INT. REN'S APARTMENT – DAY
Cartoons blare from the TV. A lazy Sunday in full bloom.
REN (mid-20s, existentially tired) lounges on a couch, face half-buried in a chip bag.
DING-DONG
REN
(grumbling)
No peace in this cruel world.
He drags himself to the door, opens it, and instantly freezes.
Two POLICE OFFICERS stand there. Stern. Silent. Flashing their badges.
REN (internal panic monologue)
Why is the police here? Did I do something? Did someone frame me?
Is it theft? Corruption? Murder? Should I hire a lawyer?
Do I even have money for a lawyer? Am I going to jail?
Do jails have clean toilets? Wait… is there TV in jail?
Will I get hanged directly?!?
POLICE OFFICER 1
Hey. Are you listening?
REN
(snapping back)
Y-yes. Sorry.
POLICE OFFICER 1
Are you Ren?
REN
Yeah… that's me?
POLICE OFFICER 2
You need to come with us. To the station.
REN
Wait what? Why? I've been here all day!
POLICE OFFICER 1
You'll find out soon enough.
---
The Interrogation Room
INT. POLICE INTERROGATION ROOM – NIGHT
Ren sits on the edge of his seat, anxious. A fan whirs overhead. A DETECTIVE drops a tablet in front of him.
ON SCREEN:
Grainy CCTV footage from a bar.
A man in a leather jacket leans close to Ren at the counter, says something, and rushes out. Moments later: cut to black.
DETECTIVE
That man was a high-profile target. He was hit by a truck ten minutes after speaking to you.
REN
(confused)
Oh... that guy.
DETECTIVE
(suddenly alert)
You knew him?
REN
No! I mean—he said something weird to me before leaving.
DETECTIVE
What did he say?
Everyone behind the two-way mirror leans in.
REN
He told me…
(beat)
"The black bunny will eat the white rat... because the Lion King is fake."
DETECTIVE
(freezes)
…He said that?
REN
(nods solemnly)
And he said you would know what it means.
---
INT. POLICE WAR ROOM – LATER
The phrase is now on a whiteboard. String and pins.
Officers yelling interpretations. Calls coming in.
One junior cop searches "Black Bunny" on Reddit.
Meanwhile…
INT. REN'S CELL – SAME TIME
Ren lies on the cot, staring at the ceiling, smiling.
REN (V.O.)
It's just random words anyway.
--
INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT – STRATEGY ROOM – NIGHT
Whiteboards scribbled with "BLACK BUNNY," "WHITE RAT," "LION KING IS FAKE."
Stacks of files, half-eaten samosas, and exhausted officers surround the room.
OFFICER GRAD stands at the head, rubbing his temples.
OFFICER GRAD
First, check all known gangs or syndicates with animal-based codenames. Bunny, Rat, Lion—anything.
OFFICER 1
Sir, what about The Mad Jackals?
OFFICER GRAD
Does that sound like a bunny to you?
Everyone starts typing furiously, flipping through old case files. An hour passes. Nothing.
Grad sighs and pushes away from the board.
OFFICER GRAD
Alright, stand down. We'll reconvene tomorrow.
The officers start gathering their things, disappointed.
JUNIOR OFFICER MEENA
(stammering)
S-Sir… wait! I—I think I found something.
Everyone freezes.
Meena, nervous, knocks over a chair trying to stand up.
OFFICER GRAD
Easy. What is it?
MEENA
There's a gang... very small. No more than a dozen members. Goes by the name Bunny. Mostly low-level scuffles. But—something's off.
Officers scramble back to their chairs. Meena throws a picture on the screen.
OFFICER 2
That's just a bunch of punks on motorbikes.
OFFICER 4
Wait... enhance that tattoo.
Zoom on a tattoo: a bunny... sitting atop a black bear pawprint.
OFFICER 3
Sir, that's the symbol of the Black Bear Syndicate.
The air goes cold.
OFFICER 5
That can't be right. Black Bear is strictly minerals—gold, lithium, rare earth stuff.
OFFICER GRAD
Exactly. Our city has no mines. No major jewelry markets. So why here?
MEENA
Maybe it's a new operation. Cover or expansion?
OFFICER GRAD
Either way, we just kicked a beehive.
(pause)
Full alert. Watch every entry point. And for the love of god, keep this off the record.
Everyone nods solemnly and disperses.