The Silent Witness
Written by:
Luka Andre Zurkic
EXT. SHOT OF BUILDING
We see an establishing shot of the building the occurrence happened.
INT. DARK HALLWAY - NIGHT
(A faint echo of footsteps resonates as we move through a dimly lit hallway. The creaks and groans of the building are the only sounds accompanying the detective's voice.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"Some buildings have a pulse. A heartbeat you can hear if you’re quiet enough. The creaks, the whispers — they tell stories. Stories that linger long after their authors have left."
(The camera follows the path through the hallway, passing weathered doors, peeling wallpaper, and faded numbers barely hanging onto their frames.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"This one... it knows too many secrets. It has seen too many faces. It remembers them all, even if they’d rather forget."
(A faint light flickers above. The camera pans slowly toward a door at the end of the hallway — Room 404.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"I’ve walked these halls for years. The routine, the rhythm... nothing out of the ordinary. Until that night."
(FLASHBACK: The sound of wind howling. A distorted figure standing outside a window, its silhouette barely visible through the rain.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"You never forget the first time you see it. Eyes that shouldn’t exist, staring back at you. Empty... and yet, too aware."
(The creature’s outline presses against the glass. Its clawed hand taps lightly, sending a chill down the spine.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"It didn’t knock. Didn’t need to. The moment our eyes met, I knew it was already inside."
(The flashback cuts to the detective’s hand reaching for a knife on a desk. The camera lingers on her fingers, trembling ever so slightly as they grasp the handle.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"Things like that... they don’t belong here. But they find their way in."
(The flashback continues: the creature moving through the shadows of the room, silently. It never makes a sound.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"I never heard it move. Never heard it leave. All I found was a broken window and a lingering scent of ash."
(The flashback fades as the detective’s door creaks open. The camera doesn’t reveal her fully — just a silhouette in a trench coat and fedora, lighting a cigarette.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"It’s not the first time. It won’t be the last. But it always leaves something behind. A question. A warning. Or maybe... just a reminder."
(The detective walks toward the window. The camera follows, revealing the broken glass. Rain taps softly against the pane.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"In this line of work, you learn to live with shadows. But some shadows... they learn to live with you."
(The detective turns toward the camera, but her face remains obscured by shadow.)
DETECTIVE (V.O.):
"And when they do, there’s no getting rid of them."