SYNOPSIS:

Detective Owen is interrogating a man named Al who was pulled over by an undercover cop for smacking his car. That doesn’t interest Det. Owen, it’s the jacket Al is wearing. The jacket belongs to a man named John Morris who went missing so Det. Owen wants to know where Al got the jacket. After humming and hawing Al admits he met John in a park and John left the jacket behind, stating he was “disappearing”. The jacket was a perfect fit so Al decided to keep it. Since there’s nothing to hold Al on, Det. Owen lets him go but soon discovers Al isn’t “Al” at all, but a man with no identity who gets through life by “mooching” and assuming people’s identities. When Det. Owen finally tracks down Al, he finds out Al doesn’t only assume people’s identities. He takes their souls as well, and has made a deal with a mysterious man to exchange his soul for all the lives he’s “mooched”. Det. Owen is rendered powerless by the mysterious man, and is forced to watch him take Al away, leaving behind Al’s camera. Det. Owen goes through the camera seeing all the photos of lives he’s affected, including a photo of himself.

THE MOOCH (SHORT)