Queen of the Damned Page #7

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LESTAT:

Who are you? Do I know you?

MARIUS:

I'm unknowable by nature.

Marius advances again on the young man...

MARIUS:

But you may call me Marius.

As Lestat keeps weakly dragging himself away.

LESTAT:

I'm the lord of a great manor.

They'll send an army of men tolook for me.

MARIUS:

I doubt they'll find you,

Lord De Lioncourt. You're a longway from home...

His strength leaving him, Lestat slumps flat on thefloor.

MARIUS:

You're weak... near passing. I

can barely hear your heartbeat.

LESTAT:

I'll kill you!

Marius smiles, impressed.

MARIUS:

You really do fear nothing. It is

why I chose you. Because youthink things are possible whicharen't possible...

Lestat stares at him, his eyes wide.

LESTAT:

Chose me? For what?

MARIUS:

My companion. Someone to share myburden.

Bending down, he gazes at Lestat.

MARIUS:

You've lost a great deal of blood.

(CONTINUED)

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LESTAT:

(near tears)

I'm dying.

Suddenly Marius draws a knife from a Roman sheath on hisbelt. With the last of his strength, Lestat grabs hisattacker's wrist.

MARIUS:

Then drink.

Guiding Lestat's hand with the knife, Marius smiles andcuts his own arm, opening his veins. Lestat stares in

true terror as Marius lets his blood drip onto Lestat'slip. Lestat pulls away as the blood slides into hismouth...

MARIUS:

Good, is it not?

And indeed... it does taste good. That's the new terror

that's gripping him. He crosses himself and stares upinto Marius's gentle eyes. Marius bends down, cupsLestat's chin.

MARIUS:

Drink and live. You've been brave

enough for one night, my son.

Marius brings his open vein to Lestat's lips. Lestat

hesitates, but then suddenly... Feeds hungrily asMarius's face fills with the bond. He slowly sinksdown to his knees as Lestat feeds and feeds. As

Lestat drinks, a barrage of IMAGES flood into him...

52 IMAGES 52

of Marius's life through the ages... Impressionistic,

subliminal burst of IMAGES, color... the glory days ofthe Roman Empire to this very moment flash by...

53 BACK TO LESTAT 53

He keeps drinking from the vampire Marius who gasps withthe creation of his child.

MARIUS:

Drink... drink and learn.

Lestat's body grows stronger, his back arching up as hedraws the "life" into him with full force, as... Marius

begins to weaken, himself.

(CONTINUED)

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MARIUS:

There... there... that will do.

But Lestat keeps on feeding hungrily.

MARIUS:

No... no more. Lestat, no more!

With one great move, Marius pulls Lestat off his arm andtosses him across the floor twenty feet away. Marius

reels back, clamping his open vein with his hand asLestat curls on the ground, gasping ecstatically from therush.

Slowly, Lestat starts to feel something. Pain beginstravelling through his body, consuming him until he

screams. Marius crosses to Lestat convulsing on thefloor. He kneels and gently wipes his brow. Lestat's

body thrashes as he grabs at his own limbs...

MARIUS:

Don't be afraid, it's only yourbody that dies...

Wiping his brow as he dies...

Then, Lestat's face still buried in his arms, he beginsto laugh almost drunkenly. Raising his head, hismetamorphosis is clear as his face pales and his eyesfill with a new kind of power.

More!

LESTAT:

Lestat smiles with red glistening lips.

as he slowly smiles, too.

A beat on Marius

54 EXT. BEACH - NIGHT 54

A million stars...

LESTAT (V.O.)

I impressed my maker with mythirst for things. He set out to

educate me in the unknown. Taughtme all about the world, its hidden

history... and about myself.

TILT DOWN to reveal an old fisherman who cries out as

Lestat bites into his throat. Marius watches as the

fisherman's body relaxes. He pulls Lestat away.

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MARIUS:

That's enough, my son... When youfeed, you must hold back from themoment of death. You must never

take the last drop, or it willdraw you in and you will die...

The fisherman is moaning. Looking down at the sufferingvictim, Marius swiftly snaps his neck and dumps him intoa boat. He picks up an oar, and with vampire strength,

drives it like a stake through the bottom of the boat.

Water starts bubbling in.

MARIUS:

Remember, there is wisdom in the

flesh, Lestat. A man wears his

history on his skin...

Marius feels Lestat's gaze, turns to him.

MARIUS:

I'm talking about humanity.

As Lestat watches the water begin to fill the bottomof the boat...

Humanity?

(snort)

We're murderers.

LESTAT:

MARIUS:

We're more than that. Their blood

that we take into us carries with

it life... their life, their

knowledge, their complexity.

Appreciate your prey, Lestat.

Marius gazes at the fisherman, then, with vampirestrength, shoves the boat far out into the ocean.

55 EXT. BEACH - NIGHT 55

Below the brightest of summer night skies, Lestat andMarius walk along, talking intensely. The ocean appearsto shimmer in the faint light of stars. In the distance,

several bonfires burn on the sand, dancing figuresgathered around.

(CONTINUED)

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LESTAT (V.O.)

My senses run amok, like a newbornchild. And as for my new powers,

I was beside myself with thepleasure of it all...

MARIUS:

The trick is to find the way toface eternity head on. The

spirit can be annihilated byboredom just as the body can bedestroyed by sun or fire. Mysolace, my delight, is witnessingthe unfolding of human destiny...

Lestat gazes at Marius's eyes dancing with intellectualfervor. As they walk, they pass a group of teenagers,

just younger than Lestat, at a bonfire, dancing, laughing.

Lestat gazes over at them as he and Marius pass, hiddenin shadow.

MARIUS:

... From Christ to the Dark Agesto the enlightenment, I've neverbeen able to divine what was coming.

That's what keeps me going -- Ican't wait to see what human

beings are going to do next...

Lestat nods, taking it in. They pass another bonfire.

MUSIC floats through the night. An OLDER MAN, 50, playsbalalaika while his daughter, 18, plays violin with greatpassion.

MARIUS:

Who could've predicted theEnlightenment? Or Hannibal and his

elephants?

Marius stops talking, turns. Lestat is no longer besidehim. Marius turns back and sees Lestat standing in theshadows, listening to the music. The young woman, sensingsomething, turns towards Lestat in the shadows as sheplays. Marius goes to Lestat, pulls him farther into theshadows.

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