Mariah’s House — Evening
The room is quiet. Isaiah stands near the doorway, confused about why Mariah asked him to come over.
MARIAH: I needed to talk to you.
Isaiah looks at her suspiciously.
ISAIAH: About what?
Mariah reaches for her phone. A nervous smile crosses her face. She turns the screen toward Isaiah. Isaiah freezes. It is a private picture of the two of them from an earlier moment.
ISAIAH: Where did you get that?
Mariah slowly lowers the phone.
MARIAH: You really thought you could trust me that easily?
Isaiah takes a step back.
ISAIAH: Mariah, what are you talking about?
MARIAH: I’m saying you have a problem now.
ISAIAH: What problem?
Mariah raises the phone again.
MARIAH: This picture.
ISAIAH: Delete it.
Mariah shakes her head.
MARIAH: Not unless you do something for me.
A long silence fills the room.
ISAIAH: What do you want?
Mariah finally says it.
MARIAH: One thousand dollars.
Isaiah stares at her in disbelief.
ISAIAH: One thousand dollars?
MARIAH: Yes.
ISAIAH: I don’t have that kind of money.
Mariah’s expression becomes serious.
MARIAH: Then you better figure it out.
Isaiah looks toward the door. He is clearly uncomfortable.
ISAIAH: Why are you doing this?
Mariah doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looks down at the phone.
MARIAH: Because I know exactly who would want to see this.
Isaiah’s face drops.
ISAIAH: Who?
Mariah looks directly at him.
MARIAH: Brooke.
Isaiah goes silent. Then Mariah adds another name.
MARIAH: Larry.
Isaiah swallows nervously.
MARIAH: And Bethany.
Isaiah immediately shakes his head.
ISAIAH: No. Don’t involve them.
MARIAH: Then bring me the money.
Isaiah looks completely trapped.
Outside Mariah’s House
Isaiah walks outside. He pulls out his phone with shaking hands. He scrolls through his contacts. Then he stops at one name — Cameron. Isaiah takes a breath and calls him. The phone rings.
CAMERON: What’s up?
Isaiah looks around before answering.
ISAIAH: Cameron, I need a favor.
CAMERON: What happened?
Isaiah hesitates.
ISAIAH: I need some money.
Cameron becomes suspicious.
CAMERON: How much?
Isaiah looks back toward Mariah’s house.
ISAIAH: One thousand dollars.
There is silence on the other end.
CAMERON: One thousand?
ISAIAH: Please. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need it.
Cameron sounds concerned.
CAMERON: Isaiah, what’s going on?
Isaiah struggles to explain.
ISAIAH: I’ll explain later. I just need you to trust me.
Cameron pauses.
CAMERON: Give me a few minutes.
Isaiah closes his eyes.
ISAIAH: Thank you.
The call ends. Isaiah puts the phone away. For a moment, he simply stands there.
The Payoff
A few minutes later, Isaiah returns. Mariah is sitting on the couch. She looks up.
MARIAH: Did you get it?
Isaiah doesn’t answer. He places the money down. Mariah looks at it.
MARIAH: Good.
Isaiah points toward her phone.
ISAIAH: Now delete the picture.
Mariah looks at him.
MARIAH: Fine.
She opens her phone. Isaiah watches carefully. Mariah deletes the picture. Then she shows him the empty folder. Isaiah finally exhales.
ISAIAH: It better be gone.
Mariah nods.
MARIAH: It is.
Isaiah turns toward the door. Before he leaves, he stops.
ISAIAH: You shouldn’t have done this.
Mariah doesn’t respond. Isaiah walks away.
Outside — Night
Isaiah steps onto the sidewalk. The relief he felt moments earlier disappears. He looks at his phone. A message from Cameron appears.
Isaiah stares at the message. He types something. Deletes it. Types again. Deletes it again. Finally, he locks the phone.
ISAIAH: What have I gotten myself into?
He walks down the street. But he doesn’t realize someone is watching from a nearby window. Mariah stands behind the curtain. Her phone is still in her hand. She looks at the screen. A second copy of the picture is still visible. Mariah smiles.
The Next Morning
Isaiah sits alone. He barely touches his phone. His mind keeps replaying everything from the previous night. Then his phone rings. It is Brooke. Isaiah immediately becomes nervous. He answers.
ISAIAH: Hello?
BROOKE: Where were you last night?
Isaiah freezes.
ISAIAH: I… I was out.
Brooke notices his nervous tone.
BROOKE: Why do you sound nervous?
Isaiah looks down.
ISAIAH: I’m fine.
BROOKE: Isaiah, you’re obviously hiding something.
Isaiah doesn’t respond. The call ends. He puts his phone down. A second later, another message arrives. Unknown number. Isaiah opens it. His face turns pale.
Isaiah immediately stands. His breathing becomes unsteady. He looks around the room. Another message appears.
Isaiah realizes something terrifying. Mariah never intended to stop after one payment. He grips his phone.
ISAIAH: No…
The screen goes dark.
CUT TO BLACK. TO BE CONTINUED…