"[Music intensifies]" "[Silence]" "[Gasps]" "[Door hinges creak]" "[Bo screams]" "[Bo screams]" "[Insects chirping]" "[Door hinges creak, door slams]" "Where are they?" "I don't know." "Morgan:" "Dad!" "Uncle Merrill!" "Dad!" "Morgan!" "[Birds cawing]" "[Rapid footsteps]" "Bo?" "Bo?" "Bo, where's Morgan?" "Bo?" "Are you in my dream, too?" "...This is not a dr..." "Morgan:" "Dad!" "Hey..." "Honey..." "[Panting]" "Morgan?" "What's happening?" "The dogs were barking..." "woke us up." "[Dogs barking in distance]" "Are you hurt?" "I think God did it." "Did what, Morgan?" "[Barking continues, birds cawing]" "[Barking]" "Look, Lee, I don't even care if it was him." "And you can just have a word with him, and that'd be enough for me." "See, it was strange finding the crops that way." "The kids were confused by it, and, uh, it'd sure take the strangeness away if I knew it was just Lionel and the Wolfington brothers messing around, that's all." "At the movies?" "Are you sure?" "[Sighing] All right, then." "Uh, thanks for your patience, Lee." "Yeah." "Bye." "[Telephone beeps]" "Houdini peed." "I think he's sick." "Why don't you take him outside?" "I'll call Dr. Crawford." "He doesn't treat animals." "Well, he'll know what to do." "[Chain rattles]" "[Door hinges creak;" "door opens, slams]" "Oh." "That was quick, Caroline." "I only called you folks two hours ago." "Old Mrs. Kendleman twisted her ankle, as she puts it, diving for her life when a bunch of school kids rode down the sidewalk on skateboards." "She went down to Thornton's store this morning and started spitting on the new skateboards." "Spitting!" "By the time I got there," "Mrs. Kendleman had sprayed the whole damned place." "And she must have had a cold or something." "I'm telling you, I won't eat for a week." "[Sighs deeply]" "So, what happened to your crops?" "[Sizzling]" "[Sizzling]" "Dad's gonna burn these again." "It's contaminated." "You don't even know what that word means." "It's not contaminated." "It's just tap water." "Pour it in his bowl." "It tastes funny." "It does not." "And besides, he licks his butt every day." "I don't think he'll mind." "[Barks]" "[Growling]" "Houdini?" "Bo, don't run." "What's wrong, boy?" "[Growling continues]" "Stop it, Houdini." "[Barks]" "[Gasps]" "[Snarling]" "Caroline:" "Look at where it's bent over, Father." "Graham:" "It's not broken." "Now, what kind of machine can bend a stalk of corn over without breaking it?" "Can't be by hand." "It's too perfect." "It doesn't sound much like Lionel Prichard and the Wolfington brothers." "They can't take a piss without wetting the front of their pants." "I don't think anyone else around here has had any problems." "I was over at Theo Henry's farm yesterday afternoon, and he would have mentioned something." "Why were you at Theo's place?" "Some animals around the county have been acting funny... and some of them violent." "What is it, a virus?" "I don't think so, Father." "They're more edgy, you know, and alert." "It's almost like they act when they smell a predator around... peeing on themselves and everything." "[Birds cawing]" "Caroline... please stop calling me "Father."" "What's wrong?" "I don't hear my children." "[Sniffles]" "He fell on me." "He wanted to kill Bo." "[Sniffling and wheezing]" "[Air hisses] ...[Inhales deeply]" "[Exhales deeply]" "Did he hurt you?" "No." "I'm so sorry, Morgan." "Where were you?" "Houdini's sick." "Tie Isabel up to the back of the shed, please, and make sure the knot's very tight." "[Insects chirping]" "[Gasps]" "What's the matter?" "There's a monster outside my room." "Can I have a glass of water?" "What's wrong with the water next to your bed?" "It tastes old." "[Breathes deeply]" "[Sighs softly]" "What are you thinking about?" "Why do you talk to Mom when you're by yourself?" "Makes me feel better." "Does she ever answer back?" "No." "She never answers me either." "[Sighs deeply]" "[Inhales sharply]" "What?" "[Whispering] Lionel Prichard and the Wolfington brothers are back." "[Whispering] It's time for an ass-whupping." "This is not an intelligent way to approach this." "Lee is a friend of mine." "This is his son." "Yeah, we'll be doing Lee a favor." "All right, listen..." "we both go outside, move around the house in opposite directions." "We act crazy, insane with anger... make them crap in their pants, force them around till we meet up on the other side." "Explain "act crazy."" "You know, curse and stuff." "You want me to curse?" "You don't mean it." "It's just for show." "What?" "Well, it won't be convincing." "It doesn't sound natural when I curse." "Just make noises, then." "Explain "noises."" "Are you gonna do this or what?" "No, I'm not." "All right, you want them stealing something in the house next time?" "On the count of three 1..." "...All right." "2... 3!" "[Door hinges creak]" "Aaah!" "I'm insane with anger!" "We're gonna beat your ass, bitch!" "[Clattering]" "We're gonna tear your head off!" "I'm losing my mind!" "[Rapid footsteps]" "It's time for an ass-whupping!" "[Rapid footsteps]" "[Both panting]" "I cursed." "I heard." "[Rustling]" "How did he get..." "[Rustling continues]" "Are you sure this is Lionel Prichard?" "[Clattering]" "[Squeaking]" "[Birds chirping]" "Caroline:" "You like that?" "You got an old baby monitor around?" "Bo had an old baby monitor." "You can use Bo's baby monitor as a walkie-talkie." "...You can?" "...Mm-hmm." "It only works one way, but that'll do fine." "[Machinery whirring on television]" "That is, until someone gets you an old walkie-talkie left over at the station." "Man:" "Stop!" "It's hideous!" "Woman:" "Get it off!" "l-I know what to do." "[Woman shuddering]" "Hey, Bo... turn that down till Officer Paski leaves." "Doy-da!" "[Laser gun fires]" "[Volume decreases]" "You're too old to still be doing this." "You take a glass of water, and you finish it." "Now, what's wrong with this one?" "It has dust in it." "This one?" "A hair." "This one?" "Morgan took a sip, and it has his amebas in it." "My turn." "So, how are you, Merrill?" "Fine." "How is work at the gas station?" "Stimulating." "[Chuckles]" "I never got a chance to tell you, but l-I thought your moving in here with your brother after... it was a nice thing to do." "Well, I don't think I'm helping much." "You are." "Sorry." "Okay, so far I have, "It was very dark."" "Yes, it was." "You can't describe him at all?" "Don't you think that's kind of odd?" "A little." "I don't know whether to look for a giant or a midget." "No, he definitely wasn't a midget." "Okay." "So he was tall?" "l-I would say so, yes." "Probably." "Over 6 feet?" "It was very dark." "Yes, it was." "How certain are you that this was a male?" "Oh, I don't know..." "I don't know any girls who could run like that." "I don't know, Merrill." "I've seen some of those women on the Olympics." "They can run like the wind." "This guy got on our roof in, like, a second." "O-Our roof is 10 feet high." "They have women's high jumping in the Olympics." "They got these Scandinavian women who can jump clean over me." "Caroline, I know you're making a point here, but I just don't know what it is." "An out-of-town woman stopped by the diner yesterday afternoon and started yelling and cussing because they didn't have her favorite cigarettes at the vending machine." "She scared a couple of the customers." "No one's seen her since." "And my point is, we don't know anything about the person you saw, and we should just keep all possibilities available." "[Footsteps approach]" "Dad, where's the remote?" "I don't know, baby." "Why don't you check in the sofa cushions?" "Excluding the possibility that a female Scandinavian Olympian was running around outside our house last night, what else might be a possibility?" "I'm not done asking questions, and I don't appreciate sarcasm." "Do you two have anyone who might have a grudge or something against you... maybe a-a church member who... who might not have liked the fact that you left the church?" "I don't think so." "Okay, I was out of line with the whole female- Scandinavian-Olympian thing." "It's just, I'm pretty strong, and I'm pretty fast." "And I was running as fast as I could, and this guy, he was..." "he was just toying with us." "There's only food under the sofa." "Baby, why don't you just change the channel on the television?" "I did." "And?" "Same show's on every station." "Every station?" "Graham:" "Bo, turn up the volume." "Crop signs first emerged in the late '70s with renewed interest in extraterrestrial life." "They died out by the early '80s, dismissed as hoaxes." "This new resurgence is wholly different." "The speed and the quantity in which it has appeared implies the coordination of hundreds of individuals over many countries." "[Indistinct conversations]" "There are only a limited number of explanations." "Either this is one of the most elaborate hoaxes ever created, or basically... it's for real." "[Air hisses] ...[Inhales deeply]" "Extraterrestrials." "What in God's name is going on?" "I did some research after I saw your crops." "Two or three guys can make a design the size of the one in your field overnight using just boards and ropes." "Really?" "That's how these things have been done in the past." "But there are so many now." "How could so many people be in on it?" "I can't think straight." "I'm..." "I'm gonna go back to the station and have a cup of Edgar's coffee and..." "and try to think clear." "And after that, I'll..." "I might make some calls." "But I'll tell you something... what I said in there, it still goes." "Your... your family has been through a lot." "And the last thing these children need to do is worry about some crazy things happening in the world." "Now, take them into town and get their minds and your mind on everyday things, hmm?" "Good medicine." "That's good advice." "And you take care of yourself..." "Graham." "[Engine turns over]" "Man on TV:" "The footage you're watching was shot yesterday afternoon by a 34-year-old local cameraman in Bangalore, a southern city of India." "It's the 18th reported crop sign found in that country in the last 72 hours." "Uncle Merrill, will you turn on the radio?" "Woman on radio:" "They are signs intended to be seen from the sky..." "[Radio turns off]" "No radio either." "Just for a while." "[Sighs]" "[Brakes squeak]" "Book money?" "Sure." "Just one." "Be back for pizza in 15." "Carl:" "It's just a bunch of crock." "They're trying to sell sodas." "It's plain and simple." "Been watching these reports since morning." "I have seen 12 soda commercials so far... 12!" "You have any books on extraterrestrials?" "Now, don't tell me you believe this horse manure." "As a matter of fact, I think we have one." "Came by mistake in a shipment... decided to keep it for the city people." "Last row, third book on the left, honey." "Man on radio:" "Why is no one saying the obvious?" "These are just copycats." "Someone somewhere does the first one..." "Woman:" "It was asthma medicine, right, Father?" "For Morgan Hess." "And it's not "Father" anymore." "In less than an hour, a couple hundred people get the same brilliant idea, and here we are, on the verge of mass hysteria." "Can I ask you a favor, Father?" "I need to clear my conscience." "Will you listen to me?" "Tracey..." "I am not a reverend anymore." "I haven't been for six months." "You know this." "[Voice breaking] All this stuff on TV... two girls came in here talking about the end of the world..." "I'm just a little scared." "[Sniffles]" "Please, I need to clear my conscience." "I've got it figured." "You do?" "I've had two separate folks tell me there have been strangers around these parts last couple nights." "Can't tell what they look like 'cause they're staying in the shadows... covertlike." "Nobody's been hurt, mind you." "And that's the giveaway." "I see." "It's called "probing. "" "It's a military procedure." "You send out a reconnaissance group... very small..." "to check things out." "Not to engage but to evaluate the situation... evaluate the level of danger, make sure things are all clear." "Clear for what?" "For the rest of them." "Yeah?" "You got a pamphlet or something I can read?" "Sure." "Thanks." "You didn't used to play baseball, did ya?" "Shit, I know you." "You're Merrill Hess." "I was there the day you hit that 50 7-footer over the left-field wall..." "set the record." "Man, that thing had a motor on it." "It's still the record, right?" "Got the bat at home o-on the wall." "You've got two minor-league home-run records, don't ya?" "Five." "Why weren't you in the pros making stacks of cash and getting your toes licked by beautiful women?" "'Cause he has another record most people don't know about." "He has the minor-league strikeout record." "Hello, Lionel." "Merrill's a class-A screw-up." "He would just swing that bat as hard as he could every time." "Didn't matter what the coaches said, didn't matter who was on base." "He would just whip that bat through the air as hard as he could." "Looked like a lumberjack chopping down a tree." "Merrill here has more strikeouts than any two players." "You really got the strikeout record?" "Felt wrong not to swing." "It's contaminated." "Carl, there's something wrong with our water." "Your water's fine." "Bo has this thing about her drinking water." "She had it her whole life." "It's like a tick people have, except it's not a tick." "Is that right?" "[Pounds table] Carl: 13!" "Tracey:" "I cursed 3 7 times last week." "I said the "F" word a couple times, but mostly..."shits"" "and..."bastards."" "Is "douche bag" a curse?" "I suppose that would depend on its usage." "How about, "John, you're a douche bag for kissing Barbara"?" "It's a curse." "Then it's not 3 7." "It's 71." "Pharmacy crowded?" "I don't want any one of you spending time with Tracey Abernathy alone." "Is that understood?" "[Breathes deeply]" "Is that him?" "Yeah." "[Car door closes, engine turns over]" "Who is he?" "[Tires squeal]" "[Insects chirping]" "[Car approaches]" "[Brakes squeak]" "[Brakes squeak]" "[Static]" "Merrill:" "What is it?" "Graham:" "It's Bo's baby monitor." "I found it in the basement." "I'm gonna use it as a walkie-talkie." "[Droning]" "What if it's catching a signal from them?" "It's not." "But it wasn't working." "Morgan, this crop stuff is about a bunch of nerds who never had a girlfriend in their lives." "They're, like, 30, and they work up little codes together, and they analyze Greek mythology and make up secret societies where other guys who never had girlfriends before can join in." "They do stupid crap like this to feel special." "It's a scam." "Nerds were doing it 25 years ago, and new nerds are doing it again." "It's just static, Morgan, all right." "Turn it up." "See." "[Volume increases]" "[Droning continues]" "It's a code." "Why can't they get girlfriends?" "Can I see that, please?" "[Static, droning continue]" "It's noise." "It's broken, Morgan." "It's just gonna keep doing this." "Maybe some new batteries..." "We might lose the signal." "This is exactly what the nerds want." "I'm getting out now." "[Droning continues, volume increases]" "Nobody move." "Voices." "Did you hear that?" "Not English, though." "You heard the voices, right, Uncle Merrill?" "I heard them, Morgan." "[Droning]" "Probably picking up another baby monitor." "That's right." "[Pitch fluctuates]" "Let me see it." "[High-pitched droning]" "Stop!" "[Warbling]" "[Volume decreases]" "See, this is why we're not watching TV." "People get obsessed." "I'm letting go now." "Bo:" "No, Dad!" "Morgan:" "Don't do it!" "You'll lose the signal." "Don't let go." "It gets clearer the higher you hold it." "Merrill:" "I got it." "Bo, honey, I don't want you climbing on the car." "Come here." "[Volume increases]" "[Panting]" "[Droning, trilling]" "Stop!" "There's two of them talking." "[Droning, trilling]" "[Static]" "[Sighs]" "[Bell clanging]" "[Isabel barks, whines]" "[Barking continues]" "[Barking]" "...[Snarls] ...[Gasps]" "[Barking continues]" "[Chain rattling]" "[Whining]" "Isabel, you're gonna feel very silly when this turns out to be all just make-believe." "[Whining continues]" "[Whining continues]" "[Creaks]" "[Barking continues]" "...[Trilling] ...[Gasps]" "[Breathing heavily]" "[Echoing] You're wasting your time here!" "I'm not gonna report this or anything you do to my crops to the news or TV or anybody!" "You're not going to get famous!" "[Trilling]" "[Gasps]" "[Breathing heavily]" "[Corn stalks rustling]" "[Trills]" "[Gasps]" "[Panting]" "[Dishes clanking, water splashing]" "[Giggling]" "[Sighs deeply]" "Okay." "Let's turn on the TV." "[Clicks, television humming]" "Man on TV:" "It first appeared 52 minutes ago." "Mexico City officials as well as U. S. Officials have confirmed that these are not aircraft from either government's air force." "The first sighting was made by an Air Mexico 747 en route from Mazatlan to New York as the unidentified crafts entered Mexico City air space." "They were not detected by radar by either country." "[Siren walls on TV] ...The nerds were right." "We have to tape this." "My ballet recital." "Listen, Bo, this is very important." "Everything people have written about in science books is going to change." "The history of the world's future is on the TV right now." "We need to record this so you can show your children this tape and say you were there." "For your children, Bo." "My ballet recital." "Dad!" "Find another tape." "[Videotape clattering]" "[Siren continues]" "Uncle Merrill, I'm using your tape." "Man on TV:" "You are seeing a live feed from our affiliate down here in Mexico City." "This image has not been adjusted or enhanced in any way." "What you're seeing is real." "It's unbelievable." "...[Wheezing] ...Everything they wrote in science books is about to change." "I told you." "[Air hisses] ...[Inhales deeply]" "Some people are probably thinking this is the end of the world." "That's true." "Do you think it could be?" "Yes." "How can you say that?" "That wasn't the answer you wanted?" "Couldn't you pretend to be like you used to be?" "[Exhales sharply] Give me some comfort." "People break down into two groups when they experience something lucky." "Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence." "They see it as a sign... evidence that there is someone up there watching out for them." "Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance." "I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those 14 lights in a very suspicious way." "For them, the situation isn't 50-50." "Could be bad, could be good." "But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own." "And that fills them with fear." "Yeah, there are those people." "But there's a whole lot of people in the group number one." "When they see those 14 lights, they're looking at a miracle." "And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there'll be someone there to help them." "And that fills them with hope." "See, what you have to ask yourself is, what kind of person are you?" "Are you the kind who sees signs, sees miracles?" "Or do you believe that people just get lucky?" "Or look at the question this way... is it possible that there are no coincidences?" "I was at this party once." "I'm on the couch with Randa McKinney." "[Clicks tongue]" "[Exhales sharply] She was just sitting there" "looking beautiful, staring at me." "I go to lean in and kiss her..." "[Laughing] and I realize I have gum in my mouth." "So I turn, take out the gum, stuff it in a paper cup next to the sofa, and turn around." "Randa McKinney throws up all over herself." "[Chuckles softly]" "I knew the second it happened it was a miracle." "I could have been kissing her when she threw up." "That would have scarred me for life." "I may never have recovered." "[Laughs]" "I'm a miracle man." "Those lights are a miracle." "There you go." "So, which type are you?" "Do you feel comforted?" "Yeah, I do." "Then what does it matter?" "I never told you the last words that Colleen said before they let her die." "She said, "See."" "Then her eyes glazed a bit." "And then she said, "Swing away. "" "You know why she said that?" "Because the nerve endings in her brain were firing as she died, and some random memory of us at one of your baseball games just popped into her head." "There is no one watching out for us, Merrill." "We are all on our own." "[Siren walls]" "[Keys jingle, engine turns off]" "What do you know?" "Well, there was an accident... drunk driving, they weren't sure..." "He wasn't drunk." "Ray fell asleep at the wheel." "...Is he okay?" "...Yeah." "That was the first thing Colleen asked, too." "She's talking." "What ambulance is she in?" "She's not in an ambulance, Father." "[Floorboards squeak]" "For the kids' protection." "All they were doing was watching TV from 5:00 a.m." "I felt like they were getting obsessed, like you said." "They should be playing furry, furry rabbit or tea party or something." "What's furry, furry rabbit?" "It's a game, isn't it?" "Anyways, they closed the schools." "And there's been some interesting developments." "What time is it?" "11:00 a.m." "They're gone, but they're not really gone." "We just can't see them." "Early this morning, a bird flew into the area where the lights were hovering last night." "It stopped dead in the air and fell straight down." "They caught it on tape." "They've been playing it all morning." "The footage looks like the bird flew into a wall in the sky." "They found the bird." "His..." "his head was crushed in." "They think they have some kind of invisible-shield thing going, l-like an optical illusion." "They're still there, hovering." "Some people think there's more of them now..." "All over the place, over us, even." "There's a theory about the c... the crop circles." "They could be some kind of... some kind of landmark, visual mapping system so they could navigate, coordinate... makes sense." "[Wind chimes tinkling]" "Morgan:" "Want to hear a story?" "Bo:" "Is it true?" "So the aliens can't read our minds." "Oh." "Oh, of course." "They tell you everything in this book." "It says they're probably very small, like my height, because as their brains develop, there was no use for physical development." "It also says they're probably vegetarians because they would have realized the benefits of such a diet." "Who wrote this book?" "Scientists who have been persecuted for their beliefs." "That means they're unemployed." "If you're gonna make fun of it, then forget it." "This is serious." "I don't know what got into me." "There are pictures." "Dr. Bimbu, one of the authors of the book Bimbu?" "...Dad." "I just asked his name." "You had a tone." "He said there are two reasons why extraterrestrials would visit us... to make contact in the spirit of exploration and furthering the knowledge of the universe, or the other reason..." "they're hostile." "They've used up all the resources on their planet, and they're looking to harvest our planet next." "Here." "Looks a little like our house, doesn't it?" "Same windows." "That's weird." "[Telephone rings] ...[Gasps] ...[Gasps]" "Yeah, oh, yeah." "That's enough from Dr. Bimbu for now." "Everybody in this house needs to calm down and eat some fruit or something." "[Ringing continues]" "Hello?" "Man:" "Father?" "Hello?" "[Pulsating tone]" "[Footsteps approach]" "[Door hinges creak]" "I'm going out for a few minutes." "No one leaves this house..." "no one." "Merrill:" "Where you going?" "[Keys jingle] ...Ray Reddy's house." "Why?" "I think he just called here." "[Door opens, slams]" "Bo:" "You don't think something bad will happen, do you, Morgan?" "Why?" "You have one of your feelings again?" "Is it bad?" "I won't let anything bad happen to you." "I don't want you to die." "Who said I was gonna die?" "Who said I was gonna die?" "[Knock on door]" "[Insects chirping]" "[Insects chirping, door hinges creak]" "[Creaking]" "[Pulsating tone]" "Hello, Ray." "What happened?" "I wrote your number down to call you." "It's been sitting next to the phone for 6 months." "When I knew it was inside the house..." "I couldn't think of any other number to call." "I panicked." "Thank you for coming, Father." "You're welcome, Ray." "I worked so long that night." "I've never fallen asleep driving before... never since." "Don't." "Most of the ride home, there wasn't a car in sight in either direction." "If I'd have fallen asleep then," "I would have ended up in a ditch with a headache." "And it had to be at that right moment... that 10, 15 seconds when I passed her walking." "It was like it was meant to be." "I guess if this is the end of the world," "I'm screwed, right?" "People who kill reverends' wives aren't exactly ushered to the front of the line in Heaven." "[Keys jingle]" "[Engine turns over]" "Wh..." "Where are you going, Ray?" "To the lake." "The way I see it... these places marked in crops and such... none of them are really near water." "I don't think they like water." "Can't be any worse than here." "Did you see something, Ray?" "I know what I've done to you." "I made you question your faith." "I'm truly sorry for what I've done to you and yours." "[Sighs deeply]" "All right." "And don't open my pantry, Father." "I found one of them in there and locked him in." "[Tires spin]" "Woman on TV:" "The startling footage we're about to show you was photographed by a 42-year-old, Romero Valadarez." "This video was taken yesterday afternoon at his son's 7 th birthday in the city of Passo Fundo, Brazil." "It was sent to the local news bureau there and sent to us via satellite just a few minutes ago." "All initial opinions are this is genuine." "What you're about to see may disturb you." "[Children shouting indistinctly in Portuguese]" "[Dog barking]" "Move, children!" "Vamanos!" "[Shouting continues]" "[Shouting intensifies]" "Oh!" "[Shouting continues]" "[Tape rewinds]" "[Shouts in Portuguese]" "[Rustling, wind whistling]" "[Rustling stops]" "Hello?" "The police are here." "I am with them." "I am a police officer." "I just want to talk with you." "We know all about the hoax." "We already took some of your friends downtown in a paddy wagon." "Just tell us your name and why you did it, and we'll give you the same deal we gave the others." "Don't throw your life away, son." "[Sighs]" "[Knife scrapes]" "[Grunts]" "[Scrapes]" "Oh!" "Ah!" "Oh!" "[Both scream]" "[Birds chirping]" "[Dead bolt clicks]" "Their skin changes colors." "That's why we couldn't see them that night." "Tell me something, Morgan." "Uh... in this book of yours... did they happen to detail what would happen if they were hostile?" "Yes." "It said they would probably invade." "They would use ground tactics..." "hand-to-hand combat." "They wouldn't use our technology or fight an airborne battle 'cause they know eventually we would use nuclear weapons." "Then the planet would be useless to them." "How could anyone possibly know that information?" "It's ridiculous." "What else did it say?" "They said there are one of two outcomes of an invasion." "One, they fight and are defeated and have to return again with full forces hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years later." "What's two?" "They win." "I'm sorry, what..." "what book is this?" "Is this really happening?" "[Sighs]" "I heard a theory that, uh, they don't like places near water." "Maybe we'd be safe from them near a lake or something." "Sounds made-up." "I saw one of them at Ray Reddy's house." "I can't be sure, but I got the distinct feeling he wanted to harm me." "So... we can choose to believe this lake idea, pack up, and go, or we can stay here, hide inside our home, wait it out." "We might be overreacting, but I'm willing to live with that." "Either way, at least we'll be together." "All those in favor of the lake idea, raise your hand." "Yeah." "All those in favor of home, raise your hand." "Okay." "My vote counts as two." "That's bullshit!" "You're cheating!" "Morgan, calm down." "I get two votes because I represent two parents here." "We don't know anything yet." "We'll be safe here anyway." "I don't want to leave home." "This is where we lived with Mom." "That's got nothing to do with this." "I change my vote." "You can't change your vote." "All those in favor of home, raise your hand." "This is ridiculous." "You lose, 3-2." "[Sighs deeply]" "We're going to board up every window in this house." "How do we know boards will do anything?" "Because they seem to have trouble with pantry doors." "[Sighs deeply]" "[Wind chimes tinkling]" "[Door hinges creak]" "[Corn stalks rustling]" "[Tinkling, rustling continue]" "[Soft thud]" "[Tinkling, rustling intensify]" "Man on TV:" "The information we're receiving comes from our affiliates across the world." "[Siren walls on TV, pounding] Morgan:" "Dad, Uncle Merrill!" "Amman joins Nairobi, Beijing, and Jerusalem as the latest to confirm the appearance of lights." "There are lights in over 2 74 cities." "They think it'll be 400 within the hour." "They're appearing at or within one mile of crop signs." "They were for navigation." "They made a map." "They're gonna be within a mile of us." "Dad?" "Yes?" "They think these are staged immediately preceding an attack maneuver." "I was wrong." "They're hostile." "[Horns honk on TV]" "It's like "War of the Worlds."" "Man on TV:" "Ground forces have been assembled in countries throughout the globe." "[Clears throat]" "Hundreds of thousands have flocked to temples, synagogues, and churches." "[Indistinct conversations, bell tolls]" "God be with us all." "[Machinery clanking, helicopters whirring on TV]" "I'm going to get back to the windows." "Hey, you guys okay?" "Some guy had a sign saying it was the end of the world." "Don't worry." "You won't let anything happen to us, right?" "No way." "I wish you were my dad." "What did you say?" "Don't you ever say anything like that again." "Ever." "[Tinkling]" "There's too many windows in the bedrooms." "We don't have enough boards." "We'll board up the bedroom doors." "Where are we gonna sleep?" "In the family room." "What about Isabel?" "We'll tie her up in the garage after dinner." "I'll make some sandwiches." "I want spaghetti." "We'll just eat fast, Bo." "Spaghetti sounds great." "What do you want, Morgan?" "Anything?" "French toast... and mashed potatoes." "Now we're talking." "How about you, Merrill?" "Chicken teriyaki." "Good choice." "I'm going to have a cheeseburger with bacon." "Extra bacon." "[Chuckles]" "What's the matter with everyone?" "Eat." "Maybe we should say a prayer." "No." "Why not?" "We're not saying a prayer." "Bo has a bad feeling." "I had a dream." "We aren't saying a prayer." "Eat!" "I hate you." "That's fine." "You let Mom die." "Merrill:" "Morgan." "I am not wasting one more minute of my life on prayer." "Not one more minute." "Understood?" "[Bo cries]" "Now we are going to enjoy this meal." "No one can stop us from enjoying this meal, so enjoy it!" "...[Crying continues] ...Stop crying!" "...Graham..." "...Don't yell at her!" "[Crying continues]" "All right, since you're all not gonna eat." "I'm gonna try some of everything." "[Silverware bangs]" "[Sniffles]" "[Crying]" "[Static]" "[Droning, trilling]" "["Off air" signal blaring]" "It's happening." "[Insects chirping]" "[Silence]" "Graham, hurry." "Did I ever tell you what everyone said when you were born, Bo?" "You came out of your mama, and you didn't even cry." "You just opened your eyes, and you looked around the room at everybody." "[Chuckles] Your eyes were so big and gorgeous." "All the ladies in the room just gasped." "I mean, they literally gasped." "And they go, "Oh, she's like an angel."" "And they said, "We've never seen a baby so beautiful."" "And then... you know what happened?" "They put you on the table to clean you up, and you looked up at me and you smiled." "They say babies that young can't smile." "You smiled." "Let's go down now." "[Isabel barking in distance]" "We forgot Isabel." "[Barking continues]" "[Growling]" "[Whimpering]" "[Silence]" "[Wind chimes tinkling]" "Should we turn off the lights?" "They already know we're here." "[Footsteps]" "[Wind chimes tinkling]" "[Sighs]" "[Footsteps continue]" "[Loud thud]" "[Thud]" "[Clattering]" "Dad..." "[Rapid footsteps]" "Do you know what happened when you were born, Morgan?" "You came out, and your mama kept bleeding, so the doctors rushed you out of the room before I even had time to see you." "[Footsteps continue]" "They're on the roof." "While they were fixing her up, all she kept asking about was you." "[Crash]" "They're in the house." "I wanted your mama to see you first because she had dreamed about you her whole life." "Then she got feeling better, they brought you in, and they placed you in her arms, and she looked at you, and you looked at her, and you just stared at each other for the longest time." "And then she said real soft," ""Hello, Morgan." "I'm your mama." "You look just how I dreamed."" "[Breathes deeply]" "[Chuckles]" "[Clattering]" "[Rapid footsteps]" "Merrill:" "The attic door." "Let's go." "Come on." "We forgot our foil helmets." "Have we got anything to wedge against the door knob?" "They'll read our minds." "You're scaring your sister." "I'm already scared." "[Trilling]" "Merrill." "I'm looking!" "They'll know our secret thoughts." "I'm not ready." "Merrill!" "Got it!" "[Light bulb shatters] ...Dad!" "[Thumping, clattering]" "[Coughs]" "Where's Bo?" "I'm okay." "[Footsteps, clattering]" "[Clicks, tuning, static]" "What's happening out there?" "Graham:" "I can't even imagine." "I hope they're doing better than we are." "We don't even have helmets." "[Pounding on door]" "They're only making noises." "They're not trying to get in." "Why would they do that?" "They want our attention on the door?" "[Pounding continues]" "They're distracting us." "From what?" "The book says they're probably very good problem solvers." "They'll find a way in." "[Pounding continues]" "Morgan, give me your flashlight." "They used to pour coal down in this basement." "There's a coal chute in here." "[Pounding continues]" "I can feel air." "Me too!" "It's getting stronger." "I'm close." "[Wind whistling]" "What?" "Hold him!" "I got him!" "Hold him!" "I got him!" "Hold him!" "[Rustling, clattering]" "[Panting]" "[Wheezing]" "We don't have his medicine." "Don't be afraid, Morgan." "We'll slow this down together." "Feel my chest." "Feel it moving in and out." "Breathe like me." "Breathe like me." "Come on." "I dreamed this." "Stay with me." "I know it hurts." "Be strong, baby." "It'll pass." "It'll pass." "[Wheezing continues]" "Don't do this to me again." "Not again." "I hate you." "I hate you." "[Panting]" "The fear is feeding him." "Don't be afraid of what's happening." "Believe it's going to pass." "Believe it." "Just wait." "Don't be afraid." "The air is coming." "Believe." "We don't have to be afraid." "It's about to pass." "Here it comes." "Don't be afraid." "Here comes the air." "[Inhales deeply]" "Don't be afraid, Morgan." "Feel my chest." "Breathe with me." "Together." "The air is going in our lungs." "[Exhales deeply] Together." "[Exhales deeply] We're the same." "[Voice breaking] We're the same." "[Exhales deeply]" "We should save the flashlights." "[Clicks]" "[Clicks]" "[Clicks]" "[Sirens wailing]" "Caroline:" "Ray's truck swerved off the road and hit Colleen and then a tree, and she was pinned between the two." "What does that mean..." "pinned?" "The truck... the truck has severed most of her lower half." "What did you say?" "She won't be saved." "Her body is pinned in such a way that it's alive when it shouldn't be alive, and the truck is holding her together." "And she doesn't feel much, and she's... she's talking almost like normal, and we didn't pull the truck out 'cause we... we wanted you to come down here and be with her as long as she's awake." "And that won't be very long." "Now, Father, do you understand what I've told you?" "Caroline... is this the last time I'm gonna talk with my wife?" "Yes, it is." "[Indistinct radio conversation]" "Man on radio:" "People think they came here to take over the planet." "That's bull." "I don't think that." "My friend and I saw them." "[Static] ...I found a pack of light bulbs." "They poisoned his family." "They dragged them away." "[Static]" "Nobody believes it, but they didn't come here for our planet." "This is a raid." "They came here for us, to harvest us." "[Static]" "We're lucky as hell they're leaving here." "They're leaving?" "That's what they're saying." "[Static]" "How long have we been sleeping?" "12 hours or so." "[Radio turns off]" "He said they had poison gas... they secrete in small amounts." "A lot of people died." "But they're leaving." "They left real fast this morning, like something scared them off." "They left some of their wounded behind." "Why are they going?" "People must have figured out a way to beat them." "Everyone has a weakness, right?" "You didn't think we'd make it through the night, did you?" "No." "Listen... there's things I can take and a couple things I can't." "One of them I can't take is when my older brother, who's everything I want to be... starts losing faith in things." "I saw your eyes last night." "I don't want to ever see your eyes like that again." "Okay?" "I'm serious." "Okay." "[Wheezes]" "He's been like that for a while." "He needs his medicine." "Have they said anything about our area?" "Philadelphia and its outlying counties are cleared... but who knows for sure?" "He's not strong enough." "If he has another attack right now..." "I know." "We'd have to be sure before we opened up that door, Graham." "[Clicks]" "[Static]" "[Sighs]" "It's good enough for me." "Me too." "[Clanging]" "[Hinges creak]" "[Indistinct television conversation]" "Get the syringes' well." "We may need to give him an epinephrine shot." "Man on TV:" "The atmosphere here is cautiously optimistic." "...People are celebrating." "...They're doing this on TV." "There's a great sense of relief." "...They're dancing." "...Yeah, like this." "As we begin evaluating the loss of life, ...Do you want to see it?" "...We will be left with a lot of questions." "...I'll bring the TV in here." "...I see the same expression on every face." "We know the battle turned around in the Middle East." "Three small cities there found a primitive method to defeat them." "We have no further details at this time." "[TV turns off]" "[Trilling]" "Merrill, wait." "[Growls, trills]" "[Wheezing]" "[Growling]" "[Trilling]" "[Weakly] Hi, sweetie." "Hi, baby." "I was... just taking a walk before dinner." "You love walks." "It was meant to be." "Does it hurt?" "I don't feel much." "Good." "[Voice breaking] Tell Morgan... to play games." "It's okay to be silly." "[Voice breaking] I will." "Tell Bo to listen to her brother." "He'll always take care of her." "I will." "And tell Graham..." "I'm here." "Tell him... see." "Tell him to see." "And tell Merrill to swing away." "See, what you have to ask yourself is, what kind of person are you?" "Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles?" "Or do you believe that people just get lucky?" "Is it possible..." "there are no coincidences?" "[Hisses]" "[Trilling]" "Swing away, Merrill." "Merrill... swing away." "Ahhhhhhhhh!" "[Groans]" "[Growls]" "[Grunts]" "[Alien growls]" "[Trills]" "[Sizzling]" "[Growls]" "[Trilling]" "[Growls]" "[Hisses]" "Ahhhh!" "[Sizzling]" "[Wheezing]" "[Silence]" "Graham:" "That's why he had asthma." "[Breathing heavily]" "It can't be luck." "His lungs were closed." "His lungs were closed." "No poison got in." "No poison got in." "His lungs were closed." "His lungs were closed." "Don't touch him." "Give him a minute." "Graham..." "Give him a second." "D-Daddy..." "Don't touch him." "Graham..." "Don't... don't." "Morgan:" "Dad?" "What happened?" "[Gasps]" "Did someone save me?" "[Sobs]" "Yeah, baby, I think someone did." "[Giggling, indistinct conversation]" "[Instrumental music playing]" "[Music ends] Where are they?" "I don't know." "Dad!" "Uncle Merrill!" "Dad!" "Morgan! Bo?" "Bo?" "Bo, where's Morgan?" "Bo?" "Are you in my dream, too?" "...This is not a dr..." "Dad!" "Hey..." "Honey... Morgan?" "What's happening?" "The dogs were barking..." "woke us up." "Are you hurt?" "I think God did it." "Did what, Morgan? Look, Lee, I don't even care if it was him." "And you can just have a word with him, and that'd be enough for me." "See, it was strange finding the crops that way." "The kids were confused by it, and, uh, it'd sure take the strangeness away if I knew it was just Lionel and the Wolfington brothers messing around, that's all." "At the movies?" "Are you sure?" "All right, then." "Uh, thanks for your patience, Lee." "Yeah." "Bye." "Houdini peed." "I think he's sick." "Why don't you take him outside?" "I'll call Dr. Crawford." "He doesn't treat animals." "Well, he'll know what to do." "Oh." "That was quick, Caroline." "I only called you folks two hours ago." "Old Mrs. Kendleman twisted her ankle, as she puts it, diving for her life when a bunch of school kids rode down the sidewalk on skateboards." "She went down to Thornton's store this morning and started spitting on the new skateboards." "Spitting!" "By the time I got there," "Mrs. Kendleman had sprayed the whole damned place." "And she must have had a cold or something." "I'm telling you, I won't eat for a week." "So, what happened to your crops? Dad's gonna burn these again." "It's contaminated." "You don't even know what that word means." "It's not contaminated." "It's just tap water." "Pour it in his bowl." "It tastes funny." "It does not." "And besides, he licks his butt every day." "I don't think he'll mind." "Houdini?" "Bo, don't run." "What's wrong, boy? Stop it, Houdini." "Look at where it's bent over, Father." "It's not broken." "Now, what kind of machine can bend a stalk of corn over without breaking it?" "Can't be by hand." "It's too perfect." "It doesn't sound much like Lionel Prichard and the Wolfington brothers." "They can't take a piss without wetting the front of their pants." "I don't think anyone else around here has had any problems." "I was over at Theo Henry's farm yesterday afternoon, and he would have mentioned something." "Why were you at Theo's place?" "Some animals around the county have been acting funny... and some of them violent." "What is it, a virus?" "I don't think so, Father." "They're more edgy, you know, and alert." "It's almost like they act when they smell a predator around... peeing on themselves and everything." "Caroline... please stop calling me "Father."" "What's wrong?" "I don't hear my children." "He fell on me." "He wanted to kill Bo." "Did he hurt you?" "No." "I'm so sorry, Morgan." "Where were you?" "Houdini's sick." "Tie Isabel up to the back of the shed, please, and make sure the knot's very tight." "What's the matter?" "There's a monster outside my room." "Can I have a glass of water?" "What's wrong with the water next to your bed?" "It tastes old." "What are you thinking about?" "Why do you talk to Mom when you're by yourself?" "Makes me feel better." "Does she ever answer back?" "No." "She never answers me either." "What?" "Lionel Prichard and the Wolfington brothers are back." "It's time for an ass-whupping." "This is not an intelligent way to approach this." "Lee is a friend of mine." "This is his son." "Yeah, we'll be doing Lee a favor." "All right, listen..." "we both go outside, move around the house in opposite directions." "We act crazy, insane with anger... make them crap in their pants, force them around till we meet up on the other side." "Explain "act crazy."" "You know, curse and stuff." "You want me to curse?" "You don't mean it." "It's just for show." "What?" "Well, it won't be convincing." "It doesn't sound natural when I curse." "Just make noises, then." "Explain "noises."" "Are you gonna do this or what?" "No, I'm not." "All right, you want them stealing something in the house next time?" "On the count of three 1..." "...All right." "2... 3! Aaah!" "I'm insane with anger!" "We're gonna beat your ass, bitch! We're gonna tear your head off!" "I'm losing my mind! It's time for an ass-whupping! I cursed." "I heard." "How did he get... Are you sure this is Lionel Prichard? You like that?" "You got an old baby monitor around?" "Bo had an old baby monitor." "You can use Bo's baby monitor as a walkie-talkie." "...You can?" "...Mm-hmm." "It only works one way, but that'll do fine." "That is, until someone gets you an old walkie-talkie left over at the station." "Stop!" "It's hideous!" "Get it off!" "l-I know what to do." "Hey, Bo... turn that down till Officer Paski leaves." "Doy-da! You're too old to still be doing this." "You take a glass of water, and you finish it." "Now, what's wrong with this one?" "It has dust in it." "This one?" "A hair." "This one?" "Morgan took a sip, and it has his amebas in it." "My turn." "So, how are you, Merrill?" "Fine." "How is work at the gas station?" "Stimulating." "I never got a chance to tell you, but l-I thought your moving in here with your brother after... it was a nice thing to do." "Well, I don't think I'm helping much." "You are." "Sorry." "Okay, so far I have, "It was very dark."" "Yes, it was." "You can't describe him at all?" "Don't you think that's kind of odd?" "A little." "I don't know whether to look for a giant or a midget." "No, he definitely wasn't a midget." "Okay." "So he was tall?" "l-I would say so, yes." "Probably." "Over 6 feet?" "It was very dark." "Yes, it was." "How certain are you that this was a male?" "Oh, I don't know..." "I don't know any girls who could run like that." "I don't know, Merrill." "I've seen some of those women on the Olympics." "They can run like the wind." "This guy got on our roof in, like, a second." "O-Our roof is 10 feet high." "They have women's high jumping in the Olympics." "They got these Scandinavian women who can jump clean over me." "Caroline, I know you're making a point here, but I just don't know what it is." "An out-of-town woman stopped by the diner yesterday afternoon and started yelling and cussing because they didn't have her favorite cigarettes at the vending machine." "She scared a couple of the customers." "No one's seen her since." "And my point is, we don't know anything about the person you saw, and we should just keep all possibilities available." "Dad, where's the remote?" "I don't know, baby." "Why don't you check in the sofa cushions?" "Excluding the possibility that a female Scandinavian Olympian was running around outside our house last night, what else might be a possibility?" "I'm not done asking questions, and I don't appreciate sarcasm." "Do you two have anyone who might have a grudge or something against you... maybe a-a church member who... who might not have liked the fact that you left the church?" "I don't think so." "Okay, I was out of line with the whole female- Scandinavian-Olympian thing." "It's just, I'm pretty strong, and I'm pretty fast." "And I was running as fast as I could, and this guy, he was..." "he was just toying with us." "There's only food under the sofa." "Baby, why don't you just change the channel on the television?" "I did." "And?" "Same show's on every station." "Every station?" "Bo, turn up the volume." "Crop signs first emerged in the late '70s with renewed interest in extraterrestrial life." "They died out by the early '80s, dismissed as hoaxes." "This new resurgence is wholly different." "The speed and the quantity in which it has appeared implies the coordination of hundreds of individuals over many countries." "There are only a limited number of explanations." "Either this is one of the most elaborate hoaxes ever created, or basically... it's for real." "Extraterrestrials." "What in God's name is going on?" "I did some research after I saw your crops." "Two or three guys can make a design the size of the one in your field overnight using just boards and ropes." "Really?" "That's how these things have been done in the past." "But there are so many now." "How could so many people be in on it?" "I can't think straight." "I'm..." "I'm gonna go back to the station and have a cup of Edgar's coffee and..." "and try to think clear." "And after that, I'll..." "I might make some calls." "But I'll tell you something... what I said in there, it still goes." "Your... your family has been through a lot." "And the last thing these children need to do is worry about some crazy things happening in the world." "Now, take them into town and get their minds and your mind on everyday things, hmm?" "Good medicine." "That's good advice." "And you take care of yourself..." "Graham." "The footage you're watching was shot yesterday afternoon by a 34-year-old local cameraman in Bangalore, a southern city of India." "It's the 18th reported crop sign found in that country in the last 72 hours." "Uncle Merrill, will you turn on the radio?" "They are signs intended to be seen from the sky... No radio either." "Just for a while." "Book money?" "Sure." "Just one." "Be back for pizza in 15." "It's just a bunch of crock." "They're trying to sell sodas." "It's plain and simple." "Been watching these reports since morning." "I have seen 12 soda commercials so far... 12!" "You have any books on extraterrestrials?" "Now, don't tell me you believe this horse manure." "As a matter of fact, I think we have one." "Came by mistake in a shipment... decided to keep it for the city people." "Last row, third book on the left, honey." "Why is no one saying the obvious?" "These are just copycats." "Someone somewhere does the first one..." "It was asthma medicine, right, Father?" "For Morgan Hess." "And it's not "Father" anymore." "In less than an hour, a couple hundred people get the same brilliant idea, and here we are, on the verge of mass hysteria." "Can I ask you a favor, Father?" "I need to clear my conscience." "Will you listen to me?" "Tracey..." "I am not a reverend anymore." "I haven't been for six months." "You know this." "All this stuff on TV... two girls came in here talking about the end of the world..." "I'm just a little scared." "Please, I need to clear my conscience." "I've got it figured." "You do?" "I've had two separate folks tell me there have been strangers around these parts last couple nights." "Can't tell what they look like 'cause they're staying in the shadows... covertlike." "Nobody's been hurt, mind you." "And that's the giveaway." "I see." "It's called "probing. "" "It's a military procedure." "You send out a reconnaissance group... very small..." "to check things out." "Not to engage but to evaluate the situation... evaluate the level of danger, make sure things are all clear." "Clear for what?" "For the rest of them." "Yeah?" "You got a pamphlet or something I can read?" "Sure." "Thanks." "You didn't used to play baseball, did ya?" "Shit, I know you." "You're Merrill Hess." "I was there the day you hit that 50 7-footer over the left-field wall..." "set the record." "Man, that thing had a motor on it." "It's still the record, right?" "Got the bat at home o-on the wall." "You've got two minor-league home-run records, don't ya?" "Five." "Why weren't you in the pros making stacks of cash and getting your toes licked by beautiful women?" "'Cause he has another record most people don't know about." "He has the minor-league strikeout record." "Hello, Lionel." "Merrill's a class-A screw-up." "He would just swing that bat as hard as he could every time." "Didn't matter what the coaches said, didn't matter who was on base." "He would just whip that bat through the air as hard as he could." "Looked like a lumberjack chopping down a tree." "Merrill here has more strikeouts than any two players." "You really got the strikeout record?" "Felt wrong not to swing." "It's contaminated." "Carl, there's something wrong with our water." "Your water's fine." "Bo has this thing about her drinking water." "She had it her whole life." "It's like a tick people have, except it's not a tick." "Is that right?" "Carl: 13!" "I cursed 37 times last week." "I said the "F" word a couple times, but mostly..."shits"" "and..."bastards."" "Is "douche bag" a curse?" "I suppose that would depend on its usage." "How about, "John, you're a douche bag for kissing Barbara"?" "It's a curse." "Then it's not 37." "It's 71." "Pharmacy crowded?" "I don't want any one of you spending time with Tracey Abernathy alone." "Is that understood? Is that him?" "Yeah." "Who is he? What is it?" "It's Bo's baby monitor." "I found it in the basement." "I'm gonna use it as a walkie-talkie." "What if it's catching a signal from them?" "It's not." "But it wasn't working." "Morgan, this crop stuff is about a bunch of nerds who never had a girlfriend in their lives." "They're, like, 30, and they work up little codes together, and they analyze Greek mythology and make up secret societies where other guys who never had girlfriends before can join in." "They do stupid crap like this to feel special." "It's a scam." "Nerds were doing it 25 years ago, and new nerds are doing it again." "It's just static, Morgan, all right." "Turn it up." "See." "It's a code." "Why can't they get girlfriends?" "Can I see that, please? It's noise." "It's broken, Morgan." "It's just gonna keep doing this." "Maybe some new batteries..." "We might lose the signal." "This is exactly what the nerds want." "I'm getting out now." "Nobody move." "Voices." "Did you hear that?" "Not English, though." "You heard the voices, right, Uncle Merrill?" "I heard them, Morgan." "Probably picking up another baby monitor." "That's right." "Let me see it." "Stop! See, this is why we're not watching TV." "People get obsessed." "I'm letting go now." "No, Dad!" "Don't do it!" "You'll lose the signal." "Don't let go." "It gets clearer the higher you hold it." "I got it." "Bo, honey, I don't want you climbing on the car." "Come here." "Stop!" "There's two of them talking." "Isabel, you're gonna feel very silly when this turns out to be all just make-believe." "You're wasting your time here!" "I'm not gonna report this or anything you do to my crops to the news or TV or anybody!" "You're not going to get famous! Okay." "Let's turn on the TV." "It first appeared 52 minutes ago." "Mexico City officials as well as U. S. Officials have confirmed that these are not aircraft from either government's air force." "The first sighting was made by an Air Mexico 747 en route from Mazatlan to New York as the unidentified crafts entered Mexico City air space." "They were not detected by radar by either country." "...The nerds were right." "We have to tape this." "My ballet recital." "Listen, Bo, this is very important." "Everything people have written about in science books is going to change." "The history of the world's future is on the TV right now." "We need to record this so you can show your children this tape and say you were there." "For your children, Bo." "My ballet recital." "Dad!" "Find another tape." "Uncle Merrill, I'm using your tape." "You are seeing a live feed from our affiliate down here in Mexico City." "This image has not been adjusted or enhanced in any way." "What you're seeing is real." "It's unbelievable." "...Everything they wrote in science books is about to change." "I told you." "Some people are probably thinking this is the end of the world." "That's true." "Do you think it could be?" "Yes." "How can you say that?" "That wasn't the answer you wanted?" "Couldn't you pretend to be like you used to be?" "Give me some comfort." "People break down into two groups when they experience something lucky." "Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence." "They see it as a sign... evidence that there is someone up there watching out for them." "Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance." "I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those 14 lights in a very suspicious way." "For them, the situation isn't 50-50." "Could be bad, could be good." "But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own." "And that fills them with fear." "Yeah, there are those people." "But there's a whole lot of people in the group number one." "When they see those 14 lights, they're looking at a miracle." "And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there'll be someone there to help them." "And that fills them with hope." "See, what you have to ask yourself is, what kind of person are you?" "Are you the kind who sees signs, sees miracles?" "Or do you believe that people just get lucky?" "Or look at the question this way... is it possible that there are no coincidences?" "I was at this party once." "I'm on the couch with Randa McKinney." "She was just sitting there" "looking beautiful, staring at me." "I go to lean in and kiss her... and I realize I have gum in my mouth." "So I turn, take out the gum, stuff it in a paper cup next to the sofa, and turn around." "Randa McKinney throws up all over herself." "I knew the second it happened it was a miracle." "I could have been kissing her when she threw up." "That would have scarred me for life." "I may never have recovered." "I'm a miracle man." "Those lights are a miracle." "There you go." "So, which type are you?" "Do you feel comforted?" "Yeah, I do." "Then what does it matter?" "I never told you the last words that Colleen said before they let her die." "She said, "See."" "Then her eyes glazed a bit." "And then she said, "Swing away. "" "You know why she said that?" "Because the nerve endings in her brain were firing as she died, and some random memory of us at one of your baseball games just popped into her head." "There is no one watching out for us, Merrill." "We are all on our own." "What do you know?" "Well, there was an accident... drunk driving, they weren't sure..." "He wasn't drunk." "Ray fell asleep at the wheel." "...Is he okay?" "...Yeah." "That was the first thing Colleen asked, too." "She's talking." "What ambulance is she in?" "She's not in an ambulance, Father." "For the kids' protection." "All they were doing was watching TV from 5:00 a.m." "I felt like they were getting obsessed, like you said." "They should be playing furry, furry rabbit or tea party or something." "What's furry, furry rabbit?" "It's a game, isn't it?" "Anyways, they closed the schools." "And there's been some interesting developments." "What time is it?" "11:00 a.m." "They're gone, but they're not really gone." "We just can't see them." "Early this morning, a bird flew into the area where the lights were hovering last night." "It stopped dead in the air and fell straight down." "They caught it on tape." "They've been playing it all morning." "The footage looks like the bird flew into a wall in the sky." "They found the bird." "His..." "his head was crushed in." "They think they have some kind of invisible-shield thing going, l-like an optical illusion." "They're still there, hovering." "Some people think there's more of them now..." "All over the place, over us, even." "There's a theory about the c... the crop circles." "They could be some kind of... some kind of landmark, visual mapping system so they could navigate, coordinate... makes sense." "Want to hear a story?" "Is it true?" "So the aliens can't read our minds." "Oh." "Oh, of course." "They tell you everything in this book." "It says they're probably very small, like my height, because as their brains develop, there was no use for physical development." "It also says they're probably vegetarians because they would have realized the benefits of such a diet." "Who wrote this book?" "Scientists who have been persecuted for their beliefs." "That means they're unemployed." "If you're gonna make fun of it, then forget it." "This is serious." "I don't know what got into me." "There are pictures." "Dr. Bimbu, one of the authors of the book Bimbu?" "...Dad." "I just asked his name." "You had a tone." "He said there are two reasons why extraterrestrials would visit us... to make contact in the spirit of exploration and furthering the knowledge of the universe, or the other reason..." "they're hostile." "They've used up all the resources on their planet, and they're looking to harvest our planet next." "Here." "Looks a little like our house, doesn't it?" "Same windows." "That's weird." "Yeah, oh, yeah." "That's enough from Dr. Bimbu for now." "Everybody in this house needs to calm down and eat some fruit or something." "Hello?" "Man:" "Father?" "Hello? I'm going out for a few minutes." "No one leaves this house..." "no one." "Where you going?" "...Ray Reddy's house." "Why?" "I think he just called here." "You don't think something bad will happen, do you, Morgan?" "Why?" "You have one of your feelings again?" "Is it bad?" "I won't let anything bad happen to you." "I don't want you to die." "Who said I was gonna die?" "Who said I was gonna die? Hello, Ray." "What happened?" "I wrote your number down to call you." "It's been sitting next to the phone for 6 months." "When I knew it was inside the house..." "I couldn't think of any other number to call." "I panicked." "Thank you for coming, Father." "You're welcome, Ray." "I worked so long that night." "I've never fallen asleep driving before... never since." "Don't." "Most of the ride home, there wasn't a car in sight in either direction." "If I'd have fallen asleep then," "I would have ended up in a ditch with a headache." "And it had to be at that right moment... that 10, 15 seconds when I passed her walking." "It was like it was meant to be." "I guess if this is the end of the world," "I'm screwed, right?" "People who kill reverends' wives aren't exactly ushered to the front of the line in Heaven." "Wh..." "Where are you going, Ray?" "To the lake." "The way I see it... these places marked in crops and such... none of them are really near water." "I don't think they like water." "Can't be any worse than here." "Did you see something, Ray?" "I know what I've done to you." "I made you question your faith." "I'm truly sorry for what I've done to you and yours." "All right." "And don't open my pantry, Father." "I found one of them in there and locked him in." "The startling footage we're about to show you was photographed by a 42-year-old, Romero Valadarez." "This video was taken yesterday afternoon at his son's 7 th birthday in the city of Passo Fundo, Brazil." "It was sent to the local news bureau there and sent to us via satellite just a few minutes ago." "All initial opinions are this is genuine." "What you're about to see may disturb you." "Move, children!" "Vamanos! Oh! Hello?" "The police are here." "I am with them." "I am a police officer." "I just want to talk with you." "We know all about the hoax." "We already took some of your friends downtown in a paddy wagon." "Just tell us your name and why you did it, and we'll give you the same deal we gave the others." "Don't throw your life away, son." "Oh!" "Ah!" "Oh! Their skin changes colors." "That's why we couldn't see them that night." "Tell me something, Morgan." "Uh... in this book of yours... did they happen to detail what would happen if they were hostile?" "Yes." "It said they would probably invade." "They would use ground tactics..." "hand-to-hand combat." "They wouldn't use our technology or fight an airborne battle 'cause they know eventually we would use nuclear weapons." "Then the planet would be useless to them." "How could anyone possibly know that information?" "It's ridiculous." "What else did it say?" "They said there are one of two outcomes of an invasion." "One, they fight and are defeated and have to return again with full forces hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years later." "What's two?" "They win." "I'm sorry, what..." "what book is this?" "Is this really happening? I heard a theory that, uh, they don't like places near water." "Maybe we'd be safe from them near a lake or something." "Sounds made-up." "I saw one of them at Ray Reddy's house." "I can't be sure, but I got the distinct feeling he wanted to harm me." "So... we can choose to believe this lake idea, pack up, and go, or we can stay here, hide inside our home, wait it out." "We might be overreacting, but I'm willing to live with that." "Either way, at least we'll be together." "All those in favor of the lake idea, raise your hand." "Yeah." "All those in favor of home, raise your hand." "Okay." "My vote counts as two." "That's bullshit!" "You're cheating!" "Morgan, calm down." "I get two votes because I represent two parents here." "We don't know anything yet." "We'll be safe here anyway." "I don't want to leave home." "This is where we lived with Mom." "That's got nothing to do with this." "I change my vote." "You can't change your vote." "All those in favor of home, raise your hand." "This is ridiculous." "You lose, 3-2." "We're going to board up every window in this house." "How do we know boards will do anything?" "Because they seem to have trouble with pantry doors." "The information we're receiving comes from our affiliates across the world." "Dad, Uncle Merrill!" "Amman joins Nairobi, Beijing, and Jerusalem as the latest to confirm the appearance of lights." "There are lights in over 2 74 cities." "They think it'll be 400 within the hour." "They're appearing at or within one mile of crop signs." "They were for navigation." "They made a map." "They're gonna be within a mile of us." "Dad?" "Yes?" "They think these are staged immediately preceding an attack maneuver." "I was wrong." "They're hostile." "It's like "War of the Worlds."" "Ground forces have been assembled in countries throughout the globe." "Hundreds of thousands have flocked to temples, synagogues, and churches." "God be with us all." "I'm going to get back to the windows." "Hey, you guys okay?" "Some guy had a sign saying it was the end of the world." "Don't worry." "You won't let anything happen to us, right?" "No way." "I wish you were my dad." "What did you say?" "Don't you ever say anything like that again." "Ever." "There's too many windows in the bedrooms." "We don't have enough boards." "We'll board up the bedroom doors." "Where are we gonna sleep?" "In the family room." "What about Isabel?" "We'll tie her up in the garage after dinner." "I'll make some sandwiches." "I want spaghetti." "We'll just eat fast, Bo." "Spaghetti sounds great." "What do you want, Morgan?" "Anything?" "French toast... and mashed potatoes." "Now we're talking." "How about you, Merrill?" "Chicken teriyaki." "Good choice." "I'm going to have a cheeseburger with bacon." "Extra bacon." "What's the matter with everyone?" "Eat." "Maybe we should say a prayer." "No." "Why not?" "We're not saying a prayer." "Bo has a bad feeling." "I had a dream." "We aren't saying a prayer." "Eat!" "I hate you." "That's fine." "You let Mom die." "Morgan." "I am not wasting one more minute of my life on prayer." "Not one more minute." "Understood? Now we are going to enjoy this meal." "No one can stop us from enjoying this meal, so enjoy it!" "...Stop crying!" "...Graham..." "...Don't yell at her! All right, since you're all not gonna eat." "I'm gonna try some of everything." "It's happening." "Graham, hurry." "Did I ever tell you what everyone said when you were born, Bo?" "You came out of your mama, and you didn't even cry." "You just opened your eyes, and you looked around the room at everybody." "Your eyes were so big and gorgeous." "All the ladies in the room just gasped." "I mean, they literally gasped." "And they go, "Oh, she's like an angel."" "And they said, "We've never seen a baby so beautiful."" "And then... you know what happened?" "They put you on the table to clean you up, and you looked up at me and you smiled." "They say babies that young can't smile." "You smiled." "Let's go down now." "We forgot Isabel." "Should we turn off the lights?" "They already know we're here." "Dad... Do you know what happened when you were born, Morgan?" "You came out, and your mama kept bleeding, so the doctors rushed you out of the room before I even had time to see you." "They're on the roof." "While they were fixing her up, all she kept asking about was you." "They're in the house." "I wanted your mama to see you first because she had dreamed about you her whole life." "Then she got feeling better, they brought you in, and they placed you in her arms, and she looked at you, and you looked at her, and you just stared at each other for the longest time." "And then she said real soft," ""Hello, Morgan." "I'm your mama." "You look just how I dreamed." The attic door." "Let's go." "Come on." "We forgot our foil helmets." "Have we got anything to wedge against the door knob?" "They'll read our minds." "You're scaring your sister." "I'm already scared." "Merrill." "I'm looking!" "They'll know our secret thoughts." "I'm not ready." "Merrill!" "Got it!" "...Dad! Where's Bo?" "I'm okay." "What's happening out there?" "Graham:" "I can't even imagine." "I hope they're doing better than we are." "We don't even have helmets." "They're only making noises." "They're not trying to get in." "Why would they do that?" "They want our attention on the door? They're distracting us." "From what?" "The book says they're probably very good problem solvers." "They'll find a way in." "Morgan, give me your flashlight." "They used to pour coal down in this basement." "There's a coal chute in here." "I can feel air." "Me too!" "It's getting stronger." "I'm close." "What?" "Hold him!" "I got him!" "Hold him!" "I got him!" "Hold him! We don't have his medicine." "Don't be afraid, Morgan." "We'll slow this down together." "Feel my chest." "Feel it moving in and out." "Breathe like me." "Breathe like me." "Come on." "I dreamed this." "Stay with me." "I know it hurts." "Be strong, baby." "It'll pass." "It'll pass." "Don't do this to me again." "Not again." "I hate you." "I hate you." "The fear is feeding him." "Don't be afraid of what's happening." "Believe it's going to pass." "Believe it." "Just wait." "Don't be afraid." "The air is coming." "Believe." "We don't have to be afraid." "It's about to pass." "Here it comes." "Don't be afraid." "Here comes the air." "Don't be afraid, Morgan." "Feel my chest." "Breathe with me." "Together." "The air is going in our lungs." "Together." "We're the same." "We're the same." "We should save the flashlights." "Ray's truck swerved off the road and hit Colleen and then a tree, and she was pinned between the two." "What does that mean..." "pinned?" "The truck... the truck has severed most of her lower half." "What did you say?" "She won't be saved." "Her body is pinned in such a way that it's alive when it shouldn't be alive, and the truck is holding her together." "And she doesn't feel much, and she's... she's talking almost like normal, and we didn't pull the truck out 'cause we... we wanted you to come down here and be with her as long as she's awake." "And that won't be very long." "Now, Father, do you understand what I've told you?" "Caroline... is this the last time I'm gonna talk with my wife?" "Yes, it is." "People think they came here to take over the planet." "That's bull." "I don't think that." "My friend and I saw them." "...I found a pack of light bulbs." "They poisoned his family." "They dragged them away." "Nobody believes it, but they didn't come here for our planet." "This is a raid." "They came here for us, to harvest us." "We're lucky as hell they're leaving here." "They're leaving?" "That's what they're saying." "How long have we been sleeping?" "12 hours or so." "He said they had poison gas... they secrete in small amounts." "A lot of people died." "But they're leaving." "They left real fast this morning, like something scared them off." "They left some of their wounded behind." "Why are they going?" "People must have figured out a way to beat them." "Everyone has a weakness, right?" "You didn't think we'd make it through the night, did you?" "No." "Listen... there's things I can take and a couple things I can't." "One of them I can't take is when my older brother, who's everything I want to be... starts losing faith in things." "I saw your eyes last night." "I don't want to ever see your eyes like that again." "Okay?" "I'm serious." "Okay." "He's been like that for a while." "He needs his medicine." "Have they said anything about our area?" "Philadelphia and its outlying counties are cleared... but who knows for sure?" "He's not strong enough." "If he has another attack right now..." "I know." "We'd have to be sure before we opened up that door, Graham." "It's good enough for me." "Me too." "Get the syringes' well." "We may need to give him an epinephrine shot." "The atmosphere here is cautiously optimistic." "...People are celebrating." "...They're doing this on TV." "There's a great sense of relief." "...They're dancing." "...Yeah, like this." "As we begin evaluating the loss of life, ...Do you want to see it?" "...We will be left with a lot of questions." "...I'll bring the TV in here." "...I see the same expression on every face." "We know the battle turned around in the Middle East." "Three small cities there found a primitive method to defeat them." "We have no further details at this time." "Merrill, wait." "Hi, sweetie." "Hi, baby." "I was... just taking a walk before dinner." "You love walks." "It was meant to be." "Does it hurt?" "I don't feel much." "Good." "Tell Morgan... to play games." "It's okay to be silly." "I will." "Tell Bo to listen to her brother." "He'll always take care of her." "I will." "And tell Graham..." "I'm here." "Tell him... see." "Tell him to see." "And tell Merrill to swing away." "See, what you have to ask yourself is, what kind of person are you?" "Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles?" "Or do you believe that people just get lucky?" "Is it possible..." "there are no coincidences? Swing away, Merrill." "Merrill... swing away." "That's why he had asthma." "It can't be luck." "His lungs were closed." "No poison got in." "His lungs were closed." "Don't touch him." "Give him a minute." "Graham..." "Give him a second." "D-Daddy..." "Don't touch him." "Graham..." "Don't... don't." "Dad?" "What happened? Did someone save me? Yeah, baby, I think someone did."