the truth(48)
(A dimly lit room. The air is thick with tension. Rain patters against the window, the only sound aside from the faint buzz of a flickering light overhead. Michael sits in a metal chair, hands resting on the cold surface of the table. His knuckles are bruised, his face emotionless, eyes hollow. Across from him, a police officer watches him carefully.)
Officer #1 (sighing, rubbing his temples):
"Look, Michael. We've been sitting here for an hour. You haven't said much. You barely even blink. So, let's cut the bullshit, alright? Just tell me—why did you do it? Why did you beat that girl within an inch of her life?"
(Michael remains silent. His gaze is fixed on the table, his breathing slow and controlled. The officer leans forward.)
Officer #2 (more forceful):
"Michael, we're giving you a chance here. A damn good one, considering what you did. So tell us—why?"
(Michael finally blinks. Slowly, he raises his head, meeting their eyes. His voice, when he speaks, is low and cold.)
Michael (quiet, detached):
"That damn bitch Lisa."
(The officers exchange glances. Michael clenches his fists, his nails digging into his palms.)
Michael (voice trembling, anger creeping in):
"She was the one who killed my friend. Did you really think I would forgive her?"
(The room falls silent for a moment. Then—)
Officer #1 (skeptical):
"Really? And why would Lisa kill her own boyfriend?"
Michael (snapping, voice rising):
"Because she's evil!"
(The officers lean back, unfazed by his outburst. Michael breathes heavily, trying to control himself.)
Michael (gritted teeth, voice shaking):
"She never cared for Ethan. She was manipulating him. Using him like a pawn in her sick game."
Officer #2 (watching closely):
"And her parents?"
Michael (cold, dark):
"They're just as bad. No… worse. I should have killed them, too. But you stopped me."
(The officers observe Michael carefully. His words are filled with venom, but underneath the anger… there's something else. Something broken.)
Officer #1 (exhaling, standing up):
"Michael, listen. You're 15. That means we can't arrest you yet. But…"
(He leans forward, voice firm.)
Officer #1:
"If you do something like this again, you will be arrested. No second chances."
(Michael doesn't react. He simply stares.)
Officer #2 (gruffly):
"You'll also have to pay a fine for what you did. Don't forget that."
(Still, Michael doesn't respond. The officers exchange glances before nodding.)
Officer #1 (gesturing to the door):
"Go. You're free to leave."
(Michael stands up slowly, his body moving like a machine. Without another word, he walks out of the station into the cold night.)
(The city streets are eerily quiet. Michael walks with his head low, his footsteps echoing in the empty roads. The rain has stopped, leaving the world damp and cold. He turns a corner and stops.)
(His friends—Alex, Marie, and Emily—sit on a bench outside a store. Their eyes are red, their bodies trembling from silent sobs. When they see Michael approaching, their expressions harden.)
Alex (low, bitter):
"Michael, what the fuck are you doing here?"
(Michael stops a few feet away, his shoulders stiffening. Alex stands up, glaring at him.)
Alex (voice cold, final):
"Didn't I tell you? We are never friends. And we will never be again."
Michael (hoarse, desperate):
"Why? Do you seriously think I would have killed Ethan? It was Lisa! It was obviously Lisa!"
Alex (laughing bitterly):
"Oh, come on."
(He takes a step forward, pointing a finger at Michael.)
Alex (furious):
"You're telling me that Lisa, Ethan's girlfriend, killed him? Bullshit!"
(Michael clenches his fists.)
Michael (shouting):
"She manipulated all of you!"
Alex (mocking):
"Oh, and let me guess? She manipulated you into nearly killing her too?"
(Michael's breath hitches. Before he can respond—)
SLAP!
(The impact stings. Michael blinks, stunned. Emily stands in front of him, her hand still raised, her eyes overflowing with tears.)
Emily (voice shaking):
"Michael… I hate you."
(Michael's stomach twists painfully.)
Emily (whispering, broken):
"I thought I loved you. I still do, to be honest. But now, I have no choice. I hate you."
(She turns and walks away. Marie follows her, stopping briefly to look at Michael, her expression filled with sorrow.)
Marie (soft, regretful):
"Michael… I wish this never happened. But… goodbye."
(And then, they're gone.)
(Michael stands there, frozen. Then—his legs give out.)
(He falls to his knees, the weight of everything crashing down on him.)
(Tears fall. He doesn't wipe them away. He doesn't move. He just cries. Cries until the night swallows him whole.)
(Back at the shelter, Dakota watches over Ava, Liam, and Mia. They are still unconscious, their bodies twitching slightly. The atmosphere is tense.)
Henry (crossing his arms, exhaling):
"So… is this the end of the memories?"
(Dakota, leaning against the wall, shakes his head slowly.)
Dakota (calm, unreadable):
"No. This is the end of one truth."
(He looks at each of them—Henry, Amelia, Jack, and Luna. His gaze sharpens.)
Dakota (serious, foreboding):
"And now it's time to move on to the next truth."
(The group tenses.)
Jack (uneasy):
"The next truth…?"
Dakota (nodding, voice heavy):
"The truth about this world… and the truth about all of you."
(A cold silence falls over the room. The air thickens with tension.)
Luna (hesitant, whispering):
"Us…?"
(Dakota pushes off the wall, stepping closer. His presence is suffocating, his words final.)
Dakota (low, dangerous):
"You all better be ready…"
(His next words send a shiver down their spines.)
Dakota (cold, absolute):
"Because the truth will be too much to handle."
(The screen fades to black.)
Dakota thinking: looks like this truth is over with I revealed everything about my past life will almost everything. now it's time to move on to the next truth, the truth about this world and the truth about Henry and the others. I don't think they are prepared for the truth, I don't think they're prepared at all, but I have no choice but to show them they deserve to know the truth, I just hope that they don't start thinking of me as a god or something.