Hanru Sazuki

[“The Cold” “Exit Music” (16 seconds)]

Hanru Narrating: Our origins play a big part in our lives today. It’s not just with us as humans, but with other living creatures as well and sometimes even with our lifestyles and how we are approached by others. After the hospital, Jessica and I took Lee home and tucked him into bed. Jessica is gonna stay with him in bed. I’m going for a little walk.

(Hanru quietly closes the bedroom door behind him. He walks down the empty hallway and into Kaito’s darkened office. Hanru closes and locks the door behind him, turns on the dim lamp on the desk, and quickly boots Kaito’s computer. It asks for a password. Hanru recites a few sayings in his head that might be the passwords. He types in about 5 different things, but nothing works. Hanru shuts it down and closes the laptop.)

Hanru: (Thinking) I need to get to a computer and see what’s on this flash drive. (Takes flash drive out of his pocket and examines it) I should be more worried about Lee. He’s my best friend, and… No… He’s someone- (Puts flash drive in his pocket) a human being, who’s going through grief. He needs me to be with him right now. (Stands up and stands in place) But now that I think about it, he is resting. There’s nothing I can do. And what if whatever’s on this flash drive sends me into a loop of emotions? I need to be strong for him. The flash drive can wait. I’m not the old sociopathic Hanru I was 7 years ago.

(Hanru begins walking away from the computer, but as he takes his 4th step, his phone rings. He quickly answers it before anyone can hear.)

Hanru: Hello?

Yoko: Hey, Big brother! Happy Birthday! I’m sorry I missed it yesterday. I didn’t know it was our birthday and new-mommy came back to Miami to patch things up with her father?

Hanru: What?! You’re in Miami?

Yoko: Yes, I thought mom told you?

Hanru: No, it must have slipped her mind. Look, Yoko… I’m in Miami too.

Yoko: (Gasps) Really?! Oh can we come see you?!

Hanru: You can come see me, yeah, but just you; no one else is allowed to know.

Yoko: Oh… uh, okay… Where can we meet?

Hanru: Tell me where you are and I’ll have someone pick you up.

(Yoko talks for a few seconds.)

Hanru: Alright, I’ll be the one with the fancy car outside. Bye.

Yoko: Love you, new brother?!

Hanru: … Uh, bye… (Lowers phone for a few seconds and then puts it back up to him ear) You too, bye. (Hangs up phone)

(A giant shadow moves in the corner of his eye and all Hanru can here are the sounds of leather rubbing against each other. His heart beating out of his chest, Hanru realizes that the giant shadow was Kaito sitting up on his couch.)

Hanru: (Holds chest) You tryna give me a heart attack, old man?

Kaito: What are you doing in my office?

Hanru: I came in here to use your computer.

Kaito: Then use it. The password is “Brothers”.

Hanru: You seem really depressed, Kaito. What’s bothering you?

Kaito: I faced myself in the mirror earlier tonight. The old me almost slipped back into my mind. It was like I lost sight of myself for a second. I almost lost sight of who I wanted to be. The first thought that came to mind was carnage. That darkness in me has been suppressed for so long, when it finally came out, it was angry and wanted to kill everyone at that wedding. Even my own sister…

Hanru: Sometimes, we are bad people by nature, Kaito. Sometimes it’s good to accept ourselves, but acceptance doesn’t always mean you have to live by it; it means you live with it. But don’t let it define you. I was a sociopath when I was a child, Kaito. When I went through “puberty”, I wasn’t crazy about getting into girl’s panties or having girlfriends, no. During puberty, my sexual fantasies were to watch people suffer and scream out in agony and pain. And I wanted to watch my victims hang like meat and watch them bleed out. I wanted to look in their eyes and watch them squirm in pain and shed tears through that pain and their fear. I wanted to murder women and have sex with their deceased bodies sometimes. I’ve thought about killing people in my own family. Whenever I would have a huge disagreement with someone, all I wanted to do was kill them. I didn’t want any drama or beef. I just wanted my feelings to always remain empty and neutral and numb, so no one would know what I was thinking. So when I struck them, it would be unexpected and there would be no way for me to change my mind or have a second thought. I gave up on life back in 2008 and secretly, when I investigated Jason, I wanted to know from a killer’s point of view what it was like to murder. That was the real reason why I wanted to be a private detective. I wanted to slowly learn how professionals slaughtered their prey, and overtime moderate their techniques and kill whenever I wanted to. I got involved with you; I became a danger junkie- an addict. I got involved with Shaun and Kenneth because I did really want to help them, but at the same time, deep down that darkness inside of me always echoed, reminding me of what I once was. From time-to-time it would slip out, but not too much. Kaito I’ve been secretly fighting this darkness my entire life and I have this light in me that keeps my darkness from ever fully taking over. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t fight it ever now and then with my will of freedom. No matter how bad your darkness is, you can always change your ways and be whoever you want to be. Sometimes it just takes the idea of knowing that people’s lives don’t deserve to be played with like if they don’t matter. This darkness will always haunt you, Kaito. Mine hasn’t bothered me about 2 years, but if it did come back, I’ll fight against it with all that I am. I’ve been empty my entire life and love has always been my greatest weapon for keeping me balanced. And because I’m so empty, I look at life different from most people, and I question things no one else would. I was born with a natural gift of darkness and light. But you had to find your light, so I can imagine how difficult this is for you. But please, Kaito, make the right choice and fight to sustain the peace within you.

(Hanru walks away and reaches for the door.)

Kaito: Wait, kid.

(Hanru turns around to face Kaito.)

Kaito: You’re right. It is time I make a choice. Use that computer for whatever it is you need it for. I need to make a call.

(Lee is sitting up against his mantle alone in his room. The bedroom door is opened. The clacking of high heels walking against the marble floor can be heard getting closer and closer. This woman wearing the high heels stares at Lee in grief. She walks over to the other side of Lee and sits beside him on the bed. She slowly leans up to him and softly kisses him against the forehead.)

Lee: Why did you leave me?

(The woman is revealed to be his seemingly deceased grandmother Ming.)

Ming: I’ve brought someone for you to see.

(Ming places a large purse on the bed and out comes an old white poodle dog. The dog slowly walks up to Lee and licks him in the face.)

Lee: Roxy! (Gently brings her closer to him and hugs her.)

Ming: (Smiles) In dog years she is about 56 years old.

Lee: I remember back when we lived together in ‘08 and we were Hanru’s neighbors and Roxy would always watch movies with us and just sit in the living room keeping us company, like she knew she was a part of the family. I love you, Roxy. (Lee snuggles Roxy) I love you, Roxy.

(Roxy falls asleep.)

Ming: (Gently strokes his hair) … It was her time to pass on. But before she went, she left you a piece of herself. She not only left you a piece of her soul inside of you through memories, but she left you, a new genesis of who she was physically, so you could always make new memories of her.

(Lee begins crying once again. Ming takes away Roxy and gives him one of Roxy’s puppies.)

Ming: You must love it and take care of it and always protect it, child. You are on your own now and you are gonna have to be a man for this baby. (Hugs Lee) I am so proud… (Holds hug for 10 seconds and then holds his hands while she looks him in the eyes) This will be the last time I see you, my grandchild. I am sorry I left you, but I have some business to take care of and there is a good chance I’m not walking away from this one alive. (A tear rolls down her eyes) Do you wanna know about your parents and where you came from? Then talk to Hanru. He has the flash drive. (Stares into Lee’s face one last time and rubs her nose against his for a few seconds.)

(The two of them laugh, but soon after she stops, Lee’s smile going away.)

Ming: The last couple of seconds I’ve seen you smile will forever be a mental image for me. Bye… I love you.

(Ming is hesitant at first, but she puts Roxy’s body secure in her bag and quickly leaves the room.)

(Kaito’s office)

(LJ walks into Kaito’s office. There he is presented by Hanru and Kaito. Hanru is sitting at Kaito’s laptop and Kaito is sitting on the couch.)

Kaito: So have you decided how you’re going to deal with this dilemma?

LJ: I’ve decided not to go through with it.

(A flashback shows that LJ is in his SUV driving and Hanru is in the passenger seat. The two of them are all dressed up and looking sharp.)

LJ: I always thought that you would be the one to get me back into some trouble, so I tried cutting all communications.

Hanru: Was that before or after Jack Gustavo?

(LJ remains silent.)

Hanru: I see how well that worked out for you; seeing as you’re on the radar of two gangs.

LJ: Only Otis’ crew is after me.

Hanru: And you think those bikers are just gonna forget that you stepped into their turf and left there alive?

LJ: (Sighs) I’m cool with their leader. Hopefully he’ll vouch for my hit to be overlooked.

Hanru: Just be prepared for anything.

LJ: By the way things have been going for me lately, I can’t help but to think fate brought us here together to help each other out, or maybe for you to help me out. What should I do, kid?

Hanru: I say act on what you think is right.

LJ: Yeah that’s real useful advice.

Hanru: It is when you’re not afraid to accept the consequences or benefits of the answer.

LJ: I guess this is ultimately my choice.

(LJ, Kaito, and Hanru are back in the office now.)

LJ: I’m going about this differently. I’m taking my family and we’re moving. I’m not going back to that life of violence.

Kaito: Are you sure you wanna leave this life behind?

LJ: I’m sure, sir. I have a family I need to repair.

Kaito: I have one more temptation for you. I am offering you my position. (Spreads his arms wide open) All of this could be yours.

LJ: Are you asking me to take charge of your entire empire?

Kaito: (Serious) I am. You will be the new boss and people will have to listen to you. You will be rich and own many companies throughout the country so money laundering won’t be a problem for you.

LJ: I can’t, Kaito. I appreciate that offer, but I just can’t. I’m sorry.

Kaito: (Smiles) Darn. I was really looking forward to retirement. I guess I’ll have to ask someone else.

LJ: (Walks up to Kaito and offers him a handshake) Thank you for everything, sir.

(Kaito stands up and gives LJ a brotherly hug.)

Kaito: (Stops hugging) This may be the last time we see each other, you know that?

LJ: I do.

Hanru: Awe, don’t you two look cute together?

LJ: (Chuckles) He’s not my type. No offense, Kaito.

(The two of them chuckle.)

Hanru: Kaito, I need to be somewhere. I’m hoping I could get a ride?

(Motel)

(Yoko is outside on the curb waiting for Hanru to show up. The creepy looking strangers walking through the night air send shivers down her spine. A black SUV pulls up beside Yoko. Out of the car comes Hanru. He closes the door behind him and the SUV pulls off.)

Hanru: Hey. (Gives Yoko a hug)

Yoko: (Nervous) Hi…

Hanru: (Stops hugging) Sorry, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long?

Yoko: No, uh how come you wanted me to come outside alone?

Hanru: I didn’t want all the attention from Ada, you know?

Yoko: But she’s family. You should want to be around her. Why would she lecture you? Wait… Why are you in Miami?

Hanru: Yoko… Before you came into the picture, a lot of things have been happening, especially dealing with me. Ada and I have had a few disagreements about the mistakes I’ve made in the past.

Yoko: And you chose to make one of those mistakes again by coming here to Miami, right?

Hanru: I came here for my best friend’s wedding. No wait, actually, I didn’t come here. I was kidnapped by his brother and law. Why are you asking me all of these questions, Yoko. Do you not trust me or something?

Yoko: I have been through many foster cares and many bad things have happened to me. I get very anxious and scared very easily. Trust does not come easy to me. But, I like being around you. When we’re together, I feel like I could look up to you and I can learn from you.

Hanru: (Dumbfounded) What? M-me? You’re talking about me? How?

Yoko: Well, I can tell you have a lot of potential you’re afraid to express and open to the world. (Giggles) You’re pretty funny sometimes too, and I can tell you’re very smart.

Hanru: I don’t see how… you can see these things in me…

Yoko: I can see them. (Holds Hanru’s hand and smiles at him) I hope someday you can see them too.

Hanru: I… (Takes a deep breath) I’m sorry, Yoko, I’m not a good person to look up to.

Yoko: How come?

Hanru: I’m just not. I’m a bad person to get close to. So far, I have been lucky not to lose anyone close to me, but I’m afraid all of that is gonna change. I lost a friend tonight actually, but she wasn’t a best friend. She was one of my friend’s sister and my other friend’s wife.

Yoko: Wait, so she got married and died on the same night?

Hanru: And she had a baby, yeah. And now she’s… just, not here anymore. Wow, the impact of that is starting to really hit me now. I remember back in I believe 2009, I was looking for Allen Elicio.

(A flashback shows Hanru standing at the reception of a hospital.)

Hanru: Excuse me, I was wondering if Doctor Allen Elicio was in today?

Gladys: You kids are always looking for someone, aren’t you? I can’t just give you that information. Sorry.

(Nicky walks up to Hanru.)

Nicky: Excuse me, did you say you were looking for Dr. Elicio?

Hanru: Yeah.

Nicky: I could direct you to his girlfriend/wife, if that’s okay.

Hanru: That would be great. Thank you.

(Hanru and Nicky both walk toward the back of the hospital. Kayla, Allen, and Officer Oliver are all talking in the back. Nicky tells Hanru to wait outside. She then knocks on the glass of the ambulance. The three of them let her in and then close the door behind her.)

Nicky: That young boy is in here looking for you again, Allen.

Oliver: You mean that Hanru kid?

Nicky: I’m not sure what his name is, but why is he so obsessed with you?

Kayla: (Hugs Allen’s arm) Because my man is irresistible, honey.

Allen: Nicky, get rid of him. He has no place here, and if Jason gets wind of us being this close to each other, I don’t want him coming down on me.

Nicky: Look, I don’t know what you guys are involved with, but as long as you’re paying me, I’ll do as you say and don’t ask questions. But this is getting pretty shady.

(Nicky exits the ambulance and sees young Hanru on the other side.)

Nicky: Come on. Let’s go check on my patient.

Hanru: So, they said no?

Nicky: They said no. Now come on.

(Nicky and Hanru both walk into a hospital room where an old lady is hooked up to a variety of machines and monitors. Hanru walks up to her. She smiles at him.)

Camilla: Hanru, you came back. My family went out to the hall. They couldn’t handle seeing me die like this…

Hanru: Camilla, I don’t think I can keep your promise.

Camilla: Sure you can. My granddaughter Holly is very fawned of you. You must promise me that you’ll always protect her.

Hanru: I’m only 15. What if I can’t?

Camilla: Then promise me you’ll always be there for her when she needs a friend most.

(Holly, Tsuki, and their father Bruce walks into the room.)

Bruce: Hey, sorry about that. We’re staying here now; we’re not going anywhere.

(Hanru and Yoko are talking on the curb again.)

Yoko: What happened to her?

Hanru: To Camilla? She died of lung cancer after I left the room.

Yoko: That is so sad.

(Out of nowhere there is a gunshot. Hanru quickly turns around and sees a low rider speeding down the street. Hanru turns around and sees Yoko passed out on the floor with blood coming out of her stomach. Later that night at the hospital Hanru is sitting in the waiting room covering his face with his fingers. Blood is all over his clothing. Lee walks pass Hanru and sits next to him.)

Lee: We’re in and out of hospitals so much, we should have assigned seats.

Hanru: (Lowers his hand) Why was she shot? Why wasn’t it me? I mean I was standing right in front of her. For her to have gotten shot, they would have had to stop the car and have aimed for her specifically. But who would possibly go after someone so… kind and innocent? This had to have been my fault.

Lee: (Wraps his arm around Hanru’s shoulder) You can’t blame yourself for this.

Hanru: Yes, I can! (Looks at Lee) I was the one who told her to meet me outside. (Stares down at the floor)

Lee: Yeah, but you were also the one who told Kaito to park the SUV down the street and wait for you to finish talking to her. If you weren’t there to rush to the hospital, who knows what could’ve happened. For all we know whoever targeted her would’ve went into the motel room and shot not only her but Ada too. You probably saved their lives tonight. And trust me, I lost my wife, and I know how easy it is to blame yourself, but… Life is not something we can always control, you know. You count your blessings and be thankful for what you have, and when things go wrong, you just… gotta grieve and then live with whatever happened and then move on.

(Hanru looks up at Lee.)

Lee: (Smiles) Hey man, what makes you so special to where the universe reflects other people’s problems off you?

Hanru: I’m sorry, man. (Hanru stands up straight) Your wife passed not even 10 hours ago; and I always have to somehow make myself the center of attention. I’m sorry, man. I should be taking care of you.

Lee: We’re brothers. We look out for each other no matter what.

(A moment of silence passes.)

Lee: (Takes a deep breath and looks around suspiciously) My grandmother came into my room not too long before we left and she told me that if I wanted to know about my heritage, that I should come see you. What does that mean?

Hanru: If she told you that, I’m assuming she knows about the flash drive. I think it’s about time I see what’s on here.

(A female doctor walks up to the two of them.)

Doctress: Excuse me, the patient has requested you.

Hanru: She’s alright?!

(Hanru and Lee walk into a small hospital room and see Yoko lying on the bed. A giant white bandage is on the left side of her stomach. Hanru stands beside her bed.)

Hanru: Are you okay?

Yoko: (Nods) I am. They told me the bullet only went through the side of my stomach and came out the other side. Nothing was hit

Hanru: So it was a through and through. That’s… semi great news.

Yoko: It is great news. It could always be worse.

Hanru: Yeah. Hey, so, did anything major get damaged or anything?

Yoko: Just my heart.

(Awkward moment of silence.)

Yoko: I wanted to look up to you as a big brother, and I thought I wouldn’t get hurt with you.

Hanru: I know, Yoko, I- (Holds in tears) I’m sorry.

Yoko: You are my brother now, and I am stuck with you. So I guess I have no choice but to forgive you. But my heart hurts because I don’t know if I can trust you again.

Hanru: Yoko, I wouldn’t trust me. In fact, I want you to stay as far away from me as possible. I’ll only wind up hurting you again.

Lee: Hey, Yoko. Do you enjoy Hanru’s presence? Do you like him as a person? Do you care about him like a brother?

Yoko: Yes I do, but-

Lee: (Frustrated) Then what’s the problem? I lost my wife tonight and one thing about death is… (Collects his thoughts for a few seconds) You don’t always get another chance to be with the people you love once they’re gone and I know that sounds cliché but the gravity behind those words is something that the mind cannot process without experience. You are limited to the time you have with the people you care about and when things get bad, you forgive them and be thankful that you still have another day to be with that person. You’re alive! (Point his finger at her) And you said so yourself that things could be worse. This is the new family that you’ve been adopted into, so you do yourself a favor and make the best of it, because either you’re going to report this family and send yourself back into foster care, or you’re gonna suck it up and live with the pros and cons of living with them. We may not always have choices over what happens to us, but we do have control over how we react to situations. You do whatever it is you wanna do. You get mad at Hanru, you get scared of being around him, you forgive him and move forward, reject him, accept him, love him, hate him, or throw a hissy fit at him, I don’t care. But whatever you do, just know that whatever aftereffects happen from this point on, is caused by your reaction to the situation. It’s not always the origin that’s the problem; it’s how you react to the origin. So don’t blame Hanru for the issues in your relationship because you have the power to squash your issues right now. I’m done… (Storms out of the room)

(Lee is storming down the hallway and as he turns the corner, he runs into Kaito, LJ, and Jessica.)

Kaito: Whoa, hey. You alright?

Lee: Get out of the way! (Rushes pass them)

Kaito: What was that about?

Jessica: I don’t know. I should go check on him.

LJ: Let the dog lick his wounds. Just leave him be for now.

(Jessica chases after Lee anyway. LJ and Kaito knock on the hospital room door and walk in. Hanru and Yoko are hugging. LJ and Kaito close the door behind them on their way in.)

Kaito: I would say we should talk out in the hall, but there’s a patrol of scrubs out there. Is she cool?

Hanru: (Stops hugging her) Yeah, she’s cool.

Kaito: (Says with a straight face) That’s good… Is she cool…?

Hanru: Oh, well… (Looks at Yoko) Are you cool with knowing the details in my… curricular activities…

Yoko: I don’t want to be a liar, especially to my new mom. If it’s something I have to hide from her, then I do not want to know.

Kaito: She’s an innocent one.

Hanru: Fine. Go ahead, Kaito. Tell us.

Kaito: We handled the police situation. All gunshot wounds need to be reported to the police once the person in question is emitted to the ER. We intercepted some calls and the police have no record of this ever happening.

Yoko: What are you involved with…?

Kaito: Hanru, let’s speak outside.

(Kaito opens the door.)

Kaito: Come on, chop-chop.

(Hanru closes the door as he follows Kaito out.)

Kaito: Let’s go to the snack machine; I’m pretty thirsty.

(Kaito and Hanru walk a few feet and begin making small cups of apple and orange juice.)

Kaito: In my old age, you begin to notice little things: Beginnings of life changing revelations and tribulations: Realizations and suffering which may be the cause of your metamorphosis into a new you. That girl in there was sent to you for a reason. You may have come from a chaotic life style but she will be the one to help you find your inner peace. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this prematurely, but I’m just saying… Look out for her. She has innocence inside of her. Something you once had but is slowly fading. You feel it, don’t you? You feel your innocence slowly fading away day-by-day.

Hanru: I do actually. But my darkness has faded too. So it’s not like I’m becoming some evil person.

Kaito: After tonight, your life won’t be the same as it was before.

Hanru: (Places one hand in his right pocket) I know… (Takes his hand out)

Kaito: This may be the last time we see each other, Hanru. I’m taking my family and we’re leaving the country. I don’t know if I’m going to just send my crew on their way or continue my operations. I own 4 legitimate businesses; three here in the states and one oversees. I can make a decent living on my own now with my family.

Hanru: (Hugs Kaito) You were always a good friend to me, Kaito. I love you, man.

Kaito: We’re kindred spirits. (Stops hugging) That means there’s a good chance we’ll see each other again one day.

(Lee throws a huge rock at a random car windshield and shatters the glass. He goes to the passenger side window and punches it as hard as he can, shattering it. He kicks in the door as hard as he can over and over again and begins yelling. Jessica runs up behind him and just watches as he begins to punch the same door in over and over again. Jessica runs up to him and grabs his fist. Lee begins to aggressively try to push her off of him and she desperately tries to grabs his fist and calm him down.)

Jessica: Lee, stop it! Calm down!

Lee: Get off of me!

Jessica: Lee! Stop it!

(Lee snaps out of his rage and the two of them make eye contact. Lee jerks his hands away from Jessica.)

Jessica: What has been up with you lately?! And don’t use your wife’s death as an excuse!

Lee: Why are you all in my business?! Don’t you have some chick’s salad to toss?! (Tries to walk away)

Jessica: (Grabs his shirt and shoves him in front of her) You are going to stand right here and tell me what’s got you acting like this!

Lee: (Chuckles and Grins) Go ride a clit you mediocre box muncher.

Jessica: Lee… (Sighs) Talk to me, please… I’m scared. (Reaches for him)

Lee: (Smacks her hand away) Don’t touch me. (Gets close to her and says in mellow hatred) Get outta my face and don’t speak to me ever again. (Walks away)

(Lee walks away and two security guards grab him. He struggles with them and they tackle him down on the floor. Jessica runs up to them.)

Jessica: Wait, officers, it’s okay. He and I are together. This is my fiancée. The car was a wedding present. My sister-in-law, his sister just died and… as you can see, he’s not taking it well. Please, officers, he didn’t mean any harm by it, he’s just grieving right now.

(Lee presses his head against cold hard ground and begins to squeal and cry.)

Lee: She’s gone… (Sobs) She’s really gone. And it was my fault.

Jessica: No, Leon, no. It is not your fault. Don’t do that.

Lee: Yes it is! I got her pregnant! I destroyed her life! I’m so stupid!

(Lee begins screaming and bashing his forehead against the ground. After the third bash, Jessica quickly rushes to put her hands under his forehead to soften the blows. After smacking her hands one time, he stops and rests on them.)

Jessica: Please, let him go. He’s not in his right mind at this moment.

Guard: And you sure that is your car?

Jessica: Yes.

(Hanru and Kaito are walking back into Yoko’s room. Ada comes out of nowhere and rushes Hanru.)

Hanru: Hey, Ada…

(As soon as she gets close enough, she punches Hanru right in his nose and he hits the ground. The doctors in the area become alert. One calls security. Ada is about to jump on Hanru but Kaito holds her back.)

Kaito: Okay, okay, calm down!

Hanru: What the heck…?

Ada: I am done with you, you trouble making turd! You got my daughter shot! I am through with your illegal activities! I am through with your family! I am through with you! You stay away from us and you never in our life even say our names again! Is that clear?

Hanru: Ada…

Ada: (Tries to pounce on him but is held back by Kaito) Is that understood?!

(Hanru just stands up and wipes the blood off his face.)

Ada: Let me, go; I’m cool.

(Kaito cautiously lets her go and takes a step back from her.)

Ada: After your uncle died, I tried being a good mother to you, but if this… (Points at her daughter’s room) THIS- is gonna be the price for keeping you around, it a’int worth it. I’m sick of the drama you all bring to my household, and it’s not ever normal drama. It’s life-threatening drama. Stay away from us. You tell your uncle and your brother I said the same. You’re lucky I’m not a cop right now, otherwise I’d arrest you right now. I’m putting your stuff in storage and when you get the chance, you take everything out. But other than that, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.

(Ada turns around and sees her daughter’s room door wide open. Yoko lies on the bed staring at a dumbfounded Ada through the wide open doorway. Hanru just walks away without saying a word. After a short while, Hanru enters a doctor’s office and tries to use their computer, but the door is reopened by LJ as Hanru tries to take a seat.)

Hanru: Now is really not the time.

LJ: We have somewhere to be.

(LJ and Jessica sit in the front seats of LJ’s black SUV and Hanru and Lee sit in the back using LJ’s laptop.)

Hanru: We get to finally see what’s on this flash drive.

LJ: After tonight, I bet there are a million things going through your heads right now.

Hanru: We can’t think about that stuff right now.

Lee: Thank you, Jessica, and I’m sorry. And thank you Hanru. If Ada wouldn’t have punched you out, the security would never have ditched me to rush to you guys.

Hanru: Luckily I left the scene before they showed up.

Lee: So what’s on this flash drive?

Hanru: A lot of things. Mostly files about people. There are gigs and gigs of files on here- all labeled.

Lee: See what the latest one is.

Hanru: Clicking on the latest one. Now let’s see, there are videos. I’ll click on the latest one.

(Storage)

(A storage is opened by Lawrence. Beside him is Leo. The two of them walk into the storage and Lawrence closes it when they get inside. Lawrence hits the lamp and sees furniture, files, papers, notebooks, folders, and stacks and stacks of money everywhere. There are a few cameras around as well and containers, and boxes. Lawrence reaches underneath a dresser and pulls out a huge brown wooden chest. He takes his keys out and unlocks it. He opens the box and quickly stands up. Leo is nervous.)

Leo: What’s in there? (Slowly walks up to the box)

Lawrence: These are the files and documents and recordings of our family’s history. Our family dates back many, many years ago. Since ancestry, our blood family have always been involved with illegal activities. We have always been a dark family. Our ancestry dates back to royalty days even. We’ve always been careful with who we introduced into the family and granted permission to be in our bloodline. Even incest was involved to keep our bloodline pure. Anyway, our family started a cult a long time ago. If you’ve ever heard of the “Darkbrotherhood”, then you have a basic idea of what it was about. It was a cult of killers and assassins. People who worshipped death and who killed for reasons we believed made the world a better place. Eventually our family’s ties and connections were cut and so was our power and influence in the world. Documentation of our family was released publicly and anyone who recognized our faces ratted us to the law and we were killed. Well our family tried their best to blend in with the people of society and the cause was lost in history. Instead of trying to rebuild an empire for our family’s name, our more modern relatives decided to recruit serial killers and make a new family. They began finding the resources for rebuilding this secret empire. They found this complicated and too difficult, so our relatives decided to give up. All of their plans and documentation were locked away and many, many years later, someone found those documents and used them to restart the empire decades later, during the ending times of “The Great Depression”. The economy was bad and when the system was chaotic, the individual who found the plans followed these plans that our modern ancestors left behind. He teamed up with business owners, politicians, investors, law enforcement agencies, and many other figures to gain the necessary funds for keeping the money flowing and making it untraceable. Now this individual who found our ancestors’ plans was more obsessed with cheating the economic system’s cash than he was with the original cause. It wasn’t until he had a son, who was mentally ill and obsessed with death himself, that the cause was rebooted. The son was amazed at the details and brilliance of our ancestor’s plans that were made many, many decades ago, and this shook him on a very deep level. This boy’s father was the man behind the curtain which didn’t even exist, so nothing could ever be traced back to him ever. One night the man told his son that he was old and one day he will pass and his son will be the new man behind the non-existent curtain. So the boy killed his father and took over the empire. But he wanted to rebuild the original cause. The economy was changing and the boy knew he couldn’t keep this up for long, so the boy was found out and the empire was destroyed. However, the government found no whiff of the boy ever existing. This boy went off the grid and eventually learned how to get into the mind of almost any serial killer and turn them into his progeny. This boy, now a man, learned to cover his tracks well and become non-existent, but he still tried to recreate this cause. He recruited many individuals and restarted this cult of killers, and used his son as the face of this new cause. He is a surrogate leader, and he goes by the name of Jason. After decades and decades, this man and his son Jason now have a total of about 23 members left alive. He revisited the last known Sazuki members who still used our ancestor’s name and recruited them into the cause. But they refused and tried living the remainder of their days with their children. Jason was obsessed with the original Sazuki’s and wanted them in the group. One of the two Sazukis he was obsessed with was my father. The other was my mother. Jason hired a man who looked like a drug dealer to slowly tempt you into hiring him to kill my dad. But it was all a set up. He pretended to kill them, and he stabbed Hanru in the chest with a sword to provoke our parents into joining. Our parents faked their deaths to join Jason so that we would be able to live normal lives; we as in me, Hanru, and my twin sister Helena. Of course Jason took me in eventually after I was hired to be killed, for accidentally witnessing a murder, but Lee’s grandmother Ming convinced them to recruit me, and so I was recruited. And now I have to dedicate my life to working for him to keep Hanru from being a target. Jason was interesting in recruiting Hanru but now Hanru isn’t showing signs of being a killer anymore and he ruined his chances of recruiting Shaun Maze last year. Jason now wants Hanru dead, but was keeping him alive because of me. Now here’s the twist. Jason’s father now wants the cause to end but his son is getting in the way of that. His father approaches our group and tells us who we need to once we’re done, we will have our freedom. So now me, Israel, Natasha, Sarah, and a few others are all working together to end all of this madness. Now, Leo… You know too much already, and what I just told you is more information than anyone should know. Now I told you before we came here that you had a choice. You can join us in killing those who really deserve to die, or I can kill you right now. Either way, it’s your choice.

(Leo and Lawrence remain quiet for 15 seconds while he thinks.)

Leo: I won’t be a killer…

(Lawrence quickly pulls a pistol out on Lawrence and a click sound is heard. Leo quickly tackles Lawrence into a dresser and throws him down on the ground. With his full force, Leo punches Lawrence in the side of the stomach 7 times. While he’s on the ground winded, Leo grabs the dresser and throws it down on top of him. Leo quickly grabs Lawrence’s keys from out of his pocket. Leo leaves the storage and locks Lawrence inside. As he’s walking down the dark alleyway, he sees a lighter down by his feet. Leo opens the container once again and begins to knock everything over aggressively.)

Lawrence: What are you doing?! Stop!

Leo: No one will ever find this place! No one will ever hear you scream. And even if they do, there’s no way they’ll be able to reach you. You will burn along with the last remaining bits of your ancestors! I’m done with this whole thing. I’m putting this story to rest. The fact that you would kill me shows you’re not one of the good ones.

Lawrence: Leo, let me go. JUST LET ME GO!

Leo: No! (Sets piles of papers on fire) You and all your people will die!

Lawrence: Please, Leo, you won’t be able to get close to any of them because of what you’re doing right now! Don’t be stupid! These people are professional killers!

Leo: Everything in here is labeled…

(Leo quickly steps over the fire and sees a box in the back. He quickly runs up to the box and uses Lawrence’s keys to open it.)

Leo: this chest has all the files and information of all your crew members. I will make it my life’s mission to make sure they’re all brought down.

Lawrence: For what?! What’s the purpose of that?!

Leo: To stop anyone from ever rebuilding this cult ever again! After I was poisoned I felt as if I was given a second chance to do some good in this world and I am going to do it by ending this bloodline legacy for good!

Lawrence: Leo, you’re obsessed with this false idea of wanting to make the world a better place; you’re sick! You’re mentally ill!

Leo: I am...

(Leo quickly grabs the chest of files and uses all of his strength to push it out of the storage.)

Lawrence: Don’t do this!

Leo: Goodbye, Lawrence. Rest in ashes.

(Leo closes the storage and locks Lawrence in there. Lawrence screams at the top of his lungs for someone to help him. Peter is suddenly shown in a close up sitting at his desk in a dark room; talking to his computer.)

Peter: One of my cameras were hidden in that storage so after your uncle left, I rushed over to save your bother and my camera. I was able to get my camera but your brother must have already burned. He was nowhere to be heard when I called for him. I put the video on this flash drive to show you the truth. I have thousands and thousands of files on this flash drive, and they are all copies of what was in that storage container. My plans were to expose this group of killers, but I was in over my head. I’ve seen too much; I know too much. Sometimes I catch myself having nightmares in the middle of the day. You know, I just stare… at the sky or at a tree or at some old lady crossing the street and my mind fades off into recollections of these videos I’ve seen of people getting brutally slaughtered. It’s too much for the mind to handle. (Mind drifts off)

(The video everyone is watching in the SUV skips.)

Peter: Sorry, I was somewhere else for the past… (Looks at something behind the camera) 20 minutes, wow… Hanru, this flash drive contains information about not only you but the people you are connected to. When you take the time to actually go into details of history and mutual connections, you’ll find that many people in your circle are connected and sometimes it’s hard to believe. I hope I’m alive for a while longer. I know they’re going to find me and kill me, but uh… (Rubs mouth with hand for 3 seconds) Gosh, I hope Nicky doesn’t ask me to be her baby’s godfather at the wedding… Hanru I hope you’ll be there… This video will probably be the last of my memories when I’m gone. I better make another video saying my goodbyes to everyone and… to you. I’m… (Looks down at swallow) I’m sorry for all of this chaos and for your family… All of the information about our group is on this flash drive. So you have information on all of the members of the group and their locations; all of their foot soldiers and the information about your friends and you. And… the secret location of the… The um… the secret hideouts. This is your heritage and your bloodline and as the video showed your brother saying, the man behind the non-existing curtain wants to destroy this empire and everyone who is a part of it. Mental illness runs in your family, Hanru. It’s just how your family is. You’re all psychotic in some kind of way. The darkness you suffer from is normal. The battery is dying; I need to make another vide-.

(The video cuts off. Hanru exits the SUV and presses his extended arms against the back of the vehicle. He closes his eyes and stares down at the ground. He begins moaning… louder and louder until he lets out a loud scream!)

(Fade to Black)

(The room is dark and Leo scavenges through a desk. He puts on heavy black body armor and fully examines a large clean silver pistol. He fully loads it and puts one bullet in the chamber. He aims the pistol in the mirror and sees Hanru sitting on the bed watching him. Leo quickly turns around to face him. They both remain silent for about 8 seconds.)

Leo: What are you doing in here?

Hanru: Stopping you from doing something dumb. (Leans forward and nervously holds his hands together) You’re alive after being in a coma and you finally have a family. Enjoy what you have now and let this pointless vendetta go.

Leo: (Continues to ready additional small firearms) What I’m doing a’int pointless, but you’re too young to understand.

Hanru: I know I’m your nephew and you will never see me as equal, but just know I understand you have a desire to defend justice. You saw some horrible things growing up and that made you wanna be a cop. I’m not gonna tell you what to do or how to live your life, but you need to realize that you were a cop locking people away for doing the very thing you’re getting ready to do now. You’ve been on both sides of the scale now, so you need to decide which side do you stand under and which side will be your peta stool.

(Leo stops and stares at himself through the mirror. Hanru leaves the room and as he enters the hall Ada comes up the stairs; she stops in her tracks and stares at Hanru with rage.)

Ada: (Glares) I told you to stay away…

Hanru: Ada I need help… I don’t know how live a normal life, but I want to… Please help me… (Eyes slightly water) Please don’t leave me when I need it most…

(Ada sighs in deep frustration but thinking it over after a few seconds, she walks up to Hanru and gives him a warm embrace.)

Ada: I will help you as best I can, ok? I won’t leave you; but you gotta help yourself as well, ok?

Hanru: Yeah… I know…

(Jessica, Keith, and Henrietta are all sitting on the couch late at night watching a movie on the bright screen laughing and throwing popcorn at one another.)

Hanru Narrating: Out origin defines who we are. It is the seed of which grows into our very being: The source of the butterfly effect.

(The next day approaches and Lee gently rocks his baby daughter while feeding her a bottle. He can’t help but daze off into a void as his eyes tell an empty tale.)

Hanru Narrating: Life has many twists and turns but we’ve always gotta remember that our choices concluding choices may be a seed for another person. A simple decision we make now may affect our children and maybe even our grandchildren. We’ve gotta make peace within ourselves, for our actions affect everyone we come in contact with or even get close to. You may be destroying your very loved ones and they may be destroying there’s.

(LJ and Janet both stand in front of an RV staring at their destroyed home. Al and his family all stare back at them with smiles on their faces and wave friendly goodbyes. Tsuki and Holly walk up to LJ and Janet and the four of them give each other a big family hug. LJ and Janet both enter the large mobile home and drive off down the street. Holly and Tsuki stay behind and wave goodbye. Tsuki hands Holly a backpack and a few books. LJ and Janet continue on the road but in the back of the mobile home, Janet kneels in the restroom over the toilet shaking while praying. After a few seconds, she lifts her head tears waterfall down her face. She reaches for a bag behind her and begins placing lines of white powder over the toilet seat.)

Hanru Narrating: A wise man once said: “Become the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi. We all think the world is out to get us and as long as we all think that, than it will be true. If we all thought positive and worried about being better for ourselves instead of justifying our cruel actions by what other people think or do than maybe this world would be a better place. It all starts with us and our actions that affect the future. I know sacrificing your own happiness to secure a future for people you know nothing about is improbable. But just think of the wonders you could be experiencing today if past generations made different choices. Look around and know that this world is falling apart and know that it’s not right. We all feel lost and we all feel the chaos we bring to this earth. We all know the pain… Do something about it, but don’t think you can change the world without changing yourself first. You are who you are for a reason.

(Erika is seen standing outside of a courthouse hugging her son Ethan tightly with tears rolling down her face.)

Hanru Narrating: Embracing your origin isn’t always a bad thing; it can help with moving forward.

(Michael and Scarlet smile as Erika hugs her child. Scarlet turns to Michael and smiles at him. She offers him a hand, but he simply smiles at her and gives her a warm loving hug. He releases her after a few seconds and he walks away. Scarlet is happy to see her brother walking free. She looks at her left finger and begins to smile happily at the ring shaped scar on her ring finger. She then turns away and walks toward a limo that her butler George kindly opens for her.)

(Henry walks into the police station and multiple officers smile and give him friendly greetings.)

(Hanru sits in his room smiling at his red-handled katana sword. He placed the flash drive in the hidden compartment and secures the cap before putting it in his closet. He sits at his desk and stares at a picture of he and his brother laughing. His eyes just tear up but he tries to smile and laugh through it. Hanru’s phone goes off and as he looks at the screen, a message from his brother pops up that says “Still alive.” Hanru laughs and just shakes his head.)

Hanru: (Thinking) Of course.

Hanru Narrating: We all have our problems and we all live with them as best we can. I’m hoping this story doesn’t continue because I’m about sick of this dangers I put myself and my loved ones through. I’m about ready to live peacefully now… but of course… we all know that’s not gonna happen. (Sighs)

(A large blue rig is seen parked somewhere with the engine still running. Inside the rig is an old man in the driver seat and Hanru on the passenger side. Hanru has somewhat of a darker look than usual in his eyes.)

Walter: You sure this is the place?

Hanru: I’m sure.

Walter: It’s in the middle of nowhere, kid. It’s a forest in the mountains.

Hanru: (Stares blankly ahead) There’s a town in the mountains I need to get to. We wouldn’t want your truck getting stuck out there in the snow. (Looks at Walter) Thanks for the ride.

Walter: Hey, no problem. Any friend of Kenneth’s is a friend of mine. He told me how you helped him reconnect with his daughter.

Hanru: (Remains silent and stares blankly ahead for a few seconds) Yeah… Teegan. I miss Teegan. I wonder how she’s doing…

(Hanru turns around and sees two white males with dirty blonde hair sitting on the bed. They both have their coats on. One has on a backpack.)

Hanru: Derek. I’m glad you and your wife are hanging in there. You’re going through your rough patches right now, but the fact that you are hitchhiking across the country to be with her shows how strong your love for her is.

Derek: Thanks, dude.

Hanru: I will always be grateful for you saving me back in 2009 when Natasha kidnapped me; put me in her trunk. You popped it open and got me out. I wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for you…

(Hanru reaches into the back to offer Derek a handshake. Derek shakes his hand.)

Derek: Anytime, bro.

(They stop shaking and Hanru offers Walter a handshake. Walter shakes his hand.)

Hanru: You take care now, ya here? Both of you, take care…

Walter: At ease, nomad.

(The rig pulls off and it takes about 7 seconds for it to pass. Once it does, the other blonde man is standing next to Hanru. The other Blonde man is Michael. The two of them look at each other and securely strap on their back backs. They look around the area and see nothing but mountain of infinite trees, snow, and fog. A glimpse of the sun’s rays can be seen peaking over the mountain.)

Michael: It’s 6:30. It’ll be dark soon. Shall we press on?

(Hanru and Michael journey deeper and deeper into the white forest. All that can be heard is the faint sound of their shivery cold exhales and the crunches of their boots pressing into the snow. They journey on and continue to walk. Michael stops for a pee break. Hanru waits a few seconds and then joins in at a different tree. They continue to walk. They find a very large two story cabin on a hill. Next to it is a vacant blue car and a large red dodge truck. Hanru and Michael walk up to the cabin and knock on the door 5 times. A young woman with pale skin, long brown hair, and green eyes opens the door wearing a long sleeve black sweater and blue jeans. She nervously stares at them. A man with grey hair comes up behind her drying his hands with a towel.)

Man: Honey I told you to let me get it. (Nervous) Can I help you with something?

(The man gently pushes his daughter behind him and he gets in the doorway. He cautiously watches them like a hawk.)

Hanru: It’s dark and we’re cold and hungry, and we were wondering if we could stay the night here?

[END OF VOLUME FOUR]

[“The Cold” by “Exitmusic”]