Story Experiments- Drama

When Carmen Napier was in her last year of high school, she had one friend, Mitchell Harrison. It had been like that for years, but things change. A bad day can skew someones perception of reality. Mitch and Carmen would both soon learn that.

Mitchell was driving in an old but well-cared for car. Where... Well, where has been lost in the history books. History has a tendency to do that. Leave behind details and only remember the headline news. Anyway, Mitchell was driving rather carelessly, and after one turn he most likely shouldn't have made, he collided head first with a newer but dirtier car. This wasn't bad on it's own, except for the fact that he had a guest driving with him in the passenger seat. He didn't talk about his brother much before it happened and he never got the chance to tell his brother's story after it happened. His brother was Jerome Harrison, a semi-popular LGBTQ rights activist on most social media platforms and an assistant at a bakery. Jerome went out in a rather dramatic fashion. When the two cars collided, the back of Jerome's head hit the headrest and then he fell forward, breaking the seatbelt and all of his right ribs and he hit the front of his head on the dashboard. Mitchell ended up mostly unharmed, but he saw his brothers condition and sobbed. It was a long 2 weeks in the hospital. That last day changed Mitchell for the worse.

He sat in a chair next to the hospital bed that Jerome lied on. Mitchell didn't say a word, and everyone assumed Jerome was incapable of talking at that point in recovery. The rhythmic beating of the EKG echoed in the room. Jerome muttered something that Mitchell could't comprehend. "What?" He asked in shock. Jerome coughed blood for a second. "I see him." Jerome sighed. "Who?" Mitchell asked. "Mr.... Mr. Reyes." Jerome says. Heath Reyes was the baker Jerome had first worked with. Heath was a family friend, and he ended up taking a bullet for Jerome and Mitchell. Another scar Mitchell wore. "What the hell are you talking about?" Mitchell asked. Jerome slowly got up. "What are you doing?" Mitchell shouts. Jerome feels his chest for the wire that connects him to the EKG. He pulls it out and the machine flatlines. He reaches for the knife lying on the table that had been used for removing shrapnel from Jerome's chest and Mitchell's arms. Jerome stabs himself in the chest. Mitchell shouts. Doctors come running in. 2 grab Mitchell by the arms and he struggled, but they dragged him away. He just got a glimpse of what Jerome had done to himself. 2 simple letters that Jerome had carved onto his bare chest. 2 letters that Mitchell couldn't comprehend for a while.

"HA"

Mitchell returned to school the next Monday tired and confused. HA? Why? Mitchell didn't have time to think until Carmen approached. "Hey, Mitch, I heard what happened? You alright?"

"Hell no, but I think a good distraction should be enough."

Carmen nods. The first sign of Mitchell's sanity slipping was in a class with Mrs. Julie Hanson. For this to make sense, perhaps a bit of backstory is needed.

Jacob Casey, Lewis Donnell, and Nina Richards were the main jerks of the school. Their bullying toward Mitchell and Carmen went as normal as spitballs and name-calling, and as bad as pulling a gun on them. The three were awful people and, before the crash, they were the one thing that could put Mitchell on the verge of insanity.

That's enough backstory to understand this. Mitchell was in math class, with a paper he was meant to use to write what was on the board, but he was distracted by the "HA" it had been all he could think about since that day. He had been scribbling that on his paper.

HA HAHA HA

HAHAHAHA

Mrs. Hanson walked by and saw this. She took the paper and held it up. "What's this, Mr. Harrison?" She asks. Jacob, Lewis, and Nina chuckle. "It's... a book cover. I've been interested in writing recently."

"What would this book be called?"

"Um... Joker."

"Joker?"

"Yes. You see... The Joker card is almost always abandoned. Left behind. Except for in one game, in which the joker can even be king. That's how the main character... Cyrus feels. Like he was abandoned until he was different, almost... playing a new game."

"Very interesting."

When class ends, Mitchell instantly walks out, but Carmen stops him. "You never told me you were writing a book!" She said. Mitchell looks her. "What?"

"You just told Mrs. Hanson you were writing a book."

"A book? When did I mention a book? "Just freaking now!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'll see you at lunch." Mitchell runs off. Leaving Carmen behind. Like a Joker.

That was the beginning of the end.

Mitchell ate lunch in the library. A ham and cheese sandwich, water, and an apple, the basic home lunch. He was eating when Jacob sat across from him. "The hell do you want?" Mitchell asks. "Hey, author, just calm down. I wanted to make a truce. I won't pull a gun on you if you won't be a whiney idiot all of the time." Jacob puts his hand out. Something snaps in Mitchell's head. He grabs Jacob's wrist, slams Jacob's hand upward on the table, grabs a fork (left in the bag from last time it was used most likely) and stabs Jacob in the palm. Jacob shouts for a moment but Mitchell puts his hand on Jacob's mouth. "Now, now, Jake. Why so serious?" Mitchell asks. He laughs for a second. Carmen walks in. "Mitch!" She shouts. Mitchell pulls the fork out of Jacob's hand. He drops the fork onto the floor. "Ha." Mitchel says under his breath. "What?" Carmen asks. "I should've known!" Mitchell slams his fist on the table. He laughs for a second but then looks behind him in fear. He falls to his knees. "My... no!" Mitchell shouts.He stands up. He hears something in his head

STOP RESISTING

"I'm not some psychopath!"

YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS, DON'T YOU?

"That was long ago! He couldn't have predicted... you."

HA.

"Enough!"

HAHAHA.

"Get out of my head!"

HAHAHAHA

Mitchell breaks out laughing. He walks around the table and stands an inch from Jacob. "Up and at 'em, Jake!" Mitchell shouts. Jacob slowly gets up. "You look sad. You know what? I can change that. Stay here, alright. Actually..." Mitchell grabs the fork and stabs Jacobs hand against the table and walks off.

He walks into the cafeteria and everyone looks at him. He was smiling. Lewis walks toward Mitchell from behind. Mitchell turns around and slams Lewis's head against the table. Lewis falls back. "Oh god!" Mitchell shouts. He looks at his hands.

HAHAHAHA "No!"

HAHAHA

"Get out!"

Everyone is freaked out. Mitchell grabs a knife. Lewis steps forward. "You seem tense. Let's put a smile on that face!" Mitchell stabs into the edge of Lewis's mouth. He cuts half of a smile onto that side of his face. "Good so far." Mitchell cuts the other half of the smile. Lewis's mouth is bleeding. "What... the hell?" Lewis shouts. Mitchell grabs Lewis by the neck and slams him against the wall. "Let me tell you something about the joker. In most card games, it's... abandoned... left behind. Until I learned about one game. In this game, Joker is a wild card. If you want, he could be king. I am Joker. I. Am. King!" Joker breaks out laughing. Carmen rushes in. "Why?" She shouts. Joker looks over. "I should've known! When Jerome did that to himself... He predicted who I would be! I am the Joker!" Carmen puts her hand on Joker's shoulder. "Listen, Mitchell-"

"I think you have me confused with somebody else. Mitchell was murdered rather harshly. Everyone in this damn building has blood on their hands!" Joker shouts. He pulls Carmen closer, cuts her throat, and tosses her to the ground. Nina gets up and steps forward. "Listen, Mitchell... we're sorry!"

"You're only sorry because I'm killing you off one by one. Now that is enough from you." Joker dashes forward to stab Nina, but another student comes from behind and knocks Nina into a trash can. "Hi. The name's Harley." The girl says to Joker. She ties the bag up on Nina, knocks the trash bag over, stomps on it, then pulls the trash bag out. She struggles to pick it up. "Help me out." Harley says. Joker picks up the bag with Harley, then they smash it onto the ground. Joker laughs. "Pleasure to meet you, Harley." Joker and Harley shake hands.

Joker waltzed into the library. Jacob looks over. "Listen, Mitchell, just, don't do anything stupid." He says. Joker looks shocked. "Stupid? You want to know stupid, you idiot! Stupid is pulling a gun on the future Joker."

"I don't know what you want!"

"Oh I'll tell you what I want! I want to look death in the eyes. Just like I did. Just like my dear older brother did."

Jacob feels a crash on the back of his head. Harley hit him with a chair. She drops it. "How's about something more portable next time?" She sighs. "I'l get you a... mallet." Harley smiles and nods.

Jacob wakes up in a dark room, tied to a chair. He hears humming in the distance. Then a female voice chimes in

"And they all fell down

to the deep to drown

to the dark to drown"

And then laughing. And Joker emerges from the darkness. "Mitchell?" Jacob asks. He couldn't tell. Joker looked different. His face was pale white and his mouth was cut upward at the ends to make a smile. "Hi." Joker sighs. "What the hell?" Jacob shouts. "Oh, I have one problem. You killed Mitchell. I'm Joker. The new king!" Joker laughs. "What are you doing?" Jacob asks. "Ah... You see... See I'm a man of simple taste. I like things such as gunpowder...dynamite and...gasoline!" As Joker says that, Harley pours gasoline from a bucket over Jacob's head. "Hey, man, please!" Jacob shouts. He starts crying. "Now... Now you know what the face of death looks like!" Joker shouts. "Please!" Jacob shouts. "More gas, Harley!" Harley pours gas from the can onto Jacob. "Alright, Harley, light the chair." Joker chuckles. It was a wooden chair, so Jacob lit up almost immediately. Joker starts laughing. Jacob shouts in pain. "Welcome to hell!" Joker shouts.