Synopsis
| - Ralph Sorrell is on his way home after having a few too many drinks, causing him to get into a car crash with a passenger bus, making both vehicles crash into the swamp. The entire accident is viewed by the Man-Thing, which silently watches the events unfold. Among the survivors are Mary Brown, soldier Jim Arsdale, student Holden Crane, and a young boy named Kevin Kennerman. When Kevin is pinned in the wreckage of the bus, Holden refuses to help being "against life" causing friction among the survivors.
The Man-Thing arrives and lifts up the wreckage and frees the boy to the shock and awe of the other survivors, before the muck-monster returns to the swamp. Arsdale gets into an altercation with Holden over Holden's lack of regard for the injured boy. Arsdale also picks a fight with Ralph Sorrell -- who also survived the crash -- when they learn that he's been drinking.
With Kevin needing medical attention, the group decides to walk to the nearest town, Arsdale -- being from the area -- tells them that his home town is on the other side of the swamp but cautions them of the danger in going in it, but all agree it's the fastest way to get help. Along the way, the group come to arguments over their different belief systems, and values, all the while facing various dangers inherent to the swamp. When a snake threatens them, he Man-Thing is there to save them.
Eventually, Arsdale finally has enough with Crane's constant triads against the military and begins beating on the boy, however is pulled off by Ralph and Mary when Crane doesn't fight back.
While this goes on, Jennifer Kale has finished another date with her boyfriend Jaxon, however she is suddenly struck with a horrible vision and passes out with a scream.
Back in the swamps, the survivors of the crash make it to the edge of the F.A. Schist construction site, where Paul suddenly pulls a gun out on the others. Not wanting to go to jail for the accident he has decided that he is going to kill all the surviving witnesses. He shoots Holden and Jim before the Man-Thing appears, and takes his gun away. Fleeing, Paul finds a flame thrower on the Schist grounds and tries to burn the Man-Thing alive. However, this does not work, and when the Man-Thing grabs Paul, his own fear causes him to be burned to death.
When the Schist construction workers camped out at the site arrive to see what all the commotion is, they find Mary, Kevin and the Man-Thing. Having saved her life, Mary thanks the Man-Thing, the muck-monster naturally gives no response and indifferently returns to the swamp that is it's home.
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