Risen Manifest

Act 1: Heartless Retribution

Scene 1
(Trista is a 10 year old girl that helps out with her family, because of their financial problems. She is kind and cheery.)

Trista is in a field digging up dirt with a garden hoe. She wipes the dirt and sweat from her face with the dirty white towel around her neck. Then she continues digging.

(Elena is the mother of Trista. She is a housewife. Their house is rundown and has many problems with it so she is always busy working around the house.)

Elena: Trista, dinner’s ready! (Yells this from the house)

(Makoto is the father of Trista and the husband of Elena. He works as a police detective. He does not get paid a lot, but he tries to keep a positive attitude towards his situation. He also tries to sell vegetables Trista and Elena plant in front of their house.)

(Jude is the partner of Makoto. He has been Makoto’s partner for several years.)

Trista wipes the sweat from her face with her forearm. She walks to the direction of her house and throws the towel to the side of the front door. Then she enters through the front door and the first person she sees is Jude. He is at the front door facing his back to Trista. Makoto is about five feet from Jude sitting on the couch looking restless.

Jude: I’ve got a lot of work t’night so I’ll see ya at the station.

Jude waves at Makoto. Makoto waves back. Jude turns around and puts his hand on Trista’s head. Trista makes an irritable face. Jude removes his hand from her head and walks out of the door and closes the door.

Trista: Is the food ready daddy?

Makoto: Don’t know, ask ya mama.

Makoto rubs his hand across his face. Elena opens the kitchen door with a steaming bowl of rice with a towel between her hand and the bowl.

Elena: Dinner is served! (She smiles after she says this.)

Trista smiles back at Elena.

Trista: (thinks) even though her smile was so empty with so much pain and hurt behind it I had to smile back.

Scene 2
Trista, Elena, and Makoto are sitting at the round dinner table in the kitchen. Each of them has their hands together and their heads downs.

Trista, Elena, and Makoto: Thank you for the food.

The three lift their heads. Elena and Trista start to eat their rice. Makoto stares at the center of the table. (Pause)

Makoto: I’m pathetic.

Trista and Elena stop eating and look at Makoto.

Makoto: I’m so sorry...You two have been working around the house day and night. But the only type of reward you get for it is this torn down house, one worthless meal a day, and a pair of clothes…

Makoto balls up his fist.

Makoto: I wish I could give you more, you deserve much more.

Makoto has his head down and puts his fist on his head. (Pause)

Elena: Makoto, don’t do this…

A tear rolls down Trista’s face.

Trista: It’s ok daddy.

Makoto and Elena look at Trista.

Trista: Cause I have the only two things that will ever matter to me, my mommy and daddy. And that’s the only reward I’ll ever need. (Trista smiles after saying this)

Elena smiles.

Elena: Right. You’re the only man we’ll ever need.

Makoto’s eyes are shaking and then tears come down them.

Makoto: Thank you two so much.

Scene 3
Trista is lying in her bed sleeping. In another room Makoto and Elena are laying in their bed sleeping. The phone next to Makoto’s bed rings three times.

(Rinji is the younger brother of Makoto.)

Rinji: (This is Rinji’s voice from the phone/answer machine) (Beep) Brother, I’m gonna come over early tomorrow to help Trista in the field, see ya tomorrow.

Rain starts pouring down. Someone in black gloves is standing at the front door of the house. He starts picking the lock to the front door. He opens the front door slowly. He walks into the house and closes the door quietly. He puts a silencer on his handgun. Makoto opens his room door with his gun in his hand, and then points it at the man.

Makoto: Who’s there?

The man takes a few steps closer to Makoto. Makoto sees that the man is Jude. Makoto smiles.

Makoto: You scared the hell outta me. What are you doing here? (Lowers his gun)

Jude points his gun at Makoto. Makoto eyes open wide. Jude shoots Makoto once in his chest. Makoto holds his chest and falls to the ground. Makoto’s eyes slowly close.
Elena walks through her room door. Her eyes open wide and she puts her shivering hands over her mouth. Elena runs to Makoto and gets on her knees.

Elena: Makoto! (Yells)

Trista sits up in her bed. She hears a small sound. She gets up and walks to her room door and opens it. She sees both of her parents’ bodies on the floor in a puddle of their blood. Elena is holding Makoto’s head in her lap and she is leaning over. She also sees Jude about ten feet from them with a gun in his hand. Trista freezes. Jude walks up to Trista slowly. Trista is still looking at Jude. Jude stops when he is right in front of Trista. He points his gun at Trista’s head with no emotion on his face. Jude stares at Trista’s bottom lip shakes. Jude pulls the trigger. Nothing happens. (Pause)

Jude: Guess I’m out.

Jude points his gun down and turns around and walks towards the door. He opens the door and walks out of it and closes it only leaving it cracked slightly. Trista is still in the same position. She falls to her hands and knees. (Her long hair covers her face.) Tears drop to the ground. (Trista cries softly.)

Scene 4
Rinji steps out of a beat up pick up truck. He walks to the front door of Makoto’s house. He takes out a key and puts it to the hole. The door opens slightly without Rinji turning the key. He hears the voice of Trista crying. He quickly opens the door and sees Trista on her knees in a puddle of blood with her hands on her face crying while Makoto’s and Elena’s bodies are next to her. Rinji mouth and eyes opens wipe. Trista removes her hands from her face. Her face has tears going downs it. Trista looks at Rinji.

(Trista looks traumatized.)

Trista: My only rewards in life are dead and I will never get them back. (Trista eyes are open wide and another tear crawls down her face.)

Scene 5
Trista sits up. (She is in a tiny room on a bed) She looks to her front and then looks to her side and sees Rinji in a chair facing her.

Rinji: See you finally got up. You cried yourself to sleep minutes after I came.

Trista puts her head down.

Rinji: Right now your house is a crime scene. Surprising they already have a clue who did it. They suspect Jude.

Trista mouth opens.

Rinji: There were some rumors that he was working for some crime syndicates, but your father never believed a word of it. He’s no where to be found. The bastard got a large sum of money transferred in his account this morning. I’m sorry I don’t know why the hell I am telling ya this. I guess now I have no other choice but to take care of you myself.

Trista lifts her head up and balls up her fist.

Trista: I saw him (Pause) standing over my dead parents’ bodies.

Rinji looks at Trista with a shocked look on his face.

Trista: I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do to see him again. I will find him… and kill him.

Trista looks at Rinji. Rinji looks at Trista shocked.

Rinji: (thinks) little did I know the little innocent ten year girl who was fueled by love was gone and the woman engulfed in hate was born.

Scene 6
(Trista is now 17 years old. She spends her days training handling her gun and trying to track down Jude. Once a sweet and gentle girl, now a miserable person only looking forward to the day she kill Jude.)
Trista is lying on her back in her bed. She turns to the side and looks at a picture of her and her parents. Behind the picture is a newspaper. The title of the main story of the newspaper says “KING SAVES THE DAY”. She rolls back on her back and stares at the ceiling. Then she puts her hand under her pillow and pulls out a gun. She points it to the ceiling and slowly pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty.

Scene 7
A bullet goes through the third circle of a bullseye. Then two more shots hit the second and first circle. Trista is holding a gun with smoke coming from the barrel. She fires three more shots. Trista stays in that position. Then Trista hold the gun with both hand, lays the gun to her heart, tilts her head forward and closes her eyes. (Pause) She opens her eyes, turns her uppers body around, and points her gun at a man’s head that is behind her. (The man looks strange and rundown.) He puts his hands up and smirks.

Trista: Don’t ever sneak up behind me like that again.

Man: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I couldn’t help it; ya looked so beautiful standing there.

Trista: Bastard, what the hell do ya want? (Trista turns back around and lowers her gun.)

Man: Is that how ya treat the man who found ya guy? (He lowers his hands.)

He digs in his pocket and holds up a small piece of paper. Trista eyes open wide. She turns around completely and tries to grab the man’s paper. He pulls it away.

Trista: Give it to me!

Man: What kind of treat am I going to get in return?

Trista stares at him with a mean glare. He puts his hands up again as though he is surrendering.

Man: I’m just kidding.

Trista looks away.

Trista: How am I supposed to know if he is really there? This could be your bullshit.

Man: I’ve been through hell and high water to find this man. It’s legit. I checked the place out. I even spoke to the guy.

Trista looks at the man slowly.

Man: I told him that I was new in town. I asked for his name and the fool actually gave me his real name. The arrogant bastard seemed to be living the life too.

The man laughs. Trista looks down and clenches her teeth.

Trista: I will pay ya the money after I confirm the information.

Man: How the hell did a poor girl like ever get that kind of money anyways?

Trista: All of my parents belonging and money was left to me in their wills. I haven’t touched the money so you will get your cut. They were poor while living because they saved up big sums of money for my future. Ironic ain’t it. (Trista smirks.)

The man hands Trista the piece of paper. Trista holds the paper in her hand and stares at it.

Trista: (Thinks) by this time tomorrow, (Still staring at the paper) Jude will be in his grave.

Trista smiles with an ear to ear grin. The man looks at Trista disturbed.

Scene 8
Trista walks into her room and puts the gun under her pillow. She sits down on the bed and bends over and pulls out a box the size of a shoebox from under her bed. She sets it on her bed. She opens the box slowly and in the box are a shiny silver gun and a silencer. She picks up the gun, and then she picks up the suppresser and lays them on the bed. She quickly points the gun to the door and then suddenly looking shocked at what she saw. Trista sees Rinji standing.

Rinji: It’ll take more than that to get rid of me.

Trista lowers her gun.

Rinji: Ya found the location of Jude, huh?

Trista: How’d ya know? (Trista looks down at the bed.)

Rinji: I just got this feeling that something inside ya finally snapped.

Trista: Somehow I just know that Jude is on the other side of this address.

Rinji: Ya going t’night?

Trista: (In a low voice) Yes sir.

Rinji: Do ya really think ya are gonna take a life?

Trista: Of course I am.

Rinji: The life that’s gonna get token away isn’t Jude’s…So what’ll ya do after ya kill Jude, huh?

Trista is still looking down. (Pause)

Rinji: I remember you were a little girl. You were so delightful and cheerful.

Trista is still looking down and she is completely still.

Rinji: I refuse to believe that little girl is completely gone. On the outside it may seem that the curse of revenge has token over you. But I still see that little girl with a huge smile on that face.

Trista: (Trista smiles) I glad that you still see that little girl…But the truth is the girl you remember died along with my parents. (She looks up when she says this)

They stare at each other. Then Rinji turns around.

Rinji: I don’t believe that. (Pause) I don’t believe it at all.

Rinji walks through the door and closes it. Trista stares at the door not moving an inch.

Scene 9
It’s dark and raining outside. Trista is standing in front of the house dressed in all black. She pulls out the paper she got earlier. It rains on the paper. She looks at the house. She balls up the paper and puts it in her pocket. She takes out the gun she had earlier from her coat pocket. She takes out the silencer she had earlier and puts it on the gun. She holds the gun to her heart with both of her hands and tilts her head back slightly. She lets the rain fall gently on her face. It thunders. Jude is in his house kitchen. (Jude looks older than before.) Jude walks out of his kitchen. He gets shot in his right shoulder. He holds his shoulder with a painful expression on his face. Trista steps out from the shadows of his living room. She shoots him in his left thigh. He yells and falls to his knees. Jude clenches his teeth in agony Jude looks up at Trista. Trista walks up to him with her gun pointed at his head.

Trista: Doesn’t feel good when it’s the other way around, doesn’t it?

Jude looks at her.

Jude: You’re Trista! (Jude’s eyes open wide.)

Trista stares at Jude. A woman comes out and gets on her knees quickly.

Jude’s Wife: (She wraps her arms around Jude) Please don’t kill my husband. (She looks frightened.)

Trista: Interesting, you have a wife. Maybe I’ll kill her first to let ya see how it feels to have a family member die right before your eyes. (Trista has a sinister smile on her face as her eyebrows lift up.)

Trista stares at them as they stare back at her. Trista points her gun to Jude’s wife.

Jude: (Yells) don’t do it. Please don’t it.

A boy runs out in front of Jude and his wife.

Jude’s Son: Don’t hurt my mommy and daddy.

Jude: (Yells) Get outta the way.

Jude’s son has tears in his eyes. (Jude’s son is close to his parents, but he is not close enough for them to touch him) Trista looks at the boy. (Pause) Trista imagines seeing her parents dead on the ground and then her in a puddle of her parents’ blood. Then she sees herself with tears in her eyes after her parents were killed. (When she looked at Rinji) Trista looks terrified. Jude’s wife grabs Jude’s son. Trista’s eyes open wide and her bottom lip begins to tremble. Her hand shakes as she drops the gun. Trista looks at her hands trembling and then her puts her hands on her face and drops to her knees simultaneously. The entire house lights up from the thundering outside. She starts crying. The family of three looks sadly at Trista as she cries on her knees like a child.

Scene 10
The rain has subsided. Trista is sitting on the front porch right in front of the door. Jude opens the door and walks through it, then closes it. (Jude’s leg and shoulder are wrapped in badges and he has a crutch under his left shoulder) He spins her gun on his finger and stops it with his thumb and hands it out to her with his left hand.

Jude: Sorry for taking your bullets.

Trista puts her hand up and takes it without turning around. She lays it on the porch next to her.

Jude: So what’s next for us? (Pause)

Trista stands complexly still. Jude puts his head down.

Jude: I’m so sorry for all of the pain I caused you. You didn’t deserve it. (Pause) I was scum in the past, but I’ve changed completely.

Trista still does not move.

Jude: The only thing I can do is to tell you the name of the man who paid me to kill your parents.

Trista eyes open wide.

Jude: His name is Seth Dracul. He is a crime lord and your father was coming close to incriminating him. That’s why he paid me to do the job for him. I hope that is enough to go on. I know that is not close to redeeming myself for what I have done. I truly want to live on with my family. Sorry but that is all I know.

Trista: You’re an asshole. (Trista stands up.)

Jude looks surprised.

Trista: I don’t give a shit if you think you’re a saint now. I won’t kill you or your wife for your son’s sake. I could never put another child through what you put me through.

Trista picks up the gun and places it to her heart and holds it with both hands while she lifts up her head as the daylight is breaking in.

Trista: I gonna find Seth Dracul… And I don’t care what obstacles stand in my way. I will defiantly kill him.