ACT 5, SCENE 1 EXT: J-COOL’S VARIETY – LATE NIGHT
Outside the store is a mild commotion. Police sirens light up the street. Passersby stop and look on curiously.
LEIGH is sitting on the sidewalk curb desperately searching through her phone. Her hands are trembling. She’s crying.
In the background, JOSE tells an officer his version of events. Jose is agitated.
JOSE (OS):
What’s video footage gonna do? I saw them with my eyes. Get up off your asses and find them!
LEIGH holds the phone to her ears.
PHONE (O.S.)
I’m sorry that mailbox is full.
LEIGH:
Bullshit!
LEIGH cries harder, until SISTER walks up to her and hands her a cup of tea.
SISTER:
C’mon now, baby. It’s alright. You’re safe now. Drink this. It’ll help.
LEIGH refuses the cup. SISTER puts an arm around her.
LEIGH:
He lied to me.
SISTER:
Who?
LEIGH:
Jamal.
SISTER:
I don’t know a Jamal. You never talked to me about a Jamal. Did he do this?
LEIGH:
He was supposed to be a friend. He said they caught Loco, but he was right here. I thought he was gonna hurt me like he did Shaunice!
SISTER:
Your friend hurt Shaunice?
LEIGH:
Not Loco. He’s a monster. Oh my god! What if he’s already gotten to Jamal?
LEIGH tries calling again. SISTER gently tugs the phone away.
LEIGH:
No! I need to know.
As LEIGH breaks into sobs…
SISTER:
This city got to you, didn’t it? Got right under your skin, but I won’t let any bad happen to you again.
AMED:
I’d trust her if I was you.
LEIGH and SISTER look up in surprised. AMED is standing behind them in plain clothes.
AMED:
I believed every word that came out of her mouth the moment my brother and I showed up at her doorsteps. She never let us down since.
SISTER:
Amed! You’re laying it on too thick, aren’t you?
AMED:
If only I were lying.
SISTER and AMED hug sincerely.
SISTER:
Leigh, Amed is one of my first foster children. He’s practically my son. I raised him since he was in elementary. Even then he took his word seriously. He’ll catch the fools that did this. I know it.
LEIGH:
We’ve met already. What are you doing here?
AMED:
Overtime. The AC seems to be bursting out the seams, and *now* the Mayor wants to do something about it.
SISTER:
Brick by brick things will change. Rev Mac prophesied it.
AMED:
Leigh, can you tell me what happened here?
LEIGH:
I just finished telling it to that other guy. What more do you want from me?
AMED:
I ask, because maybe you’ll remember something new, something unique that can help us.
LEIGH:
Or maybe you think I’m lying?
AMED:
It’s nothing like that.
LEIGH:
There were four of them. Loco was with them. He just laughed while they all stared at me. He wanted Jamal.
LEIGH tries Jamal again.
LEIGH:
Pick up, please.
AMED:
If Loco’s asking about him, maybe he hasn’t found him. Maybe Jamal’s safe wherever he is.
LEIGH hangs up the phone in frustration.
LEIGH:
Why is Loco still out? I thought you and Jamal had a plan.
SISTER:
A plan? Amed, what plan? What are you letting these kids get involved in?
AMED:
They’re not. And that plan didn’t work. Sorry.
LEIGH:
But why would Jamal lie to me? Why?
AMED is taken aback by this. SISTER shoos him away and cradles LEIGH in her arms.
ACT 5, SCENE 2 EXT: TRAP HOUSE – SAME NIGHT
LOCO, RICKY, and CROC crew are partying around a bonfire. They are loud and lively, a celebratory atmosphere, drinks and drugs are being passed around freely. Everyone is having a good time, except LOCO, who’s staring at the fire intensely, not smiling.
VARIOUS (OS)
You should’ve seen her face. ‘Gum. Chicleta!’ Pass that shit, bro. She shitted herself I bet.
TEEN GIRL, DARLAH, tries flirting with LOCO. She’s unsuccessful at getting his attention. DARLAH goes over to RICKY.
DARLAH:
What’s wrong with him?
RICKY:
Yo, Loco, you’re scaring Dee. Chill. Those pigs can’t touch you. You like oil, all slick and shit. Here. Loosen up.
LOCO refuses to drink. He also refuses a bag of white strongly.
LOCO:
Leave Vincent’s shit for the bums. That shits not for us.
RICKY:
Why you still mad? I told you Jay was a snitch.
LOCO:
I see it now. He was flexing the entire time. He wasn’t made for this.
RICKY:
He always thought he was better than us with his Captain Save-a-hoe rap. ‘My moms always talked about kings cherishing their queens’? Like what kind of shit is that?
LOCO:
He was talking about chess. To him: we’re all playing our role like chess pieces.
RICKY:
Well, I don’t know nothing about chess. Checkers, maybe. Jumping over niggas so that they can crown me, I know about that.
LOCO:
He fucked up the moment he started believing that we’re just pieces being moved around, and that we have no control over what we do. That everything happens the way it’s supposed to happen, and we’re all playing our parts. I *never* believed that.
RICKY:
That’s mad deep. You sound like a book and shit!
LOCO smiles again. Slaps DARLAH on the butt.
RICKY:
He’s back!
LOCO:
I make my own moves before someone else ever tells me what to do. That’s how I survived this long. I tried to teach Jay that, but he played me. I got a fix for him.
LOCO looks away from the fire as from HIS POV one of the CROC BOYS nicknamed BEZ is taking a line of Vincent’s drugs.
BEZ reacts instantly to his hit. Eyes fluttering, pupils dilating, and limbs spazzing. His blood is rushing, boiling. He’s growing more and more agitated. He gets up and pushes someone out of his way. He grunts aggressively.
LOCO:
Shut up and close your eyes, Bez.
LOCO keeps laughing hysterically as BEZ stumbles away from the group.
RICKY (OS):
Yo Bezerk’s done, bro.
ACT 5, SCENE 3 EXT: CANIFF PARK – WOODS – CONT’D
Bez walks away. He is stumbling through the woods. FLASH CUT: with images of He leans up against a tree and moonlight reflecting of his eyes and gives it a fluorescent glow.
ACT 5, SCENE 4 INT: CAR – LATE NIGHT
OMAR is driving Sarah around.
SARAH:
Nothing’s going to be the same anymore. I can’t wait to be outta this dump. It’s going downhill *FAST*. Now buildings are exploding. Thank God I wasn’t there.
OMAR:
You lived in the Bricks?
SARAH:
Does anyone actually live in the Bricks? Or they just slowly dying?
OMAR:
Good question. I got another one. You go to church?
SARAH:
That’s your question? What have those hypocrites done for me lately?
OMAR:
I was gonna call all that’s happened to you a miracle, but now I don’t think you’ll agree.
SARAH:
Exactly. I make my own magic. Thank you.
OMAR:
Is that what it was like growing up for you? Doing it on your own?
SARAH:
You’ve never been this interested in me before. Honestly, I thought you were gay.
OMAR:
No, but I’m happy with the person I got. You and I definitely have that in common. We love people that not many will understand.
SARAH:
Quit talking all goofy and focus on the road please.
OMAR:
Seriously, I wanna know how you made it this far. Did you really do it on your own?
SARAH:
God damn right I did. No one cared about me. I struggled for everything, until George. He’s my ticket outta this life.
OMAR:
Everyone’s struggling in the AC. Some have it worse than others, and even worse, some wait patiently for saviors and trinkets. I used to think like that; that I’d always have people to save me. But that’s how humans are wired. We’re always looking to police, politicians, pastors, you name it, to solve our suffering. Nowhere is that more true than in big cities.
SARAH:
Now, you’re talking way *too* damn much. Where’s your off switch?
OMAR:
Hold up. You gotta hear me out. When my brother and I were young, he saved me from our mother, because I wasn’t strong enough to fight back then. He suffered because of it. He’s a cop now by the way. Fast forward, our foster mother saved me from myself. I love her for that. She showed me my real strength and taught me to channel it into something that could change the world, because how strong can I really be if I always relied on my brother or her to save me?
SARAH:
I don’t know this way to Uptown. Where are we going?
OMAR pulls over to the side of the road. There are woodlands everywhere.
OMAR:
Do you believe in angels?
SARAH:
Quit playing. Start driving or I’m calling George.
OMAR:
In a minute. I got to get this off my chest.
SARAH proceeds to pick up her phone and OMAR grabs her hands and pins them to her lap. She struggles to pull them. OMAR makes it look effortless.
OMAR:
I was saved by something like an angel, but she didn’t do exactly what you’d think angels do.
SARAH:
George is gonna kill you if you don’t start this fucking car right now!
OMAR:
She didn’t act as my conscience telling me I was wrong, like all Sunday school kids learn.
SARAH:
Fuck you!
SARAH seizes the opportunity and attacks OMAR, but he easily deflects her hands and wraps them up in his hand again. With his other hand, he crushes her cellphone into pieces effortlessly.
OMAR:
She saved me by enhancing what was in me the entire time. That’s where my super strength came from. I prayed for it and it was revealed within me.
SARAH:
HELP! SOMEONE!
OMAR:
You’re not listening to me. You can’t look to someone else to save you from suffering anymore. It’s always been in you to save yourself, and when you realize that, you’re operating on a whole other level. That’s the miracle of city living. At least that’s what my Pastor says. When you think about it, this *needed* to happen for you to see that. This is your miracle.
SARAH:
Let me go. I’ll tell you everything. It’s not even his baby.
OMAR:
Thank you. George’ll appreciate that.
SARAH:
Wait! There’s a reporter about to take him out.
OMAR:
Take him out? What’s the reporter’s name?
SARAH:
That annoying ass Melissa Day chic always on tv talking shit. Listen, I just want money. That’s the truth. She gave me money to keep talking. So you can’t fault me for milking the hell out my meal ticket, but…I’m willing to stay with the biggest bucks. I’m not stupid. I know how to keep quiet.
OMAR:
Huh. This is gonna make this harder than I thought.
SARAH:
C’mon keep driving. Please. This isn’t you. I know this isn’t you. You’re a good church boy.
OMAR:
Why are you still begging? You weren’t listening to me at all, but I’m here to fix that.
OMAR punches and strangles her, thrashing, violent, until her neck breaks.
END OF ACT 5