SUNSET VALLEY
Season 2, Episode 3: "Broken"
FADE IN.
EXT. TOWN SQUARE – NIGHT
The group stands, frozen, in the middle of the town square. The town around remains with a ghostly, eerie atmosphere. The strange, endless entity that’s been plaguing them feels like it’s tightening its grip. The streets are empty, the windows of the buildings are dark, yet there’s a sense of unease, as if something is about to happen.
SYLVIA
What happened?
I have no clue what’s going on and I’m starting to go just a little bit insane.
JONAS
I don't know but...
I feel different.
ELLIOT
I don’t understand why it doesn’t just let us go home?
MARGOT
(quietly)
Maybe we’re not meant to.
Maybe we’re meant to stay here, trapped.
As that thing said... this is all part of something bigger.
I guess it’s up to us to find out what that is.
SHERIFF HARLOW
We can’t just accept that.
There has to be a way out.
The air grows colder, and they hear a faint whispering in the distance. It’s hard to make out, but the words seem familiar.
MARGOT
Did y'all hear that?
The whispering grows louder, and the streetlights flicker. Suddenly, the mirror in front of them cracks, a thin line running through its surface.
ELLIOT
What the hell is going on?
Haven't we done this already?
SHERIFF HARLOW
I guess we didn't beat this mirror thing yet.
The mirror shatters completely, revealing nothing but blackness behind it.
Suddenly, the group feels an invisible force pulling them towards the empty void. They try to fight it, but the more they struggle, the more the force seems to grow stronger.
JONAS
(through gritted teeth)
Nope!
I AM NOT GOING IN THERE!
MARGOT
(trying to fight the pull)
Whatever happens, let’s stick together.
That has worked so far.
But it’s too late. The group is drawn into the void.
SYLVIA
(voice trembling)
I’m so tired of this.
I just want to go home.
The void begins to change into a chaotic mix of abstract, fractured shapes. When it stops shifting, they’re inside a room very similar to those padded rooms from mental institutions.
SHERIFF HARLOW
Guess this is fitting huh?
We all go a little mad sometimes.
ELLIOT
(looking around frantically)
So we went from a broken ass town, to another one with a messed up mirror, and now we’re in a mental hospital.
Yeah, that checks out.
We’re dead.
Suddenly, they hear a small TV in the wall light up, and everyone freezes.
JONAS
(whispering)
What now?
A voice echoes from the TV: a cloaked figure appears.
VOICE (V.O.)
Welcome to the next step of our little game.
You’ve all been listed as… imperfect.
Every single one of you.
The group freezes, looking around in confusion.
SYLVIA
Isn't everyone imperfect tho?
The TV shifts again. The cloaked figure removes the cloak.
JONAS
(under his breath)
Again?
Aren't you tired of playing with clones of us?
The figure is an exact replica of Elliot.
DISTORTED ELLIOT
Oh, Jonas. This time,
I’m not a clone.
I am Elliot.
Instead of asking me that, you should be asking the same thing to the person next to you.
ELLIOT
(staring at his reflection, horrified)
What are you talking about?
I’m Elliot.
DISTORTED ELLIOT
I never said you weren’t.
In due time, you’ll all understand the real reason why you’ve been selected for this experiment.
MARGOT
Just tell us this...
If we "play along", will we be able to go home after this ends?
DISTORTED ELLIOT
Yes... and no.
MARGOT
(with an ironic tone)
Wow, jeez. Thanks for clarifying that up.
Suddenly, the TV turns off. Silence.
SYLVIA
(shouting)
NO!
I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
I don't want to play these little fucked up games.
I demand to be released, right this second!
The TV flickers on for just a second. The “other” Elliot returns.
DISTORTED ELLIOT
Oh, Sylvia.
Just shut the hell up.
Don’t act innocent when you’re the reason everyone’s trapped here.
As the figure disappears again, the room returns to its void form.
Then, a voice from above speaks.
VOICE (V.O.)
Let’s raise the stakes on this game, shall we?
Let’s meet face to face.
Our group gets tossed back into an alleyway in Mirror Town. At the end of the road, they see "Other Elliot" waving.
CUT TO BLACK.
TO BE CONTINUED…