“It’s time for the end of the story. Want to know what the man did after he raped my little girl?”
Dianne shakes her head no, “No, please no!” She can barely think through the terror running through her veins.
“She got slammed in the head with a brick!” Bear says. “After she was pulled away walking home from school, she was terrorized, raped and then killed with a brick! Can you believe that?”
Dog has now joined the group and is standing in between them and the pool. He is holding a brick.
“Way I see it,” Bear says, “since you think everyone listens to you and everything, this will make sure our message gets out loud and clear.”
Pumpkin steps aside and Dog takes her place.
“You got any last words?” Asks Dog.
“I’m sorry, please just let me go. I can do so much for you!”
“You’ve done enough.” Bear tells her.
“Your light’s about to go out, bitch,” Dog says, “Say good night!”
Dianne’s last thoughts were in slow motion. She saw Dog raise the brick. She managed to raise her head and look up at the stars. She took a deep breath and then closed her eyes.
BAM!
She splashed into the pool head first.
And that’s how they found her. Dianne, beaten and face down in her own pool, at her own house…in her own town. There was no trace of the intruders. Only a single poker chip, placed above a message written out on the patio tiles:
Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you...
THINK AGAIN!
The Celebrity
Chapter One: It’s All in The Cards
Nancy Pelosi:
“Keeping the American people safe is our first responsibility. It’s the oath we take, and if the American people aren’t safe, what else really matters?”
*****
First Thursday of the month and the card game played out like usual. Many want in but only a select few are chosen to play. Play poker of course, but there’s also something much bigger. After enough poker has been played, it’s time for the evaluation. The evaluation of issues brought to the table that go beyond any agendas or media reports being pushed out to the country. And in the end, one stands out…one is the winner.
Chapter Two: The Good Life
Sean Spicer:
“The order temporarily bars travel to the U.S. by people from seven countries in the Middle East — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — which were designated in 2015 by the Obama administration as “areas of concern” because of terrorist activity.”
*****
The alarm goes off at 5 am which is no problem for Madison Leigh. She gets out of bed eager to get her day going. She opens the patio door off her bedroom and takes in a large breath of ocean air coming in off the Pacific. She’s at home in California where she prefers to be over anywhere else. “Home is where the heart is” she always says, and for Madison, Hollywood had her from day one.
She is an accomplished actress. She's gotten multiple Emmys, Best Actress, you name it, and is about to break the record for the most Academy Award nominations. On her latest project, she is counting down to her last two weeks on the set of what she hopes will be the biggest premier of her career. Life is good.
She showers, drinks a glass of hot lemon water like she does every morning, and meets her driver downstairs. At the studio and in makeup by 6, her mind is already racing.
“Where’s Lisa?” she asks Patrick, her makeup artist extraordinaire.
“She went to get your coffee,” he tells her.
“With the light cream and not those damn sugar cubes,” she looks up to Patrick, “Yesterday I thought my teeth were going to dissolve right then and there!”
“Patience my queen,” he smiles down at her, “she’s new to you, but comes highly recommended!” He leans in a little closer and whispers, “I think you just make her nervous.”
“Who? Me?” Madison picks up on the sarcasm and goes with it, “Not me!”
It’s no secret that Madison is intimidating, and it would be a lie to say that she doesn’t love it.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong Patrick, but I didn’t make it this far by not paying attention!” She turns her head from side to side, tapping her jaw line and observing her reflection in the mirror, “I’ve learned a lot in this world and it would do people some good to stop and take a listen!”
Patrick bends down to join her and speaks to her through the mirror, “Don’t look at me!” he tells her, “You know I love you! I’d follow you into a wall of fire if you asked me to!”
“Yes, well you’re sweet. And obviously brilliant!” she says with a laugh, happy that Patrick gets it.
“Seriously, you’ve taught me a lot! Take the election for instance…I’m just appalled! I sometimes feel like if I didn’t live here, I would simply go crazy. I have family out “there” you know,” he says with air quotes, “but I wouldn’t dare go back there right now!”
Madison jumps on that one immediately, “Well, they’ve gone and lost their minds, that’s pretty clear! It seems the whole country has gone wild!” She breaks from the mirror and turns to look at him face to face, “To even think that closing our doors and shutting people out is the answer, is horrific. There would be no Hollywood, that’s for sure!” she pauses and sighs. “I just don’t understand people. Is there no sanity outside of L.A.? People would be lost without us! I can only hope that my words of wisdom made sense to the people out there.”
“Had to,” he says, “your speech was fantastic! You were spot on with all of it! And God news people will listen to you.” He smiles down at her, “Maybe you should run for office!”
He is still young, and Madison appreciates his admiration but there is no way she would consider anything like that and comes back with a solid, “Absolutely not!” She softens up her tone a bit and continues, “My work is here Patrick. You must know that what we do is so important. We reach millions of people across the country and the world with what we provide. People get lost in the lies and hate every single day and I take solace in knowing that our movies and messaging have to reach at least some of them.”
“You’re right,” Patrick goes on, “I mean, the movies you do are probably all these poor people have to get their minds off their troubles, and God knows they’ve created enough of them! A little too scary for me thank you!”
Lisa walks in right when Madison and Patrick are finishing up their conversation and waits before speaking up, “Coffee time! Just like you like it!”
Madison takes the cup, giving Lisa a look of skepticism. She takes a sip, and Lisa breathes a sigh of relief, and then moves on.
“Okay, so, welcome to Friday!” she smiles and breaks out the day planner, “Shooting starts at 7:30, writers’ room at 1:00, makeup again at 2:30 and then we should be able to have you out of here in time for the writers’ dinner at 8!”
Madison takes in a deep breath of satisfaction, of herself of course, They will thank me for this one, it’s going to be a hit!
Chapter Three: Surprise, Surprise
L.A. Times, Jack Shaheen, professor and author:
“There has never been liberal Hollywood when it comes to the portrayal of Muslims on TV.”
(Examples include: “24”, “Sleeper Cell”, “Tyrant”)
*****
The workday comes to an end. Lisa is still on hand, and Patrick has returned to assist in Madison’s change-out from being on set to going out dinner. After about an hour and a half, it’s mission accomplished and everyone is ready to get going.
Patrick and Lisa head out to the limo that is waiting for them. They pack it in and the driver heads out.
“What about Ms. Leigh?” Lisa asks.
“Change of plans, just taking you guys wherever it is you need to go,” the driver responds.
They both are surprised at first, but with Ms. Madison Leigh plans change all the time, and her reasons are never
questioned. They both give into the night off and don’t think about it again.
*****
“I’m about to leave,” Madison’s still inside and on her cell phone, “Oh please, it’s going to be great, like always. I don’t know why you worry so much!” Madison loves her agent but over the years wants him only when she really needs him, not when he thinks she does.
She gets done with the check-in call and walks outside. The black limo is waiting for her like expected, and she gets right in and they drive off. To her surprise however, neither Lisa or Patrick are in the car.
“Where is my assistant?” she asks, in a demanding tone. She also notices that it is a different driver than she was expecting as well.
“They just left Miss. We are right behind them,” the driver says, “sorry for the confusion.” He smiles in his rearview mirror giving her some reassurance, “there is wine and crackers for you in the back, just as you requested,” and then he puts up the divider between the front and the back. Without any real reason to question it, Madison accepts the explanation and settles in.
She picks up the glass of wine and takes a long sip. It warms her and calms her nerves. She looks out at the hustle and bustle on the lot and takes in the feeling of contentment with her life. Feeling relaxed, she grabs her phone and starts thinking about vacation spots for when this project is all said and done. Dubai or St. Barts? She pours another glass of wine and after some daydreaming and deliberation she figures it out. “St. Barts it is!” she says out loud and with a giggle.
Before she even has a chance to get back to reality, the limo takes a hard right and she falls over to the left on the seat, spilling wine on her dress, “Hey!” she calls out to the driver, knocking on the divider, “what’s with the driving? I don’t pay you to be reckless! I want to get there in one piece!”
She is shaken but more than that, she is annoyed. Unacceptable!
She looks out to their location, while wiping herself off and setting her wine down. After the studio lot she didn’t pay attention to where they were going, but it doesn’t look anything like it’s in the direction of the dinner.
She knocks on the divider again, “Hello?” there is no answer.
“Hello!” she calls out a bit louder, “Excuse me?” She continues knocking and after a minute, the driver lowers the small wall between them.
“Yes?”
“Excuse me, have you any driving skills and where are we?”
“We are close,” he tells her.
“Close to what exactly?” Madison is starting to shake with anger. No plans change unless she makes the change, and this couldn’t be more aggravating.
The driver leaves the divider down and only looks back at her again in the mirror and smiles. He takes another right, and this time it’s onto a gravel road. Madison is just looking around and not sure if she should be full of outrage or maybe a bit fearful as well.
“What is this? Is this some sort of joke?” She’s looking out the windows, but nothing is helpful. Her birthday is in a month and so part of her wants to believe there will be a good laugh about this, but her guts are telling her something different.
The limo suddenly screeches to a halt. The driver gets out and without warning opens her side door, pulls her out and throws her to down onto the gravel and into the dust. He says nothing. He simply gets back into the limo and drives off, her bag and phone still inside.
Her hands are scratched from the rocks, and her dress is ripped. “What the hell?” she calls out. There is nothing. It’s all quiet until she hears another vehicle approaching behind her. The driver slams on the brakes sending more dust her way. She coughs and stands up and is met by two people who have now exited the van.
“What are you doing?” Madison asks, “Is this some kind of game?”
Chapter Four: Reality Hits
Breitbart, Stephanie Ruhle:
“It’s fair to say there are many people in Hollywood that are now out of touch with average Americans.”
*****
“Not a game A-List. You’re in the real world now!” the large man standing in front of her says. The second stranger promptly walks up to Madison and grabs her by the arm.
It’s going to be dark soon, but there is still enough sunlight left to see, and she starts to check out the two strangers all dressed in black. They have headlamps on over black baseball caps that are on backwards. They are both wearing large black-rimmed glasses with tinted lenses, making it hard for her to see their eyes and their faces are covered by scarves that are designed like the American flag. The big man reminds Madison more of a stunt double than an actual person. Her body tingles from the intimidation, and she feels a bit faint.
She desperately speaks out, “Do you have any idea how many people are expecting me tonight? They are probably already looking for me as we speak!”
“Well,” Madison realizes the smaller of the two is a woman, “your phone is at your precious dinner by now so unless you yourself are pinging somewhere, good luck!” It’s at that point, the first tear runs down her face. On the inside, she is screaming, This cannot be happening!
“Time to go A-list,” the man says. He is blunt and quick. He pulls her and jerks her, and throws her into the van. The woman crawls in with her.
The road is bumpy as they go. Madison lost all sense of direction back in the limo and has no idea where they are. There are no windows in the back and all she knows for sure is that they are getting farther away from her beloved Hollywood, where things are normal, and she feels safe.
When the van finally comes to a stop, Madison hears the driver get out and come around to the back. He opens up the doors, and she is directed to get out. When the woman reaches for her, Madison tries the confidence route one more time, “Look! I’ve had enough! You can’t do this to me!”
“Uh, what makes you think that?” the man asks her, “And you should be nice to my sister,” he says, “she’s not as nice as you’re hoping she is.” He throws a black backpack down to the ground in front of them.
The woman’s grip on Madison tightens, “Thanks Butch, we’ll have to see how bright she is,” she leans in close to Madison, “we wouldn’t want to add to this already remarkable situation.”
“Oh no my dear Sunny, we certainly wouldn’t want to do that!” the man cheers.
“Let’s get started then. First off, we can’t have any of this,” Sunny starts pulling on Madison’s dress.
“What?” Madison asks, fearing the worst.
“It has to go, so either you take it off or I will!” Sunny proceeds to unclip Madison’s shoes and pulls them off while she is standing there.
Madison reluctantly does as directed. She pulls the shiny gold straps off her shoulders and slides the black dress down and off her hips. There is a slight chill in the air, and she feels it. She stands there half-naked and nervous, trying to cover herself the best she can. Sunny digs around the backpack and pulls out a white t-shirt, “This is much more fitting!” she says to herself, “put this shirt on,” she tells Madison, throwing her the shirt.
The shirt is a short-sleeved cotton number that says “KNOW IT ALL” across the back.
She then throws a pair of ripped jeans and a couple of tennis shoes at Madison, hitting her in the face. “Don’t worry,” she says, “I know you like the dress, but frankly you ruined it by putting it on.”
While Madison puts on the rest of the items she watches Sunny stuff her dinner dress and shoes into the black bag. She then strips Madison of her earrings, along with her bracelet and rings. Those also end up in the black bag.
Chapter Five: Act I
Tweet, Sean Hannity:
“This is exactly why Hwood is DYING, what a bunch of hypocrites…”
*****
Butch walks up behind Madison, “Time to go,” he shoves her forward and they start walking. Madison’s feet are shuffling and dragging. The shoes aren’t like any she’s worn before. The souls are hard and there are no laces. They are
moving away from the van and up a hillside.
“Come on, just pretend this is a movie! And don’t worry,” Butch adds, “you’re big scene is right around the corner!”
There is not one thought Madison can put together to resolve what is happening. They are walking through some low brush, and she is stumbling over the rocks and slipping on the dirt. She is frantic and tries to put this together. Maybe they were working on the lot? “Did I miss you guys on set?” she dares ask.
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t be caught dead working in Hollywood!” Butch shoots back.
Madison’s bad feeling starts to get worse, “Are you from California?”
Sunny comes to an immediate stop, “Oh, no, no, no. Let me be clear, we’re from the good old USA, where the real people live. We would never want to be a part of your elitist pack!” She shoves Madison forward to keep moving, tripping her as he pushes her forward.
Madison feels trapped and like she’s about to go mad.
“Did I do something?” Madison sniffles, “Please tell me!”
Sunny has had enough, “You are a piece of work!” She turns and slaps Madison across the face, “THAT is because I wanted my family to be safe!” She slaps her again, “And THAT is because my sister thought she was safe!” She then grabs her by the neck and gives it a good hard squeeze before finally letting go.
Madison is coughing and puts her hands to her throat and realizes her nose is bleeding. Butch screams into one of her ears, “You think you are America! You are so full of your damn garbage! There’s a whole big, bad world out there A-list! One without stars and limousines taking you everywhere. One with real people, not fans and paparazzi!””
Madison looks down to the blood on her fingers just as Sunny pushes her to start walking again. She is scared and has no idea what the two strangers want, but knows it’s not good.
Butch talks as they walk and surprises her with what he says next, “What kills me…and I mean kills me, is how much of a hypocrite you are.”
American Hypocrites: Short Series of Graphic Revenge Page 3
