(INT. Ruby’s house, living room. CONNOR is perched on an armchair, now bandaged. RUBY, OWEN and NIRA are all stood, OWEN close to NIRA.)
RUBY – I don’t understand. Why would Hugo come after your boyfriend?
NIRA – He’s not my- Not the issue. My friend was trying to fix me up with. She told me his family were rich, kind of like royalty.
CONNOR – The Mada’mesh said they were after someone important.
RUBY – OK. (Thinks for a beat, then) Where is he now?
NIRA – There’s a private hospital in the suburbs, he’s being treated there.
RUBY – I’ll go check it out.
NIRA – We’ll go check it out.
RUBY – I’m not sure that it’s safe for…
NIRA – He’s my friend.
RUBY – (Nods) OK. Connor, would you get Nira a stake?
CONNOR – Sure. (To RUBY) Come on.
(CONNOR and NIRA exit the room. CU RUBY: an expression of grim anticipation. She half-smiles. CUT TO: OWEN).
OWEN – Uh….I’ll just go…Wait in the car. Yeah.
(He leaves as CONNOR and NIRA enter).
RUBY – (Not looking at them, to CONNOR) You should stay here.
CONNOR – Ruby…
RUBY – You’re injured, I don’t want to risk it.
CONNOR – I can’t let you-
RUBY – (Firmly, softly) I won’t do it again.
CONNOR – (Nods) Just promise me you’ll get in and out of there quickly?
(RUBY meets his gaze and smiles sadly).
RUBY – I will (Pause, then a deep breath) This is it.
(EXT. Hospital. OWEN parks the car, RUBY is riding shotgun with NIRA in the back).
RUBY – (To OWEN) Stay here, lock the doors.
OWEN – I want to help.
RUBY – You will be. We’ll get Beau out and bring him to you, you’ll drive Nira and him to my place.
NIRA – What about you?
RUBY – (Grimly, no trace of humour) I’m going to wait for nightfall for him to show and then I’m going to kill him.
NIRA – Wait, you told Connor you’d-
RUBY – I lied.
(INT. Hospital, reception area. It’s quiet, a nurse is at the desk, but appears distracted with a doctor. NIRA and RUBY, who is carrying a holdall, sneak past, and into a lift).
(INT. Hospital ward. The lift pings open, and our intrepid heroes step out.)
RUBY – That was worryingly easy.
NIRA – Maybe we’re overdue for some karma.
RUBY – Where’s Beau’s room?
(INT. Beau’s room. RUBY enters first, now holding an axe, NIRA behind her. CU: BEAU, waking up and seeing them)
BEAU – Holy sh-
NIRA – (Pushes the axe down) Is this how you usually make friends?
RUBY – I find it makes me seem churlish yet darkly intriguing.
NIRA – (To BEAU) It’s OK.
BEAU – Really?
NIRA – This is going to sound crazy, but we thing the guy who attacked you is coming back for you again.
BEAU – Why?
(RUBY stoops, noticing a heavy blanket lying on the ground)
NIRA – OK, this part will probably sound even crazier...
OC HUGO - Hello, ladies.
(The colour drains from RUBY’S face, but she does not turn. NIRA does, slowly)
HUGO – No hello? Well, that’s just impolite.
NIRA - How did you...?
HUGO - Sewers and a heavy blanket. Neither terribly glamorous, (wistfully) but that's always the way with praticalities.
(RUBY suddenly turns and swings for him with her axe, but he grabs the handle with both his hands, and pushes her backwards. NIRA launches herself at him, but he shoves her aside. She hits a wall and slumps unconscious).
BEAU – Nira!
HUGO (To RUBY) – It’s getting to be a familiar tune, no?
(RUBY looks from NIRA to him. Any trace of expression disappears as he faces HUGO.)
HUGO – Don’t you have anything to say to me?
(RUBY says nothing. No expression, nobody home.)
HUGO – Experience tells me you’ll be very vocal when I break open your slayer.
(Suddenly, she punches him. He reels and she strikes him with the butt of the axe. He staggers backwards. BEAU slips out of bed and crawls towards NIRA. He touches her face, and she stirs).
HUGO – Nice. I didn’t think you had it in you.
(RUBY shakes her fist, which is hurt from punching him so hard. Still nothing, she’s blank expression gal.)
HUGO – You know, the other day, I forgot her name. Elsie…Emily….Amelie? I do remember it sounded French. I remember her face. Like a china doll.
(He springs forwards, striking her across face. She punches him back.)
HUGO – Want to play beg again?
(She swings the axe at him, which he grabs with both hand. While his hand are occupied, she nuts him. He twists the axe, throwing her to the floor. BEAU springs forward with a stake, but HUGO grabs his arm and twists it behind is back, accompanied by a horrible crunching sound. BEAU call out in pain.)
HUGO – Snapping people – it really never gets tired.
NIRA (Getting up) – Yeah?
(She punches HUGO, sending him flying backwards, and crashing onto the ground).
NIRA – I see your point. That’s totally fun.
(HUGO gets up. He grins, then runs out of the room. NIRA follows him out, and watches him disappear down the corridor. She goes back into the room, and helps RUBY get up.)
NIRA – Are you OK?
(RUBY says nothing.)
NIRA – Beau…
BEAU - I’m good. Apart from every bone in my body
RUBY – Get him out of here.
NIRA – Where are you going?
RUBY – I’m going to find Hugo.
NIRA – Ruby, he could have-
RUBY – (Sharply) It’s not up for discussion.
(RUBY exits the room in pursuit of HUGO. NIRA helps BEAU out of the room. She hesitates for a moment, looking after RUBY, but carries on walking.)
(INT. Hospital stairwell. RUBY follows HUGO who glances up at her, grins, and keeps going. She reaches the very bottom of the stairwell.)
(INT. Hospital basement. No sunlight reaches this rooms: it’s lowlit with old, sometimes flickering light bulbs. A corridor runs along in front of RUBY, with open arches into rooms off each way. She hears a sound from one of the side rooms and steps in, cautious. There’s no light in this room save for what is spilling in from the corridor).
HUGO – (Walking out of the shadows) I have to say I’m impressed.
(RUBY starts but stands her ground)
HUGO – You just keep coming, don’t you. It’s plucky. I rather like it.
(INT. Hospital entrance area. NIRA helps BEAU along. She glances back, worried, but continues on to the entrance).
O.C. NURSE – Where are you going?!
(INT. Basement)
HUGO – I like your new slayer. Very smart. And oh so nubile. Might pay her a little visit once we’re done here.
(RUBY swings the axe at him, a look of utter hate in her eyes. HUGO meets it with the metal bar and parries it.)
HUGO – Jealous? I’d be more than willing to offer you a demonstration.
(He raises the bar, as if to swing it, but as RUBY goes to meet it with the axe, he spins and whacks her across the stomach. She falls to the floor, dropping the axe as she does so..)
(INT. Hospital entrance area. The nurse from reception is now blocking the way out.)
BEAU – Look, man, we were just going for a walk.
NURSE – You’re not in any condition to go anywhere.
NIRA – Isn’t that up to him?
NURSE – It’s up to his father, actually. Mr Beaumont left strict instructions that his son wasn’t to leave the hospital.
BEAU – Dude, I’m 18.
NURSE – I’m sorry, but I….
(The fire alarm goes off.)
NURSE – Wait here.
(He wanders off to place a phonecall, as the beginnings of an exodus of patients and staff start to appear. NIRA looks around, and sees OWEN walking away from a fire alarm.)
NIRA – Ruby told you to stay in the car…
(OWEN supports BEAU).
OWEN – Yeah. Mine is an untamed rebellion.
(INT. Basement. RUBY is now on the losing side, with HUGO reining in punch after punch).
HUGO – Now, this not saying anything business is just getting plain rude.
(He punches her, knocking her to the floor. She reaches for the axe, but he picks it up.)
HUGO – Don’t you think?… Eloise. Now I remember.
(He swings the axe down, but RUBY rolls out of way, pulling a stake out her pocket.)
HUGO – Eloise was her name.
(He swings the axe down again, and again she moves out of the way, stabbing him in the leg with the stake. He calls out in pain, and his face morphs).
HUGO – (Angry) You b!tch.
(He swings the axe. This time, when she moves out of the way, he kicks her in the stomach).
HUGO – I ripped her to pieces. I broke her bones until she bled.
(He kicks her again)
HUGO – And you begged.
(Kicks)
HUGO – You knelt there and you begged.
(Kicks. RUBY is now barely conscious.)
HUGO – Broken to pieces.
(Suddenly, he’s pulled off and thrown across the room. He looks up, and sees NIRA stood in front of him.)
NIRA – Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were asking.
(He stands, smiling)
HUGO – Hello, lovely. Come to take me for a test-drive?
NIRA – Only if you’re gentle with me
(He jumps up and kicks her. She stumbles backwards.)
HUGO – Gentle’s tiresome.
(He kicks her again).
HUGO – I prefer brutal.
(She tries to punch him, but he ducks, and punches her in the stomach, sending her to the floor. She scoots back on her behind as he stalks up to her. Scrambling to her feet, she runs out of the room. HUGO follows.)
(INT. Basement corridor, NIRA is running up the stairs. HUGO grabs her by the legs but she kicks him in the face and keeps running.)
(INT. Basement. RUBY stirs awake.)
RUBY – (Murmurs) Nira…
(Unsteadily, she gets up).
(INT. Hospital., ground floor. NIRA runs along. She reads a sign –unseen to us- on the door of a room and runs inside. Seconds later HUGO makes his way down the corridor. He sniffs the air, and stops outside the room NIRA entered. He pushes the door open, and enters. The room is completely dark, so we can only discern rows between large black objects.)
HUGO – Come on. No need to be coy.
(There’s movement in the back of the room. He walks towards it.)
HUGO – Come out. I promise to take it slowly.
(The outline of NIRA appears from behind one of the objects.)
HUGO – Must be strange for you, knowing that the things which go bump in the night are all real.
(NIRA leaps onto one of the black objects. From the metallic sound, we can now discern that they’re large vehicles. She clambers over the top and jumps off the other end, landing near the door, where she stops. She flips the light on, revealing that they’re standing in an ambulance bay. Rows of ambulances are lined up in front of a large garage door. By the light switch there’s a small control panel.)
NIRA – Yeah, you know the deal with things that go bump in the night?
(She punches one of the buttons on the wall.)
NIRA – In the daytime, they’re not so scary.
(There’s a metallic noise. HUGO turns to face the doors, which are opening. He throws his arms open, a gesture of acceptance.)
HUGO – Want to know a secret?
(As the fading sunlight flows in, he begins to catch fire.)
HUGO – The best is yet to come.
(He burns into ash, not flinching once. NIRA sits down on the ground, and breathes in the fresh air. She pulls a stake out of her pocket and looks at it. RUBY comes running in.)
NIRA – Hey.
RUBY – Hello. (She looks as if she’s trying to keep from hugging NIRA out of sheer relief.) What happened?
NIRA – Sun. Vampire. Flameyness.
(RUBY walks over to the ash formerly known as “Hugo”. She looks at it for a long time in silence. NIRA stands, wincing when she does.)
NIRA – Are you-?
RUBY – I’m OK.
NIRA – We should probably-
RUBY – Yes.
(She glances up at NIRA.)
RUBY – You shouldn’t hold your stake like that.
NIRA – I shouldn’t?
(RUBY walks over to her. Slowly, tentatively, she reaches out to touch NIRA’s hand. Gently, she adjusts the position in which it’s holding the stake).
RUBY – You’ll get no weight behind it, holding it like that.
NIRA – Connor taught me.
RUBY – Yeah, well Connor holds his stake like a great big sissy girl.
(The camera pans up as they leave together).
NIRA – Is that a euphemism?
RUBY – No.
(The camera shot of them merges into a view on CCTV screen. The image is paused.)
OC HOSPITAL DIRECTOR – This is all you have?
(CUT TO: Darkened room. It is full, floor to ceiling, of TV screens monitoring various parts of the hospital. In front of them sits a security guard. Behind
him stands the HOSPITAL DIRECTOR and DAVID BEAUMONT, a brown haired, handsome, if a little devious looking man.)
SECURITY GUARD – No, there’s lots. Whoever they were, they weren’t careful.
HOSPITAL DIRECTOR – Plenty for the police. We’ll catch them no time.
DAVID – No.
H.D. – I’m sorry?
DAVID – Burn it. Burn all the copies.
H.D. – Mr Beaumont, we can’t just-
DAVID – You will. If you want that new wing built, then you will.
(He walks over to the screen. CUT TO: DAVID’S POV: The television screen, closing in on the capture image of NIRA).
DAVID – These will not see the light of day.
(EXT. Campus daytime, a grassy area with a cluster of picnic benches. CONNOR is sat at one. NIRA, OWEN and RUBY are stood nearby. RUBY is holding a baseball bat).
NIRA – Baseball?
RUBY – Yes.
NIRA – Baseball will help me slay vampires?
RUBY – It’s a good exercise and an indicator for accuracy as well as strength.
OWEN – (Hopefully) Is it baseball with a mace?
RUBY – Sorry (She hands NIRA the bat).
(NIRA looks up, and sees BEAU watching them from a distance. He’s the walking wounded: arm in a splint, lip cut, face swollen. She passes the bat to OWEN and jogs over to see him. OWEN watches after her.)
RUBY – Do you want a try?
OWEN – I’m not so great with sports.
RUBY – Come on…
OWEN – OK.
(She pitches at him, but his attention is taking up by NIRA and BEAU, who are talking.)
NIRA – How are you doing?
BEAU – I’ll be OK.
NIRA – Tough guy.
(OWEN misses completely. RUBY jogs up, picks up the ball)
OWEN – Told you.
BEAU – My dad says I’m as strong as an ox.
(Both their faces fall)
BEAU – Don’t start, Nira…
NIRA – I’m not, I-
BEAU – Like he told me – he’s a successful guy. People get jealous, all it takes is one psycho…
NIRA – Who looks like a vampire…
BEAU – I’m not doing this. (He turns to go). Look, your secret’s safe with me, but don’t expect me to buy into all your occult theories.
NIRA – I’m not trying to offend you. I just think it’s strange that…
BEAU – He’s a good guy. He’s covered for you and your axe buddies.
NIRA – Please-
(NIRA reaches out and touches BEAU’s face. RUBY pitches the ball, and this time OWEN hits it, hard. The ball goes flying off into some nearby bushes).
CONNOR – Well, if there was a vampire hiding the hedges, he’d be dead right now.
(BEAU now looks agitated, and walks off. NIRA watches him leave).
RUBY- (Encouragingly, to OWEN) – You did hit it very far though.
(NIRA approaches)
CONNOR – What happened?
NIRA – I tried to explain.
CONNOR – And?
NIRA – Yeah. He thinks I’m crazy
RUBY – I’m sorry. Perhaps it’s for the best, until we know what his family is up to. In the meantime…
CONNOR -…We prepare Nira for the world series?
RUBY – We train. Whatever’s coming, Nira’s going to have to meet it.
NIRA – (Nods) Yep.
FADE TO BLACK
NIRA – After all, the best is yet to come.
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