VIII. ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛ ʙᴇᴀsᴛs ᴜᴘʀɪsɪɴɢ

In a low voice... ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ʏᴇᴀʀs ʙᴀᴄᴋ, ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs ʙᴏʀɴ. ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ʙᴏʀɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴡᴀʀʀɪᴏʀs, ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴏᴜʀsᴇʟᴠᴇs. sᴏ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴜs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇs, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴋɪɴᴅ. ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴀɢᴏ, ᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴡᴀs ɪɴᴠᴀᴅᴇᴅ ʙʏ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴡʜᴏ sᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏ ɪᴛ. ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪs ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ, ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɪᴛ. sᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇᴅ, sᴀᴄʀɪғɪᴄɪɴɢ ᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴠᴇs, ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛʀᴇᴀsᴜʀᴇs ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀʀᴛʜ. ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴏғ ɴᴏ ʙɪɢ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ. ɪᴛ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴜs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ. ᴡᴇ’ᴠᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ ʙʏ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴡᴇ’ᴠᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪғ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ʙᴀsᴛᴀʀᴅs ᴀɪɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ᴠᴀᴄᴀᴛᴇ ᴏᴜʀ ʜᴏᴍᴇ, ɪᴛ’s ᴏᴋᴀʏ ʙʏ ᴜs. ʙᴜᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʟʟ ᴀʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ, ᴏɴᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ...! Blackout...! STREET - NIGHT ONE AARON, a teenage boy, wearing a hoodie on his head, walks across the street... There are a few PASSERS-BY on the street on the both sides as a few trucks pass across as well... Suddenly, AARON dashes into a clubhouse...! CLUBHOUSE - SAME TIME AARON comes in, taking his hood off his head as he moves over to the counter... The club is filled with quite a number of PEOPLE who are involved in one activity or the other... As AARON reaches the counter, the music keeps playing indistinctly. The BAR MANAGER notices AARON and he moves closer to him... BAR MANAGER - What can I get you? AARON looks around for a minute before giving his reply... AARON - Anything nice? BAR MANAGER - Alcoholic? AARON - No. Don't you have something else? BAR MANAGER; confused - Sure... The MANAGER, quite confused, moves over to the shelves right behind him and he get a bottle of drink from there. He then returns to AARON and he places a little glass cup right in front of him, on the counter. He opens the bottle and pours into the cup from it... AARON - What is that? BAR MANAGER - Not alcohol. AARON immediately grabs the cup and he turns the content into his mouth as the MANAGER tries sealing the bottle. AARON hits the cup on the counter... AARON; in a low voice - I need more. The MANAGER slowly turns to AARON and pours him one more round. AARON takes the drink off the counter, placing two coins on the counter in exchange. He leaves for a corner as the MANAGER picks up the two coins. CORNER - SAME TIME AARON comes to sit in the corner, still having his drink in his hand. He places the drink on the table and begins to watch the PEOPLE having fun with one another... Not far from where AARON sits, are some guys, big and huge. They are up to five of them, KELVIN, ZACS, RAYMOND, STEIN and TONY. The hugest among them is ZACS. They are all bullies. You can call them club-bullies, maybe. They always maltreat people and never get to pay for their actions. So the people already know them for their thuggish actions. Or maybe for only a newcomer who shouldn't know of course. But if not, you always get bullied. One of the STEWARDS, TRISY, having a tray of food, tries to walk across... ZACS then picks a piece from the food and he eats it, making the whole of the tray fall off TRISY's hands. TRISY looks pretty annoyed but there is nothing a teenage girl can do for these people. Oops, or maybe there is... Goddammit! - TRISY; extremely annoyed. ZACS; scoffing at TRISY - Come on, girl, bend down... TRISY; furious - What have you done?! ZACS; scoffing - How about you answer the question for your own self? What does it look like, huh?! TRISY; virtually in tears - You'll pay for this, Zacs! ZACS; in a low voice - Then make me pay for it already. Come on, suck it. Do it, baby-bitch...! ZACS' TEAM laughs at TRISY... Suddenly, TRISY jumps up and slaps ZACS on his face. That was definitely unexpected for ZACS. And now, he looks very mad at TRISY and she knows it. ZACS wipes his cheek with the tip of his first four fingers... ZACS; very aggravated - What the F? TRISY looks more frightened now as she tries to run away... Come back here, b***h! - ZACS says apoplectically as he pulls her back with rage. He hits her on the face and she falls on the ground, yelling... The CROWDS' attention is won... AARON from where he sits, keeps watching quietly... TRISY keeps yelling on the floor as ZACS keeps kicking her with his boot, still much furious. The CROWDS react, awful... ZACS keeps kicking TRISY so hard that TRISY can't even yell anymore. She reacts to the pain, but with no voice. Right from where he sits, AARON takes his last shot from the cup and he steps out of the corner and goes forward to the scene... AARON - Enough, leave the girl alone! The PEOPLE seem so surprised to hear that. They all look behind them to see AARON standing at an inch. ZACS and his TEAM exchange a glare concerning AARON. They also seem to be a bit surprised. AARON; confident - Yeah, leave her alone. ZACS and his TEAM come out of the CROWD, having every single one of them paving way immediately for them to pass through. The entire house becomes soundless as the DJ stops the music to painstakingly know what is to happen next. ZACS leads his TEAM right to AARON as the PEOPLE come along behind them, quietly... ZACS; still surprised - Who you? AARON; confident, calm - Doesn't matter, does it? You don't wanna know, trust me. ZACS looks frightened. He takes a look at his TEAM and notices they are all frightened, too. He then looks back unto AARON. ZACS; still frightened - Do you know who I am? AARON; still confident - How about telling me, huh? Who are you? Psycho-daddy-b***h? ZACS remains quiet and so is EVERYONE... AARON - I saw what happened, I was back there, watching. You were the first to step on her toes, weren't you?! You took from a customer's plate she was to deliver! You are the big fool, bro! ...TRISY slowly opens her eyes and sees AARON. She returns closing her eyes. ...and now, I advise you just walk away from this. Because if you don't, one of you gets hurt. I don't care to know who you think you are, psychopath-daddy-bitches! ZACS and his TEAM remain frightened as the whole house remains quiet... AARON - Better walk away. ZACS starts to laugh quietly... Suddenly, he punches AARON on the face and AARON passes out on the floor...! AARON'S HOUSE, BEDROOM - AN HOUR LATER While TRISY is asleep on the bed, AARON is sitting beside her, massaging her face with a towel already soaked in a bowl of hot water... Suddenly, there is a knock on his door and he looks a bit nervous. Obviously, he ain't expecting it. The knock happens again and this time, it is a bit intense as the person decides to knock harder. But even though the knock is noisy, TRISY won't hear so she won't wake. Whosoever is knocking keeps on knocking persistently as AARON grabs a knife from the table and he slowly and quietly moves out of the room to go open the entrance door, hiding the knife behind him... Starting to knock again, AARON opens the door instantly and he finds a MAN who is probably at his seventies, right at his door... MAN; with a huge smile - Hey... AARON; truculent - Hi? MAN - My name is Thomas and I live just opposite. It's been long I saw these bulbs on. You just moved in, right? AARON - Yeah, actually. MAN; happy - I see. You know, the man that was here before had to leave because of his occupation. He had a wife and two kids. Are you with your parents or it's just you? AARON - It's just me. MAN - Wow, cool. I came to say welcome to the neighborhood, man. AARON - Thank you, Sir, I do really appreciate it. MAN - You're welcome. I'm just opposite in case you need anything at all. AARON gives a slight nod... MAN - All right, bye. The MAN leaves... AARON slams his door and he twitches his lock. He returns to the room he was before, before THOMAS actually interfered. TRISY is still fast asleep. She must have suffered a lot of pains from the kicks she had got. AARON carefully picks up the bowl from the floor as he covers TRISY with the blanket, up to her neck. He then leaves quietly, closing the door. DAY ONE The light from the window falling on her face, TRISY slowly wakes up from the bed. She looks a bit nervous as she stares at the entire room. She sees her top neatly hung in a corner with a coat hanger. She gets off the bed slowly, still frightened on how she got here and where she is. She notices the door and she walks towards it, getting her top from the hanger first and wearing it on her underwear. She then slowly walks out of the room... ©rights reserved.