Desperate Times

In the aftermath of a global pandemic that decimated half the world's population, LEILA (mid-20s), a young widow and lawyer, finds herself thrust into the role of caretaker for orphaned teenager WILLA (16). Sheltering in an abandoned apartment building, Leila craves human connection and ventures out to a local dive bar against Willa's warnings of a potential resurgence of the deadly virus. Before leaving, Willa safeguards Leila with a special nail polish that detects drugs, a precaution against the dangers lurking outside. At the bar, Leila navigates unwanted advances until she meets ABE (late 20s), a charming man who passes the polish test. Despite initial reservations, Leila accompanies him home. Inside Abe's fortress-like apartment, Leila realizes too late that she's been drugged. Awakening in captivity, she learns Abe's disturbing truth: his wife DANA (20s) is infected, and he's experimenting with a cure involving human blood. Over days of captivity, Leila manipulates Abe's fragile psyche, plotting her escape. But freedom lies beyond the basement where Dana, transformed by the virus, waits. To survive, Leila must confront her fears, outwit Abe, and navigate the perilous depths of the infected basement.