{Lost Haven | 1stth of April 2024 | Act 1 | Scene 2 | Take 5}
Sweeping their gazes across the fairly desolate street, the morning weather picture-perfect, Tommy killed the butt of his cigarette while Pedro, flicked out a fresh new stick from the pack.
"Ready when you are." Tommy tossed his lighter over to Pedro who effortlessly caught it, lit up the stick, drew a deep inhale, let it out and lingered for a couple seconds.
Playing with the golden-plated lighter, a family heirloom of sorts, Pedro tucked it into his front pocket instead of returning it to its rightful owner.
Then he replied with grim determination, a faint hint of humor in his tone;
"Let's not get ourselves killed like Bonnie and Clyde eh?"
Not much was said between the two after that.
Casually, they walked across the street, hands in their pockets as they walked into the building.
A couple minutes later…
Alarm bells rung!
Yet the bank's small vault was emptied clean!
Money-filled rucksacks slung over their shoulders, blood brothers Tommy and Pedro trained their guns on the bank manager as they barked;
"C'mon then, lead the way!"
"Alright! Alright! Just please, don't shoot!" the aged man begged for mercy as he briskly made his way up the stairs, the two robbers trailing behind him!
Making their way into the bank's lobby, one of Tommy's three henchmen who was training his firearms on the bank's employees and innocent civilians remarked, his voice husky with thrill;
"That's good shit! Emptied the vault?!"
"You bet!" Pedro whom was trailing behind his older brother, grinned in dark excitement.
"We're not out of this yet!" Tommy reeled his crew in as he shoved the bank manager ruthlessly!
"Let's get the fuck on outta here!" he ordered as they all cautiously yet swiftly backed towards the doors!
Finding themselves outside, their getaway driver at the ready, the group of small thugs turned armed robbers, bolted towards the black van!
Right on cue, the vehicle screeched, the faint scent of rubber burning against the tarred road mixed with exhaust smoke as it barreled into the traffic before roadside pedestrians or the men-in-blue could even get a wind of their criminal offense.
"And we're home free! Haha!" Tommy exclaimed in exhilaration, Pedro and the rest of the crew sharing the thrill of their clean getaway.
Like a bolt from the blue, something walloped into them. Hard!
Before the crew even knew what hit them, their vehicle had tumbled across the road like a derailed train.
Pedro felt his head spin in sync, a concussed migraine coming up as Tommy and the rest of the crew were subjected to the same experience.
Then came the high-pitched frequency, their ears ringing as the tumbling van came to a gradual halt.
Adrenaline, as one would expect had already kicked in.
Slowly, four out of the six armed robbers, barely alive after their accident, slowly crawled out of the vehicle
The other two— the getaway driver and the husky-voiced henchman— didn't make it.
As Pedro's vision blurred, doubles painting in his field of vision, he heard the faint sound of rhythmic footsteps getting closer.
Soon he caught sight of the source, sleek-black leather boots that looked like they were too good to even grace the tarred road with how sophisticated yet simple its design was.
And then it halted before him, just as he turned around on his back to face the vast blue sky.
There he was.
Victor Morello.
Lost Haven's most feared Mafioso, second only to Don Morello who ran everything in all of New Jersey.
With his entourage of a couple Mafiosi trailing behind him, all dressed in pristine black suits, one handed a Colt 1911 over to him.
Receiving it with an air of nonchalance, Victor, ruthlessly emptied the magazine into Tommy and the other two.
Even then, despite murdering them in cold blood and in broad daylight at that, his sapphire irises remained icy and unfeeling.
Unable to fight back, let alone let out a cry of anguish at the death of his brother before his very eyes, Pedro watched as the smoke wafting from the pistol's barrel angled towards him.
And in the same cold-blooded manner, Pedro's life flashed before his terrified eyes to the crackling sound of the gunshot.
The clicks of an empty barrel followed after, baring the fact that Victor would've continued firing had it not being emptied.
Gazing at Pedro's lifeless body for the briefest of moments, a sinister remark escaped the Mafioso's lips;
"Hmmm. He died funny."
Simple as they were, those words implied subtly, just how many people Victor must've killed over the years to feel something quite off about the way another rando had met his ends by his hands.
Tossing the firearm aside with an air of disinterest though, he then ordered, his voice stolidly indifferent;
"Toss em' in the river."
"Tailslate and… Cut!"
-
Checking the shot to ensure that it came out right, especially the key moments, the Director remarked out loud;
"And that's a wrap for today!"
"Good job everyone!" he praised afterwards.
In sync, cheers of relief rippled through the set, everyone clearly glad to be done with the scene as they swiftly began to pack up.
Having to reshoot such a long sequence of scenes five times over, was quite the tiring experience to say the least.
And for a 21-year old Aiden Hemsworth whom was the male lead of quite possibly the most hyped movie release of next year, his nerves were killing him.
It also didn't help that most of the retakes had being because of him.
As a result, a dejected sigh escaped his lips.
"Hey. Don't sweat it. You're doing great!" Zack Mendez whom had been playing the role of Tommy Martinez, Pedro's older brother, lightly pat the young actor on the back.
He had also being the very first actor Kyle had worked with as Matthew Callagher in [Grow Up].
With an assuring smile, the experienced actor added;
"Trust me, for your very first rodeo, you really are doing great."
"Also, for the sake of your mental health, don't even compare yourself to him." Zack pointed in Kyle's direction.
The superstar, at the moment, was engaging in a seemingly important conversation with the Director, Xavier Cage and his wife, Cassandra Cage, the movie's Producer.
"He's a whole different breed that guy. And I mean that in the most awe-inspiring way possible."
"So just do the best that you can!" Zack casually waved whilst completing his statement as he walked away.
Aiden whose mood had noticeably become better after his convo with the easygoing Zack, donned an appreciative smile while reciprocating the wave.
"Zack's right, you know."
Startled by his sudden appearance, Aiden practically cursed underneath his breath while staggering backwards slightly!
"For Christ's sake! How do you always do that?!"
"Magic. You should try it sometime." Kyle joked, his eyes glinting in mischief as a light smirk tugged on the edges of his lips.
"Anyone ever tell you how jarringly different you are from your onscreen personas?" Aiden walked with Kyle as they headed towards their vehicles.
"You wouldn't be the first." the young billionaire's response was quite laidback, earning a light sigh of resignation from the rookie actor who muttered to himself like a droopy cat;
"Wish I had as much cool and confidence as you…"
"Aiden. I chose you as the lead actor for a reason." Kyle who picked up on his despondence, stated in an assuring tone.
"And I'll have you know, Xavier did too because she saw the exact same thing I did." he added, turning over to face him.
"But you won't tell me what is, will you?" Aiden crossed his arms over his chest, hoping he'd get a clue as to what made him the picked choice over hundreds, if not thousands of more talented actors.
"Nope. I won't." Kyle on the other hand, grinned in tight-lipped amusement as he studied the young man's stats briefly.
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{Aiden Hemsworth} – 21 years
Acting › Level 10
Skills – [Insight]
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Passive Skill - [Insight]
Gain an in-depth understanding of even the subtlest details of a piece of media the more you prod into it.
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"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a wife who's waiting at home for me." Kyle slipped into his car, and zoomed off a couple seconds later.
Watching the car recede into the distance with his coal-black irises, Aiden ran his fingers through his brown hair with a resigned sigh as he walked over to his motorcycle.
He'd been doing a whole lotta that recently.
That said, a couple minutes later, Kyle had arrived at his home in New Jersey.
Since they'd been handling pre-production for [Lost Haven] months before they'd even started filming, he'd more or less caved in and gotten another house… especially when considering his wife had tagged along for the ride.
Speaking of his wife…
'Wait a minute… what is that smell?' Kyle walked into the house, his instincts telling him to head straight for the kitchen.
And so he did.
The sight he was met with, did not disappoint.
So he laughed. Rapturously!
Like a culprit caught in the act, Christina whom had been fanning the opened pot on the cooker with a napkin as smoke billowed out of it, scrammed to cover up the burnt potato on the kitchen slab with the same napkin!
Not that it helped. Kyle's laughter rang out even louder.
"You don't have to apologize, sweetie. I'm just glad you're safe." Kyle walked over and tucked her hair behind her ear as he asked;
"And I bet you're still craving one. Want me to make you another?" Kyle asked instead while chuckling, already moving over to the sink to wash his hands.
"But you just came back from work. You should go take a shower, eat and head to bed. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow. Let's not even talk about the movie's score and the soundtrack. Healthy body, healthy mind, Kyle." the loving husband immediately followed up with his wife's concerned thoughts with pinpoint accuracy.
This wasn't his first rodeo.
So she frowned in response, a pout forming on her lips.
"I can only ever find that cute." Kyle kissed her on the forehead in response.
"Pretty sure Natalia and Nathan will feel the same." he placed another kiss on her belly, a small chuckle escaping his lips.
"Besides, it'll only take me a couple minutes. I promise." Kyle assured, to which Christina then signed with an adoringly appreciative smile.
She seemed noticeably peppy at the thought of getting a steamed potato.
"Oh! I'd better hurry then." Kyle's irises gleamed in loving appreciation as he swiftly got down to peeling the potato.