INT: Lauren’s Room

As we slowly fade in, it is early morning and the sun is coming up. We see Lauren in her bed sleeping with her cat. She wakes up and looks around to see its light out and then looks at her cat. She then gets out of bed and stretches. She walks into the bathroom and her cat follows. The door closes. When it opens, Lauren and her cat come walking out and downstairs into the living room. She sits on the couch and turns on the TV. Chad, her father, comes walking in from the kitchen dressed for work and hugs her.

Chad:

Good morning sweetheart.

Lauren: (smiling)

Hi daddy!

Chad:

I have to go to work now. Try to be quite ok, because your mother’s still sleeping.

Lauren:

OK. Bye, I love you.

Chad:

Bye sweetie pie.

Chad smiles and walks out the door, Lauren’s cat runs out the door.

Lauren: (shocked)

DADDY!

Chad:

What, What’s wrong baby.

Lauren: (scared)

Mei got out she’s going to run away now you have to get her!

Chad:

I cant right now, I am already going to be late for work.

Lauren: (crying)

Daddy! You have to get her. Call and tell them you will be late.

Chad:

I cant do that. Wake up mommy and tell her your cat got out and you need help getting her back ok?

Lauren:

OK.

Chad:

Bye babe, don't worry we’ll get her back ok.

Lauren: (sad)

OK, bye dad.

Chad:

Bye.

Lauren goes into her parents room.

INT: Parent’s Room.

Lauren:

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!

Claire: (tiredly)

What?

Lauren:

Mei ran outside and we need to find her!

Claire:

Did dad already go to work.

Lauren:

Yes! Hurry mommy we have to get her now.

Claire:

Ok sweety just let me get up. Check around the yard. Maybe she’s just right outside the door.

Lauren walks outside.

EXT: Yard.

Lauren: (shouting)

Mei. Mei? Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty. Mei?

Lauren walks into the woods still calling the cat. She keeps walking until she’s deep into the woods. She looks around and she cant see anything except trees.

We cut back to Claire walking out the door.

Claire:

Lauren where did you go? Lauren?

She starts to panic.

Claire: (cont’d)

Lauren where are you?

She runs around to the front of the house and doesn't see Claire. The she runs back into the house.

INT: Resteraunt.

We see Paul walking in the front doors. He continues on into the kitchen and puts on his apron. His boss walks in with the phone.

Paul:

Hey boss. How are you today?

Boss:

Your wife’s on the phone, here.

Paul grabs the phone.

Paul:

Hey sweety what’s up?

Claire: (v.o.) (crying)

I can’t find Lauren. I looked outside and inside everywhere and I can’t find her.

Paul goes from a smile to a shocked look in an instant.

Boss:

What’s wrong?

Claire: (v.o.) (crying)

You have to come home and help me Paul I cant find her anywhere!

Paul:

Ok, I’ll be home in a few minutes.

Paul gives the phone to his boss.

Paul: (cont’d)

My daughter’s missing, I have to go now.

Before his boss can say anything he walks out the door and gets in his car and speeds home.

When he gets home he sees his wife in the driveway crying.

Claire:

I looked everywhere. I called her. I cannot find her.

Paul: (thinking out loud)

Mei. Her cat got out this morning when I left she’s probably in the woods looking for her.

They both walk to the backyard and walk into the woods. They notice a little piece of paper on a tree and walk over to it.

It says:

Your daughter has been kidnapped. Here is a picture of your kidnapper. There is a picture posted on the paper.

Paul:

A picture? These guys are either stupid or that is just a random picture.

Claire starts crying after reading the message.

Paul:

Come on were calling the police.

They both sprint into the house and Paul grabs the phone and dials 911.

INT: Emergency Response Station.

911 Operator:

9-1-1 What is your emergency?

Paul: (v.o.)

My daughter has been kidnapped.

911 Operator:

I’m sending police now.

Paul: (v.o.)

OK, thanks bye.

They both walk outside and the police arrive shortly after. Claire runs to the backyard and Paul runs and gets the police officer.

Paul:

Follow Me back here.

They run to the backyard and into the woods where the paper is. When they get there the paper is gone.

Claire:

The paper’s gone. Paul they have to be close someone close had to have gotten the paper.

The police walks away from them and sees a paper on the ground.

He picks it up and it up and the note and picture are revealed.

Police Officer:

Over here I found it.

Paul and Claire quickly walk over to the police man.

Paul:

Yeah that’s it.

Police Officer:

Ok you guys we have to go to the station and we’ll round up a search party.

Paul:

OK, Lets go sweety the sooner we get there the sooner we get searching.

All three of them walk and get into the police car.

We cut to an internal shot of them in the police car driving down the highway.

Claire: (gasping)

STOP!!!!

The police officer quickly pulls the car over and looks at Claire.

Police Officer:

What is it?

Claire:

I saw something in the ditch it looked like a body!

They all think the worst, Thinking it is Lauren. Everyone gets out and they sprint over to the body.

Paul:

It is the guy in the picture. The kidnapper.

Claire: (crying)

The kidnapper is dead, then where is my daughter?

Paul:

Claire honey this cant be the kidnapper. I’m thinking whoever put that note there killed this guy and used a picture of him.

The police officer runs back to the car.

Police Officer: (on the police scanner)

I got a body! I’m just about two miles south of town on highway 86.

As dramatic music starts playing, we slowly move through motion shots of the following.

Ambulance and investigative scene where dead body was found.

Paul and Claire at the police station talking to the police

Search party searching in the woods for Lauren.

The silence is broken when they find a tree house high in a tree. One person climbs up there.

We see Lauren tied to a chair with tape over her mouth and a towel over her eyes.

Voulenteer:

I FOUND HER!!!

Everyone runs over to the tree house as the Voulenteer searcher free’s Lauren.

They bring Lauren back to the house where Paul and Claire are sitting on the couch crying together.

Lauren runs to both of them.

Lauren:

MOMMY!!! DADDY!!!

Slow Motion Shot of Lauren running to her parents and hugging both of them.

Then the cat comes walking in the front door and jumps up on the couch.

Very Slowly Fade To Black.