INT. FRIED CHICKEN SHOP – EVENING
The place is packed. The noise of chatting customers, kitchen orders being yelled, and trays clattering creates a chaotic background. Emma stands still at the entrance, taking a breath as it all hits her at once.
Emma
(softly, to herself)
"It's so loud in here... I don't know how people can stand this."
Maya, noticing Emma's discomfort, tries to lighten the mood.
Maya
(cheerfully)
"Yeah, it's a bit chaotic, huh? But hey, at least the food's worth it. Want me to grab a table while you get a drink?"
Emma nods and drifts toward the vending machine in the corner. It's quieter there, away from the crowd.
Emma
(gently, almost a whisper)
"I'll just grab a drink... be right back."
EXT. FRIED CHICKEN SHOP – MINUTES LATER
Maya finds a small corner table outside, nearly empty. She takes a seat, sighing with relief.
Maya
(to herself)
"This is perfect. Emma could use a bit of peace."
She spots Emma returning from the vending machine and waves her over.
Maya
"Hey, Emma! Over here!"
Emma walks over, visibly more at ease. She sits down, and Maya slides the menu toward her.
Maya
"So... what kind of chicken do you want? Check the menu, then I'll go order."
Emma stares at the menu, overwhelmed by the options. Maya leans in, grinning.
Maya
(teasing)
"How well do you handle spice?"
Emma
(pauses, thinking)
"Spice...? I guess I can handle some, but not too much."
Maya
"No worries. I'll get one of every flavor—we'll pick what we like after that."
Emma smiles, grateful for Maya taking the lead. Maya gets up to order.
EXT. OUTDOOR TABLE – A LITTLE LATER
Maya returns carrying two trays stacked with chicken plates.
Emma
(teasing)
"You could've called me for help."
Maya
(grinning sarcastically)
"Oh, totally needed backup for one tray. Could've used a forklift."
Emma chuckles, finally relaxing. They dig in. Maya watches Emma's expression.
Maya
(grinning)
"Yo... how well do you really handle spice?"
Emma
(smirking)
"It's spicy for you?"
Maya
(mock-gasp, fanning her mouth)
"Can't you see me drooling? I'm switching to the garlic one."
Emma
(pointing at a piece)
"Alright, then I'll take this one."
Maya
"Great. But first—water. Be right back."
Maya walks off, and Emma glances around, enjoying the quiet.
EXT. CORNER OF THE SHOP – MOMENTS BEFORE CALLING MATT
Emma's gaze lands on something unexpected—Candy, the black cat, sitting by a chair as if waiting for someone. Her eyes widen in surprise. She walks over, crouches, and gently pets it.
Emma
(softly, half-smiling)
"Well, look who decided to show up."
EXT. SHOP FRONT – SHORTLY AFTER
Matt and Chris arrive at the shop. Chris hangs back while Matt approaches Emma, who's now gently holding the cat.
Matt
"You coming?"
Chris
(shaking his head, wary)
"No."
Matt
(casual)
"Alright. I'll be a minute."
He walks up to Emma.
Matt
"Sorry for the hassle..."
Emma
(smiling gently)
"Not at all."
Emma tries to hand Candy over, but the cat wriggles and hisses, refusing to go to Matt.
Matt
(chuckling)
"Looks like someone's not a fan of me today."
Emma
(holding Candy gently)
"Just... be careful with her, okay?"
Matt
(noticing the shop sign)
"You're here for chicken?"
Emma
"Maya dragged me here. She's inside, ordering."
Matt
(checking his phone, glancing back at the street)
"Alright then. Catch you later."
Emma
(nodding, softly)
"Take care of Candy. Hold her gently."
EXT. OUTSIDE SHOP – MOMENTS LATER
Matt walks back to Chris, holding the cat. Chris immediately backs away.
Chris
"Nope. Did it digest the mouse yet?"
Matt
(grimacing)
"You wanna check?"
Chris
"Nah. I'm turning into the mouse-eater later anyway. Your problem now."
Matt
(eyes widening)
"...Wait—what?!"
Chris
(already walking away)
"Yep. I'm out."
Matt sighs and chases after him—then suddenly stops near the library steps, spotting something.
Matt
"Wait. Hold up."
Chris
(frowning)
"What now?"
Matt swiftly grabs the cat again, which claws at his hand. He winces but doesn't let go.
Matt
(gritting his teeth)
"Stop fighting me, demon."
He wrestles the cat into the pet carrier. The door slams shut just as the cat lunges for an escape.
Matt
(exhaling)
"Finally."
He turns to Chris, grabs his wrist, and shoves the carrier into his arms.
Matt
"Too bad. You're taking her, whether you like it or not."
Chris
(wincing dramatically)
"Ouch. I'll report you for emotional damage."
Matt
"Add it to your list."
Chris
(serious now, looking down at the cat)
"So what now?"
Matt
(shrugs)
"Again. From the start."
Chris
(nodding)
"What do we know about this cat?"
Matt
(frowning at the cat)
"This thing looks totally stray. No collar, no ID. And if it had a home, wouldn't it have run there by now? Plus, no 'lost cat' posters. No worried owner. Nothing."
Chris
(tilting his head, mock-serious)
"What? Wait, really?"
Matt
(confused)
"What?"
Chris
(deadpan, lifting the carrier slightly)
"Oh, hello! I'm spectating here—are we even sure this is a cat?"
Matt
(snorts)
"What, you think it's an alien now?"
Chris
(muttering)
"I mean... don't tempt me."
Matt
(raising an eyebrow, half-joking)
"Can't rule it out. Not after witnessing your soul pull a full Cirque du Soleil every night."
Chris
(groans)
"You think it's possible?"
Matt
(shrugging)
"I think I've stopped saying anything's impossible. Alien cat? Weirdly fits the vibe."
Chris
(eyeing the cat, suspicious)
"Okay. So how do we even know it's not?"
Matt
(blinking, genuinely unsure)
"…We don't."
They both stare at the carrier in silence as the cat yawns loudly, completely unfazed.
MATT
(half-joking, half-serious)
"Should we… tell someone?"
CHRIS
(deadpan, arms wide in mock dramatics)
"Who? NASA? Animal Control? 'Hey, my soul swaps with a cat every night and I think it's an alien.' Yeah, let's call the press while we're at it."
MATT
"...So we keep it secret?"
CHRIS
(firm)
"Until we figure this out? Hell yeah."
Narration:
Matt and Chris walk briskly through the quiet street, the pet carrier swinging slightly in Chris's hand. The sun dips lower, casting long, stretched shadows across the pavement. The weight of everything—literally and emotionally—is settling in.
CHRIS
(grumbling, nudging the carrier with his knee)
"I still can't believe I'm carrying the thing that hijacks my soul every night. This is so beyond messed up."
MATT
(smirking)
"You sure it's the same cat?"
CHRIS
(stops, turns dramatically with full ego)
"I told you, didn't I? This is the damn cat. Somehow—somehow—it dragged me into this freak show. I don't know how, but it's the reason I wake up with fur in my mouth and a dead lizard next to my pillow."
MATT
(raising a brow)
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it. Three times now. But what if—even just 1%—we're wrong? What if we're missing something obvious? Like… painfully obvious?"
CHRIS
(sarcastic, waving dramatically)
"Oh sure. Maybe it's not the cat. Maybe it's the vending machine. Or the moon. Or my shampoo. Pick one."
MATT
(dropping into a quieter, serious tone)
"I mean it, Chris. What if there's something right in front of us and we're too busy cracking jokes to see it?"
CHRIS
(pause, ego softening just slightly)
"You think there's another answer?"
MATT
(shrugs, eyes ahead)
"I don't know. But time's ticking, right? Either we figure this out… or this cat thing becomes your life."
CHRIS
(quiet beat, staring down at the carrier)
"...God, don't say that."
Narration:
The wind brushes gently across their faces as they turn onto Matt's street. Something about the evening feels... expectant. Like the quiet before something cracks open. Chris doesn't say it, but the thought plants itself in his gut like a stone.
MATT
(glancing at his watch, mildly annoyed)
"How careless are you? It's almost 6:30."
Narration:
Chris looks down instinctively. The cat is sleeping inside the carrier, like it hasn't been wrecking lives every night.
MATT
(serious)
"I'll take the cat. You head to your room. And you better have a plan to keep your mom from barging in."
CHRIS
(grinning)
"That's taken care of."
MATT
(raising a brow)
"What did you tell her?"
CHRIS
"Special class."
MATT
"Special class? She didn't ask what kind?"
CHRIS
(grinning smugly)
"Nope. I told her I'm crashing at your place tonight."
MATT
(blinking, thrown off)
"...Did she let you?"
CHRIS
"Yeah. She asked how much you pay in rent and whether you get proper meals."
MATT
(processing slowly)
"My room? Wait—what? Why would she ask that?"
CHRIS
(matter-of-factly)
"Who knows?"
MATT
(tense, eyes narrowing)
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
CHRIS
(grinning mischievously, nudging Matt's arm)
"Forget that. Please treat me to a proper dinner before I turn into a walking furball. I'm getting leaner by the day!"
MATT
(rolling his eyes, checking the time)
"Then move faster, cat-boy."
CHRIS
(dashing ahead with a grin)
"Yosh! Can't compromise my brand, y'know?"
Narration:
Once they reach Matt's place, Chris collapses dramatically into the dining chair while Matt heats water for noodles.
The scent of soy and spice fills the kitchen. The microwave hums in the background. Chris spins lazily in his seat as Matt drops a steaming bowl in front of him.
MATT
(sitting with notebook in hand, pen ready)
"Okay. Up to now, what do we know?"
CHRIS
(slurping noodles, unimpressed)
"No time for that now."
MATT
(face in palm, pen in hand, unimpressed)
"Seriously? You can eat and think at the same time."
Narration:
Matt sits at the dining table, phone in hand, scrolling through page after page of soul transfer theories. His brow is furrowed like he's prepping for finals. Chris lounges nearby, pretending to care.
MATT
(frowning, thumbing through search results)
"It's just Halloween videos and fantasy blog posts. This can't be real. Who actually believes in soul transfer?"
CHRIS
(glancing over, half-focused on his own screen)
"Yeah, right. That's a bit much, even for us."
MATT
(grumbling, tapping harder)
"Even for exams, I don't read this many PDFs… and still nothing useful."
CHRIS
(sighs, leaning back)
"Tell me about it. I just want to know how this happened. And if it's... permanent."
Narration:
Chris suddenly snatches Matt's phone, squinting at it as he scrolls. Matt barely blinks before launching into another round of venting.
MATT
(throwing his hands up)
"I swear, if I can't figure this out soon—what do we even do next? How does soul transfer even work?! We need answers, and I can't—"
Narration:
Matt stops mid-rant, eyes narrowing as he realizes Chris is scrolling through something suspiciously... not academic.
MATT
(staring at his own phone in disbelief)
"Wait... seriously? Are you—"
CHRIS
(grinning, totally unbothered)
"What else am I supposed to do while you panic? It's not like your search is helping."
Narration:
Matt snatches the phone back and stares at the screen. It's Instagram. A guy's profile.
MATT
(confused and increasingly irritated)
"Who even is this?"
CHRIS
(casually)
"That's what I'm wondering too."
Narration:
Matt raises an eyebrow, but Chris is already leaning closer, his mood flipping from smug to annoyed in 0.2 seconds.
CHRIS
(voice tightening)
"He started following Emma? Seriously? After everything that happened?"
Narration:
Matt glances sideways at Chris, clocking the spike in his tone.
MATT
(trying to follow)
"Wait—slow down. Who is this guy?"
CHRIS
(grumbling)
"Everyone in school knows about us. Still, this guy thinks he can just swoop in like that?"
MATT
(deadpan)
"So… just to clarify... you're checking Emma's Insta… on my phone?"
CHRIS
(defensive, shrugging)
"Couldn't check on mine. I unfollowed her after the breakup."
MATT
(skeptical)
"Right. So now I'm your personal stalking device?"
CHRIS
(throws hands up)
"Okay, okay! I get it. But still—Aaran? Who even is that?"
MATT
( staring at Chris, disbelief in his voice)
"Aaran .""That's your real problem here?"
Chris slurps his noodles lazily, leaning back in the chair like nothing's wrong. Matt's still tense, fingers tapping on the table, clearly annoyed.
CHRIS
(muttering, mouth half-full)
"You wouldn't understand."
MATT
(snaps, eyes narrowing)
"I wouldn't understand? Chris, your life is hanging by a thread—do you even realize that?"
CHRIS
(defensive, slamming the bowl down)
"I do!"
Suddenly, his words cut off. Chris stiffens. His eyes flutter wide—then shut. His whole body tenses and then collapses forward like a marionette with its strings cut. The bowl rattles as he slams face-first onto the table.
SFX:THUNK. The sudden silence after the loud slap of body-on-wood is deafening.
MATT
(startled, leaping up)
"Chris?!"
He stares, frozen. The bowl tilts. A noodle slides off the edge of the table.
MATT
(rushing around the table, hand on Chris's back)
"What the hell?!"
He checks Chris's face—eyes shut, breathing shallow, completely limp. Then—Matt's phone buzzes. He pulls it out, checks the screen.
CLOSE-UP ON PHONE: 7:01 PM
MATT
(whispers, realization dawning)
"...Seven o'clock."
His voice is shaky now. He slowly sits down next to Chris's slumped figure, staring at him, panic creeping into his features.
MATT
(softly, to himself)
"You're gone again..."
The camera lingers on the noodle bowl slowly spinning on the table, the warm light of the kitchen now feeling cold. In the background, the faint sound of the cat meowing echoes from the hallway.