Conscience
Page 19
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTER FOR THE HEALING ARTS – NIGHT
With Maggie, inside the news van, getting the view from the various cameras on tape. The demon lights look intense on video, and the parade looks surreal behind it.
Suddenly, the candles of the sacred circle flare up in sequence: shooting LINES of WHITE LIGHT from the heart of the Center to the outermost circle.
Then SURROUNDING – section by section – the perimeter of the circle with a GREAT WALL OF BRILLIANT WHITE LIGHT.
ANGLE – THE GATE
As it seemingly SWINGS OPEN BY ITSELF, much to the amazement of the Feds. Even the Astounding Rodney is looking nervous.
PANKOW
(pushing forward)
Come on, goddami…!
Suddenly, he is BEING SHOVED BACKWARDS by something invisible. The men behind him stagger as well. Then the WALL OF LIGHT ENGULFS THE GATE, leaving a slightly-paler PORTAL framed in the GATEWAY. Its light stuns the Feds, the Astounding Rodney, the cops, the protesters, and everybody else.
It also illuminates the THREE FIGURES suddenly standing before the Feds, spirit-sabers gleaming.
They are Liney, Kineda, and Johnny Death.
CASTLE
(grinning)
YES!
CUT TO:
EXT. MAIN STREET – NIGHT
As VANCE and Weez run screaming out through the cemetery gates. Heading straight downhill, toward the parade.
With all the HORDES OF HELL behind them.
ANGLE – THE FRONT OF THE PARADE
As the people in the marching band and floats begin to scream…
…and Vance and Weez hit the sidewalk, pushing frantically through the crowd…
…and the HORDES OF HELL slam into the parade head on, TAKING OUT THE MAJORETTES AND MARCHING BAND. On their way to the first float.
On the float is a bevy of SCREAMING BEAUTY QUEENS. Suddenly, HALF OF THEM TRANSFORM INTO GRINNING DEMONS who instantly turn on their companions.
The crowd flips out, begins to panic and flee. At the lead are VANCE and WEEZ, still keeping just ahead of the hordes.
ANGLE – VANCE AND WEEZ
Starting with their POV of the CIRCLE OF LIGHT, glowing like a beacon from ten blocks ahead. Then looking at each other. Then looking back at the hordes, becoming legions. Whole city blocks appear to be BURNING back there, as the mayhem spreads.
WEEZ
JEEEEEEEESUS CHRIIIIIIIIIST…!!!
VANCE
Fuck that! Keep running!
ANGLE – THE MAYOR’S PLATFORM
As Mayor “Bob” Dobbstown smiles and waves, the GRIN LITERALLY SPREADING ACROSS HIS FACE until it seems that he’s all teeth, eyes, and politically-correct hair.
He has the SEVERED HEAD of D.A. Raymire on the podium before him, and the bunting is sprayed with blood.
MAYOR “BOB” DOBBSTOWN
(with conviction)
I love a parade.
To either side of him, the cheesy Halloween decorations that dangle from the lightpoles are coming to life: MASKED DUMMIES filling with malevolent spirit, PULLING THEMSELVES DOWN to mingle with the parade.
ANGLE – THE GATE
Where Johnny’s forces face off against the law, while Hell is eight blocks away and closing.
PANKOW
(desperately)
You call them off! Now!
Johnny just looks at him. Castle starts laughing.
PANKOW
(flipping out)
YOU CALL THEM OFF!
At his cue, the panicky cops and Feds draw their guns, Pankow aiming directly at Johnny’s face.
PANKOW (CONT.)
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE…!
Johnny just stands there. Pankow fires. The BULLET GOES RIGHT THROUGH JOHNNY, disappears into the light.
Pankow freaks, empties the gun at Johnny, who comes striding up to him. The rest just stare as the bullets whistle through.
JOHNNY KNOCKS PANKOW FLAT WITH ONE PUNCH.
Behind them, HELL COMES CLOSER.
JOHNNY DEATH
(to the others)
You got about thirty seconds to decide which side you’re on.
ANGLE – REBECCA
She is struggling through the crowd, which is dying all around her. She pushes further, falls, and in from behind comes Florence: now frantic and dappled with blood.
FLORENCE
REBECCA!!!
REBECCA
MOM?
Florence gets knocked down by a FLEEING MOTHER, whose CRADLED BABY TURNS DEMONIC: reaching up with long razored talons to slice the mother’s head in half. Florence and Rebecca struggle to their feet, push forward maybe fifteen feet, past dead mom and demon child…
…just in time to see LEVON JUDGE TRANSFORM into an ULTIMATE DEMONIC JUDGE: red-eyed and hatchet-faced. Righteousness mutated into Unholiness.
Directly before them.
DEMON LEVON
Do you believe? DO YOU BELIEVE?
FLORENCE
(terrified)
Y-YES!
DEMON LEVON
Then BELIEVE IN ME!
And suddenly, HALF THE PROTESTERS TRANSFORM into hideous creatures, much to the horror of their fellow parishioners.
This includes the horrible Loretta, who stands at her monstrous husband’s side: the same BLACK-EYED GRINNING DEMON-THING from before. Levon reaches for Florence as Rebecca tries to pull her back.
Suddenly, LEVON’S HAND IS HACKED OFF by a slash from Johnny’s sword. Levon screams and falls back, horrified.
Rebecca and Johnny lock eyes for a moment: hers full of love, his full of pain.
Then a DOZEN DEMONS DESCEND ON JOHNNY. Instantly, Liney and Kineda are at his side. And the fight begins.
Florence grabs Rebecca and starts to drag her toward the gate. A dozen terrified protesters follow suit. Most of them are grabbed up by demons before they get more than six feet. The rest start running with all their strength.
Meanwhile, Levon steps back, hissing, his STUMP SPURTING DEMON GOO. Loretta clings to his side.
As Johnny, Liney and Kineda take on wave after wave of KAMIKAZE DEMONS with dazzling style and brutal efficiency.
ANGLE – VANCE AND WEEZ
Three blocks away now, and closing fast, with the HELL-HORDES keeping pace. The crush of their onslaught is squeezing the remaining living humans in the crowd toward the gate.
As the HORDES OF HELL keep coming, growing in number, we notice that ONE OUT OF THREE PEOPLE IN THE CROWD are suddenly BEING POSSESSED and transforming demonically.
ANGLE – THE GATE
Where Castle stands, surrounded by terrified cops and Feds. He is waving people through the portal, watching them hit the light and DISAPPEAR THROUGH IT.
CASTLE
(shouting)
GO! GO! GO!
Rebecca and Florence rush past him, disappear into the light. Castle looks back at the mayhem descending upon them, swallows hard.
CASTLE (CONT.)
Holy mother of God…
ANGLE – JOHNNY DEATH, LINEY, & KINEDA
Still fighting the SEEMINGLY-ENDLESS HORDE OF MONSTERS. You can see that they’re getting tired, and there is no end in sight. They begin to FALL BACK IN FORMATION, still fighting.
DEMON LEVON
You think you can escape Judgment? You think you can run from the One True God who has come down to punish the guilty?
Levon points to the cemetery on the hill, with a look of ferocious triumph.
DEMON LEVON (CONT.)
LOOK YE UPON THE MOUNTAINTOP, AND SEE THE FACE OF YOUR DESTROYER!
ANGLE – THE CEMETERY
As the PILLARS OF DEMON LIGHT COALESCE into a SINGLE MASSIVE COLUMN OF ICY BLUE LIGHT, chilling in its intensity. Note that the trees, tombstones, and grass are suddenly FREEZING OVER.
ANGLE – JOHNNY DEATH
As the shadow of dread passes over his face.
He and his comrades pick up their pace, while Levon and Loretta laugh and laugh.
<
br /> ANGLE – VANCE AND WEEZ
Off the sidewalk now, heading straight across the plaza on their way to the gate. There is less than thirty yards between them and the gate, less than twenty more between them and the full brunt of Hell.
Weez is faltering, but he will not stop. Vance pulls slightly ahead. We see a DOZEN PEOPLE disappear into the light, while Castle and the cops hustle them in.
Vance pours it on, racing into the light…
…and SLAMMING DEAD AGAINST IT.
It’s like hitting a brick wall. He STAGGERS BACK, dazed, and whirls around, just as a LITTLE OLD LADY moves past him and disappears through the door.
Then Weez is coming, moving past him, heading for the portal as well.
VANCE
WEEZ…!!!
Weez stops, HALF IN AND HALF OUT OF THE LIGHT, and just looks at him for a moment, then disappears inside.
Leaving Vance exiled outside SANCTUARY, with nowhere left to run.
ANGLE – JOHNNY DEATH
Coming up within shouting distance of Castle, ten feet away.
JOHNNY DEATH
GET YOUR MEN INSIDE! NOW!!!
Castle nods and turns to his men…
…as ONE BY ONE, they begin to TRANSFORM, until only he, Agent Pankow, the Bad Cop and a half-dozen others are left. The Bad Cop is stunned to see his GOOD COP PARTNER turn MONSTROUS AND GLEEFUL. It is the last thing the Bad Cop ever sees.
ANOTHER COP DEMON GRABS VANCE, who is body-slamming himself against the light. Vance screams as the Cop Demon tears a chunk off his left arm, then starts BEATING THE DEMON’S FACE IN.
CASTLE
FUCK!
He hustles to the light, covered by Johnny, Liney, and Kineda, who hold back the last wave of demons in the last ten feet before the HELLISH TIDAL WAVE HITS.
Pankow pulls himself to his feet just as Castle disappears. Johnny & Co. are two feet behind him. Pankow races for the gate…
…then HITS the LIGHT, and BOUNCES OFF as well.
PANKOW
HEY!
Pankow stares at Castle, dimly visible on the other side.
PANKOW
(desperately)
Wait…!
Behind him, a DEMON FED sneaks up and takes a CHUNK OUT OF KINEDA. KINEDA HOWLS and spins, lashing out with his sword and BEHEADING THE DEMON. But the damage is done.
Liney catches him as he begins to fall, drags him into the light.
Pankow tries to get through again, to no avail. Vance slams against the light beside him, the Cop Demon clawing his back.
Johnny pushes between them, steps half in and half out, looks at Pankow and Vance and the FULL BRUNT OF HELL.
Then disappears into the light.
Leaving Vance and Pankow to scream and beat uselessly against the wall of Sanctuary, in the final seconds before the TIDAL WAVE CRASHES DOWN at last.
CUT TO:
INT. SANCTUARY – NIGHT
As SUZIE BRIGHT SLAMS SHUT THE GATE AND LOCKS IT.
We see the faces of Vance and Agent Pankow, pressed up against the light as if pressing against a pane of glass. The Hell-Hordes descend upon them in a terrible countdown: three, two, one, and…
SLAMMMMM!!! A red squishing blow to the WALL OF LIGHT so ferocious that the CONCUSSION RATTLES SANCTUARY TO ITS CORE. The building itself shakes, and all within are thrown violently to the ground.
The COLOSSAL BOOMING SOUND echoes horribly for a moment, then gives way to the STEADY ROAR OF HELL, directly outside.
Slowly, the survivors pull themselves to their feet: Johnny’s team, the healers, Rebecca, Florence, Castle, some cops, The Astounding Rodney, Weez, Flip Martindale, his cameraman, and close to a HUNDRED OTHERS. All but Johnny and his team look stunned unto shell-shocked.
The WALL OF LIGHT is intact, but it has developed a VISIBLE FLUTTER: as if some of the charge was depleted by its full-tilt collision with Hell.
Suzie goes immediately to Liney, helps him tend to the wounded Kineda.
Marabeth comes out of the Center and meets Johnny on the drive. They nod in terse, exhausted acknowledgement, then cast a cautious gaze at the light. Marabeth can’t believe the WALL; it’s obvious that she’s never seen anything like it.
MARABETH
Did we do that?
Johnny nods, smiling slightly.
JOHNNY DEATH
That was sweet.
(looking at her)
Now all we gotta do is keep it up all night.
Marabeth looks at the shivering townspeople, the glazed eyes and slackened features of the deeply traumatized. Then she takes a deep breath. Smiles. And moves forward to greet her guests.
ANGLE – INT. NEWS VAN/SCIENCE LAB
In the back, Maggie watches the monitors, sees all systems are go. She’s fascinated by the footage being shot through the wall of light, thereby allowing her to see the demons pressed up against the wall, and all the devastation of Hell outside.
MAGGIE
Wow…
ANGLE – THE GATHERING OF SURVIVORS – NIGHT
All the survivors have been organized into a rough semi-circle, their backs to the Center.
Johnny Death stands before them, flanked by his team, Marabeth, and Suzie.
Quinn is shooting video, along with the stationary cams positioned all about the Center.
For the first time, we really take in the ASTONISHING EGALITARIAN RANGE of these faces: young, old, and in- between; hip, straight, and flat-out unusual; attractive, plain, and downright homely. From former protesters to cops to teenage deathers. Men. Women. Rich. Poor. As racially-mixed and multi-cultural as a small American city can be.
Most of them are terrified. Many of them are crying. Some are wired: from fiercely-amped to borderline- hysterical. And some seem almost supernaturally, miraculously calm. As if they’d been waiting all their lives for this.
The one thing they share is that they are all interesting faces. Faces that bespeak individuality.
And they are watching very carefully as Johnny, finally, speaks.
JOHNNY DEATH
I’m not gonna tippy-toe around with you people. I’m already pissed off, because if you had an ounce of brains between you, you’d all be a hundred miles away from here by now.
A couple of people laugh nervously, but most do not.
JOHNNY DEATH (CONT.)
Yeah, it’s fucking hilarious. And you know what else is funny? Right now, Hell is spreading out through Sleepy Hollow.
FLASHCUT – EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW – NIGHT
A wall of DEMON FIRE, roaring down a sleepy suburban street.
ANGLE – JOHNNY DEATH
Lit as if the fire were inches from his face.
JOHNNY DEATH (CONT.)
Going neighborhood by neighborhood, and door to door…
FLASHCUT – EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW – NIGHT
COSTUMED CHILDREN SCREAM, as the FLAMES race toward them.
ANGLE – THE RING OF SURVIVORS
Looking as if they, too, can feel the heat and hear the screams.
JOHNNY DEATH (O.S., CONT.)
Destroying everything and everyone you know.
A shiver runs through the crowd.
ANGLE – JOHNNY DEATH
Not fucking around.
JOHNNY DEATH (CONT.)
And it will not stop until the sun comes up.
(beat)
Those of you with watches, I advise you to check them out.
The Astounding Rodney looks at his watch, is amazed to see the MINUTE HAND moving at roughly three minutes per second. All around him, others get the same result: Florence, Flip Martindale, a protester, Weez.
JOHNNY DEATH (CONT.)
We’re in spirit time now. Which is good news for us. The door between worlds has been torn open; and whatever goes down, it’s gonna go down fast. Which is why I don’t have time to dick around with you people.
JOHNNY DEATH (CONT.)
So let’s just get this straight: do you want to live?
He gets a half
-hearted yes from a smattering of the crowd.
JOHNNY DEATH (CONT.)
That sucked. Next question. Do you want to die, like the rest of those poor doomed motherfuckers out there?
CIRCLE OF SURVIVORS
No!
JOHNNY DEATH