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EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – MIDNIGHT
Thunder roars in the distance while sheets of rain fall from
the dark, midnight sky. No one is around except CHARLES
(40's), a homeless drunk, wearing a trench coat and dark
clothing, tries to keep warm under a breezeway parallel to
the school field. Something catches CHARLES' eyes in the
middle of the field. He sees a wide dirt mound that looks
like an unconscious animal.
CHARLES
What is that?
His curiosity leads him there while the rain pours down on
him. The closer CHARLES gets to it, the more it looks like a
human body. When he reaches the body, he realizes the
unconscious human is young, nearly the age of twelve years
old. The thin, five-foot tall boy has blue eyes and thin
blond hair styled as a bowl cut. The boy must be freezing
because all he is wearing is gray woven shorts and a
sleeveless shirt.
CHARLES (CONT'D)
Are you awake?
The boy doesn't respond, so CHARLES lightly shakes the body
with his right foot. After he does that, the boy doesn't
respond.
CHARLES (CONT'D)
Hello? Wake up, kid!
As CHARLES expected, the boy remains motionless.
CHARLES (CONT'D)
Stupid kid. Why the hell are you out
here? School doesn't start for another
nine hours. Are you that excited for
school that you sleep out here in the
rain?
CHARLES kneels next to the child on his knees. He takes hold
of the child's right arm and checks for his pulse. It's still
beating.
CHARLES (CONT'D)
Well, you're alive, at least. I can't
believe you're out here! What's the
matter with you? I was, uh, just about to
ask myself the same thing over there.
Two police officers, OFFICER STEVENS and OFFICER GARRISON,
walk down the breezeway of the school.
OFFICER STEVENS is an young, outgoing man who enjoys his
life, and OFFICER GARRISON is very stern and strict to the
rules. He is about seven years older than OFFICER STEVENS.
OFFICER STEVENS
Well, still no trace of him. Any idea
when this was reported?
OFFICER GARRISON
About an hour ago.
OFFICER STEVENS
Do you think he's still here?
OFFICER GARRISON
I don't know. We haven't checked over
here, so we'll give it a few more
minutes.
OFFICER STEVENS moves his flashlight around to find clues to
where CHARLES is at, but nothing looks suspicious. OFFICER
GARRISON stops, shining his flashlight out in the field.
OFFICER STEVENS
What is it?
OFFICER GARRISON
There he is.
The two officers pull out their guns.
OFFICER GARRISON (CONT'D)
(Shouts) Freeze!
CHARLES turns his head quickly and finds the two policemen at
the breezeway. He scrambles to his feet and raises his hands
in the air.
CHARLES
(Shouts) I didn't do it!
Once CHARLES notices the two policemen coming towards him, he
turns around and starts running quickly down the field. When
the two policemen run pass the child, OFFICER STEVENS quickly
glances at the child, seeing him unconscious and completely
drenched by the rain.
OFFICER GARRISON
(Shouts) Stop!
CHARLES keeps running with all of his strength towards the
fences. When he gets there, he runs through the open gate and
slams it shut behind him. CHARLES runs across the road and
down the path of a large forest.
OFFICER GARRISON struggles to open the fence, and within
several seconds, he opens it and runs after CHARLES, but
quickly realizes he is nowhere in sight. OFFICER STEVENS
follows OFFICER GARRISON into the forest.
Sweat and water drips from CHARLES' soaked hair as he makes
his way through the forest. He runs off the trail and runs
past several trees and bushes. When he is completely out of
breath, he hides behind a wide tree, and he doesn't hear the
policemen at all.
INT. LOBBY - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL – MORNING
Two days later…
CPS social worker, SHERYL BRAXTON (30's), with curly brown
hair and hazel eyes, walks into the lobby through the main
entrance door. She is very attractive and easygoing. She
walks to the front counter where the clerk is, named DONNA.
The two of them smile when they have eye contact.
SHERYL
Hi, my name is Sheryl, social worker for
CPS. Dr. Morris is expecting me.
DONNA
Oh, yes. He mentioned you were coming.
I'll call him right up.
SHERYL
Thank you.
DONNA picks up the phone as SHERYL walks around the lobby.
Children are playing with some toys as the parents watch them
and the television. A minute later, Dr. Morris enters the
lobby with a wide smile. He seems very outgoing for his old
age. His hair is white which matches his clothing. SHERYL
smiles when she notices him.
SHERYL (CONT'D)
Fred? Oh my God, it's so good to see you
again!
DR. MORRIS
Hey! My, you've grown. What are you up to
these days?
SHERYL
Same thing, really. I've been working a
lot, still raising my two kids.
DR. MORRIS laughs.
SHERYL follows DR. MORRIS down the hallway.
SHERYL (CONT'D)
So what would cause a little boy to sleep
nearly forty-eight hours straight?
DR. MORRIS
I really have no idea. He seems very
normal. There are no head injuries, no
bruises or cuts. So we're basically
relying on the information he tells us
after he wakes up.
SHERYL
Sounds good. Has there been any parents
calling in?
DR. MORRIS
That's really interesting. You see, he's
been here for two days, and there has
been no reports of missing children.
SHERYL
He'll probably need to go with me to CPS
then. Maybe we can get him a foster home
immediately until we figure out what's
going on.
DR. MORRIS
Yeah, I'm sure the child has some
valuable information that could help us
out.
SHERYL
Definitely.
DR. MORRIS
Here's his room.
DR. MORRIS opens the door.
INT. ROOM - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - MORNING
DR. MORRIS and SHERYL enter the room, finding a large window
in front of them, revealing a great view of the small town
surrounded by the forest and scattered mountains. Below the
window is a comfortable white bed which is where the child is
sleeping on, wearing a white and blue hospital garment.
SHERYL is immediately filled with remorse while she looks at
him. She slowly approaches him as DR. MORRIS stands close to
the door.
SHERYL kneels by the bed and examines the boy's head. DR.
MORRIS is right. There are no present bruises or anything
closely related.
The boy quietly moans as he begins to stretch his arms and
legs. His eyes slowly opens and finds SHERYL by his side. He
looks very confused and frightened by the surrounding area.
SHERYL smiles.
SHERYL
Hi, there, sleepyhead.
BOY
...Are you my mom?
SHERYL looks at the doctor for a second realizing they are
both confused. She looks back at the child and gives him a
warm assurance.
SHERYL
No, I'm not, Hun. But we're going to find
her soon. Sound good?
BOY
Yeah.
DR. MORRIS walks towards the bed.
SHERYL
Hi, there. Can you tell me your name?
The boy thinks for a minute but he doesn't seem to remember.
BOY
I'm not sure.
DR. MORRIS
Can you recall anything before you fell
to sleep?
The boy thinks again but he still seems unsure.
BOY
No.
SHERYL looks at DR. MORRIS.
SHERYL
Could it be amnesia?
DR. MORRIS
It seems like it. I don't really
understand, though. The scan we have
shows his brain is normal. There are no
signs of amnesia.
SHERYL looks back at the child.
SHERYL
Is there anything you're keeping from us?
Because if there is, we're here to help
you.
BOY
(Voice rising) I don't have anything to
hide. Why am I here?
SHERYL sighs, wondering what to say.
DR. MORRIS
When you were asleep, we were hoping you
could tell us. But you have amnesia for
some strange reason, so it's going to
take longer than we thought to gather up
the details. Sheryl, here, is going to
take you to where she works. It's a
better place that can help you.
BOY
Fine.
SHERYL
All right, can you get out of the bed all
by yourself?
BOY
Yeah.
SHERYL
Let me help.
BOY
No, I can do it.
The two adults watch the boy remove the bed covers, then he
balances himself on his bare feet. The boy takes a few steps
and almost looses his balance.
SHERYL
You're not going to fall, are you?
BOY
Hopefully not.
SHERYL
Okay. (To DR. MORRIS) Are there any
clothes for him?
DR. MORRIS walks towards the small bathroom.
DR. MORRIS
Yeah, they're laying in here.
DR. MORRIS walks towards the small bathroom.
SHERYL
(To BOY) Let's go where Dr. Morris is.
SHERYL stays close to the boy was they walk towards the
bathroom.
INT. LOBBY - CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - MORNING
SHERYL is kneeling as she fixes the collar on the boy's short
sleeve shirt. The boy is wearing casual clothing, but his
pants are a few sizes longer, and the shoes are nearly worn
out.
SHERYL
There you go. When we get to the building
we'll find you more decent clothing. The
hospital was kind enough to give you
these.
SHERYL stands up.
SHERYL (CONT'D)
Okay, when we walk out those doors over
there, there's going to be several people
with cameras. I want you to be silent and
to not answer any of their questions.
Okay?
BOY
Okay.
SHERYL
Ready?
BOY
Yeah.
SHERYL
Take my hand.
The boy takes SHERYL'S hands as they head towards the main
entrance doors. Through the window they can see several
people with cameras and microphones. The boy seems confused,
but he continues to do what SHERYL asked of him. SHERYL opens
the door and several reporters start asking questions
regarding the boy.
EXT. CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL - MORNING
Tightly holding onto SHERYL'S hand, SHERYL leads the
frightened boy through the crowd of people and heads towards
her black sports car. The cameramen follow them to the car as
reports continue asking their questions. SHERYL unlocks the
two front doors as they get inside. After putting on their
seatbelts, SHERYL turns on the engine and drives the vehicle
outside of the parking lot.
INT. POLICE OFFICE - MORNING
CHIEF JOHNSON (40's) watches the news on his small TV,
showing the boy leaving with the social worker. The chief has
brown eyes and brown hair. The chief turns the TV off with
his remote, and faces OFFICER GARRISON and OFFICER STEVENS
who sit in front of his desk.
CHIEF JOHNSON
Well, he's finally awake. His parents
were not seen on the video, and except
for that social worker, no one seems to
know him. So, whoever that man was a few
nights ago, he might know something.
Maybe he's the child's father, for all we
know. I want you two to have this
assignment. Get me that man, he may link
us somehow to why that child was found on
the field. All right?
OFFICER GARRISON
All right.
OFFICER STEVENS
Sounds good, Sir.
The two officers stand up from their chairs.
CHIEF JOHNSON
Oh, and hey...
OFFICER STEVENS
Yeah?
CHIEF JOHNSON
Don't loose sight of him this time, okay?
OFFICER STEVENS
All right.
OFFICER GARRISON
Yes, sir.
CHIEF JOHNSON
Good luck.
The two officers leave the office.
EXT. POLICE STATION - MORNING
OFFICER GARRISON and OFFICER STEVENS drive out of the parking
lot with their police car. As they drive around the block,
CHARLES stands there, watching them drive off. He turns
around and walks the other direction.
INT. CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICES - NOON
The boy is sitting alone as he watches people walk back and
forth in the hallway. A few people smile at him as they walk
by. Others just keep their eyes straight ahead, making him
feel uncomfortable and not welcomed. A counselor, LARRY, with
brown hair and eyes, walks towards the boy, greeting him with
a smile and a handshake.
LARRY
Hi, there. I'm Larry.
BOY
Hi.
LARRY
Why don't you come to my office, and I'll
tell you what we decided on.
The boy stands up.
BOY
Okay.
LARRY
Right this way.
LARRY leads the boy down the hallway.
INT. OFFICE - NOON
The boy walks into the office with LARRY and they sit down at
a desk. LARRY pulls out some paperwork then faces the boy.
LARRY
I understand that you have amnesia, and
your parents haven't come and claimed you
yet. So since we don't have any
information to help just yet, we're going
to put you in foster care.
BOY
What's that?
LARRY
Foster care?
BOY
Yeah.
LARRY
Well, you will belong to another family
until we find your real parents. That way
you'll have loving people who can take
care of you for a while.
BOY
Is that the only choice I have?
LARRY
Yeah. But, before we do that, I'm going
to give you a new identification.
BOY
A new what?
LARRY
Identification. We don't know who you
really are, so we're going to make up
some things. Do you see what I'm saying?
BOY
Kind of.
LARRY pulls out a paper from the stack.
LARRY
Okay, first of all, you get to pick out a
name for yourself. I'll give you some
examples. There's Derek, James, Sam,
um... Michael, Nicholas, Josh...
BOY
Nicholas?
LARRY
You like that one?
BOY
Yeah.
LARRY
Okay. Now I'll make up a last name for
you.
LARRY writes 'Nicholas' on the paper.
LARRY (CONT'D)
Okay, your full name will be Nicholas
Scott Anderson. You can always change
your name to Nick, Nicky, or you can keep
it as Nicholas. Your birthday will be
September twenty-first, nineteen eighty
eight. This means that you are twelve
years old. You will be entering the
seventh grade at a junior high school,
but since you have amnesia, we're going
to closely monitor you to see how you're
doing. The goal of going to school is to
help you gain back your memory, so don't
feel like you have to pass each class.
It's just meant to help you.
BOY / NICHOLAS
Okay.
LARRY
Alright, Nicholas, you're all set. Sheryl
will drive you to your new foster home,
and I'll be checking in every once in a
while to see how you're doing. Does that
sound good?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, I guess so.
LARRY
All right. Hold on a minute, Nicholas.
LARRY stands up from his chair and walks out of the office.
INT. CAR - NOON
SHERYL drives her vehicle into a friendly neighborhood.
NICHOLAS is sitting on the front passenger seat and he is
looking out the window seeing kids playing happily in their
yards. The warm sun shines down on the neighborhood without a
single cloud in the sky.
SHERYL
Nervous at all?
NICHOLAS
Yeah. Kind of.
SHERYL
Don't be. I went through the same thing
at your age.
Silence.
SHERYL (CONT'D)
Except I wasn't lying in a field. You
see, my dad isn't the kind of dad you
would want. He always yelled at my mom
and sometimes he even hit her. One day my
mom couldn't take it, so she drove off
and she got killed in a car wreck.
NICHOLAS
What happened after that?
SHERYL
The next day I went to a foster home, and
I finally got the parents I always
wanted. I'm telling you, when you get
there, you won't want to leave.
NICHOLAS looks downward at the ground and doesn't speak.
SHERYL (CONT'D)
What's the matter?
NICHOLAS
Nothing... nothing at all.
SHERYL
You feel it won't be the same.
NICHOLAS
I don't know what the same is.
SHERYL
Well, if I can cheer you up, maybe we'll
find your parents in a few days.
NICHOLAS looks up facing SHERYL.
NICHOLAS
Really?
SHERYL
Yeah. You were probably kidnapped, and
you're parents perhaps are searching for
you right now. Anything is possible.
That's all I'm saying.
NICHOLAS
I hope so.
SHERYL
Just remember to always have a positive
mind. Keep searching. Never give up. And
just like I did, you'll enjoy living with
your foster family. I bet you a dollar
that you will.
NICHOLAS
I bet you five dollars I wont!
SHERYL
Five dollars?
NICHOLAS
Yep.
SHERYL
Fine, five dollars. Shake on it?
NICHOLAS and SHERYL shake hands.
NICHOLAS
You're going to be sorry!
EXT. CAR - NOON
The car drives down the road while they talk.
SHERYL V.O.
No, you're going to be sorry!
NICHOLAS V.O.
Sure, I am.
SHERYL V.O.
Oh, yeah?
NICHOLAS V.O.
Yeah!
EXT. NICHOLAS'S HOME - NOON
A few minutes later, SHERYL parks her car in front of a two
story house. They step out of the car and walk to the front
door of the house. NICHOLAS feels even more nervous than
before. SHERYL rings the doorbell with a clipboard held in
her other hand. A few seconds later, the door opens. Facing
SHERYL and NICHOLAS is an outgoing, young man named GREG. He
smiles when he sees them.
GREG
Hi, can I help you?
SHERYL
Yeah, I'm Sheryl from CPS. I'm just
dropping Nicholas off.
GREG looks down at NICHOLAS.
GREG
Hey! I'm Greg.
GREG shakes his hand with NICHOLAS.
GREG (CONT'D)
Welcome to your new home!
NICHOLAS
Thanks.
SHERYL
I just need you to sign right here.
GREG
All right.
SHERYL hands the clipboard to GREG. GREG signs the paper and
hands it back to her.
GREG (CONT'D)
There you go.
SHERYL
Thanks. (To NICHOLAS) Well, Nicholas,
this is it. If you have any problems,
feel free to call Larry or I.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
SHERYL
And you better start saving up for that
five dollars!
NICHOLAS
No, you need to save up for it!
SHERYL
See you later.
NICHOLAS
Bye.
GREG
Thanks, Sheryl.
SHERYL
Bye!
GREG looks down at NICHOLAS while SHERYL walks to her car.
GREG
Come on in, Nicholas. NICHOLAS follows
GREG into the house.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NOON
The floor carpet is light brown and the walls are white. To
the right of them is spiral stairs that go up to the second
floor.
GREG
So how was your trip here?
NICHOLAS
It was fine.
GREG
Great. Well, let me show you around the
house.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
They walk into the kitchen.
INT. NICHOLAS'S ROOM - NOON
They last walk into NICHOLAS'S room that has four presents on
his blue water bed. This room has a television on the other
side with a Nintendo Sixty-Four attached to it. Two windows
are facing the forest next to their house, and the curtains
are opened.
GREG
And this is your room.
NICHOLAS examines the room with his curious eyes.
GREG (CONT'D)
How do you like it?
NICHOLAS
It's nice.
GREG
Let me show you something.
NICHOLAS follows GREG to the water bed. GREG picks up one of
the presents wrapped in colorful wrapping paper.
GREG (CONT'D)
My son and I picked out some presents for
you to welcome you here.
GREG hands the first present to NICHOLAS. NICHOLAS looks at
it for a second, then looks back up at GREG.
NICHOLAS
What is it?
GREG laughs.
GREG
Well, open it and find out!
NICHOLAS looks down the present and tears off the wrapping
paper. He finds a baseball glove in it with a baseball.
NICHOLAS
What's this?
GREG
You don't know what this is?
NICHOLAS
No.
GREG
It's a baseball glove and a ball. You can
use these to play baseball and catch. Do
you know how to play?
NICHOLAS
No.
GREG
Okay. I'll teach you, then.
GREG walks over to the closet as he talks.
GREG (CONT'D)
I'm sure Anthony put his glove in the
closet. Hold on.
GREG opens the closet and looks on the top shelf.
GREG (CONT'D)
Here it is.
GREG takes a glove out of the closet and faces NICHOLAS. GREG
puts it on his left hand as he speaks. NICHOLAS does the same
by watching GREG.
GREG (CONT'D)
First, we'll play catch. We throw the
ball to one another and we catch it with
the gloves.
NICHOLAS
What's the point of that?
GREG
Now throw the ball to me.
NICHOLAS lightly grips onto the baseball, then he throws it
towards GREG. GREG catches way off to the left side.
GREG (CONT'D)
That was an okay throw, but next time
throw the ball closer to me. Kind of like
this...
GREG throws an underhand to NICHOLAS who stands in one place
with his glove in front of him. The ball hits the glove, and
then it falls to the floor.
GREG (CONT'D)
You can move around, you know. Always
keep your glove pointed to where the ball
is.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
NICHOLAS picks up the ball.
GREG
Now throw me the ball as fast as you can.
NICHOLAS
Are you sure?
GREG
Yeah. Give me your best throw.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
NICHOLAS grips hard on the ball as he looks at GREG. NICHOLAS
throws the ball as fast as he can. GREG misses it as the ball
goes pass him and it breaks through the window. They look at
the window not knowing what to say. GREG looks at NICHOLAS.
GREG
I was just coming to this rule. Never
play catch in the house.
INT. GREG'S CAR - NOON
GREG drives his car down the road with NICHOLAS sitting on
the passenger seat.
NICHOLAS
So where are we going?
GREG
To the park to pick up Anthony. He's
playing basketball with a few friends of
his. When he's in the car we'll get
something to eat.
NICHOLAS
All right. Where's your wife?
GREG
My wife? She... passed away a while ago.
NICHOLAS
Oh. So it's just you and Anthony now?
GREG
Yeah. Since we had extra room in the
house, I thought being a foster parent
would be a great thing to get started.
NICHOLAS
How did your wife die?
GREG
She died in a car wreck.
NICHOLAS
Do you miss her?
GREG
More than anything in the world. Even
though it's been three years now, I still
think of her every day. Well, here we
are.
GREG drives into the park.
EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NOON
Sixteen-year-old ANTHONY plays basketball with three of his
friends, named JARED, TOM, and NATHAN. ANTHONY has black hair
styled as an undercut, and he is five foot seven. JARED
passes the basketball to ANTHONY. When ANTHONY grabs a hold
of it, he starts dribbling the ball towards the hoop. He
throws the ball and it swishes through the hoop.
TOM
That was pure luck.
ANTHONY
Yeah, right.
ANTHONY finds his dad's car pulling up to the parking lot.
ANTHONY (CONT'D)
There's my dad. Catch you guys later.
JARED
All right. Peace, man.
TOM
Later.
ANTHONY walks tot he car seeing his dad in there with a kid.
When ANTHONY is at the car, he opens the back door and steps
in.
GREG
How did the game go?
ANTHONY
Pretty good.
GREG
This is Nicholas. He'll be staying with
us for a while.
ANTHONY
(To NICHOLAS) Hey.
NICHOLAS
Hey.
GREG
Hungry?
ANTHONY
Yeah, I'm starving.
GREG
All right. Off to eat we go.
GREG drives the car out of the park.
INT. SCHOOL - MORNING
NICHOLAS closes his locker in the hallway several children
walk around and talks to one another. NICHOLAS is wearing
blue jeans, a white T-shirt, a gray sweat coat, and his white
shoes. His backpack is also on. NICHOLAS walks up to his
first period class with his schedule in his hand. He reads
the paper.
NICHOLAS
NICHOLAS looks up at the room numbers and finds room 107 a
few doors down. He walks into the room.
INT. ROOM 107 - MORNING
NICHOLAS finds half of the class sitting down with the rest
of the class somewhere in the hallway. He sees the teacher at
her desk on the computer. The teacher has blond hair, hazel
eyes, and she's wearing casual clothing. NICHOLAS walks up to
her feeling a little nervous. The teacher notices him.
NICHOLAS
Hi.
JENNIFER
Hi. Can I help you?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, I'm Nicholas Anderson. I'm new
here.
JENNIFER
Oh, that's right. I was told there was
going to be a new student here. I'm Mrs.
Sanders, but you can call me Jennifer if
you like.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
JENNIFER
Let's see here, where should I put you?
JENNIFER looks at her computer for a moment.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
There's one.
JENNIFER points to the back of the room. NICHOLAS looks to
where she points.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
See that desk in the corner next to the
boy?
NICHOLAS sees a dirty-blond haired boy working on his
homework.
NICHOLAS
Yeah.
JENNIFER
You'll sit at the open desk to the left
of him.
NICHOLAS
Okay, thanks.
JENNIFER
You're welcome. It was nice meeting you.
NICHOLAS walks his way to the back. As he does, am overweight
fourteen-year-old boy sticks his foot out to where NICHOLAS
is walking. NICHOLAS stumbles over the foot and he falls to
the floor. Everyone laughs except for the boy in the corner.
He looks like he knew it was coming because he got use to it.
NICHOLAS gets up and looks at the bully angrily. The bully
stands up and looks down at NICHOLAS. To NICHOLAS this kid
looks like a six-foot monster. The kid's name is CALEB.
CALEB
What are you going to do?
JENNIFER
Caleb!
NICHOLAS and CALEB look at JENNIFER.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Get over here!
CALEB looks at NICHOLAS.
CALEB
I'll see you later.
CALEB walks to JENNIFER'S desk as NICHOLAS turns around and
walks to his desk. He takes off his backpack and sits down.
The boy next to him looks like he could be a good, trustful
friend. He is NICHOLAS'S height and he has an undercut. He's
NICHOLAS'S weight too, and is thirteen years old.
TYLER
Hi.
NICHOLAS looks at him.
NICHOLAS
Hi.
TYLER
That guy is a jerk. Every day he gets in
trouble.
NICHOLAS
I thought this class was only for our
age.
TYLER
It is. He failed last year, so he has to
take seventh grade all over again. He
picks on everyone at this school. When he
picks on me I try to ignore him. Anyway,
what's your name?
NICHOLAS
Nicholas.
TYLER
Cool, I'm Tyler. My friends and I are
going to the movies later. Would you like
to come along?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, sure.
TYLER
Okay. It only costs four dollars.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
The school bell rings.
INT. NICHOLAS'S HOUSE - AFTERNOON
NICHOLAS walks into the house through the front door.
NICHOLAS
Greg?
NICHOLAS walks into the kitchen.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Hello?
GREG
I'm right here.
NICHOLAS finds GREG working under the sink.
NICHOLAS
What are you doing?
GREG
I'm trying to get this sink to work
again. It stopped working this morning.
So how did school go?
NICHOLAS
It went all right. I made a new friend
today.
GREG
Good for you, Nicholas! I'm really happy
to hear that.
NICHOLAS
In fact, we're going off in a couple
minutes to see a movie.
GREG looks at NICHOLAS.
GREG
Right now?
NICHOLAS
Yeah. Why?
GREG
There's suppose to be some counselor
coming by to see you.
NICHOLAS
Why now? Can he do it later?
GREG
He's only open for three o'clock today.
Can you ask your friend if you both can
see the movie tomorrow?
NICHOLAS
He's already there waiting for me.
GREG
Well, I guess he'll have to go without
you. I'm sorry, but this is more
important than going to the movies.
NICHOLAS seems to agree, but he doesn't say anything. The
doorbell rings throughout the house.
GREG (CONT'D)
That must be him.
GREG gets up to his feet and walks to the door with NICHOLAS.
When they get to the door, GREG opens it and finds LARRY
standing there. He is wearing brown slacks and a black shirt.
GREG (CONT'D)
Hi, come on in!
LARRY
Thanks.
LARRY walks into the house. LARRY looks down at NICHOLAS.
LARRY (CONT'D)
Hey, bud.
NICHOLAS
Hi. Greg, this is Larry.
GREG shakes LARRY'S hand.
GREG
Hi, I guess you two already met.
LARRY
Yeah, we met over at CPS.
GREG
Great. So where do you both want to chat?
LARRY
Anywhere would be fine.
GREG
All right. The family room will do.
Follow me.
NICHOLAS and LARRY follow GREG through the house and into the
family room.
INT. FAMILY ROOM - AFTERNOON
They walk into the family room.
GREG
This is it. I'll be in the kitchen if you
need me.
LARRY
Great, thanks.
GREG closes the door as LARRY faces NICHOLAS.
LARRY (CONT'D)
This is a nice room. Take a seat.
NICHOLAS takes his backpack off, and then he sits down on one
of the couches. LARRY sits next to him as he pulls out a mini
tape recorder. He presses down the record button.
LARRY (CONT'D)
How was your first day of school?
NICHOLAS
It went okay.
LARRY
I can see you just got back.
NICHOLAS
Yeah.
LARRY
You don't look so happy.
NICHOLAS
My dad, I mean Greg, he said I had to
stay because you were coming.
LARRY
Did you have some other plan?
NICHOLAS
Yeah. I was suppose to go to the movies
with Tyler and some of his friends.
LARRY
Who's Tyler?
NICHOLAS
A kid I met at school.
LARRY
That's awesome. Did you tell him about
what happened with you?
NICHOLAS
No. He never asked, so I didn't say
anything about it.
LARRY
Okay. Well, I came to see if you remember
anything, so do you remember anything?
NICHOLAS
Not really.
LARRY
Think as far as you can. What do you see?
NICHOLAS
The hospital, when I was waking up.
LARRY
What came to your mind when you woke up?
NICHOLAS
Nothing really. I knew I asked myself
where I was. Then Sheryl came up to me.
LARRY
I suppose you heard where you were found.
NICHOLAS
Yeah, some field at a school.
LARRY
And about the man next to your side.
NICHOLAS
What man?
LARRY
When the police found you, they saw a man
by your side. We're not sure who he is.
He ran away from the police, so we're
still searching for him.
NICHOLAS
Oh.
LARRY
Do you have any memory of him?
NICHOLAS
No.
LARRY
Do you have any memory of your parents?
NICHOLAS
No, but could that man be my dad?
LARRY
I don't really know. The next set of
questions I'm going to ask you are things
you thought were strange around here. Can
you think of any?
NICHOLAS thinks for a moment.
NICHOLAS
Yeah. When Greg gave me a present, I
thought it was wrapping paper. I didn't
think anything would be inside of it.
LARRY
So you thought the wrapping paper was the
gift?
NICHOLAS
Yeah.
LARRY
Did you open it?
NICHOLAS
Yeah. Greg said it was a baseball and a
glove. I had no idea on what those were
either. Then we played catch, and I kept
asking myself what was the point of
playing that game.
LARRY laughs lightly.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Then I broke a window on accident with
the ball.
LARRY laughs even louder, then quiets down.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
I didn't even know what a TV was. Why are
you asking me all of these questions?
LARRY
It's my job. I'm also trying to look into
your past. If I'm correct, where you were
raised you never knew what a TV was, and
you never played catch before. Oh yeah,
was school easy for you?
NICHOLAS
Are you kidding? I hardly knew anything
they were talking about.
LARRY
Like what?
NICHOLAS
Like Mars, Saturn, adding, subtracting,
multiplying.
LARRY
What did you know?
NICHOLAS
I can read and swim.
LARRY
Okay, so where you were before, you could
read and swim.
LARRY sees NICHOLAS looking down at the floor.
LARRY (CONT'D)
What's the matter?
NICHOLAS
I don't know. I'm just scared, I guess.
LARRY
About what?
NICHOLAS
Everything. No body knows me or anything.
And as far as I know, that man could have
been my father just... leaving me there
alone... abandoning me.
LARRY
Nicholas, I believe that man wasn't your
father. When the cops found him, he was
saying he didn't do it. He just seems to
be some guy who lived on the streets, and
he found you there on the field.
Someone knocks on the door. The door opens and GREG enters
the room.
GREG
Hey, how's it going?
LARRY
Pretty good.
GREG
Does he remember anything yet?
LARRY
No. We're just talking about what he
knows, and what he doesn't know. GREG
sits down on the couch next to NICHOLAS.
GREG
Like what?
LARRY
He didn't know what a TV was, so that
basically meant, if I'm right, he never
grew up with a TV. Same as baseball, he
didn't know about that either.
GREG
He has amnesia, though. That's why he
can't remember anything.
LARRY
To some degree, but he knows how to read
and swim. This proves that Nicholas did
these before he was found on the field.
GREG
So they're like clues to you.
LARRY
Exactly.
GREG looks at NICHOLAS and laughs as he talks.
GREG
So you've never seen a TV before?
NICHOLAS
No.
GREG
What's one plus one?
NICHOLAS starts to get angry.
GREG (CONT'D)
What is it?
NICHOLAS
Leave me alone!
NICHOLAS gets up from the couch and runs out of the room.
GREG looks at the door for a couple seconds and then faces
LARRY.
GREG
What did I do?
LARRY
You got him angry, Greg. I suggest you go
up to him and apologize.
GREG
I was just joking around. I haven't had
any fun for the whole day. I've been
working on this stupid sink.
LARRY
Yeah, but Nicholas just ran out of here
feeling hurt because of a man, who he
thought cared so much about him, has just
made him feel like you don't care for him
at all.
It is quiet for a moment.
GREG
I did messed up, huh? I'll go talk to
him.
GREG stands up as LARRY turns off his recorder.
INT. HALLWAY - AFTERNOON
GREG knocks three times on the door.
NICHOLAS O.S.
What?
GREG
Can I come in?
NICHOLAS O.S.
Why? So you can mock on me some more?
GREG
Actually, I wanted to say it was stupid
of me to say those things. Now can I come
in?
NICHOLAS sighs.
NICHOLAS
It's your house.
GREG sighs, and then he opens the door and walks into the
room.
INT. NICHOLAS'S ROOM - AFTERNOON
GREG finds NICHOLAS lying on the couch next to the window.
GREG closes the door and walks up to NICHOLAS feeling really
sorry for making him angry.
GREG
Can I sit down?
NICHOLAS doesn't seem to hear him.
GREG (CONT'D)
I'll take that as a yes.
GREG sits on a chair facing NICHOLAS.
GREG (CONT'D)
Look, I'm sorry. I got carried away. I
only wanted to cheer you up, but I
realized I just made you more upset.
NICHOLAS
It's not just you, Greg.
GREG looks confused.
GREG
What are you talking about?
NICHOLAS
I feel like my family didn't want me. Now
I'm just some stupid kid who doesn't have
any parents.
NICHOLAS wipes a tear from his left eye.
GREG
Did Larry say that?
NICHOLAS laughs lightly.
NICHOLAS
No.
GREG
Look, you're not stupid. You're bright.
You're funny. And you have a great sense
of humor. Way better than mine.
NICHOLAS
Yeah, right.
GREG laughs lightly too for a second.
GREG
So am I forgiven?
NICHOLAS
Yeah.
GREG
Thanks, bud.
They hug each other while GREG speaks.
GREG (CONT'D)
We'll find your parents soon. Just hang
in there.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
INT. NICHOLAS'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
NICHOLAS moves to his side while he's sleeping. In his dream,
he is following a figure completely dressed in white. They
are heading deeper and deeper into the forest.
NICHOLAS
Mom? Is that you? Wait, I can't catch up
to you.
The white figure keeps moving down the forest. It seems to
walk faster and faster, causing NICHOLAS to run.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Mom! Please, stop!
NICHOLAS trips over a root and falls to the ground. When he
looks up, the white figure is barely in sight.
NICHOLAS wakes up shouting...
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Mom!
NICHOLAS finds himself in his room, and his clock is at three
in the morning. NICHOLAS calms down and lays back on his
pillow.
INT. CAFETERIA - NOON
NICHOLAS walks in the cafeteria in his school. He is carrying
a tray of food, and he walks to where TYLER is eating.
There's an empty seat, and a few friends of TYLER are facing
him. Their names are RICKY and JOSHUA. NICHOLAS sits next to
them.
NICHOLAS
Hi.
TYLER
Hey, Nicholas. Looks like you're hungry.
NICHOLAS
Yeah, I'm hungry.
JOSHUA
We were just talking about you.
NICHOLAS
Oh, yeah?
JOSHUA
Ricky saw you on TV the other day.
NICHOLAS
Why?
RICKY
Is it true you have amnesia?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, so?
JOSHUA
I think that man at the field was your
father. He didn't like you, so he left
you there.
TYLER
(To JOSHUA) Hey! Leave him alone. You
Know how it's like to be fatherless.
JOSHUA
Shut up.
TYLER
Make me.
RICKY
I bet you're famous here now. Why are you
here in the first place? If you have
amnesia, how can you be in the seventh
grade?
NICHOLAS
I don't know. They think it's because
they want to see if it helps me to recall
things. The grades won't effect me.
JOSHUA
So you're here just for the hell of it.
NICHOLAS
Pretty much.
TYLER
Who do you think that man was?
NICHOLAS
I don't know. I don't think he's my
father, though.
JOSHUA
Doesn't matter. Fact is, your parents
left you because they didn't want you. So
they beat you and left you in that field.
RICKY starts to laugh. NICHOLAS gets very angry, and he
shoves his tray of food towards JOSHUA, and the food falls
all over him.
JOSHUA (CONT'D)
You jerk!
TYLER
What did you do that for?
NICHOLAS scrambles out of his seat and storms off. Without
looking back, NICHOLAS opens the cafeteria's entrance doors
and walks outside.
EXT. SCHOOL PLAZA - NOON
Several people are talking to each other during their lunch
break. NICHOLAS walks alone down the breezeway, not really
sure where his destination is.
CALEB
Hey, Nicholas!
NICHOLAS stops, hearing that familiar voice. He turns around
and finds CALEB there with a few friends. CALEB walks up to
NICHOLAS.
CALEB (CONT'D)
I've been looking for you.
NICHOLAS
Leave me alone.
CALEB laughs.
CALEB
You got me in trouble the other day. I
don't plan to just leave you alone.
CALEB'S friends, FRANK and LUKE grab NICHOLAS from behind
him, keeping him pinned so he can't move. Other students
watch, telling their friends there's a fight going on. CALEB
punches NICHOLAS in the stomach as NICHOLAS yells in pain.
His legs become limp as if he just wants to lie on the
ground, but the two friends of CALEB keep him standing up.
CALEB punches NICHOLAS some more.
NICHOLAS
Help me!
No one dares to rescue NICHOLAS.
CALEB
Why can't you just try and save your own
ass? (To his friends) Let go of him.
The two friends let go of NICHOLAS as he falls to the ground.
He coughs a few times with a few tears falling from his eyes.
CALEB (CONT'D)
Come on, I'd like to see you fight me.
It takes a few moments for NICHOLAS to stand to his feet. His
body is filled with pain; yet, he stands up to face CALEB.
CALEB (CONT'D)
Now fight!
NICHOLAS runs towards CALEB and starts pounding on him. The
students around the plaza start rooting NICHOLAS as he throws
several good punches. CALEB punches NICHOLAS in the face, but
NICHOLAS keeps at it. He punches CALEB'S stomach, causing
CALEB to fall backwards several yards and hitting the ground
hard.
Everyone is amazed but frightened of what NICHOLAS has just
done. There's no way a kid could do that, especially for an
adult. NICHOLAS questions himself for a moment, but then he
walks off, just wanting to get out of there.
INT. ROOM 107 - AFTERNOON
School finished twenty minutes ago, but NICHOLAS is still
inside his classroom, sitting on the couch. GREG walks inside
finding NICHOLAS there. He sighs.
GREG
Are you okay?
NICHOLAS nods. GREG sits next to NICHOLAS.
GREG (CONT'D)
Nicholas, look, I'm not mad at you. You
defended yourself. There's nothing wrong
with that. The school even knows that.
NICHOLAS
Then why am I here?
GREG
Well, maybe they're still wondering what
happened. Your teacher told me when you
hit Caleb, it broke a few of his ribs.
And he was tossed pretty far. How did
that happen?
NICHOLAS
I don't know. I don't even care. I'm just
glad he got what he deserved.
JENNIFER walks in, finding NICHOLAS and GREG on the couch.
JENNIFER
Hi, you must be Greg.
GREG shakes her hand.
GREG
I'm pleased to meet you.
GREG looks at NICHOLAS.
GREG (CONT'D)
Nicholas, why don't you walk around
outside for a few minutes?
NICHOLAS
Fine.
GREG
Great, thanks.
NICHOLAS gets up and walks out of the room. GREG stands up.
JENNIFER
How's he been doing?
GREG
He's been fine. He's trying to believe
his parents still love him and are coming
back for him. I hope they do simply
because that's all he really cares about.
He just wants his mom and dad by his
side.
JENNIFER
How sad.
GREG
All I can really do is just be supportive
for him.
JENNIFER
You know, I didn't ask you to come over
here and have a meeting on what Nicholas
did today. But I think the seventh grade
is too much for him. I was thinking we
could place him in a special ed class for
a while.
GREG
What would that do?
JENNIFER
Well, it wouldn't be as hard for him.
GREG
He doesn't even what one plus one is. So
how would special ed be any easier for
him?
JENNIFER
Well, I think it would fit more to his
level, it may be easier to recall his
memory.
EXT. SCHOOL FIELD - AFTERNOON
The talking fades away as NICHOLAS walks down the field. He
overlooks everything and examines the forest surrounding the
school. A deep voice whispers through the air.
VOICE
Atticus...
NICHOLAS looks around him, being confused of what he just
heard. The voice is coming from behind him...
VOICE (CONT'D)
Atticus...
NICHOLAS turns around quickly and faces the forest. He finds
a tall dark figure standing next to the trees. He is wearing
a black cloak with a hood hanging over his face. Standing in
one place, NICHOLAS wonders who the person might be. The
person turns around and vanishes into the forest.
NICHOLAS walks to where the man was. His body trembles on who
the man was, but he also wants to know who he is.
Entering the forest, NICHOLAS examines the area with his
eyes, but he doesn't see anyone.
NICHOLAS
Hello?
Moving deeper into the forest, he hears a branch breaking
behind him. He turns around and finds nothing there. When he
turns around, a skeleton is in view, swinging a sword down at
his face! NICHOLAS jumps to the left side as the sword hits
the ground. The skeleton has evil red eyes as it stares at
NICHOLAS, planning some type of gruesome death.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Who are you? What do you want with me?
NICHOLAS picks up a stick from the ground, planning to use
that as a weapon. The skeleton swings its sword causing the
stick to break.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Forget this, I'm running!
NICHOLAS starts running as fast as he can down the trail. He
looks back a few moments later, and he finds the skeleton
running after him. When he turns his head forward again, he
smacks into a bony creature, causing him to fall down. He
looks up and finds another skeleton looking down on him. Now
two skeletons are walking around NICHOLAS as he cries.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
Greg! Greg, please help me!
INT. ROOM 107 - AFTERNOON
GREG
I'd like him to stay here for a few more
days and see if he recalls anything.
After that...
NICHOLAS'S voice cries in the distance through the window.
NICHOLAS O.S.
Greg! Help!
GREG
Did you just hear that?
JENNIFER
Hear what?
GREG
It sounded like Nicholas...
NICHOLAS O.S.
Help!
EXT. FOREST - AFTERNOON
The skeletons raise their swords in the air, and they start
swinging them at NICHOLAS. NICHOLAS curls into a ball, hoping
they would just go away. A purple shield starts turning
visible around NICHOLAS as the swords swing on it. Sparks of
purple light hits the skeletons as their swords swing down on
it. The skeletons scream in anger, but nothing seems to get
through that shield.
NICHOLAS is in too much shock to even care what is happening.
He keeps himself tightly curled as a ball, thinking of
comfort and protection. The skeletons swing a few more times
but the shield never budges. It's unbreakable.
GREG O.S.
Nicholas! Where are you?
NICHOLAS
I'm over here! Help!
GREG and JENNIFER run to where NICHOLAS is, and they find him
tightly curled as a ball. The skeletons are gone, and the
shield is gone, as if they were never there.
JENNIFER
Oh, my God...
GREG is the first to reach NICHOLAS. He lightly touches him
to let him know he's there.
GREG
Nicholas, this is Greg. Oh my God, what
happened to you?
The deep emotion of NICHOLAS'S shaking body causes tears to
form in GREG'S eyes. NICHOLAS gets out of his little ball and
hugs GREG tightly. His tears are endless, and no words seem
to escape from his lips.
GREG (CONT'D)
Nicholas, please tell me something.
NICHOLAS doesn't say anything, but he seems to find his
comfort in holding GREG tightly with his shaking arms.
INT. NICHOLAS'S ROOM - AFTERNOON
GREG and ANTHONY overlook NICHOLAS as he sleeps comfortably
in his bed.
GREG
I don't know. He was in complete shock
when we found him. He didn't want to say
anything. He just held onto me and he
wouldn't let go until I carried him to
the school. I really don't know what
happened.
ANTHONY
Well, let's give him some time. When he's
ready to talk about it, he will.
GREG
Do you think he'll tell us?
ANTHONY
Yeah.
GREG
How do you know?
ANTHONY
He was holding onto you for comfort.
ANTHONY walks off as GREG keeps his eyes on NICHOLAS.
EXT. CAR - MORNING
GREG drives his car into the Children's Protective Service
parking lot. He steps outside and quickly walks into the
building.
INT. CHILDREN'S PROTECTIVE SERVICE - MORNING
GREG walks towards the front desk, and finds a woman there by
the name of MARIE. She greets him with a smile.
MARIE
Hi, how are you doing today?
GREG
Not that good. Is Larry around?
MARIE
Let me see.
MARIE checks the schedule and looks back at GREG.
GREG
Yeah, he's here. His office is around the
corner and a few doors down to the left.
GREG walks off immediately.
GREG (CONT'D)
Great, thanks.
GREG turns around the corner and walks into the hallway.
INT. LARRY'S OFFICE - MORNING
Entering through the door of the office, GREG finds LARRY on
the phone. LARRY notices him.
LARRY
Yes... thank you. Bye.
LARRY hangs up the phone as GREG approaches the desk.
LARRY (CONT'D)
What a surprise.
GREG
Larry, remember what I said over the
phone last night? I couldn't help but
think night that he could have had a
memory flashback in the forest. Something
probably triggered him to fall to the
ground like that.
LARRY
Greg, it's possible, but that could be
one possibility over several.
GREG
I think you need to talk to him really
soon. He hasn't said anything last night
or today. He's just lying in his bed and
staring at the ceiling.
LARRY sighs.
LARRY
I'll cancel my appointment today to go
see him. It does sound kind of serious.
GREG
Yeah, that's what I've been trying to
say.
LARRY
Greg, I just got off the phone with Chief
Johnson from the police department. They
caught the man who was first seen next to
Nicholas. His name is Charles.
GREG
What did he say?
LARRY
He didn't have a connection with the kid.
He claimed to have some kind of
conversation with a tall dark-clothed man
before he came to the school that night.
He was asked to go there, but wasn't told
why.
GREG
Did he know who told him that?
LARRY
The man didn't know. He was drunk that
night too, so I don't really know what to
say.
GREG
So what now?
LARRY
We'll do what we always do. Wait.
INT. NICHOLAS'S BEDROOM - NOON
LARRY walks into NICHOLAS'S room as GREG closes the door.
LARRY finds NICHOLAS still lying in his bed. His eyes are
opened but he doesn't seem to be thinking about anything.
LARRY
Nicholas, it's Larry. Greg told me what
happened today. I came to see if I can
help you. Is there anything you want to
say?
Silence.
LARRY (CONT'D)
What can you see right now? Anything?
NICHOLAS
I saw swords.
LARRY
What kind of swords?
NICHOLAS
There were swords swinging all around me.
LARRY quickly presses the record button on his tape recorder.
LARRY
Who were holding these swords?
NICHOLAS
Skeletons.
LARRY
Skeletons?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, two of them.
LARRY
How were you able to keep alive?
NICHOLAS
I'm not very sure.
LARRY looks in NICHOLAS'S eyes, trying to find some way to
believe him.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
I saw this man before I entered the
forest.
LARRY
Can you describe him?
NICHOLAS
He was tall, scary looking. He had a hood
over his face.
Silence.
LARRY
Have you ever seen this man before?
NICHOLAS
No.
LARRY
I'm not saying this is the cause, but do
you believe they were kids pulling a
prank on you?
NICHOLAS
I don't know. But the skeletons...
LARRY
Do you think they were just costumes?
NICHOLAS
Costumes?
LARRY
Yes. I'm asking this because Halloween is
almost here. It's where kids dress up as
monsters, especially skeletons, to get
candy.
NICHOLAS
I didn't have any candy. LARRY laughs
lightly.
LARRY
I'm sure you didn't. Want to know what I
think?
NICHOLAS faces LARRY.
NICHOLAS
Okay.
LARRY
There's no such thing as real skeletons
walking around. They would need all the
organs to survive, such as the heart,
lungs, eyes, and especially muscles to
keep them balanced. That's why I believe
the skeletons you saw were costumes. Some
kids just wanted to scare you, and you
thought the skeletons were real. And I
understand why you thought so, too. Lots
of things are new to you, like the TV,
math, baseball. Costumes are now another
thing too. See what I'm saying?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, but they seemed so real.
LARRY
I'm very sure they looked very real. When
I was a kid your age, I saw this huge
monster coming towards me. I thought it
was real. Then the kid took off his mask
and laughed at me.
NICHOLAS smirks.
NICHOLAS
Maybe that's all it was.
LARRY
Yeah. So don't worry about it. Everything
will be fine.
NICHOLAS
Okay, thanks.
LARRY
Your welcome. See you later.
LARRY stands up and walks towards the door. He closes the
door behind him and finds GREG there.
GREG
Skeletons, huh?
LARRY
Yeah. It's obvious some kids were trying
to scare him.
GREG
What about that six-foot kid with a hood?
LARRY
He wasn't no kid.
GREG
Why not?
LARRY
Because I believe that's the man Charles
was talking about.
INT. CLASSROOM - DAY
JENNIFER is teaching the class about Astronomy while she
writes on the chalk board. The class is very tuned to what
she has to say.
JENNIFER
The first planet next to the sun is, of
course, what?
SANDRA
Mercury?
JENNIFER
Yes, thank you, Sandra. Mercury is very
airless, so you wouldn't even be able to
breathe! The second planet away from the
sun is Venus. How many of you have seen
it outside at night?
A few kids raise their hands.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
And you know that famous saying: women
are from Venus, and men are from Mars?
STUDENTS
Yeah!
JENNIFER
Well, if that was true, then women came
from a planet that has clouds of sulfuric
acid for rain. Men had it easy with
canyons and deserts, known as Mars.
The boys laugh with pride. NICHOLAS doesn't seem to be paying
attention. His thoughts seem to be elsewhere.
JENNIFER (CONT'D)
Nicholas?
NICHOLAS looses his thought and looks up at JENNIFER. All of
the students look at him.
NICHOLAS
Yeah?
JENNIFER
What's the next planet we memorized?
NICHOLAS
Uh, Jupiter?
JENNIFER
And what is Jupiter like?
NICHOLAS thinks for a moment. A kid is heard from the other
side of the room.
STUDENT
This one is easy.
NICHOLAS
Lightning?
JENNIFER
Yes! You know how this earth gets
lightning? Imagine seeing several storms
a day!
STUDENTS
Wow...
JENNIFER
Yeah, and if any of you are like me, I'd
be saying "get me out of here!" I mean,
who would want to live there?
STUDENT
I would.
The class laughs. A huge sound comes out of nowhere in
NICHOLAS'S head. He covers his ears even though it doesn't
help. He closes his eyes tightly.
NICHOLAS
Owe!
JENNIFER
Nicholas!
JENNIFER rushes to NICHOLAS.
NICHOLAS
Nicholas, are you okay?
NICHOLAS gets a cold and dark vision of JENNIFER'S husband
beating her to death. NICHOLAS tries to open his eyes but he
can't. The husband lifts his beer bottle and swings it down
on JENNIFER. JENNIFER screams as blood spreads everywhere on
the curtain and floor.
NICHOLAS opens his eyes, finding his hands shaking slowly.
JENNIFER
Are you okay? Please, talk to me.
NICHOLAS
Your husband is going to kill you.
The class opens their mouths in shock. A few joke about it.
JENNIFER
Excuse me?
NICHOLAS
He uses a beer bottle to finish you off.
JENNIFER
Come with me.
JENNIFER grabs NICHOLAS'S hand and pulls him onto his feet.
They storm towards the door. They walk into the hallway as
JENNIFER closes the door behind her.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
JENNIFER points her index finger at NICHOLAS.
JENNIFER
You do not say something like that in
class! I could get you expelled this
instant!
NICHOLAS
Your husband comes home every night
drunk.
JENNIFER
How do you know all of this?
NICHOLAS
I don't know.
JENNIFER
Tell me!
NICHOLAS
I saw it in my head. I don't know how.
JENNIFER
Listen, kid, you scare me. Okay? I want
you to know that. You really do. In fact,
I don't want you in my class for the rest
of this period. You can sit out here
until the bell rings.
NICHOLAS
But I...
JENNIFER
Do as I say, or I will expel you.
JENNIFER opens the door and walks into the classroom.
NICHOLAS watches her leave maybe for the last time.
INT. NICHOLAS'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
NICHOLAS lies in his bed as he looks up at the ceiling. He
doesn't seem sleepy, but more in wonder of how JENNIFER is
doing. He hopes for the best, but he gets a cold feeling that
his hopes mean nothing. Someone is heard from the outside of
his window.
WHITE FIGURE
Atticus...
NICHOLAS listens again, and he hears the same voice. It
sounds like a woman.
WHITE FIGURE (CONT'D)
Atticus...
NICHOLAS removes the covers and he gets up from his bed. He
walks slowly towards the nearest window, and he looks down.
His body sparks with shock as he finds a transparent white
figure staring at him in front of the forest. The figure is
bright like an angel. He moves away from the window, feeling
his heart beat quickly. He tries to control his breathing.
It's the same white figure in his dream, the one he thinks is
his mom. The figure speaks in a deceiving voice.
WHITE FIGURE (CONT'D)
Come to the window... I'm waiting for
you.
NICHOLAS
Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK! Someone bangs on his bedroom door.
NICHOLAS (CONT'D)
GO AWAY!
GREG O.S.
Nicholas! Why are you shouting?
The yelling stops. NICHOLAS tries to calm down.
GREG O.S. (CONT'D)
I'm coming in.
GREG opens the door and finds NICHOLAS standing next to the
window. He notices that NICHOLAS seems to be in shock with
some tears streaming down his eyes.
GREG
What happened, Nicholas? Is there someone
out the window?
NICHOLAS barely nods.
GREG rushes to the window and looks down. No one is there.
GREG (CONT'D)
Are you sure someone was out there?
NICHOLAS
Yes.
GREG
Do you know who?
NICHOLAS
I... I don't really know.
GREG closes the curtains.
GREG
Okay, tell you what. I'll go outside and
look, and you just go back to bed and get
a good night's rest. Okay? You have
school tomorrow morning, you don't want
to be late for that.
GREG wraps his arm around NICHOLAS and walks him to his bed.
NICHOLAS
I swear she was out there.
GREG
I believe you, Nicholas. I'll go look
now.
GREG tucks NICHOLAS in bed.
GREG (CONT'D)
You're safe here. Good night, I love you.
GREG walks off and closes the bedroom door behind him.
INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
GREG finishes putting some batteries in his flashlight, and
he walks outside with his warm coat on.
EXT. NICHOLAS'S HOUSE - NIGHT
He turns on the flashlight, and starts shining it in his
front yard and the street. No one is seen or heard.
GREG
Hello? If anyone is near this house, you
need to leave right now before I call the
police!
He walks towards the back gate and opens it. He shines his
light through the backyard, finding no one there. He walks
through the backyard. There's a gate on the fence that enters
the forest, but it is closed.
GREG (CONT'D)
Hello? Is anyone out here?
GREG hears a quiet hissing sound behind him. He turns around
as the batteries immediately go dead on the flashlight.
GREG (CONT'D)
Shit.
GREG stands in total darkness as he tries to shake the
flashlight, hoping the light would turn back on. It doesn't.
GREG (CONT'D)
Come on.
Someone watches GREG from a tree, but GREG doesn't see it. It
slowly flies behind him. GREG turns around as he tries to get
his flashlight working again. He turns it on as the light
shows the white figure staring at him. GREG walks off, not
noticing the white figure. He walks back into the house.
INT. SCHOOL - DAY
NICHOLAS walks in the hallway and enters his classroom.
Several kids are talking to each other because the school
bell hasn't rung yet. JENNIFER is no where to be found. He
finds TYLER talking with his friend, so he walks up to him.
TYLER
Hey, Nicholas. What's up?
NICHOLAS
Nothing. Where's the teacher?
TYLER
I don't know. She hasn't come in yet.
NICHOLAS
Oh.
TYLER notices something is wrong.
TYLER
Are you okay?
NICHOLAS
Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine.
NICHOLAS sits down with deep thoughts in his head.
A substitute teacher walks in named MRS. HENDRICKS. She is
much older than JENNIFER, probably in her late forties. She
smiles as she faces the students.
MRS. HENDRICKS
Hi, class. My name is Mrs. Hendricks, and
I will be substituting today.
The class seems more interested to know where JENNIFER is.
STUDENT
Where's Jennifer?
MRS. HENDRICKS
You know what, I wasn't told what
happened. They called me just last night
to come in today. Does anyone know?
NICHOLAS
She's dead.
MRS. HENDRICKS
Excuse me?
NICHOLAS
She wouldn't listen to me yesterday. I
told her what was going to happen, and
she ignored me.
MRS. HENDRICKS
You knew this?
NICHOLAS
Yeah.
MRS. HENDRICKS is in shock by NICHOLAS'S words.
MRS. HENDRICKS
I... I'll be right back.
The substitute teacher storms outside of the classroom.
INT. SCHOOL - NOON
Every student is working on his or her homework as MRS.
HENDRICKS sits at her desk. NICHOLAS seems to be having a
hard time studying and finding the substitute staring at him
every once in a while. She would quickly turn away when he
notices her. Her phone rings. She picks it up.
MRS. HENDRICKS
Hello? Great, I'll let him know. Bye.
MRS. HENDRICKS hangs up the phone, and she looks at NICHOLAS.
NICHOLAS
Nicholas, the office would like to see
you. You can leave your stuff here.
NICHOLAS looks confused, but he stands up anyway and leaves
the room.
INT. HALLWAY - NOON
NICHOLAS walks towards the office, and fear overcomes himself
as two officers are seen through the office window. He slows
down, but one of the officers notices him. Since they know
he's in the hallway, he has no choice but to enter the
office.
INT. OFFICE - NOON
NICHOLAS enters the office as the two officers stand up from
their chairs.
NICHOLAS
What's going on?
The office assistant smiles at NICHOLAS.
OFFICE ASSISTANT
Nicholas, you need to go with these two
officers.
One of the officers walk up to NICHOLAS.
OFFICER GRUBB
Put your hands behind your back.
NICHOLAS
But I didn't do anything!
OFFICER GRUBB
That's great. All we're going to do is
bring you to the station so you can
answer some questions.
The officer talks the child's hands as NICHOLAS struggles to
get free.
NICHOLAS
Let go of me!
OFFICER GRUBBS
Stevens...
OFFICER STEVENS appears before NICHOLAS. He talks in a calm
voice. OFFICER GRUBBS finishes handcuffing NICHOLAS.
OFFICER STEVENS
Nicholas, hi, it's me. I was one of the
officers who found you in the school
field that one night. Mrs. Hendricks said
she heard you talk about the death of
your teacher, so we're going to ask you
some questions at the station.
NICHOLAS
But I didn't kill her!
OFFICER STEVENS
Come on.
The two officers start to drag the boy out.
NICHOLAS
Let go of me!
The people in the office watch in remorse, feeling sorry for
the kid.
INT. POLICE STATION - NOON
NICHOLAS is sitting at a table in a small room. No one is
here except for himself. His hands are still cuffed behind
his back, making it uncomfortable for him to lean on the
chair. CHIEF JOHNSON enters the room and finds NICHOLAS
there. He smiles.
CHIEF JOHNSON
Hi there, Nicholas. I always wanted to
meet you, but I didn't think it would end
up like this.
CHIEF JOHNSON sets some papers on the desk as he keeps his
eyes on NICHOLAS. NICHOLAS seems very stressed out as he sits
uncomfortably.
CHIEF JOHNSON (CONT'D)
Let me free you from those cuffs.
The chief walks behind NICHOLAS and pulls out a key from his
pocket. He unlocks the cuffs and frees NICHOLAS'S hands.
NICHOLAS feels better as he moves his wrists around in front
of him.
CHIEF JOHNSON (CONT'D)
I'm really interested to hear how you
learned about Jennifer's death.
CHIEF JOHNSON sits down.
CHIEF JOHNSON (CONT'D)
Would you like to tell me about it?
NICHOLAS
I had some kind of vision that it would
happen.
CHIEF JOHNSON
Hmm, like a Deja vue?
NICHOLAS
I guess.
CHIEF JOHNSON
I have a report here saying you freaked
out in class when your teacher was
talking about astronomy.
NICHOLAS
That's when I got it.
CHIEF JOHNSON
After she brought you out of class, some
kids said you got angry.
NICHOLAS
I wasn't angry.
CHIEF JOHNSON
I'm just thinking that's why you probably
decided to kill her at her house.
NICHOLAS
What? I don't even know where she lives.
CHIEF JOHNSON
Maybe you followed her on your bike.
NICHOLAS
I don't know how to ride a bike. Look, in
my vision I saw her husband beating her
to death. He used a beer bottle to swing
across her face. After that, my vision
was over. Now can I please go home?
CHIEF JOHNSON
Yeah, you're dad is waiting outside.
We're going to keep in contact with you.
All right?
NICHOLAS
Whatever.
NICHOLAS stands up and walks out the door.
EXT. NICHOLAS'S HOUSE - EVENING
GREG and LARRY walk through the back door finding NICHOLAS
and ANTHONY playing aqua-basketball. It is a full size
basketball backboard with a stainless steel rim. They have
fun as they move the floating basketball around, throwing it
into the hoop. Both of them are wearing their black shorts. A
white robe is beside some towels on a table.
GREG
Nicholas!
NICHOLAS
Yeah?
GREG
Larry is here!
NICHOLAS
Just a second!
NICHOLAS throws the ball into the hoop.
ANTHONY
Nice shot.
NICHOLAS gets out of the pool and walks towards the table. He
grabs his white robe and he puts it on. He walks towards the
two adults.
GREG
Where would you both like to be?
LARRY
Oh, out here is fine.
GREG
Okay. I'll be inside.
LARRY
Thanks.
LARRY and NICHOLAS walk towards another table with three
chairs.
LARRY (CONT'D)
I'm sorry to ruin your fun.
NICHOLAS
Oh, that's okay.
They sit down facing each other.
LARRY
I heard these last few days have been
really shocking.
NICHOLAS
Yeah.
LARRY
I came today not to talk about that, but
see if you came up with any new memories
of your past. Can you think of any?
NICHOLAS
Not really.
LARRY
I'm sure by now you should remember
something. Tell you what, close your eyes
for a moment.
NICHOLAS closes his eyes.
NICHOLAS
Now what?
LARRY
I just want you to think. Keep your mind
open. Do you see anything?
NICHOLAS thinks for a while, then he gets this visual of
someone dying. The more he thinks of the person, he has the
thought of some evil man in armor killing his sister. The
sixteen year old girl cries for help, but the man kills her
before anyone has a reaction. NICHOLAS'S parents are crying
as the lifeless body falls to the ground. The parents are
wearing ragged shirts, pants and cloaks. Their faces are not
seen as well as the armored man, but his sister's face can be
seen as she falls to the ground. She has black hair and has
an average body.
LARRY (CONT'D)
Are you remembering anything? Nicholas?
NICHOLAS stands up as he wipes a tear from his eye.
NICHOLAS
I have to go.
NICHOLAS runs inside the house, passing GREG. GREG steps
outside looking at LARRY.
GREG
What did you do?
LARRY
I didn't do anything. He must have
remembered something.
GREG
Why can't you come just once a month?
Give this kid a break.
GREG walks back into the house.
INT. NICHOLAS'S BEDROOM - EVENING
NICHOLAS cries himself to sleep.
INT. NICHOLAS'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
A voice wakes up NICHOLAS at 2:00 am. The voice sounds
familiar, the voice of the white figured ghost.
GHOST
Wake up, Atticus. Come to the window.
NICHOLAS gets up from his bed, now destined to find out
what's going on. He slowly walks up to the window as fear
rises within him. He peeks outside and finds the white
figured ghost staring at him. The ghost is at the entrance of
the forest. NICHOLAS opens up the window.
NICHOLAS
Who are you?
GHOST
You know who I am. Come with me.
NICHOLAS tries to get a good look at the ghost. It does look
like a woman, and for some reason he feels as if it's his
mother.
NICHOLAS
How do I know you wont hurt me?
GHOST
Come, Atticus.
NICHOLAS
Who is Atticus?
GHOST
That is your name. Come with me.
NICHOLAS / ATTICUS
Okay, fine. Hold on.
ATTICUS walks quickly to his closet.
ATTICUS
This is so crazy, but I have to figure
out what's going on.
He takes off his robe and changes into some warm clothes with
a hooded sweat coat.
EXT. BACKYARD - NIGHT
ATTICUS steps outside the back porch and he slides the door
shut behind him. He looks towards the forest to see if the
ghost is still there. It is behind the gate. Once it sees
ATTICUS, it turns around and starts walking into the foggy
forest. ATTICUS walks through the backyard and opens the
gate. He closes it behind him as he tries to keep up with the
ghost.
ATTICUS never gets close enough to the ghost, so he stays
behind it and walks the same pace. The ghost does not speed
up. They walk deeper and deeper into the forest as fog
surrounds them. The fog gets thicker as they move forward,
and soon he barely sees the ghost leading the way. The ghost
stops and stands still.
ATTICUS stands still as well, feeling this wasn't a good
idea. He waits for the ghost to continue, but it stays
motionless.
ATTICUS
Is this it?
Nothing comes out of the ghosts' mouth. It almost seems to
want ATTICUS to make the next move. So ATTICUS slowly walks
up to it with his heart beating like crazy. When he stands
closely behind it, he forces out his question.
ATTICUS (CONT'D)
Hello?
The ghost immediately turns around as its hands rise in the
air. The eyes grow redder as it starts to scream angrily with
a high pitch. ATTICUS freaks out and starts running the way
he came from. The ghost starts moving towards him.
GHOST
There is no escape, Atticus!
The ghost jumps in the air and starts flying. ATTICUS turns
around and sees it flying in the fog towards him. ATTICUS
tries finding the path to his house, but the fog makes him
confused, making him lost. He runs off the trail and runs
through the trees. He doesn't pay attention to where he's
running, but all he seems to care about is getting away from
that ghost. He slides down a steep hill and falls to the
ground below him. He crawls under a bush to hide himself.
He peeks through some small holes in the bush to see what's
going on, but he can't see anything. He hears the ghost
scream in anger in the distance above him, but it doesn't
come any closer. ATTICUS feels he should stay here for the
night, then go home in the morning. So he does that, and he
stays silent under the bush and falls to sleep.
EXT. FOREST - MORNING
ATTICUS wakes up hearing a few birds sing through the air.
The sun is shining in the sky with a few clouds in the
distance. Patches of fog still remain in the forest. He tries
to think why he's here for a moment and he quickly remembers
what happened last night. He crawls out of the bush and
stands up. He looks around him and has a confused look on his
face, as if he's never seen this part of the woods yet. The
forest is massive, and there's a river in the distance that
he never knew about.
EXT. FOREST - MORNING
ATTICUS washes his face with the river's water. His sweat
coat is tied around his waist, and his T-shirt is a little
soaked by the dripping water from his face. A deep roar from
a creature makes ATTICUS stay still for a moment. He hears
some footsteps of a creature walking around down the river.
ATTICUS stands up and slowly walks down the river. He finds a
six foot green creature searching the ground for food. It has
pointy ears, and it is wearing nothing but greaves and a
club. ATTICUS gets behind a tree so he won't be seen. The
creature looks very much like an orc. The orc looks very
unattractive, yet it seems to live with it. Another one can
be seen in the distance with a spear.
Orcs are green-skinned muscular creatures who often have dark
tattoos. They hardly have any hair, and they carry about any
type of weapon they can find, such as an axe, sword,
crossbow, and club. They have a strong hatred towards elves,
and they don't care much about humans. They see them as weak,
but will raid human settlements for supplies and such. They
eat basically anything from raw to cooked, and they tend to
speak in very broken, gutter English.
ATTICUS speaks to himself.
ATTICUS
Where am I?
The orc turns its head towards ATTICUS until they face eye to
eye.
GRUZBOG
We have a visitor!
TALZIM
Kill 'im! Kill 'im!
ATTICUS notices the two orcs running towards him. ATTICUS
starts running down the river's trail, but the orcs seem to
get closer no matter how fast he runs. As he looks behind
him, he runs into a strong orc and falls to the dirt. He
looks up and finds an orc with armor on him as well as an
axe. The orc's name is BOLZUM.
GRUZBOG
We have breakfast today.
TALZIM
Pure human flesh.
ATTICUS doesn't say anything, but seems to have given up
trying to run from them.
BOLZUM
No, no. Fine slave you brough 'ere.
GRUZBOG
'Eh?
TALZIM
No! Food!
ATTICUS notices TALZIM licking his lips with his tongue.
BOLZUM
No, ya find food elsewhere. Dis one come
with me.
ATTICUS
Where am I?
BOLZUM
Silence!
BOLZUM kicks ATTICUS on the arm.
BOLZUM (CONT'D)
Stand up, human.
ATTICUS stands up, and GRUZBOG immediately takes ATTICUS'
sweat coat from his waist. ATTICUS turns around in anger.
ATTICUS
Give that back!
BOLZUM punches ATTICUS on the back, causing ATTICUS to fall
to the ground as dust flies on him and on his face.
BOLZUM
Do na' speak unless I tell ya so. Now
stand!
ATTICUS slowly stands up, feeling afraid to break any of
their rules now. GRUZBOG briefly studies the sweatshirt, then
he keeps it as his side like its worth some value. ATTICUS is
quite angry, but he stays silent. BOLZUM pulls out a T-chain
and locks ATTICUS' wrists. BOLZUM hold the middle of the
chain.
BOLZUM (CONT'D)
Let's go.
They take ATTICUS down the trail.
EXT. ORC HUTS - EVENING
When they reach the orc huts that surround a large fire, they
find several slaves in shackles talking and sleeping on the
damp grass. The huts are poorly made out of wood, and there
are twelve huts which surround the blazing fire. No weapons
or tools are seen near the chains that are locked on every
ankle. They lead ATTICUS to the chain, and they push him to
the ground, making him splash into some mud and water. BOLZUM
locks his ankle with the chain, and then he lets loose the
chain around his wrists.
BOLZUM
Stay 'ere, and rest for tomorrow, slave.
BOLZUM walks off to find him some food.
ATTICUS
Owe.
His arm is hurting because it landed hard on the ground.
DORAN
Hurt yourself?
DORAN is chained next to ATTICUS. He is around fifteen years
old, and he is wearing fairly ragged clothing like the rest
of the slaves. Most of them have no shoes on.
ATTICUS
Yeah. He pushed me on the ground hard.
DORAN
Oh, the orc? Yeah, he's a mean one. Of
course, they all are. God, I wish I could
die.
ATTICUS
Where am I?
DORAN
The new orc huts in Hillcrest Forest. We
had to build them everything you see
here, some slaves died during the
process. Of course, some die every day,
depending what the daily job is.
ATTICUS
I mean is this Earth?
DORAN
Earth? What's that? A spell? A gem?
ATTICUS
That's the world I live in.
DORAN
No, no... you are in Neptus.
ATTICUS
How did I get from Earth to Neptus?
DORAN
You seem confused.
ATTICUS
Well, yeah.
DORAN
What's your name?
ATTICUS
Atticus. You?
DORAN
I am Doran. Too bad we had to meet like
this.
ATTICUS smirks.
ATTICUS
Yeah.
DORAN
Your clothes, they're not from around
here.
ATTICUS
I noticed. I swear I'm from another
planet.
DORAN
How can that be?
ATTICUS
It must have been that white ghost I
followed. I think this is where I came
from.
DORAN
This is where all of us came from, my
friend. But welcome back, life sucks
here, but you get use to it quickly. By
the way, that ghost you saw was a White
Demon.
ATTICUS
A what?
DORAN
A White Demon. Their main objective is to
deceive people into thinking they're
somebody else. (Laughs) Who did you think
it was?
ATTICUS
My mom.
DORAN laughs hard.
BOLZUM
Silent!
DORAN
(To BOLZUM) Sorry! (To ATTICUS) Anyway,
White Demons usually work for somebody.
ATTICUS
Like who?
DORAN
Someone evil, perhaps. If he used White
Demons to send you here, and was after
you, you'll be dead before the next
sunset with either us or by him.
Anyway, get some rest. We have a long day
ahead of ourselves tomorrow.
ATTICUS lies his head on his arms smelling the stench of mud
and flesh nearby. He closes his eyes and tries to get some
sleep.
EXT. HILLCREST FOREST - EARLY MORNING
The sun has barely risen above the hills of Hillcrest Forest,
and already the slaves walk in a line with a few strong orcs
ahead of them, and a few orcs behind them. BOLZUM is one of
the two in the front leading. There are about twenty human
slaves with ATTICUS the youngest and the oldest nearly thirty
years of age. DORAN is in front of ATTICUS, still chained on
the right ankles. ATTICUS is wearing a short sleeve brown
ragged clothing that goes halfway down to the knees. A small
rope is tied around his waist as a belt. The orcs leading the
slaves stops and turns around.
BOLZUM
This is where ya will work today. Cut
down dis wood, and tonight ya will bring
'em back to the huts. Do I make ma'self
clear?
SLAVES
Yeah... yes sir... okay.
BOLZUM
(To one of the orcs) Free 'em.
The orc starts freeing the slaves from the shackles so they
can get to work. As the orc head their way, DORAN warns
ATTICUS...
DORAN
Do not run off. There's orcs nearby that
will kill you, and they will eat you for
dinner. So do as they command you.
ATTICUS hasn't thought about escaping because the idea would
be pointless and impossible. The slaves pick up their poor
conditioned axes and they start chopping wood. The four orcs
overlook the slaves to make sure they're doing their job.
Patches of fog are nearby. ATTICUS grips onto his axe and
starts cutting a fallen tree. He chops slowly because the axe
is too heavy for him. One of the slaves named LUKE notices
him chopping slowly. LUKE is about thirty years old.
LUKE
You have the chop faster. Orcs don't like
it when you chop slowly. They'll find you
as worthless and they will kill you.
ATTICUS
I'm doing it as fast as I can.
LUKE
Well, try harder, lad.
ATTICUS tries chopping faster but he gets tired quickly. He
stops to catch his breath.
LUKE (CONT'D)
Keep going before they...
An orc steps up to ATTICUS.
ORC
Why you not cutting 'dem wood like the
rest of 'em?
ATTICUS
I'm tired.
The orc picks ATTICUS up by the neck.
ORC
Maybe we should tear ya up then.
ATTICUS
You know, I'm feeling much better now.
ORC
Ya better be, slave. Now get to work!
The orc tosses ATTICUS to the ground and walks off.
LUKE
Told you, lad. You're lucky you survived.
ATTICUS stands up, shaking the dust off from his clothing. He
picks up his axe and starts chopping away again.
INT. HILLCREST FOREST - NOON
The slaves walk back and forth down the trail as they carry
wood to the huts. The huts are nearly a half a mile away, and
each slave is chained with another slave so they won't escape
that easily.
ATTICUS carries some wood next to DORAN, and an orc is seen
ahead of them in the distance.
ATTICUS
How much of these orcs are hiding in the
forest?
DORAN
You're not thinking about escaping, are
you? They'll kill you if you do that.
ATTICUS
How much are there?
DORAN
Six or eight, I guess. But, no, I am not
going with you.
ATTICUS
I don't care.
DORAN
Well, you better care, because there's no
way you're going to break that chain.
ATTICUS is reminded about the chain on their ankles.
ATTICUS
Then you'll have to come with me.
DORAN
With you? You're speaking nonsense.
ATTICUS
Come on.
ATTICUS forces DORAN off the trail and into the forest.
ATTICUS throws the wood to the side, and DORAN does too.
DORAN
You're so insane. Do you even know where
you're going?
ATTICUS doesn't say anything but keeps heading forward.
ATTICUS
Listen, we're going to die anyway if we
stay as slaves.
DORAN
Yes, you have a point, but... oh, I do
not like this at all!
ATTICUS
Shhh...
They make their way through the forest. An orc behind them is
found visible behind a tree. His face turns angry. ATTICUS
and DORAN start hearing a heavy creature running towards
them. They turn their heads and find an orc with a long axe.
DORAN
Run!
The two boys run as they keep falling because of the chain.
They make their way to a cliff that oversees most of the land
below. They try to stop running, but DORAN slides off the
cliff making ATTICUS to slide off as well. They scream as