One Year Later
Margot eats breakfast as John watches. She points out that he's starving, and John says that he can wait another day. Margot tells him that it's been long enough, and she wrote it down. She then takes John's hands and recites her memories about how they went to lake in the summer and they looked for UFOs. The memory-cannibal John takes her memories as Margot continues reciting her memories. Once she's done, John lowers his hand and Margot looks over at an apple from the memory sitting in a puddle of the black goo. He tells her that she lost the memories of a few afternoons, goes over to the apple, and after a moment breaks it open and eats the contents while Margot eats her breakfast.
Later, Margot writes down more memories so that she can read them back later after she forgets them. She then turns off the lights and goes to bed with Seth. The next day, she swims in the pool and looks up at John watching her. That night, she and Seth walk to the cage holding his family. They go home and make love, and afterward Seth sits at the window and looks out. He goes outside and looks at the family, which look back at him from within their cage. After a moment, Seth turns and walks away.
The next morning, Margot finds Seth on the street. She says that she knows that his family is suffering, and he tells her that he's given them everything he doesn't want to remember. Alter a moment, Seth turns and walks the other way, and Margot goes after him. They realize that the world rearranged itself because the house showed up somewhere new. A French sign has appeared, and Seth figures the house appeared somewhere that they speak French.
Jules is in her bedroom tracking the House. When she finds its current location in Quebec, she grabs a journal and photos and heads there. Jules finds the House and people approaching it and lining up outside. A girl asks how Jules heard of the place, and she says that her friends came there a year ago.
Inside the House, Jules finds Seth and he says that it won't come while she's with her. He explains that they don't starve to death while the food source is out there: the cannibals just get hungrier and hungrier. When Seth says that he's trying to help her, Jules tells her to stay back. He says that whatever is haunting her will take everything if it finds her, and advises Jules to keep her eyes open.
Seth and Jules continue on and Seth takes her by a route past the cage. He says that the place has changed since the last time Jules was there, and it isn't his call. They arrive at the cage, and Seth says that the House is an organism and has instincts and an appetite. The family look out from the cage, and Seth tells Jules that the more he understands the House, the more he admires it. He wishes that Jules would, but Jules tells him that she doesn't believe it and came to get Margot out. She demands that Seth take her to Margot, and after a moment Seth agrees. He then punches Jules I the stomach, grabs her, and drags her into a nearby house.
John is sitting in the living room, staring into space, while Margot sits on the stairs. Seth comes in and tells Margot that everything is different. She says that she thinks that they should close the door or set the House on fire so other people can't get in. Seth warns that it might not be that easy, and refuses to consider the idea.
Jules wakes up in the house's basement and hears distorted voices. The sphere is in the next room, and the voices call to Jules. She approaches and touches the sphere, and a figure pushes out against the sphere's kin. Jules wonders what it is, but then says that it doesn't matter because she's not the same person. Margot's voice speaks, repeating the words Margot said to Jules on the phone when she needed help, and more voices sound. After a moment, Jules steps back and the figure tries to break free of the sphere and get at Jules.
Margot goes out to the street. When Seth approaches her, Margot says that she's still thinking about closing the door. He says that she cares about other people more than herself, and can see the real her. Seth tells Margot that she can always count on the fact that as long as she's there, he will always be there for her.
The sphere lights up and the figure inside pounds on the inside wall, screaming to be let out. Black liquid oozes from the base of the sphere. After a moment, the figure explodes and something shoves a knife through the sphere's skin.
A goo-covered Jules walks down the street.
The figure, covered in black goo, tears itself out of the sphere using the knife. It kneels on the floor and screams, and then walks out.
Margot goes into the house and sees the painting on the wall swirling. Seth goes out to where John is working in the shed, and tells him about Margot's idea. He says that they shouldn't do anything to upset the ecosystem, and warns that it doesn't work. John thinks that Margot's idea is a good one, but John points out that the House might die and John with it. John says that he'll die and Margot will get hollowed out so she might as well be dead, and tells Seth that as for him, they all have to make sacrifices.
Margot looks outside and sees Jules walking up to the house. Jules approaches the house and when Margot comes out, Jules asks if she remembers her. Margot says that she's the last person that she'd forget, and Jules tells her that she's there to take her home. When Margot says that she lives there, Jules says that it's a prison break. Her friend says that she doesn't remember anything except Jules, John, Seth, and the house. Jules says that she has to show her something and leads her off.
Seth comes back inside and calls to Margot. He soon realizes that she's gone and goes out to find her.
Jules takes Margot to a house where a person is sitting on the floor sketching. The person doesn't respond, and Jules says that it's another Margot. She explains that Seth brought her there and let the House hollow her out. The other-Margot asks if Seth is coming back soon, and Jules tells Margot that soon she'll be as hollow as the other-Margot is, and then Seth will replace her. Jules asks if Margot is coming home now, and tells her that it's time to go. When Margot hesitates, Jules tells her to wait there while she does what she has to, and refuses to explain.
Seth goes to the cage and the family loos at him. Margot comes out and Seth stares at her in surprise. He asks what's going on, and Margot asks who lives there. Seth realizes that Margot met other-Margot, and explains that they came in in the same group. The other-Margot didn't last long because she was young and had less memories to steal. He comes there to check on her from time to time. Seth says that he and John want Margot to come home, and reminds her that he'll always be there for her. When he strokes her face, Margot shoves him away.
Margots come out from the other houses around the cage, all calling to Seth.
Jules enters her house and hears someone sharpening a knife. She follows the noise to the kitchen, where John is working at the counter. He turns to Jules and figures that she's there for Margot. Jules holds up a knife, and John figures that Jules thinks that if he's out of the way then it will be easier for her to get Margot to go. He agrees and tells Jules to do it, and says that he knows what he is. He has no problem with not existing. Jules lowers her knife.
Seth admits that he hasn't been totally honest, and says that sometimes Margot doesn't recognize how special the House is. Margot realizes that Seth isn't who she thought he was, and Seth says that he has never belonged anywhere until the House took him in and saved him. When Margot says that he can't feed others to the House, Seth angrily shouts that he's tired of waiting for one of the Margots to realize how important the House is. He says that memory is a disease and the House is the cure, and if Margot doesn't want to use it then she's just like everybody else: disappointing. Margot asks him what love is, an infection. Seth says that he loves her and still does, but just loved the other Margots first. He insists that he's not a serial killer, just a serial monogamist, and Margot points out that they're not exclusive. Seth says that she's not a little girl anymore, and she agrees.
As Seth tells Margot that they should come home, Margot opens the cage and release the family. Jules and John arrive, and Jules punches Seth in the stomach. John grabs Seth, and the family put their hands on Seth and feed on his memories. They take his memories and black goo spreads across the street. John backs away and then walks off. The Margots go back inside their houses, and Margot and Jules leave.
John goes to the Sleator house's pool and sits by it. Margot sits next to him and says thanks. John tells her that he wants to protect her, and holds out her hand. Margot takes it and John rests his head on her shoulder. After a moment, John and Margot get up and a sobbing Margot can't bring herself to stab John with the knife. Jules comes over and helps her stab the smiling image of her father. John falls back into the pool and sinks out of sight, and the rope that he tied around his ankle and to a weight falls in after him and keeps him down.
As night falls, Jules asks Margot if she's ready to go. Margot says that she is, and they walk to the House. They open the exit door and after a moment, go back to the real world.
Written by Gadfly on Oct 26, 2017