The Warning 2018

In April 2018, 9-year-old Nico finds himself tormented by relentless bullies who force him to loot an X-rated magazine from a 24-hour convenience store. They share chilling tales of a man shot dead in that very store a decade prior. When Nico is caught in the act by the store’s owner, Héctor, he realizes the magazine is far from appropriate for a child like Nico. Thankfully, Héctor keeps this incident from Nico’s mother, allowing him instead to purchase a video game magazine. To his shock, Nico later finds a sinister note hidden within the pages, warning him not to visit the store on his upcoming birthday, April 12, for fear of death. Alarmed, his mother informs the school principal of her suspicions regarding the bullies, resulting in further bullying and retaliation.

Fast forward to April 2, 2008, where Jon picks up his close friend, David, who plans to propose to his girlfriend, Andrea, that weekend. At Andrea’s request, they swing by the same convenience store for ice before heading home. While Jon waits in the car, David enters the store and falls victim to a failed murder attempt, ending up in a coma. This traumatic event leads Jon, a mathematician battling schizophrenia, to discontinue his medication. As he navigates through his troubled mind, he uncovers a disturbing series of violent incidents that have occurred on April 12 at that same location, all featuring a consistent pattern: a 10-year-old boy and four others aged 21, 32, 42, and 53.

The haunting history reveals that in 1913, a desperate bank robber, Ezequiel González, triggered by the war’s horrors, returned to the store, resulting in a tragic chain of events. After Ezequiel’s daughter shares how her father lost everything trying to fund her medical needs, it becomes clear that Ezequiel’s mental state was fragile. In 1955, the same store witnessed the murder of an innkeeper at the hands of her ex-lover, in front of her own child. Then, in 1976, a botched assassination attempt by the Basque separatist group ETA led to tragedy, with the death of a young guard who died shielding a boy.

Despite Jon’s attempts to share his findings with Andrea and David’s brother, they attribute his concerns to his mental health struggles and his decision to stop taking medication. Conflict escalates when Jon admits the upcoming April 12 date signals his own 32nd birthday. As David’s family grapples with his deteriorating condition and the decision to end his life support on that very date, Jon reveals his chilling theory that Ezequiel has been reincarnated and killed in that same spot, leading to fears for the fate of a 10-year-old boy.

At the hospital, emotions run high as Andrea and David’s family bid their final farewells. Upon the disconnection of David’s life support, Jon rushes to the maternity ward, urgently warning the parents of a newborn about the impending danger when their son turns 10. After a brief scuffle with hospital staff, he races back to the store—the very site of their earlier ordeal—where a miraculous rebound occurs: David regains consciousness just as Jon realizes that he may be the one destined to die. He writes down the foreboding warning Nico received and hands it to Héctor, still wearing a video game-themed T-shirt, pleading for it to be passed on to a boy similar to him in ten years’ time.

In a desperate attempt to avert disaster, Jon convinces Héctor that another robbery is taking place, prompting him to alert the police. However, in a moment of chaos, Jon takes control of the gun and forces Héctor, a man, and a boy outside just as sirens blare nearby.

In 2018, with the specter of tragedy looming, Nico learns that another boy received the same ominous warning not to visit the store. Despite his mother, Lucía, questioning the validity of the threat, she insists Nico confront his fears by going to the store. Inside, he is confronted by a gunman demanding cash. With Héctor missing, the commotion intensifies when a younger employee responds with his own weapon. In an intense moment, Nico glimpses Jon from the past in a convex mirror, who urgently screams at him to run. Miraculously, Nico manages to escape as bullets fly, reporting back to his mother that he felt no fear.

As the narrative wraps in a poignant flashback to 2008, Jon is shot and wounded by a police officer while witnessing Nico’s escape. He passes away shortly after Andrea and David’s brother arrive at the scene, and in a twist of fate, Nico is born shortly thereafter, keeping the cycle of life and tragedy intertwined.