Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer (1992)

by

Joss Whedon

FADE IN:

EXT. MEDIEVAL VILLAGE - JUST BEFORE SUNSET

We see an Italian village at the height of the plague. Funeral
processions, decrepit houses with their windows boarded up...
the stench of death all around.

TITLE: EUROPE. THE DARK AGES

Through the filth a KNIGHT walks his horse. He is weary but
not so dingy as his surrounding; a stranger in these parts.
He comes to an inn, where a boy takes his horse round back.
He enters the inn.

INT. INN - SAME TIME

The inn is dark and almost empty. A couple of patrons drink
silently at tables. Behind the bar stands a slovenly BARMAID,
dark-haired and lazy. She scratches at her shoulder, on which
we see a birthmark. The knight approaches the bar, throws
money down.

KNIGHT
A tankard of ale, wench.

The barmaid pours him a cup of ale. He drinks deep, stands a
moment.

KNIGHT
(continuing)
Some plague we’re having, huh?

CUT TO:

INT. INN - UPSTAIRS HALL/BEDROOM - NIGHT

The barmaid leads the knight, by candlelight, upstairs to his
room. The door opens inward. The knight stands in the doorway,
places a hand on the barmaid’s hip. She pauses a moment, then
breaks free of his grasp, starts down the hall. He laughs a
bit, resignedly, and closes the door.

A VAMPIRE stands behind it. Not two feet from the knight,
grinning at him. His eyes are skull-hollow and dancing in his
head, his bloody smile full with teeth. His skin is gray, and
peeling. The knight turns slowly and sees him.

KNIGHT
Oh, my god...

The vampire licks his lips.

He is on the knight in a second, pushing him backwards into
the middle of the small room. The knight struggles but is no
match for the vampire, who buries his face in the knight’s
neck. The knight screams.

ANGLE ON DOOR

It suddenly flies open, the lock shattered.

The vampire turns like a frightened animal. In the doorway
stands the barmaid, a SLAYER. In her hand is a wooden stake.

The vampire drops the knight, who crabs backwards into a corner.
The Slayer and the vampire come at each other. The Slayer
spins and kicks; the vampire flies back. Snarling, he comes
back at the slayer. They struggle; he slips free and is out
the door.

For a moment, the Slayer remains still, crouched on the floor.
The knight watches her. She seems to be making a decision —
perhaps even knows what is going to happen.

She runs at the window.

CUT TO:

EXT. IN FRONT OF THE INN - SAME TIME

The vampire comes running out the front door. Before he is a
few feet from the front of the inn, the Slayer SMASHES through
the upstairs window and lands on him. They both hit the ground,
and she plants the stake right in his heart.

After a moment, we hear a voice:

AMILYN (O.S.)
The lord giveth, and the lord taketh
away. Ashes, ashes...

She looks up.

AMILYN
(continuing)
... All fall down

There are ten or more vampires walking slowly toward her in
the otherwise deserted street. At the front, maybe ten feet
away, is AMILYN.

Amilyn is a grinning jackal, a servant to the Vampire-King.
His garb is a rotted approximation of a courtier’s livery. He
ambles toward the Slayer, giggling, as she stands.

Behind her is LOTHOS, the Vampire-King. His skin is deep white,
and smooth. He wears a long coat — his dress is not of any
era. He is practically upon her before he speaks.

LOTHOS
You must forgive Amilyn. He tends
to drool before supper.

She turns. He smiles, almost lovingly.

SLAYER
Lothos...

LOTHOS
You people will never learn.

She swings at him but he grabs her arm. Amilyn laughs
obnoxiously. Lothos grabs the back of the Slayer’s head, brings
her to him in a loving embrace.

LOTHOS
(continuing)
We can’t be stopped. This is our
world now.

He pulls her head back swiftly, snapping her spine as her head
hits the back of her legs. Lightning flashes.

CUT TO:

INT. ENGLISH CASTLE - NIGHT

Lightning flashes outside the window. It is torrenting rain.
An old MAN speaks to a hysterical GIRL of sixteen or so. They
are both obviously noble of birth.

GIRL
I can’t!

MAN
You know you must. There is only
one. Now you are that one. It is
time.

GIRL
Why? Why me?

MAN
She has died. You are the next to
be called. Why do you think you
were sent to me? Trained as you
were? You bear the mark.

He pulls aside her blouse to reveal a birthmark on her shoulder,
identical to the barmaid’s.

MAN
(continuing)
The mark of the Coven.

GIRL
I don’t understand.

MAN
Ever since Adam and Eve first left
the garden, he followed: the serpent.
Satan. He sends his legion in the
shape of men, to feed on us, to
breed his Hell on our earth. They
are a plague upon us.

The man unravels a satchel of cloth. From it he pulls an
elaborately carved wooden stake.

MAN
(continuing)
But as long as there have been
vampire, there has been the Coven;
the line of Slayers. Ones with the
strength and the skill to kill them,
to find them where they gather and
stop the swell of their numbers.
One dies, the next is called.

GIRL
I’m just a girl.

MAN
You are much more.

He hands her the stake. She feels the fit.

MAN
(continuing)
One dies, the next is called...

As she grips the stake more tightly, an awareness and sense of
power sees to fill her. She lifts the stake over her head.

CLOSEUP - A HAND

The hand is lifted high, but it is not the girl’s. It holds
not a stake, but a pom-pom.

EXT. HEMERY HIGH FOOTBALL FIELD - WIDER SHOT - DAY

Opening CREDITS OVER:

A football game in progress. The stands are pretty full, the
crowd enthusiastic. The hemery football stadium is just that;
a real stadium, not just makeshift stands on grass.

On the sidelines are the Hemery cheerleaders, led by BUFFY.
She is blonde (in nature as in name), pretty, and very
gracefully athletic. She obviously enjoys what she is doing,
and she’s good at it.

With her on the squad are JENNIFER and NICOLE, two of her best
friends. Beside them the COACH, yelling at the players. The
scoreboard reads HEMERY VS. SETON.

On the field are JEFFREY, wide receiver (and Buffy’s boyfriend),
ANDY, quarterback, and GRUELLER, the huge left tackle.

Buffy and the crowd wince as Andy is sacked for a nine-yard
loss.

COACH
Come on, do the play! The one
where... the one from the book!
Where you make it go forward!

The players huddle.

ANDY
All right, guys, come on!

He hits Grueller’s helmet.

ANDY
(continuing)
Grueller! Fill that hole! They
were all over me! Okay. Let’s run
twenty-two. Grueller, close the
pocket, watch out for thirty-five.
Thompson, run the post, right, wide
out. Jeffrey, go up the middle and
run around like a chicken.

They clap and break. As they line up, Jeffrey looks over at
Buffy. She smiles at him. He winks, very suave.

BUFFY AND CHEERLEADERS
Jeffrey! Jeffrey!
He’s our man!
If he can’t do it
We don’t want it!

On the hike, Andy drops back and looks for a receiver. Jeffrey
runs in circles like an idiot (and not unlike a chicken), waving
his arms until Andy sails him the ball and he breaks for a
touchdown.

The crowd goes wild — particularly Buffy, who does an
impressive standing backflip. Nicole looks at her, impressed.
Buffy smiles at her, giddy.

COACH
(looking around)
Is that good? Was that a good thing?

CUT TO:

INT. THE MALL - AFTERNOON

The mall is typically busy. Buffy, Nicole, Jennifer and
KIMBERLY can bee seen making their way through it. They are
all dressed very similarly: bright colors, a lot of white and
pink. Not trashy, but mainstream and uninspired. Esprit.
All of them carry shopping bags; they’ve done a good days work.

TITLE: CALIFORNIA. THE LITE AGES

The girls pass by stores, vaguely window shopping.

BUFFY
Mr. Howard is so heinous. He’s
always giving me a hard time. I
get a C-plus on the test and he
tells me, ’You have no sense of
history.’ I have no sense of
history? He wears a brown tie.

NICOLE
You got a C-plus? I can’t believe
I cheated off you.

BUFFY
Excuse me for not knowing about El
Salvador. Like I’m ever going to
Spain anyway. Ooh!

A dress on a rack outside a store has caught her eye. She
takes it and holds it in front of her.

BUFFY
(continuing)
Mmmm. Wouldn’t I look just edible
and nutritious in this?

Kimberly and Jennifer catch up to them.

KIMBERLY
Guys, what’s the sitch? I’m bored.

BUFFY
(modeling the dress for
Kimberly))
What do you think?

KIMBERLY
Please. It’s so ’91.

GIRL
Oh.

Buffy puts it back.

KIMBERLY
What are we doing?

BUFFY
Why don’t we see a movie?

KIMBERLY
Well, where?

JENNIFER
Omniplex?

NICOLE
Nee sitch. No way.

BUFFY
No THX.

NICOLE
They don’t even have Dolby.

KIMBERLY
Beverly Center.

BUFFY
Please. They show previews for
foreign movies.

NICOLE
AMC?

KIMBERLY/BUFFY
Bogus corn!

KIMBERLY
Totally stale. And the ushers are
like, the acne patrol. We’re
thinking Pavilion. Sitch?

BUFFY
Sounds toasty. We’re going Pavilion.

JENNIFER
Excellent.

BUFFY
What’s playing there?

A stranger, walking the other way, bumps into Buffy, doesn’t
stop. A man of about fifty, he is dressed shabbily, in a
wrinkled black suit and a black shirt. He somewhat resembles
a priest.

BUFFY
(continuing)
Excuse much! Not rude or anything.

KIMBERLY
(calling back)
Nice ensemble!

NICOLE
What a homeless.

The girls continue walking. The man stops, turns to stare
after them. His look is intense, slightly worried, his face
somewhat haggard. Intelligence shines through his eyes. He
holds himself stiffly, arms close to him, almost as if he
expected something to strike at him.

This is MERRICK. He pulls a picture out of his coat pocket,
looks at it. Looks at them.

INT. MOVIE THEATER - DAY

The film is in progress. This has no effect on the girls,
however, as they continue to talk ceaselessly. They all have
diet sodas.

NICOLE
(to Buffy)
So, is Jeffrey really spending the
night at your house?

BUFFY
That’s the plan.

NICOLE
Good enough!

JENNIFER
Your parents are always going away
for the weekend. You’re so lucky.

BUFFY
(maybe not)
Yeah, I guess.

JENNIFER
My mom doesn’t go anywhere. She
even does the shopping network.
I’m gonna die a virgin.

KIMBERLY
What did Jeffrey’s dad say?

BUFFY
’Just remember you’re in training,
son’

NICOLE
Oh, God.

KIMBERLY
He is so bald.

Seated a few rows behind the girls are PIKE and BENNY. The
are fairly punked out, (and not currently attending high
school). Pike is long and lean, has short hair spiked and a
taste for long coats and black. Benny is somewhat stockier,
opts for a shaved head and suspenders. Doc Martins for both.
Benny is clearly the more belligerent of the two — when Pike
speaks, it’s with surprising wit and reserve. Sometimes.

PIKE
Will you guys shut up, please?

BUFFY
It could happen.

Pike and Benny throw popcorn at her.

PIKE
Booo!

BENNY
Suck!

PIKE
Wrong answer! No prize.

NICOLE
God! Take a chill lozenge.

KIMBERLY
Like we don’t have rights too?

BUFFY
Ignore them.

BENNY
I can’t believe these people. We
paid money to see this.

PIKE
No, we didn’t.

BENNY
Oh, yeah. But I still want to know
what happens.

BUFFY
Everyone get horribly killed except
the blonde girl in the nightie, who
finally kills the monster with a
machete but it’s not really dead.

The boys stare at her.

JENNIFER
Oh, my God. Is that true?

BUFFY
Probably. What movie is this?

CUT TO:

ANGLE - THE MOON

Fat and yellow, behind the clouds. We hear a long HOWL.

EXT. THE MOVIE THEATER - NIGHT

Jeffrey pulls into the parking lot in his BMW convertible.
Grueller, howling, sits in the back behind Jeffrey and Andy.
They park and hop out, head toward the entrance.

GRUELLER
Look at that moon! It’s huge!
Come on, guys, we gotta do something
tonight. Party.

ANDY
You know, if you would spend more
time at home sleeping, you would
spend less time on the field,
sucking.

JEFFREY
You were a bone out there today.
Anyway, I’m booked. Gonna spend
some quality time with the little
woman.

ANDY AND GRUELLER
(coughing it into their
hands)
Pussy-whipped. Pussy-whipped.

JEFFREY
You guys are pathetic.

GRUELLER
Later for you, then. I’m blowing.
Andy, you coming?

ANDY
No, I’ll hitch a ride with Jeffrey.

GRUELLER
Okay. Later.

ANDY
Headbutt!

Andy and Grueller bring their foreheads together with
painstaking slowness, grimacing, and barely tap heads.

ANDY
(continuing)
Later.

Grueller walks off, head through a park.

At the same time, Pike and Benny emerge from the theater.
They pass Andy and Jeffrey and the two pairs circle each other,
almost growling, eyes locked, before pike and Benny turn and
walk off, not quite in the direction Grueller took. Buffy,
Kimberly, Jennifer and Nicole come out right after. Buffy
heads straight for Jeffrey and they kiss massively.

BUFFY
Nice game.

ANDY
Jeffrey, I don’t mean to sound sexist
or anything, but can I borrow her?

BUFFY
Andy!

JEFFREY
No way. You’d get her dirty.
(off her look)
He would, honey. He’s an animal.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE PARK - SAME TIME

Grueller walks through the trees, enters an enclosed clearing
of grass. He hears something, stops. Maybe his name, maybe
just the BUSHES RUSTLING. He looks about him, hesitantly.
Starts forward, stops again.

GRUELLER
Yo! Who is that? Don’t mess with
me man, I’ll rip your head off.

Nothing.

GRUELLER
(continuing)
Come on, come out here. Let’s see
what you got.

RUSTLING. No one.

GRUELLER
(continuing)
Forget this.

He turns on his heel, ready to drop all show and bolt. WALLY
BESSEL is right behind him.

Wally is a ninth grader, small, nerdy, and recently undead.
In marked contrast to the older vampire in the prologue, Wally
is freshly undead. He still has fat on his face; in fact, he
looks almost normal from afar. But his inhuman eyes and his
uncommon pallor mark him as a vampire. And the way he speaks
is unearthly. Hollow, almost detached; repeating phrases
sometimes almost as though he had never heard them before.

He smiles at Grueller.

GRUELLER
(continuing)
Bessel! What are you doing here?

WALLY
Hi, Grueller.

GRUELLER
What are you grinning at? You think
I was scared?

WALLY
Could be.

GRUELLER
You think so?

WALLY
Could be.

Grueller grabs Wally by his shirt collar and readily hoists
his small body up, Wally’s feet dangling two feet off the
ground.

GRUELLER
Listen, you little worm. I could
beat your head to a pulp for you,
just like I did last year, you got
that? You got that?

WALLY
(repeating)
Got that.

GRUELLER
Good.

He lets Wally go. Wally remains two feet in the air.
Grueller’s eyes go wide.

GRUELLER
(continuing)
What the...

Wally smiles even more broadly, quietly hissing. He has long
fangs, made somehow more grotesque by the fact that he also
has braces.

Wally’s hands vise onto Grueller’s head, lightning quick.
Grueller screams.

ANGLE - PIKE AND BENNY

Crossing a street, turning and listening.

ANGLE - JEFFREY’S CAR

Speeding by, everyone packed into it. Andy howls back at
Grueller, mistaking his intent. He settles back. The girls
are looking at him.

ANDY
It’s um... you had to be there.

In the front seat next to Jeffrey, Buffy winces slightly.

JEFFREY
You okay?

BUFFY
I... yeah, I’m okay. I’m fine.

ANGLE - THE FULL MOON

CUT TO:

INT. BUFFY’S LIVING ROOM - ANGLE ON TV - NIGHT

We see another full moon, this one on the TV screen. "Dracula"
is on, Lugosi’s original.

The lights are off in the living room as Jeffrey enters from
the kitchen, sits down on the couch holding a bag of munchies.
Buffy is still in the kitchen, making corn. Jeffrey flicks
the remote, changes channels.

ANGLE - THE TV

The movie is replaced by the local news, in mid-broadcast. A
NEWSCASTER sits at his deck, a super of a teenage girl behind
him.

NEWSCASTER
— The fourth such disappearance in
less than two months. The sheriff
was not available for comment, but
a police spokesman issued a
statement, saying that the situation
is not out of hand...

CUT TO:

INT. KITCHEN - SAME TIME

Buffy’s FATHER walks purposefully into the kitchen holding a
suitcase that he plops by the front door. He crosses out again
as Buffy’s MOM crosses in, also with luggage.

BUFFY’S DAD
We’re gonna be late. I knew it.

BUFFY’S MOM
(to Buffy, but not looking
at her)
Now, we’ll be back on Sunday,
number’s on the fridge, don’t drive
the Jaguar and tell Consuela my
underwear does not go in the
dishwasher.

She’s already out again by the end of this, as dad comes back
in.

BUFFY’S DAD
Have fun be good stay away from the
Jag.

BUFFY
I know.

And he’s out the back, mom entering on his heels.

BUFFY’S MOM
Well, that’s everything. Kiss noise.

She actually makes a kiss noise at her daughter.

BUFFY
’Bye.

Buffy’s mom heads out the door as Buffy heads into the living
room.

INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME TIME

BUFFY’S MOM
(calling out)
Bye-bye, Bobby!

JEFFREY
Bye!
(to Buffy)
They think my name’s Bobby?

BUFFY
Well... it’s possible they think my
name’s Bobby.

JEFFREY
Real ’quality-timers,’ Hugh.

BUFFY
Something like that.

JEFFREY
Hey, it works for me. If they want
to leave you alone in the house,
all helpless and vulnerable...

Buffy sits, squints disapprovingly at the screen. She has a
bag of microwave lite popcorn and is spraying diet butter
substitute on it.

BUFFY
What show is this?

JEFFREY
It’s the news, Buffy.

BUFFY
Oh. Who’s in it?
(off his look)
I know what it is. It’s what’s on
instead of the movie.

JEFFREY
I just want to see the basketball
scores. It’s important.

BUFFY
(over a handful of popcorn)
Mmmnkay.

Jeffrey leans in toward her.

JEFFREY
Of course, there are... other
considerations...

He starts kissing her about the face and neck. She leans
submissively back on the couch as he works his way on top of
her. He gives her a long kiss on the mouth, then works over
to her ear. As he is burrowing about in there, Buffy sneaks
another handful of popcorn into her mouth.

She leans back, by accident, on the remote.

ANGLE - THE TV

"Dracula" reappears.

CUT TO:

INT. 18TH CENTURY CHINESE WHOREHOUSE - NIGHT

Not, by any stretch, an upscale joint. Dark, cramped, and
scummy. A young Chinese Whore sits on a bed, wearing little
enough that we can see the telltale birthmark on her shoulder.
A repulsive British SAILOR is dressing, his business finished.
Looking disgusted, he throws his payment on the bed. For some
reason, the bed is littered with popcorn.

SAILOR
You never touched my heart.

He leaves. Alone, the Girl hears a NOISE in the dark corner,
a wet RUSTLING. Slowly she gets up to see. Approaches...

It is a pool of blood. She stares at it, terrified. A hand
reaches out of it.

She runs out into the hall, but it leads nowhere but a dead
end. Standing there, waiting for her, is Lothos. He smiles
at her and we see she is now Buffy.

LOTHOS
Soon.

CUT TO:

INT. BUFFY’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - EARLY MORNING

Buffy is thrashing in bed. Jeffrey is holding her by the
shoulders and shaking her.

JEFFREY
Buffy! Hey, what’s the sitch?!?
Wake up!

She wakes, grasping, her eyes melting into focus on Jeffrey’s
face.

BUFFY
Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Oh, wow.

JEFFREY
You were having a nightmare.

He settles back down, his arms around her, and almost instantly
begins to fall asleep again.

JEFFREY
(continuing)
What’d you dream about?

BUFFY
Nothing.

JEFFREY
Come on, what was it?

BUFFY
Nothing. It was just a dream.

CUT TO:

INT. LOTHOS’ CHAMBER - SAME TIME

Dark, cavernous — walls hewn from rock, lit torches clamped
to them. Cold stone floor and in the foreground, a dark pool
of blood. A HUM, possibly a chant, fills the air.

A figure steps up to the pool, his back to the CAMERA, and
kneels before it. He holds his hand over the surface of the
blood. As he speaks, his voice an urgent hiss, we TRACK AROUND
him, see that it is Amilyn.

AMILYN
You have brought us here, and we
thrive. We thrive. You will awake
in a new world. Just as I promised,
untold splendor, rubies dripping
from our lips. Just as we said.

CLOSEUP - AMILYN’S HAND

A hand shoots out of the pool and grabs Amilyn’s. Amilyn leans
over and fervently kisses it.

AMILYN
(continuing)
Soon...

CUT TO:

EXT. SCHOOL YARD - DAY

Buffy sits with Nicole, Jennifer, Kimberly and CASSANDRA.
Cassandra is not quite in the same league as the other girls —
for one thing, she studies. She’s not as glamorous, nor a
vacuous.

BUFFY
The environment.

They consider this a moment.

NICOLE
The homelesses?

KIMBERLY
Oh, please.

JENNIFER
Are there any good sicknesses that
aren’t too depressing?

BUFFY
Guys. The environment. I’m telling
you, it’s totally key. The earth
is in terrible shape, we could al
die, and besides, Sting’s doing it.

KIMBERLY
I thought he was doing Indians.

Jeffrey and Andy arrive, sit. Jeffrey straddles Buffy from
behind, wrapping his arms around her. She snuggles in his
grasp.

JEFFREY
Hey there.

BUFFY
Hi.

JENNIFER
(shyly)
Hi, Jeffrey.

ANDY
Whatchya guys doing?

NICOLE
The winter dance. We need to come
up with a theme.

JEFFREY
The senior dance? How about...
’Our Friend, the Beer?’

ANDY
’Putting Out for Fun and Profit’...
possible thought...

KIMBERLY
Try new Clue-flakes.

BUFFY
It has to be, like a socially
conscious theme.

CASSANDRA
(reading from a memo)
’One that reflects the students’
growing awareness of and involvement
in the world around them.’

JEFFREY|ANDY
Downer.

BUFFY
I still say the environment. That’s
my suggestion.

CASSANDRA
It is a pretty crucial subject.

BUFFY
See, Cassandra likes it. Cassandra’s
my friend.

ANDY
I like it. Can I be your friend?

JEFFREY
Stay away from my thang.
(to Buffy)
Sorry, honey. ’Thing.’

NICOLE
Environment. That’s cool with me.

KIMBERLY
Okay.

CASSANDRA
So, what are the most immediate
threats to the world environment
right now?

Cassandra has paper and pen, is poised to make a list of
suggestions. The other all look at each other uncomfortably.
Cassandra obviously knows the answer, but regards her friends
silently, waiting to see what the come up with.

JEFFREY
Well, um... litter?

ANDY
Litter, yeah!

Everyone but Cassandra is impressed by this.

JEFFREY
(to Cassandra)
Write that down.

JENNIFER
Okay, what else?

NICOLE
Forest fires?

ANDY
Communism?

BUFFY
Bugs.

CASSANDRA
(helpfully)
Okay, guys, how about the ozone
layer?

KIMBERLY
Oh, yeah!

NICOLE
Right!

BUFFY
We gotta get rid of that! That’s
right.

GARY MURRAY, a well meaning but pompous little administrator,
come up to the kids. He’s kind of like Charlie Brown: you
always say his whole name.

GARY MURRAY
I don’t suppose you kids heard the
first bell, did you? The first
bell was saying, ’Start going to
class, it’s time to go to class.’
In about thirty seconds the second
bell is going to be saying, ’Already
be in class.’

JEFFREY
We’re having a very important
discussion here.

GARY MURRAY
Why do I have trouble believing
you?

JEFFREY
Something from your childhood, maybe?

GARY MURRAY
Button it, Kramer. Classes are
starting. Be there or beware.

Gary Murray walks off.

ANDY
Man has a complex.

BUFFY
He’s got a... What do you call it?
A Napoleonic Code.

JENNIFER
It’s ’cause he’s so tiny.

ANDY
Yes, but what he lacks in height he
makes up in shortness.

They get up and start heading to class.

KIMBERLY
Let’s meet tonight, okay?

BUFFY
Where?

KIMBERLY
Cafe Blase.

NICOLE
Cool. We can figure decorations
and stuff.

BUFFY
Cassandra, you gotta come, too.

CASSANDRA
Can’t. History report. The Normans
and the Saxons.

BUFFY
Bogutude. Blow it off.

CASSANDRA
I really can’t. Besides, it’s pretty
interesting.

BUFFY
(not harshly)
You’re weird and I’m afraid of you.
Seriously, Cassandra, there’s a lot
cooler things you could be doing
than your homework.

CASSANDRA
Like what?

BUFFY
Like my homework.

Buffy smiles, trots off.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE CITY - NIGHT

We see SHOTS of the deserted city at night. It’s a small,
upscale town. Suburban streets, businesses, and a few more
depressed areas, boarded up houses. No one is out. TREES
RUSTLE, shadows flicker, but the curling mist is the only
visible presence.

CUT TO:

INT. CAFE BLASE - NIGHT

A classic faux-Fifties L.A. diner. Pictures of Frankie and
Annette, bright lights, those same tired Fifties standards
playing on the JUKEBOX. Buffy, Kimberly, Jennifer and Nicole
are sitting at the end of the counter, at the corner.

KIMBERLY
I don’t see why we have to invite
everyone.

BUFFY
Kimberly, it’s the senior dance.

NICOLE
If we don’t invite all the seniors
we can’t use the school funds, you
know that.

KIMBERLY
Can’t they make exceptions? Maryanne
Heinel? She’s such a scud. Can’t
we have a Maryanne clause?

NICOLE
Well, look who’s here.

GIRLS’ POV

Pike and Benny have entered the diner, quite drunk. As they
pass the jukebox, Benny gives it a kick and the music stops.
A few people look up, annoyed, as they approach the counter.

WAITRESS
Hey!

BENNY
The Fifties are over.

PIKE
(earnestly)
We have to learn to let go.

WAITRESS
Don’t give me any trouble, okay?

PIKE
No trouble. We just want to eat.

They sit next to Buffy and begin pooling their money on the
counter. It comes to about $2.50, heavy with pennies.

PIKE
(continuing)
Come on, come on, fork up the scub.

BENNY
That’s it, man. That’s the whole
story.

PIKE
We’re looking at a dog, possible
coffee...

He digs and produces a quarter from his pocket.

PIKE
(continuing)
It’s coffee.

BENNY
Amazing!

KIMBERLY
(to the other girls)
Smell of booze much.

NICOLE
Nice much.

PIKE
(to the waitress)
Can we have a hot dog, please, medium
rare, and a cup of joe?

BUFFY
You guys are thrashed.

JENNIFER
(to Buffy)
What are you talking to them for?

BENNY
(to Buffy)
What did you say?

PIKE
Yeah, we’re drunk. We’re the Drunks.
What’s your name?

BUFFY
Buffy.

BENNY
Figures.

PIKE
Do people ever call you ’Buffy the
Buffalo?’ I’m just wondering.

Buffy gives him a look.

PIKE
(continuing)
The don’t. You kind of wish they
would, though.

KIMBERLY
Wit-tay.

PIKE
I’m sorry. I’m Pike. This is Benny.

KIMBERLY
Pike isn’t a name. It’s a fish.

PIKE
Hey, wait a minute...

BENNY
You’re the guys from the movie!

PIKE
(good naturedly)
We hate you guys!

The girls all make sad noises, real sarcastic.

PIKE
(continuing)
You guys were way rude. It was
shocking.

NICOLE
You just snuck in anyway.

PIKE
So you have to ruin the movie for
us? You know, other people have
feelings, too.

KIMBERLY
I am so sure.

The waitress brings the hot do. Benny takes it out of the bun
and holds it over his crotch, phallus-like.

BENNY
Hey, Buffy, you hungry? I got
something for you...

The other girls look down and shriek. Buffy looks at Benny,
looks at him in the eye.

ANGLE - BUFFY’S HAND

It closes silently around the knife at her place.

Buffy is still looking at Benny, she seems to be hypnotizing
him, and maybe even herself. The NOISE in the diner seems to
FADE AWAY for a moment. Buffy shifts slightly, almost a twitch,
and the spell is broken. The SOUND RETURNS, Buffy looks away,
letting go of the knife exactly where it was.

Benny looks down. His hot dog has been sliced neatly down to
about an inch. He is shocked.

BENNY
(continuing)
Hey! She wasted my dog!

PIKE
(smiling)
Bummer metaphor.

Buffy looks off, a little surprised herself.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Pike and Benny have left the diner and are walking down the
street. Pike produces a bottle of Mezcal from his coat pocket
and takes a swig, hand it to Benny. They continue to pass it
back and forth.

BENNY
Rich bitches. They’re a plague.
They’ve gotta be stopped.

PIKE
You didn’t like them.

BENNY
They’re all the same! They’re so
stuck up, they’re just... they’re
not even human. I hate them.

PIKE
Would you sleep with them?

BENNY
Yes. Definitely. Definitely.
Please, God.

PIKE
Well, there it is, isn’t it? You
don’t even like them, and you’d
sleep with them. What’s that all
about?

BENNY
I got a news flash, man, another
shot of this and I’ll have sex with
you.

PIKE
Oh, yeah, and then you’ll never
call me.

They continue walking. A shadowy figure appears behind them,
following.

CUT TO:

INT. DINER - NIGHT

The girls have all finished their sundaes.

NICOLE
Come one, that was so weird.

BUFFY
(uncomfortable)
What, it’s not weird. I just cut
the stupid hot dog in half.

KIMBERLY
I can’t believe they still ate it.

JENNIFER
(to Buffy)
Where’d you learn how to do that?

BUFFY
I didn’t learn... I just... it’s
not a big deal.

KIMBERLY
Buffy, I’m gonna tell Jeffrey you
were playing with another man’s
Hebrew National.

BUFFY
(annoyed)
Get a boob job.

NICOLE
It’s like when we took gymnastics
in eighth grade.

Buffy makes a face. She doesn’t want to hear this story. We
HOLD on her as Nicole tells it.

JENNIFER
What happened?

NICOLE
Buffy was on the uneven parallels —
she was really good; coach said she
could have been in the Olympics —
but she was doing a routine,
spinning, and the beam broke.

JENNIFER
You’re kidding.

NICOLE
Snapped. Buffy was, you know, on
the upswing, and I swear to God she
went across the room. Perm over
heels.

JENNIFER
Oh, my God! Ouch! No wonder you
quit.

NICOLE
Well, that’s the thing. She landed
on her feet. Didn’t even sprain a
toe. And I go up to her and she
turns and looks at me and she’s
like this —

She makes a hyper-intense face. The others laugh.

NICOLE
(continuing)
— like she’s gonna kill me.

BUFFY
I was just scared is all.

NICOLE
No. It was mondo bizarro.

KIMBERLY
Buffy, the ape-woman.

NICOLE
Seriously, Buffy. That look was
way twisted. What were you thinking
about?

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Perhaps in answer, we see the same shadowy figure moving behind
Pike and Benny as they continue to walk home. They’re really
bombed now. They are somewhere in the hills now, and they
come to the edge of a steep incline overlooking the valley. A
waist-high concrete wall is built into the side of the earth.
They stand below a thick, green tree.

PIKE
I’ll have it running in a week.
It’s be beauty. It just needs new
shocks, you know, break pads, an
engine, and some wheels. It’ll be
totally cherry.

Pike finishes the bottle, eats the worm, and chucks the BOTTLE
over the side. There is a moment before they hear it SHATTER.

BENNY
When you get your car together,
man, let’s bail.

PIKE
You think? Split?

BENNY
Utterly. Let’s bail this town.
It’s getting... I don’t know. Let’s
go somewhere where there aren’t any
rich bitches.

PIKE
Our own world, where we could live
and grow beans. Hundreds of beans.

Benny wavers, catches hold of Pike.

BENNY
I think I’m gonna ralf.

He leans over the side of the wall, hangs his head down.

PIKE
Don’t worry, Benny. I’m here for
you.

Pike falls over backwards.

PIKE
(continuing)
I’m here for you, Ralf.

Pike passes out.

CLOSEUP - BENNY

Still waiting to throw up. The figure approaches slowly from
behind him. The figure is a few feet away from him when a
hand shoots down from above and grabs Benny’s face.

ANGLE - IN THE TREE

Amilyn sits on a low branch, pulls Benny up to face him. Amilyn
has changed his manner of dress drastically. He wears a
motorcycle jacket and sunglasses. His hair is punked out.
Benny is in shock, as Amilyn holds him easily by his shirt
collar.

AMILYN
You wanna go for a ride?

Amilyn leans back — all the way back, falling back out of the
tree and pulling Benny with him. We see them fall out past
the wall just as the shadowy figure reaches it.

It is Merrick, the man from the mall. He runs to the side of
the wall, looks over. The two are already lost in the dark
mist. Merrick turns around, looks about him. He digs in his
pockets, pulls out a cross and a stake, holds them tightly.
While digging he pulls out an old, stained picture, lays it on
the railing. Stake and cross in hand, he stands by Pike looking
out at the night.

ANGLE - THE PICTURE

It is a ten year old girl about to blow out the candles on her
birthday cake. The cake reads, "Happy Birthday, Buffy".

CUT TO:

EXT. FOOTBALL FIELD - AFTERNOON

Buffy, Nicole and Jennifer and another cheerleader are
practicing.

JENNIFER
What was the step after... The one
from Thursday. I never learned it
right, I don’t think.

Buffy shows her. They do it together for a minute.

BUFFY
That is so cool.

NICOLE
Thank you very much.

BUFFY
Nobody is even gonna look at the
game.

JENNIFER
Hey, I was thinking, for the dance,
what about a big sign that says
’Don’t Tread On Me’. You know, and
a picture of the earth.

BUFFY
Don’t tread on the earth?

NICOLE
I don’t get it.

BUFFY
How do you not tread on the earth?
I mean, you kind of have to.

JENNIFER
I never thought of that.

NICOLE
I gotta bail. You coming?

BUFFY
You guys blow. I’m waiting on
Cassandra. She’s gonna help me
with my history.

NICOLE
Cassandra’s really smart.

BUFFY
Yeah... She’s okay, though.

NICOLE
I guess.

JEFFREY
Are you going out with Jeffrey
tonight?

BUFFY
Jealous?

Jennifer laughs, uncomfortably.

BUFFY
(continuing)
Don’t worry, Jennifer. Someday
your prince will come.

NICOLE
Yeah, just make sure you do first.
Let’s go, guys.

BUFFY
B’bye.

The other girls leave. Buffy is alone on the empty field.
She looks around her. She starts doing a routine, tentatively.
Then she runs toward the middle of the field and jumps, flies
into an extraordinary series of gymnastic flips and cartwheels.
She rolls into one final flip, a huge one, and lands, a perfect
ten, about three inches from Merrick.

She screams in surprise, steps back.

BUFFY
(continuing)
God, where the hell did you come
from? You scared me to death.

MERRICK
I’m sorry. That was impressive.
The... tumbling.

His accent is clipped — British.

BUFFY
What? Oh. I used to do gymnastics.
Are you looking for someone?

MERRICK
I’m looking for you, actually.

BUFFY
Am I in trouble or something?

MERRICK
Not at all. My name is Merrick. I
was sent to find you some time ago.
I should have found you much sooner
but there were... complications.
You should have been taught,
prepared.

BUFFY
What are you talking about?

MERRICK
I’ve searched the entire world for
you, Buffy.

BUFFY
Why?

MERRICK
To bring you... your birthright.

BUFFY
My birthright? You mean, like a
trust fund?

Merrick looks at her.

BUFFY
(continuing)
I had a trust fund my great-
grandfather, or maybe it was an
inheritance, ’cause he’s dead, and
I spent it on shoes.

MERRICK
You must come with me. It’s much
too late already. You must come
with me to the graveyard.

BUFFY
Wait a minute. My birthright is in
the graveyard? Later not.

MERRICK
Wait!

BUFFY
You’re one of those skanky old men
that, like, attack girls and stuff.
Forget you. My, um, my boyfriend
is gonna be here in about thirty
seconds, and he’s way testy.

MERRICK
You don’t understand. You have
been chosen.

BUFFY
Chosen to go to the graveyard? Why
don’t you just take the first runner
up, okay?

MERRICK
You must believe me. You must come
with me while there’s still time.

BUFFY
Time to do what?

MERRICK
To stop the killing. To stop the
vampires.

BUFFY
Let me get this straight. You’re
like, this greasy bum, and I have
to go to the graveyard with you
’cause I’m chosen, and there’s
vampires.

MERRICK
Yes.

BUFFY
Does Elvis talk to you? Tell you
to do things? Do you see spots?

MERRICK
I don’t have time for your prattling.
I have proof. You bear the mark.

He steps forward and pulls the neck of Buffy’s shirt aside,
revealing her shoulder.

MERRICK
(continuing)
The mark of the Coven! The —
where’s the mark?

There is no birthmark on her shoulder. He looks at the other
one.

MERRICK
(continuing)
The mark of the — wait a minute.

Buffy pushes his hand off her.

BUFFY
You mean that big hairy mole? Excuse
me: eeyuu. I had it removed.
And, like, knowing about my big old
mole isn’t proof of anything except
that it’s way past medication time.

She starts to walk away.

BUFFY
(continuing)
Just stay away from me, okay?

MERRICK
Did you ever dream that you were
someone else?

Buffy stops. This obviously registers with her.

BUFFY
Everybody does.

MERRICK
In the past. A girl. Maybe... A
Magyar peasant. An Indian princess.
A slave.

The last one hits the mark.

BUFFY
I was a slave.

MERRICK
In Virginia.

BUFFY
I don’t know. It was... There was
a big gram or something. And there’s
one, I’m like a prostitute...

MERRICK
China.

BUFFY
Oh, my God. I never told anybody
about this. I remember the one
about the peasant, too. God, there’s
a bunch. Is this, like channeling
or something.

Merrick rolls his eyes.

BUFFY
(continuing)
I had a dream once where I was...
There was like, knights in it, and
I worked in this bar. And I... was
fighting. I’m always fighting.
And there’s a guy... He’s not always
there, but he’s horrible, all white,
and he’s always... trying to kill
me.

MERRICK
Lothos.

The name has an obvious effect on the girl.

BUFFY
How do you know all this?

MERRICK
I have to show you.

CUT TO:

ANGLE - THE SUN

Thick and orange, sinking beyond the hills.

EXT. GRAVEYARD - SUNSET

Merrick leads Buffy, searching for a particular grave.

BUFFY
I can’t believe I’m doing this. I
can’t believe I’m in a graveyard
with a strange man hunting for
vampires on a school night.

MERRICK
Why didn’t you ever tell anybody
about your dreams?

BUFFY
Oh, yeah, tell everyone I’m crazy.
Beauty ida.

Buffy stops, winces slightly.

BUFFY
(continuing)
Ow.

MERRICK
Cramps?

BUFFY
None of your business. God.

MERRICK
This is it.

Buffy is standing on a freshly dug grave. The headstone reads:
"ROBERT BERMAN, 1972 - 1990. GOD IS AT HIS HEELS".

MERRICK
(continuing)
Robert Berman was killed three days
ago. The body was found in the
bushes out by the canal. Extensive
tissue damage — tearing — at the
neck and shoulders. Coroner thinks
it’s a dog. You sit her.

He points out a plot of ground about eight feet from the foot
of the grave. Buffy sits and leans against another stone.

Merrick reaches into his jacket, pulls out a stake and a cross,
hands the cross to Buffy.

BUFFY
Wait a minute.

MERRICK
Just for protection. You won’t
have to do anything. I just need
you to watch.

BUFFY
All right. What do we do now?

MERRICK
We wait for Robert to wake up.

Merrick goes over to the other headstone, crouches by it.

BUFFY
Do you have any gum?

ANGLE - SUNSET

The last red glimmer disappears behind the hills.

CUT TO:

EXT. OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL - SAME TIME

Cassandra stands waiting for Buffy. The sun is down, darkness
increasing. She looks at her watch and gives up, heads for
her car. Her key in the door, she hears a RUSTLING behind
her. Looks slowly around.

CUT TO:

EXT. GRAVEYARD - SAME TIME

Buffy sits fidgeting. Playing with her fingernails. Merrick
stays in the position, listening.

A low, almost inaudible MOAN come from under the ground. Buffy
sits up straight, holds the cross to her. The MOAN becomes
louder, almost a scream. The SOUND is followed by the SOUND
of FINGERS SCRAPPING wood — of WOOD SPLINTERING — of digging.
The moaning continues, becoming eerier, somewhat more
articulate.

Buffy and Merrick wait.

ANGLE - THE GRAVE

Finally, fingers break through the ground and hold stiff in
the open air. The moan becomes a triumphant HISS. The fingers
clutch at the ground.

ROBERT BERMAN pops halfway out of his grave like a jack-in-the-
box, his face dirty and dead-white. He sees Buffy in front of
him, and he bobs toward her with a crazy grin, stretching as
to a mother’s tit.

Merrick drops down behind Robert and grabs him, raising the
stake. Buffy watches, immobilized.

A pair of arms shoot up from the ground right under Buffy.
They grab her and pull her to the ground. Next to her face,
the face of another vampire, a YOUNG WOMAN, emerges grinning
from the crumbling earth.

Buffy screams lustily, and struggles to break free.

Merrick is momentarily distracted by this, and Robert throws
him off, and pulls himself out of the grave. Merrick falls to
the ground, and his stake goes flying.

Buffy pulls herself out of the girl’s grasp, starts running
away, but the girl grabs her. Buffy remembers the cross in
her hand, spins and holds it to the vampire’s forehead. It
burns and the lady lets go, screaming and falling to the ground.

BUFFY
’Bye now.

Buffy runs.

ANGLE - MERRICK AND ROBERT

They are struggling, several feet away. Robert grabs Merrick
by the shoulders and picks him up, preparing to bite him. A
stake suddenly pops out of his chest, planted in his back by
Buffy. He falls and dies.

MERRICK
Where’s the other one?

BUFFY
She —

It leaps at her, screaming. She throws it off, as Merrick
produces another stake and throws it to her. Buffy sticks it
in the vampire’s heart. She dies, screaming, her face still
smoking, blood spurting onto Buffy.

Buffy looks at herself. At the blood.

CUT TO:

EXT. FRONT OF BUFFY’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Merrick walks Buffy to the door. She is silent, slow.

MERRICK
Go to school tomorrow. Try to act
normal. Don’t let anyone know what’s
happening. This is important.
When the vampires find out who you
are... you won’t be hunting them
anymore.

BUFFY
All right.

He hands her a piece of paper.

MERRICK
Meet me at this address after school.

BUFFY
I have cheerleading squad.

MERRICK
Skip it.

Buffy nods. Merrick starts back down the path.

BUFFY
Merrick.

Merrick stops.

BUFFY
(continuing)
They can’t come in, right? Unless
you invite them. Is that true?

MERRICK
It’s true.

Merrick moves on. Buffy goes inside.

CUT TO:

INT. BUFFY’S HOUSE - FOYER - SAME TIME

Buffy shuts the door, turns to go up to her room. She is
startled by someone standing in her path. She almost screams.

It’s her mother. She stands, arm akimbo, looking very
confrontational. Buffy looks a sight, and stands uncomfortably
in front of her mother for a moment.

BUFFY’S MOM
Do you know what time it is?

BUFFY
Uum... around ten?

Mom taps her watch, annoyed.

BUFFY’S MOM
I knew this thing was slow.

She crosses out of the room.

BUFFY’S MOM
(continuing)
You pay a fortune for something...
(calls out)
Honey, come on, we’re gonna be late.

Her mother gone, Buffy lets out a small sigh — of relief or
frustration, it is not clear. She heads upstairs.

CUT TO:

INT. BUFFY’S HOUSE - BATHROOM - NIGHT

Buffy stands at the sink, washing her shirt. She tries to get
the blood off with fierce intensity. She is near tears.

CUT TO:

INT. BUFFY’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT

She sits in the middle of the bed in her pajamas, the blankets
pooled around her. She cannot sleep. Finally, she lies back
on the pillow.

Lothos is beside her.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL HALL - DAY

Buffy walks through the hall slowly, obviously the worse for
last night’s wear. Gary Murray comes up next to her, looking
at his watch pointedly: she’s late for class. He moves on.
Jeffrey, going the other way, stops next to her.

JEFFREY
Hey, baby, how ya doing? You look
beat.

BUFFY
I do? I guess I do.

JEFFREY
Where were you last night? I called
your house like four times.

BUFFY
I went to sleep. I think I have
the flu or something.

Jeffrey backs away from her.

JEFFREY
I can’t get sick. You know —
training and all. I’m gonna be
late.

BUFFY
’Bye.

Jeffrey moves off to class. Buffy walks on a bit. She bumps
into Nicole.

NICOLE
Hey, Buffers. You look thrashed.

BUFFY
Thanks.

NICOLE
You and Cassandra get anything done
last night?

Buffy looks confused for a moment, then remembers.

BUFFY
Oh. No. She never showed.

CUT TO:

INT. LOTHOS’ CAVE - CLOSEUP OF CASSANDRA’S FACE

She is waking up, obviously from being knocked out. She blinks
stupidly, looks around. She is lying by a pool of what looks
to be dark water in a large cave. Torches burn around her.

She tries to get up and finds it difficult. She pulls herself
up to the side of the pool and splashes water on her face.

It’s blood.

She starts, staring with growing horror at her hands. She
does not even see the figure rise from the pool at first.

It’s Lothos. He wears no shirt, only white trousers and boots,
the style maybe Nineteenth Century. No blood seems to touch
him as he rises. He looks at Cassandra with an almost sleepy
lust.

LOTHOS
I find it restorative, sleeping in
the life-blood of so many. To feel
their souls coursing about me.

CASSANDRA
What’s happening? What do you want?

LOTHOS
(smiling)
So very much.

CASSANDRA
My parents have money...

LOTHOS
Yes, I’m sure they do. This place
is everything you said it was,
Amilyn.

Cassandra turns. Amilyn stands behind her, grinning. He
hisses, bares his fangs at Cassandra.

CASSANDRA
What... are you?

LOTHOS
Are we so strange? So alien to
you? I’ve seen this culture, the
wealth, the greed, the waste...
it’s truly heartwarming. The perfect
place to spread my empire. Honestly,
Eastern Europe was so dead, the
Communists just drained the blood
out of the place. It’s livened up
a bit in the past few years, but
it’s nothing compared to this....
this Mecca of consumption. The
city of Angels.

He steps right up to her.

LOTHOS
(continuing)
What are we? We are man, perfected.
We exist to consume.

On the world "to consume" we see Amilyn mouthing the words
with Lothos, his eyes to the ceiling. He’s heard this a hundred
times.

AMILYN
So? Do we change this one, or do
we just drain her?

Cassandra pulls her gold card out of her wallet.

CASSANDRA
Here, look. My gold card. It’s
your. I’ll never report it.

Amilyn snatches it from her, looks it over.

LOTHOS
She has a certain quality, this
one...

Amilyn bites the card.

AMILYN
I don’t think this is gold.

LOTHOS
Not as single-minded as the others,
not as sybaritic. Almost thoughtful.
She’s useless.

CASSANDRA
No, wait. I can be dumb. Really.
Or mean, or whatever. I can learn.
I’m useful.

LOTHOS
Really?

CASSANDRA
Swear to God.

He rips out her throat, tearing at it with his teeth as blood
gushes around their faces and she wriggle, twists, dies. He
hurls her into the door and wipes blood from his mouth.

LOTHOS
I wish you wouldn’t mention him...

Slowly Cassandra slides down the wall, her eyes glazing over.
As she descends we see, stenciled on the wall, "Hemery High
School. Maintenance Only."

CUT TO:

INT. WAREHOUSE - AFTERNOON

Grey, dusty and long since abandoned. Sunlight pours in through
the large windows, practically caked with dust. Old crates
are stacked here and there, bits of manikins leaning on one or
two. Merrick sits on a crate, reading the newspaper.

Buffy enters hesitantly, puts down her bookbag next to a pile
of Merrick’s stuff, including a rolled-up sleeping bag. This
is definitely not her turf. She runs her finger along a crate,
picks up a world of dust. She holds up her finger at Merrick.

BUFFY
Fire the help. No kidding.

Merrick looks up at her.

MERRICK
It’s not pretty, but it does suit
our purposes.

BUFFY
Our purposes.

She repeats it not with attitude, but a dull wonder at her
connection with this strange man. She crosses to him.

BUFFY
(continuing)
What, um... What do we do?

MERRICK
There’s a great deal I have to show
you, I’m not even sure where to
start There’s so little time.

BUFFY
Why do you keep saying that?

MERRICK
Do you know what a Vampire-King is?

BUFFY
A Vampire-King? You mean like
Dracula?

MERRICK
Oh, yes. And the man from your
dreams. Lothos.

BUFFY
Oh, him.

MERRICK
Yes. They travel about, usually
with one or two of their followers
to lay the groundwork. The vampires
find a community and they feed on
it, make it their own. You were
difficult to trace, and I think the
process has gone a lot further than
I’d anticipated. Usually this goads
a community into some kind of
paranoid frenzy. But for some
reason, nobody here seems to be
paying any attention.

BUFFY
(not paying attention)
What?

MERRICK
(annoyed)
We’ll cover it later.

BUFFY
I still don’t get how they happened
to come to my town. I mean, was I
born here because... because they
were coming here? That Lothos guy,
and his buddies?

MERRICK
In a way, yes. Your fate is
inexorably connected to them.

BUFFY
Great. First I have a birthright,
now I’ve got a fate. Hey, do I
have to take notes on this?

MERRICK
(put down his paper)
We’re going to have the work hard.
You’ll need some excuse for staying
out. For your parents.

Buffy laughs.

BUFFY
Not a pressing issue.

MERRICK
I tell you, the best thing I can do
right now is find out more about
you. What your strengths are, your
likes... Everything. What’s your
best subject?

BUFFY
Uh... gym.

MERRICK
Yes, you used to do gymnastics.
But you stopped. Why?

BUFFY
Well, everybody says... it’s just
kind of dorky. I mean, have you
ever seen a gymnast’s legs? They’re
like —
(indicating huge)
— the mighty oak. It’s not a look.

MERRICK
But you enjoyed it, yes?

BUFFY
Well... I do cheerleading now.
It’s way cooler.

MERRICK
Cheerleading. For... sporting
events, yes?

BUFFY
Sporting events, yeah.

MERRICK
All right. Why don’t you show me a
cheer?

BUFFY
Here?

MERRICK
Yes, yes. It would be interesting.
A nice cheer.

BUFFY
Okay.

Buffy starts, a bit awkwardly, doing a cheer.

BUFFY
(continuing)
Who we gonna beat?

MERRICK
(pathetically following her
motion)
Who we gonna beat?

BUFFY
(stops)
No — you don’t have to —

MERRICK
Oh. I thought... you lead me —

BUFFY
No. You don’t do anything. I do
it.

MERRICK
Oh. Good.

She starts again.

BUFFY
Who we gonna beat?
Who do we defeat?
Who will we be pulverizing
Into cream of wheat?

Gradually, Buffy gets more into the cheer. The steps become
more complicated as she repeats the verse.

CLOSEUP - MERRICK’S HAND

We see a knife slip out of Merrick’s sleeve. He palms it,
hands behind his back.

In the middle of her routine, he hurls it at her. She catches
it, reflexively, inches from her face. Stops dead. Then bursts
into tears. Merrick is thrown off by this reaction.

BUFFY
Oh, what the hell is wrong with
you? You threw a knife at my head!

MERRICK
I had to test you.

BUFFY
But you threw a knife at my head!

MERRICK
And you caught it! Only the chosen
one could have done that.

BUFFY
I don’t want to be the chosen one,
okay? I don’t want to spend the
rest of my life chasing after
vampires! I just want to graduate
from high school, go to Europe,
marry Charlie Sheen and die. It
may not sound too exciting to a
sconehead like you, but I think
it’s swell. And then you come
along... and... and then I’m a
member of the hairy mole club, so
you throw things at me!

She is coming at him now. He begins to back up.

MERRICK
It was necessary.

BUFFY
(realizing)
Last night. You knew I was sitting
on a fresh grave, didn’t you?

MERRICK
I don’t think you understand the
full implications of —

Buffy punches him in the face. He goes flying a good ways,
lands on his back. His nose bleed merrily. Buffy stops.

BUFFY
Oh. Sorry.

MERRICK
(getting up)
Don’t you see what’s happening?
You’re changing. You’ve got powers
you’ve only just begun to tap.
Physical, mental prowess you’ve
never dreamed of.
(pulling a handkerchief out
of his pocket)
God, this hurts. I’ve administered
a few shocks to your system to start
the adrenaline working. I’m sorry
I have to take so many shortcuts in
the training process.

BUFFY
Put your head back.

MERRICK
Two days ago, would you have even
hit me? Let alone so powerfully?

BUFFY
No... I guess I would have gotten
Jeffrey to hit you.

MERRICK
Exactly. You’re changing. You’re
becoming something extraordinarily
powerful.

Buffy looks at the knife in her hand. The MUSIC COMES UP and
we...

CUT TO:

A SERIES OF IMAGES AND INTERCUT SCENES

Buffy’s period of training. Over the difficult course of it,
she is obviously becoming more self-possessed, more at ease.
Her style of dress loosens a bit: a little punkier. Stops
dying her hair blonde and her roots start showing. Accumulates
a few more holes in her ears.

EXT. THE WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Buffy doing a series of gymnastic flips, swinging on vines,
etc.

CUT TO:

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY

Buffy arriving late for class.

CUT TO:

INT. BRENTANO’S - DAY

Buffy charging some books: Lawson’s Treatis on Demonology,
Psychological Interpretations of Vampirism, The Book of the
Dead, and The Complete Garlic Cookbook.

CUT TO:

INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Merrick sits on a crate, reading the obituaries and circling
certain entries.

Buffy stands on her head, sweating with concentration. The
CAMERA TILTS up to reveal her feet. Between the toes of one
is a nail brush, with which she is very carefully painting her
toenails.

CUT TO:

INT. MELROSE CLOTHING STORE ("ROCK STAR") - NIGHT

Amilyn and a few of the old-world vampires are on a spree,
trying on various leather jackets. As they cavort, the CAMERA
TRACKS behind the counter, where we find the clerk, bloody and
dead, slumped on the floor.

CUT TO:

EXT. SCHOOL - DAY

Buffy kissing Jeffrey goodbye after school. A long, lingering
kiss, during which she pulls away, anxious to get going. She
starts off, comes back and plants a big ol’ on his lips one
last time before splitting.

CUT TO:

EXT. MINIATURE GOLF COURSE - AFTERNOON

Merrick and Buffy are playing. Merrick tees off, shoots
horribly.

BUFFY
(as announcer)
Ooh, another embarrassment for the
teabag, while the chosen one is
still well under par.

MERRICK
Your turn.

Buffy positions herself.

BUFFY
What about bats? Do they turn into
bats?

MERRICK
No. No bats, no flying. They...
float, occasionally. Not really
flying.

BUFFY
Toasty. Were there ever any, like,
famous vampires?

MERRICK
Oh, several. Lucretia Borgia, Joseph
Mengele, Franklin Pangborn... are
any of those names familiar?

BUFFY
If I say ’no’ does that make me a
bad person?

MERRICK
Good Lord. What do you study in
history?

BUFFY
My nails.

She gives a little ’isn’t that funny’ kind of laugh. He doesn’t
respond.

MERRICK
All right. You’ve heard of the
emperor Caligula, perhaps? Or Jack
the Ripper?

BUFFY
They were vampires?

MERRICK
Same one.

BUFFY
Oh.

She considers this a moment. Tees off: another hole in one.

CUT TO:

EXT. WAREHOUSE (LATER)

Buffy and Merrick sparring, working their way in between the
"trees." She is his superior in speed and strength, but he
easily trips her up. She glares at him from the ground.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL - DAY

Buffy late again. Gary Murray watches her from the hall,
shaking his head.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROADSIDE - EVENING

Two college-age guys stand hitchhiking. A red convertible
pulls up, with a beautiful blonde behind the wheel. The guys
look at each other — all right! They can’t see her teeth, or
the look in her eye.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - AFTERNOON

Buffy walks in, looks around. She approaches a PRIEST.

BUFFY
Excuse me...

PRIEST
Yes, my child? Is something
troubling you?

BUFFY
Well, sort of.

PRIEST
Well, maybe I can help.

BUFFY
Yeah. Um... Could you bless these?

She holds up a six-pack of Perrier.

CUT TO:

INT. LOTHOS’ CAVE - NIGHT

We see the entire cave, the still pool of blood, the torches
lit. At the far end sits Lothos. In his arms is the body of
a dead girl. Blood stains her neck and yet the image is poetic,
reminiscent of Michelangelo’s "Pieta". They are both perfectly
still, her draped across his lap, he with his eyes far far
away. The silence holds.

Lothos belches massively.

CUT TO:

INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

Merrick is lecturing Buffy. Buffy is sitting, doodling in an
open notebook, "uh-huh"ing and obviously not paying attention.

MERRICK
... Lothos was probably born in the
eleventh or twelfth century; he’s
been difficult to trace. His power
has increased with age. It will be
a long while before you are ready
to face him. We’ll be lucky if we
can get him to leave the area, to
lie low for awhile. That will
scatter the rest of them. Lothos
is...

He looks at Buffy, who is staring down at her notebook.

MERRICK
(continuing)
... is extremely powerful, but he
is still a vampire, and vulnerable
to the same...

He looks at her. Is she listening?

MERRICK
(continuing)
Daylight is still his enemy. The
stake can still find his heart.

Is she?

MERRICK
(continuing)
I have huge antlers growing out of
my buttocks.

Nope. No reaction, just another "Uh-huh."

ANGLE - BUFFY’S NOTEBOOK

Merrick slams a stake right through the middle of it. Buffy
screams, jumps back a good two feet and lands on her butt.

BUFFY
(angry)
What!?!

MERRICK
Try to pay attention.

CUT TO:

INT. WAREHOUSE - LATE LATE NIGHT

Merrick talking. Buffy drinking coffee, trying hard to stay
awake. Listening.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL - DAY

Buffy in class, taking a test. Nicole leaning over, trying to
cheat off her when she falls forward onto the desk, asleep.

CUT TO:

INT. SCHOOL HALL - DAY

Buffy being ushered into Gary Murray’s office.

CUT TO:

INT. GARY MURRAY’S OFFICE - DAY

Buffy sits in his chair. Gary moves about his desk, sitting
behind it, leaning on it, talking to her. A FLY BUZZES
annoyingly about his head.

GARY MURRAY
Well, I think we can safely say
that something’s going on with you,
Buffy. Now, there’s nothing to be
nervous about; you’re not in any
trouble. I just hoped maybe we
could talk. Don’t think of me as
Gary Murray, administrator. Think
of me as Gary Murray, party guy!
Happening dude who can talk to the
young. Me and you. It’s open...
Tell me. It’s drugs, isn’t it?

CUT TO:

EXT. FOREST - AFTERNOON

Buffy stands under a tree, blindfolded. Merrick stands a ways
apart, watching. Buffy stands very still, neck craned, waiting.

Silently, a leaf falls. It wafts gently down. Buffy hurls a
knife at it with easy precision.

ANGLE - ANOTHER TREE

The knife stick deep into the trunk, the leaf perfectly pinned.

Merrick looks at it. Buffy smiles, knowing she has hit the
target. Blindfold still on, she turns toward Merrick and walks
into a branch, falls heavily backwards.