Interview with the Vampire Page #8

Louis stares past her at the dead mother.

(CONTINUED)

40.

CONTINUED:

Instinctively, he gathers the child to him, protectively,

looking back at the spectacle of the mother's faceswarming with ants.

Claudia chokes and sobs against his shoulder.

He turns her face upward looking at her, stricken withpity, and then the hunger glazes his eyes. Her cryingbecomes louder yet ever more distant, and we see onlyher beauty, her cheek, her throat.

Louis closes his eyes, hand touching her throat, andslowly he bends to kiss it, and then we see his fangs forone instant as he eases them into the flesh.

The CRYING DIES away as Louis goes into the swoon.

Gradually another sound replaces it.

LESTAT'S LAUGHTER, GROWING LOUDER AND LOUDER and more

distinct.

Suddenly, Louis breaks away, caught redhanded, the childin his arms. He sees Lestat laughing in the doorway,

pointing at him, slapping his knee, and laughing again.

LESTAT:

Ah, my philosopher, my martyr.

'Never take a human life again.'

Well, really, you must admit it'sterribly funny. Or is it merelytouching? I'm not sure.

Louis stares down at the unconscious Claudia in horror,

then lets her slip gently into a chair. Shamefully hewipes at his mouth, sees the streak of blood on the backof his hand, and the tiny wounds on her throat.

Lestat rushes past him. He snatches up the dead motherfrom the bed, and begins to dance with her in greatcircles, humming and talking. Her head falls back.

Black water flows from her mouth.

LESTAT:

Well, let's make a party of itshall we? The child's still alive,

Louis. Look at her, you've leftsome life in her, and some blood

too.

Louis flees into the street.

Lestat runs behind him.

(CONTINUED)

41.

CONTINUED:

Men with cart of corpses pass by, peering into eachhouse.

LESTAT:

Come back, Louis. Come back. It's

only your vampire nature.

Louis runs. Lestat follows taunting him.

LESTAT:

Louis, do you want me to go backfor her?

Louis scales a wall and runs from rooftop to rooftop,

Lestat following him easily, dancing alongside of him.

LESTAT:

Oh, come on, it's not so veryshameful! She'd have died of the

plague if you hadn't taken her.

Oh, Merciful Death, how you dolove your precious guilt.

Louis turns on Lestat and attacks him with all his

strength. They fight, Louis again and again assaultingbravely, Lestat easily blocking the blows.

Finally Lestat's hand rises.

BLACKNESS.

INT. INN

Window open to the setting sun. Night comes over thecity.

A maid enters, puts a lighted candle on the table.

Full darkness outside.

CUT TO:

LESTAT AND LOUIS

seated by the candle. Lestat is talking.

LESTAT:

What can I tell you? How can I

make you understand?

LOUIS:

Talk to me. Where did you comefrom? How did it happen with you?

DISSOLVE TO:

42.

EXT. LESTAT'S CASTLE IN AUVERGNE (FRANCE 18TH CENTURY)

Snow storm.

LESTAT (V.O.)

We were country lords. Proud,

penniless, the old order who neverwent to Paris to wait hand and foot

upon the king. If I didn't hunt, we

starved in our ancestral castle.

INT. GREAT HALL

Three tradesmen from the village stand with platters ofhot food before --

Lestat, a crudely dressed Robin Hood style lord, dappledwith snow, walks in with two slain wild rabbits over his

shoulder. Stops, sees the laden table, and acknowledgesthe tradesmen with a bow.

LESTAT (V.O.)

(bitterly)

Unless the villagers fed us,

bringing their gifts of roast pigand wine, as if they were tributesand not charity to keep us alive.

CLOSE ON GABRIELLE

at nearby hearth in much mended and faded finery. Pale,

obviously ill.

Lestat approaches her, lays down the game, and thenkisses her on the mouth.

Lestat and GABRIELLE gesture for the tradesmen to placethe food on the table, and we see -

LESTAT'S FATHER

blind, dignified, seated at the table, making a grandoisegesture of acceptance as the villagers back away. Two

brothers also watch stiffly and uncomfortably, giving thevillagers nods of thanks.

Lestat leaves with the villagers, talking together,

escorting them to the doors. They talk.

LESTAT (V.O.)

And when a pack of wolves beganterrifying the villagers, it wasI who had to hunt and kill them.

I was the only one left who couldsit a horse, the only Lord whocould hunt our ancestral lands.

43.

CLOSE ON BLIND FATHER

groping for cup of wine. Two brothers begin to dine aswell.

EXT. SNOW-COVERED VALLEY

Lestat, in crude garments, with crude weapons -- flail,

old broad sword, musket in its belt, flintlock rifle -rides

his mare through the deep snow. Behind him plodtwo giant mastiffs with spiked collars.

LESTAT:

(singing)

Come out, brother wolf. I'm

waiting. I'm waiting for you all.

Whistles as he rides on, enjoying wind and blue sky.

Two wolves appear, rushing from the dark woods towardshim.

Lestat is galvanized, takes aim with FLINTLOCK RIFLE andbrings one down as the other charges and kills one dog.

Lestat has no time to reload. He aims the MUSKET, wounds

the wolf, but the dog is dead. Then to his horror -

Three more wolves suddenly come running from far ahead.

LESTAT (V.O.)

It was an ambush. They are suchclever animals. And I should have

known. I'd hunted them before.

Lestat fights at the wolves with his sword, killing athird, as the other one attacks and kills his other dog.

The wounded wolf and the last of the five come back,

charging him, striking his horse, and wounding thehorse's hind quarters so that it falls.

Lestat slips out of the saddle. He grabs the flail fromhis belt. He strikes the wounded wolf and kills it. The

last wolf, very canny, merely watches him.

Lestat looks at the nearby forest. It's too far. The

branches are too high. Nevertheless he backs towards

it, staring down the wolf who begins to pace.

Lestat turns and starts to run. The wolf chases.

Lestat pivots and rams the sword right through the wolf'sthroat. In exhaustion he collapses, arm over the warmbody of the wolf, staring back at...

(CONTINUED)

44.

CONTINUED:

His HORSE emitting terrible WHINNIES as it tries to standup but cannot.

LESTAT (V.O.)

How did I slain the entire pack?

Another man might have lost hislife then. It seemed the greatestvictory, but afterwards it cameto mean so much more.

Lestat reloads his MUSKET and executes his horse.

Bitter. Heartbroken.

INT. GREAT HALL

with table and fire.

Lestat and Gabrielle greet THREE VILLAGERS. Villagerspresent Lestat with beautiful red velvet cloak lined withwolf fur.

VILLAGER #1

From the wolves, my lord, thoseyou slew with your own hand.

LESTAT:

Thank you, Antoine, thank you all.

Lestat turns, sees four villagers filling the table withmeat and drink.

As villagers leave, Lestat slumps into a huge medievalstyle chair by the fire.

Gabrielle comes to him. He rises, but she bids him to

stay seated and she sits on the broad arm of the chair.

He is alarmed at her pale appearance. He goes to kissher. She pushes him away.

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