1:45

By

Thien Ngo

FADE IN:

INT. CAFETERIA -- DAY

CHRIS, a young man with short hair,lean build, in his

twenties, wakes up in a barren food court. He stares at his

watch. It reads 1:45.

His hand rests upon a much more delicate hand, soft. His

eyes glance up to notice a young woman in her twenties. He

gives off a weak smile.

CHRIS

I had a dream where everything was

back to normal again.

The woman is unresponsive. A smile sits frozen her face.

A COUPLE sits in the back, frozen in laughter.

A TWO GUYS are frozen half seated at a table.

SEVERAL PEOPLE sit around the food court, all of them still.

Chris stares blankly at his watch with a weak smile on his

face. He shakes his head and grasps his forehead with his

other hand.

CHRIS

I don’t even know how long it’s

been.

After a long pause, he squeezes her hand. Chris looks off to

the side. He stares off into the distance.

CHRIS

(his voice breaks slightly)

Whatever it is, whatever happened..

I’ll fix it.

He lets go of her hand, rises, and paces out the doors. A

MAN holds the door open for his COMPANION.

EXT. CAFETERIA -- DAY

Chris picks up his bike leaned against the wall and rides

off.

2.

EXT. STREET -- DAY

Chris bikes down a sub-urban street. DRIVERS are parked in

the middle of the road and PEDESTRIANS are frozen on the

sidewalks.

A MAN fumbles with his folders in his car.

A WOMAN chats on her cellphone with one hand on the wheel.

A MAN struggles to hold the steering wheel with his knees

while eating a cup of Ramen.

EXT. LIBRARY -- DAY

Chris rides up to a 2 story brick library and leans his bike

against the wall. Chris heads up the stairs towards the

library.

INT. LIBRARY DOWNSTAIRS -- DAY

Lounge chairs, booths and computer terminals decorate the

interior. Two LIBRARIANS sit inanimate at their desk. A

LIBRARIAN stands by a book tray and is frozen holding up a

few books. A LIBRARIAN and a CUSTOMER are frozen in the

middle of a transaction. Chris walks by ignoring the scene

and heads up a flight of stairs. A clock on the wall reads

1:45.

INT. LIBRARY UPSTAIRS -- DAY

Chris sets his bag down beside a desk.

Chris takes out "Hamlet" from a shelf.

He reads an excerpt from "Hamlet" to himself.

CHRIS

And still your fingers on your lips

,I pray. The time is out of joint:

O cursed spite, that ever I was

born to set it right..

He closes the book and puts it back.

MONTAGE:

He pulls out "Tempest" glances at it and puts it back.

He pulls out a book on quantum mechanics.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 3.

He pulls out a book on theoretical physics.

He sets it book back.

He pulls out a book on time reads it and throws it to a pile

by his side.

Chris SLAMS a couple books on the table and sits down.

Chris flips through several pages

He writes down notes in a notepad with a pencil.

After going through several books his eyes droop. Chris

falls asleep. His wristwatch reads 1:45.

FADE OUT:

INT. LIBRARY UPSTAIRS -- DAY

A sudden FLUTTER of books jolts Chris awake. The room is

still the same with the exception of a GIRL. She stands

still by a bookshelf in the corner and stares at him.

Chris stands up and walks towards her.

Her image flickers and she walks off. Her image flickers

some more.

CHRIS

Wait!

He follows after her.

Chris dodges a bunch of static books that were knocked down

from the shelf.

INT. LIBRARY DOWNSTAIRS -- DAY

The Girl disappears and reappears further away from him.

Chris follows the Girl down the stairs. He hurriedly chases

after her. He dodges several librarians, students, and

carts.

4.

EXT. LIBRARY -- DAY

Chris BURSTS out of the library and looks around for the

Girl. She walks down a back street. He runs after her.

EXT. STREET -- DAY

Chris follows the Girl as she flickers and disappears off in

the distance.

EXT. BUILDING -- DAY

Chris stands outside a large unmarked and seemingly

abandoned building. He looks into the doorway and catches a

glimpse of the Girl as she disappears into the building.

INT. BUILDING CORRIDORS -- DAY

The corridors are dark, he follows the phantom into an empty

room.

INT. BUILDING EMPTY ROOM -- DAY

The Girl vanishes. Inside the room is a distortion and tear

in the air.

Chris pushes forward and is met with some resistance. His

surrounding begins to distort more and more and he

approaches the tear.

He outstretches his arm and touches it. Everything stops and

turns black.

INT. BUILDING EMPTY ROOM -- (LATER)

FADE IN:

His watch reads 1:45. He wakes up to some CLAMOR outside.

CHIRPS, CHATTER, and CAR sounds from outside. The space

around him is normal again.

EXT. BUILDING -- DAY

Chris exits the building. Everything has been re-animated.

Cars drive down the street. Pedestrians walk by him, some

stare. His watch reads 1:45. After a long pause the watch

reads 1:46.