*

*

MARSALA
..... You have to decide who's going to die tonight; him — or you and me.


DISSOLVE TO:


INT. STUDENT UNION — LATER


The girl with the romance novel and the boy with the computer are both gone.

Kerry now sits in the armchair closest to Marsala.


MARSALA
            Do you know how he plans to kill me?


KERRY
            No.


MARSALA
            But you do accept that he plans to?


KERRY
            He admitted it.


MARSALA
            Pull your chair closer.


Kerry looks around, then scoots the chair closer.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            Now don't get jumpy.  I don’t suppose . . . you’ve ever used one?


He opens his coat pocket, where a gun is hidden in the inside pocket.  He shows her but doesn't take it out.

She swallows hard, eyeing it nervously.


KERRY
            What good's a gun going to be against a vampire anyway?


MARSALA
            This'll slow him down, fired from close enough. They heal fast, but not that fast.


Kerry has a reluctant look on her face as he puts it in her hands; but she doesn’t take it.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            I want you to take this and hide it. See if you've got a pocket big enough. Otherwise you can stick it in the waistband of your jeans.


KERRY
            I'm not sticking a gun down my pants.


MARSALA
            It's got a safety. Check your pockets.


KERRY
            I can't. I could never shoot anybody —


MARSALA
            Not even knowing what he is?  Not even knowing he's killed uncountable others, intends to kill you, and may well decide that your family has to go too?


KERRY
            I don't know . . . but even if I wanted to, I'm sure I'd never be able to hit him. I have terrible aim when it comes to —


MARSALA
            Just take the damn gun before somebody sees it, okay?  All I'm asking you to do is hold it.


Kerry takes the gun and puts it, gingerly, into her pocket.  She winces slightly as the metal touches her bare skin.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            Here's an extra clip. Put it into the outside pocket — so that when you pull it out, you don't pull out the clip at the same time and drop it — and the same side so it's easier to find. The clip holds nine bullets. We're not even going to talk about reloading.


KERRY
            Good . . .


MARSALA
            Listen.  I know this is difficult for you.  But if he manages to take me by surprise, he'd be a fool not to search me for weapons. And one thing this vampire isn't is a fool.


KERRY
            I understand.


MARSALA
            Just be ready to hand it to me. And I will probably say "it" rather than "gun," which may or may not give us another second or so of surprise.  And whatever you do, don't let him separate us.


KERRY
            All right.


MARSALA
            Well, we might as well get started. The closer we get to dawn, the more nervous he's going to get, which will cause him to want it to be fast, lessening our chances to turn the tables on him. Steady now . . .


He takes Kerry’s elbow, helping her get to her feet; she stands, awkwardly.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            It's more clear cut than you think.  It's good versus evil no matter how attractively the evil disguises itself.


KERRY
            Fine.


MARSALA
            Just don’t let him confuse you.


He heads to the front door, Kerry following, a look on her face of determination, but extreme nervousness.  She puts her hand where the gun is.


EXT. STUDENT UNION — CONTINUOUS


They walk into the parking lot, and then to Marsala's car; a small red SUV.

Kerry stands next to Marsala as he sorts through his keys on his key ring.

Kerry looks up for a brief moment — and suddenly Ethan materializes out of the shadows.

Kerry jumps — completely stunned — and takes a quick step backwards in fear from the fierce look on his face.

Marsala, meanwhile, doesn't see him and unlocks the car door.  At Kerry’s movement, he looks at her curiously, seeing her face.

Ethan’s arm crosses in front of Marsala.  Ethan brings his hand up, placing his palm underneath Marsala’s chin, resting against his jaw; Ethan sets the other hand behind Marsala’s neck — all of this in a matter of rapid seconds.

Marsala does not struggle at all.  He doesn’t even jump; he is unruffled and calm.  

Kerry, on the other hand is rooted to the spot, terrified.


ETHAN
            (to Marsala)
            I could kill you now, although I'm personally against leaving dead bodies strewn about parking lots.


Marsala’s gaze moves over to Kerry, though he remains silent and still doesn’t struggle.

Ethan frisks Marsala with one hand, the other still under his chin.  He finds something and when he reaches into a pocket, he takes out a clove of garlic.  His expression is one of mild disgust but he says nothing.

He drops them and they fall to the ground.  Ethan opens the door.


ETHAN (CONT’D)
            Get in the backseat. Kerry, you drive.


Marsala hands him the keys, and he goes around and gets in. Ethan gets in the back with Marsala.


KERRY
            Ethan, where — ?


ETHAN
            His house.


She looks down in front of her.


KERRY
            It’s a stick shift.  I don’t —


ETHAN
            All right.  Kerry, you get in the back. We'll ride in the front.


He pulls Marsala out of the car and opens the front passenger door.

Kerry gets out of the car and walks around to the right side of the car.  She opens the back passenger door, and sees a metal box lying on the seats.


KERRY
            Ethan, what — ?


ETHAN
            It must be his “vampire hunting kit.”
            (He gives Marsala a withering look)
            Just put it on the floor.


She does so, leaning over.  As she stands up again before getting in, Ethan leaning in to crawl over the stick shift in the middle, letting go of Marsala for a just a second, Marsala himself takes that second to grab the gun from her pocket and slide it into his inside coat pocket.

Kerry balks in surprise as Ethan then leans back out of the door and yanks Marsala into the passenger seat by the collar; Marsala closes the car door after he is pulled inside.

Kerry numbly gets into the car, staring blankly ahead.


INT. MARSALA’S CAR — NIGHT


There is silence.  Ethan’s gaze goes back and forth between Marsala, the road, Marsala, the road, and then, occasionally, at Kerry in the backseat.

He looks at her in the rearview mirror just as she pulls her face a little tightly as though resisting the sudden urge to cry.


ETHAN
            Kerry, did he hurt you?


She looks up, startled somewhat, dropping her expression.

Before she can answer, though, he grabs a handful of Marsala’s jacket and shoves him so that his head bounces off the window.

Marsala yells out in pain.


KERRY
            No!


Marsala groans in the aftermath of the impact as Ethan moves to do it again.


KERRY (CONT’D)
            I’m all right . . .


Ethan wears a skeptical expression, still looking at her through the rearview mirror and then lets go of Marsala, but only because he has to downshift.  Kerry doesn't know what to make of that, and it shows on her face.  Upset, she puts a hand on her forehead.


EXT. MARSALA’S HOUSE — NIGHT


Ethan drives the car into Marsala’s driveway.


ETHAN
            Out.
            (to Kerry)
            Stay here.


KERRY
            No.


She gets out of the car.  Ethan blinks at her in mild surprise.


KERRY (CONT’D)
            If someone looks out and sees me sitting here, they'll get suspicious.


ETHAN
            All right, then.  Bring the box.


Kerry opens the door, and gets out the vampire hunting kit.

Ethan pulls Marsala up to the door, and, using the keys this time, they go in.


INT. MARSALA’S HOUSE — NIGHT


They walk up the small stairs towards the living room.


MARSALA
            You like the idea of drinking my blood in my own house, vampire?  That's what the female would have done, too. I tracked her.  I followed her for two years before she led me to you, and I got to know her habits.  She had a great sense of irony.


Ethan shoves him into the living room.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            Or are you going to let the girl drain me?  Is that how the transition is made, with the first kill?


Kerry sets the box down by the kitchen table, watching avidly.


ETHAN
            Nobody's going to feed on you.


He backs Marsala up against the wall, holding his shoulders so that he can't get to the gun.

Kerry watches the two of them anxiously, waiting and  wondering.


MARSALA
            I see.


Kerry looks at him, appalled at his calmness.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            We’re just here because we're all good friends.


ETHAN
            We’re just here to make your death look like something else.


He tosses the keys onto the coffee table.


MARSALA
            What's the matter?  Don't you want to do it in front of the girl?  Don't you want her to see you with my blood dripping off your fangs, smeared on your teeth and chin? Don't you want her to see what you are before you finish making her one of you?
            (suddenly he looks past Ethan, at Kerry)
            Kerry.


She jumps at the sound of her name.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            There's a tape recorder in the box, under the stakes.  Take it out, and press "play."


Ethan turns around to look at her, suddenly just the slightest bit confused and worried.  Kerry looks right back at him, watching him as he suddenly suspects, suddenly wonders.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            Do it.


ETHAN
            No.


She looks back and forth between them lingering more on Ethan.


KERRY
            I'm sorry. . .


She opens the box and takes out the AM/FM radio.


ETHAN
            Kerry . . .


Kerry presses the "play" button.  No sound emerges, but we can hear the static of it working.

She places it on the table next to the box.


MARSALA
            And now take out the gun.


Kerry jerks her head up, her face an expression of utter confusion.

Ethan, a look of shock and almost terror on his face, releases Marsala fiercely as he lunges toward Kerry.  

Marsala scrambles up as quickly as he can and whips the gun out of his pocket.

Kerry drops to her knees and covers her head with her hands as Ethan is inches from her and Marsala fires twice.

Ethan cries out just slightly at the exact same time that the music starts playing from the recorder  -  loud, classical music from an opera; an overture.

Kerry looks up, breathing hard and sees Ethan, collapsed, right in front of her.  He’s been shot in the left leg, both times in the thigh. He tries to sit up, but Marsala walks over as Kerry scrambles backwards, away from the both of them.

Marsala stands over Ethan before firing a third bullet into Ethan’s knee, after which he falls back down.  Marsala walks over to Kerry, who is, still huddled on the floor.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            You.


Kerry gets up slowly.  She walks back over to where she just was, past Ethan, who watches her, but makes no attempt to stop her, then looks over to Marsala.


KERRY
            I’m sorry.


MARSALA
            Open the drapes.


Kerry looks at Ethan who's looking from Kerry to Marsala.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            Do I have to say everything twice?


Kerry goes and opens the drapes in the living room.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            And the windows in the kitchen, they face east.
            (Looks at his watch, then glances at the tape recorder)
            Oh, long before Madame Butterfly realizes he’s been betrayed the sun is going to come up over those trees and fill this whole part of the house with lovely, cleansing light. How long since you've seen a sunrise, vampire?


Kerry goes into the kitchen, opens the windows, then comes back.


KERRY
            There’s no need for this.


MARSALA
            (still glowering down at Ethan)
            Oh, you're quiet now, but we'll need Madame Butterfly to cover your screams later.


KERRY
            Professor Marsala —


MARSALA
            I take it, circumstances being what they are, that neither of you have ever witnessed a vampire's death by sunlight.  Let me share the experience.


Ethan closes his eyes, but then forces them back open.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            I entered the female's house at about noon.


INT. REGINA’S HOUSE — DAY


Marsala uses a lock pick to enter through the front door.  His facial hair is scraggly and patchy; he clearly hasn’t shaved in a while.  His clothes are dirty and hang loose on his body.

The house is dark, but there is enough light to make him stand out as a dark, creepy figure, standing out against the minimal light.

He looks around the foyer, cautiously; his eyes are wide and staring.

He picks up the vampire hunting kit from the ground by his feet.


MARSALA (V.O.)
            I expected her to be asleep in a coffin in the basement.  Imagine how surprised I was when I found her in an elegantly decorated bedroom wearing a modest, yet alluring negligee, probably purchased at Sears or Lord and Taylor


He climbs the stairs of Regina’s house.


INT. REGINA’S BEDROOM — DAY


He kicks open the bedroom door.  Again, there is minimal light out in the hall beyond the bedroom, but still extremely dark.  The bedroom, however, is practically pitch black.

He walks over to the bed.  Regina, still whole, lies, completely still on the bed, outside the covers.  Her negligee is deep maroon and embroidered in thin, revealing lace.  Her outfit leaves very little to the imagination, outlining or revealing almost her entire body.

Marsala stares down at her, his face blank, though his eyes bulge slightly.


MARSALA (V.O.)
            Not the Halloween-Scene I expected at all.  Still, I set my kit down, and arranged the stakes on the floor so that she could see them when she awoke.


Marsala does this, smiling creepily as he takes out the stakes.


MARSALA (V.O.) (CONT'D)
            I then turned on Madame Butterfly — to allay the fears of neighbors who might otherwise be concerned by any unaccustomed noise.


He takes out the very same AM/FM radio and presses “play.”  The exact same classical music begins playing.  Marsala closes his eyes, smiling at the music.


MARSALA (V.O.) (CONT’D)
            I laid the crucifix down on her chest.  She stirred a little by then, but didn't wake completely.


He does this, the crucifix a super-shiny silver and very thick.


MARSALA (V.O.) (CONT’D)
            And then I opened the windows.


He glances over his shoulder at the closed shutters and grins wickedly.


INT. MARSALA’S HOUSE — CONTINUOUS


Kerry’s face breaks into a horrified expression, glancing at Ethan, and back again.


KERRY
            (to herself)
            What have I done?


INT. REGINA’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS


Marsala stands in front of the window farthest from the bed.


MARSALA (V.O.)
            First I pulled back the drapes. There were two sets of windows. I opened the drapes of one, then the other.


He does exactly this.  He hears a small groan from the bed and looks over at Regina.

She frowns, still sleeping, and her eyebrows crease slightly as though in discomfort.


MARSALA  (V.O.)(CONT’D)
            It was as though she'd been having a bad dream. Perhaps remembering a victim's blood that didn't taste as sweet as she had anticipated.


He chuckles, then turns back to the windows.


INT. MARSALA’S HOUSE — CONTINUOUS


Marsala looks down at Ethan.


MARSALA
            Then I pulled open the shutters. First one, then the other.  Of course, she started screaming the minute the first one was opened.


INT. REGINA’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS


Marsala throws open the shutter of the first window.

Regina’s eyes flash open.

She lets out a bloodcurdling shriek.  All of her power is gone and has been replaced with complete and utter fear.

Marsala watches her from the far end of the room.

She starts writhing in the bed, held down somewhat by the crucifix on her chest.  She begins to cry in addition to the screaming and yelling and thrashing.  Her skin begins to burn and blister.
Marsala walks over to the other window, watching her with a satisfied sort of grin before he turns to the window and throws open the second shutter.

Her screams intensify tremendously.  She attempts to get up, to turn over, to move in any way, but can’t.  She is completely held down by the crucifix.

Marsala stands, the sunlight poring in behind him and onto her.  He stands stock-still, watching; an indistinct shadow now.  A mere silhouette.


MARSALA (V.O.)
            She begged for mercy — not for me to let her live, she knew it was too late for that, but to use the stakes or the crucifix on her.


INT. MARSALA’S HOUSE — CONTINUOUS


Marsala crouches down next to Ethan.


MARSALA
            Do your victims ever beg for mercy, vampire? Did Joey?  And don't tell me you weren't the one to kill Joey.  I know, you weren't even in Brockport then.  But surely you vampires discuss such things, don't you?  "Oh, I had such an interesting dinner the other night. First I won his trust, then I ripped his throat out. My God, he screamed wonderfully." Do you share stories like that?  Or is one just the same as any other for you?
            (he stands up again)
            She didn't ever mention him, did she?  She probably couldn't even remember his name by the next morning, could she?  So she might not have known what I meant when I kept repeating, "I'm Joe's father."


His fingers move over the gun; Kerry winces.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            When the body stopped twitching, I chopped off her head to make sure she couldn't come back. There was hardly any blood by then, and what there was, on the edge of my blade, broiled away in the sunlight.


INT. REGINA’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS


Marsala closes the shutters and then the curtains.


MARSALA (V.O.)
            I closed the shutters and the drapes, so everything would look normal.  I rewound Madame Butterfly, we hadn't even gotten very far into it; maybe 5, 6 minutes at most, though I'm sure it seemed much longer for her.


He puts the tape recorder back in the metal box and shuts it.

He walks over to the bed and looks at the charred, burnt remains of Regina with pride and satisfaction.  He takes the sheet, then, and covers the two, decapitated pieces.

He then turns and makes for the door to the bedroom.


INT. MARSALA’S HOUSE — CONTINUOUS


Marsala walks back over the vampire hunting kit and lazily glances inside it.


MARSALA
            I imagine you'll take even longer to die, with the weaker, early morning sunlight.


KERRY
            Professor Marsala, why are you doing this?


MARSALA
            I want names of other vampires.


Ethan practically snorts.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            I was too eager to see her die, to see my son's life avenged.


KERRY
            Regina. Her name was Regina.  You can't do this. It's one thing to kill them to protect yourself, but you have no right to torture —


MARSALA
            (to Ethan)
            I was too eager to see the female vampire die. The last thing I should have done was filled her mouth so she couldn't talk. You, though, you will talk.  Maybe if you say enough of the right things, I’ll give you an easier death.  One of the ones she begged for.
            (checks his watch)
            Not a lot of time to decide. Although you probably have an inner sense that's already told you that . . . and perhaps I shouldn’t have used the crucifix to hold her down, so that she could have thrashed even more.


Ethan wears an expression of pure hate, a flicker of contempt beneath it.

Marsala reaches into the box and pulls out a stake and a hatchet.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            Which would you prefer? This? Or this? Or, perhaps . . . this?


He takes out the crucifix.

Ethan doesn't cringe. He actually looks close to laughing.  Marsala, infuriated suddenly, turns to Kerry.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            And what about you?


KERRY
            I'm very sorry I helped you.


MARSALA
            How shall I kill you?


Kerry looks up at him sharply.


MARSALA (CONT’D)
            I wish I knew if there was some way to reverse the vampire process.


ETHAN
            (whispering from the floor)
            She's not a vampire.


MARSALA
            But who is there to ask who's answer I would trust?


ETHAN
            She's not a vampire.  Either someone's a vampire or they're not.  There's no — transitional stage —


MARSALA
            (to Kerry)
            Obviously the sunlight doesn't affect you. And in any case, I'd offer you an easier death since this condition is not your fault.


ETHAN
            SHE'S NOT A VAMPIRE!


MARSALA
            You just let yourself get seduced by evil. Just like Joey did. I wish there had been someone around to offer him an easier death.


He opens the box and takes out a stake and a mallet.

Kerry backs away, horrified, in the direction of the bedrooms, but Marsala goes after her.

Ethan tries to get up, but his right leg buckles under him.  Marsala whirls around, drops the mallet and takes the gun back out.


KERRY
            NO!


Marsala shoots Ethan once again in the leg. Ethan drops heavily to the floor.

Kerry runs up to Marsala from behind.  He whirls around, bringing up the gun a stake, but not before Kerry manages to shove him away from her.

The stake drops to the ground and the gun goes off again because of the way he's is holding it in his hand, but it's pointed at the ceiling

Kerry drops to the floor herself, but when she realizes she's okay, she looks up, to see that Marsala is tipping over backwards on the edge of the stairs behind him, gun still in his hand.

Kerry watches as Marsala wavers back and forth and then, finally, falls into the darkness of the unlit stairwell, fatal bangs and crashes echoing up through the darkness.  Then an extremely loud CRACK! — though not a gunshot — cuts the air, followed by jarring silence.

Kerry jerkily rises, picks up the steak from the floor and slowly, cautiously, approaches.  She reaches out her hand to turn on the light and peers down the steps.  She spots Marsala, lying motionless at the bottom on the floor, his body contorted from the fall.  Blood spills slowly out from behind his head, his neck broken. The gun lies only three steps down, dropped during the fall.


KERRY (CONT’D)
            He's dead — I killed him — he's dead —


ETHAN (O.S.)
            Kerry . . .


Kerry whirls around, coming out of her alarmed reverie.


ETHAN (CONT’D)
            . . . the sun . . .


Kerry’s eyes dart to the windows, through which she can see the sky turning pink.

She gasps and runs to shut the drapes.  She turns to run into the kitchen, but Ethan catches her ankle on the way.  Kerry falls to the floor.


KERRY
            What are you doing?


ETHAN
            The drapes aren't thick enough.


KERRY
            Just let me —


She tries to wriggle free, but she looks up and sees that they're almost lace, an open weave, that they'll only soften the light.  Marks from the curtains appear on the floor.


ETHAN
            Get the gun.


KERRY
            Why — ?


ETHAN
            Kerry, I got caught by the sun once before, just for a second.
            (opens his eyes completely and gives her a pleading look)
            Please. A bullet through the brain will be much faster and less painful.


Kerry looks over to the stairwell.  She glances back at Ethan, a frightened look on her face, but gets up and runs over to the stairs again, grabs the gun, runs back over to Ethan and collapses back down next to him.

She holds the gun, but just looks at him, breathing growing faster.  Ethan closes his eyes again, tightly.


ETHAN (CONT’D)
            Kerry . . . !


Kerry grips the gun in her hands, shaking violently; she holds it close to his head, tears in her eyes.


ETHAN (CONT’D)
            It’s all right.


Ethan braces himself, but Kerry hesitates, looking around the room, and back down the hallway leading to the bedrooms.


ETHAN (CONT’D)
            Kerry!


The first rays of sunlight come into the room and creep up onto the two of them.  Ethan yells out.

Kerry lets out a cry of determination and throws the gun into the kitchen, jumping to her feet.
Ethan throws his hands up to protect himself instinctively from the sun.

Kerry grabs his wrists and begins to pull him down the hall, into the nearest bedroom, the door banging open and against the wall.  Ethan helps her as best he can, kicking against the walls.


INT. BEDROOM - MORNING


They duck into the closet, struggling along the way, but persisting nonetheless.


INT. CLOSET — CONTINUOUS


KERRY slams the door closed and they are plunged into almost total darkness.  She reaches for the lamp string and the light clicks on.  The sound of metallic “ping!”s cause KERRY to look down at the floor.

The three [fired] bullets now lying on the floor next to Ethan’s legs.  The skin beneath scarred and slightly bloody, but overall healed.

A few dress shirts hang beside KERRY.  She pulls two off their hangers and blocks out the light coming in from the cracks along the top of the door and along the bottom.

She stands there, breathing hard for a moment before she looks down at ETHAN.  He is hunched over, breathing even harder than her. KERRY yanks another of the shirts off its hanger, and makes to use it as a bandage for ETHAN’s leg.


ETHAN
            . . . not necessary.  It’s no longer bleeding.


Kerry stops what she's doing and slides down to sit on the floor. She looks at Ethan intently; he’s still panting and exasperated.  His skin has become extremely, horribly sunburned. His arms are blistered and raw.


KERRY
            Go ahead and rest.


Ethan looks at her with wide eyes, looking truly vulnerable for the first time.  But he leans back against the wall on the other side of the closet.


KERRY (CONT’D)
            I'll guard your sleep.


Ethan closes his eyes, and takes another breath, which he doesn't exhale.


KERRY (CONT’D)
            He's going to trust me, even after all I've done.



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