Short Film

'STRESS' – a short film

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Script Draft

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Stress

INT. STUDY ROOM – NIGHTTIME

A young man wearing a gray hoodie and baggy sweatpants is sitting in his desk hunched over his work. LEO intensely writing down notes for an upcoming test. He presses with his pencil furiously and scratches the back of his neck. His phone lays on his desk and begins to beep with a text.

TEXT ON SCREEN

MARK: HEY LEO, WANT 2 HANGOUT 2NIGHT?
MARK: HEY R U OK?
LEO: SORRY FOR NOT ANSWERING YOUR TEXT SOONER
LEO: I WAS BUSY STUDYING FOR THE UPCOMING EXAM
MARK: MAN, SORRY I FORGOT. WANT ME TO COME AND 
VISIT?
MARK: LEO? YOU THERE?
Leo slams his hands on his desk as he crumbles the paper and throws it into an old trash bin. Leo covers his face with his sweaty palms.

INT. EMPTY CLASSROOM#1 – NIGHTTIME

Leo slowly peels his hands from his face and scans the barren classroom. Before him, a Stranger (STRESS) wearing a black hoodie, jeans and heavy black boots. Stranger glares down onto Leo. Leo shakes his head and begins to scratch the back of his head.

LEO
Wha-what's going on?
Stranger throws Leo off his chair. Leo falls to thefloor and is startled.
STRESS (COCKY)
Long time no see, Leo. I always
look forward to our little
meetings.
Leo slowly begins to crawl backwards into the
corner.
LEO (STUTTERING)
Wh-who are you? I-I don’t
understand wha-

STRESS (YELLING)
Thats what gets me, Leo! You don’t
understand! Every time! How hard is
it to understand!?
Stranger throws the chair aside while Leo continue crawling backwards, sweat covers his face as he breathes deeply. Leo grips his chest and tries to reply.
STRESS
It really ticks me off how a
pathetic waste of life like
yourself thinks he can ever
achieve something in life? I mean
look at yourself! You think your
diligent and hard work will make
people care a damn about you?!
Leo shakes and stares on black boots of the mysterious stranger.
LEO (STUTTERING)
Y-y-you don’t kn-know wh-who I-I am
or what y-y-you’re talking about.
Stranger chuckles, slowly advancing towards Leo.
STRESS
Like I said before. You don’t
understand…you don’t understand
what worthless scum you are when
you’re grovelling under the heel of
my boot.
Leo quickly springs up from his feet, opens the
door behind him and dashes out of the classroom.
STRESS
Trying to hide from your problems
again? Really? How original of you.
The Stranger gives a teethe grin in amusement.

INT. HALLWAY-NIGHTTIME
Leo half stumbles and runs down the hallway. Looking wildly at his surroundings trying to find a way out. He vigorously scratches the back of his neck.
LEO
Oh, no. Oh, no. Dear God, why me?
Leo slams open the door to stairwell with his body.He runs down the stairs while sounds of his feet echo. The stranger appears at top of the stairwell looking down at Leo.
STRESS
Maybe if you put in half the work
from running away into life, you
wouldn’t be so…nah! Who am I
kidding you still be the pathetic
slug you are!
Leo pushes through the door of the second floor andruns down the hallway. He finds the closest unlocked door, then opens it and closes the door right behind himself.

INT. CLASSROOM#2 – NIGHTIME

Leo’s back is pressing against the door as he breaths heavily. He opens his eyes to a well lit room holding a class. Several students are sitting in their chairs working on an exam and Professor EDWARD sitting patiently behind his desk. Everyone appears not to notice Leo’s entrance.

                    PROFESSOR EDWARD
          Okay class, time's up! Please put
          your pencils down and turn in your
          exams.
All the students get up and begin to hand over     their exams to Professor Edward and then leave     the room.
                    LEO (STUTTERING)
          Pro-professor Edward! I-I don’t
          know what is going on, but there is
          a student or hoodlum that has been
          chasing me.
The Professor continues looking at the exams       ignoring Leo.
                    LEO (STUTTERING)
          P-p-professor? I don’t know if this
          some k-kind of joke or a b-bad
          dream, but please just answer me.
A moment after Leo sighs.
                    PROFESSOR EDWARD
          Leo?
Leo’s head shoots up and hands are shaking.
                    LEO
          Yes, Professor Edward! Thank God, I
          thought I was going mad!
Professor Edward ignores Leo and leaves from his   desk and walks towards a student still working.
                    PROFESSOR EDWARD
          Leo, it is past 6pm. The exam is over.

The LEO LOOK-ALIKE staring at his exam and tapping his pencil.

                    LEO
          Professor that…that is not me.
          I’m right here.
                    PROFESSOR EDWARD (STERN)
          Leo! Are you listening to me?
                    LEO LOOK-ALIKE
          I’m sorry professor, just give me a
          few minutes. I know the answer to
          this problem. I just need more
          time.
                    PROFESSOR EDWARD
          Sadly, time is something that you
          do not have at the moment.
Professor Edward grabs the exam off of Leo’s desk  and looks at it for a moment then turns to address the real Leo for the first time.
                    PROFESSOR EDWARD
          If you spent more time studying
          hard you might have passed the
          exam. Oh well, there is always next
          semester.
The Leo Look-Alike stares blankly and balls his    fist on the table.
                    LEO
           Wait. This can’t be true. That is
           not me. He can’t be me!
Leo reaches out towards Professor, but the scene
dramatically changes. The room becomes dark and Leois alone. The mysterious stranger sitting in the   distance across from Leo.

HARD CUT

STRESS (LAUGHING)
Oh that is rich, even Professor
Edwards think that you’re a waste
of mass and he is a physics
professor!
Leo backs away from the mysterious stranger and barrels his way out of the door.

INT. HALLWAY – NIGHTIME
Leo runs down the hallway, the stranger’s laughter echos.
STRESS (LAUGHING)
Dear God, if only you realize how
futile your life is maybe you can
sit down and just laugh at
yourself.
Leo runs down to the end of the hallway and up to anearby elevator. He presses the elevator button repeatedly until it opens and the stranger is standing behind the doorway.
STRESS
You know I just realized
something…if the Big Man Upstairs
really does exists then he probably
is now regretting that there was a
sixth day if that meant you be up
and kicking.
Leo backpedals his way from the elevator and down the hallway.
LEO
Help! Is anybody here? Someone
help!
The Mysterious Stranger laughs echo in the hallway.
LEO (STUTTERING)
N-No, no, no, no, no.
Leo tumbles his way to the closest door and shuts it behind himself and locks it.
STRESS
Leo, know you can ignore me.
Pushing away your problems is not
good for your health.
Leo slides down the door and curls up into a ball. Begins to shake as the Mysterious stranger bangs onthe door calling Leo’s name.

INT. STUDY ROOM – NIGHTTIME
Hard-cut transition to Leo in study room. Curled upinto a ball still shaking. The mysterious stranger’s voice echos. Voices are cut off by loud knocking at Leo’s door. Leo stops gets up and slowly walks to the door and opens it to reveal

                    MARK
          Leo, finally you answer! You did
          not replied to my earlier texts so
          I came by.
                    LEO (SHAKEN)
          Yea…sorry about that
                    MARK
          Are you okay?
                    LEO (SHAKEN)
          I don’t know…
Awkward pause between Leo and Mark
                    MARK
          Right…I was going to go and grab
          some ice cream. Want to take a
          break and come with?
                    LEO (LESS SHAKEN)
          Yeah…Yeah. I think I might need a

Break.

Leo closes the door. Hard cut to black followed by the Mysterious Stranger’s laughter.