Narrative #2/ "The Basement"

The Basement

>Characters:

Chase- Realtor/friend of Nick and Jason

Nick- The man buying/ moving into house

Jason- Nick’s best friend/roommate who is also moving into house (douchebag)

Martin- The pizza guy

Dead man- Apparition 

Scene 1:

>Camera pan/zoom through front yard, through rusted iron gates and a yard of dead grass, camera goes across a cement pathway towards Chase who is handing house keys to Nick.

CHASE: So, now you just need to… 

[Nick’s phone rings]

NICK: It’s Jason, one sec. [answers phone]

JASON: [on phone] I know, I am SUPER late bro. I’m on my way. Pizza on me tonight!

*Cut scenes back and forth from Nick at the house to Jason driving in a car.

NICK: Dude where have you been? We just finished the walk through and Chase is about to give me the keys to the house. [puts phone on speaker]

JASON: [Exaggerated] I knoooww, Man. I know. I am turning the corner right now. I see you!

NICK: Really? ‘Cause I don’t see you bro. [Nick and Chad look around]

JASON: That’s so funny maybe because Im all the way up here in this big moving truck.

NICK: No i’m pretty sure we would see a big moving truck. [Nick chuckles]

JASON: Alright, bro. I’m here. [hangs up phone]

>Chase and Nick look around annoyed and confused because Jason isn’t there yet. Jason comes around the corner in the moving truck. Chase notices it first.

CHASE: Ah-ha! There he is! 

NICK: [mutters] Finally.

>Cut to long shot of the moving truck driving towards the house and Jason waving his arm out of the window and then a middle finger. 

>Jason gets out of the car and walks up the path to the house to meet Chase and Nick. 

JASON: [flirting] Well aren’t you looking just as sexy as always, Chase. **(Thinking about changing this line)

CHASE: [rolls eyes]

NICK: [defensive] Jason! What the fuck bro? That was rude as fuck. What is wrong with you?

CHASE:  [to Jason] Our friendship doesn’t give you the right to be a dick. **(Thinking about changing this line)

>Nick is impressed by Chase, Jason reluctantly apologizes.

CHASE: Here are the keys— I have another client to meet, are we all good here? You guys have any questions?

NICK: You should stop by when you’re done working. There will be pizza, beer, and lots of unpacking. 

>Chase is hesitant.

JASON: I promise I won’t be an asshole.

CHASE: [scoffs] Alright, I’ll stop by later.

>The group of friends say their “see you laters”

Scene 2:

>Setting the scene: Jason and Nick are unpacking in the new house and moving furniture, etc. Nick tells Jason to order the pizza he owes him for being late with the moving truck. It is around 8 o’clock.

>Begins scene: Chase calls.

CHASE: [on speaker phone] Hey guys, I’m running late. I will be there by 11 ish.

JASON: Geez Chase, that’s quite the time gap to be “running late.”

CHASE: Shut up, Jason.

NICK: Alright guys, chill. We’ll see you around 11, Chase. [Nick hangs up the phone]

>Nick is now annoyed with Jason and he walks towards the back of the house. Jason turns up the radio as Nick walks away. Nick begins exploring closets.

>Camera pans to Nick opening a door. He peers into a pitch black room.

NICK: Jason, turn down the music.

 [Jason doesn’t respond] 

NICK: [louder] Jason! I heard something in this room. Turn down the tunes!

[Jason doesn’t respond]

> Camera shows Jason rocking out as Nick looks down the long hall at him. 

>Nick brings his head back around the door. He searches around the wall for a light before he steps in. He gives up and takes a step into the room. As he steps into the room, Nick drops twelve feet into the basement, lands on his front side on cement floor. The basement did not have stairs. 

Scene 3:

NICK: [yelling] Jason!

[Nick can hear the music roaring and Jason thudding around the living room above him].

NICK: [Yells again; louder] JASON!! HELP ME! The basement doesn’t have stairs!

JASON: [walks over to the stereo to turn down the volume] Did you say something, Nick?

NICK: [Yells] Yes you idiot! Im in the basement! Bring a latter! 

JASON: [searching the rooms for Nick] Where are ya buddy?

NICK: It’s the last door on the right, by the back door!

> Just as Nick is about to warn Jason about the stairs, Jason falls down into the basement. Now Nick and Jason are both stuck in the basement, mildly injured from their falls.

JASON: [panicking] Fuck bro. What just happened? Are we stuck down here? How do we get out?

NICK: Well, if you had gotten the latter like I told you to before you came down here, we wouldn’t be in this scenario. 

JASON: Why are their no stairs? How could we buy a house and not know it had a basement?

>As Jason panics, the men hear a clatter across the basement. They can not see due to the pitch black, the only light is from twelve feet above at the door.

NICK: [worried] Shut up dude, did you hear that?

JASON: Yeah, do you have your phone? 

NICK: My phone? [holds out the phone]

JASON: Yeah, your phone stupid. Use the flashlight so we can see what made the sound, maybe it was a rat.

>Nick fusses with his phone to try and get the flashlight working. 

NICK: I hope you have your phone too, because mine is at 23% [show battery percentage/life].

JASON: [rolls eyes]

>Nick gets flash working and together they walk in the direction that they heard the sound. They are about to approach something when suddenly the basement door slams shut. Nick and Jason abruptly turn around. Nick begins to freak out and calls Chase and she kicks them to voicemail while she is breaking up with her boyfriend. Nick looks at the time.

NICK: Okay, I am a little spooked but, its 9:30. Chase will be here around 11. We just have to stick it out until then. I’ll send her a text so she knows we are stuck and we need her help when she gets here. [sends text to Chase]

>Phone reads: No service, cannot send message at this time. Try again later.

JASON: Genius plan, Nick.

NICK: It’s okay she will be here soon, lets just try to stay calm and keep looking around for another way out. 

>Nick’s phone is now at 19% because of the phone call and the consistent use of the flashlight. A notification warns them that the phone is “less than 20%.” They reluctantly ignore the notification and continue their exploration of the basement. 

JASON: Hey what’s that over there? [points finger]

NICK: Let’s go see.

>They move closer towards the unknown figure, suspenseful music is playing for the audience’s stimulation. 

JASON: Oh, its just an old grandfather clock. That’s pretty neat, it must have belonged to the previous owners. [He reaches out to touch the clock and it makes a loud clock sound]

NICK: Bro! What the fuck did you just do?

JASON: Nothing man, I didn’t even touch it yet. I’m freaking out man.

NICK: Okay, let’s try to stay calm.

>Nicks phone buzzes and a notification reads, “Less than 10% battery life, switch to power saver mode.” Nick switches his phone to power saver mode and the flashlight goes out.

JASON: Nick what did YOU do?

>Nick and Jason then hear footsteps angrily approaching them and wind whooshes past them.

JASON: [freaking out] Get me outta here man!!

NICK: Okay maybe there is a latter or something around here or a door leading out of here. Let’s keep looking. Shit is getting weird now.

>Nick and Jason lock arms and try to make their way to a wall. The flashlight doesn’t shine too far in front of them and they begin to feel like they have been walking for 15 minutes. They check the time— 9:45pm. They have only been in the basement for a total of 20 minutes. 

JASON: Dude, what if this thing doesn’t have walls? What if we are dead already and we are just in hell?! 

NICK: Don’t be so dramatic, if we were in hell you would be in here alone [laughs at his own joke]

JASON: [rolls eyes] So while we are trapped down here together, we might as well talk about Chase.

NICK: Can’t you just leave her alone? She is our friend and you’re such a dick to her.

JASON: Ooohhh! you like her, don’t you? 

NICK: [rolls eyes]

>Jason pesters Nick more while they inch their way to a wall. They are quiet for a minute while they walk along the wall. Jason’s phone dings. 

NICK: [angered] You have your phone?! You let mine die and you have had your’s this whole time?! [Jason gives a sad/ apologetic look] Well take it out and start using it! 

JASON: [takes out his phone and reads message] Hey! It’s a notification from the pizza place! Oh happy day we are going to be saved.

NICK: Great! How long until he’s here?

JASON: 20 minutes.

NICK: [annoyed] Keep walking the wall.

>Jason switch on the flashlight for his phone and thrusts it up. A man appears in front of him and Jason screams. The man is grey like he is fresh from his grave and his facial expression is as cold and frightful as death itself. The figure just stands there and Jason shines the light away from the figure.

NICK: Why did you do that? Now we are going to lose him!

>Jason puts the light back but the dead man was gone. Jason and Nick feel a chill down their spines and begin to hurry along the wall. A laugh with no face buzzes buy their ears. They shine the light around when Jason clumsily drops the phone and the screen shatters. The light fades out and the phone is now broken. Nick and Jason begin to argue. Another wind whooshes by and more clattering happens across the basement floor.

Meanwhile…

PIZZA GUY [Martin]: [rings doorbell]

JASON: Oh my god, it’s been 20 minutes already! 

NICK: [starts yelling for the pizza man to help them] HELP! HELP US!

JASON: [chiming in] PIZZA DUDE! PLEASE HELP US! WE ARE DOWN HERE!

MARTIN: The names Martin, Dudes!

>Nick and Jason continue to holler but they no longer hear the pizza man. The dead man reappears [can’t be seen in darkness though] and grabs Jason and drags him further into the darkness of the basement. Jason screams as he is being dragged along the cement. He is hitting his head as he is being dragged and his skin is being scraped off from the course ground. Blood on the ground.

NICK: JASON! Nooo!

MARTIN: [Swings open the ground door to the basement from the backyard] Hello? You guy’s okay in here? 

>Light shines through the basement, Nick is weeping for the loss of his friend. Nick looks up towards the Pizza guy and just as he is about to ask him for help, the dead man takes the silhouette of the pizza man and slams the door. 

MARTIN: [screams] I just deliver the pizza, dude! 

>The pizza flies across the basement and lands on the dead man’s face. Nick runs in the direction of the ground door, where the pizza man was. He ran as fast as her could and just as he was about to reach the door, he hears a snickering from across the basement and then he trips. Footsteps come towards Nick. Nick hurries to get to his feet when the dead man grabs Nick’s throat with his cold hands. 

NICK: [fighting for his life] You will not take me like you took my friend and that innocent man!

>Nick gets loose and reaches the door. He struggles to get it open and the dead man is stomping after him. Nick hears a car door and his heart sinks to his stomach. Chase is finally here. All he can hope is that she got his text.

CHASE: [knocks on the door] Hey, anyone home? I brought beer…

>Chase reaches for the door only to find it locked. She tries the back door next and it is locked as well. Finally she comes to the ground basement door. She reaches for the handle and Nick starts yelling for her to run away.

CHASE: [Takes mace out for protection; kicks door open with a grunt]

>Nick and the dead man fly back because they are so close to the door. The dead man lets go and Nick sprints for the door. The dead man is running closely behind trying to catch him. Nick leaps for the door and Chase slams it shut as Nick jumps through.

>Chase locks the door and runs over to help Nick.

CHASE: [Worried] Are you okay?

NICK: So you want to tell me why you sold me a house with a dead man in it? [laughs nervously].

>Chase helps him up and helps him to her car so they can get away from the haunted house. As they are limping to the car, camera angle is low and you can see foreground of basement door shaking, the haunted house in the middle ground, following Chase and Nick in the background. 

The End.

Show Credits.