The Hidden

By Thomas Atkinson and Jacob Wilson

Audio of distorted scenes from film, slow crescendo of sound until it is interrupted by:

INT: A bedroom. On the bed is a boy, 15 years of age. A phone is ringing. He picks up.

Fade to black, slow fade up to EXT: A field, with a building next to it. A body lies still on the grass, twisted out of shape. Audio of phone conversation continues.

Christopher: Hello?

Voice on phone: (scared, breathing heavily) Help me.

Fade to black, slow fade up to INT: The bedroom, Christopher is now sat up, talking on the phone.

Christopher: Who is this?

Voice on phone: (scared, breathing heavily) He’s found me.

Fade to black, white flash to EXT: The field, police lights are beginning to appear around the body.

Christopher: Who? Who’s found you?

Line goes dead. Fade to black. Cut to:

INT: Christopher’s bedroom. It is daytime. Sun is shining through the window. Christopher is lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Across from him in a chair is a boy who is about his age, sat thinking. This is Icarus.

Icarus: You worked it out yet?

Chris turns to him, confused.

Chris: Who?

Icarus: On the phone. Last night.

Chris: Oh, that. Why do you need to ask me?

Icarus: I’m curious.

Chris: Icarus, I’m not in the mood.

Icarus: Don’t get annoyed.

Chris: I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter if I do, I’d just be getting angry at myself.

Icarus: Look, Chris…

Icarus sits up in his chair.

Icarus: Forget, for a moment, that I’m in your head. Try to have a conversation with me, like I’m a real person.

Chris sighs and sits up on his bed.

Chris: Why would a person needing help call me? This guy sounded pretty scared.

Icarus: Maybe it was a prank call?

Chris: No, it was at 3 in the morning, nobody prank calls people at that hour on a mobile phone.

Icarus: Well, to be honest, it’s not going to help if you keep denying everything. Think

about possible reasons that you could have been called for help.

Chris: Well, what have you come up with?

Icarus sighs and shuffles in his chair.

Icarus: Well, given that I am a projection of your subconscious, I have no way of telling you the answer if you don’t know it.

Chris: I know, but can’t you just help me out and try to work out what’s going on?

Woman: (offscreen, downstairs) Chris, lunch.

Chris: OK, mum.

Camera pulls out from Chris to reveal that Icarus is gone. Chris gets up and goes downstairs.

Cut to: INT: Downstairs. The kitchen. Chris walks in and begins eating breakfast. His mum is washing up. The radio is on.

Radio voice: There is widespread panic in the south England area after a 15-year-old boy was found dead after being thrown off a building in a local school. The boy has yet to be identified but authorities are now saying that they are looking for clues as to the killer’s identity. Wait… I’m now getting word that there is word on the identity of the victim… his name has been confirmed as Geoffrey Hawkins.

Chris slowly realises what may have happened.

Cut to: INT: Chris’ bedroom where he is scrolling through his contacts on his phone. He finds the one that he needs. He dials. It rings and goes to answerphone.

Answerphone message: Hi, this is Geoffrey. You know how this works.

Chris, distraught, hangs up. He immediately gets a call from someone named Oliver.

Chris: Oliver, what is it?

Oliver: Is this Chris?

Chris: Yes, of course.

Oliver: Do you know who I am?

Chris: You had another one didn’t you?

Oliver: Apparently. That’s what I wrote.

Chris: Was there something important?

Oliver: Nothing.

Chris: All right, let’s meet in an hour.

Chris hangs up and puts his head in his hands.

Cut to: Scene 2