Chapter 1
Episode 1: Night Shift
1-1 EXT. HOTEL - Night
Wide Shot / Tracking Shot
The streetlights go out. Only the hotel sign remains, flickering with an unstable frequency, completing one full bright-dark cycle every 7 seconds.
(Sound of wind rolling trash, very faint, like someone rustling a plastic bag in the distance)
Following shot from the side. Security guard Xiao Wang (eyes drooping, uniform ill-fitting) walks into the hotel.
Xiao Wang (V.O.)
(Breathy, annoyed, resigned)
Really... don’t want to work.
Back view. Xiao Wang drags his feet deliberately, the soles scraping the ground. He walks towards the hotel lobby at roughly one-third of a normal walking pace.
1-2 INT. HOTEL LOBBY - Night
Medium Shot / Side view
The Captain (forties, heavy eye bags) stands by the front desk, holding a complaint log sheet.
Captain
(Heavy tone, flat affect)
Xiao Wang, a customer complained about strange noises in the basement disturbing their sleep. Go check it out.
Xiao Wang stands two steps in front of the Captain, his gaze fixed on the third button of the Captain’s uniform.
Xiao Wang
(Numb, perfunctory, slow speech)
Yeah, got it, Captain. I’ll go right now.
Fixed shot from the back. (Soft light, low contrast)
Xiao Wang turns around and walks towards the elevator hall with his head down. A string of prayer beads swings on his right wrist.
TV (Background): News broadcast, volume low. Suddenly, the screen distorts for 1.5 seconds, emitting a strange, sharp static noise (medium volume), then returns to normal.
1-3 INT. ELEVATOR LOBBY - Night
Close Up. (Soft light, low contrast)
Xiao Wang’s right hand. A string of prayer beads on his wrist. He unconsciously flicks the beads with his thumb, one, two, three.
He presses the down elevator button. A plastic “click” sound (normal speaking volume).
POV Xiao Wang
He looks up at the elevator floor indicator. The numbers jump: 3→2→1→B1→Glitch (lasts 1.5 seconds)→-5.
Xiao Wang’s eyes widen, his pupils dilate. He subconsciously takes a deep breath (audible inhale, medium volume).
Elevator arrival sound. “Ding”—stretched half a beat longer than normal, with a metallic echo, medium volume.
POV Xiao Wang
The elevator doors open as usual, the interior lighting is normal, mirrors reflecting the light of the corridor.
Xiao Wang slowly exhales.
Xiao Wang
(Self-reassuring, whisper, breathy)
Whatever. Just scaring myself.
Medium Shot / Back view / Fixed / Symmetrical composition
Xiao Wang slowly walks into the elevator. His shadow is reflected multiple times in the mirrors, creating an infinite visual effect.
He reaches out and presses the down button. The button light turns on, -5.
The elevator doors close slowly. Metal friction sound (very light, like an old window being pushed shut slowly).
Empty shot
(Unintelligible whispering, meaningless, very light, with a hollow room reverb)
1-4 INT. ELEVATOR - Night
Wide Shot / Overhead view / Security camera perspective / Fixed / 4:3 aspect ratio, time code flickering in the top right corner
(Soft light, low contrast)
After the doors close, the -5 button is lit. Xiao Wang stands in the center, his shadow forming symmetrical patterns in the four mirrors.
Xiao Wang takes off the prayer beads and keeps spinning them. Sound of thumb and forefinger rubbing (very light, like rubbing a piece of paper), steady rhythm.
Xiao Wang (V.O.)
(Agitated, breathy)
Why... do I feel so annoyed?
1-5 INT. SECURITY ROOM - Night
Close Up
The monitor screen showing Xiao Wang’s elevator. The画面 glitches and distorts for 1.5 seconds, showing a strange white shadow, blurry outline, unidentifiable human shape.
Empty shot. In the security room, the Captain is sleeping in a chair. Head tilted back, mouth slightly open.
(Quiet breathing, very light; Air conditioning sound, extremely light; Low hum of machines, almost inaudible)
1-6 INT. BASEMENT HALLWAY - Night
POV Xiao Wang
Elevator arrival sound. “Ding”—the same stretched half beat, metallic echo, medium volume.
Elevator doors open slowly.
Xiao Wang looks at the basement hallway—emergency lights on, sickly green light, one every 5 meters, 6 in total. Walls are exposed concrete, water puddles reflecting on the floor. Everything is normal.
END POV
Xiao Wang steps out of the elevator and walks a few steps. Footsteps echo in the emptiness (medium volume).
Background sound starts to fade. Air conditioning drops from medium to very light, distant car sounds disappear.
The light at the end of the hallway goes out. (Relay “click” sound, very light)
He stops.
Second light, out. (Very light)
Third, out. (Very light)
The lights go out in the order they are coming towards him. 2-second intervals, stable, precise.
Silence. All sounds gone, quiet like being deaf.
Fourth light out. Five steps away. (Very light)
Fifth light out. Three steps away. (Very light)
Sixth light out. One step away. (Very light)
Xiao Wang steps back, his back against the elevator door frame. Metal impact sound (medium volume).
The last light above his head—goes out. (Very light)
Complete darkness. Complete silence. Lasts 1 second.
Close Up Xiao Wang’s face
In the dark, only his outline is vaguely visible. Eyes wide, lips slightly open, prayer beads in hand stop turning.
(Breathing, extremely light, like afraid to disturb something, then suddenly stops)
Black screen. Lasts 1 second.
(3 seconds of whispering, meaningless, same as in the elevator but slightly clearer, medium volume, with hollow room reverb)
Whispering disappears. Black screen.
Subtitle:
End of Episode 1
Episode 2: Night Run
2-1 EXT. CITY ROAD - Night
Moving tracking shot / Car hood perspective
Late night, empty four-lane road. Streetlight beams flicker across the car roof, 7-second cycle.
(Engine sound, medium; Tire friction on road, very light)
Subtitle: 1:47 AM
2-2 INT. RIDE-SHARING CAR - Night
Medium Shot / Front view / Fixed
Inside the car, only dashboard and streetlight projection, low contrast, cold color temperature. Driver Lao Zhou (fifties) holds the steering wheel with one hand, tunes the radio with the other.
(Frequency knob “click” sound, very light)
Radio broadcasts night news, mixed with slight electric current noise, medium volume.
Anchor (V.O.)
(News anchor tone, slightly distorted)
...News update. One week ago at dawn, a security guard from a downtown hotel went missing after patrolling the basement. Colleagues failed to contact him multiple times...
Lao Zhou changes the channel. (Channel switch “pop” sound, relatively loud)
Lao Zhou (V.O.)
(Tired, talking to himself, breathy)
Broadcasting this kind of news at this hour...
Another station: Old song. Volume low. Saxophone, with old tape recorder background noise, very light.
POV Windshield
Red light ahead. Lao Zhou stops. A 24-hour convenience store on the roadside shines white light.
(Red light “beep-beep-beep” slow warning sound, very light)
Green light. Lao Zhou starts moving.
2-3 INT. RIDE-SHARING CAR - Night
Close Up / Radio
Old song continues on the radio, suddenly—a sharp screech, relatively loud, no buildup, like the radio being choked, lasts 1 second. Screech disappears, broadcast returns to normal.
Lao Zhou frowns, reaches out and taps the radio panel. (Plastic muffled sound, very light)
Lao Zhou
...What a shitty signal.
POV Windshield
He looks up ahead—the white dashed line in the middle of the road seems to waver for a moment, like heat waves, but it’s winter.
Lao Zhou blinks. Dashed line returns to normal.
Lao Zhou
...Eyes playing tricks.
2-4 INT. RIDE-SHARING CAR - Night
Medium Shot / Side view
Lao Zhou rubs his eyes and yawns. (Yawn sound, very light; Seat leather friction sound, almost inaudible)
He looks at his phone: 1:58 AM. No new orders. Screen blue light flickers on his face.
Lao Zhou
...I’ll run a bit longer.
He turns on the right turn signal. (Turn signal “click-click” sound, very light)
Pulls over to the side.
2-5 EXT. ROADSIDE - Night
Wide Shot / Fixed
Car parked under a 6-meter streetlight pole. Streetlight covers the roof, casting a complete light circle on the hood.
(Engine turns off, very light; Interior light turns off)
POV Outside car
Lao Zhou pushes the door open, gets out. (Door closing sound, very light)
He stands under the streetlight, lights a cigarette. (Lighter “click” sound, very light)
Cold wind. (Wind sound, slight, almost inaudible)
Lao Zhou shrugs, takes a deep puff of smoke, exhales slowly.
He looks up at the streetlight—white light, a few bugs flying under the lampshade.
Lao Zhou (V.O.)
(Inner thought, tired, breathy)
...Two more hours of suffering... then I can go home.
He looks down to flick ash, gaze subconsciously sweeps forward.
2-6 EXT. ROADSIDE - Night
POV Lao Zhou
He looks up—
100 meters ahead, the next streetlight pole. That streetlight goes out. Not slowly, instantly.
Lao Zhou freezes.
Before he reacts—the next light, out. Speed extremely fast. Next one, out.
The lights go out in the order they are coming towards him.
(Background sound fades: distant car sounds get farther, wind gets smaller, almost inaudible)
Lao Zhou’s body stiffens.
He stares ahead—the lights go out one by one, speed getting faster. Interval decreases from 2 seconds to 0.5 seconds.
Not poor contact, not a malfunction. It’s coming towards him.
2-7 EXT. ROADSIDE - Night
Close Up / Lao Zhou’s face
His eyes widen, pupils reflecting the last lit lamp in the distance—less than 30 meters away.
That lamp goes out.
(Complete silence. Even the wind disappears, quiet like being deaf)
Lao Zhou’s breathing gets heavy, audible, medium volume.
He instinctively steps back half a step, back against the car door. (Metal impact sound, very light)
He slowly looks up—towards the lamp above his head.
The light is still on. But all the lights ahead are out. The entire road, only the one above his head.
(Silence)
Lao Zhou’s face is illuminated from directly above, pale. Sweat slides down his forehead.
(Sweat drop sound, extremely light, almost inaudible)
Close Up / Lao Zhou’s eyes
He stares at the lamp above, doesn’t dare blink.
The lamp starts flickering. Once. Twice.
2-8 EXT. ROADSIDE - Night
Close Up / Lao Zhou’s face
Light hits his face, bright... dark... bright... dark... 0.5 second intervals.
His expression changes from fear to something indescribable—like resignation, confusion, or like thinking of nothing.
The lamp stops. Stays on.
Lao Zhou’s breathing stops for a beat.
Then—the lamp goes out.
Complete darkness.
Black screen. Lasts 1 second.
(3 seconds of whispering, same sound as the end of Episode 1, but mixed with extremely faint car idle sound, very light, like an engine turning in the distance)
Whispering disappears. Black screen.
Subtitle:
End of Episode
