The Abandoned

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

[SIREN WAILING]

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

[INDISTINCT CHATTERING ON RADIO]

- Mostly cloudy,

with scattered showers

and thunderstorms developing..

- Big storm tonight.

Don't mean to pry,

but I can't imagine

what a girl like you

wants to do at the lots.

[INTENSE MUSIC]

[GASPS]

- Give me some money!

[INDISTINCT MUMBLING]

[INDISTINCT MUMBLING]

- Animals.

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

[EERIE MUSIC]

[CELL PHONE KEYS BEEPING]

[PHONE RINGING]

- Hello?

- Mom. Hi.

- You made it?

- Yup.

- Storm coming tonight.

- Yeah, I heard.

- Can you put her on?

- Julia... she's asleep.

- Please, mom.

Can you please call her over

so I can tell her goodnight?

- Julia, don't think

about her tonight.

- Well, if she wakes up, can you

just please tell her that I called?

- Okay.

- Don't forget.

- Focus on yourself.

I don't have to remind you

that this is your last chance

or they'll take Clara away.

- Yeah, I know that, mom.

- Remember your breathing exercises.

- Yeah.

- I don't know how many more

opportunities you'll get.

- Yeah. Yeah, okay, mom.

- I gotta go.

Alright, bye.

[DOORBELL BUZZING]

- You're a student, correct?

- Yes, sir.

I'm gonna become

a nurse someday.

- Best of luck with all that.

Around here, you work

in the night shift.

2 guards man every shift.

1 guard on patrol duty,

the other on the screens.

- Wow. What is this place?

- The building was erected

during the big boom.

Assumption being

industry drives growth.

Growth brings up demand for more

affordable luxury housing.

Imagine living in a place

providing everything you need

for a comfortable life.

You'd never have to leave.

And as you know, boom became

bust, and here we are.

- What a waste.

- You have to be careful here,

Ms. Streak.

Things are starting to...

fall apart.

Ballroom, grand hall, gym

mail and storage rooms

plus a residential tower,

30 floors high.

As a patrol guard,

you make sure nobody gets in

nobody vandalizes the place,

nothing bad happens

to the structure...

and nobody steals anything.

- Does that happen?

- All the time.

Steal whatever they can

get their hands on.

We've been having issues

of vagrancy, tryin' to make

the place into a squat,

so don't let anyone in.

This job pays well for a reason.

The nights here

can be long... and dark.

Some of the lights are on timer,

so they turn off to save on power.

The combination

can make some people... uneasy.

- I like the night.

- We've blanketed the entire

building with security cameras

so we only need two guards.

One on patrol and the other..

- In front of the screens.

- Got it.

Where's the control room?

- Upstairs.

I see your partner's

already here.

This is Dennis Cooper.

He's been here since day one.

- Hi. Nice to meet you.

I'm Julia, but everybody

calls me Streak.

- That's great.

- Nice.

Cooper will take you

through the controls.

But I think you'll find

the system pretty intuitive

once you start using it.

You'll go on patrol

once every two hours.

Cooper will communicate with you

using this headset.

Packs a small camera

and a microphone.

Show us the feed, Cooper.

[KEYBOARD KEYS CLACKING]

Simple enough?

Also, we've been having trouble

with electricity.

We lose a video feed

from time to time

so you'll have to throw

a breaker.

- Got it.

- You know what a breaker is?

- Yup.

- Don't forget the uniform.

That is the most important part

of this job.

- Have a great night.

- There is a locker room

in the back, to the right

if you wanna change there.

Unless you feel more comfortable

changing in here, which

I could probably make

an exception for that... tonight.

- I'm gonna go

to the locker room.

- Okay.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

- This place is really big.

A person could spend

a lifetime in here.

- Well, most people don't last

more than a week.

- What's your story?

- What's my story?

My story. Um, let me see.

It's a very long, detailed

richly... boring tale.

However, let's start

with tonight's chapter.

I guess it starts out

that I'm sick and tired of Dixon

wheeling in some..

Local community college brat

and expecting me to entertain

them all night.

That's my story.

'Cause tomorrow or the next day

or possibly a week from now

but without question, it's going

to happen, you're gonna decide

that patrolling a big,

empty building every two hours

is not what was meant for you

and your life

and big aspirations.

You're then gonna quit.

Then Dixon's gonna bring in

someone who's just like you

and gonna sit

right in that chair

I'm gonna have

the same conversation

and be forced to babysit

that person all night.

- Really?

- No tips, either.

- This is gonna be a long night.

- You have no idea.

Sorry, sweetheart.

Welcome to the big world

of security.

Excuse me. Time to lock up.

Lights out.

2, 3, 4. Ta-da.

[GULPING]

[BURPS]

[CLEARS THROAT]

- Gross.

- It's weird. That happens

every time I try to burp.

What are you, 24?

25? 23?

Alright, we're just

gonna stick with 24 then.

- What, are you

talking to me now?

- Tough. Right?

Bet you were a good student.

Little teacher's pet.

Am I right?

Fit. Like your arms.

You do a little

self-defense maybe?

Little karate?

Little, uh, tae kwon do?

Judo? Jiujitsu?

Jell-O wrestling?

Pillow fights?

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

Kickboxing, maybe?

- Yeah.

Yeah, I do kickboxing.

Yup. You have to for this job.

- Ho-ho. Yeah?

- Mm-hmm.

- Is that what Dixon told you?

I must've missed that one.

I can't kickbox.

Guess what?

You don't.

I don't think I've seen

one of these since 1982.

My grandma had one of these.

- Do not touch my stuff!

- That's quick... kickboxer.

[BURPS]

Where you goin'?

- Patrol.

- Not without this you're not.

Goes on like this.

[MOUSE CLICKING]

[CLANGS]

[BEEPS]

[RATTLING]

[CLANGING]

[MOUSE CLICKING]

Um..

Do you miss me yet?

- What are you doing?

- Me?

I'm not doing anything.

Just a little, uh

welcome ceremony,

a little initiation..

To the security world.

[BUTTONS CLICKING]

- Open the door, Cooper.

- Cooper, this is not a game.

- Games?

I don't play games.

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[FOOTSTEPS]

[INDISTINCT WHISPERING]

[WHISPERING CONTINUES]

- Cooper, let me out!

Cooper, let me out

of the elevator!

Please, Cooper, let me out!

Please, Cooper!

Please open the door!

Cooper!

Open the door!

- Relax. I'm just testing

the cut-off switch.

- Please open the door! Cooper!

- Seems to be workin' fine.

[GASPS]

[WHIRRING]

[PANTING]

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

[THUNDER RUMBLING]

[FOOTSTEPS]

[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

- I can see-e-e you-u-u.

- I can't believe how huge

and beautiful it is.

- That's what she said.

- This place is amazing.

- You wanna see something

even better?

- Why should I trust you

all of a sudden?

- 'Cause I'm all you got

tonight, babe.

Go over your left

and exit through there.

Then your right,

go down that corridor.

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