Blade Page #8

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Gideon stammers as Frost rises. In the blink of an eye, Frost lifts

Gideon from the floor, dangling the Officer over the deep end of the

pool by his throat --

FROST:

I'm going to guess AB positive.

Gideon GURGLES as Frost's fingernails pierce his flesh, drawing

blood. Then Frost releases him --

Gideon plunges into the pool. Mercury is on him in a heartbeat,

tearing him apart like a Great White consuming a piece of chum. The

water churns violently around them, clouding with red.

When it's over, Mercury rises from the pool, dripping wet, covered

from head to toe in a crimson sheen.

She kisses Frost hungrily, letting Gideon's blood flow from her mouth

to his. Frost flicks a tongue over his lips.

FROST:

AB positive. Give the man a prize.

Below them, Gideon's lifeless body sinks towards the pool bottom, his

police badge twinkling like sunken treasure.

CUT TO:

EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT

Blade's Olds cruises to a stop. We're in a low-end commercial

district -- junky heaven. Blade climbs out, pulling an automatic

rifle from the back seat, then heading into an alleyway.

EXT. BACK ALLEY - NIGHT

Blade makes his way down the alley, cautious -- he SEES mountains of

trash, boarded-up windows, overlapping layers of gang graffiti -- a

RAT crouching on a trash dumpster, gnawing on a dead pigeon --

-- then a SOUND behind Blade, the scuffle of feet --

Blade whirls, drawing his sword, CHARGING at an approaching shadow,

stopping mere millimeters from decapitating --

KAREN,

who's been backed up against the wall, her eyes wide with fright.

Blade's sword vibrates from the tension in his forearm, having drawn

just the slightest taste of blood.

BLADE:

What the hell are you doing?! I could

have killed you!

Blade lowers his sword. Karen remembers to breathe. She slumps,

tracing her fingers over the line where her head almost parted with

her body.

KAREN:

I remembered the address. I followed

you --

Blade shakes his head, amazed.

BLADE:

Do you have a death wish or are you

just stupid?

Karen pushes away from the wall, angry --

KAREN:

Look, if what you say is true, if

there's a chance I could turn into one

of them, then I've got no choice, do

I? I have to work with you. I need to

learn everything I can about them.

It's the only way I'll be able to find

a cure for myself.

BLADE:

There is no cure.

KAREN:

(defiant)

You don't know that.

Blade turns and moves to the end of the alley, studying the graffiti-

covered wall intently --

KAREN:

What are you looking at?

BLADE:

(gesturing)

What do you see here?

KAREN:

Graffiti --

BLADE:

Look closer.

Blade indicates a design amongst the various gang-banger tags that

looks something like a post-modern hieroglyphic.

BLADE:

This isn't a gang tag, it's a vampire

marking. It means there's a safe-house

nearby.

A place they can go if dawn is coming.

Blade points to a building across the street --

THE HOLLISTON CLINIC,

your basic inner-city blood-barter establishment where desperate

transients parley their plasma into cash.

KAREN:

(recognizing it)

I know this place -- it's a blood

bank.

BLADE:

Owned by vampires. There's one of

these in every major city, and just

like Domino's, they always deliver.

(looking to Karen)

You telling me you're ready to walk

through that door?

Karen nods. Blade continues to stare at her, taking her measure --

there's a strength in this woman's eyes, she has the soul of a

fighter -- and Blade recognizes it.

BLADE:

All right, then, listen up, Vampire

Anatomy 101. Crosses and running water

don't do dick, so forget what you've

seen in the movies.

Blade enumerates the following on his fingers:

BLADE:

You use the stake, silver, or

sunlight, got it?

Blade holds up one of his Casulls.

BLADE:

Know how to use one of these?

Karen takes the weapon from him, eyes all over it.

KAREN:

No.

Blade takes the gun back, snorting derisively.

BLADE:

Safety's off, round's already

chambered --

(cocking it)

Silver hollow-points filled with

garlic. You aim for the heart or the

head, anything else is a one-way

ticket to a pine box.

Blade hand it to her again, then starts across the street towards the

clinic. Karen follows --

INT. HOLLISTON CLINIC, LOBBY - NIGHT

Blade enters, swinging his rifle around for all to see.

BLADE:

Get out. Now.

The POTENTIAL DONORS scramble for the exit. Behind the counter,

TANAKA, a male nurse, reaches for an alarm button. Blade vaults over

the counter, aiming his rifle.

BLADE:

I know you're blood-running. Who's

your sponsor?

TANAKA:

I don't know what you're --

POW! Blade backhands him across the face hard enough to loosen his

teeth. Karen flinches, stepping forward --

KAREN:

What if you've made a mistake?

Blade pins Tanaka's head to the wall, turning it to the side --

revealing the man's glyph. It's different than Gideon's, looking more

like a Japanese kanji character.

BLADE:

What's this? A birthmark?

Blade grips Tanaka by his collar, shoving him through a doorway --

INT. HOLLISTON CLINIC, SUPPLY ROOM - NIGHT

Karen and Blade SEE supply cabinets, cots, a number of locked

refrigeration units. Blade FIRES into the door handle of one of the

units, tears it open -- the fridge is stacked floor to ceiling with

plastic packets of blood.

BLADE:

(to Karen)

Still think we might be wrong?

(to Tanaka)

How much are you shipping?

TANAKA:

Bite me!

Blade opens FIRE, sweeping his rifle around the room, shooting

everything in sight. Glass cabinetry shatters, ampoules and

vacutainers go flying. Tanaka cowers, arms wrapped about his head.

Blade stops shooting. He leans down towards Tanaka, placing the end

of his rifle against the man's forehead. Tanaka looks like he's about

to wet his pants.

BLADE:

I've got a message for your masters --

the night's no longer safe for their

kind.

Blade pulls back his rifle, leaving a red indentation mark where the

end of the rifle barrel pressed into Tanaka's skin. He starts towards

the exit. Karen follows.

CUT TO:

INT. BLADE'S OLDS - NIGHT

Blade and Karen return to the Olds. He keys the ignition, lets the

engine idle. They're parked down the street from the blood clinic.

Karen looks to Blade, confused --

KAREN:

You let him go --

(off Blade's nod)

An hour ago you were ready to kill a

man for less, this one didn't even

talk.

BLADE:

He will.

Blade points --

THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD --

Tanaka rushes from the clinic, climbing behind the wheel of a Mustang

parked nearby. He takes off --

Blade follows the Mustang, CLICKING on a cell-phone scanner mounted

on the dash. Numbers flash on the LCD screen as it searches for a

signal, then locks onto it. We hear a DIAL TONE, then a number being

dialed --

AUTOMATED VOICE:

(filtered, on scanner)

"You've reached a number that is no

longer in service. Please consult your

operator and try again".

TANAKA'S VOICE

(filtered, on scanner)

It's Tanaka, PIN number

sixteen-zero-zero-nine --

A "real" voice comes on the line:

VOICE:

(filtered, on scanner)

Yes?

Karen looks to Blade, impressed.

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