INT. DEPARTMENT STORE. MORNING.
CLOSE UP on the television, where Daniel is speaking to the crowd.
DANIEL:
The problem with society is we have too
many people who succumb to sin. These
sinners are the reason there is so much
crime and moral decay. Therefore, we must
tighten the leash. It may seem harsh at first,
but with the improvements I’d make, you’d
see how much better off your lives are! You
can sleep sounder when all sinners have
been found and punished!
The crowd on the television cheers. ZOOM OUT to Renee, Curtis, and a couple others watching the television set. A worker in that area shoos them away.
WORKER:
Come on, guys! You know the new
rules. Don’t be lazy-keep shopping!
Curtis and Renee are forced to obey. Renee and Curtis see another employee boxing up a lot knick-knacks and decorations. They both feel disappointed by this site.
EXT. PARK. AFTERNOON.
Tiffany sits alone on a park bench. Behind her is grass and a tree. There is a neat, winding path before her. PETITIONER ( a young man with long hair and hemp clothing) sits beside her.
PETITIONER:
Will you sign this petition to ban
Halloween trick-or-treating?
TIFFANY:
Uh, no. Why would you wanna do that?
PETITIONER:
This teeth decay festival will spawn
ideas for moral decay later on.
TIFFANY:
What? That doesn’t even make-
She stops when she notices his glossy eyes. She pulls out her nail file and pretends to file her nails.
TIFFANY:
Halloween is just innocent fun!
PETITIONER:
Innocent! There’s nothing innocent about-
Tiffany tries to stab him with the nail file. He grabs her fist and holds her back. They struggle for a moment. The petitioner tries to breathe fire on her, so she springs away. He gets off the bench and tries again, so she throws a rock at his head. While he is distracted by this pain, she runs across the bench to stab him. He pushes her down. She twists her ankle and cannot get up. She can roll herself away from the fire but cannot grab her weapon to fight. Renee appears and slits his throat. The dragon dies. Curtis kneels beside Tiffany.
CURTIS:
Can you stand on it?
Tiffany tries.
TIFFANY:
Ouch! No!
CURTIS:
Let me help you up.
She grabs his shoulder, and they both get up. Renee looks annoyed.
CURTIS:
Can I get the keys to your car so
I can take her back to Crossgrove
Hollow?
RENEE:
Fine.
She throws the keys at him.
RENEE:
I’m going to find Washington.
She leaves in kind of a huff. Curtis finds her behavior odd. He helps Tiffany walk to the car.
INT. REBEL HIDEOUT. EVENING.
Miguel slumps in a small chair, looking dirty and exhausted. Curtis enters with Tiffany hobbling inside.
MIGUEL:
What happened?
TIFFANY:
I was fighting another dragon. I think
I broke my ankle.
MIGUEL:
Let me look at it.
Miguel has her sit in his chair, and he looks at her ankle.
MIGUEL:
It’s not broken, just bruised. All you
need is to rest it a little.
CURTIS:
So, I see you got the generator going.
MIGUEL:
Yeah, it put up a good fight, but in the end,
I kicked its ass! Where’s Warner?
CURTIS:
She went off to find Washington.
TIFFANY:
Yeah, she seemed pretty ticked off
about something.
CURTIS:
She was alright until we got to the park.
Miguel raises his eyebrows with a knowing look.
CURTIS:
I don’t get it.
MIGUEL:
I kind of thought this might happen.
CURTIS:
What are you-?
William and Renee burst in with rain soaked clothes.
WILLIAM:
Turn on the radio, right now!
Miguel turns it on.
NEWS ANCHOR (OS):
…like Daniel predicted. In other news,
a terrorist suspect who would give out
his last name, Abdul, was obtained
near City Hall earlier tonight. He
refuses to comment on his actions
and spat in a police officer’s face. His
accomplices are still unknown. So, he
will be going to prison alone.
(beat)
In sports news…
Miguel turns off the radio, looking angry.
TIFFANY:
This is just because he’s Arab!
RENEE:
They saw me with him. They know he’s
not a terrorist. It’s just a great excuse
to arrest him.
CURTIS:
He’s so brave to keep his silence about
us! I can’t imagine what kind of torture
they’re putting him through right now!
WILLIAM:
Think he’ll live?
MIGUEL:
After so much torture, I don’t know if
he’ll want to!
Everyone looks very gloomy.
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