Herd (2023)

Lesbian couple Jamie (Ellen Adair) and Alex (Mitzi Akaha) embark on a canoe trip through rural Missouri in an effort to reconnect after a recent personal tragedy. Their relationship is strained, marked by unresolved grief and tension, which comes to a head when an argument leads to Alex deliberately capsizing their canoe. The incident leaves Alex with a broken leg, forcing the couple to trek through the wilderness in search of help. As they make their way toward civilization, they discover that a viral outbreak has turned much of the population into zombie-like creatures known as “Heps.”

Stranded and vulnerable, Jamie and Alex are rescued by a local militia group led by Big John Gruber (Jeremy Holm), who takes them to a fortified compound that turns out to be Jamie's hometown. There, Jamie must confront her past, including a strained relationship with her estranged, homophobic father (Corbin Bernsen), who is also part of the compound community. Though the militia provides medical care for Alex, the compound itself is fraught with tension, paranoia, and latent bigotry.

As the threat of infection looms, a rival militia group led by the menacing Sterling (Timothy V. Murphy) arrives and demands resources, sparking a violent confrontation between the two factions. Jamie and Alex soon realize that the true danger may not be the infected, but the cruelty and fear-driven decisions of the humans around them. Faced with mounting violence and deepening personal stakes, the couple decides to flee the compound. Relying on their love and resilience, they must survive both the infected and the escalating human conflict around them.