" How's the specimen?" " His tail came off." "Well..." "maybe you should let him go." "I'm gonna nurse him back to health." "I don't know lizards..." "is that compassion or torture?" "Uh, I'm gonna go with the latter." "You gonna want cheese?" "Yes!" "Did you text Jesse?" "Yeah, he's with Rat Face." "He said he'd be home eight minutes ago." "I'll call him." "And it's Ratner, not Rat Face." "Don't be cruel." "Not being cruel." "It's descriptive." "There's something wrong with that kid." "Hey, we got people coming over in five." "Get your butt home." "An epic game of Modern Warfare." "Yeah, that's what save buttons are for, pal." "OK, I'm coming." "Tell Dad to chill." "OK." "Bye." "Dog, this shit is weak, man." "I've totally done this stuff, like, so many times." "You've been a bad girl." "Well, I guess you better punish me, then" "Ooh, that feels so good." " Boy, this beer works." " Works every time." "The Fed can prime the pump in DC all it wants, but all it's gonna do is raise the price for a cup of coffee in California." " Mm-hmm." " Alicia told me he's back in rehab." "I think you have to point the finger at the parents." "Do you know they have an open relationship?" "Wait." "What?" "How long have you known this?" " What kind of relationship?" " Eat your food." "Tell me everything you know, right now." "You're gonna kill that thing." "No, I'm not." "I'm rehabiting him." "It's "rehabilitate," brainiac." " A three-year-old?" " Let's go four." "OK, four-year-old." "A compromise." "Four." "I got two scary words China." "India." "I'm terrified." "I'll give you a dollar if you eat that potato salad." " A dollar?" " I just don't know what you see in him." " You're so much smarter than he is." " Ratner's smart." "He's so not smart." "That stunt he pulled with the car, that's smart?" "His parents forgot about it." "Why can't you?" " Oh." "Hello." "Why can't you?" " Oh, come on." "Come on." "Daniel..." "Come on." "I just think you should be hanging out with kids your age, that's all." "I'm old enough." "...the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted another 148 points today, causing some analysts to predict a major recession on the horizon..." "I have my father's hair." "Your father doesn't have hair." "That's something to look forward to." " Daniel." " Sorry." "Daniel, come on." "I've gotta prep these viewings." "We need this." ""Recovering my courage with an effort," "I take a cautious look out." "In the middle of the room in front of my father, stands the Sandman, the bright light of the lamp falling full upon his face."" "Lunar Base to Command Control." "Over." "Go for Command Control." "Why does the Sandman steal people's eyes?" "So he can feed 'em to his children on the moon." "Why doesn't he feed them something else?" "Sam, everyone knows eyes taste the best." "You think he'll steal mine?" "Maybe," "But yours are still pretty small." "He'd probably take mine first." "Lunar Base, over and out." "You guys gotta keep this door locked tonight, OK?" " I didn't touch it." " Me neither." "What kind of animal eats all the lettuce but leaves the bacon?" "A rabbit." "A very large rabbit, with opposable thumbs." "Maybe it was a mutant lizard who's mad at Sammy for imprisoning her offspring." "No..." "Don't listen to your brother." "You want juice?" "Ahh!" "Gotta go." " Wish me luck." " Luck." "I have a second showing at two up on Croft." "I should be back before then." "Oh." "Luck." "You were laid off from Jacobson?" "Uh, yes, sir." "The development I was on ran into cash flow issues, and the entire design team was let go." "But I was thinking of making a switch anyway, so..." "How did it go?" " It went well." " Really?" " When do they get back to you?" " Mm... next week, most likely." "Daniel, that's great." "I'm proud of you." "I want to hear the other one again." ""Ah, little wretch, little wretch... "" "Lunar Base to Command Control, over." "Enough scary stories, Sammy." "Say good night to your brother." "Mom says I have to say good night." " Night, Mom." " Night, Jess." "You, sleep, now." " Night, Mom." " Good night." "Oh, Sammy, you scared me." "I had a bad dream." "You had a bad dream?" "Oh, it's OK." "It's OK now." "It's OK now." "Sammy do you know who did this?" "The Sandman." "The Sandman?" "Is that one of your toys?" "He was in my dream." "And did he tell you to do this in your dream?" "He did it himself, before he came to my room." "Well, there's no sign of forced entry." "You sure all the doors and windows were locked?" "Yeah, I'm sure." "We check them every night." "And other than the food, nothing's missing?" " No." " No." "Nothing." "OK, well, as I see it," "Either the person who did this had a key or, uh, it was someone in the house." "Uh... no, I don't think so." "No, we were all asleep." "I'm not saying it's anything sinister." "People do a lot of strange things when they sleep." "Got a call over on Langford once, family kept waking up to a mess in the kitchen every morning." "Turns out the teenage daughter was a sleep eater." " A sleep eater?" " Yeah." "It's like a sleep walker, but instead of getting up and walking in their sleep, they actually go to the kitchen and eat." "It's the craziest thing." "Look, Officer, this wasn't a cooking mess." "This was like a mathematician's idea of a geometry joke." "I don't know whether to be pissed or impressed." "Well, maybe you just got some real bright kids on your hands." " I see you have an alarm." " Yeah." "We have the system, but we let the service lapse." "Trying to cut back a little." "Yeah." "Well, I'd suggest turning it back on." "It's money well spent." "Be safe." "Three bedroom, two bath." "It needs a bit of updating, but that's just a chance to really make it yours." "Wait till you see the kitchen." "I checked the comps, honey." "This is a great buying opportunity." "You know, I gotta take this." "Why don't you ladies keep going." "I'm gonna catch up." "Sure." "OK... come here..." "It's OK." "It's OK." "It's all right." " Do you need anything?" " No-no-no, I got it." "Hang on." "Here we go." "OK, OK." "OK." "Deep breath." "Ready?" " You better?" " Mm-hmm." "Yeah?" "All right." "Good girl." "It gets easier." "My oldest, Jesse, was sick all the time when he was little." "It was like he was allergic to the entire world." "How'd you get through it?" "I worried a lot." "Yeah." "And I took it day by day." "And he got older and the episodes happened less and less and..." "Now, hardly ever a cold." "That sounds nice." "So what do you think of this place?" "Is it a "buying opportunity"?" "I know I'm supposed to be selling you but you can probably do better." "A silent hunter, the great white shark stalks its prey with near invisibility, its attack both unstoppable and fatal." "Here off the coast of..." "I think maybe we should cut back on the cable for a while." "Well, maybe we should just wait a week, because you might get the good news on that job." "I..." "Yeah, I don't..." "I don't think I got it, Lace." "Wait a second." "I don't understand." "You said it went great." "Oh, no, it went OK." "It did." "But there's just..." "there's a lot of competition." "So. .." " You lied?" " Come on, Lace." "You did, didn't you?" "Why would you do that, Daniel?" "Look, I just didn't..." "I wanted to not give you bad news." " OK." " For once." " So you lied about it?" " I didn't lie exactly." "I just..." "You know, you've been so stressed lately..." "Do not do that!" "Do not make this about me." "Lunar Base to Command Control." "Come in, Command Control." "Over." "Go for Command Control." "Picking up hostile transmission on all frequencies." "Over." "Just ignore them, Sammy." "Try to go to sleep." "Command Control?" "Yes, Lunar Base?" "Do you think Dad's gonna leave?" "No." "Why would you say that, Sammy?" "Sammy, why would you say that?" "'Cause Tau told me his parents argued every night, then his dad moved to an apartment by the airport, and now he only sees him on the weekends." "Don't worry Sammy, Dad's not moving anywhere." "Now try and go to sleep." "Stay with your brother!" " Hello?" " This is City One Protection." "May I have your name and password, please?" "Yes, my..." "It's Daniel Barrett." "My password is "Lacy214."" "Thank you, Mr. Barrett." "Are you currently experiencing a break-in?" "Uh, I don't think so." "I don't know." "We were sleeping, the alarm went off." "Uh, I'm at the keypad now." "Uh, it's not telling me what sensor was tripped." " You there?" " Yes." "Yes, Mr. Barrett." "We believe this was a false alarm due to a system malfunction." "What kind of malfunction?" "What sensor was tripped?" " All of them." " What?" "The system is reporting that all eight entry points to the house were breached at the same time." "I don't understand." "How is that possible?" "We're not sure what happened either, but we'll send someone out tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. to check your system." "We apologize for the inconvenience." "OK." "Thank you." "They said it was a false alarm." "A system malfunction." "Daniel, what's happening?" "Mr. Barrett, have you talked to your children about this?" "Yeah..." "They both said they were asleep." "And you're sure they're telling you the truth?" "Hey, I've got kids, too." "Right?" "I mean, they do stuff like this to get your attention, then they lie about it." "Happens all the time." "It's no reflection on you as a parent." "Oh." "I understand how that can happen, but this doesn't seem like one of those things." "My wife doesn't feel safe in the house right now." "Listen, I know this can be tough, but... is there any reason for either of your children to be angry with you or your wife?" "Any... discord in the family?" "Kids have a way of picking up on these things." "Excuse me, Mr. Barrett?" "I'm all through here." "I couldn't find anything wrong with the system." "So what set it off?" "Well, it could be any number of things." "It's technical." "Bottom line, though, I don't think anybody actually tried to get in." "Look, do either of you have anything that you want to tell us?" "Like what?" "Um..." "Uh, look, we know things have been a little strained around here lately." "And... when that happens, that can create feelings towards us that, um..." "It's about the photos, isn't it?" "Yeah." "Yeah, it is." "Did either of you take them?" "We were sleeping." "How could we take them?" "Sammy?" "Sam, did you have that dream again?" "About the Sandman?" "What dream?" "Samuel did the Sandman take the photos?" "It's OK." "You can tell us." "I can't." "What's going on, Lace?" "What do you mean, you can't?" "He told me not to say." "Daniel, stop." "I don't care about the photos right now." "Daniel, are we gonna talk about this?" "Now you want to talk?" "When were you gonna tell me he was having these dreams?" "I didn't think it was a big deal." " Kids have nightmares." " Yeah." "Yeah." "They don't act them out, though." "Obviously, I was wrong." "It's not funny, Sammy." "Just tell them where the photos are." "But I don't know where they are." "I didn't take them." "The Sandman isn't real." "You do understand that, right?" "Daniel, stop!" "What are we gonna do about this?" "I don't know, Lace." "What do you want to do?" "Want to put him in therapy?" "How we gonna pay for that?" "He's our son, not a cable bill." "I know, Lace." "Karen says she knows someone who talked to Shelly when she was going through some stuff." "I guess she works on a sliding scale, so..." "Did you tell them we were having money trouble?" "Daniel, stop!" "OK." "Let's just wait a few days, all right?" "What do you keep scratching at?" "Nothing." "It's, like, a bite or something." "There they are." "Go get 'em." "Hey, there he is." "Bobby, get up!" "Get up." "You're not hurt." "There you go!" "Now get the ball!" "Hey, so Karen says you guys are, what, looking for a therapist for Sammy?" "No." "No, no, it's nothing." "It's a rough spot." "Is everything all right at home?" " Yeah." " Ew!" "He peed himself!" "Sammy?" " Sammy?" " Ew, he peed himself!" "Hey, buddy, if you had to go to the bathroom, you should've just told me." "Sammy, what's wrong?" "Hey." "Sammy, what's wrong?" "Sammy." "No." "It's OK." "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" "Sammy, stop!" "Sammy!" "Sammy, stop!" "But you're sure he's OK now?" "OK, just get home." "I'm here." "Bye." "Oh, shit." "God." "They just hit the house, hundreds of them." "Karen, I can't even begin to describe it." "Yeah." "No, there's..." "We got an army of people over here right now." "No, you guys, don't touch it!" "They could be contaminated." "We're just looking at them." "OK, but just, both of you, don't touch them." "Yeah." "Dude, this is awesome!" "This is definitely the start of an outbreak." " Bitch, you're gonna get quarantined!" " Shut up." "If I am, so are you." "We'll run autopsies on a sample, see if they're sick." "We haven't had any reports of avian flu in the local starling population, but it could be something new." "Well, and if they weren't sick?" "Then we'll look for environmental causes uh, hail storms, lightning." "We're coming up on the Fourth, so you can't discount fireworks." "They'll disorient a flock pretty easily." "Look, uh, it'd be great if we get some answers to what caused this." "We've been having some uh, strange things going on around here, and it would just be really nice if this wasn't adding to it." "Uh, we'll do our best, Mr. Barrett." "I'll give you a call." "OK." "Thank you." "Sam, Dad said you got scared in the park today?" "You don't remember screaming at the park, buddy?" "What do you remember?" "I remember going in the grass to play with the other kids." "Yeah?" "Then I wasn't me anymore." "Hey, uh, Sam, why don't you head up and, uh, brush your teeth, and I'll tuck you in, OK?" " OK." " OK." "I'll be right up." "Thanks, pal." "OK." "OK." "We'll call the therapist in the morning." "I'll figure how to pay for it somehow." "Can't hear any." "What do you mean?" "Sam?" "I promise, I won't tell them anything." " What's going on?" "!" " There was someone..." " I..." "I just turned on the light." " What?" " There was someone in the room." " What did you see?" "The light, and there was someone..." " Sam?" " There was someone in here!" "Sam?" "!" "Sam!" "What happened?" " Sam?" "' What's going on?" "Sam?" "' Sam!" "Sam?" "Sam!" "Oh, shit!" "Sam!" "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" "Sam." "Sam." "Mom?" "It's OK." "Sam!" "Wake up." "Why are we outside?" "Shh." "They don't know how he got out without setting off the alarm." "They're gonna send someone to check the system again in the morning." "Daniel I saw someone in Sam's room." "The window was locked, Lacy." "You were standing by the door." "If somebody was there, where'd he go?" "I don't know." "I can't explain it." "But I saw someone standing over Sam's bed." "And when I turned on the lights, both of them were gone." "You didn't see Sammy in his room." "You couldn't have." "He was already outside." "So you think I imagined it?" "Lace what is this?" "What are we talking about?" " I don't know." " I'm..." "I'm just saying, something's going on." "This is me now." "It's not Sam." "Look,I hear you.l do." "But we've got enough to handle right now without getting crazy." "It's not gonna help anything." "What the fuck?" "Light her up!" "Butt in your face!" "Butt in your face!" "Listen, you can't tell your mom about this place." "What, you think I'm gonna get you in trouble?" "Promise?" "What are you gonna do for me?" "You've... been a bad girl." "What are you doing?" "Stop it!" "Dude, what is wrong with you?" "Sorry, I..." "Have you ever even kissed a girl before?" "Come here." "Pucker your lips." "Close your eyes." "If someone's coming into this house, we'll see him on this." "This isn't some kind of twisted way for you to spice up our sex life, is it?" "That wasn't the idea." "But I like the way you think." "This is gonna solve it, Lace." "Do you think he's watching us?" "You mean Dad?" "Yeah." "Probably." "Do you think there's somebody here?" "No." "Then why did Dad put up the cameras?" "'Cause he's just making sure." " Command Control?" " Yes, Lunar Base?" "I'm scared." "Don't worry, Sammy." "I won't let anything happen to you." "I promise." "What the...?" "So, three bedroom, two bath." "It needs a bit of updating, but that's really a chance to make it your own, get exactly what you want." "Hm." "What do you think, honey?" "It looks like a lot of work." "I have to say, you know, I know this area pretty well now, and you're not gonna do much better for this price." "Um, how flexible do you think the sellers will be on the terms?" "They are highly motivated." "I mean, I think we can be very..." "Are you OK?" "Lacy?" "'" " Lacy?" " Lacy!" "' Oh' my God!" " Hello?" " Hey, it's Pete." "What the hell happened to you?" "I've been calling for hours." "I got a message from a very distressed client saying you had some kind of a breakdown in the middle of the walk-through this morning." "They were about to call 911 for Christ's sakes," " but you walked out of the house." " Oh, my God." "Look, I know it's been rough out there, but maybe you should take a break for a little while." "No, Pete, I can't do that." "OK, well, the thing is I'm not asking, Lacy." "Your clients took their business over to Sunshine Realty." "I'm sorry, kiddo." "Just call me when you're feeling better." "Oh, God." " Pete, please let me explain, OK?" " Mrs. Barrett?" "This is Janice Rhodes from the National Wildlife Center." "I got your husband's voice mail, so I thought I'd try you." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Yes, go ahead." "I have some new information about the incident, but I'm afraid it raises more questions than it answers." "Oh, w-what kind of questions?" "The birds were negative for avian flu." "But what we did determine is that the impact trajectories indicate the birds were part of three different flocks and not one, as we originally assumed." "I don't understand." "So what does that mean?" "What it means is that three different migrations coming from three different directions flew into your house, Mrs. Barrett." "It's as if something was drawing them to your home." "Have you been working on anything since leaving Jacobson?" "You know, I've been tinkering with a few personal projects, but pretty much enjoying just being a stay-at-home dad." "Oh, really?" "Oh, man, what I wouldn't give for a little time like that with my family." "Yeah." "No, it's... it's been great." "You guys got big plans for the Fourth, or...?" "My kids got me running all over town looking for fireworks." "No, I think we'll probably stick close to home." "Well, listen, Daniel, I'm really glad you came in." "I loved what you did on the Bay Cities project." " Thank you." " All the other partners are very supportive, so I say we do it." " Really?" " Really." " What do you say?" " I..." "Yes!" " It's yours." "All right?" " Fantastic." " Absolutely." "I'll be in touch, OK?" " Great." " OK." " Have a good Fourth." "Thank you very much." "Hello?" "Hi." "I've got news." " Me, too." " I got it, Lace." "I got the job." "Are you serious, Daniel?" "They want me to start on the 15th." "Daniel, that's... that's amazing!" "Let's see if Karen and Mike will take Sammy tonight." "Jesse can stay at the Ratners'." "We need to celebrate, for a change." "Oh, shit, I'm sorry." "What was your news?" "Uh... nothing." "Let's celebrate." "Daniel?" "Daniel?" "Daniel?" "Daniel?" "Why aren't you answering me?" "Daniel." "Daniel." "Daniel, wake up." "Daniel!" "Wake up." "Wake up." "Daniel." "What am I doing in the kitchen?" "I found you in the backyard." "You don't remember getting out of bed?" "No." "That is so... weird." "It's more than weird." "I'm ready to tell you my news." "I lost six hours today." "I mean, the last thing I remember," "I was in the middle of this walk-through." "The clients told Pete that they thought" "I was having some kind of breakdown." "And I woke up in bed, and I had this." "Jesus,Lace." "Daniel, I've got to show you something." "So I started with the birds." "And the best they can understand it is that something is interfering with the Earth's geomagnetic field, and... and that's causing the birds to veer off course." "Some people say that it has something to do with the government, that they're testing some kind of super-secret weapons technology." "And other people think it's something else, something not from here." "What does that mean, "not from here"?" "Not from... this planet." " Lacy." " I know this is so hard to believe." " Just trust me." "I've been research..." " No, it's more than hard to believe." "I mean... aliens?" "That's..." "That's insane." "Right?" "You know this is the reason we don't self-diagnose on the Internet." "Stop." "Hear me out on this." "There are people who have reported experiencing the same things that we have been experiencing, in these communities where these other bird deaths have taken place." "This picture was drawn by a five-year-old in Chesapeake Bay in 2007, shortly before he vanished." "Vanished, Daniel." "His family claims he was taken by aliens and that they had been entering their home for weeks." "Sam drew this yesterday." "Yeah, well, maybe Sammy saw this drawing online and copied it." "And maybe he made 800 birds hit our house?" "I found a guy in the city who claims to be an expert on this stuff." " I think we gotta go talk to him." "Yes." " No." "No, no, no, no." "Well, what other explanation do you have?" "Just because I can't explain something, doesn't mean aliens are responsible." "Why can't you understand that some things defy normal explanations?" "We're not those people who believe in crazy things!" "Maybe those people aren't the crazy ones!" " Who are you?" "Who..." " Don't do this." " Where is my wife?" " Don't do that!" " You always..." " My sane wife!" "Crazy stuff is happening right now!" "Stop it!" "I'm not saying nothing is going on." "But this, this is..." "this is too much." "There's got to be another answer." "Right there." "You can go." "Go ahead." " Jump in." " Cannonball!" "Hey, shirt off, string bean." "Can't swim with your clothes on." "Come on, dork, I know you want to swim." "Sammy, come here." "Let me take a look at you." "Sammy, come here." "It's OK, baby." "I'm just gonna take a look, OK?" "Put your arms up." "Sammy, tell me who did this to you." "Sammy, I need you to tell me who did this to you." "Hey, you know that girl Jennifer?" " Yeah." " That bitch was on my jock." " Really?" " Yeah." "What about you?" "You get any?" "I saw you with Shelly." "Did you kiss her?" " Yeah." " Did you feel her titties?" "Kind of, I guess." "Shit, dawg!" "That's nothing!" "You got to go downtown." "That's what I do with all my ladies." "Hey, Barrett." " Ow!" " Dude, stop." " Better run, bitch!" "Stop being a dick!" "Stop!" "I'm gonna pop a cap in tour ass!" "Man down!" "Oh, come on, it didn't hurt that bad, you pussy." "Jesse?" "Jesse!" "How is he?" "Well, I didn't find anything physically wrong with Jesse that would cause a blackout or seizure." "And the MRI was clear." "So, as I said, I don't think what we're dealing with here is a neurological problem." "So what do you think it is?" "Well, I believe this episode was the result of some emotional trauma." "Now, I need you to listen to me very carefully, Mr. and Mrs. Barrett." "During my examination, I found some unusual marks on your son's body." "What..." "I'm sorry." "What kind of marks?" "Well, they look like small geometric shapes." "Uh, squares, rectangles, circles." "But the troubling part is that they appear to have been applied with a brand." "Now, Mr. and Mrs. Barrett, it's my opinion that he did not do this to himself." "Jesse says he doesn't know how he got them." "Do you have any idea how he got them?" "Uh, no." "Well, I have to inform you that because of his age," "I'm required to refer this information to Child Protective Services for further investigation." "This is standard procedure." "They're gonna follow up with some questions." "Do you understand what I've just told you?" "Yes..." "Yes." "Now, Mr. Barrett, the incident report says that Jesse was playing in the woods with his friend at the time of his blackout." "Yeah." "Uh, a boy named Kevin Ratner." "He's a few years older than Jesse." "Well, do you have any reason to believe that your son and this boy were into anything strange?" " Dad, what are you doing?" " Daniel, stop!" " Daniel, stop right now." " Hey, Mr. Barrett." " Jesse, are you OK?" "What?" " What'd you do to my son?" " Stop, Daniel!" " Huh?" "What did you do?" " Nothing!" "What the fuck?" " Stop it right now!" "Tell me, you little freak!" "He's only 13 years old!" " He didn't do anything!" " Hey!" "Daniel!" "Whoa, whoa!" " You guys, stop it!" " Ask your son what he did!" "There's something wrong with you people!" "Just leave it on." "You have to." "Jesse." " Hey..." " Leave me alone." "Hi." "Don't touch me!" "Tomorrow, we're gonna get a call from Child Protective Services." "My best friend just treated me like a criminal." " Lacy..." " Karen said that Sammy told her the Sandman did this." "You realize who she thinks the Sandman is, right?" " I know." " Did you do this?" " Did you put your hands on our son?" "!" " Jesus Christ!" "Something is hurting our children, Daniel, and you're too stubborn" " to believe what it is!" " I'm not listening to this shit!" "Then tell me who did it!" "Tell me." "Because it's not just happening in their heads!" "I don't know!" "But when I find out, I'm gonna deal with it." "Yeah, you really dealt with things today, all right." "Daniel the hero!" "Wake up, Sammy." "Sammy." "Wake up." "What's wrong, Daddy?" "Oh, shit." "Come on, come on, come on." "What is it?" "Do you remember right after Jesse was born, and he was so sick?" "The doctors didn't know what it was, and they told us all we could do was wait until morning to see if he was gonna be OK." "That was the longest night of my life." "I just felt... too helpless." "I didn't know if I was gonna be kissing a child or burying one in the morning." "It took me most of the night, but I finally realized something that allowed me to watch the sun come up without fear." "However it all turned out, no matter what I had to face I knew I would get through it, because I had you." "I'm ready to believe." "Mr. Pollard?" "Yes." "I'm sorry." "I had to run to the store." "That's OK." "Um, I'm Lacy, and this is my husband, Daniel." "You said on the phone you have two children." "Yes, I..." "We were just thinking that it was better maybe if we met you first, and then..." " Thank you." " Have a seat in the living room." "I'll, uh, put on some tea." "Of course he would have cats." "Cats don't seem to care about them." "I used to live in the suburbs, but the dogs always barked at night when they came around." "Dogs have a sense for them." "Kept me up at night, so, uh so I moved here to a building that doesn't allow dogs." "Helps me sleep a little better at night." "I don't fight them anymore." "Them?" "The Grays." "That's what they're called." "They, uh..." "There are three generally accepted kinds of aliens:" "the Grays, lnsectoids and the Reptilians." "But nine times out of ten, what people report seeing are the Grays." "In fact, I'm..." "I'm dubious about the other two altogether." "Especially the Reptilians." "I don't think those accounts are credible." "Yeah." "That would make anyone skeptical." "I'm sorry, uh..." "I'm getting ahead of myself." "The... the first thing we need to do is determine whether or not you actually are experiencing an encounter." "Is-is that a test?" "Uh, just a series of questions." "Helps weed out the lunatics." "Well, good." "Let's do it." "OK." "Have either of you seen any bright lights in the sky above your neighborhood that moved in an unusual way?" "No." "Have you experienced any severe headaches or migraines?" "Nope." "Either of you heard a ringing in your ears that seems to be happening only inside your head?" "Yes." "Have you experienced any unexplained illnesses, strange allergies or nosebleeds?" " Yes." " Yes." "Have you witnessed any abnormal behavior by animals in your neighborhood?" "Three different flocks of birds flew into our house the other day." "I would say that qualifies." "Have either of you experienced any blackouts, stretches of time that you can't account for?" "And have you experienced a feeling that you might not be in control of your own body?" "How do you know all this?" "You are not alone in this." "Others have experienced what you're going through and have struggled the way you're struggling now." "Why are the Grays, or whatever they are, so interested in us?" "What makes us so special?" "Nothing." "There's nothing special about you." "I'm sorry." "You were hoping for a different answer." "But this is beyond our comprehension." "What answer would a lab rat understand from a scientist in a white coat putting electrodes in its brain, giving it cancer?" "I've interviewed literally thousands of people who claim to have been visited by the Grays." "They come from all walks of life." "The only thing they have in common is that their lives have become a living hell because of it." "People think of aliens as these beings invading our planet in some great cataclysm, destroying monuments, stealing our natural resources." "But it's not like that at all." "The invasion... already happened." "No one knows exactly when, but they're here." "They've been here." "The presence of the Grays is now a fact of life." "Like death and taxes." "Do you know what they want?" "They seem to be studying us, experimenting on us." "One thing we know for sure is, they use our fears against us." "It can start like a..." "a childish prank a mess in the kitchen or things missing in the house." "And before you know it, you're walking through a full-blown nightmare." "You probably already have implants." "Implants?" "That's how they control you." "Make you do things you can't remember, make you see things that aren't there." "Shall we have a look?" "He has..." "Let me see." "Yeah, there she is." "This one didn't take as well." "Skin's pretty irritated, that happens sometimes." "It's a... it's a rash or a bite." "That's what they want you to think." "The Grays hide what they do." "Disguise the implants as something perfectly normal." "Most people don't even know they have them." "Well, can we remove it?" "No." "No." "Believe me, I've tried." "Oh, my God." "Every time I think I'm getting it, it seems to burrow in deeper." "We'll move." "Pack everything in the car and just drive away." "These beings almost certainly came millions of light-years to get here." "Do you really think moving to the next town or checking into a motel will stop them from finding you?" "The events you've been experiencing, the disturbances in your home, the blackouts, the marks on your bodies they are not the beginning of something, Daniel." "They are the end of something." "It's like a countdown." "The Grays will watch a family for a long time before they reveal themselves." "But once they do, it means they're getting ready to take someone." "What are you talking about?" "This is important." "Which member of your family did the Grays first make contact with?" "My youngest son, Sam." "Then Sam is in the most danger." "The Grays almost always abduct the first family member they showed an interest in." "So that's it?" " We just wait until they take our son?" " No." "You fight them with everything you've got." "Your only hope is to make it so difficult for them, that they simply move on to someone else." "Wait-wait-wait-wait, I'm sor..." "That can work?" "It has before, in some cases." "Yes." "I've even heard of cases where someone who's been taken has eventually returned, but you can't count on it." "Everything the Grays do is intended to divide us from one another, to isolate the one they've chosen." "Your greatest defense against them is if your family is unified." "But you have to act quickly." "There isn't much time." "Protect your family, Mr. Barrett." "We'll go to the police." "We'll show them the surveillance video." "And say what, "We think aliens have come into our house, implanted some probes we can't see"?" "The police will think we're crazy, Lace." " Hell, I think we're crazy." " They have to believe us." " It's the truth!" " You realize what will happen if we do that?" "They won't just not believe us." "They'll take Jesse and Sam." "They'll say we're unfit to be parents." "Everybody's already suspicious." "We have to do something." "You heard what he said!" "This only goes one way!" "I mean, you've got your Remington .17, uh, your Ruger .204 uh, then there's a Winchester .243" "A-Bolt, if you're looking to go with a higher caliber." "Uh..." "I need something that packs a lot of punch at close range." "What kind of hunting you say you're doing?" "Mom, what's going on?" "Why are we getting a dog?" "I thought Dad was allergic." "Dad can take medicine, and dogs are good to have around the house." " It's for protection, isn't it?" " We'll talk about it later." " I want to talk about it now." " What about this one?" "Yeah." " Hey, pal." " You're boarding up the windows?" "We're keeping out the Sandman." " Where's the dog?" " In a room in back with Mom." "We got a dog?" "You want to give me a hand?" "I could use some help." "No." "This is bullshit!" "Hey, Jesse, come on." "Jesse, stop!" " Let's talk about it." " Talk about what?" "How you beat up my best friend?" "How everyone thinks we're freaks?" "You've ruined everything." "Come... come inside." "Let me explain." "There's nothing to explain." "You can't keep treating me like a little kid." "You can lie to Sammy, but you can't lie to me." "Jesse!" "I hear your dad's boarding up all the windows." "What's he trying to keep out?" "I think I know, but if I told you, you'd probably think I'm crazy like him." "Look, I've known your dad since I was four." "And he's always been totally weird, but I don't think he's crazy." "If the Sandman comes to talk to you tonight," "I want you to promise me you won't listen to him or do anything that he says, all right?" " I promise." " OK." "Maybe if I just gave him my eyes, he would leave us alone." "No, baby, you can't." "The Sandman is never satisfied." "So we can't give him anything." "That's the only way we can make him go away." "Something's coming, isn't it?" "Tonight?" "Maybe." "I don't know." "But we've got to be prepared." "Do you think it's gonna hurt us?" "That's what your mom and I are gonna make sure doesn't happen." "Why don't you just call the police?" "They wouldn't understand." "It's up to us." "Look, whatever happens tonight don't let your brother out of your sight, OK?" "I won't." "Do you guys want to watch fireworks?" "How?" "We're stuck inside." "We can watch them on TV." "...savory beef grilled to perfection." "And with just the right of Mr. Sunshine..." "Sammy, do you remember your first big Fourth of July, when we went up to visit Aunt Maureen and Uncle John in San Francisco?" "When we went on the boat?" "That's right, Uncle John's boat." "And do you remember what you said the fireworks looked like?" "Ice cream?" "That's right." "Ice cream." "What about you, Jess?" "You remember your first big Fourth of July?" "We were at the old house." "And you and Mom woke me up." "And you put me on your shoulders, and you carried me to the top of White's Hill." "And do you remember what you said when we got there?" "I said I wanted to go home." "Yeah." "I carried you all the way up there to see your first big fireworks, and you couldn't care less." "Lacy, take the boys upstairs." "No." "We need to stick together." "No, no." "We need to stick together." " Jesse, upstairs now." " Dad." "Come on..." "Jesse, now." " Lock yourself in Jesse's room." " Go, go, go, go!" "Don't open this door under any circumstance, OK?" " Mommy!" "Mommy!" " Baby, I'm going to be right out here." " I'm going to be right outside." " Mommy!" "Come on." "Daniel!" "Daniel!" "Daniel!" "Leave us alone!" " Come on!" " OK." "Daniel!" "Daniel!" "Daniel!" "Stand back!" "Back!" "Back!" "In!" "In!" "Sammy." "Sammy!" "Go, go:" "Mommy!" "Sammy, no!" "Sam?" "You were right." "I ruined everything." "No!" "Sammy." "Sammy!" "You've been a bad girl." "I guess you'd better punish me." "That feels so good." "Watch with us, Jesse." "Sammy?" "Sammy?" "Sam..." "Jesse!" "' No!" "' No!" "Right." "Yeah." "No, I..." "I know they don't believe us, but, Marty, you're... you're..." "you're our lawyer." "I need you to at least act like you believe us." "Yeah." "So, when's the next court date?" "Uh-huh." "Hey, brought up some more toys." "Have you experienced any unexplained illnesses, strange allergies or nosebleeds?" "Do you remember right after Jesse was born and he was so sick, and the doctors didn't know what it was?" "My, uh, oldest, Jesse, was sick all the time when he was little." "It was like he was allergic to the entire world." "Command Control?" "Sam!" "Sammy!"