ACT 2, SCENE 1 INT: MAYOR’S HOME – DAY
BANGING on a door wakes the MAYOR from a sleep on his desk with a gun in his hand. He’s head is pounding and he is confused.
The door burst open. It is the POLICE GUARD stationed outside followed by his wife, CHRISTINA.
POLICE OFFICER:
Sir, are you okay?
CHRISTINA:
What are you doing with that gun?
MAYOR:
Slow down. My head.
POLICE OFFICER:
Sir please put the gun down.
MAYOR obliges but with confusion.
CHRISTINA:
Did you hear the man that attacked us last night?
MAYOR (struggles to get it out):
Yes.
CHRISTINA:
He grabbed me and knocked me out. Could he still be here?
POLICE:
Alright this is an emergency. Backup should be here shortly. I’m sorry sir somehow they got to me outside before I could do anything. I just came too.
CHRISTINA:
Are we being targeted? Are we?
POLICE OFFICER:
We need to move outside and make sure this house is clear.
MAYOR:
No. Everything’s fine.
CHRISTINA:
Have you lost your mind? We were attacked!
MAYOR:
Relax. You’re sick. I don’t want you to flare up. Just let me think.
CHRISTINA:
Stop being delusional. Let’s go.
MAYOR:
You’re right.
CHRISTINA is a little shocked.
CHRISTINA:
Then let’s go.
MAYOR gets up to check her.
MAYOR:
But I need to stay here. There’s so much more I have to do.
CHRISTINA:
What?
MAYOR:
I…I think you should get checked out. Make sure you’re ok.
POLICE officer:
The units are outside.
MAYOR:
Take her with you. Get her to a hospital.
CHRISTINA:
George, you’re not staying here.
MAYOR:
I have to finish what I started. I got to get the press together. I gotta save the people. They need me.
POLICE:
Sir?
MAYOR:
Get me the police commissioner. This is out of control. It has gone on long enough.
CHRISTINA:
What aren’t you telling me? George? What’s going on?
MAYOR:
Get her out of here.
POLICE:
I strongly advise that you go with your wife. Maybe get checked out too.
MAYOR:
I’m not scared. I’m not crazy. I know what I’m doing.
CHRISTINA:
What *are* you doing?
MAYOR:
I love you. Go.
MAYOR goes back to his desk as police officers come in and CHRISTINA is escorted out.
CHRISTINA:
George?
MAYOR’S head is throbbing.
MAYOR:
There’s a lot to do.
MAYOR eyes the gun deeply.
ACT 2, SCENE 2 EXT TRAP HOUSE – DAY
RICKY is walking back with bags of food. People start picking at the bags.
MEMBER #1:
Finally.
RICKY:
Why yall out here? You know we gotta keep chill now.
MEMBER #1:
Man, I ain’t got time to play games with Loco, feel me?
RICKY:
This ain’t got checkers. So what the hell you talking about?
MEMBER #2:
He keeps replaying that video over and over and talking about the Goatman.
RICKY:
That’s just how he talks. I remember going after Shaunice, but just sitting there, because the car was gone. He blamed that on the Goatman.
MEMBER #2:
But he talks like the Goatman’s standing right behind you.
RICKY tries to play it off that he isn’t looking behind him.
MEMBER #2:
And you know Loco put that video online? It’s everywhere. You could hear us in the video. I went out a lil bit…
RICKY:
You can’t do that.
MEMBER #2:
This ain’t prison. I needed reception, and I’m glad I did, because my BM’s seent the video. She saying she could hear me in it. I can’t stay here.
MEMBER #3:
Everyone’s talking about what happened to Jay. They saying that nigga’s in a coma.
MEMBER #1:
Bump that. I already got probation. I ain’t doing time for Jay or Loco.
RICKY:
Aite chill. Y’all are bugging.
MEMBER #1:
I ain’t gonna snitch. I just can’t be here, feel me?
RICKY:
What’d Loco say?
The MEMBERS look at each other nervously.
MEMBER 1:
He’s been laughing at everything.
RICKY is concerned.
ACT 2, SCENE 3 INT: TRAP HOUSE – CONT’D
LOCO is sitting on the couch, rewatching the video of JAMAL’S ASSAULT on his phone.
RICKY yanks the phone from his grasp. LOCO is so mesmerized he can’t even get up.
RICKY:
You aight?
LOCO (LAUGHING):
Quit playing and give me back my video.
RICKY:
Damn, you weren’t this nice when I left. What you on?
LOCO:
Did you see his face?
RICKY:
Yea I saw his face.
LOCO (laughing):
His eyes were outta his head like this…
RICKY:
Here eat something. (PAUSE) Everyone’s thinking bout leaving.
LOCO:
They can go.
RICKY:
I can’t leave you like this.
LOCO:
Then you stay. Can I get my phone back?
RICKY:
You heard Jay’s in a coma? Don’t people die in comas?
LOCO:
He left us and snitched. He knew what would happen.
RICKY:
Yea, but people know I was there. I jetted right after. They gonna start looking for me. All of us.
LOCO:
Then don’t get caught.
RICKY:
I ain’t got nowhere else to go.
LOCO:
Then you stuck with me.
LOCO laughs and grabs his phone back.
LOCO:
This is my home. We good here. We could disappear.
RICKY:
How we gonna do that?
LOCO laughs and RICKY holds back a grin. RICKY starts to get up.
RICKY:
I’m gonna check on them outside.
LOCO:
No you not.
RICKY:
Nah for real.
LOCO:
Stay with me. We good.
RICKY reluctantly sits down.
RICKY:
You ain’t worried?
LOCO:
Shut up…
RICKY:
Seriously?
LOCO:
And close your eyes.
RICKY:
Bro?
LOCO:
Have I ever lied to you?
RICKY:
I trust you. I just don’t know…
LOCO:
You hear that?
RICKY shakes his head.
LOCO:
If you listen hard enough, you could almost hear him breathing.
RICKY turns around and finds the mural of the GOATMAN behind him. In the background, LOCO laughs.
ACT 2, SCENE 4 INT: HOSPITAL – MORNING
MARLEIGHA is sitting in a waiting room. In the background, a news report about a potential break-in at the MAYOR’S HOME. LEIGH is stunned.
OMAR comes running into the place with AMED. AMED taps OMAR and points out LEIGH. They somberly sit down next to her.
LEIGH:
They won’t let me see him. Only family members are allowed, and his mom didn’t want any visitors. He has all these tubes sticking out of him. They say he might not ever wake up. Something about swelling in his brain.
LEIGH cries. OMAR wraps his arms around her.
OMAR:
It’s okay.
LEIGH:
No, it’s not. People I care about keep leaving me. This whole city is out of its mind!
OMAR:
I can’t disagree with you there.
LEIGH:
I can’t do this anymore.
OMAR:
Yes, you can. What we foster kids go through gives us skin like steel against the world. We know what justice and fairness is.
AMED:
Whose blood is that on your dress?
OMAR:
How is that helpful, Amed?
LEIGH looks at her dress.
LEIGH:
Jamal’s. They didn’t hurt me.
AMED:
You should go home and change. Get some rest.
LEIGH:
No.
OMAR:
Sister is waiting for you at the house. She wanted me to pick you up.
LEIGH:
Because she was too drunk to do it herself? No thank you. I don’t need a ride from her or you.
OMAR:
You’ve been through so much today. You really need to rest and let us help you.
LEIGH:
What’s sleep gonna do when Shaunice is dead? When Jamal’s in a coma? When Loco’s out there probably waiting to get me too? No, I’m not gonna sleep. I’m tired of adults telling me what to do because they think they know what’s best for me, because they think they’ve gone through what I’ve gone through. I’m done. Your way doesn’t work.
OMAR:
Leigh…
LEIGH:
You said it yourself. I know what justice and fairness looks like. And since no one else cares, I’m gonna get justice…my way.
LEIGH gets up and walks out the hospital.
AMED:
See. You weren’t helpful either.
OMAR:
Shut up. She’s gonna get herself hurt or worse, get in the way.
AMED:
She’s right though. I let this go on for too long.
OMAR:
No you didn’t.
AMED:
I did. I had that loco thug. I could’ve gotten rid of him then if I did what I was supposed to do. If I did my job. Instead of listening to you guys.
OMAR:
Amed, quit it. You’re getting yourself amped up.
AMED:
We should’ve focused on people like Loco, not the Mayor and bad ass teens. What did Shaunice have to do with anything anyway?
OMAR:
Damn it, Amed. Not here. You see where we are?
AMED:
The same hospital you and I were in when I had tubes sticking out of me.
OMAR quietly answers.
OMAR:
Sister said…
AMED:
Sister says jump. You jump. Sister asks a question. You answer. Why can’t you see that love she got for you isn’t real?
OMAR:
You need to stop talking or I’ll make you stop.
AMED:
Brother against brother. That’s what the bible says.
OMAR:
Amed, do you need to see Rev again?
AMED:
Rev got the movement he wanted. Sister had her temporary children until she got her justice, but what about us?
OMAR:
What about us?
AMED:
We should be happy. We did this to be happy.
OMAR:
I’m happy.
AMED:
I’m not. I should’ve protected us. And Jamal. I should’ve been doing my job.
OMAR:
What does that mean? Where are you going?
AMED:
To see if my clearance is still any good here.
OMAR follows him.
ACT 2, SCENE 5 INT- HOSPITAL – ICU – CONT’D
JAMAL COLE lays in a bed with a heart monitor beeping beside him. His face is swollen and bandaged. At his bedside, MS. COLE holds his hand.
KNOCK at the door and AMED enters with OMAR.
MS. COLE:
What are you doing here? I told them no visitors.
AMED:
I told them I was a detective. For right now at least, I’m still a police officer.
MS. COLE:
Do you think I need you right now? Could you really do anything for him? Look at what they did to him? Look what they did to your boy?
OMAR:
Excuse me?
MS COLE smiles.
MS. COLE:
Whatever’s done in the dark comes out to light. At least, that’s what your brother tried to keep running from. So why bother being here now, Mohamed?
AMED walks up to JAMAL’S bedside.
AMED:
I gave you money. I stayed away. I kept him as far away from me as possible. I wanted better for him.
OMAR:
Amed, am I an uncle?
AMED:
He showed up at the station. I knew it was him the moment I saw him. He looks just like Omar.
OMAR stares at JAMAL.
OMAR:
It’s funny. I kept telling him he and I were related.
AMED:
And when he opened his mouth, I couldn’t deny the truth. He’s my son, and I should’ve done my job and helped him put Loco away.
MS. COLE:
Why didn’t you?
AMED:
I couldn’t. I was scared.
OMAR:
Why did you keep him away from us?
AMED:
Cause we’re cursed, Omar. I didn’t want him anywhere near us.
MS. COLE:
All he wanted to do was make others happy. He took care of people. Always good with his little brothers. He may have cut up from time to time, but he came home. He always came home. I want him to be a good man. I want him to wake up. Wake up, baby. Please.
AMED cries.
AMED:
I didn’t want this for him.
OMAR grabs AMED’S hand and together they hold onto JAMAL’S hand.
AMED:
It’s the curse.
OMAR:
Is it okay if we pray for him?
MS. COLE:
Anything.
They bow their heads.
OMAR:
Father, God, be with us right now.
ACT 2, SCENE 6 EXT: HOSPITAL – CONT’D
LEIGH gets onto the AC METRO BUS.
ACT 2, SCENE 7 INT: BUS – CONT’D
She takes her seat ignoring the stares she gets from other passengers.
OMAR (V.O.):
Only you know just what we need even before we say a word. Please God, move Heaven and Earth to be with us now. Heal Jamal. Bring him back to us. Find those who took part of this and touch their hearts. Fill it with peace only you can provide. Give us the eyes to see You. Help us find justice.
NEBTHET ENNEAD comes into view behind LEIGH and whispers.
NEB:
Done.
LEIGH tosses her head back violently and her eyes glow.
END OF ACT 2