When electricity disappears overnight, the world is plunged into darkness, leaving the streets in total chaos and fear as humanity struggles to adapt.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

A girl named Reese finds herself in a room with a lot of telephones. She heads toward the black one in the middle and dials the number written on a note. She then hears a voice congratulating her and telling her that she has been dealt a royal flush. Reese drops the phone, and as another one rings, she answers it but hears the same voice saying the same thing. Reese drops it again, and the next phone she picks up, water suddenly starts coming out of it.

As the room slowly gets filled with water, Reese chooses not to panic, and she says she’ll focus on the solution instead of the problem. After looking at the number on the note, Reese dials it again and keeps hearing the word Royal Flush. As she wonders what this means, she sees a toilet at the top of the room and realizes that she might have to flush it. She immediately tries climbing the phones to reach the top, but she falls into the water. Reese keeps trying different things, and as she finally swims to the top, she sees that the toilet doesn’t have a handle.

Reese looks confused by this, but after decoding the numbers on the note and finding the right phone to dial it in, she finds the handle. After she swims to the top, Reese flushes the toilet, and the water stops filling the room. Suddenly, Reese takes off her VR headset, and it turns out that she’s actually participating in a gaming competition with lots of other gamers in the room. Since she’s through with the game, Reese leaves the gaming center and heads home. When she gets there, she turns on her computer and gets a message from one of her friends, who has sent her a picture of the game she just played.

Reese asks why he didn’t send it earlier, and the person says he thought her friend didn’t like cheating. Reese says it would’ve still been useful because the room was hard, and she thought she was actually going to drown. Before she continues chatting with her friend, her dad, Chris, sends her a text informing her that dinner is ready. Following this, Reese leaves her computer and heads down to eat dinner with her dad. As they eat together, Reese thanks Chris for the food and talks about a meal her late mom used to like.

Chris likes this topic, and he also jokes about a time his wife made a really unusual meal. Chris then asks Reese about the game she’s trying to build. Reese says things are still going slow for her, but that one of her friends is helping her with it. As she continues talking about it, the light in the room suddenly starts flickering until it goes off, along with the lights in the entire neighborhood. Reese and Chris find this weird, but they think it’s likely something temporary.

After Reese checks her room, she sees her computer on fire and immediately puts it out. Chris then lights a lamp, and Reese complains about how her iPad no longer has a signal or internet connection. Chris tells her to think of the power outage as an adventure, but Reese says she’s more worried that she doesn’t know anything regarding the blackout or why it happened.

She adds that she once saw books on power lines in her grandfather’s old workshop, but Chris tells her not to think like her grandfather because he always seemed like he was in a different world. As Reese then looks at the pictures on her iPad, Chris admires them and talks about his late wife and how they were so young when they met. A picture of Reese and her sick mom comes up next, and even though Chris is looking at it, she closes the iPad and says they need a break from it.

Chris understands this, and he hugs her before they both fall asleep. Shortly after, a light sparks outside the house, and it wakes Reese. She then walks outside and goes into her grandfather’s old workshop. As she sees his old books, she picks out one with the title Radioflash. Reese then opens the book and learns that radioflash is a phenomenon known as Electromagnetic pulse or EMP.

She also discovers that the term was primarily associated with the click typically heard on radio receivers when a nuclear bomb was detonated. Reese looks shocked by this, and she just closes the book. She then finds her grandfather’s old radio, and even though it doesn’t work at first, Reese connects it to a battery and powers it up.

Elsewhere, her grandfather, Frank, intercepts a radio communication between some cops and hears one of them saying that the entire western grid has been taken out by whatever just happened. He adds that even though he doesn’t want to talk about a worst-case scenario, the extent of damage suggests that it was an Electromagnetic Pulse. As Frank says he can’t believe they’re just figuring it out, he sees his other radio on and realizes that someone at his old house has powered it up.

He immediately puts on his headset and calls Chris’ name, but Reese says she’s the one there. Frank then asks if there’s a blackout in their neighborhood, and Reese confirms this. She also asks if it’s a radioflash, and Frank sounds confused as to how she knows the word. Reese says she found one of his old books, and Frank confirms that what happened is a radioflash. He adds that Chris and Reese need to come to his house because it’s safer there.

He then asks if Chris is around, but Reese says he’s asleep, so he tells her to bring him to the radio when he wakes up because they need to talk. Reese agrees to do this, but before she drops the radio, Frank tells her to find some things they’ll need for the trip. He then tells her where to find a boundary county map with a highlighted route. He also tells her to find a short-range radio, which they’ll use to communicate with him when they’re within five miles of his house. After she finds the items, Reese asks if she should be scared, but Frank says she’s going to be fine.

He adds that he also has a good plan. Following this, Reese says she’ll talk to him in the morning, and she leaves the workshop. Frank also leaves his house and drives past a dark road to reach a pharmacy. As he gets there, he starts looking for some drugs but suddenly gets startled by someone who breaks into the pharmacy. Even though the man looks aggressive as he’s trying to find something, Frank tells him where to look, and he heads down there.

Shortly after, Frank also finds the drugs he’s looking for, and he leaves the money on the counter. He also writes a note saying the money is for the drugs he picked, but that it’s probably not going to matter on the next day. The next morning, Reese wakes her dad up and tells him that she talked to Frank the previous night through a radio in the workshop.

Chris asks if there’s power in the workshop, but Reese says she used a car battery and some cables to get the radio to work. She then mentions that Frank wants to talk to him because they need to head to his house immediately. Chris says they’re not going to Frank’s house, but as he walks to the kitchen, Reese shows him the book on radioflash.

As Chris looks at the cover, he realizes that it’s one of Frank’s old books, and he maintains his stance that they won’t be going to Frank’s house. He says that even though he respects Frank for giving them the house and also paying their bills when his wife was sick, he won’t just go running to him because he thinks the world is about to end. Reese thinks he should at least hear what Frank wants to say, and as the tap in the kitchen doesn’t work, he finally decides to go to the workshop.

As Frank is out hunting for an animal, Chris and Reese call him on the radio, and he answers them. Reese then tells him that Chris is with her, and Frank says he wants to talk to him. As Chris takes the headset, he tells Reese to wait outside while he talks to her grandfather.

After she leaves, Chris asks what’s happening, and Frank says that what happened was caused by an EMP that has wiped out the entire Western United States. Chris asks what they’ll do, and Frank tells them to start coming to his place as fast as they can. He adds that they need to get ahead of the rush because people will soon start trying to flee the city to find a safe haven.

He then asks how much gas Chris has in his car, and as he says he still has about half a tank, Frank tells him to fill it up with the gas he kept in the workshop. After this, Chris asks how he knew Reese would find the radio, and Frank says he just kept it in the workshop and hoped that one of them would find it. He adds that if she hadn’t found it, he would’ve been on his way to their house.

Chris asks if Frank is sure about what’s happening, and he says he is. He also mentions that he has enough supplies to last them for a long time. Chris then thanks Frank and says he’ll be leaving immediately with Reese. After he drops the radio, Chris takes the extra gas in the workshop and fills up his car. After Reese and Chris pack their things, they leave the house and begin their journey.

They eventually stop at a supermarket to get some water, but as people start fighting inside there, Chris takes his daughter back to the car. As he keeps driving, Reese says she hopes Frank is wrong, but Chris says that the EMP has finally made him realize that her grandfather is not crazy. Shortly after, they get stuck in traffic on a bridge, and Reese complains about this because the alternative route is far.

A few minutes later, Chris takes Reese out of the car and walks toward an accident scene on the road. Reese sees an old man at the back of a truck, and as she gets startled by him, Chris holds her so that she won’t stay back. Just then, Chris tries to help the woman on the floor, but as some angry drivers clear the road by hitting the car blocking it, he heads back to his car with Reese. After they continue their journey, Chris says sorry to Reese for having to see what happened at the accident scene. Reese then asks if the woman was already dead, and Chris says she was.

Shortly after, she falls asleep in the car, but when she wakes up, she asks Chris if he remembers the last mile marker he saw. As Chris says the number he saw, Reese mentions that she thinks they’ve missed a turn. Chris doesn’t get this, but as they look at the map, he’s unaware that there is a camper van parked on the road. As Reese alerts him to see it, he immediately steers the car off the road, and it goes down into the woods and hits a tree. They both pass out as this happens, and Reese starts getting flashbacks of the last time she saw her mom in the hospital.

Interestingly, she also saw the strange old man from the accident scene, and after that, she learned that her mom had died. In the morning, Chris wakes Reese up and looks happy to see that she’s fine. As she asks where they are, Chris mentions that they took a little crash and are some way off the road.

He then says they need to get their stuff out and try to get help from anyone around. Even though he tells her to remain calm, Reese starts panicking and looking for the radio because she knows Frank would’ve been expecting them. As she tries to contact him through the radio, she doesn’t get any response, and Chris says they’re still far out.

Reese then asks what he saw on the last mile marker, and as he says the number, she checks the map and tells Chris that they’re near a place called Kootenai Falls. After they leave the car, Reese notices that Chris is bleeding, but he says it’s nothing serious. He adds that he only got bashed a little on his left side. Just then, Reese brings out the bag from the car, and after looking at the map, they find a shorter route that will keep them on the path to Frank’s house. Even though they’ll have to get past a river, Chris suggests taking the shorter route because he has had enough of the highway.

After a while, they take a long walk past the river, and Reese notices that her dad is in pain. She then suggests carrying the bag, and even though he initially refuses, she forces him to give it up. Shortly after, they see a bridge they can cross, and even though Chris looks visibly in pain, he tries to hide it from his daughter. They eventually stop to drink water, and as Chris groans in pain, Reese tries to see where he got injured, but he tells her not to worry about it. As she insists, Chris shows her his bashed left side, and Reese realizes that it’s worse than she thought.

Despite this, Chris says it’s nothing to worry about, but Reese still looks scared. As they continue walking, Chris gets too tired and tells Reese to get help. Reese says she can’t leave him, but as he passes out, she starts running around and calling for help. She eventually sees a farmer named Glenn, and he immediately follows her back to pick up her dad. When they return to his house, Glenn takes care of Chris and tells Reese not to be worried because her dad’s body is slowly trying to regain some of what it lost.

He then says he knows they’re from the city, and that things must’ve started going crazy over there. Even though Reese doesn’t respond to him, Glenn continues talking about how the power outage has affected him because his wife is stuck at her sister’s place. As he mentions that his son hasn’t been home in a long time, Reese says she’s going outside to get some fresh water.

After leaving the house, Reese sees the strange old man and immediately runs inside to check on her dad. Glenn says he has stopped breathing, and as she confirms this, she looks devastated and starts crying. Glenn then comforts her and helps her bury Chris just outside his house.

Reese also cuts a small flower and drops it on his grave after which she joins Glenn in his car as he says he’ll take her to her grandfather. Meanwhile, Frank is already bothered that Chris and Reese haven’t arrived. As he leaves his house and starts driving around, he sees the parked camper van on the road and notices that a car went off the road at the scene.

He immediately goes down and looks sad to see that it’s Chris’ car. As he also looks around, he sees a cloth on the floor with blood stains on it, and this makes him realize that one of them got injured. After leaving the scene, he continues driving around until he finds Glenn’s farm. As he checks inside the house, he sees Glenn’s picture and a blood stain on the couch. This leaves him worried, and as he looks around the farm, he sees a newly dug grave with a flower on it.

He also sees some footprints on the floor and looks scared for Chris and Reese. Meanwhile, Glenn continues following Reese’s map to find Frank’s house. He eventually sees a strange man standing on the road and waving for him to stop.

Glenn quickly tells Reese to hide in the back just to be safe, and as she does this, he stops for the man. The man says he’s surprised that Glenn stopped for him because most people haven’t done so. Glenn says it’s nothing, and he asks what the problem is. The man says he got lost, and as Glenn asks where he’s going, he tells him the place. The man suddenly starts acting suspiciously, and Reese sees the strange old man again.

This leaves her scared, and as the hitchhiker sees that Glenn has about a half tank of gas left, he brings out a gun and forces him to come down. After this, he kills Glenn and leaves his body on the road. Reese looks scared and hides well in the back as the strange man starts driving away.

After a while, he realizes that the gas tank is about to be empty, so he drives into an old junkyard in the woods and finds a big gas tank. Interestingly, there appears to be someone in the area, and as the hitchhiker starts stealing gas from the tank, he gets shot and killed by a man named Bill. Reese immediately leaves the car and runs into the woods, but as she stops to hide near an old truck, someone shows up and captures her.

After a while, Reese opens the bag she was captured in and sees an old woman named Maw, who admires her and says she has pretty eyes. Reese asks who she is, but Maw seems to be angry at Reese’s tone. As Reese also stands up, Maw angrily tells her to sit down. She then says that while she can forgive Reese for intruding on her land, she won’t tolerate being insulted for trying to be nice by giving her somewhere to stay. She adds that Reese needs to sit down tight and wait for her to prepare dinner.

Reese doesn’t like this, but she’s scared of Maw, so she doesn’t say anything. Elsewhere, Frank continues driving and eventually finds Glenn lying dead on the floor. As he gets down to look at the man, he realizes that Glenn was likely bringing Reese to him when he was killed.

This leaves him worried, and he immediately returns to his truck. Meanwhile, Maw prepares dinner for her family and gets Bill to serve Reese some meat at the table. Reese is not sure about eating it, but Maw encourages her to eat the meat because it’s one of the best around.

After this, she asks for Reese’s name, and as she says it, Maw mentions that she likes it. She then properly introduces Bill to Reese and says he’s her son. She also shows Reese her grandson, Quinn, who is sitting in the dark. Reese doesn’t say anything, but Maw then asks what she and her dad were doing in the woods earlier. Reese says the man wasn’t her dad, and that he killed the owner of the truck he drove in with.

She also explains how she hid in the back before it happened, and Maw says she thinks Bill didn’t do anything wrong by killing the man. Maw then asks what brought Reese to the area in the first place, and she says that there’s a power outage in the city. Maw says it’s why she likes living in the woods because power isn’t a problem for her to worry about. Maw also tells Reese that she’s now safe with them, but she says she needs to leave to meet her grandfather. Maw asks if she expects them to take her to Frank so they can suffer the same fate as Glenn, but Reese mentions that she can go alone.

Maw doesn’t like the fact that she wants to leave, and she says that Reese needs to stay with them as an appreciation for Bill saving her life. As Maw mentions that there’s an empty cot in the attic, Reese looks unhappy, but there’s nothing she can do. Later that night, while Maw is sleeping in the living room, Reese leaves the attic and tries to sneak out.

After walking down, the stairs without making a sound, Reese heads for the door to open it. As she unlocks it, Maw hears the sound and immediately alerts Bill to run after her. Reese tries her best to run as fast as she can, but Bill eventually gets to her with his truck. He then tells Quinn to bring her in, but as he doesn’t move, Bill hits him until he falls to the ground. After this, Bill grabs Reese and puts her in a sack, which he ties to a tree.

He then tells her that she’s presently a caterpillar who will become a butterfly in the morning. Reese doesn’t understand this, but she’s unable to say anything because Bill has tied her mouth. The next morning, Reese wakes up and sees a bear trying to tear the sack. Reese looks scared and doesn’t know what to do, but she suddenly hears a gunshot, which kills the bear. It then turns out to be Bill, who drags her into a cellar and locks her there.

Shortly after, Quinn stares at her from a broken part of the wooden cellar, but as she sees him, he runs away. The next day, Bill brings Reese out of the cellar to sit with Maw and drink tea with her. Reese then asks what Maw wants with her, and she says it’s called tough love.

She adds that if they hadn’t stopped her from running away the other day, she would’ve gotten killed by an animal in the woods. She also says she knew she liked Reese the moment she saw her, and that she would be a good addition to their family. As Reese looks confused, Maw says it’s not right that her boys haven’t had a companion aside from her.

She then tells Reese to decide whether she wants to join their family or return to the cellar. Reese seems pissed, and she says she’ll rather return to the cellar. Following this, Maw calls Bill and tells him to take Reese back to the cellar. Later that night, Quinn gives Reese an apple and also drops her bag outside the door. He immediately runs away, but Reese takes the apple and the bag.

She then finds the radio and tries to contact Frank, but she doesn’t get any response because she’s not within range. She looks disappointed by this, but she eventually brings out her iPad and watches a video of her parents looking happy together. After this, Reese starts trying to find a way to unlock the door and free her hands.

The next day, Quinn comes to the front of the cellar, and Reese begs him to help her escape. He asks how she would know where to go, and she says she has a map, which they can use to leave the woods if he’s also interested. She then asks if he has the key to the lock, but Quinn says it’s usually with Bill. Reese looks disappointed, but as she looks around, she realizes that they can break through the wooden roof of the cellar. She then asks if Quinn can get a rope, and as he says he can, she tells him to bring it.

After he arrives with it, Reese comes up with a plan to break off a part of the roof, and with this, she escapes from the cellar and starts running away with Quinn. As she gets to a river, she tries to contact Frank again, but the radio goes off due to a low battery. Meanwhile, Bill sees that Reese and Quinn have escaped, and he angrily heads out to look for them.

Elsewhere, Reese looks tired, and Quinn tells her to rest near a tree while he goes to get some berries they can eat. As they eventually eat it together, Reese looks at Quinn’s bruised face and says that Bill must’ve really hurt him badly. Quinn says it doesn’t hurt so much anymore because he’s now used to it. Reese feels sorry for him, and she helps him clean the dirt on his face. After this, they check the map to see where they are, and Reese says she’s sure they’ll make it to her grandfather’s place in no time.

Quinn says he can’t come with her because Bill will keep chasing them until they’re dead. Reese says Frank will protect them, and that he’s nothing like Bill. Quinn asks why Frank will take him in, and Reese says he saved her life despite the risk involved for him. Suddenly, they hear someone moving in the woods, and since they know it’s Bill, they quickly run away and continue their journey. They eventually get to a place with a narrow path to cross to the other side.

Reese struggles to pass through with her bag, so she throws it into the river beneath the narrow path. Quinn then helps her to the other side, and even though Bill shoots at them, he misses the target. Quinn and Reese quickly run into a river, and as Bill gets closer, they hide near a rock shrouded with fog.

Bill shoots into the sky to scare them, and they leave the river to find another place to hide. Quinn then tells Reese to stay under a rock while he tries to find the best way to attack Bill. As Bill gets to the area, Quinn corners him just as he’s about to see where Reese is hiding. Even though Quinn initially knocks him down, Bill eventually regains his strength and starts beating him up. His gun appears to have landed near Reese, and she sees the strange old man again.

Despite initially looking scared, Reese says she’s not afraid anymore, and she picks up the gun and attempts to shoot Bill before he kills Quinn. As she points it at him, she hears a gunshot that kills Bill, and this leaves her shocked because she didn’t even pull the trigger. When she turns back, she sees Frank, and they look happy to finally be together.

As they hug each other, Reese sees the strange old man again, but he just nods at her before he disappears. Shortly after, Frank takes Reese and Quinn to his house, and they start living together. Much later, while Reese helps Frank in the kitchen, Quinn stays in the room and seems overwhelmed as he looks at all the messages on Reese’s iPad, which her grandfather helped her retrieve from the river she threw her bag into.

Reese’s journey to finding her grandfather wasn’t an easy one. Even though the road trip started as a regular one, it took a wrong turn after the accident, which ultimately led to her dad’s death.

However, with both Reese and Frank not giving up on finding each other, they eventually reunited and also saved Quinn, who made a bold decision to leave his wicked family. Sometimes, life takes unexpected turns, and all we can do is remain courageous as we move forward.

Radioflash 2019 .