From on High

Title: From on High
Episode: S1E1 "Her Promotion"
Author: strawbrie

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ACT I

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1. INT. CUBICLE FARM - EVENING

It's the end of a particularly long day at the office in Duluth, Minnesota. CODY SINGH, 27, is packing up her messenger bag. As she gathers the last of her things and turns to leave, her coworker SEAN MILLER, 28, walks up to her.

SEAN
Hey Cody! How's it going?

CODY
(uninterested)
Uh, it's going, I guess. What's up?

Cody walks out from her cubicle towards the exit that leads to the parking garage; Sean walks with her.

SEAN
I just heard; the party's being catered now...

CODY
Todd buckled?

SEAN
Yeah, only like three people signed up for the potluck, so he just decided to scrap the whole thing.

CODY
Well that's one good thing at least. Now I don't have to go find something on my own time. 
(muttering)
Using my own money...

SEAN
Ugh, right. Jordan's a bit disappointed though, he was looking forward to baking something.

CODY
Jordan?

SEAN
Oh! My fiancé.

CODY
Ah. Well, we're all looking forward to *lots* of things that aren't going to happen, now aren't we...

Cody opens the door to the parking garage, leading Cody and Sean into…

2. INT./EXT. PARKING GARAGE - EVENING

SEAN
Oh, right! Ugh, can't believe you haven’t gotten that promotion yet, you're like the only person who actually wants the damn thing.

CODY
(curt)
Thanks, Sean.

The pair continue to walk up the rectangular spiral of concrete in awkward silence, until they come upon their cars on the roof of the parking garage.

SEAN
Y’know, I also heard you were bringing a date to the party...

CODY
Oh! Uh, plus-one, but, yeah...

SEAN
Exciting! Who is it?

CODY
Well... what’s the fun if I told you now? It’s a surprise.

SEAN
(opening his car door)
Ooh, love it. Later!

Cody waves nonchalantly and closes her car door. She pauses briefly, exhaling sharply. Then, with the turn of her key, the engine of her decade-old hatchback hums to life.

CUT TO:

3. INT./EXT. CODY'S CAR - EVENING

The quartz-blue Subaru Impreza drives meanderingly down I-35; a stretch of road Cody’s had to have gone up and down a thousand times over, at this point.

She’s been stirring in her seat ever since she got on the highway. It’s quiet. But it's not just that. It’s been quiet. Uncomfortably quiet, for a very long time now. She flips on the radio.

[Nobody, by Mitski]
~My God, I’m so lonely—

CLICK

The radio’s treachery is abruptly silenced, but it’s too late. The lyrics linger, now a passenger for the next 50 minutes of tedium. Cody lets out a heavy sigh, and stews in silence for the rest of the drive home.

4. INT. CODY’S CABIN – NIGHT

Crickets.

Cody’s car is heard pulling into the gravel driveway outside of her modest rented cabin, located on the outskirts of Moose Lake. Small town. Cheap rent.

THUNK

Heavy, dragging footsteps make their way to the front door when, after a few seconds of fumbling, Cody turns the latchkey, opens the door, and is finally home. Closing her front door maybe a little harder than she actually meant to, she locks it and turns to fall into her sofa.

CODY
(guttural)
Ughhhhh…

A low groan escapes the Cody-shaped corpse lying face-down on the couch. A moment passes. Slowly, she uses her arms to prop herself upright, pull out her phone, and start scrolling mindlessly. A common extracurricular routine, nowadays. She starts to fall into a state of disassociation...

But.

Something’s off.

The lemon-infused chemical scent is the first thing to grab her attention. After a few affirmatory sniffs, Cody looks up from her phone only to see yet another irregularity: There’s something on the kitchen table. Are those... chocolate covered strawberries? Cody places her phone down next to her and stands up; her lethargy now replaced by an even mix of concern and curiosity. Slowly, she walks up to the table and yes, laid out on a small white dish are four respectably plump chocolate covered strawberries, with what looks to be a white chocolate drizzle.

CODY
Uhm.

FLUSH

A distinct flush instantly breaks Cody’s attention away from the strawberries and straight to the bathroom door. She’s still as a statue.

The door cracks open. Behind it: ARIEL. The tall redhead pushes the door further with her back, her rubber glove-clad hands full with window cleaner and a half-used roll of paper towels. She immediately turns from the bathroom into the adjacent kitchen area, and crouches to return her borrowed cleaning supplies back under the kitchen sink. She then stands up to dust off her hands.

ARIEL
Okay! What next…
(surprised)
Oh!

Her train of thought is interrupted as she catches Cody in her peripheral vision. The two stare at each other for a short moment, both thinking on how next to proceed. Ariel decides to break the ice, slowly closing the gap between her and Cody.

ARIEL
(stretching her hand out to shake Cody’s)
Hi! I’m—

Cody BOLTS for the front door. She jiggles the lock but to no avail; it’s jammed.

ARIEL
(panicking)
Oh! Nononono! It’s fine! I promise!

Cody snaps her head back to Ariel. She’s still in the same spot she stopped at in the kitchen, still panicking.

ARIEL
I’m not a burglar or anything!
(walking towards Cody, passing the kitchen table)
I just want to t—

Cody bolts off again, sprinting past the side of the kitchen table opposite Ariel, straight towards the bathroom.

BATHROOM

ARIEL (O.S.)
Please, just hear me out!

Running, she slams the door behind her before locking it. 

Everything is still. Quiet again, for now. Cody steps over to her bathtub after a few seconds of thinking and gets in, drawing the shower curtain to a close. She rummages through her pockets but— her phone’s still on the couch. Peeking her head out from the protective barrier of the curtain, she looks up at the lone bathroom window: it’s absolutely not big enough to squeeze out of. There’s nothing left to do in here but sit and wait. She shifts her gaze to the door, bracing herself for whatever comes next.

A beat.

ARIEL (O.S.)
(softly)
I really just need to talk with you. That’s it, I promise.

CODY
Go away!

Another beat.

ARIEL (O.S.)
I’m going to come in, okay? Please don’t freak out, I’m not going to hurt you.

CODY
It’s locked! You better not break that door down, asshole, I can’t afford to replace it!

ARIEL (O.S.)
I’m not going to break the door down...

Before Cody can retort, a head appears through the puzzlingly unbroken door. Ariel gives Cody a tired smile before bringing her arm through the door next, waving politely.

CODY
Wh—

Ariel pulls the rest of herself into the room, revealing a pair of (perhaps stereotypically) angel-like wings attached to her upper back; slightly retracted in order to fit inside the small bathroom. She lets out a sigh.

ARIEL
Can we please talk?

Slowly, Cody nods.