The lobby is dusty and dirty, a mirror hangs on the left wall
completely devoid of any accurate reflection. All passerby are reduced
to blurry shadows. JOHNNY ascends the staircase. A faint mumbling
(buddhist monks praying, impossible to understand, sounds like an
exorcism.) is heard as we follow JOHNNY. He turns right into a long
hallway.
INT. LONG HALLWAY--NIGHT
The hallway is dark and damp with flickering light.
As we follow closer the mumbling gets louder. His neighbor across the
hall is an OLD MAN with long thinning blonde hair, he passes by and
gives JOHNNY a slight nod and smile, JOHNNY nods back. The mumbling is
silenced when he passes. When the OLD MAN has passed, the mumbling
comes back. JOHNNY stops and looks back at him as he is walking away.
JOHNNY turns back around and shakes his head. JOHNNY stops at room
776, slowly turns the knob and steps in.
INT. JOHNNY'S APARTMENT--NIGHT
Mumbling continues.
The apartment is dark and foreboding. Classical music is playing
softly in the apartment overhead along with the constant mumbling. The
music stops with the scratching of the record being taken off the
player. He puts his two keys down on a dusty coffee table. He takes
off his coat and lies it over an old wooden chair. A modestly framed
picture of a squirrel lay dormant on a wall. He walks past a mirror,
stops, turns around and looks at his reflection. He is about 5,5" and
a half, thin and has a clean complexion. With short brown hair and
small glasses. He shrugs and continues into the bedroom.
INT. JOHNNY'S BEDROOM--NIGHT
Mumbling continues.
He picks up a photograph, he is in it along with his ex-wife and
daughter. He sighs longingly and puts the photo down.
He turns on his computer and logs on to the internet, where he checks
his e-mail. Empty. He shakes his head in disbelief so he pushes F5
repeatedly to refresh the page. The page recycles several times, his
box is still empty. With a deep sigh, Johnny takes off his glasses,
puts down his thin leather wallet and falls into bed. He blinks four times and on the fifth, falls asleep.
INT. JOHNNY'S BEDROOM--DAY
JOHNNY lies in bed still asleep. His eyes blast wide open as the
buddhist praying starts louder, more intense and faster than before.
He sits straight up, neither putting on his glasses nor grabbing his
wallet and bolts out the front door forgetting his keys. He does not
take the time to close his door.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING LOBBY--DAY
Mumbling is louder than before.
JOHNNY runs down the stairs holding his hands to his head. He sees the
OLD MAN a few yards ahead. The OLD MAN opens his mouth so as to speak,
but JOHNNY runs faster past him and out the lobby door.
EXT. FIFTH AVENUE--DAY
Mumbling continues.
JOHNNY, while still holding his hands to his head, runs down the clean
street bumping into pedestrians along the way. It is a beautiful day,
the sun is out, the sounds of birds chirping can be heard faintly over
the constant mumbling and the sounds of traffic. He does not slow his
pace. He approaches an empty bus stop and passes it. JOHNNY knows
where he is going. He knocks a WOMAN over and the mumbling gets louder
quickly. He still does not slow down, the mumbling returns to it's
constant. He is now sweating and taking deeper breaths. He stops
suddenly, lowering his hands. He looks across the street. Between
passing trucks and cars, he can barely make out the name. PSYCHIATRIC
WARD. He runs across the street with total disregard for his safety
and enters the building.
INT. PSYCHIATRIC WARD LOBBY--DAY
Mumbling continues.
JOHNNY walks into the lobby and looks around at the clean white room,
observing the small fish tank with no fish. The floors are white tile,
the fluorescent lights give a slight hum and the white front desk is
home to a small white SECRETARY in white scrubs. JOHNNY approaches the
front desk, looking nervous and scared. The secretary nods and points
her pen to a seat. The mumbling grows. JOHNNY's eyes widen suddenly
and the SECRETARY gives him a puzzled look. The mumbling grows louder.
JOHNNY's mouth drops and his lips tremble. He darts his eyes to the
right past the SECRETARY where two male nurses dressed in plae blue
scrubs are walking toward him. He grabs his head as the mumbling gets
louder than ever. JOHNNY begins walking backwards slowly. The mumbling
hits a new peak as he turns his head to the left quickly where a YOUNG
MAN who JOHNNY recognizes as the tenant below JOHNNY'S apartment and
10 doors to the left. The YOUNG MAN is sitting in the chair intended
for JOHNNY. T!
he YOUNG MAN gives him a grim smile. JOHNNY turns around and speeds
out the door.
EXT. FIFTH AVENUE--NIGHT
The mumbling is louder on the now empty streets. JOHNNY looks left,
right, and the down quickly as he is still running, the mumbling
climbs in volume. He runs into the middle of the street where two
lights shine and a loud horn blasts. Five bright lights flash quickly
in succession. The mumbling dies down slowly.
FADE TO BLACK
INT. THE BLACK VOID--NA
Nothing but black for five seconds. No sound.
FADE IN
INT. THE WHITE VOID--NA
JOHNNY is lying on a white floor. There is no mumbling. His eyes blink
open. JOHNNY begins to raise his hand as if to rub his eyes, but stops
short. JOHNNY sees the OLD MAN from next door dressed in white
standing next to a large mass of blue light. The OLD MAN presents it.
JOHNNY looks at the light then the OLD MAN again, but he is gone.
JOHNNY is drawn to the light, he cannot resist. He breaks into a run
and jumps into it. He is in mid-jump when the portal envelops him.
EXT. CENTRAL PARK EAST--DAY
A squirrel lands to the ground from a leap and looks around at its
surroundings. The squirrel scurries up a nearby oak tree. The OLD MAN
walks by in a white and blue jogging outfit and gives the squirrel a
nod. The squirrel is still as the man jogs away. Once the man is gone,
the squirrel trots inside the tree where he is welcomed by four other
squirrels.
