Scene: The interior of a high-rise office building, sleek and modern with minimalistic design. The camera angle looks down over the conference table, where 7 people are seated in a semi-circle, facing monitors. There’s a dark atmosphere to the room, with the only light coming from the glowing screens, casting shadows on their faces.
Text Box (Narration, Alex Grayson):
"Welcome to the game. Here, in the shadows, we control the players. And we watch as they twist in the wind."
Alex is dressed in a sharp, modern suit, their face partially obscured by shadows. A slight smirk plays at the corner of their lips.
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"Alright, team. First up on the chopping block, Travis Mitchell. The kind of guy who thinks ‘hacking’ is switching his Wi-Fi router off and on."
(Close-up of Vera Sosa, sitting with arms crossed, an air of authority)
Speech Bubble (Vera Sosa):
"Don’t be fooled by appearances, Red. Underestimating the 'ordinary' is how you lose. These people break in ways you wouldn't expect."
(Close-up of Travis Mitchell, looking at a screen in confusion)
Travis is an unremarkable middle-aged man, dressed in a sweater vest and glasses. He’s checking his email. A look of slight confusion crosses his face. On his screen, an email reads:
“RE: Your Amazon Order - Electric Toothbrush, Order #F43-DF65.”
His eyebrows furrow.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"Wait… I didn’t order this..."
(Split-panel showing a wide shot of the conference room and a zoomed-in view of the monitors)
On the Left Panel: The group at the table, observing the situation unfold.
On the Right Panel: A monitor displaying Travis’ confused expression as he continues to scroll through a series of strange, random emails. A misplaced stapler lies on his desk.
Speech Bubble (Juliette Marlowe, off-screen, typing on her laptop):
"Let’s push him a little further. Just a tiny crack in his world."
Panel 6: (Close-up of Alex Grayson, grinning devilishly)
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"Let’s start small. Missed orders, misplaced items, weird emails. Nothing crazy yet. Just enough to make him doubt everything."
(Wide shot of Travis at his desk, looking more confused, the emails increasing in absurdity)
We see Travis looking at his screen, now with several new, bizarre emails:
“Your neighbor reports you haven’t been watering your plants.”
“Re: Your failed attempts to change the Wi-Fi password.”
“Do you really think your cat’s still your cat?”
Travis furrows his brow, visibly agitated now. The camera zooms in on his shaking hands as he picks up his stapler, only to notice it’s gone.
(Close-up of Vera Sosa, watching the feed, satisfied with the results)
Speech Bubble (Vera Sosa):
"The best part of this job? Watching them unravel, one little piece at a time."
(Close-up of Graham Fawkes, with a paranoid expression, whispering to himself)
Speech Bubble (Graham Fawkes):
"It’s not just about him. It’s about the system. This is bigger than him. Wake up, people."
(Wide shot of the conference room again, with Alex Grayson standing up from the table, directing the team)
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"Alright, team. Next move: we pull him deeper. Make him question everything he knows. It's just the beginning."
Panel 1: (Wide shot of the office building from the outside, early morning sunlight spilling onto the street below. The camera angle is high, showcasing the entire city below.)
The city looks normal, serene, completely unaware of the psychological games being played inside.
Text Box (Narration, Alex Grayson):
"The world outside doesn’t know what’s coming. But inside… the game is on."
Panel 2: (Interior, close-up of Travis at his desk, shaking as he stares at his screen)
Travis looks completely frazzled. His eyes are wide, his skin pale, and his hands tremble as he clicks through more absurd emails. One of them reads:
“Your neighbor says your refrigerator's too loud. Time to fix it?”
He’s visibly sweating now. The stapler has disappeared again.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"This isn’t funny anymore..."
Panel 3: (Zoom-out of Travis, now visibly panicking, looking at his empty desk. He stands up and starts pacing in circles, running his hands through his hair.)
In the background, the lights above flicker, adding to the tension.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, talking to himself):
"Okay, okay, I just need to breathe. It’s fine. Just weird emails, misplaced staplers… It’s nothing."
Panel 4: (Wide shot of the conference room. The team is watching Travis on the monitors. Alex stands with a smug grin, clearly enjoying the unfolding situation.)
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"Look at him. He’s already questioning reality. That’s what we want. Keep him in the dark, just enough to make him see shadows where there are none."
Speech Bubble (Vera Sosa):
"I’ll admit, it’s almost too easy. He’s practically begging for it."
Panel 5: (Close-up of Juliette Marlowe, typing quickly on her laptop)
Speech Bubble (Juliette Marlowe):
"I’m sending the next batch. Let’s raise the stakes."
Panel 6: (Wide shot of Travis now receiving an email with the subject line: “Time to Let Go.” He stares at it in disbelief.)
The email appears on the screen, and the subject is bolded. The body of the email is cryptic and ominous:
“Your world is crumbling. Everything you thought was stable is slipping away. The things you depend on—are they even real? Are you sure?”
His eyes go wide, and he quickly closes his laptop, panicking.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"This is insane. I don’t know what’s happening."
Page 6: The Abyss
Panel 1: (Full-page spread of Travis walking through an office hallway, the lights above flickering again. There are shadows moving around him as if the world is closing in.)
The hallway feels longer than it should, like it stretches out endlessly. He walks, increasingly disoriented. The walls seem to shift and distort as he walks further, the lights overhead now buzzing erratically.
Text Box (Narration, Alex Grayson):
"We’re not just messing with his mind. We’re distorting his reality. The more he doubts, the more he unravels."
Panel 2: (Close-up of Travis, staring at his own reflection in a hallway mirror, sweat dripping down his face. His reflection grins back at him, but he doesn't.)
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, whispering to himself):
"Who… who is that?"
Panel 3: (Wide shot from behind Travis as he stands before an elevator. The door is closing, but there's something strange about it: the reflection in the elevator’s glass shows a different version of him, older, more gaunt, eyes wide with panic.)
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, horrified):
"I… I look different."
Panel 4: (Back in the conference room, Alex watches the events unfold, now leaning back in his chair, grinning.)
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"The beauty of it? The more we push, the harder it is to tell what’s real. Every email, every misplaced stapler—just pieces to a puzzle he’s not equipped to solve."
Panel 5: (Close-up of Vera, who’s watching Travis on a large monitor with a small smirk on her face.)
Speech Bubble (Vera Sosa):
"I’m almost sad it’s so easy. But hey, it’s just the beginning."
Panel 6: (Close-up of Travis, now visibly shaking as he enters his office, hearing strange whispers in his ear. A shadow flickers across the room, even though no one is there.)
Whispering Voices (Sound Effect):
"It's all a lie. It’s all a lie. Trust no one."
Page 7: The Walls Close In
Panel 1: (Wide shot of Travis sitting at his desk again, the camera angle from above. He’s hunched over, hands gripping his head as if in pain. His eyes are wide and darting nervously.)
The office feels darker now, as if the walls themselves are pressing in on him.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"I don’t know what’s real. I don’t know… What do I do?"
Panel 2: (Close-up of the stapler, now back on his desk. But there’s something strange about it: the stapler is dripping a dark, ink-like substance.)
The stapler suddenly clicks, causing Travis to jump. The liquid dripping from it seems unnatural, and he recoils in horror.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"No, no. What is this?"
Panel 3: (Back in the conference room, Claire Leung looks concerned, glancing nervously at Alex.)
Speech Bubble (Claire Leung):
"We’ve gone too far, haven’t we? He’s really starting to lose it."
Panel 4: (Alex stands up, looking at the monitors, an intense glint in his eyes.)
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"No such thing as too far. It’s what makes it fun."
Panel 5: (Wide shot of the office building, the camera pulling back outside again. The city skyline remains peaceful, but there's a feeling of creeping unease in the air.)
Text Box (Narration, Alex Grayson):
"This is the point of no return. Once we’ve broken him, there’s no putting the pieces back together."
Panel 1: (Wide shot of Travis in his office, staring at the empty stapler again. His desk is littered with paperwork, but there’s a strange shadow hanging in the corner of the room, almost watching him.)
The stapler has stopped dripping the ink-like substance, but it still exudes an eerie, unnatural aura. Travis is pale, trembling. His hand hovers over the stapler but doesn’t dare touch it.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"What the hell is happening? I don’t even know what’s real anymore..."
Panel 2: (Close-up of the email inbox on Travis’s screen. The subject lines are becoming more bizarre and ominous.)
The emails are now overtly menacing, like they’ve crossed into the territory of a psychological assault:
“It’s too late. They’re watching.”
“Everyone’s in on it, Travis. Do you know who’s not real?”
“There’s no escape. Look behind you.”
Travis looks over his shoulder in horror, eyes wide with terror. The room is completely empty.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, whispering):
"I have to get out of here."
Panel 3: (Wide shot of the office, the door in the background. Travis stands at the door, his hand on the handle, but hesitates. The shadowy figure in the corner of the room seems to grow larger, its features shifting.)
The walls of the office are closing in, with dark, sharp angles that make the space feel claustrophobic.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, trembling):
"Just leave. Just go. You’re imagining things. It’s just in your head."
Panel 4: (Close-up of a monitor in the conference room, displaying Travis’ face in a distorted, warped reflection. The monitors are showing his every move, like puppets on strings.)
The red team watches from the shadows of their own conference room, the room dim and cold.
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"He’s reaching the edge. Once he cracks, the game’s over. Or does it only get better?"
Speech Bubble (Vera Sosa):
"This is when it starts to get messy. We’ll see how long he lasts."
Panel 5: (Close-up of Travis in the hallway, stumbling as he moves quickly toward the exit.)
Travis’s face is a mix of panic and confusion. He’s desperately trying to escape the building, but the hallways seem to stretch on forever. The doors are just out of reach.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, shouting):
"I need out! Somebody help me!"
Panel 6: (Wide shot of the building’s exit doors. They’re cracked open, but in the distance, we can see shadowy figures standing in the doorway, as if blocking the exit. Travis can’t escape.)
The figures are vague, unclear, like they’re not really there—just distortions in the hallway. Travis stops, staring at them in fear, realizing there’s nowhere left to go.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell):
"What is this? What do you want from me?"
Page 10: Playing with Fire
Panel 1: (A page-long panel, full bleed. The city skyline again, but this time it’s darker, the horizon blurred by static. There’s a sense of foreboding, like something is wrong with the world outside.)
Text Box (Narration, Alex Grayson):
"It’s a game of control. A game where everything is fake, except the people who think they’re real. And the moment they realize—"
Panel 2: (Close-up of Travis’s hand trembling as he reaches for his phone. The screen flashes with one more text message.)
The text message reads:
“Is this your reality? The truth is, nothing is what it seems.”
Travis throws the phone down in frustration, his breathing ragged. His mind is breaking.
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, shouting):
"Stop! STOP!"
Panel 3: (Wide shot of the conference room. The red team members are all watching intently, some looking amused, others focused, all enjoying the manipulation.)
Speech Bubble (Juliette Marlowe):
"He’s about to lose it. You can see it in his eyes. One last push?"
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"No. He’s already broken. Let him think it’s over. It’s what makes it beautiful."
Panel 4: (Close-up of Travis, standing in the hallway, his eyes darting back and forth, barely able to focus. The world is spinning around him. He clutches his head in agony.)
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, whispering):
"I… I can’t… I can’t…."
Panel 5: (A dark figure emerges in the hallway, out of the shadows. It's unclear who or what it is, but it’s terrifying—like something or someone real and yet not real. It stands unnervingly still, watching Travis.)
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, voice shaking):
"Who are you?"
Page 11: A Twist in the Mind
Panel 1: (Full-page panel of the shadowy figure moving closer to Travis, who’s backed up against the wall, cornered. The figure is now vaguely humanoid, but with twisted features.)
The lighting becomes harsh, almost blinding. The world feels completely alien to Travis, as if he’s no longer in the building he thought he knew.
Speech Bubble (Shadowy Figure):
"You’re not ready for the truth, Travis. The world you’ve been living in… isn’t real."
Panel 2: (Close-up of Travis’s face, utterly terrified, as he stares at the figure.)
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, whispering):
"What… what does that mean?"
Panel 3: (Close-up of the red team’s monitors, showing the interaction between Travis and the shadowy figure. The scene is distorted, glitching between reality and chaos.)
Speech Bubble (Alex Grayson):
"It’s the point of no return. He thinks he’s lost it, but he’s not. He’s still playing our game."
Panel 4: (A sharp cut to Travis, eyes wide with shock. The shadowy figure now stands directly in front of him, its face distorting into something more monstrous, more horrifying. The figure speaks in a deeper, more ominous tone.)
Shadowy Figure:
"And neither are we."
Panel 5: (The world around Travis collapses into static and white noise, the hallway dissolving into chaos as everything he knows falls apart.)
Speech Bubble (Travis Mitchell, screaming):
"No! NOOOOO!"