Buffy The Vampire Slayer
"Watch Therefore ..."
by
Tarl N. Telford
page 1
TEASER
FADE IN:
EXT SHOPPING MALL - NIGHT
Couples and various singles walk in the brisk night air through the parking lot. A chill breeze whips through, prompting the people to pull their collars a little bit tighter.
Unseen by none, but felt by all, a large figure, clothed entirely in black, strides through the lot and enters the mall.
INT MALL - FOOD COURT - CONTINUING
JONATHAN (19 yrs), a short, quiet young man, sits alone, away from the other people. As he takes a bite of his burger, he freezes. A chill wind hits the nape of his neck. Wide-eyed, he searches the entire field of vision, but sees nothing.
He wraps the burger quickly and sticks it in his coat pocket. He hurries through the mall toward the exit.
The black clothed man stops at Jonathan's table. He touches the empty tray. His deep-set blue eyes look deeper into the mall in the direction that Jonathan left. He strides after him, his trenchcoat silently flaring out behind him.
INT MALL - RESTROOMS - CONTINUING
Jonathan closes the door behind him. He pushes the garbage can up against the door, poorly blocking it.
He looks to the small window above the stall. He climbs up to it and opens the window. He sticks his head out and looks around. Nothing.
Jonathan braces himself to jump out the window. A whistle from behind startles him. His head cracks against the top of the window as he pulls it in.
Outside the window, a scythe slashes down right where Jonathan's head was.
Jonathan sweats nearvously. He gulps, looking around for something to use as a weapon.
The bathroom door clicks shut. Heavy footsteps sound outside the stall, then stop.
Jonathan crouches back in the corner, terror flooding his features. A shadow stops just outside the stall. The door opens slowly. Jonathan looks up.
The dark-clothed man, TYLER (mid 20's), looks at him for a moment. His bearded face splits into an amused smile. He extends a large hand to Jonathan.
TYLER
Hello, Jonathan. I've been looking for you.
CUT TO:
INT XANDER'S BASEMENT - SAME TIME
ANYA munches on popcorn as she lounges on the couch. XANDER pantomimes some grotesque beast.
ANYA
A Hellhound. Come on, Xander, do something hard.
XANDER
Hey, I wasn't the one who suggested charades. There are other things I'd like to do to pass the time till they come back with the movie.
Anya sits up and eyes him seductively.
ANYA
Like what?
Xander takes a step back.
XANDER
(too quickly)
Hangman.
Anya stands and walks around Xander, trailing her fingers over his neck.
ANYA
Now you're teasing me. I watched men hang during the Inquisition. Their eyes would bulge as they would gasp for breath as their throat.
(wraps her arm around his neck)
Slowly. Crushed.
Xander gulps and laughs nervously.
XANDER
You know. I'm up for another rousing game of charades. Hey, you can even go.
Anya pushes Xander back onto the couch. She sits on the coffee table in front of him. She cocks her head curiously at him.
ANYA
What's that noise?
XANDER
That would be my spine melting.
ANYA
No. I'm serious. Listen.
Xander listens. A shrill keen floats as if on the wind.
XANDER
Someone let Mini-me loose.
ANYA
This is not good.
XANDER
Not good as in bad?
ANYA
Very bad.
XANDER
As in "save the world before we all die" bad?
Anya takes his hand and pulls him toward the door.
XANDER
Shouldn't we wait for the Buffster?
At the top of the stairs, the door bursts open. Anya screams and falls backward into Xander. He barely keeps them from tumbling down the stairs.
BUFFY stands there, holding a videotape like a knife above her head, Psycho-fashion.
BUFFY
Okay, a little too Hitchcock.
XANDER
Buffy, there's trouble.
BUFFY
Yeah. Apparently you two are way too jumpy. Coffee?
ANYA
I like coffee.
XANDER
No. She means did we have too much coffee?
ANYA
Oh.
Buffy brushes past them and plops down on the couch.
BUFFY
So, what's threatening the world this time?
XANDER
Anya?
BUFFY
No. Anya is human. We established that a while ago.
ANYA
Something really bad and nasty and evil.
Buffy opens the video case and pulls out the video, showing them.
BUFFY
"Watcher In The Woods".
She sticks the video in the VCR.
BUFFY
So, what's so bad this time?
Xander points to the open door.
XANDER
Listen.
BUFFY
Sounds like a cat.
The shrill keen rises in intensity.
BUFFY
Hmm. That doesn't sound good.
The keen stops. Silence.
XANDER
That really doesn't sound good.
Buffy pulls a stake from her sleeve and marches up the stairs. She disappears into the night.
XANDER
We're right behind you.
Anya grabs a jacket as they walk out the door.
CUT TO:
EXT STREETS - CONTINUING
Buffy peeks around a corner. Seeing nothing, she creeps along the wall.
A whistle from behind stops her in her tracks. She whirls and throws the stake.
Right behind her, a scythe buries itself in the wall from above.
The stake whirls end over end toward its intended target. Tyler catches it neatly. He tosses it up casually.
Tyler gestures with his eyes behind Buffy. She turns to see the scythe in the wall. Immediately she goes on the defensive.
A Vampire drops down from the roof in front of her. She quickly gains the advantage, pummelling it senseless. She goes to stake it, but she has no stake.
Footsteps pound in the nearby alley. More vampires flock toward the Slayer.
Buffy throws a panicked look back at Tyler.
BUFFY
Give me the stake!
Buffy looks down the alley at the swarming vampires.
BUFFY
They're coming. Give it to me!
Tyler hurls the stake with all his might at a point just above Buffy.
A vampire leaps out of a window and falls toward Buffy. The stake hits him just before he lands on her. The dust showers her. The stake falls into her outstretched hand. She stakes her vampire.
Buffy takes a defensive stance and faces the coming horde. Tyler walks behind her and looks at the coming vampires. They stop short.
VAMPIRE
You have no place here.
TYLER
I go where I am sent. Now go.
The vampires disappear into the darkness.
Buffy turns in astonishment to face Tyler.
TYLER
Buffy Summers, I presume. I've been looking for you.
END OF TEASER