Veil of a Dream Treatment - Plot Outline

The full spoiler ridden plot outline for a screenplay I have written. Just looking for some feedback.

A dark, grim, and misty forest. Voices and whispers fill the haunted air with at atmosphere of death. The trees are skeletal and endless. Vegetation is rampant and disfigured. Standing in this hell, is Daniel: 18, strong handsome features, rugged, dark brown scruffy hair.

Daniel stands in the ghostly forest with his eyes closed. He opens them and looks around. He is afraid and breathes heavily. He begins to make his way through the forest cautiously, his fear compelling him to keep moving. Daniel is stopped in his tracks by a fallen tree, which he examines curiously. Suddenly, a SHOUT and a SCREAM! His panic and fear grow intensely. He searches the isolation for the origin of the sounds �" nothing. He is alone. Completely and hopelessly lost in his own mind. Daniel suddenly catches sight of something lying in the vegetation before him. He approaches it: It is a body! Daniel moves cautiously towards the body and holds out his arm, he rolls it over to his horror. The corpse is his own! He jumps back �" Cut to black.

 

The previous scene revealed to be a dream. An unknown amount of time later we see Daniel standing by a small lake in the middle of a park. A haze of morning summer mist shrouds the area. Daniel stands on the shore and stares out across the lake, thinking silently to himself. The soft wind blows a shred of paper into the middle of the lake. Daniel watches it sink. His phone suddenly begins to ring and he answers it with the question: “What have I done now?”

 

We cut to a later time. It is night and we move in on a house where a house party is being held. Loud music can be heard from within and outside we see drunken students making out, staggering helplessly or vomiting. In the back garden we see the bulk of the party’s attendees.

A beer pong game has just finished at the rear of the garden and people are dispersing into the garden and back into the house. Daniel separates himself from the crowd and stands by himself for a few moments before John surprises him. John is 19 and lanky, he dresses in a way that shows he is trying to fit in but fails to.  He and John are then greeted by the semi-drunken presence of Matt. Matt is 19 also and a miserable attempt at a jock. Matt and John criticize Daniel for drinking water at a party filled with alcohol. The three make their way towards the house and Matt and John bravely decide to venture inside. Daniel stays outside by himself and once again thinks to himself whilst staring up at the star filled night sky. He becomes obvious to everything around him until a familiar and warming voice strikes the silence: Jess. Jess is 18, beautiful with long brown hair and striking blue eyes. She is as tall as Daniel.

Jess and Daniel talk and Jess expresses her worry about herself and Daniel growing apart over the summer and eventually ceasing contact. Daniel promises to not let that happen and they are about to share a kiss when Charlotte interrupts them. Charlotte is blonde, taller than Jess and beautiful. She is almost domineering over the Jess and Daniel who are embarrassed. Jess decides to make her way back into the house to rejoin the party and Charlotte coaxes Daniel into joining them. He does so reluctantly. Jess grows envious of Charlotte’s interaction with Daniel.

Inside the house, the party has turned to drunken chaos. Daniel makes his way through the hordes of inebriated and high teenagers like an explorer would through a perilous jungle. Daniel reaches the safety of the kitchen and sits down. He is extremely uncomfortable in a party situation. The entrance of Kate disturbs his safety: Kate is 19, has long black hair and green eyes. Kate searches the kitchen for Vodka and is annoyed to find her own supply has been drunk by other party members. She talks to Daniel briefly and questions his description of himself as a “man” before rushing to vomit elsewhere. Daniel is entranced by her and can’t take his mind off her.

Daniel rejoins the party and grows jealous of Jess when she talks to some other guys. Daniel’s jealousy is interrupted by a familiar scream: John. John lays on the ground surrounded by the remains of a coffee table. The party comes to a halt as a thousand eyes fall on him. Daniel sighs.

 

Later, Daniel, Matt and John have left the party and are walking home. Daniel supports John as he staggers along. Matt sways from side to side trying to keep himself steady. John and Matt argue senselessly and try to fight; John is pushed into the road and into the path of a speeding car! Luckily, Daniel saves him just in time. The near death is laughed off, however, by John and Matt who Daniel scorns. The night ends with Matt and John collapsing and vomiting long into the early hours of the morning.

 

Days later, Daniel is walking on his lonesome through the park. He ventures into the woods. He could be lost but he would still be happy.

     Charlotte, meanwhile, calls Kate and they talk about the events of a party they attended the previous night. Kate is told that she and Matt hooked up which Kate resents.

     Daniel wanders through the woods silently and alone, he enjoys this time alone to think to himself and explore. He comes across a shouldering wreckage of something, he investigates it. In the burnt ruins he finds a Teddy Bear that appears to be untouched by the fire and out of place. Daniel takes the bear with him. Minutes later Daniel has left the woods and is now sitting on a bench in the middle of the park, from here Daniel watches children playing. Charlotte suddenly appears and questions Daniel about the bear; he claims it doesn’t belong to him. Charlotte and Daniel proceed to talk and Charlotte mentions that she is meeting Kate in a few minutes. She offers to introduce Daniel to Kate. Daniel is reluctant, his eyes briefly wander to the children playing and he notices a shadowy figure walking amongst the children. Kate’s sudden appearance blocks out Daniel’s view of the playground. He stands. Kate introduces herself properly and soon offers to take Daniel clubbing with herself and Charlotte. Daniel criticizes clubbing and refuses the offer. Kate and Charlotte give him time to think about it and walk off together.

     Evening, and Daniel and Jess walk together elsewhere in the park. Jess questions Daniel about his new friends, (Charlotte and Kate), and tries to convince him to go clubbing with them. Daniel refuses and the two laugh together at Daniel’s apparently “boring” personality. Daniel suddenly catches sight of a bunch of roses a few feet in front of him and he moves to pick one for Jess. Jess stops Daniel, however, and instructs him to not pick the rose, as he would kill it in the process. She tells him to appreciate rather than own the rose. They are then interrupted by the entrance of John who rants about a game of football he has just played where Matt delivered a brutal tackle to John. The three leave the park and walk down a street, John leaves them here and runs home. Silence falls on Jess and Daniel and when Daniel expresses a genuine interest in going clubbing with Kate and Charlotte, Jess argues with him. Jess feels she has lost her control of Daniel here and her fear of him growing apart from her plagues her mind. Their argument results in Jess storming off home and leaving Dan alone. Daniel gives a look to the stars before walking home.  

 

Later that night, Jess considers texting Daniel to apologize and remind him of the promise he made her. Meanwhile, Daniel texts Kate and agrees to go clubbing with her. Jess never contacts Daniel. That night, Daniel dreams he is once again in the haunted forest. The shadowy figure from the park is now in his dream and haunts him. He tries to make contact with it but it eludes him �" Eventually it appears behind him and questions him: “Are you lost?”. As Daniel tires to catch sight of what stalks him, the dream ends suddenly.

 

The weekend has arrived and outside of a nightclub, Kate waits with Charlotte, Hannah and a few other friends for the arrival of Daniel. Daniel arrives promptly much to the pleasure of Charlotte and Kate. Kate then informs Daniel that Matt is coming also and that he should stick with him that night. Daniel is put out by this but does well to hide his annoyance. In the crowds lining up outside the club, Daniel spots the shadowed figure from his dream but it eludes him once he catches sight of it. Matt arrives and they make their way into the club.

     Inside the club it is chaos on par with the house party from earlier. To Daniel, this is a different world and one that hates. Matt tells Daniel that now would be a good time to revise his stance on not drinking and buys him an alcoholic drink. Kate approves of Matt’s “paternal” side. Daniel proceeds to spend the night alone and to one side of the club. He watches in jealousy and anger as Matt and Kate dance and enjoy the night together. Daniel regrets this.

 

The next morning, Daniel and Kate walk together and discuss the previous night. Kate is surprised to find that Daniel hated the experience and tells him that the next time they go out, she will stick with him and ensure he enjoys himself. Daniel reluctantly agrees to a second night of clubbing.

 

Later, Daniel stands in his garden and looks up at the night sky and the stars as they silently go by, ignorant of him. Daniel looks at a picture of Jess and Kate on his phone and contemplates.

 

 

The weekend arrives once more and Daniel is once again sitting alone in the corner of a nightclub. Kate finds him and immediately drags him into dancing with her. Daniel is ignorant of the shadowed figures presence in the crowds with him. Afterwards, Daniel and Kate go to the bar where Kate tries to influence Daniel into talking to a girl. Daniel refuses to approach a very attractive girl who is standing at the far end of the bar. This is Amy. Kate walks over to Amy and talks to her, Daniel looks on embarrassed. Kate returns and orders Daniel to approach Amy, which he does reluctantly and nervously. Amy reassures Daniel and sees that he is there to impress Kate, Amy lets Daniel buy her a drink to make himself look confident in front of Kate. Kate is impressed but Matt suddenly arrives and starts talking to her �" he takes her attention of Daniel which he hates.

 

That same night, Daniel is once again in the dream forest. He is haunted by the shadowed figure once again who reveals itself to be Daniel. However, it is a more beaten up and rugged version of Daniel with cuts and bruises all over and a scar over his left eye. Daniel hears a child running through the forest but can’t see it anywhere. The shadowed figure, or Demon, tells Daniel that there is nothing to fear in this world but himself. The Demon also advises Daniel that he shouldn’t run lest he get lost.

 

Weeks later, we find Jess in a supermarket standing in a DVD isle. She can’t make her mind up about which one to choose. John arrives and the two talk. John does his best to flirt with her but she sees through it and playfully threatens him with hospitalization if he tries anything. John asks her if she would be willing to go with him to the cinema to watch a film called “Darkness Within”. Jess agrees on the conditions that John doesn’t call it a date and that he can choose a decent film for her. John tries and suggests a rom-com. Jess disapproves of the apparent sexism and stereotyping but agrees to go with John. John happily walks away whilst Jess puts the film back and chooses another one.

 

Daniel is walking through the woods when he receives a call from Kate. Kate questions Daniel about Amy but Daniels says he hasn’t spoken to her since. Kate questions Daniel’s experience with girls, which Daniel doesn’t defend. When asked if they are going to a club yet again, Kate says that clubbing can get boring after a while, so Daniel suggests going to the cinema instead. Daniel suggests going to see “Darkness Within” and Kate agrees. Kate tells Daniel that she will try to match-make Daniel and Charlotte, which Daniel is reluctant towards. Daniel asks if Kate herself would want a “date” but she shoots him down saying that he wouldn’t want that. Kate then informs Daniel that Matt will once again be joining them for the evening, which immediately encourages Daniel to ask if Kate and Matt are romantically involved. Kate denies this to Daniel’s pleasure.

 

Days later, Daniel arrives at the cinema where Kate, Charlotte, Hannah, and Ben are waiting for him. Charlotte and Kate greet him and eventually Kate leaves Charlotte and Daniel alone together. Charlotte and Daniel’s talk is awkward and little. Daniel’s attention is on Kate. Matt soon arrives and he and Kate walk into the cinema. Hannah and Ben do the same and Charlotte and Daniel follow. However, on holding the door open for Charlotte, Daniel sees Jess approaching the cinema from down the street. The two stare at each other but say nothing. Daniel walks into the cinema and out of sight just as John walks up to Jess and stands with her.

 

Later, the film is playing and the group sits apart from each other in the cinema. Kate and Matt sit together, Charlotte and Daniel sit together, Jess and John sit together and Hannah and Ben sit together. Daniel keeps a constant watch on Jess and Kate. When Kate rests her head on Matt’s shoulders, Daniel feels sick with jealousy. Charlotte suddenly does the same to him and he decides to rest his head on hers. He is uncomfortable. Suddenly, Daniel sees the Demon sitting in the row in front of him and Charlotte. The Demon taunts Daniel with the horrific nature of the film but Daniel is too occupied checking if Charlotte can also see and hear the Demon. She can’t. Daniel makes an excuse and retreats to the toilets.

     In the toilets, Daniel tries to calm himself down but the Demon appears there to. However, the Demon can only be seen in the room’s mirror. The Demon proceeds to talk about past mistakes and crimes he has committed, he washes his hands in the sink as he does this. Blood pools into the basin but the Demon’s hands are clean. The Demon curses the water for never being able to get the blood off. The Demon orders Daniel to return to his film just before Daniel questions who and what the Demon is. The Demon vanishes before replying. Daniel leaves the room.

     Returning to the film, Daniel stands looking down at the isles and down at Kate and Jess. Daniel looks from one to the other before finally settling his stare on Kate.

 

A montage sequence. Daniel, Hannah, Ben, Matt, Charlotte, Kate and some other friends playing football in the park. Daniel and Kate hug and celebrate with every goal they score. Charlotte watching on enviously.

Cut to a motorway where two cars are speeding along and racing each other. Daniel, Matt and Kate in one and Ben and his friends in the other. Daniel and Kate exchanging looks in the excitement.

Cut to another house party, this time at Ben’s. The usual chaos ensues. Daniel and Kate sit separately but constantly exchange looks across the room. Kate eventually signals Daniel to go over to her, which he does happily. Later that night, a beer pong game is taking place and Daniel and Matt play against each other. Matt loses much to his annoyance and he watches angrily and enviously as Daniel and Kate hug and celebrate together. Daniel and Matt both know it is a competition now.

 

Jess is walking through the busy town by herself. She texts as she walks. John appears out of a crowd of people and walks along side her. They talk playfully and John asks Jess for a second date. She reminds him that they need to have had the first date to get the second one. Eventually Jess agrees to the date on the condition that John suggests somewhere romantic for them to go. John says he will think of something but has to leave, which he does so quickly. Before he disappears back into the crowds, Jess stops him and asks if he has seen Daniel recently. John says he hasn’t and leaves. Jess looks at Daniel’s name on her phone and walks on �" saddened.

 

That night, Daniel is with Kate and her group of friends. They all sit around a campfire ready to smoke weed and drink. Mark, a friend of Matt’s, passes a joint around the group and one by one they smoke it. Daniel takes note of Matt and Kate sitting at an uncomfortably close proximity to one another. Charlotte sits as close to Daniel as she can. Daniel smokes the joint and, being a newbie, it’s effect is quick and intense. Sounds are muffled and eventually silenced, the fire becomes as bright as the sun and the Demon walks around the group. The Demon stops and stands behind Matt and Kate as they laugh silently and in slow motion. The Demon laughs as Daniel’s vision fades to black.

     Daniel wakes up in the middle of the park. Alone. He hears the laughs and shouts of the group but he cannot find them. Daniel runs through the forest, panicking, afraid, lost. He comes to the lake that he stood by before and stares at it with confusion. It all seems like a dream. Suddenly, Charlotte appears from the trees and she runs past Daniel and to the water’s edge. Daniel follows her and watches as she plays with the still and cold water. Charlotte eventually ceases her play and stands facing Daniel. After a moment Charlotte grabs Daniel’s hand and places it on her breast. They kiss rampantly. The next thing Daniel knows he is lying on top of her and feeling all around her body. He places his hand on her crotch and she moans. Suddenly, the Demon attacks Daniels mind and Charlottes face turns to Jess’s. Daniel blinks and with the movement of his eyelids, her face once again changes but this time to Kate’s. Daniel lunges back from Charlotte and stands staring at her. He panics. He closes his eyes and pulls his hair. Daniel hears Kate’s and Jess’s voices in his head like ghosts.

     Daniel suddenly finds himself sitting in a classroom with John, Jess and Matt. They laugh and talk. John throws a paper areoplane at Matt and it hits him. The four laugh together as friends.

     Cut to Daniel with Matt and John as they walk down a school corridor, laughing and fighting. The Demon suddenly takes Matt’s place in the group. Daniel looks on in fear as the Demon laughs along.

 

The next morning, and Daniel awakes to find himself half naked and lying next to a half naked Charlotte. They had sex.

     Elsewhere in the park is Kate and Matt lying on the ground in a similar fashion as Charlotte and Daniel. They also had sex. They wake, look at one another and laugh.

     Later, Charlotte and Daniel return to the camp and rejoin the group. Matt and Daniel give each other an antagonistic stare as Charlotte and Kate move off and talk to each other privately. Daniel takes note of a short longing glance that Charlotte gives to Matt. Kate questions Charlotte and jests about Charlotte being in love with Daniel, which she doesn’t deny. Kate forces a smile as Charlotte smiles innocently at Daniel.

 

 

A few days later and we find Jess getting ready for her date with John. She looks amazing. She receives a call from Kate who is also getting ready for a night out; she applies makeup as she talks. During the conversation, Kate reveals to Jess that Charlotte and Daniel had sex. This hits Jess like a bullet and her jealousy grows intensely. She controls it and listens on as Kate boasts about her and Matt also having sex. Kate quickly ends the call soon after, leaving Jess feeling betrayed and lost. Daniel is slipping away from her. Jess looks up at the stars and then down at her feet to find that she has stood on a rose.

     Jess arrives at the restaurant where John waits for her. She mocks his decision of a romantic venue playfully and they go inside.

 

The same night, Daniel is in the nightclub once more. It is becoming his second home. He stands on a balcony to one side of the nightclub that allows him full overview of the nightclub. Daniel looks at the crowds below them hatefully as they drink, dance, shout, abuse, laugh and enjoy themselves. Matt and Kate are all over each other. Daniel hates this. Charlotte walks up to Daniel and offers him a drink along with the question of “Do you want some company?” Daniel smiles at her, takes the drink and replies, “Two is company…”

Later, Jess and John have finished their date and John has walked Jess home. Jess thanks John and says they can go on another date sometime. She then orders him to kiss her, which he does. Their kiss turns passionate and she invites him in.

Simultaneously, Charlotte and Daniel are laughing and all over each other. Daniel pretends to be drunk whilst Charlotte is very drunk. Daniel spots Matt at the bar and sees an opportunity. He uses what power he has over Charlotte to get her to go over to Matt and flirt with him. She is putty in his hands. She complies. As soon as she has left his company, Daniel seeks out Kate elsewhere in the nightclub. He finds her and stands over her.

John and Jess walk into Jess’s room and continue kissing. Jess sits on top of John and they start to remove clothing. They are soon having sex.

Daniel and Kate run out onto the nightclubs rooftop. Kate runs to the edge of the roof and shouts into the night. She turns and walks up to Daniel who watches her happily. The stare at each other silently before kissing passionately.

Matt and Charlotte still in the nightclub. They laugh together drunkenly and soon start to kiss.

Daniel and Kate feel all over each other before Kate pulls away. She resists Daniel and tells him: “Not now, not tonight.” She returns to the nightclub leaving Daniel alone on the roof. He cheers to himself and stands on the edge of the roof looking down victoriously at the town. He looks up at the stars with a sneer before returning to the club, ignorant of the Demon watching him from the roof ledge.

     Daniel returns to the balcony and he resumes staring out over the chaotic crowds. He smirks to himself proudly. He locates Kate at the bar and smirks at her as he stares into her eyes, she stares back but cant stand his gaze. She turns away. Daniel closes his eyes.

 

     Opening his eyes, Daniel finds himself in the same spot but the nightclub is now empty. The Demon stands at the bar and raises a glass as Daniel walks down towards him. Daniel questions what the Demon is and who he is but the Demon gives no reply. The Demon pushes past Daniel and stands in the center of the dance floor. Daniel joins him as the mist from the dream forest surrounds and engulfs them. The Demon asks Daniel if they should delve into Daniel’s past and taunts Daniel for running from his past and his problems. The nightclub scene fades and is replaced by…

 … An alleyway. A storm rages. Daniel looks around for a few seconds before spotting a younger version of himself (about 15) standing with Sarah, his ex. The two 15-year-olds stand together and talk, their words cannot be heard but Daniel knows exactly what they are saying. Daniel approaches them and stares at Sarah longingly and in disbelief; regret fills his mind. Sarah suddenly moves away from the Dream Daniel and she disappears into the night. Daniel calls after her and begs her not to stay before turning on his dream self and condemning him for not trying to get her to stay. The Dream Daniel stands pathetically and watches as Sarah leaves him in the dark and the rain. The Dream Daniel eventually turns and walks home. Daniel calls himself a “coward” and a “loser” as the dream fades away.

     We return to the nightclub. Here the Demon taunts Daniel for being useless and for running away from his past rather than facing it. Daniel has still not moved on from his immature relationship with Sarah and believes he was entirely to blame for it: His self-esteem brought to ruin by this. The Demon remarks that Daniel is “desperate to be loved, but believes himself unworthy of it”. The Demon warns Daniel to stop running and that his fall is coming, and he should choose what kind of love he needs before it is too late.

 

The next morning. Daniel lies in bed with his clothes still on and wet. He wakes up and sluggishly makes his way into the bathroom. Daniel looks at himself in the mirror as he turns the tap on, he stares at himself hatefully before washing his hands and face.

     Meanwhile, John leaves Jess’s house through the front door and looks up at her as she watches him from a second floor window. He smiles at her as he leaves. She watches him go and proceeds to go to her laptop. She looks at a picture of Daniel with a hateful smirk before closing the lid.

 

Daniel walks by himself through the town. He eventually passes the park and looks in at the place he used to spend so much time but has forgotten. He continues on his way being sure to avoid the park.

 

Days later and Daniel is unsurprisingly in the nightclub. He stands in his usual spot where he can survey the chaotic and licentious crowds below. Daniel smirks down at them with a misguided supremacy. He rests his drink on a table and goes to the toilet.

     Daniel enters the toilet, pushing past a man as he does so, and relieves himself. Afterwards, Daniel walks over to the sink and washes his hands. He looks into the mirror and looks around: No Demon. He smiles at this thought. Suddenly, a child’s laughter is heard and his confidence shatters. He looks around the room fearfully for a few seconds and cautiously leaves.

     Daniel returns to the balcony and looks out over the crowds. He shrugs the strange experience off. Suddenly, he hears the laughter again and he sees the Demon standing in the crowds. Daniel panics. He snaps his attention to the bar and sees his worst nightmare: Kate and Matt kissing. Daniel stares in horror and anger. His spine tingles, his stomach aches and he turns cold. He drops his drink. Daniel stares at them before seeing the Demon walk up the stairs that lead to the roof. Daniel angrily follows.

     Daniel bursts out onto the roof. He breathes heavily, pulls his hair, and shakes his head in disbelief. It’s nothing. They are just drunk. It means nothing! He knows he is wrong. He runs to the ledge of the rooftop and looks up at the stars briefly before clenching his fists and turning his despair into anger. No more running.

     Daniel returns to the club and barges through the crowds between himself and Matt. Within seconds of reentering the club, Daniel has reached Matt and pulled him off of Kate. Daniel delivers several kicks to Matt’s chest and takes him to the floor. Matt laughs, being sure not to fight back or resist the violence. Daniel grabs Matt by the neck and pushes him against a wall. The Demon stands behind Daniel and laughs at him. Daniel’s grip on Matt’s neck tightens. Kate runs to Daniel and tries to pull him away but he pushes her off violently. Kate hits the floor. Two boys charge from the crowds surrounding Matt and Daniel and pull them apart; they restrain Daniel. Daniel desperately tries to free himself but he cannot. Matt mocks Daniel for his jealousy and claims that Kate belongs to him. Daniel is dragged away.

     Daniel is thrown out of the nightclub and into the cold and dark streets. He calms himself down but keeps his fists clenched. He looks up to the rooftop and sees the Demon watching him from above. Daniel runs away in fear.

 

Later that night, Daniel is lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He is angry but sad. His victory snatched away from him. He now realizes that he has forgotten Jess completely and phased her out of his life callously. Daniel looks across his room and sees the Teddy Bear watching him. Daniel gets out of bed, walks over to the bear, picks it up and hugs it.

 

Meanwhile, Jess and John lie in bed together and watch a movie. Jess rests her head on John’s shoulders and he strokes her head. They are happy. Jess suddenly gets a text. She makes an excuse to John and leaves the house. John is left in confusion.

 

Daniel stands by himself at the water’s edge of the lake. He throws a rock into the water and stares up at the stars. Jess arrives and stands behind him. Eventually they talk and Jess condemns and scorns Daniel for ignoring her and ditching her. Jess proceeds to condemn Daniel for his sexual interaction with Charlotte and his involvement with Kate overall. Jess also scorns Daniel for his new life of drinking and drugs, claiming she doesn’t recognize who he is anymore. Daniel doesn’t defend himself even when Jess tells him that the concept of love is too grown up for him to understand. Daniel bites back and claims that he has done exactly as Jess told him to by “appreciating and not owning” love. By staying away from her Daniel has kept her safe from himself. Jess shoots this down by saying that he was acting out of lust and not respect. Jess goes on to declare that she and John feel genuine love that Daniel is incapable of feeling, and that Daniel is just immature, arrogant and childish. Daniel’s anger grows and he blames Jess for letting him go and influencing him to go clubbing with Kate in the first place. Daniel goes on to condemn Jess for getting with John out of jealousy and spite rather than for love. Daniel tells Jess that she can’t perpetuate the past and that he has to move on even if it means losing Jess in the process. Jess asks Daniel is he is willing to lose her over Kate. Daniel replies by saying that he isn’t, but Jess is. Daniel then warns Jess that she can’t “Act the victim and play the Devil”, before asking if she loves John. Jess claims she does and Daniel asks if Jess ever loved him. She doesn’t reply. Jess walks away but stops when she hears Daniel tell the stars to “Stop it!” Jess leaves by saying “You just can’t can you?” Referring to Daniel’s refusal or inability to fight for her and get her to stay with him over John.

     When Jess has left, the Demon appears and taunts Daniel further. Daniel has a brief flashback of Sarah leaving him and he remarks that he has: “Abandoned someone that loved him”. The Demon instructs Daniel: “Do not mistake a desire for love with a desire for supremacy”. They stand side by side as they look out across the lake. They are beginning to look identical.

 

Days later, Daniel sits by himself on the steps of a bandstand in the park. He fiddles with his phone and thinks to himself. After a few moments, Daniel begins to text on his phone.

 

That night, Daniel waits on a street corner. Across the road from him is an empty children’s playground. Daniel watches as the wind causes the swings and roundabout to creak eerily. John suddenly arrives and breaks Daniel’s stare. Their conversation is awkward and distant. Daniel does his best to apologize but John tells him that he needs to apologize to Jess and not him. Daniel informs John that he and Jess are no longer talking. They go on to talk about Daniel’s life over the summer and his interactions with Kate and Charlotte. John reveals to Daniel that Matt and Kate have been a thing for years but have never been official. Daniel feels betrayed by John and stupid. Daniel eventually asks John if he loves Jess. Despite being coy at first, Daniel almost orders John to say yes. Daniel orders John to repeat the words “I love Jess” several times before apologizing and pushing him into the path of an oncoming car. The car hits and kills John. Daniel watches victoriously briefly before running to John and pretending to try and help him.

 

Later, Daniel arrives home in disrepair. He immediately runs to the bathroom and starts to wash his hands. He looks into the mirror and suddenly sees that his reflection has become the Demon! Daniel lunges back into a wall and he falls to the floor worthlessly. Daniel tries to escape his reflection and screams for the Demon to leave him alone. Daniel closes his eyes and covers them. John flashes through his mind, attacking him viciously. Images of Kate, Jess and Sarah begin to flash through his mind also. Daniel writhes and screams.

 

Weeks have passed and John’s funeral is being held. Autumn is nearing it’s end. Jess, Charlotte, Kate, Matt and other parents and adults gather around the grave. Daniel stands separate from the crowds and under a tree. He smirks at Charlotte and scowls at Kate when they look to him.

     Months later, in the middle of winter, Daniel stands over the grave with a hateful look. He is almost disgusted by the sight. A bunch of dying flowers rests on the grave. Daniel notices that the grave next to John’s belongs to a child and that a Teddy Bear is resting on it. Daniel stares at the Teddy for a moment before walking away.

     Daniel returns to the bit of greenery where he and Jess saw the rose. Daniel kneels by the rose and strokes it’s fading petals. He smiles at it.

 

Daniel arrives at Jess’s house and finds her sitting on the pavement sulking. Daniel walks over and sits next to her. She ignores him as he tries to ask her about University. Daniel then repeats Jess’s lesson about appreciating rather than owning love. Jess listens intently and with despair. Daniel tells her that if he only appreciates the rose rather than taking it for himself, someone else will come along and steal the rose. They will own what he appreciated and what they did not. Daniel calls himself a loser. Jess holds back tears as Daniel proceeds to question her as to what she and Daniel are and what they will ever be if they continue to run from their feelings and act spitefully towards each other. Daniel says he is running out of time before acknowledging that Jess did genuinely love John and not him. Daniel states he is happy at this as at least Jess has had reciprocated love from someone. As he gets up to leave, Daniel tells Jess that in years to come they will look back on these days and be forever haunted by the question: “What if?”

 

A few days later, Jess is walking home at night. She suddenly runs into Kate and the two talk. Kate notices that something is wrong with Jess and consoles her about John’s death before boasting about her and Matt being official now. Jess tries her best to pretend to be happy but Kate sees through it. Kate also notices a poorly hidden bandage wrapped around Jess’s wrist; the bandage is bloodstained. Kate knows exactly what the bandage means and asks if Daniel or John did this to her. Jess doesn’t reply but Kate knows it is Daniel. Kate then remarks that it never works but that it is the easy way out. The two hug and Kate whispers into Jess’s ear that she needs to take aspirin and use a razorblade instead. Kate gives this advice without remorse or morality. Kate smiles warmly at Jess before leaving her in the darkness, cold and afraid. As Jess walks home, she hears something moving down the alleyway from Daniel’s dreams. She sees nothing down the alleyway and continues on, ignorant of the Demon watching her from the darkness. The Demon is crying and holding a dead rose in his hand. The Demon looks at the stars and throws the rose into the road.

 

 

Daniel is standing in his back garden and staring up at the stars. The Demon arrives and joins him. Daniel notices the Demon’s tears and asks him what is wrong.

 

Outside of Jess’s house, ambulances and police cars are gathering. People crowd around and Jess’s parents stand outside the house �" crying. Daniel runs through empty streets until he reaches the house. He pushes his way through the crowds until he can see what is going on. He watches as a stretcher is carried out of the house. Jess’s bloodstained arm falls from under the white sheet. Daniel looks on in horror and runs.

     Daniel runs to the park frantically. He trips on a rock and falls onto his face, he cuts his eyelid in the process. He rolls over and looks up into the starry sky before screaming “No!” continuously and running to the lake. Daniel runs to the shore and falls to his knees in the mud. He looks at the Demon who stands over him and begs him to change what has happened; The Demon shakes his head. Daniel questions why the Demon took Jess rather than Daniel himself, but there comes no reply. Daniel bows his and cries. Daniel looks to the stars once more and orders them to: “Stop it! Stop looking at me! You never cared! You don’t care!” Daniel feels lost and alone. The Demon laughs maniacally. Daniel turns on the Demon and starts to deny it’s existence as he is now unsure what is a dream and what isn’t. The Demon stops laughing, stares ta Daniel and then vanishes. Suddenly, a piercing noise attacks Daniel’s ears and he screams in pain. A thunderous ticking begins and a loud crashing.

     Daniel suddenly finds himself in an abandoned and ruined school. Mist is all around. Daniel wakes up and looks around frantically. He hears the Demon’s voice taunting him. A loud crashing noise as the ground and ceiling cave in and crack. Daniel is thrown into the air and he hits the ground violently. Thunder is heard as the room shakes.

     Daniel suddenly finds himself in the nightclub, it is ruined and destroyed and filled with corpses. Daniel panics and starts to run. Suddenly-

     Daniel is now in the woods, where he found the Teddy Bear. He stops running and looks to where he found the bear. The Demon stands there, along with a bench and a baby carriage. The Demon smirks at Daniel and lights a match. The match is thrown onto the baby carriage, which bursts into rampant and violent flames. The fire spreads to the bench and the Demon laughs as he vanishes. Daniel hears the baby crying and is thrown back by an invisible force. He is restrained as he watches the carriage burn. Suddenly, the Teddy Bear falls from the carriage and appears to save itself from the flames. Daniel looks on in horror at the origin of his bear. Suddenly, a violent earthquake.

     Daniel stands in the dream forest. He walks to the lake and runs down to the water. He falls into the mud face first. He struggles to get to his feet so he crawls on all fours; he wipes his face and sees something a few yards ahead of him in the mud. He crawls to it and realizes it is a body. He rolls it over and sees the corpse is his own. He screams and leaps back. Daniel screams: “I’m not ready to die! I’m not going to die!” Voices suddenly fill Daniel’s mind and attack him. Daniel continues to question the Demon’s reality with, “You’re not real!” but suddenly silence falls on him as he opens his eyes and sees the Demon standing a few feet in front of him. The Demon sneers at Daniel as he crushes a rose in his hand. The dream ends with the Demon saying, “Of course you’re not”.

     We see the greenery where the rose Daniel found is. A single petal falls from the dying flower. Jess is dead.

 

The following morning we see Daniel returning to his house. He is scruffy, bruised and a cut runs over his left eye. He is identical to the Demon now. Daniel stops as he opens his front door; a piece of folded paper has been put underneath a broken plant pot. Daniel picks up the paper and unfolds it. It is a letter. Daniel looks around to see who left it before entering his house.

     That night, Daniel sits on the floor of his room with the Teddy Bear in his hands. There is a haunted atmosphere, similar to his dreams. Thunder can be heard outside. The door suddenly creaks open and Daniel looks to it; petrified. He asks if John is there but is silenced by thunder. He then begs the presence in the room to be Jess as only her torture could be this pleasing to him. He gives up, closes his eyes, and listens to the thunderous ticking inside his head.

 

Matt and Charlotte lie in bed together half naked. Matt sits up and moves to the edge of the bed. He looks disturbed by something. Charlotte sits up and asks him what is wrong, he doesn’t give a reply. She proceeds to ask if Kate is what is wrong but Matt denies it. Matt continues to deny there is anything wrong until Charlotte asks Matt, “Do you love her?” To which Matt gets angry and warns Charlotte to back off. Matt gets dressed and prepares to leave the room before being stopped by Charlotte. She questions what she means to Matt and if they are going anywhere. Matt replies with, “You are a choice.” He leaves the room as he says this.

     On his way home, Matt walks by an alleyway. He stops to the sound of something moving from within. He sees nothing but his fear grows. He angrily says, “Leave me alone!” and walks swiftly away.

 

That night, Kate sits alone in the nightclub in a corner, just as Daniel used to. She watches the chaotic crowds solemnly. Her phone suddenly receives a message, she checks it and reads with a surprised and hateful expression. She gets up and heads for the roof.

     Arriving on the roof she sees Daniel; he stands on the ledge staring up at the stars. Kate walks up to him and stops a few feet away. He turns to face her. They stare at each other for a moment before Jess speaks up to console Daniel about Jess’s death. Daniel responds with “You don’t care”, which Kate mistakes as being directed at her when in fact Daniel said it to the stars themselves. Daniel proceeds to berate Jess for her care of Jess and question their friendship in general. Kate responds by saying that she shouldn’t be speaking to Daniel after what he did to her and Matt. Daniel proceeds to berate her further by condemning her for kissing Matt and giving him hope of a relationship developing between Daniel himself and Kate. Daniel then questions why Kate ever spoke to him in the first place and why she invited him to go clubbing, stating that doing so made him miserable rather than happy as he thought he was. Daniel blames Kate for him being ignorant of Jess and abandoning her. Kate fires back by criticizing Daniel for his misconduct with Charlotte’s emotions. Daniels anger intensifies and he delivers a monologue in which he destroys Kate’s relationships, ideas of love, and her need to be accepted in society. Daniel also criticizes society as a whole and condemns it for being immortal, licentious, two-faced and hypocritical. This describes why Daniel is himself so anti-social and distant and why he tries to feel superior to everyone around him. Daniel then turns to a more malevolent method of hurting Kate by playing on her emotions. Being hurt and emotionally devastated by the monologue he has just delivered, she allows Daniel to lead her onto the roof ledge and entertain the idea of her jumping off �" to her death. Daniel cites that doing so would make “everything just stop” and she would be free from society and what he describes as her identity crisis. Daniel remarks that death is a beautiful concept. Upon stepping down from the ledge, Daniel exercises his emotional power over Kate further and kisses her before whispering in her ear: “It all just stops”. Daniel has here attempted to talk Kate into suicide, citing death as a pleasurable release. This is exactly what Kate did to Jess scenes earlier. Daniel then heads back into the nightclub but is stopped by Kate telling him that she spoke to Jess on the night of her death and that she knows what Daniel did to her emotionally. Daniel ignores Kate and leaves her standing alone on the roof as she cries.

 

We cut to later that night. A storm has begun and thunder and rain are violent and merciless. We cut between Daniel, Kate, Charlotte and Matt.

     Daniel: Daniel walks to the park and returns to the bandstand seen previously. Here he hallucinates a memory of him and Jess dancing at a school prom several years earlier. Daniel exits the hallucination when he trips and falls into a puddle of mud. He finds himself unable to get out of the puddle and watches as a hallucination of Jess is taken away from him by a hallucination of John. “I killed you!” Is Daniel’s helpless response.

     Matt: Matt visits John’s grave and while doing so has flashbacks of him in school. His flashbacks take him to a scene (set several years earlier) of himself, Daniel and John running from a teacher and laughing together. Suddenly, Daniel and John turn into distorted black silhouettes and their speech becomes horrific and low pitched. The teacher catches up with them and is replaced by a similar black silhouette that shouts muffled words. Matt looks on terrified. The flashback suddenly changes to a hospital ward late at night where Matt sits by himself. Matt draws a picture of him with his parents in a scrapbook as he waits. A doctor wearing a surgical mask approaches Matt and speaks to him indistinctly. Matt cries and the doctor leaves him. Matt proceeds to kick a chair over and shout through tears. We see that the picture of his parents has changed; his parents now being black silhouettes and Matt himself crying. The flashbacks end and we return to the cemetery where Matt is now breathing heavily in a panic. He quickly and frantically runs home in the rain.

 

     Kate: Kate waits in a bus shelter. She is alone, wet and afraid. She has flashbacks of her sitting in a classroom and being ambushed by a group of girls. The girls berate, abuse, and jeer her. One of the girls proceeds to pull her hair and discard it as if it was trash. Kate looks on helplessly at the savages who are tearing her apart. We see the same room later. Kate is now alone and crying to herself. Matt suddenly walks into the room, approaches her, and allows her to cry on his shoulder. We fade to another flashback, which is the night Kate and Daniel first kissed. Kate leaves Daniel on the roof and immediately goes to the nightclub’s bathroom. In the bathroom, Kate looks at herself hatefully in the mirror before smashing it with her hand. Her hand is cut and she stares at it curiously whilst it bleeds.

     Charlotte: Charlotte is at home, and stands staring out of her window and at the raging storm. Lightning flashes silhouette her against the darkness of her room. Charlotte has a flashback of her at the prom. She looks stunning, it would be hard to miss her but people walk by her as if she didn’t exist. She watches Kate and Matt as they dance and laugh together. Charlottes gaze turns to Jess and Daniel who do the same. Charlotte’s jealousy and anger grow. The flashback ceases and we see Charlotte is still staring at the storm whilst crying. A knock is heard at her front door and she walks down stairs to answer it. She approaches the door cautiously whilst wiping her eyes and combing her hair with her hands. The lightning flashes a silhouette of Daniel standing out in the storm. Cautiously, Charlotte opens the door and sees Daniel standing there. They look at each other plainly before Daniel walks inside and Charlotte slams the door shut �" ending the scene.

 

The next morning, Matt meets with Kate in a supermarket. They argue over Matt’s interactions with Charlotte and his refusal to dump her. Matt manages to exercise his emotional power over Kate and get her to stop arguing with him. Matt promises Kate that it will all be over soon.

 

Meanwhile, Daniel and Charlotte lie in bed together. Daniel looks troubled. Charlotte asks him what is wrong and he replies with: “I have become what I am running from.” Charlotte tries to console Daniel with a kiss but he refuses and laughs at her. He mocks Charlotte for being so easy to control, and for her obsession for Matt. Daniel further mocks Charlotte for thinking she can have everything. When Charlotte tries to slap him, he grabs her hand, pins her down and kisses her. She doesn’t resist. Daniel remarks: “It’s that easy” before leaving. Charlotte watches him leave, realizing she has to free herself of his control.  

 

On his way out, Daniel runs into Matt who was coming to see Charlotte. They talk briefly about the past and how they used to be friends. Matt accuses Daniel of killing John and Jess, which causes Daniel to attack Matt. Matt gets the upper hand, however, and leaves Daniel on the floor, helpless. Matt laughs at Daniel and swears to kill him if he sees him near Charlotte, or Kate, again.

 

Charlotte lets Matt into her house, and the two speak in the living room. Matt speaks coldly and imperatively. He tells Charlotte that they have to end anything between them, but Charlotte and keeps repeating, “He has to go”. Matt ignores her several times but then listens. Suddenly, Charlotte breaks down into tears and Matt grabs her and comforts her as she cries and explains to him her fear of Daniel and what he might do to her and Matt. Charlotte tells Matt hat he has to get rid of Daniel by beating him up or making him afraid to ever come near them all again. Charlotte then begs Matt to tell her that he loves her but he is unable. Through his own tears and confusion he promises Charlotte to fix everything, and that they will be together one day.

 

That night, Daniel is sitting by the lake and looking out across the water. The Teddy Bear in his arms. The demon paces around him and taunts him for berating Kate. The demon questions Daniel if Jess would be proud of what he has become and what he is going to do, Daniel’s anger grows and the Demon blames him for murdering her. As Daniel is angrily exclaims his innocence, Charlotte arrives and attempts to persuade him to follow her out of the park. When Daniel refuses, Charlotte lies and says that she has told people that Daniel killed John and people are out looking for him. In blind panic, Daniel lashes out and strangles Charlotte �" killing her. Daniel looks on in horror and almost vomits when he realizes what he has done. He runs away.

Meanwhile, Matt and Kate arrive at the park in Matt’s car and Matt prepares himself to go and find Daniel and Charlotte. As Matt makes his way through the park, he attempts to call Charlotte. When no answer comes, Matt fears the worst and retreats to his car to find a knife to defend himself with. Matt heads back into the park and continues to call Charlotte’s phone in order to find her.

Daniel stops running when he comes to a footpath. He catches his breath and tries to think clearly. Suddenly, a ghostly voice from his past calls him name and he turns to see Sarah standing behind him. They look at each other in shock �" they have not seen each other for five years. Daniels repressed memories have returned to haunt him further. Sarah and Daniel talk briefly about University and Sarah’s boyfriend. When Sarah asks Daniel if he is in a relationship he replies solemnly, Sarah says she has to be on her way and instructs Daniel to be happy for her if not himself. Sarah also instructs Daniel to “Tell her how you feel, tonight”, unaware of Daniel’s situation entirely. For a brief moment, Daniel feels uplifted and redeemed, like he can now move on from his past and start anew! But his thoughts return to Charlotte, John and Jess. Realizing there is only one way to redeem himself and fix what he has done, he acknowledges Sarah to be: “The first” and whilst holding the rose states that Jess is: “The last”. Daniel returns to the lake.

Matt continues to search for Charlotte by calling her phone. Suddenly, he hears it and makes his way towards the lake.

Daniel returns to the lake and steps over Charlotte’s corpse as he heads to the water’s edge. Daniel stands on the shore looking out across the lake. He holds the letter he found at his house in his hand and reads it. We do not hear or see what it says. Daniel folds it back up and holds it and the rose in his hand as he falls to his knees. Daniel looks up at the silent stars as snow begins to fall all around him. He suddenly hears a child’s laughter and he looks to his left to see a six-year-old version of himself standing and staring at him. The child smiles at Daniel. Innocence and Hatred face-to-face. The child laughs and runs away and fades into the darkness. Daniel notices the Teddy Bear he was holding has now vanished. Daniel stares into the sky for a few moments before pulling a knife out of his pocket. Suddenly, Daniel hears something behind him. He turns. Standing in front of him is Jess! Daniel and her smile at each other warmly. Daniel holds out his hand and crawls through the mud towards her �" they reach for each other but just as their hands are about to touch… We cut to reveal that Daniel is already dead. His frozen hand still holding onto the dead rose.

     Matt suddenly arrives and looks at the scene in horror. He hears something move behind him and a child’s laughter. He panics and runs back to his car.

 

Weeks later, Kate and Matt visit the cemetery. Matt stands over Charlotte’s grave and Kate stands over Daniel’s. A dying rose rests on Daniel’s headstone. Kate and Matt then talk. Kate condemns herself for killing Daniel and then condemns Matt for doing the same and using her to do it. Matt defends himself but Kate refuses to listen and tells him to leave her alone. Matt angrily congratulates Daniel’s grave: “Well done, Daniel! You win!” and then leaves, treading on roses as he does.

         Outside the cemetery, Matt walks up to a crumbling brick wall and slams his fists against it in anger. He shuts his eyes. Suddenly, bins are knocked over near him and their contents spill out onto the road and pavement. Matt looks at them in horror as a shadowed figure comes into view but isn’t revealed. Matt stands staring at the shadowed figure.

 

Suddenly, we are taken through a series of flashbacks. We first see Matt arriving at the Nightclub for the first time. He talks to Daniel and Kate, they enter the nightclub. As they enter, Matt sees the shadowed figure watching him. (The shadowed figure is the black silhouette Matt drew as a child and saw in his dreams) We cut to Matt sitting by the campfire getting high; he sees the shadowed figure walk around the campfire in a similar manner as the Demon did to Daniel. Cut to Matt walking away from Charlotte’s house and passing the alleyway, the shadowed figure reveals itself. Matt says to it: “Leave me alone!” and walks away. Finally we come to Matt running away from the lake where he has just found Daniel and Charlotte dead. Matt is stopped by the shadowed figure. Matt questions why it took Charlotte from him before running back to his car. The flashbacks end.

 

In the cemetery, we have Kate still standing over Daniel’s grave. She picks up the rose on the headstone and makes her way to Jess’s grave. Kate places the dying rose on her grave �" affirming she knows where Daniel’s love rested all along. Suddenly, Kate hears something behind her but sees nothing, she swiftly leaves the cemetery. We pan out to reveal the Teddy Bear resting on a tree and watching her, a baby’s scream is heard along with the sound of fire. Cut to black.

 

The credits role and we fade back in to see the lake on the night Daniel died. Snow has over run the place, the lake is near to freezing and Daniel is almost covered in snow. The letter is suddenly blown from his hand by the wind �" it flies through the air, as it did in the beginning, and comes to rest on the freezing lake water. Slowly it sinks.

 

THE END.