Script - The Day The World Went Wrong

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY People are running in fear, trying to escape the city. THOMAS collapses and goes unconscious.

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS realizes he was dreaming and gets up.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

INT.THOMAS'S CAR.MORNING

THOMAS is driving through the city in his car. He looks around, nothing new, everything is perfectly normal. He listens to the radio.

INT.THOMAS'S OFFICE.MIDDAY

THOMAS is working at his desk.

INT.THOMAS'S KITCHEN.NIGHT

THOMAS is making a microwave dinner.

INT.THOMAS'S BEDROOM.NIGHT

THOMAS goes to bed.

-

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY The army is trying to contain the virus. People are running in fear, trying to escape the city. THOMAS collapses and goes unconscious.

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS realizes he was dreaming and gets up.

RADIO ANNOUNCER

Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.

EXT.CITY.DAY THOMAS is driving through the city in his car.

INT.THOMAS'S CAR.DAY

THOMAS listens to the radio. He looks into an alley as he is driving by and sees several dustbins and skips circling through the air.

THOMAS

(incredulously)

What?

A truck passes in front of the alley, when THOMAS looks again all of the bins and skips are now in their normal places.

THOMAS shakes his head in disbelief, he is sure of what he just saw.

THOMAS

Bloody hell, I'm loosing my mind.

THOMAS continues to drive along.

EXT.ROAD.DAY

Suddenly several bins and skips fall out of the sky in front of THOMAS'S car. THOMAS brakes to a halt and THOMAS gets out of the car to investigate. THOMAS looks up and sees a crane on the building across the road; he assumes that the debris must have come from there.

INT.THOMAS'S OFFICE.MIDDAY

THOMAS is working at his desk.

Other people in the office are working and walking to the cafeteria.

THOMAS receives a message on his computer and reads it.

ANONYMOUS

Thomas get out of there now, you are in danger!

THOMAS looks at the message, confused.

THOMAS

(Shouts across the office)

Barry is this you?

THOMAS gets up to look into BARRY'S cubicle but can't see him, he looks around but he can't see anyone else in the office.

THOMAS looks at the computer.

ANONYMOUS Run damn it!

THOMAS looks out of the window to see a helicopter diving out of control towards the building.

THOMAS runs for the exit.

The Helicopter crashes into the office, ripping everything to shreds.

INT.HALLWAY.MIDDAY

THOMAS runs from the office as it explodes and down the hallway to the elevator.

THOMAS enters the elevator and presses the button to go down to the basement car park.

INT.LIFT.MIDDAY

THOMAS'S mobile phone rings, THOMAS answers.

THOMAS Alright what the hell is going on?

ANONYMOUS Listen carefully, the world you are currently in is not real. You and everyone in this city have been trapped in a computer simulation as part of an experiment into human decision making and brain chemistry. You and ten million other people, all your actions and reactions are recorded. Everything you hear, see and do reduced to nothing but data. It's the largest and most thorough experiment into human society ever made. Behavioral patterns, municipal services, emergency response, hell even your individual reactions to advertisements, everything!

THOMAS looks across the elevator to see an advert for a soft drink.

THOMAS

(distressed)

This is sick! We're people, not bloody lab rats! There's no way this can be real!

ANONYMOUS
Don't kid yourself Thomas, you've seen it; the mistakes, the repetitiveness. It's the same day of your life just played over and over. It’s nothing but a simulation being run for the benefit of scientists and billionaire investors.

THOMAS
So why the hell are they trying to kill me?

ANONYMOUS
The system is entirely self governing; there are too many people to be monitored by human staff. When it saw that you doubted the reality of this simulation it tried to delete you before you infected others with your knowledge. Now that you know it's not real it won't stop.

THOMAS
(Exasperated)
How did this happen? You can't just make a whole city's worth of people just vanish!

ANONYMOUS

The entire population of the city was killed by the outbreak of a deadly virus; there were no survivors... at least that's what everyone on the outside thinks.

THOMAS

what the hell are you talking about?

ANONYMOUS

It's a cover up for the experiment, the outbreak was real but no one was killed, the virus simply put everyone into a coma. You were all taken to this research facility and your memories of the outbreak removed, however you remember it don't you. Those dreams every night, they are very real.

The elevator reaches the basement car park; THOMAS runs to his car and drives out.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
So how the hell do I get out?

ANONYMOUS
I’ve hacked an exit point into the simulation; it’s in a deserted industrial zone so less of the systems run time is dedicated to scanning that area. The exit point will allow you to leave the system safely. The dangerous part is actually getting there; the system can change small details of the world without the inhabitants knowing in order to keep them under control. Just accidents, any observer will simply see it as fate, perhaps an act of god… well they’re half right.

THOMAS
Save the philosophy for when I’m free, where do I go?

ANONYMOUS
Just follow the road straight ahead for – Wait stop the car!

THOMAS
What, what is it?

ANONYMOUS
Stop now!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY

Just ahead of THOMAS’S car a billboard falls from its mountings onto the road, THOMAS narrowly avoids it and drives on.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS

See, anything can happen. (Pause) Oh shit!

THOMAS
What now?

ANONYMOUS
The system has issued a sentinel to terminate you, it must have realised I was helping you escape.

THOMAS
Can I still get to the exit point?

ANONYMOUS
Yes but you’ve got to be quick, now that the system is aware of my influence it will try to sever my connection to the system and remove the exit point. Damn the sentinel is a few seconds behind you, put your foot down!

THOMAS looks behind to see a black car closing in on him fast.

ANONYMOUS
Ok go left now!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
THOMAS swerves the car across traffic into the side road. The sentinel’s car is forced to stay on the main road.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

THOMAS
(Optimistically)
I think I lost him.

ANONYMOUS
Hold on, he’s coming from the alley.

The car explodes out of an alleyway sending litter and debris flying.

ANONYMOUS
Go! Go!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
THOMAS accelerates away with the sentinel in hot pursuit. THOMAS and the sentinel dodge through traffic.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
He’s gaining on you!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
The sentinel comes alongside THOMAS and starts to sideswipe him. THOMAS fights back and knocks the sentinel’s car into a drainage canal next to the road. THOMAS breathes a sigh of relief believing he has escaped his attacker.

INT.THOMAS’S CAR.MIDDAY

ANONYMOUS
Watch out!

The sentinel jumps out of the canal and sideswipes THOMAS’S car again, flipping it over. The sentinel crashes and is apparently killed.

ANONYMOUS
Thomas! Get up now, move!

EXT.CITY.MIDDAY
THOMAS gets out of the wrecked car and runs as fast as he can.

ANONYMOUS
Ok it’s just down this street. Open the door at the end and we will handle the rest, I have a man on the inside who will get you out of there.

THOMAS
Ok

Behind THOMAS a loud crash is heard and he sees a large truck smashing through cars and road furniture heading directly for him.

ANONYMOUS
Quick run!

THOMAS approaches the door.

ANONYMOUS
Shit they’ve found me, they’ve destroyed –

The phone goes dead.

THOMAS opens the door to see nothing but a brick wall behind it. He looks behind to see the truck bearing down on him. THOMAS braces himself. There is a bone shaking crash, then silence.

-

INT.THOMAS'S HOME.MORNING

THOMAS'S alarm clock rings and its radio turns on, THOMAS looks around in disbelief.

RADIO ANNOUNCER Hello there river city, it's 7:30 and it's looking to be a lovely Monday morning.