Elliot Sattler, 21, on the cusp of adulthood lies on his bed. The room is covered in film posters including titles such as HALLOWEEN (1978), IT FOLLOWS, INCEPTION, E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL.
You turn to shut off the light by your bed--
[[PULL LAMP CHAIN]]
All of a sudden, a Man in the shadows grabs you by the collars of your shirt from the adjacent room.
He appears to be in his mid-thirties. The features of his appearance are masked by the blood red illuminaton. The Man peers down the hall before making eye contact with you.
You shout,
[["Who the hell are you!?"]]The Man lets go of your shirt. He moves his hand to your mouth and leans in, with a look of concern on his face.
"Be quiet. Please. Can you do that?"
You breathe and then nod. The Man releases his hand.
"Good." He pauses before he continues--
"Apologies, but you have to keep your voice down. There's someone here with us."
He bears a strong Scottish accent.
You think on your response:
- [[You mean other than us?]]
- [[What're you doing in my house?]]
- [[I love your accent.]]You jolt up from your bed, quickly turning on the light. The posters in your room have changed. They are now THE THING (1982), A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, VANILLA SKY, ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S SPELLBOUND.
The lamp glows a dark red, as if blood has spilled inside the bulb.
You push yourself to the edge of the bed. You rise once your feet touch the floor. Quickly making your way to the door, a shadow begins to envelop the room.
Without a second to think, you turn the knob with haste and walk through the--
[[DOOR.]]"Santa came in July. Of course, someone other than us. And that someone is here to kill you. I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen."
The man peers down the hall again before continuing his train of thought.
"When I tell you to, run for the door and get outside. It's the only way to wake up."
You begin to realize the gravity of the situation as you reply,
[["I'm not going anywhere! We need to call the police."]]"I'm not here to make a house call, kid. Someone's here to kill you and I'm trying to make sure THAT doesn't happen."
The man peers down the hall again before continuing his train of thought.
"When I tell you to, run for the front door and get outside. It's the only way to wake up."
You begin to realize the gravity of the situation as you reply,
[["Wake up? Wait. Am I dreaming?"]]"Thanks kid, but I really don't think we have time to be admiring each others family trees."
He checks the hallway again before continuing his train of thought.
"Right now none of that matters. You need to listen to me very carefully, for your life depends on it. Nod again if you understand."
Unsure. You nod.
"When I tell you to, run for the front door and get outside. It's the only way to wake up."
You begin to realize the gravity of the situation as you reply,
[["Wake up? Wait. Am I dreaming?"]]The Man grabs you by the shoulders.
"That won't do any good here. If you don't run, we're both dead."
Suddenly a loud crash is heard as a large shadow pears through the door.
The man screams "Run!!!"
But it's too late. It's large hands reach out and grab you both.
He is quickly crushed instantly. You watch his lifeless body go limp.
You realize that he was telling the truth as you reach down to try and break free from it's grasp.
It squeezes until you start coughing blood. You try to reach for help until all you can make out is--
[[Nothing.]]GAME OVER. "Yes, this is a dream, Elliot. Your dream. But it has also become your nightmare."
You turn your head in response,
[["How do you know my name?"]]"I'm going to distract it. Remember, get outside as fast as you can. Tomorrow night, you must find me. I promise I'll explain everything to you then."
The Man steps out into the hallway and looks toward your bedroom.
You step out behind him, asking him one last thing.
"Wait. I didn't catch your name."
He turns his head to make eye contact with you.
"David."
Immediately, he faces your room again and begins sprinting down the hallway.
[["Now Elliot!!!!"]]You run in the opposite direction down the hallway and make your way to the large set of stairs toward the first floor.
As you dash down the stairs, you trip and fall onto the floor.
You hear a strange, loud roar from unstairs.
The red lights all begin to flicker.
While on the ground, you look up the stairs to see a distorted shadow crawling toward you along the walls. Reaching out. For you.
[[Wait for David.]]
[[Run for it.]]As you lie on the ground. The shadow moves swiftly toward you.
David never comes down the steps. You look up as the shadow looms over you, ready to swallow you whole.
You close your eyes and scream as everything fades to--
[[BLACK.]] You muster all the energy you have and dash toward the front door.
The shadow grows closer behind you as the hallway seems to grow longer, stretching in front of you.
Time seems to grind to a halt. Each step feeling neverending.
You reach the door handle and force it open. Everything rushes all at once.
You are greeted by a bright light.
You shield your eyes as the shadow is completely obliterated.
At long last, you walk forward into the light.
[[It glows harshly until--]]GAME OVER.You stare at the knife.
"Shit."
Quickly, you drop the knife on the ground and rise to your feet.
You begin to mutter to yourself over and over again.
"Shit. Shit. Shit."
Pacing back and forth across the room with your hands over your head.
"What should I do?"
[[Call the police.]]
[[Make a plan.]]You fall to your knees again and reach out to touch the dead man's face, but you pull your hand back just before contact.
"Did I-- Did I do this?"
You rush to the mainline phone in your father's office and dial 9-1-1.
The dial tone can be heard until you hear ringing.
Suddenly an operator picks up.
"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"
[["Hi, I'd like to report a murder."]]You fall to your knees again and reach out to touch the dead man's face, but you pull your hand back just before contact.
"Did I-- Did I do this?"
You rise to your feet once more and make your way to the doorway.
Turning back one last time to say goodbye to your father. But you cannot find the words, only--
[[Silence--]]Your ears begin to ring as everything around you begins to fade away.
Before long, you are in handcuffs being escorted into a police vehicle.
Friends and family visit you, but it's no use.
They have enough evidence to bury you.
Within a few weeks, you are in front of a judge and jury.
They hand down your sentence within the hour.
One of the jury members announces your verdict.
You read the word "Guilty" on their lips.
The judge bangs his gavel and your fate is sealed.
[[Murderer.]]GAME OVER.As you walk down the hall towards your bedroom, the lights flash red a few times before evening back to their white hue.
You stop, wondering if it merely was your eyes playing tricks on you again. Or if you're still dreaming.
Inside your bedroom, you are able to walk around and grab your clothes from the dresser.
[[Top Drawer]]Briefs and socks obtained.
"As much as they say imagine yourself in your underwear to calm yourself down. Never do that. Terrible advice."
[[Middle Drawer]]Graphic Tee obtained.
"Nothing like sharing my love for the Bebop crew. See you space cowboy."
[[Lower Drawer]] Jeans obtained.
"You know what they say about DNA. It's all in the jeans. Or was it pockets? I suppose that could apply to shorts too."
With your clothes on, all that's left is to grab a pair of shoes.
By the end of the bed is a pair of maroon converse sticking out of a backpack.
[[Backpack and Shoes]]Backpack and Shoes Obtained.
"Ready to run the distance. Hearts on fire and all that. Maybe it's best if I leave that stuff to Rocky."
You just about have everything you need to leave your old life behind. A few more supplies to add to your backpack. A toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and an extra set of clothes.
The nightstand by the bed bears an old Sattler family photo.
[[Photo]]Photo Obtained.
"Simplier times. Dad was a lot happier back then. And mom-- Well she was still here with us. What I wouldn't give to relive this day one last time."
You make your way over to dresser.
[[Extra Set of Clothes]]Extra Set of Clothes Obtained.
"Never hurts to dress for the occassion. Well another occassion. That's what I meant."
"One more pitstop to the bathroom and I'm out of here," you say to yourself.
You make your way to the bathroom once again. Ignoring the mess you made.
You notice all the toiletries by the sink.
[[Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Deodorant.]]Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Deodorant Obtained.
"The one thing about hygiene jokes is that your can never fully brace yourself for them. I feel like there was a dentist joke in there somewhere. Forget I said anything."
With your bag fully stocked, you're good to go.
"Time to get the hell out of here."
[[Head for the bedroom window.]]You open the bedroom and sit along the windowsill preparing to jump into the night. Taking one final look back at your once safe haven.
You think to yourself, "I hope one day I can return here. To make things right. But first, I need to clear my name. Or find out if I'm truly the one who's guilty."
You turn to look down below, internalizing-- "That's a LOT higher than I remember. Well, here goes nothing."
You leap out the window to a uncertain future.
"Thanks Dad, for giving me a time of happiness. For that, I'll never be ungrateful. I can't say the same for everything else. I'm angry. And I'm gonna use this anger to find the truth. I promise."
Wind blows in the window. Nobody there, as we--
[[FADE TO BLACK]]THE END. You notice that some light can still be seen from the hallway. As you drift to sleep, slowly everything becomes fully immersed in--
[[DARKNESS.]]The hallway begins to stretch as if the walls have garnered a monstrous elasticity. As you make your way down the hall, the deep red lights lining the walls begin to flicker.
You whisper into the void,
[["Hello? Dad?"]]--Your eye's open.
You lie on the floor with blood all over.
A sharp knife is in your hand.
Next to you, lies a male corpse with their neck slit open.
All signs of life completely gone.
With a suddent jerk, you sit up clutching the knife.
You're able to muster one word.
[["Dad?"]]--As you walk down the hallway and into the bathroom, you stride over to the shower and turn the knob. Water comes rushing out from the shower head above.
Slowly, you step into the tub with your clothes still on. Blood begins to pour off your head, while streams of red spin into the drain below.
You remove your clothes and toss them into the metal trash bucket by the toilet.
A short time later, you step out of the shower wrapped in a towel.
From the drawer below the sink, you grab a pack of matches and light your clothes on fire.
Slowly, but surely, what was once attire becomes ash.
You grab the trash can with two cloths to avoid burning your hands and put it underneath the running shower.
[[Once the fire stops, you turn the water off and leave the bathroom.]]