Contracted 2013

In a morgue, a worker known as BJ (his anonymity a stark reminder of the desensitizing effects of his profession) indulges in a twisted act of necrophilia with a lifeless corpse bearing the ominous bio-hazard symbol on its toe tag. The ritual complete, he proceeds to wash up, his hands moving methodically as if attempting to cleanse himself of the moral decay that had just taken place. Meanwhile, Samantha is lost in a haze of intoxication at a local house party, her recent break-up with girlfriend Nikki still fresh and raw. The party’s host, Alice, pours drinks down her throat like a sedative, while Zain offers her drugs as a means to numb the pain. As Samantha’s inhibitions wane, she becomes vulnerable prey for BJ, who approaches her with a drink offer despite her protests of being a lesbian. When she begins to slip into unconsciousness, he takes advantage, and Samantha is left helpless and violated.

The next morning, Samantha awakens to the cruel reality of a hangover from hell, her mind foggy and her body screaming in protest. Her mother’s concern for her well-being only adds fuel to the fire as Samantha struggles to come to terms with her recent exploits. It isn’t until she’s approached by Alice, who reveals that the police are searching for BJ (a man she had never met), that the true extent of Samantha’s shame becomes apparent.

As the days pass, Samantha’s physical and emotional state begins to deteriorate at an alarming rate. She finds herself struggling to eat, her senses overwhelmed by even the slightest noise. A visit to her doctor only serves to compound her distress, as he suspects she may have contracted a sexually transmitted disease due to her recent heterosexual encounter with BJ. Despite her protests of being a lesbian who has not engaged in such behavior for nearly a year, his skepticism is palpable.

In a desperate bid to reconnect with Nikki, Samantha’s attempts at reconciliation are met with cold indifference. It isn’t until she discovers that Nikki had been keeping a valuable scholarship offer from her that the true extent of their broken relationship becomes clear. As Samantha’s symptoms continue to worsen - her eyes turning bloodshot, her hair falling out in clumps, and her fingernails beginning to disintegrate - she is forced to confront the harsh reality of her situation.

A visit to Zain, who offers her heroin as a means to escape her suffering, only serves to further entrench Samantha’s downward spiral. It isn’t until Alice arrives, urging her to speak with the police about her encounter with BJ, that Samantha begins to see the world in a different light. Her subsequent argument with Alice, whom she perceives as trying to isolate her from her friends, marks a turning point in her descent into madness.

Samantha’s explosive argument with her mother at their home ends in a dramatic departure, only to be met with rejection and humiliation when she arrives at the flower competition, deemed unworthy by the judges due to her disheveled appearance and subpar plant. Seeking solace from her friend Nikki, Samantha is instead subjected to a scathing rebuke, culminating in Nikki’s brutal assessment that Samantha’s true nature is sexually ambiguous. Incensed by this affront, Samantha seizes Nikki in a deadly chokehold, ultimately silencing her tormentor. The ensuing frenzy leads Samantha to Alice’s residence, where she unleashes a violent and merciless assault on the unsuspecting victim, her sanity shattering with each passing moment.

As Samantha’s desperation reaches a fever pitch, she invites Riley, a long-suffering admirer, to Alice’s house in a misguided attempt to connect with him. However, her efforts are foiled when Riley is repulsed by the grotesque sight of maggots emerging from Samantha’s genital area. In his haste to escape this horror, Riley stumbles upon Alice’s lifeless body and flees the scene, leaving Samantha alone and adrift.

In a fit of rage and despair, Samantha careens her vehicle off the road, succumbing to unconsciousness in the wreckage. When she awakens, she finds herself transformed into a grotesque, flesh-eating zombie. As she lumbers back to consciousness, her mother, who has arrived at the scene, begs the authorities not to harm her daughter, cautioning Samantha against any sudden movements. But it is too late; Samantha’s primal instincts take hold, and she lunges at her shrieking mother with a feral intensity, marking the definitive moment when her humanity succumbs to the abyss of monstrousness.