Chapter 1: Who Stole the Stars?
[Page 1] [Panel 1]
Visual: Rain at work in a dingy smoke shop. Customer pays for a blunt wrap.
Customer: Have a good day.
Rain: You too.
Rain (internal):
Have a good day?
What's even good about today?
Shit's either dying, broke, or strung out.
Millions of seconds a year. Billions of lives. Same cycle. No peace.
[Panel 2]
Dawn (off-screen): Rain… Rain… RAIN!!
SFX: PAAAHHHH (Dawn smacks Rain with a rolled-up magazine)
[Panel 3]
Rain snaps out of it. Customers are lined up.
Dawn: You see the damn line? People tryna pay!
Rain (to customer): You saw that, ma'am? If I sue her and you back me up, we might both retire early.
Dawn: I am HR, dumbass.
Rain: …Right.
[Panel 4]
Customer (laughing): You two are crazy.
Everyone laughs.
Rain (awkward): Heh… Customer: Thanks again. Have a good night.
Rain (smirking): You too. Yeah… it's about that time.
[Page 2]
[Panel 1]
Dawn: Don't forget to order the new glass.
Rain: I would, but last time you ordered 20,000 bongs instead of 2,000.
Dawn: That's on the site. No commas.
[Panel 2]
Flashback: Dawn stoned, ordering online.
Dawn: Looks right. Right, Luna?
Luna: Meowww.
SFX: knock knock — accidental "Enter"
[Panel 3]
Rain: You sure you got this?
Dawn: Ain't rocket science.
Rain: Count your zeros this time. Or it's coming outta your check.
Dawn: Boy, please.
[Panel 4]
Dawn smugly closes the laptop.
Dawn: Nailed it.
[Page 3]
[Panel 1]
Back to present. Rain rants.
Rain: I told her count the zeros. Dumb shit.
[Panel 2]
Dawn grabs her bag and tries to sneak out.
Rain: You think I forgot?
His glare locks on her. Dawn (internal): Shit. I'm dead.
[Panel 3]
Dawn: Didn't even hurt that bad!
Rain (rolling up mag): Let's test that theory.
Dawn: Don't play with me!
Rain: Boop. (taps her forehead)
Rain: I'd never hit a woman. Dawn (blushing): …
[Panel 4]
Rain: Couldn't hit any woman, really.
Dawn (jealous): Sakura punches Rain.
Rain: What the hell did I just say?!
[Page 4]
[Panel 1]
Dawn exits, smirking.
Dawn: Idiot.
[Panel 2]
Rain locks up shop. Cracks neck. Headphones in.
Radio DJ (voiceover): You're listening to The Night Shift…
[Panel 3]
Rain ties his shoes. From an old lady's POV: he looks like a man on a mission.
[Panel 4]
Rain sprints across a bridge.
Rain (yelling): WOOOOOOOOOOO!
[Page 5]
[Panel 1]
Rain lands on a Tuesday-night delivery truck. Lays on top, watching the sky.
Rain (internal): Now this... this is peace.
[Panel 2]
Rain jumps off the truck, swings on a pole, does rooftop parkour.
Flashback overlay:
Noah: There's nothing wrong with running. Just don't forget why you run.
[Panel 3]
Noah: Run to survive or run for justice. Only you know the difference.
[Panel 4]
Back to present. Rain is now near an abandoned hotel.
Rain (internal): This place… used to be home to crack deals and gun trades. Now it's a cartel hub.
[Page 6] [Panel 1]
Rain: Most people see evil and walk away.
Rain: Not me.
[Panel 2] Cut to Dawn at home looking at a photo of Rain.
Dawn: Idiot would've been dead if I didn't patch him up every week.
Dawn: But truth is… I wouldn't be alive without him either.
[Panel 3 - Flashback] Dawn malnourished and chained in a brothel. Rich pervert approaching.
[Panel 4]
Rain busts in, dual-wielding pistols. No hesitation.
[Page 7] [Panel 1 - Rescue Begins]
Dawn pinned. Pervert looming. FAT FUCK: Silence don't save no one. Scream for me, girl.
[Panel 2]
FAT FUCK sniffs her like an animal.
FAT FUCK: That moment before the scream? Mmm. That's the best part.
[Panel 3]
Door creaks open. Silhouette of Rain holding a suppressed pistol.
[Panel 4]
FAT FUCK turns.
FAT FUCK: Who the fuck—
[Panel 5]
Dawn whispers:
DAWN: Finally.
[Page 8]
[Panel 1]
Rain fires two rounds into one guard's knees.
SFX: PFFT PFFT (silenced shots)
[Panel 2]
FAT FUCK: Who the hell are you?!
Rain: Doesn't matter. I'm the last face you'll ever see.
[Panel 3]
FAT FUCK: She ain't worth it.
Rain: You were never worth her pain.
[Panel 4]
Rain nods. Behind FAT FUCK, Dawn slips free of her restraints.
[Page 9]
[Panel 1]
Dawn grabs a broken pipe. Rain doesn't look back.
[Panel 2]
Rain (to FAT FUCK): You built your own executioner.
DAWN: Remember me?
[Panel 3]
Dawn smashes his face with pipe. Blood splatters.
[Panel 4]
Rain stands outside, smoke drifting from his pistol. Calm. Rain (internal): She didn't need a savior. She needed a gun.
[Page 10] [Panel 1]
Rain and Dawn stagger away. He's bleeding. She's quiet.
Rain: What's your name?
Dawn: …Dawn.
Rain: Rain.
[Panel 2]
Cut to Rain alone on a rooftop. Looking down at the hotel cartel base.
[Panel 3]
Rain (internal): They hide behind floors and fake names. But I see it all.
[Page 11 – Assault Begins] [Panel 1]
Rain enters lobby. Fake accent.
Rain: I left my bag on Floor 26.
Receptionist: They'll escort you up.
[Panel 2]
Elevator ride. Two women in tight security clothes. Worker: Funny thing... Floor 26 doesn't exist.
[Panel 3]
Rain: That right? They lunge. Rain moves fast.
Rain: You thought I'd fall for that?
[Panel 4]
Gunfire inside elevator. Rain pistol-whips one, shoots the other in the knee.
[Page 12] [Panel 1]
Elevator opens. Rain steps out, dual-wielding Glock 19s. Cartel thug: HEY!—
[Panel 2]
Rain: Too late.
He opens fire — clean shots, military precision.
[Panel 3]
Rain slides behind a couch, reloads without flinching.
[Panel 4]
Rain tosses flashbang, moves through the confusion.
[Page 13 – Face to Face] [Panel 1]
Rain busts into penthouse. Cartel boss sits at a desk, waiting, cigar lit.
[Panel 2]
Rain (aiming gun): You remember me? Cartel Boss: I meet a lot of nobodies.
[Panel 3]
Rain: I'm the last nobody you'll ever meet.
[Panel 4]
Gunfight erupts. Rain takes a shot to the shoulder, falls back.
[Page 14 – Boss Fight Intensifies] [Panel 1]
Rain dives behind a granite column as bullets chip away at it.
[Panel 2]
Rain grits his teeth, pops out, fires a headshot that just misses. The boss ducks and returns fire.
[Panel 3]
Boss (grinning): Thought you were the boogeyman? You bleed like the rest.
[Panel 4]
Rain lunges across cover, grabs a downed goon's shotgun. Rain: Keep talking.
[Page 15 – Last Stand] [Panel 1]
Rain charges, blasts through furniture, gets within feet of the boss.
[Panel 2]
Boss throws a flash grenade. It blinds Rain — he stumbles.
[Panel 3]
Boss tackles Rain. They wrestle on the floor. Gun skids away.
[Panel 4]
Rain elbows boss in the jaw, rolls over, but he's dazed. Blood everywhere.
[Page 16 – The Escape] [Panel 1]
Rain sees the shattered window behind the boss.
[Panel 2]
Boss: Thought you'd make it out? This city eats men like you.
[Panel 3]
Rain headbutts the boss, runs for the window.
[Panel 4]
Gunfire from behind. Glass explodes. Rain jumps.
[Page 17 – The Fall] [Panel 1]
Blood streaming. He stares at the stars.
[Panel 2]
Rain (internal): Mom… Dad… hope I made it far enough.
[Panel 3]
Stars begin to vanish above him.
[Panel 4]
Rain: …What the fuck?
[Panel 5]
Final panel — total blackness. Narration: They're gone.
[Final Page]
Cut to the Moon.
A glowing figure watches Earth.
Figure: The fool saw it. He's ready.
TITLE SPLASH: DEAD STAR