Ready Player None?

By Chelsea Laing
INT. LAUNCH ROOM
FADE IN:
In a pitch black room, red lights abruptly turn on to
illuminate the space. A group of soldiers sit hobbled over,
across from each other. PLAYER 1’s hands are shaking and
PLAYER 2 is biting his nails while starring at a fixed point
in space. One of the soldiers throws up. All the other boys
are either have their hands up to their faces, biting their
lips, or rocking back and forth.

Suddenly an alarm goes off, and the spines of the soldiers

shoot up straight. Slowly, daylight begins rise upon them. A
verbal countdown starts and they all mechanically stand up
in uniform. When the countdown finishes, all of them file
out

CUT TO:

EXT. FORREST. DAY

They all emerge into the forrest one by one, charging,

yelling.
Everything freezes and everyone stops right where they are,
holding a pose. ’PAUSED’ pops up.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

A game on a laptop is paused. There is a teenage boy GAMER
sitting infront of it, visibly unimpressed, gets up and
leaves the room slurping down a large coke from Maccas.
FADE TO BLACK:

FADE IN:

EXT. FORREST. DAY

All the soldiers are frozen in place. While their faces hold
the same position, their expressions grow more FEARFUL as
their eyes look from side to side at each other.
CUT TO:
 2.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

Gamer comes back into the room, belches an puts on his head
set, sighs, and presses play.
CUT TO:

EXT. FORREST. DAY

The ’PAUSED’ disappears, the action resume, but they don’t
even move a step before something stealthily and viciously
attacks them. All the soldiers stand there and drop
lifelessly to the floor expect for Player 1 and PLAYER 2.
They stand there mouths gaping open, eyes wide. IT’S CARNAGE
CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

There is a pause as Gamer sits there looking at the screen
with a blank expression, unfazed of what has happened.

GAMER
(plain, casual)
shi-
Title card pops up (accompanied with a game pop noise) over
the screen and covers his mouth, cutting off what he is
saying.
((READY PLAYER NONE))

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1 and Player 2 are hobbled over a bomb. Player 1 has

a pair of wire cutters in one hand while sweat drips down
his face. There are two wires and a clock counting down.

PLAYER 2
(scared)
How are we supposed to know which
one to cut?
PLAYER 1
I know which one it is...
(looks upwards)
... but he doesn’t
MATCH CUT TO:
 3.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

Gamer’s face is still uninterested, but his lips are perched
and the top of his hand is tapping his cheek as if in slight
thought.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

PLAYER 1
Come on, man, you can do it.

Player 1 and Player 2 lean in further.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

Gamer’s mouse slowly moves over to the left and his eyes
follow.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1’s eye light up a bit with hope as his hand slowly
moves to the left, while Player 2’s face grows with
anticipation and fear.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

Gamers hand stops and he is slightly biting his lip.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1’s cutters have the blue wire right in them. Player
2 grows even more fearful and has his hand covering his
mouth in shock as the countdown gets closer to finishing.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

Gamer lifts up his finger to click.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1’s grip on the cutters tightens. His face is smiling

and nodding on. Player 2 has his hands up to his face and
with his eyes clenched shut, opens one to keep peeping, 5
seconds left of the clock.
 4.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

About to click, Gamer swiftly moves his mouse to the right.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1’s hand moves rapidly fast to the right. His face
stays the same except his eyes burst wide with fear. 1
second left.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

Gamer smiles with his choice, then a quick ’click’

EXT. FORREST. DAY

The red wire is cut.
PLAYER 1
(dissapointed, annoyed)
Mother f-
There is a big explosion right where they sit.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

On the laptop there is a tiny explosion. Gamer shrugs it off

and resumes playing.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1 emerges from behind a bush stumbling.

PLAYER 1
(shouting)
Charlie? Charlie!?

Some coughing is heard in the distance, Player 1 rushes

over, drops to his knees and holds Player 2 is his arms.
PLAYER 1
(panicky)
You’re alright, you’re gonna be
alright.
Player 2 lies in Player 1’s arms. Player 2 shakily brings up
a hand to grab Player 1’s arm.

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 5.

PLAYER 2
(spluttering, unsteady)
P-P-Phillip...
PLAYER 1
Yes, buddy.
PLAYER 2
I-I want to go h-home.
PLAYER 1
(trying to keep it together)
I know, me too, me too.
Player 2’s health bar goes to zero and he goes lifeless in
Player 1’s arms. Player 1, caught by emotion, lets out a
scream.

PLAYER 1
Whyyyy!!!
He slumps over Player 2’s body, sobbing.

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

We see the light from the screen shining on Gamer’s face,
that appears to be a little in shock.

GAMER
This is...
We see Player 1 still with Player 2
GAMER
This is...
We see Player 1’s face full of loss.
We grow closer to Gamer’s face

GAMER
This is... boring. Come on, get
moving.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

In slow motion, Player 1 gets up and moves away as a tear
rolls down his face. ’All by myself’ plays as he walks
through the forrest. The enemy pop up one by one out of the
bushes, and without even looking, Player 1 keeps his slow
pace and somber mood and shoots them down. One pops up

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 6.

behind him. he sadly pulls out a grenade, takes out the pin
with his mouth and throws it backwards. There is an
explosion, but he does not look back.

Suddenly Player 1 is hit and struck down. He looks up and

standing over him is a man with an eye patch, a beret, a red
tank top and magazines strapped across his torso. ’BOSS
FIGHT’ pops up infront of him.

VILLAIN
Ha, I wondered when you pathetic
worms would get here, but it seems
not all of you could make it.
PLAYER 1
You! This is all your fault, and
you must pay.
Player 1 charges at Villain, but when he tries to attack
him, he dodges his blows easily and swiftly, slaps him
around a bit, and then punches him a few meters back. Player
1, dazed from the blow, about to give up, sees Player 2’s
ghost.
PLAYER 2 (GHOST)
Come on man, you need to get up.

PLAYER 1
I can’t do it.
PLAYER 2 (GHOST)
Yes you can, do it for the both of
us.
Player 2 extends out a hand a helps Player 1 up. Player 1
turns to Villain.
VILLAIN
Back for more?
Villain pulls out big heavy, metal, machine gun arms and
points them at Player 1.
VILLAIN
Come and get it.
Player 1 and Villain charge at each other and have a epic
battle trying to defeat one another. Suddenly they get
interrupted.

MOTHER
Honey, dinner’s ready.
Player 1 and Villain look up a little confused

(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED: 7.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. BEDROOM. DAY

GAMER
(whiny, annoyed )
Mom, I told you, I’m the middle of
a game.

EXT. FORREST. DAY

Player 1 and Villain a sort of frozen in position. With
Villain’s focus off, Player 1 quickly seizes the opportunity
and absolutely destroys Villain. Villains health bar goes to
zero, he falls down and disappears.

Player 1 drops to the floor, exhausted. He seems at peace.

PLAYER 1
Ahh, finally, it’s over.

There is a pause. A sign pops up ’Level One Complete’.

Player 1’s face grows confused.
PLAYER 1
Wait, what?

As that sign disappears, another one pops up, ’Level Two’,

’START’. We see Player 1 in complete shock and utter fear.