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Episode Summary
The flu has been spreading around Sunnydale High, and Buffy’s one of the unlucky souls who’s got it. While on a routine patrol through the cemetery, Buffy runs into Xander, Willow, and Cordelia.
Before she can get them to go home, Angel appears and attacks Cordy. Buffy fends him off, but the flu has made her too weak to fight him effectively.
Angel nearly bites Buffy when the others come to her aid and thwart him back with their crosses. After Angel leaves, Buffy collapses and lies on the ground, unconscious.
The gang brings Buffy to the emergency room of Sunnydale General. Giles and Joyce soon arrive, and they wait for Buffy to be moved to another room so they could see her.
On the way to room, Buffy realizes that she’s going to be there awhile, so she tries to get out, screaming that she has to kill the vampires.
Dr. Wilkinson injects a tranquilizer to calm her down. Soon, Buffy is asleep in her new room while the others wait outside in the hall.
Joyce tells everyone that Buffy has been afraid of hospitals ever since she saw her cousin Celia die in a hospital when they were both very young.
The group goes home while Xander stays behind to protect Buffy in case Angel shows up. That night, Buffy is still overcome with her fever when she notices a young boy standing in her doorway.
As the boy walks away, Buffy sees a tall, demonic man following the boy. He is dressed in black clothes and a black hat, and his fingers are long and pointed.
Buffy gets out of her bed to follow them, but she soon finds herself in a flashback to a time when she was much younger, walking down a similar hospital hallway.
As her young self walks into a room and approaches the bed curtains, Buffy wakes up, realizing that she was just dreaming. She then gets out of bed and walks down the hall.
She stops outside of a door from which a body of a recently diseased girl is being wheeled out of.
Buffy eavesdrops on Dr. Wilkinson talking with another doctor, Dr. Stanley Backer. Dr. Wilkinson is arguing about some kind of experimental procedure that Dr. Backer has been performing on the children.
Buffy then notices two children standing before her. One of them is the same boy she saw earlier, who tells her that Death is coming for them, and that he can’t be seen by grownups.
Elsewhere, Angel walks into the hospital, holding some flowers for Buffy. Xander blocks his path and challenges him to a fight, but Angel simply points out Xander’s apparent jealousy of Angel for getting to Buffy first.
Angel then turns around and leaves. The next morning, Buffy’s fever has gone down, and the gang pays her a visit.
Buffy tells them about the apparent demon she saw walking the halls, the one that grownups can’t see, but also notes that she may have just been delusional from her fever.
She also tells them about the girl who died and Dr. Backer’s experiments. Giles and Willow return to the library to do some research while Xander and Cordy snoop around the hospital for more info.
They find nothing, so Xander decides to stay behind and watch after Buffy. Cordy is upset with him for his obvious attraction that he still holds for Buffy, but she later returns with donuts and coffee to keep Xander company.
In the meantime, Giles and Willow concoct a theory that the kids think they’re seeing Death, but they’re really seeing Dr. Backer.
Willow researches his background, but can’t find much to convict him of anything. Later that night, Buffy sneaks out of her room again.
She heads for the children’s ward, where Dr. Backer is preparing to inject a sleeping girl with an unknown solution. He then hears something, but it is too late, for an invisible force attacks the doctor, slashing away at his body.
The young boy, Ryan, wakes up and watches in horror as Dr. Backer is slashed to death by the demon. Buffy looks in and sees Dr. Backer being attacked, but she can’t see the attacker.
His lifeless body is then thrown out of the room, and before Buffy can reach it, she is knocked back by the unseen force.
She lies against the wall, unconscious, while Dr. Backer’s body is dragged down the hall and out of sight. The next morning, Buffy tells the gang that Backer is no longer their suspect, then shows them a drawing that Ryan made of the demon.
Joyce arrives and tells Buffy that she’s been cleared to go home, but Buffy makes up an excuse that she’s still not feeling well so she can stay in the hospital and fight the demon.
Willow stays to help Buffy investigate Dr. Backer’s office for clues as to why he was killed, while Xander elects to stand guard at the hospital. This leaves Giles to reluctantly work with Cordy in the library.
In Dr. Backer’s office, Willow finds a log proving that Backer was innoculating the kids with the same virus they were infected with in an attempt to raise their temperature and burn out their fever.
According the log, the process was starting to work, so Backer really was helping the children all along.
At the library, Cordy notices that a picture on the cover of a book resembles the picture that Ryan drew. She calls Buffy and tells them that the name of the demon is Der Kindestod.
Giles then tells Buffy that Kindestod kills its victims by sitting on top of them and pinning them on their backs. It then sucks the life out of them somehow.
Buffy suddenly has another flashback to her earlier years. The younger Buffy walks into the room and opens the curtains, only to see Celia screaming with her hands in front of her, as if she is trying to push some invisible object off of her.
Buffy realizes that her cousin Celia was killed by Kindestod.
After hanging up the phone, Buffy realizes that the only time she was able to see the Kindestod was when she was still under the effects of her fever. Willow and Buffy sneak into Backer’s office again.
Buffy opens the refrigerator and removes a test tube that contains the same virus strain that Backer was using in his experiments.
Willow dilutes it with water before Buffy drinks it. Sick again, Buffy stumbles to the children’s ward with Willow’s help. However, all the children are no longer in their room.
Buffy then sees Kindestod walking around inside the room, then entering a door labelled “Basement Access”. The door is locked, so Buffy needs to find another way to the basement.
Dr. Wilkinson walks into the hallway and tries to get Buffy back to her room, but Buffy pushes her away, and she and Willow run for it.
Two security guards stop them, but Willow throws an imaginary fit to divert the guards while Buffy slips by. She finds Xander, and the two of them head down to the basement.
They find Ryan pinned to the floor by Kindestod, while the rest of the children sit together screaming. Buffy fights Kindestod while Xander moves the others to safety.
Before Kindestod can drain Buffy of her life force, she grabs his head with both hands and snaps his neck, killing him instantly. The next morning, Buffy is back in the comfort of her own bedroom.
Xander and Willow are also there, keeping her company while she recovers from her fever again. Joyce brings Buffy a letter that just arrived in the mail.
It’s from Ryan, and Buffy opens it to find a drawing of Buffy standing victoriously over the body of Kindestod, it’s neck cracked open and blood spurting out.
Shooting Scripts
Teaser
EXT. CEMETERY – NIGHT
Another CREEPY NIGHT among the tombstones.
We PAN along the cemetery wall and TILT UP. A HAND comes over the top. A beat. Then ANOTHER HAND comes
over. BUFEY hoists herself into view. She rests for a moment. Her face is pale, her eyes sunken, her hair mussed
up — not the bright and shiny Buffy we’re accustomed to seeing.
Buffy wearily SWINGS her leg over the wall. With great effort, she PULLS the rest of her body over, then DROPS
to the ground, STUMBLING a bit. She puts a hand against the wall and steadies herself, feeling DIZZY.
BUFFY
Whoa…
She pulls a stake from her bag and begins to MOVE along the wall, scoping out the place.
She HEARS someone near the gate and PRESSES herself against the wall, inching towards the sound. She lifts
her stake, STEPS around the corner, and nearly PLUNGES her stake into–
XANDER
DYEAAH!
–who JUMPS away, startled.
BUFFY
Non-vampire.
Buffy sees WILLOW and CORDELIA behind him.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Plus two.
WILLOW
(meekly)
Hi.
XANDER
(composing himself)
Man, Buffy. My whole life just
flashed before my eyes.
(then)
I’ve got to get me a life.
Buffy puts the stake back in her belt.
BUFFY
What are you doing here?
WILLOW
What are you doing here?
BUFFY
Patrolling.
WILLOW
Buffy, you’re sick.
BUFFY
I feel fine. The ground’s moving
around a little bit, but I like it.
It’s like a ride.
CORDELIA
Half the school is out with this flu,
Buffy. It’s a serious deal. We’re
all worried about how gross you look.
BUFFY
I’m touched. I have work to do.
WILLOW
Come on, Buffy. One night of rest
isn’t going to kill you.
BUFFY
But it might kill someone else.
XANDER
You mean Angel might.
Buffy looks at them for a moment, then:
BUFFY
You guys should go find a safer place
to be. Like somewhere I’m not.
XANDER
Buffy, this isn’t the time to
challenge Angel for the Ultimate
Fighting Championship. He’s at full
strength, and you’re only half a
slayer.
BUFFY
But I’m still the Slayer. And as
long as I am, Angel’s not going to
kill anyone else.
From behind her, she hears:
ANGEL (O.S.)
Oh, come on. Just one more.
Buffy turns to see ANGEL. All vamped out.
He LUNGES at the trio. They SCATTER, but Angel DIVES and grabs Cordelia, who FALLS to the ground,
screaming.
Buffy GRABS Angel and LIFTS him to face her (as Cordelia SCAMPERS away). Buffy has a stake in her right hand,
raised and ready to plunge.
She starts to bring the stake down. Angel CATCHES her wrist and BENDS her hand backwards–
BUFFY
(pained)
Ahh!
–until she drops the stake.
ANGEL
Not feeling well, lover?
Buffy surprises him with a LEFT HOOK out of nowhere. He reels a bit.
BUFFY
That helps.
Angel RAMS his shoulder into her chest and SLAMS her against a gravestone, knocking the wind out of her.
BUFFY’S POV: is blurry.
She sluggishly tries to hold Angel off, but he staggers her with a series of HITS and KICKS.
Buffy stumbles away and tries to focus on Angel. She SWINGS at him a few times, misses.
An amused Angel watches her struggle.
ANGEL
You know, you being off your game?
It’s kind of taking all the fun out
of this.
He smashes his FIST into her face.
ANGEL (cont’d)
Nope. Still fun.
He JUMPS on her and they ROLL on the ground until he is on top of her.
ANGEL (cont’d)
Uh-oh. This does not look good for
our heroine.
Suddenly, Buffy’s weapons bag is PULLED over Angel’s head, blinding him.
REVEAL: Willow standing behind him, holding the bag on.
Xander sends a couple of PUNCHES to Angel’s torso. Angel ROLLS off of Buffy, RIPS the bag off his head and
turns to face Willow, Xander and Cordelia.
They stand there between him and Buffy, each holding a cross.
ANGEL (cont’d)
We’ll have to do this again some time.
Angel TURNS and HEADS OEF.
Buffy struggles to her feet; puts her hand to her head.
BUFFY
I told you guys to leave.
(a beat)
This is my fight. You don’t have
to…
Her eyes ROLL BACK in her head and she COLLAPSES. Xander quickly moves down to her.
XANDER
Buffy, are you all right?
She doesn’t respond. He takes her by the shoulders.
XANDER (cont’d)
Buffy?
CLOSE ON:
Buffy’s lifeless body.
BLACK OUT.
END OF TEASER
Act One
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL ENTRANCE AREA – LATER THAT NIGHT
A cold, antiseptic, dreary place. Eerily silent. PATIENTS in various states of illness and injury sit waiting.
The calm is shattered as Xander BURSTS through the hospital doors, carrying Buffy. Willow and Cordelia run
alongside.
XANDER
We need help!
WILLOW
Somebody, please! Now!
A few HOSPITAL STAFF MEMBERS rush to them.
INTERN
What happened?
XANDER
She fell.
WILLOW
The flu.
CORDELIA
She fainted.
XANDER (cont’d)
The flu, fainted and fell. She’s
sick! Make it better!
Buffy is placed on a gurney and WHEELED down the hall as the INTERN begins to examine her. Buffy’s friends
crowd around.
INTERN
The patient is unconscious.
(examining eyes)
Pupils are unequal and unresponsive.
CORDELIA
What does that mean?
WILLOW
Is she going to be okay?
INTERN
People, you need to give us some
room, here!
Still on the move, they meet up with another doctor, a woman in her mid-thirties. This is DR. WILKINSON.
DR. WILKINSON
What’ve we got?
INTERN
Teenage girl, high-grade fever,
possible fractures.
DR. WILKINSON
Get her into Trauma One. Give me a
CBC, chem 7, type and screen.
They wheel her into a room. Xander and the girls start to follow them in. Dr. Wilkinson stops them.
DR. WILKINSON (cont’d)
Excuse me, you’re going to have to
wait out here.
XANDER
Someone should be with her.
DR. WILKINSON
You’re going to have to wait out here.
Dr. Wilkinson hurries inside, swinging the door closed. Willow turns to Xander.
WILLOW
I’ll call Giles. Tell him what
happened.
(then, to Cordelia)
Call Buffy’s mom. Tell her… not
what happened. Just get her here.
The girls go off as Xander looks through a window, into the emergency room.
XANDER
(trying to believe it)
She’s going to be okay.
XANDER’S POV through the window:
as the Slayer lies near death. Doctors and nurses surround her in a flurry of activity.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL WAITING AREA – LATER (NIGHT)
GILES is there with Xander, Willow, and Cordelia as JOYCE comes rushing in.
JOYCE
Where is she?
GILES
Still in the emergency room.
JOYCE
I want to see her.
CORDELIA
They won’t let us in.
Dr. Wilkinson comes over.
DR. WILKINSON
Ms. Summers? I’m Dr. Wilkinson.
JOYCE
Is Buffy okay?
DR. WILKINSON
We were able to stabilize–
JOYCE
Is she okay?
DR. WILKINSON
She’s going to be fine.
Joyce lets out a breath.
JOYCE
Thank you.
XANDER
Good. Good. That’s good.
DR. WILKINSON
I want to keep her here a few days,
though. She’s still got some healing
to do.
GILES
Was she hurt badly?
DR. WILKINSON
The injuries from the fall were
minor: Sprained wrist and a couple of
cracked ribs. I’m more concerned
about her fever.
JOYCE
She said this morning she was feeling
better.
DR. WILKINSON
She will be. But she’s still
suffering from exhaustion and
dehydration.
WILLOW
I keep telling her that Yoo-Hoo is
not a fluid replenisher.
DR. WILKINSON
Come on. I’m sure you want to see
her.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – A MOMENT LATER (NIGHT)
Buffy is wheeled on a gurney out of the ER and into the hallway, where Joyce and the others wait. Her sprained
wrist (from the Angel encounter) is wrapped with a bandage, and because of her fever she’s a little less than
coherent.
JOYCE
Buffy? Hi, sweetheart.
XANDER
Hey, Buffy. We’re all here.
BUFFY
(slurring her words)
Heyyy… here were are. It’s all of
we! Are we taking me home?
Buffy tries to sit up.
DR. WILKINSON
Buffy, you need to lie down.
BUFFY
(protesting weakly)
Yes, lie at home. My bed is better
than any bed that’s not my bed.
DR. WILKINSON
(to the others)
She’s still a little out of it.
BUFFY
Shhh! Hospital zone. No singing.
Dr. Wilkinson gently pushes Buffy back down.
DR. WILKINSON
She’ll feel better after she’s been
here a while.
Buffy, suddenly sober, begins struggling with the covers.
BUFFY
No. Let me go.
WILLOW
Buffy, what’s wrong?
BUFFY
(fighting more)
Let me go!
CORDELIA
I think she wants to go.
DR. WILKINSON
(calling out)
I need some assistance!
A FEW NURSES rush over and help subdue Buffy, who is in major freak mode.
BUFFY
Giles, tell them. The vampires.
I’ve got to kill the vampires!
JOYCE
Vampires?
Dr. Wilkinson prepares a syringe.
DR. WILKINSON
She’s been like this since she came
in.
XANDER
(covering)
Probably the fever?
WILLOW
Yeah. It’s made her delusional.
BUFFY
(frantic)
They’re out there!
Giles laughs nervously.
GILES
It’s okay, Buffy. We’ll get those
vampires some other time!
(off Joyce’s look)
I hear it’s best to just go along.
DR. WILKINSON
This will help her relax.
The nurses hold Buffy down as Dr. Wilkinson gives her a shot. Joyce leans down to her daughter.
JOYCE
Honey…?
BUFFY
(frail)
I want to go home.
JOYCE
(taking her hand)
Everything’s going to be okay. I
promise.
Buffy STARES up from the gurney as her eyes get heavy from the sedative.
BUFFY
(fights to stay awake)
Please don’t make me stay. Not here.
Buffy is wheeled into a room as the gang waits in the hall. They watch Buffy through the window.
XANDER
That was a new experience. I’m not
used to seeing Buffy scared like that.
JOYCE
She just hates hospitals. Since she
was a little girl.
WILLOW
What happened?
JOYCE
(tentatively)
When Buffy was eight… her cousin,
Celia, died in a hospital.
(a beat)
Buffy was alone with her when it
happened.
CORDELIA
(sadly)
Yuck.
JOYCE
They were very close.
WILLOW
And she was eight?
JOYCE
She doesn’t talk about it, but… she
just doesn’t like hospitals.
XANDER
Can’t say as I blame.
She stares in at Buffy.
JOYCE
Looks like she’s asleep. I should go
call her father.
GILES
I think there’s a phone…
Joyce goes off with Giles.
JOYCE
Thank you for coming. I really
appreciate the way you look out for
her. All of you.
GILES
We’re very fond of her.
JOYCE
(pauses, gathering)
I hope I’m not out of line, but I
just wanted to say how sorry I am
about that teacher, Ms. Calendar.
Buffy said you were close.
GILES
Thank you.
JOYCE
Buffy’s been so down since it
happened. She never gets sick.
GILES
I’m sure she’ll be fine.
JOYCE
I’m sorry, I babble when I’m nervous.
I just wanted to — well, if you need
anything.
ANGLE: THE OTHERS
Looking into Buffy’s room.
XANDER
You think she’ll be okay in here?
CORDELIA
I don’t know… Lysette got her nose
done here, you know; she asked for
the Gwyneth Paltrow but it looked
more like the Mr. Potato Head —
XANDER
Cordy.
WILLOW
Buffy’s not here for cosmetic surgery.
CORDELIA
No, but while she’s here she could
get that thing taken care of. That
thing on her face — you know, that
thing.
WILLOW
Do you think Angel would attack her
in here?
XANDER
He can come in. It’s a public
building.
WILLOW
That’s true…
They start off.
CORDELIA
Am I the only one who’s noticed that
thing?
CAMERA MOVES IN ON BUFFY and we:
MATCH DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – LATER THAT NIGHT
An IV DRIP courses through a tube connected to Buffy’s arm. She TOSSES and TURNS, sleeping fitfully. She
MOANS occasionally, drifting in and out of consciousness.
She OPENS HER EYES with a start and sees a little boy standing in the doorway, staring at her. His name is RYAN.
He’s still, expressionless, Stepfordian. Think Christopher Walken at age ten.
He walks away.
Suddenly, a MYSTERIOUS FIGURE passes by the door, following the boy. The figure is tall, not quite human,
dressed in dark clothes — like an eighteenth-century undertaker.
In the dark, Buffy barely registers the figure’s GHASTLY WHITE FACE, BEAK-LIKE NOSE, HAIRLESS HEAD, and
UGLY RED- RIMMED EYES.
And just as quickly as the figure appeared, it’s GONE. Buffy gets out of bed, UNHOOKS the IV, and heads out the
door.
FLASH TO:
INT. DIFFERENT HOSPITAL – NINE YEARS AGO (NIGHT)
HAZY DREAM-CAM:
An EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL (who looks as much like an eight-year- old Sarah as Marcia can find) comes out of a
room. This is LITTLE BUFFY. She slowly and tentatively walks down the middle of a HARSHLY LIT hospital corridor.
MOANS ECHO throughout the hall as Little Buffy looks around.
FROM HER POV, everything seems heightened and menacing — shapes are distorted, voices are muffled, etc.
Little Buffy passes by various things in the hallway: an EMPTY WHEELCHAIR… a cart on which sits a TRAY of
SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS… a defibrillator ‘CRASH CART’….
She PEERS INTO A ROOM and sees a CURTAIN pulled around a bed. Little Buffy cautiously heads into the room…
INT. DIFFERENT HOSP. ROOM – CONT. (NINE YEARS AGO; NIGHT)
… and walks toward the curtain. She nervously REACHES to pull it away. When she TOUCHES it–
A FLASH fills the screen and we are back in:
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT (PRESENT DAY)
BUFFY WAKES UP in her hospital bed. The room is dark. She looks around, disoriented, getting her bearings. The
clock next to her bed reads 2:27 AM.
She SITS UP and feels something tug at her arm.
BUFFY
Ow…
She looks to see that the IV is still connected.
The FAINT SOUND of CHILDREN CRYING can be heard from down the hall. The sound only adds to Buffy’s visible
despair.
She unhooks the IV from her arm, throws her covers off, and gets out of bed. She STEADIES herself on the bed
rail, takes a breath, and heads into the hallway.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS (NIGHT)
The hospital is eerily deserted.
Buffy makes her way down the hall. She looks into rooms and sees PATIENTS lying in beds, hooked up to
monitors, ventilators at work, etc.
A SECURITY GUARD (DON: more on him later) skulks around, watching her. Buffy turns down another hallway,
following the sounds of the crying.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL – ANOTHER CORRIDOR – CONT. (NIGHT)
As Buffy rounds a corner, she sees a couple of ORDERLIES wheeling a gurney into the hallway. On the gurney is a
SMALL, SHEET-COVERED BODY.
She goes to a door and looks inside.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL KIDS’ WARD – CONT. (NIGHT)
This is the kids’ ward — a half dozen or so beds and a dreary collection of medical equipment. Second-hand
stuffed animals and faded posters of clowns are supposed to add life to the depressing room.
A few of the CHILDREN sleep restlessly as machines monitor their conditions.
Dr. Wilkinson is arguing with another doctor (DR. STANLEY BACKER), an elderly man with disheveled hair and a
manner that’s just a bit off-kilter.
DR. WILKINSON
I’m just saying step back the dosage
until we can analyze the results.
DR. BACKER
There isn’t time. I would think that
would be clear by now.
DR. WILKINSON
The normal course of treatment —
DR. BACKER
They aren’t responding to the normal
course of treatment. They’re getting
worse.
As they talk, he takes a hypo of fluid, injects it into a child’s IV.
DR. WILKINSON
Raising their temperatures is
potentially —
DR. BACKER
Dr. Wilkinson, I have the parents’
consent.
DR. WILKINSON
They’re desperate. They don’t
understand what you’re doing.
DR. BACKER
If you have a problem with my
methods, bring it up with the board.
DR. WILKINSON
I have.
Buffy backs away and BUMPS into someone.
Ryan, the Christopher Walken boy, stands there, holding the hand of a LITTLE GIRL.
RYAN
He comes at night. The grown-ups
don’t see him.
Buffy looks at Ryan, confused.
RYAN (cont’d)
He was with Tina. He’ll come back
for us.
BUFFY
Who?
RYAN
Death.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
Act Two
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL ENTRANCE AREA – NIGHT
The middle of the night. Not too many people. A NURSE or two. Maybe a JANITOR. A couple of COPS talk to an
apparent ASSAULT VICTIM who holds an ice pack to his head.
ANGLE: A BOUQUET OF FLOWERS
as someone enters from the outside carrying them.
It’s Angel. He saunters past the reception desk — only to have Xander step in his path.
XANDER
Visiting hours are over.
ANGEL
Well, I’m pretty much family.
XANDER
Why don’t you come back during the
day… Or, gee, no. I guess you
can’t.
ANGEL
If I decide to walk into Buffy’s room
do you think for one microsecond that
you could stop me?
XANDER
Maybe not. Maybe that security guard
couldn’t either — or those cops. Or
all the orderlies… I’m kind of
curious to find out. You game?
ANGEL
Buffy’s white knight. You still love
her. It must just eat you up that I
got there first.
Xander clenches his jaw against the truth of it.
XANDER
You’re gonna die. I’m gonna be there.
Angel smiles, hands Xander the flowers.
ANGEL
Tell her I stopped by.
He exits, Xander suddenly shaky with released fear and tension.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BEDROOM – NINE YEARS AGO (NIGHT)
CLOSE-ON:
The face of an eight-year-old girl (CELIA), who WHIMPERS and CRIES OUT in distress.
CELIA
Help me… Help!
PULL BACK to see that the girl is underneath a pile of PILLOWS and we are in a little girl’s bedroom. The girl is
play-acting.
CELIA (cont’d)
Avalanche! Help! Help! I’m trapped!
Little Buffy appears in the doorway, hands on her hips. A bedspread serves as a makeshift cape.
LITTLE BUFFY
Power Girl to the rescue!
Little Buffy runs over and, with ‘superhuman strength,’ lifts the huge ‘boulders’ off of Celia.
CELIA
You saved me! Thank you, Power Girl!
LITTLE BUFFY
You’re safe now.
A FLASH fills the screen and we are in:
INT. DIFFERENT HOSPITAL ROOM – NINE YEARS AGO (NIGHT)
HAZY DREAM-CAM:
As before — Little Buffy PULLS the curtain aside, glimpsing the small FEET, then LEGS and BODY of a child lying
in bed. Another FLASH and we:
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY (PRESENT DAY)
Buffy WAKES with a start. Dr. Wilkinson stares down at her.
DR. WILKINSON
Good morning.
BUFFY
Coulda fooled me…
DR. WILKINSON
How are you feeling?
(off chart)
Looks like your fever is down.
BUFFY
(rising)
Well, good. Thanks for having me and
let’s try to keep in touch.
DR. WILKINSON
Not so fast.
She pushes Buffy gently back down, checking her arm.
DR. WILKINSON (cont’d)
Hmmm.
BUFFY
Good Hmmm or bad Hmmm?
DR. WILKINSON
Swelling is down… Swelling is gone.
Does that hurt?
BUFFY
Nope.
DR. WILKINSON
Amazing…
BUFFY
So I should go.
DR. WILKINSON
Soon. We want to make sure that
fever’s gone. It’s a strong virus.
Not as strong as you, maybe…
BUFFY
Is that what Tina had?
Dr. Wilkinson looks down. Before she can answer, Giles, Willow, Xander and Cordelia enter.
GILES
May we come in?
DR. WILKINSON
Please. See if you can keep our
patient from bolting.
(to Buffy)
Rest.
Dr. Wilkinson heads out as Giles, Xander, Willow, and Cordelia come in. Xander presents a balloon bouquet to
Buffy.
XANDER
Flowers for m’lady?
BUFFY
These are balloons.
XANDER
Stick ’em in water, maybe they’ll
grow.
WILLOW
And, not to be outdone–
She grandly presents Buffy with a pile of:
BUFFY
Homework.
WILLOW
Just my way of saying ‘Get Well Soon.’
BUFFY
You know, chocolate says that even
better.
WILLOW
I did all of your assignments. All
you have to do is sign your name.
BUFFY
(awestruck)
Chocolate means nothing to me.
Cordelia fidgets.
CORDELIA
Nobody told me we were supposed to
bring gifts. I was out of the loop
on gifts.
GILES
Well, it’s traditional among…
people.
(to Buffy)
Did you pass the night well enough?
BUFFY
Well, not really. Some stuff
happened, I’m wondering…
She looks into the crowded hall.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Let’s take a walk.
CUT TO:
EXT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL COURTYARD – DAY
Willow pushes Buffy in a wheelchair as the gang walks along.
BUFFY
Now this part I could get used to.
WILLOW
You want me to go real fast?
(off Giles’ look)
Not that I would…
GILES
(to Buffy)
You were discussing ‘stuff’?
BUFFY
Stuff, yeah. You know a girl died
here last night.
WILLOW
How?
BUFFY
Well, that flu.
XANDER
Flu? Doesn’t exactly sound
monsterrific.
BUFFY
Well, there’s this Dr. Backer, he’s
been giving them experimental
treatments — he’s kinda creepy —
I’m not sure what he’s up to. And
then I met this kid, Ryan. He said
he saw something.
GILES
Saw what?
BUFFY
Death.
CORDELIA
Death?
WILLOW
The Death? As in, ‘it is your time?’
GILES
Buffy, a frightened child —
BUFFY
But I thought I saw something — I
was out of it, I’m not sure, but.
CORDELIA
But you do know it was death?
WILLOW
Did he have an hourglass?
XANDER
If he asks you to play chess, don’t
even do it. Guy’s like a whiz.
BUFFY
Look, maybe it wasn’t death.
(pointedly)
Maybe it was something else.
CORDELIA
Okay, so this isn’t about that you’re
afraid of hospitals cause your little
friend died and you wanna conjure up
a monster that you can fight and save
everybody and not feel helpless?
GILES
Cordelia, have you ever actually
heard of tact?
CORDELIA
Tact is just not saying true stuff.
I’ll pass.
WILLOW
(to Buffy)
Your mom did tell us about your
cousin…
BUFFY
This has nothing to do with that.
This kid Ryan was afraid of
something. Something real. As long
as I’m forced to stay here, I wanna
find out what.
XANDER
Is this the place where we say, ‘What
can we do to help?’
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSP. RECORDS ROOM – A WHILE LATER (DAY)
CORDELIA
You had to ask that, didn’t you?
Cordelia and Xander have opened the door to a medium-sized room. File cabinets line every wall. On the front of
the door: ‘MEDICAL RECORDS ROOM – AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.’
XANDER
It’ll be cake. We find out exactly
how this little girl Tina died, we
get out. Five minutes, tops.
CORDELIA
This is what happens when you try to
be compassionate toward sick people.
They take advantage of you.
XANDER
Mm-hmm. Buffy almost died just so
she could put you out.
CORDELIA
I didn’t want to be the first one to
say it.
XANDER
(pointing)
Me here, you there.
CORDELIA
Right.
Xander checks one side of the room as Cordelia goes to a row of file cabinets. She scans the cabinets, then
reaches for a drawer. A HAND GRABS hers. She screams. A goofy, yet menacing-looking security guard (Don, the
guard Buffy saw in the hallway) stands there.
DON
What are you doing here?
CUT TO:
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
Giles and Willow come through the doors.
WILLOW
Okay, where do we start?
GILES
Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe look
into the history of the hospital,
bizarre incidents, that sort of thing.
WILLOW
I’m sensing less than full committal
here.
GILES
Well, I suppose… Cordelia may be
Homerically Insensitive, but she may
also be right. Disease and death are
things — possibly the only things–
that Buffy cannot fight.
It would be natural for her to try to
create a defeatable opponent.
Especially now, after… after Jenny.
WILLOW
That’s true. But, on the we-live-on-
the-Hellmouth side, these kids might
have seen a monster.
GILES
That no grown-up can see. Doesn’t
ring a bell. Unless…
WILLOW
Unless?
GILES
Sometimes small children do see
something we adults don’t. Us. Our
true selves. Our hidden faces.
WILLOW
So the kids might be afraid of a
regular person. Like the weird
doctor.
GILES
Stanley Backer was the name, no?
WILLOW
(turns to the
computer)
Let’s look him up.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL RECORDS ROOM – SAME TIME (DAY)
Cordelia stares ‘admiringly’ at Don as he brags to her.
DON
You know, people always think
security guards are just guys that
failed the police exam. That’s not
me — this is my career.
CORDELIA
Stereotypes are so unfair.
DON
I did take the fireman exam, though.
I didn’t do so good.
CORDELIA
I think security guards are way
sexier than firemen. They’re all so
sooty.
DON
This is where the action is, anyhow.
I’m all the time restraining people.
CORDELIA
Ooh, how thrilling. Do you get
scared?
DON
‘Fear is for the weak.’ That’s my
motto. Well, either that or ‘Live in
the now.’ I haven’t decided yet.
CORDELIA
I bet you see a lot of tragedy, too.
Like that little girl…
DON
One of Dr. Backer’s patients. Dr.
Backer’s a great man. He understands
the real truth about children.
CORDELIA
What’s that?
DON
Sometimes they die.
Cordy tries to hide her expression. Don’s haughty schoolboy bravado is suddenly laced with creepy.
Xander moves away from the cabinet and accidentally KICKS a drawer. Don looks up and whips out his BILLY
CLUB.
DON (cont’d)
What was that?
CORDELIA
I didn’t hear anything.
Don holds his hand out to quiet her. Cordelia TENSES. Xander is about to be busted, when Cordelia blurts out:
CORDELIA (cont’d)
You have got the most perfect nose I
have ever seen.
Don turns back.
CORDELIA (cont’d)
You must work out.
Behind Don, Xander WAVES a file at Cordelia, and escapes out the open door.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS (DAY)
Xander comes out of the records room and stands in the hallway, flipping through the file. After a few seconds,
Cordelia comes out.
XANDER
Could you make just a little more
with the touchy-gropey?
CORDELIA
Jealous?
XANDER
Of Rogain boy? I don’t think so.
(hands her the file)
Take this to Giles, okay?
CORDELIA
What about you?
XANDER
I’m staying here.
CORDELIA
Oh, right, your obsession with
protecting Buffy. Have I ever told
you how attractive that’s not?
XANDER
Cordelia, someone’s gotta watch her
back.
CORDELIA
Yeah, I’ve seen you watch her ‘back.’
XANDER
What’s that supposed to mean? COR
DELIA
(calmly explains)
I was using the phrase ‘watch her
back’ as a euphemism for looking at
her butt. Sort of a pun.
XANDER
Oh. Right. Hey!
CORDELIA
(angry again)
Well, you do!
XANDER
Jealous?
CORDELIA
Fine. Watch my back.
As she turns it on him and storms out. He watches her go, irked — his eyes drift down for a moment,
appreciative — then back up, irked.
INT. LIBRARY – LATER THAT NIGHT
Willow and Giles are looking at the computer.
GILES
The good Doctor Backer has something
of a rap sheet.
WILLOW
(off computer)
Reprimands for controversial
experiments, risky procedures — a
malpractice suit… looks like it was
dropped suddenly.
GILES
Factor in Buffy’s observation that
he, uh, gives her the wiggins…
WILLOW
This could be our death guy?
GILES
I just wish I knew what he was doing
to these children.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. DR. BACKER’S OFFICE – LATER (NIGHT)
A dark office with degrees on the wall, shelves of medical books, a small refrigerator, etc.
Dr. Backer pores over a number of reports. He OPENS the refrigerator and pulls out a couple of VIALS marked
with different colored labels. He SCRIBBLES something on one of the vials, then rifles through a stack of files. He
opens one and double checks his facts. He smiles.
DR. BACKER
Yes…
He excitedly WRITES some notes in the file.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL ENTRANCE AREA – NIGHT
Xander is on watch again. He slumps in a chair, bored and tired.
A BAG OF DONUTS falls into frame on the table before him.
Cordelia places two coffees on the table as she sits by Xander. He looks at her briefly, then goes for a coffee, sips
it as Cordy opens a Cosmo, quietly reads.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL KIDS’ WARD – NIGHT
Most of the kids are in their beds reading, playing with toys, etc. Buffy comes in, looks around, and sees Ryan at
a small table, coloring on a pad. She goes over to him.
BUFFY
Hi. Remember me?
RYAN
You’re not supposed to be here.
BUFFY
Why not?
RYAN
Contagious.
BUFFY
Oh, I already got what you got.
He shakes his head.
BUFFY (cont’d)
What, ’cause I’m a grown-up? Believe
me, I’m not that grown-up —
She stops, looking at his picture.
CLOSE-UP of the crayon drawing. Buffy has seen this thing before.
FLASH TO:
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – THE NIGHT BEFORE
A REPLAY from last night. Ryan stands in the doorway. The pale-visaged fiend passes behind, this time in SLOW
MOTION.
FLASH TO:
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSP. KIDS’ WARD – BACK TO PRESENT (NIGHT)
Buffy stares at the drawing. It’s almost a perfect likeness of the creepy creature.
RYAN
He’ll come again tonight.
BUFFY
Ryan, listen to me. I’m not gonna
let this thing hurt you. Any of you.
He is silent.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Grown-ups don’t believe you, right?
I do. There are real monsters, we
both know that. But there’re real
heroes, too, that fight monsters.
That’s me.
RYAN
Can’t fight death.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – NIGHT
The hallways are eerily DESERTED.
Dr. Backer comes out of his office and walks down the hall. Buffy STEPS OUT of the shadows, where she has been
waiting and watching.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSP. KIDS’ WARD – A MOMENT LATER (NIGHT)
The room is dark. The kids are asleep. Dr. Backer quietly comes into the room. He goes over to one of the kids.
CLOSE ON: THE CHILD, sleeping peacefully.
Dr. Backer holds a syringe up to the light and pushes some of the serum out the top. He disconnects the kid’s IV,
INJECTS the tube with serum, then re-connects the IV.
Buffy appears in the doorway as Dr. Backer finishes his job. As he turns to move to the next bed, Buffy MOVES
out of his sight-line, hiding in the hallway.
Dr. Backer leans towards another SLEEPING CHILD, when:
He hears a NOISE. He looks around, sees nothing, then goes back to his work.
Suddenly, Dr. Backer is SLASHED across the arm by an invisible CLAW. He starts to CRY OUT, but an unseen hand
CLAMPS over his throat, muffling his voice.
We HEAR another SLICE (his stomach, which is below camera view) and his face contorts in pain. The unseen
force then THROWS him towards the door
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS (NIGHT)
–and Dr. Backer’s body comes TUMBLING out, right past Buffy.
Dr. Backer lies on the ground, unmoving. Dead. Buffy goes to him and starts to kneel down when:
She is THROWN ASIDE by the invisible force. She SLAMS against a wall and FALLS to the ground, dazed.
Dr. Backer’s arms are LIFTED UP, and his body begins to move as the unseen thing DRAGS him past Buffy and
AROUND A CORNER.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT TWO
Act Three
EXT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL – THE NEXT DAY
To establish the morning.
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – CONTINUOUS (DAY)
Giles, Xander, Willow, and Cordelia come in to find Buffy sitting on the bed.
GILES
Well. It looks like you were on to
something after all.
BUFFY
I know.
GILES
The girl Tina — it looks as though
she died from the fever, simple
enough. But her records show her
improving and then suddenly worsening
without apparent cause.
WILLOW
So we checked out Dr. Backer and this
guy is not the solid citizen —
BUFFY
It’s not him. Backer was clean.
CORDELIA
What do you mean, clean?
XANDER
What do you mean, was?
BUFFY
(shows Ryan’s picture)
He’s dead. This thing killed him.
And not with kindness.
WILLOW
You saw it.
BUFFY
No, it was invisible. I saw Backer
nearly shredded and the thing knocked
me down. It’s real. Which means I
get to fight it.
GILES
It would help if you knew what it
was. It’s invisible to you but the
children can see it.
CORDELIA
But you said you did see something
the other night.
BUFFY
Yeah, but I was pretty delirious…
I mean, why would I see it then and
not last night?
Joyce enters, smiling.
JOYCE
Good morning. Ooh, it looks like I
interrupted a secret meeting.
Giles emits a fake laugh.
CORDELIA
You sure didn’t, though.
JOYCE
(to Buffy)
Honey, I just talked to the doctor.
She says I can take you home.
For a beat, nobody speaks.
BUFFY
I have to stay here.
JOYCE
Stay? But honey, I thought —
BUFFY
I think my symptoms are flaring up
again.
WILLOW
She doesn’t look well.
BUFFY
‘Cause I’m not well. I feel oogy.
XANDER
Increased oogy-ness… That’s a
danger signal.
JOYCE
Are you sure?
BUFFY
Yeah. Just for another day…
JOYCE
Well, I’ll talk to the doctor.
She leaves, a tad bemused.
XANDER
What’s the drill?
BUFFY
(hands Giles the
picture)
Giles, let’s get a mug shot on this
guy. I kneed to know who I’m fighting.
GILES
Right.
BUFFY
I’ll check Backer’s office. See if
there are any post-its marked ‘Why a
monster might want me dead.’
XANDER
Sounds like a plan.
BUFFY
If I do find something, I probably
won’t have the slightest idea what it
means, so, Willow…
WILLOW
Oh, I’m good with medical stuff.
Xander and I used to play doctor all
the time.
XANDER
(off their looks)
No, she’s being literal. She had all
these medical volumes, used to
diagnose me with stuff. I didn’t
have the heart to tell her she was
playing it wrong.
WILLOW
Wrong? Why?
(to Buffy)
How did you play doctor?
BUFFY
(lying, embarrassed)
I never have.
GILES
Fascinating though this is…
BUFFY
Yeah. Right. Go.
GILES
We’ll call when we know something.
BUFFY
Know something soon.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS (DAY)
Giles, Xander and Cordelia come out of Buffy’s room.
GILES
I’d best head for the library.
Research beckons.
XANDER
I’m on sentry duty. Angel won’t show
’til sundown if at all, but maybe
I’ll get lucky with this death guy.
CORDELIA
He’s invisible.
XANDER
Yeah, but if I see a floating pipe
and smoking jacket, he’s dropped.
GILES
Well, keep alert, you two.
XANDER
Finding out who this thing is is the
priority. Cordy, you should go with
Giles.
GILES
(petulant)
But why do I have to have —
(stops himself)
Good thinking. I could use a
research assistant.
CORDELIA
(dead pan look)
Let’s go, tact-guy.
(to Xander)
Be careful.
Cordelia and Giles walk off. Xander heads in the other direction.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL KIDS’ WARD – NIGHT
The door opens and Ryan looks out into the hall, silent and conspiratorial. He sees Don standing, idle, nearby. He
lets the door shut again, slowly.
INT. DR. BACKER’S OFFICE – A LITTLE LATER (DAY)
The office is empty. Dark. Eerie. Just as Dr. Backer left it the night before. The DOOR opens; Buffy and Willow
come inside.
They move inside and shut the door. Buffy TURNS ON THE LIGHTS; they look around.
WILLOW
It’s weird going through his stuff.
He didn’t finish his coffee. Guess
he won’t.
She sees a folder, starts leafing through it.
BUFFY
Yet another person I wasn’t in time
to save. I wish Angel had put me in
the hospital sooner.
(pauses)
There’s a sentence I never expected
to say.
WILLOW
I think I got something here.
BUFFY
Yeah?
She opens the folder and starts leafing through the contents as Buffy searches around the room.
WILLOW
Okay, this makes sense… Dr. Backer
was trying to inoculate kids with
a controlled dosage of the same virus
they already had. Raising their
temperatures to burn the fever out of
them.
Buffy opens the refrigerator; pulls out a couple of VIALS marked with different colored labels.
BUFFY
Would that work?
WILLOW
(looking at charts)
According to this, it was starting
to. So he really was helping the
kids.
CLOSE-ON: Ryan’s drawing.
BUFFY (V.O.)
Until that thing stopped him.
INT. LIBRARY – NIGHT
PULL BACK from the drawing to see Giles is comparing it to illustrations in a book (sort of a mug book for
phantoms and demons) looking for a match. Cordelia peruses another book.
Giles turns page after page; Cordelia lingers on each one. (His stack of books dwarfs hers.)
CORDELIA
Ew. What’s this one do?
GILES
What?
(looks over, annoyed)
Oh. It, um, extracts vital internal
organs so that it can regenerate its
own mutating cells.
CORDELIA
Wow.
(turns a page)
What’s this one do?
GILES
(lets out a breath)
It elongates its mouth to engulf the
head of its casualty between its
teeth.
CORDELIA
Ouch.
(turns a page)
What’s this one do?
GILES
(fed up)
It asks endless questions of those
with whom it’s supposed to be working
but they’re not getting anything done!
CORDELIA
Boy, there’s a demon for everything.
Giles pushes his book aside; frustrated.
GILES
I’m not even sure we’re going down
the right track. Since this
miscreant is only seen by select
individuals, there’s a chance we
won’t ever find a picture of it.
Cordelia finishes paging through a book.
CORDELIA
Well, it’s not in here.
She closes the book. There, ON THE COVER, is the MONSTER.
CUT TO:
INT. LIBRARY – A MOMENT LATER (NIGHT)
Cordelia holds the book as she speaks into the phone.
CORDELIA
It’s called ‘Der Kindestod.’
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME TIME (NIGHT)
Willow stands next to Buffy, who speaks into the phone.
BUFFY
Who is this?
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM/INT. LIBRARY – CONTINUOUS
WE INTERCUT BETWEEN THE TWO THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSATION.
CORDELIA
It’s me. I got your monster.
Buffy gives Willow a strange look.
BUFFY
(confused)
Where’s Giles?
CORDELIA
Looking up stuff.
BUFFY
Well, can you put him on?
CORDELIA
Hey, I found this Kindestod guy.
Just listen.
BUFFY
Right.
CORDELIA
The name means ‘Child Death.’ This
book says he feeds off of children by
sucking the life out of them. Blech.
But afterwards, it just looks like
they died because they were sick.
BUFFY
So it did kill Tina?
CORDELIA
That’s my take. ‘Cause it would be
looking at that children’s ward as
basically an all-you-can-eat kind of
thing.
BUFFY
Backer was curing the kids — and
taking away the Kindestod’s food.
CORDELIA
Hence the slice-age.
Giles comes over to Cordelia holding another book.
GILES
I found a picture of how it kills.
Let me talk to–
Cordelia snatches the book out of his hand and looks at the picture (which we cannot see). She reacts disgusted
into the phone.
CORDELIA
EWW!
BUFFY
What?
CORDELIA
You should see how this thing does
its things! I mean… ewww!
She doesn’t want a part of this. She hands the book and the phone to Giles.
CORDELIA (cont’d)
I don’t know why you dragged me here.
Giles takes the phone.
GILES
Buffy, you still there?
BUFFY
Hanging on every ‘ew.’
GILES
(off picture)
The Kindestod gorges by sitting atop
his prey, pinning it down helplessly.
Then he slowly draws out the life.
It must be horrifying for the victim.
(a beat)
Buffy?
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – SAME TIME (NIGHT)
Buffy is silent, staring off into space.
GILES (O.C.)
Hello?
A FLASH fills the screen and we are:
INT. DIFFERENT HOSPITAL ROOM – NINE YEARS AGO (NIGHT)
HAZY DREAM-CAM:
Little Buffy finishes pulling the curtain all the way back. She sees her cousin Celia lying in bed, GASPING and
PANTING as she is PINNED DOWN by an invisible force.
LITTLE BUFFY
Celia?
Little Buffy approaches closer. Suddenly, Celia shoots out her hand and GRABS Little Buffy’s wrist tightly. Terror
covers Celia’s face as she struggles for breath.
LITTLE BUFFY (cont’d)
What’s wrong?
CELIA
Get it off me! Get it off me!
Little Buffy looks on, horrified.
LITTLE BUFFY
I don’t know what to do! Celia!
The screen FADES TO WHITE and then to:
INT. BUFFY’S HOSPITAL ROOM – PRESENT DAY (NIGHT)
Buffy holds the phone, numb with shock.
GILES (O.C.)
Buffy? Buffy, what is it?
Willow looks at Buffy, concerned. She grabs the phone out of her hand.
WILLOW
(into phone)
Thanks.
She hangs up. Buffy turns to Willow with resolve.
BUFFY
I’ve got to get this thing, Willow.
Before it gets those kids.
WILLOW
You will. We will.
BUFFY
(frustrated)
But how? I can’t even see it!
WILLOW
You saw it once.
BUFFY
Did I? Maybe my mind was playing
with me. I mean, I was crazed with
that fever and–
Buffy stops. She looks up at Willow.
CUT TO:
INT. DR. BACKER’S OFFICE – A MOMENT LATER (NIGHT)
Buffy reaches inside Dr. Backer’s refrigerator and pulls out a RED-LABELED VIAL containing the virus.
WILLOW
Buffy, think about this.
BUFFY
I am. Lots of thoughts.
WILLOW
It’s crazy.
BUFFY
The fever. That’s how you see the
Kindestod. That’s why Celia could
see it. That’s why Ryan still can.
It’s the only way.
WILLOW
But how can you fight this thing when
you have a 107 degree temperature?
BUFFY
I guess we’ll find out.
Buffy raises the vial to her lips.
WILLOW
Buffy!
BUFFY
(stopping)
Willow, I’m doing this–
WILLOW
That’s 100% pure. It’ll kill you in
an instant.
Buffy looks at the vial.
BUFFY
They should put that on the label.
WILLOW
(sighs)
Here. It needs to be diluted.
She takes the vial, pours some water into a beaker and mixes a drop of the virus into it.
BUFFY
This is going to have to work fast.
Willow puts another drop into the beaker.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Faster than that.
Willow pours in another drop and hands the beaker to Buffy. Buffy looks at it; takes a breath.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Here’s to my health.
Buffy swallows it down.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – LATER (NIGHT)
Buffy, who is starting to feel the effects of the virus, has her arm over Willow’s shoulder as they make their way
to the kids’ ward.
BUFFY
I’m not sure this was such a great
idea.
WILLOW
Hang in there. You’ll be okay.
Buffy gets to the large window that looks into the kids’ ward. She steadies herself.
BUFFY
Okay… I’m okay.
She TURNS to look through the window. Her face falls at what she sees.
BUFFY’S POV: Through the window in the door.
Beds. Monitors. But no children.
Buffy stares through the window.
BUFFY (cont’d)
They’re gone.
BLACK OUT.
END OF ACT THREE
Act Four
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL BASEMENT – NIGHT
Ryan comes into view, with the rest of the kids trailing behind him. A few of the children COUGH and WHEEZE.
The little girl struggles to keep up.
RYAN
Keep quiet!
Ryan goes to the little girl.
RYAN (cont’d)
It’s not gonna find us here.
Ryan takes her by the hand and they continue on.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR – SAME TIME (NIGHT)
Buffy and Willow stand outside the kids’ ward.
WILLOW
What could’ve happened?
BUFFY
(thinking)
I don’t know. Maybe I’m too late.
Maybe they were moved. I don’t want
to think about the other maybe.
Buffy SWAYS a bit and steadies herself on Willow.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Oh… I’m burning up.
Buffy puts her hand to her head and looks through the window again. She FREEZES.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Willow?
WILLOW
What?
BUFFY
I think it’s in there.
BUFFY’S POV: through the window.
A VAGUE SHAPE begins to SHIMMER into view, until the Kindestod is COMPLETELY VISIBLE to Buffy.
BUFFY (cont’d)
(through the window)
Good to see you.
Buffy watches as the Kindestod SNIFFS around the room. He seems to have caught a scent.
Buffy goes to the door and tries to open it. It’s LOCKED. The noise causes the Kindestod to look up. He SMILES.
He turns away, keeps sniffing — the scent takes him out through a door marked (you guessed it) “Basement
Access.”
BUFFY (cont’d)
He’s going after them.
She RAMS her shoulder into the door, trying to break it down, but she’s too weak. With all her might, she tries
again. Nothing. She falls against the door.
BUFFY (cont’d)
We’ve got to get him.
(then, wearily)
Give me a second and we’ll get him.
Dr. Wilkinson comes around a corner and sees the ill-looking Buffy leaning against the door. She goes to her.
DR. WILKINSON
Buffy, what’s wrong? WILLOW
She’s… not feeling well. Again.
Dr. Wilkinson puts her arm around Buffy.
DR. WILKINSON
You should be in bed.
BUFFY
I’m fine. Really.
DR. WILKINSON
No. You’re coming with me.
Buffy tries to pull away from her, but Dr. Wilkinson is insistent, almost dragging Buffy down the hall.
BUFFY
No!
Buffy SHOVES Dr. Wilkinson away. She falls backwards, against a wall.
WILLOW
(sympathetically; to
Dr. Wilkinson) She’s sorry…
Buffy and Willow take off down the hall.
Dr. Wilkinson hurriedly reaches for a phone on the wall. Her words ECHO throughout the hospital.
DR. WILKINSON
(into phone)
Security to the children’s ward. We
have a situation. Security!
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSP. – ANOTHER CORRIDOR – A MOMENT LATER
Buffy and Willow come around a corner. Buffy stumbles a bit; Willow helps her along.
They look up and see Don and another SECURITY GUARD running towards them. The girls stop, trapped. Don
slaps his billy club in his palm repeatedly.
DON
Come on, now. Let’s make this easy.
Buffy and Willow look at each other. Willow looks back at the guards. Then:
She goes crazy. She SCREAMS and fights off an invisible attack of:
WILLOW
Bats! Arrghh! Get them off me!
Horrible, horrible bats!
The guards head towards Willow. Buffy backs away.
She SLIPS AWAY as the security guards grab Willow. Dr. Wilkinson appears from the other direction.
DR. WILKINSON
Not her. The other one!
Willow stops fighting, suddenly serene.
WILLOW
No more bats.
The guards let go of her; look up and down the hallway. No more Buffy, either.
CUT TO:
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL ENTRANCE AREA – NIGHT
Buffy STAGGERS into view. She stops, nearly winded. Bends over, hands on her knees, as she catches her
breath.
Xander runs up, breathless and panicked.
XANDER
Buffy! Are you okay? Did Angel get in?
BUFFY
We have to get to the basement.
She staggers forward, her head heavy.
BUFFY (cont’d)
(weakly)
Give me your… you.
She puts her arm over Xander’s shoulder and they follow after the Kindestod.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL BASEMENT – NIGHT
We PAN along the wall and find the kids HUDDLED together in a corner. The little girl SHIVERS and SHAKES.
RYAN
Here.
Ryan takes off his jacket and wraps it around her. She looks up at him.
RYAN (cont’d)
It’s okay. We’re going to be safe
in–
Suddenly, the Kindestod is behind him. The kids SCREAM.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL STAIRWELL – CONT. – NIGHT
Xander helps Buffy down quickly.
XANDER
You don’t know how to kill this thing.
BUFFY
(grim determination)
I thought I might try violence.
XANDER
Solid call.
INT. SUNNYDALE HOSPITAL BASEMENT – CONT. – NIGHT
The Kindestod LIFTS Ryan into the air, then TOSSES him to the ground. The Kindestod JUMPS on top of Ryan and
PINS his arms down. Ryan KICKS and tries to FIGHT HIM OFF.
The Kindestod’s eyes BULGE, then begin to PROTRUDE from his head. They extend downward like tentacles and
ATTACH themselves against Ryan’s forehead, PRESSING IN hard. Ryan’s struggles quickly subside as his strength
is drained.
A two-by-four SMASHES into the Kindestod’s face. He rolls backwards, off of Ryan, revealing BUFFY standing
there. She glares at the Kindestod.
BUFFY
You make me sick.
The creature dives at Buffy and they begin to wrestle. Buffy is weak from the fever, but she gives it her all —
swinging, kicking, mostly missing.
Xander goes to Ryan and helps him up.
XANDER
Come on!
Xander herds him and the other kids to the door. Looking back he sees:
XANDER’S POV: Buffy fights nothing.
NEW ANGLE:
Buffy and the Kindestod (visible to us) continue their fight. Buffy JUMPS on his back. He FLIPS Buffy over,
SNARLS, and pins her to the floor. Buffy struggles to free herself, but she’s too weak. She’s trapped.
The Kindestod STARES down at her. His eyes BULGE OUT and begin extending down towards Buffy’s forehead.
BUFFY
And the winner is…
With her last bit of strength, Buffy reaches up with both hands, grabs the Kindestod by the head, and TWISTS,
cracking his neck.
BUFFY (cont’d)
Power Girl.
She dumps the body to the ground, standing up as Xander approaches.
XANDER
Are you okay?
BUFFY
Actually, I’m starting to feel better.
She wobbles, then COLLAPSES. Xander is there to catch her.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. BUFFY’S BEDROOM – DAY (A FEW DAYS LATER)
Joyce comes in with a smile, carrying a tray of food — sandwich, soup, juice, the works. She’s clearly enjoying
getting to play mother to her daughter.
JOYCE
Here you go, honey. Peanut butter
and extra jelly. With the crust off,
just the way you like it.
We MOVE with Joyce to REVEAL Buffy sitting upright in her bed (on top of the covers). She is flanked by Xander
and Willow. All have made themselves comfortable, slouching against the headboard, watching TV with their
shoes kicked off, drinking sodas, etc.
Joyce sets the tray in front of Buffy.
BUFFY
(pointing to a glass)
And the juice?
JOYCE
Two parts orange, one part grapefruit.
BUFFY
That’s my drink.
JOYCE
I measured exactly.
Joyce starts to go–
BUFFY (O.C.)
Mom?
–then turns back. Buffy has lifted the top piece of bread from her sandwich.
BUFFY
(sheepishly)
I wanted crunchy style.
JOYCE
Oh. I’m sorry.
She picks up the plate with a smile.
BUFFY
And, um, I ordered extra jelly.
JOYCE
Anything to help my daughter get well.
Willow rattles the ice in her glass.
WILLOW
While you’re up, could I get a refill?
Joyce looks at her, the smile fading a bit.
WILLOW (cont’d)
It’s just… I’m so comfortable.
JOYCE
(taking her glass)
Of course.
XANDER
Ooh, and another bag of Chee-Zee
Chips.
JOYCE
You ate the last one.
XANDER
No. I saw another bag hidden behind
the raisins.
JOYCE
(gritting her teeth)
I’m on it.
She starts out.
XANDER
(sotto, to Buffy)
Your mom’s trying to bogart the Chee-
Zee Chips. What’s that all about?
JOYCE
Oh, Buffy. Here.
Joyce stops at the door and turns back, pulling an envelope out of her pocket.
JOYCE (cont’d)
This came in the mail.
Buffy takes it; looks at the return address.
BUFFY
It’s from Ryan.
Buffy OPENS the letter and pulls out a piece of paper; looks at it. She SMILES. Joyce looks over Buffy’s shoulder.
JOYCE
Oh, he drew you a picture. Isn’t
that…
CLOSE-UP of the drawing — Ryan’s crayon rendition of Buffy (‘Power Girl!’ written on her shirt) standing
triumphantly over the broken, horribly bloodied body of Der Kindestod. Rather grotesque.
JOYCE (O.C.)
(appalled)
…nice…
BLACK OUT.
END OF EPISODE
Transcripts
Prologue
In every generation there is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against
the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
The cemetery. The camera closes in on the top of the perimeter wall. A
pair of hands hook over the top, and Buffy pulls herself up. She coughs
while she pulls her legs over. She jumps down the other side. When she
hits the ground she can’t keep her balance, and has to use her hands to
keep from toppling over. She breathes heavily through her mouth because
her nose is stuffed up. Every now and then she sniffles. She pulls a
stake out of her jacket. She puts her hand on her forehead and moans as
she stands up. Slowly she starts to make her way across the graveyard.
Cut to in front of her. The camera follows her as she walks, still
sniffling and rubbing her nose. She senses something and tries to
concentrate while she slowly approaches a small mausoleum. She raises
her stake and jumps around the corner, swinging it to strike at
whatever’s there. Xander screams and reflexively jumps back, holding on
tightly to his own stake. Cordelia lets out a high-pitched scream behind
him. Willow is there, too, and the girls both reflexively hold up
crosses at Buffy.
Buffy: Non-vampire. Plus two.
Willow: (sternly as she puts her cross away) Hi.
They all step out into the open.
Xander: Man, Buffy! My whole life just flashed before my eyes! (glances
over at Willow) I gotta get me a life!
Buffy: What are you doing here?
Willow: What are you doing here?
Buffy: Well, I’m patrolling!
Willow: (concerned) Buffy, you’re sick.
Buffy: No, I feel fine. I mean, I’m… the world’s spinning a little
bit, but I like it, it’s kinda like a ride.
Cordelia: Half the school’s out with this flu. It’s a serious deal,
Buffy. We’re all concerned about how gross you look.
Buffy: (with a hint of sarcasm) I’m touched. Really. But I have work to
do.
Willow: Buffy, come on, one night of rest is not gonna kill you.
Buffy: No, but it might kill somebody else.
Xander: (points at her with his stake) You mean Angel might. (Buffy
turns away) Buffy, this is not the time to challenge Angel for the
ultimate fighting championship. (gestures with his stake) He’s at full
strength, you’re only half a Slayer.
Buffy: Yeah, but I’m still the Slayer. And as long as I am, Angel’s not
gonna kill anybody else.
Angelus: (behind her) Aw, c’mon. (she turns to face him) Just one more.
He attacks, and the girls scream. He runs right past Buffy straight for
Cordelia and tackles her to the ground. Buffy grabs him by the back of
his coat and pulls him off of her. She turns him around, takes him by
the coat collar and swings at him with her stake. He blocks her with his
arm, grabs hers and makes her drop the stake.
Angelus: Not feeling well, lover?
Buffy looks up at him and punches him in the jaw. He glares back at her
and tries to kick her, but she grabs his foot and shoves his leg up,
making him fall hard onto his back.
Buffy: That helps.
Angelus scrambles to all fours. She comes at him from behind and tries
to kick him, but he kicks out with his leg into her chest, and she
staggers back a ways until she regains her balance. He gets up and comes
toward her. She takes a couple of swings at him, but he evades them
easily. He blocks a third, grabs her arm and takes her by the throat.
Angelus: You know, you being off your game’s kinda takin’ the fun out
of all this.
He punches her in the face, and she stumbles backward again.
Angelus: Nope, still fun!
He punches her in the gut, then grabs her by the neck and shoves her
around and into a corner column of the small mausoleum. She is dazed and
tries to regain her balance, but doesn’t get a chance because Angelus
wastes no time punching her in the face and knocking her flat on her
back. He gets on top of her and pins her arms down.
Angelus: Uh-oh. This does not look good for our heroine.
He starts to bend down to bite her, but just then Willow throws Xander’s
jacket over Angelus’ head. As she backs away, Xander grabs his head
under the jacket, punches him and knees him twice in the face. Angelus
falls over onto his back. Willow and Cordelia pull out their crosses and
hold them out at him as he gets up, and he has to back off.
Xander: Take a walk, overbite.
Buffy gets to her feet. Angelus slowly backs away.
Angelus: We’ll have to do this again sometime.
He turns and walks off. Buffy just watches him go.
Xander: Buffy, are you okay?
Buffy: (puts her hand to her forehead) I told you guys to leave, I…
(getting dizzy) I… Oh…
She falls to the ground unconscious.
Xander: Buffy!
Willow and Cordelia turn to look.
Willow: Buffy?
Xander kneels next to her and looks at the fallen Slayer.
Opening credits roll. Buffy’s theme plays.~~ Part 1 ~~
The Sunnydale Hospital Emergency Room. The camera pans from an empty
gurney past the admissions desk and over to the entrance. Xander rushes
in with Buffy in his arms. Willow and Cordelia are right behind him.
Xander: We need help!
Willow: Somebody, please, now!
Intern: (approaches them) What happened?
They all speak at once.
Xander: She fell.
Willow: The flu.
Cordelia: She fainted.
A nurse brings over the gurney.
Xander: The flu, fainted and fell. She’s sick, make it better!
Intern: (pulls the gurney up) It’s gonna be okay. Let’s get her up.
Xander lays Buffy out on the gurney. The intern takes out his pocket
light and checks Buffy’s eyes for a response. The nurse takes notes
while he speaks as they start to wheel her into the emergency room. They
all follow.
Intern: Patient’s unconscious… Pupils are unequal and unresponsive.
Cordelia: What does that mean?
Willow: Is she gonna be okay?
Intern: Please, you gotta give us some room.
Dr. Wilkinson: (arrives) What do we have?
Intern: High-grade fever, possible fractures.
Dr. Wilkinson: Get her into Trauma 1, give her a CBC, Chem 7, type and
screen.
Intern: Right.
The Intern and nurse take her through the doors to the emergency room
beyond. They all try to follow, but Dr. Wilkinson blocks their way.
Dr. Wilkinson: I’m sorry, you can’t go any further.
Xander: Someone should be with her!
Dr. Wilkinson: I’m sorry! You can’t go any further.
She backs in and closes the door in their faces. They look through
windows for a couple of seconds. Willow reacts first.
Willow: I’ll call Giles, tell him what happened. (to Cordelia) You call
Buffy’s mom, tell her, n-not what happened, just get her here.
The two of them go to find the phones. Xander keeps looking in through
the emergency room door, where he can see the doctor and intern still
working on Buffy. He looks away as they wheel Buffy into Trauma 1.
Cut to later. Cordelia, Xander and Willow are sitting on a row of chairs
in the waiting room with worried looks on their faces. The camera pans
over to the door where Giles is also waiting and nervously cleaning his
glasses. The camera continues to pan over to the elevator. The door
opens and Joyce comes out. She sees them sitting there.
Joyce: Where is she?
They all get up. Giles comes over also.
Giles: She’s still in the emergency room.
Joyce: I wanna see her. (starts out of the waiting room)
Cordelia: They won’t let us in there.
Joyce stops and looks back at her. Just then Dr. Wilkinson comes to the
door.
Dr. Wilkinson: Mrs. Summers?
Joyce: (faces her) Yes?
Dr. Wilkinson: I’m Dr. Wilkinson.
Joyce: Is Buffy okay?
Dr. Wilkinson: We were able to stabilize and…
Joyce: (interrupts insistently) Is she okay?
Dr. Wilkinson: (reassuringly) She’s going to be fine.
Joyce: (with relief) Thank you. (puts her hand to her face)
Xander: Good. Good. (rubs his hands) That’s good.
Dr. Wilkinson: I wanna keep her here a few days, though. She still has
some healing to do.
Giles and Joyce look at her anxiously.
Cut to a hall upstairs near Buffy’s assigned hospital room. They are all
waiting for her to be brought up. When they see her coming they all
approach the bed. She has an IV in her right hand. Her left forearm is
wrapped in an elastic bandage.
Joyce: Buffy? (reaches the bed) Hi, sweetheart.
They all accompany her toward her room.
Xander: Hey, Buffy, we’re all here.
Buffy: (groggy) Hey. Here we are. It’s all of we. Are we taking me
home? (tries to get up)
Dr. Wilkinson: (pushes her back) No. Buffy, you need to lie down,
honey.
Buffy: (groggy) Yeah? Lie at home. My bed is better than any bed
that’s… not my bed.
Dr. Wilkinson: (looks at Joyce) She’s still a little out of it.
Joyce nods back.
Buffy: (to Xander) Shhh! (points at him) Hospital zone. No singing.
Dr. Wilkinson: She’ll feel better after (Buffy looks at her) she’s been
here a while.
Buffy: No! (tries to get up again) Lemme go. Look, I wanna go.
The orderly pushing the bed, two nurses and Dr. Wilkinson struggle to
get her to lie back down. Buffy puts up a fight.
Willow: Buffy, what’s wrong?
Buffy: No! No! Let me go!
Cordelia: I think she wants to go.
They manage to get her pushed back down on the bed.
Buffy: No, don’t do that! Stop it!
Dr. Wilkinson: Hold her steady!
Buffy: (delirious) Giles, tell them!
Orderly: I got her.
Buffy: The vampires! I need to kill the vampires!
Dr. Wilkinson: This’ll help you relax.
She puts a needle against Buffy’s inside elbow and injects her with a
sedative. Xander throws Giles a concerned look. Cordelia cringes and
looks away.
Buffy: Ow! (winces in pain) No!
When the doctor pulls the needle back out she lies back and breathes
heavily.
Xander: It’s gotta be the fever.
Willow: Yeah, it made her delusional.
Buffy: (to Giles insistently) They’re out there!
Giles: (smiling reassuringly) Yes, uh, well, we’ll, uh, we’ll get
those, uh, vampires later. (laughs lightly, looks at Joyce) I hear it’s
best t-to play along. (keeps smiling)
The sedative takes effect and Buffy begins to relax. One of the nurses
checks her IV. Her mother leans in and strokes her hair.
Joyce: Honey, listen…
Buffy: I wanna go home.
Joyce: It’s gonna be okay. I promise.
They start to wheel her away again.
Buffy: Please don’t make me stay here…
Joyce: I promise.
They all follow as Buffy is taken to her room. They wait outside. The
door closes and Xander looks in through the narrow window. After a
moment he looks over at Giles.
Xander: That was a new experience. I’m not used to seeing Buffy scared
like that.
Joyce: Yeah, she just hates hospitals. Ever since she was a little
girl.
Willow: What happened?
Joyce: When she was eight her cousin Celia died in a hospital. Buffy
was alone with her at the time.
Cordelia: Yuk!
Joyce: Yeah, they were very close.
Willow: Wow, and she was eight?
Joyce: (looking in at Buffy) Well, it looks like she’s asleep. I should
go call her father. (heads toward the nurse’s station)
Giles: (accompanies her) Um, I-I think there’s a, a phone…
The camera follows them.
Joyce: Thank you for coming. I-I really appreciate the way you look
out for her.
Giles: Oh…
Joyce: All of you.
Giles: Well, we’re, uh, we’re very fond of her. (they stop at the
nurse’s station) The, uh, the telephone. (starts away)
Joyce: I, I… (stops him) I hope I’m not out of line, but… I-I-I
wanted to say how sorry I am about, uh, that teacher, Ms. Calendar.
Buffy said you were close.
Giles: (nods slightly) Oh, uh… (looks down) Thank you. (looks up)
Joyce: (exhales) Buffy’s been so down since it happened. I mean, she
never gets sick.
Giles: (looks down) Well, I’m sure she’ll be, uh… (looks up, smiles
reassuringly) She’ll be fine.
Joyce: I’m sorry, I, I babble when I’m nervous, I just wanted to…
Well, if, if you need anything…
Giles: (nods) Thank you. (quietly) Thank you. (walks off)
Joyce turns to the nurse to ask to use the phone.
Cut to outside Buffy’s door.
Xander: Do you think she’s gonna be okay in here?
Cordelia: (pacing) I don’t know, Lysette got her nose done here, and
she came in looking for the Gwyneth Paltrow, and it looked more like the
Mr. Potatohead.
She steps over to the door and looks into Buffy’s room.
Xander: Cordy…
Willow: Buffy’s not here for cosmetic surgery.
Cordelia: No, but while she’s in here, she might as well get that thing
done.
Willow gives Xander a look.
Cordelia: You know, that thing on her face? (faces them) You know that
thing.
Willow: (to Xander) Do you think Angel will attack Buffy in here?
Xander: He can come in, it’s a public building.
Willow: (worried) That’s true.
Cordelia: Am I the only one that’s noticed that thing?
Cut to the hospital at night. Cut to Buffy’s room. She stirs in her bed.
The clock on the nightstand changes to read 2:27am. Cut to her IV slowly
dripping in. The LED on the heart monitor next to the IV blinks
steadily. The camera pans down from it to Buffy’s face. She takes a deep
breath as she wakes up. She blinks her eyes several times before looking
over at the door. It’s standing open, and a young boy is there just
silently staring in at her. A few moments later he starts away down the
hall. She continues to look out the door, and a man in a black suit and
hat walks by.
Cut to a closeup of the man. He glances into Buffy’s room as he walks
by. She sees his face. It’s all disfigured, his nose is long and bent
down to a point, his teeth are all long fangs, and his fingers are
grossly elongated. He looks back after the boy and continues to follow
him out of view. Buffy raises her head in disbelief. She pushes her hair
back with her bandaged hand and slowly sits up. She gets out of bed and
steadies herself to a stand. She ties her robe closed as she walks out
of the room.
Cut to the hall. It’s deserted except for the janitor mopping the floor
behind her. As she walks she has a flashback to her youth, and the
corridor is suddenly brightly lit. Little Buffy comes walking down the
bright but deserted hall. The camera closes in on her face. Cut to her
view of a cart of surgical instruments. Cut to her again, looking around
nervously as she walks. Cut to a shot from behind her as she approaches
Celia’s room. Sunlight is pouring brightly from the door. She edges up
to it and goes in.
Cut to inside the room. Little Buffy comes in and slowly goes over to
the curtain pulled around Celia’s bed.
Cut to Buffy in her hospital bed. The clock on the nightstand changes to
read 2:27am. She stirs and wakes from her dream. Her door is open, but
there’s no one there. She pushes her hair back with her bandaged hand
and slowly sits up. She feels the IV in the back of her right hand and
looks at it. She pulls the tape off and the needle out. She covers her
face with both hands, draws them back through her hair and starts to get
out of bed.
Cut to her walking down the hall, holding her robe closed with her
hands. It’s deserted except for the janitor mopping the floor behind
her. She hears coughing coming from a room and looks in. A woman is
tucking in an old man and comforting him.
Woman: You’ll be fine. Is that better?
She continues down the hall and looks into the next room. An old woman
is sitting on the edge of the bed with her face in her hands. She
continues, hears the old woman cough and lets out a little cough of her
own. She passes another doorway and walks past the camera. A security
guard looks out from the doorway and watches her go.
Cut to another part of the hall near the children’s ward. Buffy comes
walking toward the door as two orderlies wheel a child covered with a
sheet out of the ward.
Orderly: Man, I hate it when you lose the young ones.
They go down the hall past Buffy. She looks at the gurney as they go by.
She turns back to the children’s ward door and slowly approaches it. She
can hear Dr. Wilkinson and Dr. Backer arguing inside in hushed tones, so
she doesn’t go in.
Dr. Wilkinson: I’m just saying, step back on the dosage until we can
analyze the results.
Dr. Backer: There isn’t time. I should think that would be clear to you
by now.
Buffy peeks into the room and sees them arguing.
Dr. Wilkinson: The normal course of treatment…
Dr. Backer: (interrupts) They aren’t responding to the normal course
of treatment. (gestures to the kids) Look, they’re getting worse.
Dr. Wilkinson: Raising their temperatures is poten…
Dr. Backer: (interrupts) Dr. Wilkinson! I have the consent of the
parents.
Dr. Wilkinson: They’re desperate! They don’t understand what you’re…
Dr. Backer: (interrupts) You know what, if-if you have a problem with
my methods, just take it up with the board.
Dr. Wilkinson: I have!
Buffy has heard enough, and turns away to go. There in front of her is
the little boy she saw in her dream and a little girl. She stops and
they look at each other.
Ryan: He comes at night. The grownups don’t see him. He was with Tina.
He’ll come back for us.
Buffy: Who?
Ryan: Death.
Buffy looks back and forth between the two kids in disbelief.~~ Part 2 ~~
Sunnydale General. Xander is sitting on a chair outside the waiting room
across from the nurses’ station that is down the hall from Buffy’s room.
There are two police officers talking to a security guard. Nurses and
orderlies are going about their tasks. Angelus comes walking out of the
waiting room from the elevator bearing some white flowers and whistling
a few bars of “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s 9th symphony. Xander hears
him and looks to see who’s coming. When he sees Angelus he quickly gets
up and faces him down in the hall.
Xander: Visiting hours are over.
Angelus: Well, I’m pretty much family.
Xander: (trying hard to stay cool) Yeah. Why don’t you come back during
the day? Oh, gee, no, I guess you can’t.
Angelus: (threateningly) If I decide to walk into Buffy’s room, do you
think for one microsecond that you could stop me?
Xander: Maybe not. Maybe that security guard couldn’t either. Or those
cops… or the orderlies… But I’m kinda curious to find out. You game?
Angelus: (pauses) Buffy’s White Knight. You still love her. (leans in
close) It must just eat you up that I got there first.
Xander: (fighting his nervousness) You’re gonna die. And I’m gonna be
there.
Angelus slaps the flowers against Xander’s chest.
Angelus: Tell her I stopped by.
He gives Xander one final look and then goes back through the waiting
room to the elevator. Xander shudders, covers his mouth and lets out a
breath of relief.
Cut to a flashback of Little Buffy and Celia. Celia is on the bedroom
floor covered with pillows and writhing around, pretending to be trapped
under a pile of snow and ice.
Celia: Help me, help! Avalanche! Help! Help! I’m trapped! Avalanche!
Help! Help!
Little Buffy comes in through the door and stops in a heroic stance with
her hands on her hips.
Little Buffy: Power Girl to the rescue!
She kneels down and starts to heave off the pillows as though they’re
huge, heavy blocks of ice and snow and thuds them aside.
Celia: Help me! Help! Help! Please, help!
Buffy gets the last pillows off of Celia’s face, and she sits up.
Celia: You saved me! Thank you, Power Girl!
The two girls embrace.
Little Buffy: You’re safe now.
Cut to a flashback of Little Buffy coming into Celia’s hospital room.
She slowly approaches the curtain around the bed and opens it enough to
look in at her cousin. She steps through. Celia is lying there
peacefully asleep.
Cut to Buffy in her hospital bed. She wakes with a start.
Dr. Wilkinson: (coming in) Good morning.
Buffy moans, rubs her eyes and sits up.
Buffy: Could’ve fooled me.
Dr. Wilkinson: How are you feeling? Looks like your fever’s gone down.
Buffy: Well, good! Thanks for having me. Let’s try and keep in touch.
(tries to get out of bed)
Dr. Wilkinson: (pushes her back) Not so fast. (inspects Buffy’s
bandaged arm) Hmm.
Buffy: Good ‘hmm’ or bad ‘hmm’?
Dr. Wilkinson: Swelling’s… gone! (looks up) Does this hurt?
Buffy: Nope.
Dr. Wilkinson: Amazing. (gets the chart)
Buffy: Well, then I should probably go, right? (tries to go again)
Dr. Wilkinson: (stops her again) No. Soon. We have to make sure that
fever is gone. That’s a strong virus you have. Maybe not as strong as
you, but…
Buffy: I-is that the same virus the kids have?
Before Dr. Wilkinson can answer there’s a knock on the door.
Giles: May we come in?
Dr. Wilkinson: Please! (they all come in) Maybe you can keep our
patient from bolting. (to Buffy, sternly) Rest! Hmm? (leaves)
Xander: (presenting five balloons) Flowers for milady.
Buffy: (looks up at them) I think they call those balloons.
Xander: (looks up) Yeah, stick ’em in water, maybe they’ll grow.
Willow: Not to be outdone… (sets school books on the bed)
Buffy: Homework!
Willow: It’s my way of saying, ‘get well soon’.
Buffy: You know, chocolate says that even better.
Willow: I did all your assignments. All you have to do is sign your
name.
Giles munches on a grape.
Buffy: Chocolate means nothing to me.
Willow steps back and looks up at Cordelia.
Cordelia: Nobody told me I was supposed to bring a gift. (looks at
Giles) I was out of the loop on gifts.
Giles: It’s, it’s tradition among, um… people. Um… (walks up to the
bed) Grapes. (sets down the bag) Well, did you, uh, pass the night well
enough?
A nurse comes into the room and walks around the bed.
Buffy: Not really. Something happened I thought you…
The nurse checks Buffy’s IV.
Buffy: You know what? Let’s take a walk.
Cut to outside the hospital main entrance. The camera pans over to
Willow pushing Buffy along in a wheelchair while the others walk
alongside.
Buffy: Now, this part I could get used to.
Willow: Do you want me to go real fast? (gets a look from Giles) Not
that I would.
Giles: We were discussing, um, stuff.
Buffy: Yes, stuff. Um, you know, a girl died here last night.
Willow: How?
Buffy: Well, the flu.
Xander: Flu doesn’t exactly sound monsterrific.
Buffy: I know. But there’s this Dr. Backer, and he’s been giving them
these experimental treatments.
They stop by a bench and Giles sits.
Buffy: I-I’m not sure what he’s up to, but he’s a little creepy. A-and
then there was this kid, Ryan. He said he saw something.
Giles: Saw what?
Buffy: Death.
Cordelia: Death?
Willow: The Death? As in, ‘it is your time’?
Giles: Buffy, a-a-a frightened child…
Buffy: Yeah, but I thought I saw something. I’m not sure, I was really
out of it, but…
Cordelia: But you do know that you saw death.
Willow: Did it have an hourglass?
Xander: Ooo, if he asks you to play chess, don’t even do it. The guy’s,
like, a whiz.
Buffy: Maybe it wasn’t death. Maybe it was something else.
Cordelia: So this isn’t about you being afraid of hospitals ’cause your
friend died and you wanna conjure up a monster that you can fight so you
can save everybody and not feel so helpless?
Giles: Cordelia, have you actually ever heard of tact?
Cordelia: Tact is just not saying true stuff. I’ll pass.
Willow: Your mom did tell us about your cousin.
Cordelia sits also.
Buffy: This has nothing to do with that. This little boy Ryan is afraid
of something, something real. As long as I’m forced to stay here, I’m
gonna find out what.
Xander: So, is this the part where we say, what can we do to help?
Cut to the hospital records room after hours that evening. The place is
deserted. Cordelia and Xander quietly come in.
Cordelia: (whispers) You had to ask that, didn’t you?
They walk over to a records cabinet.
Xander: (quietly) Pft! It’ll be cake. Just gotta figure out what killed
this little girl Tina, we’ll be out. Five minutes tops. (opens a cabinet
door)
Cordelia: (leans against the wall) This is what happens when you’re
compassionate towards sick people. They take advantage of you.
Xander: (gives Cordelia a look) Uh-huh. Buffy almost died just to put
you out.
Cordelia: I didn’t wanna be the first one to say it.
He finds nothing and points over to the cabinet to his right.
Xander: You there. (points to his left) Me here.
Cordelia: Right.
He goes on the next one around the corner. She reluctantly goes back to
the one on the other side of the door where they came in. She opens the
cabinet and looks in. Suddenly a security guard appears next to her, and
she jumps and gasps.
Guard: What are you doing here?
She gives him a worried smile and lets out a breath.
Cut to the library. Willow and Giles come walking in.
Willow: So, where do we start?
Giles: Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe look into the history of the
hospital, bizarre incidents, that sort of thing.
Willow: I’m sensing a little less than full committal here.
They stop by the counter.
Giles: Oh, I-I suppose so. Cordelia may be (inhales) homerically
insensitive, but she may also be right. Death and disease are, are
things, possibly the only things that, that Buffy cannot fight. It’s
only natural for her to try to create a-a defeatable opponent.
Especially now, after… after Jenny.
Willow: (gives Giles a sad look) That’s true. But on the ‘we live on
the Hellmouth’ side, these kids may have seen a monster.
Giles: (starts toward the stacks) What, a monster that grown-ups can’t
see? Doesn’t ring a bell. (pauses) Unless…
Willow: (sits on the table) Unless?
Giles: Well, sometimes small children do see something we adults
don’t: us. Our true selves, our, our… our hidden faces.
Willow: So the kids might be afraid of a regular person? (realizes)
Like the weird doctor!
Giles: Stanley Backer was his name, no?
Willow: Let’s look him up. (goes to get her laptop)
Cut back to the hospital records room. Cordelia has the guard wrapped
around her finger. She smiles sweetly at him and pretends to be
interested as he leans against the wall and talks.
Guard: You know, most people think that security guards are just guys
that failed the police exam. But that’s not me. This is my career.
Cordelia: Stereotypes are so unfair.
Guard: I did take the fireman’s exam, though. I didn’t do so good.
Cordelia: Oh, well, you know, I think that security guards (plays with
his badge) are way sexier than firemen. They’re all sooty.
Guard: Well, this is where all the action is anyhow. I’m all the time
restraining people.
Cut to Xander behind the other storage cabinets. He’s found the file he
wants and is waiting and listening for an opportunity to get out.
Cordelia: Mm, how thrilling. (cut to her) Do you ever get scared?
Guard: ‘Fear is for the weak.’ That’s my motto. Either that, or ‘Live
in the now.’ I haven’t decided yet.
Cordelia: I bet you see a lot of tragedy. You know, like that little
girl?
Guard: Oh, one of Dr. Backer’s patients. Dr. Backer’s a great man. He
understands…
Cut to Xander. He cringes at what he’s hearing and thuds lightly back
into the cabinet.
Guard: …the real truth about children.
Cordelia: (cut to her) What’s that?
Guard: Sometimes they die.
Cordelia closes her eyes. Xander makes another bumping noise, this time
loud enough that the security guard hears it.
Guard: What was that? (draws his baton)
Cordelia: Uh, you know, I didn’t hear anything. (tries to get his
attention) You know, you have the most… perfect nose I’ve ever seen.
He turns to face her. She giggles and reaches up her finger to run it
over his forehead and down the length of his nose. Behind the guard
Xander steps over to the door, quietly opens it and goes out.
Cordelia: You must work out.
Guard: (gives her a little growl) Yeah.
Cordelia: (smiles and nods her head) Mm-hm.
Cut to the hall outside the records room. Xander waits around the corner
for Cordelia. She walks around it and lets out a surprised gasp when she
runs into him there.
Xander: Could you make just a little more with the touchy-gropey?
Cordelia: Jealous?
Xander: Of Rogaine boy? (chuckles) I don’t think so. (hands her the
file) Here, take this to Giles, okay?
Cordelia: What about you?
Xander: I’m gonna stay here.
Cordelia: Oh, right. Your obsession with protecting Buffy. Have I told
you how attractive that’s not?
Xander: Cordelia, someone’s gotta watch her back.
Cordelia: Yeah, well, I’ve seen you watch her back.
Xander: What is that supposed to mean?
Cordelia: Well, I was using the phrase ‘watch her back’ as a euphemism
for ‘looking at her butt.’ You know, sort of a pun.
Xander: Oh! Right. (gets the insult) Hey!
Cordelia: Well, you do.
Xander: Jealous?
Cordelia: Fine. Watch my back.
She walks past him and down the hall. He turns around and watches her
go. He tilts his head to check out her butt, but quickly straightens
back up again.
Cut to the hall outside the children’s ward. Buffy comes along, stops by
the door and looks into the room. Ryan is sitting at a table drawing a
picture with crayons. Buffy walks over to him.
Buffy: Hey. Remember me?
Ryan: You shouldn’t be here.
Buffy: Why not?
Ryan: Contagious.
Buffy: Nah. I already got what you got.
She sits down by the table. Ryan goes back to drawing his picture.
Buffy: Oh, what, you think because I’m a grown-up? Believe me, I’m not
that grown up.
She takes a look at his picture. It’s of the monster that he’s seen
coming after the other kids. Buffy briefly flashes back to when she saw
it walk past her door in her dream.
Ryan: He’ll come again tonight.
Buffy: Ryan, listen to me. (he looks at her) I’m not gonna let this
thing hurt you. Any of you. Grown-ups don’t believe you, right? Well, I
do. We both know that there are real monsters. But there’s also real
heroes that fight monsters. And that’s me.
He looks away and goes back to drawing his picture.
Ryan: Can’t fight death.
Cut to the library. Willow is sitting at the table surfing for
information on her laptop. Giles is standing behind her looking over her
shoulder. Dr. Backer’s medical database file comes up on the screen.
Giles: Our Dr. Backer has something of a rap sheet.
Willow: Reprimands for controversial experiments, risky procedures, a
malpractice suit. Looks like it was dropped suddenly.
Giles: (takes off his glasses) Factor in Buffy’s observation that he
gives her the, um, uh, wiggins… (turns away and thinks)
Willow: This may be our death guy?
Giles: (turns back to her) I just wish I knew what he was doing to
these children.
She looks up at him.
Cut to a deserted hall in the hospital. Cut to Dr. Backer’s office. He’s
deep into his research and mutters under his breath. He looks up from
his printouts and steps over to his refrigerator. He opens it, pulls a
specimen from a rack, checks the label and marks it. He puts the test-
tube back, closes the fridge and reaches for a reference volume on his
desk. He sits back down as he quickly leafs through it and finds the
page he wants. He reads it back to himself and jots some notes onto his
papers.
Dr. Backer: Yes. Yes.
Cut to the hall. Xander is sitting on a chair, waiting out his self-
imposed sentry duty. He nearly nods off, but jerks his head back up. Cut
to the table between his chair and the next one. A bag of Krispy Kreme
doughnuts plops down onto it. The camera pulls back, and Cordelia walks
in front of it and sets down a tray with two cups of coffee. Xander
looks up at her as she sits down. She looks back at him, then turns her
attention to a copy of Cosmopolitan that she brought with her. Xander
reaches for one of the coffees. He gives Cordelia another look and takes
the bag of doughnuts also. He takes a long sip of coffee and then opens
the bag.
Cut to the hall outside Dr. Backer’s office. He walks out, and the
camera precedes him as he makes his way to the children’s ward. He goes
through one of a pair of doors. The camera stops, pans over to Buffy
waiting behind the other door and closes in on her suspicious face.
Cut to the children’s ward. Dr. Backer comes in and looks around at the
various beds as he makes his way over to a particularly sick child. The
boy is asleep. He checks his watch and looks at the child for a moment.
The boy lets out a labored breath. Dr. Backer raises a syringe, taps it
twice to get the air bubbles to the top and depresses the plunger until
the fluid starts to squirt out. He takes the IV line and pushes the
needle into the drug administration stopper. Behind him he hears a
muffled laugh and turns to look, but sees nothing. He looks back at the
boy again. Suddenly he gets hit in the back and spun around by something
unseen.
Dr. Backer: Uhh!
He is hit again in the chest and yells out in pain. Ryan sees what’s
happening from his bed and cowers in fear. Dr. Backer is choking. Four
slashes appear on his lab coat that go deep and draw blood. He grabs his
wound, but is bent backward onto the bed, still being choked. On the
wall a shadow can be seen swinging its arm for another slice at the
doctor. He screams, and blood sprays onto the wall. Ryan cowers further
under his covers.
Cut to the hall. Buffy slowly approaches the door to the ward and looks
in, but she quickly has to step back and out of the way as Dr. Backer
comes flying out and onto the floor. He groans, and she bends down to
help him, but something pushes her away and throws her back into the
wall. She hits it hard and slides down to the floor unconscious. Dr.
Backer’s arms are lifted by the unseen being, and his body is pulled
around and dragged down the hall. Further down the hall he is dragged
around a corner and out of sight.~~ Part 3 ~~
Sunnydale General. Cut to Buffy’s room. She’s in her bed looking at the
picture Ryan drew. The grapes Giles gave her are on a plate on the
table. Giles appears in the doorway and knocks. Buffy looks up as he,
Xander and the girls come into the room. Willow closes the door behind
her.
Giles: Uh, well, it looks as if you, uh, were on to something.
Buffy: I know.
Giles: (walks around the bed) The, uh, the, the girl Tina, um, it’s
apparent that she, she died of the fever, (sits) simple enough, but, but
her records show her improving and then suddenly deteriorating w-w-w-
without any apparent cause.
Willow: So we checked Dr. Backer out. This guy was not a solid
citizen.
Buffy: It wasn’t Backer. He was clean.
Cordelia: What do you mean ‘clean’?
Xander: What do you mean ‘was’?
Buffy: He’s dead. This thing killed him, and not with kindness. (hands
Giles the picture)
Willow: You saw it?
Giles looks at the rough child’s drawing.
Buffy: No, it’s invisible. I saw Backer nearly shredded and the thing
knocked me down. But it’s real. Which means I get to fight it.
Giles: Um, (takes off his glasses) this is your work? (indicates the
picture)
Buffy: No, one of the kids.
Giles: Oh. Um… Well, it would help if-if we knew what it was.
(exhales) I-it’s invisible to you, but the, the children can see it.
Cordelia: But you said you did see something the other night.
Buffy: Uh, yeah, but I was pretty delirious. I mean, it doesn’t make
any sense. Why would I see it then and not last night?
The door to the room opens, and Buffy’s mother comes in.
Joyce: Good morning.
Giles puts his glasses back on. She sets down the bag she brought with
her.
Joyce: Ooo, looks like I interrupted a secret meeting.
They all let out forced laughter.
Cordelia: (smiling widely) You sure didn’t!
Joyce: Honey, I, I just talked to the doctor, and she said I can take
you home.
Buffy: (considers a moment) No. I should stay here.
Joyce: (confused) But, honey, I thought you’d be raring…
Buffy: I think my symptoms are flaring up.
Willow: She doesn’t look well.
Buffy: ‘Cause I’m not well. Uh, I feel all oogy.
Xander: Increased ooginess. That’s a danger signal.
Joyce: Are you sure?
Buffy: Oh, yeah, but just for a day… or s-so.
Joyce: Okay, well, I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to the doctor.
She goes back out of the room. Cordelia closes the door behind her.
Xander: So what’s the drill?
Buffy: Giles, see if you can get a mug shot on that guy. I need to know
what I’m fighting.
Giles: Right. Yes. (walks around the bed)
Buffy: I’ll check Backer’s office. See if I can find any post-its
marked ‘why a monster might want me dead.’
Xander: Sounds like a plan.
Buffy: Course, if I find anything, I won’t know what it means, so,
Will…
Willow: Oh, yeah, I’m good at medical stuff since Xander and I used to
play doctor all the time.
Xander: (chuckles) No, she’s being literal. (gets a look from Cordelia)
She used to have all these medical volumes, uh, and diagnosed me with
stuff. I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was playing it wrong.
Willow: (to Xander) Wrong? Why? (to Buffy) How did you play doctor?
Buffy: (evasively) I never have.
Cordelia raises her eyebrows at Buffy and clears her throat. Giles picks
up on the hint.
Giles: Um, fascinating though this is…
Buffy: Yeah, right. Go!
Giles: W-w-we’ll call you if we… know something.
He starts out with Cordelia and Xander close behind.
Buffy: Know something soon.
Cut to the hall. The three of them start toward the waiting room.
Giles: I’d best head for the library. Research beckons.
Xander: I’m on sentry duty. Angel won’t show till sundown if at all,
but maybe I’ll get lucky with this death guy.
Cordelia: He’s invisible.
Xander: Yeah, but if I see a floating pipe and a smoking jacket, he’s
dropped.
Giles: Well, you two, stay alert.
They stop outside the waiting room.
Xander: Finding out who this thing is takes priority. Cordy, you should
go with Giles.
Giles: Why do I have to have… (looks at Cordelia) Uh, good thinking.
I-I-I could do with a research assistant.
Cordelia: (to Giles) Let’s go, tact-guy.
Giles: Yes. (goes to the elevator)
Cordelia: (to Xander) Be careful. (follows Giles)
Xander sits down on the chair across from the nurse’s station.
Cut to the children’s ward that evening. Ryan opens the door and looks
out into the hall. The only person there is the security guard checking
things. Ryan steps back into the ward and closes the door.
Cut to Dr. Backer’s office. The camera closes in on his nameplate on the
door. Cut inside. Buffy opens the door and pokes in her head. Seeing
that it’s empty she opens the door further to let Willow in, checks the
hall and closes it behind her. She starts to looks around and checks out
the reference volumes on the shelves by the fridge. Willow looks over
the papers on his desk.
Willow: It’s weird going through his things. (Buffy opens the fridge)
Look, he didn’t finish his coffee. Guess he won’t. (looks at the
printouts)
Buffy: (closes the fridge) Yep, another person I wasn’t in time to
save. (comes to the desk) It’s too bad Angel didn’t put me in the
hospital sooner. There’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say.
The two of them keep looking.
Willow: Hey, wait, I think I have something.
Buffy: Hmm. Sherlock.
Willow: Okay, this makes sense. Dr. Backer was trying to inoculate the
kids with a controlled dosage of the same virus they already had. (gets
a confused look from Buffy) Oh, raising their temperatures to burn the
fever out of them.
Buffy: Would that work?
Willow: According to this it was starting to. So he really was trying
to help the kids.
Buffy: Till that thing stopped him.
Cut to the library. Giles and Cordelia are going through a stack of
books on the table. He has Ryan’s drawing for comparison. She turns a
page and finds a picture of a demon. He takes a sip of his tea.
Cordelia: Eww, what does this do?
Giles: (puts his mug down) What?
Cordelia: What does this do? (pushes the book toward him)
Giles: Uh, it, uh, extracts vital organs to replenish its own mutating
cells.
Cordelia: Wow! (leans over to look at his book) What does this one do?
(points to a drawing)
Giles: (looks up at her) Um, i-it elongates its mouth to, uh, engulf
its victim’s head with its incisors.
Cordelia: Ouch. Wait, what does this one do? (points to another)
Giles: (frustrated) It asks endless questions of those with whom it’s
supposed to be working so that nothing is getting done.
Cordelia: Boy, there’s a demon for everything.
He slaps down Ryan’s picture and gets up from the table in disgust. He
takes off his glasses and rubs his forehead.
Giles: I don’t even know if we’re on the right track. Since this, uh…
miscreant has only been seen by select individuals, there’s a chance we
won’t ever… find a picture of it.
Cordelia: Well, it’s not in here.
She closes her book, and on the cover is a drawing of the monster they
are seeking. Giles looks down at it and puts his glasses back on. She
notices his gaze and looks at the book’s cover also.
Cut to Giles’ office. Cordelia is on the phone with Buffy.
Cordelia: It’s called Der Kindestod.
Buffy: (cut to her on her bed) Who is this?
Cordelia: (cut to her) It’s me. I’ve got your monster!
Buffy: (cut to her) Where’s Giles?
Cordelia: (cut to her) Looking up stuff.
Buffy: (cut to her) Well, can you put him on?
Cordelia: (cut to her) Hey! (closes the book and heads for the desk) I
found your guy, (cut to Buffy) okay? Just listen.
Buffy: Right.
Cordelia: (cut to her at Giles’ desk) The name means ‘child death’.
(cut to Buffy listening intently) This book says that he feeds off of
children by sucking the life out of them. (cut to her) Eew! But anyway,
afterwards, it looks like they died because they were sick.
Buffy: (cut to her) So it did kill Tina.
Cordelia: Yeah, that’s my take. (cut to her) ‘Cause it would be looking
at the children’s ward as basically an all-you-can-eat kind of thing,
y’know.
Buffy: (cut to her) Backer was curing the kids and taking away the (cut
to Cordelia, nodding) Kindestod’s food.
Cordelia: Hence, the slice-age.
Giles: (comes into his office) I found a picture of how it kills. Let
me talk to her.
Cordelia: (takes the book and looks) Oh! Eww!
Buffy: (cut to her) What?
Cordelia: (cut to her) Oh! (cut to Willow, looking concerned) Uh, you
should see this thing! The way it does its thing, (cut to her) I mean,
eww! (hands the phone to Giles and gets up) Why do I let you guys drag
me into this stuff? (leaves)
Giles: (into the phone) Uh, uh, Buffy? (cut to Buffy) Are you, are you
still there?
Buffy: Hanging on every (cut to Giles) eww.
Giles: (sits) Uh, the, um, the Kindestod gorges by sitting atop his
prey, (cut to Buffy listening closely) pinning it down, uh, helplessly.
Then he slowly draws out the life. I-it must be, uh, h-horrifying for
the victim.
Buffy just stares off into space.
Giles: Buffy? Hello?
Cut to a flashback of Little Buffy pulling aside the curtain around
Celia’s bed.
Little Buffy: Celia?
Celia wakes and starts to scream. She holds her hands in front of her as
if trying to push something away.
Little Buffy: What’s wrong?
Celia keeps screaming at the top of her lungs in complete terror.
Little Buffy: I don’t know what to do, Celia!
Celia continues screaming and swats with her hands at something unseen.
Little Buffy: (toward the door) Help! Help! Help! Somebody help!
Celia: Get it off of me! (screams)
Little Buffy: Come on, Celia!
Celia: Get it off of me! (screams)
Cut to the bright and empty hall outside Celia’s room. No one is coming
in spite of all the screaming.
Cut back to Buffy holding the phone to her ear and staring off into
space.
Giles: (cut to him) Buffy, w-what is it?
Willow: (cut to her) (takes the phone) Thanks. (hangs up)
Buffy: It killed Celia.
Willow: Your cousin?
Buffy: (looks at Willow) We have to get this thing, Willow, before it
gets any more kids.
Willow: You will. We will.
Buffy: But how? I-I can’t even see it.
Willow: You saw it once.
Buffy: Did I? Uh, maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. I mean, I was
crazed with that fever. Who knows…
Cut inside Dr. Backer’s refrigerator. The door opens and the light goes
on.
Willow: Buffy, think about this.
Buffy: I have. Lots of thoughts. (crouches down)
Willow: It’s crazy.
Buffy: (searches the test-tubes) The fever. That’s how you see the
Kindestod. That’s why Celia could see it. That’s why Ryan still can.
(finds the right one) It’s the only way.
Cut to the office. Buffy stands back up and faces Willow.
Willow: But how are you gonna fight this thing with 107 degree
temperature? (42d C)
Buffy: I guess we’ll find out.
She uncaps the tube and raises it to drink the serum. Willow quickly
stops her.
Willow: Buffy!
Buffy: Willow, I’m going to do this.
Willow: Buffy, that’s 100% pure. It’ll kill you in an instant.
Buffy: Oh. They really should put that on the label.
Willow reaches into the refrigerator for a bottle of drinking water and
grabs a beaker that’s sitting on top. Buffy closes the fridge while
Willow sets the beaker on the desk and opens the bottle.
Willow: It needs to be diluted.
She pours some water into the beaker and closes the bottle.
Buffy: Okay, but this better work fast.
Willow takes the test-tube and draws some of the serum into a dropper.
She holds it over the beaker and lets a single drop fall in.
Buffy: Faster than that.
Willow looks up at her, worried, but gives in and puts another drop into
the water. Buffy takes the beaker, holds it up and looks at it, then
over at Willow.
Buffy: Here’s to my health.
After another moment’s hesitation she quaffs the water and serum.
Cut to the hall outside the children’s ward. Willow and Buffy come
around the corner and head toward the ward. Buffy is already feeling the
effects of the virus and walks unsteadily, breathing heavily. Willow
supports her.
Buffy: Oh, God. I’m not sure this was such a good idea.
Willow: Hang in there. You’ll be okay.
Buffy: Okay. I’m okay.
They reach the door to the ward, and Buffy looks in through the door’s
window. The beds are all empty.
Buffy: The kids. They’re gone.
She and Willow exchange a surprised and very worried look.~~ Part 4 ~~
The basement tunnels under the Hospital. Ryan leads the kids from the
children’s ward as they try to run away from the Kindestod.
Ryan: Come on!
Girl: Hold me!
Ryan: Keep quiet!
Cut to the hall outside the children’s ward.
Willow: What could have happened?
Buffy: I don’t know. (faces her) Maybe we’re too late. Maybe they
moved. (feels her forehead) Maybe I don’t… I’m burning up!
She looks back into the room and starts to see something.
Buffy: Will?
Willow: What?
Buffy: I think it’s in there.
A form begins to take shape as though unfolding. It steps over to a bed,
and suddenly the Kindestod is clearly visible to Buffy. It looks into a
bed and finds it empty. She stares at it through the door’s window. The
monster looks over at another bed and notices her staring. It
straightens itself up and looks at her. Buffy’s eyes go wide with fear.
It just giggles maniacally and takes off its hat to her. It keeps an eye
on her for another moment as it turns toward the other door to the ward,
then puts the hat back on and walks to the other door. The Kindestod
opens it and goes through, and as it closes the camera cuts to a close-
up shot of the sign on the door: basement access.
Cut to the hall. Buffy frantically tries to follow, but the door to the
ward is locked, and the virus has weakened her enough so that she can’t
break it open.
Buffy: It’s going after them! (turns to Willow) We gotta get ’em.
Dr. Wilkinson: (coming around the corner) Buffy?
Buffy: (to Willow) Okay, we’ll get ’em in a second.
Dr. Wilkinson: (quickly approaches) What’s wrong?
Willow: I, uh, she’s not feeling well again.
Dr. Wilkinson: You should be in bed. (puts her arm around Buffy)
Buffy: No, no, it’s not that bad.
Dr. Wilkinson: No, you’re coming with me. (starts to pull her away)
Buffy: No!
She pushes the doctor away and starts to run down the hall. Willow
quickly follows.
Willow: (back to the doctor) She’s sorry!
Dr. Wilkinson: (grabs a phone and dials) Security, come to the
children’s ward. We have a situation.
She hangs up and runs after the girls.
Cut to an intersection in the halls. Buffy and Willow come through a
pair of doors. The camera pans around down the adjacent hallway where
the security guards are coming. They head the girls off at the
intersection.
Guard: Okay, come on now. (holds his baton threateningly) We can do
this the easy way.
The two girls give each other worried looks, then Willow has an idea and
starts to swat at herself with her hands.
Willow: (frantically) Frogs! Frogs! Get ’em off of me!
The two guards make for her, assuming she’s the reason they were called.
Willow: Oh, my God, frogs! Get them off of me! Please, help!
Buffy edges around the corner and quickly goes down the other hall.
Willow: Get ’em off! FROGS! Frogs! Oh, my God, horrible frogs!
Dr. Wilkinson comes through the doors.
Willow: (squeals) Get ’em…
Dr. Wilkinson: Not her, the other one!
Willow: (looks up, calm again) No more frogs!
Guard: C’mon!
They start to run after Buffy.
Cut to Xander sitting at his post in the hall across from the nurse’s
station. Buffy comes into view and bumps into the wall, unsteady from
her fever. Xander looks up, sees her, jumps to his feet and runs to her.
Xander: Buffy, are you okay? Did Angel…
Buffy: (shakes her head) No. We need to get to the basement.
Cut to the basement tunnels. The Kindestod is looking around for signs
of the children’s passing.
Cut to the children weaving their way through the hospital’s boiler
room.
Ryan: Shh!
They find a secluded corner and all crouch and huddle together.
Girl: I’m cold.
Ryan: Here.
He takes off his robe and drapes it around the girl.
Ryan: Here. We’re gonna be safe in here.
Boy: Look!
The Kindestod appears behind Ryan. The other kids all scream.
Ryan: What?
It grabs Ryan from behind and lifts him up and away.
Ryan: Whoa!
Cut to the stairs to the basement tunnels. Xander supports Buffy as they
hurry down.
Xander: You don’t know how to kill this thing.
Buffy: I thought I might try violence.
Xander: Solid call.
They head down the tunnel.
Cut to the Kindestod holding Ryan up to look at him. He and the other
kids are all screaming. Cut to Xander and Buffy running down the tunnel.
Cut to the Kindestod, still holding up Ryan. It throws him aside, and he
hits the concrete floor hard.
Ryan: Oof!
The kids keep screaming. Ryan tries to get up. The monster growls as it
slowly comes for him. Ryan turns around and looks up at the Kindestod.
He can’t scream for fear. It kneels and leans over him, and now Ryan
starts to scream again. It takes his head to hold him steady. The boy
watches as the monster’s eyes bug out and split open. They extend from
their sockets down toward his forehead. The monster drools heavily and
licks its lips. Its eyes make contact with Ryan’s forehead. He screams
as he feels his energy being drained. Suddenly the Kindestod gets hit in
the head with a large section of pipe, and its eyes snap back into their
sockets. Buffy stands over it with the pipe held ready.
Buffy: You make me sick.
The Kindestod stands up and faces her. She swings the pipe at it again,
but the monster blocks it and knocks it from her grip. Although Xander
can’t see it, he sees that Buffy is fighting something and takes the
opportunity to go to Ryan and lift him up from the floor.
Xander: Up.
He carries the boy over to the other kids. Buffy is not in top form as
she fights the Kindestod, and it gains the upper hand and punches her
twice in the face, then throws her against a pipe. Xander finds the
other children and starts to herd them away.
Xander: C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! Hurry!
He follows them, throwing a few glances over at Buffy along the way. She
swings twice at the monster, but it just leans back and avoids the
blows. It grabs her again and throws her into another pipe. She recovers
quickly, spots a raised grating and hops up onto it. She takes a good
look at the Kindestod, and then jumps from the grate and lands a hard
kick on its face. It stumbles back and to its knee as she lands on her
feet. She kicks it three more times while it tries to get back up.
Xander comes back after leading the kids away and watches her fight. He
sees her kick, but to him it looks like she’s fighting thin air. He
hears her get hit, and she spins around and lets out a grunt of pain.
The monster takes her by the shoulder and backhand punches her in the
face again. He takes her by the throat, lifts her up and throws her into
some sections of large duct tube. Buffy is dazed and just lies there on
the pipe. The Kindestod reaches down for its hat, brushes it off and
puts it back on. Buffy recovers from her daze, but not in time to get
away as it kneels and reaches for her head. It holds her steady with
both hands. Its eyes bug out and split open again. She reaches up for
its head with both hands and gives it a good quick twist. The monster’s
neck snaps loudly, and it falls over dead next to her. Buffy stands up
and looks down at the Kindestod’s prone body. Xander finally dares to
come closer.
Xander: (concerned) Are you okay?
Buffy: Actually, (looks up at him) I think I’m starting to feel better.
Let’s…
She takes a step, but loses her balance and falls into Xander.
Buffy: Oh!
He puts his arm around her to support her, and they go.
Xander: He’s dead right? I mean, I heard something snap.
Buffy: That would be his neck.
Xander: You’re not gonna yak on me, are ya?
Cut to the Summers house. Cut to Buffy’s room. Joyce walks in with a
sandwich on a plate and a glass of juice.
Joyce: Here you go, honey. Peanut butter and jelly, without the crust,
just the way you like it.
She sits on the bed next to Buffy and puts the glass on the nightstand.
Buffy is lying back comfortably.
Buffy: And the juice?
Joyce: (hands Buffy the plate) Two parts orange, one part grapefruit.
Buffy: That’s my drink.
Joyce: I measured it exactly. (gets up to go)
The camera pulls away from Buffy to show Xander lounging on the bed next
to her, munching away on cheesy chips and watching TV.
Buffy: (looks at the sandwich) Oh, mom?
Joyce: Mm-hm?
Buffy: I wanted crunchy peanut butter.
Joyce: Oh, sorry. (comes back)
The camera pulls back even further to show Willow on the floor next to
the bed surrounded with pillows.
Buffy: A-and I said extra jelly. (hands up the plate)
Joyce: (smiles) Anything to help my daughter get well. (starts to go
again)
Willow: Oh, and while you’re up, could I get a refill? (holds out her
glass) It’s just I’m so comfortable.
Joyce: (steps over) Of course. (takes the glass)
Willow: Thanks.
Xander: Oh, oh, oh, (holds up an empty bag) and another bag of cheesy
chips. (tosses the bag away)
Joyce: (raises her eyebrows at him) Uh, you ate the last one.
Xander: No, there’s another bag hidden behind the raisins.
Joyce: (sighs) I’m on it. (leaves)
Xander: (to Buffy) Your mom’s tryin’ to Bogart the cheesy chips. What’s
that all about?
Joyce comes back into the room holding an envelope.
Joyce: Oh, Buffy, here. Um, this came in the mail. (hands it to Buffy)
Buffy: (reads the return address and smiles) It’s from Ryan. (opens it)
Joyce: The boy from the hospital?
Buffy takes out the paper inside and unfolds it. Joyce looks down at it.
Joyce: (smiles) Oh, he drew you a picture.
Cut to a shot of the picture. It’s of Buffy standing over the Kindestod
with her foot up on its chest. The monster’s neck is split open and
blood is gushing out.
Joyce: How… nice.
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