A squad of Marines and Sailors in a leadership course gets lost when they crash in a canyon that does not appear on their maps. Stranded with only edged weapons, they fight a mob of flesh craving cultists and must survive until sunrise, or be sacrificed to the demon, Atasaya.

SYNOPSIS:

This story begins with a patient screaming in a room in the psych ward at the Military hospital.

Navy Seals CHANG and MEDINA walk past the hospital while they talk about being uncomfortable attending a school run entirely by Marines. When Chang and Medina arrive at the school entrance, they get jeers from all of the attendees.

Inside the school, they meet Senior Instructor GySgt Morrison, who the class calls 'GUNNY', and Staff Sergeant Carol HEMSFIELD. On the first day of class, the group introduces its individual members. When the Seals announce themselves, they are insulted by the rest of the class, led by Marines WASHINGTON, ANDREE and WELSH.

A fight nearly breaks out in the room until it is called to a halt by senior students Sergeants GIFFORD and WESSON. The class Instructors remind the class that they need not only leadership, but teamwork. The Instructors put the Seals and the rowdy Marines in a squad together, which irritates the Marines chosen. The rest of the group, including Corporals Bell, Clowers and Flores form two more squads. They eat, sit train, drill and study together, but their is no social interactions between the sailors and the Marines.

SSgt Hemsfield notices the Marines being standoffish during their social interaction. To embrace teamwork, she assigns the entire squad together for the Land Navigation Course (LNC) for the maximum points needed for graduation. The Marines unwillingly sit with the Sailors and discuss their origins while cleaning weapons for the course.

Andree, who is left in charge of their squad's map, studies the topography for most of the night.

The platoon assembles in the early morning after breakfast to depart for the field exercise. Rushing to get out the chow hall door, Andree leaves the squad's navigation map on the table at the chow hall.

The platoon loads in massive transport trucks and head out on the highway. While discussing plans for the celebration when they reach the objective first, Helm realizes he can't find the map. The squad erupts and Washington comes up with a solution; buy another map and remark the coordinates based on memory. Since the squad believes it's their best chance, they stop at the last shopping plaza with a map and snacks for 100 miles; a small, rustic shop run by MR. MEALIE, a creepy, old man who speaks of the Southwestern occult.

Mr. Mealie tells the squad of the demons of the Zuni who use the skin of their sacrifices to walk the earth. He is worshiped in this area by a small few and they should be avoided. Clowers and Flores laugh the story off and head for the door. They are met by a young woman named ALMA who seduces both men with just her looks. Corporal Bell, the only female member of the squad walks in the shop behind Alma and brushes against her on the way past. The two women exchange glances and Bell also becomes smitten and lusty.

Chang gets their attention and the group pays for their items and leaves. Further away in the forest, a small group of cult members make concoctions in a large bowl before setting the bowl on fire. The Squad leaves the shop and hits the road for the training site. The squad is on the roadway when further away, the forest people stand in a circle and chant in Native tongue. The smoke steers itself towards the stretch of highway leading to Wendigo Canyon. The Driver of the military transport drives through the haze and the entire vehicle's occupants drift off to sleep as the vehicle drives itself onto a path leading away from the training site and into the center of the Wendigo Canyon.

The entire squad wakes up with slight headaches and are not sure it they have arrived at the training base camp. With no radio communication, the squad sets up camp to check their position. Sergeant Gifford is established as the leader of the squad, with Wesson as his second. Gifford tells the squad about not moving on their own for their own protection. The squad does not really take the situation seriously and assume that this is just a small mistake that will soon be corrected. Medina, on the other hand, believes that something is wrong. The other Marines make fun of him and set up camp, with Bell needing to use the bathroom, she goes by herself.

The Marines set up camp and while some still do not speak to the Seals, some of the Marines do talk and joke with them, especially Clowers and Flores. The Sergeants sit together and speak of a plan, while the Corporals get camp set up and also discuss possibilities of the situation. In the distance, Native chanting gets louder.

While out by herself at this time, Bell is approached by a naked Alma, who carries a bouquet of flowers and sage that smolders at the top.

Bell hears the chanting of the Cultists in the distance and tries to investigate but Alma distracts her by further seducing Bell. Alma passionately kisses Bell and blows the burning sage in Bell's face. Bell comes under the spell of Alma's and thinks she is having sex with Alma -- in reality, Bell's skin is being pulled from her back by a large DEMON-"ATASAYA", while she writhes on her stomach in ecstasy.

At the camp, the Corporals let the Sergeants know the camp is set and the group is mustered. While they take a head count, Gifford notices Bell is still missing. Wesson sends Medina and Clowers to go find her and the two take off in the full moonlight, armed only with knives and flashlights. Moments after Medina and Clowers leave, Bell returns, fully naked and walking still in the throes of her ecstasy. The squad cheers and cat calls until Bell passes out and falls over. The group sees that her skin has been completely removed from the sides of her body to the back.

The squad hunkers down and prepares a defense and realize that Medina and Clowers are still missing. A bit further away, Clowers and Medina realize they may be lost and look for signs of the camp. Clowers notices movement in the shadows and draws his knife, followed by Medina. The men are attacked by a few cult members and engage up close. Medina and Clowers kill most of the cultists, but Clowers is wounded. Medina patches Clowers up and the two try make it back to camp.

At the camp, The squad puts their plan in place; hold out until morning and move to an area where they are in radio range for rescue. Some of the squad see Clowers and Medina in the distance, then see a few of the cultists stalking them. The squad screams for the men to come to them as they see the cultists ready atlatl darts, bows and arrows. Arrows fly past and around Clowers and Medina until Medina's legs and Clowers' back are pierced with large, atlatl arrows.

The squad watches in helpless anguish as the two wounded men go to their knees and try to crawl the remainder of the way back. Chang grabs one of the torches and pours oil over it, creating a smoky haze and runs out between the shooters and the Servicemen to obscure their view, joined by Wesson. Before Chang and Wesson can get to the men, Medina is shot through the base of his brain by an atlatl dart sailing through the smoke. Chang and Wesson carry Clowers back to the camp and render first aid. The Cultists run through the smoke to skin the body. They return with the pieces through the smoke, chanting in a frenzy as they go.

The squad comes to the conclusion that this will be their last stand. They prepare weapons and traps, then Wesson has an idea; create a smoke screen just as the sun rises and climb the canyon, escape under cover of smoke and navigate from an elevated position, which also makes radio communication easier. They will also have the high ground.

The squad wait until one of them smells the sage smoke from the spell-fire that the cultists ignite. They all don gas masks and wait still. One of the cultist trip a trap wire that snares and snaps his leg. A Marine runs over and steals his bow and quiver before returning to the group. In an instant, the entire group of cultists surrounds the squad and begins to chant. A large demon steps through the haze in the treeline, draped in Bell's back skin.

A Cultist throws a lance which hits Clowers in the chest and the fight is on. The Marines attack the Cultists and kill many before retreating to a clearing at the base of a hill. As the clouds begin to show hints of sunlight, Chang lights the torch and ignites the oil trail hidden around the clearing. The men turn toward the hill and make their escape to higher ground, with arrows flying through the smoke.

The demon Atasaya runs ahead of the pack of cultists, growling and huffing as it goes. A few Cultists cut a few of the Marines off while Chang and Wesson run in another direction and circle around. The remaining Marines fight to the death but fall before Wesson and Chang can reach them. Wesson is separated by a few Cultists and kills two of them. The third Cultist knocks Wesson to his back and prepares to stab him when he is run through from behind by Chang, who is knocked aside and ganged up on as the smoke thickens. Wesson hears shouts from other Marines as he climbs the hill in the gathering sunlight.

Wesson passes out at the top of the hill, unaware of the sound of a Search and Rescue helicopter hovering above him. Back at the Command Center, a hearing is held on the events of that Training Session. Sgt. Wesson and PO Chang give their accounts. Both men are cleared from the incident and are led away to a vehicle to take them to the funerals for the squad.

Chang in his dress navy uniform stands next to Wesson. Wesson tells Chang that he could not have survived without him and that despite being a 'squid,' Chang is a warrior. Chang answers by muttering something to himself. Chang repeats the phrase which gets louder and grows into a Native American chant, similar to the chants heard that night when they were attacked. Wesson turns to Chang, and sees that Chang's face is removed on one side. Chang says a Native American command and the demon leaps from the ground, followed by each on the skinless Servicemen who leap from the graves of the fallen. Wesson draws his knife but is grabbed and mauled by the demon and his new, skinless ghouls in tattered military uniforms.

Wesson wakes up screaming and fully restrained with leather straps in the VA hospital down the hall from the first room. Troops march past his window towards the NCO School to attend the new NCO Class, who are greeted by Morrison and Hemsfield, who are now, unbeknownst to the troops, demons.

Fade out.