Hanru Sazuki

(A young boy about 21 years old is screaming in a hole in the middle of the forest at the top of his lungs. And the ground underneath him is on fire and burning his ankle. Two men in suits and a younger man around 17-19 are outside of the hole. The young man watches with a blank emotional expression as the other young man burns in the hole. The two men in suits turn away and try to endure the psychologically tormenting screams of the boy’s suffering.)

Boy: Okay! Okay! I won’t lie anymore! I’ll tell you where he really is!

Suit1: Dalton, should we just let him go?

Boy: Give me your gun.

(The man in the suit slowly gives Dalton his pistol. Dalton makes sure the safety’s off and shoots the man in the head. The second man in the suit turns around and Dalton shoots him in the throat. He falls to the ground holding his throat in pain and trying to catch his breath. Dalton stares at him with a blank face and the man starts to talk a little bit, but Dalton shoots him in the face three times out of cold blood. Dalton pulls the young man out of the hole and aggressively pats the fire off him. His uncle Jack pulls up in his little red car, gets out and approaches Dalton.)

Dalton: Hey Uncle Jack. So he was lying to you about that kid’s location.

Jack: Jared… I thought you agreed to cooperate and be honest with me?

Jared: I could say the same for you! You promised you’d let me go!

Jack: Why do you think I set the ground on fire and not you? I was gonna let you go after I confirmed Hanru’s location.

Jared: You liar!

Jack: (Smiles) You caught me. I have no intentions on letting you live after seeing my face. So now that you know you’re gonna die, I’m gonna offer you a new deal. I will keep you alive just until I find Hanru, okay? When we find him, we’re gonna kill you.

Jared: Wait. Earlier, you said that you’d move on to the people connected to Hanru and start killing them until you get to him. I don’t want anyone else dying because of me, so I’ll do all I can to help you find him. I’m already dead no matter what.

Dalton: Shortening his own lifespan just to prolong the lives of other people. This guy’s funny.

Jack: So where is he?

Jared: I don’t know, but I do know he lives in Miami and is planning to move to Chicago. I used to be Pen pals with his friend Casey from high school, so I can use Casey to help us find Hanru.

Jack: Good boy. Lead the way.

(Nightclub)

(Hanru and Casey are both sitting at the round table in the night club having a discussion about the deal he has offered Hanru.)

Casey: My grandmother had a stash of money saved up for a rainy day that she forgot about. What I’m offering you now isn’t even half of what she saved, so I’ll be fine financially. I know you’d reject this money if you felt giving it away would hold me back.

Hanru: (Thinks to himself for a few seconds then takes a deep breath) You keep that money, Casey. I’ll help you out this last time.

Casey: I know not to argue with you. You Capricorns are very one-track minded. (Hides bag under the table)

Hanru: So what can you tell me about your cousin?

Casey: She was the sweetest girl you’d ever meet. She always stood strong during times of chaos and she skated through life with a smile and learned to let things go. It was nearly impossible for her to hold a grudge. Most people her age would have committed suicide long ago.

Hanru: Sounds like I would’ve liked her.

Casey: If you met, there’s no doubt in my mind the two of you would have hit it off. You would have been great together.

Hanru: Alright, let’s stick to the point. Tell me more about her situation.

Casey: I’d rather you figure this one out on your own, Jimmy. But I will tell you only a few details. She doesn’t live in this state so you’ll have to travel, and be very careful when snooping around, because she was recently murdered.

Hanru: So other detectives might be investigating too. (Takes a deep breath)

Casey: I’m offering you so much money to do this for me because of how big a risk you’re taking. You’re putting both your freedom and life on the line here. This money I’m offering you is money you earn if you solve this and come back alive.

Hanru: By the way you’re talking; I’m guessing the killer may come after me if I get too close.

Casey: Exactly, so you’ll need to bring your team. However, if you do that, they’re payment comes out of your ten-thousand and you split the money however you want- whether it be by performance, support, how much work they’ve done, or just an equal split.

Hanru: Fine. I suppose I do earn this money if I come back with results.

Casey: In case you don’t have a camera, I’ve got one for you. It’s a tiny camera with wide audio receiving range. I need you to bring me proof that you caught the killer. And one last thing: I’m hiring you because something happened prior to Amber’s murder and the police are sniffing down the wrong trail. When you figure out why, you call me, and that way, I’ll know just how good you really are at your job.

(Private VIP Lounge)

(In a very large marble room with beautiful red and white couches and a very large bar, Janet and the African-American man who escorted her to the nightclub both sit at the corner of one of the couches. His arm is wrapped around her shoulder and the two of them are drinking liquor and eating green lemons with salt. Janet takes a hard drink and a full bit of the salt covered lemon.)

Murph: Mmph. You a thirsty girl, Ain’t you?

(Janet just laughs and dives into his mouth with her tongue. They go at it for about 5 seconds.)

Janet: (Looks into his eyes) You taste good; like a hunk of chocolate.

(The two of them chuckle.)

Murph: I think someone’s done drinking for the night. (Grabs bottle)

Janet: (Laughs) Good. Than that’s more for me. (Takes bottle out of his hand and drinks it straight up)

(After gulping down the entire bottle, Janet places the bottle on the table, rests her head on his chest and closes her eyes.)

Murphy: Now I’m here looking for a good time like everyone else, but I can’t do that with you passed out on me now.

Janet: (Laughs and sits up) I’m sorry. This whole day has just been soooo crazy. (Looks at him) You know you’re a good man. You’re a really good man. You showed me a good time today and I wanna repay you… by… sucking you dry.

Murphy: (Grins) Okay, but before we do that, I would like to know what happened earlier to make you drink all my money away so quickly.

Janet: Oh, you mean when I left earlier-

Murphy: Yeah.

Janet: And drank everything and didn’t share?

Murphy: Yeah. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t care, but in my line of work, being cautious when things look shady is a number one rule.

Janet: … I thought I saw my daughter out there.

Murphy: You’re daughter? I didn’t even know you had one.

Janet: Shows how much you know about me… (Chuckles)

Murphy: (Scoots away from Janet a bit and faces her) What made you go into this business? I’ve met a lot of ladies who've been in your line of work and they do it because they need to support their family and they get so deep into the lifestyle and so deep in debt, they can’t get out. But with you it’s different. You say you have a daughter and I assume she’s living with you, and even if she isn’t, that’s a pretty big house you’re living in on your own. So you wanna tell me a bit about you before you hit me with anymore surprises?

(Unsure whether or not to trust him, Janet takes a moment to think and collect her thoughts. She feels conflicted by the question but takes a deep breath and answers anyway.)

Janet: I don’t do this to support my family. I have a man who takes care of the household I live in.

Murphy: (Annoyed) Oh, great…

Janet: No, but, please, don’t be like that. He’s a sweet guy and all, and he would never hurt anybody. He doesn’t know about what I do, so you don’t have to worry about him coming after you or anything. Well… He doesn’t know that I still do it. And because of what he does know about my past, he’s afraid to have sex with me and I need sex because it’s a part of who I am. So I seek it elsewhere. Okay, that’s the truth about me.

(Murphy can see that Janet is dealing with conflictions. He takes advantage of the situation and begins to pick at her mind to see what kind of reaction he can get from her.)

Murphy: (Looks her in the eye) You know I can see in your eyes you’re living in a lie- It’s a gift I have. Now you’re lying about two things: Being happy with your life as a housewife, or your life as a hooker. Now I don’t have a fancy degree and I never went to college but during my free time, I always studied philosophy, and psychology growing up. Yeah, I look and dress like a pimp, but that don’t mean I’m not smart. Now I wanna know something- what do you think the meaning of life is?

Janet: (Caught off guard) That’s a bit of a personal question, don’t you think?

Murphy: Sucking someone dry is a bit personal, don’t you think?

Janet: Fair enough. Well… I think life is about… having fun and enjoying it as best as you can, and getting through the days-

(Murphy laughs and shakes his head.)

Janet: What?

Murphy: (Smiles) That is the most common answer anyone could give. What is YOUR meaning of life?

Janet: Sex is enjoyable to me and it’s the thing I’m best at.

Murphy: How do you know? Have you ever tried doing anything else?

Janet: I have and I suck at them. (Tries to shift the mood) But I am good at sucking other things, if you know what I mean.

Murphy: (Refuses to allow her to change the mood) So your entire life revolves around sex? That’s all you think you’re good for?

Janet: (Serious) Yes.

Murphy: Then that’s all you’re worth as a human being. You’re literally worth nothing more than a good release. Our self worth is measured by the standards we give ourselves and how we live our lives, and treat other people. Do you expect some guy to just one day bow to your feet and praise you like a goddess and make you feel as if you’re worth being treated like a person rather than a sex object? Cause if you are, I’m telling you right now, it’s not gonna happen. Life is precious, but what we do with that life is what decreases its value.

Janet: (Angry and offended) So you’re saying I’m not valuable? You think I’m just a waste of life?

(Her response is shocking but Murphy wants to see where else he could go from there.)

Murphy: I can go out to that dance floor right now and pick up at least 20 women who can do the exact same thing you can with more or less baggage. I can buy a sex toy from the internet and that object can do your job. You’re worth nothing more than a sexual animate object and I’m not saying that to be mean; I’m saying that because it’s true. You’re not special at all.

(Janet angrily stands, grabs her purse and storms out of the room. Back at her home, LJ is sitting on the couch of his dimmed living room. He looks really stressed about something. He doesn’t even make eye-contact or greet his lover Janet as she walks in. She dims the lights to give the room a perfect romantic atmosphere. Janet puts a CD into their stereo system and the song “Stripped” by “Shiny Toy Guns” plays. Janet sits on LJ’s lap and she gently kisses his nose. He looks up at her and she shows him a bottle of mouthwash to show him her mouth is clean. She closes her eyes and kisses him passionately across his lips. She stands over him and proceeds to strip for him. LJ is hesitant and as he opens his mouth to tell her to stop, she puts her finger on his lips and silently shushes him. She then continues to strip for him; not out of lust, but out of love and self desperation.)

(Days later at Georgia motel)

(Hanru, Lee, Jessica, Holly, and Casey are all standing inside a cheap motel checking their luggage.)

Casey: We are now in the state of Georgia, my newcomer friends. It took forever to convince Gail to let me come here without her, but the goal was achieved and now we’re here.

Holly: Who’s Gail?

Casey: My girlfriend.

Holly: Okay, awesome, then.

Hanru: So, Holly, do your parents believe you’re out with your sister for a few days?

Holly: I explained the situation to Tsuki and she has me covered.

Casey: Tsuki is your big sister, right?

Holly: Not biologically. We were both adopted.

Jessica: Lee, how’s Nicky doing?

Lee: I tried talking to her but she’s angry at me for what happened and her family is taking care of her right now. There’s nothing I can do for her, Jessica; I really tried to be there for her.

Jessica: (Hugs Lee) We’re here for you.

Hanru: Again, I do apologize for not learning my lesson and still getting involved in this, but it’s for a friend.

Lee: Casey was the reason why you started doing this anyway and he’s the reason why you got involved with Jason. Getting involved with him is never a good idea but you’re stupid enough not to learn your lesson, so we’re here to have your back anyway, brotha!

Hanru: Thanks. I really appreciate that.

(Around the city of Atlanta, Georgia, various main attractions can be seen including- The Martin Luther King JR. National Historic Site, Turner Park, Centennial Olympic Park, Fox Theater, and a cross statue with two women carved underneath it in Oakland Cemetery. The streets seem really busy on the sidewalks as well as the streets. The neighborhoods have lots of trees and grass in the yards. Various hood-dressed country folk of Black, White, and Mexican decent are hanging out on different lawns in the neighborhoods. A Native-American couple is pushing a stroller on the sidewalk but stops as two African-American males approach them. The female Native-American removes the blanket from the stroller and hands the African-American males something from underneath. In return, the males give the woman what appears to be money. The two parties then proceed to walks in opposite directions. Three African-American kids about 12 years of age are seen rushing out of a corner store holding bottles of soda, beer, and chips. The Asian store owner rushed out of the store after them but quickly stops his pursuit to keep from abandoning the rest of his supplies. Casey is driving a small white 2004 ford Camry- obviously borrowed. Jessica is in the front seat; Lee, Hanru, and Holly are in the back crammed.)

Lee: You know being in this part of the world makes me wonder why we don’t have any black people in our crew. Our circle is filled with cheese-eating white people.

Hanru: Not true.

Lee: Okay, name one black person in our circle.

Hanru: Let’s see, there’s my Uncle Leo, LJ, and there’s Holly.

Lee: What?! Holly doesn’t count; she’s whiter than me!

Hanru: Well you don’t have any direct white in you; you’re Korean and Chinese apparently.

Lee: Correction! One of my grandparents were mixed with Korean and all their children passed down their American Genes to me.

Jessica: How do you know; you were adopted?

Lee: My Grandmother Ming isn’t really my Grandmother but she was a friend of the family and she took me in after… whatever happened to my parents.

Hanru: My parents of course raised me until I was about 7, and then I was stabbed and apparently they were murdered or they're still alive; I'm not sure, but from the stories I’ve heard from my Uncle Leo, my family is mixed with Jewish-American, Native-America, and African-American. But mostly Black runs in my genes.

Jessica: Apparently I’m English and American- says my file at the adoption agency. My family came to America from Southtend, Essex, England; wherever that is.

Casey: It’s ironic how we’re all adopted.

Hanru: What happened to your parents?

Casey: Story for another time, my friend. For now, we need to focus on our next destination.

(Holly keeps to herself and stares down at the ground with her arms crossed.)

Casey: We need to meet my uncle and Aunt from my mother’s side. I know you guys don’t care about my cousin being killed, but at least act sincere around my relatives and don’t do anything noticeably suspicious around them. That also means you, Lee; not just Hanru! I know about you getting your jollies from raiding girl’s underwear drawers.

Lee: Oh please; that was like one time… Okay, one time recently.

(Casey slams on breaks suddenly and Holly falls forward and smacks her head on the Center console.)

Holly: Ah!

Casey: See, that’s what you get for not wearing your seatbelt.

(Suburban home)

(Jack, Dalton and Jared are parked in front of a one-story home in the suburbs. Jared is in the back and Dalton is in the passenger seat. Jack is in the driver seat.)

Jack: You sure this is the place?

Jared: I think I recognize my own house when I’m sitting right in front of it.

Jack: Don’t get smart with me; I’m not against the classic cutting-of-your-finger rule.

Jared: Right, sorry. (See’s red Van in the driveway) My mother’s home. I don’t want my mom getting involved with what we have going on, so I’ll just run in and run out really quick.

Jack: You think we’re stupid? You really think we’re gonna let you just walk into your home, call the cops and get away Scott-free?

Jared: Look, Casey and I have the app that lets us track our friends' phones if they have the same phone. I’ll just run in, grab the phone, and come right back out; then we can track Casey and make him tell us where Hanru is.

(Jack thinks for a second.)

Dalton: I’ll go with him, Uncle Jack, and make sure he don’t try any funny business. We’re both about the same age, so he can make it seem as if I’m one of his friends. Don’t worry, Uncle Jack; I’ll watch his every move; I’ll make you proud.

Jack: … (Alright) If he tries anything funny, I want you to silently handle the situation. That means no shooting people or killing people, unless it’s absolutely necessary, and even then don't do it.

Dalton: Yes, Sir, Uncle Jack. I won’t let you down.

Jared: Alright let’s head inside.

(Jared enters his home with his house key and stops by the kitchen when he sees his mother and little 8 year old sister. His sister’s face lights up and she rushes him for a big loving hug. His mother is cooking over the stove which is behind the island in the middle of the kitchen.)

Sister: Jared! (Hugs Jared)

Jared: (Happy) Ah, there’s my big little sister! (Kneels down in pain and hugs her tightly) I’ve missed being around you.

Mother: (Stirring pasta over the stove and smiling) I was beginning to worry about my baby. Jared, you left your phone in your room and I didn’t know your password so I couldn’t call any of your friends whose house you might have been sleeping over.

Jared: (Stands up) Sorry, mom.

Mother: Who’s this; a new friend?

Jared: Yes, mom; this is Dalton.

(Dalton stares at the side of Jared’s face with a look of hatred after revealing his name to his mother.)

Mother: Well it is very nice to meet you, Dalton.

(Dalton turns to Jared’s mother and displays a friendly smile for her. The two of them then shake hands.)

Dalton: Likewise, ma’am.

Mother: Ooh, ma’am. I like this one, Jared. I’ve met all your friends and this is the only one with actual manors.

(Dalton and Jared’s mother lightly laugh with one another; Jared is conflicted about the whole situation.)

Dalton: (Turns to Jared with a blank face) Hey, man; everyone else is waiting for us at the mall. We shouldn’t keep them waiting. Where’s your phone?

Jared: Yeah…

Mother: Jared, sweetie; are you okay?

Jared: (Numbed) … Yeah, mom… I love you; I just need you to know that.

Mother: (Smiles) Awe, I love you too, sweetie. Now go on; get your phone. You shouldn’t keep your friends waiting. This is a 5 day sleepover, so no breaks allowed- just fun, fun, fun. (Smiles)

Jared: Yeah, mom. (Glares over at Dalton for a few seconds and then runs upstairs)

Mother: (Turns around to attend food) You boys are staying pure, right; no alcohol and no women?

Dalton: No, ma’am; It is just us boys. I usually don’t go out and party with the guys because I find intoxication highly immoral and immature when you’re not of the proper age to handle such a substance.

Mother: Oh, well Jared is a good boy. He makes me proud to be his mother and I just hope he continues to be the good little man he’s always been since head start. Oh, I love my children so much. I have a terrible secret that I need to tell my children, but I’m not sure how to-

(From behind, Dalton wraps his hand around her mouth and jams giant butcher knife into her stomach. She bends over and falls toward the ground on her stomach. Dalton continuously stabs her in the stomach over and over again over 12 times until she remains silent and stops moving. Dalton turns her head toward him and looks into her eyes and she slowly passes. Dalton becomes startled and turns around to see Jared’s little sister starring at him. Jared comes down the stairs and walks into the kitchen. Dalton stands beside the giant island with a gun in his hand and one of his shirt sleeves rolled up.)

Jared: What happened? Where are my mom and sister?

Dalton: What took you so long?

Jared: Where are they?!

Dalton: Keep your voice down. They’re in the restroom getting some tissue cause you ran out of paper towels. This gives us a window to get outta here without having to waste time talking to her about what we’re doing or where we’re going. Not let’s go before they get back; hurry. (Points gun at Jared)

Jared: Alright, I’m going.

(Unknown to Jared, his mother and little sister are both on the other side of the kitchen island face down in a pool of blood. Jared and Dalton get back into the car.)

Jack: Did everything go smoothly? No one got hurt, did they?

Jared: Everyone is in one peace, Uncle Jack.

Jack: Excellent. Now let’s see where this friend of yours is.

(Hanru and his friends have just entered the home of Casey’s uncle and aunt. They’re all greeted and Casey gives the two of them a big hug. His grandmother and little cousins also greet him with hugs. After a few hours, Lee is sitting with everyone in the living room sweet-talking them and telling funny stories to keep them busy. In the meantime, Hanru and Casey both search Amber’s room for clues. Hanru sits at her computer desk searching her computer and notebooks and Casey searches a box he found underneath the bed.)

Casey: Have you found anything useful yet?

Hanru: This girl is clean. She has nothing on her computer; her notebooks are basically just drawings and poems. (Sighs) I have no idea how we’re gonna find a single clue to help us out with this. Maybe I should check her email.

(Casey’s phone rings. He answers it right away.)

Casey: My homie from another country! What’s up, man?

Jared: Yo, Casey…. Where are you, man? How ya been?

Casey: I’m actually here in Atlanta, Georgia with my friend who helped you out a while back.

Jared: Hanru?! Hanru’s with you right now?

Casey: He’s helping me find out what happened to my cousin.

Jared: So hey… uh… umm… Sorry for your cousin, man. So hey, how long will you be with him down there in Georgia?

Casey: Only until we figure out what happened. It could be a few days, why; you coming down for a visit?

Jared: Maybe man. Well hey, I was just checking in and sorry for your cousin. Stay strong man; I gotta go.

Casey: Alright, peace.

(They both hang up. Jack, Jared, and Dalton sit in Jack's car with tingles going through their spines.)

Jared: (Nervous) It was on speaker; you heard him.

Jack: We can take a flight and get there by tonight.

(Amber’s room)

Hanru: I found some pictures on her computer. They’ve been uploaded this school year, so they are moderate. She was a cheerleader. And judging by the lack of team photos, I’m guessing her team wasn’t too close. She’s only taking a few individual pictures with a few teammates.

Casey: So what now?

Hanru: Now we go to the school and find out some information about her teammates and the friends she hung out with.

Casey: That could be infinite.

Hanru: Yeah, true. And it’ll burn up time we don’t have and resources. Does she have a diary?

Casey: I didn’t see one.

Hanru: Before her parents start to wonder where we are, we should get downstairs.

Casey: When are we headed to the school?

Hanru: I was thinking maybe right now. Lee is down there keeping them all busy and Jessica and Holly are there for when the mood settles and they can shift the conversation into a new direction. My team is buttering them up right now.

Casey: This is the first time Holly’s ever come with you, right? Maybe she would be more useful with us. Jessica and Lee seem to work better together.

Hanru: Alright, let’s get Holly to come with us.

Casey: Before we get to the school, there’s someone I need to visit: The friend who gave me the news.

(Casey, Hanru, and Holly make it to the projects. A young man around the same age as Casey answers the door wearing long gym shorts and a muscle shirt. He and Casey smile once they see one another and give each other a friendly handshake. A few minutes pass and everyone has settled into the cluttered and junky living room of the young man Carlos. Holly is very uncomfortable and is disgusted at the sight of ants feeding on a dead dollar-coin sized moth in the center of the living room floor.)

Casey: Is Precious still around?

Carlos: Aye, man, I tell you, that girl… (Shakes her head) I mean she’s cool and everything, but… (Gently low punches at the air) Sometimes I just gotta check her when she gets too crazy, dogg, you know?

Casey: (Nods) Yeah. I know how that can be. You two always had your own thing going on, but there was always mutual understanding.

(Carlos is smoking a blunt but he keeps peeking over at Hanru nervously.)

Casey: Since middle school, the two of you were closer than stick to a piece of tape. But sometimes it would take just one of you to do something crazy and stir up some neighborhood drama.

Carlos: (Chuckles) Tch, Yeah.

Casey: (Laughs lightly) You remember that time Mike snuck a letter in her Bag without her knowing and you ended up finding it before her and it was him telling her he liked her? Man, you must have been heated that night. You almost murdered her. And turns out, she didn’t even know who Mike was; he was just stalker her. (Laughs)

Carlos: (Chuckles a bit and ignores the dark humorous memory) Yeah.

(Awkward silence)

Carlos: So whassup, man? Are these guys cool, or do I gotta worry about ‘em?

Casey: Now you know I don’t bring anyone along with me unless they’re solid.

Carlos: So what do you want?

Casey: I need to talk to Precious.

Carlos: She ain’t here.

(A young African-American girl around Casey and Carlos’ age walks into the living room. Her left eye is darker than the other one.)

Precious: Hey, Carlos...

Carlos: (Annoyed) Ugh, Precious, get your stupid butt outta here! I told you to stay your behind in the back when we have company!

Precious: (Nervous) Sorry; I didn’t know…

Carlos: You didn’t know?! You didn’t hear that loud doorbell ring 5 minutes ago?! You didn’t hear laughing; you didn’t hear us talking in here?! Are you stupid or something?! Never mind; don’t answer that; you might hurt yourself. Get to the back.

Precious: Yes, sir. (Quickly leaves the room)

Carlos: Ugh, she bugs.

(A quick glimpse shows Hanru’s lips backing away from Holly’s ear.)

Casey: Carlos, I came by because I still owe you a favor and I never got the chance to repay that favor before I moved to Miami, so here it is- your own personal blonde.

Carlos: What?

Holly: You heard him. I’m all yours to do with as you please.

Carlos: (Looks the three of them in the eyes one at a time) Y-you’re for real on this?

Casey: You got her for 4 hours Carlos.

Holly: So let’s not waste time with sissy foreplay. Let's not worry about breaking the ice cause I'm ready to get wet. I’m a hardcore chick and that’s how like my sex. Now let’s get to it.

Casey: Before we leave you too alone, I’m headed to your restroom for a little tinkle. You know how much of an addict I am for those BIG GULPS.

(Casey goes to the restroom and unlocks the one-story window. Hanru leaves out the front. After a few minutes, Casey leaves out the front and right away, the two of them sneak to the back and crawl through the window. They sneak to the back of the house where Precious sits alone in the dark cold room. Curtains are black so even in the daylight the room is dark. Precious stares blindly at the black screen on the T.V. Casey quickly walks up to her and gives her a hug to snap her out of her trance. She hugs him back but they stop hugging after about 7 seconds.)

Casey: Why are you still with this guy? This man has tried to kill you more time than I can remember, he beat you, abused you in more ways than one; made you suffer. He’s in that room right now trying to have sex with another girl and not caring about how you feel.

Precious: When I called to tell you about Amber, I didn’t think you would show up here. Casey, there’s nothing anyone can do at this point. I’ve called the police on him so many times that they’ve told me to my face they will not come to my address anymore if I call again. He doesn’t let me go anywhere, but sometimes he’d let me go out with Amber. She was my only friend and now she’s gone, Casey.

(Precious hugs Casey firmly and begins to cry.)

Hanru: Precious, what happened to Amber? How was she killed?

Precious: (Sniffs and stops hugging Casey) About a week before she killed, someone tried killing her. He was the boy she had a crush on.

Hanru: And what was his name?

Precious: W-why…

Casey: Precious... It’s alright; he’s gonna help us out.

Precious: His name was Cody. It was all over the news what happened. She went to a party with Cody and he offered to drive her and another girl home and he stabbed her in the face about 8 to 12 times.

Hanru: And this was the attempt of killing her; a week prior to her death?

Precious: Yes.

Casey: This is where your skills come in handy, detective. Precious, tell him what else the news reports say.

Precious: She survived by rolling out of the car, but then she blacked out and remembered waking up in the hospital.

Hanru: Casey, you’re pretty connected around these parts it seems so I’m betting you know what really happened?

Casey: She had a stalker who was also her best friend besides Precious. His name is Bucky. Bucky stocked her to the party to make sure she was okay and while following her, he saw Cody attack Amber through the window. He hit the rear of Cody’s car and Cody dropped the knife and that gave Amber a split-second to bail out of the car and roll into the streets. Bucky picked her up and dropped her off close to the hospital and anonymously called for the paramedics to pick her up.

Hanru: Bucky was a witness. He could have told the police who stabbed Amber and Cody could have went to jail. (Thinks for a second) So let me guess… Amber was murdered a week later and police think it’s Cody- who “mysteriously disappeared and came back to finish the job”, right?

Casey: Exactly.

Hanru: Correct me if I’m wrong here but it sounds to me like Bucky avoided telling the police it was Cody because he had his own agenda for Cody.

Casey: He killed Cody. Everyone just thinks he went into hiding.

Hanru: So Cody attempted to kill Amber, but failed and was then murdered right after the incident. After he was murdered, Amber was killed.

Casey: right. So the police think it’s Cody who killed her but he was already dead before she was killed, so that’s why we need you.

Hanru: I know you promised not to help me out, but I need to know everything you do.

Casey: I just told you all I know.

Hanru: I could’ve eventually figured all of this out, you know.

Casey: I know you could have.

Hanru: All I would have to do is look up the news video on what happened. I could have read more of her diary and found out about Bucky. I could’ve found his address easily through the school files. I could have asked him what happened and with you by my side, he would have confessed what he did since you’re in his circle, and also I could have found out more about her cheerleading team and maybe found out why they’re so distanced. It would have taken time, but I would have eventually learned all of this.

Casey: You found her diary?

Hanru: It was hidden behind her computer. I spotted it just before we left.

Precious: You should leave before he comes in here. I don’t want any trouble.

Hanru: Don’t worry about him. Just stay strong, okay? I promise you your day will come when you find yourself free from him.

Precious: If I ever lost him, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.

Hanru: You wouldn’t have to do anything- just be free.

Precious: How did you get back here anyway?

Casey: We snuck in through the back window so we could come see you without Carlos getting involved.

Precious: Well leave before you get me in trouble.

(Hanru and Casey both take that response to heart and remain silent for a few seconds.)

Hanru: Alright, let’s go then.

Casey: And what about Holly?

Hanru: She said she’ll stall for a few minutes but if things get too sexually, she’ll have to bail. Saying she was a "hardcore chick" didn't really help her case either.

Precious: (Takes a deep breath) Leave, right now, okay…

(Hanru and Casey sneak through the front yard and back to the car. Hanru sits in the back seat and Casey sits in the driver seat.)

Casey: Looking back, I don’t think this was a solid plan. From what I know so far about Holly and Jessica, Jessica seems like the type of girl who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, where Holly seems more innocent. Is Jessica a Scorpio?

Hanru: Yeah.

Casey: That explains her intense sexual energy. We should have brought Jessica along.

Hanru: Holly will be fine; she can handle herself. Here she comes now.

(Holly walks out of the house fixing her hair. She walks back to the vehicle and sits on the passenger side. She seems very frustrated and distanced at the same time.)

Hanru: You alright, Holly? (Gently places his hand on her shoulder)

Holly: (Aggressively back away from Hanru’s hand and breathing speeds up) Don’t touch me.

Hanru: (Serious) What did he do to you?!

Holly: He touched me… I didn’t find that very pleasant… (Staring down at the floor of the car out of her mind) Don’t make me do that ever again.

Hanru: I won’t. (Holds her hand and looks her in the eyes to snap her back into reality) I won’t ever put you in that situation ever again.

(Hanru leans across the seat and the two of them give each other a hug.)

Holly: I don’t see how Jessica and Lee can help you do things like this.

Hanru: Don’t worry about them, okay. You did great. You took a big risk and I’m sorry I asked you to do that.

Casey: If you two ex-lovers are finished, we need to take off, AFTER… Hanru gets his seatbelt on!

Hanru: You and your seatbelts.

Casey: Safety is always important. I lost my brother to a car accident.

Hanru: I never knew you had a brother.

(Casey is driving minutes later on a public road with his fist pushed against his forehead and his other hand on the steering wheel. Everyone just sits in silence for a few seconds.)

Holly: Hanru. Don’t feel bad about what happened; I agreed to do it and now I’m fine with making my decision. I’m a big girl.

(Silence for 5 seconds.)

Hanru: Okay.

Casey: We should enter the school at when it's dark.

(School)

(Hanru, Holly, and Casey are surprisingly able to walk right into the main building of the school and as they pass the principal’s office, they stop at the edge of a doorway after hearing a male and female talking inside.)

Coach: I’m sorry, Mr. Galloway, but seeing each other is not a good idea anymore.

Galloway: Oh, come on, darling. Let’s face reality- we’re not getting any younger and at our age we take love when it is due. What we have between us is a marvelous thing, my dear.

Coach: I am aware of that, sir, but you are my boss and I have three kids I need to support and coaching is all I’m able to do right now and I don’t want to risk losing that job. (Talks softer) You remember what happened to Amber. We couldn’t risk her telling anyone about our secret and she suffered from an “unfortunate accident”.

Galloway: That was divine intervention; we had no control over her fate.

Coach: But in the back of our minds, we still made the prayer that she would be unable to tell anyone about our secret, Galloway! I don’t want that to happening ever again.

Galloway: Dear… (Holds both of her hands with his) It doesn’t have to. We just need to be more careful. (Leans in for a kiss)

Coach: (Turns around to avoid being kissed and releases her hands) No, Patrick. I’m sorry, but it’s over between us. I have too much to lose if we get caught.

(The coach runs out the door and after a few seconds, Galloway chases after her. Holly quickly takes the opportunity and runs into his office. Hanru is hesitant but runs in after her. Galloway holds the Coach’s hand and pulls her back toward the office but she stops him about 20 feet away from the door to finish talking. Hanru and Casey whisper through the crack of the door.)

Hanru: Alright, you stay on lookout and if they head this way, deal with them. Lead ‘em somewhere away from here while we do this thing, alright.

Casey: Aye-aye, Captain Crunch.

(Hanru and Holly quickly access the Principal’s computer.)

Holly: What exactly are we looking for?

Hanru: Information about Amber, Bucky, Cody, and the cheerleading squad.

Holly: I’ll handle the computer.

Hanru: I’ll check the school files.

(30 seconds pass and Galloway has persuaded the coach to come back to his office. They get about 10 feet away and Casey kicks the door closed and confidently stands in front of them. They’re startled by his presence at first sight.)

Galloway: Who are you?!

Casey: (Paces back in forth and pretends to be a crazy person) Someone who knows your dirty little secret. Yeah… You all think it’s funny don’t you? I see you laughing on the inside.

Galloway: Look here, buster-

Casey: DON’T TALK OVER ME! You think it’s cool to fail people! Is that how you get your hard-ons, old man?!

Holly: Hanru, I found an article about Amber. She had a cheerleading accident on one of the other cheerleaders during practice last year: A number 2 accident.

Hanru: That was her? I remember reading something about that on Facebook.

Holly: Is that helpful at all?

Hanru: Yeah, it’s very helpful actually. We don’t have time to read anything, so shut down the computer and let’s go.

Holly: Wait, wait. The cheerleader was a girl named Gretchen. See if you can find her file.

Casey: I’m gonna tell everyone your secret! And if you call the police on me, then your secret is getting out! This is what you get for failing me!

(Casey snatches the coach’s necklace and takes off down the hall. The two of them then chase after Casey.)

Holly: I think Casey bought us some time.

Hanru: I’ve got Gretchen’s file.

Holly: I’ve got a few files. I’m all good on my end I think.

(There are suddenly 4 knocks at the door. The knob twists and slowly opens. Hanru and Holly are frozen at the sight of 2 campus security guards starring at them.)

Holly: Uh-oh…

Hanru: (Thinking) We’re not students here; we can’t afford to get caught. (Looks around and continues thinking) Improvise.

(Hanru grabs a chair and launches it at the guards. It smacks one in the face and he stumbles back a bit but the other two guards charge Hanru and Holly. The two guards go around the Principal’s desk and Hanru and Holly quickly run over it and out the door. Hanru slams the door closed and the two of them take off down the hall.)

(Principal’s office the next morning)

(The tall dirty-blonde male detective Connors is standing in the middle of the office looking at the mess in the office and the broken glass in the hall way. A male Asian taking pictures stands next to Connors.)

Connors: What else did the rent-a-cops say happened, Vince?

Vince: Well, sir, they said the glass broke when the door was slammed. They pursued the kids, but never caught ‘em.

Connors: What about the surveillance; There should always be a guard in the surveillance room.

Vince: Unfortunately, the cameras near and in the principal’s office were turned off by Principal’s request.

Connor: Now why would that be?

(Connors interviews the terrified Galloway in the hall.)

Galloway: I know it’s unprofessional to engage in office romance, but love is so hard to come by these days and I swore her secrecy not to reveal her identity.

Connors: Okay, so… You and madam mistress leave the office and as you’re coming back, this crazy kid approaches and engages you into chasing him and you have no idea who this kid is?

Galloway: I did not recognize him in the slightest.

Connors: And so he threatened to tell of your secret?

Galloway: Correct.

(Connors and Vince stand in the office once again.)

Connors: These file cabinets were opened by the time we got here so these kids were looking for someone’s personal records. Check for any misplaced or missing files.

Vince: Already done, sir. Gretchen’s file, along with Bucky, and Amber’s files have been tampered with and the search history on the computer shows that someone looked up information in regards to Amber’s situation.

Connors: Right after I interviewed Gretchen, I was given the news that Cody McCormick was the one responsible for Amber Shaw’s death. Why would someone be digging into the files of this love triangle of suspects?

Vince: Well, sir, it seems there’s more to this case than we know. Seems you were right.

Connors: I want this kept out of the media. I’ll need to see about looking at the outside footage; maybe we can catch a couple faces.

(The night before)

(Casey is driving a bit over the speed limit toward his relative’s home. The three of them are on edge.)

Casey: Well good thing we wore gloves, huh?

Hanru: How did security know we were there and why were there so many guards?!

Casey: It doesn’t matter. By tomorrow the situation will be under investigation and because you took those files, this case is gonna be reopened or one cop is gonna be nosey and snoop around; undermining his superiors. Either way, this isn’t good. (Punches the dashboard out of anger)

Hanru: Things will work out smoothly, Casey; they always do.

Casey: Then why do I have the feeling something really bad is about to happen?! I have been scared and shaking all day because I just have this shadow lingering over me and its pressure is building more and more.

Hanru: The cameras won’t catch us because we handled that problem. We stole the recorder chip so all footage of us is gone. We have gloves, so our DNA is nowhere to be found. We just need to get to the bottom of this and head back to Miami. It’s not so complicated.

Casey: So what now?

Hanru: Now we head over to your place and by tomorrow, we’ll figure all this out.

Casey: The police will expect us to talk to Gretchen since you have her file.

Hanru: We’ll figure it out tomorrow.

(Casey’s relative’s house; 2:17AM)

(Late at night, Hanru is in the kitchen drinking a small cup of sink water. He hears a thump upstairs. Hanru walks into the upstairs bedroom where he heard the noise and sees Amber’s mother standing in the middle of the room holding a palm-sized stuffed dog in her hand. Hanru is hesitant, but he does eventually take a step in the door and startles her mother.)

Mother: (Turns around quickly to see who entered the door) Oh, hello.

Hanru: Hi. Sorry for scaring you. I just heard a noise and came up to see what it was.

Mother: Sorry, that was me; I accidentally knocked something off her computer desk.

Hanru: (Thinking) She misses her daughter- that much is obvious. Maybe she just needs someone to talk to. (Says to her) She was obviously a clean person. Her room is spotless. Was she a straight A student at school?

Mother: She loved school. She loved learning new things and meeting new people. She always kept a smile on her face, you know. (Looks down at the stuffed animal and continues to softly squeeze it in her hands) And she never made trouble or fought. The only times I know of where she fought, was with her father all the time and with Gretchen the night she went to a party with her…

Hanru: It’s okay to cry… (She ignores him and closes her eyes tightly) I don’t know who your daughter was, or what she was like in person while she was alive… But from what I know, she was an amazing young woman, and she lived everyday of her life with a smile that was honest. I am so sorry your daughter’s gone- (She begins to cry) But with the short time she did have, she lived the best life she possible could and I know saying this won’t bring her back, but she was special and no one in this world could ever take her place. The only thing we can do is help her live on forever by living the way she did. She had a cheerleading accident last year, but that never stopped her from doing what she wanted to do. She accepted that pain and she lived happily with it. As a mother who lost a child, I know it’s not that simple for you and this is something you will never heal from, but you have two younger children who need you to be there for them as they grow up.

(Hanru walks up to her and gently hugs with one arm. She is crying her eyes out and he does not want her feeling any more uncomfortable, so he does limit himself to how much affection he gives her- although he wishes he could give her more.)

(The next morning)

(Detective Connors, is seen talking to an angry woman in her 30’s through the front door of her house.)

Angry Woman: I don’t care why you’re here or what it has to do with your case; it has nothing to do with my daughter! She told you everything she knows and she’s been through enough suffering already so please, leave my property now! (Slams door closed)

(Connors takes a deep breath and walks away from the home. As he walks on the sidewalk, he passes by Hanru and Casey walking the opposite direction toward him.)

Casey: Hey, how’s it going?

Connors: (Nods) Hey.

(The two of them pass each other and Connors quickly gets into his car and drives off- not realizing that Hanru and Casey are the two guys he’s looking for and not noticing the two of them walking toward Gretchen’s home. The two of them get to her front door and Casey knocks on the screen.)

Casey: Gretchen and I were buddies back in 4th grade all the way through 7th or 8th. I moved away and lost her number, so we haven’t spoke in awhile, but I’m sure she’ll be happy to see me again.

(The wooden door is aggressively pulled open.)

Angry Woman: I told you to leave my property! (Calms down) Oh. Hi. Can I help you?

Casey: Hello, ma’am; my name’s Casey Harris and I was a childhood friend of your daughter Gretchen.

Woman: Oh, Casey! It’s been a long time! Come in; she’s in the back. I know she’ll be happy to have visitors other than cops.

(Gretchen’s room looks as if it hasn’t been cleaned in a while. Clothes are all over the floor and there are stains on the walls. Gretchen sits on the bed after giving Casey a hug and both he and Hanru sit down on two computer chairs beside her bed. Gretchen reaches into an ashtray on the dresser beside her and grabs a joint of weed which she proceeds to smoke.)

Gretchen: Sorry about my mom. That detective’s been all over me since Amber was killed. He thinks I had something to do with it. As if I had the balls to do something so cruel. (Takes a puff of the joint) Murder is some pretty hardcore stuff; ya know what I’m saying? (Offers Casey joint)

Casey: (Takes joint and takes one hit; then gives it back) Yeah, I know whatcha mean.

Gretchen: Who’s this?

Casey: This is my friend from Miami.

Gretchen: Oh. (Takes hit) Does “friend from Miami” have a name?

Casey: It’s better you don’t know his name.

Gretchen: What shady scheme do you got going on this time, Casey?

Casey: Trying to figure out who murdered my cousin.

Gretchen: It was Cody- case solved!

Casey: (Talks softer) Ya see I know for a fact it wasn’t Cody.

Gretchen: Oh really?

Casey: Now if I tell you how I know this, I can’t have you snitching on me to that detective. Okay, most likely, that detective was here to warn you about us.

(Gretchen sighs and begins shaking nervously.)

Gretchen: (Says softly to herself and sighs) This is not good for my anxiety. (Says to Casey) I don’t wanna be a part of this, Casey. I can’t handle this stuff right now.

Casey: I just need assurance that this visit stays between us. You know you can trust me, Gretchen. I wouldn’t involve you if I knew you’d get hurt.

Gretchen: (Sighs) There’s a first-time for everything... but fine I’ll trust you, and I promise not to tell anyone I saw you today.

Casey: Amber had a stalker who was her best friend.

Gretchen: Yeah, Bucky.

Casey: Right. And he killed Cody a few days after he tried killing Amber after the party.

Gretchen: Are you for real?!

Casey: Bucky was the one who crashed into Cody’s car and stopped him from murdering her. Precious, Bucky, and I are the only three who knew about Cody being dead, so we know for a fact Cody didn’t “come back to kill Amber after failing the first time”- as police say.

Gretchen: Amber and I had a small fight at the party before she left but made me think about how we used to be. I heard about her being hospitalized the next morning and both me and Bucky were by her side the entire time. Precious was there once or twice but I didn’t see her; I can’t stand to be in the same room as that caveman boyfriend of hers. Anyway, her and I fixed our friendship and I apologized for everything I did to her and so did Bucky. About 2 weeks before she died, I hired Bucky to rig a paintball gun for me and set it up in Amber’s locker. After she was shot with it, she would leave the gym and he would be there to offer her a shower. He was hoping she would ask him out on a date because of his nice gesture.

Hanru: So he helped you pull off a prank on Amber so he could swoop in and be the hero and win her heart?

Gretchen: Pretty much. Only it didn’t work. So he tried something else. He knew about Amber having major father issues so he tried to be like a father figure to her. His father hated the idea of Amber wanting to play violin, so Bucky saved up just to buy her the perfect violin.

Hanru: When was the last time you spoke with Amber before she was killed?

Gretchen: What is this- an interrogation? You both are starting to sound like cops yourselves now. Are you informants?!

Casey: I lost my grandmother recently and now I have grands of money. If the police were blackmailing me, I’d just disappear. My friend here has connections with people too, so through him, I could leave the country if I needed to. This is strictly between us.

Gretchen: (Nervously takes a hit) If you say so. I talked with Amber the night she died. Her and her father got into a pretty bad argument. After what happened to her, her father barely showed any sympathy toward her pain. He was just his usual cruel self and I don’t know what set off the argument, but she called me crying and I couldn’t make out everything she was telling me. But I did make out the parts about her arguing with her father and her leaving her home. She told me she had to go and she hung up and that was the last I ever heard from her. You know word of advice: Don’t purposely make enemies with anyone, cause you never know when you’ll need them or when they’ll just be gone for good. Her and I fought for a few years and then made up, and then I lost her… Losing anyone in your direct life is mind blowing; whether they be family, homies, a cousin, an enemy, or even a rival.

Hanru: (Attempts to break the emotional tension and stick to the subject) We snuck into the school last night.

Gretchen: Oh snap; that was you?! That’s some pretty hardcore stuff right there.

Hanru: Yeah and while we were there we heard two teachers talking about how Amber ended up dead after learning their secret. Do you know anything about that?

Gretchen: Amber was always good at keeping secrets but when we were making up as friends, she slipped up and told me about our female coach and the principal Mr. Galloway being sex-buddies; that’s pretty much it.

Hanru: The only two I can think of who killed her are Bucky and Galloway. Galloway does have a motive for doing it. He’ll do anything to keep his mistress in his bed; And Bucky, because he’s crazy.

Casey: I promise you we will get to the bottom of this, Gretchen and I will personally let you know who it was who killed her.

(Hanru and Casey are now sitting in Casey’s rental car talking about their next move.)

Casey: So now what do we do?

(Bucky walks into his dark bedroom and throws his coat on his bed. He then walks up to his mirror and stares at a picture of he and Amber hugging one another in a photo booth; making bunny-ears behind one another’s head. He hears a click sound behind him and quickly turns around in startle. Hanru is standing at his door wearing all black clothes and black gloves.)

Bucky: Who are you?! Get out of my house!

(Hanru quickly pulls a pistol out of his side and points it at Bucky.)

Hanru: I’ve been through this many times before and I can tell you right now- I’m not fond of where this could go. I need you to stay calm, Bucky, and tell me the truth about Amber. What really happened to her? Please, just be honest with me… please…

(Bucky slowly reaches behind his dresser and grabs a small violin. Bucky then walks over to his bed and sits on the edge. He looks up at his mirror and smiles. Standing in front of the dresser is Amber. Amber’s face is badly scarred with 12 wounds in total around her face and her eyes are red from recently crying. The dark room becomes day.)

Amber: My father has never been there for me when I needed him, and whenever I try talking about it, he always says he supports me by keeping a roof over my head and keeping food on the table. (Presses her fist against her forehead) I can’t stand him sometimes. And even after Cody tried to kill me, all he does is constantly blame me for what happened and he makes up all these excuses why it was all MY fault! Ugh!

Bucky: (Saddened) … I know things are bad for you at home, Amber, so I got you this. (Hands her a Violin) I saved up for it because I knew how much you needed it.

Amber: (Examines it with great emotional appreciation) It’s so beautiful, Bucky. Thank you so much… (Looks at Bucky with a look of amazement and surprise) Where’d you get the money for this?

Bucky: (Cracks a smile) I saved (Nervously chuckles)

Amber: Bucky… Over this past year, I’ve lost so many friends, my reputation has been spoiled, the most embarrassing moment in my life went viral over the internet, my parents haven’t been there when I needed them, and my crush tried to murder me. Out of everything that’s happened to me, you’ve always been there for me. You’ve always been like a best friend to me, a partner, a boyfriend, and you’ve always supported me like a father. (Hugs Bucky passionately) I love you, Bucky, I really do.

Bucky: (Closes his eyes and smiles) I love you too, Amber. I’ve always wanted to say that.

(They stop hugging and Amber walks back to the dresser to rest her tailbone on it.)

Bucky: (Nervous) Well, Amber… Now that we know our feelings for each other, how about we… officially go out? You know- as boyfriend and girlfriend?

Amber: I do love you, Bucky, but I just can’t right now.

Bucky: (Smile slightly goes away) What?

Amber: I love you, but there is so much going on with me right now, Bucky and I’m afraid of Cody coming back to kill me and I don’t want you getting mixed up in the whole thing. I have a lot of attention from the news and the media and the police, and Gretchen and I are working things out as friends, my reputation is chaotic right now, and my parents have been very strict with me recently, and right now I have too much going on for me to date anyone.

Bucky: Oh… Is it because of me? Do you not like me or something?

Amber: No, I do like you; I really do, Bucky. Let me just keep my life balanced as best I can and then maybe we can look into dating.

Bucky: You’re just worried about your reputation, right? Now after you survived 12 stab wounds, you’re the popular girl in school and everyone’s gonna feel sorry for you. You don’t want me holding you back from your new title in school, so you don’t want to date me.

Amber: Bucky, don’t be like that, please…

Bucky: … Is it because of Cody? Is it because of his accident?

Amber: (Confused) Accident?

Bucky: Yeah, the accident where I killed him for you so he wouldn’t hurt you again.

Amber: (Crosses arms) I had no idea you were capable of doing such a thing and I still don’t believe you are. You are too sweet a guy to ever kill anyone, even if it were for me. (Sits next to Bucky and hugs him) You don’t have to pretend to be the tough guy for me, Bucky. It’s okay to be yourself with me.

Bucky: Can I really be?

(Minutes Later)

(Bucky and Amber walk into a dark shed-like room and Bucky turns on the light bulb above Cody who is filthy, bloody, scared, half naked, and chained to the wall by his neck. Amber is disgusted by the sight of this and she throws up next to the ground.

Amber: Bucky… Bucky please tell me that’s not Cody chained up like that…

Bucky: It is.

Amber: (Begins crying in anxiety) Oh gosh, no. Bucky, why- why would you do this?

Bucky: It’s like you said- I don’t have it in me to kill. And after what he did to you, he doesn’t deserve an easy death. He deserves to be tortured and starved.

(Amber looks next to Cody and sees what appear to be bones around the size of mice. She covers her nostrils with the back of her hand and tries to comprehend her surroundings.)

Bucky: (Looks Amber in the eyes) You said I can share anything with you so I’m sharing this. (Holds her hand with both of his) I don’t want any secrets between us, Amber. I will always accept you for who you are, and I know you’ll always accept me. So let’s deal with this together. Let’s figure out what we wanna do with this.

Amber: (Jerks her hand away from Bucky in fear) I can’t do this. (Shakes her head back and forth) I can’t be here right now!

Bucky: Amber…

Amber: Stay away from me! (Quickly runs away)

(Feeling light headed, Amber escapes the sewer room they were just in and enters the blinding bright forest. She falls on all fours and tries to catch her breath and calm herself down as she’s having a panic attack. Her face is drenched in sweat and drops fall onto the dying leaves. (Focusing on Amber's face when Bucky talks) She hears the sound of footsteps behind her. They then stop and it becomes quiet for a few seconds.)

Bucky: I know it’s rough at first, but soon you’ll get used to it. I’m here to help you through this, Amber. You don’t have to face this darkness alone.

Amber: (Breathing hard and frustrated) Oh, shut up! You are sick!

(Amber violently stands up and backs away from him. Bucky holds something behind his back.)

Amber: I lived a miserable life and now things are finally going right for me! Every day of my life is filled with pain and torment and all I could do is learn to not let people get to me and bury away my feelings until you and Precious came into my life and helped easy my anxiety, but I can’t take this! I can’t date you, Bucky because things were finally going right for me and I couldn’t have you messing things up for me when I can finally have friends and people who care about me! So there! Now you know the truth about why I don’t wanna date you! I don’t want you in my life anymore, Bucky! You stay away from me forever!

(Amber turns and out of extremely rage, Bucky throws a rusty pipe and smacks her in the back of the head with it. She falls to the ground rolling while holding the back of her head and crying out in pain. Bucky snaps out of his rage and nervously paces back and forth with slightly crying through his guilt.)

Bucky: (Talks softly) Shut up… (She cries louder) Shut up…

(She quickly tries to stand up and run but her brain cannot comprehend where she is and she scrapes her face hard against a tree and falls back in a pile of leaves. Bucky can’t help but watch her suffer as she desperately tries to crawl away.)

Bucky: (Holds hands on his wrists) Why won’t you just shut up! You’ll be fine if you just be quiet, just shut up…

(This experience is through the eyes of Amber in first person view. Everything is spinning through Amber’s vision and she can’t hear a thing or process her surroundings. In desperation of surviving the situation, Amber’s body fuels itself on fear, adrenaline, and determination to find someplace stable to rest. She quickly stands up and uses the trees to keep her balanced. She continues to walks forward and looks up at the blurry leaves and beaming hot sun. A loud clink sound of rusty metal banging against her skull is heard and all she sees is the ground coming closer and closer to her face until she smacks into it. She loses complete control of her body and her body’s natural survival instinct kicks in on its own and takes control of itself. She’s flipped on her back and Bucky’s blackish-purple face and yellowish red eyes are inches away from her face. He tries to strangle her but her body is using all of its strength to push his hands away. He gets angry and punches her one good time in the face. He quickly runs away. Amber’s body flips on its stomach and a tiny bit of blood drains from the corner of her eye where she was punched. Her body is crawling forward and Amber slowly begins to regain consciousness and control of her body. She sees a large rock in the leaves and all she can do is crawl towards it with the hope of it keeping her safe. Bucky flips her around and jams the broken rusty pipe above her stomach. Out of pure wrath, he stops it all the way through to the ground. Amber’s arms are shaking and she tries commanding her arms to pull out the pipe but all they can do is shake as they are now unresponsive and covered with blood. She turns to look up at the rock and it’s missing. She looks up and Bucky brutally smacks her with it until darkness consumes her vision. Zooming out, Bucky is sitting on his bed starring at his dresser with a blank stare.)

Hanru: I almost feel like I was actually there. She was scared… All she tried to do was protect herself and you murdered her in... Ice-cold blood.

Bucky: I feel guilty about it every day. I was in my right mind when I did what I did… I just opened up a new part of myself when I did it. You have no idea what it means to murder the one you love out of wrath and betrayal.

Hanru: She was miserable, Bucky and she finally tasted happiness and she wanted to see how far this happiness could go! She did not betray you!

Bucky: I offered her everything and she rejected me for her reputation. She deserved it. She deserved to die.

Hanru: No, Bucky, she didn’t. You claimed to have loved her, and when she began to find happiness, you turned on her.

Bucky: She turned on me and broke… my heart.

Hanru: If you loved her so much, why didn’t you just back off and let her figure things out for herself and be happy?

Bucky: Because I loved her and I could never let her go. She meant way too much to me to let her go.

Hanru: So she made you happy and that’s why you wanted to hold on to her and never let go. You held on to what made you happy, and that is exactly what she tried to do only you didn’t give her the chance! You didn’t care about her happiness or take it into consideration in the long run! All you cared about was your happiness! All you wanted was for her to love you and make you happy overall! You did all these nice things for her, and you even worked with Gretchen to shoot her with the paintball gun in the locker room, all to impress her and get her to like you and make yourself happy!

Bucky: (Blankly stares at the floor) I did love her and nothing you say can change that.

Hanru: You loved her to an extent, Bucky, but not as much as you thought you did. It doesn’t matter anyway; she’s already dead and now you need to be dealt with. What did you do with Cody?

Bucky: I told him I would let him go free if he called the police and convinced them that he was going after Amber and he was going to brutally murder her. He was senile and did exactly as I said and sounded convincing. I moved Amber’s body into a ditch and planted Cody’s DNA on her so the police think it was Cody who killed her. I can’t keep living like this…

Hanru: You didn’t answer my question. What did you do with Cody? Where is his body now?

Bucky: For the past few weeks he’s been chained to that sewer pipe rotting. Since I took his DNA and planted it on Amber, I haven’t seen him since.

Hanru: Show me where he is.

Bucky: The directions are on my phone in my dresser. It’s in my GPS history. (Sighs) Good luck.

(Bucky quickly pulls a gun from under his pillow and shoots himself in the head. Hanru stands in the middle of the room dumbfounded. Casey casually takes off to avoid any attention. Hanru quickly throws himself out of the backyard window and sneaks in the backyards of the homes and meets Casey around the block. He gets into Casey’s car and he takes off.)

Casey: What happened?

Hanru: He shot himself.

Casey: With your gun?!

Hanru: He had one of his own!

Casey: So was he the one who did it?

Hanru: He was and I got a full confession out of him. I searched his GPS history and found the location to where Cody is. Turns out Bucky never killed him in the first place.

(Hanru and Casey enter the sewer room with flashlights and see Cody’s pale body rotting. Bugs, flies, and maggots are eating all over him.)

Casey: I can’t believe what this turned into. At least now the police will know the truth once they realize Bucky killed himself.

Hanru: Maybe not.

(Hanru and Precious are talking in Precious’ bedroom. Precious has a shocked look on her face.)

Precious: My best friend was killed…

Hanru: And so was her killer and there is no justice for punishing him.

Precious: What you’re asking me to do is pretty sick.

Hanru: I know, Precious, and I’m sorry, but trust me, it is the best thing for everyone. I’ve had time to study Bucky’s behavior and how he talked so I called the police anonymously and sounded like Bucky, but did not give them an official name I was careful not to be too direct. I’ll leave it to the police to come to a conclusion that “Bucky” made the call. Once they make that connection, they’ll realize Bucky committed suicide after losing the girl he loved and for chaining Cody to a pipe and letting him starve to death. The police will realize that Cody was not the one who killed Amber, and they will reopen the case. Their next suspect will then be your boyfriend after you lie to the police and tell them that he was the one who killed Amber because she was threatening to go to the police about him abusing you and once everyone thought Cody was after Amber, he had a perfect opportunity to kill Amber and get away with it. Anyone who knows your boyfriend Jared knows it’s not farfetched at all and even if it is, the people around here have your back. Gossip spreads quickly around the hood so word will get around that Jared killed Amber and eventually it’ll get to the cops’ ears. At that point, Jared will have nothing backing him up in proving he didn’t kill Amber. As the finisher, the police will question you about Jared and his motives to want to kill Amber and at that point, you tell them about her threatening to tell the police about him abusing you and give the police little details about how he looked at her and how he felt about her to seem more convincing. The police will connect the dots and arrest him even if he denies it. If all fails, you tell the police about all the illegal things you know Jared has done involving gang violence and drug deals and you get him arrested again, alright?

Precious: Why are you making things so complicated?

Hanru: Casey and I are trying to falsely accuse your boyfriend for Amber’s murder so he’ll be away from you and you can finally be free.

Precious: Lying about my best friend’s murder for my own freedom… That sounds so dark.

Hanru: The darkest of things can produce the strongest of lights.

Precious: What will I do now?

Hanru: Be free.

Hanru Narrating: And so things went as planned and just in case things went south, Casey had to tell his aunt and uncle the truth of how their daughter died and in exchange, they promised not to tell anyone about me and my friends showing up at their house. While getting ready to leave Atlanta, Casey was in for quite a surprise.

(Bus terminal)

Casey: (Feeling around his pockets) Oh no. Darn it; I think I left my phone at my aunt and uncle’s house.

Holly: The bus is about to leave so we won’t have time to get it.

Casey: You guys head on back to Miami and I’ll catch the next bus going out.

Jessica: We all came here together, so we’ll leave together. We’ll catch the next bus with you.

Lee: He’s not a baby, Jessica. He’ll take the next bus; so let’s go.

Casey: I’ll be alright, guys. Hanru, you know where to get your reward already so you can either wait for me or get it yourself.

Hanru: I’ll wait for you.

Casey: Alright, cool. You guys catch your bus. (Runs off)

(The front door of Amber’s home is kicked open and Amber’s father quickly gets out of his chair from in the living room. Jack rushes into the living room and shoots him in the chest three times. Jack looks over and sees the grandma on the couch. From upstairs 2 more shots are heard and Dalton comes running upstairs with a smoking black pistol in his hand. Dalton runs into Amber’s room and finds Casey reaching for his phone on the computer desk.)

Dalton: Are you Casey or Hanru?

Casey: Who’s asking?

(Dalton shoots Casey in the middle of his left shoulder and Casey falls to the ground holding his arm.)

Dalton: One more time: Are you Hanru or Casey?

Casey: Yes, I am! AH!

Dalton: (Calms down and acts casual the entire time) Oh, okay, then; sorry. (Lowers gun) … Well which one are you?

Casey: (Holding shoulder in pain) Casey!

Dalton: Oh, ok. So where’s Hanru?

Casey: Far from here! He’s already on his way back to Miami. I missed… our flight because I left my phone here. Are you here to hurt him?

Dalton: (Lightly shrugs) Well… maybe… I mean most likely we’ll kill him, but ‘eh; depends on our mood.

(Jack walks up to Casey.)

Jack: So we just missed him, huh?

Casey: That’s right.

Jack: Then I guess we’ll catch him there. Dalton, bag him and take him with us.

Casey: Great, at least I don’t have to pay my way back to Florida.

TO BE CONTINUED…