Title: Once Upon A Time In Paris
Rating: R
Author: Bullions
E-Mail: bullions27@yahoo.com
Spoilers: None
Discaimer: I own nada from BtvS
Category: Action/Horror
Summary: Buffy and Jehonas team up once more. This
time in the city of Lights, Paris, where they are
faced with a new enemy, werewolves.
URL: http://www.geocities.com/bullions27
*****************************************************
ONCE UPON A TIME IN PARIS
by Bullions
FADE IN:
EXT. CEMETARY - NIGHT
Wind whistling.
CUT TO a stone effigy of the angel of death, wings
spread
wide, half-smile on her face, with a cloak of snow.
PULL BACK to reveal a large obelisk grave marker the
statue
is perched on.
PAN FURTHER BACK.
The entire yard is blanketed in white from an earlier
storm.
Morbid winter wonderland.
Then, the soft SOUNDS of snow being crunched. Someone
is
approaching. A large shadow falls over the stone with
the
angel. Whoever it is stares at the statue, then moves
away.
WHIP PAN following the man in a low angle view. His
legs
passing by numerous manicured headstones, markers of
all
kinds, arriving at the cemetery gates.
PAN UP AND AROUND past his body, to see the man from
behind.
He is tall, powerful build under the long coat flowing
against the wind. His stature is impeccable, unmoving
against the cold breath of nature. He pushes open the
outer
gates. It CREAKS, disturbing silence.
EXT. STREETSIDE - NIGHT
The man walks out of the gate, to BUFFY waiting. It's
freezing out in Paris. Ice puddles along the curb.
Ground
so cold, smoke rises from the cement and gravel.
Buffy
exhales a mist, brushes her arm briskly. Her nose
giving off
a rosy hue.
THE MAN
You okay?
BUFFY
Superbe. Et vous?
THE MAN
Peachy.
A church bell rings from a distance, resonating. This
draws
Buffy's attention to --
HER POV: A large white cross on the church steeple
standing
against the rolling gray clouds.
BACK ON BUFFY, pulling her leather jacket tighter
around her
body. Both of them wear predominately black.
BUFFY
So what are we waiting for?
THE MAN
Our contact. He is late.
Buffy nods, rocks back and forth on the inch-high
heels of
her shoes.
THE MAN
You sure you don't want my coat? Seeing
how you're practically naked in front of
me.
BUFFY
I'm good. Thanks.
THE MAN
Sure?
BUFFY
(hard)
Yes, Dad.
THE MAN
All right. You sneeze, you suffer.
A long sleek STRETCH LIMO cruises up near the entrance
of the
cemetery. It pulls to a stop. The man motions Buffy
to climb in.
INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT
Inside, a PRIEST, early 40s, is sitting, looking
stressed.
He's dressed in his "civilian" clothing, wears his
hair short
and proper.
The door opens, a shadow comes inside and a sudden
gust of
cool wind. The Priest visibly shudders, both from man
and
nature. Buffy drops herself in a seat across from
him. The
Priest is surprised by her appearance, stares.
PRIEST
Oh, I did not expect company.
THE MAN (O.S.)
My apprentice.
The Priest looks even more confused.
PRIEST
Ah oui, I see. An apprentice...
THE MAN (O.S.)
Problem?
PRIEST
No. Not at all. This is unexpected.
BUFFY
You guys know each other?
PRIEST
We do. For some years.
THE MAN
He has connections with the Camarilla
society, Buffy. It helps to have someone
work in the day, especially a person of
his position.
PRIEST
For better or for worst.
(to the man)
Again, I would like to express my
sincerest gratitude for you coming to us.
THE MAN (O.S.)
I'm here, Father. You have nothing to
worry about. This place is it.
The Priest looks out the window. A sullen nod.
PRIEST
This was Brother Pierre's church. He had
a congregation of his own several years
ago. There were some problems. The
church has been deserted since.
THE MAN (O.S.)
What sort of problems?
PRIEST
We aren't sure exactly what happened to
him, only theories, or what became of him
after. He disappeared.
The Priest leans forward to pick up a file. The
action draws
him close to Buffy. He smiles uncomfortably.
PRIEST
Excusez-moi.
Buffy scoots to the side.
THE MAN (O.S.)
Brother Pierre?
PRIEST
He was an excellent priest, devoted in
every way.
He opens up the file, pulls out 8-inch by 10-inch
glossies.
A HAND appears, accepts each photo one by one.
The first one is of a YOUNG GIRL, no more than late
teens, an
angel, smiling as if the sun never sets. Each other
one,
various blow-ups of other people.
PRIEST
Those are the missing victims of the past
four months. The first photo is Chloe.
The photos are rotated between the three.
PRIEST
(indicating a mugshot of a man)
That is Brother Pierre.
THE MAN
A Slayer was sent?
The Priest hesitates to answer. Buffy looks up from
the photo.
PRIEST
Oui. Chloe. She was sent last night.
She has not returned since.
(beat)
Her family is getting worried by the
hour. It won't be long before
authorities investigate and most likely
find nothing and declare the case closed
like the others.
THE MAN
Perhaps. Her Watcher?
PRIEST
Sober, luckily. He blames himself. Do
you think it is too late?
THE MAN
Won't be a problem. Have faith, Father.
We'd better get started.
PRIEST
God go with you.
EXT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT
The man climbs out of the limo. He turns around. It
is
JEHONAS, looking not a day older or younger. He moves
off.
AT THE BACK OF THE LIMO
Jehonas pops open the trunk, brings out A LARGE SUIT
CARRIER.
He slams down the trunk, puts the luggage over.
Jehonas
unzips it, revealing an assortment of GUNS, high-tech
weapons, stakes of silver, gold and wood, strapped
inside.
He zips it back up.
Light snowfall starting to come down. He adjusts the
collar
of his long coat, starts across the street with Buffy.
EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT
A once exemplary church, now boarded up, neglected.
Gothic
in style, it stands with deserted brownstones and
empty lots
of rubble as neighbors. Ancient, vaguely wolf-like
GARGOYLES
high up stare down at Jehonas and Buffy moving up the
stairs.
BELOW, they reach the double brazen doors.
BUFFY
What's his deal? It's like he hasn't
seen a girl in years.
JEHONAS
He hasn't.
The limo starts up and leaves.
Jehonas pulls open the door, revealing darkness. They
both
disappear inside.
INT. CORRIDOR - DIMLY LIT - NIGHT
Footsteps ECHOING in the b.g.
Jehonas appears into frame, stops before another door,
pushes
it open. He and Buffy enter from the lobby into the
front of
the church. A huge-ass church. Shafts of colored
light
needle through the holes in the pieces of wood and
cloth that
cover the broken stained glass windows.
Jehonas walks down the center aisle between
deteriorated
pews. Rats run from one side to the other, disturbed
by the
sudden intrusion.
Buffy clicks on her flashlight, shines the light from
one
side to the other, taking in the sight.
JEHONAS
13th Century Gothic. Many of the gypsies
and other so-called heretic religions
escaped the Inquisition by fleeing into
sympathizing churches like this.
(beat)
No doubt, vampires of today still use
this church for the same purpose.
Buffy nods silently.
JEHONAS
Underneath the floors of the church are
the catacombs of Rochereau. The tunnels
connect to the sewer networks of Paris.
BUFFY
A good way to run and hide.
JEHONAS
Yes.
Jehonas stops before a rather barren altar. To the
right, at
the top of the altar stairs, there is a stone statue
of a
saint with his arms outstretched, welcoming.
Buffy shines her light at the statue. The life-size
saint is
covered in spider-webs. Tiny spiders crawl across his
eyes,
which look down on Jehonas and Buffy.
JEHONAS
Saint Aquinas. Philosopher. Theologian.
Patron of schools and universities. A
man of many skills.
Buffy shines the flashlight against the back altar
wall,
revealing a wooden carving of Christ crucified.
BUFFY
Is this still his house, even when no one
comes anymore?
JEHONAS
Of course, Buffy.
He watches her move the beam of light around.
JEHONAS
Do you believe in God?
Buffy shrugs.
JEHONAS
Let me ask you something else. Why are
you here? With me. You are in the
Lord's house remember. Answer honestly.
Buffy rolls her eyes, going into a routine.
BUFFY
It couldn't hurt if you had a little
back-up, right?
JEHONAS
Yes, you told me that in New York, a year
ago. This is Paris.
BUFFY
Yeah, I know. But you invited me to
come, remember that? and this isn't
something I get offered a lot.
JEHONAS
Slaying?
BUFFY
No, going out of the country. I wanted
to hang with you, and besides, I'm
learning 13th Century Gothic history,
right? Learning is a good thing.
Buffy points to the statue. A wry smile spreads
across
Jehonas' face, nods.
He shrugs off his long coat with casual grace.
Underneath is
his sleeveless 6-Point Kevlar vest.
BUFFY
What? You have that expression again.
Jehonas drops back to his inscrutable face.
JEHONAS
What expression?
BUFFY
That thing you're doing.
JEHONAS
Taking off my coat?
Jehonas places his longcoat over an upturned bench.
BUFFY
No. Yes. I know that face. Whatever
you're thinking, that's not it.
JEHONAS
(pauses to think)
That could hurt a man.
BUFFY
Stop that. That's not what I meant.
(defensive)
Wait a minute, what are you thinking?
JEHONAS
I like you a lot, Buffy. You're a good
kid. Do you find it disconcerting?
BUFFY
Well, no. I just...oh, nevermind.
Buffy spins away from him, taking off her own coat.
Something distracts Jehonas. His back to her. His
attention
focused to the floor. Placing the carrier bag on the
altar,
he kneels down.
TIGHT ON JEHONAS, his eyes, careful and feral, are
working
over the feint DRAG MARKS and FOOTPRINTS from the
dust.
Except the footprints are odd. Bestial.
He adjusts his position, following the tracks under
Buffy and
to the darkness beyond.
JEHONAS
Footprints, Buffy, leading deeper into
the church.
BUFFY
Usual MO?
JEHONAS
No blood. Victim may have been
unconscious. Check out the prints.
Buffy crouches down with Jehonas.
BUFFY
Whoa, this looks absolutely funky.
JEHONAS
(sniffs)
Yes. There's something different.
Jehonas stands, perplexed, stares at the church.
BUFFY
Werebat? Like the ones from that Monge
Place?
JEHONAS
I can't tell. The edges are too feint.
And it's Place Monge.
He unzips the bag and pulls out a sleek black
high-powered
HUNTING CROSSBOW. He flips a switch and the bow ARMS
swing
out with metallic greasy smoothness, locking into
place. He
tosses it to Buffy.
BUFFY
Uh, no. Shotgun.
JEHONAS
(chuckles)
Nice try.
BUFFY
Shotgun.
Jehonas just smiles, goes through the bag.
BUFFY
We've been at this, what, for like a year
and you still don't trust me with a gun?
JEHONAS
A shotgun, and a gun, are two very
different weapons.
BUFFY
Whatever. I know about the whole recoil
thing. I heard your schpeel. But
seriously I think the vampire community
is making headways into the 20th century
while the Slayers hang back with stakes
and crossbows. That is so not cool. So.
Shotgun.
Jehonas rolls it through his mind.
JEHONAS
Who am I to argue with conventional
Slayer wisdom.
He pulls out a sawed-off 12-GAUGE BROWNING
LEVER-ACTION
SHOTGUN. He twirls the shotgun, a la Terminator,
chambering
a round and hands it to her.
An expression of sublime delight fills her face as she
eyes
the piece.
JEHONAS
Just watch where you point it.
He goes back to his bag, pulls out DUAL RUGER P85s.
He slaps
in a fresh clip in each one, chambers a round. Fluids
graceful and mechanical. Next. His MAC-10 SMG from
Slayers.
Next. He straps a bandoleer of STAKES around his left
thigh.
Next. His SWORD, the blade of Jehonas, sheathed into
a back
scabbard.
He turns back to Buffy who is squatting, lacing up her
boots.
His eyes drop down to her behind, perfectly shaped
under
tight fitting pants.
Jehonas shifts his eyes away. Buffy tucks her hair
behind a
ear, looks up at him. She notices his tongue rolling
against
the inside of his cheek.
BUFFY
Did you eat?
She does an injection motion with her hand.
JEHONAS
Yes. No underwear tonight?
BUFFY
(impish grin)
What's wrong with that?
JEHONAS
Nothing.
BUFFY
It gets in the way when I kick...
JEHONAS
(holding up hand)
All right. You women. We ready?
BUFFY
Let's book.
He hands her a gold chrome COLT 1911 handgun with
holster,
which she takes and slings over her shoulder. Buffy
notices
Jehonas still looking at her, almost a proud look.
They
share a moment. Two hunters, mutual camaraderie in
their
work.
Jehonas nods to the darkness, and they leave.
INT. STAIRWAY - NIGHT
Jehonas and Buffy move down the giant stairs without
so much
of a noise, keeping their backs to the wall. Their
eyes
alert, scanning the surroundings. Both minds now on
the
hunt.
At the bottom of the stairs --
They both turn to a doorway leading into a corridor of
perpetual darkness.
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Jehonas and Buffy cat-step down the hallway. They
stop
before another door.
INT. CELLAR ROOM - NIGHT
Jehonas peers into the room. Silence. The place was
once a
study, but now a complete mess. Decaying bookshelves
lying
on top of each other, wrecked from moisture. Broken
furniture, some graffiti on walls, smashed light
bulbs.
He moves to one specific bookcase, a giant one set
against
the wall. He looks down --
ON THE FLOOR
Scrape marks on the dusty ground.
Jehonas and Buffy both push the bookcase on one side.
It
rotates loudly, stone grinding on stone. They look
in, more
darkness.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Jehonas and Buffy, quite stoic, climb down the ancient
stairs, watching left and right. Jehonas reaches over
his
shoulder and slowly unsheathes his slender sword. The
SOUNDS
of static drip of water echoing in the b.g. Buffy
goes wide
eyed as soon as she's at the foot of the stairs.
BUFFY
Oh, my God.
They stare at two large tunnels which lead into a
twisting,
intestinal maze, lined from floor to ceiling with
HUMAN
SKULLS and FEMURS. The bones form the building blocks
of the
tunnel walls and are arranged in various patterns --
from
crucifixes to Masonic pyramids and even pentagrams.
We see
where the drips were coming from. Ground water
seeping from
the ceilings and walls, dripping over the eroded,
crumbling
bones.
JEHONAS
After the revolution, the Paris
cemeteries overflowed. Many dug up the
old bodies of their relatives and brought
them here. Seven thousand people.
Mostly very poor. I helped a thirteen
year old girl bury her father here many
years ago.
BUFFY
Pretty stylish digs for a bunch of
paupers.
JEHONAS
Of course. They are French.
He leads her --
CUT TO:
DEEPER INSIDE,
Jehonas moving at the point, Buffy a few paces behind.
She's
keeping careful watch over her shoulder, gripping the
pump of
her Browning tighter. They pass an intersection,
keeping the
straight path.
Then suddenly --
SOMETHING BIG, a flash of fur, sprinting across the
corridor
behind Buffy. Hardly a sound. But Buffy feels that
hair
tingling behind the back of her neck. She looks back.
Nothing.
TIGHT ON JEHONAS, scanning the floor when --
HIS HEAD SUDDENLY TURNS. He listens to something we
cannot
begin to hear. A momentary pause.
BUFFY
(hushed)
Did you hear that, too?
Jehonas doesn't respond, and they both make a left.
Just as
they take a few steps down the tunnel.
He shoots out his arm, stopping Buffy. He listens.
He turns his head, glancing behind them, searching.
HIS POV: Nothing but darkness down the tunnel. Water
dripping as loud as lead being dropped into a bucket.
Rats
SQUEEKING louder than their size would hint.
His senses are amplified many times more than a human.
BUFFY
What is it?
JEHONAS
It's been a while since I walked down
these tunnels. Simple nostalgia. Let's
go.
He turns back.
At the end of corridor, Jehonas notices a wooden door
there
partially opened. Twirling his blade once, he inches
closer,
trying to peek inside.
Buffy wrinkles her nose. Jehonas gives her a hand
signal, to
be ready.
He slowly pushes open the door.
INT. CATACOMBS - ROOM - NIGHT
Entering the room, the first thing they see horrifies
them.
THEIR POV: BODIES. Nearly a dozen, torn and mangled,
bloodied, strewn all about the room. Lifeless eyes
watching
back at Jehonas and Buffy where they stand. Jehonas
starts
to move among the corpses. Their flesh, purple and
crimson
red. Some exposed to the open air causing rot.
BUFFY
Is it me, or is this starting to look not
vampire?
JEHONAS
(nodding)
The Priest was wrong. I have seen this
before.
Jehonas crouches down next to a body of AN OBESE MAN,
the
insides of the chest cavity exposed completely. It's
like
something took two handfuls of his lungs and ripped
them out.
JEHONAS
I saw a guy once in Milan...he died like
this. The vampire council believed it
was the work of Garou.
BUFFY
Grow, what?
JEHONAS
Werewolves. Explains that smell.
BUFFY
No big deal. They're bad. They're
evil. We can kick their butts.
Jehonas starts working on the corpse, noting the
PURPLISH
coloring of the wound area.
JEHONAS
This man died not too long ago.
(beat)
Have you hunted werewolves?
BUFFY
Uh, sort of, but he turned out okay, in
some doggish way.
JEHONAS
Good.
He looks around the room, grim.
JEHONAS
Chloe isn't here. We can hope she might
still be...
An UNEARTHLY HOWL echoes through the tunnels. Buffy
snaps
alert, spins to the door.
Jehonas stands up straight. Another eerie HOWL echoes
through the maze. They both look further into the
tunnel and
see A PAIR OF GLOWING YELLOW EYES staring back at them
out of
the darkness. We see the dim outline of the massive
wolf-
like beast.
JEHONAS
The culprit.
With a horrible ROAR, the eyes lunge at them. Buffy
lets
loose the Browning -- BOOM! -- just as the beast comes
crashing in. The force of the blast blows the beast
back
through the door.
Another beast tears around the corner, SNARLS. Buffy
jacks
around the shotgun fast, fires again.
The beast manages to spin away, avoiding the blast.
The
shell reduces the corner into a mess of concrete and
dust.
Jehonas breaks into a sprint, past Buffy.
JEHONAS
Don't fall behind.
He turns the corner with his sword ready to slash.
The beast
already gone, making tracks down. The padding of
bestial
feet growing distant.
Jehonas gives chase. Buffy is trying to keep up while
reloading her shotgun.
He emerges into an opening. A sudden noise to his
right.
Jehonas slashes at the direction of the sound in one
swing
with his sword. The attacker adjusts just as fast,
stops and
backs away a fraction of a second away from the blade.
The BEAST rears up onto its hind legs for another
attack,
jumps at Jehonas but he moves so lightning fast we
don't even
have time to register his blade coming upwards,
slashing
deep.
The beast HOWLS in pain. Jehonas spins the blade,
slashes
again, and AGAIN in precise cuts. The beast falls
backward
dead.
Buffy jumps in behind him and fires her shotgun just
as
another beast tries to tackle Jehonas from behind.
BOOM!
She blows it off screen.
BUFFY
Bad doggie!
JEHONAS
Follow. There's another.
They take off down the tunnel. The path is
serpentine, with
many smaller passages and anterooms off to the sides.
Jehonas and Buffy move rapidly, turning left and
right, the
walls behind them becoming a blur.
They come into the LARGE MAIN ANTECHAMBER, with dozens
of
huge support pillars. Jehonas barely catching the
profile of
the beast before it disappears around a corner.
He gives another hand signal, and they split up, ready
to
catch the beast on both flanks.
TIGHT ON BUFFY, running, ready to turn another corner
and --
SLAM! Something barrels into her -- it's a TEENAGE
GIRL.
Actually, the same girl from the first photo, CHLOE.
The
girl's covered in grime, clothes torn. She backpedals
into a combat stance, breathing hard.
CHLOE
(screaming)
Qui êtes-vous?
Buffy pulls back her shotgun.
BUFFY
Um...Je m'appelle Buffy.
Jehonas slides into view behind Chloe.
BUFFY
Je suis le...um, help here.
Chloe sees her eyes, spins around to the man. She
visibly
relaxes.
JEHONAS
Chloe?
CHLOE
Le Professeur!
(heavy accent)
And American Slayer?
JEHONAS
Où est le monstre?
CHLOE
It took off down the tunnel. I went the
other way. There are four in the pack.
JEHONAS
There's only one now. You speak English?
CHLOE
Oui. A little.
JEHONAS
Follow then.
He races off.
__________________________________________________
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----------
ONCE UPON A TIME IN PARIS
by Bullions
FADE IN:
EXT. CEMETARY - NIGHT
Wind whistling.
CUT TO a stone effigy of the angel of death, wings spread
wide, half-smile on her face, with a cloak of snow.
PULL BACK to reveal a large obelisk grave marker the statue
is perched on.
PAN FURTHER BACK.
The entire yard is blanketed in white from an earlier storm.
Morbid winter wonderland.
Then, the soft SOUNDS of snow being crunched. Someone is
approaching. A large shadow falls over the stone with the
angel. Whoever it is stares at the statue, then moves away.
WHIP PAN following the man in a low angle view. His legs
passing by numerous manicured headstones, markers of all
kinds, arriving at the cemetery gates.
PAN UP AND AROUND past his body, to see the man from behind.
He is tall, powerful build under the long coat flowing
against the wind. His stature is impeccable, unmoving
against the cold breath of nature. He pushes open the outer
gates. It CREAKS, disturbing silence.
EXT. STREETSIDE - NIGHT
The man walks out of the gate, to BUFFY waiting. It's
freezing out in Paris. Ice puddles along the curb. Ground
so cold, smoke rises from the cement and gravel. Buffy
exhales a mist, brushes her arm briskly. Her nose giving off
a rosy hue.
THE MAN
You okay?
BUFFY
Superbe. Et vous?
THE MAN
Peachy.
A church bell rings from a distance, resonating. This draws
Buffy's attention to --
HER POV: A large white cross on the church steeple standing
against the rolling gray clouds.
BACK ON BUFFY, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her
body. Both of them wear predominately black.
BUFFY
So what are we waiting for?
THE MAN
Our contact. He is late.
Buffy nods, rocks back and forth on the inch-high heels of
her shoes.
THE MAN
You sure you don't want my coat? Seeing
how you're practically naked in front of
me.
BUFFY
I'm good. Thanks.
THE MAN
Sure?
BUFFY
(hard)
Yes, Dad.
THE MAN
All right. You sneeze, you suffer.
A long sleek STRETCH LIMO cruises up near the entrance of the
cemetery. It pulls to a stop. The man motions Buffy to climb in.
INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT
Inside, a PRIEST, early 40s, is sitting, looking stressed.
He's dressed in his "civilian" clothing, wears his hair short
and proper.
The door opens, a shadow comes inside and a sudden gust of
cool wind. The Priest visibly shudders, both from man and
nature. Buffy drops herself in a seat across from him. The
Priest is surprised by her appearance, stares.
PRIEST
Oh, I did not expect company.
THE MAN (O.S.)
My apprentice.
The Priest looks even more confused.
PRIEST
Ah oui, I see. An apprentice...
THE MAN (O.S.)
Problem?
PRIEST
No. Not at all. This is unexpected.
BUFFY
You guys know each other?
PRIEST
We do. For some years.
THE MAN
He has connections with the Camarilla
society, Buffy. It helps to have someone
work in the day, especially a person of
his position.
PRIEST
For better or for worst.
(to the man)
Again, I would like to express my
sincerest gratitude for you coming to us.
THE MAN (O.S.)
I'm here, Father. You have nothing to
worry about. This place is it.
The Priest looks out the window. A sullen nod.
PRIEST
This was Brother Pierre's church. He had
a congregation of his own several years
ago. There were some problems. The
church has been deserted since.
THE MAN (O.S.)
What sort of problems?
PRIEST
We aren't sure exactly what happened to
him, only theories, or what became of him
after. He disappeared.
The Priest leans forward to pick up a file. The action draws
him close to Buffy. He smiles uncomfortably.
PRIEST
Excusez-moi.
Buffy scoots to the side.
THE MAN (O.S.)
Brother Pierre?
PRIEST
He was an excellent priest, devoted in
every way.
He opens up the file, pulls out 8-inch by 10-inch glossies.
A HAND appears, accepts each photo one by one.
The first one is of a YOUNG GIRL, no more than late teens, an
angel, smiling as if the sun never sets. Each other one,
various blow-ups of other people.
PRIEST
Those are the missing victims of the past
four months. The first photo is Chloe.
The photos are rotated between the three.
PRIEST
(indicating a mugshot of a man)
That is Brother Pierre.
THE MAN
A Slayer was sent?
The Priest hesitates to answer. Buffy looks up from the photo.
PRIEST
Oui. Chloe. She was sent last night.
She has not returned since.
(beat)
Her family is getting worried by the
hour. It won't be long before
authorities investigate and most likely
find nothing and declare the case closed
like the others.
THE MAN
Perhaps. Her Watcher?
PRIEST
Sober, luckily. He blames himself. Do
you think it is too late?
THE MAN
Won't be a problem. Have faith, Father.
We'd better get started.
PRIEST
God go with you.
EXT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT
The man climbs out of the limo. He turns around. It is
JEHONAS, looking not a day older or younger. He moves off.
AT THE BACK OF THE LIMO
Jehonas pops open the trunk, brings out A LARGE SUIT CARRIER.
He slams down the trunk, puts the luggage over. Jehonas
unzips it, revealing an assortment of GUNS, high-tech
weapons, stakes of silver, gold and wood, strapped inside.
He zips it back up.
Light snowfall starting to come down. He adjusts the collar
of his long coat, starts across the street with Buffy.
EXT. CHURCH - NIGHT
A once exemplary church, now boarded up, neglected. Gothic
in style, it stands with deserted brownstones and empty lots
of rubble as neighbors. Ancient, vaguely wolf-like GARGOYLES
high up stare down at Jehonas and Buffy moving up the stairs.
BELOW, they reach the double brazen doors.
BUFFY
What's his deal? It's like he hasn't
seen a girl in years.
JEHONAS
He hasn't.
The limo starts up and leaves.
Jehonas pulls open the door, revealing darkness. They both
disappear inside.
INT. CORRIDOR - DIMLY LIT - NIGHT
Footsteps ECHOING in the b.g.
Jehonas appears into frame, stops before another door, pushes
it open. He and Buffy enter from the lobby into the front of
the church. A huge-ass church. Shafts of colored light
needle through the holes in the pieces of wood and cloth that
cover the broken stained glass windows.
Jehonas walks down the center aisle between deteriorated
pews. Rats run from one side to the other, disturbed by the
sudden intrusion.
Buffy clicks on her flashlight, shines the light from one
side to the other, taking in the sight.
JEHONAS
13th Century Gothic. Many of the gypsies
and other so-called heretic religions
escaped the Inquisition by fleeing into
sympathizing churches like this.
(beat)
No doubt, vampires of today still use
this church for the same purpose.
Buffy nods silently.
JEHONAS
Underneath the floors of the church are
the catacombs of Rochereau. The tunnels
connect to the sewer networks of Paris.
BUFFY
A good way to run and hide.
JEHONAS
Yes.
Jehonas stops before a rather barren altar. To the right, at
the top of the altar stairs, there is a stone statue of a
saint with his arms outstretched, welcoming.
Buffy shines her light at the statue. The life-size saint is
covered in spider-webs. Tiny spiders crawl across his eyes,
which look down on Jehonas and Buffy.
JEHONAS
Saint Aquinas. Philosopher. Theologian.
Patron of schools and universities. A
man of many skills.
Buffy shines the flashlight against the back altar wall,
revealing a wooden carving of Christ crucified.
BUFFY
Is this still his house, even when no one
comes anymore?
JEHONAS
Of course, Buffy.
He watches her move the beam of light around.
JEHONAS
Do you believe in God?
Buffy shrugs.
JEHONAS
Let me ask you something else. Why are
you here? With me. You are in the
Lord's house remember. Answer honestly.
Buffy rolls her eyes, going into a routine.
BUFFY
It couldn't hurt if you had a little
back-up, right?
JEHONAS
Yes, you told me that in New York, a year
ago. This is Paris.
BUFFY
Yeah, I know. But you invited me to
come, remember that? and this isn't
something I get offered a lot.
JEHONAS
Slaying?
BUFFY
No, going out of the country. I wanted
to hang with you, and besides, I'm
learning 13th Century Gothic history,
right? Learning is a good thing.
Buffy points to the statue. A wry smile spreads across
Jehonas' face, nods.
He shrugs off his long coat with casual grace. Underneath is
his sleeveless 6-Point Kevlar vest.
BUFFY
What? You have that expression again.
Jehonas drops back to his inscrutable face.
JEHONAS
What expression?
BUFFY
That thing you're doing.
JEHONAS
Taking off my coat?
Jehonas places his longcoat over an upturned bench.
BUFFY
No. Yes. I know that face. Whatever
you're thinking, that's not it.
JEHONAS
(pauses to think)
That could hurt a man.
BUFFY
Stop that. That's not what I meant.
(defensive)
Wait a minute, what are you thinking?
JEHONAS
I like you a lot, Buffy. You're a good
kid. Do you find it disconcerting?
BUFFY
Well, no. I just...oh, nevermind.
Buffy spins away from him, taking off her own coat.
Something distracts Jehonas. His back to her. His attention
focused to the floor. Placing the carrier bag on the altar,
he kneels down.
TIGHT ON JEHONAS, his eyes, careful and feral, are working
over the feint DRAG MARKS and FOOTPRINTS from the dust.
Except the footprints are odd. Bestial.
He adjusts his position, following the tracks under Buffy and
to the darkness beyond.
JEHONAS
Footprints, Buffy, leading deeper into
the church.
BUFFY
Usual MO?
JEHONAS
No blood. Victim may have been
unconscious. Check out the prints.
Buffy crouches down with Jehonas.
BUFFY
Whoa, this looks absolutely funky.
JEHONAS
(sniffs)
Yes. There's something different.
Jehonas stands, perplexed, stares at the church.
BUFFY
Werebat? Like the ones from that Monge
Place?
JEHONAS
I can't tell. The edges are too feint.
And it's Place Monge.
He unzips the bag and pulls out a sleek black high-powered
HUNTING CROSSBOW. He flips a switch and the bow ARMS swing
out with metallic greasy smoothness, locking into place. He
tosses it to Buffy.
BUFFY
Uh, no. Shotgun.
JEHONAS
(chuckles)
Nice try.
BUFFY
Shotgun.
Jehonas just smiles, goes through the bag.
BUFFY
We've been at this, what, for like a year
and you still don't trust me with a gun?
JEHONAS
A shotgun, and a gun, are two very
different weapons.
BUFFY
Whatever. I know about the whole recoil
thing. I heard your schpeel. But
seriously I think the vampire community
is making headways into the 20th century
while the Slayers hang back with stakes
and crossbows. That is so not cool. So.
Shotgun.
Jehonas rolls it through his mind.
JEHONAS
Who am I to argue with conventional
Slayer wisdom.
He pulls out a sawed-off 12-GAUGE BROWNING LEVER-ACTION
SHOTGUN. He twirls the shotgun, a la Terminator, chambering
a round and hands it to her.
An expression of sublime delight fills her face as she eyes
the piece.
JEHONAS
Just watch where you point it.
He goes back to his bag, pulls out DUAL RUGER P85s. He slaps
in a fresh clip in each one, chambers a round. Fluids
graceful and mechanical. Next. His MAC-10 SMG from Slayers.
Next. He straps a bandoleer of STAKES around his left thigh.
Next. His SWORD, the blade of Jehonas, sheathed into a back
scabbard.
He turns back to Buffy who is squatting, lacing up her boots.
His eyes drop down to her behind, perfectly shaped under
tight fitting pants.
Jehonas shifts his eyes away. Buffy tucks her hair behind a
ear, looks up at him. She notices his tongue rolling against
the inside of his cheek.
BUFFY
Did you eat?
She does an injection motion with her hand.
JEHONAS
Yes. No underwear tonight?
BUFFY
(impish grin)
What's wrong with that?
JEHONAS
Nothing.
BUFFY
It gets in the way when I kick...
JEHONAS
(holding up hand)
All right. You women. We ready?
BUFFY
Let's book.
He hands her a gold chrome COLT 1911 handgun with holster,
which she takes and slings over her shoulder. Buffy notices
Jehonas still looking at her, almost a proud look. They
share a moment. Two hunters, mutual camaraderie in their
work.
Jehonas nods to the darkness, and they leave.
INT. STAIRWAY - NIGHT
Jehonas and Buffy move down the giant stairs without so much
of a noise, keeping their backs to the wall. Their eyes
alert, scanning the surroundings. Both minds now on the
hunt.
At the bottom of the stairs --
They both turn to a doorway leading into a corridor of
perpetual darkness.
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Jehonas and Buffy cat-step down the hallway. They stop
before another door.
INT. CELLAR ROOM - NIGHT
Jehonas peers into the room. Silence. The place was once a
study, but now a complete mess. Decaying bookshelves lying
on top of each other, wrecked from moisture. Broken
furniture, some graffiti on walls, smashed light bulbs.
He moves to one specific bookcase, a giant one set against
the wall. He looks down --
ON THE FLOOR
Scrape marks on the dusty ground.
Jehonas and Buffy both push the bookcase on one side. It
rotates loudly, stone grinding on stone. They look in, more
darkness.
INT. CATACOMBS - NIGHT
Jehonas and Buffy, quite stoic, climb down the ancient
stairs, watching left and right. Jehonas reaches over his
shoulder and slowly unsheathes his slender sword. The SOUNDS
of static drip of water echoing in the b.g. Buffy goes wide
eyed as soon as she's at the foot of the stairs.
BUFFY
Oh, my God.
They stare at two large tunnels which lead into a twisting,
intestinal maze, lined from floor to ceiling with HUMAN
SKULLS and FEMURS. The bones form the building blocks of the
tunnel walls and are arranged in various patterns -- from
crucifixes to Masonic pyramids and even pentagrams. We see
where the drips were coming from. Ground water seeping from
the ceilings and walls, dripping over the eroded, crumbling
bones.
JEHONAS
After the revolution, the Paris
cemeteries overflowed. Many dug up the
old bodies of their relatives and brought
them here. Seven thousand people.
Mostly very poor. I helped a thirteen
year old girl bury her father here many
years ago.
BUFFY
Pretty stylish digs for a bunch of
paupers.
JEHONAS
Of course. They are French.
He leads her --
CUT TO:
DEEPER INSIDE,
Jehonas moving at the point, Buffy a few paces behind. She's
keeping careful watch over her shoulder, gripping the pump of
her Browning tighter. They pass an intersection, keeping the
straight path.
Then suddenly --
SOMETHING BIG, a flash of fur, sprinting across the corridor
behind Buffy. Hardly a sound. But Buffy feels that hair
tingling behind the back of her neck. She looks back.
Nothing.
TIGHT ON JEHONAS, scanning the floor when --
HIS HEAD SUDDENLY TURNS. He listens to something we cannot
begin to hear. A momentary pause.
BUFFY
(hushed)
Did you hear that, too?
Jehonas doesn't respond, and they both make a left. Just as
they take a few steps down the tunnel.
He shoots out his arm, stopping Buffy. He listens.
He turns his head, glancing behind them, searching.
HIS POV: Nothing but darkness down the tunnel. Water
dripping as loud as lead being dropped into a bucket. Rats
SQUEEKING louder than their size would hint.
His senses are amplified many times more than a human.
BUFFY
What is it?
JEHONAS
It's been a while since I walked down
these tunnels. Simple nostalgia. Let's
go.
He turns back.
At the end of corridor, Jehonas notices a wooden door there
partially opened. Twirling his blade once, he inches closer,
trying to peek inside.
Buffy wrinkles her nose. Jehonas gives her a hand signal, to
be ready.
He slowly pushes open the door.
INT. CATACOMBS - ROOM - NIGHT
Entering the room, the first thing they see horrifies them.
THEIR POV: BODIES. Nearly a dozen, torn and mangled,
bloodied, strewn all about the room. Lifeless eyes watching
back at Jehonas and Buffy where they stand. Jehonas starts
to move among the corpses. Their flesh, purple and crimson
red. Some exposed to the open air causing rot.
BUFFY
Is it me, or is this starting to look not
vampire?
JEHONAS
(nodding)
The Priest was wrong. I have seen this
before.
Jehonas crouches down next to a body of AN OBESE MAN, the
insides of the chest cavity exposed completely. It's like
something took two handfuls of his lungs and ripped them out.
JEHONAS
I saw a guy once in Milan...he died like
this. The vampire council believed it
was the work of Garou.
BUFFY
Grow, what?
JEHONAS
Werewolves. Explains that smell.
BUFFY
No big deal. They're bad. They're
evil. We can kick their butts.
Jehonas starts working on the corpse, noting the PURPLISH
coloring of the wound area.
JEHONAS
This man died not too long ago.
(beat)
Have you hunted werewolves?
BUFFY
Uh, sort of, but he turned out okay, in
some doggish way.
JEHONAS
Good.
He looks around the room, grim.
JEHONAS
Chloe isn't here. We can hope she might
still be...
An UNEARTHLY HOWL echoes through the tunnels. Buffy snaps
alert, spins to the door.
Jehonas stands up straight. Another eerie HOWL echoes
through the maze. They both look further into the tunnel and
see A PAIR OF GLOWING YELLOW EYES staring back at them out of
the darkness. We see the dim outline of the massive wolf-
like beast.
JEHONAS
The culprit.
With a horrible ROAR, the eyes lunge at them. Buffy lets
loose the Browning -- BOOM! -- just as the beast comes
crashing in. The force of the blast blows the beast back
through the door.
Another beast tears around the corner, SNARLS. Buffy jacks
around the shotgun fast, fires again.
The beast manages to spin away, avoiding the blast. The
shell reduces the corner into a mess of concrete and dust.
Jehonas breaks into a sprint, past Buffy.
JEHONAS
Don't fall behind.
He turns the corner with his sword ready to slash. The beast
already gone, making tracks down. The padding of bestial
feet growing distant.
Jehonas gives chase. Buffy is trying to keep up while
reloading her shotgun.
He emerges into an opening. A sudden noise to his right.
Jehonas slashes at the direction of the sound in one swing
with his sword. The attacker adjusts just as fast, stops and
backs away a fraction of a second away from the blade.
The BEAST rears up onto its hind legs for another attack,
jumps at Jehonas but he moves so lightning fast we don't even
have time to register his blade coming upwards, slashing
deep.
The beast HOWLS in pain. Jehonas spins the blade, slashes
again, and AGAIN in precise cuts. The beast falls backward
dead.
Buffy jumps in behind him and fires her shotgun just as
another beast tries to tackle Jehonas from behind. BOOM!
She blows it off screen.
BUFFY
Bad doggie!
JEHONAS
Follow. There's another.
They take off down the tunnel. The path is serpentine, with
many smaller passages and anterooms off to the sides.
Jehonas and Buffy move rapidly, turning left and right, the
walls behind them becoming a blur.
They come into the LARGE MAIN ANTECHAMBER, with dozens of
huge support pillars. Jehonas barely catching the profile of
the beast before it disappears around a corner.
He gives another hand signal, and they split up, ready to
catch the beast on both flanks.
TIGHT ON BUFFY, running, ready to turn another corner and --
SLAM! Something barrels into her -- it's a TEENAGE GIRL.
Actually, the same girl from the first photo, CHLOE. The
girl's covered in grime, clothes torn. She backpedals
into a combat stance, breathing hard.
CHLOE
(screaming)
Qui êtes-vous?
Buffy pulls back her shotgun.
BUFFY
Um...Je m'appelle Buffy.
Jehonas slides into view behind Chloe.
BUFFY
Je suis le...um, help here.
Chloe sees her eyes, spins around to the man. She visibly
relaxes.
JEHONAS
Chloe?
CHLOE
Le Professeur!
(heavy accent)
And American Slayer?
JEHONAS
Où est le monstre?
CHLOE
It took off down the tunnel. I went the
other way. There are four in the pack.
JEHONAS
There's only one now. You speak English?
CHLOE
Oui. A little.
JEHONAS
Follow then.
He races off.
THE END
Author: Bullions (bullions27@yahoo.com)
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