Blade II Page #12

The interior of the van has been outfitted into a mobile "op

center". Scud sits in a cluttered nest of electronic

ephermera, munching on a bag of White Castle hamburgers.

He's watching a video feed from a camera mounted on Blade's

gear, listening to the Bloodpack's CHATTER coming in from

various audio channels. In the background, he's also got

Barry White's "Love Machine" playing.

SCUD:

Everything's copacetic in the Mystery

Van. How you doing, Whistler?

EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT

Whistler is atop the roof of a nearby building, outfitted

with a sniper rifle on a tripod.

WHISTLER:

Walking on sunshine, toke-boy.

WHISTLER'S POV (NIGHT VISION BINOCULARS)

The view pans from the hotel entrance to Scud's van.

Whistler puts down the binoculars, lights a cigarette. He

takes out a knife and slices open his palm. He stares at the

blood, his hand slowly trembling.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - BALLROOM - NIGHT

Blade works his way through the crowd. The beat is getting

heavier now, the crowd more energized. He briefly makes eye

contact with Nyssa, but then she's gone again, disappearing

into the sea of flesh, ducking past one of the vinyl sheets

into a corridor beyond. Chupa, Asad, Snowman and Priest

remain behind, searching the crowd.

As Blade walks, he notices a series of grates beneath their

feet. We shift our POV --

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - DRAINAGE AREA - NIGHT

-- and we are below Blade, looking up at him through the

grate. We are in a blood-encrusted drainage area just

beneath the ballroom that slopes inward towards a large,

octagonal iron culvert. As we watch, a section of the

culvert rises, a pair of RED EYES peering out from the

darkness within.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - STAIRCASE - NIGHT

Blade follows Nyssa up a narrow staircase into a corridor

lined with gangrenous, peeling wallpaper. Some of the room

doors are shut, some open. Clearly, many are occupied.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - KITCHEN - NIGHT

A 1930s industrial kitchen filled with corroded equipment.

Reinhardt, Verlaine, and Lighthammer work their way inward,

searching the area. Lighthammer carries massive war hammer

like his namesake.

Reinhardt nods to Verlaine, who opens a walk-in, shining her

entry light over an assortment of rusting meat hooks.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - FIRST CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Blade checks more doorways, catching half-glimpses of FLESH,

LEATHER, and STEEL. He hears SOBBING, MOANS, WHISPERS.

Then, a distinctly HUMAN WHIMPER catches his attention.

Nyssa opens a door onto an empty room. A vacant stainless

steel examination table gleams in the center, waiting.

Blade pushes open another door. We SEE a fearful YOUNG WOMAN

crouching in the corner of a soiled room. A corpulent

VAMPIRE in a leather apron is hosing down the floor.

CORPULENT VAMPIRE

Close the f***ing door, buddy.

Blade makes eye-contact with the woman. She's clearly human.

Blade tenses. The corpulent vampire is getting irate when --

CORPULENT VAMPIRE (CONT'D)

I said, close the f--

THUNK! Blade throws a sliver stake into the vampire's

forehead. Even as the vampire turns to ash, Blade motions

for the girl to leave and we're out the hallway again, Nyssa

turning around.

NYSSA:

What was that?

BLADE:

(poker-faced)

Nothing.

We SEE the woman duck out the room behind him.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - KITCHEN - NIGHT

Reinhardt, Verlaine, and Lighthammer. A Styrofoam cup rolls

across the floor, blown by a breeze. Reinhardt pauses,

notices another walk-in freezer door ajar, moves in that

direction.

Unseen behind them, a door BEHIND THEM slowly swings open.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - BALLROOM - NIGHT

Chupa, Asad, Snowman and Priest. THREE SHADOWED FIGURES are

lurking near one of the exits -- skinhead types, each with a

hairline scar running down their chin.

Asad silently motions to snowman and the others, indicating

figures. Snowman signs something back. The vampire trio

starts towards them.

INT. OPERATIONS VAN - NIGHT

Bored to sh*t, Scud plucks a joint from behind his ear. As

he fires up his woman torso lighter we HEAR SOMETHING just

outside the van. Scud kills the Barry White, listening.

Silence. Then, a FAINT SKITTERING.

SCUD:

Um, Whistler, you out there?

No response.

SCUD (CONT'D)

(more urgently)

Whistler?

Still no response. Scud reaches for a handgun and creeps

into the front of the van. He looks out the windshield --

nothing. He looks left, then right - nothing.

Unnerved, Scud returns to the back of the van. He reaches

for the handle of the rear door and abruptly jerks the door

open, aiming the gun out --

There's nothing outside the van. But then Scud hears the

SKITTERING AGAIN. His eyes shift apprehensively to the floor

of the van below him.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - FIRST CORRIDOR - NIGHT

As they near the end of the hall, Blade notices a drop-down

attic door in the ceiling above. He unsheathes his sword and

uses the tip to unlatch the trapdoor. The counter-weighted

door CREAKS and LOWERS, unfolding a sectioned ladder. We see

darkness beyond. As Blade cautiously mounts the stairs --

Nyssa's attention is drawn to a billowing piece of vinyl. A

BLURRY FIGURE is visible behind it. Then it moves away.

Nyssa ducks past the vinyl.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - BALLROOM - NIGHT

As the music reaches a crescendo, Asad notices MORE SHADOWY

FIGURES by another exit. And even MORE by a third. Snowman

signs to Asad again, more urgently this time, as the first

potential Reaper begins to turn and we are --

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