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THE CROOKED PLACE : ACT 2

THE PRICE OF ADMISSION

BLACK CAR

'76 (SAUDADE)

STASIS

Fear beyond fear, am I crazy?  Tear beyond tear, unstrap me!  Leer beyond leer, quit staring at me! 

And it’s just getting started…

               “The Incident” - Karin Comes Killing

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I believe whatever doesn’t kill you, simply makes you stranger.

               “The Dark Knight” - Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

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Act 2
Scene 1
“The Price of Admission”

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When:    Flashback to September 30, 2016 - 2:15am
Where:   Springfield Hospital Center (Psychiatric Unit) - Sykesville, MD
Who:     Weez
         Kidd
         Dave

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Weez pushes the busted-up wheelchair, equipped with two squeaking wheels, down the dimly lit hallway. Kidd sits slumped over in a sedated state in the chair. Weez is singing to himself as he walks toward the admission desk. 

 

WEEZ: (singing) “No one knows what it’s like. To be the bad man. To be the sad man. Behind blue ey- ” 
Well, look who it is! I was hoping you were on shift. How’s the night treating you?

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DAVE: (smiles - sitting behind the counter at the admissions desk) Weez! How are you doing? Missed you around here.

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WEEZ: Yeah man, good, been down in Charm City to see my daughter and family, you know. But back at it now.

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DAVE: I see that. (looks at Kidd slumped over in the wheelchair) Who do we have here? 
(Weez hands a clipboard to Dave with the intake paperwork.)   

 

WEEZ: Oh, you know, he’s just another hammer swinging murderer. (laughs)

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DAVE: What? For real?  Does he have cuffs on under that blanket?

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WEEZ: (laughs - shaking head) It’s not like that. Apparently, he is here on a voluntary commitment through Westminster.

(Dave looks down to read intake paperwork) 

Plus, this guy is out! (claps hands near Kidd’s ears. Kidd, heavily sedated, does not move or acknowledge the noise and remains slumped over in chair) See? Nothing to worry about here.

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DAVE: Is he really up on murder charges?

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WEEZ: No, no, no. That incident was years ago. He was forced to participate in killing his family as a kid. It’s a crazy story. (shrugs his shoulders) Victim? Murderer? Both? (asking rhetorically) Depends on how you look at it. (pauses) You’ve heard of Karin Comes Killing, right?

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DAVE: What is that a band or something?

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WEEZ: What? No, man! (laughs) Karin Comes Killing? KCK? The serial killer? (Dave shakes his head) 
Anyway… 
(Weez proceeds to tell Dave the details of “Based on a True Story”, “The Incident” and Karin’s other notorious crimes.)

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DAVE: That’s insane. (pauses and reflects) I’d probably be checking in here, too. (walks over to the chair, pulls Kidd’s hand out from under the blanket and fastens a purple patient ID wristband to his right wrist) Hey! (calls out to an orderly who is half asleep and leaning against the far wall – the orderly stands up straight and looks at Dave) Yeah you, slacker, c ’mere. Will you please take our new friend here into the unit to Room 3 (Kidd’s eyes open immediately) and get him settled?  
(The orderly wheels Kidd through the unit doors and down the hallway to Room 3. The unit doors close and lock behind them.)

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-END SCENE-

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