Queen of the Damned Page #11

55.

76 CONTINUED:
76

ROGER:

We'll be here for what?

you think?

A week

LESTAT:

Well... I wouldn't unpack if I

were you.

ROGER:

(sighs)

Right... the... girls you askedfor. They're in the guest wing.

Ah.

LESTAT:

Yes.

Lestat gazes at the door, pensive.

ROGER:

Do you want me to take them homelater?

Lestat smiles at the clumsy attempt to protect the girls.

LESTAT:

No, thank you, Roger. I'll make

sure they're taken care of.

Roger nods, trying to hide his nervousness.

smiles...

Lestat

77 INT. LESTAT'S GUEST WING - SOON AFTER 77

CAMERA MOVES OUT INTO the lavish room TOWARD the two

girls who are now dreamy, floating with the effect of thejoint they are smoking. REVEAL Lestat as he approachesthe girls. Looking up, they smile childishly at theirhost, then fall about laughing.

LESTAT:

I don't think we've met.

GROUPIE #1

Oh my God... It's really you,

isn't it?

GROUPIE #2

We want to be your slaves.

LESTAT:

Of course you do.

He smiles. She offers a joint.

(CONTINUED)

56.

77 CONTINUED:
77

GROUPIE #1

Want some?

Lestat calmly shakes his head.

GROUPIE #1

Want me?

Circling the couches, he just smiles.

GROUPIE #1

You hungry?

LESTAT:

I'm always hungry.

GROUPIE #1

We've got the munchies? You gotany food?

LESTAT:

Vampires don't eat... food.

The girls laugh nervously. Lestat laughs dangerously...

GROUPIE #1

You hungry for something else?

She opens her legs provocatively. Pacing across theroom, he stands before the girls. He curls his fingeraround the first groupie's hair when a shadow crosseshis face.

LESTAT:

Mine eyes dazzle, she died so

young.

GROUPIE #1

Huh?

LESTAT:

It's a very old poem of mine.

Losing enthusiasm, Lestat walks away and drops himselfonto a couch. With a clap of his hands, the TV switchesON. He silently watches one of his video clips.

The girls glance at each other, then, giggling, crawlover toward Lestat. Groupie #1 slides her hand slowlyup his leg.

GROUPIE #1

C'mon, don't you want to havesome fun?

(CONTINUED)

57.

77 CONTINUED:
(2) 77

She reaches for his belt. But he recoils at the touch

and slides off the couch onto the floor with grace.

LESTAT:

Don't do that.

GROUPIE #1

(giggling)

Are you ticklish?

LESTAT:

(deadpan)

I'm very ticklish.

The Second Groupie giggles as well...

GROUPIE #2

Hey, you ever been tickled by fourhands at once? Hey, can you takeboth us, Lestat? What'd'ya think?

And at once they both start after Lestat on all foursto tickle him. He gazes at them, torn, then laughs at thesight and gets down on...

All fours as well as he leads them around the room in a

childish game.

LESTAT:

I don't know. Let's see.

They try to tickle him but he stays just a few feet ahead ofthem the whole time. The girls giggle as they pursue...

Lestat crawling just ahead of them across the floorand... Up the wall. The teenagers keep giggling as theywatch him ascend the wall like a spider. They can'tbelieve what they're seeing as...

Lestat reaches the wall's top and now crawls upside-downacross the ceiling. The girls begin to giggle and half-cry...

as they arch their necks all the way back to see...

Lestat crawling down the opposite wall. The girls sitopen-mouthed with terror as Lestat reaches the ground!-

He heads straight for them.

The girls begin to scream... SCREAMS CONTINUE OVER...

BLACKNESS.

58.

78 INT. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME 78

CLOSE ON Jesse, her face bright, walking quietly, talkingintensely on a cell phone.

JESSE:

You're right, David.

has everything in it.

The journal

TALBOT (V.O.)

I knew you'd appreciate itsscientific significance.

JESSE:

David, listen...

(struggles a moment)

I'm going to Los Angeles for the

concert.

What?

TALBOT (V.O.)

You are not! I forbid it.

JESSE:

David, I... I talked to him...

Look I'm sorry. But I... I have

to see what's out there with my

own eyes. I'm onto something. I

just don't know what yet... I haveto find out...

79 INT. STUDY - ON TALBOT 79

Holding the phone, stunned.

intensely, his face grave.

He leans forward, speaks

TALBOT:

Jesse, you listen to me very, verycarefully now. You are no longerseeing things clearly. Your

emotions are clouding things.

80 BACK TO JESSE 80

JESSE:

It's not emotion. It's

instinct... I'll return when I

have my findings. Good-bye.

TALBOT (V.O.)

(angry)

Jesse, wait!

She hangs up. Can't quite believe what she's doing.

REVEAL Jesse is heading for a boarding gate at Heathrowairport. She hands over the ticket, boards the plane.

59.

81 DAVID TALBOT 81

in his inner sanctum. He looks at all the paintings.

His neat, protected world. It's as if Marius is tauntinghim. He slams his fist down in fury. Stares at the

rising dust.

82 INT. PLANE - NIGHT 82

Jesse puts on headphones, listens to LESTAT'S MUSIC.

she opens the journal, LESTAT'S MUSIC DISSOLVES INTOVIOLIN...

As

83 FLASHBACK - INT. VILLA - BEDROOM - LESTAT 83

Lestat standing alone in the bedroom in a deep reverie,

playing the violin, with incredible passion.

His playing picks up speed, the bow bending across thestrings with a maestro's speed and precision.

LESTAT (V.O.)

Yes, Marius was impressed with mythirst for knowledge... But it

turned out that there was such a

thing as knowing too much. There

were things Marius was not yetready to teach me... and Mariusand I parted ways.

Suddenly, the bow flies out of his hand and slides acrossthe floor, jamming itself under an old bookcase. Lestat

comes out of his spell, walks across the room to thebookcase, bends down to cleave the bow out from under it.

Having difficulty, he pushes back an old rug on the floorwhen he sees something...

Carved into one of the floorboards is an Egyptian eyewith a hole dug out of its iris. Stepping aside, herealizes he is standing on a manhole. A beat ON Lestat

as he thinks... Poking his finger through the hole of theEgyptian eye, he lifts the manhole to reveal a steep setof steps leading down into the villa's basement.

LESTAT:

Marius!

No answer. Lestat looks around wondering what to do.

Taking a candelabra off the table, he ventures down thestairs, peering down into the darkness.

60.

84 INT. MARIUS'S VILLA - SECRET STAIRCASE - NIGHT 84

Lestat negotiates a circling flight of stone steps,

winding its way into the lowest bowels of the villa,

still carrying his violin.

85 INT. MARIUS'S VILLA - UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAY 85

Lestat finds himself facing a steeply descendingpassageway that stretches into darkness. He tests the

stones ahead of him with caution...

Suddenly, the sconces along the passageway come tolife... In quick succession, they flare up and burn withan unnatural intensity. Lestat, struck with curiosityand wonder, puts down his candelabra and ventures forth.

We FOLLOW Lestat as he rounds the corner and stops.

There is an open foyer area leading to two great woodendoors, held firm by a tree-sized carved wooden bolt thatbars the doors shut from the outside.

Suddenly, the BOLT flies up and SPLINTERS with aSHRIEKING CRACK. The doors fly open revealing a brightlight from within... Lestat, apprehensive, continuestowards the open doorway.

86 INT. SANCTUARY - CONTINUOUS ACTION 86

Lestat enters, squinting through the bright light fromscores of burning sconces. At the far end of the

sanctuary Lestat makes out the shape of two statues,

an Egyptian man and an Egyptian woman sitting stonestill, seemingly staring straight at him, AKASHA andher King, ENKIL. We recognize Akasha from the sketchesin Talbot's office. Stepping closer, they appear not tobe statues at all but rather alabaster humans with the

palest skin imaginable. His eyes widen at the sight oftheir clothes -- the most valuable Egyptian finery;

bracelets of gold, headdresses of incredible gems,

clothes of silk. Staring up into their faces, Lestatis struck with the realization...

LESTAT:

They're... alive.

Lestat is drawn to the woman -- her form and beauty isexquisite even in its absolute stillness. As if this

statue had just asked him to play, Lestat holds out hisviolin.

LESTAT:

Would you like me to play for you?

(CONTINUED)

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