EXT. CHARLEY'S STREET - NIGHT

The camera moves slowly up the road. Moving closer to the camera, and then disappearing off the edge of the frame, a row of suburban houses, each one differing only slightly from the other. They're small, unextravagant, with mild paint jobs. Eventually we reach one that differs—a towering, three-story extravagant piece of work, a wide porch and at least two balconies. Lovely, but totally out of place in this neighborhood.

The camera lingers on it slightly longer than the others, before moving past it to the boring house to its right. This is where Charley and his mother live.

As all this happens, we can hear familiar voices—CHARLEY CLASSIC and PETER CLASSIC, let's call them. The original Fright Night is playing on Charley's television.

					CHARLEY CLASSIC (V.O.)
          		Is it too late to save her?

                         			PETER CLASSIC (V.O.)
				(with help from editing)
          		Not if we kill him before dawn.

                         			CHARLEY CLASSIC (V.O.)
          		Are you sure?

                         			PETER CLASSIC (V.O.)
          		So far everything's just like in the
          		movies. We'll just have to keep on
         		 hoping.

The camera moves, seamlessly, into the second-story window, and Charley's bedroom. Do I need a scene break here? I feel like I need a scene break here.

INT. CHARLEY'S BEDROOM – NIGHT

The TV audio continues, the camera whipping past the TV itself and around Charley's room. Clothes scattered on the floor, papers piled up on the desk—it's not a rathole, exactly, but very much lived in. Eventually, it comes back around to the bed, where we find CHARLEY WU and AMY JOHNSON, lying back in bed, watching.

Amy's eyes are wide and fixed. Her arm mechanically reaches into a bucket of popcorn beside her. A soft, contented smile sits on her face. She glances, tentatively, to Charley for approval.

Charley's eyes are elsewhere—on the mess in her room, a stain in her ceiling. Her phone's in her hand, thumb on screen.

Amy gives her a little nudge. Charley turns to her.

					CHARLEY
          		What? I'm watching!

Amy rolls her eyes.

					AMY
         		 Look, if you don't want to--

					CHARLEY
          		Oh, c'mon, don't--

					AMY
          		We can turn it off. It's fine.

It is clearly not fine.

 					CHARLEY
          		I said we'd watch it, we're watching it!

					AMY
          		You're not enjoying it.

					CHARLEY
          		I never said I'd do that.

Amy pouts and turns over in bed a little, facing the wall.

					CHARLEY
          		I--that was a joke. That was
		clearly a joke.

Amy continues to look away.

					CHARLEY
          		C'mon, don't be like that.

The audio on the TV changes slightly.

					CHARLEY
          		Look, the host lady's on. That's the
		important bit, yeah? I'll pay
		attention now, promise.

Amy turns just enough to see the TV.

We cut over the TV, where PETRA FRY is just finishing a sentence. Her white hair is tied back in a bun. Her eyes are fierce, her voice wild and intense.

					PETRA
         		--Tom Holland's 1985 classic, and one
		of my personal favorites, mostly for
		featuring one of the few vampire killers
		that can rival yours truly! Fright Night will
		be back in just a bit with some vampire
		safety tips, so don't disappear just yet!

The commercials kick in as we cut back to Charley and Amy, the latter of whom seems to be in good spirits again.

					AMY
          		God, isn't she great?

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah, um, sure.

					AMY
          		You drifted off again, didn't you.

					CHARLEY
         		 Kinda, yeah.

					AMY
          		Look, if this is such an ordeal for you--

					CHARLEY
          		It's not! It's just--

					AMY
          		It's just what?

					CHARLEY
          		It's just that when you called and you said
		you wanted to share something important with me,
		this isn't what I expected.

					AMY
          		Well what did you expect?

INT. CHARLEY'S LIVING ROOM – NIGHT

JUDY WU, Charley's mother, is watching TV. In contrast to Charley's room, this area of the house is in fairly good order. Judy watches as Amy comes storming down the stairs, fists clenched, eyes scrunched. Charley comes following after.


					CHARLEY
          		--you're right, okay? That was shitty and
		I should've been more respectful and I promise
		I won't bring it up aga--

Charley's front door slams. Charley rushes over to the window to call after her.

					CHARLEY
          		I'll see you on Monday!

					AMY (V.O.)
          		Screw you!

Charley slumps her shoulders.

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah. Yeah, that's fair.

Judy mutes the TV and turns over to Charley.

					JUDY
          		You two having a lover's spat?

					CHARLEY
         		 Maybe. I dunno. Maybe lover isn't the word.

					JUDY
          		I thought you two were dating?

					CHARLEY
          		I thought so too. I dunno. I just don't--
		get her. Or. Something. Ugh. I'm such an
		idiot.

					JUDY
         	 	You're not an idiot.

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah, yeah.

					JUDY
          		If there's something you don't understand
		about her, you could just ask.

					CHARLEY
          		I guess.

Charley slumps down on the couch next to her mom.

					JUDY
       		You wanna talk about it?

					CHARLEY
          		You wouldn't understand.

					JUDY
          		Is it a gay thing?

					CHARLEY
          		Mom!

					JUDY
          		Bisexual thing, sorry.

					CHARLEY
          		I'm going upstairs.

She gets up to do so. Judy laughs.

					JUDY
          		Oh, c'mon, Charley, come back here.

					CHARLEY
          		I've got studying to do.

					JUDY
          		You can spare a few minutes to hang out
		with your mom!

					CHARLEY
          		I really can't!

					JUDY
          		C'mon, I start working nights Monday.
		Just a half hour.

Charley heads back downstairs and plops down on the couch.

					JUDY
          		Math isn't gonna take your mind off
		Amy, anyway.

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah, yeah. So, what're we watching?

					JUDY
          		The news.

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah?

					JUDY
          		Yeah.

There's a long pause. The two sit in silence, looking at the TV. Charley fidgets with her hands a bit. Judy takes a long swallow.

					JUDY
          		There's...um...been some disappearances.
		In the city. 

					CHARLEY
				(tentatively)
          		Yeah? Do you want me to stay home? I mean.
		I dunno if Amy still wants to go. It was
		mostly a her thing.

					JUDY
          		Just...be careful, alright? Keep your phone on.
		Call me when you get there, call me when you get back.

					CHARLEY
		I know the drill.

					JUDY
          		I know.

There's another long pause.

					JUDY
          		I made this awkward, didn't I.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah.

					JUDY
          		You wanna head upstairs?

					CHARLEY
		Yeah.

Charley doesn't move. She rests her head on her mom's shoulders. The camera moves past them, out the living room window, out to the street again. A moving van pulls up.

INT. CHARLEY'S ROOM – NIGHT

Charley's lying in bed, looking at the ceiling. There's a lot of yelling and walking and rabble coming from outside. She glances towards with her eyes, then presses a button on her phone beside her. It lights up 3:00 AM in big friendly letters. Charley groans.

					MOVER 1 (V.O.)
         		Christ, that's heavy!

					MOVER 2 (V.O.)
		You know, I got a glimpse in here earlier.

Charley rolls over and puts her hand over one ear.

					MOVER 1 (V.O.)
          		Tell me it's not a dead guy.

					MOVER 2 (V.O.)
		It's dirt! Like, twenty goddamn pounds of it!

Charley pulls a pillow over her head.

					MOVER 1 (V.O.)
          		I know his wife gardens. Maybe it's plants.
		Like, rare plants. Berberis aristata
		or some shit.

					MOVER 2 (V.O.)
		Even if it is berberis or some shit, who
		keeps it in a coffin? 

Charley gets up and opens the window wide. We get a look at the movers, now. They're holding a very large, ornate coffin.

					CHARLEY
		Could you shut up about your damn barnabas
		or whatever? It's three in the damn morning!

					MOVER 1
          		Oh, that's proportional response, that is.

					MOVER 2
		You think we're loud? I can guarantee you,
		lady, you just woke the dead!

Charley slams the window closed. We hold on said window as the surrounding scene gently fades to day.

INT. CHARLEY'S ROOM – MORNING

Charley's asleep, now, her face buried in her pillow. Talking can be heard coming from downstairs, mostly muffled. Charley's eyes slowly flutter open. She presses the button on her phone again. 7AM. She groans.

We see her walk down the hallway, which has an open bannister separating it from the stairs. The voices are a lot more distinct, now. Judy is holding a conversation with ANOTHER WOMAN.

					JUDY (V.O.)
          I wouldn't worry. You know how teens are.

					WOMAN
          I really don't think I do, sometimes.

					JUDY
          You have any?

Charley walks down the stairs slowly, her head peaking out in front of the rest of her, ears perked.

					WOMAN
          		What, teenagers? Oh, no. Jerry and I have
		been talking about it, though. We think
		we're going to adopt.

					JUDY
          		Jerry's your...

					WOMAN
          		Husband, of course!

					JUDY
          		Well, never hurts to ask, this day and age.

Charley's arrived at the bottom of the stairs, and now has a clear view of her mom and this mystery woman from around the corner.

					WOMAN
          		Tell me about it! What about you, Judy?
		Is there a Mr. Wu?

					JUDY
          		No, no.

					WOMAN
          		A, er. (clears throat) A Mrs. Wu, then?

					JUDY
          		It's always just been me and Charley, actually.

					WOMAN
          		Charley? I thought you said--

					JUDY
          		Yes, that's my daughter's name.

					WOMAN
          		But it's so--

					JUDY
          		Charley's as good a girl's name as any, and she'd
		be very insulted if she could hear you, wouldn't
		you, Charley?

Charley lets out a sigh and steps out from behind the wall separating the steps from the living room.

					CHARLEY
          		Insulted later. Tired now.

					JUDY
          		There's coffee in the kitchen.

Charley grunts in acknowledgment and heads that way. Judy calls after her.

					JUDY
          		Charley, this is Blythe Dandridge.
		She and her husband moved in last night.

					BLYTHE
          		I dropped by to apologize for our movers
		keeping you up. My husband keeps odd hours,
		is the thing, he wanted to make sure everything
		went smoothly.

					CHARLEY
          		Your husband a nurse too?

Blythe laughs.

					BLYTHE
          		Ah. No, he's--he's in construction. Built our
		house, actually. Were you two--er, were you
		here for that?
					JUDY
          		Oh, yes. Charley, you remember?

					CHARLEY
          		So basically you guys are why I
		haven't slept for like a year.

					JUDY
          		Charley, don't be rude.

					BLYTHE
          		How long have you two been living here?

					JUDY
          		Decades, now. This was my mother's place.

					BLTYHE
          		Because I was going to say, you speak very
		good English.

Charley makes a brief sputtering sound from offscreen. Judy stares blankly at Blythe for a moment.

					CHARLEY (V.O.)
				(between stifled laughs)
          		Mom, you've got work in thirty.

					JUDY
          		So I do. We'll talk later, alright?

					BLYTHE
          		Oh, absolutely! Don't you be a stranger!

She leans over Judy and calls to Charley.

					BLYTHE
          		Bye, Charley! Sorry again!

And with that she pops off. Judy closes the door after her. Charley enters, coffee in hand.

					CHARLEY
          		Can I be rude now?

Judy reaches over to the coat-rack and shrugs on a jacket.

					JUDY
          		Like you needed the excuse.

					CHARLEY
          		That's fair. You going out?

					JUDY
          		I really do have work in thirty.

					CHARLEY
         	 	Man, I'm just super-helpful today.



					JUDY
          		If you wanna keep the streak up, you can
		go pick up some groceries. There's a list
		and some money on the table.

					CHARLEY
          		Got it.

					JUDY
          		I'm heading out. Love you!

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah, yeah. Later.

EXT. CHARLEY'S STREET – DAY

Charley's peddling down the road on an ancient-looking rusty bike. Tied to a metal basket in the back is a stained reusable bag with a faded logo. The camera moves up above him to give us a better look of the neighborhood in daylight. Well, sort of. It's overcast, not doing wonders for the already-bland color palette around her. After a few blocks, we hit the convenience store. It's adjoined in a strip mall with a few other stores, with the distinction of being the largest of them by a small margin.

Charley glances through the sliding glass doors. The camera pulls in on the lone cashier, with a name tag reading ED. He's about Charley's age. He's not paying attention. He's texting. We get a look at Charley's wide eyed face. She gulps, audibly. She glances back over to her bike. Then back over to Ed. Back to the bike.

The store makes the decision for her. The sliding glass doors slide open. Ed turns to look at them. His eyes narrow.

INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY

Charley walks into the store, speedwalking past the cashier's desk, averting her eyes. Ed's eyes follow her. She turns around.


					CHARLEY
          		Hey Ed.

					ED
          		Wu. Heard you watched Fright Night
		last night.

					CHARLEY
          		That all you heard?

She wanders over to one of the fridges and picks up a carton of milk.

					ED
          		Well, that and you and Amy got into
		some bitch fight about it. Glad to see
		at least one girl in this town has taste.

					CHARLEY
          		Mhm.

					ED
          		I swear, that old fart knows nothing about
		horror or comedy. They shouldn't even let
		someone that ugly on the air to start with.

She takes a loaf of bread off the rack.

					CHARLEY
          		Yeah, well, what're you gonna do.

					ED
          		I'm glad you asked. I'm sending a petition over
		to channel 23 to get them to pull her from the
		air. It's up to five hundred sigs, I could shoot
		you the link.

 					CHARLEY
          		Sure.

					ED
          		God. Y'know, I bet she's only on because she's
		a woman. Women'll only watch shit with women in
		it, y'know? 

					CHARLEY
          		Um.

She reaches into a fridge and grabs a carton of milk.

					ED
          		Present company excluded, of course. You're
		one of the good ones.

					CHARLEY
          		That's reassuring.

					ED
		Y'know, if you had just suffered through it,
		she'd probably have let you screw her. That's
		what I'd do.

					CHARLEY
          		That doesn't sound like you.

She's poking around in another fridge now, checking expiration dates on tubs of margarine.

					ED
		Well, I mean. If the girl was hot.
		Don't get me wrong, Amy's alright, but
		jeez, that hair. It's probably just as
		ratty down there, honestly. I guess I
		don't blame you.

Charley slams the door shut and carries her armful of groceries past Ed and out the sliding door. Ed runs out from behind the counter and follows Charley to the door.

					ED
		Hey! You gotta pay--

Charley starts peddling away, her groceries already loaded into the reusable bag and stacked in the cage.

					CHARLEY
			(yelling, V.O.)
		DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM!

Ed's face lights up.

					ED
		Uh, yeah! DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM.

He pumps his fist. Then brings it down. His face falls.

					ED
		My boss is gonna kill me.

INT. SUPERMARKET - EVENING

We get a wide view, illustrating that this place is far, far larger than the convenience store, bustling with activity. A slow zoom in on one of the aisles brings us to Amy, wearing a uniform and a hairband and restocking cans of soup. A finger reaches in to tap her on the shoulder. She jumps in shock and turns around. It's Charley.

					CHARLEY
		Y'know for someone who loves horror
		you startle super-easily.

					AMY
		Hi to you too.

Amy turns around and continues restocking cans.

					CHARLEY
		Right. Shit. Sorry. I came to apologize.

					AMY
		You're off to a great start.

					CHARLEY
		Look. I feel really shitty about what
		happened last night.

					AMY
		How do you think I feel?

					CHARLEY
		Shitty! Which is why I feel shitty,
		because you're great, and I don't
		want you to feel shitty.

					AMY
		Can we not do this here? 

					CHARLEY
		Yeah. Yeah, that's fair. I just--
		I just didn't want it to be awkward
		when--

					AMY
		When you came here to do groceries?

Amy looks down at the reusable bag in Charley's hand.


					CHARLEY
		Okay, yeah, but also--

					AMY
		It's fine, alright? Just. Just go shop.
		I can't right now.

					CHARLEY
		Alright, alright.

					AMY
		We'll talk later, I promise.

					CHARLEY
		Before Monday?

					AMY
		Yeah. I'll text you, okay? We'll meet up.
		We gotta discuss travel stuff, anyway.


					CHARLEY
		Right, right. Well, um, later.

					AMY
		Later.

Charley awkwardly slips away.

EXT. CHARLEY'S HOUSE - EVENING

Charley gets off her bike, with an arm full of groceries. There's a man sitting on his porch, about thirty years old, muscular in a slender Spider-Man kinda way. He's dressed in a tight white T and jeans. Charley is confused by his presence, and approaches with caution.

					CHARLEY
		Uh, hey, man. You, um, waiting for someone?

					HOT DUDE
		Well I wouldn't be if you weren't
		an hour late.

					CHARLEY
		Uh--sorry? I don't...I don't know what
		I'm late for, exactly...

					HOT DUDE
		Is this 99 Oak?

					CHARLEY
		Er, no, that's next door.

					HOT DUDE
		Oh! Oh jeez, I'm sorry, I--

					CHARLEY
		No, no, it's fine! I just--
		you should--

					HOT DUDE
		I'll head over there, yeah.
		It was nice meeting you--

					CHARLEY
		Charley. Charley Wu.

					HOT DUDE
		Charley, right.

In the background, we can see Blythe running up to the two of them.

					BLYTHE
		Well there you are! We were wondering
		what happened to you. Didn't even
		occur to me you might've gotten lost,
		poor dear.

					HOT DUDE
		Yeah, I tried to call, but--

					BLYTHE
		I'm terribly sorry. My husband handles
		these things, he's not terribly accessible.

Hot dude cocks an eyebrow.

					HOT DUDE
		Your husband?

					BLYTHE
		Yes, my husband! He's waiting for you
		inside, I'll be right in after you.

Hot Dude shrugs and heads across the lawn, over to the house, a few business cards falling out of his pocket as he does so. He gives Charley a bit of a wave.

					BLYTHE
		I'm terribly sorry about the confusion.
		I do hope he wasn't too much trouble.

					CHARLEY
		Uh, no, none at all. Mind if I ask
		who that was?

					BLYTHE
		One of my husband's students. He teaches
		carpentry classes for folks who are having
		occupational troubles.

Charley places the groceries down on the porch as she unlocks her front door. She notices the business card, picks it up and squints at it.

					CHARLEY
		Your husband sounds like a cool guy.

					BLYTHE
		Oh, yes, he's always been very generous.

Charley pockets the business card discretely.

					CHARLEY
		I mean, not many folks would open
		up their homes like that, for something
		like this.

					BLYTHE
		He's a good man. You'd like him,
		I think.

					CHARLEY
		Well, I look forward to seeing him.

INT. CHARLEY'S ROOM – NIGHT

A hard cut, keeping the framing on Charley's face. She's now leaning against her windowsill, staring out, wearing binoculars, watching the Dandridge place very closely. She's also wearing a shoddy-looking phone headset. We can hear the line ringing. There's a click, and a voice on the other end, belonging to the OPERATOR.

					OPERATOR
		Hi there, you've reached Hail a Male,
		are you looking to hire?

					CHARLEY
		Ah, no, I've got a question. Did you
		send someone to 99 Oak, out in Dobbs?
		Possibly under the name Dandridge?

					OPERATOR
		I'm sorry, that's confidential
		information. If you're looking
		to follow up on a referral--

					CHARLEY
		Ah, no, this is--I think something
		shady's going on.

					OPERATOR
		Really.

The light clicks on in the nearest window. Hot Dude wanders in, looking exhausted. Charley ducks down as low as she can go while still getting a good look.

					CHARLEY
			(stage whispering)
		Yes, really!

					OPERATOR
		Ma'am, do you...do you know what
		we do here?

					CHARLEY
			(stage whispering)
		Shut up, I mean beyond that.

A perfectly ordinary man walks in behind him. Mid-forties, fifties at a stretch, with neatly cropped hair and a plain white polo shirt and khakis. Calmly, he places his hands on Hot Dude's shoulders, and draws him close.

This man is JERRY DANDRIDGE. I mean, obviously.

					CHARLEY
			(stage whispering)
		Look, do you have, like--
		do you track your guys? Like,
		if one of your dudes went missing?

					OPERATOR
		I cannot say that's standard
		operating procedure, no. Is there
		a point you're heading towards?

Jerry pulls Hot Dude towards him and begins licking his neck. Hot Dude moans.

					CHARLEY
			(stage whispering)
		Alright, never mind. It looks like
		they're just having sex.

Jerry's fangs pop out, impaling Hot Dude's neck. Hot Dude gasps and squirms.

					OPERATOR
		Ma'am, I'm hanging up now.

					CHARLEY
			(very much not stage whispering)
		SHIT SHIT NO SHIT GODDAMMIT DON'T HANG UP
		THEY'RE NOT SCREWING THEY'RE NOT--

The line's gone dead. Charley slams her fist on her windowsill dramatically, and immediately regrets this. Jerry's eyes dot towards her as she cradles her bleeding fist. Their eyes meet. Hot Dude drops to the floor. Jerry wipes the blood from his mouth and gives Charley his smuggest smirk before closing the blinds.

Close up on Charley's face. She looks harrowed.

INT. CHARLEY'S KITCHEN - MORNING

The same shot of Charley's face, now in new surroundings. We slowly zoom out as Judy sets a mug of coffee in front of her, then comes around and takes a seat next to her.

					JUDY
		A vampire.

					CHARLEY
		That's what I said.

Judy sighs.

					CHARLEY
		I know what I saw.

					JUDY
		I trust you. 

					CHARLEY
		But you don't believe me.

					JUDY
		If I told you I saw a vampire,
		would you believe me?

					CHARLEY
		Yes.

Judy looks at Charley, her head tilted down, her eyes looking up at her.

					CHARLEY
		Fine. No.

					JUDY
		Look. I'll buy that the man's dangerous.
		We can call the cops, if it'll make you
		feel better. But you can't expect me to
		believe that this man's teeth elongated
		and then he drained some poor sap like a
		mosquito. Believe me, if the human body
		could do that I'd know.

 					CHARLEY
		Right. Okay. Whatever.

					JUDY
		Do you want me to use a sick day?
		I can stay home with you if it'd
		make you feel better.

					CHARLEY
		You gonna be home before dark?

					JUDY
		Hopefully.
			(she pauses, considering
			the question)
		You really think--

					CHARLEY
		Yes, mom.

					JUDY
		Alright. You go get some sleep. You
		look like you need it. I'll call later
		to check up on you, alright?

					CHARLEY
		Alright.

Judy leans over and gives Charley a quick kiss on the forehead before grabbing her handbag off the back of a chair and heading out.

					JUDY (V.O.)
		I love you!

					CHARLEY
		Yep.

Charley's phone rings. She looks down. It's Amy. She picks it up. A quick twirl of the camera and Amy's here, now, at the kitchen table, talking to Charley.

					AMY
		A vampire.

					CHARLEY
		Yep.

					AMY
		You are unbelievable.

					CHARLEY
		I know, I know, it's far fetched, but--

					AMY
		You seriously think I'm pissed
		because you didn't like the show,
		don't you?

					CHARLEY
		No--what? I--

					AMY
		Because even if I was that petty,
		this--this is insulting, Charley.
		I don't need you to--to--to patronize
		me! 

					CHARLEY
		I'm not trying to patronize you,
		I'm telling you, for real, my neighbor--


					AMY
		I heard you the first time.

					CHARLEY
		I thought you, of all people, would--


					AMY
		I'm not some goddamn conspiracy theorist.
		I can distinguish fantasy from reality.

					CHARLEY
		I'm not saying you can't, I just--

					AMY
		That's exactly what you're doing!
		I don't know if you're screwing
		with me, or if this is what you
		think I want, or what, but you--
		you just--

Amy groans and buries her head in her hands.


					AMY
		You just don't get it.
		And you're never going to.

					CHARLEY
		Never going to get what?

Amy takes a long, slow breath.

					AMY
		I'm asexual, Charley.

Charley sits up straight, and scratches the back of her head.

					CHARLEY
		I--I'm sorry? I thought...
		Did I--were we not--

Something catches Charley's eye through the kitchen window. Blythe is outside the house, hauling a large black bag to the trunk of the mid-size sedan in her her driveway.

					AMY
		I didn't know if I wanted to tell you.
		But you just--you just kept pushing and--
		and you have needs, and for what that's
		worth it's not fair. To you. I guess.

Charley turns her head back to Amy, her eyes drifting back towards the window.

					CHARLEY
		Jeez. Amy, I--if I'd known--

					AMY
		It shouldn't matter, Charley.
		It really shouldn't. But it does,
		I guess.

Charley glances back towards the window. Blythe's closed the trunk, now, and is heading towards the driver's seat.

					CHARLEY
		So are you--are you not into me, or--

					AMY
		I love you, Charley. I really do.
		But you can't—you--
			(she sighs)
		You just don't get what's important.

She scoots away from the table, and gets up.

					AMY
		I'm going to go to ChillerCon alone.
		Show up, or don't, I don't care.

She walks off. Charley's face contorts like she's trying to force words out of her mouth.

					CHARLEY
		I wasn't--I wasn't screwing with you!
		About the vampire!

					AMY (V.O.)
		It's daylight out. I'll be fine.

The front door slams. Charley drops her head against the table.

A car can be heard screeching to a halt outside.

					AMY (V.O.)
		Hey! Watch where you're going!

Charley's ears perk up. She runs out of the kitchen, across the living room, to a window facing the Dandridge house. Their car's gone. She darts back over to the front-facing window, just in time to see their car taking off.

EXT. CHARLEY'S STREET – DAY

Charley's on her bike, pedaling relatively quickly. She's keeping a good distance from the mid-sized sedan in front of her. All in all, it's not much of a chase--the car's maybe going ten miles an hour. More a leisurely pedal. Unfortunately, this stops abruptly as another car pulls a little too far out of an intersection, causing Charley to stop abruptly and fall off her bike.

The door of this new car opens.

					ED
		Oh shit oh shit oh--
			(he leans out of the car
			and notices Charley)
		oh, hey, Wu.

					CHARLEY
		Goddammit.

Ed leans down to help her up. Charley gets up on her own, leaving Ed awkwardly hovering over her.

					ED
		You okay?

Charley's on her feet now.

					CHARLEY
		I'm fine. You wanna give me a lift?

					ED
		I mean, I'm kinda on my way to--

					CHARLEY
		--tell your folks that you just
		hit someone with your car?

INT. ED'S CAR – DAY

Ed's keeping his eyes on the road, wary of picking up more passengers. Charley flips through the radio stations, breezing past, among other things, Brad Fiedel's “Come to Me”, Hugo's “99 Problems”, and Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata” before ultimately turning it off.

 					ED
		So, um, you gonna tell me
		who we're stalking?

					CHARLEY
		We're not stalking anyone.

					ED
		If we are it's cool. I got no
		problem with it.

					CHARLEY
		Course you don't.

					ED
		Why do you have to be such a bitch?
		I'm doing you a favor.

					CHARLEY
		Because you hit me with a car!

					ED
		Fine, fine. Whatever.

					CHARLEY
		Look. You wanna do me a favor?

					ED
		No, not--

					CHARLEY
		Tell me everything you know about
		vampires.

					ED
		Oh, what, I gotta clean up your
		damn girl troubles now?

					CHARLEY
		It's not about Amy. It's about--
			(she stops, takes a deep breath,
			cringes, then continues)
		--I dunno, I just think it'd be nice
		to see some good horror movies for once.
		So I need to know, you know, what goes into
		a proper vampire flick.

Ed grins.

					ED
		Well, you've certainly asked
		the right guy. Alright, so--
		I'm just gonna assume you don't
		know any of this stuff, that alright?

					CHARLEY
		Uh. Yeah.

					ED
		Alright, so, first off--vampires
		can't come out in sunlight. If
		they do, they're not real vampires.

					CHARLEY
		Right, right.

					ED
		I mean, Dracula can do it, but that's
		just because no one had figured out
		what vampires were supposed to be yet
		when that book was being written. Once
		Nosferatu came out--

					CHARLEY
		Look, I got it, no sunlight.
		What else?

					ED
		Hey, you asked.

					CHARLEY
		I know, I know. I just--
		you know, spoilers.

					ED
		Oh! Yeah, right, okay. You should
		come over some time, I've got
		Nosferatu on my computer.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah, yeah, sure.

					ED
		Okay, so, um, crosses! Crosses
		are a big one. Vampire's not
		weak to crosses, it's shit.

Charley is diligently typing all of this into a note on her phone.

					ED
		Same if it can be seen in a
		mirror. I mean, I give some of
		the older movies a pass, because,
		y'know, the effect's expensive.
		Sometimes they're just not careful
		about this crap, though. Like, why
		even put a mirror in the shot, you
		know? Oh, and this is important--
		they can't enter a house without being
		invited first.

					CHARLEY
				(typing)
		Being...invited...first. Got it.

					ED
		So yeah, those are good starting
		points. Though combing through
		movies to find ones that follow
		the rules can be a pain in the ass.
		If you follow my blog--

					CHARLEY
		Stop the car!

Ed stops and pulls over onto the shoulder. Blythe is pulling into the parking lot of a mid-size shopping center, bustling with activity. She parks and gets out, then hauls the garbage bag out of the trunk. We cut back to Charley and Ed.

					CHARLEY
		I don't get it. Yeah, okay,
		move the body, but here? Who's
		not gonna remember the blond
		lady coming to a shopping center
		just to use the dumpster?

					ED
		Uh. She's not using the dumpster.

Instead, Blythe has queued up behind some other innocent-looking gentleman, who's depositing a couple of bags of his own into a clothing donation bin.

					ED
		Sorry, did you say “move the body”?

					CHARLEY
		Er--

					ED
		Holy shit, did that lady murder someone?

					CHARLEY
		I--

Ed starts laughing. Hysterically. Genuinely. Eardrum-splittingly.

					ED
		Oh! Oh, man, you and Amy really have been
		laying into the horror movies, haven't you?

					CHARLEY
		Haha. Yeah. I guess my imagination just
		got away from me.

					ED
		I mean, look at that chick! She's a hundred
		pounds soaking wet!

					CHARLEY
		Yep. Don't know what I was thinking.

					ED
		Man, whatever the hell you guys were
		smoking, hook me up next time, alright?

					CHARLEY
		Uh huh. Sure.


Ed keeps laughing.

					ED
		Oh, you're so cool, Wuster!
		I can't stand it!

					CHARLEY
		Sure am.

And laughing. And laughing.


					CHARLEY
		Uh. You can take me home now.

INT. CHARLEY'S ROOM – NIGHT

Charley's sitting at her computer. The lights are off and the screen is bright. On it is a web browser, and open in that web browser are dozens--possibly hundreds--of open tabs, all containing information on vampires, rules about vampires, and so on. Pulled up on her phone is Ed's list from earlier. A text message arrives on the screen.

AMY: “sorry i got pissed earlier. can come over to talk if you want”

Charley presses the text alert, looks down at the phone, then back up at her research. Begins typing. “text instead???” She hesitates, looks back at her research, then deletes the message without sending it and types a new one. “yeah sure, come over. in room, will leave front door open for you”.

She starts to get up from her chair to head downstairs, but a hand arrives on her shoulder. From behind her, Amy's phone falls and clatters onto Charley's desk. Charley's eyes go wide. The hand moves gently, but forces her back into her chair with a thud.

					JERRY (V.O.)
		I'll admit, I'm impressed. 

Charley gulps. Her eyes go wide. The hand leaves her shoulder. She swivels around. JERRY DANDRIDGE is sitting on the edge of her bed.


					JERRY
		But you know, let's be honest.
		I've been a vampire for decades,
		and you've been a vampire hunter since
		last night. Do you really want to test
		your knowledge of the rules against my
		knowledge of the loopholes?

Charley sits up straight in her chair and gives him her best glare. But it's too late, Jerry knows what face she was wearing before. He smirks.

					JERRY
		You can relax. I'm a smart man. By now,
		your mother has told her friends how
		worried she is over your bizarre fixation
		on the new neighbors. Your little friend
		has sobbed to all the other quirky snowflake
		teens in your neighborhood about what an ass
		you were. That hyena with the car...well,
		I'm sure he talks to people. On the internet,
		or something. Am I right?

Charley nods calmly.

					JERRY
		So yes. I'd have to be a very thick man
		to kill you. Do I look like a thick man
		to you, Charlene?

					CHARLEY
		No.

					JERRY
		You can be honest.

					CHARLEY
		You know I can't.

Jerry chuckles.

					JERRY
		Why? Because I might do something
		like this?

Jerry's arm snaps forward, viper-like, his hand curling around her neck. He lifts her out of her chair and into the air.

					JERRY
		Because, really, I was going to do
		this the second I found out that you
		stalked my wife. You didn't really think
		I wouldn't find out, did you? I have eyes
		everywhere.

Charley slowly, subtly, moves her hand towards her pocket.

					JERRY
		So yes. I would have to be thick
		to kill you. But you're still alive,
		aren't you?

Charley nods.

					JERRY
		Am I making sense?

Charley nods.

					JERRY
		Alright. GoooAAAUGH!

Charley's jabbed a pencil into Jerry's hand. Well, “into”. Through is a better word. He lets go of Charley, who hits her chair, causing the chair to topple backwards into the desk. Charley just barely catches herself.

Jerry looks down at his hand, which is developing a grey, stonelike texture around the wound. Quickly, he yanks the pencil up out of his hand. The wound closes itself with the same stony texture.

Jerry grits his teeth. His brow falls. He takes a deep, slow breath.

					JERRY
		So! I wasn't making sense. Let
		me put it another way. You know
		those weirdass porn sites where
		people strangle each other? If
		you don't knock it off, that's
		your bedroom, every night. THAT
		make sense?

Charley pulls herself up, stands in front of him, and looks him dead in the eye.

					CHARLEY
		Do your worst. 

Jerry smiles. It's a sickening, sadistic smile--but it's still a smile.

					JERRY
		Sure thing. But just remember--you asked.

And with that, he's gone. Charley's knees collapse and she falls over on her bed, eyes wide, breathing deeply.

She hears the door crack open downstairs. She stops breathing. She actively starts holding her breath. Slowly, she picks herself up from her bed.

					JUDY (V.O.)
		Charley? Are you home?

Charley lets herself breath again.

					CHARLEY
			(yelling, weezing)
		Yeah, mom!

Charley can hear Judy coming upstairs.

					JUDY (V.O.)
		Are you alright? You don't sound
		so good.

Judy arrives at the top of the stairs and knocks on Charley's door.


					JUDY (V.O.)
		Is it alright if I come in?


					CHARLEY
		Yeah, sure.

Judy enters.

					JUDY
		I'm sorry I'm so late. I got
		home as soon as I could.

					CHARLEY
		It's fine, really.

					JUDY
		Did something happen? I know
		you wanted me home before it
		got dark.

Charley sits up in bed, and Judy gets a good look at her neck for the first time.

					JUDY
		Oh my god, what--your neck--

Charley touches her neck, then recoils slightly. It still stings where Jerry grabbed her. There's a mark.

					JUDY
		Was--was he here? Oh, god,
		I should've--if I'd gotten
		home in time--

She rushed towards the bed, arms outstretched, hugging Charley.

					CHARLEY
		Mom, there was nothing you
		could've done.

					JUDY
		I could've--I might've been able
		to stop him getting in--we should've
		called the police--

					CHARLEY
		Mom, he appeared in my room.
		Friggin' teleported or something.


					JUDY
		He--

					CHARLEY
		He's a vampire, mom. They can
		do that, I guess.

Judy pulls away from Charley slightly.

					JUDY
		You're sure. You couldn't have
		not heard him coming in, or--

					CHARLEY
		I was facing towards the door.
		He got behind me. It never opened.
		And when he left, I was looking
		straight at him.

This gives Judy pause.

					JUDY
		We need to leave, don't we.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah. Do you--is there someone
		at work--

					JUDY
		I'll make some calls. Worse
		comes to worse, I'll take out
		some savings, we can stay at
		a motel, or something.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah.

Judy gets up and heads out of Charley's room.

					JUDY
		You start packing. I'm going
		to get in touch with the police,
		maybe they can do something.

					CHARLEY
		Even if they could, they're not
		going to. You know that, right?

Judy turns around and looks at Charley, lingering by the doorway.

					JUDY
		At the very least, someone needs
		to know that there's some sort of--
		monster on the loose.

					CHARLEY
		Mom, he said--he said if I made
		any more trouble for him, he'd--

Charley touches her neck again.

					JUDY
		I'll do it anonymously.

					CHARLEY
		He'll know. He can hear. I don't--

					JUDY
		What do you mean, “any more trouble?”

Charley looks away.


					JUDY
		You can't honestly tell me
		you're planning on handling
		this yourself.

					CHARLEY
		It was just--Blythe, she was--

					JUDY
		Charley, you are...brilliant, and
		strong, and...and so many things but...
		you're going to get yourself killed.


					CHARLEY
		I'm not--

					JUDY
		We're calling the police. And that's
		the end of it.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah. Yeah, alright.

Judy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

					JUDY
		I'm--I'm not mad. And you--
		I just--I just want you to be
		safe.

					CHARLEY
		I know.

					JUDY
		I'm sorry I snapped.

Judy heads back over to the bed and gives Charley another hug.

					CHARLEY
		I know, mom.

					JUDY
		If you--if I let you go into
		the city tomorrow--

					CHARLEY
		It's broad daylight, I'll be in
		a huge crowd of people.

					JUDY
		Not that. Just, you know.
		Don't do--whatever it was
		you did today. Alright?

					CHARLEY
		I won't do anything stupid, I promise.

Charley's looking past her mom, to the image on her computer. On the screen is profiles of ChillerCon attendees, with the screen positioned over Petra Fry's picture and write-up.

					JUDY
		Alright. I love you.

The camera zooms in on the computer, on Petra's photo, before fading to--

CHILLERCON CONVENTION HALL, FRIGHT NIGHT PANEL – DAY

--Petra's face, as the moderator announces her entrance. In contrast to her perky visage on the screen, her eyes are drooped and her head hung. Slowly she builds herself up to more closely resemble the photo, a warm but lacking smile building on her face.

					MODERATOR
		Ladies and gentlemen, you loved her
		in “Blood Castle”! You loved her in
		“Orgy of the Damned”! And you've loved
		her for the past thirty-five years as
		one of television's longest-lasting
		horror hosts--give it up for PETRA FRY!

A sizable, but not massive, audience cheers. Maybe about fifty people, seventy-five tops. J. Geils Band's “Fright Night” plays as Petra steps out from behind the curtains, looks to the crowd, and shouts

					PETRA
		WELCOME! TO! FRIIIIIGHT NIIIIIGHT!

This gets a few appreciative hoots and chuckles as the camera pans back to show us the crowd. We get a few quick cuts through the audience:

Charley, who's studiously taking notes, and stealing a few glances at

Amy, who looks like she's trying to look like she's having a very good time, and

Ed, way in the back, with a couple of equally dudebro looking buddies, rolling their eyes and snickering.

Back to Petra now.

					PETRA
		Thank you all so much for turning out
		today. I'm sure I'm taking time out of
		your busy social calendars.

A few snickers.

					PETRA
		I really wish I had better news for
		you all, but let me get this out of
		the way so we can have some fun, alright?

					CROWD MEMBER 1
		You're dying?

There are gasps in the audience.

					PETRA
		No, dear! God no! Though I'm
		happy to hear you think we could
		move on to fun stuff after finding
		that out. And flattered you'd think
		I'd still show up for this shit.

Assorted chuckles from the audience.

					PETRA
		So, um, bad news first—Fright
		Night will be airing its last
		broadcast in two weeks time.

Lots of gasping and chatter. Ed gives a little woot in the back row and high-fives his buddies.

					PETRA
		We're working on seeing if we
		can move the show to the Internet,
		or something, so hopefully you
		won't be without me for too
		long, but yes, it's very sad news,
		especially with my rent coming due.

Petra waits for the talking to die down and reach a slightly unsettling silence.

					PETRA
		Now then! Now that that's over
		with, how many of you have seen
		“I, A Vampire Part II” before?

Rows of hands shoot up.

					PETRA
		How many of you mind seeing it
		again?

Assorted cheers from the crowd.

					PETRA
		I thought as much. Alright then.
		Can someone dim the lights?

					CROWD MEMBER 2
		THREEQUEL!

					PETRA
		We're talking about that,
		actually!

The crowd's really riled up now.

					PETRA
		And now that you know I'll
		be discussing that in two hours,
		good luck sitting through the movie!

The crowd laughs. Charley gets up and quietly slips out of the room. Amy notices.

INT. CONVENTION HALL, VENDOR FLOOR – DAY

Charley's waiting patiently when Petra arrives at her booth. It's adorned with the usual things--T-shirts, buttons, headshots, a few DVDs. Behind the booth is a small, mousy looking man, doing his best to look impatient with Charley. The man's name is MARTIN. He looks excited as he sees Petra arriving.

					MARTIN
		I'm sorry, Mrs. Fry, I told her you
		were in a panel but she insisted--

Petra sighs. She's used to this sort of thing.

					PETRA
		It's fine, Martin. I've seen the film
		a thousand times. Go make sure nothing
		goes wrong while I'm out here, would you?

Martin nods furiously and gets up to leave. Petra turns her attention towards Charley.

					PETRA
		Sorry about that. Now, what's this about?
		A fan film? Something for your YouTube page?

Charley looks a bit worried, now.

					CHARLEY
		Um, something like that. I need, um--
		ah--

Petra smiles softly.

					PETRA
		It's alright. Take your time.

					CHARLEY
		Alright. Um. If I tell you this
		do you promise not to think I'm
		a crazy person?

					PETRA
		I've been working in horror films
		for fifty years. You'd have to work
		very hard for me to be even slightly
		surprised.

					CHARLEY
		My next door neighbor's a vampire.
		I want you to help me kill him.

					PETRA
		Well, alright. Sounds suitably
		low budget, I think you could
		afford me. Let me get my rates.

She reaches into her pocket and shuffles out a piece of paper.

					CHARLEY
		Ah, no. I mean. For real.

Petra freezes on the spot.

					PETRA
		Ah, yes, I get what you were saying
		now, about the crazy. Listen, it's
		nothing to be ashamed of, I know a
		wonderful psychiatrist--

					CHARLEY
		No--I'm not--alright, look, I didn't
		really expect you to believe me, but
		this guy, he plays by the rules, alright?
		And I figure, well, you know them, because
		you've been in like fifty thousand
		vampire films.

					PETRA
		You're asking me to help you kill
		someone. That's still pretty crazy.

					CHARLEY
		We don't have to kill him! We could
		like, imprison him or something, right?

					PETRA
		Wrong. YOU could go imprison him
		or something. I, on the other hand,
		am going to go build buzz for “I, A
		Vampire Part 3”. Now, it was a pleasure
		meeting you. Feel free to drop by
		if you want an autograph.

She begins to walk away.

					CHARLEY
		Wait! What if I could, like, PROVE
		he's a vampire?

					PETRA
		Then I would be very impressed.

					CHARLEY
		And you'd help me? 

Petra turns on her heel.

					PETRA
		You're asking me, in all seriousness.
		If you could prove a man was a superpowered
		nightmare creature who drains the blood
		of the innocent, would I, an 85 year old
		woman with a bad hip, help you kill it?

					CHARLEY
		Yes.

					PETRA
		And you're not crazy.

					CHARLEY
		No.

					PETRA
		And you're going to keep following me
		if I say no.

Charley doesn't confirm or deny the accusation. Petra sighs.

					PETRA
		Right. Leave your name and number
		with Martin when he gets back. I'll
		be in touch.

She wanders off, without waiting for a response.

					CHARLEY
		Thanks!

					PETRA
		Yeah, yeah.

We follow Petra away from Charley as she heads back to the convention hall. Just outside the door, Amy is waiting for her, trying to stop herself shaking and grinning like a lunatic. The words “holy shit that's Petra Fry” run through her head a thousand million times, though of course we don't hear that. As Petra is about to slip back inside, Amy gets her attention.

					AMY
		Ah--er--excuse me, Ms. Fry?

					PETRA
		Yes?

					AMY
		Uh, that girl over there--
		what were you two talking
		about?

					PETRA
		I...I'm not sure I should
		say. She's clearly not well.
		Suffering delusions--

					AMY
		--of vampires?


					PETRA
		Why yes, how'd you know?

Amy clears her throat and looks away awkwardly.

					PETRA
		Oh, dear. Is that a friend of
		yours?

					AMY
		A--er--in a sense.

Charley, still standing in front of Petra's booth, notices this, and moves towards them, slightly, trying to get a sense of what's going on.

					AMY
		Look, I--we--have a lot of respect
		for you, and I'm sure, if you could
		just drop by and help convince her--

					PETRA
		I appreciate that you're trying to
		help, but I'm not sure indulging
		Charley's delusions I know what I'm
		doing is the best idea.

					AMY
		Look, if you do, you're never gonna
		see her again. But she's gonna be
		living in that house for at least
		the next few years. Think of how this'll
		help her neighbor. Charley's gonna
		try to kill the poor guy if you don't
		do something.

Petra takes a deep breath.

					PETRA
		...fine. The con ends at five,
		I can be there about six.

					AMY
		Thank you! You have no idea how
		much this means to me!

She lunges forward a bit, a big goofy grin on her face, and then stops.

					AMY
		Oh, um, also, I've been watching
		your show since I was six and I
		think you're great and I would
		REALLY like to hug you.

Petra smiles softly.

					PETRA
		Oh, go on.

Amy leans forward and gives Petra a huge, tight hug. Petra grunts a little bit. We cut back over to Charley, still watching. From her perspective, we see Petra go back inside and Amy come practically skipping towards Charley. Charley cringes.

					CHARLEY
		Look, I promise you, I--I wasn't--
		like, I get that there are genuine
		issues here, I wasn't--

					AMY
		Dude, relax. I believe you.

					CHARLEY
		Um...about...

					AMY
		That all this vampire shit has
		nothing to do with me. I mean,
		I'm still mad at you, and we
		got a lot of shit we need to talk
		through, but, y'know, if you
		genuinely think your life's
		in danger, we can just kinda
		table all that drama for the moment.
		And, I mean, you clearly do, since
		you just asked a local celebrity
		to help you commit murder, so.

					CHARLEY
		So, what, you convinced her
		to help me?

					AMY
		No, no. Something WAY smarter
		than that.

EXT. CHARLEY'S STREET – NIGHT

Petra Fry is walking down the street, talking aloud, directly to the camera. She's lit primarily by a large light directly in front of her overhead.

					PETRA
		It was small towns like Dobbs, New
		York that helped spur “Fright Night”'s
		early success. In 1971, in the wake of
		the release of “Blood Castle”, a small
		campaign began to--

					BLYTHE (V.O.)
		Pardon me, might I ask what exactly
		you think you're doing?

The camera turns to catch Blythe, then swings back to Petra. We cut away from what we can now tell is the POV of an actual camera, harnessed to Martin, with a second, irrelevant man holding the light and the third operating a boom. Blythe heads down the steps and over to the film crew.

					PETRA
		Oh, were you not told? I'm sorry, we're
		with Channel 23, we're shooting something
		for a program.

					BLYTHE
		I'm sorry, but you're going to have to
		stop. My husband has very sensitive ears
		and you're giving him a tremendous headache.

					PETRA
		Well, I'm sorry, but we really do need to
		have this finished by next week. Perhaps
		your husband could wear earplugs?

					BLYTHE
		His ears are sensitive! Earplugs would--

					JERRY (V.O.)
		Honey? What's going on out there?

					BLYTHE
		Nothing, dear! Just finding out
		what all this noise is about!

Jerry arrives behind Blythe, munching an apple, looking as unbothered as it's humanly possible for anyone to look.

					JERRY
		Oh! It's a film crew. Don't suppose
		you guys have a permit I can check out?
		You know how the guys down in City Hall
		are. Or, well, maybe you don't, if
		you didn't get a--

Petra produces a signed permit from her jacket and hands it to Jerry.

					PETRA
		Well? What do you say, mind if we
		move on?

Jerry looks it over. As he does so, he glances over at the cameraman.

					JERRY
		Yeah, this looks legit. Sorry
		for wasting your time.

As he hands it back to her, he cocks an eyebrow, and smiles.

					JERRY
		Say, aren't you--

					PETRA
		Petra Fry.

					JERRY
		Yeah, yeah, the Great Vampire Killer!

					PETRA
		Only in the movies, I'm afraid.

					JERRY
		I saw so many of those flicks when I was
		a kid. They were big with my classmates,
		y'know? I mean, most of 'em were scared
		shitless, but I...I found them very...

He looks away, a far-off look in his eyes. He snaps his fingers, then turns his attention back towards Petra.

					JERRY
		Amusing! There's the word. You still doing
		that show, what's it, Fright Night?

					PETRA
		Not after the 9th. Got canceled,
		I'm afraid. We're shooting the finale
		now.

					JERRY
		Ah, that's a shame.

He claps his hands once.

					JERRY
		Well, I'll let you get to it.
		Sorry my wife is such a worry-
		wart!

He shakes Blythe, affectionately.

					BLYTHE
		Yes, well, you know. I only want
		the best for you.

					JERRY
		I know, I know. Well, Petra,
		pleasure to meet you.

He reaches out to shake Petra's hand. Petra reciprocates, tentatively.

					PETRA
		The pleasure's all mine.

INT. JERRY'S HOUSE – NIGHT

Blythe enters through the front door. Jerry follows.

					BLYTHE
		You can't blame me for worrying.

					JERRY
		I know, but I keep telling you this.
		Cameras aren't a problem anymore.
		It's all digital, and you don't use
		mirrors in digital cameras--

INT. A PANEL VAN – NIGHT

Petra, Martin, Amy and Charley are huddled around the camera, looking intently at its viewfinder, which is going through footage of Petra talking to the camera.

					MARTIN
		--unless, of course, you want
		to have basically no ability to
		judge focus accuracy before you
		start shooting. Sure, you could
		use magnifi--

					CHARLEY
		THERE! There it is!

We get a good look at the screen, seeing the scene from earlier from the camera's perspective. Petra is, indeed, talking to thin air. 

					PETRA
		I--I don't--

					CHARLEY
		He doesn't have a reflection.
		There. I'm not--

INT. JERRY'S HOUSE, ENTRY HALL – NIGHT

					JERRY
		--crazy! There's no reason to think
		Petra even listened to her. It's a
		coincidence.

					BLYTHE
		If you're so sure she's not a
		problem, then why are you--

					JERRY
		Deterrent. She wants to cause
		problems? I show her the consequences.
		Simple discipline. You hit a baby
		enough times, it stops crying. 

Blythe quietly considers this for a moment. Jerry comes up to her and kisses her on the cheek.

					JERRY
		I'm doing this for you, too.
		You keep talking about how
		much you want kids.

					BLYTHE
		I know, I know. I can't help it,
		I get hysterical.

She slumps down into a chair. Jerry picks up an apple by the bowl on the endtable.


					JERRY
		Why don't you relax tonight. Take
		a little you-time. You deserve it.

					BLYTHE
		You're right. Maybe I'll get some
		gardening done.

					JERRY
		Attagirl.

He ruffles her hair a little, takes a chomp out of the apple, and walks out.

INT. PANEL VAN – NIGHT

Petra and Amy sit in stunned silence. Charley is eagerly waiting for someone to say something, anything.


					AMY
		We can't kill him.

					CHARLEY
		What?

					AMY
		He's an undiscovered species.
		Science needs to get its hands on him.
		And law, too. God knows how much others
		like him have done. But mostly, I just
		mean--objectively. We can't kill him.
		We'd die trying.

					CHARLEY
		Well. We can't just do nothing.

					PETRA
		You have a tremendous amount of
		trouble speaking for yourself,
		I've noticed.

					CHARLEY
		Maybe you can stand by while
		innocent people suffer, but--

					PETRA
		Well it's better than martyring
		yourself!

					CHARLEY
		Maybe we'd succeed! You don't know!

					PETRA
		And I'm not finding out!
			(she takes a deep breath)
		I'm taking you kids home. And you're
		going to stay there, and you're going
		to make sure I don't see your parents
		crying on the news.

					AMY
			(bitterly)
		You wouldn't, anyway. 

Petra tries to think of a retort for that, then stops, and lets herself out of the van. Martin and the two other crew members are waiting for her.

					PETRA
			(solemnly)
		You three can leave. We're done here.

She gets into the front seat of the van, and drives it off. The crew members pile their equipment into another car behind the van.

We cut back to the inside of the van. Petra clears her throat.

					PETRA
		So. Where am I dropping you?

					CHARLEY
		Um. My mom's trying to make arrangements
		for us to stay with one of her work
		friends. Lemme see if she's texted me.

Charley pulls out her phone and checks it.

					AMY
		Um, you know where Bearse's Pizza
		is? I'm, er, in the apartment
		above that.

Charley looks down at her phone disappointedly.

					CHARLEY
		Dang. Nothing. Let me see what's up.

					AMY
		Wait--but maybe--

					CHARLEY
		Jerry's not gonna go after her yet.
		She's already told her friends I think
		some ax murderer lives next door, so if
		she disappears now--

					AMY
		Right. Smart.

					CHARLEY
		Please tell me you already told, like,
		Bee or Vicki or whoever what a shithead
		I am.

					AMY
		Charley, you're not--
			(sighs)
		Yeah, I told them.

					CHARLEY
		Good.

There's a long silence.

					AMY
		Check your phone.

					CHARLEY
		It's been, like, half a minute.

					AMY
		I know, I just...I'm worried, that's
		all. I need to know you're gonna be
		safe.

					CHARLEY
		Right. Yeah. Thanks.

					PETRA
		Charley?

					CHARLEY
		Yeah?

				PETRA
		If your mother doesn't get back
		to you--well--I mean, I realize--
     if you need some place to stay--

					CHARLEY
		I don't want to impose. If he comes
		after me, well, then you're just in
		the middle of it, aren't you? Can't
		have that.

					PETRA
		Look, if I bring you to your home--

					CHARLEY
		Then I'm dead, right? You're fine
		abandoning anonymous people, but--

					PETRA
		I am trying to do you a favor!

					CHARLEY
		You'd be doing me a bigger one if
		you helped me kill him!

					AMY
		OH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!

Another silence. Amy takes a deep breath.

					AMY
		Charley, go home with her.
		And try not to be an ass.

					CHARLEY
		But she--

					AMY
		Yeah, but I'm not leaping at
		the chance to go after him,
		and you're not chewing me out.
		Why's that?

Charley has no response. The car stops out in front of Bearse's. Amy opens the door.

					AMY
		Look, be safe, alright?


					CHARLEY
		I...I'll try.

					AMY
		And call me. When you know what's
		happening.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah.

					AMY
		And Ms. Fry, take good care of her,
		alright?

					PETRA
		Anything for a fan.

Amy leans over and gives Charley a kiss on the cheek, then leaves. Charley watches her unlock the door off to the side of the Bearse's entrance and let herself in.

					PETRA
		You care about her, don't you?

					CHARLEY
		Of course.

					PETRA
		And your mom.

					CHARLEY
		Look, I get it, alright? I'm sorry.

					PETRA
		It's fine. I understand. I was like
		you when I was your age.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah? What changed?

Petra pauses, considering this.

					PETRA
		Have you actually...seen any of my
		films?

					CHARLEY
		Ah, no, sorry. I'm, er, not a big
		horror person. Which feels weird
		saying, under the circumstances,
		but.

Petra sighs.

					PETRA
		Right then. There's something you
		should know...

A dissolve over her face, to--

INT. ED'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

--Petra on a computer screen, looking decades younger and decidedly more masculine. Not, like, bearded or anything, but, well. It's one of her old film appearances, which means lots of film grain and shit production values.

					PETRA ON SCREEN
		Peter Vincent, the Great Vampire Killer!
		Ready to do battle with the undead!

Ed's watching intently, notepad in hand.

 					ED
		What undead? It's a goddamn werewolf!
		Werewolves aren't undead!

There's a knock at Ed's door.

					ED
		Piss off, dad, I'm busy!

The door opens. Jerry steps through it.

					JERRY
		Do I really sound that much like him?
		I'm flattered.

Ed looks around, awkwardly. Searching for context clues.

					ED
		Hi, um, uncle--

					JERRY
		Nice try, but no. You don't know
		me, I don't think. You know my wife,
		though, if only by reputation.

Jerry reaches out to shake his hand.

					JERRY
		Jerry Dandridge, pleasure
		to meet you.

Ed looks frightened, now. He's jittering a bit.

					ED
		Look, man, I didn't know
		that was your wife. It wasn't
		even my idea! There's this chick,
		see, and--


					JERRY
		--she thinks me and my wife have
		been slaughtering our way through
		the major metro area.

					ED
		Yeah, but look, I'm sure--

					JERRY
		She's right.

Ed does not shit his pants. But he wants to. Really, really badly. He's eying the door now. To flee. But also to go to the bathroom.

					ED
		Please don't kill me. 

					JERRY
		Oh, don't worry, I won't.
		Not in so many words, anyway.

He peers around Ed, watching the movie.

					JERRY
		“Devil's Torture Chamber”, right?
		Loved this one when I was a kid.
		God, when she's chained to the bed,
		and the vamps just...

He makes a little creeping motion.

					JERRY
		Did you get to that part yet?
		I didn't, like, ruin the movie,
		did I?

Ed shakes his head no.

					JERRY
		Great. Great stuff.

Jerry sits down on the edge of Ed's bed. Ed shakes his head.

					JERRY
		You like vampires, don'tcha, Ed?

Ed's not sure what to say. Jerry takes a quick look around the room, which is loaded with posters and memorabilia.


					JERRY
		Sorry. Dumb question. But boy,
		have I got an offer for you.

Jerry grins, broadly, all teeth. His fangs quickly elongate. He keeps them out just long enough for Ed to gawk, then puts them away.

					JERRY
		Now look, there's a lot I can give
		you. Girls who'll listen to you.
		Muscles to impress them with.
		The power to reshape the world to
		you your whim. But I'm gonna take a
		shot in the dark and say you don't
		need the sales pitch, am I right?

Ed gulps.

					ED
		I, er. Might need the sales pitch.
		A little bit.

Jerry sighs.

					JERRY
		Yeah, well. That's a shame, because
		I'm in a bit of a rush.

Jerry reaches out with a leg, hooks it behind the stem of Ed's rolling desk chair, and yanks it towards him. His fangs come out again. He grabs Ed's hand and sinks his teeth into Ed's wrist. Ed screams. Ed kicks the bed to push himself away, leaving huge gashes down his palm. He's screaming even louder now. Jerry leaps at him, putting his hand over his mouth, slamming his head into the keyboard. The computer makes a few little beeping noises. Blood is oozing pretty heavily from Ed's hand.

					JERRY
		Jesus, what is it with kids these days?
		They never know what's good for them.
		Now, you gonna hold still?

Ed shakes his head vigorously.

					JERRY
		You know, It's not fair of you,
		monopolizing my time like this. I already
		gotta clean all this blood. So how about
		this--that mess in the armchair
		downstairs who thinks I'm your
		English tutor? You stop squirming,
		and maybe I'll just walk past him
		on my way out. How's that? Sound
		good?

Ed nods slowly.

					JERRY
		Thank god. Now let's make this
		quick, I've still got like three
		more stops to make.

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT BUILDING – NIGHT

Petra and Charley ascend the stairs. The place is kinda grimy-looking, with yellow-tinged walls and unflattering linoleum lining the floor. Not especially well-lit, either.

					PETRA
		You're awfully quiet.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah. I just...I dunno. I'm worried
		if I'm not, like, deadly silent, I'm
		gonna miss my mom calling.

					PETRA
		I'm sure she's fine.

					CHARLEY
		You're just saying that.

					PETRA
		Yes, fine, you caught me.

					CHARLEY
		I didn't mean--

					PETRA
		Look, if there was something
		I could realistically do to
		calm you down, I'd do it.

					CHARLEY
		I know.

They're up the stairs now, and in the hallway proper, approaching Petra's apartment.

					CHARLEY
		Hey, look--I'm sorry if this is,
		like, hypocritical, because I'd
		flip if someone asked this about
		Amy--

Petra sticks her key in the door and begins to unlock it.

					CHARLEY
			(cont'd)
		--but those three guys who helped
		with the camera, do you think they'd
		be willing to--

Petra's opened the door, now. She doesn't go in. She stands in the doorway, with her back to the camera. Charley approaches her, looks over her shoulder, and sees--

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT BUILDING

It's spacious enough. There's a kitchen island that looks like it's got a pretty decent oven and a sizable fridge. Decorating the walls are posters and props of all shapes and sizes. The living area's furniture all looks not necessarily antique, but aged, with fading wood and off-color upholstery.

Also, there are three very large bats hanging from the ceiling, apparently sleeping.

					CHARLEY
		Shit.

Charley reaches over her and closes the door. She takes a deep breath. Charley begins pacing.

					CHARLEY
		Okay. So. Can't go into the apartment,
		probably. What have you got in the car?
		Crosses? Crosses would be good. I'd say
		stakes but yours are probably all, like,
		plastic or something. Does it matter what
		crosses are made of? I mean, why would you
		have fake crosses anyway? Forget I said that.
		Um. Er.

She turns to Petra.

					CHARLEY
		I could use a little help. I think
		I've mentioned this isn't my wheelhouse.


					PETRA
		Those are my friends. 

					CHARLEY
		They're bats, you don't--

					PETRA
		He knows.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah. I got that.

					PETRA
		I never should've gone over there.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah, well, you did, so.

					PETRA
		We have to run.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah, I think eventually they're gonna
		get tired of waiting. We need a plan.

					PETRA
		No. No plan. I'll drop you at Amy's, or
		your mother's work, or something, and
		then I'm leaving.

					CHARLEY
		Jesus. Seriously? What is it going to
		take for you to realize we have to fight--

					PETRA
		Sixty years.

					CHARLEY
		What? 

					PETRA
		Sixty years. I fought the government.
		I fought society. I fought Hollywood
		and Washington and New York. And then,
		when I thought I was done, I fought my
		body. I'm done fighting, Charley. I'm
		eighty-five years old. I just want to
		rest.

She walks away from the door, past Charley. Not making eye contact, not stopping. Charley walks past her. To the door. She turns the knob. Petra can hear it click. She stops.

					PETRA
		I'm sorry. Really, I am.

					CHARLEY
		I know.

Charley opens the door. The bats wake up and turn to face her with grotesque, humanoid faces, resembling those of Martin and the two others. Let's call them LIGHT and SOUND. Why not.

The bats release their grip on the ceiling. Martin goes after Petra, who just barely makes it to a nearby elevator and shuts herself inside, leaving Martin to bang against the doors once before soaring downstairs. His wingspan is a bit of a match for the cramped stairwell, so he turns on his side.

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Charley dives under Light and Sound as they descend upon her, trying to snatch her up with their feet and carry her off into the night. But between their own experience being bats and their tremendous wingspan, mostly they just bump into each other and knock over wall decorations.

Charley notices a wooden lockbox under a nearby table and crawls to it. She snaps it open. Stakes and crosses and--a bottle of something. It has a cross on it. She tosses it out from under the table and manages to hit Light's feet. Light lets out a shriek and becomes even more frantic, toppling to the ground. He knocks over a lamp which casts him in silhouette, as slowly he begins to transform...

EXT. PETRA'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT

The elevator dings. Petra gets out and hurries across the parking lot to her van. Martin's already there waiting for her, his eyes wild, his hair unkempt.

 					MARTIN
		Please don't make me do this.

					PETRA
		I believe that's my line.

					MARTIN
		I don't want to hurt you.

					PETRA
		Then don't.

					MARTIN
		I can't...I can't stop. Up...up here...
			(Martin taps his forehead)
		there's a buzzing...I can't...I can't
		get him out...

Martin's hand begins to bubble and distort, becoming a thick, furry claw...

					MARTIN
		No...please...not again...

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Light and Sound are human again, which unfortunately puts Charley at a disadvantage. They're climbing under the table after her, wild-eyed and practically feral. She's poured holy water around the perimeter of the table. Sound touches it briefly, and there's a sizzling noise, but beyond that this has no effect. Charley stands up dramatically, toppling the table--

EXT. PARKING LOT – NIGHT

--forming a match cut to a wolf--Martin--diving towards Petra. Petra dives out of the way, hitting the asphalt. Martin stalks towards her, licking its maw. Petra scampers away, slowly getting to her feet, running towards the van--

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Charley's running across the room with the box now, matching Petra's actions. Light is under the table, which has splintered atop him. Sound is fast approaching. She grabs a stake from the box and rushes Sound with it. He grabs her hand. Tight. Her hand spasms. She knees him in the groin, and he screams--

EXT. PARKING LOT – NIGHT

Martin howls, scraping away at the metal back door of the van.

INT. VAN – NIGHT

Petra digs through a duffel bag in the back--camera, mic, light stand--screwdriver. Tripod. She can work with that. She jams the screwdriver into the screw for the third leg, as--

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

--Charley jams the stake into Sound's shoulder. It goes straight through. He screams again. As with Jerry's hand, the texture of Sound's shirt changes to grey stone, and slowly spreads around the puncture wound. He pulls at it, but it's in too deep. Soon it's crept down the back of his shoulder, down to the armpit. He topples under the weight, squirming.

EXT. PARKING LOT – NIGHT

Martin, too, is knocked over by the sudden swinging open of the van doors. Swiftly thereafter the long end of the tripod gets him right in the throat, and at the end of it is Petra, lip quivering, holding the newly cross-like end of the tripod. Steam erupts from his mouth. His fur singes off at the neck, embers developing in their place. Slowly, she pulls the cross out.

INT. PETRA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT

We see Charley put a stake in Sound's leg. It, too, begins to turn to stone, though there's been no real development on the shoulder. She notices that Light hasn't moved, and cautiously walks towards him. Peering over the wreckage, she can see that one of the legs splintered through his heart. He's mostly stone now, all that's left is the head. As Sound's head becomes stone, he looks up at Charley.

					SOUND
		Thank...you...

EXT. PARKING LOT – NIGHT

As Sound's transformation is finishing, Martin's is just beginning. He's coughing, smoke bellowing from his throat. He whimpers sadly, pathetically. The fur begins to drop from his flesh. His paws contort back into hands and feet. His face, fiendish and wolflike, slowly recedes back into a that of a crying, dying, mouse of a man. With his last breath, he reaches up towards a terrified Petra, practically squealing, before his body relaxes and collapses, dead. No stone effect or anything, just a corpse.

Charley arrives on the scene, carrying Petra's equipment. Petra slowly brings herself down to sit on the edge of the back of the van. Charley looks down at Martin's body, then back up at Petra, then sits down beside her in the van. She puts her arm around Petra. Petra's eyes begin to well up.

					PETRA
		Please...please don't say anything.

					CHARLEY
		I won't.


					PETRA
		I just...I couldn't...

					CHARLEY
		He was trying to kill you. Us. It's
		not your fault.

					PETRA
		We should never have gotten involved.
		Either of us. Martin, Verne, Edward...
		They'd all--I wouldn't--we--

					CHARLEY
		For what it's worth, one of those guys
		is still alive. Um. His shoulder and
		leg are kinda screwed up, but--

					PETRA
		It's not the same. He's one of them, now.

					CHARLEY
		Is there, like, some way to fix it? In the
		movies, or whatever? If we--

					PETRA
		And then what? We fail, and he finds more
		and more people around us, people we love,
		who he can use to hurt us.

					CHARLEY
		But if we don't--if we succeed, than this
		ends. All of it. It's worth the risk.

					PETRA
		No. It isn't.

					CHARLEY
		Look, if we do nothing, yeah, maybe
		he'll leave us alone, but what if he
		doesn't? What if--

					PETRA
		I asked you not to do this. 

There's a pause. Charley reaches into the back of the van and pulls out her bicycle, which has been there the entire time and TOTALLY doesn't need to be retconned in during revisions.

					CHARLEY
		You're right. I'm sorry.

					PETRA
		Where are you going?

She puts Petra's supply case in the basket in the back and begins to tie it down with bungee cords.

					CHARLEY
		To let you mourn. And make sure you won't
		have to mourn anyone else.

					PETRA
		It's a long ride back to Dobbs. Lot of
		hills. You're going to get hurt.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah, well, I've got...traction...
		and...metaphor. Something.
			(beat)
		Feel better, alright? Sorry again
		for dragging you into this. Also,
		you know, maybe go check on your
		friend? He's probably not thrilled
		about this either.

Charley gets on the bike and is about to put her feet on the pedals.

					PETRA
		Wait!

Charley looks back, bitter but hopeful that she's gotten through to Petra.

					PETRA
		If you're right, and all this
		nonsense works like it does in pictures,
		then if you stake him before the sun comes
		up, any vampires he made tonight
		will return to normal. Well.
			(she looks down at Martin's corpse)
		Most of them. Anyway.

					CHARLEY
		Good to know. Anything else?

Petra says nothing. Charley nods. And with that, she's off, pedaling deep into the night.

After a few yards, her phone rings. She stops the bike and looks down at the phone. It's Amy. She picks up.

					CHARLEY
		Amy! Are you alright?!

INT. BEARSE'S BUILDING – NIGHT

Amy's hanging out in the middle of the steps leading down to the exterior of the building. She seems anxious.

					AMY
		Hey. Your mom get back to you yet?

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

Charley realizes she hasn't checked and pulls up her texts. Still nothing.

					CHARLEY
		No, why?

INT. BEARSE'S BUILDING – NIGHT

Her worst fears confirmed, Amy becomes a bit twitchy, gradually getting more and more upset.

					AMY
		My folks are saying your mom called them,
		and now they wanna get out of town. But
		that's NUTS, right? Your mom would text
		you first, obviously.

					CHARLEY (V.O.)
		So, what, you think--

					AMY
		Jerry got them. Definitely. I gotta get
		out of here, but they're waiting for me
		by the door, and I don't--I can't--

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

Charley's a little freaked out too, now, and starts pacing around her bike.

					CHARLEY
		Alright. Relax. If you stake them, like,
		not through the heart, that'll slow 'em
		down, and then you can--



INT. BEARSE'S BUILDING – NIGHT

					AMY
		I don't HAVE any of that stuff.

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

					CHARLEY
		Okay, then, there's a fire escape
		around back, you can--

INT. BEARSE'S BUILDING – NIGHT

					AMY
		Charley, I've already thought this
		through. I can't OUTRUN a vampire.

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

					CHARLEY
		You can TRY! I mean, you run track--

INT. BEARSE'S BUILDING – NIGHT

Amy takes a deep breath and tries to steady herself.

					AMY
		Charley, I--I just wanted you to know,
		I guess. That I'm--

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

					CHARLEY
		You're not gonna die.

INT. BEARSE'S BUILDING – NIGHT

					AMY
		If I can help it. But, you know...
		if I can't find some way out of
		this--

A car horn honks from offscreen.

					AMY
			(to outside)
		I'm coming! Jesus!
			(to Charley)
		I'm out of time. Stay alive,
		alright?

And with that she hangs up and walks outside, getting inside a half-painted 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback. The passenger-side seat is already pulled back, she crawls behind and gets in the back.

Jerry is in the driver's seat. He leans over and closes the door behind her.

INT. 1966 FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK – NIGHT

Jerry drives slowly and carefully. It is, after all, a terrible idea to get pulled over with an abducted teenager in your backseat.

					AMY
		Charley said you talked a big game
		about not killing anyone that could
		implicate you. What happened to that?


					JERRY
		Oh, relax. Your folks aren't dead.
		Just, you know, maybe they wanna
		change their work schedules a bit.

					AMY
		Hilarious.

					JERRY
		Thanks! Worked real hard on that
		one. 

					AMY
		And me? You realize they don't
		exactly have night schools for
		teenagers, right?

					JERRY
		You're, what, sixteen? Kids drop
		out all the time. No one'll notice.

					AMY
		Don't you worry having another family
		of vampires in the area will cut into
		your, y'know, whatever you're doing?

					JERRY
		Oh, absolutely! You know what else
		I worry about? People assuming I'm
		stupid. I'm sure you get that a lot.

					AMY
		Hey, I'm just trying to help!

					JERRY
		Sure you are. Hey, here's an idea,
		let's talk about you for a bit!
		You and your brilliant plan to
		get in a car with a vampire, and
		then--what?

Amy shuffles uncomfortably in her seat, then turns to look out the window.

					JERRY
		See, now you get it.

Amy doesn't reply.

					JERRY
		Aw, geez, did I hurt your feelings?
		I'm sorry. Look, let's talk about
		something more pleasant! You like
		to dance?

					AMY
		Uh, not really.

					JERRY
		Shame. My wife Blythe is a fantastic
		dancer. Very excited to have someone
		to go out on the town with.

					AMY
		Yeah, well, sucks to be her.

					JERRY
		She had it all planned out, y'know.
		Bought you a nice dress, some shoes,
		found a few mother/daughter events
		in town. You're gonna break her heart.

Amy scoots forward in her seat ever so slightly and stretches her legs.

					AMY
		She's not my mother.

					JERRY
		Yeah, well, bet that's what you said last
		time, too. Don't worry, you'll warm up
		to Blythe. She's very lovable.

Amy kicks the back of Jerry's seat. It immediately reclines all the way to the back.

					JERRY
		Ah, relaxation! My one weakness!
		Very clever, it was smart of you
		to hide this from me.

Amy reaches behind him and yanks on the rear seatbelt to his left. There's a huge gash in it, and it tears apart. Jerry begins struggling to sit back up, but the gear's jammed. The car continues steadfastly forward, as there's no one at the wheel to tell it there's a swerve coming.

					JERRY
		Hey, you know, I hate to break it to
		you, but I'm kinda immortal. Suicide
		mission was not the smart move here.

Amy places the tattered seatbelt over Jerry, perpendicular to the one he's already wearing. It immediately sets ablaze. Amy opens her mouth to make a smart remark and immediately thinks better of it, instead climbing atop Jerry's burning body and giving the door on his side a swift kick. It comes off like it was held on with duct tape and hope, which, let's be honest, it probably was. She holds on tight to the interior of the door with her right hand as it falls, trying to curl herself into a protective position.

The car door matches the speed of the car, only backwards, which thankfully was not very fast. The bottom of the door sparks, and a few of those sparks manage to singe Amy. However, the car door quickly comes to a full stop, and Amy gets up off of it. Her entire right side hurts. She puts her hand to an ache in her ribs, then looks over to the inferno belching out of the Fastback's driver's side.

					AMY
		Yeah--well--you--whatever. Asshat.

She turns to look behind her. She sees Reflections, a nightclub, behind her, and staggers towards it. There's a big poster advertising “TEEN NIGHT” on the wall.

INT. REFLECTIONS ENTRY ROOM – NIGHT

Inside there's a rather plain-looking room with two men sitting behind a table in the front. The table is equipped with clipboards and hand stamps and such. They watch as Amy slowly makes her way towards them.

					MAN #1
		Hi there! Welcome to Teen Night.
		Can I see some ID, please?

Amy gently moves her hand away from her side and reaches into her jeans pocket, placing a student ID on the table. The man nods and stamps a little smiley face onto her hand.



					MAN #2
		Um, are you sure you should be here?
		One of us could call an ambulance if
		you like.

					AMY
		No, um, thanks. I'll be fine. Just
		tripped on my way over.

She walks behind them to the door that leads into the club proper.

					MAN #1
		What, into an electric fence?

INT. REFLECTIONS – NIGHT

As the name suggests, the club is mirror-themed. Mirrors adorn the walls, mirrors adorn the support beams, mirrors everywhere. The place has actually been converted from a ballet studio, with plain wooden floors and a paneled ceiling. Many of the teens inside are hanging against the walls, drinking mediocre punch, chatting. Amy heads to the back wall and grabs some punch, then leans against the wall, nursing her wounds. A couple notices her nearby, get a bit freaked out, and move to a different area. Amy glances at them as they leave, and notice that there's a hallway behind them leading to the bathrooms, which is not mirrored.

Also, Jerry's there. Studiously avoiding the mirrors. There's now a bigass black cross on his shirt, etched in by the fire, but he's otherwise no worse for wear.

					JERRY
			(inaudible)
		Don't make me come over there!

Amy gestures to her ears, and smirks.

					AMY
			(inaudible)
		What?!

					JERRY
			(slightly audible)
		I said don't make me come over
		there!

					AMY
			(slightly audible)
		Man, it's so loud in here!

Jerry groans.
					JERRY
			(slightly audible)
		You made me come over there!
		I hope you're happy!

Jerry starts to advance towards her. Amy taps the mirror on the wall with her knuckles, one at a time, mockingly. Jerry steps away again, then pointedly strokes his chin as he works out how to grab her. Suddenly, he disappears--

--reappears, holding Amy's shoulders--

--and then the two reappear by the bathrooms, Amy pinned to the wall. Amy is shocked, panting like she's got the wind knocked out of her, eyes wide with things Man Was Not Meant To See™.

					JERRY
		I told you not to make me come over
		there.

					AMY
		The—the hell was that?

					JERRY
		Oh, you'll find out soon enough.
		Get to do that to other people, even.

Jerry's fangs extend. Somehow, they don't hinder his voice at all.

					JERRY
		You think you're freaked out now?
		Wait until you see what I've got
		planned for that pretty little
		head of yours.

He leans forward and sinks his teeth into her scalp. She screams, though it's lost in the din of the club.

EXT. REFLECTIONS – NIGHT

Charley is pedaling down the street like a madman, going at speeds her shitty little bike were never really meant to go. Petra's box of vampire crap is bouncing around in the basket, rattling around its contents.

Suddenly, two silhouettes appear in front of her, leaving Reflections. Charley squeezes the brakes, swerves, and thankfully manages to put herself down on the lawn out in front of the club.

She looks up. A hand is reaching down to help her. Thoughtlessly, she grabs it, and suddenly finds herself roughly eye-level with Jerry Dandridge. Amy's standing behind him, eyes vacant.

					JERRY
		Oh, hey there, Charley! You remember
		me, don't you?

Charley nods slowly.

					JERRY
		You look like you're having a busy
		night! What a coincidence, so am I.

Charley's barely focusing on Jerry. Her attention's been drawn to Amy. Reflexively, Charley moves towards her. Jerry puts his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

					JERRY
		Oh yeah, that's right. You two know
		each other. And wouldn't you know it,
		Amy's going to be staying with me for
		a while. You're welcome to drop by,
		of course. I'll call your mother,
		we can arrange a playdate.

					CHARLEY
		What have you done to her.

					JERRY
		Oh, nothing much, yet. But don't
		worry, I know how much she means
		to you. I'm not doing anything
		you won't thank me for.

					CHARLEY
		I swear to God, if you hurt her--

Jerry glances down at a watchless wrist.

					JERRY
		Speaking of, look at the time.
		It was lovely catching up, but
		we really must be going.

Jerry and Amy disappear into thin air. Charley stands there for a moment, glancing down at her shoulder, trying desperately to shake the impression that Jerry's still holding it. She backs away, only for Jerry to reappear again, his fingertips grazing her.

					JERRY
		Oh, and if you do drop by, please
		bring Petra with you. After all,
		we both know Amy's a huge fan.

Jerry vanishes again. Charley staggers backwards quickly to pick up her bike and props it up against a streetlamp. She then reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. She looks down. No messages. She gulps, and dials, putting the phone to her ear, letting it ring.

					JUDY (V.O.)
		Hi, you've reached Judy Wu. I'm on
		duty at the moment, but leave me a
		message and I'll get right back to you.

The phone beeps.

					CHARLEY
		Mom? Mom, it's me. Charley. I, er...
		I did something stupid. I did something
		really, really, stupid, and now he's got
		Amy, and her parents, and a whole slew
		of folks from Channel 23, and god knows
		who else...and I'm gonna have to do
		even more stupid things, because I'm
		the only one who can set it right. I
		am, mom. I know you don't believe me.
		I'm not even sure I believe me. This
		might just be some sunken cost bullshit.
		But eventually, he would've...he would've
		fucked with someone else, he would've just
		kept killing, and...and I love you, Mom.
		I love you, and I love Amy, and...I don't...
		I don't want you guys to have to live in
		a world where folks like him exist, okay?
I don't want anyone to live in a world like
		that. I don't think that'll make you feel
		better, but if this is the last you hear
		from me...that's why. Alright? That's why.
		I...I love you.


INT. JERRY'S HOUSE, AMY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Amy's asleep in a largely unfurnished room. There's a bed, which she's on, and a nightstand beside her, with a nice-looking lamp, and beside it a picture of Jerry and Blythe, smiling, happy, in the sunlight. Photoshop? Or just a really old picture, from before they became this? It doesn't matter. There's a few dressers. It's all in the same sort of wood-grain design style that permeates the rest of Jerry's house. A few cans of paint are on the floor. The room's not going to stay like this for long.

Amy wakes up, groggy. She massages her temple. The puncture wounds that were previously there are gone, now. Cautiously, she moves her hands up her head. Her hair is straight. That's new. She sinks her fingers into it a bit as she sits up and scans the rest of the room. With her free hand, she sticks a finger in her mouth and rubs her fingers against it. Her fangs slide out, impaling her, but she doesn't feel anything as she draws blood. She notices the framed photo beside her and swipes her bloody finger across the glass, over Jerry and Blythe's faces.

There's a knock on the door, and that's when Amy notices it for the first time: or, more specifically, what's hanging on the back of it. A plain, white, sleeveless dress, with a strap around the neck. She reaches out for it, though she's not sure why.

The door creaks open. Blythe is behind it, smiling broadly, almost genuinely. She's carrying a tray. There's a bowl on it, and an apple.

					BLYTHE
		Oh, good, you're up! I've been waiting
		so long to talk to you. How're you feeling?

					AMY
		Really, really...thirsty.

					BLYTHE
		Oh, yes, that'll happen when you first
		change. Or so I've been told. That's
		why I brought you this!

She sets the tray down on Amy's lap before sitting herself down on the side of Amy's bed. The bowl has what appears to be tomato soup on it. Amy picks up the spoon and lifts some out. It's the wrong texture, the wrong color, the wrong...temperature.

It's blood. Let's just get that out of the way now.

					AMY
		Um...thanks.

Tentatively, she sticks the spoon into her mouth. Her lips close around it. She makes a long sucking noise, then slams down the spoon and picks up the bowl, pouring its contents into her mouth. Blythe giggles.

					BLYTHE
		Come now. Manners. 

Amy empties the bowl then places it down on the tray. Her mouth and chin are a mess.

					AMY
		Oh my god, that was gross.

					BLYTHE
		Yes, it was. Don't worry, though. We'll
		work on that.

					AMY
		I don't...I still feel thirsty. Kinda.
		I feel...

					BLYTHE
		Do you need more blood?

					AMY
		No, I feel...this...like, it's like
thirst? But not? Like...I don't...
Do vampires get, like, weird headaches?
Because I also feel like I could go
for an advil. There's this...buzzing...

Blythe looks away, and crosses her legs.

					BLYTHE
		Yes, well, that's...Jerry is sending
someone over to help you with that.
Don't worry about it for now, it's
perfectly normal.

Blythe gets up and begins to walk towards the door.

					BLYTHE
		Before that happens, would you mind
putting on that dress? I worked very
hard on it.

					AMY
		Do I have a choice?

					BLYTHE
		Well, you could not wear it.
		Break your poor mother's heart.
		You wouldn't want that, would
		you?

Amy tilts her head a little at this.

					AMY
		Um, okay, just to be clear, what
		exactly did Jerry tell you was going
		on here?

					BLYTHE
		That he abducted you from your home
		and turned you into one of him in
		order to bait that Asian child
		from next door, and that you would
		be our child.

					AMY
		Right. Okay. Just making sure.

Amy grabs the lamp from the nightstand and swings it towards Blythe's head. She stops mid-swing, her arms trembling, the lampshade inches away from Blythe's cheek.

					BLYTHE
		I don't expect you to love us right
		away. I'm not delusional. But in the
		meantime, you'll be obedient. That's
		not an order, just a fact.

She gets up and walks towards the door.

					BLYTHE
		I hope you like the dress. I did my best
		to make it comfortable for you. You can
		put it on once I leave.

She walks out, and closes the door. Amy looks towards the dress again. It draws her eyes in, she can't stop looking at it. A smile slowly creeps up on her face.

EXT. CHARLEY'S STREET - NIGHT

Charley's left her bike leaning against a nearby lamppost. She takes a deep breath, squares her shoulders, takes a tight grip on Petra's box, and takes long, confident strides up the walk. Suddenly, she can hear two sets of footsteps. A shadow slips forward and up in front of her. She turns around to face it, stake in hand.

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		Charley! Charley it's me!

Charley lowers the stake.

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		What?

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		Petra Fry, the Great Vampire Killer.
		Ready to do battle with the undead!

Charley stares, dumbstruck.

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		Seriously? After all the shit you
		said? All those big, flowery
		speeches about how damn tired you
		are?

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		What can I say? Perhaps I still
		have some righteous fury in me
		yet. Now then, what's the plan?

Charley's still a bit speechless.

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		Don't tell me after all the...
		after the fuss you made, you
		want me to turn around and go
		home?

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		No, no, it's just, well--

Charley gestures emptily to the Dandridge's front walk.
					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		You're not seriously telling me
your plan was to just waltz up
to the front door?

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		I told you this isn't my wheelhouse!

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		I know, but “don't just walk up to
		the front door of a mass murderer”
		isn't exactly a piece of advice that
		requires in-depth familiarity with
		vampires!

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		I mean, he'll probably be expecting
		us to come around the back! He knows
		we're gonna try and kill him!

					ED (V.O.)
		Well, I mean, he knows now.

Charley and Ed look up. Ed has perched himself on the roof of Jerry's porch, and is looking down on them like a gargoyle.

					CHARLEY
			(muttering)
		And I thought this night couldn't get
		any worse...

					ED
		Well? Surprised to see me?

					CHARLEY
		Uh, kinda? Mostly just kinda pissed.

					ED
		Oh, that's very sweet of you, but don't
		worry, I'm dead and loving it! That's a
		reference, by the way, Mel Brooks, great
		film, look it up.

					CHARLEY
		Wait, back up, sweet?

					ED
		Your concern. I know you're probably
		afraid that I'm suffering, or been
		turned against my will, but I feel
		fantastic! Like a bird who's just
		learned what it is to fly!

					CHARLEY
		Ah, no, sorry, I really couldn't give
		less of a shit.

					ED
		What?

					CHARLEY
		I'm really just pissed I can finally
kick your ass with no repercussions
but I gotta let Petra do it.

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		I'm sorry, what?

					ED
		Oh, c'mon, don't be like that!

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		Look, he's been a vampire for a few
		hours, tops. You've got this.

					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		I was just hoping that when we got
		to this bit I'd have backup.

					ED
		I mean, I thought we were friends!
		I helped you with Amy, I suggested
		movies, I let you steal from my
		scary-ass boss--

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		Look, think of it this way--your
		show's kaput, yeah? Your boss mention
		anything about a petition?



					PETRA
			(stage whisper)
		That was him?!

Charley gives Petra a pat on the back.

					CHARLEY
			(stage whisper)
		Like I said. You got this.

And with that, Charley heads up the stairs and through Jerry's front door. Petra pulls a couple of stakes from her belt.

					PETRA
		Come down here and fight me,
		you little gremlin! 

INT. JERRY'S HOUSE, ENTRY HALL – NIGHT

This is our first real good look at this room. It's wide. It's spacious. There's a bigass staircase running down the middle of the house, leading up to a hallway on the second floor. And there's a lot of cardboard boxes. Blythe and Jerry haven't quite finished moving in yet.

Speak of the devil, Jerry comes walking into view. Slowly. Casually. He's in no rush. His finger is running over the bannister separating the hallway from the ground below. Wood slowly spirals up as Jerry peels it with only his nail, leaving a low rumbling noise in its wake.

					JERRY
		Hi there Charley. Nice of you to
drop in.

					CHARLEY
		Where's. Amy.

					JERRY
		What, no “hi”? No small talk? I'm
		very curious about your thoughts
		on the weather. Wrote up talking
		points and everything.

Jerry begins to walk down the stairs. Charley pulls out a cross and holds it out in front of her.

					CHARLEY
		I am done listening to you talk.

					JERRY
		Really? So you don't want to know
		where Amy is?

					CHARLEY
		Knock it off. The clever act.
		You're not fooling anyone.

					JERRY
		Well, you know, except literally
		the entire neighborhood and surrounding
		area. They all seem to buy into it
		hook, line, and sinker, don't they?
		Of course you'd know if you actually
		bothered to ask anyone.

					CHARLEY
		This ends. Now.

					JERRY
		I mean, did you even bother to take
		a poll? This town loves me! I'm spending
		money, I'm building homes, my wife is
providing some excellent horticulture--and
		all at the cost of, what, a few weirdos?
		Couple of prostitutes? I'm a public
		service, Charley. 

					CHARLEY
		Public menace, more like.

					JERRY
		Tsk tsk tsk. See that loose grasp on
		witty banter is why no one likes you.
		You could disappear right now and all
		that'd be lost is a few lame jokes.

					CHARLEY
		Would you shut up?!

					JERRY
		Again with the demands! You come in
		here like “where's Amy?” and now look!
		You've killed, like, a minute, and still
		no Amy. Maybe you'd find out where she is
		if you'd shut up for half a goddamn second.

					CHARLEY
		Fine. Tell me, then.

Jerry sticks his thumb back towards the staircase.
					JERRY
		She's upstairs. Waiting for you.

Jerry steps off to the side, clearing the way for Charley to walk around him. Charley stays still, only following him with the cross.

					JERRY
		Well, c'mon, up you go! Wouldn't
		want to keep your friend waiting,
		would you?

Charley walks past Jerry, still holding the cross out towards him, and slowly makes her way backwards up the stairs.

					JERRY
		Jeez, so paranoid! Not everyone's
		out to get you, you know. I'm trying
		to do something nice for you and this
		is what I get. 

EXT. JERRY'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Ed's still on the roof, hanging back, looking pretty unbothered.

					PETRA
		Well? Are you going to come down?
		Or are you afraid to fight an old
		woman?

					ED
		Mostly I'm just thinking about how
		few ranged weapons there are against
		vampires. Oh, sure, sure, some newer
		films give you crossbows, or stake
		guns, or sun grenades, but that's
		never really been your style, has it?
		Not that you ever had style.

Petra's ruffling through a bag she has slung around her shoulder.

					PETRA
		You know, I always hated chatty
		villains. They always stole the
		best lines.

					ED
		Don't try to pass the buck on
		your shitty-ass films. You
		deliver dialogue like a wet--

A vial of holy water hits the roof and cracks open in the storm drain.

					ED
		Ha! You missed!

					PETRA
		Oh, did I?

Ed jerks around, looking frantically across the roof, trying to figure out how that could possibly have been a trick shot. The next vial hits him square in the back. Ed shrieks as the back of his shirt whittles away and his skin singes. His grip on the roof loosens, causing him to slip into the storm drain, where his shoes and feet suffer similar treatment.

Petra grins.

					ED
		How many of those damn things
		do you have?

					PETRA
		Why don't you come down here and
		find out?

Ed grimaces, then leaps down from the roof dramatically, landing just as--

INT. JERRY'S HOUSE, AMY'S ROOM - NIGHT

--Charley swings the door open to Amy's room. She glances around. Amy is not immediately visible.

					CHARLEY
		Uh, Amy? You in here?

Cautiously, she makes her way into the room, surveying the area.

					CHARLEY
		Um. Jerry said you were in here.
		Which, I mean, I guess he could've
		been lying?

A few more steps into the room. The blood across Jerry and Blythe's photo gets her attention.

					CHARLEY
		Confirmation one way or another
		would be great, honestly.

Charley picks up the photo and turns it around in her hands. A drop of water hits it from the ceiling. Charley looks up--no Amy. Just a leaky roof.

					CHARLEY
		Huh. Some builder.

Charley turns and looks at the wall to her right. There's another door. Charley walks cautiously towards it. Puts the knob in her hand. Turns it--

					AMY (V.O.)
		Out in a second! Just getting
		cleaned up.

					CHARLEY
		Oh! Um. Okay.
			(clears throat)
		Hi. Amy. It's, uh--

					AMY
		Yeah, I know. Gimme a bit,
		alright?

					CHARLEY
		Alright, I just--are you
		okay?

					AMY
		I'm fine, Charley. Seriously.
		Just, go wait on the bed.

					CHARLEY
		Uh. Alright.

Charley walks back over to the bed and sits down on it. Twiddling her thumbs. Idly trying to work out what's going on.

Amy opens the bathroom door, wearing the white dress, make-up, and little else.

					AMY
		Well? What do you think?

					CHARLEY
		Honestly? I'm...lost.

					AMY
		At a loss for words?

					CHARLEY
		No, just, uh. Really nervous.
		And confused. That second thing,
		mostly.

Amy walks slowly over to the bed, probably strutting, I dunno, I dunno what the hell a strut is, augh.

					AMY
		Don't be nervous, Charley.

					CHARLEY
		I...um. Okay? Sure? Why...

					AMY
		This is what you wanted, right?
		Just relax. 

					CHARLEY
		Relax. Sure. Okay. Relax.

Charley takes a deep breath. Amy sits down next to her on the bed.

					CHARLEY
		Okay, so, um, are you...you
		know...okay? In the, um…

Charley opens her mouth and points to her teeth.

					AMY
		Why don't you tell me?

Amy leans over, placing her hand on Charley's knee, and slides a finger underneath Charley's chin, raising his jaw a bit, before putting her lips to Charley's and sliding her tongue in between them. Charley tries to scoot away, and is ultimately successful.

					CHARLEY
		Alright, I'm gonna take that as
		a “yes”. Or a “no”? Shit, how did
		I--phrase--vampire. You're a vampire.

					AMY
		Is that going to be a problem?

					CHARLEY
		Is--what--I--yes? Probably?
		I don't--

Amy reaches for Charley and pulls her back towards her.

					AMY
		Look, it's okay to be nervous.
		I was, once. You can just let
		me take the lead.

Amy leans in and begins kissing Charley's neck. Sliding her hands up under Charley's shirt.

					AMY
		God, your skin is so soft...

					CHARLEY
		Wait--you said nervous. That's
		not--you weren't--

Charley yanks herself away from Amy and scoots over to the end-bedframe.

					CHARLEY
		You were angry.

					AMY
		Oh. Did you--I mean, I can
		do that, if you want. I was
		just testing the waters.

					CHARLEY
		No, you were--you slapped me!

					AMY
		Is that a request?

Charley scrambles up off the bed. Backing towards the door.

					CHARLEY
		Shit. This is...this is my
		fault.

Amy disappears off the bed and appears in front of Charley, forcefully pinning her to the wall.

					AMY
		You've been very bad.

					CHARLEY
		You don't want this. You're doing this--

					AMY
		Oh, stop. Don't you deserve a little
		something for yourself? After the night
		you've had?

Charley tries to duck out from under Amy and reach for the door. It's more difficult than it looks.

					CHARLEY
		Okay. Regret later, plan now.
Can you still do things besides
come on to me?

					AMY
		I could if you'd just hold still.

					CHARLEY
		Right. Stupid question. Okay.
		You know anything about Jerry
		that could help me out here?

Amy stops for a moment.

					AMY
		Um. That's...that's kinda gross.

					CHARLEY
		No, not like--anything that
		could help me kill him.

					AMY
		I mean, he's my dad now. That's--

					CHARLEY
		--yeah, I know, um, daddy issues,
		incest, Oedipus shit, huuuge turn ons.
Talk about Jerry, I could totally get
into that.

					AMY
		Bullshit.

Charley finally manages to slip under Amy and open the door.

					CHARLEY
		Well, it was worth a shot.

Charley leaves and slams the door behind her, leaning up against it, heart pounding. She looks down at her hands. They're both empty.

					CHARLEY
		Right. Weapons. Shit.

She swings the door back open--

EXT. JERRY'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Petra swings a rope of garlic at Ed's head. He ducks.

					ED
		I still can't believe that's what
you're going with.

					PETRA
		Well, you wanted range.

					ED
		I was joking!

					PETRA
		How was I supposed to tell? Your
		jokes are all so terrible! 

Petra takes a swing at Ed's legs. He leaps up into the air and lands behind her.

					ED
		And yours are better?

					PETRA
		Mine are fun.

She whips around and takes a crack at his ribs. Direct shot. His shirt starts to melt a bit.

					ED
		Yours are lame.

					PETRA
		Spectacular comeback. “Lame”.
		Wish I'd thought of it. 

					ED
		Oh, shut up!

She takes another swing. Ed jumps and lands in front of her, grabbing her by the neck with both hands.

					ED
		Jesus. That's the problem with
		you, y'know? Like, I could take
		you popping up between the ad
		breaks if you were funny, you
		know? Or if you had anything
		interesting to say, or hell,
		even if your movies were any
		good! But you just keep talking!
		Like, just to hear the sound of
		your own voice! And you've got
		nothing meaningful or insightful
		or funny to say, you just fill
		time with this meaningless bla--

With her completely unsecured hands, Petra reaches forward and shoves and ream of garlic in his mouth. His eyes go wide as his cheeks begin to sag, his hairline doing whatever the opposite of receding is.

					PETRA
		Learn to take your own advice.
		You jag.

She reaches down, pulls up his jaw, and holds it shut. His nostrils flare as he tries to breath. He tries to force his mouth back open but it's gooed shut, forcing the garlic down his throat. His entire body begins to melt like a wax candle. He collapses to the ground, dropping Petra square on her ass. As his body dissolves into a puddle, he manages to yank his mouth open one last time--

					ED
		I didn't--mean it--

					PETRA
		Yes, well. I'll just need to hear
		your fascinating motives some other
		time.

And with that Petra walks towards the Dandridge house.

INT. JERRY'S HOUSE, UPPER HALLWAY - NIGHT

Charley's running down the hall, stake in hand and facing outright, Petra's box in her other hand. She glances down the stairs leading to the ground floor. Jerry's gone.


					CHARLEY
		Great. Okay then. If I was a vampire,
		where would I be?

					PETRA (V.O.)
		The basement!

Petra's just walked in the front door.
					PETRA
		He needs a coffin, and he needs one
		underground. I take it you put him
		on the run?

Charley heads down the stairs towards Petra.

					CHARLEY
		Nope. Barely saw him. Spent the last
		couple of minutes trying to convince
		my girlfriend not to screw me, how
		about you?

					PETRA
		I just murdered a teenager. 

					CHARLEY
		Gonna be honest, I feel like your
last few minutes were better than
mine.

					PETRA
		Doesn't feel that way to me.

					CHARLEY
		Yeeeaaaah, that sounded better in my
		head. Sorry.
			(beat)
So, basement?

					PETRA
		Well, if he doesn't need to recover,
		he could be anywhere. Might as well
		sweep the whole house.

					CHARLEY
		Great. Where do we start?

					PETRA
		Hang on a moment, what about the
		wife?

					CHARLEY
		What about her?

					PETRA
		Couldn't she be a problem?

					CHARLEY
		I mean, she walks around during the
		day. I think she's just, you know,
		a person.

					PETRA
		And it didn't occur to you, if
		vampires are real, than perhaps
		she could be any number of
		creatures? 

					CHARLEY
		Well it has now! What do we do?

Petra pulls a revolver from her bag.

					PETRA
		Nothing to do except pray bullets
		work. 

					BLYTHE (V.O.)
		Oh, I don't think that'll be
		necessary.

Petra points the gun at Blythe, who's coming out from a kitchen area off the main hall.

					BLYTHE
		I mean, for one thing, that's terrible
		for your ears. It'd be pointless too,
		believe me.

					CHARLEY
		Why should we?

					BLYTHE
		You don't really think my husband and
		I invited you here to hurt you, do you?

Petra lines up a shot.

					PETRA
		I've yet to see any evidence to the
		contrary.

					BLYTHE
		All we really want is peace. Surely
		you can understand that.

					CHARLEY
		I really can't.

					BLYTHE
		Well of course you can't. After all
		you've done, I imagine backing down
		seems difficult. But it's okay, really!
		All we want is your guarantee that you'll
		leave us be.

					CHARLEY
		You first.

					BLYTHE
		But Charley, we haven't hurt you at all!

The lights in the ceiling begin to flicker. Charley looks up at them.

					CHARLEY
		You hurt Amy. That's as good as hurting
me.

					BLYTHE (V.O.)
		We only did that after you followed me,
		Charley. I understand you feel possessive,
		so surely it should make sense Jerry's the
		same way.

Blythe seems farther away now, somehow. She's not moved, though, and neither has Charley. The dimensions of the house haven't really changed. The lights are getting dimmer.

					CHARLEY
		Jerry killed that escort.

					BLYTHE
		Did he really, Charley? It was late.
		You must've been very tired.

					CHARLEY
		I watched it happen!

Despite being roughly equal size, she now has to look down to see Blythe. Darkness has encompassed most of the room.

					BLYTHE
		I understand, Charley. You're young,
		and angry, but there are other ways
		to get attention. You don't need to
		hurt people.

Blythe is bleeding now. She's been cut badly, across her face, across her stomach, her arms and legs. Charley looks down at her hands. There's a bloody knife in one. She looks down at her clothes. They're covered in blood as well.


					CHARLEY
		I don't--

					BLYTHE (V.O.)
		It's okay, Charley. I forgive you. We
		can stop this all right now--

Blythe's on the floor now. Charley's standing over her, knife in hand, ready to swing.

					CHARLEY
		I don't understand, where did I--

					BLYTHE
		Please. Please, just stop. I won't
		tell anyone, I swear, just leave
		us alone!

					CHARLEY
		I don't--I didn't--I--I couldn't--

					BLYTHE
		You did, Charley, but it's okay!
		Just--

There's an explosion. That's what it sounds like, anyway. Charley collapses to her knees, covering her ears, the knife dropping from her hand. She doesn't land on Blythe, though. In fact, when she looks up, Blythe is standing over her, uncut, but with a bullet hole straight through her midsection. From the hole, a number of tendrils and feelers appear to be escaping. The lighting of the room is back to normal.

Charley glances up behind her. Petra fired the shot, is still holding the gun towards Blythe, and is wearing a pair of protective earmuffs. She turns around again. Blythe is stumbling backwards, looking vaguely deflated, the tendrils in the bullet hole extending longer and longer.

Petra leans down and extends her hand to help Charley up. Charley accepts, and gets to her feet. She turns to see Blythe, who's back on her feet now. Her eyes are vacant now--like, literally empty, nothing in the sockets. Her jaw is slack, her head off to her sides. Her entire body collapses backwards as, on the ground, a long series of worm-like tentacles continue to pull themselves loose, edging slowly towards Petra and Charley. Clear as crystal, Blythe's voice rings through the room as the creature arrives at Charley's feet.

					BLYTHE (V.O.)
		Please don't hurt me.

					CHARLEY
		What was that? I need it louder
and slower.

Charley lifts her foot and quickly, deliberately, crushes Blythe under it, grinding her foot against the floor. Then stomps on it. Again. And again. And again. Eventually, Petra puts a hand on Charley's shoulder.

					PETRA
		It's alright. She's gone.

					CHARLEY
		I know.

She continues stomping.

					PETRA
		Listen, I understand. But--

					CHARLEY
		Do you?

					PETRA
		Not what she did. But how you
		feel. And there'll be plenty of time
		later. But we can't stay here.

					CHARLEY
		I know. I just.
			(beat)
		You don't, you know. Understand.

					PETRA
		Yes, well. Regardless. There are
		things that need attending to.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah. Yeah, okay.

She begins to walk back towards where Blythe entered. Petra follows.

					PETRA
		And for the record, you know, I
		wasn't lying yesterday. At the con.

					CHARLEY
		About what?

					PETRA
		I really do know a wonderful
		psychologist.

Charley smirks a little at this.

					CHARLEY
		Um. Thanks.

By this point in the conversation, they've reached a wall of the kitchen with another door on it.

					PETRA
		So! Basement. Shall we?

					CHARLEY
		I'd be delighted.

The camera pulls up, out of the room, out of the nearest window of the house, and floats up, higher and higher, until we get to

JERRY’S ROOF - NIGHT

--the roof. There, Jerry stands, balancing himself on the edge with absolute effortlessness, gazing out onto the horizon.

					JERRY
		Shit.
			(beat)
		Shit shit shit!

He stomps his foot, dislodging one of the house’s shingles and sending it plummeting to the ground.

					JERRY
		Two days! I’ve been here two goddamn
		days!
			(takes a deep breath)
		Alright. It’s okay. You knew this might
		happen. This is still totally salvageable.

He paces over to the nearest window and looks in, longingly.

					JERRY
		You understand, don’t you. What I
		have to do. It’s okay. You’re going
		to be okay. I promise.

Jerry puts two fingers to his ear, Gary Owens style.

					JERRY
		Amy? Change of plans. Stand by to
		receive new instructions.

					AMY (V.O.)
		Uh, yeah, okay, dad. You big dork.
			(giggles)

Jerry smiles softly to himself, and then vanishes.

INT. JERRY’S BASEMENT - NIGHT

It’s large. Ornate. Spacious. And cluttered with junk. Dusty bookshelves, antiques stacked haphazardly in boxes. The windows have been blacked out.

Charley pulls out her phone and turns on the flashlight app. Petra glances around and finds a light switch. A number of bare-bones fixtures in the ceiling turn on. Charley turns to look at Petra, confused. Petra shrugs. The two continue onwards.

Petra immediately begins searching for a coffin, glancing around. It’s not immediately evident anywhere. Petra glances around, trying to see if there’s a hidden door or anything somewhere. Charley, meanwhile, has her attention turned to the far wall.

There are paintings. Dozens of them, lining the wall, crude at first, then gradually increasing in quality. They’re all of children Charley’s age, and also all busts--it’s hard to tell from what little clothing is visible on the shoulders when, exactly, the subjects are from. Each is signed with a flowery “BLYTHE DANDRIDGE”, except for the first, which instead bears the signature “BLYTHE COLE”.

Petra, meanwhile, is checking bookshelves, pulling back assorted books and candlesticks in assorted orders.

					PETRA
		Damn, in the films the one I need is always
so conspicuous...

At the end of the row there’s a stack of canvasses, each containing rough sketches. Charley picks up the topmost canvas. It’s a rough, crude sketch of Amy. If Charley wasn’t uncomfortable before, she is now.

Then, suddenly, inexplicably--the canvas sets ablaze. Charley drops it in shock and surprise. It’s burning fast, really, incredibly, ridiculously fast, and when it’s dropped it ignites the stack of canvases underneath it, along the table they were propped up on.

Petra turns her attention away from the bookshelf and towards the inferno, hurrying to Charley’s aid.

Charley grabs some holy water from out of Petra’s box and tosses it at the fire. She overshoots, and it cracks open immediately behind the table, leading to a shrieking noise.

Amy pops up from behind the stack.

					AMY
		Shit that hurt! Jeez, Charley, it
		wouldn’t kill you to check before
		you do a thing like that.

					CHARLEY
		Sorry! I don’t--I just--it’s on
		fire!

Amy disappears from behind the inferno as it spreads up the wall and expands to the portraits.

					CHARLEY
		So--just so we’re absolutely clear--
		we have to stake Jerry before dawn,
		yeah? We can’t just let him burn to
		death?

					PETRA
		Unfortunately.

					CHARLEY
		Shit.

					PETRA
		Seconded.

Basically the entire wall where the portraits were is now ablaze. It’s creeping down onto the floor now.

					CHARLEY
		Well, we know where he’s not.

					PETRA
		We do?

					CHARLEY
		Alright, let’s just assume for a
		moment these paintings didn’t just
		spontaneously combust.

					PETRA
		...he’s not here.

					CHARLEY
		He’s not here.

The two immediately begin moving towards the staircase.

					PETRA
		Well then what guarantee do we
		have that he’s in the house? He
		could’ve fled anywhere by now.

					CHARLEY
		I...I don’t know.

Amy appears at the top of the steps and slams the door dramatically behind them all.

					AMY
		And you’re never going to find
		out.

					CHARLEY
		Amy, c’mon, think about this. You’re
		gonna die, too.

					AMY
		No I’m not. It’ll hurt like a bitch,
		sure, but kill me? Fire? I thought
		you did your homework.

					PETRA
		...really? That doesn’t sound right.

					CHARLEY
		Wait, so if fire doesn’t kill vampires--

					PETRA
		You know it occurs to me we’ve made it
		surprisingly far working off a number
		of baffling assumptions.

					CHARLEY
		He’s still here. He’d have to be.
		He wants to make sure we’re killed.

					AMY
		That’s why I’m here.

					PETRA
		No offense, dear, but we’ve
		already taken care of five
		other vampires tonight.
		Charley’s right. He’ll want
		us dealt with personally.

					AMY
    		...well, you got me there.

Amy leaps and tackles Charley down the stairs, pinning her to the floor. Petra manages to get out of the way just in time.

					AMY
		Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re
		never gonna find him.

					CHARLEY
		We could if you helped.

					AMY
		Why would I do that?

					CHARLEY
		Why wouldn’t you do that? Everyone
		we’ve fought tonight was either
		acting of their own volition or
		struggling madly against Jerry.
		Why the hell are you so gung-ho
		about this?

					AMY
		That’s a good question. Let’s
		see if you can figure it out
		before you die.

					CHARLEY
		Is it that dress? Did he, like,
		enchant it or something? I’ve
		never seen you wear that before.

					AMY
		Why don’t you take it off me
		and find out?

					CHARLEY
		Right then, that’s a no. He’s
		just working harder on you,
		maybe?

					AMY
		Hehehe. “Hard.”

					CHARLEY
		Yeah, I’m hysterical. Is it that,
		deep down, you’re wondering if
		you’re better like this?

Amy has no response. She looks away, awkwardly.

					PETRA (V.O.)
		I found him!

Amy remains still and keeps pinning Charley to the ground. She’s trying desperately not to glance in Petra’s direction. Charley’s face lights up. She grins.

					CHARLEY
		...oh.

					AMY
		Oh?

 					CHARLEY
		You’re clever.

					AMY
		I have no idea what you’re
		talking about.

					CHARLEY
		Understood.

Amy lifts an arm to stroke Charley’s face, and Charley uses the “opportunity” to wriggle herself out from under Amy and rush to Petra’s side. Petra’s using the blunt end of a metal crucifix to bash open a combination lock on the outside of Jerry’s coffin, which, judging by the scattered boxes around Petra, had been kept under a whole bunch of other crap.

 					CHARLEY
		I don’t get it. If he wants to
		make sure we burn, why’d he
		lock himself in?

					PETRA
		Well, presumably he could just
		break the coffin open if he wanted.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah, but why damage it?

					PETRA
		It’s going to burn anyway,
		I suppose.

Petra finally manages to break the lock. She glances inside. There’s Jerry, sleeping. She and Charley turn to each other and nod. She plucks a stake from her bag, positions it over Jerry’s heart, and--he reaches up and grabs her wrist. Hard. You can start to hear bone crack.

Jerry begins to speak, but he doesn’t get up. He hasn’t even opened his eyes.

					JERRY
		Amy! Be a dear and get me
		another lock!

					CHARLEY
		Let her go.

					JERRY
		You know I’m really not entirely
		sure you’re in a position to be
		making demands right now.

He releases her, nonetheless.

					JERRY
		You’re lucky. It wouldn’t look
		very good if I managed to hurt
		either of you.

					CHARLEY
		What wouldn’t?

While Petra nurses her hand, Charley roots around in her bag to find another stake.

					JERRY
		Me, locked in a coffin while
		my house burned down with two
		paranoid lunatics inside
		convinced I’m a vampire.

Charley reaches up to stake Jerry, but Jerry catches her hand.

					JERRY
		You do have other plans, right?
		I mean, don’t get me wrong, I
		can do this all night, but--

Petra, with her free hand, is going for it now. Jerry vanishes and reappears behind the two of them.

					JERRY
		I heard you earlier. Boasting
		about how you’ve bested all my
		minions. But here’s a fun fact--
		you only did that because they
		faught you.

Charley whips around with another stake, but Jerry’s already gone.

					JERRY
		I don’t want to hurt you, Charley.
		I just want you out of my hair.
		And that’s all the advantage I
		need.

Charley starts to race towards Jerry, but Petra holds her back.

					PETRA
		Save your energy. We’ll think
		of something.

A faint sound of sirens can be heard in the distance.

					JERRY
		You hear that? That’s the
		fire department. Bet they’d
		love to rush in here and see
		you two knuckleheads attempting
		homicide. Think you can think
		of something in the next, say,
		five minutes?

Charley glances around, desperately searching for some sort of advantage. Then, she spots something--a leak, in the ceiling, dripping down.

					CHARLEY
		Petra, you have any holy
		water left?

					PETRA
		No, I used it all getting Ed
		down from the roof. But I hardly--
					CHARLEY
		Damn, that’s a shame.

					JERRY
		Four minutes, now. Well, I mean.
		Roughly.

					CHARLEY
		So hey, Jerry, you got anything
		else you wanna confess to before
		they get here?

					JERRY
		Eh, not really. I think we
		covered all the basics.

					CHARLEY
		Ah, well. Guess the cops’ll
		just have to make do with
		this!

Charley holds up her cell phone triumphantly. Jerry laughs.

					JERRY
		Kid, if we had all night I
		couldn’t name all the reasons
		I don’t buy that.

					CHARLEY
		Buy it. Don’t buy it. But in
		four minutes the police are
		gonna hear everything you
		did, straight out of your
		own mouth.

					JERRY
		Ah, what the hell, I’ll play
		ball. If nothing else it’ll
		keep me busy.

Jerry vanishes. Charley swings their hand back and tosses the phone under the drip in the ceiling just as Jerry reappears in front of her, grabbing where Charley’s arm was a moment ago. Charley smirks and points, Jerry glances over to where the phone’s landed, and immediately poofs again--this time landing directly under the drip. Immediately, his scalp begins to steam, as do his shoes.

					JERRY
		AHHHAAHAHAH!

Jerry stumbles backwards, directly into the wall of flame. It catches. He shrieks some more. Charley, determined, comes charging towards Jerry with a stake--

--and then, as if by magic, one appears directly through his his heart, pointing directly towards Charley. Jerry begins to petrify, a stone texture radiating out of the stake. He clutches at it, but it won’t budge. He smirks ever so slightly as the stone takes him, looking calm, content even.

					JERRY
		I’ll admit it. I’m impressed.

And with that, he’s stone. A gust of smoke blows past him, knocking Jerry over onto the ground, shattering him. Behind him stands Amy, looking half triumphant, half scared, before falling limp to the ground.

EXT. JERRY’S HOUSE - DAWN

The fire’s been doused, though smoke still billows up dramatically from the basement. Charley and Amy sit on the porch together, wearing shock blankets, as assorted firemen putter about doing fireman things. Petra’s out on the curb, giving a statement to a couple of policemen.

					AMY
		I thought I’d never see another
		sunrise.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah?

					AMY
		God, I spent so much time, y’know,
		in front of the computer, or the TV,
		or whatever, it never really occurred
		to me to actually get up and watch one.

					CHARLEY
		So, what, you’re gonna stop staying up
		watching horror films until four AM?

					AMY
		Nah. This is lame.

Charley laughs.

					AMY
		Charley?

					CHARLEY
		Yeah?

					AMY
		I love you.

					CHARLEY
		I...I love you, too.

					AMY
		But that, y’know. Doesn’t mean.

					CHARLEY
		Didn’t think it did.

					AMY
		Yeah you did.

					CHARLEY
		...yeah, I did.

There’s a long, lingering pause.

					CHARLEY
		Oh, shit.

					AMY
		What?

Charley pulls out her cell phone and immediately begins dialing.

					AMY
		Wait, seriously?

The phone starts ringing. Charley puts it to her ear.

					CHARLEY
		Cut me some slack, it’s been a long
		night.

					JUDY (V.O.)
		Charley? Oh, god, I’m so sorry I
		reach you--are you alright?

					CHARLEY
		Uh...kinda? I mean, I will be?
Everything’s, er, solved, I guess.

INT. HOSPITAL - DAWN

Judy is standing in front of a patient’s bed, looking away from them. The patient is out of focus.

					JUDY
		Oh, thank god. I really am sorry
		but you wouldn’t believe the night
		I’ve had.

The patient comes into focus. It’s LIGHT, still stone in the shoulder and leg, eying the window with no small amount of terror, despite it’s shades being closed. He grits his teeth. His very, very pointy teeth.

INT. CHARLEY’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

A close-up on Charley’s TV. Charley’s channel-surfing, which is largely bringing up a lot of news programs. The shot should’ve zoomed out by the end of the assorted clips:

					NEWSCASTER #1
		--biologists at Sarandon Labs in
		New York City are saying that the
		stone recovered has a cellular
		structure, matching the biological
		structure of Verne Gillespie--

					NEWSCASTER #2
		--footage recovered from the minor’s
		laptop webcam, which was accidentally
		activated during the assault--

					NEWSCASTER #3
		--what I want to know is why President
		Zacherle is still not commenting on
		the vampire situation--

					NEWSCASTER #4
		--evidence of a second breed of supernatural
		creature has been recovered from the living
		room of the deceased Mr. Dandridge--

					NEWSCASTER #5
		--and while the state senate is still
		figuring out exactly what, if any, rights
		vampires have, Governor Yelchin has
		pardoned Petra Fry, Amy Johnson, and the
		third minor of any legal wrongdoing.
		Speaking of Petra, we here at Channel 23
		are proud to announce the season premiere
		of Fright Night is coming up next.

There’s a knock at the door. Charley puts the TV on mute.

					JUDY (V.O.)
		Can I come in?

					CHARLEY
		Yeah.

Judy pokes her head in.

					JUDY
		I feel like we should talk.

					CHARLEY
		Yeah.

					JUDY
		Is it alright if I bring up Amy?
					CHARLEY
		In what context?

					JUDY
		Her parents said she’s been
		offered twelve scholarships since,
		well, you know.

					CHARLEY
		She told me. She thinks she’s gonna
		settle on Brown.

					JUDY
		Oh, you two are still...

					CHARLEY
		Friends? Yeah. I mean, it’s a little
		awkward, but, you know. I’ll get over
		it.

					JUDY
		Well, anyway, I don’t want to pressure
		you. It’s just, you know. A scholarship
		wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

					CHARLEY
		Do I have to decide right now?

					JUDY
		Of course not.

					CHARLEY
		Alright.

					JUDY
		I love you regardless of whatever
		decision you make.

					CHARLEY
		I know.
			(beat)
		I love you too.

					JUDY
		Enough to keep me company while I
		get some filing done?

					CHARLEY
		Eh...

Judy turns around to leave.

					JUDY
		It was worth a shot.

					CHARLEY
		I’m joking, jeez.

Charley hops out of bed and follows her mom out the door. The camera follows her to the door, then moves back, lingering on Petra, muted, smiling and hamming it up on the TV, before moving to Charley’s window, out it, and over to Jerry’s window, where a long, slender tendril slowly worms its way over the windowsill.

												(fade to black




												(end credits)





											  (fade from black)

INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

The room is dark and cramped. There’s no windows. The only light is coming from a TV, playing many of the same or similar news clips to the one in the previous scene. The camera’s facing the TV, silhouetting the people sitting in front of it.

The camera changes angles so we can get a good look at their faces. One male has long hair and a tank top, another of ambiguous gender is wearing a glittering blue shirt and rocking poofy 80s hair, a third, muscular-looking fellow has a buzz cut and a suit and is eating bugs out of a jar, and a fourth woman has an incredibly frizzy top-knot and a high-collared shirt. And at the end of the row, as we pan over the faces, is wearing her hair in Princess-Leia-esque buns, and wearing a bright red dress. She’s facepalming something fierce, and through her palms we can hear her mutter:

					REGINE DANDRIDGE
		Goddammit, Jerry.