From the safety of Lena’s Mercedes, Max had watched in awe as she made good on her promise. In a matter of hours, any trace of their crimes would have been erased and the day’s events would begin to fade into memory.
Whatever happened now, they were bonded by this. Aish’s death had left Max numb and foreboding, but with Lena, they felt warm…and for the first time in ages…safe. Perhaps in the morning, guilt would arrive and demand to be heard, but for now, Max felt superhuman, and they’d do anything to stay that way.
[end of part one]
(transcript below)
(LENA): So um, bathroom and kitchen are to the left if you wanna shower or eat and then the rooms in front of us are the living room, bedroom and study so…
Luis and Lourdes had driven in heavy silence, neither willing to speak first for fear of igniting another argument. Being at odds was new to them, and in the deepest recesses of Luis’ mind he wondered if this dynamic would be permanent, further distancing him from his already fractured family.
Lourdes, who typically preferred peace over conflict, found herself bubbling with a rage so potent, she felt like a stranger to herself. For the first time she seemed to truly understand the truth of womanhood in her family. So much pain to hold back. So much poison to swallow down. It was clear to her now why her sister behaved the way she did. Before, Lourdes had loved Lena in spite of her violent nature. Now she wondered if that same violence was bravery instead.
(transcript below)
(LUIS): [Noticing Lena’s car] Let’s get this over with.
[As the siblings walk towards each other, the air is thick with tension. The one-two punch of seeing both of her siblings arrive mixes with Lena’s ongoing anxieties over Max. Betrayal and fear distil themselves into an ache in her chest, giving her a brief pause before she speaks. However, the silence proves too much for Lourdes and her rising panic makes her talk first]
(LOURDES): Lena…I know how this looks, but please. If you let us explain then I’m sure we can have a civil conv-
(LENA): Sure? Oh that’s funny. An hour ago I was sure my sister wasn’t a traitorous bitch.
(LOURDES): Lena! You don’t understand!
(LENA): Get the fuck out of my sight Lourdes, before I change my mind.
(LOURDES): I-
(LUIS): Go wait in the car.
[Lourdes, now devastated, stomps off in the direction of the car]
(LUIS): If it’s any consolation, she hated lying to you and mami, and probably she hates me now too.
(LENA): She can join the fucking club. What is wrong with you Luis? [Gritted teeth] Why would you do this? What was there to gain?
(LUIS): Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. You have no idea what it’s like to atone for the sins of this fucking family.
(LENA): Oh give me a break! Do you think you’re the only one who’s been through shit? Who’s fucking sacrificed?
(LUIS): No. But unlike you, my shit isn’t self-inflicted.
[Lena punches Luis to the ground]
(LOURDES): [witnessing it] here we fucking go.
(LENA): [Flexing her hand] get up.
[Luis scrambles to get back on his feet]
(LENA): Do you know what your problem is? You don’t know how to de-escalate. You just expect people to back down and acquiesce to your point of view. [Luis gets back up, breathing heavily] …And if you can’t get your way, you provoke people into being their worst selves, so that you can say your hand was forced. Now we both know that shit doesn’t run with me, so how about you try telling the truth instead?
[Luis takes this opportunity to shove Lena to the ground, they fall together and immediately start fighting.]
(LUIS): [Breathless, mocking] that ‘I’m so tough’ shit is getting old, Lena.
(LENA): [venomous] Prick. [She surprises Luis by shoving him off her, quickly regaining the upper hand. Her gun clatters to the floor in the process.]
(LOURDES): [quiet, panicked] Oh fuck!
(LENA): Aw poor Luis, it’s so hard being daddy’s favourite, I’m such an angel! It’s my sister who’s a big bad monster! Boo-fucking-Hoo. [deadly] You know I promised mami I’d bring you home, I just didn’t say what condition…
[Lourdes sprints back into view, Roy’s black SUV pulls up]
(LOURDES): Lena! That’s enough!
[Lena releases him immediately, shocked out of her blind rage, the two sit, facing each other]
(LENA): …He’s fine.
[Car door slams, Roy steps out, but so does someone else]
Tillman estate had once been social housing, but due to shoddy upkeep and the local council going bankrupt, it fell into disrepair, making it uninhabitable for those who needed it most. What had once housed a lively and close-knit community, now felt haunted by the ghost of its former residents, a monument to the often-failed working class. In truth, it was alien to Lena. Her childhood was one of idyllic suburbia, where things seemed too good to be true and often were. In another life, this glimpse into her father’s upbringing may have inspired sympathy or at least added some context to the way he was. Instead, it filled Lena with a familiar dread, the kind typically expressed by horror protagonists opening a door you know seals their fate.
(transcript below)
[lena looks both ways before forcing the door open]
[The flat is largely empty, save for one room. Inside is a corkboard with a map, scraps of documents and a phone number for a MR S. A FIGURE APPEARS BEHIND LENA, A GUN COCKS.]
[LENA SLOWLY TURNS AROUND, TO FACE DIMITRI]
(DIMITRY): You shouldn’t be here.
(LENA): Dimitry…don’t do something you’ll regret.
(DIMITRY): The fuck are y-
[LENA’S ON HIM LIKE A FLASH, SHE QUICKLY DISARMS HIM AND TURNS THE TABLES.]
(LENA): If you’re gonna pull a gun on me, pull the fucking trigger. [SHE KNOCKS HIM OUT]
a/n: only one more update left after this and then I am temporarily freeee!
start / previous / next
(transcript below)
[Luis scrambles to his feet, in the background, now holding his sister’s gun]
(LENA): How are you here?
(MAX): I- um, Roy helped me with…I needed to see you.
(LOURDES): [Quietly] Luis are you okay? Do you need a hospital?
(LUIS): [Hoarse] I’m fine. [He points the gun] And I’m sorry Roy, but when all is said and done, you’re a loose end.
(ROY): [holding max at gunpoint] I have to say, you’re not the one I thought would be holding that. Makes my insurance plan feel a bit flat. Tell your brother to drop the gun, Lena.
(LENA): [low, tense] Luis…don’t make them a part of this.
(LUIS): I’m sorry Max, I don’t know what my sister has you caught up in, but she should’ve known better.
(LOURDES): Luis please! Lena’s right! Let’s just go home. You don’t have to do this!
(LUIS): This doesn’t concern you Lourdes. Go back to the car.
(LOURDES): No! [She stands in front of him] We are going home! I will not lose another member of my family! Drop the fucking gun! [She turns around] Both of you!
(LENA): [Quiet, urgent] Luis. Come on.
[Luis sighs before dropping the gun into Lena’s hand. Satisfied, Roy lowers his gun and releases Max from his grasp. They remain utterly silent.]
(LENA): Alright Roy. Let’s call a truce. It’s been a long fucking day.
(ROY): …Fine. Just this once. It’s not fucking worth it anywa-
(LENA): [To Max, mouthing] Duck.
[max ducks, lena fires her gun, the bullet hitting roy square in the chest, he collapses to the ground, his own gun clattering on the gravel]
(LOURDES): [Horrified] Fuck! Why?
(LENA): [staring at max] he crossed a line.
[Lena walks towards Max, who now stands over Roy’s body]
(LENA): [gentle] Max?
(MAX): [Staring at Roy’s body] Yeah?
(LENA): Look at me.
[Slowly, Max meets Lena’s worried gaze]
(LENA): Are you okay? Did he hurt you?
(MAX): I’m good. Are you okay?
(LENA): [Surprised] I’m fine. Just…sorry you had to see that.
(MAX): Don’t be… I get why you did it.
[*]
[Lourdes and Luis watch on in the distance]
(LOURDES): [Realising] Oh.
(LUIS): That doesn’t concern us. We need to get out of here.
[*]
(MAX): What happens now? Do you need to sort things with your siblings?
(LENA): They’ll be fine. What do you need?
(MAX): …Can we go back to yours? Don’t think I should be alone after all this.
(LENA): Of course.
(MAX): And…what about Roy? It’s not just him…in the boot there’s-
(LENA): [Understanding] I’ll take care of everything. Just trust me.(MAX): …I do.
Lena wasn’t sure why she’d stayed at the gala. Maybe it was the free alcohol or the pit of guilt making its home in her stomach, but she felt rooted to the ballroom. Unable to process what faced her outside its walls. Max’s retribution had been swift. They’d blocked Lena’s burner and iphone. It was admirable, even if it did make Lena feel like a massive fuck up.
To a layman, this thing between her and Max would seem pathetic. Someone in Lena’s position, putting so much trust, time and energy into a virtual stranger. It had been little over a month since their first meeting, but neither person had been able to get the other out of their head since the moment they’d met, regardless of the reason. If their place in each other’s lives was so insignificant, why had the instability driven each other to drink?
Lena may have been making her home at the ballroom bar, but Max had a lifetime supply of free booze right where they lived! Their entire cab ride home had been spent muttering curses under their breath. How dare Lena doubt them? When had they ever been anything but honest? To their detriment one might add! This entire night had felt like a perverse humiliation ritual. Max was at their limit. Fuck anyone who didn’t believe in them. They’d get by fine on their own.
(transcript below):
(BARTENDER #1): Last orders folks!
(LENA): Ugh.
(LENA): [Slurred] Are you about? I need to see you.
Rita’s visit had left Max numb. It was as if no matter what they did, they were destined to suffer under the hand of fate. So much of their life had been devoted to staying upright in the face of the unimaginable. It never mattered that they rarely understood why their world was so often knocked off its axis, as long as they played along, all would fall into place. But it was tiring, constantly rebuilding and playing catch up to what everyone else always seemed to know.
Perhaps it was time to stop playing altogether and invent something in a language only they understood.
(transcript below)
[IPHONE]
(SIMONE): Do you know when you’ll be home, love?
(JORDAN): things r shit rn, but it’s gonna be ok boo, i promise. love ya lots x
1 MISSED CALL FROM: CLEO
(CLEO): Max, I just heard about the bar! I’m so sorry! Let me know what you need!
[NEWS ALERT]: Victor Feng: ‘The Spice District fire is a tragedy, but it further proves that San Myshuno is in a state of neglect.’
(ROY): This isn’t the time for remorse, kid. I told you when this started that you’d have to do some difficult shit. Instead of sulking, focus on your goal. The end will justify the means.
[ROY’S PHONE RINGS]
(ROY): I need to take this. Afterwards I’ll drop you home.
