Teaser

FADE IN:

EXT. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL – NIGHT

The front of the affluent Southern California school gleams darkly in the moonlight.

INT. HALL – CONTINUOUS

TRACK through the hall. Nothing.

INT. CLASSROOM – CONTINUOUS

Silent.

We track along the wall, past the maps and drawings tacked up on it, past the window, which SHATTERS in our faces!

It’s just a single pane, knocked in by someone’s hand. It unlocks the window and slides it up.

The intrude is a college age BOY, a timid GIRL beside him. She looks about nervously.

As they climb in.

INT. HALL – A MOMENT LATER

He leads her out here. It’s even darker than the classroom

He moves to kiss her.

He kisses her, but she turns suddenly, real fear crossing her face.

He looks about them. The place is dark, shadowy. She cowers behind him.

Silence.

She bares HORRIBLE FANGS and BURIES them in his neck.

CREDITS

CLOSE UP: SHOES

A poor man’s shoes, walking down the alley. Echoing in the emptiness.

ANGLE: THE MAN

Walking tentatively, far away. Suddenly the camera RUSHES at him like a predator – he turns just as it reaches him and –

ANGLE: A CANDLE BLOWING OUT.

We HEAR CHILDREN CHANTING a schoolyard song eerily in the blackness, on top of sinister WHISPERS, and we see

ANGLE: THE ALLEY

And the man, face down, unable to crawl, clawing his way along the ground in terror – and his body is YANKED out of frame with incredible speed.

ANGLE: A GIRL IN BED

Tossing and turning, as the camera moves down to reveal the shadow of someone – something – approaching her – and we hear an impossibly low voice:

ANGLE: A POOL OF BLOOD

ANGLE: A DEMONIC FACE

ROARS out of the shadows and we

INT. BUFFY’S BEDROOM – MORNING

Her eyes snap open. Despite the morning light, we recognize the girl – and the bed – from the dream. A moment, as she gets her bearings, shakes off the immediacy of the dream.

Her voice betrays her uncertainty. She sits up. A wider angle on her room reveals that it’s only half decorated: there are still boxes as yet unpacked in the corner.

EXT. SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL – MORNING

A day as bright and colorful as the night was black and eerie. Students pour in before first bell, talking, laughing. They could be from anywhere in America, but for the extremity of their dress and the esoteric mania of their slang. This is definitely So Cal.

ANGLE: A CAR

Pulls up outside the school. Buffy’s mom, JOYCE, is driving. Buffy gets out the passenger side.

The girl turns, looks at the school. She starts in as her mother drives away.

ANGLE: A SKATEBOARD

Weaving along the road. On it is XANDER, dressed with the shaggy indifference common to skateboarders.

He is bright, funny, and will one day be suave and handsome. Till that day arrives, he’ll do the best he can with bright and funny.

He weaves through a thickening mass of students toward the school.

But he’s doing okay until he passes Buffy – intrigued by the new face, he cranes to look at her, and nearly takes a header. He saves himself from falling, however, coming to a stop just in front of:

WILLOW. She is shy, bookish, and very possibly dressed by her mother. The intelligence in her eyes and the sweetness of her smile belie a genuine charm that is lost on the unsubtle high school mind. It’s certainly lost on Xander, though he brightens considerably to see her. The new face forgotten, at least for now.

Her excitement at the sentiment is sweetly pathetic, and typically unnoticed.

INT. SCHOOL HALL – CONTINUOUS

They are approached by JESSE, their bud. He is a little more awkward than Xander, a little less likely to become a lady killer in his later years.

INT. BOB FLUTIE’S OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

Buffy sits before principal FLUTIE. He is middle aged, a tad officious. Caught between the old school of strict discipline and the new school of sensitivity.

He pulls her transcript from a folder. He looks at it, looks at her.

He smiles, and carefully tears up her transcript up into four pieces.

He is taking the pieces of the transcript as he talks and carefully placing them together again.

He pulls out a piece of tape, starts taping the transcript back together.

Still smiling blandly, he slips the taped up transcript back in her folder.

INT. HALL – A MOMENT LATER

Buffy exits to office, looking a bit depressed. She starts rummaging through her bag and a student runs by, bumps into her. Her books and stuff spill out. Frustrated, she kneels down, starts scooping it back in.

Xander sees this, goes up to her, kneeling.

He starts picking things up, handing them to her.

He gives her the rest of her books. She stuffs it all in her bag and hurries away.

He notices something on the floor, bends down to get it. Calls after her:

But she’s too far off to hear. He looks at the wooden stake, puzzled.

INT. HISTORY CLASS – MORNING

THE TEACHER is in front, lecturing. We hear her mostly in voice over as we see Buffy near the back, earnestly taking notes. Trying to keep up.

Buffy looks about as kids open their books – she hasn’t got one. The girl next to her, CORDELIA, leans over. She is pretty, self assured. Killer outfit.

She moves her book over so Buffy can read off it as well.

INT. SAME – END OF CLASS

Kids are piling up their books and leaving as the bell RINGS. Cordelia introduces herself:

As the girls walk through the crowded hall.

INT. HALL – CONTINUOUS

They stop at the water fountain, which is being used by:

That hurt. Buffy says nothing, surprised by Cordelia’s sudden viciousness. Willow says, almost apologetically:

She vacates the fountain. Cordy steps up to it, looking at Buffy.

She bends down to drink. Buffy looks at the departing Willow, unhappily.

INT. ANOTHER HALL – A MINUTE LATER

As Buffy and Cordelia walk toward the library.

They arrive at the entrance to the library.

She goes off.

INT. THE LIBRARY – CONTINUOUS

Buffy enters, looking about her. It’s elegant, full of dark wood, streaming sunlight, and (duhh) books. It’s also empty. Buffy steps in, looking around. She looks down at the check-out counter to see:

ANGLE: A NEWSPAPER

Folded, with an article on the first page circled in red. The headline reads: LOCAL BOYS STILL MISSING, with a blurry picture of three brothers.

Buffy wanders further in. She peers around a bookcase –

And someone touches her from behind. Startled, she spins.

He is British, of middle age, with a quiet intensity.

He leads her to the check-out desk by the door. His office can be seen behind it.

He pulls a book out and slides it toward Buffy. Huge leather bound, with a single word set in gild in the cover.

“VAMPYR”

Real concern floods Buffy’s face, along with the understanding. She steps back from the desk, eyes on the librarian.

He replaces the book under the counter.

But she’s gone.

INT. WOMEN’S LOCKER ROOM – AFTERNOON

Two GIRLS approach their lockers, talking. They begin undressing (just shoes and coats and stuff. Get your mind out of the gutter.)

Something FLIES OUT of the locker at her! She SCREAMS as the dead body of the boy from the opening collapses on her, eyes horribly wide.

ANGLE: FROM ABOVE

The body sprawls out on the floor as the girl steps back, screaming for all she’s worth.

Willow is carefully taking out her packed lunch (and how healthy it is). Buffy approaches her.

He produces the stake.

[ Handwritten to the left side - "She takes it”]

She has appeared behind Jesse, all disdain on her face.

She takes off, the others watching her.

INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE LOCKER ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Mr. Flutie closes the door quietly. He turns to see Buffy before him.

Buffy smiles wanly, backs off.

EXT. SIDE OF GYM – CONTINUOUS

Buffy comes around the side of the gym. There is a door to the locker room and she tries it. It’s locked.

She looks around to make sure she’s alone, and then PULLS the door open with a quick tug, splintering the lock. One last look around and she slips inside.

INT. WOMEN’S LOCKER ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Buffy approaches the body laid out under a blanket.

She hesitates, sure she’s not going to like what she sees. Pulls the blanket from his head and shoulders.

ANGLE: HIS NECK

Has two big ol’ bite marks in it.

What floods onto Buffy’s face is not horror, but grim frustration. She stares down at the body, nearly seething.

INT. LIBRARY – MOMENTS LATER

Buffy strides back in, attitude high.

She spies Giles and starts up toward him.

She’s stopped for a moment.

She starts out, maybe a little unsatisfied with her exit.

She stops. No comeback just now. He starts down after her, solemnly intoning:

She finishes along with him:

She tries to move past him and he pulls a book off the shelf, hands it to her. It resembles the vampire book he showed her earlier. He continues to pull more off, piling them up in her arms.

A beat, and she leaves. Giles heads out after her.

ANGLE: IN THE STACKS

A shadowy figure moves about back there, emerges into the light. It’s Xander, excitement, amusement and a disbelief dancing in his face. “Theories in Trig” in his hands.

He tries for a long time to form a word. When he does, it is merely:

INT. HALL – CONTINUOUS

Giles comes out of the library, calls out to Buffy.

She stops, turns. There are people about, so they are forced to whisper.

INT. DARK PLACE – NIGHT

The camera TRACKS silently through a dark and eerie place. We see candles, broken statuary. A few figures bent in supplication. An ominous CHANTING fills the chamber.

As we move up, we see a single figure kneeling, well ahead of the rest. He is large, powerful, appears to be in his late twenties. In fact, LUKE is much older than that. His dress speaks of many eras, but definitely of none.

The CHANTING increases in intensity as the camera continues to move about the place, passing over Luke and we see what he is kneeling before for the first time.

A pool of blood.

As he speaks, we see his face clearly. Vampire. Not pretty.

He dips his finger in the blood.

And now we see:

WIDER ANGLE: THE CHURCH

It’s a bizarre ruin we’re in, buried beneath the ground. The stanchions and arches stand at haphazard angles, sheeted rock pushing in at all sides. The pool of blood is on what would be the altar.

The CHANTING fills the vast room as we

She is in the agony of outfit choosage, getting ready to go out. She has two, one scanty, the other somewhat plain. She holds them alternatively in front of her, looking in the mirror.

Joyce enters, watches her.

As the conversation segues into serious territory, both women become somewhat uncomfortable with each other.

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

Buffy makes her way on foot to the Bronze. She leaves the suburban area the house is in for the deserted city streets on the edge of town.

She turns a corner, walks down the street, lost in thought – until she HEARS FOOTSTEPS behind her.

She stops, turns slowly.

A figure stands in the dark behind her. Far enough away that she doesn’t feel right saying anything to it. It doesn’t move – she can’t see its face but it seems to be looking at her.

Buffy turns to go.

The figure follows.

EXT. ANOTHER STREET – A MOMENT LATER

Buffy turns the corner, somewhat worried – moving faster. The figure follows, always at a discreet distance.

EXT. AN ALLEY – A MOMENT LATER

Buffy turns in. She looks about her. A pipe runs across the narrow alley some ten feet above her. Garbage cans cluster at the other end.

ANGLE: THE FIGURE

Turns into the now-empty alley, starts down it.

Buffy suddenly DROPS down on him, legs locked over his neck. She throws herself back, tipping him over, rolling herself and SLAMMING his body onto the ground.

He’s on his feet quickly, but she grabs him and throws him up against the wall. She closes in, but he makes no move to attack. Puts up his hands.

He seems faintly amused. Buffy eyes him suspiciously, getting her first good look at him.

ANGEL is strikingly handsome, with intelligence and a kind of distance in his eyes. Moves with a fighter’s grace.

She backs off a bit, perplexed.

The amusement leaves his face.

He reaches into his coat for something. It’s a jewelry box. He throws it to her.

He starts out.

He goes. Buffy watches him go, then opens the box.

ANGLE: IN THE BOX

Is a cross. Small, antique, on a gold chain, [Handwritten to the side: “Silver”, ‘gold chain’ is circled]

WIDER ANGLE: BUFFY ALONE IN THE ALLEY

Buffy looks at the cross, at the departing figure of the mysterious man.

And as she walks slowly away, the camera TRACKS past the corner, past another group of garbage cans.

In front of them, right before us but unseen by Buffy, are two figures. The poor man we saw in her dream, and a vampire. The beast has its face burrowing in his neck, as the last of his life shudders out.

EXT. THE BRONZE – NIGHT

A decent crowd mills aimlessly around the joint, high school students and older. The place has an appealingly dive-y earthiness; no waiting in line for the bouncer to decide whether you’re cool or not. Those that are in line wait only to pay the four bucks to get their hands stamped if they’re old enough to drink.

Buffy moves her way up the line, scanning about for a familiar face. She doesn’t find one. As she is let in we FOLLOW HER INTO:

INT. THE BRONZE – CONTINUOUS

It’s dark, crowded and noisy. A fairly thrashsome band holds forth on stage, blasting the kind of music that would cause major moshing in a rowdier crowd. Coffee bar in the back, and a balcony above with tables for two.

Buffy makes her way through, still looking about. A good looking GUY spies her and waves, smiling.

Buffy smiles vaguely, waving back. A moment before she realizes he’s waving to a guy right behind her. She attempts to turn her wave into fixing her hair, looking embarrassed.

ANGLE: WILLOW

Is getting a soda at the bar. She turns back to look at the band just as Buffy comes up to her.

Buffy sees somebody moving about on the balcony. Her brow furrows.

She takes off, leaving Willow at the bar.

ANGLE: ATOP THE BALCONY

Buffy comes up, makes her way to the railing overlooking the stage. She leans on it, and we see that Giles is standing beside her. He doesn’t even look at her.

They both look down at the floor for a moment, at the dancing kids.

And we MOVE IN on Buffy’s face, clouding over. She says nothing, just looks down at the dancing kids.

ANGLE: THE FLOOR

Kids writhe about to the music with healthy abandon.

We find Cordelia off to the side, watching with her friends.

Jesse approaches her, smiling.

She takes off, posse in tow. Jesse just soaks up the pain.

He looks around at the throng, officially beginning his prowl.

ANGLE: BUFFY AND GILES

In mid-conversation. Shaken by the dreams thing, Buffy is giving ground.

She looks down at the mass of kids on the floor. Furrows her brow.

Giles stops, nonplused.

ANGLE: THEIR POV

In the corner stands a good looking young man, talking to a girl we can’t really see.

ANGLE: THE VAMPIRE

Is still chatting with the girl. He motions for her to come with him, and she comes into view.

It’s Willow.

She starts toward the stairs.

ANGLE: WILLOW AND THE VAMPIRE BOY

Head out the back door by the stage.

Buffy fights her way down the stairs. She looks toward where they were and sees they’re gone. She looks about a moment, and then, guessing correctly, heads for the backstage door as well.

But it’s a struggle: the closer she gets to the stage, the more crowded it gets. She finally pushes to the door.

INT. BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS

It’s dark here, and somewhat labryinthian. Buffy moves slowly, cautiously. There is no one about.

She finds an old chair, snaps the leg off, a makeshift stake.

There is no one about. Buffy heads for the exit door. Sticks her head out it but there’s no one in the alley either.

Slowly, perturbed, she starts back for the main door.

She turns the corner and he’s ON HER! She grabs him, throws him up against the wall, holding him two feet off the ground –

Well, holding her, actually. Holding Cordelia, who has the same dumbfounded gape that the other girls coming out of the bathroom have.

Buffy lets her down, lowering the stake.

Buffy gives up. Face red, she retreats back the way she came.

Cordy and the others are still agape. After a moment, Cordy regains her composure.

INT. THE BRONZE – CONTINUOUS

Buffy comes back out, finds Giles at the bottom of the stairs. She looks around as he says:

As she exits, she brushes past Jesse. The camera STAYS on him, as we see he is chatting up a girl.

And the camera comes around to show the girl he’s talking to: it’s the vampire from the opening. Needless to say, she has her normal face on. And she’ll be known from now on as:

INT. THE CHURCH – CONTINOUS

The CHANTING we heard earlier continues, peaking in intensity. By the altar, Luke suddenly looks up.

He starts moving slowly back, eyes wide with religious fervor. All the figures in the church start moving back, almost as one.

ANGLE: THE POOL OF BLOOD

We are low, right above the surface, as Luke prays before it. Suddenly a HEAD shoots up from in the blood. Luke starts, looks at it. He moves back, away from the pool.

Something breaks the surface of the liquid. Something rises.

It is THE MASTER, the most powerful of vampires. Born Heinrich Joseph Nest (some six hundred years ago,) he wears a vaguely SS-like outfit.

What he does not wear is anything resembling a human face. He is as much demon as man. As powerful as Luke is, it’s clear that this man is much more so, both from his bearing and from the reverence with which Luke looks upon him.

The Master steps forward, his face still in relative darkness. Luke steps back reverentially. The Master looks about him for a moment.

The Master takes another step forward, past Luke. He reaches his hand out slowly. As he does, the air in front of him starts to ripple slightly – a kind of mystical wall. He pulls his hand back.

Luke starts out.

EXT. STREET BY WOODED GLADE – NIGHT

Willow and the Vampire Boy walk along, alone in the dark. She is clearly nervous, though not for the reason she should be.

They walk a bit more.

He doesn’t answer. Stops.

He takes her hand.

He leads her into the dark of wood.

EXT. OUTSIDE THE BRONZE – NIGHT

Buffy comes from around the back, looking around. Xander comes up to her, carrying his skateboard.

She turns back to him, surprised and miffed.

A beat, as he looks at her. Sees she isn’t kidding. Isn’t wrong.

As they head off.

EXT. GRAVEYARD – CONTINUOUS

Willow is still walking with Vampire Boy, but getting increasingly creeped out.

He says nothing. She keeps walking beside him, uncertain.

He stops at a small mausoleum. The entrance is a well of black.

He moves in close, holding her intimately.

He pushes her into the blackness of the entrance.

INT. MAUSOLEUM – CONTINUOUS

Willow stumbles in. She looks about her frightenedly, adjusting to the increased dark.

The place is small, with carved stone walls. A large tomb takes up much of the middle, the stone figure of a man lying atop it. Behind her is the doorway she came in, ahead, a much smaller, iron door, locked shut.

She spins all the way round to see the boy filling the entrance.

No response. He steps closer, his face in shadow. She circles away from him, moving closer to the doorway.

All the playfulness has drained out of his voice. She takes a step back, another, turns and moves WHAM – right into DARLA.

Emitting something between a scream and a squeak, Willow steps back. Darla looks at her, at the boy.

She indicates the doorway behind her, as Jesse stumbles dazed from the darkness.

She goes over to him, relieved. He is clutching his neck.

He takes his hand away. There is blood on it, on his neck. Willow looks over at the other two, eyes wide.

And on the last word she brings her face right up to Willow’s and it CHANGES, snaps right before our eyes into the grotesque demon-face we saw before.

Willow SCREAMS, takes a stumbled step back and falls.

The boy laughs, circling, and we see that he has changed as well.

She steps in, Xander following her. Everybody stops.

He is moving between the two Vampires, who loosen their grip on their respective victims.

As she speaks, the Boy Vampire RUSHES her from behind, charging at her with incredible speed and momentum –

Buffy whips a stake out from her jacket and in one graceful motion sticks it out behind her, letting the boy impale himself on it. He stops, eyes wide, and falls back.

Buffy never even faces him.

ANGLE: THE BOY VAMPIRE

As he hits the ground, his body crumbles to dust.

Xander and Willow are speechless, staring at the ground where a body used to be.

Darla is wide eyed, exceedingly wary. But not cowed. She moves slowly around, preparing to fight herself.

She lunges at Buffy, who parries her blows with martial arts precision.

Xander herds the others out.

EXT. GRAVEYARD – CONTINUOUS

The three kids run out of the mausoleum, Willow and Xander supporting Jesse. All three are totally freaked – Jesse the least so, since he’s still weak and dazed.

INT. MAUSOLEUM – CONTINUOUS

Darla hit the ground with a painful thud.

Buffy stands over her. She’s a bit out of breath, and the humor is gone from her visage.

HANDS suddenly grab Buffy by the throat, lift her bodily from the ground.

He steps out of the shadows from behind her – his bulk dwarfing her – and throws her a good fifteen feet. She hits the wall face first, landing badly.

Luke turns on Darla, who is getting up.

ANGLE: BUFFY

She lifts herself off the floor just as Luke suddenly closes on her, grabs her. She’s ready this time, though, and she knocks his arms away, kicks him in the face. It sends him back a bit but he recovers in a second, landing a solid punch to her jaw.

He slams her back to the ground.

EXT. THE FOREST – CONTINUOUS

The three kids are making pretty good time, despite having to support Jesse.

They stop. They stare, despair creeping onto their faces.

Three Vampires stand waiting for them.

INT. THE MAUSOLEUM – CONTINUOUS

Buffy looks like she’s been kicked around a bit. She circles around the tomb, keeping it between her and Luke.

He SHOVES the top of the tomb with all his might, sends it flying at her.

She LEAPS over it – jumps up onto the tomb, leaps off it, flipping, and WHAM – plants both feet solidly in Luke’s chest.

He falls back, as does she – she gets up first and pulls out her stake, dries it toward his chest – but he grabs just before it reaches.

He squeezes – and the stake splinters in his powerful grip. He PUNCHES Buffy, knocks her back.

He stands, triumphant, over her. Begins intoning the sacred text:

INT. LIBRARY – CONTINUOUS

Giles has his ancient texts out, is studying them in growing consternation.

ANGLE: GILES’ BOOK

Shows a Dore-like engraving: a massacre. People writhing, blood everywhere – in the center of them all, a Demon with a three-pointed star on his forehead, feeding off a woman.

INT. THE CHURCH – CONTINUOUS

We TRACK IN on the Master sitting, his face in darkness.

EXT. FOREST – CONTINUOUS

Xander, Willow and Jesse back away from the vampires –

--to find Darla right behind them!

INT. MAUSOLEUM – CONTINUOUS

Buffy is getting up, keeping her eyes on Luke –

…and Hell itself will come to town.

She tries to move to the side, to get away – he backhands Buffy with all the force he has. She flies back – right into the tomb!

ANGLE: IN THE TOMB

Buffy falls and lands HARD on her back, the wind knocked out of her. She looks beside her – and sees the withered corpse of the tomb’s owner.

She’s hurt pretty bad. She looks up but no Luke. Only the walls of the tomb. He could be anywhere.

Slowly, achingly slowly, she lifts her head. Truly scared. Looks over one side of the tomb – nothing. Looks over the other.

Luke FILLS THE FRAME, roaring, jumping into the crypt on top of her.

She tries to fight him off but she’s well pinned. He contemplates her a moment with gleeful animal hunger. Teeth dripping. [Hand written: “Not”].

He bears down.