Nightfall Syndrome Frank
INT. KITCHEN – MORNING
The kitchen is dimly lit, the sun struggling to break through the heavy curtains. A middle-aged man, FRANK (40s, overweight and disheveled), wakes up in a daze. He blinks, his eyes adjusting to the disorienting scene around him.
Frank’s body is covered in blood, his clothes soaked and stained. Panic washes over him as he looks down at his trembling hands, still clutching a bloodied kitchen knife.
FRANK (whispering, horrified) No… no, what have I done?
Frank’s gaze shifts, his eyes widening in terror as he takes in the sight before him. The lifeless bodies of his wife, MARY (30s, kind and gentle), and their two children, LUCY (8) and BEN (5), lie motionless on the kitchen floor.
FRANK (sobbing) No, please… I didn’t mean to… I don’t understand…
Frank stumbles backward, his legs weak and unsteady. He reaches for the kitchen counter, knocking over a jar of utensils. They clatter to the floor, a painful reminder of the chaos that unfolded moments ago.
FRANK (hysterical) Wake up! Please, wake up! It wasn’t me! It wasn’t…
Frank’s voice trails off as he falls to his knees, overwhelmed by grief and guilt. He struggles to catch his breath, his mind racing to comprehend the unimaginable horror he has unleashed upon his family.
Memories begin to flash in Frank’s mind—fragmented images of a nightmarish sleepwalking episode, the uncontrollable urge to inflict pain and violence. The realization dawns upon him that he was a victim of the Nightfall Syndrome, a prisoner within his own mind.
FRANK (whispering, choked with emotion) I couldn’t protect you… I failed you all…
Frank’s cries fill the empty kitchen, his anguish echoing off the walls. He reaches out, touching Mary’s lifeless hand, tears streaming down his face.
FRANK (vowing) I promise… I promise I’ll find a way to stop this. No one else will suffer like this. I won’t let their deaths be in vain.
Frank, fueled by determination and grief, rises from the floor. He wipes the tears from his eyes and walks towards the kitchen sink, placing the bloodied knife down with a trembling hand.
INT. KITCHEN – LATER
Frank exits the kitchen, his face etched with sorrow. The weight of the guilt he carries is evident in every step, but a flicker of resolve shines in his eyes. He is determined to find answers, to uncover a way to break free from the grasp of the Nightfall Syndrome.
The camera pans out from the kitchen, leaving behind the devastating aftermath of the tragedy.