Three days later.
The dappled sun shines through the surrounding trees and on the human figures, creating mysterious shadows. It is after school hours at Evans High. Bonnie and her friend, Anderson and his friends, and Dylan are standing in front of the main entrance, bidding Carl goodbye. Carl hugs them all.
TYLER: Hey hey! Y'all doing group hugs without me? (He shows up dressed in his jersey, with a basketball tucked in his left arm, looking all sweaty)
LAURA: No one in their right mind would hug you looking like that. I wouldn't.
TYLER: Oh yeah? We'll see about that. (He forcefully hugs her, rubbing his sweat all over her body)
LAURA: Ewww! Let go of me! You're disgusting! (She frees herself while they laugh)
TYLER: I know you like it. Want another?
LAURA: What I want is a shower!
TYLER: Cool, we could shower together. (He winks and she glares at him)
BONNIE: We're really gonna miss you, Carl.
CARL: I'm gonna miss you guys too. I still feel some kinda vacuum, like one person is still missing amongst us... Tavio.
ANDERSON: I know how you feel. Just like when I lost my family in the fire, whenever I remember their absence, I feel empty inside.
LOUIS: Uhm... dude... (clears throat) I don't think it's advisable to be talking about this.
ANDERSON: Don't worry, man. I won't create a scene here, I'm fine.
CARL: I'm sorry about your family. (Anderson flashes him a faint smile) I need a favor from y'all. Find Lisa and make her pay.
ADRIAN: Definitely. We'll find her.
DYLAN: Here's a sketch of Octavio which I drew yesternight... just so you can remember him. (He hands Carl a portrait drawing)
CARL: I've got a whole lot of his pictures but this is the best. (Admiring the drawing, a teardrop trickles down his face). Thanks. It's an amazing piece. Definitely keeping this.
Just then, a black 2012 model Chevrolet Camaro LS drives into the parking lot and a middle aged man steps out of the car, dressed in a navy blue casual striped suit without a tie and a pair of thick black square shaped sunglasses, his appearance gives off the impression of a younger version of Stan Lee. He glances at his wristwatch then looks around like he's waiting for someone.
LAURA: Is that your dad? (Drawing everyone's attention to the man who just drove into the parking lot)
CARL: Yeah. He's here... (His dad's searching eyes meet with his and they share a wave) So I guess it's goodbye.
Another round of greetings and farewells ensue. And even after it is over, they keep echoing their goodbyes as he motions to the car.
04:21 pm, the police station.
The slanting rays of the setting sun gives a warm orange tinge to the sky. Ethan and his wife are seated in the sheriff's office, talking about their missing daughter.
ETHAN: Are you trying to say that it's a combination of a beast and a human?
GORDON: I myself ain't sure what exactly it is but during our investigation this morning we observed something.
EMILY: Tell us.
GORDON: Foot prints. We went back to the spot where the body was exhumed and rechecked the whole area. I noticed faint footprints, they looked like the feet of a large creature at the beginning but it got smaller in size as I followed the trail. It got to a certain distance and I lost track of it. But the last foot print I saw was the size of a normal human being whereas at the beginning, it seemed like the feet of a giant. So was the creature reducing in size or what?
EMILY: What if it was changing its form while moving?
ETHAN: Like a shapeshifter? ...Oh shit. That's it. A shapeshifter could take the form of anything and come back to normal by shedding its skin. I never thought they existed until now. A shapeshifter has Elena, damn! (He bangs his fist on the sheriff's desk)
GORDON: You need to calm down, Detective Ma—
ETHAN: How do you expect me to stay calm? I don't even know if my daughter is dead or alive.
EMILY: Shut up, Ethan! Don't you ever say that again! Elena can't be dead. We're gonna find her.
The rising commotion in the office is interrupted by a knock on the door.
GORDON: Come in.
"Sir, we just got a report regarding Lisa Jonas, the lady who murdered the kid at Evans High". Nishan, senior deputy.
GORDON: Yes, yes. Straight to the point, man!
NISHAN: Three of our men found her lying unconscious just by the gate of the city cemetery...
GORDON: Ravens?
NISHAN: Yes, sir. She's being transported to the hospital.
GORDON: Good. We're making progress. Hopefully when she regains consciousness, we'll bring her in for questioning so we can find out what motivated her to rip out the heart of a fifteen year old. Jesus! So what about the Detective's daughter? Any information?
NISHAN: Yes, sir. I was about getting to that. We found the same kinda large footprint close to the gas station not to far from here so we searched the perimeter and found a necklace. Here it is. (Dropping it on the table)
It is a tiny gold necklace with a double heart shaped pendant. Emily recognizes it and exclaims.
EMILY: This is Elena's necklace! Eric gave it to her on her birthday.
GORDON: This proves that the beast, or rather, shapeshifter ran past the gas station and Elena's necklace dropped.
ETHAN: He said footprint, not footprints. So hypothetically, it wasn't running, it jumped.
GORDON: That could be true. Alright, Nishan. Let's be quick. Get the patrol van ready, we're sending our search party to comb through every nook and cranny of the gas station. Thereafter search every building within a two-mile radius. Keep me posted on every step you take. I'll go to the hospital first to see how things are going with Lisa Jonas and then I'll meet you guys wherever you are.
ETHAN: Tell them to wait for me... I'll join the search party. (He glances at the sheriff) You gonna give me some weapon or would you rather I went home to fetch my toys?
GORDON: I think you should go get your toys. We're gonna need every ammunition available because we have no idea what we're going up against.
ETHAN: You're right, see you guys in a moment. Let's go, honey. (He leaves the office with Emily)
Driving home at top speed in his Nissan SUV, he makes sharp turns and switches lanes often in order to beat time.
EMILY: Promise me you'll come back alive, Ethan. I want you two to come back alive. This is a strange creature we're dealing with, you have to be very careful. I dunno what I'll do if something goes wrong, I can't bear to lose any of you. (She places her palm softly on his while he's holding the gear)
ETHAN: Stay positive, Em. Panicking and worrying will get us nowhere. Elena and I will come back alive. You have my word. (Kissing her hand)
EMILY: And how could you be so sure?
ETHAN: Don't you trust me anymore?
EMILY: Of course I do.
While they're driving, the local news comes up on the car radio and Ethan is trying to turn up the volume. Emily notices a young boy walking across the street without looking.
EMILY: Watch out! (She taps him on the lap)
Immediately, he grabs the steering wheel firmly with both hands and pulls to the right, away from the road, forcefully hitting the brakes as he almost runs into a fence. The tyres screech sharply as he manages to get the car to stop. The front doors swing open and he and Emily get off to check on the boy.
ETHAN: What the hell is wrong with you, kid?! Are you blind or what? I could have run you over just now!
"I'm so sorry... I wasn't concentrating"
ETHAN: Try to watch where you're going, you may not be so lucky next time. (He hesitates a little, staring at the boy and sharing a look with his wife before turning around to get back into the car)
"You're looking for someone, right?"
ETHAN: Yeah... (He stops and turns to the boy again) ...yes I am.
"Your daughter?"
ETHAN: Yes. How do you know this? Are you a mind reader or what?
"You could put it that way. But let's just say... when someone's got something on their mind, I can tell what it is"
EMILY: You don't say.
"Besides, I'm also looking for my kid sister. She's been missing for three days"
ETHAN: Really?
"Yeah. The shapeshifter took her"
ETHAN: You know abou— (He brings down his voice to a whisper as he goes closer to the boy) you know about the shapeshifter?
"I've read about it along with so many other weird creatures but three days ago was the first time I saw it with my very own eyes"
EMILY: That must have been scary.
ETHAN: What did it look like?
"I dunno how to describe, I didn't have enough time to study the physical features, the night was so dark when it came at us... but it was huge and it growled like a beast"
ETHAN: That's gotta be it. Sounds exactly like what sheriff Garcia described.
"It took her away and I couldn't do anything to protect her. I've searched everywhere for her. I'm getting frustrated. No... I am... frustrated!"
ETHAN: We're in the same situation. Now I understand why you were distracted while crossing the road. You've got a lot on your mind. (Placing a hand on his shoulder). What's your name?
"David"
ETHAN: Alright, David. Why don't you come with us? We're all frustrated here but I'm not ready to give up. Are you? (The boy shakes his head) Then come with us, perhaps we could help each other.
Ethan, Emily and the kid get into the car, as a new flush of determination somewhat fills their hearts.