| abstract
| - James Barmms was cornered by police officers in the hospital. Stephanie watched horrified as he was handcuffed and put against the wall. Officer 1: James Barmms, you are under arrest for the murder of Robert Naise! James’s eyes widened in terror. Stephanie slowly sat down in a chair, her legs shaking. Carolina was asleep on the hospital bed. The officers repeated the Miranda Rights to James. James: Officers, you must have the wrong man. I never killed anyone! They took him out of the room and walked him down the hallway. Stephanie got up again and ran out of the room. Stephanie (shouting): James! James stayed silent. Stephanie stood there in the hallway, tired and stressed. Stephanie: (Everything is spiraling down into a hell-hole!) The ginger-haired woman sat back down next to Carolina as she slept. Stephanie laid her hand on Carolina’s face. Stephanie: First you, and now James… Who is doing all of this to me? Stephanie starts to tear up. Carolina’s eyes slowly open. Then, they turn to Stephanie. Carolina lifts her arm and puts it on Stephanie’s shoulder. Carolina (weakly): You are a pure friend… I hurt so much, too much… I don’t think I can recover from this… Like this. Stephanie: No… Carolina you can still fight this illness, whatever Virus gave you. Carolina: Yes… I can. But not like this. Stephanie: Wha-what do you mean by that? Carolina: Just… Don’t be scared, please. Carolina begins to groan as her right arm shakes. Then, her hand starts to go out of control as it makes cracking sounds. Her fingers start becoming more bent, longer and webbed. Then, her nails extend and her hands morph into something monstrous. The color changes as well. Soon, her face follows. Her eyes grow larger and more angular. The color of her eyes changes from white to yellow. Yet, she retains her brown irises. Her hair turns into a dirty green color and her chin becomes flatter. Her teeth also become sharper. Her ears transform into fins, and she grows gills on her neck. The transformation follows along the rest of her body. She also grows much taller and muscular. Carolina (in pain): This… Is the true me. Stephanie gets up from her chair and takes a few steps back. She is stunned. Carolina is some type of fish-like monster, yet retains some strange beauty to her form. Stephanie: My gosh. W-why didn’t you tell me of this sooner? Carolina ignores Stephanie. Her eyes are closed. Her body continues shaking. After a few minutes of this, Carolina’s eyes open. Then, she looks at Stephanie. Carolina: You can be afraid as much as you want. However, I’m not going to explain this. Not now at least. I need to get out of this place. So… I’m going to return to my normal state. Call the doctors back in. Stephanie calls upon the doctors as Carolina slowly returns to her normal state. They enter the room. Doctor 1: What do you need, Ms. White? Carolina begins to sing to the doctors. Their faces turn emotionless. Carolina: I want out of this hospital. I’m feeling better. The doctors obey Carolina. They order her to be released. Carolina is returned her normal clothes and slips on her high-heeled shoes. Carolina and Stephanie step out of the hospital doors. Stephanie doesn’t say a single word. They walk into the parking lot and to James’s car. Stephanie: Shoot. I forgot James drove me here in his car. I don’t have his keys. Carolina looks around. Nobody is in the parking lot. Carolina: How fast can you suit up? I need you to run as fast as you can to James’s house and get my car. Here’s the keys. Stephanie: I’m fast at suiting up. Sounds like a plan Carolina. Carolina: Good. We need to pay James a bit of a visit. ~~ James Barmms is in a jail cell in the detention center. James: Oh, how did I get into this mess suddenly? He looks at his ring on his hand, but then looks away from it. James: I’m not going to escape like some criminal… This must be the work of the Triad. Oh, it makes too much sense. First they try to kill Stephanie and Carolina in a crash, then attempt to kill Carolina again, and now they got me in jail. Someone knows too much. James leans against the concrete wall in distress. One of the guards knocks on the bars of James Barmms’s cell. James looks at the guard. Guard: Looks like you have an lawyer here, Mr. Barmms. James is led out of his cell and is brought to a meeting room. He’s separated between Carolina and himself by glass. Carolina: James. This is… My fault. All my fault. James: How in the world is it your fault? I was framed. You’ve almost been killed, twice. Carolina, we’re all in danger. Carolina: No, James. (she begins to sing) It’s my fault. Don’t be so distressed. Now calm down. James begins to calm down. He notices Stephanie tagged along. James (looking down at his lap): Steph… I’m sorry you have to see me like this. We’re all just a trio of tortured folks, stuck with the sad reality that we’ll always be like this. Look, Carolina. I was framed. I never killed any man. Especially the mayor. Carolina: I understand James. Which is why I’m going to be your defense attorney. You were unfairly arrested. This is the work of the Triad. James looks up from his lap and stares at Stephanie. She shakes her head. James: How did you know the Triad was after us? Carolina: Because… She pauses. Her hand clenches and she she sputters it out. Carolina (as quiet as possible): ...I’ve been helping them… James stays silent. Then, he begins to laugh. He slams his fist upon the desk, with his face comes very close to the glass. His breathing shakes as well as his body. His hair flops so one of the strands comes to his eyes. His nostrils create a fog on the screen. James: Do you know how much all of this pain you and your sick organization has caused upon me and my family? Do you know how SATISFYING it is to beat the living daylights out of each and every member of that twisted Irish cult gang? You… You dare even try to establish a relationship with me to get into my family and then cause THIS to happen to me? I don’t want your assistance. I’d rather die the death sentence a thousand times than have you save my life! Stephanie: James don’t you say that! James: You’re a fool Stephanie! She admits it! She’s been pulling the strings! Now your twisted friend here wants to HELP me? I’m not dumb enough to fall for that trick. Carolina tries to sing but James yells over her. James: TO HELL WITH YOU WOMAN! I don’t want your singing. Just when I tried to get closer to you, you stab me in the back like this! Carolina: You’re not the only one who’s been betrayed… I didn’t fake that crash. Or the attack. They’re after me too… James: Oh pity on you. You deserve it you witch. Carolina: I am a witch. And not a proud one either. I deserved to be hung like the witches of old. But James, you have to listen. Please. Stephanie: James… Please calm down. James: Not if this woman thinks she can just hurt a man like this. I don’t want to see her face. It makes too much sense. Stephanie: Fine, then. James, give me your ring. James: My ring? Stephanie: Yes. You’re giving up on your life as Emerald Man, no? James stays silent. James: I promised my father I’d use this for good. That I’d use it in his good name... Stephanie: How are you supposed to enact justice when you’re dead, James? James pauses. Stephanie: Father would be sickened by you right now, giving up. Now give me that ring. At least I can carry the promise. James clenches his hand. He sits back down. James: You’re right Steph. James rubs his forehead and looks upon Carolina. James: I’ll have to trust you, then. Carolina: James, if I wanted to hurt you I wouldn’t be here offering to help you. I’ve been hurt too. All of us have. It’s just the three of us who can put an end to all of this. James takes a deep breath and relaxes. Then, after a moment with his eyes closed, they open and dart towards Carolina. James: Alright then. Ms. White, i’d like you to be my lawyer. Carolina: I’d be glad to help. ~~ The Overseer watches upon a screen the meeting between Carolina and James. She only smiles. Overseer: So she’s finally decided she’s had enough of my antics. So be it. My plan has worked flawlessly. A hooded figure stands next to the Overseer. He’s wearing a light green mask, a dark green hood, ancient Irish armor, and green robes. ???: I shall be returning to the shadows now. Overseer: Not yet, ancient one. The Merrow has to be checked. She is a dangerous enemy. ???: How do we know she’s not playing with him? Overseer: The Merrow is a crafty one, but her ancestors’s greatest weakness was her love of mortal men. This current Merrow remains the same. Now that she has abandoned the Triad, nothing can get in the way of me taking her place. ???: So that’s what this was all about? A lust for power? Overseer: Of course, Fetch. She was nothing but a simple tool. Now I’m done with her and her lineage. ‘Twas simple really. And now that she has assembled a Coalition for me, everything is working just right. We will quash her and the Emerald clan in a swift stroke. The Overseer stands up from her chair. Her orange-tinted glasses sparkle against the light of a screen. Overseer: But for now, I’ll simply watch. You, Fetch, will continue to make sure James Barmms is convicted for murder. Understood? Fetch: Understood, Overseer. The Fetch goes into a shadowy wall and walks through it. Overseer turns around and smiles. He’s gone. Overseer: And now, my war begins.
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