Andrew Gleeson

….

As the screening wrapped up with the Q&A session, slowly the buzz around [Following] started trickling into the online world.

Just so happens, a humble group of Stephen Hawking's fans noticed his name attached to a teaser clip circulating on social media, sparking curiosity that quickly spread to his fan pages on Twitter.

…..

└ @QuantumJunkie: [Hey guys, did you hear? The - STEPHEN HAWKING is presenting a film!! And it's hitting theaters tomorrow.]

└ @SleepySocks: [For real!?? Why didn't I know about this earlier?]

└ @SpaghettiMania: [Doesn't matter. I am watching it.]

└ @PixelatedPineapple: [Same here!]

Not everyone shared the excitement, though.

└ @GrumpyGravy: [I looked into it. Apparently, it's an indie film. I lost interest. Those films mostly suck.]

└ @QuantumJunkie: [I mean, I don't blame you. But this is Stephen Hawking. I am giving it a shot just for him.]

└ @SleepySocks: [Yeah, me too. If he is attached to it, there's gotta be something special about it.]

….

Just as the conversation began heating up, things took a sharper turn.

Influencers who had attended the special screening earlier that day started sharing their experiences and reviews, fueling the fire even further

….

└ @GalaxyFanatic: [Guys!! Just watched an amazing film presented by Stephen Hawking. It's called [Following]. Totally loved it.]

The claim raised a few eyebrows.

└ @SpaghettiMania: [Fake! The movie is releasing tomorrow. Don't fall for it.]

└ @TechyTaco: [No, it's real. They held a special screening for critics and media. I was there too! Check out this photo I took with the director and Stephen himself.]

Attached to the post was a clear image of the fan grinning beside a beaming Regal and Stephen Hawking.

└ @CaffeineOverload: ["OMG. It's true?! And get this! It was made with a budget of just $500K!]

└ @QuantumJunkie: ["Alright, I have decided... I am watching this movie. Who's coming?"]

└ @CaffeineOverload: ["Count me in."]

└ @SleepySocks: ["Yep, me too."]

…..

[Next day]

[June 14th, 2010]

…..

It was finally D-Day for Andrew Gleeson.

At 27, he had been chasing his dream of becoming an actor for what felt like forever.

Hollywood, however, wasn't the shiny dream he had envisioned growing up.

It was tougher, colder, especially for someone like him, a nobody without connections or a recognizable name.

In five years, Andrew had hustled through countless auditions, hoping for his big break.

Most of them led nowhere, and when they did, it was just another extra role, his face lost in the background, barely registering on screen.

A handful of indie films had come his way, but none made a dent - one bombed so hard it was almost laughable, while another never even made it past post-production.

Until last month, he had been at his lowest point - five years in, and his dream still felt impossibly distant.

Then came the casting call.

He found it one night while scrolling mindlessly through the usual listings.

Nothing about it stood out. Nothing screamed opportunity.

But at this point, why not? What did he have to lose?

…and that was it.

Weeks later, the impossible happened.

He got the part.

Not as an extra, not as some nameless supporting role, he was cast as the lead.

At first, he was sure it was a mistake, maybe some cruel joke.

Him? The lead? It didn't seem real.

That night, he couldn't sleep. Not until exhaustion finally took over - after the tears had come and gone, leaving him drained.

Then he got his hands on the script.

As he flipped through the pages, something strange happened, he couldn't put it down. The writing was sharp, and the plot was gripping.

This wasn't just decent. It was great.

Maybe he had been jaded by years of mediocre indie scripts, but even factoring that in, this one felt different.

It had weight. Depth. Payoffs that actually landed.

Regal, the writer and director, had crafted something that shouldn't have been possible for someone his age.

And that was the catch.

Regal was only 22, meaning five years younger than him. On top of it, this was his debut project.

Could this guy really pull it off? Was Andrew being reckless, letting his desperation cloud his judgment?

He tried not to dwell on the doubt, but it lingered in the back of his mind.

Then filming began - and every bit of that doubt crumbled.

Regal had an air about him, a sharp focus and clarity that Andrew had never seen before.

On set, he wasn't just competent.

He was in complete control. He has a knack for overcoming obstacles on the fly, adapting with a precision that feels almost instinctual.

The way he manipulated lighting to create mood with limited resources? It was nothing short of brilliant.

The crew was barebones, eight, maybe ten people, each juggling multiple roles.

Some were college students looking for experience, while others were just in it for pocket money or a brief 'field trip' into the film industry.

No professional cinematographer. No assistant directors. No line producers.

And yet, somehow, despite the chaos, filming wrapped in just twenty-five days as planned.

Andrew still remembered scoffing when he first read the schedule.

A month? For an entire feature-length film? It felt like a joke.

He had been on sets where production dragged for years, buried under delays, poor planning, and logistical nightmares.

He braced himself for the same mess here.

But each day, the impossible kept happening.

Scenes were shot, wrapped, and checked off with ruthless efficiency. No wasted time and endless reshoots.

Slowly, Andrew's skepticism gave way to something else.

Admiration.

This was when he truly grasped the depth of Regal's commitment, a level of discipline and maturity far beyond what one would expect from someone so young.

At 22, distractions were easy, and pressure could break even the most determined.

Andrew had been there himself, struggling to keep his focus, unsure of his footing.

But Regal? He was unwavering. A leader who set the bar high and made everyone want to reach it.

What stunned Andrew even more was the sheer level of preparation Regal had done before filming even started.

The attention to detail and the meticulous planning made Andrew question his own work ethic. He had grown used to the disorganization of indie sets, where schedules were loose and improvisation was often mistaken for efficiency.

The contrast was striking.

Regal's passion spread across the set like wildfire, infecting even the most inexperienced crew members.

Most were college students, prone to mistakes, yet they weren't lazy.

Regal's intensity commanded respect. His presence alone made them work harder, learn faster, and push past their limits.

And then, there was the cast.

Andrew found himself surrounded by raw, unpolished talent, the kind that couldn't be taught, only discovered.

Grace, in particular, was a hidden performer.

At first glance, she didn't seem like a leading lady. Her presence off-camera was quiet, almost unassuming.

But the moment the cameras rolled, she transformed.

Her performances carried a depth and sincerity that caught everyone off guard. It wasn't just good acting. It was the kind that pulled you in and made you feel something real.

Yet, for all her brilliance in the most emotionally charged scenes, Grace had an almost comical tendency to fumble the simplest ones.

Regal found himself giving her the most attention.

A misplaced prop, a missed cue, an inexplicable blank-out, Grace turned even the easiest setups into unexpected hurdles.

It wasn't due to laziness, nor was it a lack of talent. If anything, it felt like she was so afraid of making a mistake that she inevitably made one.

Still, Regal never seemed frustrated. He approached each hiccup with remarkable calmness, breaking down scenes, adjusting directions, and working through the moment until it clicked.

And when Grace finally nailed a take, the result was undeniable, pure magic that justified every extra second spent.

But none stood out more than Keanu, the actor playing the second lead.

Keanu was a powerhouse.

Every scene he was in came alive with an almost magnetic presence.

His brilliance wasn't loud or overly dramatic. He didn't need to force emotion or stretch for attention, he simply had it.

A glance, a pause, a single quiet word, he could turn the smallest moment into something that lingered, something that stuck with you.

Andrew found himself captivated, watching Keanu perform.

And in those moments, a realization hit him.

A realization that stung.

This was what he had been missing all along in Hollywood - 'Presence'.

Keanu had it in spades, an effortless aura that commanded attention the second he stepped into frame.

Andrew? He hadn't yet figured out how to create that same magic.

Still during the shoot there wasn't time to dwell on those thoughts.

The filming schedule moved like clockwork, and before he knew it, they had wrapped the final scene.

And the quality? It wasn't just passable.

It looked like a mid-budget production.

Andrew could hardly believe how Regal had managed to achieve so much with so little.

Looking back now, standing on the brink of the film's release, Andrew felt something stir deep inside him.

For the first time in years, there was hope.

Not the desperate, wide-eyed hope that had driven him when he first arrived in Hollywood, but something steadier.

This wasn't just another job.

And this 50 mm long screen before him was all the proof he needed.

Proof that talent and vision could still shine through, even without million-dollar budgets or industry backing.

Proof that maybe he hadn't been chasing a dead dream all this time.

….

He was actually sitting in a movie theater.

The morning show, right after yesterday's screening.

He was supposed to watch it with the crew at the 10 a.m. show, but he couldn't wait that long.

He needed to see it now, to experience it with an unfiltered audience, to feel their reactions in real-time.

So he had come alone.

After this, he would meet up with the rest of the team.

But for now, the movie was reaching its final moments.

….

"...I didn't follow them. I followed myself."

The words hang in the air, echoing through the theater, as the screen blacks out.

Then, a new name flashed on the screen that caught the eyes-

[Written and Directed by Regal Seraphsail & Team]

….

The audience is left in stunned silence, the weight of his confession reverberating long after the credits roll.

As the rest of the cast and crew scroll onto the screen, the haunting score plays softly, leaving the audience in quiet contemplation.

….and as the credits rolled on for a minute, slowly, the theater emptied.

But there are always a few who stay behind - people too lazy to stand in line for the exit or those who make it a habit to watch the credits to the bitter end.

And by the time the credits are near their end, only about five people remain.

Of course, Andrew was one of few.

Still sitting on the chair, looking at the now emptied seats… he could tell.

Despite being an indie film, their promotions had clearly paid off - these are definitely more people filling the seats compared to other indie films he had worked on.

It was the first show of the morning, on a Tuesday no less - an unconventional weekday for a release, unlike the usual Friday release.

But those who came? They definitely enjoyed the film.

He certainly did.

If this momentum kept up and word-of-mouth spread, there was a real chance this very theater could be packed in the coming days.

At least, that was what Andrew was hoping for.

And then, something completely unexpected happened on the screen.

Even for Andrew... yeah, even he had no idea what was going on.

The screen, which should have gone dark, flickers back to life, and the camera cuts to a shot of Bill in prison.

The scene slowly holds for a beat too long, too unsettling, before focusing on something even more ominous - Bill's journal.

The few remaining souls in the theater lean forward, eyes locked on the screen.

The final page of Bill's journal fills the frame, and written in Cobb's distinct handwriting, a chilling note appears -

"You needed me, Bill. And you will need me again."

The screen cuts to black.

However, immediately the screen flashes once more.

The title appears in bold letters:

[Following Back]

A ripple of confusion and excitement runs through the few people left in the theater as a new layer has been added to the story - one that teases a continuation, a second part they hadn't expected.

Meanwhile, as Andrew was the last to leave the theater, he muttered to himself.

"I didn't know there was a second part to this…"

And to his 'surprise', he was actually in that 'part' of the movie.

.

….

[To be continued…]

★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★

Author Note:

Visit Patreon to instantly access +1 chapter for free, available to Free Members as well.

For additional content, please do support me and gain access to +10 more chapters.

–> p@treon.com/OrgoWriters