FADE IN:
EXT. CITY STREET — EARLY MORNING
The city is just beginning to wake.
Cars roll through intersections. A bus groans to a stop. Across the street from a downtown bank, a man stands beside a newspaper vending machine, watching the entrance.
GERALD, mid-thirties. An ordinary-looking man in a dark jacket, worn sneakers, and jeans.
Nothing about him suggests he’s capable of anything extraordinary.
He checks his watch.
Then the small earpiece tucked into his right ear.
WOMAN (V.O.): Gerald, I’m asking you one more time. Don’t do this.
Gerald glances at the bank.
GERALD: Good morning to you, too.
WOMAN (V.O.): I’m serious.
GERALD: So am I. I’m having a wonderful morning. Birds are singing. Sun’s shining. Might even get myself a coffee after this.
WOMAN (V.O.): You’re about to rob a bank.
GERALD: You’re making it sound so ugly.
WOMAN (V.O.): Because it is ugly!
Gerald smiles faintly.
Across the street, a bank employee unlocks the front doors.
GERALD: Relax. They’ll never catch me.
WOMAN (V.O.): That’s not the point!
GERALD: Then what is the point?
WOMAN (V.O.): You promised me you wouldn’t go back to doing this.
The smile fades.
Gerald looks down at his shoes.
For a moment, the noise of the city seems to grow louder around him.
GERALD: Yeah. I remember.
WOMAN (V.O.): Then remember why you stopped.
Gerald watches an elderly man struggle to get a folded newspaper into his coat pocket.
A young mother crosses the street with a little girl holding her hand.
The city moves on.
Gerald takes a slow breath.
GERALD: I tried doing things the right way.
WOMAN (V.O.): I know.
GERALD: I took the jobs. Worked the hours. Showed up every day with a smile on my face, even when my back felt like somebody had driven a truck over it.
He rubs his forehead.
GERALD: And for what? Another bill. Another late notice. Another person telling me they can’t help me.
Silence on the other end.
GERALD: I didn’t wake up one morning and decide I wanted to be a criminal.
WOMAN (V.O.): Gerald—
GERALD: I just ran out of options.
He looks across the street again.
The bank is open now.
GERALD: Besides, I’m not hurting anybody.
WOMAN (V.O.): You don’t get to decide that.
Gerald’s expression hardens.
GERALD: I know exactly what I’m doing.
WOMAN (V.O.): That’s what scares me.
A delivery truck pulls up outside the bank.
Two ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEES climb out. One carries a metal case. The other unlocks the rear compartment and begins unloading bags of cash.
Gerald watches them.
His eyes follow every movement.
WOMAN (V.O.): Gerald, please. Just walk away. We can figure something else out.
Gerald says nothing.
The employees carry the cash inside.
WOMAN (V.O.): You hear me?
Gerald touches the earpiece.
GERALD: Loud and clear.
WOMAN (V.O.): Then answer me.
He looks at the bank doors.
GERALD: I’ll call you later.
WOMAN (V.O.): Gerald, don’t you dare—
He removes the earpiece.
He holds it in his palm for a moment.
Then puts it back in his ear.
GERALD: Just in case I need directions.
He smiles.
GERALD: You know how bad I am with those.
He steps off the curb.
CUT TO:
INT. BANK — MAIN FLOOR — MOMENTS LATER
The bank is quiet, not yet crowded with customers.
A teller arranges stacks of paperwork behind the counter.
A security guard stands near the entrance, sipping coffee.
In the rear of the bank, a MANAGER walks alongside the armored carrier employees.
BANK MANAGER: Appreciate you getting here early. We’ll get this secured before the doors get busy.
One of the employees nods.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: Shouldn’t take long.
They enter the vault room.
INT. BANK — VAULT ROOM — CONTINUOUS
The heavy vault door stands open.
Inside are rows of shelves and secured compartments.
The employees begin transferring bags of cash into the vault.
The manager checks a clipboard.
BANK MANAGER: Make sure everything’s accounted for before we close it up.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: That’s the plan.
One employee places a bag on a shelf.
He turns to retrieve another.
WHOOSH.
A faint rush of air.
The bag is gone.
The employee pauses.
He looks at the shelf.
Then at the bag in his hand.
He shrugs and places it inside.
Neither man notices anything unusual.
EXT. CITY STREET — CONTINUOUS
Gerald stands beside the newspaper vending machine.
In his hand is a small black duffel bag.
He checks his watch.
A passing car splashes through a shallow puddle.
Gerald doesn’t even blink.
GERALD: Huh.
He glances toward the bank.
GERALD: Running a little behind.
He looks down at his duffel bag.
GERALD: Better pick up the pace.
WHOOSH.
Gerald disappears.
INT. BANK — VAULT ROOM — CONTINUOUS
An armored carrier employee lifts another bag of cash.
WHOOSH.
It’s gone.
He stares at his empty hand.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: …What the hell?
BANK MANAGER: What?
The employee looks at the bag on the shelf.
Then at the manager.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: Thought I had another one.
BANK MANAGER: You do. Right there.
The employee blinks.
The bag is sitting on the shelf.
He shakes his head.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: Yeah. Long morning.
He turns back to the cart.
WHOOSH.
Three bags disappear.
INT. BANK — MAIN FLOOR — CONTINUOUS
The security guard takes another sip of coffee.
A woman enters the bank, carrying a handbag.
WOMAN CUSTOMER: Good morning.
BANK TELLER: Good morning! How can I help you?
WHOOSH.
The woman’s hair flutters.
She looks toward the entrance.
WOMAN CUSTOMER: Is the air conditioning on already?
BANK TELLER: I think so.
The woman walks toward the counter.
Everything is normal.
INT. BANK — VAULT ROOM — CONTINUOUS
The employees continue their work.
Bag after bag is transferred.
Bag after bag vanishes.
The manager marks items off the clipboard.
BANK MANAGER: That’s another one. Keep going.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: You got it.
WHOOSH. WHOOSH. WHOOSH.
The shelves empty.
Cash disappears from the cart.
A sealed bag vanishes from the employee’s hands.
A second bag disappears before it touches the shelf.
The employees keep working, unable to perceive the blur darting between them.
EXT. CITY STREET — CONTINUOUS
Gerald appears in an alley several blocks away.
He sets down the duffel bag.
It is full.
He opens it, checks the contents, and nods with satisfaction.
GERALD: One down.
He looks toward the bank.
GERALD: Couple more to go.
WHOOSH.
He’s gone.
INT. BANK — VAULT ROOM — CONTINUOUS
The manager checks his clipboard.
The last few bags are loaded onto the cart.
BANK MANAGER: All right. That should be everything.
One employee reaches for the final bag.
WHOOSH.
It’s gone.
He freezes.
He looks at his empty hands.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: Okay. That’s weird.
BANK MANAGER: What is?
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: I could’ve sworn I just picked up the last bag.
The manager looks at the cart.
BANK MANAGER: It’s right there.
The employee follows his gaze.
The bag sits on the cart.
He exhales.
ARMORED CARRIER EMPLOYEE: I need a vacation.
The manager laughs.
BANK MANAGER: Get in line.
They finish checking the delivery.
The manager signs the paperwork.
BANK MANAGER: Everything accounted for.
The employee nods.
They step out of the vault room.
The heavy vault door begins to swing shut.
WHOOSH.
A final blur passes through the narrowing gap.
The vault door closes.
CLANG.
The lock engages.
The room falls silent.
The shelves are empty.
The cart is empty.
Every bag of cash has vanished.
INT. BANK — MAIN FLOOR — CONTINUOUS
The manager walks toward his office, carrying the paperwork.
The tellers prepare for the morning rush.
The security guard finishes his coffee.
Nobody screams.
Nobody runs.
Nobody even knows anything is wrong.
EXT. ABANDONED STORAGE BUILDING — ACROSS TOWN — MORNING
A metal door swings open.
Gerald steps inside carrying two duffel bags.
Several more bags are already stacked on the floor.
He sets his latest haul beside them.
Then another.
Then another.
He looks over the pile.
A quiet laugh escapes him.
GERALD: Well…
He wipes his forehead.
GERALD: That wasn’t so hard.
He takes out his phone and checks the time.
Barely a few minutes have passed.
Gerald slips the phone into his pocket.
His earpiece crackles.
WOMAN (V.O.): Gerald?
He freezes.
He slowly touches the earpiece.
GERALD: You put the call back through?
WOMAN (V.O.): You never took it out.
Gerald glances at the bags.
GERALD: Right.
A long silence.
WOMAN (V.O.): Tell me you didn’t do it.
Gerald looks at the money.
Then at the closed storage door.
GERALD: I didn’t do it.
Another silence.
WOMAN (V.O.): Gerald.
He sighs.
GERALD: I did it.
WOMAN (V.O.): Oh my God.
GERALD: In my defense, nobody got hurt.
WOMAN (V.O.): You robbed a bank!
GERALD: Technically, I robbed a vault.
WOMAN (V.O.): That is not better!
Gerald chuckles.
Then his expression changes.
He looks down at his hands.
GERALD: Listen. I know what I promised.
His voice softens.
GERALD: I know.
He looks at the bags again.
GERALD: But we’re going to be okay now.
A long pause.
WOMAN (V.O.): That’s what you said last time.
Gerald has no answer.
The earpiece crackles.
Then the line goes dead.
Gerald stands alone in the storage building.
He looks at the money.
For the first time all morning, he doesn’t smile.
CUT TO:
INT. BANK — VAULT ROOM — LATER
The manager returns with a security guard.
BANK MANAGER: Something’s wrong.
He steps into the vault room.
Stops.
The guard looks past him.
Empty shelves.
An empty cart.
No cash.
The manager stares in disbelief.
BANK MANAGER: Where is it?
The guard checks the shelves.
SECURITY GUARD: Where’s what?
The manager turns to him.
BANK MANAGER: The money!
The guard looks around the room again.
SECURITY GUARD: Wasn’t it just delivered?
The manager slowly raises the clipboard.
Every item is marked as accounted for.
His face drains of color.
BANK MANAGER: Nobody left this room.
The guard reaches for his radio.
SECURITY GUARD: Lock down the building.
The manager looks toward the closed vault door.
His voice barely rises above a whisper.
BANK MANAGER: How does an entire vault of money just disappear?
CUT TO BLACK.
END.
Leave a Reply