Witch Hunt

"Witch Hunt" is the eighth episode of *Daniel Kravitz, Chosen One (Volume 3)*, and the thirty-fourth installment of the series overall. It is the first half of a two-part story. It was performed on February 8, 2020 at MadLab theatre in Columbus, OH as the third segment of Show LVI. It was released as podcast episode 281.

Written by Nick Arganbright and Jerome Wetzel

Directed by Nick Arganbright

Previous episode: "Punch"

Next episode: "Deceit of Clay"

## **The Story**

For the third and final installment in a row, this episode begins before the intro. Two weeks ago, in York, Pennsylvania, a teenage girl named Anne Ackermann is walking through a not-so-nice part of town just before sunset. She makes the trek nearly every day, and this time carries an armload of books. Harassed by a gang member, she deflects and ducks into a physical rehabilitation center.

Nodding to the desk clerk, Anne, makes her way up to room 203, near the end of the hall, where Leavitt Halpern rests. Levi tells Annie she shouldn't have come. He saw the guy harassing her from his window. She gives him the books he asked for and picks up the stack he's done with. Annie asks when Levi might be out of here and back to school, and he says in a few weeks, once the bandages come off his face. She says it will be nice to have him back, as it's been almost a year since the accident that left him badly scarred. Annie says Levi is her only friend, and likes that he doesn't judge her. Levi replies that she's just about perfect.

As the sunsets, Annie rushes off back home, saying she'll see Levi tomorrow.

In the intro of the episode, it is established that the other characters do not know where Alexis Augustus Armentrout has gone.

Now, on the U.L.P. ranch in Kalispell, Montana, Kai Akane watches as Dawn Vaughn makes some adjustments to The Oracle. Kai asks Dawn if she's noticed the tension between Daniel Kravitz and Abby Reynolds lately. Dawn hasn't, and is offended to be asked. She's not the kind of girl who cares about such things. Finding out she's gay throws Kai for a loop, and Dawn scolds him for it.

They are interrupted as Abby orders Kai "to get down here." Dawn leaves, disappointed it wasn't Corey Addison calling.

Kai joins Abby, who has not-Josh Wallace handcuffed to a table. Kai hooks not-Josh up to a lie detector. Josh says the equipment isn't needed, he'll be happy to tell them whatever they want to know. Abby asks if not-Josh is Bertram Oswalt Babbit, and he says no, which Kai says is the truth. Abby doesn't believe it. Not-Josh says there are multiple personalities in his head, and he doesn't know who he is. He has rough memories of being Josh, but doesn't think he has Josh's soul, and doesn't think Bertram is one of the personalities.

In York, Daniel, Rufus Reginald Rochester, Grezit the Green, Alfredo, and Corey are at an abandoned construction site waiting for a contact. They've almost run out of leads looking for a book of Yiddish magic. Detective Porter shows up and gives them information about the extremely brutal slaughter of a gang. As Corey takes pictures of the files, Detective Porter lights a cigarette, allowing the enenra to appear. The group quickly makes him put it out, and the cop doesn't notice the being.

Porter also has files on the last two suspects, Annie and Levi. Porter is only too happy to hand off this kind of thing to them, though he's not sure these kids are involved, especially because Levi has been in physical therapy for a year and was in the hospital at the time. There were complaints of the gang harassing Annie, though. Corey immediately thinks Annie must be a witch. Alfredo says witches can be good or bad. Porter agrees to let Rufus text him follow-up questions and says he'll question the teenagers.

At the local high school, the final bell rings. Annie says hi to Levi, who returned to school that day looking pretty normal. Annie wants to come to his house after school, but he brushes her off and doesn't even want her to call. When she says she missed his face, he storms away.

Outside, Daniel and friends are crammed in a medium-sized U-haul van in the parking lot. Rufus hangs a listening device out the window to listen to Porter question Annie. Porter soon joins them and confirms Annie said nothing, but there have been numerous complaints to the police about the creepy van and they should leave. Corey wants to spy on Annie, and Rufus agrees she's the most likely suspect, though doesn't approve of Corey's lack of sympathy for the girl.

Hours later, back at the ranch, Abby and Kai are exhausted from interrogating not-Josh all day. Josh admits to being haunted by nightmares and memories he didn't understand, and says there's now a janitor mixed in, too. Josh wants to keep helping out at the ranch, which Abby says no to. Josh points out that he could have messed with them before now, but hasn't. Abby returns that she, Rufus, and Alexis Augustus Armentrout were suspicious of him from the beginning and have been watching him closely the whole time. Josh says that should back up his point that he hasn't done anything wrong, and she has no answer. Josh says he doesn't have anywhere else to go, and feels like this is where he belongs. Kai says he's telling the truth. Abby reluctantly decides to give up for the night and has Kai take Josh back to his cell.

In York, 9:30PM, Daniel and friends are outside Annie's house. A large shape seems to be moving in front of the streetlights. Annie appears and tells them to 'leave alone.' She's speaking strangely, and then lashes out to grab Daniel. Grezit attacks her and she melts and forms tendrils. Rufus recongizes this as a golem, and Alfredo says he doesn't have any magic to defend against such a thing. As the golem smashes their van, they realize it's protecting Annie. Lights come on in houses nearby, hearing the noise outside, and Rufus calls for a retreat while they figure out how to deal with the unexpected.

## **Guest Starring**

* Keith Jackson as Alfredo
* Dana Bauman as Corey Addison
* Sam Clements as Kai Akane
* Karen Perta as Dawn Vaughn and the enenra
* Nicolas Brunet as Leavitt Halpern
* Kristin Green as Anne Ackermann
* Chase McCants as Detective Porter
* Nick Arganbright as the golem
* Dallas Ray as the gang member

## **Trivia**

* Alexis Augustus Armentrout does not appear in this episode.
* The ranch scenes were written by Jerome, while the golem plot was penned by Nick.
* This script was originally called "Golem Part 1," then "Golem Part 1: Witch Hunt" before settling into its current title.
* In the original drafts, which were written before Joe Morales announced his exit, Alexis was featured heavily in both parts.
* Per Nick, "Witch Hunt" and its follow-up episode, "Deceit of Clay," were written as an attempt to do something akin to the *Batman: The Animated Series* episode "Heart of Ice," featuring Mr. Freeze as the villain, where the audience and the hero are sympathetic to his tragic plight.