Buffy, the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon FADE IN: EXT. MEDIEVAL VILLAGE - JUST BEFORE SUNSET We see an Italian village at the height of the plague. Funeral processions, decrepit houses with their windows boarded up... the stench of death all around. TITLE: EUROPE. THE DARK AGES Through the filth a KNIGHT walks his horse. He is weary but not so dingy as his surrounding; a stranger in these parts. He comes to an inn, where a boy takes his horse round back. He enters the inn. INT. INN - SAME TIME The inn is dark and almost empty. A couple of patrons drink silently at tables. Behind the bar stands a slovenly BARMAID, dark-haired and lazy. She scratches at her shoulder, on which we see a birthmark. The knight approaches the bar, throws money down. KNIGHT A tankard of ale, wench. The barmaid pours him a cup of ale. He drinks deep, stands a moment. KNIGHT (continuing) Some plague we're having, huh? CUT TO: INT. INN - UPSTAIRS HALL/BEDROOM - NIGHT The barmaid leads the knight, by candlelight, upstairs to his room. The door opens inward. The knight stands in the doorway, places a hand on the barmaid's hip. She pauses a moment, then breaks free of his grasp, starts down the hall. He laughs a bit, resignedly, and closes the door. A VAMPIRE stands behind it. Not two feet from the knight, grinning at him. His eyes are skull-hollow and dancing in his head, his bloody smile full with teeth. His skin is gray, and peeling. The knight turns slowly and sees him. KNIGHT Oh, my god... The vampire licks his lips. He is on the knight in a second, pushing him backwards into the middle of the small room. The knight struggles but is no match for the vampire, who buries his face in the knight's neck. The knight screams. ANGLE ON DOOR It suddenly flies open, the lock shattered. The vampire turns like a frightened animal. In the doorway stands the barmaid, a SLAYER. In her hand is a wooden stake. The vampire drops the knight, who crabs backwards into a corner. The Slayer and the vampire come at each other. The Slayer spins and kicks; the vampire flies back. Snarling, he comes back at the slayer. They struggle; he slips free and is out the door. For a moment, the Slayer remains still, crouched on the floor. The knight watches her. She seems to be making a decision -- perhaps even knows what is going to happen. She runs at the window. CUT TO: EXT. IN FRONT OF THE INN - SAME TIME The vampire comes running out the front door. Before he is a few feet from the front of the inn, the Slayer SMASHES through the upstairs window and lands on him. They both hit the ground, and she plants the stake right in his heart. After a moment, we hear a voice: AMILYN (O.S.) The lord giveth, and the lord taketh away. Ashes, ashes... She looks up. AMILYN (continuing) ... All fall down There are ten or more vampires walking slowly toward her in the otherwise deserted street. At the front, maybe ten feet away, is AMILYN. Amilyn is a grinning jackal, a servant to the Vampire-King. His garb is a rotted approximation of a courtier's livery. He ambles toward the Slayer, giggling, as she stands. Behind her is LOTHOS, the Vampire-King. His skin is deep white, and smooth. He wears a long coat -- his dress is not of any era. He is practically upon her before he speaks. LOTHOS You must forgive Amilyn. He tends to drool before supper. She turns. He smiles, almost lovingly. SLAYER Lothos... LOTHOS You people will never learn. She swings at him but he grabs her arm. Amilyn laughs obnoxiously. Lothos grabs the back of the Slayer's head, brings her to him in a loving embrace. LOTHOS (continuing) We can't be stopped. This is our world now. He pulls her head back swiftly, snapping her spine as her head hits the back of her legs. Lightning flashes. CUT TO: INT. ENGLISH CASTLE - NIGHT Lightning flashes outside the window. It is torrenting rain. An old MAN speaks to a hysterical GIRL of sixteen or so. They are both obviously noble of birth. GIRL I can't! MAN You know you must. There is only one. Now you are that one. It is time. GIRL Why? Why me? MAN She has died. You are the next to be called. Why do you think you were sent to me? Trained as you were? You bear the mark. He pulls aside her blouse to reveal a birthmark on her shoulder, identical to the barmaid's. MAN (continuing) The mark of the Coven. GIRL I don't understand. MAN Ever since Adam and Eve first left the garden, he followed: the serpent. Satan. He sends his legion in the shape of men, to feed on us, to breed his Hell on our earth. They are a plague upon us. The man unravels a satchel of cloth. From it he pulls an elaborately carved wooden stake. MAN (continuing) But as long as there have been vampire, there has been the Coven; the line of Slayers. Ones with the strength and the skill to kill them, to find them where they gather and stop the swell of their numbers. One dies, the next is called. GIRL I'm just a girl. MAN You are much more. He hands her the stake. She feels the fit. MAN (continuing) One dies, the next is called... As she grips the stake more tightly, an awareness and sense of power sees to fill her. She lifts the stake over her head. CLOSEUP - A HAND The hand is lifted high, but it is not the girl's. It holds not a stake, but a pom-pom. EXT. HEMERY HIGH FOOTBALL FIELD - WIDER SHOT - DAY Opening CREDITS OVER: A football game in progress. The stands are pretty full, the crowd enthusiastic. The hemery football stadium is just that; a real stadium, not just makeshift stands on grass. On the sidelines are the Hemery cheerleaders, led by BUFFY. She is blonde (in nature as in name), pretty, and very gracefully athletic. She obviously enjoys what she is doing, and she's good at it. With her on the squad are JENNIFER and NICOLE, two of her best friends. Beside them the COACH, yelling at the players. The scoreboard reads HEMERY VS. SETON. On the field are JEFFREY, wide receiver (and Buffy's boyfriend), ANDY, quarterback, and GRUELLER, the huge left tackle. Buffy and the crowd wince as Andy is sacked for a nine-yard loss. COACH Come on, do the play! The one where... the one from the book! Where you make it go forward! The players huddle. ANDY All right, guys, come on! He hits Grueller's helmet. ANDY (continuing) Grueller! Fill that hole! They were all over me! Okay. Let's run twenty-two. Grueller, close the pocket, watch out for thirty-five. Thompson, run the post, right, wide out. Jeffrey, go up the middle and run around like a chicken. They clap and break. As they line up, Jeffrey looks over at Buffy. She smiles at him. He winks, very suave. BUFFY AND CHEERLEADERS Jeffrey! Jeffrey! He's our man! If he can't do it We don't want it! On the hike, Andy drops back and looks for a receiver. Jeffrey runs in circles like an idiot (and not unlike a chicken), waving his arms until Andy sails him the ball and he breaks for a touchdown. The crowd goes wild -- particularly Buffy, who does an impressive standing backflip. Nicole looks at her, impressed. Buffy smiles at her, giddy. COACH (looking around) Is that good? Was that a good thing? CUT TO: INT. THE MALL - AFTERNOON The mall is typically busy. Buffy, Nicole, Jennifer and KIMBERLY can bee seen making their way through it. They are all dressed very similarly: bright colors, a lot of white and pink. Not trashy, but mainstream and uninspired. Esprit. All of them carry shopping bags; they've done a good days work. TITLE: CALIFORNIA. THE LITE AGES The girls pass by stores, vaguely window shopping. BUFFY Mr. Howard is so heinous. He's always giving me a hard time. I get a C-plus on the test and he tells me, 'You have no sense of history.' I have no sense of history? He wears a brown tie. NICOLE You got a C-plus? I can't believe I cheated off you. BUFFY Excuse me for not knowing about El Salvador. Like I'm ever going to Spain anyway. Ooh! A dress on a rack outside a store has caught her eye. She takes it and holds it in front of her. BUFFY (continuing) Mmmm. Wouldn't I look just edible and nutritious in this? Kimberly and Jennifer catch up to them. KIMBERLY Guys, what's the sitch? I'm bored. BUFFY (modeling the dress for Kimberly)) What do you think? KIMBERLY Please. It's so '91. GIRL Oh. Buffy puts it back. KIMBERLY What are we doing? BUFFY Why don't we see a movie? KIMBERLY Well, where? JENNIFER Omniplex? NICOLE Nee sitch. No way. BUFFY No THX. NICOLE They don't even have Dolby. KIMBERLY Beverly Center. BUFFY Please. They show previews for foreign movies. NICOLE AMC? KIMBERLY/BUFFY Bogus corn! KIMBERLY Totally stale. And the ushers are like, the acne patrol. We're thinking Pavilion. Sitch? BUFFY Sounds toasty. We're going Pavilion. JENNIFER Excellent. BUFFY What's playing there? A stranger, walking the other way, bumps into Buffy, doesn't stop. A man of about fifty, he is dressed shabbily, in a wrinkled black suit and a black shirt. He somewhat resembles a priest. BUFFY (continuing) Excuse much! Not rude or anything. KIMBERLY (calling back) Nice ensemble! NICOLE What a homeless. The girls continue walking. The man stops, turns to stare after them. His look is intense, slightly worried, his face somewhat haggard. Intelligence shines through his eyes. He holds himself stiffly, arms close to him, almost as if he expected something to strike at him. This is MERRICK. He pulls a picture out of his coat pocket, looks at it. Looks at them. INT. MOVIE THEATER - DAY The film is in progress. This has no effect on the girls, however, as they continue to talk ceaselessly. They all have diet sodas. NICOLE (to Buffy) So, is Jeffrey really spending the night at your house? BUFFY That's the plan. NICOLE Good enough! JENNIFER Your parents are always going away for the weekend. You're so lucky. BUFFY (maybe not) Yeah, I guess. JENNIFER My mom doesn't go anywhere. She even does the shopping network. I'm gonna die a virgin. KIMBERLY What did Jeffrey's dad say? BUFFY 'Just remember you're in training, son' NICOLE Oh, God. KIMBERLY He is so bald. Seated a few rows behind the girls are PIKE and BENNY. The are fairly punked out, (and not currently attending high school). Pike is long and lean, has short hair spiked and a taste for long coats and black. Benny is somewhat stockier, opts for a shaved head and suspenders. Doc Martins for both. Benny is clearly the more belligerent of the two -- when Pike speaks, it's with surprising wit and reserve. Sometimes. PIKE Will you guys shut up, please? BUFFY It could happen. Pike and Benny throw popcorn at her. PIKE Booo! BENNY Suck! PIKE Wrong answer! No prize. NICOLE God! Take a chill lozenge. KIMBERLY Like we don't have rights too? BUFFY Ignore them. BENNY I can't believe these people. We paid money to see this. PIKE No, we didn't. BENNY Oh, yeah. But I still want to know what happens. BUFFY Everyone get horribly killed except the blonde girl in the nightie, who finally kills the monster with a machete but it's not really dead. The boys stare at her. JENNIFER Oh, my God. Is that true? BUFFY Probably. What movie is this? CUT TO: ANGLE - THE MOON Fat and yellow, behind the clouds. We hear a long HOWL. EXT. THE MOVIE THEATER - NIGHT Jeffrey pulls into the parking lot in his BMW convertible. Grueller, howling, sits in the back behind Jeffrey and Andy. They park and hop out, head toward the entrance. GRUELLER Look at that moon! It's huge! Come on, guys, we gotta do something tonight. Party. ANDY You know, if you would spend more time at home sleeping, you would spend less time on the field, sucking. JEFFREY You were a bone out there today. Anyway, I'm booked. Gonna spend some quality time with the little woman. ANDY AND GRUELLER (coughing it into their hands) Pussy-whipped. Pussy-whipped. JEFFREY You guys are pathetic. GRUELLER Later for you, then. I'm blowing. Andy, you coming? ANDY No, I'll hitch a ride with Jeffrey. GRUELLER Okay. Later. ANDY Headbutt! Andy and Grueller bring their foreheads together with painstaking slowness, grimacing, and barely tap heads. ANDY (continuing) Later. Grueller walks off, head through a park. At the same time, Pike and Benny emerge from the theater. They pass Andy and Jeffrey and the two pairs circle each other, almost growling, eyes locked, before pike and Benny turn and walk off, not quite in the direction Grueller took. Buffy, Kimberly, Jennifer and Nicole come out right after. Buffy heads straight for Jeffrey and they kiss massively. BUFFY Nice game. ANDY Jeffrey, I don't mean to sound sexist or anything, but can I borrow her? BUFFY Andy! JEFFREY No way. You'd get her dirty. (off her look) He would, honey. He's an animal. CUT TO: EXT. THE PARK - SAME TIME Grueller walks through the trees, enters an enclosed clearing of grass. He hears something, stops. Maybe his name, maybe just the BUSHES RUSTLING. He looks about him, hesitantly. Starts forward, stops again. GRUELLER Yo! Who is that? Don't mess with me man, I'll rip your head off. Nothing. GRUELLER (continuing) Come on, come out here. Let's see what you got. RUSTLING. No one. GRUELLER (continuing) Forget this. He turns on his heel, ready to drop all show and bolt. WALLY BESSEL is right behind him. Wally is a ninth grader, small, nerdy, and recently undead. In marked contrast to the older vampire in the prologue, Wally is freshly undead. He still has fat on his face; in fact, he looks almost normal from afar. But his inhuman eyes and his uncommon pallor mark him as a vampire. And the way he speaks is unearthly. Hollow, almost detached; repeating phrases sometimes almost as though he had never heard them before. He smiles at Grueller. GRUELLER (continuing) Bessel! What are you doing here? WALLY Hi, Grueller. GRUELLER What are you grinning at? You think I was scared? WALLY Could be. GRUELLER You think so? WALLY Could be. Grueller grabs Wally by his shirt collar and readily hoists his small body up, Wally's feet dangling two feet off the ground. GRUELLER Listen, you little worm. I could beat your head to a pulp for you, just like I did last year, you got that? You got that? WALLY (repeating) Got that. GRUELLER Good. He lets Wally go. Wally remains two feet in the air. Grueller's eyes go wide. GRUELLER (continuing) What the... Wally smiles even more broadly, quietly hissing. He has long fangs, made somehow more grotesque by the fact that he also has braces. Wally's hands vise onto Grueller's head, lightning quick. Grueller screams. ANGLE - PIKE AND BENNY Crossing a street, turning and listening. ANGLE - JEFFREY'S CAR Speeding by, everyone packed into it. Andy howls back at Grueller, mistaking his intent. He settles back. The girls are looking at him. ANDY It's um... you had to be there. In the front seat next to Jeffrey, Buffy winces slightly. JEFFREY You okay? BUFFY I... yeah, I'm okay. I'm fine. ANGLE - THE FULL MOON CUT TO: INT. BUFFY'S LIVING ROOM - ANGLE ON TV - NIGHT We see another full moon, this one on the TV screen. "Dracula" is on, Lugosi's original. The lights are off in the living room as Jeffrey enters from the kitchen, sits down on the couch holding a bag of munchies. Buffy is still in the kitchen, making corn. Jeffrey flicks the remote, changes channels. ANGLE - THE TV The movie is replaced by the local news, in mid-broadcast. A NEWSCASTER sits at his deck, a super of a teenage girl behind him. NEWSCASTER -- The fourth such disappearance in less than two months. The sheriff was not available for comment, but a police spokesman issued a statement, saying that the situation is not out of hand... CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN - SAME TIME Buffy's FATHER walks purposefully into the kitchen holding a suitcase that he plops by the front door. He crosses out again as Buffy's MOM crosses in, also with luggage. BUFFY'S DAD We're gonna be late. I knew it. BUFFY'S MOM (to Buffy, but not looking at her) Now, we'll be back on Sunday, number's on the fridge, don't drive the Jaguar and tell Consuela my underwear does not go in the dishwasher. She's already out again by the end of this, as dad comes back in. BUFFY'S DAD Have fun be good stay away from the Jag. BUFFY I know. And he's out the back, mom entering on his heels. BUFFY'S MOM Well, that's everything. Kiss noise. She actually makes a kiss noise at her daughter. BUFFY 'Bye. Buffy's mom heads out the door as Buffy heads into the living room. INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME TIME BUFFY'S MOM (calling out) Bye-bye, Bobby! JEFFREY Bye! (to Buffy) They think my name's Bobby? BUFFY Well... it's possible they think my name's Bobby. JEFFREY Real 'quality-timers,' Hugh. BUFFY Something like that. JEFFREY Hey, it works for me. If they want to leave you alone in the house, all helpless and vulnerable... Buffy sits, squints disapprovingly at the screen. She has a bag of microwave lite popcorn and is spraying diet butter substitute on it. BUFFY What show is this? JEFFREY It's the news, Buffy. BUFFY Oh. Who's in it? (off his look) I know what it is. It's what's on instead of the movie. JEFFREY I just want to see the basketball scores. It's important. BUFFY (over a handful of popcorn) Mmmnkay. Jeffrey leans in toward her. JEFFREY Of course, there are... other considerations... He starts kissing her about the face and neck. She leans submissively back on the couch as he works his way on top of her. He gives her a long kiss on the mouth, then works over to her ear. As he is burrowing about in there, Buffy sneaks another handful of popcorn into her mouth. She leans back, by accident, on the remote. ANGLE - THE TV "Dracula" reappears. CUT TO: INT. 18TH CENTURY CHINESE WHOREHOUSE - NIGHT Not, by any stretch, an upscale joint. Dark, cramped, and scummy. A young Chinese Whore sits on a bed, wearing little enough that we can see the telltale birthmark on her shoulder. A repulsive British SAILOR is dressing, his business finished. Looking disgusted, he throws his payment on the bed. For some reason, the bed is littered with popcorn. SAILOR You never touched my heart. He leaves. Alone, the Girl hears a NOISE in the dark corner, a wet RUSTLING. Slowly she gets up to see. Approaches... It is a pool of blood. She stares at it, terrified. A hand reaches out of it. She runs out into the hall, but it leads nowhere but a dead end. Standing there, waiting for her, is Lothos. He smiles at her and we see she is now Buffy. LOTHOS Soon. CUT TO: INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING Buffy is thrashing in bed. Jeffrey is holding her by the shoulders and shaking her. JEFFREY Buffy! Hey, what's the sitch?!? Wake up! She wakes, grasping, her eyes melting into focus on Jeffrey's face. BUFFY Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Oh, wow. JEFFREY You were having a nightmare. He settles back down, his arms around her, and almost instantly begins to fall asleep again. JEFFREY (continuing) What'd you dream about? BUFFY Nothing. JEFFREY Come on, what was it? BUFFY Nothing. It was just a dream. CUT TO: INT. LOTHOS' CHAMBER - SAME TIME Dark, cavernous -- walls hewn from rock, lit torches clamped to them. Cold stone floor and in the foreground, a dark pool of blood. A HUM, possibly a chant, fills the air. A figure steps up to the pool, his back to the CAMERA, and kneels before it. He holds his hand over the surface of the blood. As he speaks, his voice an urgent hiss, we TRACK AROUND him, see that it is Amilyn. AMILYN You have brought us here, and we thrive. We thrive. You will awake in a new world. Just as I promised, untold splendor, rubies dripping from our lips. Just as we said. CLOSEUP - AMILYN'S HAND A hand shoots out of the pool and grabs Amilyn's. Amilyn leans over and fervently kisses it. AMILYN (continuing) Soon... CUT TO: EXT. SCHOOL YARD - DAY Buffy sits with Nicole, Jennifer, Kimberly and CASSANDRA. Cassandra is not quite in the same league as the other girls -- for one thing, she studies. She's not as glamorous, nor a vacuous. BUFFY The environment. They consider this a moment. NICOLE The homelesses? KIMBERLY Oh, please. JENNIFER Are there any good sicknesses that aren't too depressing? BUFFY Guys. The environment. I'm telling you, it's totally key. The earth is in terrible shape, we could al die, and besides, Sting's doing it. KIMBERLY I thought he was doing Indians. Jeffrey and Andy arrive, sit. Jeffrey straddles Buffy from behind, wrapping his arms around her. She snuggles in his grasp. JEFFREY Hey there. BUFFY Hi. JENNIFER (shyly) Hi, Jeffrey. ANDY Whatchya guys doing? NICOLE The winter dance. We need to come up with a theme. JEFFREY The senior dance? How about... 'Our Friend, the Beer?' ANDY 'Putting Out for Fun and Profit'... possible thought... KIMBERLY Try new Clue-flakes. BUFFY It has to be, like a socially conscious theme. CASSANDRA (reading from a memo) 'One that reflects the students' growing awareness of and involvement in the world around them.' JEFFREY|ANDY Downer. BUFFY I still say the environment. That's my suggestion. CASSANDRA It is a pretty crucial subject. BUFFY See, Cassandra likes it. Cassandra's my friend. ANDY I like it. Can I be your friend? JEFFREY Stay away from my thang. (to Buffy) Sorry, honey. 'Thing.' NICOLE Environment. That's cool with me. KIMBERLY Okay. CASSANDRA So, what are the most immediate threats to the world environment right now? Cassandra has paper and pen, is poised to make a list of suggestions. The other all look at each other uncomfortably. Cassandra obviously knows the answer, but regards her friends silently, waiting to see what the come up with. JEFFREY Well, um... litter? ANDY Litter, yeah! Everyone but Cassandra is impressed by this. JEFFREY (to Cassandra) Write that down. JENNIFER Okay, what else? NICOLE Forest fires? ANDY Communism? BUFFY Bugs. CASSANDRA (helpfully) Okay, guys, how about the ozone layer? KIMBERLY Oh, yeah! NICOLE Right! BUFFY We gotta get rid of that! That's right. GARY MURRAY, a well meaning but pompous little administrator, come up to the kids. He's kind of like Charlie Brown: you always say his whole name. GARY MURRAY I don't suppose you kids heard the first bell, did you? The first bell was saying, 'Start going to class, it's time to go to class.' In about thirty seconds the second bell is going to be saying, 'Already be in class.' JEFFREY We're having a very important discussion here. GARY MURRAY Why do I have trouble believing you? JEFFREY Something from your childhood, maybe? GARY MURRAY Button it, Kramer. Classes are starting. Be there or beware. Gary Murray walks off. ANDY Man has a complex. BUFFY He's got a... What do you call it? A Napoleonic Code. JENNIFER It's 'cause he's so tiny. ANDY Yes, but what he lacks in height he makes up in shortness. They get up and start heading to class. KIMBERLY Let's meet tonight, okay? BUFFY Where? KIMBERLY Cafe Blase. NICOLE Cool. We can figure decorations and stuff. BUFFY Cassandra, you gotta come, too. CASSANDRA Can't. History report. The Normans and the Saxons. BUFFY Bogutude. Blow it off. CASSANDRA I really can't. Besides, it's pretty interesting. BUFFY (not harshly) You're weird and I'm afraid of you. Seriously, Cassandra, there's a lot cooler things you could be doing than your homework. CASSANDRA Like what? BUFFY Like my homework. Buffy smiles, trots off. CUT TO: EXT. THE CITY - NIGHT We see SHOTS of the deserted city at night. It's a small, upscale town. Suburban streets, businesses, and a few more depressed areas, boarded up houses. No one is out. TREES RUSTLE, shadows flicker, but the curling mist is the only visible presence. CUT TO: INT. CAFE BLASE - NIGHT A classic faux-Fifties L.A. diner. Pictures of Frankie and Annette, bright lights, those same tired Fifties standards playing on the JUKEBOX. Buffy, Kimberly, Jennifer and Nicole are sitting at the end of the counter, at the corner. KIMBERLY I don't see why we have to invite everyone. BUFFY Kimberly, it's the senior dance. NICOLE If we don't invite all the seniors we can't use the school funds, you know that. KIMBERLY Can't they make exceptions? Maryanne Heinel? She's such a scud. Can't we have a Maryanne clause? NICOLE Well, look who's here. GIRLS' POV Pike and Benny have entered the diner, quite drunk. As they pass the jukebox, Benny gives it a kick and the music stops. A few people look up, annoyed, as they approach the counter. WAITRESS Hey! BENNY The Fifties are over. PIKE (earnestly) We have to learn to let go. WAITRESS Don't give me any trouble, okay? PIKE No trouble. We just want to eat. They sit next to Buffy and begin pooling their money on the counter. It comes to about $2.50, heavy with pennies. PIKE (continuing) Come on, come on, fork up the scub. BENNY That's it, man. That's the whole story. PIKE We're looking at a dog, possible coffee... He digs and produces a quarter from his pocket. PIKE (continuing) It's coffee. BENNY Amazing! KIMBERLY (to the other girls) Smell of booze much. NICOLE Nice much. PIKE (to the waitress) Can we have a hot dog, please, medium rare, and a cup of joe? BUFFY You guys are thrashed. JENNIFER (to Buffy) What are you talking to them for? BENNY (to Buffy) What did you say? PIKE Yeah, we're drunk. We're the Drunks. What's your name? BUFFY Buffy. BENNY Figures. PIKE Do people ever call you 'Buffy the Buffalo?' I'm just wondering. Buffy gives him a look. PIKE (continuing) The don't. You kind of wish they would, though. KIMBERLY Wit-tay. PIKE I'm sorry. I'm Pike. This is Benny. KIMBERLY Pike isn't a name. It's a fish. PIKE Hey, wait a minute... BENNY You're the guys from the movie! PIKE (good naturedly) We hate you guys! The girls all make sad noises, real sarcastic. PIKE (continuing) You guys were way rude. It was shocking. NICOLE You just snuck in anyway. PIKE So you have to ruin the movie for us? You know, other people have feelings, too. KIMBERLY I am so sure. The waitress brings the hot do. Benny takes it out of the bun and holds it over his crotch, phallus-like. BENNY Hey, Buffy, you hungry? I got something for you... The other girls look down and shriek. Buffy looks at Benny, looks at him in the eye. ANGLE - BUFFY'S HAND It closes silently around the knife at her place. Buffy is still looking at Benny, she seems to be hypnotizing him, and maybe even herself. The NOISE in the diner seems to FADE AWAY for a moment. Buffy shifts slightly, almost a twitch, and the spell is broken. The SOUND RETURNS, Buffy looks away, letting go of the knife exactly where it was. Benny looks down. His hot dog has been sliced neatly down to about an inch. He is shocked. BENNY (continuing) Hey! She wasted my dog! PIKE (smiling) Bummer metaphor. Buffy looks off, a little surprised herself. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - NIGHT Pike and Benny have left the diner and are walking down the street. Pike produces a bottle of Mezcal from his coat pocket and takes a swig, hand it to Benny. They continue to pass it back and forth. BENNY Rich bitches. They're a plague. They've gotta be stopped. PIKE You didn't like them. BENNY They're all the same! They're so stuck up, they're just... they're not even human. I hate them. PIKE Would you sleep with them? BENNY Yes. Definitely. Definitely. Please, God. PIKE Well, there it is, isn't it? You don't even like them, and you'd sleep with them. What's that all about? BENNY I got a news flash, man, another shot of this and I'll have sex with you. PIKE Oh, yeah, and then you'll never call me. They continue walking. A shadowy figure appears behind them, following. CUT TO: INT. DINER - NIGHT The girls have all finished their sundaes. NICOLE Come one, that was so weird. BUFFY (uncomfortable) What, it's not weird. I just cut the stupid hot dog in half. KIMBERLY I can't believe they still ate it. JENNIFER (to Buffy) Where'd you learn how to do that? BUFFY I didn't learn... I just... it's not a big deal. KIMBERLY Buffy, I'm gonna tell Jeffrey you were playing with another man's Hebrew National. BUFFY (annoyed) Get a boob job. NICOLE It's like when we took gymnastics in eighth grade. Buffy makes a face. She doesn't want to hear this story. We HOLD on her as Nicole tells it. JENNIFER What happened? NICOLE Buffy was on the uneven parallels -- she was really good; coach said she could have been in the Olympics -- but she was doing a routine, spinning, and the beam broke. JENNIFER You're kidding. NICOLE Snapped. Buffy was, you know, on the upswing, and I swear to God she went across the room. Perm over heels. JENNIFER Oh, my God! Ouch! No wonder you quit. NICOLE Well, that's the thing. She landed on her feet. Didn't even sprain a toe. And I go up to her and she turns and looks at me and she's like this -- She makes a hyper-intense face. The others laugh. NICOLE (continuing) -- like she's gonna kill me. BUFFY I was just scared is all. NICOLE No. It was mondo bizarro. KIMBERLY Buffy, the ape-woman. NICOLE Seriously, Buffy. That look was way twisted. What were you thinking about? CUT TO: EXT. STREET - NIGHT Perhaps in answer, we see the same shadowy figure moving behind Pike and Benny as they continue to walk home. They're really bombed now. They are somewhere in the hills now, and they come to the edge of a steep incline overlooking the valley. A waist-high concrete wall is built into the side of the earth. They stand below a thick, green tree. PIKE I'll have it running in a week. It's be beauty. It just needs new shocks, you know, break pads, an engine, and some wheels. It'll be totally cherry. Pike finishes the bottle, eats the worm, and chucks the BOTTLE over the side. There is a moment before they hear it SHATTER. BENNY When you get your car together, man, let's bail. PIKE You think? Split? BENNY Utterly. Let's bail this town. It's getting... I don't know. Let's go somewhere where there aren't any rich bitches. PIKE Our own world, where we could live and grow beans. Hundreds of beans. Benny wavers, catches hold of Pike. BENNY I think I'm gonna ralf. He leans over the side of the wall, hangs his head down. PIKE Don't worry, Benny. I'm here for you. Pike falls over backwards. PIKE (continuing) I'm here for you, Ralf. Pike passes out. CLOSEUP - BENNY Still waiting to throw up. The figure approaches slowly from behind him. The figure is a few feet away from him when a hand shoots down from above and grabs Benny's face. ANGLE - IN THE TREE Amilyn sits on a low branch, pulls Benny up to face him. Amilyn has changed his manner of dress drastically. He wears a motorcycle jacket and sunglasses. His hair is punked out. Benny is in shock, as Amilyn holds him easily by his shirt collar. AMILYN You wanna go for a ride? Amilyn leans back -- all the way back, falling back out of the tree and pulling Benny with him. We see them fall out past the wall just as the shadowy figure reaches it. It is Merrick, the man from the mall. He runs to the side of the wall, looks over. The two are already lost in the dark mist. Merrick turns around, looks about him. He digs in his pockets, pulls out a cross and a stake, holds them tightly. While digging he pulls out an old, stained picture, lays it on the railing. Stake and cross in hand, he stands by Pike looking out at the night. ANGLE - THE PICTURE It is a ten year old girl about to blow out the candles on her birthday cake. The cake reads, "Happy Birthday, Buffy". CUT TO: EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - AFTERNOON Buffy, Nicole and Jennifer and another cheerleader are practicing. JENNIFER What was the step after... The one from Thursday. I never learned it right, I don't think. Buffy shows her. They do it together for a minute. BUFFY That is so cool. NICOLE Thank you very much. BUFFY Nobody is even gonna look at the game. JENNIFER Hey, I was thinking, for the dance, what about a big sign that says 'Don't Tread On Me'. You know, and a picture of the earth. BUFFY Don't tread on the earth? NICOLE I don't get it. BUFFY How do you not tread on the earth? I mean, you kind of have to. JENNIFER I never thought of that. NICOLE I gotta bail. You coming? BUFFY You guys blow. I'm waiting on Cassandra. She's gonna help me with my history. NICOLE Cassandra's really smart. BUFFY Yeah... She's okay, though. NICOLE I guess. JEFFREY Are you going out with Jeffrey tonight? BUFFY Jealous? Jennifer laughs, uncomfortably. BUFFY (continuing) Don't worry, Jennifer. Someday your prince will come. NICOLE Yeah, just make sure you do first. Let's go, guys. BUFFY B'bye. The other girls leave. Buffy is alone on the empty field. She looks around her. She starts doing a routine, tentatively. Then she runs toward the middle of the field and jumps, flies into an extraordinary series of gymnastic flips and cartwheels. She rolls into one final flip, a huge one, and lands, a perfect ten, about three inches from Merrick. She screams in surprise, steps back. BUFFY (continuing) God, where the hell did you come from? You scared me to death. MERRICK I'm sorry. That was impressive. The... tumbling. His accent is clipped -- British. BUFFY What? Oh. I used to do gymnastics. Are you looking for someone? MERRICK I'm looking for you, actually. BUFFY Am I in trouble or something? MERRICK Not at all. My name is Merrick. I was sent to find you some time ago. I should have found you much sooner but there were... complications. You should have been taught, prepared. BUFFY What are you talking about? MERRICK I've searched the entire world for you, Buffy. BUFFY Why? MERRICK To bring you... your birthright. BUFFY My birthright? You mean, like a trust fund? Merrick looks at her. BUFFY (continuing) I had a trust fund my great- grandfather, or maybe it was an inheritance, 'cause he's dead, and I spent it on shoes. MERRICK You must come with me. It's much too late already. You must come with me to the graveyard. BUFFY Wait a minute. My birthright is in the graveyard? Later not. MERRICK Wait! BUFFY You're one of those skanky old men that, like, attack girls and stuff. Forget you. My, um, my boyfriend is gonna be here in about thirty seconds, and he's way testy. MERRICK You don't understand. You have been chosen. BUFFY Chosen to go to the graveyard? Why don't you just take the first runner up, okay? MERRICK You must believe me. You must come with me while there's still time. BUFFY Time to do what? MERRICK To stop the killing. To stop the vampires. BUFFY Let me get this straight. You're like, this greasy bum, and I have to go to the graveyard with you 'cause I'm chosen, and there's vampires. MERRICK Yes. BUFFY Does Elvis talk to you? Tell you to do things? Do you see spots? MERRICK I don't have time for your prattling. I have proof. You bear the mark. He steps forward and pulls the neck of Buffy's shirt aside, revealing her shoulder. MERRICK (continuing) The mark of the Coven! The -- where's the mark? There is no birthmark on her shoulder. He looks at the other one. MERRICK (continuing) The mark of the -- wait a minute. Buffy pushes his hand off her. BUFFY You mean that big hairy mole? Excuse me: eeyuu. I had it removed. And, like, knowing about my big old mole isn't proof of anything except that it's way past medication time. She starts to walk away. BUFFY (continuing) Just stay away from me, okay? MERRICK Did you ever dream that you were someone else? Buffy stops. This obviously registers with her. BUFFY Everybody does. MERRICK In the past. A girl. Maybe... A Magyar peasant. An Indian princess. A slave. The last one hits the mark. BUFFY I was a slave. MERRICK In Virginia. BUFFY I don't know. It was... There was a big gram or something. And there's one, I'm like a prostitute... MERRICK China. BUFFY Oh, my God. I never told anybody about this. I remember the one about the peasant, too. God, there's a bunch. Is this, like channeling or something. Merrick rolls his eyes. BUFFY (continuing) I had a dream once where I was... There was like, knights in it, and I worked in this bar. And I... was fighting. I'm always fighting. And there's a guy... He's not always there, but he's horrible, all white, and he's always... trying to kill me. MERRICK Lothos. The name has an obvious effect on the girl. BUFFY How do you know all this? MERRICK I have to show you. CUT TO: ANGLE - THE SUN Thick and orange, sinking beyond the hills. EXT. GRAVEYARD - SUNSET Merrick leads Buffy, searching for a particular grave. BUFFY I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm in a graveyard with a strange man hunting for vampires on a school night. MERRICK Why didn't you ever tell anybody about your dreams? BUFFY Oh, yeah, tell everyone I'm crazy. Beauty ida. Buffy stops, winces slightly. BUFFY (continuing) Ow. MERRICK Cramps? BUFFY None of your business. God. MERRICK This is it. Buffy is standing on a freshly dug grave. The headstone reads: "ROBERT BERMAN, 1972 - 1990. GOD IS AT HIS HEELS". MERRICK (continuing) Robert Berman was killed three days ago. The body was found in the bushes out by the canal. Extensive tissue damage -- tearing -- at the neck and shoulders. Coroner thinks it's a dog. You sit her. He points out a plot of ground about eight feet from the foot of the grave. Buffy sits and leans against another stone. Merrick reaches into his jacket, pulls out a stake and a cross, hands the cross to Buffy. BUFFY Wait a minute. MERRICK Just for protection. You won't have to do anything. I just need you to watch. BUFFY All right. What do we do now? MERRICK We wait for Robert to wake up. Merrick goes over to the other headstone, crouches by it. BUFFY Do you have any gum? ANGLE - SUNSET The last red glimmer disappears behind the hills. CUT TO: EXT. OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL - SAME TIME Cassandra stands waiting for Buffy. The sun is down, darkness increasing. She looks at her watch and gives up, heads for her car. Her key in the door, she hears a RUSTLING behind her. Looks slowly around. CUT TO: EXT. GRAVEYARD - SAME TIME Buffy sits fidgeting. Playing with her fingernails. Merrick stays in the position, listening. A low, almost inaudible MOAN come from under the ground. Buffy sits up straight, holds the cross to her. The MOAN becomes louder, almost a scream. The SOUND is followed by the SOUND of FINGERS SCRAPPING wood -- of WOOD SPLINTERING -- of digging. The moaning continues, becoming eerier, somewhat more articulate. Buffy and Merrick wait. ANGLE - THE GRAVE Finally, fingers break through the ground and hold stiff in the open air. The moan becomes a triumphant HISS. The fingers clutch at the ground. ROBERT BERMAN pops halfway out of his grave like a jack-in-the- box, his face dirty and dead-white. He sees Buffy in front of him, and he bobs toward her with a crazy grin, stretching as to a mother's tit. Merrick drops down behind Robert and grabs him, raising the stake. Buffy watches, immobilized. A pair of arms shoot up from the ground right under Buffy. They grab her and pull her to the ground. Next to her face, the face of another vampire, a YOUNG WOMAN, emerges grinning from the crumbling earth. Buffy screams lustily, and struggles to break free. Merrick is momentarily distracted by this, and Robert throws him off, and pulls himself out of the grave. Merrick falls to the ground, and his stake goes flying. Buffy pulls herself out of the girl's grasp, starts running away, but the girl grabs her. Buffy remembers the cross in her hand, spins and holds it to the vampire's forehead. It burns and the lady lets go, screaming and falling to the ground. BUFFY 'Bye now. Buffy runs. ANGLE - MERRICK AND ROBERT They are struggling, several feet away. Robert grabs Merrick by the shoulders and picks him up, preparing to bite him. A stake suddenly pops out of his chest, planted in his back by Buffy. He falls and dies. MERRICK Where's the other one? BUFFY She -- It leaps at her, screaming. She throws it off, as Merrick produces another stake and throws it to her. Buffy sticks it in the vampire's heart. She dies, screaming, her face still smoking, blood spurting onto Buffy. Buffy looks at herself. At the blood. CUT TO: EXT. FRONT OF BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT Merrick walks Buffy to the door. She is silent, slow. MERRICK Go to school tomorrow. Try to act normal. Don't let anyone know what's happening. This is important. When the vampires find out who you are... you won't be hunting them anymore. BUFFY All right. He hands her a piece of paper. MERRICK Meet me at this address after school. BUFFY I have cheerleading squad. MERRICK Skip it. Buffy nods. Merrick starts back down the path. BUFFY Merrick. Merrick stops. BUFFY (continuing) They can't come in, right? Unless you invite them. Is that true? MERRICK It's true. Merrick moves on. Buffy goes inside. CUT TO: INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - FOYER - SAME TIME Buffy shuts the door, turns to go up to her room. She is startled by someone standing in her path. She almost screams. It's her mother. She stands, arm akimbo, looking very confrontational. Buffy looks a sight, and stands uncomfortably in front of her mother for a moment. BUFFY'S MOM Do you know what time it is? BUFFY Uum... around ten? Mom taps her watch, annoyed. BUFFY'S MOM I knew this thing was slow. She crosses out of the room. BUFFY'S MOM (continuing) You pay a fortune for something... (calls out) Honey, come on, we're gonna be late. Her mother gone, Buffy lets out a small sigh -- of relief or frustration, it is not clear. She heads upstairs. CUT TO: INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BATHROOM - NIGHT Buffy stands at the sink, washing her shirt. She tries to get the blood off with fierce intensity. She is near tears. CUT TO: INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT She sits in the middle of the bed in her pajamas, the blankets pooled around her. She cannot sleep. Finally, she lies back on the pillow. Lothos is beside her. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL HALL - DAY Buffy walks through the hall slowly, obviously the worse for last night's wear. Gary Murray comes up next to her, looking at his watch pointedly: she's late for class. He moves on. Jeffrey, going the other way, stops next to her. JEFFREY Hey, baby, how ya doing? You look beat. BUFFY I do? I guess I do. JEFFREY Where were you last night? I called your house like four times. BUFFY I went to sleep. I think I have the flu or something. Jeffrey backs away from her. JEFFREY I can't get sick. You know -- training and all. I'm gonna be late. BUFFY 'Bye. Jeffrey moves off to class. Buffy walks on a bit. She bumps into Nicole. NICOLE Hey, Buffers. You look thrashed. BUFFY Thanks. NICOLE You and Cassandra get anything done last night? Buffy looks confused for a moment, then remembers. BUFFY Oh. No. She never showed. CUT TO: INT. LOTHOS' CAVE - CLOSEUP OF CASSANDRA'S FACE She is waking up, obviously from being knocked out. She blinks stupidly, looks around. She is lying by a pool of what looks to be dark water in a large cave. Torches burn around her. She tries to get up and finds it difficult. She pulls herself up to the side of the pool and splashes water on her face. It's blood. She starts, staring with growing horror at her hands. She does not even see the figure rise from the pool at first. It's Lothos. He wears no shirt, only white trousers and boots, the style maybe Nineteenth Century. No blood seems to touch him as he rises. He looks at Cassandra with an almost sleepy lust. LOTHOS I find it restorative, sleeping in the life-blood of so many. To feel their souls coursing about me. CASSANDRA What's happening? What do you want? LOTHOS (smiling) So very much. CASSANDRA My parents have money... LOTHOS Yes, I'm sure they do. This place is everything you said it was, Amilyn. Cassandra turns. Amilyn stands behind her, grinning. He hisses, bares his fangs at Cassandra. CASSANDRA What... are you? LOTHOS Are we so strange? So alien to you? I've seen this culture, the wealth, the greed, the waste... it's truly heartwarming. The perfect place to spread my empire. Honestly, Eastern Europe was so dead, the Communists just drained the blood out of the place. It's livened up a bit in the past few years, but it's nothing compared to this.... this Mecca of consumption. The city of Angels. He steps right up to her. LOTHOS (continuing) What are we? We are man, perfected. We exist to consume. On the world "to consume" we see Amilyn mouthing the words with Lothos, his eyes to the ceiling. He's heard this a hundred times. AMILYN So? Do we change this one, or do we just drain her? Cassandra pulls her gold card out of her wallet. CASSANDRA Here, look. My gold card. It's your. I'll never report it. Amilyn snatches it from her, looks it over. LOTHOS She has a certain quality, this one... Amilyn bites the card. AMILYN I don't think this is gold. LOTHOS Not as single-minded as the others, not as sybaritic. Almost thoughtful. She's useless. CASSANDRA No, wait. I can be dumb. Really. Or mean, or whatever. I can learn. I'm useful. LOTHOS Really? CASSANDRA Swear to God. He rips out her throat, tearing at it with his teeth as blood gushes around their faces and she wriggle, twists, dies. He hurls her into the door and wipes blood from his mouth. LOTHOS I wish you wouldn't mention him... Slowly Cassandra slides down the wall, her eyes glazing over. As she descends we see, stenciled on the wall, "Hemery High School. Maintenance Only." CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE - AFTERNOON Grey, dusty and long since abandoned. Sunlight pours in through the large windows, practically caked with dust. Old crates are stacked here and there, bits of manikins leaning on one or two. Merrick sits on a crate, reading the newspaper. Buffy enters hesitantly, puts down her bookbag next to a pile of Merrick's stuff, including a rolled-up sleeping bag. This is definitely not her turf. She runs her finger along a crate, picks up a world of dust. She holds up her finger at Merrick. BUFFY Fire the help. No kidding. Merrick looks up at her. MERRICK It's not pretty, but it does suit our purposes. BUFFY Our purposes. She repeats it not with attitude, but a dull wonder at her connection with this strange man. She crosses to him. BUFFY (continuing) What, um... What do we do? MERRICK There's a great deal I have to show you, I'm not even sure where to start There's so little time. BUFFY Why do you keep saying that? MERRICK Do you know what a Vampire-King is? BUFFY A Vampire-King? You mean like Dracula? MERRICK Oh, yes. And the man from your dreams. Lothos. BUFFY Oh, him. MERRICK Yes. They travel about, usually with one or two of their followers to lay the groundwork. The vampires find a community and they feed on it, make it their own. You were difficult to trace, and I think the process has gone a lot further than I'd anticipated. Usually this goads a community into some kind of paranoid frenzy. But for some reason, nobody here seems to be paying any attention. BUFFY (not paying attention) What? MERRICK (annoyed) We'll cover it later. BUFFY I still don't get how they happened to come to my town. I mean, was I born here because... because they were coming here? That Lothos guy, and his buddies? MERRICK In a way, yes. Your fate is inexorably connected to them. BUFFY Great. First I have a birthright, now I've got a fate. Hey, do I have to take notes on this? MERRICK (put down his paper) We're going to have the work hard. You'll need some excuse for staying out. For your parents. Buffy laughs. BUFFY Not a pressing issue. MERRICK I tell you, the best thing I can do right now is find out more about you. What your strengths are, your likes... Everything. What's your best subject? BUFFY Uh... gym. MERRICK Yes, you used to do gymnastics. But you stopped. Why? BUFFY Well, everybody says... it's just kind of dorky. I mean, have you ever seen a gymnast's legs? They're like -- (indicating huge) -- the mighty oak. It's not a look. MERRICK But you enjoyed it, yes? BUFFY Well... I do cheerleading now. It's way cooler. MERRICK Cheerleading. For... sporting events, yes? BUFFY Sporting events, yeah. MERRICK All right. Why don't you show me a cheer? BUFFY Here? MERRICK Yes, yes. It would be interesting. A nice cheer. BUFFY Okay. Buffy starts, a bit awkwardly, doing a cheer. BUFFY (continuing) Who we gonna beat? MERRICK (pathetically following her motion) Who we gonna beat? BUFFY (stops) No -- you don't have to -- MERRICK Oh. I thought... you lead me -- BUFFY No. You don't do anything. I do it. MERRICK Oh. Good. She starts again. BUFFY Who we gonna beat? Who do we defeat? Who will we be pulverizing Into cream of wheat? Gradually, Buffy gets more into the cheer. The steps become more complicated as she repeats the verse. CLOSEUP - MERRICK'S HAND We see a knife slip out of Merrick's sleeve. He palms it, hands behind his back. In the middle of her routine, he hurls it at her. She catches it, reflexively, inches from her face. Stops dead. Then bursts into tears. Merrick is thrown off by this reaction. BUFFY Oh, what the hell is wrong with you? You threw a knife at my head! MERRICK I had to test you. BUFFY But you threw a knife at my head! MERRICK And you caught it! Only the chosen one could have done that. BUFFY I don't want to be the chosen one, okay? I don't want to spend the rest of my life chasing after vampires! I just want to graduate from high school, go to Europe, marry Charlie Sheen and die. It may not sound too exciting to a sconehead like you, but I think it's swell. And then you come along... and... and then I'm a member of the hairy mole club, so you throw things at me! She is coming at him now. He begins to back up. MERRICK It was necessary. BUFFY (realizing) Last night. You knew I was sitting on a fresh grave, didn't you? MERRICK I don't think you understand the full implications of -- Buffy punches him in the face. He goes flying a good ways, lands on his back. His nose bleed merrily. Buffy stops. BUFFY Oh. Sorry. MERRICK (getting up) Don't you see what's happening? You're changing. You've got powers you've only just begun to tap. Physical, mental prowess you've never dreamed of. (pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket) God, this hurts. I've administered a few shocks to your system to start the adrenaline working. I'm sorry I have to take so many shortcuts in the training process. BUFFY Put your head back. MERRICK Two days ago, would you have even hit me? Let alone so powerfully? BUFFY No... I guess I would have gotten Jeffrey to hit you. MERRICK Exactly. You're changing. You're becoming something extraordinarily powerful. Buffy looks at the knife in her hand. The MUSIC COMES UP and we... CUT TO: A SERIES OF IMAGES AND INTERCUT SCENES Buffy's period of training. Over the difficult course of it, she is obviously becoming more self-possessed, more at ease. Her style of dress loosens a bit: a little punkier. Stops dying her hair blonde and her roots start showing. Accumulates a few more holes in her ears. EXT. THE WAREHOUSE - NIGHT Buffy doing a series of gymnastic flips, swinging on vines, etc. CUT TO: EXT. SCHOOL - DAY Buffy arriving late for class. CUT TO: INT. BRENTANO'S - DAY Buffy charging some books: Lawson's Treatis on Demonology, Psychological Interpretations of Vampirism, The Book of the Dead, and The Complete Garlic Cookbook. CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT Merrick sits on a crate, reading the obituaries and circling certain entries. Buffy stands on her head, sweating with concentration. The CAMERA TILTS up to reveal her feet. Between the toes of one is a nail brush, with which she is very carefully painting her toenails. CUT TO: INT. MELROSE CLOTHING STORE ("ROCK STAR") - NIGHT Amilyn and a few of the old-world vampires are on a spree, trying on various leather jackets. As they cavort, the CAMERA TRACKS behind the counter, where we find the clerk, bloody and dead, slumped on the floor. CUT TO: EXT. SCHOOL - DAY Buffy kissing Jeffrey goodbye after school. A long, lingering kiss, during which she pulls away, anxious to get going. She starts off, comes back and plants a big ol' on his lips one last time before splitting. CUT TO: EXT. MINIATURE GOLF COURSE - AFTERNOON Merrick and Buffy are playing. Merrick tees off, shoots horribly. BUFFY (as announcer) Ooh, another embarrassment for the teabag, while the chosen one is still well under par. MERRICK Your turn. Buffy positions herself. BUFFY What about bats? Do they turn into bats? MERRICK No. No bats, no flying. They... float, occasionally. Not really flying. BUFFY Toasty. Were there ever any, like, famous vampires? MERRICK Oh, several. Lucretia Borgia, Joseph Mengele, Franklin Pangborn... are any of those names familiar? BUFFY If I say 'no' does that make me a bad person? MERRICK Good Lord. What do you study in history? BUFFY My nails. She gives a little 'isn't that funny' kind of laugh. He doesn't respond. MERRICK All right. You've heard of the emperor Caligula, perhaps? Or Jack the Ripper? BUFFY They were vampires? MERRICK Same one. BUFFY Oh. She considers this a moment. Tees off: another hole in one. CUT TO: EXT. WAREHOUSE (LATER) Buffy and Merrick sparring, working their way in between the "trees." She is his superior in speed and strength, but he easily trips her up. She glares at him from the ground. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL - DAY Buffy late again. Gary Murray watches her from the hall, shaking his head. CUT TO: EXT. ROADSIDE - EVENING Two college-age guys stand hitchhiking. A red convertible pulls up, with a beautiful blonde behind the wheel. The guys look at each other -- all right! They can't see her teeth, or the look in her eye. CUT TO: INT. CHURCH - AFTERNOON Buffy walks in, looks around. She approaches a PRIEST. BUFFY Excuse me... PRIEST Yes, my child? Is something troubling you? BUFFY Well, sort of. PRIEST Well, maybe I can help. BUFFY Yeah. Um... Could you bless these? She holds up a six-pack of Perrier. CUT TO: INT. LOTHOS' CAVE - NIGHT We see the entire cave, the still pool of blood, the torches lit. At the far end sits Lothos. In his arms is the body of a dead girl. Blood stains her neck and yet the image is poetic, reminiscent of Michelangelo's "Pieta". They are both perfectly still, her draped across his lap, he with his eyes far far away. The silence holds. Lothos belches massively. CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT Merrick is lecturing Buffy. Buffy is sitting, doodling in an open notebook, "uh-huh"ing and obviously not paying attention. MERRICK ... Lothos was probably born in the eleventh or twelfth century; he's been difficult to trace. His power has increased with age. It will be a long while before you are ready to face him. We'll be lucky if we can get him to leave the area, to lie low for awhile. That will scatter the rest of them. Lothos is... He looks at Buffy, who is staring down at her notebook. MERRICK (continuing) ... is extremely powerful, but he is still a vampire, and vulnerable to the same... He looks at her. Is she listening? MERRICK (continuing) Daylight is still his enemy. The stake can still find his heart. Is she? MERRICK (continuing) I have huge antlers growing out of my buttocks. Nope. No reaction, just another "Uh-huh." ANGLE - BUFFY'S NOTEBOOK Merrick slams a stake right through the middle of it. Buffy screams, jumps back a good two feet and lands on her butt. BUFFY (angry) What!?! MERRICK Try to pay attention. CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE - LATE LATE NIGHT Merrick talking. Buffy drinking coffee, trying hard to stay awake. Listening. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL - DAY Buffy in class, taking a test. Nicole leaning over, trying to cheat off her when she falls forward onto the desk, asleep. CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL HALL - DAY Buffy being ushered into Gary Murray's office. CUT TO: INT. GARY MURRAY'S OFFICE - DAY Buffy sits in his chair. Gary moves about his desk, sitting behind it, leaning on it, talking to her. A FLY BUZZES annoyingly about his head. GARY MURRAY Well, I think we can safely say that something's going on with you, Buffy. Now, there's nothing to be nervous about; you're not in any trouble. I just hoped maybe we could talk. Don't think of me as Gary Murray, administrator. Think of me as Gary Murray, party guy! Happening dude who can talk to the young. Me and you. It's open... Tell me. It's drugs, isn't it? CUT TO: EXT. FOREST - AFTERNOON Buffy stands under a tree, blindfolded. Merrick stands a ways apart, watching. Buffy stands very still, neck craned, waiting. Silently, a leaf falls. It wafts gently down. Buffy hurls a knife at it with easy precision. ANGLE - ANOTHER TREE The knife stick deep into the trunk, the leaf perfectly pinned. Merrick looks at it. Buffy smiles, knowing she has hit the target. Blindfold still on, she turns toward Merrick and walks into a branch, falls heavily backwards. CUT TO: INT. GARY MURRAY'S OFFICE - DAY The same session, continuing. Buffy still sits, expressionless, in the chair. The FLY still BUZZES. GARY MURRAY Hey, there's nothing to be afraid of! I know where you're coming from. Believe me. I'll tell you the truth. I've had my drug experiences, too. I did a lot -- I did some acid in the Sixties. Well, the late Seventies, actually. It was at a Doobie Brother's concert. CUT TO: INT. THE MALL - DAY Buffy at the mall with Kimberly, Nicole and Jennifer. For the first time, we really see how she stands out against her friends. She is wearing much more functional, cool garb, and less makeup, while they still sport the same dainty shit from the beginning. They stop to look at some dresses. Something in the next store catches Buffy's eye; she wanders off. CUT TO: INT. GARY MURRAY'S OFFICE - SAME TIME Gary Murray is crouching on his desk. Buffy still sits. The FLY still BUZZES. As Gary talks, Buffy picks up a push pin from the table beside her, holds it. GARY MURRAY ... and I could see the music flowing into me, it was bright red and electric, and I felt like a big toaster, and I thought, maybe I am a toaster, we're all molecules, and my friend Melissa, her head looked like a big party balloon, and that scared me, I started to freak out... Buffy surreptitiously puts the push pin in her mouth. CUT TO: INT. THE MALL - DAY The other girls are moving on from the dress shop, notice Buffy is not with them. They spot her in the next shop, urge her to come on. Buffy puts back the chain saw she was looking at, follows them. CUT TO: INT. GARY MURRAY'S OFFICE - DAY Buffy hasn't moved, or opened her mouth. The FLY BUZZES on. Gary Murray now sits behind his desk. GARY MURRAY I guess you're surprised. Well, you know, there's more to most people than meets the eye. Everybody's got a secret. I just want you to know that you can always share your secrets with me. What you say in this office, it will stay in this office. I'm your pal. Buffy smiles at Gary. As he looks away for a second, Buffy spits out the push pin. The BUZZING STOPS. CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT Buffy sparring with Merrick again. She holds a stake. This time she ends up pinning him, the stake at his solar plexus. He moves the point to where his heart would be. CUT TO: INT. PIKE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT The room is a shambles. Outside the first floor window, it is dark night. "Help Yourself" by the Posies blasts from Pike's STEREO. Pike lies on his bed. Through the window we see Benny approach, slowly fading up to the pane. He's floating, really. (He's a vampire.) He scrapes his fingers on the glass. BENNY Pike... Pike sits up, turns down the music. He goes to the window, begins to try to open it. It's stuck. PIKE Benny, man, where you been? You bailed on me, I passed out, man, I almost did a Jimi Hendrix! BENNY Let me in. PIKE Hey, I'm trying, but this window is burnt -- Pike gets a good look at Benny for the first time. BENNY Invite me in, Pike. PIKE Wait a minute. What's wrong with you, man? BENNY I'm fine. PIKE You look like shit, Benny. Benny grins, presses his slimy forehead against the glass. BENNY I... feel.... pretty. PIKE No offense, man, but I think you're on something nasty. Why don't you just go and cool out and I'll see you in the morning or something. BENNY The sun! It burns! It burns! He laughs at his impression, brown spittle caking the window. BENNY (continuing) Let me in, Pike! I'm hungry! PIKE Get away from here. BENNY I'm hungry. PIKE I mean it. Benny smiles, moves suddenly out of sight. Pike looks at the window for a second, then bolts out of his room. He runs to the front door, frantically hooks the chain. Benny appears at the door's little window, banging and scraping the glass. BENNY I'm hungry! I'm hungry! I'm hungry! Pike backs away. CUT TO: EXT. DESERTED STREET - NIGHT Buffy walks slowly down the street, trying to appear nonchalant, but looking about her a lot. BUFFY Sure is cold. What a dark night. Nice night for a walk. She whistles some, keeps walking. BUFFY (continuing) 'Feelings, la la la la feelings'... Boy, I'm helpless. She passes an alley and there is a RUSTLING amid the garbage cans. She moves slowly down the alley toward the noise. She is about halfway down when a rat scurries out from the cans and down a drain. BUFFY (continuing) Yeucch. Behind her, another SOUND. She turns slowly. At the entrance to the alley stands a vampire. They stare at each other, some thirty feet away. BUFFY (continuing) Hello... She moves back a step. The vampire takes a step. BUFFY (continuing) What do you want? It floats rapidly at her, hissing. Buffy looks about her frantically, trapped. It hits her at top speed and she instantly rolls onto her back, flipping it and hurling it against the wall at the end of the alley. As it hits, Buffy, still rolling, produces a stake from her jacket and throws it directly at its heart. The stake punctures the startled creature's chest. Before he can so much as grab it, Buffy throws a roundhouse kick, driving the stake all the way home with her foot. The vampire screams, sinks to the ground. Buffy turns, triumphant. BUFFY (continuing) Toaster-caked him! CLOSEUP - A STOPWATCH A hand stops it. It is Merrick, who steps into the alley and stares at Buffy. CUT TO: EXT. OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE - NIGHT The two exit Merrick's car, an old Dodge Dart. As they talk, they make their way into the warehouse. Buffy looks out for trouble while Merrick unlocks the door. This is obviously their routine. MERRICK He was slow. Very simple. They won't all be that easy. BUFFY Fine. MERRICK And the alley was a mistake. Never corner yourself like that. If they'd come at you in force you'd be dead now. One vampire is a lot easier to kill then ten. BUFFY Does the world 'Duhh' mean anything to you? MERRICK You felt a little sick, didn't you? The cramps. They enter the warehouse. CUT TO: INT. THE WAREHOUSE - SAME TIME They unload their stuff as they argue. BUFFY Nice conversationalist! Yeah, I felt 'em a little, but I ain't due for two weeks since you're so excited about the subject. MERRICK It's natural. A reaction to their presence, to the... unnaturalness of it. It's part of how you are able to track them. BUFFY Oh, wonderful. My secret weapon is - PMS. That's just great. Thanks for telling me. MERRICK You'll get used to it. I'm more worried about your tactical mistakes. BUFFY You are such a wet. MERRICK A what? BUFFY A wet! Didn't I just kill that vampire? I think I did. I didn't see you killing any vampires. You were too busy playing 'Beat the Clock'. MERRICK Don't start with me again. BUFFY Aren't I, like the chosen one? The one and only? The Grand High Poobah and doesn't that mean you have to be nice to me? Like, ever? MERRICK Buffy... BUFFY And why are you always wearing black? It's so down. It's totally not your color. I don't think you have a color. MERRICK What do you want? Encouragement? (in bad American accent) 'Gosh, Buffy, you're so special, I just want to give you a great big hug, oh I'm just having a warm fuzzy.' BUFFY Oh, fuck you! Merrick turns on her. MERRICK Do you know how many girls I've trained to be Slayers? Five. Five properly prepared girls, girls who faced their responsibilities, who worked hard to become women overnight -- harder than you've ever worked in your life -- and I saw them ripped apart. Do you want to live? Do you? BUFFY I... MERRICK What did you think, that being able to jump about and hit people makes you a Slayer? Buffy looks at him a bit. BUFFY Five? MERRICK Five. BUFFY So, basically, I've got the life expectancy of a zit, right? MERRICK Not if you're careful. BUFFY How can you keep doing this? MERRICK It's what I was raised to do. There aren't many of us left, the Watchers. BUFFY Watchers? MERRICK There's a small village in Hampshire, near Stonehenge... (sees she doesn't know it) ... near a bunch of big rocks. That's where I was born. My father taught me about the training, about finding the Slayers, reading the signs. There's a small cluster of us, a few families, really... most of the neighboring villagers think we're just a bunch of harmless old loonies. I thought so myself for a time, when I was younger...