door slams.
Garth bolts upright, now awake. Seconds later, his alarm goes off. He hits the snooze button and falls back in the bed.
Garth brushes his teeth. A DJ tells listeners about a meteor shower that night. They've also received reports of wild dog attacks.
Garth goes into the kitchen to get breakfast. His brother Donnie eats the last Pop Tart. Garth complains that their single father was supposed to go grocery shopping last week. Donnie tells Garth their dad left him breakfast money and hands him a $5.
Garth heads to the bus. Donnie tells their dog, Ribbit he'll walk him soon.
Garth's mom, Sandra, unexpectedly picks him up for school. Garth can't wait until high school. They pull through McDonald's. Sandra parks at the school and Garth finishes his breakfast. Sandra asks Garth about his father. She makes sure Garth is doing well and has everything he needs. He says things are going well, but he reveals that they don't have enough food. Garth reminds her that the court said she's not supposed to ask him about his dad. He says they're okay and she kisses him goodbye.
Garth joins his friends Lyle and Pete. He makes sure they're coming over to his house later that night. Pete asks if the girls are coming. Garth says yes. Lyle's not excited about that. The bell rings and Garth goes inside the school.
Inside, Garth catches up to Kara and Celeste. He asks if they're coming tonight. They say yes. Celeste asks if her older sister can come. Garth says yes. The bell rings and they go to class.
Two bullies, Henry and Scully, stop Garth from going to class. They make fun of his name. They ask him about his party. He says it's not a party, just a few friends coming over. The bullies invite themselves to the party.
Garth's teacher, Ms. Watkins, sends the bullies away and escorts Garth into class. In class, a LOT of people are absent. The teacher talks to them about that night's meteor shower.
Garth returns home and is greeted by Ribbit.
Garth walks into the kitchen. Ribbit follows, nipping at his hands. Brett McLarnon paces back-and-forth, listening to the phone, which is attached to the wall via a spiraled cord. Brett wears an Izod shirt with stained pits, cargo shorts and faded leather sandals. His prematurely gray hair is balding. He's yelling at his ex-wife on the phone.
He stops short when he sees Garth, who stands and stares at his father. Brett is embarrassed. He puts his hand over the receiver and whispers. Garth sets his backpack on the floor and walks to the fridge. Brett walks down the hallway. The yelling continues. Garth pulls a Sunny D from the fridge and chugs it. Garth opens a cabinet and pulls out a Fruit Roll-Up. He unpeels and slowly eats it. The yelling continues. Brett walks back in the room and slams the phone down on the receiver.
Garth stares at him awkwardly. Brett looks towards him apologetically. He apologizes. Garth stands motionless and emotionless. Brett says he'll order pizzas for Garth's friends later. Brett is going to a Toto concert. Brett walks to a cabinet and pulls out a bottle of vodka. He pours it in a tall glass and tops it off with Sunny D. Garth turns and goes out the back door. Garth takes a big sip of his drink. He puts the vodka away.
Garth makes his way to the tree and climbs the ladder. The treehouse is larger than a studio apartment. He opens the trap door in the floor and moves inside.
The inside of the treehouse is a large open space. A curtain hangs on a rod in the center of the room. When closed, it divides the space in two, but it’s currently open. Along one wall is a series of shelves, mostly filled with board games and a few Hardy Boys books. On the floor below that is a box overflowing with toys. Next to it is a comic book long box. A half dozen chairs sit around the room. Two bean bag chairs sit under a window opposite the shelves.
Garth locks the trap door below him. He goes to a small battery-operated boom box on the shelf and turns it on. He grabs a bookmarked Hardy Boys book and plops down in one of the bean bag chairs. He sighs as he looks out the window into the forest. He opens the Hardy Boys book and starts reading.
Through the window, the sun is starting to set. Bored, Garth puts the bookmark back in the book. He looks at his watch. It says 6:27. He puts the book back on the shelf. Garth unlocks the trap door and climbs down the ladder.
Garth leaps off the ladder and drops three feet to the ground, doing a hero pose once he lands. He stands up and runs for the house.
Garth walks into the kitchen. He sees a mess on the counter: an empty vodka bottle, a half-full ice bin, an empty glass, a spilled bag of chips. Garth walks around, looking for his father. He's not home. Garth walks back into the kitchen. He sees $40 and a note on the table saying "for pizza." Garth crumples the paper and tosses it in the trash.
Ribbit comes into the room and pesters Garth. He looks and the dog’s bowls and both are empty. Garth fills Ribbit’s water bowl, then his food bowl. The dog chows down on the food. Garth starts cleaning up his father’s mess.
The phone rings and Garth answers. It's Pete. He can't come. His parents are in the hospital. They were attacked by a bear or something. Garth asks if he's okay. He is.
Garth stands in a sparkling clean kitchen, talking on the phone. He orders the pizzas. The pizza guy says it'll be 30 minutes. He hangs up. Garth goes to the pantry and pulls out a case of grape soda. He puts it in the fridge.
Donnie enters the kitchen. Donnie musses Garth’s hair. Garth shoves his hand away and laughs. He says his friends are coming over. Donnie asks if dad knows. He does.
Donnie asks how their dad was. Garth says he was angry. Yelling a lot. Donnie puts a hand on Garth’s shoulder. Garth said he got drunk and went to the concert early.
Donnie pulls Garth into a hug. Garth misses his mom. Donnie hugs him tighter. Donnie says him, too. The doorbell rings. They break the hug. Donnie playfully pushes Garth and they laugh.
Garth opens the door to reveal Lyle. He carries a comic book short box. Lyle apologizes for being early.
Garth asks Lyle if he can finally read his comics. Lyle says only if Garth follows the rules. They playfully bicker a bit.
In the kitchen, they drink Sunny D. Lyle asks Garth if he's finally going to make a move on Kara. Garth isn't sure, if she's not into it, he doesn't want to be known as a creeper.
Garth opens the front door. The Pizza Delivery guy has arrived. So have Kara, Celeste and Irma. Everyone awkwardly introduces themselves.
The delivery guy asks for money. Garth pays and takes the pizzas inside. The girls follow.
Garth carries the pizzas. Lyle carries the short box of comics. Garth yells to Donnie that the pizza is here.
Donnie walks in, carrying a katana. He’s followed by Arnold. Garth tells Donnie to grab the sodas. He passes the task on to Arnold.
Lyle complains to Garth about Arnold being here, he doesn't like Arnold.
They go out the back door. Garth climbs up the ladder and opens the trap door. Irma hands him the pizzas. Arnold hands him the sodas. Everyone follows him inside.
Everyone sits around finishing their pizza and drinking soda. They’re happy.
Donnie grabs a box of balloons, which he's going to fill up for a water balloon fight. Irma isn't into it.
Garth, Kara and Lyle stand before one plastic folding table. Donnie, Arnold and Celeste stand before another. Sitting on each table are buckets filled with water balloons, full enough to burst on contact, but empty enough to handle without bursting. Irma stays in the treehouse, high and dry.
Everyone grabs a water balloon and readies to throw at the other team. Kara and Garth exchange a smile. Donnie tells them to start.
Donnie nails Garth in the chest, soaking him. The water is cold. He screams. Kara hits Donnie in the face. Arnold throws at Kara, but he’s a bad throw and she ducks. Lyle nails Arnold in the face. He stumbles backwards and falls on his ass. Garth shakes off the cold water and throws at Donnie, barely missing. Kara throws again, hitting Celeste. Celeste returns the throw but misses badly. Donnie throws at Garth, but misses. Garth returns the throw and hits Donnie in the legs. Lyle throws at Arnold again, once again nailing him in the face.
Arnold grabs another balloon, but he fumbles it. It hits the grass and breaks, splashing his feet. Donnie reaches for a balloon, turning his back on his opponents. Kara nails him in the back. He throws his hands up in surrender. Donnie runs towards the back door. Lyle, Kara and Garth smile at each other. They all throw at Arnold. They all hit him. He falls on his back, giving up. Celeste makes her last throw, which falls well short of hitting anyone. She joins Lyle, Kara and Garth in laughter.
The sun is nearly down. Donnie has changed his clothes and hands out towels. Arnold as to borrow a dry shirt. Garth pulls off his wet shirt and tosses it in the corner of the treehouse. He turns to grab a towel and comes face-to-face with Kara. She smiles. He smiles back, somewhat embarrassed. She very clearly eyes him up and her smile grows. Garth blushes.
Donnie grabs the curtain that divides the room and starts pulling it closed, one side for boys, the other for girls. He pulls the curtain fully closed. Everyone dries off and changes clothes.
The curtain is open again. Everyone is dry and dressed. Garth finishes drying his hair. Arnold is back, eating more pizza. Wet clothes and towels hang out windows or lay crumpled in corners. They joke about people's throwing ability.
They suggest playing a board game. Irma hates Monopoly!
Arnold starts playing with a pocket knife. Celeste stares at him, a little afraid. Irma notices Celeste’s fear. Irma calls Arnold a loser and he puts the knife away.
They joke about playing Mystery Date. Irma says all their games are baby games.
Irma tries Space Tilt, a wooden maze game. It’s too hard, though, and she gives up.
Kara walks over to the toy box and starts rooting around. She pulls out a View Master and starts flipping through the slides.
Arnold suggests strip poker? Irma walks as far away from Arnold as she can.
Arnold finds a stack of Playboys and starts flipping through one. Celeste looks over his shoulder furtively. She likes what she sees.
Donnie says he has Trivial Pursuit Junior inside. Arnold wants to play, but no one else does.
Kara settles on the hula hoop. She tentatively steps into it and tries to spin it. She fails and is embarrassed. She looks around awkwardly, but no one notices. She tries again. This time she gets going and is able to keep it going and going. Garth watches, impressed. He compliments her. Celeste watches Kara, too. She can’t keep from smiling.
Arnold plays with Donnie’s katana. He swings it back and forth, a little too close to other people. Donnie takes it away. Donnie puts the katana in the back corner, far away from anyone. Arnold plays with his pocket knife instead. Lyle sits on one of the chairs, flipping through the comics in his short box. This draws Arnold’s attention. He puts the pocket knife away.
Lyle says it's his complete collection of Marvel first issues. Arnold looks them over. He says it's not a complete collection and points out what is missing. Lyle gets upset. Irma notices and defends Lyle. Donnie climbs down the ladder. Lyle closes the short box and sets it next to Donnie’s katana.
Donnie climbs back into the treehouse carrying a bottle of vodka. Arnold is playing around with a telescope. Donnie pours drinks for Arnold and Irma. Garth and Kara get small drinks. Donnie holds up his drink and makes a toast. The others toast as well. They take a drink. Donnie and Arnold chug theirs. Kara sips nervously, as does Garth. He swallows wrong and starts coughing. Kara laughs and pats him on the back. Donnie refills his and Arnold’s cups. Both take another sip. Donnie puts the bottle of vodka on the shelf.
Arnold goes back to playing around with the telescope. He spins it towards the closest neighbor’s house. He sees them having an orgy. Donnie grabs the telescope. He peers through the telescope for several seconds. Then he grins. Donnie makes no move to relinquish the telescope. Arnold gets frustrated.
Garth gets up and gets three pairs of binoculars from the shelf. Irma rushes to him and grabs one. Arnold holds out his hand. Garth hands him a small, crappy pair of binoculars. The neighbor couple, Dirk and Bitty, do this a lot. Donnie turns back to the telescope. Garth hands his binoculars to Kara. She looks on eagerly. Arnold looks away because gay stuff is happening. Lyle is gay and he takes Arnold's binoculars. There’s lesbian stuff going down on the other side of the room. Irma hands her binoculars to Celeste, who moves closer, to see better. Irma moves closer to Donnie, looking over his shoulder. He turns and sees her. She Smiles. He returns the smile, then goes back to the telescope.
Garth takes Kara by the hand and pulls her towards the back window. Arnold and Celeste follow. Garth pulls the curtain closed for privacy. Garth and Kara sit on one side of the curtain. The others gather on the other side. Both groups can see out the back window, where the stars are bright. Garth puts his arm around Kara’s shoulders.
Kara points at a shooting star and tells him to make a wish. She grins. He closes his eyes and makes the wish. He wished for a kiss. She leans in and kisses him. No tongue. They break the kiss. Both are happy.
She points to the sky. It’s the meteor shower. A meteor flies low enough over their heads that they hear it ROAR. It crashes in the forest, not too far away. Donnie yanks the curtain back. He says it's not even a mile away. Garth says they gotta go see it.
Everyone rushes for the trap door except Lyle. He says he's gonna hang back. He's not the hiking type. Lyle plops down in a bean bag chair and starts playing Angry Birds on his phone.
The forest is thick, with little light penetrating the canopy. The kids follow a thin, winding path through the woods. Arnold asks Celeste if she's afraid.
Donnie turns and glares at Arnold. He leaves the younger girl alone. Garth and Kara hold hands. Irma walks beside them. She points at their clasped hands. She approves.
Some of the treetops are on fire. As they move forward, there’s more fire and many trees are snapped or sheared off. They come to a mostly-new clearing. In the middle of an impact crater is an egg-shaped space rock, glowing red with heat. They ask if it's safe. No one knows.
The meteorite emits a soft whistle. It grows in volume. Donnie blocks the others, forcing them to back away from the meteorite. The whistle gets louder. Celeste covers her ears. Garth and Kara start moving away. Celeste follows. The meteorite starts cracking. Donnie sees it. He tells them to run.
Donnie turns and bolts. Arnold and Irma do, too. They round a bend in the path and can no longer see the meteorite. That’s when it explodes with a loud bang. A shockwave blasts the kids, knocking everyone down. A piece of rock debris hits Arnold in the back, shredding his shirt and drawing blood. Donnie helps Arnold and Irma to their feet. The others get up and start running again. A loud roar echoes through the forest, coming from where the meteorite landed. It sounds unearthly and everyone stops to look in that direction. Donnie’s face is stricken with fear.
The audible sound of some beast galloping towards them. Everybody runs. They round another bend in the path and can see the treehouse. Garth’s house has floodlights on the side and in the back. It’s almost as bright as daylight close to the house. The stampeding sound grows louder. The beast roars again. Donnie looks back and he sees the alien BEAST. It’s as large as a bear, but taller and leaner, with more muscle. It is covered in shaggy dark blue fur. Its eyes are fully white, no irises. It has four tusks made of black bone, two on the top, two on the bottom. It has row after row of razor-sharp teeth.
Garth looks back and sees the beast. It opens it’s maw widely. The teeth and eyes reflect the moonlight. Garth turns back towards the treehouse. He stumbles and bumps into Kara, knocking her down. He looks back and makes eye contact to Kara. She screams in fear. Garth turns and runs. He reaches the treehouse and quickly climbs the ladder.
Irma and Donnie help Kara up. Celeste reaches the ladder and starts climbing. Arnold follows quickly behind her. The other three reach the tree. They can’t see the beast, but they can hear it. The others help Kara up the ladder. Irma follows.
Kara emerges from the trap door. Garth extends a hand to help her up, but she slaps it away. Garth frowns.
Donnie puts his foot on the first rung of the ladder. He hears the beast roar and looks up. Donnie sees the beast charging at him. He rushes up the ladder. The beast reaches the tree, but Donnie is inside. He slams and locks the trap door.
The beast rears back, but it can’t reach the treehouse and it can’t climb. It’s front paws land on the tree, leaving scratches. From the side of the house, Ribbit BARKS aggressively at the beast. Everyone looks out the treehouse window to see the beast.
It drops down from the tree and turns to face Ribbit. The dog and beast run at each other. The beast clamps its jaws on Ribbit, crushing and killing the dog. Garth and Donnie scream. The beast tosses the dead dog to the ground. It turns to face the treehouse.
The kids sit around the treehouse, faces wracked with fear. They can hear the beast pacing back and forth and growling outside. Notably, Kara sits far away from Garth. She glares at him. They decide to call the police. Celeste pulls out her phone and tries to get it to work. It’s dead. Donnie tries his phone. It’s dead, too. Everybody's phone is dead except for Lyle. Arnold suggests the dead phones are from the meteorite sending out an EMP.
Lyle only has 5% left. Donnie calls 9-1-1 and they're sending cops. Lyle's phone dies.
Kara plays with the telescope, looking at the swinger couple’s house. Dirk walks onto his back deck, which is well lit. He’s dressed in only his briefs and a bathrobe. Donnie grabs binoculars and confirms Dirk is outside.
Donnie rushes to the window. He waves his hands and starts yelling. The angle is bad and Donnie isn’t loud enough. Dirk doesn’t hear him.
Everyone gathers around Donnie. They start yelling and waving and calling Dirk's name. Dirk takes a sip of his drink. The kids catch his eye. They tell him there's a monster on the loose.
The beast leaps from the ground onto the deck and bites Dirk in half. Blood splashes the deck. The kids scream. Dirk’s glass of alcohol lands on the beast’s back. It howls in agony as steam rises from its back. Arnold very clearly sees this through the telescope. The beast smashes through the back door of the house.
Seconds later, Bitty screams. The beast comes back outside, carrying Bitty’s leg in its mouth. The kids scream again. Most of them move away from the window.
Donnie seizes the moment. He grabs the house keys from the shelf. He tells Arnold to come with him and heads for the trap door. Donnie starts climbing down. Arnold follows.
About halfway down, Donnie jumps, getting to the ground quicker. Arnold doesn’t jump until the bottom rung. Donnie’s at the back door before Arnold reaches the ground.
The beast stampedes towards them, shaking the ground as it comes. Arnold pulls out his pocket knife and holds it ready to attack. It leaps and smashes into Arnold, knocking him to the ground. He stabs the beast with the knife. It draws blood and the beast howls. Celeste sees this and cheers.
The beast snarls at Arnold and he’s too afraid to move. The beast turns to face Donnie and snarls at him. He hesitates. The beast rushes at him and he dodges, the beast smashes into the back door. Donnie runs for the ladder. Arnold struggles to get to his feet.
Irma notices Donnie’s sword in the corner. She asks Garth why Donnie didn't take the sword. Garth says Donnie doesn't know how to use it.
Donnie reaches the ladder and starts climbing. Arnold manages to get to one knee. The beast bites Arnold’s head off.
Donnie scrambles inside. He slams the trap door shut and locks it. Irma watches Arnold get eaten. Celeste and Kara sit crying. Garth tries to comfort Kara, but she turns away.
Irma walks across the treehouse to the boombox. She turns it on and searches for a news report. The announcer says: "More reports of meteors crashing down across the city, country and globe. Authorities have no comment at this time. Law enforcement officials say the huge spike in reports of dog attacks could be related to the meteors. No further details were given other than a warning to stay inside and away from any wild dogs or other large animals. The governor is expected to make a statement at 8 p.m." Irma turns off the radio.
Garth walks over to Kara and asks if they can talk. She says okay if it gets him to stop pestering her. She grabs his hand and pulls him away from the other kids. She closes the curtain and turns to face Garth. Garth is afraid, he’s never seen her angry before.
He says he fucked up because he was scared. She says that's not a good reason, they're all scared. He apologizes. She yells at him for knocking her down. Garth looks down in shame. Garth fights to hold back tears. She says she doesn't hate him, but she doesn't like him like THAT anymore. Garth looks down again. Kara walks away.
Henry and Scully ride up to the front of the house on bikes. They hop off and let the bikes crash to the ground. They walk to the front door. Henry rings the doorbell. They wait but nobody comes.
Henry backs up so he can see over the roof of the house. He spots the treehouse, which is easily visible in the floodlights. He walks toward the side of the house. They head to the back.
Irma is the first to see Henry and Scully, she points them out. The others crowd the window to see. Everyone starts waving and making noise.
Henry and Scully arrive in the backyard to the sounds of everyone in the treehouse trying to get their attention. Scully points at the treehouse.
The beast rushes across the back yard and knocks Scully off his feet. The beast bites Scully’s head off. Henry runs for the treehouse. The beast notices him running and scrambles to its feet, giving chase. Henry makes it to the ladder. The trap door flies open. Kara reaches a hand out. Henry climbs as fast as he can. The beast smashes into the trunk of the tree, just missing Henry. Kara helps pull Henry inside. Garth slams the trap door and locks it.
Everyone looks incredulously at Henry. He stands, hands on hips, breathing hard. Garth asks why he's here. Henry says he said they were coming. Kara exclaims that Scully is dead. Henry confirms it.
Donnie asks Henry if he has a phone. Henry dropped it on the ground. Kara reminds them the cops are on their way. They decide to wait. Garth smiles at Kara, trying to score points for agreeing with her. She looks away. Garth frowns. Irma checks the radio, but the stations are all dead.
Henry paces back and forth. He's tired of waiting for the cops. Irma walks to the back window and gestures to the sky. The meteor shower is in full effect. They conclude all the meteors contain monsters. Maybe into the thousands or millions of monsters around the world. They sit quietly with that possibility for a few seconds. The group talks about news and stories they've heard that are probably the monsters,
Henry makes a plan. He’ll get the rope and swing to the roof of the house. Then he can go inside through the attic. Kara says he can't make it. Henry climbs through the window and onto the branch. He loses balance and almost falls. Donnie helps steady him. Henry sits still for a while. He's nervous. After a while, Henry takes a deep breath and crawls out further and further along the branch. He’s at the swing, but he doesn’t know what to do next. Irma tells him to swing the tire and Donnie says he can catch it.
Henry pulls the rope a bit. He throws it away from the treehouse. It goes a short distance and swings back. Henry pulls on the rope. He’s strong, so it works. It starts swinging higher and higher. The beast sees what’s happening and gets interested. The beast follows the tire back and forth. It raises up and bats the tire, sending it higher. The beast sniffs at the tire. It doesn’t like the smell and loses interest. It lays down, keeping an eye on the action. The tire swings close to the treehouse. Donnie reaches for it and almost catches it. He tells Garth to help him. Garth rushes to the window.
The tire comes back. Donnie and Garth give it a big shove. It works and the tire swings away faster and farther. Henry hangs on tightly to the branch as it wobbles. The tire swings back towards Garth. He reaches out with his hand and wobbles a bit. Donnie steadies him and they pull they tire as close as they can.
Henry starts scooting backwards, moving slower than before. Irma picks the katana up and brings it to Donnie. Garth takes ahold of the tire. Donnie keeps the rope and uses the katana to cut it as close to the tire as possible. Garth sets the tire against the wall. Henry climbs back into the treehouse. Celeste hugs him. Henry’s a bit embarrassed.
Donnie hands him the rope. Henry takes it reluctantly. Donnie walks to the shelf and pours Henry a shot of vodka and pours one for himself. He hands the shot to Henry and raises a toast. They down the shots and Donnie takes Henry’s empty cup. Henry climbs up onto the window, holding the rope straight out in front of him. The beast sees this. It gets up and walks underneath Henry, looking up.
Henry nods. He looks up and focuses on the house. He fights back the tears in his eyes. Henry swings forth. The beast follows him, expectantly. It looks like Henry is going to swing low enough that the beast can grab him, but the rope swings up again. Everyone stares, wracked with fear. The rope is too low and Henry smashes into the roof of the house at chest-level. He tries to hold onto the roof, but there’s nothing to grab ahold of. He slips off the roof and crashes to the ground, twisting his ankle. He screams. The beast is on him instantly, tearing Henry apart. The kids in the treehouse look away in disgust and fear.
Everyone sits in quiet contemplation. The weight of their situation has finally sunk in. Kara says their supplies won't last. She asks what they're gonna do. No one has an answer. They look at each other, face-to-face, searching for hope, but finding none.
Garth walks over to Donnie and talks in lower tones. He asks about dad. He’s gonna come home and that thing will surprise him. Donnie says they can try to warn him. Garth worries he'll just come running and the beast will get him. Lyle suggests there might be monsters elsewhere, too.
The cops arrive. Two police cars, red and blue lights flashing, pull into the front yard and park. Faces fill with hope for the first time.
Four officers exit their cars: Jackson, Torv, Anderson and David. Jackson tells them to be careful. He instructs them to tranq, then tase, then bullets.
Jackson leads the officers to the front door. He rings the doorbell. No answer.
From behind the house, they hear the roar of the beast. Jackson leads them around the side of the house.
The beast comes running towards them. Anderson kneels and aims the tranq gun. She steadies, then fires. Direct hit. The beast briefly slows down, then resumes charging. It rushes at Torv. David fires the taser and hits. It has no effect. The beast leaps into the air, yanking the taser from David’s hand. David and Jackson pull their sidearms. The beast’s massive mouth envelops the shotgun and Torv’s arms, one up to the elbow. Sinking its teeth deep into her arms. Torv manages to pull the trigger inside the beast’s mouth. It seems to have no effect. Anderson unloads all of the tranq darts into the beast, then pulls her sidearm. The beast rips Torv’s arms off and she screams. The other officers unload their guns at the beast. The bullets have little effect.
As the tallest person in the treehouse, Donnie is the only one who can lean out the window far enough to see what’s happening with the cops. He tells everyone the beast got the first cop. And the second.
The beast turns and bites a huge chunk out of Jackson’s side. Bones break and flesh tears. When it pulls away, there’s a hole that looks like a shark bite. What’s left of Jackson falls to the ground. The beast turns towards Anderson. She fires the last bullets from her gun. David sees the kids in the treehouse and takes off running in their direction.
The beast eats Anderson’s head. David runs towards the treehouse. The kids yell for him to hurry. He stops running, but maintains eye contact with Donnie. David drops to his knees. Then he falls forward, his face smashing to the ground. A large bite has torn through his shirt and a massive bite mark on his back bleeds. The beast leans down to take another bite.
Donnie leans back into the treehouse. The others look to him expectantly. He shakes his head and looks down. The other faces range from mortal fear to near panic.
The mood in the treehouse is morose. Nobody talks, they’re all lost in dark thought. Lyle says they have to get out of there. If they stay, they die. Celeste says they're out of food. Kara says they're out of water. Garth says they have no way to call anyone. Or warn anybody about the monster.
They brainstorm how to hurt the beast. It's bulletproof. Alcohol hurts it. Metal hurts it and they have the katana. But no one knows how to use the katana and it's too small. They can't throw the Katana accurately. But they can accurately throw vodka balloons into its mouth and do internal damage. Lyle and Kara were the best throwers. Followed by Donnie. It screams when it’s hurt, which would keep its mouth open long enough to get three balloons in its mouth.
Lyle says somebody’s gotta jump on its back. And bury the katana with the force of the fall. Garth volunteers. He says he kinda owes it to everybody. The group rests in silence for a moment. Kara is the first to move. She hugs Garth. As she pulls away, she gives him a kiss on the cheek. Garth blushes. The others all thank him, pat him on the back, hug him. Donnie grabs the bottle of vodka and the box of balloons off the shelf.
Donnie finishes up the last vodka balloon. There was enough for 7 balloons. Garth stands near the window, looking down at the beast.
Garth tells Irma to get the beast's attention with the rope. They start moving in his direction. Garth grabs the katana. Donnie brings the vodka balloons.
Irma hugs Celeste. Then she climbs out onto the branch. She starts scooting towards the rope. The monster notices and follows her.
Garth steps outside the window onto a tiny ledge. Kara, Lyle and Donnie are ready with vodka balloons. The remaining balloons sit in a bucket behind them.
Irma reaches the rope. She starts swinging it back-and-forth, in Garth’s direction. The beast moves back-and-forth, following the rope. The second time it moves under the window, Garth bends his legs, ready to jump. The beast turns its back to Garth.
Garth leaps. At first it looks like he’s going to sail over the beast, but he turns and twists his body, bringing the katana down. It penetrates the beast’s hind quarters. Garth holds on for dear life. The beast howls. It twists its open mouth back towards Garth. And the window.
Donnie throws his balloon. It misses the beast’s mouth and breaks on its head. It burns and the beast howls some more. Smoke rises from where it hit. It shakes Garth off and he falls to the ground.
In quick succession, Lyle and Kara’s balloons land in the beast’s mouth. It bites down, breaking the balloons. It howls in pain again.
Donnie has another balloon. He throws and this time, it lands in the beast’s mouth. Kara lands another balloon in the beast’s mouth. Lyle’s second balloon hits the beast in the face and shatters, blinding it. The beast starts bucking around in dying pain.
Garth scurries away, just avoiding being trampled. The beast starts to slow its movements. It stops jumping. Stops spinning. It crashes to the ground. Motionless, foaming at the mouth. The kids in the treehouse cheer. Garth sighs and lays his head face down in his hands.
The group sits around the kitchen, drinking water and eating various snacks. The phone rings. Garth answers. It's his dad. Garth tells him everyone is okay, except Arnold. He tells his dad that alcohol and metal kill the creatures.
Brett is safe with his friends Jeff and Jennie. Their house is like a fortress. Garth lets out a sigh of relief.
Garth tells his dad their house isn't safe. Donnie holds his hand out for the phone. He tells his dad that they have a police car. They're gonna take the kids to their parents and go to their mom’s house. Brett says it's dangerous, but Donnie cuts him off and says it's not a discussion.
Garth picks up the phone and dials his mother’s number. It rings and rings. Finally she answers. The line goes dead. Garth dials again, but gets a signal that the line isn’t working. Garth says he's worried about their mom. Kara rests a hand on his shoulder.
Donnie announces he's taking everyone home. He tells Garth to go get the balloons. Donnie heads for his father’s bedroom. The room is bachelor-who-parties-a-lot messy. Donnie opens the closet. He points to a half dozen 1.75 ml bottles of vodka. He tells the others to grab the bottles. Donnie heads for his own bedroom.
Garth is back with the balloons. Kara and the others bring the vodka in and set it on the table. He walks back in carrying two of the biggest Super Soakers possible.
Donnie and Lyle walk towards the side of the house, where the bloody remains of the cops lay. The sun is starting to rise. They dig through the cops remains and find car keys.
Donnie drives, the sun high in the sky. Garth rides shotgun, holding a Super Soaker. In the back, Kara sits behind Garth, holding vodka balloons. Irma sits at the other window, holding the other Super Soaker. The windows are rolled up. Lyle holds Donnie’s katana. A series of shots: Houses on fire. Houses with varying levels of structural damage. People looting grocery and liquor stores. People locked out or away from home, hiding the best they can. A few monsters eating people. Random monsters running around. A few meteorite impact craters. Lots of cars crashed into light poles, buildings, each other. Large stretches of quiet and calm because people are hiding.
Donnie pulls the police car onto Lyle’s street. Donnie accelerates a bit. As they get closer, Garth is the first to see the beast. Garth points down the block on the right, closer than Lyle’s house. Donnie pulls to a stop.
Garth pumps the Super Soaker. He tells Donnie "I hit the mouth, slow down so I can fill ‘er up." Donnie chuckles. Kara puts a hand on his shoulder. Donnie starts driving again. Garth rolls down the window and aims the Super Soaker. As they approach Lyle’s house, the beast sees them. It comes running at them. The beast slows as it approaches them. It’s afraid of the car. It roars at them. Garth shoots and the stream goes into the monster’s mouth. It howls. He keeps the stream going until the beast turns and moves away from them.
Donnie stops the car. Garth hops out and opens the back door for Kara. She follows with balloons in each hand. Donnie opens the door and Irma runs towards the beast with her Super Soaker. Lyle hops out the other side, carrying water balloons. Donnie grabs the katana from the back seat and follows. Garth stands about three feet away from the beast, which lies on the ground howling. Donnie says "next time it howls, hit it in the mouth again. I’ll sneak up from the back and stab it. Then y’all kill it with the balloons."
It goes off without a hitch. The beast howls. Garth sprays its mouth, distracting it so Donnie can sneak up from behind. Donnie stabs it in the back. Kara and Lyle each land their balloons in its mouth. Lyle lands a second. The beast gets up, but it’s heavily wounded. It takes a few steps and falls over dead, foam pouring from its mouth. The kids cheer. Lyle takes off running towards his house. The others watch, happy for him. Lyle stops and waves before he goes inside. The others wave back. They all head for the police car.
Donnie drives down another city street. These houses are poorer and smaller than the previous neighborhoods. On either side of the police car, a single beast runs along with them. They maintain pace, but don’t move any closer to the car.
Donnie pulls the car to a stop. Garth rolls his window down and aims the Super Soaker. Irma hands the other Super Soaker to Donnie, who rolls down his window. Donnie and Garth open fire. Their aim is true. The beasts howl in pain and take off running. Once they’re far enough away, Donnie starts driving again.
He pulls into Irma and Celeste’s driveway. Their parents rush out and hug their daughters.
The girls' father thanks Donnie for getting them home alive and says they're welcome to stay.
Donnie says they have a few more stops to make and politely declines.
The father leads his family towards the front door. Irma and Celeste wave goodbye. Kara and Garth return the wave as Donnie backs the car out of the driveway. He drives away.
Donnie drives along in silence. A few of the beasts are seen in the distance, but none come closer.
Donnie pulls the police car into Kara’s driveway. Her house is nicer and larger than Celeste and Irma’s, but nowhere near Donnie and Garth’s. Kara and Garth get out. Donnie waits in the car. Garth apologizes for earlier. She smiles. Then she hugs him. He’s a bit surprised at first, but then he returns the hug. She says she's impressed that he figured things out and thanks him. He thanks her for her part in saving everybody, too.
She leans in and kisses him. Donnie honks the horn. She tells him to call her if the world doesn't end. He says he will.
Garth gets in the car. Donnie congratulates him. Garth blushes. Donnie drives away.
Donnie pulls the car into his mom’s driveway. Her house is almost as nice as their dad’s house, although it’s a bit smaller. Donnie parks and turns off the car. He picks up a Super Soaker. Garth grabs the other one. They get out of the car.
Garth and Donnie approach the front door of their mom's house, carrying their Super Soakers. Sandra opens the door and rushes to hug them.
She asks why they are here. They say to make sure she's okay. They tell her their dad is okay.
A beast roars. It is close.
Donnie and Garth turn around. They see the beast running at them.
Garth steps in front of Sandra. Both boys pump their Super Soakers.
They shoot at the beast.
The camera pans up to show a massive alien spacecraft entering the atmosphere.