The Desertion - Screen Writing Contest Entry (by a Forest School learner)
The following piece was written in Fall 2018 by one of our founding middle schoolers for a Screen Writing Contest.
The Desertion by: Noah Holmes
INT. NICK'S CLASSROOM - AFTERNOON
Ms. Rosa drones on about triangles.
MS. ROSA:
So, the isosceles triangle’s sides are… Mr. Nicholas, would you pay attention?!
Nick’s fast asleep, blissfully ignorant of his teacher’s wrath.
MS. ROSA:
Ms. Rosa walks over to Nick and raps his desk with a ruler.
MR. NICHOLAS! Wake up, please!
Nick jolts awake and sits straight up.
NICK:
Ma’am yes ma’am! You were saying…?
FADE OUT:
FADE IN: INT. NICK'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
Nick and James are playing Xbox, when suddenly a tremor goes through the floor, making the TV go to static.
JAMES:
Jumps up, drops his controller.
What the heck was that?
NICK:
I don’t know, but it didn’t sound good…
UNKNOWN ALIEN SPEAKER:
Hello. You are being invaded. Cooperate, and no one shall be hurt. I repeat, do not struggle.
Another tremor shakes the house. Nick and James hear screams and explosions.
NICK'S MOM (MS. WICKHAM) :
Nick! Nick! Are you okay? Where are you?!
NICK:
We’re in the basement, Mom!
NICK’S MOM sprints down the stairs.
MS. WICKHAM:
Did you hear that voice? It sounded...different somehow.
JAMES:
I agree. That was not earthly.
A crash sounds very close to the trio. They hear hisses and growls beyond the walls of the basement.
MS. WICKHAM:
She points, open mouthed, to the left wall of the basement. She regains her composure.
LOCK DOWN THE HOUSE! BARRICADE THE DOORS! DO NOT LET THESE FIENDS INTO MY HOUSE!!
NICK, MS. WICKHAM and JAMES run upstairs and behold a terrifying sight. There are gigantic lizards holding blasters the size of NICK.
JAMES, NICK AND MS. WICKHAM TOGETHER:
AAAUUUUUUGGGGH!!!
NICK:
Grabs big knife.
Mom! You run with James! I’ll hold them off.
MS. WICKHAM:
No way! You have decades ahead of you!
JAMES:
Taps NICK’S MOM on the shoulder.
Uh, Ms. Wickham? We should get out of here.
NICK:
Go, Mom! I will see you again!
MS. WICKHAM:
Voice broken up by sobs, grabs JAMES’ hand.
NICK! NICK! NO! PLEASE NO!
Suddenly, a light beams down on them. MS. WICKHAM and JAMES float into the air, shrieking.
NICK:
I will see you again!
NICK is hit on the head by an alien. NICK dimly watches someone distract the alien, pick him up and begin to run.
INT. NEW YORK HOSPITAL - NOON
NICK wakes up, screaming in excruciating pain.
NICK:
What the heck is going on?! Where am I? How did I get here?
NICK desperately searches the room for any sign of life. He sees nothing.
NICK:
Examines himself for injuries, and looks at his brutally hurt leg.
AAAAUUUUUGH!! WHAT IS THIS?!
NICK falls back asleep, and dreams fervently. He is falling into black, and he hears screams.
INT. HOSPITAL - EVENING
NICK wakes up, and he feels good. He shifts in his bed, and he winces in pain. He steps onto the floor, shaking miserably. He limps over to the door.
NICK:
Hello? Anyone there? PLEASE! IS ANYONE THERE?!
NICK receives no response. He realized that this place is deserted.
Suddenly, he hears a sound. It sounds... suspicious. A four legged shape runs in, and it’s not familiar.
The strange shape stands on his back legs, and NICK realizes this is an unearthly being.
ALIEN TROOPER:
Pulls out radio.
We have a hoo-man. What ssshould I do?
ALIEN TROOPER:
Understands something from his radio.
Yesss sssir.
The ALIEN TROOPER growls roar deafeningly and grabs out a blaster. He points it at NICK, and fires.
NICK:
Ducks just in time.
AAAUUUGGGH!
NICK turns heel and bolts for the door, with the alien right behind him. Abruptly, NICK stops. He falls to the ground, out cold, a tranquilizer dart in his back.
ALIEN TROOPER:
Slings NICK over his shoulder.
I got him, bossss.
FADE OUT:
INT. ALIEN MOTHERSHIP - UNKNOWN
NICK wakes up in a white room. It faintly reminds him of a jail cell. The space consists of a bed, a toilet, and a desk. The desk has a keyboard and mouse laying on it, with a screen built into the wall.
NICK:
Walks over to the desk, touches the mouse.
Hello there? Where am I?
COMPUTER:
Hello. Welcome to XRay, one of the Lorkanans’ Bases. You will be staying here temporarily.
NICK:
Where am I from? What’s my name? What are the Lorkanans?
COMPUTER :
Laughs softly.
Now, now, little one. One question at a time. Well, we don’t know where you are from. Your name is NICHOLAS. The Lorkanans are a species who live in space. They can shape-shift, and mimic many things.
NICHOLAS:
May I see one? Also, what’s your name?
COMPUTER:
My name is Minkya. You will see one soon. A Lorkanan is going to bring you lunch.
NICHOLAS:
OK!
FADE OUT:
FADE IN: INT. XRAY BASE - NOON
A knock sounds on NICHOLAS’ door, jolting awake. He groggily stumbles to the door and opens the slot to receive his food. NICHOLAS walks over to his bed.
NICHOLAS:
Chokes down the gunk in his bowl.
MINKYA! YOU SAID I’D BE HERE FOR TEMPORARILY! IT’S BEEN 2 MONTHS!
MINKYA:
Well, NICHOLAS, we’ve been instructed to keep you here until further notice...
NICHOLAS throws his bowl at the hated screen, and begins to sob.
NICHOLAS:
Do I have anyone else to talk to besides a stupid computer? A human? Someone like me?
…TO BE CONTINUED
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