What If...

By Patrick Livingston

INT. THERAPISTS OFFICE - DAY The DOCTOR (38) and JOHN CREEDY (24) are in the office. The Doctor is sitting on a chair and John laying on the couch. The doctor has a notebook in hand as he begins to talk to John. DOCTOR Comfortable, Mr. Creedy? JOHN Yes. DOCTOR Now let us begin. Tell me a little about yourself. JOHN Alright... INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT John is laying on his couch with a bowl of popcorn and watching and old gangster movie. JOHN (V.O.) I enjoy noir films in my spare time, I own an extensive bobblehead set and I was the employee of the month for January in my office building. DOCTOR (V.O.) Very good, Mr. Creedy. INT. THERAPISTS OFFICE - DAY John is staring at the ceiling with a blank stare as the doctor writes in his notebook. DOCTOR Now, what seems to be the problem? JOHN I...Ive been having irrational thoughts. Its really crazy, trust me. DOCTOR Like what?

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JOHN A lot of..."What if" situations. DOCTOR Explain. JOHN Like...What if I were to eat a twenty pound burger or...What if I was gonna jump off of that bridge? That kinda thing. DOCTOR Ah. I see. Tell me a little about your childhood. JOHN Alright. INT. HOME - DAY A baby John is lying in bed with his AUNT PEARL, (67) AUNT EUGENE, (68) And MOM (34) leaning over and spouting baby talk at him. JOHN (V.O.) Everyone I ever knew had such high hopes for me...I didnt ever get a chance to say what I wanted. AUNT EUGENE (in babytalk) Whosha gunna be an accountaant? WHOOSHA GOONA BE AN ACCOUNTAAANT. AUNT PEARL (also in babytalk) Yousha gonna get a gewd scholarship and make lots of moniee! Lotsa moniee! MOM Youre gonna be the best buisnessman evar! JOHN (V.O.) (while the baby is crying) I knew I wasnt gonna live up to everyones expectations.

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INT. HOME - NIGHT Mom is talking to DAD (40) about Johns future off screen while a little version of him (4) watches from his bedroom. DAD This is too soon to be thinking about college. He just left preschool. MOM Well, its never too soon to save for a good education. DAD Dont you think we should ask Johnny what he wants? MOM Who doesnt wanna make more money? JOHN (V.O.) So, I went to Harvard. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT A picture is shown of John with his professor giving him his degree during a graduation ceremony over Johns couch while John lays on it and watches noir flicks in the background. JOHN (V.O.) I graduated at the top of my class and got a good paying job at a computer company. Im making six figures and crunching numbers was something Ive always been able to do. INT. THERAPISTS OFFICE - DAY The doctor nods as he listens to Johns story. DOCTOR Alright. So, tell me, when did these thoughts come about? JOHN (Sighs) Alright...

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INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY John is working at the desk, typing at the computer, and occasionally glancing at the clock. JOHN (V.O.) I was working at my desk...When I got to thinking...What if... John looks at the elevator as it shows on the display it is rising until it reaches their floor. It opens to reveal John with an AK-47 and a bulletproof vest. John opens fire on the office workers as chaos ensues. Bullets scream through the aisles and blast through the cubicle walls, smashing into papers, phones, pictures of family, computers, shelves of knick knacks, potted plants, file cabinets, printers, copiers, fax machines and other miscellaneous office supplies. Some bullets even hit the workers, sending blood and gore flying in the mayhem. John laughs maniacally as he unloads his gun, spraying the office and waving the rifle back and forth. The pane glass window on the other side of the office shatters and the wind picks up, scattering the papers in the air and the glass from the window. A few seconds go by before Johns gun is unloaded, he attempts to reload it before he is tackled by the SWAT team and is taken away. INT. THERAPISTS OFFICE - DAY The doctor looks at John with a bewildered face before returning to his notes. DOCTOR Well...Mr...Creedy...it looks like well bee seeing much more of each other for the time being. JOHN Yes, Doctor. EXT. IN FRONT OF THE THERAPISTS BUILDING - DAY John leaves the building and heads to his car, parked up front. He opens the trunk and puts his briefcase in.

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DOCTOR (V.O.) We will see each other every other week from now on, alright? JOHN (V.O.) Sounds good to me, Doctor. As John moves to the front seat, it reveals the AK and the bulletproof vest from the "daydream" in the trunk, he realizes he did not close the trunk and hurries to close it again. He rushes back to the drivers seat and starts the car. DOCTOR (V.O.) Goodbye, Mr. Creedy. JOHN (V.O.) Goodbye, Doctor. Johns car drives forward and down the street.