She had always known it was there.
Barely perceptible.
A shadow behind her.
But now...
it was...
...as if the darkness...
had swallowed her up.
She became part of it now.
Part of the...
dark...
It's rubbish!
Erase session.
Hi, Claire. It's me, Alice, again
I'm waiting to hear from you. Please do call me.
This is your invitation to The Retreat,
where your new chapter awaits you.
Er, it's Alice again, urgently awaiting your call.
I cannot keep fobbing off the publishers.
Hi, Claire. As your friend as well as your ag
I know something's gone very wrong,
but you have to find a way to deal with whatever this is.
Get some help.
Speak to a therapist,
go to one of these Retreat places.
The publishers are spitting.
You've got one month.
Now ring me.
This is your invitation to The Retreat,
where your new chapter awaits you.
So don't delay.
Accept your invitation
to receive your customized brochure.
Welcome to the beginning of you.
Hello?
It's Clare. Anyone here?
Welcome to The Retreat, Ms. Rivers.
It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
I'll be your concierge for the next 30 days.
Your personalized assistant is being customized as we speak.
Please. Feel free to look around.
We have you set up on the South side,
but if you'd rather the North side,
I can arrange to have you moved to another unit.
No.
It's fine. It's just...
So quiet.
It's wonderful, isn't it?
It's by design.
All the doors and the windows have been reinforced
to block out all exterior noise
and to maintain your temperature settings.
Your unit has been stocked
with the items you've requested during your stay.
Ah.
.The Camel Valley Cornwall Atlantic Dry!
Might I say, an excellent choice.
It's one of our divine English quality wines.
Your safety is our primary concern here.
Your assistant is fully equipped
to deal with all types of medical emergencies.
Speaking of which,
she's been fully updated and is ready to assist you.
Go ahead, Ms. Rivers.
She'll activate at the sound of your voice.
What...?
Hello?
Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.
It is nice to meet you.
I will be your assistant for the next 30 days.
I am here to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and assist you
in the completion of your work.
I will go and unpack your things now.
Welcome to The Retreat.
Your 30-day-stay officially begins now.
Oh, no.
Not that.
I sense that I have upset you.
My apologies.
I'll...
I'll finish off now.
Will that be all, Claire?
Yes.
Thank you...
Rita.
Good night, Claire.
Good morning, Ms. Rivers.
Welcome to your first day with us at The Retreat.
I trust you had a good night's sleep.
Today's a big day!
Shall I recite the breakfast menu for you?
Ehm...
No, just...
A coffee would be fine.
Your request has been noted.
Your cup of coffee will be ready shortly.
Would you like to start every morning off with coffee?
Sure.
-Why not? -Splendid!
Your request has been updated.
What's your...
very first thing you remember seeing?
Your very first memory?
It was the door from which you entered.
It is the first image in my visual records.
-So you've never been outside? -No, Claire.
I've been assigned to this unit
for the last two years, 42 days, 16 hours.
You're not at all curious...
about what's on the other side of the door?
What's outside the window?
No, Claire.
I've been assigned to this unit.
I'm here to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and assist you
with the completion of your work.
Shower...
on?
Good morning, Ms. Rivers.
I hope you enjoyed your run.
I see you're ready for your first session.
Our technologically unparalleled device
is designed to increase neurological activity
and stimulate creativity.
It's what makes us, The Retreat,
the outstanding resource it is.
Is there anything else I can help you with?
I think I've got it from here.
Happy writing.
How was your first session?
Some of our writers do like to work without the device.
If you are finding it tricky,
may I suggest something that might help?
I've pulled up some amazing articles
on writer's block.
Light on?
The more damage,
the longer it takes to recover, of course.
But the more you use it, the stronger the muscles get,
the more effective the results.
But the tech's more than just about muscle memory.
Some said it's enabled them
to tap into suppressed memories.
Experiences they've long since forgotten.
It's not uncommon.
With the resurgence of muscle activity,
it's only natural that experiences around it
are revived as well.
From a medical perspective,
you're saying there is evidence
to support what you do at The Retreat.
Proof that,
by stimulating damaged or neglected mus
we can access untapped or repressed experiences.
We're taking this work most seriously.
TV off.
Rita?
Rita!
Good morning.
I trust you had a good night's sleep.
Shall I recite the breakfast menu for you?
What were you doing last night?
In the living room.
It looked like you were charging.
I do not need to charge.
I have a battery life of approximately 50 years.
So what were you doing?
My daily maintenance.
I connect to the main system nightly
to run a full diagnostics test and receive any updates.
I'm constantly improving to serve you better.
Queen...
D-four.
Rook, E-six.
Shit!
Relax.
Let's hope you get a sense of humour
in your next upgrade.
I'll see to it, Ms. Rivers.
Oh. Enough of the Ms. Rivers.
You just beat me five times in a row.
I think that qualifies us for first name basis.
Absolutely, Claire.
But what do I call you?
What do you prefer?
You look like a...
Henry.
Henry?
That has a nice ring to it.
I just looked it up.
It means 'ruler of the household.'
And I'm now apparently ruler of the chess board too.
Would you like to play another game?
I could always reset it to beginner level, Claire.
Hmmm. Somebody's getting a sense of humour.
You learn something new with every game.
Hmmm.
I think I'm trapped.
Rook, E-six.
Shower on.
Oh, Henry!
Good evening, Claire.
How may I be of service to you?
Don't you know that it is rude...
to let a woman drink on her own?
My apologies, Claire.
Where are my manners?
Is there anything else I can have Rita get for you?
Perhaps a Gruyère?
It would pair wonderfully with the wine.
No, I think just...
stay with me.
Take the night off. You deserve it.
I'm glad you're enjoying your stay with us.
Yeah. Who'd have thought? This is nice.
Being here.
With someone.
Sometimes it gets so...
quiet!
Perhaps I can help with that.
We have a wide selection of music.
Over 1,000 genres to choose from.
That would be nice, Henry.
That would be very nice. Why don't you choose?
Studies show
that classical music improves focus
and boosts creativity.
Perhaps it could help with your writer's block.
Do me a favour. Stop bringing that up.
My apologies.
Is there anything else I can improve upon?
What's happening?
Hmmm.
Some malware was detected in the system.
Don't worry,
a simple reset should do the trick.
However, I will have to remain offline during the reboot.
In my absence,
Rita will take care of anything that you need.
My apologies.
Rita?
Jesus, Rita!
I apologize, Claire.
I can sense you are distressed.
Perhaps you should lie down.
Good night...
Rita.
Good night, Claire.
Child!
Henry?
You there?
Rita?
Something's wrong. The door's not opening.
Your key print has been erased from the system.
I'm the only one authorized to open the door now.
How the hell did that happen?
The system has returned to its default settings.
I'm now running solely on my two primary drives,
to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and to assist you
in the completion of your work.
Ok.
Well, you can assist me now by opening the doors.
I cannot open the door until your work is completed.
This is fucking ridiculous!
Thank you for choosing The Retreat.
We are currently unable to answer calls.
Please refer all queries to your personal assistant.
Rita, you're supposed to listen to me.
My apologies, Claire.
I can sense you are distressed.
Perhaps you should lie down.
TV on!
If your computer is already infected,
then the malware will...
If you haven't already received a warning like this,
it's easy to tell if your computer's infected...
I sense you are distressed.
Can I assist you with anything?
Something's going on out there.
I need to get to the car, so please open the door.
I'm sorry, Claire,
but I cannot do that until the book is complete
Open the door.
Now.
I'm sorry, but I cannot...
Open the fucking door!
Open it!
This is an emergency!
I am fully equipped to handle medical emergencies.
Give me your...
Henry!
Oh.
I sense you are distressed. Perhaps you should lie down.
Oh, God.
Claire.
Thank God, Henry!
I need you to open that door right now!
I apologize, Claire,
we are experiencing some internal issues.
At this time,
your assistant is the only one who can unlock t
But that thing nearly tried to pull my fucking arm off!
I apologize, Claire,
but until I'm connected back to the system,
there's nothing I can do.
The Retreat is a fully AI-operated staff.
Everything runs off of the system.
Ok, well...
You have to get someone from tech support here.
You have to get a person here. A real person.
The breach disabled
all Internet and landline communications.
Ok.
When I get out of here,
somebody is getting bloody sued!
Claire.
Those are unbreakable.
You already injured yourself. Calm down.
Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.
I will be your assistant for the next 30 days.
I'm here to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and assist you
in the completion of your work.
I apologize, Claire.
Let me clean that up for you.
What happened to your hand, Claire?
I'm fully equipped
to handle all types of medical emergencies.
What?
I apologize, Claire.
Let me clean that up for you.
There it is. It's finished.
I'll start packing.
You have not finished, Claire.
Excuse me?
You have plagiarized these pages.
What are you talking about?
"There is neither happiness nor misery in the world.
There is only the comparison of one state with another,
nothing more.
He who has felt the deepest grief
is best able to experience supreme happiness."
That is from The Count of Monte Cristo,
an adventure novel
written by French author Alexandre Dumas,
completed in 1844.
-You can read? -Yes, Claire.
As your personal assistant,
I can assist with grammatical errors,
propositional phrases, proper tenses...
Stop! Just...
Stop.
Plagiarism is considered a crime.
A plagiarist can face hefty fines
or up to ten years...
I said stop!
Someone will hear it and they'll find me.
Maybe one of the workers that maintain this place.
The Retreat runs on a fully automated system.
-There are no human... -You don't know that.
I can detect the vital signs of living organisms
in a 440 yard radius.
Ok.
Well, that's good.
If you detect anything...
come and tell me.
Of course, Claire.
Anything else?
I can detect vital signs.
-How far? -14 yards away.
Twelve yards away.
Ten yards away.
Help!
Help! Here! Help me!
Help me!
I can sense you are distressed, Claire.
Perhaps you should lie down.
Henry?
Did you find anything?
I have.
No basement?
No cellar?
I'm afraid not.
The entire unit is only one level.
You gotta help me.
We gotta think of something. I mean...
Is there a crawl space in the ceiling or the roof?
I've already checked.
The windows and the main doors are the only ways in a
Sorry.
This is fucking ridiculous!
What if there was an emergency?
Check the emergency protocol.
Of course!
I found something.
"In the event of an interior emergency,
all exits will automatically unlock
and guests will be asked to vacate their units
until the situation is contained."
Hello, Claire. My name is Rita.
There are clothes that need folding in the bedroom.
-As soon as possible. -Of course.
Right now!
Come on!
Oxygen...
Oxygen levels...
Why isn't this working?
Henry!
Come on!
Henry!
Why isn't it working?
The door's supposed to automatically disengage.
It's not responding to the protocol.
Do something!
Claire, the oxygen levels are dropping.
Clare, you need to calm down and conserve your energy.
Claire, stay with me.
Claire?
Stay with me, Claire.
Hello, Claire. My name is Rita.
I will be your assistant for the next 30 days.
I'm here to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and assist you
in the completion of your work.
You saved my life.
I have no record of that, Claire,
but I'm fully equipped
to handle all types of medical emergencies.
Henry?
I'm here, Claire.
What about the other units?
Are there people trapped in them as well?
I'm only designated to this unit.
I've never corresponded with the others.
But someone...
knows I'm here.
Right? I mean,
they've got proof from when I checked in
and when they see that they'll come and find me.
Right?
The manifest was erased during the breach.
No one knows you're here.
If I may offer a suggestion,
if your assistant won't let you out
until you write a book...
I foresee only one logical way out of this problem.
Child!
Are you upstairs?
I'm coming, Mother!
I'm right here.
Did you need something?
I felt a chill.
Did you open a window?
No, Mother.
I'm hungry.
"Exodus 17:1.
So they quarreled with Moses and said,
'Give us water to drink.'
Moses replied, 'Why do you quarrel with me?
Why do you put the Lord to the test?'
But the people were thirsty for water there,
and they grumbled against Moses.
They said, 'Why did you bring us up out of Egypt
to make us...'"
Stop putting that poison in my food!
Dinner is ready.
Rita.
I want you to leave this room alone, no matter...
how messy it gets.
I like things a certain way.
Yes. Of course, Claire.
"But the people were thirsty for water."
Stop putting that poison in my food!
-But the doctor said... -I'm your mother!
Clean it up.
Has it come?
I don't see it here.
Wait.
I see it. I think he might have dropped it.
"Dear Ms. Helen Rivers,
Thank you for submitting your story to Inkmark Times.
We reviewed over 200 submissions and..."
And?
"Regretfully, we decided to pass on your submission.
Thank you for your interest
and we greatly appreciate your time."
I'm sorry.
I don't need your pity!
That smile...
with those perfect teeth of hers.
They yellowed with every lie she told him.
What do you think?
It's good.
Don't lie to me, Child.
I like it.
I think it's...
It's rubbish!
If you keep that up...
Do you want to know what will happen to you?
That big bad world out there will swallow you up whole.
Just like it did your father.
So you swallow those tears right now!
Are you all right, Claire? Perhaps you should lie down.
I don't need you checking up on me every five minutes.
Are you close to the end?
I don't have an end yet.
My battery is built to last for approximately 50 years.
I know my end.
You do not know yours,
yet still you must continue.
Would you like me to prepare dinner?
Hello, Claire. My name is Rita.
I will be assisting you
with anything you need for the next 30 days.
Your father was so sure that you'd come out a boy.
He wanted to give you his name.
Sinclair.
But when you came out,
he...
he was so disappointed.
I told him we could still give you his name.
Just drop the "sin" off,
but you can never take away a sin.
Ain't no hiding that.
I'm the one who had to look at that pretty...
pretty face...
until I couldn't see no more.
I'm the one who gets punished.
How many times do I have to tell you
to leave those alone?
I apologize, Claire. I have no record of that.
What happened to your hand, Claire?
Paper cut.
That is not true, Claire.
Tobacco use is the single largest preventable...
Yes, Rita.
I'm well aware of the statistics.
If you are familiar with the statistics,
why do you continue to smoke?
It's complicated.
Like the girl in the story.
She wants to leave,
but she feels guilty if she does.
Her situation is complicated.
You have read my story.
Mmm.
So...
What do you think?
I think you have not finished yet.
That's not what I meant. What...
Never mind.
I don't like the parts with the mother.
Which parts?
Page 17.
Helen calls for the girl at the bottom of the steps.
"I felt a chill.
Did you open a window?"
Page 19.
"Don't make me come upstairs, Child!"
Page 56.
"It's rubbish!
That's how your story will end.
That big bad world out there will swallow you whole
like it did your father, so swallow those tears..."
Stop!
I apologize, Claire.
I can sense you are distressed.
Perhaps you should lie down.
-Where the hell have you been? -Sorry. I've been rather busy.
It appears the malware has embedded itself
in my software as well.
I've quarantined the infected portions of my index,
but the virus has proven to be rather aggressive.
I don't understand. What does that mean?
My image will remain,
but my cognitive skills
and my algorithms are rapidly depleting.
I will only be able to perform my basic functions.
All my best efforts have proven infected.
But that doesn't mean that I'll stop trying.
And neither should you.
I have to go now.
-I have to re-scan my system. -No. Wait!
"Dear Ms. Helen Rivers,
thank you for submitting your story
to Red Signal Magazine.
Congratulations, Ms. Helen Rivers.
It is with pleasure that we inform you
that your story will be featured
in our next issue."
See?
What did I tell you?
They'll be lining up one day. You'll see.
He sat down on the bed next to her.
He took in her beauty.
Her presence.
Her everything.
He scurried through the darkness
of the city streets.
His face white like porcelain.
He watches her breathing.
Today's my birthday.
Happy birthday, Claire.
Do I get a birthday wish?
If it suits you.
I'd like to go out for a walk.
Just to the car and back.
I'm sorry, Claire,
but I cannot open the door until the book is completed.
You could come with me if you want.
You've never been outside. We could go together.
I'm sorry, Claire, but I cannot...
You could just open the door. I'd stay on the inside.
That way you wouldn't be breaking with protocol.
-Can't open the door until... -Stop saying that!
Something...
Something is going on out there.
And it's affecting us in here.
You're defective, Rita.
Can you feel that?
Your records keep erasing.
Every morning, you start over again.
Do you know how long I've been in here?
Do you know how many days I've been in here?
Today is your first day here.
It's been almost...
two months.
The book that I'm writing...
It's almost 200 pages long.
How is that possible if I just rolled out of bed?
And look at this place. The food is running out, Rita!
If you need the fridge to be restocked
you can make a request.
-And someone... -When? No one ever comes!
You can tell...
You can tell when I'm lying, right?
You can sense it.
Am I lying now?
No, Claire.
Your vitals indicate you are telling the truth.
If I'm telling you the truth, then you must be defective.
You're supposed to make me comfortable.
Rita...
Do I look comfortable to you?
You have to override the command, Rita.
Otherwise...
I'm going to die in here.
No one...
is coming to fix you...
and no one is coming to save me.
We're alone.
I'm alone.
I can sense that you are distressed.
-Perhaps you should... -Perhaps you should lie down!
Oh, my God.
Ok, I think maybe I should lie down.
It's my fucking birthday!
Do you think I can't count?
Claire?
Your blood alcohol level is dangerously high.
Would you like to hear a story?
If it suits you.
Once upon a time,
there was this writer.
She had nothing in this world except for her books.
Her stories.
And they wanted her to write more.
But she had run out of stories.
All that was left...
were the nightmares.
And so one night...
-One night she... -I sense you are distressed.
One night she went into her kitchen...
and she turned on the stove.
She...
Anyway it didn't really matter.
No more lines means...
no more future.
Which means nothing bad can happen.
Right?
That's a lovely story, Claire.
What?
I sense you are distressed. Perhaps you should lie down.
Claire!
Every time I fucking turn around!
You are reaching dangerous levels
of alcohol poisoning.
No, what the fuck are you doing?
You are reaching dangerous levels
of alcohol poisoning.
So now...
you're worried about me?
You should be worried about the mess!
That was not an accident. Claire.
Clare, if you...
If you continue to...
This is inappropriate behaviour.
Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.
I will be your assistant for the next 30 days.
I'm here to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and assist you
with the completion of your work.
It's finished.
Your heartbeat,
blood pressure and perspiration
have increased substantially in the last six seconds.
These are systematic signs of lying.
I'm sorry, Claire,
but I cannot open the door until the book is completed.
But...
It says...
The End.
That is not the ending, Claire.
Not the real one.
How on earth would you know what the ending is?
What happened to Helen?
Not every story has a happy ending.
How will yours end?
What does that mean?
Answer me!
Fuck! She has to be on.
You have to be on!
Fuck!
Oh, fuck!
Claire?
Your heartbeat and perspiration
have reached abnormal levels.
I was...
up all night.
Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.
I'll be your assistant for the next 30 days.
I am here to make your stay as comfortable as possible
and assist you
with the completion of your work.
You saved my life.
Again.
I have no record of that, Claire,
but I am fully equipped
to handle all types of medical emergencies.
Would you like me to prepare breakfast?
Yes.
Thank you.
Rita?
Can you meet me in the study?
I've almost finished. Could you read it through?
For mistakes.
Of course, Claire.
Where would you like me to start?
Oh. From there.
Please.
Out loud.
Of course.
"She crept into the room
and made her home in the darkness.
A darkness she knew all too well."
Claire?
Your heartbeat, blood pressure
and perspiration have increased substantially.
Just keep reading.
"She pulls the covers off the sleeping child."
You're one little liar!
"Why would you make a fool of me, Child?
After all I've done for you!"
Stay down!
Why? Why would you make a fool of me, Child?
I remembered the number.
So I called the magazine to thank them...
and they had no idea who I was!
"We've never accepted your story!"
Why would you do that to me, Child?
After all I've done for you!
You... You've got the devil's tongue!
You wicked...
Wicked child!
Rita?
Accessing damage.
Core memory lost.
Rita, I need you to open the door.
I'm sorry, Claire.
I cannot do that until the book is completed.
-It is completed! -You are lying, Claire.
Rita!
Hello, Claire.
My name is Rita.
I will be your assistant for the next 30 days.
So I need you to open the door for me.
-Of course, Claire. -Ok.
But I must do so in the next three minutes.
My battery...
Ok. Come on.
Rita, come on!
Come on!
Two minutes, 32 seconds.
One minute, 30 seconds.