(CU Beau’s face. Red, choking, starving for air. Camera pulls out, and we see him struggling. HUGO barely seems to notice.)
HUGO: (Gazing at BEAU). Delicate little creature, aren’t we?
(CUT TO: NIRA looking around her for something to use against HUGO. NIRA’s POV: branches on the ground, she scrambles towards them)
(Suddenly, someone leaps forward and tackles HUGO to the ground. HUGO drops BEAU, and grapples with the figure. NIRA crawls towards BEAU, and checks his pulse).
(CUT TO: The latest addition to the party, CONNOR. He’s tall and slender, though shorter than HUGO, with brown hair and striking icy blue eyes and delicate features.)
CONNOR – Fraternity pledges get weirder every year.
HUGO – The watcher’s big cute guard dog. She around?
CONNOR – Just me.
HUGO – Shame. I developed quite the taste for her, and now that she’s healed, I think I’d like to…
(CONNOR punches him).
CONNOR – You guys always have to get into a whole big monologue don’t you?
(HUGO swings for him, but he ducks, kicks out, and sends HUGO to the floor again. HUGO flips back up, effortlessly into a standing position, and rounds a few blows in on CONNOR, knocking him over onto the floor).
HUGO – And we always utterly destroy white knights like you, did you notice that, too?
(He kicks CONNOR, hard.)
HUGO – That’s “utterly”, in case you were wondering.
(CONNOR kicks him away, and is about to get up, but before he can, someone taps HUGO on the shoulder. He turns. NIRA clocks him with a massive branch, knocking him for six so much he has to steady himself against a tree).
(CUT TO: NIRA, clutching the branch in her hands. CONNOR scrambles to his feet).
NIRA- And my part?
(She whacks HUGO again, this time he goes flying, back into the shadows).
NIRA- That would be “destroy”. Just in case you want to know.
(HUGO looks from NIRA to CONNOR. He smirks).
HUGO- Time to regroup, I think.
(He runs into the shadows. CONNOR gives chase. NIRA runs back to BEAU, who is stirring back to conciousness.)
BEAU – (mumurs) I think things need to stay away from my head. As much as possibly possible. (He passes out again).
RUBY – You two OK?
(NIRA looks up sharply, and is shocked to see RUBY).
RUBY – Is he…?
NIRA – (Gazing intently at RUBY) He’s fine. Just unconscious. I’ll call an ambulance. (She fumbles in her bag for her phone).
(CONNOR comes back).
RUBY – Connor. Did you get him?
CONNOR – (Shakes his head) Sorry.
RUBY – (Catches NIRA looking at her. When she returns the look, NIRA turns back to BEAU. Pointedly, at CONNOR) We’d better be going. (She starts walking.)
CONNOR – Ruby.
RUBY – What?
(CONNOR inclines his head towards the NIRA).
RUBY – What?
CONNOR- She’s….(Softly) I think she’s a slayer.
(RUBY looks surprised for a second, then gives NIRA an appraising look).
NIRA – What’s a slayer?
RUBY – It’s… (She turns to Connor) The Watchers’ Council will find her. They’ll…
NIRA – What’s a-
RUBY – (Ponders her answer for a second) It doesn’t concern you. You’re not a slayer.
CONNOR – Ruby, she nearly punched Hugo through a tree.
RUBY – (To CONNOR) She’s not a slayer. (To NIRA) Look at him. (Indicates BEAU) Think about how that thing looked. (She looks NIRA up and down) Now think about where you got that dress. Shopping. Cute boys. You want to be part of what you just saw?
(NIRA lowers her eyes).
RUBY – It’s gone now. I’m sorry if I sound cruel. But if anyone asks you, you’ve never even heard of slayers. (To CONNOR) We should go.
(CONNOR says nothing, but nods. NIRA watches them leave, RUBY without looking back, CONNOR glancing over his shoulder, thoughtful.)
(CUT TO: INT BAR, different to the one we saw NIRA in. This is a dive, sparsely populated, and then mostly by demons. HUGO is sat in a booth, without vampire face. He watches a particularly terrifying looking demon go past- dressed in a floral sun hat, and carrying a basket of kittens.)
OC- Hugo
(HUGO looks. Now sat across from him in the booth is a demon: not too terrifying, but short, fat, and sleazy looking).
HUGO – Cristo!
CRISTO – Did it work?
HUGO – Not tonight, no.
CRISTO – Not tonight. You’re supposed to be the best.
HUGO – I am the best.
CRISTO – Then why is the kid not dead?
HUGO – (Mood switches suddenly, to angry) You didn’t tell me about her abilities!
CRISTO – Whose?
HUGO – A slayer! This is going to be harder.
CRISTO – Not for the best, not for what I’m paying you. It’s not like you don’t have experience.
HUGO – (Calm again, smiling) Because I am the best.
CRISTO – You’re the best. I said that already.
HUGO – Yes, but I do so enjoy hearing it. It’ll be harder. Don’t worry, I won’t raise the price, but I’ll need to be more prepared next time. You’ll get your kill.
CRISTO – Good. And… (he licks his lips) Make it messy. We’re sending a message. Don’t encroach upon our territory.
HUGO – It’ll be loud and clear, don’t worry.
(EXT. RUBY’s house, an old, largish red brick building. CUT TO: INT, décor is old fashioned, dark wood and old money. The house is homely, but untidy. It’s still dark, but RUBY is up, sat on the window sill, sipping tea. C.U. RUBY, staring out of the window, deep in thought. CONNOR walks into the room, looking like he’s just woken from a nap. He watches her for a few seconds, then )
CONNOR – She’s a slayer.
RUBY – I know.
CONNOR – And you’re thinking about her.
RUBY – I’m fine.
CONNOR – Then why are you up drinking tea at 4am?
RUBY – More importantly, why are you watching me?
CONNOR – (Smiles) Because when I stay here you make noise.
RUBY – I don’t, do I?
CONNOR – You potter.
RUBY – Yeah, well, you lurk. You…Lurky McLurkson.
CONNOR – That’d be the vampire in me. I didn’t ask you whether you were fine or not.
RUBY – Yeah, but you meant it. I’m used to doing the same with you.
(She takes a sip of tea, then looks at CONNOR).
RUBY (cont’d) – It might be me not being ready, but I don’t think she is either. She’s got to be…17, 18 maybe and she’s never questioned what she can do. She doesn’t know that my calling is to protect and teach her, she probably isn’t even aware of my calling. She barely knew about hers.
CONNOR – You can’t ask the questions if you’ve got no idea where to start.
RUBY – Well put, grasshopper.
CONNOR – You can’t keep avoiding it.
RUBY – Who’s avoiding? I’m just sat here drinking tea.
CONNOR – At 4 am.
RUBY – I’ll have you know that 4am is accepted in most civilised areas of the world as the prime tea-drinking hour.
CONNOR – The British are weird.
RUBY – No, just me.
CONNOR – She can’t avoid who she is. I couldn’t. Some things are just innate.
RUBY – Well, then the council will allocate her a Watcher.
CONNOR – That could be you.
RUBY – (Sighs heavily). There really is no arguing with you, is there?
CONNOR – (Beams) Nope.
RUBY – Thought not.
CONNOR – I’m going to go down to find Donnelly later, see what I can turn up. We know Hugo’s into his luxuries, and luxuries make for talk.
RUBY – (Lowers her eyes) Well, you were right about him hitting the local nightspots.
CONNOR – I’m sorry I couldn’t kill him.
RUBY – You’re pretty much the last person who needs to apologise to me.
CONNOR – So, now would be a good time to tell you I ate the last of those little Jaffa Cakes?
RUBY- (Smiles) Well that’s a whole different thing. That’s a mortal sin.
(She rises, walks over to CONNOR).
RUBY – Thankyou.
CONNOR – We’ll catch him.
RUBY – I don’t just mean that.
(They smile at each other, an unspoken understanding.)
RUBY (cont’d) – So…(Adopts faux-gangster voice) Gonna lean on the perp until he squeals and comes up with the goods?
CONNOR – Yeah. Don’t do THAT again. Ever.
(CUT TO: EXT. Campus coffee bar. TIFFANY is sat there, along with two other girls, AMBER and JOAN. They’re very much a clique, with a style similar to that of TIFFANY).
JOAN – I can’t believe that he got beat up like that on campus.
AMBER – No, I mean it’s scary, it really puts your life into perspective, and-Oh, God! Did you see Danny last night?
TIFFANY – Oh, that girl.
AMBER –She was hideous.
(NIRA walks over.)
NIRA – Hey guys.
TIFFANY – Hi, how are you?
NIRA – I’m OK. Kind of..I feel weird.
TIFFANY – Hardly suprising. Take a seat.
(NIRA does so)
TIFFANY – How is he?
NIRA – He’s OK. His dad’s with him, figured I’d give them some space.
JOAN- Like we were saying, I don’t feel safe on campus anymore. Anything could happen.
AMBER – I know, I didn’t get much sleep.
JOAN –It really effects you, I mean, I’ve always liked Boom.
NIRA – Beau.
JOAN – What?
NIRA – Never mind.
JOAN – Yeah, so I’ve always liked him. It really, like, hits home when it’s someone you know.
AMBER – I guess life goes on.
NIRA – Well, the police have to catch the guy first..
TIFFANY – I’m sure you gave them a good description.
NIRA – Yeah, yeah I did. It was weird though. He was so strong, and his face was all…You know when there’s something off about a guy?
AMBER – Ugh, tell me about it. I was shopping last week and this homeless guy comes up. I mean please, if you’re going to talk to a body, have a breath mint first.
NIRA – No, I mean….This is going to sound weird, but he was kinda unearthly.
(AMBER and JOAN dubious glances. TIFFANY looks to NIRA, as if her friend has gone mad.)
TIFFANY – (Swiftly changing the subject) So, anyway, this girl Danny was with…she was wearing this…
(They continue laughing and talking, but the sound of their voices fade out as the camera closes in a little on NIRA. She offers a token smile, but it’s clear she isn’t paying attention, the conversation holding no appeal to her. She looks lost in her thoughts).
(CUT TO: Sewer pipe. Connor climbs down the metal rungs embedded in the concrete and walks a little way down the pipe, towards the ecclectic sound of varying languages, grunts and what passes for music. Camera follows behind him, as the sound gets louder. He rounds a corner, and follows a tunnel down to an entrance area covered with tatty fabrics. Once he’s through he comes to a large open area in the sewer which has been adapted to be some kind of demon marketing places: stalls sit on the various mezzanines, selling an eccletic mix of magical looking things, frequented entirely by demons, most of whom give him strange looks as he passes, moving towards an elevated, tented off area at the opposite end of the room. He passes through the front of the tent into an area which resembles a brothel, except it’s populated by demons. At its centre is a demon/DONNELLY, podgy, with a snout, and spiny, bickering with one of the brothel demons. He’s dressed to impress, spiv-style, but on a very limited budget, with a conspicuous green amulet hanging around his neck.)
BROTHEL DEMON- You promised me a bigger share.
DONNELLY- I’ll pay next week. I pay good money, don’t I always pay good money?
(The Brothel demon slaps him, and walks off).
DONNELLY – (Calling after her) OK, we’ll call it 60-40!
CONNOR – Donnelly.
DONNELLY- Connor! (He looks around him, at the suspicious glances) Who I’ve only met just now….
(He pulls CONNOR to a quiet corner)
DONNELLY - It’s humiliating to be seen with you.
CONNOR – (Casting an eye over the brothel) Yeah. That’s exactly what humiliating about this situation.
DONNELLY – I’m serious. I can explain to the world all about your demon side, but to all intents and purposes you’re a pretty boy human, who usually brings the pain and beatings to folks like us.
CONNOR – Believe me, I’d love to keep out of your way, but it’s important.
DONNELLY – It always is.
CONNOR – And you owe me.
DONNELLY – How long are you going to keep bringing that one up?
CONNOR – You do remember the slime, right? And the teeth? The biting, biting teeth?
DONNELLY – Fine.
CONNOR – And I quote (Drily: ) “You saved me, I owe you my life, dark stranger, I owe you my life. Anything, anything at all.”
DONNELLY – I didn’t say “dark stranger”.
CONNOR- No, I remember that. And something about a “dark knight”. And squealing like a girl.
DONNELLY – (Sighs) What is it?
CONNOR – Vampire going by the name of Hugo? Ostentatious. Likes to live in luxury.
DONNELLY – What’s that got to do with me?
CONNOR – Thought you might have provided some of those luxuries.
DONNELLY – My girls? He’s not that type. Prefers them strictly Homoerectus-sapien.
CONNOR – Anything else you’ve been trading in?
DONNELLY – No, nothing.
(CONNOR looks him up and down, his eyes settling on the amulet, which DONNELLY has started to absently fiddle with. CONNOR pulls it of).
DONNELLY – Hey!
CONNOR – Nice necklace. Where’d you get it?
(INT. Library. OWEN is walking along between the stacks, looking for books. He looks up.)
(CUT TO: OWEN’s POV. A gap above the books, allows him to see right through the shelves to the other side. A pair of eyes, NIRA’s are searching for books. Her eyes shift up, and look at him).
(CUT TO: OWEN, looking away).
(CUT TO: View through the bookcase.)
NIRA – Hey.
OWEN – Uh..hey (he rubs the back of his neck nervously).
(CUT TO: Side view of the bookcases, with NIRA and OWEN either side).
NIRA – You draw..stuff.
(CUT TO: OWEN/OWEN’s POV)
OWEN – (Nods, but doesn’t make eye contact) Ah, yeah. How do you know?
NIRA – I saw you in the Lit lecture.
OWEN – Oh. (He looks to be thinking of something to say)
NIRA – What do you draw from?
OWEN – I, ah. I don’t know, I just draw them.
NIRA – They’re vampires, right?
OWEN – (Looks up, surprised) Yeah. Yeah, they are.
NIRA – Why do you draw them?
OWEN – (Shrugs) I don’t know. Guess I like the whole mythology behind it.
NIRA – (Hesitant) So you’ve…so you’ve never seen one?
OWEN – (Thinks for a second, then looks hurt). Oh, I get it. (He begins to walk further down the stacks).
(CUT TO: View through the stacks, Nira follows.)
NIRA – What?
OWEN – I get it, ha. Ha ha.
NIRA – Well, I’m not sure I do.
OWEN – (Stops, looks through the stacks at her, his voice rises). Last night, you and your boyfriend were ready to lynch me for-
NIRA – He is not my boyfriend!
Voice OC – Shhhh!
OWEN – (To shushy:) Sorry. (Lowers his voice) You were ready to lynch me for spilling a drink over you, and now you want to know all about me? Big laughs at the expense of the crazy occultist.
NIRA – What?
Voice O.C. – SHHHHH!
NIRA – (To shushy:) Oh, whatever, like you’re working back there.
(OWEN smiles)
NIRA – Look (she comes around the side of the stacks to face OWEN). I’m sorry, shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did. I just…
OWEN – Had a bad night?
NIRA – Sums it up.
OWEN – (Considers this, then: ) I draw them from a book I got from the occult section.
NIRA – We have an occult section?
(OWEN picks up the top book from the pile he’s carrying, and hands it to her. She flips it open, and flicks through the pages. OWEN watches her).
OWEN – Sure we do, 4th floor. They’ve got some cool old books up there, with engravings in them..(He stops, noticing that NIRA has settled on one of the pages).
(CU on the page. It’s an engraving, the image stylised, but there’s no mistaking the fact it’s the characteristic face of a vampire. NIRA traces her fingers over it).
NIRA – It talks about them like they’re real.
OWEN – Well, some people think they are.
(NIRA’s eyes shoot up, looking at him).
OWEN – I mean….some crazy people.
NIRA – What do they say about them?
OWEN – That…they’re, y’know, evil. They can look like us but they can change their faces into a demon form. They drink your blood, and other nasty stuff. You can kill them with a stake through their heart, setting them alight or exposing them to sunlight. Or all three. Pretty much the stuff of Bela Lugosi.
NIRA – Bela Lu..?
OWEN – He made vampire movies. They can’t touch holy things, like crosses or consecrated ground, or holy books, like bibles and stuff
NIRA – Would this (she flicks to the index) would this have anything about slayers in it?
OWEN – (Raises an eyebrow) No. Not many of them do.
NIRA – Some do?
OWEN – Yeah.
NIRA – Show me?
(CUT TO: 4th floor of the library, a small room annexed off from the main library, low lit and deserted. NIRA is sat at a desk, OWEN is getting a book down from one of the shelves. He finds the appropiate page, then deposits it on the table in front of NIRA.)
OWEN – This book talks about a girl called the slayer showing up in York, England in the sixteenth century. She…
NIRA – “Chained up the vampires, and left their bodies to burn in the sunlight of the cathedral close.”
OWEN – Yeah. Kinda morbid.
NIRA – (Quietly) Yeah.
OWEN – Are you…?
NIRA – I’m OK.
OWEN – You look pale.
NIRA – Really, I’m fine.
OWEN – Perhaps if I walked you home…
(NIRA laughs, mirthlessly and suddenly).
OWEN –OK, it’s funny if you’re not me.
NIRA – Sorry..I just (She runs her hands through her hair) What about watchers?
OWEN – I think…. (Leans in, and points to the page. He looks very conscious of being in her personal space, and draws his hand back quickly). Yeah, they train the slayers, and prepare them for fighting vampires.
NIRA – She trained a…(She sits back in her chair, her hand reaching up to her mouth). Oh, God he killed her.
OWEN – (Loudly) What? (Softly) Wait -what are we talking about now?
NIRA – (Looks to the window, it’s almost dark) It’s going to be dark soon.
OWEN – Uh, yeah, sneaks up on you doesn’t it?
NIRA – Are you here on your own?
OWEN – No. I’m meeting a group of friends downstairs in about half and hour.
NIRA – Are you walking home with them?
OWEN – Yeah, yeah. In a group, the way friends do.
NIRA- I have to… (She rises slowly, picks up her bag) I have to…go. It was nice talking to you.
OWEN – Yeah, yeah, it was-
(NIRA gets up and walks out whilst he’s in mid sentence, well and truly in her own thoughts.)
OWEN – Once again: I’m fine, by the way. I’m good. Yeah.
(EXT. Campus. It’s almost dark now, NIRA is walking along, sticking as close as she can to the small group of strangers in front of her. As they near a building, the group enter, leaving NIRA walking alone. She quickens her pace, snatching glances over her shoulder to check she’s not been followed. OC, we hear the sound of footsteps. She walks quicker now, panicked. The footsteps seem to be gathering pace, and so she starts to jog along, looking over her shoulder, until she runs into HUGO).
HUGO – (Clutching her shoulders) Now, where are we running to?
(NIRA pushes away, staggers back.)
HUGO – Oh, come, now there’s no need to be shy.
NIRA – (Straightens, draws a deep breath. Though she’s clearly shaken, she tries to give the impression of some confidence). Because strangling my friend, that was the ice-breaker?
HUGO – You should see what happens when I really get to know someone.
NIRA – Well, I’m the icy type. I like my barriers.
HUGO – I like you.
NIRA – Can’t say it’s mutual.
HUGO – (Laughs and points) That’s why I like you, you talk back. The last slayer I killed was so rigid, so silent. She was younger though, and I guess it’s hard to get banter running with the kids, these days.
NIRA – You killed a slayer.
HUGO – Did Miss Malmsbury not tell you?
(NIRA shakes her head)
HUGO – Oh, this is just too perfect! She’s not your watcher, is she?
(NIRA shifts a little to side, trying to find a way out of the situation, but doesn’t reply)
HUGO – Because you don’t have a watcher. You were never called. Which explains a lot. Explains why I could have killed you last night. No training. And she’s never taken you in.
NIRA – Who’s Miss Malmsbury?
HUGO – Ruby Malmsbury. Watcher extraordinaire. Promising a renaissance of new ideas to the calling. But now she’s hiding from it. You know what this is? This is too perfect! Who knew…(He sees NIRA looking from a route out) Oh, you couldn’t get home without me killing you, so I wouldn’t try.
(NIRA stops, now looking very distressed).
HUGO – I broke her slayer, you know. Snapped her bones into messes. Made a sweet sound, like the watcher begging. The slayer never cried out, never said a word, but Ruby, she begged. For her life, for her slayer.
(Tears are now welling up in NIRA’s eyes)
HUGO – And it’s just fabulous. I broke her too! Not into messes though. (Thoughtful) I do so enjoy gore, always have…. (Cheerfully, to NIRA) Isn’t it super that this is how I ended up? Fateful, I’d say. Goodness, don’t tell me you have nothing to say.
NIRA – B*stard.
HUGO – Not as good. Not so much with the banter. Still, I like you. (His face morphs into vampire form) How about you come and play?
NIRA – No thanks.
HUGO – Aw, go on, it’s painless I-
O.C. OWEN – Catch!
(HUGO catches the book being thrown at him automatically. The book makes his hands sizzle, and smoke rises. He yells out in pain. OWEN is now stood next to NIRA. She grabs his hand, and they run. HUGO waits for the pain to die down in his now badly singed hands, and then follows suit.)
OWEN – This way! (He indicates a building nearby, what looks to be student accomodation.)
NIRA – But my room is this way….
OWEN – Come on!
(They run to the building, into the doorway, just as HUGO catches up with them. HUGO lunges at the doorway, but bounces back from it, as if there’s an invisible forcefield.)
HUGO – (Livid) Come out! Come out of there slayer!
OWEN – Slayer?
NIRA – Invisible doorway?
OWEN – Vampires can’t come into someone’s home unless they’re…
(HUGO hurls himself at the doorway, only to get pushed away by some invisible force).
OWEN – Invited.
HUGO – (Calm now) You can’t stay in there forever.
NIRA – I just need until sunrise. (She slams the door in his face)
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