LAY ME DOWN Written by thriller107

FADE IN: The poem Lay Me Down fades onto the screen. The poem stays on the screen for a couple of seconds and then fades out. Ominous music plays. Then, the black screen fades, revealing: INT. JOHN'S ROOM - MORNING JOHN DOE, a teenage high school student, is lying wideawake in bed. His eyes are bloodshot, and it is obvious that he has not slept in a very long time. Johns alarm clock goes off; he sighs and hits the off button. Cue INTRO MUSIC. JOHN (V.O.) I dont dream. Not in the traditional sense, at least. John shambles out of bed and walks down the hall: INT. HALLWAY - MORNING He rounds the corner and walks down the stairs. JOHN (V.O.) For as long as I can remember, I have shut my eyes at night and awoken in a different world, a different realm. John walks around his house, performing mundane morning rituals. A he walks, CUT between real life and the Realm. EXT. A ROOM MORNING - CONTINUOUS John walks through a pantry door nonchalantly. INT. A ROOM EVENING - CONTINUOUS John enters the room and comes upon a fantastical dream full of color. He smiles in awe and leaves EXT. A ROOM MORNING CONTINUOUS John walks out of the pantry, carrying a box of cereal.

2. JOHN (V.O.) Its not what you think. Its not a dream; it's not a fantasy; its a harsh reality that I have to live with every night of my life. I dont know much about this place, but from it, I can influence the dreams of others. (Brief pause.) ...But lately, theres been a problem. EXT. A STREET NIGHT THE REALM John sprints down a street, anger on his face. EXT. THE SAME STREET MORNING REALITY John sprints down the same street, trying to catch his bus. The bus leaves just before he rounds the corner. John curses and drags himself the other way down the street. Joe Greene as John Doe flashes across the screen. OPENING CREDITS INT. CAFETERIA LUNCH TABLE - MORNING John stumbles toward his regular table, where his friend PETER sits among others. Peter is a relaxed high school student, the type who tells others to calm down and relax. John sits down and rests his head on the table. PETER (Friendly) Well, look who we have here. Your mom have to drive you to school again? John looks up from the table at Peter and grunts. PETER Another sleepless night, Mr. DiCaprio? JOHN (Confused) Mr. DiCaprio?

3. PETER Leonardo DiCaprio? Inception? You of all people really should have seen that one, you know. John lifts his head up and rolls his eyes. PETER How long has it been since you last slept? JOHN Bout two weeks. It's just... He looks off in the distance, his train of thought lost. A GIRL gives John a strange look as if she only heard the latter part of his statement. Peter gives her a look in response and motions to John. Both get up and move to a different table. PETER So tell me what usually happens. You crawl under the blankets, snuggle up with your teddy bear, close your eyes, and then wake up in the... Peter snaps his fingers. PETER What do you call it? JOHN The Realm. Peter looks around to make sure no one is listening in. PETER Alright, so you wake up in the Realm, and then what? JOHN You know what happens, Peter. Ive told you enough times.

4. PETER Well, humor me. John sighs again. JOHN I wake up in the Realm, I walk into a house and open a door. Behind the door is the dream of someone whos asleep somewhere in the world. Sometimes I enter the dreams of someone I know, other times, a complete stranger. Dreams, nightmares, its all in the same place. PETER And you can enter these dreams, influence how they play out and then leave completely unnoticed, right? JOHN (Bitterly) Yep. PETER So whats been different? Walk in on your moms dream one too many times? JOHN Peter! This is serious. PETER Alright, alright, just trying to lighten the mood. So, honestly, what has been different? JOHN I dont know! Everythings the same! But these last few nights Ive entered the same house, opened the same doors, and... He gestures with his hands, defeated. ...nothing. There is just nothing behind them. The rooms are completely empty! No dreams, no anything!

5. PETER Mmhmm... Peter grunts, distracted. JOHN Peter? Hey, Pete? John snaps his fingers in front of PETERs face. PETER Huh? Oh, sorry. I was a little distracted. Peter gestures toward a table on the other end of the cafeteria, where a group of girls is sitting and laughing. The ring-leader, ROSE, is bawling over with laughter. John is a little annoyed but says nothing more about his problem. JOHN You really like her, huh? Rose, I mean. Peter is still looking at the table, where ROSE is now laughing uncontrollably. PETER Yeah. Shes just so happy all the time, you know? John nods. INT. JOHNs ROOM NIGHT John slowly walks into his room and groans at the sight of his bed. He shuffles over and plops down, staring at the ceiling. He begins to pray. JOHN Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, thy angels watch me through the night, And keep me safe till morning's light. John blinks a few times and finally shuts his eyes.

6. The camera lurks on his face for a brief moment and then starts to spin. Once the camera stops spinning, John wakes up in the middle of a street. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET - NIGHT John picks himself up off the ground and wanders around. He inhales deeply, shuts his eyes, and accepts that he will likely not be getting any sleep tonight. Nevertheless, he heads for a house and walks in. INT. HOUSE - NIGHT John enters the house. There is nothing particularly interesting about it, while it is a very nice home. He walks around, trying to find a door that shows promise. His eyes lock on one. John smiles and hurries toward it; hes got a good feeling about this one. He turns its knob and nearly yanks it off its handle... But it is just another dark, empty space. Nothing inside but darkness and dust. He punches the air and screams. All of a sudden, he hears a KNOCK on the front door of the house. Slowly, John walks toward it, unsure. INT. FRONT DOOR NIGHT He reaches for the knob and gulps. The knocking persists. He squeezes his eyes and rips it open, where a tall DARK FIGURE clad in robes is standing. The figure takes one step forward and is revealed to be THE ORACLE. JOHN is stunned silent. The Oracle lifts his hood; the face of a teenager older than John lies underneath. THE ORACLE May I come in? John says nothing.

7. THE ORACLE May I please come in, John? John still cannot say a thing but nods his head. THE ORACLE enters the room slowly. Neither says a word for what seems like hours to John. THE ORACLE John... JOHN Wha.. what did you say? THE ORACLE John, dont be alarmed. We need to talk. JOHN You... you can see me...? THE ORACLE Yes, I can see you. I am not like the others you are used to seeing in this realm. JOHN Who are you? THE ORACLE They call me The Oracle. JOHN They? THE ORACLE They are not important. All you need to know is that Im here to warn you. JOHN Warn me about what? THE ORACLE I need you to do something dangerous. (MORE)

8. THE ORACLE (CONT'D) John, do you know what evil looks like? JOHN Uh... THE ORACLE That's right. You don't know what evil looks like. Evil does not have a look; it has a voice. A soothing voice, calming. Trustworthy. JOHN I don't quite understand. THE ORACLE It's not your job to understand. You need to reach out... to touch a stranger. JOHN (Beat) What? THE ORACLE There is another like you a wanderer through this place. Fighting against the dark forces that occupy this realm. The Oracle leans in. Losing. John takes this in. JOHN Well, what am I supposed to do? I can't enter dreams, I don't even know this person... The Oracle leans in further. THE ORACLE You must do what you can. Otherwise... He looks John hard in the eyes. Finding meaning.

9. We will all perish. John considers this some more. INT. JOHN'S ROOM MORNING The time switches from 5:59 to 6:00. INT. FRONT DOOR - NIGHT John's alarm clock GOES OFF. The first few beeps are soft and slow, but they soon grow in volume and speed. John turns to The Oracle to ask one final question. But he is gone. INT. CAFETERIA LUNCH TABLE - MORNING John and Peter are already sitting at the table. The two are in deep conversation, oblivious to the others at the table. PETER So you don't know who that oracle guy was. JOHN Never seen him before in my life. PETER Well, what are you going to do when you go back? John stares at the floor. JOHN I hadnt really thought of that. Maybe Ill just stay awake all night. I dont exactly want to perish, you know? PETER It doesnt sound like the kid that this man mentioned wants to perish either. Look, John? John stops looking at the floor and looks at Peter.

10. PETER I dont have any say in this, of course, but remember that youre not alone here, alright? The bell rings, and the cafeteria gets up to leave. PETER Just... Just do what feels right. That's all you can do. JOHN Yeah. Okay. Peter gives John one last look, grabs his backpack, and leaves the cafeteria. INT. JOHN'S ROOM NIGHT John kneels at the foot of his bed, shuts his eyes, and clasps his hands together as if to pray. He opens them and shakes his head. JOHN I don't know what to say. He stands up and shuffles over to the head of his bed. John falls back, expecting to be caught by his mattress, but instead: EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET NIGHT John hits the ground hard. He grunts and sits up, rubbing the back of his head. He looks around. DARK FIGURES IN CLOAKS, different from The Oracle's, walk aimlessly around the street. JOHN What the...? Hearing John, the Dark Figures make their way toward him. One points at him and hisses.

11. DARK FIGURE #1 That is the one! John stares at the Dark Figure for a beat. JOHN I'm going to assume that's not a good sign. John panics and bolts for a house. He desperately fumbled with the door, but it is locked. John tries to kick the door in but hurts his foot instead. He runs to another house, only to find another locked door. He turns around to see that the Dark Figures have started running. Desperate, John tries one more house. He grabs at the doorknob it turns. But the door is stuck! John slams against the door no luck. A second try yields no results. He takes one look back. The Dark Figures have almost reached him. John takes a couple extra steps back and SLAMS against the door with all his might. The door finally gives way. He scrambles inside and shuts the door with all his might. INT. HOUSE - NIGHT John takes a few steps away into the next roomINT. FAMILY ROOM NIGHT -and collapses onto a nearby couch, hoping to take a breather. His break is interrupted by the sound of something banging at the door. JOHN I should have taken the red pill. John leaves the Family Room and runs through a hall, opening doors left and right. All of them are empty. JOHN C'mon, please!

12. He tries another door an empty room. JOHN Please! INT. FRONT DOOR NIGHT Dark Figures burst through the door, nearly breaking its hinges. INT. HALLWAY NIGHT John has given up checking the inside of rooms. He is just running through the house ripping doors open. John spies a door apart from other doors. A smiley face is painted on it in paint. He turns back and lunges for the door. Dark Figures round the corner, sprinting toward him. John makes it inside and shuts the door. INT. STAIRCASE TO THE BASEMENT NIGHT The staircase is dark, lit faintly by candles. John is taken aback but smiles a little the room is not empty for once. He makes his way down the stairs, hoping to find a way out. He hits the bottom of the stairs, and his mouth drops. INT. BASEMENT NIGHT Rose, the girl from the cafeteria, is sitting in a chair. Thick rope ties her to her seat. Dark Figures circle her slowly, whispering. Dark Figure #2 Your fault... Dark Figure #3 No one cares... Dark Figure #4 You're so screwed up... Dark Figure #5 Twisted... Dark Figure #2 Ugly...

13. Dark Figure #3 Stupid... Rose hangs her head. She believes every word they speak. Dark Figure #4 is about to whisper something else into her ear but notices John and stops. It hisses at him. The Dark Figures continue to circle her, whispering. JOHN Rose? He shakes his head in disbelief. Rose looks up. ROSE (meekly) Hello? DARK FIGURE #4 Put your head down. You don't deserve to talk. Rose lowers her head, agreeing. JOHN Rose... ROSE Look, whoever's there, just... Go. I don't deserve the effort. JOHN I won't. ROSE Just leave. JOHN No. ROSE Look, you don't know me. You don't know my life, you don't know what I've done, you (MORE)

14. ROSE (CONT'D) don't know what I've been through. You don't understand, so just please leave me alone. JOHN Rose... I don't know how to help you. I don't know what to do. ROSE There's nothing you can do. JOHN What I can do is all I can do. Rose, people care about you. People reallyA Dark Figure interrupts John's thought process by rushing at him. John react by grabbing its hood and ripping it off but when he pulls away, only the robes remain. The Dark Figure is gone. One of the ropes confining Rose snaps in half. The three remaining Dark Figures turn to John. At the same time, the door swings open, and Dark Figures from the upstairs rush downstairs. As they are about to engulf John, he turns to Rose. JOHN It's going to be okay. A slow, deep BEEP rings through the room. John's alarm clock. The camera spins around the room. John is ripped from the Realm and wakes up into Reality, right as the Dark Figures are about to reach him. INT. JOHN's BEDROOM MORNING John sighs. INT. SCHOOL CAFETERIA - MORNING John, Peter, and another group of people (including BOY #1) are sitting at the same table, sharing jokes and laughing. At her table, Rose and her friends are laughing as well. She

15. laughs even harder than usual. JOHN (to Peter) Go for it, Pete! PETER I hardly know her! BOY #1 Nah, you're just scared. Peter pushes Boy #1 away, and the whole group laughs. John stands up. JOHN Alright, I'm gonna go get a parfait. I'll be right back. The group nods. John walks down and passes Rose's table. JOHN Hey, Rose. Rose turns. ROSE Hi. Rose goes back to say something to her friends, then stops. She turns back to get another look at John, but he is gone. FADE TO BLACK: EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET NIGHT John and The Oracle are walking. JOHN So I've got another question. Why was it that I could see Rose's dream, but not others'? THE ORACLE What you saw was more reality than dream (MORE)

16. THE ORACLE (CONT'D) for her. People aren't the only things that come into this realm. John nods. JOHN What was it that I saw, exactly? THE ORACLE Memories, perhaps. Harsh words. Personal issues. Let me make one thing clear. Those things you saw were not from here. She brought them from her life. Those pains were real. INT. ROSE'S BEDROOM NIGHT Rose is sound asleep, smiling slightly. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET NIGHT A handful of Dark Figures wanders around the street. One comes close to John. He rips its hood off, making the figure disappear. He casts the robes aside. JOHN It might take a little while. But she'll be okay. FADE TO BLACK John says one final line. JOHN (V.O.) Everything is going to be okay. CREDITS

END.