sib3x01
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.

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                                       TEASER

               FADE IN:

         1     INT. RUN-DOWN BUILDING - NIGHT                           1

               Pan across a filthy, rubbish-strewn floor, tracking a RAT as
               it scurries across the floorboards.

               Pale, sickly yellow light seeps into the room, and outside
               the sound of a light fall of RAIN filters inside.

               The rat pauses to nibble at a discarded food wrapper, the
               faint SCRUNCH as it chews the only sound to be heard.

               SPLAT! A heavy BOOT stamps down into frame and squishes the
               unfortunate rodent.

               Someone MUTTERS from off screen at the mess that caused,
               scraping the boot sole along the floor for a moment.

               Pan across a little further as the boots start to walk on -
               and then with a heavy THUD, a BODY is dropped into frame.

               It's a young girl, dark-haired and pretty, BLOOD trickling
               from two puncture wounds in her neck - but she's still
               breathing.

               The boots move away from her, leaving her shivering on the
               floor as more VOICES can be heard.

                                   VOICE #1
                         The hell is that?

                                   VOICE #2
                         Uh, I dunno. What time is it?

                                   VOICE #3
                         After ten.

                                   VOICE #2
                         Then I guess that makes her
                         'supper.'

               There's a chorus of CHUCKLES before one pair of boots struts
               back over to the terrified girl. She looks up as a shadow
               falls over her...

               ... and into the leering features of a VAMPIRE, unshaven and
               in need of a good meal or three.

                                   VAMPIRE #1
                         Evening, precious.

                                   GIRL
                         P-please... don't... don't hurt
                         me...

                                   VAMPIRE #1
                             (rolls eyes)
                         Oh, right, 'cause that'll make me
                         not want to eat you.

               The girl's eyes bulge and she lets out an involuntary SOB,
               which gets a LAUGH from the vampire.

               He stands, affording us a good look around the room at last -
               sparsely furnished, full of scavenged furniture and
               appliances.

               The Vamp calls over to his two colleagues - both scrawny,
               street-level thugs like he is.

                                   VAMPIRE #1 (cont'd)
                         So how're we gonna do this? Cut her
                         into three pieces, take an arm or
                         leg each, what?

                                   VAMPIRE #2
                         We could start by just-

               Something CREAKS overhead, and the three vamps snap to
               silence, looking up to the ceiling.

                                   VAMPIRE #3
                         What was-

                                   VAMPIRE #2
                         Ssh!

                                   VAMPIRE #3
                         'Ssh'? The hell good will that do?
                         That's a louder sound than the one
                         I just made!

                                   VAMPIRE #1
                         Will you two can it?

               The first vampire raises a hand for silence as he stalks
               slowly forward, his eyes fixed on the patchwork ceiling.

                                   VAMPIRE #1 (cont'd)
                         There's someone up there...

               The other two vamps exchange glances, then start to spread
               out, ready for the intruder.

               The lead Vamp points to one section of the ceiling, and his
               comrades nod as they get into position to attack.

               They hear a CREAK again, right where the Vamp is pointing,
               and the trio brace themselves... 

               And with a CRASH, part of the ceiling on the other side of
               the room EXPLODES outwards as something smashes through!

               The vamps spin round, but in the cloud of dust and plaster
               that's been kicked up, they're too slow to react as a dark
               shape BLURS towards them.

               SNIKT! Vamp #2 staggers back, hands going to his throat - and
               as his horrified colleagues watch, his head lolls backwards,
               the neck sheared clean through!

                                   VAMPIRE #3
                         What the- Anton!

               Vamp #2's body hits the deck with a THUD, and as #3 turns
               round, trying to get his bearings on the fast moving
               attacker, all he gets is a glimpse of someone in a long,
               black coat and fedora, before there's a solid THUNK.

               Pull back as he stares down at his chest - a STAKE has been
               punched cleanly into his heart.

                                   VAMPIRE #3 (cont'd)
                         Oh...

               He sinks to his knees then CRASHES face first to the ground.
               Vampire #1 quickly drags the Girl to her feet, alert as he
               snaps his head round the dim room.

                                   VAMPIRE #1
                         Don't move, or she dies!

               The girl is still SOBBING, and the Vamp shakes her and barks
               for her to shut up.

               This takes his attention away for a moment, and he doesn't
               see the figure rising from the shadows behind him...

               The Vamp's senses twig at last, but as he starts to turn it's
               already too late...

               SHINK! There's a flash of silver as something SLICES
               lengthways down the vamp's body.

               He stays perfectly still for a long beat. The shaking Girl
               cautiously opens one eye, then takes one tentative step
               forward...

               ... and the Vamp's two dissected halves separate and fall to
               the floor with a wet THUMP. 

               The Girl SHRIEKS as she hops away from the grisly scene - and
               bumps straight into her mystery saviour!

               She SCREAMS, her nerves stretched to their limit, but the
               figure grabs her with two firm, pale-skinned hands.

                                   FIGURE
                             (soothing)
                         It's alright. You're safe now.

               The Girl's still halfway between crazy and petrified, but
               with one smooth movement, the figure releases her, reaches up
               and sweeps away its fedora.

               Long curls of peroxide BLONDE HAIR tumble into view, and the
               Girl's look turns to one of surprise as she sees her unlikely
               rescuer at last.

               It's TWIST. She offers the Girl a grin as she ruffles a hand
               through her hair.

                                   TWIST
                         Sorry about the hat. Keeping up
                         appearances, you know?

               A beat. Twist realises the Girl's not going to answer.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         O-kay... well, off you go.

               Another beat. Twist's eyes flick left and right - is she
               missing something?

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                             (slowly)
                         You may go.

                                   GIRL
                         A-a-am I... am I...

                                   TWIST
                         Safe? Yeah. Free to go? Also yeah.
                         Starting to annoy me a little?
                         Yeah.

               The Girl gets the message at last, spinning on her heel and
               tearing out of the room as fast as she can. Twist calls after
               her:

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         And get that bite checked out,
                         okay?

               She mutters as she stoops to retrieve her fedora.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         Kids...

               Blowing some dust off the hat, she flips it neatly round and
               up onto her head, casting glances down at the fallen vampires
               before heading for the exit.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         I guess you'd be proud of me if you
                         could see me now.

               The light spilling into the room glints off Twist's weapon -
               and it's the unmistakable blade of Chris' KATANA.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Okay. So I'm not scoring many
                         points for fashion, but results are
                         what count, right?

               Twist pauses in the doorway to survey the scene one last
               time. She nods, satisfied.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Besides, if we're not doing all
                         this, who else is gonna save the
                         world?

               Twist leaves the room, letting the door close behind her with
               a SLAM as we:

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                    END OF TEASER
                                       ACT ONE

               FADE IN:

         2     INT. VAN - NIGHT                                         2

               Up close with Twist as she noodles away on her mp3 player,
               brow creased in concentration.

               She's inside the van, which has been refitted a little since
               we last saw it - maps are fixed to the walls covered with
               dots, crosses and other symbols, better seats have been set
               up in the rear, and there's a sling of webbing across the
               ceiling for luggage and weapons.

               The van is rocking a little, in motion as we pan slowly
               across from Twist's position at the rear.

                                   TWIST (V.O.)
                         I realised the other day that I've
                         been talking for a few weeks now
                         and I haven't said much about what
                         anyone else is up to. Well. Trust
                         me to rectify this oversight.

               JULIE is next up, curled up on one of the seats with a
               blanket draped over her, trying to snatch a little sleep.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Julie's kind of taken over since
                         you... you know. Nobody complains
                         much - I'm not the leadering kind,
                         after all, and she's easily as
                         smart as you are. Smarter,
                         actually.
                             (beat)
                         She says she'll think about losing
                         you when she allows herself time to
                         think, but we've all heard her
                         crying when she thinks nobody's
                         around to listen. I'm sure not
                         about to bring it up with her,
                         though, and I doubt the others are
                         either.

               We pan past Julie to find SYREN and DIEGO - Diego is reading
               from a magazine to Syren, who idly plaits her hair as she
               listens. She chuckles occasionally at whatever he's telling
               her. Her clothing is a lot more contemporary this time round.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Syren? Well, our resident diva's
                         started earning her keep. Once she
                         figured out how quickly she could
                         pick up pretty much any song she's
                         ever heard, she started gigging.
                         Yep, you heard correctly.
                         When we roll into a town that needs
                         a singer for the night, she steps
                         up and earns us some cash to go
                         into fuel and snacks for the next
                         trip. I think her opinion on the
                         'you' situation is that you're
                         coming back one day. End of story.
                         Nobody's got the strength to argue
                         with her on that one.

               Diego peers at the magazine, baffled by what he's attempting
               to read, but Syren taps him eagerly on the shoulder to start
               again, and with a resigned sigh he continues.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Since Sanctus left to carry on
                         looking for you, Diego opted to
                         stay behind and help out. It's good
                         to have a fighter like him around.
                         Especially one who's kind of easy
                         on the eye.
                             (chuckles)
                         Okay, okay, but you know what I
                         mean. He's a good guy. I think he
                         sees gaps in our skill set that
                         popped up when you went, so he's
                         doing his best to fill them.

               Panning past those two we arrive at the front, and driving
               the van is DANYAEL, his eyes on the road as he drives on
               through the rain outside.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         And then there's my boy Spook.
                         Diego's been teaching him some more
                         moves, carrying on where you and
                         him left off, and I have to say
                         he's getting pretty good at it.
                         Beyond that, he's the same old
                         Danyael. Knows everybody, keeps us
                         connected and doesn't mind doing
                         most of the driving.
                             (beat)
                         I guess that's everything.

               Danyael calls back into the van:

                                   DANYAEL
                         There's a truck stop in a few
                         miles. Shall I pull over?

               Julie stirs from her chair and answers:

                                   JULIE
                             (sleepy)
                         Yeah. Just for some food. And
                         coffee.

               Danyael nods, eyes back on the road as we look out through
               the rainswept windshield, and as a sign rolls towards us
               indicating that the truck stop is at the next exit ramp, we
               CUT TO:

         3     INT. TRUCK STOP - DINER - NIGHT                          3

               The team are sat round a table inside the almost deserted
               diner. Tinny music plays from the in-house stereo as the
               tired-looking troops study the menu.

               After a few unsuccessful attempts to find anything
               appetising, Diego passes the menu to Twist.

                                   DIEGO
                         I think I will settle for coffee.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Again?

                                   DIEGO
                         Is that a problem?

                                   DANYAEL
                         Just, you know, I haven't seen you
                         really eat since... we met,
                         actually.

                                   DIEGO
                             (shrugs)
                         I don't get hungry.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Yeah, neither do I, but I have a
                         pretty good excuse. What's yours?

                                   TWIST
                         Boys!
                             (snaps fingers)
                         Hot food and beverages, stat.

                                   DANYAEL
                         You haven't said what you want yet.

                                   TWIST
                         Oh, you know me. Get me...
                         something. It's not like I'm fussy.

               Danyael stands, and Diego rises to follow him as they head
               over to the counter. 

               Twist glances across to Syren and sees she has her eyes
               closed, humming along to the music.

               Shaking her head, Twist turns towards Julie, who's dropping
               off to sleep again, giving her a gentle nudge.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         Jules?

               She starts as she wakes up, rubbing her eyes.

                                   JULIE
                         Bathroom?

               Twist points, and Julie rises to head over. Twist glances
               round the diner, empty save for a few lonely truckers, and
               sighs as she puts the menu back down.

                                   SYREN
                         I like this song.

                                   TWIST
                         You like every song.

                                   SYREN
                         Yes, but I really like this one.

               Twist concentrates - and realises she's hearing 'I Will
               Always Love You.' Syren starts to hum again, but a sharp
               nudge from Twist stops her.

                                   TWIST
                         Nu-uh. Not ever.

               Syren tries to pout, but it's clearly not an expression she's
               familiar with.

                                   SYREN
                         I think I also need to visit the
                         bathroom. Will you show me the way?

               Twist lets out an exaggerated sigh, then stands and helps
               Syren up, the two girls heading into:

         4     INT. TRUCK STOP - BATHROOM - NEXT                        4

               Twist pushes the door open and guides Syren inside, wrinkling
               her nose at the grubby bathroom.

                                   TWIST
                         Jeez. You know, sometimes, it's a
                         good job you're blind.

                                   SYREN
                         Why?

                                   TWIST
                         Just trust me. And please tell me
                         you can find your way to the
                         cubicle and back by yourself?

               Syren smiles as she places a hand against the wall.

                                   SYREN
                         I can find the way from here. Thank
                         you.

                                   TWIST
                         Alright. I'll be outside.

               Twist departs, and Syren navigates over to the stalls,
               pushing open the nearest door - but then she pauses, frowning
               and looking round.

                                   SYREN
                         Julie?

               Cut over to see Julie, standing before one of the basins
               round a corner, out of sight of the door. She shuts her eyes -
               caught red-handed.

                                   JULIE
                         Yeah, it's me.

                                   SYREN
                         Sorry. I could tell it was you. I
                         recognised your breathing.

               Julie starts to ask how she knew that, but thinks better of
               it. As Syren heads over, Julie quickly tucks a small bottle
               of PILLS back up her sleeve.

                                   SYREN (cont'd)
                         Is everything alright?

               Julie quickly wipes her reddened eyes dry.

                                   JULIE
                         Fine. I'm just, uh... I've probably
                         got some coffee waiting.

               She quickly steps past Syren and leaves, back into:

         5     INT. TRUCK STOP - DINER - NEXT                           5

               As she approaches the table, Julie sees that Danyael and
               Diego have taken a stack of local newspapers from a stand by
               the counter, and currently have them spread across the table.

               She slides into her seat, gratefully grabbing the nearest mug
               of hot coffee as Twist munches lazily on an unidentifiable
               selection of meat and fries.

                                   JULIE
                             (off papers)
                         Are these the latest editions?

                                   DANYAEL
                         Looks like. Figured we may as well
                         do this now before we hit town.

               Julie nods, taking a paper Twist passes to her as Twist's
               voice-over resumes:

                                   TWIST (V.O.)
                         This is how we find our way these
                         days. The tried and tested 'Men In
                         Black' technique.

               The foursome start leafing through the papers, marking any
               stories of interest.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Before we roll into a new town, we
                         check out the press and look for
                         reports of anything weird going on.
                         You know the kinds of things -
                         murders, disappearances, sightings
                         of freaky stuff - the usual. This
                         means we're always busy and on the
                         move which helps keep us all
                         occupied.

               Focus on Julie as she lifts her paper up, her attention
               snared by one article in particular.

                                   TWIST (V.O.) (cont'd)
                         Julie's still doing her part to
                         look for the cure too, saying that
                         just because you're not here
                         doesn't mean we can't finish what
                         you started. Again, not gonna argue
                         with that one. It seems to help
                         her.

                                   JULIE
                         Here's something.

               She lays her paper down flat, drawing the others in as Syren
               returns to the table and is helped into her seat by Diego.

                                   JULIE (cont'd)
                         Three sets of kids, all orphaned on
                         the same night, all losing their
                         parents to murders.

                                   TWIST
                         Nice.

                                   DANYAEL
                         One day, I'll remember to start
                         getting creeped out by how easily
                         stuff like that interests us.

                                   JULIE
                             (reading)
                         Apparently, the parents all knew
                         one another, and the police are
                         looking to see if there are any
                         more connections between the
                         victims.

               She pushes the paper towards the others as she reaches into
               her bag, taking out her laptop and setting it on the table.

                                   DIEGO
                         That sounds unusual enough for us
                         to take a look.

                                   TWIST
                         Hey, say what you like, but we are
                         not adopting any of those kids.
                         We've already got too many new
                         mouths to feed.
                             (to Diego)
                         No offence.

                                   DIEGO
                         None taken.
                             (taps newspaper)
                         Julie, perhaps you could-

               He looks up and sees that Julie is already typing away at her
               laptop.

                                   JULIE
                         Already doing it.

               She peers at the screen, rotating the laptop to show the
               others what she's found.

                                   JULIE (cont'd)
                         I ran a search for anything
                         resembling cult activity in the
                         area, see if we're in some kind of
                         hotspot for ritual attacks.

                                   SYREN
                         'Hotspot'?

                                   TWIST
                         She means a place where bad stuff
                         happens a lot.

                                   SYREN
                         Oh. Like Cleveland?

               A beat.

                                   JULIE
                         Anyway... there's about a half
                         dozen news reports from the last
                         year or so, cases of mutilated
                         livestock and bizarre graffiti left
                         on churches, focused around the
                         area these kids are from.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Sounds like a lead to me.

               Julie nods as she turns her laptop back round, getting back
               to work.

                                   JULIE
                         I'll keep looking, see if I can
                         find anything specific.

                                   TWIST
                         No chance these could just be three
                         pairs of the unluckiest people in
                         the world?

                                   DIEGO
                             (off paper)
                         Not according to this. It says that
                         all the victim died in similar ways
                         - attacked by edged weapons and
                         then having various organs removed.

               Syren grimaces at this, and Twist glances down at her food,
               which suddenly resembles what Diego is talking about - but
               with a shrug, she carries on eating.

               Danyael yawns, stretching his arms out as he does so, then
               idly scratches the back of his head.

                                   DANYAEL
                         Maybe we should find somewhere to
                         set up for the night?

                                   TWIST
                         I vote 'hotel.'

                                   SYREN
                         So do I. I don't want to sleep in
                         the van again. There's a draft.

                                   TWIST
                         Yeah, that's Danyael snoring.

               He grins, looking out through the diner's windows until he
               spots the neon signs advertising a motel on the other side of
               the freeway.

                                   DANYAEL
                         I'll go book us in. Who's got the
                         petty cash?

               Diego takes out his wallet and passes it to Danyael, but when
               he checks it he finds that there's only a few notes left.

                                   DANYAEL (cont'd)
                         Hmm.
                             (to Syren)
                         We might require your services if
                         we want to sleep somewhere warm
                         again tomorrow.

                                   SYREN
                         That's fine.

                                   TWIST
                         Nothing ever gets you down, does
                         it?

                                   SYREN
                             (smiles)
                         Not really, no.

                                   TWIST
                         Right!

               She rises decisively from her seat.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         Let's see how many rooms we can get
                         for what we've got. Jules, you
                         staying here?

               Julie nods, not looking up from her laptop.

                                   JULIE
                         Yeah, I'll be a while longer. You
                         guys go ahead without me.

               Twist motions to the others and leads the way, Danyael
               offering his arm to Syren and leading her off screen. Diego
               pauses to lay a hand on Julie's shoulder.

                                   DIEGO
                         Do not stay here alone all night,
                         Julie.

                                   JULIE
                         I won't.
                             (lifts mug)
                         I'm almost out of coffee.

               She offers him a smile, and with a nod Diego exits. 

               As soon as he's gone, Julie's smile fades again, and she
               turns back to her laptop.

               Reaching into her sleeve, she discretely slips out the bottle
               of pills, popping the cap and shaking two out into her hand.
               With a last glance around, she knocks them back with a gulp
               of coffee, then gets straight back to work.

         6     EXT. MOTEL - GROUND FLOOR - NIGHT                        6

               It's a little later on, and we're facing a row of three motel
               room doors, the sounds of occasional traffic in the
               background.

               Twist steps out of the furthest door, ice bucket in hand, and
               heads for the ice machine at the end o the little passageway,
               pausing to examine the treats inside the candy vending
               machine.

               Another door opens while she's engrossed in that, and she
               doesn't notice Danyael step up until he's right beside her.

                                   DANYAEL
                         So...

               Twist jumps a mile, turning and PUNCHING him on the arm.

                                   TWIST
                         Damn it, Danyael! Don't do that!

                                   DANYAEL
                         Do what?

                                   TWIST
                         Sneak up on me!

                                   DANYAEL
                         I didn't!

                                   TWIST
                         Then why didn't I hear you?

                                   DANYAEL
                         You were lost in Candy Gazing
                         World. You wouldn't have heard an A
                         bomb hitting the freeway.

               A beat. Twist shrugs. Good point. They step away from the
               vending machine and walk towards the ice machine. Noticeably
               not talking.

                                   TWIST
                         You, er... you okay?

                                   DANYAEL
                         Yeah. Yeah. I'm good.

                                   TWIST
                         Good. I'm glad. You know, we've
                         been on the road non stop for a
                         good while now, so, you know, I
                         just, uh, wanted to make sure that,
                         uh...

                                   DANYAEL
                         That we're okay. I got it. I'm
                         good.
                             (beat)
                         Really.

                                   TWIST
                         Okay! Well. Uh...

               She motions towards the ice machine with her bucket, and
               Danyael twigs what she wants and steps out of the way.

               She lifts the lid and scoops the bucket through the ice
               inside, turning back to face Danyael as he lights a
               cigarette.

               Another beat.

                                   TWIST (cont'd)
                         Julie back yet?

                                   DANYAEL
                         No.

                                   TWIST
                         Right.
                             (beat)
                         I should, uh...

                                   DANYAEL
                         Yeah. See ya. Big day tomorrow;
                         knowing our luck.

                                   TWIST
                         Yup.
                             (beat)
                         Night.

               She heads off, a little hesitant, and Danyael watches her go
               as he takes a drag from his cigarette.

               She unlocks her door, pausing to glance back over to Danyael
               before stepping inside:
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