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21 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - SECOND FLOOR STAIRWELL - NEXT. 21
The BARKS and HOWLS of the horde of dogs reverberates
throughout the building as several groups of panicking
students shove past Chris and Danyael, racing up the stairs.
Chris grabs one as she passes.
CHRIS
How many are there?
STUDENT
(shaken)
W-What-
CHRIS
The dogs! How many are inside?
STUDENT
Uh, I don't know, maybe a dozen?
I... they...
CHRIS
Get to safety, we'll take it from
here.
Chris pushes the girl towards Danyael.
CHRIS (cont'd)
Take her and anyone else who comes
past up to the top floor.
DANYAEL
Will do. Hey, wait - you're not
going down there by yourself, are
you?
Chris reaches into his jacket - and draws his katana with a
quick SWISH.
CHRIS
I'll have a close friend to hand.
He bounces down the stairwell as Danyael starts shouting for
the incoming students to carry on up the stairs.
22 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - FIRST FLOOR - NEXT. 22
Chris hits the bottom of the stairs - and there are already
several bodies littering the floor. No sign of any dogs, but
distant CRASHES and SHOUTS of alarm tell him they're nearby.
Sword at the ready, he paces towards a large set of fire
doors that will seal off the first floor if locked.
His footsteps are almost silent as he pads over, another CRY
for help echoing down the hall towards him.
He reaches up for the fire doors, carefully pushing the heavy
bolts into place. The first slides into its home with a loud
CLICK, and Chris winces, checking that nothing heard that.
After a beat, he starts to slide the second - just as another
huge DOG throws itself at the door from the other side!
Chris shouts in alarm and stumbles backward - and the door
begins to buckle as the dog launches itself again.
Chris jumps to his feet and tries to seal the lock - but the
dog is shaking the door too much, and Chris can't line up the
bolt!
With a final GRUNT of effort, he slams the lock into place
and the door stands firm - despite more dogs joining the
first, throwing themselves again and again against it.
Chris stands back, breathing a sigh of relief - and hears a
low GROWL from behind him.
He slowly turns round - and there are two huge DOBERMANS
staring at him. They're side by side, about ten feet away,
their eyes locked on Chris as they snarl at him.
CHRIS
Now's not the time to try 'good
dog,' is it?
The first Doberman advances a step, and Chris tenses up,
raising his sword.
He narrows his eyes, sizing them up - and he looks like he
feels he can take these two.
The second Doberman starts to trot forward - but as Chris
advances a step to meet it, three more dogs round the corner
behind him.
He's looks from one group of dogs to the other - and sees
that he's cut off from the stairwell.
CHRIS (cont'd)
(mutters)
Bollocks.
He stays put as the dogs close in, keeping his eyes on the
dobermans. He crouches, ready for their attack...
TWIST (O.S.)
Chris! Look out!
He spins round - and Twist is standing at the foot of the
stairwell, a burning MOLOTOV COCKTAIL in her hands!
Chris just has enough time to DIVE out of the way as she
THROWS it towards the nearest pack of dogs.
The cocktail EXPLODES into flames as it hits the ground,
driving the dogs back to a chorus of angry BARKS.
Chris gets to his feet as Twist races over, swinging her bat
and knocking one of the dobermans out of the way.
CHRIS
What the hell are you doing here? I
told you to stay upstairs!
TWIST
Yeah, but when Spook said you'd
come down here by yourself, I did a
little math and worked out you were
almost definitely in trouble.
She glances from the spreading flames to the dobermans.
TWIST (cont'd)
Was I wrong?
Chris saves his retort for another day as the duo run back
towards the stairwell.
Twist looks alarmed as she sees the fire she started rapidly
spiral out of control, as the flames spread along the dorm
room doors and across the ceiling.
TWIST (cont'd)
Uh, Chris?
CHRIS
Not now!
They race up the stairs - and are soon followed by more dogs,
led by the remaining Doberman!
23 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - THIRD FLOOR STAIRWELL - NEXT. 23
Danyael paces anxiously outside the fire doors, a crowd of
shivering, terrified students gathered nearby.
He looks up as Chris and Twist barrel towards the doors,
holding them open.
TWIST
Spook! Close the doors! Close the
doors!
DANYAEL
What?
CHRIS
After we're through them!
Danyael leans back as Twist and Chris dive through the open
doors - and his eyes widen as he sees an army of dogs
barreling up the stairwell towards him.
DANYAEL
Oh, crap!
He SLAMS the door closed, and Chris adds his weight to keep
it closed as Twist reaches up and bolts it shut.
All three are knocked back by the force of the wave of dogs
SLAMMING into the door, and the students huddle further away
for safety, some SOBBING with fear now.
DANYAEL (cont'd)
What happened to 'sealing them off
at the first floor?'
CHRIS
That plan hit a slight hitch.
The FIRE ALARM goes off, the siren wailing throughout the
entire building. Twist looks sheepishly to Danyael.
TWIST
Actually, better make that two
hitches...
CHRIS
Come on, let's get back to Julie
and try to figure a way out of
here.
Chris gets up and marches towards their room, as Twist and
Danyael hang back to speak to the scared students.
TWIST
Uh... everybody just stay here and
be cool, okay? We're gonna sort
something out.
STUDENT #2
Who are you people?
DANYAEL
Animal control.
STUDENT #3
What's going on down there? Where
did all those dogs come from?
STUDENT #4
Is there a fire? Shouldn't we be,
like, getting out?
DANYAEL
Once we find a way out that skips
the packs of killer dogs, then...
yeah.
That doesn't help the student's mood, and Twist pulls him
back.
TWIST
Oh, way to ease their minds!
DANYAEL
What? We can't have them thinking
they can get out that way, one of
them could open the door and then
we're all dog food!
He's right. Twist pouts, then points towards Chris' room.
TWIST
Come on. We need a new plan.
DANYAEL
Yeah, that seems to be happening a
lot lately.
They glance back at the huddle of students, then step into:
24 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE DORM ROOM - NEXT. 24
Chris paces up and down as Twist peers out through the
windows - the sun is now setting outside. The fire alarm is
still ringing as Danyael crouches in one corner, lighting a
cigarette.
JULIE
Can't that wait?
DANYAEL
To be fair, it's not like I'm gonna
set off any more alarms.
Gabby is on the bed, sniffing at the book from the library.
CHRIS
Are there any buildings nearby we
can get to from the roof?
TWIST
Not without being able to leap tall
buildings in a single bound.
(sighs)
Where's a good rooftop chase when
you need one?
CHRIS
Can we contact the emergency
services? Maybe they can get an air
ambulance to the roof?
Julie looks up as distant SIRENS can be heard.
JULIE
Sounds like they're on the same
wavelength as you. They'll probably
get to that before too long.
CHRIS
We don't have much time. That fire
on the first floor's going to
spread to this floor very quickly.
We only managed to close one set of
fire doors between us and the blaze
itself.
TWIST
Alright, let's start with what we
know.
A beat. She looks around at the others.
TWIST (cont'd)
That's a hint for somebody to make
a better suggestion.
DANYAEL
Fire's spreading up from the first
floor, and we're on the third,
right?
TWIST
Guilty as charged. In my defence, I
was trying to help. Plus, fire is
kind of cool.
CHRIS
I may be able to do something about
the fire, but I'd need time to
prepare a spell, and that's not
exactly on the agenda if I'm going
to be fighting off rabid dogs along
the way.
DANYAEL
There's dogs between us and the
fire, who are gonna be waiting for
us even with the fire behind them.
Right?
CHRIS
Looks that way. Whatever's
influencing these dogs to act in
this way isn't giving them much
pause for thought concerning their
own safety.
TWIST
Heh, 'pause' for thought!
Everyone turns to her, and she rolls her eyes.
TWIST (cont'd)
Pause. Paws. Chris made a pun.
(beat)
Humour helps at times like this,
you know!
DANYAEL
So... we've got no way to go down,
nowhere else to go up and nowhere
to go once we're on the roof... is
that everything?
CHRIS
I'm afraid so.
Danyael nods, taking a deep drag of his cigarette.
JULIE
Is a brilliant plan following that
little brainwave?
DANYAEL
Hell, no. Far as I can see, we're
screwed. I just wanted to make sure
I wasn't forgetting anything.
Chris steps over to the bed and lifts the book.
CHRIS
And all for this... I'm beginning
to wonder if this was worth the
trip.
JULIE
Well, you will have us go-
There's a sudden FLARE of light, and everyone stumbles
backwards, raising their arms against the glare as the room
is filled with brilliant light.
It fades quickly away - and standing in the middle of the
room is Kate! She SNATCHES the book out of Chris's surprised
hands and SHOVES him to the ground.
KATE
Thanks. Couldn't have found this
without ya.
She darts towards the door - Julie gets in her way but is
PUNCHED for her trouble, and Twist is too slow to catch her
as she races out into the corridor.
TWIST
What the hell just happened?
CHRIS
(getting up)
I think things just became a little
clearer...
Danyael helps the winded Julie back up.
DANYAEL
Where did she come from? Did she
zap herself in here or something?
Julie looks round and notices that the cat has gone - and
closes her eyes, cursing as she puts the pieces together.
JULIE
She was the cat, Danyael. It was
her all along.
DANYAEL
Oh.
(beat)
Wait, what?
CHRIS
Twist, Danyael, get after her!
Twist nods and grabs Danyael as she tears out of the room.
JULIE
That girl was the cat... right?
CHRIS
(nods)
Whoever she is, I'm willing to bet
she's the reason those animals are
attacking us. If we stop her, maybe
they'll leave.
JULIE
Yeah, but that still leaves us the
problem of the Towering Inferno
sequel we're stuck in!
There's a loud CRASH from off screen, and the sounds of the
barking dogs suddenly becomes much louder - followed by the
anguished CRIES of the gathered students.
CHRIS
(darkly)
I think that just became a
secondary problem.
He steps over to the doorway - and sees a pack of dogs racing
down the corridor towards him.
Chris grits his teeth and draws his sword again - and as the
closest dog LEAPS into the air towards him, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
25 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - STAIRWELL - EARLY EVENING. 25
Kate rounds a corner, heading for the last flight if stairs
before she hits the roof, and as she clatters out of frame
Twist and Danyael turn into view, in hot pursuit.
TWIST
What kind of thief disguises
herself as a damn cat?
DANYAEL
A cat burglar?
Twist shoots Danyael a glare and he wisely shuts up.
TWIST
D'you bring my bat?
DANYAEL
I thought you had it!
TWIST
(scolds)
Danyael!
DANYAEL
Hey, you're the one who dragged me
out after this chick! I can't think
of everything!
Twist scowls as she concentrates on the pursuit, reaching the
final set of fire doors and shoving through them.
26 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - THIRD FLOOR CORRIDOR - NEXT. 26
Chris is fighting his way through the horde of dogs, trying
to keep them from getting to the dorm room where Julie is,
his katana flashing left and right as the frenzied animals
throw themselves at him.
One latches onto his arm as its powerful jaws clamp down, and
Chris SHOUTS in pain.
A Second dog gets close enough to sink its fangs into his
leg, and Chris stumbles backwards, trying to get his sword up
as the wall of dogs rushes towards him...
VOICE (O.S.)
Stop!
As one, the dogs freeze. Chris carefully opens on eye and
sees they've all stopped, inches away from him.
VOICE (O.S.) (cont'd)
Release him.
The two dogs biting into Chris dutifully let go and step
back, and a disbelieving Chris rises slowly to his feet.
Standing a little way back down the corridor is the man who
was pursuing Kate earlier, the Doberman Chris ran from
standing obediently at his side.
Chris winces as he checks his injuries, blood already
dripping from his arm.
CHRIS
I'd offer you my thanks, but I have
the feeling you didn't call them
off because you were feeling
charitable.
The man shakes his head, and Chris takes one slow step back,
away from the dogs. The dorm room door opens a crack and
Julie peeks out.
JULIE
Chris?
CHRIS
Stay inside, Julie. It's not safe
out here.
PURSUER #1
Actually, you're both perfectly
safe. As long as you give me the
book.
Chris and Julie swap glances as we cut to:
27 EXT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - ROOFTOP - NEXT. 27
Twist kicks open the door leading onto the roof, peering out
to make sure the sun is safely down before venturing outside.
She looks out across the campus - the flashing red and blue
lights of incoming emergency service vehicles light up the
horizon, and smoke rising from the lower half of the halls
itself has attracted a crowd of anxious students.
The rooftop is empty, however, as Twist and Danyael look
round for any sign of Kate.
DANYAEL
Where'd she go?
TWIST
I don't know...
DANYAEL
Well, we're dealing with somebody
who appears to be able to hide
herself by turning into an animal,
I guess it's a fair bet to assume
she can fly. Or at the very least,
glide.
KATE (O.S.)
Oh, I can do more than that,
sweetheart.
Danyael spins round - just as a bolt of blue energy SLAMS
into him, blasting him off his feet!
Kate steps into view from behind one of the rooftop's several
ventilation shafts, her palm raised and the book tucked
safely under her other arm.
TWIST
Oh, shooting my boy in the back,
now? You're just a bad little
kitty, aren't you?
KATE
Please. As if today hasn't been bad
enough, now I've got to put up with
more of your jokes? I think I'd
rather still be a cat.
The two girls start to circle each other, Twist glancing down
at Danyael as he groans and tries to pick himself up.
TWIST
So how does that work, anyway? You
sneak into our van so we'll take
you in and hide you from whoever's
sending those dogs after you, just
so you can steal that book?
KATE
Pretty much. I'd say you're quite
the detective, but to be fair, my
six-year-old brother could have
worked it out by now.
TWIST
Oh, so I see you actually want me
to find a way to insert your hands
into your face. Keep up with the
insults, friesacher, I'm gonna
enjoy turning you into modern art.
Kate grins and SNAPS her fingers - and a ball of FLAME forms
around her hand! Twist looks understandably less confident.
TWIST (cont'd)
Uh...
Kate THROWS the fireball at her, and Twist DIVES out of the
way as it slams into the rooftop - narrowly missing the
recovering Danyael!
He stumbles backwards, away from the pool of flames - and
very nearly staggers right off the rooftop!
He has a brief Vertigo moment as he looks down to the drop
below, before turning back to see Twist and Kate still
circling each other.
TWIST (cont'd)
So how's this going to end,
exactly? You don't have an escape
route that I can see here.
KATE
There's ways I can go. I could drop
the book off the roof, turn into a
bird, fly down and snatch it back
before it hits the ground, leaving
you and your buddies to either burn
or get eaten by those dogs.
(grins)
I'll probably stick around to see
that. You've had it coming. I mean,
come on... 'Gabriella'? What kind
of a name is that for a cat?
Twist CRACKS her knuckles and takes a step forward. Her eyes
flick to Danyael, who is quietly circling round behind Kate.
TWIST
So you've got your spells and your
magic to hide behind. That's cool,
must've taken you a long time to
learn all that, so I respect your
dedication. But have you ever been
in a real fight?
KATE
I don't see why I should-
TWIST
Here's the deal. Won't it make you
feel so much better if you take me
on without your fancy magic tricks?
If you beat me, you can feel even
more smug than you obviously
already do.
Kate narrows her eyes - and hasn't spotted Danyael creeping
up behind her yet.
KATE
What if you win?
TWIST
Hey, I'm gonna feel smug and
superior either way. It's a natural
talent. Therefore, I have nothing
to lose. So whaddya say?
Twist rolls up her shirt sleeves and beckons for Kate to step
up to the plate.
TWIST (cont'd)
Wanna prove to me you can win this
without magic?
Kate hesitates - then starts to lower the book as a grin
spreads across her face.
KATE
Alright, you've got-
TWIST
Now!!
Danyael LUNGES forward and gets his hands on the book, but
Kate spins round, plants a hand on his chest, and with a
thunderous BOOM Danyael is launched backwards...
... and he sails cleanly over the edge of the roof!
TWIST (cont'd)
Danyael!!
KATE
Still trying to trick me? That was
dumb. I hope your boyfriend lands-
POW! A furious Twist lands a punch across Kate's jaw,
splitting her lip.
Kate doesn't bother with a retort, KICKING back, and she and
Twist go toe to toe - Twist is a good fighter but Kate is
using her magic to balance things out, hurling short blasts
of red, crackling energy at Twist.
Kate finally connects with one of the blasts and Twist
stumbles backwards, looking up as Kate stands over her with a
fresh fireball in her hand.
KATE (cont'd)
You know what? I don't care if you
could beat me hand to hand. Using
magic is just so much... better.
She grins down at Twist, as we cut to:
28 INT. XAVIER RESIDENCE - THIRD FLOOR CORRIDOR - NEXT. 28
Julie steps out of the dorm room, her modified handgun raised
as she steps to Chris' side.
The Pursuer WHISTLES and the dogs back off, allowing the man
to walk forward. He offers his hand to Chris.
ASTON
My name's Aston Wood. I've been
after the girl who just stole that
book from you for some time. Sorry
you had to get caught up in the
chase.
Aston motions for Chris to look over his shoulder - and he
sees that the cluster of students who escaped to the third
floor have been left unharmed by the dogs.
ASTON (cont'd)
I managed to keep the people you'd
herded up here safe and sound. I
hope you appreciate that.
CHRIS
(icily)
Tell that to the people your dogs
killed on their way up here.
ASTON
Collateral damage. I'm truly sorry
for them, but as I'm sure you can
imagine, a pack of unruly animals
like that tend to get a little...
excitable.
Julie glances at Chris, but his eyes are locked on Aston.
CHRIS
So you just want the girl?
ASTON
She took something from us. Power
that isn't hers. She's a thief, and
we can't let her keep what doesn't
belong to her. Once we have the
girl, we'll be on our way.
CHRIS
What makes you think we're just
going to let you walk out of here
after all you've done?
Aston GRINS - and the Doberman by his side starts to SNARL on
command.
ASTON
Because we both know what's going
to happen if you get in my way.
Chris stares Aston out for a few beats - then steps to the
side, gesturing towards the stairwell behind him.
CHRIS
She went for the roof.
ASTON
Thank you. See how easy that was?
CHRIS
Don't make me regret standing
aside.
Aston flashes that same cool smile at him as he walks past
Chris, leaving the dogs where they are.
Julie keeps her gun trained on the dogs as Chris watches
Aston start to climb the stairs.
JULIE
Uh, Chris? What about the fire?
CHRIS
Go back into the room. In my bag,
there's a bag full of spell
components along with a small,
black book. Find the best water
spell you can with the ingredients
I have and do what you can about
the fire.
Chris starts to walk away - towards the stairs.
JULIE
What about- hey, wait! Where do you
think you're going?
CHRIS
To get my book back.
JULIE
Chris, wait! Chris!
Julie watches helplessly as Chris reaches the stairs, and we
cut to:
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