FADE IN:
A cheesy PowerPoint presentation, complete with corporate transitions between slides. The slides are of various rooms that the characters are going to encounter and stock footage of happy people in brightly coloured escape rooms.. There is also a very officious voice over intercut with footage of the characters making their way into the escape room / office:
POWER-POINT PRESENTATION
DIANNE BOLUS: Hello. Here at CSC we believe that Escape Rooms are more than fright or flight. They can be a tool for pushing boundaries and understanding limits.
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INT. OFFICE RECEPTION - MORNING
In flashback: Nine people wait in the lobby: five women and four men. When a final woman dashes through the front doors of the reception they all enter the lift together. The doors take a while to shut.
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POWER-POINT PRESENTATION
DIANNE BOLUS: Through cognitive mastery we can push people beyond what they thought possible. Through controlled stress we can understand people's breaking points and identify their vulnerabilities through social cohesion and erosion techniques.
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INT. LIFT - MORNING
Nine people are crammed inside the lift: EMMA, showing signs of claustrophobia; NATALIE, an overweight middle-manager; PHIL, chubby and obsequious; DEBBIE, quiet and tall, observant; FIONA, short, hair and wearing glasses; PAUL, wears a ponytail and still thinks it's cool to do so; NINA has curly hair and a buoyant personality; JEFF who wears glasses and keeps his opinions to himself and then there is STEVE.
The lift stops in a jarring manner and stays in one place for twenty seconds before the door finally opens. Emma looks relieved to be out of the lift and Phil genuflects as she exits. Debbie tells him to get out the fucking lift.
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POWER-POINT PRESENTATION
DIANNE BOLUS: There are seven rooms to escape from. The data taken from today's exercise will help when we push this out to the corporate world. Imagine: the office as an escape room with team building the ultimate game.
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INT. 4TH FLOOR OFFICE - MORNING
The office is barely 30 feet by 30; the walls a dysentery brown with a pink frieze running in the middle; the CSC Logo stamped time and time again like a crude strip cartoon. The lifts are behind the group. As soon as the last person leaves it (STEVE) the lift doors suddenly close, leaving no trace of their existence. The room is entirely empty except for a table.
Everyone walks around it. There is a simple door bell randomly stuck on it. A single post-it note is affixed underneath with the words: “PrEss Me!” in erratic handwriting, scrawled using a blue biro that looked as if it was close to running out. Steve presses the button. The room goes black and the PowerPoint presentation is switched on, projected on to the far wall.
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TITLE CARD: The immersive escape
INT. 4TH FLOOR OFFICE - MORNING
Everyone is watching the PowerPoint presentation still.
DIANNE BOLUS: This is the Orientation room and you have eight hours to reach the end point. The time starts when this message finishes. Good luck!
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TITLE CARD: 1 - ORIENTATION
The message stops and the lights strobe for 10 seconds before flaring phosphorous white. When the lights dim back to normal the workers can see four doors; one in each corner of the room.
STEVE: Maybe we should split up?
PAUL: That’s a crap idea. You’ve obviously never seen any horror movies.
STEVE: Of course, I have.
Paul prods Steve in the shoulder.
PAUL: Well, maybe you should try all of the doors in turn. If you don’t come back from one then obviously that’s not the one to take.
DEBBIE: You first.
Phil whirls around to confront Debbie but Natalie interrupts him.
NATALIE: We all need to do this systematically. Take each door in turn and follow where it takes us.
JEFF: And if it takes us to a trap-room then what?
FIONA: What’s a trap room?
PAUL: Ah, come on. There aren’t any trap rooms. (Points to the far right door.) Let’s just pick that door over there.
Everyone walks over to the right hand corner of the office and through the door. The corridor is totally black in front of them. There is still light behind them but as everyone walks further on that light is turned off. The door shuts behind them.
PHIL: Fucking brilliant.
PAUL: Don’t say a word, Jeff. We just need to feel our way out, there has to be a way out.
It takes them a while but they find themselves back in the same room again. They all look at each other.
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INT. 4TH FLOOR 2nd OFFICE - MORNING
Jeff looks back to the corridor but there is no door, just a blank wall. Jeff shrugs and walks to the door opposite and stops.
JEFF: You do realise that we have no real way of knowing whether this IS the same room… I mean, you could all wait for me to walk round again but what if I don’t… What if the door closes behind me and this WAS the right way out. We have to keep together. We have to try another door!
Everyone follows Jeff through another door. Again the door closes behind them and they fumble their way to the end of the tunnel. They end up in an exact replica of the room before. This time the lights are dimmer.
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INT. 4TH FLOOR 3RD OFFICE - MORNING
The door closes once more behind them and they choose the third door… With the same results. The fourth door leads to the same conclusion; a room so familiar, slightly dimmer bulbs but with a dampness in the air.
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INT. 4TH FLOOR 4TH OFFICE - MORNING
Everyone looks around to see what is going on. NINA notices there is something wrong.
NINA: Has anyone seen Steve?
The rest look around with no luck.
EMMA: It’s not as if he could be hiding anywhere.
DEBBIE: Maybe we lost him in one of the corridors.
FIONA: Yeah, but which one? I mean when was the last time any of us did a head count?
PHIL: (Tersely) A head count? What is this, primary school?
PAUL: Well, this was all about Orientation. I guess that Steve failed that exercise. Maybe we pick him up at the end.
DEBBIE: Has anyone else noticed the door over there?
At the far end of the office, where the lift was in the previous room, is another door. The eight people run over to it and try the handle. The door opens but there is just another wall behind.
PAUL: What the fuck? This is crazy!
NATALIE: This is an escape room, did you really expect it to be easy? What we need to do is stop making assumptions and search. There is a way out of here, but it's not going to be obvious.
They search every wall for clues, even Paul. Fiona is more pragmatic. She searches the door and then the table.
EMMA: What have you found, Fiona?
FIONA: Look - on the door. Doesn’t that look like a place for a handle to go… There’s a hole with four smaller drill holes around it… and look on the table! There’s now a screwdriver there…
NINA: Wow! Check out Fiona! That’s a great feat of observation. I would never have worked that out!
NATALIE: Give it a try then, Fi.
Fiona looks at Jeff and winces. Fiona picks up the slightly rusted screwdriver and tries undoing the screws on the door handle. The screwdriver slips a couple of times and nicks her hand, drawing blood.
Phil snatches it from her, takes the door handle off and places it over the newly found holes. He then screws it into place. It fits. The group cheers, some genuinely but others, like Paul and Natalie just make a sarcastic WHOOP WHOOP gesture. The door opens to another corridor and leads down a slope to yet another room.
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TITLE CARD: 2 - Collaboration
INT. 3RD FLOOR OFFICE - MORNING
This office is exactly the same as the preceding, albeit with dimmer lights and a slightly mankier tone.
FIONA: (sucking her finger where it bled) So how did that actually work?
JEFF: It's a double-acting, double-hinged door.
EMMA: (laughs, good-natured) Oh, is that what it is?
PHIL: Like you know what he’s talking about!
DEBBIE: Shut the fuck up, Phil!
JEFF: (undeterred) Basically, it divides the space immediately behind the door with a wedge-shaped partition. When the door swings one way, it blocks the other. Fascinating stuff…
Nina: (whispers to Natalie) Not the only thing that swings both ways…
JEFF: (to Fiona, ignoring Nina completely) Is your finger alright?
FIONA: It tingles a bit, but it’s ok.
PAUL: Has anyone else noticed we’re in almost exactly the same room as before? As all the rooms before?
PHIL: It’s either cutting corners or it's down to an absolute lack of imagination.
The room looks more dishevelled than the last. The lights are gloomier with a bluish tinge. There is more of a musty smell and the walls had a reddish tinge to them. The floor is dusty and there are distinct footprints in the dust. Again, there were no doors and no discernible way of getting out.
NATALIE: Split up, search the walls.
Everyone takes a systematic approach to searching. Running their hands along the walls, being careful to mind the mould spores. After a couple of minutes, a distinct click is heard. A narrow vertical gap appears in the opposite wall. Everyone runs over to the gap and as they do so it disappears completely.
PHIL: Bloody strange. It's more of a tease than you, Debbie!
DEBBIE: Fuck off, Phil.
Debbie takes a step back. A click is heard again and the door opens another inch. They all shout at Debbie:
EVERYONE: Don’t move!
EMMA: It’s pressure sensitive….
Emma looks down to where Debbie is standing
EMMA: Look! She’s standing right where those footsteps end!
Everyone sees the footsteps. Jeff spots another set of footprints further off and stands on the last pair. The door opens further. A light beckons from beyond.Natalie runs for the doorway. The door pivots against her weight and Natalie falls forward and down. There is only a void beneath her, like a lift shaft. She disappears into the darkness. A beat later, we hear the muffled thud. Debbie is about to move from her spot in panic.
JEFF: Don’t move! Whatever you do, don’t move. This might be our only chance!
Jeff tells the others to find the other set of footprints. Paul stands on one set and Emma on the last. The door opens fully. Phil stands on the edge of the new doorway and is unnerved.
PHIL: Somehow there’s a floor now. It looks like it’s folded down from the ceiling when all the pressure plates were occupied.
He tentatively puts his weight into the new corridor and it holds.
PHIL: I’m alright now, not sure what you guys are going to do!
DEBBIE: It would be worth stepping off this just to see you fall, Phil!
JEFF: This isn’t helping at all, guys! If the rest of you step into the corridor and make your way down it then the rest of us can try to make a run for it.
PHIL: That is something I’d pay money to see!
NINA: Fuck off, Phil!
JEFF: If I’m right then whoever is standing in the last position will act as a stabilising factor for the rest to run. We can then hold the doors for Emma to dash across.
Emma looks very nervous.
EMMA: Why me?
JEFF: I’m sorry, sweetie. It’s because you were the last one.
PHIL: And what if you’re wrong?
PAUL: What the fuck do you care? You’re safe anyway.
PHIL: Good point… get your running shoes on, Emma. I’ve got the popcorn ready.
EMMA; Shut the fuck up!
Fiona and Nina exchange a look. Phil, Fiona and Nina carefully step into the corridor.
JEFF: (to Paul and Debbie) Ready? 3…2…1… Run!
The three of them run to the door and make it without a fuss. They’re out of breath but all eyes are now on Emma. They all back away, halfway down the corridor. Jeff looks at Emma.
JEFF: It’s now or never, kid. We’ll do our best to hold back the doors. I won’t leave you!
Emma nods. She dashes for the doorway and makes it with no problems at all. The doorway stays open. Emma is out of breath and standing just inside the corridor smiling.
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INT. CORRIDOR - MORNING
Emma takes another step. The floor gives way beneath her and she falls before springing back up like a trapdoor. The corridor starts to close in around them, forcing everyone to the bottom doorway.Debbie is near the end of the corridor.
DEBBIE: Watch out!
The door is sliding shut. The six remaining barely make it in time to the new room.
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TITLE CARD: 3 - ASSESSMENT
INT. 3RD FLOOR OFFICE - MORNING
The same room design as before. But like a demented, colour blind designer it’s darker with a cloying denseness.
Fiona is now scratching her hand. Jeff takes hold of it to look at it. The hand is inflamed and an angry red. Fiona shrugs it off, tearfully.
The remaining six stare around the room. They see the table in the middle of the room as before. Now there are 6 square boxes, each with wires coming out the bottom leading somewhere.
They walk round the table and scrutinise each of the boxes. All are fixed firmly and finished in a mahogany effect. On top of each are two fist sized holes.
Jeff doesn’t even hesitate. He thrusts his hands into the holes and everyone just stares at him.
JEFF: Nothing to report yet… wait a minute… There’s a slight tingling; more of an itch. If this is as bad as it gets then…
Phil shrugs and plunges his hands into the holes, as does Debbie. But there’s something different happening.
DEBBIE: Are your hands hurting at all?
PHIL: Mine are uncomfortable; like a sprain or an ache; but not hurting.
Jeff shakes his head, concerned over Debbie’s hands. He can see a logical progression.
JEFF: Mine’s more like pins and needles; but I can see where this is going. It’s going to get more unpleasant the further it goes on, but I get the horrible feeling no door is going to open unless all of us get… stuck in.
Paul and Nina quickly put their hands in the holes. The pain intensifies. It’s just Fiona that is left. She’s looking at the hand where her injury is. It’s obvious that it’s been troubling her more than she’s been letting on.
PAUL: For fucks sake! HURRY UP! I don’t know how much more I can take!
NINA: (Tries to take her hands out) We’re trapped! I can’t take any more, it’s too painful. Hurry up, you bitch! None of us can leave until you finish it.
FIONA: I can’t!! I can’t!
Everyone is shouting at Fiona to stick her hands in the holes until she finally breaks down. Screaming, she thrusts her hands in the box.
Immediately a door opens behind everyone and they are released from the boxes. There are no wounds anywhere on their hands. Phil launches himself at Fiona but Jeff shoves him back.
PHIL: (To Fiona) I’ll get you for this. (To Jeff) You do that again and I’ll end you too.
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TITLE CARD: 4 - PERFORMANCE REVIEW
INT. 3RD FLOOR 2ND OFFICE - MORNING
There is no connecting corridor, just an identically imperfect room. The same soul-numbing decor, the same depressing mildew stink, just more pungent. Viscous liquid streaks the wallpaper, like residue from a smoking room after a heavy session.
Fiona stares at her hands and then at Jeff. Jeff shrugs after looking at it again. The wound is definitely infected and the veins in her arms are starting to turn black.
Debbie looks around. No doorway again, even the one behind them had shut tight. The floor was cleaner this time; so no clues to be found there either. The upper walls are out of reach and no one really wants to touch the walls just in case they find out what is dripping down them.
Nina: I wonder what’s going on?
PAUL: What does it matter?
PHIL: We’re being picked off one by one. That’s what’s fucking going on.
DEBBIE: But why? It doesn’t make sense.
JEFF: What’s the context?
PAUL: Context? Who gives a fuck! I’m going to knock your fucking block off in a minute.
DEBBIE: Try it and you’ll have the rest of us to deal with.
PAUL: If you weren’t a woman…
FIONA: (weakly) And if you were more of a man, Paul, we might not be in this position.
JEFF: Look, this really isn’t helping. I heard rumors, right? There might be more to this… The boss lady, DIANNE BOLUS herself, big chief CEO supposedly had a breakdown not so long ago, right? She went away for a while to… find herself? She came back and then formed this new wing of CSC….
DEBBIE: Yeah. I heard something about that. There’s been rumours of a secret development for ages but it’s been very hush-hush. Then all of a sudden I get a letter saying I’ve been promoted to this new position to test this new vision of hers.
JEFF: But what if there was no finding of self? What if she had an L. Ron Hubbard moment on the road to Damascus?
PHIL: El Ray who?
JEFF: You need to read a book once in a while. Ones without pop-up centrefolds.
PHIL: You pretentious, jumped up arsehole. I’m going to crucify you in front of your bloody harem.
Phil lunges at Jeff but then something stops him in his tracks, something that no one else can see.
PHIL: Well strike a fucking light… it’s just opened!
Everyone turns to see another door opening and this time Phil leads the way, but not without barging past Jeff as hard as he can.
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TITLE CARD: 5 - LEADERSHIP
INT. 2ND FLOOR OFFICE - MORNING
The door shuts right behind the last person. All the lights suddenly go out. Nina screams whilst Fiona moans in despondency.
PAUL AND PHIL: (almost in unison) For fucks sake, what now?!
A hissing noise, as if a tannoy has been turned on. Various snippets of dialogue can be heard.
JEFF: (Slightly mechanical) There’s only going to be one way out of here… Only the strong can get out of here.
JEFF: (more emotive)That wasn’t me speaking!
Other voices are heard:
VOICE 1: The cut on your hand is God's way of punishing you, Fiona…. You should have been looking out for Steve.
VOICE 2: (To Nina) Paul and Phil are going to kill you if they can… You know that to be true… you have to get to them first…
VOICE 3: Phil knows… Everyone knows about you, Paul. Don’t try to hide it any longer, You think that by acting tough you can…
Voice 4: You’re not half the manager Nat was, Debbie. You’re not half the woman Nat was either. Too many people have died here… The reason you’re still single is that you’re far too masculine!
All of the voices merge into a cacophony; swirling around their heads. It is Phil who cries out first:
PHIL: Fuck no! Fuck NO! FUCK NO!
The lights suddenly come back on. Phil turns to Jeff and, again, lunges for him. Jeff is ready. Phil takes a swing at Jeff. Jeff sidesteps and slams an elbow to the side of his head, hitting him hard. Phil falls hard.
Silence.
Paul takes a step forward but Debbie has knelt down to take Phil’s pulse.
DEBBIE: He’s dead…Phil’s dead!
A new door opens behind them.
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TITLE CARD: 6 - SUBJUGATION
INT. 2ND FLOOR OFFICE - MORNING
Everyone stares at Phil’s prone body. Jeff looks numbed by it. Fiona is crying. Paul looks murderously at Jeff. Debbie walks over to Jeff and puts her hand on his shoulder.
DEBBIE: He attacked you. It’s not your fault.
PAUL: Like fuck! He didn’t have to hit Phil like that! You could have tripped him, kicked him in the fucking nuts…
NINA: And what would you have done in the meantime?You were getting ready to knock the shit out of him as well…
PAUL: Yeah, and I’m still going to!
Paul leaps at Jeff. Jeff doesn’t put up any defense. He is still in shock. Paul puts his hands around Jeff’s throat and drags him through the open door.
Debbie and Nina try to stop him.
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INT. STAIRWELL - MORNING
The stairwell is cavernous, cold. Metal railings line the edge of the stairs leading to a long drop. Only the red glow of emergency lights illuminates the surroundings.
Paul tries to push Jeff over the metal banister but can’t. Nina and Debbie impede his every move. Paul slaps Nina away. This snaps Jeff back into the moment.
Jeff stamps hard on the front of Paul's ankle and scrapes his foot down, forcing him to let go. Paul shouts in pain and throws off Debbie and Nina easily before lunging at Jeff again.
Jeff sidesteps in such a way that he trips Paul and Paul’s momentum carries him over the metal railing down the central stairwell, smashing against the stairs. His ragdoll body falls several storeys below them.
Jeff looks at Debbie and Nina.
JEFF: Thank you. (Turns to Fiona) Fiona? Are you ok?
Fiona is leaning against the closed door behind them, smiling weakly. Blood dribbles out of her nose. Her legs suddenly give way and she slides down the wall as if her strings have been cut. It is just Jeff, Debbie and Nina now.
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TITLE CARD: 7 - OFFBOARDING
INT. STAIRWELL - MORNING
Jeff, Debbie and Nina continue to walk slowly down the stairs. The dark crimson emergency lights are disorientating, and a drip-drip -dripping noise seems to come from everywhere.. Debbie takes hold of Jeff’s hand and Nina follows suit. Foul looking water cascades down the central stairwell like someone wringing out a sponge. The PA system sparks on again.
DIANNE BOLUS: I knew you three would be the last. You’re almost at the end now and soon you will have the revelation that was given to me; and you will finally understand…
The floor becomes sticky underneath. With every step the inevitability grows; a crushing sense of déjà vu that only true horror can bring about.
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INT. BASEMENT - MORNING
They finally reach the bottom of the stairs. There is Paul’s body, limp and as lifeless with one arm stuck out like a drunken signpost. Jeff follows its direction and sees one lone light shining in the distance.
NINA: (hopeful) Is that the way out?
DEBBIE: I don’t think we’re going to be that lucky.
They walk closer and the familiar dripping noise gets more pronounced. Nina tries turning back but Debbie and Jeff urge her on.
They reach a pool of liquid, a viscous, crimson dew-pond. Kneeling at the far edge, staring at them, is a woman.
This is DIANNE BOLUS, Chief Executive Officer of CSC. She is dressed in a ‘power-suit’; double-breasted with shoulder-pads and a cream blouse and tight long skirt. She has her hands cupped in the liquid, drinking from the pool like it was a natural spring. Her face is beatific and horrific at the same time.
She looks at Debbie, Nina and Jeff and smiles in recognition.
DIANNE BOLUS: My children... my children returned to me… drink! Drink!
Behind her, six shapes slowly manifest from the darkness; six silhouettes. Nina sobs as she recognises them. Then she walks into the liquid and kneels as if being baptised.
Jeff can only look at it happening. He struggles to move but finds that he can’t. Debbie is still gripping his hand, hard. Diane leans down to kiss Nina.
Jeff groans in helplessness, wanting so much to turn away but can’t. Debbie lets her hand fall from his. She walks over to Dianne, through the crimson pool and embraces Diane with a perverse passion.
Nina rises out of the pool. Nina stands with Debbie behind Dianne as the rest of her brood walk out fully into the light.
Emma, Natalie, Phil, Paul, Fiona and Steve all stand now behind Dianne.
JEFF: Take me then. Take ME! I’m yours.
Dianne shakes her head slowly and smiles.
FADE OUT:
