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The Bunker Review

The Student News Site of North East School of the Arts

The Bunker Review

The Bunker Review

Secure, Contain, and Execute

By: Joshua McAlanis

 

 

INT. MUSEUM BACKROOM – NIGHT

A group of workers unloads a truck and places the boxes on shelves. A worker, DEVIN, grabs a particularly large painting and struggles with it. A friend of his, SCOTT, comes to help.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Hey, watch out there, Devin. Can’t damage the pieces.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Thanks, man. How are the kids?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    You know how they are. At least my son started football, he’s the quarterback.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Nice.

 

Devin and Scott put the painting down.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Where’s this go?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Boss said in the Renaissance section. Need a hand?

 

                                        DEVIN 

                    Yes, please.

 

INT. RENAISSANCE SECTION – NIGHT

The two walk the painting over to a blank space on the wall and hang it.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    All right, let’s see what this one looks like.

 

Devin removes the casing around the painting, revealing the image of a distorted man with a big smile on his face. From ear to ear.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Oh.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Are you sure this wasn’t supposed to stay in storage?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Yeah, it said on the list.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Alright. I feel bad for the kids that come to the museum tomorrow. 

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Well, that’s not our problem. Ready to clock out?

 

                                        DEVIN

                    For sure, man.

 

Scott and Devin begin to walk towards the backroom when the lights shut off.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    What was that?

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Probably the breaker, the wiring here is awful.

 

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

CAPTAIN SHEPARD, a muscular man with a bushy mustache, dressed in tactical gear approaches a white van. He opens the door and enters.

 

INT. WHITE VAN – NIGHT

Captain Shepard closes the door behind him and in the van are a row of computers, soldiers watching cameras inside the museum.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    What is the mission?

 

                                        SOLDIER

                    A monster from the Renaissance, research from HQ suggests around 1504. The monster manages to live inside paintings. It’s currently in the museum.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Is there anyone inside?

 

                                        SOLDIER

                    A whole crew of night-shift workers.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Alright. Tell the others to gear up, we enter the building in five minutes.

 

INT. MUSEUM BACKROOM – NIGHT

 

Scott and Devin stumble back into the museum backroom.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Where’d everyone go?

 

A noise from behind startles the two. Turning around they see it’s another WORKER by the breaker.

 

                                        WORKER

                    Over here, guys. By the breaker.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Oh, thank god.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Did everyone leave early or what?

 

                                        WORKER

                    I don’t know. I was in the bathroom when the power went out.

 

A series of cracks is heard from the roof, Scott and Devin turn around. Scott pulls out his phone flashlight and shines it at the roof. 

 

Suspending from the roof is the rest of the workers, mouth gaping in a frown, distorting their bodies.

                                        DEVIN

                    Holy–

 

                                        SCOTT

                    What the–

 

Another crack echoes from behind. Scott points the flashlight towards the breaker. The worker they were talking to is slumped on the floor.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Scott, we gotta get out of here.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    The door!

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Is that safe?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Who cares! Run!

 

They run towards the door. Scott violently shakes it. It’s locked.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Open it!

 

                                        SCOTT

                    It’s locked.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Damn. What are we going to do?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    I don’t know.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Scott!?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    I said I don’t know!

 

A gust of wind zooms past the two, knocking the flashlight out of Scott’s hand. It’s completely dark now. From the darkness the voice of SMILE MAN reverberates through the air.

 

                                        SMILE MAN (OS)

                    Extinguish the candles. You’ll wreck the mood.

 

                                        DEVIN

                    Leave us alone, please. We got families.

 

                                        SMILE MAN (OS)

                    Lovely. I’ll go for them next.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    I’ll kill you for what you did.

 

                                        SMILE MAN (OS)

                    How?

 

Devin falls to the floor, Smile Man pulls his feet deeper into darkness as he claws at the ground. Scott tries to reach out to him but is too late.

 

                                        SMILE MAN (OS)(CONT’D)

                    Like this?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Please, don’t do it.

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    Don’t have such fragile bones.

 

Crack.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    NOOO!

 

                                        SMILE MAN (OS)

                    The only thing worse than none is one. 

 

                                        SCOTT

                    How could you?

 

                                        SMILE MAN (OS)

                    There’s no time to complain. Come here so you can join your friend.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    I’m not doing anything for you.

 

Scott pulls a lighter out of his pocket, lights it, and tosses it at the shelves of stored paintings. They ignite in a blaze. Smile Man gets basked in light. Scott and Smile Man stare at each other and Smile Man’s grin widens.

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    All your precious paintings are gone. Well, at least mines safe. In the Renaissance section.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    You. That painting.

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    Yes, me.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    How in the world–

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    Shhhh. Don’t ruin the magic of it all.

 

Smile Man suddenly lunges at Scott. Scott, lucky, turns his body and only gets pushed into a crate. Looking up Scott sees a crowbar sticking out from the crate’s lid. He grabs it, stands up, and holds it out in front of him like a samurai. 

 

                                        SCOTT

                    You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.

 

Smile Man starts lunging about the room like a pinball, barely visible. With every movement Scott gets hit before he can react. Scott steadies himself and with a powerful blow hits Smile Man, sending him tumbling across the floor.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    That was for Devin, and this is for me!

 

Scott jumps with the crowbar over head intending to hit Smile Man. Smile Man regains consciousness and grabs Scott by the throat midair.

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    I could snap you so easily. Should I do it? (giggles) No, you’re too much fun. 

 

Smile Man throws Scott through the storage room doors.

 

INT. RENAISSANCE SECTION – NIGHT

Through the doors Scott lands in the hallway of the Renaissance section. He picks himself back up. Scott hears the sound of movement in the dark and swings the crowbar, he lands a hit. Smile Man’s hands swipe at Scott’s head, but he ducks and lands another blow. Smile Man falls back into a glass barrier containing a marble statue, shattering it. He lifts his arms from out of the glass and looks at his now broken arms. Sirens start blaring and the room is filled with a red glow as the alarms make their rotations. 

 

                                        SCOTT

                    The police are their way. It’s over.

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    Why are you so eager to leave? Are you tired?

 

                                        SCOTT

                    You aren’t one to talk.

 

Smile Man looks at the wall where there’s a blank canvas, the spot where his painting was hung up. Scott looks at it too.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    What’re you doing?

 

                                        SMILE MAN

                    Nothing. I’m just a painting afterall.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    No. No, no, no!

 

They both start sprinting in a race to get to the painting first. They shove each other causing Scott to trip, on his way down he takes Smile Man with him. They violently wrestle each other on the floor. Each time one of them gets too close to the painting the other drags them back down.  All of sudden the alarm cuts off, the lights and the sprinklers turn on putting out the fire in the background.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    What the?

 

Scott looks up and sees that the room is filled with special forces soldiers, guns fixed on Smile Man. Captain Shepard steps forward from the crowd. 

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Code blue, omega class. You know the drill men.

 

The soldiers shoot Smile Man with tasers, and in his struggle they pick him up and throw him into the painting where Smile Man disappears. The painting returns to looking like how Scott and Devin found it.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Stop! You can’t do that!

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Trust me, sir, it’s all under control now.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Are you not going to react to that… monster?

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    No, it’s just another Tuesday.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    You guys aren’t the police are you?

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    No, sir. We’re the SCE Organization, a special forces unit dedicated to terminating monsters.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    I’ve never heard of that.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Good, that means we’re doing our job.

 

A soldier removes the painting from the wall and places it in a black bag. He carries it out of the room.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Where are you taking that thing?

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Probably to the incinerator. 

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Thank god.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    That was a hell of a fight you put up, sir. Good work.

 

Another soldier gives Captain Shepard a thumbs up.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Ok, we’re done here. Sorry for your loss, sir. Another crew will come to clean up.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    Okay.

 

Captain Shepard puts his hand to his earpiece and nods.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Change of plans. You’re going to have to come with us.

 

                                        SCOTT

                    What for?

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    For a…a mental evaluation. 

 

                                        SCOTT

                    My goodness, it’s been a long day.

 

                                        CAPTAIN SHEPARD

                    Sorry, sir. This will be brief.

 

Captain Shepard directs Scott out of the Renaissance section and seconds later the sound of a car driving off is heard. The museum lingers in silence for a bit, before a portrait on the wall shakes and the eyes move about. The lights turn off.

 

THE END

 

Art Piece by Ana Gonzalez 

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