CHRIS
(rolling his eyes, dry)
"Oh yeah, totally. You said one word the entire time."
CHRIS
(mocking)
'Prank.' Wow. What a brilliant display of subtlety. Sherlock Holmes would be proud."
MATT
(grinning, unbothered)
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
CHRIS
(scoffs)
"Barely. She looked one second away from calling the psych ward."
Narration:
As Chris and Matt stroll down the hallway, still bickering, they glance ahead—right at the school gate. And there he is: Mr. Thanos. The Watchman. Standing like a medieval knight guarding a castle… except with a steel thermos and a glare that says try me.
CHRIS
(squinting at the gate)
"There he is. The final boss."
MATT
(flatly)
"Great. Love that for us."
CHRIS
"Is there even a way to leave school in the middle of the day? Like… legally?"
MATT
(sarcastic)
"Yeah, if you're in a stretcher. Or on fire."
CHRIS
(deadpan)
"Okay. Plan A: fake an allergic reaction to cafeteria pizza."
MATT
"Bold. Plan B: you distract him with your tragic head injury while I jump the wall."
CHRIS
"Oh, sure. Just sacrifice my dignity."
MATT
(grinning)
"It's already gone. You said 'prank' to a nurse."
Narration:
They both duck behind the corner, spying from behind the stair railing. The gate looks farther away than it is. Like freedom—close enough to see, impossible to reach.
CHRIS
(muttering)
"There's no way out. We're stuck. Just two dumb kids trying to chase a GPS blip."
MATT
(serious for a second)
"Yeah, but that blip might be the only real clue we've got."
CHRIS
(sighs)
"Okay. What's Plan C?"
MATT
"Wait till the bell rings, then blend in with the crowd like two exhausted pigeons."
CHRIS
(nods)
"…I hate that that's our best plan."
INT. CLASSROOM – AFTERNOON
Narration:
The classroom is quiet. Mostly. The teacher drones on about something unreasonably complicated for this hour. But Matt's focus isn't on the board—it's on his phone, hidden inside his open notebook. The GPS app is open. Tracking. Watching.
MATT
(whispering, barely moving his lips)
"Still near the park. Not moving much."
CHRIS
(whispering back)
"How near?"
MATT
"Like... cat-napping-on-a-bench near."
CHRIS
(nods subtly)
"Good. Just tell me the second it moves."
TEACHER
(looking up suddenly)
"Mr. Matthews, do you want to teach the class?"
MATT
(jumps slightly)
"No, ma'am. You're doing great."
Narration:
The teacher narrows her eyes but continues. Matt sinks into his seat like he's trying to merge with the furniture.
MATT
(under his breath)
"She definitely suspects something."
CHRIS
(low whisper)
"Yeah, like how your brain left the room ten minutes ago."
MATT
(quiet grin)
"Says the guy whose soul left the planet."
Narration:
The bell finally rings. Before the echo even fades, both Chris and Matt shoot out of their seats like they've just been released from prison.
TEACHER
(shouting after them)
"Boys—don't run in the halls!"
Narration:
Too late. They're sprinting.
EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – MOMENTS LATER
Narration:
The gates are open now, students flooding out. Chris and Matt weave through the crowd like pros.
CHRIS
(breathless)
"Update! Give me an update!"
MATT
(checking phone mid-run)
"Still near the library... close to that creepy park with the statue pigeons."
CHRIS
"Ugh, I hate that place."
MATT
(grinning)
"Bet Candy loves it. Real stray-cat vibes."
Narration:
They turn the corner, nearly crashing into a cyclist, dodge a slow-moving group of kids, and finally bolt down the street toward the park.
MATT
(shouting)
"There! The signal's still live!"
CHRIS
"Let's go before he decides to move again!"
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – SAME TIME
(Emma and Maya walk side by side, chatting lightly. As they head toward the school gate, they pass Chris and Matt sprinting in the opposite direction. Matt throws a quick, soft smile at them as they rush by.)
Maya
(noticing Emma's faint smile in return, teasing)
"Well, well… someone's smiling. Got a text after that whole cat-sitting gig? How was Candy, huh?"
Emma
(trying to play it cool, but her voice softens)
"No… nothing. I hope he's okay."
(They continue walking. Suddenly, Emma stumbles slightly—her foot catching on the curb—and she grabs Maya's shoulder to steady herself.)
Maya
(startled, immediately concerned)
"Whoa! You okay? Eyes forward, soldier."
Emma
(nodding, distracted but steadying herself)
"Yeah, just… tired, I guess."
(Maya watches her closely for a beat, then nudges her arm.)
Maya
(lightening the mood)
"Alright, I'm calling it—fried chicken. There's that place everyone keeps raving about. We're going."
Emma
(hesitating, unsure)
"I don't know… maybe not today."
Maya
(playful, persuasive)
"Oh come on, how do you know if you haven't tried it?"
(Emma gives her a look, amused despite herself.)
Emma
"You're relentless."
Maya
(grinning wide)
"Exactly. And there's a saying, you know—'In confusing times… eat wings.'"
(Emma lets out a short laugh, shaking her head.)
Emma
(smiling, a little more open now)
"That's not a real saying."
Maya
"Not yet. But it will be."
(She throws a wink.)
Maya
"So... what do you say?"
(Emma looks at her for a moment—then finally smiles for real.)
Emma
"...I could use some wings."
Maya
(clapping once, triumphant)
"That's my girl."
EXT. PARK NEAR LIBRARY – LATE AFTERNOON
(Chris and Matt stalk through the trees, searching carefully. Matt, distracted, swings his arm too wide and accidentally pokes Chris in the eye.)
CHRIS
(reeling back, covering his eye)
"Ow—dude! My eye!"
MATT
(stopping short, wincing)
"Ah—sorry, sorry! I didn't see—"
CHRIS
(deadpan)
"Yeah. Well I don't see either now, so we're even."
CUT TO: A FEW MINUTES LATER
(Matt steps behind a tree, trying to cool off. He points toward the bushes, voice tight with frustration.)
MATT
(tense)
"See? The cat's over there."
(Chris is a few steps behind, still covering one eye, squinting with the other.)
CHRIS
(sarcastic)
"To see, first I need eyes. Don't you think?"
MATT
(glancing over his shoulder, annoyed)
"If I had a way to cut down your ego, I wouldn't waste it on your eye."
CHRIS
(snarling back)
"Don't act like you're some saint—you nearly blinded me!"
(Matt ignores him and crouches behind the tree, eyeing the cat.)
MATT
(muttering)
"Shut up. Now I gotta add 'cat-catcher' to my résumé next to 'saint'."
CHRIS
(laughs, shaking his head)
"Yeah, 'saint'. Just make sure that cat doesn't add 'escape artist' to his résumé while you're bragging."
MATT
(grinning despite himself)
"Wouldn't be a problem if you gave your mouth a break."
(Chris leans close to Matt's ear with a mischievous smirk.)
CHRIS
(teasing)
"Talk less. Act more."
(He shoves Matt lightly and darts toward the cat.)
MATT
(grumbling as he follows)
"Real genius."
(Chris spots the black cat crouched by a bush, chewing something.)
CHRIS
(whispering, signaling Matt to circle around)
"It's eating. Move quiet."
(Matt starts forward carefully—then stops, eyes going wide. Chris's last line was just a little too loud.)
CHRIS
(realizing, whispering with panic)
"...Oh sh*t."
(The cat bolts into the undergrowth.)
MATT & CHRIS
(simultaneously, breathlessly)
"Go! Go!"
(They take off running through the grass. After a chaotic dash, they stop—panting and looking around. Nothing.)
MATT
(panting, frustrated)
"Great. We lost it."
CHRIS
(tensely scanning the ground)
"It was right here… where the hell did it go?"
(Chris turns to Matt, trying to smile, but it's strained.)
MATT
(fuming)
"What'd you shout for?!"
CHRIS
(defensive)
"Don't stare at me like that."
(He shudders and looks away, grossed out.)
CHRIS
(disgusted)
"It was eating a mouse. And the tail… was still wiggling in its mouth."
MATT
(face twisting in horror)
"Oh, dear god. I didn't need that visual in my life."
(They both gag slightly in silence, standing defeated among the bushes.)
Narration:
Still crouched at the park's edge, Matt frowns at his phone.
The GPS tracker on-screen isn't updating. The dot stays stubbornly still.
MATT
(tapping the screen)
"Signal's crap here... wait, I'm refreshing."
Chris leans over to watch, both of them squinting at the screen.
SFX:Phone buzzes. Incoming call: EMMA.
They both freeze.
CHRIS
(surprised)
"Emma?"
Matt hesitates, then answers.
Chris watches silently, trying to read his face.
We don't hear Emma's voice — just the quiet wind and tension.
After a few moments, the call ends.
CHRIS
(impatient)
"What did she say?"
Matt doesn't answer right away. He looks back at the phone.
Refreshes the GPS.
The screen reloads.
The dot has moved.
MATT
(blinking at the screen)
"...It's at the chicken shop."
CHRIS
(frowning)
"What?"
Matt looks up slowly. His voice quiet.
MATT
"She has a cat."
Narration:
Chris just stares at him.
They both look down at the blinking GPS dot—now glowing right next to Emma and Maya's fried chicken place.