Living Death

by The Lobster's Claw

Full script. After Paris arrives to find Juliet still alive, it leads to a horrible chain of events that drives Romeo to atone for what he has caused by becoming something greater, something that can stop the rising tide of evil in Verona...

This was originally written two years ago and is a whole script.

(In my freshman English class, after we were done reading Romeo & Juliet (simplified version, of course), we were to get into groups of up to four to do an activity centered around R&J, such as a game show, alternate scenes, etc. My group decided on the alternate scene. My first idea was to have a scenario where Romeo becomes Batman, but as usual with my ideas, they're scrapped by the powers that be. We settled on an idea for an alternate ending, which you are about to read in just a bit. I took it upon myself to write and turn in a sequel closer to my original idea, but it was never turned in due to it being near the end of the year, and because my printer crapped out on me for reasons unknown. For almost a year now, I have been mulling over what to do with this idea, until now. I have come to the conclusion to try to get this script to be read so I can get some constructive criticism on my writing. The alternate ending is the prologue, but the original script for it has been lost, so I have decided to rework it as best as I can. Here it is.)

PROLOGUE

(A dark, winding hallway in the Capulet crypt. Enter Paris.)

Paris:Oh, thy Fate! How cruel you must be to this city of mine, and its good will. But even more, you must besiege me, eat at my heart until there is only a fraction of a hollow soul.

(He looks down at his flowers and begins to sob. Switches to Juliet in her tomb; she begins to move around before waking up.)

Juliet:I hear...I hear the sound of footsteps, rapidly approaching. Oh, come upon me now, thou Romeo! Beseech me with your love and its length! Press upon me, with your gentle ferocity! Come at once, Romeo!

Paris:Love, pent in its corner-(he slides open the crypt door)-how it cann-what?! You?! Thy J-J-Juliet!

Juliet:(Visibly disappointed) Oh, it is you. Count Paris. Why do you come to disturb my musings, wretched idiot?

Paris:(Visibly shocked) W-what? H-how could you say such a thing, my love? Has your love for me not brought your soul back to this Earth? Have you forgotten my joy when I saw your crisp flesh, heard the melody of your voice? Have you completely forgotten the moments we spent together, sharing a bond unbreakable?!

Juliet:We never shared any such intimate moments! You and I were not destined for each other, and all the world as my witness knows it!

Paris:You dare to betray me in such a blatant manner, you whore?! You believe yourself to be too good for my love?! You wretched piece of pompous-

(Enter Romeo.)

Romeo:A voice! A voice, I hear calling from the tomb of the fairest of mortals, thy known as Juliet Capulet! Oh, how I knew her love for me would keep her bound to this-(He sees Paris and the awake Juliet. He gasps in shock.)

Romeo:You! You deviant! You think to barge in and steal my true love from me?

Paris:Oh, your love? I do not see your name written all over her, you murderous, exile-breaking beast! (He looks to Juliet.) What do the words of this madman mean?

Juliet:He speaks the truth! I do not love you, and I never shall! Romeo loved me upon sight, and Friar Lawrence married us before God! You have no right to take me yours and to insult my husband! Now leave us and rot, you pathetic waste!

Paris:(Now very visibly broken and enraged) You truly love each other? While not a single woman would turn her eye towards me?

Romeo:That is the fault of no man but yourself!

Paris:(Becoming consumed with rage) Then would it be your fault, Romeo, if she were to leave this Earth for good? And your fault, Juliet, if I took a cliff out from beneath you?

Juliet:Wha-?

(Paris unsheathes his sword and runs towards Juliet, screaming like a madman, before he runs his sword through Juliet.)

Romeo:NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You-you monstrosity!

(Romeo throws the poison given to him in Mantua at Paris. Paris dodges and it lands in an open casket, shattering. Suddenly, an unearthly shriek pierces the air and Tybalt lifts himself out of his casket and walks out hesitatingly. He looks up at Romeo and Paris.)

Romeo:HOLY…DEAR LORD, BY GOD-! (He sprints out of the tomb.)

Paris:T-T-Tybalt?

Tybalt:Yes; that is a most correct and astute observation.

Paris:YES! The Lord has answered my prayers! Romeo-er, he umm...stole Juliet from me! And he killed her to make sure she could not leave him!

Tybalt:(Looks down at Juliet's corpse before looking back up at Paris) Romeo is my prey. You? You shall not give me orders, and you shall get out of my way-right now.

Paris:Wha-?

(Tybalt tears Paris' sword out of his hand and runs him through before kicking him off. He places it into his sheath before looking to the hall that Romeo ran out through.)

Tybalt:Romeo! Hear me now, for it shall be your first and final warning! No matter what sheets you cover yourself with, no matter what nook or crevice you try to hide in, I shall find you! And when it happens, a river of blood shall run through Verona, and your body shall be the boat sailing through it as I stand upon you! I hope you have heard me! I hope you have all heard me well!

Living Death

SCENE I

(It is past midnight in Verona; Friar Lawrence is contemplating the effects of Romeo not getting the message.)

Friar Lawrence:Of the constants in our short lives, fate is the most sadistic. When it appears that a man's fortunes are rising higher than the Tower of Babel, fate comes and burns the foundation, and the man is crushed to death in the rubble. A baby is born, and it grows to a year old with a loving family, and then it eats food littered with poison and dies. Why is it that a simple note, telling of a lover's plan, is pushed away and makes a man want to die? O, young Romeo! You are no royalty; you are now just a footnote in the long list of fate's victims, undiscriminated and many.

(Suddenly, Romeo bursts in, disheveled and pale.)

Friar Lawrence:By the name of Christ! My dear boy, Romeo; you look as if though you have been witness to a most terrifying sequence of events. Come sit and tell me:what is the reason for your horror?

Romeo:I have witnessed more than a sequence of terror, Friar! I saw Juliet suddenly alive again because of your doing as she said, and her murder by the grief-stricken Paris. And, somehow being even more horrendous, my poison resurrected the bloodthirsty Tybalt, who struck down Paris.

Friar Lawrence:Wait-what was that last part, may you repeat?

Romeo:I threw a poison I bought in Mantua at Paris in retaliation for his killing of Juliet, but he dodged and it landed in Tybalt's tomb and brought him back to life, and with a vengeance!

Friar Lawrence:Why did you buy this poison?!

Romeo:My servant Balthazarr told me of how Juliet died, and I decided to buy a poison out of grief to kill myself beside her. And yet, she told me of how you gave her a potion that would only make her seem dead.

Friar Lawrence:Aye, so she could avoid being married to Paris and escape with you to Mantua. However, my messenger, John, was mistaken and quarantined, and his message was blocked. I do ask, who did you buy this poison from?

Romeo:An impoverished, lowly apothecary who had a stuffed alligator and tortoise shell hanging in his shop-(he is cut off.)

Friar Lawrence:Then God help us all. The man you bought from, was formerly of our order; we found him secretly indulging in black magic and dark conjuration, and his "medicines" were medicines only to him-he believed he could cure humanity of life and start a new world in his image. He was a disgrace to everything we stood for, and we banished him, stripped him of everything he had-except his knowledge.

Romeo:(falling to his knees in despair) Everything I commit is a mistake! All I do, is unwittingly spread misery and horror! Because of me, Mercutio and Juliet are dead; because of me, Paris was driven to insanity and forced himself to kill; and because of me, Tybalt is now alive again, and wanting blood! My stupidity will burn the world, and turn this city to ashes! I am an unknowing murderer, a walking wasteland, and my mind is the ultimate instrument of death-

Friar Lawrence:Hush your mouth, boy! There is still time we can convince both the Capulets and Montagues of what has conspired, and in turn the Prince, so as to stop any further tragedy. Come with me; the two families are currently in a meeting for peace, as hard as it is to believe. Follow me, and it shall be fixed.

(Romeo picks himself up and they leave.)

SCENE II

(The Montague central ballroom; Montague and Capulet, along with their wives and most prominent members and allies, are sitting at a table for negotiations.)

Capulet:And yet, for all the standards we are setting for peace Montague, it is difficult to reminisce over what we have all sacrificed to get here:your son is banished, my daughter and nephew have fallen dead, and one of Prince Escalus' closest relatives has been killed.

Montague:Peace never comes easily, Capulet-for everything good, the things we cherish most must be sacrificed. It is what fate wants, and we can only give in.

Capulet:That may be so, but I still ask:was all the melancholy, all the hate and bloodshed, was it needed for us just to come in this room, much less make peace?

(Montague never gets to answer; Romeo and Friar Lawrence burst in.)

Romeo:Stop! You must halt the meeting and tell the Prince to send out every one of his best soldiers! Tell him to spread the message:Tybalt is alive!

Montague:R-R-Romeo? But you are banished! What are you doing here! Hide and save yourself!

Capulet:Tybalt is alive?! What nonsense is this boy, and what have you to do with it, good Friar?

Friar Lawrence:It is a long story, but allow me to tell it. Romeo and Juliet fell in love at your party, Capulet, and secretly were married to each other by my hand. Romeo did not want to fight Tybalt, for they were now kinsman to each other, but at the sight of Mercutio's corpse, he flew into a rage. Not wanting to be married to Paris and wishing to escape to Romeo, I gave her a potion that would make her seem dead for 42 hours. However, she had already awakened when Paris came to her, and when Romeo came, he gave in to his insanity and killed Juliet. Romeo had bought a poison in Mantua and threw it at Paris, but he dodged it and it instead resurrected Tybalt, who then killed Paris with his own sword and is now out for blood, and Romeo's will do.

Montague:Do you truly expect us to believe this?! My son, you are obviously not right in the head for creating such stories! I know your banishment might have taken a toll on you, but to halt our negotiations and fool the Friar, that is quite low of you.

Capulet:Indeed, I believe the secret marriage and the potion of a fake death, but the rest is utter nonsense!

(One of Prince Escalus' Officers and several Constables then barge in, armed with clubs, swords, and spears.)

Officer:Halt thy meeting! We have come to arrest Romeo Montague! He was last seen by a page at the Capulet Tomb, and there we found the bloodied bodies of Juliet Capulet and Count Paris, as well as the defiled coffin of Tybalt and his corpse was missing, with no trace of him. In his tomb, though, we did find this.(He pulls out a small gray glass bottle.)

Capulet:Give me that!(He snatches the bottle from the Officer and smells it.) Why, it is poison, in the truest sense! And the bottle is soft-perfect for storing such a lethal liquid!

Romeo:See, they found it in the coffin! You must believe me now!

Capulet:Oh yes, we believe you-we believe that you murdered my daughter and Paris in cold blood, and defiled the corpse of my nephew, who you couldn't wait to desecrate for killing your friend!

Officer:There he is! GRAB HIM! ARREST HIM!

Friar Lawrence:Run, Romeo, run for thy life!(Several Constables rush forward, swords and spears extended.)

(Romeo swiftly kicks one Constable in the groin, before punching out the front teeth of a second. One tries to impale him on his spear, only for Romeo grab his spear and pull him forward before punching him out. He then elbows another in the jaw before turning and fleeing.)

Officer:Don't just stand there, gawking like idiots! Hurry, run after him!

Montague:My son, a defiler and murder-I thought this would never happen! He was so normal as a child!

Capulet:What must you say for yourself, Montague?!

Montague:I say, I shall aid in turning him in! I shall not have him shaming our family name, like the psychopathic animal he has become!

Capulet:As shall I. I will not rest until the murderer of my daughter and nephew is in the hands of justice, and death!

(End of Scene II.)

SCENE III

(Prince Escalus' throne room. The Officer stands before him.)

Officer:We have not yet found Romeo, my Prince, but we are currently hunting for him, and I swear, we shall find the maniac and then he will be yours.

Prince:As is expected. What that boy committed has earned him the death penalty, and he shall be hanged before the whole city. I scold myself for banishing him-I should have had him struck down the moment I heard of Tybalt's and Mercutio's deaths. And now, with Paris and Juliet-he has brought it upon himself.

Officer:And the story that Montague and Capulet told that he told them-he has truly lost all sanity. He is dangerous to everyone, including himself.

Prince:Indeed. And for his danger-(he turns to his Page)-I want you to go out, and spread the message:Romeo is at large, and the whole city shall be on lockdown. Nobody gets in, nobody gets out. Make sure it gets as far as Mantua and Venice. I want all citizens and soldiers on high alert, and if anyone so much as catches a glimpse of Romeo, I want them to report it immediately.

Page:So it shall be, my Prince.(He bows and then runs out.)

Prince:And one more thing I wish for you to tell your men, Officer:if they see Romeo, attack him on sight. Tell them to not hesitate.

Officer:Very well, then.

(The Officer bows and leaves.)

SCENE IV

(In an old, run-down three story house on the outskirts of Verona. Suddenly, the front door is kicked down by an officer with a lantern. As he storms in, several Constables follow.)

Constable 1:Good Officer, I must ask:just why are we invading this old, useless home? It is most insignificant.

Officer:That is just what Romeo wants you to think, as it is old, on the outskirts of Verona, and insignificant:A perfect hiding place for a murderer.(He then shouts to the house.) Well, I am not falling for it, Romeo! You might as well just show yourself and allow yourself to be turned in so the Prince can deal with you! I, for a fact, would not be so gentle!(He then stamps his spear into the ground to show he means business.)

Tybalt:(Stepping out of the shadows) Romeo is not here, but if you want, I can leave him a message on his corpse which I so desire to stand over.

Officer:T-Tybalt? Capulet's nephew? B-b-but, you are dead!

Tybalt:(Laughing in a cracked, sick tone) I was, but it was by the hand of the one I hate most, and of whom you are searching for, that I am alive once more! And please, do not get in the way of my vengeance:you will only be a new meal for my wrath's appetite.

Officer:We must alert the Prince, and Capulet and Montague, of this, right now!

Tybalt:(Suddenly frowning) Why, so you may stop me? I do not think so!(Tybalt then runs forward and punches through the Offcier's chest before taking out Paris' sword and gutting a Constable with it, and then rips it out before slashing another Constable's throat.)

You see, my good enforcers of the law, it is not wise to hinder the dreams of a man with the will and determination. For it will only result in a very, very messy scene.(He then takes out a gray rod from the second sheath on his hip, and points it at the Constables. He flips the front open and grins madly as a gas flows out and covers the Constables, who drop dead and are reduced to shriveled husks. He closes the rod.)

Tybalt:(To really nobody in particular) I made it only an hour ago, but even then, it was with dexterity and a careful eye for ingenuity. It is a self-reproducing gas which covers and enters the body, and kills it before it may scream. It then dries up the skin and muscle to such a degree, they will appear as if though they have already decayed past several months. I shall unleash it upon this city like the plague, so then Romeo can find me and then I shall kill him. And all the while, the city shall blame everything on Romeo, which is the greatest fall of all:the fall of trust.

(He leaves the house.)

SCENE V

(It is a dark alley. Romeo peers his head out from behind a wall and looks around hurriedly before scampering out. Suddenly, he is attacked by several thugs.)

Gang Leader:Ah, gentleman, here I have found the Montague, Romeo!(He kicks Romeo in the stomach) Quick, hand me the pipe!(He takes a lead pipe before bashing Romeo in the face with it) Let me tell you, Montague, when we are done, not even your mother shall recognize your face!(He smashes the pipe on Romeo's chest.)

Thug 1:Even men like us, thieves and gamblers, are disgusted by you, Romeo! Killing your secret wife and her lover-you deserve to be in a cage, frolicking with pigs, animals just like you!

Romeo:No, it was Paris who killed Juliet! And Tybalt was brought back to life and murdered Paris-(He is cut off)

Gang Leader:So it's true! You have lost it!(He stomps his foot on Romeo's face) What must you say before we take your dead body to the Prince, Montague?!

Romeo:G-go...to hell!(He spits blood into the Gang Leader's face)

Gang Leader:Funny, since that is where your soul is going!(He bashes the pipe into Romeo's face again. Romeo is bleeding all over by now)

(Friar Lawrence rushes in from behind a broken arch near the alley)

Friar Lawrence:Halt right there, criminal! You raise that pipe one more time against him, I swear you shall never heal! He is innocent.

Gang Leader:And what are you going to do, old man? You can barely walk, as far as I can tell;you could not hope to survive against us! What, are you going to make me go to confession?

Friar Lawrence:(Taking out an iron crowbar and a diamond-graphite staff) You wish to provoke me, scum? Then I'll make sure you repent for your sins.

(Friar Lawrence cracks the Gang Leader's jaw with the crowbar before thrusting his staff into the first thug's groin and kicks him into a wall. He rams the staff into another thug's upper chest area and then throws it, letting it spin in a circle for several seconds before it strikes down three thugs at once. The last thug tries to turn and flee only for Friar Lawrence to uppercut him with the crowbar. Friar Lawrence turns to Romeo.)

Friar Lawrence:Romeo, Romeo! Come on, Romeo, look at me!(Romeo's eyes stare into space as Friar Lawrence feels his pulse) You are growing weaker by the minute. Come on, I'll take you to my cell.

Romeo:(Mumbles something incomprehensible)

(Romeo falls unconscious as Friar Lawrence drags him away. End of Act I.)

ACT II

SCENE I

(Friar Lawrence's cell. Romeo mumbles incomprehensibly before his eyes open and he looks around. He is in a bed.)

Romeo:Wha-? W-where-where am I?

Friar Lawrence:As I said, I have taken you to my cell so as to nurse you back to health. I must say, what those petty thugs did to you was more than a bit damaging. Three of your ribs were fractured, and your nose is broken. It could take several months for it to fully heal.

Romeo:Those thugs-what happened to them? I mean, did they just run away?

Friar Lawrence:No, but then, they were not able to after how badly I had left them all bruised.

Romeo:You beat them all up? Do you honestly expect me to believe such idiocy? You are obviously past such a possible age, Friar, and it would not do good for your reputation as a priest if word got out that you beat several thugs, no matter how heinous they were.

Friar Lawrence:Age is not a matter when it comes to fighting, boy. What does matter is properly estimating your opponents and how you can use their own knowledge and flaws against them.

Romeo:(Looking confused) I'm sorry, but I really don't understand where you are going with this. How do you know so much about fighting, being an apothecary?

Friar Lawrence:Because I myself was once attacked by similar criminals. I was young, and still a fool, when several huge and disgusting thieves tried to rob me of what I had. Luckily, my father, before his death, managed to teach me of various fighting styles and techniques-he had traveled a goodly portion of the world and learned from several locals. He had also taught me to use all kinds of weapons, though my favorite remains this.(He pulls out the same diamond-graphite staff he had used to fend off the thugs)

Romeo:Half pure diamond, the other half graphite-I must ask, just how did you compose such an elegant weapon, and why those two precise minerals?

Friar Lawrence:After my father was stabbed to death while leaving a bar, I swore myself to rid this city of injustice. Of course, I never succeeded, and I had all but given up once I had decided to join the Holy Church. However, I had gotten the diamond from a good salesman who advertised his wares on the streets, and the graphite from a fellow friar who has since passed away. I stored it away for when a potential gentleman, who shared my thirst for justice, came along and had the same ability to absorb knowledge as I did. As for why these two minerals? Diamond is incredibly resilient, and graphite conducts electrical currents magnificently, and I had learned to also use the graphite end to also manipulate any electricity it had caught.

Romeo:You surprise me, friar. You had never told anyone this before.

Friar Lawrence:There was nobody I saw as a viable candidate for continuing my dream of restoring justice to Verona. Nobody who saw and felt the impact of evil and injustice firsthand, who had lost a loved one to insanity and hatred.

(Romeo's memory flashes back to the sight of Paris running his sword through Juliet, before shifting to the sight of Tybalt killing Paris with his own sword, and finally of the thugs insulting and hitting him. Romeo suddenly stands up slowly, and gets Friar Lawrence's attention.)

Romeo:I know, I understand. I have seen the man who murdered my friend with a cowardly thrust come back to life, and murder the man who murdered my wife;and now, I am framed for their deaths, by a system of law that only takes the truth from the most influential, and discards the words of peasants or wrongly hated men. I have been insulted and beaten by men who steal for no better reason than the thrill of the crime, and who wished to kill me simply so the system could give them more, more of which they do not deserve. And to think, I thought of hiding.

Friar Lawrence:Strange, when something like this happens, you usually just fall to your knees crying and whining while I must get back your attention.

Romeo:Yes, back when I was blinded by infatuation and grief at how my life had turned out. But now, the one I loved most is dead, and my own city is willing to end my life. I believe the crying has passed.

Friar Lawrence:So, you are saying that you think you wish to take up my long forgotten mantle?

Romeo:Somebody has to stop Tybalt, friar. There is no telling how many innocents he could harm just to get to me. And it shall be a way to atone for my previous failures, including allowing Mercutio to die.

Friar Lawrence:(Seems to think for several seconds) If you want to help fight for the city, Romeo, then you must first get yourself back together. Just look at how that bone is twisted and misplaced in your nose. You can't go around looking like the fiends you are fighting, all bruised and without disregard.

(Friar Lawrence smashes the staff into Romeo's nose and pushes the bone back into place. Romeo screams in absolute pain as he clutches at his nose.)

You must learn to take in pain physically as well, Romeo. How can you hope to stop one such as Tybalt if you are left wallowing on the floor after one stab from a sword? Now, prepare yourself.(Friar Lawrence spins the staff into the air and catches Romeo on his shoulder, knocking him onto the bed)

Romeo:Now just what was that for?!

Friar Lawrence:I want you to learn to block incoming attacks, and prepare yourself for every possible situation. Now, again...

(Friar Lawrence swings the staff and hits Romeo's face. He swings again, but this time, Romeo catches the staff and pushes it away.)

Romeo:How-?

(Friar Lawrence cracks Romeo on the head as he is left distracted by his thinking. End of Scene I.)

SCENE II

(Several men are in a small-time casino at a table, not paying attention to their own card game. They are speaking with one another.)

Antonio:Say, any of you hear of that bounty put up by the Prince last night?

Frank:What bounty?

Antonio:Don't act stupid, you know what I'm talking about! All that money for bringing that Romeo bastard alive to the Prince.

Joseph:Lunatics like Romeo deserve to be dead, not alive, with their faces crushed into the dirt. Guys like him disgust me, and if I met him, I'd teach him to appreciate his life for a bit before I end it for him.

Antonio:Guys like him disgust you? I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Joseph, seeing as how you once set fire to your mother's bedroom and just sat there smiling.

Joseph:What can I say, if I don't get my money back, then you'll be lucky if you just end up like my mother!

(They all laugh at this. Suddenly, a tall man with a heavy brown coat and a hat pulled over his face walks up to the table.)

Man:Do you gentleman mind if I come sit and play a game with you?

Frank:Er, um-yeah, sure, why not? Wouldn't hurt anyone if we got another guy with us. Antonio, give him a deck.

(Antonio hands the man a deck of cards while glaring at the man suspiciously.)

Frank:So, how much exactly is in this bounty?

Antonio:Five thousand lire.

Joseph:Damn, that much?! If we got that, we could easily make that empire we've wanted. Just imagine...

Man:What exactly is this bounty for, pray tell?

Antonio:What's it to you?

Frank:Now, now, Antonio, don't be such a pain in the ass to everyone you meet. Sorry, sir, he's like that most of the time.

Man:I understand. Now, this bounty:what is it again?

Joseph:Five thousand lire for the capture of Romeo, and his delivery to the Prince alive.

Man:You thinking of following in on it?

Antonio:Why not? This could be our chance! All that money, for this one psychopath-

Man:Don't you dare even think of turning in Romeo! He is mine!

Antonio:Oh yeah? What makes you think you got a claim on him? How could you, when you are too scared to show your face?!

Man:It's personal between Romeo and myself, so it would be in your best interest to back off.

Antonio:And just what are you going to do?

Man:I thought you would never ask.

(He takes out a gray rod and flips it open, allowing a gray gas to cover Antonio before the man closes the rod. Antonio is reduced to a shriveled, skeletal corpse.)

Frank:My god-!

Tybalt:(Taking his hat and coat off, showing his now gray skin, diseased left eye, and almost fleshless jaw and throat) I guess now, he knows how personal it really is.

Joseph:Tybalt?! But you're dead!

Tybalt:I was dead. But if there is something Romeo is not, it's a liar. I killed Paris, and you could call it good, hard revenge for how he lead to the death of my one and only brother, and the arrest of my father.

Frank:We gotta go tell somebody about this! Come on, Joseph, let's get the h-

Tybalt:(Ripping our Paris' sword and holding it to Frank's throat in one swift movement) Do not even think about it. But go ahead, do so, and you shall end up like your poor old friend here.

Joseph:Come on, Tybalt, what do you want from us? Just leave us alone, okay?! We'll back off if you really want us to!

Tybalt:Oh no, I see how desperate you are for this money. I shall not kill you now, but I do want you. Let me make a deal between ourselves-you find Romeo and capture him alive for me, and I'll pay you in more lire than in this stupid bounty.

Frank:How many lire?

Tybalt:Twenty thousand for each of you.

Joseph:Sounds like a plan to me. What about you, Frank?

Frank:Will you promise to leave us alone after we give you Romeo? Cause when we start our empire, I don't take orders from anyone except myself!

Tybalt:If you want me to back away, I will. Besides, after I kill Romeo, I won't have a purpose any longer.

Frank:Fine. We'll give you Romeo, and you give us the money. Shake hands?

Tybalt:(Smiling) With pleasure.

(Frank and Tybalt shake hands, only for the skin to come off the palm of Tybalt's right hand as they are done shaking)

Tybalt:(Putting his hat and coat back on) Now, after I toss this wicker ball, we run out of here fast.

Joseph:How come?

Tybalt:Because, then, this whole casino will be blown to pieces. You never know who could have listened in on our conversation or saw me. No evidence.

(Tybalt lights the fuse on the wicker ball before tossing it behind the counter. He runs out the door, with Joseph and Frank following closely behind. As they run into an alley, at the end of the street, the casino is vaporized in a ball of fire.)

SCENE III

(Romeo is standing in front of a tall oak tree just outside Friar Lawrence's cell. He appears confused.)

Romeo:Why exactly did you bring me out here, Friar? I thought you said you were going to teach me to grow stronger, to ignore my pain.

Friar Lawrence:Yes, and that is what I want you to do with this tree exactly. I want you to bear pain, so you may feel it no more. I want you to make yourself stronger, resilient, and to learn discipline.

Romeo:But why the tree?

Friar Lawrence:This is what I want you to do with the tree-I want you to punch it and clobber it with your shins, and do not stop until you are bleeding most heavily, have broken your knuckles and shins, or both. I would say until both have happened, but whenever you feel you have crossed your own threshold.

Romeo:You cannot be serious!

Friar Lawrence:I am most serious, Romeo. Now, begin, please.

Romeo:I cannot believe it...

(Romeo breathes in and out twice before striking the tree with his right fist. A loud crack is heard as one of his knuckles breaks instantly, and he cries out as he clutches it.)

Friar Lawrence:There we go. Continue.

Romeo:But, my knuckle-!

Friar Lawrence:It does not matter. Continue. I shall heal your knuckle quickly enough once you are finished. I must say, your limits are quite pitiful.

(Out of contempt for the training, Romeo smashes his knees into the tree four times in rapid succession until a splinter of wood shreds open his left shin.)

Friar Lawrence:Hurry it up, don't stop because of one cut. I want to see you push yourself.

(Furiously, Romeo forces himself to punch the tree further, tearing open his broken knuckle, even as three more of his knuckles are broken.)

Friar Lawrence:Enough with the punching. Show me more of the knee attacks.

(Romeo raises his right shin and slams it forward into the tree with enough force to rattle the branches above, but as a cost, as a loud pop is heard. His right shin has been dislocated.)

Romeo:(Through gritted teeth as he clutches his shin) M-make it-stop. The p-pain...it-it really hurts.

Friar Lawrence:I know, but please, continue.

Romeo:You-you're mad! I can't continue with four broken knuckles, a shredded left shin, and the right being broken! Do you have any sense?!

Friar Lawrence:Is this what you are going to be doing when you come to stop Tybalt? Pathetically arguing and whining every time you get hit? I say you keep hitting that tree, and do not stop until I say so! Now do it!

(Romeo, out of anger, smashes his fists and knees into the tree with brute force, each blow amplified by the sound of popping and cracking bones, culminating with Romeo's right shin tearing open and revealing the bone.)

Romeo:Damn you, friar! See what your training has done?! God, I can barely feel my legs-

Friar Lawrence:Stand up.

Romeo:WHAT?!

Friar Lawrence:Stand up, I said.

Romeo:I do not know if you realize it-!

Friar Lawrence:(Smashes his staff into Romeo's stomach) Get up.

Romeo:I-

Friar Lawrence:(Stomps the staff into Romeo's right shin) I said get up!

(Romeo tries to stand up, but screams in pain as he crumples back down.)

Romeo:I-I can't do it!

(Friar Lawrence grabs Romeo by his shoulders and forces him to stand on his feet, making Romeo scream in pain again.)

Friar Lawrence:Now, I will help you walk back to my cell, and will get any of your bones back in place. But hear this:tomorrow, we start anew, and I expect you to not only be able to tolerate pain, but to listen to me, and show some respect.

(Friar Lawrence walks Romeo back to his cell, with Romeo stumbling repeatedly.)

SCENE IV

(A large theater with green walls and a gray ceiling. An audience is sitting, laughing uproariously.)

Actor 1:You think of yourself in much of highness. Any man can put himself through such a rigorous humiliation and be born again, but to be born again without reason, that is the wonder of life.

Actor 2:You make no sense, dear jester! Why, were you a mere traveler from beyond the town, I would suggest you be strung by your knees and slashed for your crimes!

Actor 1:Consider your suggestions a crime!

(The audience laughs)

Tybalt:(To Frank) The theater is filled. If we try to enter now, it would be like suicide. No, we must wait until the play ends, and then, when he leaves, we follow Alexander and assassinate him when he gets back to his little cot. No witnesses except ourselves.

Frank:Please remind me, Tybalt-why are we going after Alexander? He has nothing to do with Romeo or the Montague family.

Tybalt:After what he did to my father, and how he helped in bankrupting my family, I say he deserves it as much as Romeo. Prince Escalus will suffer as much as him.

Joseph:Vengeance. It's a strange thing, as it seduces and keeps better than even the finest wine, and yet, once you are done with whatever vengeance you have, there is no way you can pour more for yourself, no way to keep enjoying such a thing. Vengeance. It is decried by many, and yet, it is more natural than happiness and love.

Tybalt:(Smacking Joseph on the jaw with the hilt of Paris' sword) Hush your senseless ramblings, idiot! I hear somebody coming near our position. Stay alert, and be ready.

Guard:I heard somebody. Come on, show yourself, and be gracious I am just going to throw you out of the theater for intruding. Come on, get out!

(Tybalt rubs at his diseased left eye, which is now shut tight)

Guard:Is that you, Romeo? If so, I will not hesitate in running you through, you murderous bastard! Show yourself, coward!

Tybalt:(Whispering very quietly to Frank and Joseph) Stay quiet. Wait until he comes around this way.

Guard:Alright, you want me to come to you, whoever you are? Well then, you've found your man.(He walks around to behind the wall)

Tybalt:(Leaping from the shadows) And you have found death.(He plunges Paris' sword through the Guard, who stands gaping for several seconds before he falls off the sword slowly)

Joseph:When does the play end? I do not want to wait much longer!

Tybalt:(Dragging the Guard's body into the shadows) I have seen this play before. It is one more scene long.

Frank:Why don't we just blow the theater up like the casino? It would not take as long, and it would kill any potential witnesses. After all, if someone of the audience sees us beginning to follow Alexander, they could alert the authorities quickly.

Tybalt:Because, I only have a limited supply of those wicker bombs on me at the moment.

Frank:But we could do it, correct?

Tybalt:Yes. But then, where is the fun in that?

Joseph:(Grinning) This Capulet seems to have a point.

Frank:Tybalt-you are quite cold blooded, did you know that?

Tybalt:It is not cold blooded if you have a reason. Besides, I thought you wanted to form a criminal empire with the money I am going to give you and Joseph.

Frank:Yes, but not through petty murder!

Tybalt:Then you are weak, Frank. You set your ambitions too high for your own squeamish personality.

Frank:Now you listen, damn Capulet! I joined you so Joseph and I could get the money, not to receive insults left and right from a rotting man who cannot put aside his grudges! I could withdraw at any given moment, and then who would help you, you ugly gray skinned pile of vermin?!

Tybalt:(Placing his hands upon Frank's cheeks) Allow me to ask you something, Frank:do you threaten me with your withdrawal because through your life, everyone has withdrawn from you? Everyone has left you behind, for in reality, nobody could love you.

Frank:No, no-shut your mouth!

Tybalt:Your parents left you, for who could love a greedy child who whined like a girl every time he did not get what he liked? Your dog ran away, for it would not play with a master who only wanted to play his own game.

Frank:Get your hands off me, Tybalt!

Tybalt:If you had any strength, then you would take my hands off your face with your own hands. This further exemplifies your weakness, your cowardice, your inability to follow through. You are a sheep in wolf's clothing.

Frank:Joseph, get him away from me!

(Joseph runs toward Tybalt, only for him to deliver a swift kick to Joseph's chest, sending him flying back.)

Tybalt:And now, you yourself shall withdraw from your wife and only child. Though, I am sure they will not miss a father who spent most of his nights gambling. And the cycle will begin anew with him.

Frank:N-no! You don't k-k-know-

Tybalt:I do know. I can see your mind, Frank. You have very little will or resolve to protect it. You seem to want to share your experiences with me, your failures, your rage at the world for abandoning you, and I can feel what you really want...oblivion.

Frank:No, no, no...

Tybalt:It is too bad for you that I simply do not care.(Tybalt turns Frank's head around precisely 180 degrees)

(Tybalt turns to Joseph, who is wheezing on the floor as blood comes from his mouth. He crouches down and smiles.)

Tybalt:You know what? I think I could just blow this whole place up! No survivors...

(Tybalt takes out a wicker bomb and lights the fuse before tucking it into Joseph's coat. He puts his coat and hat back on before rushing out of the theater. Just a few seconds later, the bomb goes off and reduces the theater to nothing but smithereens.)

SCENE V

(Romeo stands in front of Friar Lawrence, as the friar holds his diamond-graphite staff.)

Romeo:Please tell me, friar:you say that the graphite end of this staff is able to manipulate electricity. How so?

Friar Lawrence:It was an old trick I learned from a wise blind man who visited here in my youth, a traveler from China. The thing you need to do is get something electrical and place the graphite half of the staff into it. The electricity will then travel, usually quickly, up into the diamond half but diamond, being a poor conductor, will not take it. However, when it comes back to the graphite, it takes a truly spectacular quality:it becomes collected, focused, and will somehow allow itself to be manipulated in whatever way wanted by the user.

Romeo:I must tell you now, I have studied various kinds of minerals and metals, and their properties, when I was several years younger than now. And yet, never have I heard of such an oddity, allowing you to manipulate electricity. How did this blind man learn this?

Friar Lawrence:That, I am afraid I cannot tell you. He made me swear I would tell nobody of how he came across the skill, for it was from a long gone order.

Romeo:Oh. Well, can you at least show me this power of the staff in action? I still find this hard to believe, even after seeing something like Tybalt come back to life.

Friar Lawrence:Ah, yes, why of course. Allow me to first gather a disc of copper and the poles of a magnet, for these materials are excellent in generating electricity.(Friar Lawrence leaves the room)

Romeo:Oh, what I have embroiled my life into. How life has cheated me of everything I have loved, wanted, needed:my wife, my friend, my family, and the trust of the city. Is there no rhyme or reason to it, random and cruel, or is it really fate in all it's glorious destruction? Not even death, for all it has destroyed, is as sadistic, for does not death simply follow the demands of fate? What I would do to bring my life back, to cherish it for just one more time...

Friar Lawrence:(Coming back in with the copper disc and the magnetic poles) Here we are then. Let me first place the disc upon this table, and then, I shall balance the head of the screw on top of the magnet. The rest, you shall watch.

Romeo:How do common monks and the like understand such things as electricity? I thought that education was only for the upper class.

Friar Lawrence:We holy men, be it friars or brothers or monks, have always had a knack for trying to understand the natural world around us, and we are never afraid to find out the secrets for ourselves. Our appetite for understanding will never be sated, you must understand that clearly.(A loud buzz suddenly emits as several blue streams of electricity appear) Ah, now the electricity has been generated! Now, watch and learn carefully.

Romeo:I shall pay the utmost attention.

Friar Lawrence:As you should.(Friar Lawrence grasps the diamond half as he dips the graphite half into the electricity. The graphite suddenly comes to life with electricity all over, and some manages to crawl up and touch the diamond, but it quickly comes back down. However, now the electricity is calm, and hums very softly, illuminating the room)

Romeo:That-that is most amazing! Now can you show me how to manipulate the electricity-

(Friar Lawrence suddenly flips up the staff and blasts out the electricity, singing the chest area of Romeo's shirt and blowing him across the room. Romeo cries out.)

Friar Lawrence:Have you already forgotten all I have taught you about being alert and prepared?(He jumps high up and slams the staff down, creating a small ground shockwave of electricity which stretches out and shocks Romeo. Romeo stumbles before falling onto the bed) Do you think you will be able to control this staff if you are not prepared at all times?

Romeo:You never taught me to be prepared for this!

Friar Lawrence:Look out.(A pillar of electricity hits Romeo and slams him into the wall)

Romeo:That is enough! Give me that damn staff!

(Romeo runs toward Friar Lawrence, but the friar simply steps aside and catches Romeo on the back with the diamond half before kicking him in the back of his neck, dropping him in a matter of seconds)

Friar Lawrence:This staff is a privilege, not a right. You must earn it to carry it.

(End of Scene V.)

SCENE VI

(It is a dark alley. Tybalt is standing over the body of a vagrant, his eyes still open.)

Tybalt:Now, the city's trust of Romeo might have already every much been eroded, but I honestly could not think of any better way to draw out the little vermin.(He laughs) All to try to say he is "innocent."

(He finishes writing "Done in my name-Romeo" on the vagrant's bare stomach with his blood.)

Tybalt:Now, all I have to do is find a good place to prop this up for everyone to see. After all, who else would see this in the alley? Nothing but other vagrants, who are all drunk anyways.

(He then puts his gas rod back up, as he used it to write the words on the vagrant.)

Tybalt:Let me ask you if you are around, Romeo:who would possibly help you atone for your sins? And most importantly, how much longer can you hide before I find you, and wrap my fingers around your warm throat? That is, if I am in a good mood.

(Tybalt drags the vagrant's body away, out of sight. End of Act II.)

ACT III

SCENE I

(Prince Escalus' throne room. The Page walks in and bows before addressing the Prince.)

Page:My prince, I believe you must hear this news.

Prince:What, what has happened? Has Romeo been captured? Did one of my Constables kill him? Has he struck again?

Page:Unfortunately, it is the last one. On the roof of of Golden Sheave Inn, the body of a vagrant was found mounted most crudely. His torso was bare of clothing, and upon it, written in blood, were the chilling words "Done in my name-Romeo." The vagrant's back was slashed horizontally, and the cut was not shallow in the least bit. It cut right through all of the bones in the way.

Prince:Damn it! First, what he did to that Officer and his Constables in the house, then he blew up that casino and the theater, killing my twice removed nephew Alexander and dozens of innocents-how has nobody caught him yet?!

Page:Well, there were those seven thugs-

Prince:Yes, yes, I remember them. But they did not actually catch him, and they themselves were pathetic criminals.

Page:Well, he might have escaped to Mantua and beyond before your message was spread.

Prince:This will not do very well with the fact that the Feast is coming up in one week and a half. I want all security stepped up, and tell Mantua and Venice to be on higher alert.

(The Page nods and bows before leaving.)

SCENE II

(Romeo stands before Friar Lawrence. He stands upright, his eyes piercing and straightforward.)

Friar Lawrence:Are you ready?

Romeo:I am.

Friar Lawrence:Raise your fists.

(Romeo puts forth his raised fists, his knuckles still cracked and bruised.)

Friar Lawrence:Catch.(He throws a punch. Romeo raises his elbow and blocks it. Friar Lawrence throws another punch, only for Romeo's right hand to open and catch it, before shoving the friar back)

Friar Lawrence:Very good. But do you remember how to block both high and low kicks?(He tries to kick Romeo in the groin, but Romeo stabs his arm downward and the kick bounces off. He kicks again, aiming for Romeo's face. Romeo grabs his foot and twists it away)

Romeo:You have taught me too much. You cannot fool me anymore.

Friar Lawrence:Truly? And what of the staff?(He dips the staff into the electrical currents on the copper disc before blasting a full bolt at Romeo. He crouches before spinning away from another blast. The friar tries something different next, leaping up and slamming the staff into the ground, but Romeo jumps up as well)

Romeo:You have made me too alert. Too cautious.(He punches Friar Lawrence in the face before kicking the staff out of his hands. Friar Lawrence merely smiles and chuckles)

Friar Lawrence:You have surprised me by how much you have learned, Romeo. Remember those first three days, when you groaned on and on about how you could not bear the pain? How I was acting unfair just because you did not know?

Romeo:Well, I was still not used to such a brutal course of training and discipline.

Friar Lawrence:If I had never taught you it, though, how could you expect to face Tybalt?

Romeo:Not with words of peace.

Friar Lawrence:No, no. People like Tybalt do not believe in peace.

Romeo:(Changing the subject) When can I wield the staff myself?

Friar Lawrence:When you can learn to catch the correct half.

(He throws the staff, and Romeo accidentally grabs the graphite half, shocking himself. End of Scene II.)

SCENE III

(Prince Escalus' private study. He is sitting at his desk.)

Prince:I can see why Romeo would destroy the theater. Alexander is of my family, and he was wishing to get back at me for imposing such a bounty. And yet, if he is committing these acts of brutality for a direct reason, then why would Romeo blow up the casino? What would he gain from killing countless innocents, unless he is truly a sadistic psychopath? It simply makes no sense.

(A Man wearing a face covering mask, which looks like a half crying, half laughing face, walks in)

Man:Prince Escalus?

Prince:Wha-? Who are you? How did you get in here?!

Man:Your guards were most generous in allowing me to speak with you. Most, most kind.

Prince:Who are you?!

Man:Simply a man of fortune, coming to deliver you a message I think you will be most interested in.

Prince:What?! GUARDS!

Man:I shall tell you this:you and your city better rest in ease for as long as you have left. Once the flood comes to this city though, we will be sure you will think how you could live while the lives of others are ripped away. You will be the last to die, as you see your failure, your precious city crumbling to ash.

Prince:(Draws his sword as he steps forward) I will ask you this once:what do you want from me?

Man:I want nothing. It is simply my duty, to tell you how much borrowed time you have left.

Prince:GUARDS!

Man:Ah, no need. I shall leave now.

(The Man leaves. End of Scene III.)

SCENE IV

(Tybalt stands by a flag pole with the same six thugs that attacked Romeo. Suddenly, the Man enters.)

Tyablt:Come now, you can remove that hideous mask! Makes you seem two faced, a traitorous man. I do not like that.

(The Man removes the mask, showing himself as the Gang Leader of the thugs.)

Gang Leader:Fear not;I do not betray such a great man as you. I still owe you for breaking my friends here and I out of prison.

Tybalt:And you did, by giving that pathetic excuse for a prince his first and only warning. If I were him, I would be beating myself out of the city.

Gang Leader:Now, tell us-how exactly are you going to get back at Romeo and Prince Escalus with that little rod of poisonous gas?

Tybalt:At the Feast, while the Prince is giving his speech, we shall sneak into the palace and disperse the gas into the supplies of beverages available there. Thousands will be present for the Feast, and that will be the easiest part.

Gang Leader:What will happen when the guest drink the beverages?

Tybalt:If they take so much as a single sip, they shall drop dead near instantly, without any sign of a struggle or unnatural death. It will be as if though the plague has finally struck this city.

Gang Leader:And then what happens?

Tybalt:What happens after that? That will be the spark which fuels the inferno.

(End of Scene IV)

SCENE V

(Friar Lawrence walks in on Romeo, as he is busy painting a metal object.)

Friar Lawrence:May I ask just what you are painting?

Romeo:My mask. I must wear it if I am to go out and fight. People will not like being rescued by a perceived murder, even if he is a false one.

Friar Lawrence:May I see your progress?

(Romeo holds up the mask;it is painted charcoal gray, and looks strikingly like a human skull. The teeth are sickly yellow, and on each cheek, there are two black scars.)

Friar Lawrence:How macabre. May I ask why you chose to create such a mask, and why you created these four scars?

Romeo:The scars each represent the four people I know who have died because of me in one way or another:Mercutio, Tybalt, Juliet, and Paris. As for why I made it into the shape of a skull, it is for a similar reason-I am like a living walking plague, an unwitting passing death.

Friar Lawrence:You have a truly morbid perception of yourself, Romeo.

Romeo:It should not disturb you if it is honest.

Friar Lawrence:I guess so.

Romeo:The hard part is finding a suitable name.

Friar Lawrence:Why must you carry another name?

Romeo:So the innocent people can have a name to remember in doubt.

Friar Lawrence:Okay. What about the Grim Reaper?

Romeo:No, no, that is much too ridiculous. It sounds so stupid, and unoriginal.

Friar Lawrence:The Walking Wasteland?

Romeo:(Snorts contemptuously) Surely, your imagination is not that idiotic, is it?

Friar Lawrence:Then you think of something, if I am too ridiculous for you! Besides, it is your name, not mine.

(Friar Lawrence leaves the room.)

Romeo:What is it about a name? Is it that which forces who you are into such a despicable position? What if one could choose their name? And choose their fate, control their path? My name-it will be the name of fear to those who harm the innocent and weak, and at the same time, it will give hope to all who have been and can be victimized. My name will let me work alongside the law, and if that is a failure, then I shall work above it.

I will be vengeance. I will be justice incarnate.

Living Death.

For I shall be alive, and at the same time, the death of crime. I shall become Living Death.

(Romeo slowly places the mask on. End of Act III.)

ACT IV

SCENE I

(A homeless man is scanning through a garbage can, when several sneering thugs walk in.)

Thug 1:Trash looking to eat trash.(He draws a serrated dagger)

Homeless Man:And just what makes you animals think you can come and stomp into other people's business?

Thug 1:Hear the miscreant! Why, if we are to be animals, then we must say, you need to get off our territory!

Homeless Man:This is not your territory! This is the territory of Verona, and the land of the people! Prince Escalus has declared so!

Thug1:Prince Escalus and his opinions do not mean shit to us! Besides, who could consider you a person? You are nothing but a human vulture, stealing from everyone else.

Homeless Man:Watch your mouth! I suggest you get away from me! Do you not know how to just leave an old man alone?

Thug 1:You know what, gentleman? I think we need to teach this vagrant some manners! You! Go hold him down!

Thug 2:With pleasure!(He walks over and punches the vagrant in the face before holding his hand behind his back)

Homeless Man:No, please! Let me go!

Thug 2:(Throws another punch) You know what, sir? I think we need to wash out this man's mouth!

Thug 1:And that is just what this dagger will do! Tell me, vagrant-have you ever felt your tongue being sliced out? Have you ever felt teeth not being pulled out of the gums, but cut off from their roots?

Homeless Man:Please...

Thug 1:Please what? Please hurry up? Never have I met a man in such a hurry to receive his comeuppance. But I guess I cannot deny you.

(Romeo AKA Living Death suddenly swoops down from a nearby skyscraper, his dark aluminum gray cape whooshing like heavy leather wings. As he stands up straight, it is shown he is wearing black body armor, with steel gauntlets covering his hands.)

Thug 2:The hell-?

Romeo:Let that man go. Do not make me hurt you.

Thug 1:You?! With that stupid costume! Ha, I would be surprised if you could move with that junk on you!

(All of the thugs laugh mockingly.)

Romeo:You leave me no choice. Do not say I did not warn you.

(Romeo takes the diamond-graphite staff out of it's diamond sheath. He jumps up high as he slams the graphite end down, blasting the electricity out in the form of a ground shockwave, which briefly electrocutes all of the thugs and leaves them stunned. The electricity comes back to the staff as Romeo touches the ground.)

Thug 1:Come on, do not just stand there! Get him!

(The thugs all rush at Romeo en masse, some drawing daggers of their own. He blasts one with electricity, sending him flying into a brick wall with a nasty crack. Another tries to punch him, only for Romeo to grab his fist and twist it 180 degrees. He puts his staff away as he grabs two thugs by their heads and bashes them against each other, knocking them out cold. A thug tries to stab him in the stomach, but Romeo tears the knife out of his hands and snaps it in half before doing the same to the thug's arms. Romeo whips out his staff and blocks another dagger with the diamond half before electrocuting him into unconsciousness.)

Thug 1:Oh no, no, no. This cannot be happening-

Romeo:(Turning to the thug) You-I remember you well.

Thug 1:H-how?

Romeo:I was on the rooftops watching you and your friends beat up Romeo. You were the only one, besides that gang leader, who quipped up to say anything. I watched as you beat an innocent man, all just for a quick lire.

Thug 1:No, please, just leave me alone!

Romeo:I shall not leave you alone. I will never leave scum like you alone. Always, shall I find you. There will be no crevice, no roost, no bed that will protect you from my wrath.

Thug 1:WHO ARE YOU?!

Romeo:I am justice incarnate. I am Living Death, and I believe it would do good for you and your friends here to remember that.

(Romeo then headbutts the thug, knocking him out cold.)

Romeo:Good riddance.

(Romeo then leaves behind a piece of parchment, with a black ink written D with an L inside it. He looks up before spreading his cape and soars out of the scene.)

SCENE II

(Prince Escalus rides out into the same scene where the thugs were beaten up. As he dismounts, an Officer comes up to him.)

Officer:Good evening, Prince Escalus.

Prince:And you as well, Officer. I heard that several thugs were found unconscious here, and a homeless man was attacked by them. That is as far as I have heard, though. You will have to tell me everything else.

Officer:Well, to start out, the homeless man went on rambling about how some gray skull wearing man with leather wings came down and destroyed these men like it was nothing. And, we found this strange note...(He pulls out the parchment with the L and D)

Prince:Give me that.(He takes the parchment) A D, with an L inside-what does it mean?

Officer:I have not a single idea. Though, one of the thugs was one of the seven men who escaped three days ago, of the same gang that tried to kill Romeo.

Prince:Is that so? Well, I will be most interested in finding out how he escaped, and why he continues to terrorize this city, my city.

Officer:(Chuckling) Do not hurt him too bad, my Prince. I fear it will make him talk less.

Prince:These criminals seem to forget that just because I am a prince, it does not mean I have boundaries necessarily. Well, I must be off now. I must attend to the final preparations for the Feast. I hope to see you there, good Officer.

Officer:Do not worry, I will be one of the early ones.

Prince:So you shall. Farewell for now.

(He mounts his horse and gallops away. End of Scene II.)

SCENE III

(The first thug is in his cell, when a Constable unlocks and opens his door.)

Constable:Dinner.

Thug 1:I am not hungry.

Constable:You will be.

Thug 1:No. I am not, and will not, be hungry. Now go away.

Constable:Listen, I do not want any trouble, now come and either eat your food or I will make your head hurt even more.

Thug 1:You do not scare me. I could kill you easily.

Constable:Ironic, coming from a man who wet his pants at the sight of some idiot with a gray skull.

Thug 1:Do not mention it!

Constable:Well, then come eat your food.

(The first thug suddenly receives an idea, and he quickly changes his tone.)

Thug 1:Alright. Let me come get it.

(He walks over and, instead of getting his food, snaps the Constable's neck.)

Thug 1:Don't you worry, Living Death-I will find you, and when I do, I will slit you from ear to ear, and I will make it slow; no need to be gentle. You certainly were not when you humiliated me in such a remorseless manner.

(The first thug sprints out of his cell and down the hall.)

SCENE IV

(Romeo AKA Living Death leaps from a ledge onto an adjacent rooftop, just as he hears a scream below. He swoops down to investigate.)

Thug:-and have you learned your lesson?

Woman:(Sobbing) You-you just stabbed my son, you monster-!

Thug:That is what you and your disgusting family get for forcing my family onto the streets! I am just here to make sure the next generation of you animals does not survive to spread your misery. You could say I am curing the world.

(The thug does not get to say more, as Romeo sneaks up behind him and knocks him out with one punch from his gauntlet covered fist. He walks up to the terrified woman.)

Romeo:Are you alright?

Woman:Y-yes, I-I-I am fine. But, my son...

Romeo:I am sorry I was not here earlier to save him. However, I have great hope that he will survive.

Woman:T-Thank you. I-It is not your fault. But this man, why-

Romeo:Because, people like him are insane. He has hatred and rage, and yet, he will never be able to manifest it into something positive.

Woman:You-who are you? What is your name?

Romeo:I am Living Death. It is my duty, my calling, to cleanse Verona of scum like him.

Woman:But then, why do you not just kill h-(She is suddenly cut off by a window breaking)

Romeo:I must go. There are other things I must attend to quickly. Farewell.

(He glides up back to the rooftop before gliding back down to a house with a shattered window. Romeo steps inside)

Burglar:Eighty-eight lire. Not much here, but it will have to do for the night.

(Romeo suddenly grabs the burglar and twists him around to face him)

Romeo:What is your intention of stealing this money, when you never earned it yourself?

Burglar:Wait, who-?

Romeo:I am Living Death. Now, answer my question, or I will break something in your body!

Burglar:I, I, I-!

Romeo:Tell me NOW!

Burglar:Okay, okay! A group of criminals and myself got contacted by some man with a pointed nose and these brown sunken eyes. He would never reveal his name. He sent us out on some task to get your attention and deliver you to him, so he-

Romeo:That man! That thug!

Burglar:What?

Romeo:It has been a pleasure.(He bashes the burglar's head into a nearby wall, knocking him out instantly)

Romeo:It seems that this man does not know how to learn his lesson. It is time I gave him a proper education.

(He runs out of the house.)

SCENE V

(Tybalt, the Gang Leader, and the five remaining thugs are at the center of a church bell tower.)

Tybalt:I have heard recently that the one of your men who got imprisoned has escaped on his own.

Gang Leader:Yes, he has.

Tybalt:What strikes me as being odd is why he has not come back to us yet.

Gang Leader:Maybe he forgot to ask for directions.

(He and his thugs laugh, but stop when they see Tybalt's dead serious, unamused face.)

Tybalt:Well, he better hurry up and get a map, or else I will personally drag him over here and scare him.

(A thought suddenly hits the Gang Leader.)

Gang Leader:What if he reveals everything to Romeo? You know, Romeo threatens him with force, and he has to give in.

Tybalt:Then I will scare him even more.

Gang Leader:What do you mean by "scare him?"

Tybalt:I will scare him. What part of that do you not understand?

Gang Leader:Er-nothing, nothing. Sorry.

(End of Scene IV.)

SCENE VI

(Romeo AKA Living Death hears several loud voices and a muffled scream before kicking through a window.)

Torturer:Look, he is just as that man described! Living Death!

Romeo:What business do you have harming this innocent man?

Torturer:Because we knew you would come. And you have!

(The Torturer and his three men charge at Romeo. Romeo raises his staff and blasts two bolts, hitting two thugs simultaneously. He smashes the graphite half into the third man's chest, electrocuting him. He then grabs the Torturer by the throat and pushes him against a wall.)

Romeo:The man who sent you-where is he?!

Torturer:I-I, I do-do not know-

Romeo:Tell me right now!

Torturer:Okay, okay, please do not hurt me! He is hiding in that run down shack down the next block. Now please, just let me go!

Romeo:Thank you.

(Romeo smashes the diamond half into the Torturer's face, knocking him out. He dives out the broken window before gliding up to the rooftop and soaring over to a small ramshackle building. He lands and promptly kicks the door down.)

Romeo:Here I am. Now come and get me.

(The first thug comes out of the shadows, just as Romeo slips into them. The thug is angrily holding a dagger.)

Thug 1:I recognize your voice! I know it is you, Living Death! How did you know where I am?

(No answer.)

Thug 1:Why do you not just come out and fight me, you coward?! Come out so I can cut you to pieces for humiliating me!

Romeo:(Coming out of the shadows right behind the first thug) If that is what you want, then that is what you get!

(Romeo grabs the first thug just as he spins around to face him, and slams him to the ground.)

Romeo:Answer me, now:who do you work for?!

Thug 1:I, have no clue what you are talking abou-!

Romeo:(Tightening his grip) Do not lie to me! Tell me everything you know!

Thug 1:I work for myself-

Romeo:That is a lie!

Thug 1:(Beginning to sob) Okay! I-I work for T-Tybalt! He broke me out so we could bring you to him, and so he could kill you!

Romeo:Is that everything? Do not lie to me!

Thug 1:He-he is planning to poison the beverages at the Feast, so he can draw Romeo out!

Romeo:That monster!(Turning back to the first thug) Why is Tybalt planning this? Tell me now!

Thug 1:He wants to draw Romeo out as bait.

Romeo:Typical. Now, tell me-why have you been sending out these scum to wreak havoc among these innocents?

Thug 1:After my, shall I say, humiliation, at your hands, I wanted to take matters into my own hands. They would deliver you to me, and I? I would carve out your throat, and then, I would finally get the respect I deserve! Just imagine, I kill Living Death, and I would finally get my chance at being the greatest name in all of Verona...

Romeo:(Sneering) You set your standards at too much of a high rate, because with one misstep, you will come tumbling right down.

(He punches the thug in the forehead, knocking him unconscious.)

Romeo:I must be off. Who knows how many other agents this thug might have planted all over the city?

(He looks up, spreads his cape, and glides out through the roof. End of Act IV.)

ACT V

SCENE I

(Tybalt, the Gang Leader, and the five remaining thugs are standing at the church bell tower.)

Tybalt:Your friend better be here soon.

Gang Leader:What? You just said you were going to scare him! That is not necessarily a convincing threat, you know.

Tybalt:I will scare him good.

Gang Leader:I have done worse, honestly.

(The first thug then climbs up, looking ragged, and stumbles forward before clutching at Tybalt's shirt.)

Thug 1:Tybalt, please-I have something to tell you...

Tybalt:Oh yes, you do! Where have you have you been the past two days?!

Thug 1:Sir, Living Death-

Tybalt:I beg your pardon?

Thug 1:You have not heard of Living Death?

Tybalt:I have no idea of what you are speaking of.

Thug 1:He-he put me in prison. I was humiliated. So, I escaped-

Tybalt:And did not think of coming to us first?

Thug 1:Please, hear me out. I gathered several men, all with a penchant for sadism-

Tybalt:And you have brought them to us? Ah, well, I guess I can excuse your tardy-

Thug 1:No, I hired them to commit crimes, so as to get Living Death's attention. Once that happened, they would knock him out, and bring him to me.

Tybalt:I do not enjoy where your tale is going.

Thug 1:Please, Tybalt, please do not get angry with me-

Tybalt:WHAT DID YOU DO?!

Thug 1:(Now crying) H-he f-f-forced me to t-talk...

Tybalt:What. Did. You. Do?!

Thug 1:He-he made me tell him everything, from when it was going to happen, to how you were going to kill those at the Feast-

Tybalt:You-you backstabbing bastard! You traitorous son of a bitch! You lying weasel, you piece of sewer shit! You, you-!

(Tybalt takes out the rod and grabs the first thug by his left shoulder before pulling him forward. He then flips open the rod and lets the gas cover nothing but the thug's head and face. The cloud shifts for several seconds before vanishing. Tybalt flashes the thug's shriveled, skull like face to the other men before tossing the corpse down the bell tower.)

Gang Leader:You-you lied! You only said you were going to scare him!

Tybalt:I say he looks quite terrified.

Gang Leader:But-!

Tybalt:I said I was going to scare him. That was never an empty threat.

Gang Leader:I-I knew him for several years now. And you killed him just like that...

Tybalt:Just like that. And I shall do the same, perhaps even worse, if you do not stop protesting like a girl! Anyone else want to join their little old friend down there?

(The six men all shake their heads.)

Gang Leader:So, what do we do now?

Tybalt:We keep going. Let us just hope this Living Death does not get involved in our plans anymore.

Gang Leader:What do we do if Living Death gets involved further in something he should not?

Tybalt:Then we grab the bastard, hold him down, and torture him. We torture him until he has literally screamed out his pathetic vocal cords, and then, once I decide we have tortured his body and mind long enough, we kill him. We kill him slowly, though, so I can give him a final chance at screaming. Then, we hang his corpse out for all to see, send it as a message to anyone who tries to hinder us.

Gang Leader:Um-okay. But what do we do right now, at this very moment?

Tybalt:The Feast begins in two days. Right now, we start getting ready, whether Verona likes it or not.

(End of Scene I.)

SCENE II

(Prince Escalus is standing in front of an Officer.)

Prince:That thug has broken out. A child, not even twelve years old, has nearly been murdered. This Living Death character is making himself more prominent, and above all else, Romeo is still on the loose, with five notable murders currently to his name, and countless others in the explosions.

Officer:I know, my prince, it is a tragic series of events, but-

Prince:But nothing! What I want to know is how all this has happened, in the span of less than two weeks!

Officer:My prince-

Prince:Are your Constables even doing anything? Where are the laws and security I implemented when I took this position?

Officer:Sir, we had an eyewitness to the thug!

Prince:(In shock) What?

Officer:A person saw him climbing up to the church bell tower at the old abandoned San Felipo Church. We sent in several Constables to secure the area.

Prince:And?

Officer:The thug is dead. His entire head appears to have been shriveled up, but the rest of his body is just fine.

Prince:And you have not thought to tell me of this yet?

Officer:I am sorry, sir, but we were busy-examining something.

Prince:What is it?

Officer:The thug's head-it looked exactly like the corpses of the Officer and his constables in that house. Shriveled up, the face was skull like.

Prince:Who-or what-do you think caused it?

Officer:I have no idea, but there is a good chance whoever is murdering in this fashion is still on the loose.

Prince:Do you think it is Romeo?

Officer:It could be, but how could he have done this? For now, we are not ruling out any possibilities.

Prince:(Narrowing his eyes) When the Feast comes in two days, I want all security stepped up by tenfold. I want my guards to cover every corner.

Officer:Yes, my prince.

(He bows and leaves.)

SCENE III

(Romeo AKA Living Death leaps off a stone gargoyle perched on the end of a roof and lands on a balcony.)

Romeo:The church where they found that thug's body is swarming with Officers and their Constables at this time. I cannot go anywhere near it, even if I want to try to help them. They would probably attack me on sight.

(Suddenly, an explosion goes off nearby, totaling the upper half of an apartment. Several men come walking out from the front entrance door, and Romeo ducks behind a corner and watches and listens.)

Gang Leader:What was that bloody explosion for?! You want people to pick up on our scent?

Tybalt:It is the only way we have on our hands to get rid of the evidence.

Romeo:Tybalt, that disgusting wretch! He has appeared to ally himself with that lead thug who tried to bring me to the Prince. I must stop them, but I cannot simply go up and fight them. The Officers are probably already on their way and would see me. I must follow them, and see what they are up to.

Gang Leader:Are you sure that that was Officer Ricci? Because that man looked like every damn Officer I have seen up to now.

Tybalt:Of course that was him! I got all physical attributes, along with his room location, from that Constable who walked out of the bar.

Gang Leader:The one who ran his mouth one minute too long?

Tybalt:Aye, that one. He was most kind in giving information when I asked how many fingers he wanted to keep.

Gang Leader:So, he told everything after that?

Tybalt:Yes, but it did not make a difference. I skewered him after thanking him for his cooperation.

(They open a door in the side of an alley and walk in. Several shouts and clanging swords are heard, followed by screams, which eventually fade away. Romeo walks up to the door and, seeing it is well locked, he kicks it down.)

Tybalt:Wha-?

Romeo:You! I have been looking for you.

Tybalt:(Blinking and raising an eyebrow) I am sorry-who are you, pray tell?

Romeo:I am Living Death!

Tybalt:Living Death? Living Death, Living-ah! Yes, I remember your name, though it is the first time I have met you.

Romeo:I know of your true plans, Tybalt. Why do you want to poison the Feast?

Tybalt:Why should I tell you? What business is it of yours?

Romeo:If you will not tell me, then I will make sure you tell the Prince.

Tybalt:(Cleans the blood off Paris' sword) Oh? A man dressed as a gray, yellow toothed skeleton sure of himself in a fight? Then I am for you!

(Romeo and Tybalt charge at each other. Romeo tries to slam the electrical graphite half of his staff into the sword, but Tybalt ducks and rams his fist into Romeo's stomach, knocking him back. He punches Romeo twice in the face before throwing him into a table, the impact reducing it to splinters. He grumbles as he forces himself back onto his feet, only for Tybalt to kick him back down.)

Tybalt:Are you still so sure you can make it out of this room alive? Because you do not look so good.

Romeo:I-I shall kill you!

Tybalt:(Sneers) No, you will not. You do not have the guts, you have no drive for killing.(He turns to the thugs) Take his body armor off.

(The six men move toward Romeo and try to take off the armor, and are instead met with several swift kicks and punches. Picking himself up, he hurls two tables at once at Tybalt, only for the undead criminal to catch them both and snap them in half.)

Romeo:I will make you pay in blood for how much you have decimated this city. That is not an empty threat.

Tybalt:Are you done with your monologues of vengeance? A child could scare me more than you.

(He tosses Romeo into the wall.)

Tybalt:Not only that, but a child, of all creatures, can fight better than you.

(He plunges the sword into Romeo's lower torso, and Romeo screams. Tybalt tears out the freshly bloodied weapon as he raises it again, but this time, Romeo climbs up much quicker. He pulls back his fist, and it connects with Tybalt's diseased left eye, smashing it into his head and widening the already decaying socket. Tybalt winces and cries out as he clutches at the eye socket.)

Tybalt:SHIT! God, my eye! You have destroyed my eye, you piece of shi-!

(He charges at Romeo and pushes him through the wall, before proceeding to slam his head into the ground, so much so that the top half of Romeo's mask breaks off. Surprised, Romeo takes the time to electrocute Tybalt, but it does little damage as Tybalt gleefully continues to try to break the mask.)

Romeo:No, stop...

Tybalt:Let me see who you really are Living Death. I want to know the face of the man who I killed. Just as always.

(He is about to break the rest of the mask, when Romeo slams his knee upwards into Tybalt's torso, sending him flying back. Realizing he has little time left, he glides up to the roof and leaves.)

Tybalt:I said I would kill you if you got involved, Living Death-I was not making a joke.

(End of Scene III.)

SCENE IV

(Friar Lawrence is attending to a plant on the desk in his cell, when Romeo, carrying the broken piece of his mask, walks in.)

Friar Lawrence:Good God, boy! Your mask-it is broken! And you yourself have been smashed and battered, as I can tell from the blood coming from that wound on your torso.

Romeo:(Taking his mask off) I fought with Tybalt and his henchman, who appear to have been those thugs you beat up as they were beating me to death.

Friar Lawrence:Oh, good Lord-what happened?

Romeo:I was not able to subdue Tybalt. He was more than a match for me. It appears that, after his resurrection, he gained strength and stamina above that of a normal human being. I can only presume that he and his henchman escaped.

Friar Lawrence:Why has Tybalt recruited those fiends?

Romeo:I learned from one of his now deceased thugs that he has a plan to poison the beverages at the Feast, in two days. He wants to do it to draw me out.

Friar Lawrence:Then we must tell the Prince and-

Romeo:No. You know they will not believe you, nor will they trust myself or the Living Death alter ego. I must find Tybalt again, and finish what I have started.

Friar Lawrence:I fear you cannot do it in time before the Feast.

Romeo:I will find him, mark my words. And if I cannot deliver him to the Prince to face the city's justice, then I shall have justice myself.

(He walks out of the cell. End of Scene IV.)

SCENE V

(A large gathering of people stand before the Prince's home, the banners of Verona flapping in the wind. The Prince walks out, and the crowd goes silent.)

Prince:My dear Veronians, my fellow citizens. On this day, at this very moment, we hold this Feast for a special reason, in high honor of something that has been resolved after decades-

(Change to the wine cells in the Prince's home. Several guards are dragging the barrels out, when Tybalt strolls in and tears through both of their throats with his bare hands.)

Tybalt:Alright, you gentlemen open these barrels, and I'll poison them right after. Then, we close them up, two of you take these guards' clothes, and take the wine up to the ballroom. Do not act suspiciously at all, else you will be found out quickly. Now come on, do as I say!

(The six thugs tear off the barrel lids as Tybalt takes out the rod and flips it open, streaming the gas into the wine. While he is doing so, two of the thugs take the clothes off the dead guards and place them on. Tybalt closes the rod and the thugs carefully place the barrel lids back on, before the disguised thugs roll them out.)

Gang Leader:So, do we just stand here? Is that your plan?

Tybalt:Keep your mouth shut. We wait here, and when they return, that is when we leave and take the security room.

Gang Leader:But what if they-?

Tybalt:Must you ask too many stupid questions? That old man who beat you up should have broke your jaw instead of just crack it.

(Switches back to the Prince in front of his home.)

Prince:-for in this past week, the blood feud between the Montagues and Capulets has, at long last, been resolved with peace instead of violence and swords. Even through the violent terror of Romeo's sudden rampage, this treaty has proven that our city shall not be broken, and that the citizens of Verona shall always, without a further doubt, stand tall in the face of evil and despair!

(The crowd cheers; Romeo AKA Living Death is perched atop a gargoyle high up, watching the whole thing.)

Romeo:I have to warn them immediately before they can touch their drinks. But first, I need to pay Tybalt a visit to prove what he is doing. Now, if only I can find a way to get into the Prince's home without being seen...

(Switches to the security room in the Prince's home. The gas drifts in through one of the air ducts, and soon, all of the guards in the room lie dead. Tybalt kicks out the vent and he and the four other men fall in.)

Tybalt:Now that we have taken the security room, the only guards remaining are in spread out positions in Prince Escalus' bedroom and the ballroom. We will not be facing much resistance here.

Gang Leader:What if Living Death comes?

Tybalt:He will not. That little coward is a creature of the darkness, anyway. He will never fit in with the day.

(Back to Romeo, who crawls in through an air vent in the ceiling and quietly pulls it off. He drops into a hallway and quickly ducks behind a corner. He peeks his head out to look into the ballroom.)

Romeo:The two "guards" standing in front of the golden horse statue there at the left of the entrance are two of the thugs working currently for Tybalt. The other guards in the house might not be able to recognize their faces, but I know them from a mile away. I have to find a way to draw them here and get some information.

(He takes out his staff and taps it hard on the granite floor;the two thugs make their way into the hall suspiciously, drawing out their swords. They make their way by and stop at the dropped air vent cover, when Romeo jumps out and smothers the thug on the left. He grabs the other thug and lifts him off his feet.)

Romeo:What must I break to get you to tell me about Tybalt?

Thug 4:Y-you do not have to do anything! I-I will talk!

Romeo:Where is he?!

Thug 4:He is in the security room. He has already poisoned the wine.

Romeo:Your cooperation has been most appreciated.

(He punches the thug in the face, knocking him out. It switches back to the prince outside.)

Prince:Now that we have finished our festivities out here, it is time we truly make this Feast live up to it's name-let us go inside!

(The guards open the massive doors, and thousands of people pour in. Romeo realizes what he must do now.)

Romeo:They will all die if I do not tell them. I must stop them before they drink the beverages.

Prince:And a toast, to Montague and Capulet, for their willingness to bring peace forth and unto this city-

Romeo:(Leaping into the ballroom) STOP! Do not drink that, any of you!

Prince:(In absolute shock) And who may you be?

Romeo:You may call me Living Death.

Prince:(Gasping) I have heard about you and your antics! Let me just tell you that I do not appreciate vigilantism-

Romeo:Please, you must listen to me. If anyone here takes so much as a single sip of these drinks, you will drop dead! The drinks are poisoned!

Prince:And you know this how?

Romeo:Two of your guards are imposters. They are members of that gang of seven thugs who escaped from prison.

Prince:Where is your proof?

Romeo:They are lying unconscious in that hall down to the right of the entrance. You must send several of your guards to bring them here. That will be your proof.

Tybalt:(Watching from the window atop the door in the security room) NO! He is ruining everything, that Living Death! I cannot take this-

Gang Leader:What do you want us to do, sir?

Tybalt:We will go and kill Living Death and the Prince right there, right now.

Gang Leader:But, that will blow our cover-!

Tybalt:I am sick of your complaining. Either you follow me, or you can be through with eating solid foods. What do you want?

Gang Leader:Oh no, we shall follow you. Come on, gentlemen, follow us.

Prince:(Grimacing) So you speak the truth. Then I order all my guards from the security room to secure the area immediately!

(They wait for several seconds. Nothing happens.)

Prince:Where are those guards?!

Tybalt:(Striding out through the security room door) No guards. Just us.

Romeo:Tybalt!

Tybalt:Ah. A pleasure to meet you once more, Living Death.

Prince:Y-you?! T-T-Tybalt? But, no, it cannot possibly be-

Tybalt:Yet it is.(Turning to the four thugs) Hold him down. Keep these pathetic Veronians at bay as well.

(The Gang Leader and the three other thugs rush forward and hold a dagger to Prince Escalus' throat. Several people in the crowd are screaming now.)

Prince:How-?

Tybalt:How am I alive again? Why are the six thugs with me? Let me ask you something-did you really think Romeo is a liar? It is because of him everything here has transpired. And now, both you and Romeo will die by my hand.

Romeo:ENOUGH!

(He rushes at Tybalt, who turns around and swiftly catches Romeo's fist, before throwing him through the wall. People in the crowd are screaming and squirming around now.)

Prince:What did I do?

Tybalt:You do not remember my father's brewery? Your cousin Paris framed him for an embezzling enterprise he had nothing to do with. You, with your disgusting taste for "justice", shut down the brewery, arrested my father, and bankrupted the family. My older brother worked there. He was laid off, and he committed suicide. Because of you. And now, you will fall dead, at my feet. And I shall enjoy it.

Prince:No, please! I-I am sorry!

Tybalt:Your apologies are fake, and they cannot bring back my brother or father. You have no friends to save you now, Escalus.

(Romeo suddenly leaps in and tackles Tybalt to the ground. Tybalt takes out Paris' sword, only for Romeo to grab it and throw it right through the thug holding the dagger at the Prince's throat. Tybalt shoves Romeo away.)

Romeo:This ends now, Tybalt. I am going to finish what I started.

Tybalt:What do you mean, "what you started"? You just happened to get involved in something you should not have, and-(He stops cold) What you started-we know each other, do we not?

Romeo:Most unfortunately.

Tybalt:(Grinning and chuckling) We created each other, did we not?

Romeo:Like a mother giving birth to her child, and the opposite as well.

Tybalt:Then I will finish what I started, and not the opposite.

(He grabs Romeo by the shoulders and throws him into the table. The crowd screams as they separate and begin to run away, as Romeo picks himself back up. The Prince takes advantage of the situation and elbows the other guard still holding him, before headbutting him and knocking him out cold.)

Romeo:Prince Escalus, leave now!

Prince:No, I must-

Romeo:LEAVE!

(The Prince scampers away, along with the crowd.)

Tybalt:(To the last two remaining thugs, including the Gang Leader) Are you just going to stand there? Kill him like you always wanted!

(The Gang Leader rushes forward brandishing a dagger, only for Romeo to smash the graphite half into his chest, shocking him into unconsciousness. Romeo then grabs the last thug and snaps his neck.)

Romeo:Fight me fair, right now, Tybalt! You are all out of pets.

Tybalt:And you are all out of luck, Romeo. If a fight is what you want, then it is what you get. But I do not play fair. It means I have to limit myself. Now, enough of this talk. Fight me, Montague!

(They run at each other, and Romeo grabs Tybalt by the throat and slams his head onto his knee. He then uppercuts him in the groin before slamming him face first onto the floor. He crouches to pick up Tybalt, only for him to spin onto his back and kick Romeo in the jaw. He delivers a flurry of rapid punches before throwing him into the golden horse statue. Struggling to get back up, Tybalt strikes Romeo's head, cracking the back of the mask. As he crouches down, he takes off the mask and unsheathes the rod.)

Tybalt:Pity that I must desecrate your pretty little face. But that is what happens to everything pretty-it withers into ugliness, and is remembered as nothing. Nothing but dead.

(He begins to flip open the rod, only for Romeo to angrily grab it and rip it out.)

Romeo:And that is what you are about to be, Tybalt-dead. They will never be able to recognize your face after what I am about to do.

(He rams the rod through Tybalt's stomach and does not stop until sprouts from his back. He then tears out a match and one of Tybalt's wicker bombs. He lights the fuse and shoves the bomb into Tybalt's shirt before throwing him down the right corridor, where his two unconscious disguised thugs lie.)

Tybalt:(Fumbling through his shirt) No-NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO! I curse you, Romeo! I hope you fall, and that destiny will destroy y-!

(The bomb explodes, and a good portion of the right of the Prince's home goes up in flames. Romeo stands up and dusts himself off.)

Romeo:And so you have failed, Tybalt. You can never harm this city ever again.(He places the mask back on.)

(The scene switches to the Prince and everyone else outside, as several Officers and Constables rush onto the scene.)

Officer:Everyone, stay where you are! Prince Escalus, follow me-I must ask you a good deal of questions.

(Romeo then suddenly swoops down in front of the Officer.)

Officer:Halt, degenerate! Do not make another move-

Prince:No, leave him alone. Were it not for him, we would all be dead by now.(He turns to Romeo) What of Tybalt?

Romeo:He is dead. One of his bombs exploded on him. Two of his thugs, including the Gang Leader, are still alive.

Officer:Tybalt?

Romeo:Aye, it is a long story. Prince Escalus shall tell you everything, though.

Prince:Very well, then.(He steps between Romeo and the Officer.) Now, please, let me tell you-(Romeo silently drops a rolled up piece of parchment before spreading his cape and soaring up and away.)

Officer:He is gone!

Prince:Who, what-?(He turns around) I guess he had other things to attend to.

Officer:Hold on, hold on! He dropped something on the ground! Something of parchment-(He picks it up and unrolls it; written in black ink is a large D with an L inside it.)

(Romeo AKA Living Death is atop a building, watching over Verona, guarding his city.)