~ two


Libra roams the manor halls with a head in her hand by its hair, dripping a path behind.  Past the security bodies fallen over sculpture stands here, having clawed at the artwork for survival against the wall over there.

While a child in her room waits in terror to die, every footstep an echo in the faded sounds of the dead still dying, etched in her mind.

Passing mirrors and reflections their fight is seen in memory, her mask that of a dark fox.  Up the stairs, more dead slid down to rest part ways.  One crawling at the top gets shot with a silenced 'thwip'.

To the end of the hall and into the child's room, the daughter stares at her father's head, looking right back at her.

Libra - "Do you know why he died ?"

The child looks at her as though startled.  A slow nod.

Libra - Sits on the bed and looks into his dead eyes, "I'm sorry it had to be this way."

The child shakes her head slowly.

Libra - Smiles, "No, not that.  I mean for you.  Now.  I need you to say something, or you may be traumatized to silence.  And while of course ... "  She smiles almost laughing, "We must never have met.  Because when you heard the sounds, you hid under the bed !

"And all you saw was very nice shoes.  But quickly now, before your brain forms the trauma, you must speak for me.  Tell me.  What did you do, when you heard the bad men dying ?"

The child struggles to speak and then, "I hid under my bed."  She looks down at Libra's nice shoes, nearly with a spark of want as if for her doll, mind churning.

Libra - "Good girl.  You're going to be alright."  Stands looking at her with admiration, then to the head and back.  "I'm keeping it for my collection."

She walks for the door ...

Libra - Before exiting, "And remember when the police come, act very afraid."

...

The girl smiles and nods, Libra smiles back and then gone.




The police wander the carnage house at dawn, wall painted in blood, 'They dream of Hecate Hill."  The child is escorted out, the cop trying to hide it from her sight as she peeks it with wide eyes.
____________

A small crowd cheers at the sunken 8 ball in the CC Club kitty corner from the record shop.

The actor watches with his friend while the next two pull out their 'specialty cues'.  They sick out the their fingers with a glance and bobbing head as they drink their beers.

Friend - Watching the special guy, "Think it's a good idea ?"

Actor - He watches the shot ... "Well.  No ... but we can't let the keep doing it.  Some people to die."

The shot misses, the player backs away with a glance to his special friend.

Actor - Lining up a shot, "And this just seems like the best way to get that done."

He glances to the screw on cue guys ... upright with a hand on the nearest shoulder. 

Actor - "Hey sorry about that man, don't worry about it.  We're rehearsing a pool hall scene."

Friend - "Ac-tors."  Drinks watching them.

Actor - Back into the shot, "And all the world's our stage."  Shoots.
____

He splits the winnings with his friend before the door, they open it to the blinding afternoon light, covering their eyes in horror as it bleaches out the screen with a doorbell sound.

Monroe - As the butler opens another door, exuberantly in her new skin dressed like a pink piece of candy if not a fantasy treat herself.  "Candygram !"




Answered with a smile and led in, a party of wealth going on where she's to be the favor.  She looks suddenly up to the ceiling of glass where a man prepares, then intuitively at Libra dressed as a maid, who looked from there, as well to.

The man crashes through the glass rappelling down already firing, Libra and Monroe draw back to the wall, Monroe with a knife behind her back, Libra a silenced pistol.

It's a simple execution, with no one prepared, all rich and fat, ready to drool on a Candygram.  And all under their host's security, no harder for all than would be for one. 

Though apparently catching them all at a party isn't the most unusual of ideas.  Magazines dry he underhands a blade for the last, a stab behind into the chest, pulled and flipped with a turn and directly down into the head.

An elbow strike to one side, forearm sweeps the blade the other way, bursting the head, knife balanced on the forearm as he turns for the two, the last of the living, fist forward and blade behind it.  A finger from the fist points to them next.

He pulls the blade over the fabric, cleaning the blood from both sides then flipping it back to underhand, moving forward to strike, with them about to respond when the little boy cries in the doorway, they all look.

He looks to the maid.

Libra - "Excuse me."  She goes to lead the boy away.

He cocks his head noting the lack of fear in her before she's gone.

Monroe - "Yeah ... I was about to kill them too."  Gigglesnort, "Fuck those guys." 

...

Kicks a corpse.  Her hand adjusts the grip on the knife behind her back.

He looks at her a second ... throws a metalic dust in the air and watches it attract to the metal under her costume, a laugh.

Man - Though modulated voice, "A pleasure to meet you ... Ms ... 'Hecate Hill'." 

He turns for the door, she seethes watching ...
________

Monroe - In another warehouse talking to a woman tied to a chair.  "And that's why I have to skin you.  This one's already useless !  They want it for questioning now !"  With despise, "Or rather you ... and just so you know, I know what you've done. 

"You've had this coming anyway, it's why you were chosen.  And because ... "  She breathes it into her terrified ear, "Nobody alive knows ... except me and you."  

A laugh and upright again,  "Let's see if it's on the news."  Turns on the TV sitting on a nearby metal stool.

Cop on TV - "Oh yeah.  This on left the trademark."

A shot of the wall painted in blood, 'They dream of Hecate Hill'."

Monroe's scream of rage echoes throughout the warehouse district.


(ambience)


A woman approaches his table, "May I ?"

Actor - Smiles, "Why ?"

Woman - Smiles back, "Curiosity."

Actor - "Luck you I'm a cat person who just got paid.  Anything you want."

Woman - "I'll start with a Bloody Mary."

View to the stage as they turn to it, the band plays on.

(quality)




Voiced over ~  "She's fucking perfect.  This is it.  And she's about to be very angry with me."