A memorial and reunion rocks the town, while another murder sends the inner politics of the town into turmoil. This episode is a bit of a mess so I apologize in advance but everything mentioned will make sense soon, I promise
*On the High School field, a collection of residents begin setting up for the Tommy Cooney memorial service. Dramatically arriving in her limo, Maria Sweeterson steps out of the car, vlogging camera firmly in hand*
Maria (into camera): Today marks the 5-year anniversary of the tragic death of Tommy Cooney. I’m here to volunteer at his memorial service because this poor boy deserved a better life than what he got
*Maria pans the camera across the field, spotting Zoe Hutchings and Noah Grays across the field having a conversation. With a newly predatory glint in her eye, Maria begins strolling over to them. Noticing her incoming presence, the pair appear to brace themselves*
Maria: Morning!
Zoe: Hello, Maria, how are you today?
Maria (ignoring the question): It’s tragic, isn’t it? I hope poor Jasmine is holding up, this must be really tough for her
Noah: You realize that last week you called her a “waste of space tramp hore who should get hit by a car” right?
Maria: I see the error of my ways now
*Zoe rolls her eyes as Maria begins strolling away from them and toward the car parking area, where another car has now arrived*
Zoe: For me, it’s the fact people follow her willingly
Noah: Yeah, I heard rumors she wanted to run for Mayor at the next election
Zoe: Jesus, this town is seriously doomed…
~~~~~
*Just next door, within the High School itself, three students watch the festivities being set up from the upstairs balcony overlooking the field*
Kimberly: I can’t believe it’s already been 5 years since that night, honestly it feels like yesterday!
Camila (openly bored): They better have alcohol, no way I’m making it through this evening sober
Mitch: I think Mayor Bagwaggle is prohibiting all fun tonight, everyone must be miserable and mourn for a kid who died half a decade ago
Kimberly: Call me when that man does something interesting other than get every STD known to humanity, why the fuck does this town keep electing him?
Camila: He’s a rich big-wig, that’s why. Plus, his wife’s slept with every man, woman, cat, dog, pig, alien, non-binary individual, homeless person, rodent, trash can, and pencil sharpener in the town!
*The teens observe another car arriving at the field, Paula Brancati opening the door and stepping out, clearly wanting to be as unnoticeable as possible*
Mitch: No way, she’s back in town?
Camila: Ran back to mommy the second her cash dried up in LA
Kimberly: It must be really embarrassing to have your only acting credit as “Overweight Prostitute” in a terrible shitshow movie about a shark in the toilet
Mitch: Her death scene was good though, like the fourth best in the movie
*Down on the field, Paula’s mother Pauline points her in the direction of the volunteer sign up sheet, currently being operated by Matthew Ong*
Matthew: You come to volunteer for tonight?
Paula: Unfortunately, yeah
Matthew: Put your name down here
*He hands Paula a pen and she sarcastically signs her name on the sheet*
Matthew: By the way, I loved you in Toilet Shark-
Paula: Mention that movie again and you will become a missing person
*Paula stomps away from the stand as her mother watches on in anguish. She approaches Matthew apologetically*
Pauline: She’s taking this rough. Seeing your dream fail when you were so close to achieving it hurts more than childbirth. I’ve experienced both and wish to never have to again
Matthew: Give it time, she’s not the only one in this town. The sharks will find something else to obsess over. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone died tonight to be honest
Pauline: Yeah, it’s gonna be a mess
*Pauline also signs her name on the sheet as Matthew grabs his phone, opening it to a new notification from Gordie Griffith’s discord server…*
~~~~~
*Sat in nothing but his underwear, Gordie furiously types away, his keyboard shaking from the pressure of his borderline smacking*
Gordie (to himself): These bitches try to cancel me but I am so, so much better than them!
*He presses send, a group ping going out across his Discord server*
Gordie (to himself): They fucking tried…
*Grabbing a straw, he snorts the line of coke laid out in front of him, leaning back with a sigh*
Gordie (to himself): I’m a fucking god, man!
*Watching the replies of his ping roll in, things at first seem peaceful, until Gordie gets a DM from an unknown account*
Gordie (with curiosity): The Dollmaker? Who the fuck are you?
*He opens the message to see a short message, which he begins to skim through. It reads the following, in all caps:
TONIGHT. 10PM. MEET ME OUTSIDE THE HIGH SCHOOL. DO NOT BE LATE.
*Scoffing somewhat, Gordie angrily types back*
Gordie: You want to meet me come to a fan meet and greet next time
*He sends the message, closing Discord and leaning back, setting up another line of coke*
~~~~~
*As the sun begins to set over Golden Valley, amber light casts itself over the town, bathing it in an autumnal glow. On the High School field, residents begin gathering around a central stage awaiting the start of the evening. At the entrance to the event, Mayor Bagwaggle greets the visiots*
Bagwaggle: Welcome, I hope you enjoy the event!
*People file past the entrance, a bored Heidi sighing to herself*
Heidi: The sooner this is over, the better
*The Mayor smiles at her as she walks past, the model flipping him a middle finger which he simply smiles off. Behind Heidi, Anya begins making her way into the event, arms still full with Envriomental brucheurs and posters*
Anya: Evening, Mayor Bagwaggle, how are you?
Bagwaggle: I’m great Heidi, hope you enjoy the evening!
Anya: Can I interest you in joining the Golden Valley Enviromental Society?
*Bagwaggle smiles plastically, taking a leaflet from Anya*
Bagwaggle: We need to look after this world for our children and their children as well
Anya: Of course!
Bagwaggle: Make sure you tell your parents to drop me a vote at the next election, the climate is very important to me!
*As Anya walks away, the Mayor screws up his brochure and drops it, squelching it into the ground with his foot, before continuing to greet the residents entering the event. As they walk past, Carolina whispers to her two siblings*
Carolina: Someone’s clearly threatened by the Sweeterson cult
Mitch: The way that woman is taking control of the town is genuinely terrifying
*Finally, Doyle Mark brings up the rear of the line. The Mayor quickly notices this, and stops him*
Bagwaggle: And where do you think you’re going?
Doyle: To the memorial, sir
Bagwaggle: And who invited you?
Doyle: You said the event was open to all citizens of Golden Valley
Bagwaggle: By citizens, I mean taxpayers. When’s the last time you paid tax?
Doyle: Never in my life, but I still have every right to attend this event
Bagwaggle: I recommend you leave before I’m forced to make a scene. I hear from the police that you are on your last strike with them one more incident and it’s off to the big house. All I’d need to do is tell them you attacked me and off you go!
Doyle: I apologize for my attendance, sir
*Dismayed, Doyle turns to leave, walking away into the night. Noticing this, and annoyed Cassie approaches the mayor*
Cassie: He has every right to be here, same as you and me!
Bagwaggle: We have standards in this town. If you want to go and chase after your little boyfriend there, go ahead, but I will not have homeless urchins ruining community events on my watch
*Cassie shakes her head, returning to the event, meanwhile, Bagwaggle pulls out a chocolate bar from his pocket, greedily starting to munch*
~~~~~
*As the night goes on, the atmosphere of the event goes from bad to worse, and people clearly start to get bored quickly. Huddled by the main stage, Heidi, Maria, and Cecily gather in a corner by the main stage comparing notes*
Cecily: I wonder where Mary disappeared off to, she’s just not here tonight
Heidi: Probably decided to skip it, good for her I say, she made the right choice
*Maria rolls her eyes, noticing Leanne traversing through the crowd to reach the hot chocolate stand set up*
Maria: As much as I’m always glad to have a new subscriber, something about that girl just feels…off, you know?
*Cecily eagerly nods her head in agreement*
Cecily: Oh literally, I knew there was something up with her the first time I laid eyes on her
Maria: Kept asking Mary and I questions when we were just trying to eat our breakfast in peace
*Leanne notices the trio and smiles at them, starting to walk over, but the loud crackle of a microphone turns everyone’s attention to the main stage. Heidi lets out a sigh of relief*
Heidi: Saved by the bell I guess…
*Mayor Bagwaggle stands on stage, a large paper cup of Hot Chocolate in his hand which he greedily sips from before he begins*
Bagwaggle: Friends, neighbors, I’d like to thank all of you for coming this evening! What happened five years ago is absolutely tragic, but together as a community, we can move past it. Before we here from Tommy’s sister Jasmine, I first wanted to welcome our local radio host, Lara Andrews to the stage
*Bagwaggle stands aside while Lara unenthusiastically jumps up onto the stage*
Jara: I just wanted to say that I’m terribly sorry for everything I said today. I regret my actions, and to show my remorse for those words, I will be donating $500 to the local animal shelter. That’s all I wanted to say tonight
*Lara quickly jumps down from the stage and slithers off into the crowd. Bagwaggle takes the stand again*
Bagwaggle: Alright, I’d not like to welcome Tommy’s sister Jasmine Cooney to the stand!
*Bagwaggle once again stands aside as Jasmine stumbled on to the stage, a bottle of Vodka still in hand. She looks over the crowd, rolls here eyes, then drops the bottle, watching it smash into multiple pieces. Bagwaggle seems a little phased, but still has a smile on his face*
Jasmine: I’d like to thank all you little shits for coming tonight and pretending you care about my brother. It’s cute, it really is, how many followers are you gaining from this? Got any sponsorship deals yet? My brother’s dead and you see it as the chance to post selfies of you looking all sad with a crocodile tear in your eye!
*The crowd gasps at Jasmine’s very true observation. Mayor Bagwaggle seems about to intervene, but suddenly coughs, stepping back*
Jasmine: If any of you gave two shits about my brother none of this would be happening. This is just an event for the Mayor to arouse sympathy and voters, and a chance for our local wannabe-superstars to post selfies of themselves to their hoardes…I mean DOZENS, of adoring fans. Seriously, you all deserve what’s coming to you…
*As Jasmine finishes yelling her speech, Mayor Bagwaggle’s coughing grows louder and more severe. A large cough sends blood flying out of his mouth, hitting Anya Rogers in the audience who rightfully screams with horror. The shocked crowd watches as the Mayor collapses to the floor, starting to fit. Within seconds, Carolina has jumped onto the stage*
Carolina: I’m a nurse…SOMEONE CALL 911 OR SOMETHING!
*Matthew quickly grabs his phone, dialling for an ambulance, as Gasper and Robert quickly jump onto the stage*
Gasper: What’s happening to him?
Carolina: First symptoms suggest he’s being poisoned
*She drops to her knees as the Mayor’s writhing becomes greater and more violent*
Carolina: Help me get him in the recovery position!
*The two officers also drop to the floor and start trying to help Carolina, but the mayor’s movement has already started to slow, seemingly gallons of foam coming out of his mouth. As he finally stops moving, Carolina nervously reaches the take his pulse*
Carolina: He’s dead…
*Looking out at the crowd, Robert runs to the microphone, quickly making an announcement*
Robert: Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic…we ask you to leave the field in an orderly fashion…
Heidi (from the back): Is he dead?
Robert: Um…well…
*The sound of sirens begins as blue lights appear through the trees, the ambulance is already too late. As this happens, Gasper takes over from Robert on the mic*
Gasper: This is now an active crime scene. My colleague will shortly help escort you out of the field, please…
*Gasper’s attempts fall on death’s ears as the crowd starts eagerly taking photos of the crime scene. Behind him, Robert holds his head in his hands, while Carolina takes deep breaths on the other side of the stage*
~~~~~
Lara (into microphone): Last night, the town’s Mayor was brutally murdered in cold blood. The police are yet to release a statement to Golden Valley radio, but rumors have started to fly. While we cannot properly say anything until an arrest is made, we can all agree that last night was a tragedy. Later today, a town meeting will take place in Town Hall where everyone can come and ask any questions they’d like
*As the town begins to wake up the day after the murder, a dark silence has seemingly fallen over everyone. School has been cancelled, the cafe has closed, and the town in general has shut down*
Lara (into microphone): In addition to the mayor’s muder, the police are also looking into the disappearance of Mary Brucknell, who has not been seen since yesterday morning. When the police arrived at her house, a bloodstained couch was all that remained of her. With two murders in such a small space of time, many people are wondering if the curse of death has befallen our little town once again…
*Listening to Lara’s radio broadcast, the teens of Golden Valley (with the exception of Anya) sit around in Camila’s bedroom, a mixture of shock and fear on their faces*
Kimberly: They told us this day would come…the day we’d have to atone for what we did that night
*Camila shakes her head, taking a deep breath*
Camila: There’s no way they know. No way!
Hoop: Yeah, you’re right, my dad sorted it. Absolutely nobody could have possibly found out…
Mitch: Face it, someone has
*Sitting in the corner of the room, Zoe and Noah seem particularly nervous*
Zoe: Hoop, you promised me…you promised me this would never come out!
Hoop: I swear, we’re good, nobody knows about what we did!
*As Hoop finishes his sentence, a Discord notification suddenly comes through on everyone’s phone. Nervously opening it, Kimberly’s face turns to that of shock*
Kimberly (reading the message): It’s a list of names…
*She turns her phone to show the others, who quickly skim over it*
Hoop: That’s…that’s everyone…
Kimberly (nodding): Someone knows what we did…what the town did
*Noah suddenly stands up, making for the door*
Camila: Where are you going?
Noah: We’ve got to tell the police!
Camila: Tell them what, exactly?
Noah: We could save people’s lives!
Camila: We’d go to prison for the rest of our lives, and I don’t know about you guys, you I’d rather die right here and right now than spend a day in there!
*Standing from the back of the room, Zoe now stands up*
Zoe: Noah, we are not going to the police
Noah: But-
Zoe (pleadingly): If we all stick together, this person can’t hurt us, right?
*The group begins to nod, but Noah seems less convinced*
Noah: I’m sorry…we really should have done this a long time ago…
*Noah opens the door, virtually running out. Moments later, Camila is on her feet, chasing him out, leaving the others left sitting in shock. As Noah reaches the stairs, Camila suddenly grabs him, causing Noah to loose his balance and tumble down the stairs, slamming his head against the bottom wall. Hearing the bang, the other teens in the room jump to their feet, rushing to the stairs*
Zoe: NOAH?
*She sprints down the stairs, holding her friend in her arms. At the top, Camila stands in shock*
Camila: I…I didn’t mean to…
*Zoe’s hands scan over Noah’s body, attempting to find a pulse*
Hoop: We have to call an ambulance…
*Camila suddenly shakes her head, deciding to take charge of the situation*
Camila: We can bury him in the garden…
*Mitch looks at his sister in disgust*
Mitch: You are a fucking sociopath!
*Zoe’s hands land on Noah’s wrist, her face suddenly changing from fear to hope*
Zoe: He…he’s still alive!
Hoop: We need to call thagt ambulance, now!
*Camila starts strolling down the stairs, pushing Zoe out of the way*
Camila: The basement. Take him down to the basement, tie him up
*She glares at the others standing at the top of the stairs*
Camila: You want to go to prison or not?
*Collectively, the group look at one another, starting to agree with Camila*
Zoe: Just…don’t hurt him, ok?
Camila: We’ll keep him in the basement until this all blows over, which it will. The police will catch whatever psycho killed the mayor and Old Brucknell. Until then we need to stick together, alright?
*The group disgustedly starts to nod in agreement, Mitch and Hoop carrying Noah down to the basement*
~~~~~
*In the police station, Gasper and Robert sit across from one another, each with a mug of coffee, staring at the crime scene photos from the previous night*
Gasper: Perhaps we should call in reinforcements?
Robert: We need to close this case, quickly, before the media starts getting too involved
*Gasper looks to Robert, seemingly surprised*
Gasper: What are you suggesting?
Robert: Well, we don’t know who handed the mayor the poisoned drink, but we were all there last night. We heard what she said
Gasper: Jasmine? She’s always been too drunk to hurt a fly!
Robert: You want this to disappear? Everyone saw her confess her motive. She certainly had the opportunity at any point during the night. All we need now is the means
Gasper: I don’t like where you’re going with this…
Robert: When the toxicology report comes in, we’ll know what poison the killer used. I’ve got my connections, you’ve got yours, together we could easily find something, then boom, we conveniently find the murder weapon in the Cooney home
*Gasper shakes his head, horrified*
Gasper: No, we can’t!
Robert: You had no trouble covering up that case in 2003
Gasper: Who…who told you about that?
Robert: As I said, I have my sources. It would be a shame if someone were to, I don’t know, drop an anonymous tip…
Gasper: Are you blackmailing me?
Robert: You scratch my back, I scratch yours. The sooner we get this cleared up, the better
*Gasper considers Robert’s offer for a moment, before slowly nodding his head*
And that concludes episode 2! The only NPC character is dead I guess and honestly, he can stay gone <3
Things are officially gonna start heating up next episode. We'll be getting flashbacks into people's lives, and the killer's motive will start to become more clear
