sib1x17
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.

[previous | bottom]
        14     INT. CIEGUE'S CAR. MORNING.                             14

               Ciegue shuffles along the backseat of the car, its windows
               darkened, before realising the car isn't moving.

                                   CIEGUE
                         Why aren't we moving?

                                   VAIL
                         There's, uh, someone outside, sir.

                                   CIEGUE
                         And?

               Ciegue turns round in the seat and peers out through the
               darkened glass. A smile crosses his face.

                                   CIEGUE (cont'd)
                         Well, well, well..
                             (to Amzin)
                         Wait here. And keep the engine
                         running, I won't be long.

        15     EXT. BURNSBOROUGH - STREET. MORNING.                    15

               Ciegue steps out of the car, smoothing his long black leather
               jacket down as he calmly steps up to face Chris.

                                   CIEGUE
                         Hello again, Chris. It's been what,
                         four years?

                                   CHRIS
                         Not long enough. I don't know what
                         you're doing here, Ciegue, but
                         don't expect to carry it on any
                         longer.

                                   CIEGUE
                         I'm sorry, was that a threat? I
                         hear so many of those these days,
                         it's hard to tell.
                             (smiles)
                         Walk away, Chris. You know you
                         can't beat me.

                                   CHRIS
                         Not a chance.

                                   CIEGUE
                         Very well.
                             (beckons Chris forward)
                         Let's get this started.

               Chris takes a few cautious steps forward, then leaps in with
               a swing of his blade - which Ciegue effortlessly catches in
               mid-air. 

               Quick as a cobra, he punches Chris hard in the chest three
               times, before grabbing his sword arm, twisting him round and
               throwing him against the house next to them. 

               Chris SLAMS into the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster and
               bricks, and clatters to the floor. 

               Dazed, he can't react as Ciegue marches over, grabs him by
               the throat and lifts him up, spinning round and throwing
               against the house opposite them. 

               Chris crashes to the floor again, his lips red with blood as
               he coughs, clutching his wounded chest and wincing with pain. 

               Ciegue kneels down in front of him, not even out of breath.

                                   CIEGUE (cont'd)
                         You won't listen, will you? You
                         can't stop me, Chris, and you know
                         it. Now, I'd better be going. Maybe
                         I'll see you around. Although, if I
                         do, I'll have to kill you.

               With that, Ciegue stands and climbs back into the car which
               revs its engine and pulls away, leaving the bruised and
               bloody Chris slumped on the ground. 

               After a few beats, Donald wheels frantically into frame.

                                   DONALD
                         Chris! What happened?

                                   CHRIS
                             (coughing)
                         Just catching up.. with an old
                         acquaintance..

               Chris picks his sword up off the floor and uses it to help
               himself stand. Donald looks on, concerned.

                                   DONALD
                         Looks like you had a few choice
                         words to say to each other.. Are
                         you sure you're okay?

                                   CHRIS
                             (snaps)
                         I'm fine. Let's get moving.

               Chris walks off again, wincing with every other step. Donald
               waits a moment, not sure what to make of things.

        16     INT. BAR. MORNING.                                      16

               Crane, Danyael and Twist walk into a moderately-sized,
               darkened bar, with soft background music piping out of an old
               fashioned jukebox in one corner. The clientele is sparse and
               mainly young, sulky looking men, with a handful of old
               regulars propping up one corner of the bar. 

               Crane nods to the barman, who reaches under the counter and
               flips a hidden switch. Crane motions for Danyael and Twist to
               follow as she walks through the 'Staff Only' door around the
               corner from the bar.

        17     INT. BAR - CORRIDOR. MORNING.                           17

               The trio walk down a set of steps before coming to a heavy
               iron door. Crane raps on it twice, and a shutter opens to
               show a pair of eyes peering out at her.

                                   MAN BEHIND DOOR
                         Oh, hey, Crane. Who're these two?

                                   CRANE
                         True believers.

                                   MAN BEHIND DOOR
                         Okay, hold up.

               The shutter closes, and with the CLUNK of several bolts
               sliding across, the door swings open.

        18     INT. REBEL CELL. MORNING.                               18

               Holding the door open inside the large room beyond is REYES,
               a tall vampire with short brown hair and a white

               shirt over blue jeans. He nods to Danyael and Twist as they
               enter, and Twist scans the room. The underground room is
               large and spacious, with a pool table, TV and set of sofas,
               two fridges, a clunky old radio transmitter mounted on a
               rickety desk, and about eight more vampires milling around
               inside. Reyes lights a cigarette as he closes the door.

                                   REYES
                         You must be Danyael, right? I'm
                         Reyes, I'm in charge round here.

               They shake hands. Reyes offers Danyael a cigarette, and he
               takes it.

                                   TWIST
                         So this is how you Maryland rebels
                         do things, huh? Nice. There's a
                         bunch of guys that could take a few
                         lessons in luxuries off you..

                                   REYES
                         We have an arrangement with the bar
                         staff upstairs. We keep an eye on
                         the streets, look out for the
                         civilians, they keep us stocked up
                         on what we need and don't give us
                         any trouble.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Good deal. Shame there aren't more
                         places like this.

                                   CRANE
                         We're doing our best! Reyes, these
                         two are in town with Chris
                         Berkeley.

                                   REYES
                         Really? The Chris Berkeley?

                                   TWIST
                         Yeah, him. Why does everybody call
                         him that? It's not like he's a
                         fricken superhero or anything!

                                   REYES
                         Heh, you two must be his sidekicks,
                         right? I can spot the inferiority
                         complex a mile away.

               Twist grits her teeth but Danyael just chuckles, taking a
               bottle of beer offered by another vampire.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Chris wanted us to come and
                         introduce ourselves, he's trying to
                         re-establish the old links set up
                         by Spice and her cell over in
                         Seattle.

                                   CRANE
                         Spice? Isn't she..

                                   TWIST
                         Dead, yeah. That's kind of why
                         we're doing this. Keeping the dream
                         alive, you know?

                                   REYES
                         Well, I guess Crane's filled you in
                         on our little problem round here..

               Reyes walks towards a whiteboard fixed to one wall, with a
               map of Burnsborough drawn across it and glossy photos
               highlighting marked out locations.

                                   DANYAEL
                         The gangster family in town, yeah.

                                   REYES
                         They took out a lot of the original
                         rebels lodging round here before
                         the rest of us moved in, by now
                         they've got their claws into most
                         of the east side of this place.
                         They control the docks that lead
                         out to sea and to the freeway on
                         the far side of town.

                                   TWIST
                         So shipping in reinforcements isn't
                         a problem for them, huh?

                                   CRANE
                         Got it in one.

                                   REYES
                         We've been looking for a way to
                         shut them down for some time now,
                         hopefully you guys can help us do
                         that.

                                   DANYAEL
                         What makes you think us three will
                         make a difference?

                                   CRANE
                         You're kidding, right? We've heard
                         all about what you guys have been
                         doing. That riot in Houston, all
                         those rebel cells getting attacked
                         in Atlanta and Minnesota.. you guys
                         are like living legends!

                                   TWIST
                             (mock aloofness)
                         Well, one doesn't like to boast..

                                   DANYAEL
                         That's very flattering, but, uh, we
                         should wait till Chris shows up.

                                   TWIST
                         You've got no spirit for adventure,
                         you know that? Look, I'm sure
                         wherever Chris is right now, he can
                         take care of himself just fine
                         without us.

        19     INT. HOUSE - FRONT ROOM. MORNING.                       19

               Chris flops down into frame, sitting on an old sofa and
               rubbing his aching ribs. Donald manoeuvres through the inside
               of the house with difficulty, tearing down 'Police Line'
               yellow tape that covers one doorway.

                                   DONALD
                         Through here's where they found the
                         body, it was-
                             (beat; sees Chris)
                         Look, are you sure you're alright?

                                   CHRIS
                         I'll be okay. I just had the wind
                         knocked out of me a little is all.

                                   DONALD
                         Looks like you had more than just
                         the wind knocked out! What exactly
                         happened? I heard the sounds of you
                         fighting someone, then a car drives
                         away and I find you like this!

                                   CHRIS
                         I'll explain it all later. Show me
                         what happened in here first.

        20     INT. HOUSE - BACK ROOM. MORNING.                        20

               Chris and Donald step through the doorway. Most of the
               furniture in the room is covered with white dust sheets, and
               a chalk outline has been drawn on the carpeted floor. Red
               stains still mark the grey fabric, and Chris kneels down to
               take a closer look.

                                   DONALD
                         The victim's name was Eric Harper,
                         single guy in his thirties, worked
                         down at the local meat packing
                         warehouse as a forklift driver.
                         Normal guy, nothing remarkable
                         about him at all. No criminal
                         record, heck, not even a parking
                         fine.

                                   CHRIS
                         Model citizen. What was the cause
                         of death?

                                   DONALD
                         Massive wounds to the chest and
                         abdomen, made by a serrated weapon
                         and a rushed, clumsy hand.
                         Seems the attacker barged in here,
                         sliced the guy open, extracted a
                         handful of organs and then split.
                         That was three weeks ago, there've
                         been six more cases since then.

               Chris lays a hand on the bloodstain and closes his eyes, a
               soft mauve glow starting to form beneath his outstretched
               palm. Donald leans forward in his chair, trying to get a
               better look.

                                   DONALD (cont'd)
                         What's that?

                                   CHRIS
                         I'm seeing what I can pick up.. if
                         there are any traces of demon or
                         monster activity, I may be able to
                         pick up a trail.

                                   DONALD
                         Heh, you've sure learned a few
                         tricks since last time we met..

                                   CHRIS
                         Perk of the job, plenty of time to
                         learn.

               Chris opens his eyes and stands, shaking his head.

                                   DONALD
                         Nothing?

                                   CHRIS
                         The scent's too faint, I'll need to
                         see a fresher site. Where were the
                         other attacks?

                                   DONALD
                         Three more inside people's homes,
                         one who was a nightwatchmen and two
                         more out in the woods just past
                         town limits.

                                   CHRIS
                         Tourists?

                                   DONALD
                         Nope, that's the other funny thing.
                         Everyone was a local, they'd been
                         living here their whole lives. The
                         victims in the woods were a married
                         couple out camping, it was their
                         wedding anniversary. That was one
                         of the more recent ones, shall we
                         head out there?

                                   CHRIS
                         I need to catch up with Twist and
                         Danyael first, see what they've
                         been able to find out.

                                   DONALD
                         No problem, there's a bar down the
                         road, we can arrange for them to
                         meet us there.

               Donald reverses out of the room and Chris follows, casting
               one last look round the room. We pan back down to look at the
               bloodstained carpet again, before we:

        21     INT. WAREHOUSE. DAY.                                    21

               SLAM! The lid of a dirty-looking packing crate slams down
               into frame, and as we pull back we take in the box that it
               has sealed, and the line of other crates next to it. 

               A regular little assembly line is running, with rows of
               demons and humans packing sealed bags into the crates,
               sealing them and showing them down a ramp leading off screen,
               out of the warehouse. 

               We stay on the scene for a few moments before we:

        22     INT. BAR. DAY.                                          22

               Chris holds the bar door open as Donald wheels in, the two
               men in the same bar that houses the rebels downstairs. 

               Donald taps on the bar, and shakes hands with the bartender,
               nodding to the older regulars at the bar and exchanging a few
               greetings.

                                   DONALD
                         Everybody in town knows where this
                         place is, it's the accepted meeting
                         place.

               Donald nods thanks as the bartender places a bottle of beer
               down on the counter, which he stretches up to grab. Chris
               raises an eyebrow, chuckles and shakes his head as a new song
               starts on the jukebox - it' 'White Wedding' by Billy Idol.

               Chris turns round - he knows somebody who harbours an
               obsession with this particular song..

               And there's Twist, eyes closed, tapping her fingers on the
               side of the jukebox, nodding her head along with the tune as
               Chris steps into frame.

                                   CHRIS
                         I might have known I'd find you
                         here..

               Twist jumps, startles, then relaxes as she sees Chris.

                                   TWIST
                         I told you to stop lurking on
                         people like that! Somebody could..
                             (notices his bruises)
                         What the heck happened to you? Have
                         you been fighting with the other
                         girls again?

                                   CHRIS
                         I ran into some trouble. What did
                         you and Danyael find out?

                                   TWIST
                         Oo, you're gonna love this. Come
                         on.

               Twist grabs Chris' hand and leads him round to the staff
               entrance. Donald raises his beer to Chris as he passes.

        23     INT. REBEL CELL. DAY.                                   23

               Chris looks up at the whiteboard, matching up the marked
               locations with what he knows. Reyes stands next to him, a
               proud look on his face. Chris notices and turns to him.

                                   CHRIS
                         Is something the matter?

                                   REYES
                         What? Uh, no, why should there be?

                                   CHRIS
                         You've just been giving me a rather
                         odd look..

                                   REYES
                         Sorry. It's just not every day I
                         meet a hero like yourself, you
                         know? Most of the time, us rebels,
                         we're kind of flying against the
                         wind out there. Nice to know we've
                         got guys like you on our side.

               Twist drapes an arm round Chris' shoulders.

                                   TWIST
                         Careful, pal, he doesn't handle
                         compliments too well!

                                   CHRIS
                         These sites, are they gangland
                         activity?

                                   REYES
                         Yeah, as best as we can pinpoint.

                                   CHRIS
                         Interesting..

                                   TWIST
                         I can almost hear the plan
                         forming..

                                   CHRIS
                         I know where to find the gangsters.
                         And I think it's about time we put
                         a stop to their work out here.

               Reyes grins, but Chris' eyes are full of determination as he
               stares at the board.

                                                          CUT TO BLACK:



                                   END OF ACT TWO
                                      ACT THREE

                                                               FADE IN:

        24     INT. DEMON BAR. DAY.                                    24

               We're inside another bar inside the town, but this one has a
               very different clientele - demons and their human colleagues
               sit around the bar and in the booths, raucous laughter and
               chatter sounding over the jukebox. 

               The door swings open and all talk stops - visitors aren't
               welcome round here.

               Standing framed in the doorway is Twist, saved from the
               sunlight by the clouds overhead but dressed in a sharp,
               charcoal grey business suit, her hair pulled back in a tight
               ponytail. She carries a briefcase and wears shades which she
               pushes down her nose to scan the bar with a grin.

                                   TWIST
                         Ah, this must be the place.

                                   ON SCENE
                         Twist marches boldly into the room,
                         the stunned people inside just
                         watching her as she takes a seat at
                         the bar, laying her briefcase down
                         beside her. She looks around at the
                         faces studying her.

                                   TWIST
                         So! Who's a girl gotta eat to get a
                         drink around here?

               The bartender, a burly, red-skinned demon called VARG, steps
               into frame.

                                   VARG
                         This ain't the place for you,
                         little girl. Best pick yourself up
                         and get out of here.

                                   TWIST
                             (innocently)
                         Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I could've
                         sworn this was the place to get in
                         on the action with the Balkor
                         family..

               A murmur passes round the bar. Two large men step into frame
               next to Twist.

                                   BURLY MAN
                         You tryin' to make us an offer?

                                   DEMON
                         Heh, hope you brought us something
                         to keep us interested..
                             (looks her up and down)
                         .. besides yourself, anyways..

               Twist just smiles again and picks up her briefcase, laying it
               flat on the bar. She flips the locks and opens it - to reveal
               four little KITTENS, mewling as they scrabble around inside. 

               The Burly Man raises an eyebrow but as he looks across to his
               Demon friend, he sees the brown-scaled fiend licking his lips
               and eyeing the critters hungrily. Twist carefully closes the
               briefcase.

                                   TWIST
                         Now then, boys, before we start
                         breaking out the plates and
                         cutlery, let's talk business. Why
                         don't you start by filling me in on
                         exactly what kind of a racket you
                         guys are running around here,
                         starting with what the link is to
                         the poor townsfolk who keep showing
                         up in pieces..

               The man and demon exchange another look.

        25     INT. HILLSIDE NEAR DOCKS. DAY.                          25

               Chris steps into frame, standing on top of a hill overlooking
               the docks we saw earlier on. The drizzle of rain is still
               falling and the waves beyond the docks are thick with mist,
               but we can see the rows of old warehouses and piles of
               packing crates, with a large cargo lifter rolling up and down
               the rows. Chris starts down towards the jetties and walkways
               below.

        26     INT. DOCKS. DAY.                                        26

               We can see Chris at the far end of the frame as three men
               walk past in the foreground, chattering. Chris steals between
               two small wooden buildings, staying out of sight.

               Pressed flat against the wall of one of the buildings, he
               edges forward until he can hear footsteps, and he hunches
               down, poised and ready. 

               We hear the flare of a cigarette lighting, then a stocky
               demon walks past, whistling tunelessly. He doesn't see Chris,
               who waits a moment more then darts forward to reach one of
               the other warehouses, ducking down as the large cargo lifter
               rolls past nearby. 

               We can hear the clunks and whirrs of machinery inside the
               warehouse, and with a stolen look left and right Chris forces
               the door open and ducks inside.

        27     INT. DOCKS - WAREHOUSE. DAY.                            27

               The sound of machinery is much louder in here, and we can see
               conveyor belts filled with large packing crates rolling past
               us. Demons and humans dressed in plain red overalls are
               loading the boxes onto the belts, others are depositing white
               plastic bags inside and others are taking them out towards
               the jetty through large open doors at the far end of the
               warehouse. 

               Chris stays close to cover as he edges forward, ducking back
               as two workers wander past, then getting close enough to
               reach one of the crates. 

               With a quick heave, he lifts it straight off the moving
               conveyor and lays it down gently on the floor, round a corner
               and out of sight from the main shop floor. Chris wrenches the
               lid off and looks down into the contents.

               It's filled with white plastic bags, and Chris reaches in and
               tears one of them open. Before we can see what's inside, we
               cut back to:

               Looking up from the floor again, his eyes widen as he sees
               the contents. With a sad shake of his head, he jams the lid
               back down on the crate and lifts it again, moving off screen
               with it.

        28     INT. DEMON BAR. DAY.                                    28

               Twist is sat in a booth now, and she looks up as a chubby
               demon squeezed into a well-tailored suit shuffles in to sit
               opposite her. This is OREN BALKOR, one of the higher ranked
               members of the crime family moving in on Burnsborough. He's
               short and fat with a bald head and very dark skin, with a
               tortoiseshell-like pattern running across his skin. He lights
               up a fat cigar as a muscular human bodyguard stands by the
               booth, arms folded.

                                   OREN
                         So, you're the chick with the cats?

                                   TWIST
                         That's me. The name's Loren. Sophia
                         Loren.

                                   OREN
                         Like the actress?

               Twist hesitates - she probably should have picked a different
               alias..

                                   TWIST
                         Er, yeah. I hear you're the man I
                         need to speak to if I want to get
                         in on the business in this town.

                                   OREN
                             (chuckles)
                         The 'business' ain't for people
                         like you, sweetheart. Why should we
                         let you in on any of this.

               Twist closes her eyes. When she reopens them, they've turned
               the blood red of a vampire, and she grins, showing her fangs.
               Oren nods, looking impressed.

                                   TWIST
                         Let's just say I've got an interest
                         in what you're doing. And I'm
                         hungry.

                                   OREN
                         Haven't worked with a vampire for a
                         while. There's this half-vamp guy
                         who moves around a lot, can't
                         remember his name now.. Malkum,
                         Markuth, something like that. You
                         know him?

                                   TWIST
                             (coldly)
                         It's Malkuth. And yeah, I know him.
                         Can we get back to our business?

                                   OREN
                         Eager, ain'tcha? Okay, missy, let's
                         see what we can do. What can you
                         bring to our organisation if we cut
                         you in on a piece of it?

                                   TWIST
                         Way I see it, you guys need people
                         on your team who can keep supplying
                         you with fresh merchandise. No
                         offence to the guys sneaking round
                         at the moment hacking people open,
                         but they're..

                                   OREN
                         Dumb?

                                   TWIST
                         I was going to say 'inelegant,' but
                         yeah, they're being pretty dumb
                         about it too. You need someone with
                         a little more grace..

               Twist's eyes fall down to the cutlery on the table, and she
               snatches up a knife. Spinning it, blade point first, on her
               finger a few times, she then snaps out with her other hand
               and GRABS Oren's wrist. 

               His eyes widen as she gently forces his palm down onto the
               tabletop, spreading his fingers out. Twist rests the knife
               down between two of his outstretched fingers.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         .. and I'm the girl for the job.

               Slowly at first, then rapidly building up speed, she starts
               to STAB the knife down between each of the gaps between his
               fingers, playing a high speed game of pinfinger that only
               someone with her vampire reflexes could manage. 

               Oren is frozen to the spot, a whimper escaping his lips as
               Twist's hand becomes a blur, before she finishes, calmly
               laying the knife back down on the table and releasing Oren's
               hand. He snatches it back up, rubbing his wrist, but a grin
               creeps across his face.

                                   OREN
                         You're hired.

                                   TWIST
                             (smiles)
                         Groovy. Okay, here are my terms. I
                         work at night, alone, and I get to
                         pick my targets. All I need you to
                         do is tell me where to pick up my
                         money.

                                   OREN
                         You don't waste any time, do ya? We
                         work out a few old warehouses down
                         by the docks, but the headquarters
                         is in the old harbour master's
                         office. Since we moved in, we don't
                         get any trouble round there.

               Oren grins and chomps down on his cigar, and Twist grins
               back, maintaining her cover.
[top | previous | next]

Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.