Blade II Page #15

Priest lets loose an agonized SCREAM as Blade and the others

gather around him. He's undergoing a horrific change, taking

on the gaunt, vein-engorged features of a proper Reaper. He

SNARLS and WAILS, GNASHING his teeth like a rabid animal.

Reinhardt and his team look uneasy. Shaken by their

teammate's downward progression.

BLADE:

how long since he was bitten?

NYSSA:

Minutes.

Blade draws closer. Already, the flesh on Priest's chin is

splitting as a seam begins to form.

BLADE:

It's already changing him --

Reinhardt paces, annoyed by Priest's WAILING.

REINHARDT:

Jesus, can't you get him to shut the

f*** up!?

NYSSA:

(gravely)

His blood cells aren't producing oxygen

anymore. His own body is suffocating

him. These things are like crack

addicts. If they don't feed every few

hours, they'll feed on themselves.

As if in response, Priest starts convulsing. His flesh

tightens, drawing taut around his increasingly skeletal form.

His screams become unbearable, twisting into a high-pitched

ululation that's making the Bloodpack's skin crawl.

REINHARDT:

Somebody put him out of his misery for

f***'s sake!

VERLAINE:

You kill him! I'm not killing him!

Asad pulls out his handgun and empties the clip into Priest's

body -- but Priest keeps SHRIEKING.

Unnerved, Reinhardt unsheathes a machete, decapitating Priest

even as the others protest.

The headless body continues thrashing, still making noise

from it's open throat! If anything, it seems to be

redoubling its efforts. It LURCHES forward, jerking itself

free from Chupa and Snowman's restraining arms.

CHUPA:

Mierda!!

The juddering horror that used to be Priest staggers to its

feet. Reinhardt and his men panic, stumbling backwards. The

headless monstrosity LUNGES STRAIGHT AT --

BLADE:

Without batting an eye, he draws his MACH pistol, briefly

aiming at the on-rushing creature's chest, then adjusting his

aim to one of the blacked-out windows above and behind it.

BAM!BAM!BAM! Blade shoots out the window and BLAZING SHAFT

OF SUNLIGHT slices down through the darkness, spotlighting

Priest like an ant beneath a magnifying glass.

FWASH!!! The headless body is incinerated in mid-step. It

collapses to the floor, just inches before Blade. One of its

blackened claws feebly grabs Blade's boot, then grows still.

Beat. You could hear the pin drop in the silence that

follows, every one of the Bloodpack thinking some variation

of "there but for the grace of God go I". Asad lays a hand

on Nyssa's shoulder, steadying her.

Blade shifts his foot, causing the cinder-like hand gripping

his boot to crumble to dust.

WHISTLER (O.S.)

If this is the best you turd-stains have

to offer, I'm not impressed.

Blade looks over to see Whistler, who is just entering. He

moves over to him, angry. Chupa follows, equally pissed.

BLADE:

I thought you were supposed to be

watching our backs.

WHISTLER:

Ran into a little Reaper trouble myself.

CHUPA:

(approaching, hostile)

Oh yeah? Like how little? In case you

hadn't noticed, we lost two men while

you were out farting around.

WHISTLER:

(poking Chupa in the chest)

You need to ratchet those 'nads of yours

down a few notches, paco.

Chupa flushes with anger and flicks his knife across

Whistler's shoulder, opening a gash. Whistler goes ballistic

and PUNCHES Chupa in the face. A brief tussle ensues before

Blade and the others can separate them. As Chupa is pulled

away by Asad, he looks back at Whistler.

CHUPA:

Listen, hillbilly, you are a c*nt-hair

away from cowboy heaven.

WHISTLER:

Ain't no thing but a chicken wing,

buttercup.

BLADE:

(still suspicious)

Where were you, Whistler?

WHISTLER:

I'll show you.

INT. HOUSE OF PAIN - DRAINAGE AREA - CONTINUOUS

Whistler, Blade and the surviving members of the Bloodpack

are now gathered around the octagonal iron culvert just

beneath the ballroom. Whistler turns on a flashlight. We

HEAR something moving in the darkness. The group tenses,

then Whistler's flashlight beam reveals --

A REAPER:

Cowering by the culvert. One we recognize. The other

vampire guard from the bloodbank, now transformed. He's

shrunken and emaciated, pale. And although he's obviously

dying, he still HISSES, his fanged mouth snapping

ineffectually at them. His arm has been trapped -- pinned

under one of the sectional culvert coverings. It looks like

he's been trying to gnaw it off in order to escape.

REINHARDT:

What the hell?

WHISTLER:

I found him like this. I think he was

trying to crawl back into that culvert.

Blade looks to the culvert in question. He pulls back one of

the sectioned covers. The opening is about two feet wide,

just large enough for a man to gain access.

INT. SEWER/OUTFLOW AREA - CONTINUOUS

Rate this script:5.0 / 2 votes