FREEZE FRAME: Close up of Thomas in his hood, face smeared with blood, blade in hand.

GFX: Map still focused on frozen image, then pulls out to show whole map.

The reticle moves back to the part of the map called “The Bricks.”

EXT. ALLEY - DAY

FREEZE FRAME: a frozen image of numerous teenagers, homeless, in an alley. A street cop, on the heavy side with very bright, fake teeth and a huge smile, THE CANDY MAN, and another COP, a bigger brute, talk to them.

The camera zeros in.

UNFREEZE.

The two cops talk to the homeless teens, a couple others are at end of the alley selling Thrash. One young, African American teenager, TOBIAS, huddles by himself looking fearful. His fingers dance across a PDA.

The cops end their discussion with the teens, hand them a bag of some type and head towards Tobias.

CANDY MAN

Well, hello there Tobias, our little street whiz. How’s the day holding your nuts? Getting enough to eat?

The other cop smirks. Candy Man leans in close to Tobias and squats down.

CANDY MAN

So you think about the offer from The Shark? Real good deal for ya mi’boyo. You get a little money in your pocket and who knows, you do a good job and there’s opps for yas, especially with ya gift in the computer angles. And look...

He gestures to the other kids dealing.

CANDY MAN

All your friends already stepping in line.

Tobias looks down the alley and garners some grit and defiance.

TOBIAS

Those aren’t my friends, and you wrong, Jenny didn’t take your offer.

Candy Man shines a big smile. Creepy with his big false teeth.

CANDY MAN

That’s true as true mi boyo, and how is Jenny? Ya sees her lately? I heard she gone up missing. Ya knows the streets a dangerous place here in the City of Blood, especially here in The Bricks. Bad things happens to people. But yas takes our offer and we make sure ya protected from all the nasty nasty. Unfortunately poor Jenny didn’t avail herself of our generosity, and you Tobias, ya too smart to follow her twiddle twaddle, huh?

Tobias looks hard at Candy Man.

TOBIAS

I don’t want your offer, don’t want the Shark owning me. You tell him that. And I’m gonna find Jenny, she was my friend, my only friend. And I ain’t gonna peddle that demon dirt Thrash for ya. My moms died taking that stuff.

Candy Man’s face turns scary for a moment. He catches himself and puts back his fake veneer of a smile.

CANDY MAN

Not a good choice mi boyo. And you know, I think ya right.

He stands up and starts walking away, but looks back for a moment.

CANDY MAN

I think ya gonna find your friend, sooner then ya think. Stay safe Tobias, feels like a cold night comin’ on, cold, dark night in the City of Blood.

Tobias shivers for no reason, then pulls his hood over his head looking to hide.

FREEZE FRAME: on a close up of Tobias hooded, shivering sitting against the alley wall.

GFX: The camera backs out to the map of the City showing the frozen scene, then back out to whole map.

We move back over to Shadow’s Down, Thomas's house, and close in showing...

INT. THOMAS’S HOUSE - NIGHT

FREEZE FRAME: Thomas kneeling in front of the altar.

UNFREEZE.

Thomas kneels in front of the altar, head bowed, wearing his blood covered hood. He CUTS his hand and drips blood upon the altar.

THOMAS

Thank you for clarity, purpose. I have followed you in all the breath of my life but now it is time to follow my own compass. Blessings to the threefold path and all I’ve learned upon it’s wheel.

He stands up and moves forward. He pulls a black sheet laying next to the altar and covers it, ending one journey to begin another.

He hears a noise and pivots, blade in his hand within a whisper, crouched low. He sees Idris , standing in the shadows, a small smile playing her lips.

IDRIS

You have made a choice I see.

Thomas stands up.

THOMAS

I do not understand.

IDRIS

Not all Daughter’s of the Goddess believe as your mother did. We believe men have potential and promise to be great changers of the world. They must be molded to find this strength, yes, in that we agree. But, through compassion and love, something your mother and her followers did not understand.

Thomas looks confused.

THOMAS

You never said such when she inflicted her faith on my flesh

IDRIS

There are covenants within our order, restraints, it was not my place to say such when she held breath. I have watched, I have waited and hoped you would find your truth.

Thomas looks forlorn and sad. He turns away from her and kneels, looking at his cut hand, old scars surrounding it. His blade set before him, his focus on the blade.

THOMAS

I have found no truth but the seeking of redemption. To balance the lives I’ve taken. To teach compassion where I was taught pain, to teach good where I was shown darkness. And to equal the scales with the blood of killers. I will spend my last exhale attempting to bring light to what has only known shadows.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Idris leans close to his ear whispering, faded images of her on one ear then another, her image popping in and out of shadows, ephemeral, a ghost..

IDRIS

For these choices I hold hope for you, Thomas. Look to the Bricks. Children who abide in the shadows of it’s streets have gone missing, a demon stalks them. Go there and start the road to your redemption. Go there and show this demon the strength a Son of the Goddess can hold. You shall find the cancer of this city runs deep and long, follow it’s path and find your truth.

Thomas looks back but only sees shadows, Idris is gone. He turns back and looks at the blade in front of him, his scarred, blood covered palms in supplication to it.

FREEZE FRAME: on his hands and blade.

GFX: The camera moves out from the frame to a full map of the city, then back to The Bricks showing --

EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT

FREEZE FRAME on Tobias running down an alley looking back over his shoulder. The camera moves in.

UNFREEZE.

Tobias runs, periodically looking over his shoulder. He comes around a corner and runs into some garbage cans while looking behind him.

He lays sprawled in a pile of trash and cans everywhere. He gets up and scans the shadows. He turns to start running and slams into a man, falling back down. From his POV, a face leers at us wearing some macabre clown mask. It’s the Candy man.

CANDY MAN

A sweet for the sweetness. Candy from the Candy Man. Time to show you our lovely heart, we love the children, love, love, love the children. Come, let us show you.

His hand comes at camera, his mask, horror.

FREEZE FRAME.

We pull back out to the map as the reticle moves slightly west to another part of the map labeled “Sorrow Hills.”

INT. CANDY MAN’S BASEMENT - NIGHT

FREEZE FRAME on a bunch of CAGES in what looks to be a basement, many of them filled with CORPSES. One has Tobias in it near the front.

UNFREEZE.

Tobias opens his eyes, his hand going to his head where he finds dried blood. He sees the cage next to him holding a corpse, half decomposed with broken and missing teeth; the stench is horrible.

He then sees the clown faced man, Candy Man, leaning over a cage, sitting on a chair, using a stick to poke an emaciated, young girl. There is a plate of hard candy in front of her.

TOBIAS

Jenny!!!

The Candy Man turns to him.

CANDY MAN

Aw, the sweet of sweet has lifted his eyes from slumber, and look, two friends united, so beautiful, so very beautiful. But young Tobias, you shall have your turn, oh yes, you shall have it but right now is Jenny’s time, and if you interrupt again, you shall force me to hurt her. Oh yes, pain, such a wonderful tool, so varied in it’s teeth. So quiet your lips mi boyo, time is ever slipping from our grasp.

The mask stares at Tobias assuring he will say nothing. Jenny looks at Tobias with hope in her haggard eyes, and tries to smile, one of her teeth is missing.

CANDY MAN

Now, my little Jenny Jenny, please eat your candy. I brought it just for you, just for sweet little Jenny.

She looks at him in fear.

JENNY

I’m sorry, Mr. Candy Man, but I can’t. My teeth hurt. They hurt so much and I feel so weak.

CANDY MAN

Ah my sweet, sweet munchkin. I used to say the same thing to dear old mother. “No more candy mother, my teeth hurt mother.” But would that ever do, no no, she made her boy eat the candy. Yes, eat the candy, till his teeth were no more. She always said, “sweets for the sweet.” That I “didn’t love her if I didn’t eat the candy.” And angry she would get, beat me, burn me, so candy does as candy does and I am a good boy, yes very good boy. I ate it all up. SO you, sweet Jenny, you shall eat the sweet. No more talk of anything else, you don’t want to make the Candy Man angry, you’ve already seen me angry Jenny, beat ya till the blood flows, till the blood is the canvas.

TOBIAS

Leave her alone you asshole. You crazy, shit-eating dirty cop. I’ll kill you, I'll kill you.

Candy Man looks at him, then laughs.

CANDY MAN

I did warn ya young Tobias, and The Candy Man is many things but a liar is not he. My mother always told me a lie is as bitter as candy is sweet.

Candy Man starts to slam his stick into Jenny through the bars... hard. She starts crying and crying, screaming.

TOBIAS

Stop, stop hurting her!!!!!!!

Candy man stops, sighs, then stands up. He walks over to Tobias, pulls out a stunner.

CANDY MAN

Enough, enough. I can not have these interruptions while I work, destroys the art I am creating. So silence is the progeny, it is the tulip of creation. Say hello, my sweet.

He leans in and lays the stun gun on Tobias. A FLASH, then darkness.

Tobias comes to consciousness. He looks over at Jenny and all he sees is her corpse, her face a bloody mess, death as obvious as the blood. He looks down and sees a plate of hard candy in his cage.

TOBIAS

(tears)

Oh Jenny, Jenny.

Candy Man comes in seeing Tobias's tears, he laughs.

CANDY MAN

Should of taken the deal mi boyo as should of Jenny as should of all my guests. But then again if everyone said yes, I would have no one to play with, no one to show my love to. But now it is your turn, your dance to step to. I have given you the gift of gifts, you must be hungry, and sweets for the sweets. All for you my precious munchkin. Eat up eat up. Show me how much ya love me.

Tobias takes the plate of candy and throws it at him.

TOBIAS

Go fuck yourself, psycho. I won’t play your games. Just end it, take my life.

Heavy laughter echoes his statement.

CANDY MAN

Oh this is just the beginning my sweet, just the burgeoning toddler steps of a blessed journey.

A voice cuts the darkness.

THOMAS

No, this is the end.

Candy Man spins, his stick held up.

CANDY MAN

Who are you?! How dare you interrupt my hour of fun. This is my place, my story.

Thomas, his hood pulled low, steps forward, partially out of the shadow. Two blades jump into his hand.

THOMAS

If this is your story, it’s reached it’s final page.

Candy Man sees the blade and steps back.

CANDY MAN

Who are you? Do you work for the Shark? Tell him I’m sorry. I know he told me to make these quick, but there is no fun in such, no art. Tell him to leave me to my work, please, it must be done. They must be shown my Mother’s wisdom and love, must give the sweets to the sweets. The Preacher for the Spider, the Candy Man for the Shark, this is how it has been and how it should be.

Thomas steps forward.

THOMAS

Preacher? Shark? Spider? Thanks for the info, more to carve from this city, more to bleed till the light shines thru. But for you, your torture has reached the cliff edge of it’s truth. Redemption is my song, and you are the first notes I’m gonna play.

The Candy Man finds his backbone.

CANDY MAN

What are you, just some hyped up guy with moral hum drums? I’m gonna rip ya up. I’m gonna beat ya to bones.

THOMAS

Show me.

Candy Man yells and leaps at Thomas, stick raised high.

Thomas tucks and rolls and cuts the distance coming up with his blade into The Candy Man’s belly, then whipping it out while The Candy Man comes to an abrupt stop, hand to belly.

Thomas, now standing up behind him, uses the blade across Candy Man’s neck. Candy Man falls, all happening in a split second.

Tobias looks on in awe. Thomas looks down at Tobias.

THOMAS

Come, young one. It is time to show you there is more then darkness on these streets.

FREEZE FRAME: Thomas looking from his shadowed hood down at Tobias in the cage.

GFX: We pull back out to the map.

SUBTITLE: “The Beginning” spills out underneath in blood and fades.

The reticle moves to the far south of the map to a point called “Demon’s Cove.”