ACT 4, SCENE 1 EXT – PARK – MID AFTERNOON
Festive atmosphere. Food on a grill. Drummers playing music on a stage. Children and adults are gathered around. Signs are held up demanding to “Reclaim the Bricks”. The people are excited to see REV JOE MAC. They attempt to reach out and touch him as he passes through them. He is smiling brightly.
ACT 4, SCENE 2 INT: TRAP HOUSE
Music is playing while LOCO and the boys are smoking. RICKY holds up his phone.
RICKY:
You wouldn’t believe who we chilling with?
CAMERA POV: MAYOR is blinded by the camera phone’s flash.
RICKY (O.S.):
Say what’s up, Mayor Apostolou? Can I call you George?
MAYOR pushes the camera out of his face. END CAMERA POV.
MAYOR:
Delete that.
RICKY:
Relax, bro.
MAYOR:
I’m serious.
LOCO passes a blunt to the MAYOR.
LOCO:
You’re making me nervous acting all official and shit.
MAYOR:
Not today. I actually came to talk.
LOCO:
I know what you want.
MAYOR:
I doubt it.
LOCO:
You want that white girl.
MAYOR:
How’d you know about that?
Before the MAYOR could protest, LOCO pulls out a bag of coke.
MAYOR:
Oh.
LOCO:
I got you. I promise this is the non-zombie shit.
RICKY:
R.I.P. Bezerk.
LOCO:
I sold the last bag of that shit to some church lady.
MAYOR:
So you’ve been pushing that shit?
LOCO just smiles.
LOCO:
This is the clean version. Trust.
MAYOR stares emotionless as out of frame LOCO cuts up the coke into lines.
LOCO sniffs hard as he does a line. He howls and laughs.
MAYOR:
You got some balls to push that shit in my city.
LOCO:
I sweat and kill for mine. What do you do? Push papers? Debate?
MAYOR:
Caniff Park is practically in my backyard. You don’t think the neighbors or I hear all that music back here? If it weren’t for me, this whole area would be flat.
LOCO:
Am I scared? Y’all no better than us just because you live in the woods.
MAYOR:
I could have the police wipe you guys out of here like that. You’re lucky I’m on your side.
LOCO:
That’s why I like you. You know loyalty.
MAYOR:
So if we’re talking business, all I’m asking is for you to be fucking serious.
LOCO:
Why?
LOCO laughs.
MAYOR:
You should be tested.
RICKY shrugs.
LOCO:
Don’t waste my good shit George. It’s like angel hairs touching my face right now.
MAYOR:
That’s not why I’m here.
LOCO:
Ain’t your wife sick? Ain’t people protesting you and shit? My nigga, I know you need this more than me.
MAYOR doesn’t contemplate long. He gives in and snorts a line too. He sits back as if knocked on his ass and starts to daze away.
LOCO (O.S):
You’re the best mayor in the world!
ACT 4, SCENE 3 EXT: PARK – CONT’D
A circle has gathered around REV. With a bullhorn, he speaks.
REV:
What a movement we’ve formed today.
CROWD CHEERS.
REV:
And where is the Mayor?
CROWD JEERS.
INTERCUT ACT 4, SCENE 4 INT: TRAP HOUSE – CONT’D
MAYOR is laughing, paranoid, and laughing with LOCO and RICKY. They are smoking now and the MAYOR joins in with them. RICKY holds up his camera phone and the MAYOR and LOCO pose and takes a picture.
REV (O.S.):
We are sick of being forgotten. We are sick of coming in second or third to the fat pockets. We are sick of being kicked out of our homes and exposed to the cold of poverty.
ACT 4, SCENE 3 EXT: PARK – CONT’D
REV:
Astro City is our city, lest City Hall and the Mayor forget. The Bricks is ours. You got rich off what we built, and we will reclaim it, brick by brick if we have too.
CROWD:
Brick by brick! Brick by brick!
REV:
But no movement is complete without first acknowledging our Savior. Just like Him, many have sacrificed for us to be here today. Blest are the poor in spirit, because ours is the kingdom of Heaven. Amen!
CROWD:
Amen!
REV:
Let us pray. Hand in hand.
Several hands in the crowd clasp together.
REV is satisfied as he takes the hand of RACHEL by his side.
REV:
Smile. All that we dreamed of building is happening.
RACHEL is scared, but goes along.
REV looks out onto the crowd.
REV:
Every hand now. The person to your left and right. Even the little ones. Find every hand. We’re gonna be one body and one movement today.
ACT 4, SCENE 5 INT: TRAP HOUSE – CONT’D
The MAYOR is high and very chummy now with LOCO and RICKY. They are huddled together talking.
MAYOR:
Watch. You’d be stressed too if you were me. The pressures are astronomical.
RICKY:
What?
MAYOR:
Big. People playing 21 questions, wanting money from me, riding me about stuff I could honestly give a shit about! You know what I mean?
LOCO:
Exactly, bro.
MAYOR:
And then you got men who lie right to your face.
LOCO:
Fuck boys.
MAYOR:
What?
RICKY:
Pussies that ain’t about shit.
MAYOR:
See! This is why I like you guys! When I was your age I was getting into all kinds of crazy shit.
LOCO:
For real? Like what?
MAYOR:
Man, I got stories. I felt like I owned everything. I was unstoppable. That’s what they don’t fucking get. It was deeper than black or white. It’s about power. I had power and people respected me. Only the stupid fucked with me.
LOCO:
Yea. I like that. I don’t want anyone fucking with me.
MAYOR:
When they crossed the line, I let them know who was in charge.
RICKY:
Facts.
MAYOR:
Ever killed someone?
RICKY:
This is a no snitch zone.
LOCO:
Why do you want to know?
MAYOR:
Seems like we have a lot in common. Maybe you could help me out with a couple people. Show them we’re not scared.
LOCO smiles as he hears howling winds.
INTERCUT VOICE OVER WITH ACT 4, SCENE 5 INT: MELISSA’S APARTMENT.
Pan up from the desk of paper work to see an angry MELISSA. She’s upset that she fell for it again.
MAYOR (V.O.):
Like always you get the car, the money, the power, whatever you need…
ACT 4, SCENE 6 EXT: PARK – CONT’D
MAYOR (V.O.):
Just make it look real.
CU of REV’S hand reveal bulged veins that are impossibly large. Move up his arm and his entire face is crawling with worms under his skins.
RACHEL’s eyes are rolled to the back of her head.
WIDE SHOT of the crowd as their eyes roll to the back of their heads too.
REV is smiling.
MAYOR (V.O.)
Make it count.
ACT 4, SCENE 7 INT: TRAP HOUSE – CONT’D
RICKY:
Wait. You talking about killing someone?
MAYOR:
Listen. You said it. Not me. And that’s how it’s gonna be. Just between us. You got that?
RICKY:
Yo, I don’t know about all that.
LOCO:
You scared of a little blood, Roc?
RICKY:
Nah, just…we doing this? He could be setting us up.
LOCO:
Not this guy. This ain’t about set ups. (to the MAYOR). They gonna put respect on our names.
As LOCO laughs, MAYOR smiles.
END OF ACT 4