ACT 3, SCENE 1 INT: NETTA’S HOME – BEDROOM – MORNING/DAY
LEIGH is wide awake in bed.
Knock at the door. Then SISTER enters.
SISTER:
Good morning. We’ll leave here in a few.
LEIGH nods.
CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 2, INT: NETTA’S HOME – BATHROOM – SAME
LEIGH is in church clothes at the bathroom sink. She stares blankly at her reflection. She turns on the faucet, but there’s no water running, except eerie groaning pipes that sound like painful moans. Then the water jets out.
HARD CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 3, INT: NETTA’S HOME – FOYER – SAME
Phone is ringing in the background.
LEIGH:
The bathroom sink’s still acting up. Did the pastor-plumber ever come by to fix it?
SISTER:
No, but it’s funny how that only happens to you. I know what the problem is though. It’s coming from the basement. I’ll have someone come by tomorrow.
LEIGH stares at the basement door and cringes.
As SISTER and LEIGH head out, the phone is still ringing.
LEIGH:
Do you want me to get that?
SISTER:
Ignore it. I checked the id. It’s your social worker. We’ll talk to them tomorrow. Who calls on a Sunday? That’s a sin and a shame.
They head out the front door.
ACT 3, SCENE 4, EXT: RISE CHURCH – AFTERNOON
Standing on church’s front steps are OMAR, MOHAMED and LINDA BUTLER. People are heading inside the church around them. AMED is looking up and down the street nervous.
AMED:
I hate standing out here like this.
OMAR:
It’s okay. Relax.
AMED:
I shouldn’t be here. I’m bringing attention to the church. I’m a walking media thunder pole.
Across the street are media trucks and reporters.
OMAR:
It’s not all about you, Amed. They’re here for Rev.
AMED:
It’s not right.
LINDA:
Amed, listen to your brother. Relax.
LINDA tries to touch AMED affectionately, but he pulls away. LINDA frowns.
OMAR:
There she is.
SISTER and LEIGH walk up the steps. OMAR embraces SISTER first with a tight hug. SISTER touches the side of AMED’S face and he softens.
SISTER:
You should never have to go through these horrible things alone. This is your family. There is no better protection than that. We are stronger together. Always have. Always will be.
CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 5, INT: RISE – AFTERNOON
REVEREND JOSEPH MACCABEE bangs his fist against the pulpit where he stands.
REV MAC:
This is the sermon about families. For some of us, family is all we got. Related or not, that can be the strongest bond we have in this world. When times are tight, who do you call? Shout it out. Don’t be shy. Who do you call?
CONGREGATION ADLIBS
REV MAC
Yes. Each of those are your family. Your family is: your home, your strength, your motivation, your heroes, your saviors, your redeemers; your rock; your foundation.
As REV goes on and on, FOCUS ON THE PEWS. SISTER is beaming with all her children around her. OMAR catches her smile and squeezes her hand.
REV MAC:
But they can also be: your destruction, your crutch, your place of hurt and shame, the demons you try to stay away from.
CONGREGATION ADLIBS
REV MAC:
Am I right? I’ve been down that road. I’ve been called out my name by people I loved. Had more than my fair share of licks from people who should’ve loved me.
RACHEL MACCABEE sits in a chair at the altar behind REV. Her smile falters, but she pushes on to hold it.
REV MAC:
And God said to let them go, to let the past go, to let the crutch go, to hurt no more, to leave behind destruction and walk with HIM! You make that decision every day to walk with Him, your Father, with his Mother, Mary, his brothers, The Disciplines; The Holy Family. Your church family. You’ve got all you need right here. Am I right?
CONGREGATION is on their feet.
CUT TO ACT 3, SCENE 6, INT: RISE – AFTERNOON
At the end of the service, REV MAC is surrounded by parishioners, mostly by women, who want to shake his hand.
WOMEN:
That was a beautiful sermon, Rev. Rev Mac, pray for this city. Bless me, Rev. Just lay a hand on me.
RACHEL is by REV’S side, but he gets pulled away to speak with someone. She’s left alone to watch REV MAC gleefully answer all the female parishioners.
CUT TO: BACK OF THE CHURCH
LINDA:
He’s getting real popular, isn’t it?
LEIGH:
I’ve seen him on the news enough times.
OMAR:
It’s about time. He particularly works miracles.
AMED:
It’s true. He saved me.
LINDA:
I’m glad he helped. Really. We’ve all had it really bad this month. We need miracles.
SISTER:
We’ll have to schedule a time to see him privately, Leigh, but I know he’ll pray for us though. We need all the protection we can get.
LINDA:
Why? What’s happening?
SISTER:
She was almost run over.
AMED:
Did you call the police?
LEIGH:
Yeah.
LINDA:
Let’s not talk about work here. People could be listening.
AMED shrugs her off.
AMED:
Did they find out who it was?
LEIGH:
It was probably the Crips, but they missed me. I was saved by an angel.
OMAR, AMED, LINDA, and SISTER all pipe up at the same time.
LINDA / SISTER / OMAR / AMED:
An angel? / It was NEB. / REALLY? / Did she bless you?
There’s SCREAMING from the back of the church. People are running from the door.
OMAR and AMED pull LEIGH, LINDA, and SISTER behind them for protection.
A disheveled WOMAN/ZOMBIE in red enters the church. There are drug tracks and blackened veins up her arms. She’s foaming at the mouth and snapping her jaws wildly. She makes mindless grunts and swipes at people.
AMED reaches for a gun that’s not there.
RANDOM PARISHIONER:
Someone call 911!
ZOMBIE is about to attack someone.
REV MAC:
NO! Wait! Stop, demon!
ZOMBIE looks up at him, screams and runs down the aisle towards him.
REV walks towards it.
ZOMBIE and REV meet in the center of the church. Before she could attack, REV smacks his hand on the ZOMBIE’S FOREHEAD.
REV:
Leave this woman, demon. The Lord compels you.
REV cups his hands around the ZOMBIE’S FACE. ZOMBIE is screaming.
REV:
Father God, rid this woman of her affliction. Release her!
ZOMIE’S GROWLS weaken to whimpers as zombie collapses to the ground.
REV looks over at the ZOMIE.
SINGLE LOUD CAMERA FLASH.
A reporter lowers his camera from his face.
ACT 3, SCENE 7 REV HOME – NIGHT
At the dinner table REV is smiling, eating his dinner and texting wildly on his phone. He chuckles to himself.
REV:
Look at what someone replied to it on the twitter.
RACHEL:
“Someone needs to make this man viral.” What’s that mean?
REV:
I don’t know, but it’s spreading. I’ve got 100,000 views so far.
Phone rings with a text message.
REV:
The secretary wants to know if it’s okay to hand out my personal number. What do you think?
RACHEL:
Joe, I don’t know. This is…
REV:
…An amazing opportunity for the parish. Those are the only words that should be coming out of your mouth. There’s an epidemic of pain and addiction out there, and I could be the difference.
RACHEL:
I know.
REV:
Then why is your faith lacking? I’ve thought we’ve dealt with your weaknesses already. I can pray harder.
RACHEL:
No, no, Joe. It’s not that. It’s working. I’m just worried about the questions.
REV:
What questions?
RACHEL:
The longer we’re in the light the more that gets exposed. The more people’ll see.
REV:
See what? Speak up Rachel. I hate it when you mumble like this.
RACHEL:
We’ve gone through so much already. They’ll ask about you and me. They’ll look into your past.
REV:
I have nothing to hide. You *know* I have nothing to hide.
RACHEL:
What if they find out about Bettie?
REV:
Don’t speak that girl’s name in my house. If the drugs didn’t get her, maybe the Lord did. She was on a path of destruction and lies. Don’t let her lies tear us down.
RACHEL:
I’ve never left you Rev. I’ve been through the bad with you just promise to do the same for me. Don’t forget me. Aren’t I more important than our church or your meetings?
REV:
Of course you are.
He reaches out to hold her hand.
REV:
You believe me don’t you?
RACHEL hesitates to touch him, but then his phone rings. It rings as it…
CUT TO BLACK
END OF ACT 3