CONSTANTINE
by
Kevin Brodbin
based on the characters appearing in
magazines published by DC Comics, Inc.
previous revisions by
Mark Bomback
current revisions by
Frank Cappello
EARLY PRODUCTION DRAFT
November 14, 2002
FADE IN:
EXT. ISTANBUL - DUSK
Glimpses of an ancient city. Almost motionless against
the tide of time.
Sea swelled along an endless wall. Billowing silk frozen
against the sky. Birds lighting on Byzantine columns.
FINAL IMAGE is of an imposing STRUCTURE beyond the trees.
INT. PRISON FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE
Corridor of ancient stone and steel extends into infinite
darkness. Stale air hangs in the dim half-light like
atomized ether.
There is WHISPERING. And tangled VOICES.
DRIFT IN PAST prison cells the size of closets. Brief
flashes of carved faces, insanity -- COMING TO REST ON the --
FINAL CELL
A gaunt PRISONER kneels on the granite, head bowed to a
wall hung tapestry of Christ. But he's not just praying.
He's digging. With his arm under the tapestry, he
scratches at the stone with a SPOON. After only a year,
the spoon finally breaks through.
INT. NARROW CHANNEL
Prisoner claws his way between ancient walls, comes to a
dead end against a thick wooden door. He nudges a
shoulder against it, digs in and pushes. DOOR GROANS
open, sucking air into the pitch black CHAMBER.
INT. PRISONER'S CELL
The tapestry covering the HOLE is pulled against the
wall, then billows outward like a sail.
INT. CHAMBER - PRISONER
pulls himself inside, chokes in the heavy air. He scans
the musty room. Antique furniture. A few empty crates.
And the remains of several deteriorating skeletons.
(CONTINUED)
CONTINUED:
He looks to the far wall, sees a hint of light above
through the crumbling limestone. A way out. Too high to
reach, Prisoner pulls an old CHEST out of a cobwebbed
corner and slides it under the light.
He steps up onto the chest, grabs the edges of the hole
and starts to shove off when the top of the chest gives
way and his foot crunches through.
Prisoner reaches down to free his foot when he sees
something inside -- wrapped in a red cloth. He pulls it
out and as he unwraps it, he discovers the cloth is a
Nazi flag.
At the center is a crudely-shaped IRON RELIC. Eight inches
long. Stains on the edges. Could be the petrified tooth of
some prehistoric animal. Or maybe an ancient arrowhead.
As he holds it, feverish sweat starts to form on his face.
MYSTERIOUS POV
From BEHIND. As if he's being watched by someone else.
Prisoner spins, looks back AT us. Nothing.
PRISONER
starts toward the way out.
INT. PRISONER CORRIDOR
The Guard's flashlight beam probes the cell -- one by one
-- falls on the tapestry. Christ billows out from the
wall, revealing the hole.
INT. PRISON - VARIOUS SHOTS
ALARMS SOUND. Lights BLAST ON. Guards with weapons rush
through.
INT. NARROW CHANNEL
Prisoner squeezes toward light, grips the relic tight.
EXT. PRISON - NIGHT
SIRENS BLARE as SPOTLIGHTS sweep across the ominous
structure. Prisoner breaks from the darkness, runs for
the trees on the other side of the wall.
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
GUARDS
(in Turkish)
Stop! Stop!
Prisoner spins, griping the relic tight. GUNSHOTS RING
OUT. Bullets streak toward him but never hit their
target. Guards check their weapons on the run.
EXT. NEAR A ROAD - NIGHT
Prisoner breaks from the trees, runs into a road.
Headlights wash over him and TIRES SCREECH. Prisoner
spins, is right in the path of a car.
BRAKES SQUEAL -- car locks up but too late -- IMPACTS
Prisoner who is violently thrown and lands in a heap.
CAR slides to a stop. DRIVER jumps out, sees the front
end sheet metal has accordioned all the way to the tires.
He scans the area for a body, spots the Prisoner and is
stunned to see him getting to his feet. Uninjured.
Prisoner is just as amazed. He glances at the RELIC in
his hand, notes the wrist has reddened and an odd SYMBOL
has appeared as if embossed in the flesh.
Driver calls out but the Prisoner is spooked, runs off.
OVER this we hear -- A CHILD'S SCREAM.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
FATHER HENNESSEY (50), stands over a young teen (13),
JEANIE, splashes holy water on her body. She screams
again.
HENNESSEY
Et separatur a plasmate tuo, Ut
num quam laedatur amorsu antiqui
serpentes!
Her body convulses, pulls against the bandages tying her
hands and feet to the bed frame. Notice her fingernails.
Drained of color. Almost black.
Her MOTHER is off to one side, completely hysterical.
On the other side is a crowd of bewildered TENANTS, all
crammed into the hallway outside the opened door.
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
Nothing can compare with an exorcism. Especially one
that's gone bad.
The rather obese Priest tries to steady his hands and his
heart. It's obvious he's totally out of his league here.
GIRL lets out another SCREAM that ECHOES OVER --
EXT. AGING APARTMENT BUILDING
Not in a third world country but smack center in one of
America's richest cities. Sparkling high-rises tower in
the distance while flashy billboards tout the sexiest
fashions, the hottest automobiles and the smoothest malt
liquor.
SUPERIMPOSE: LOS ANGELES - TODAY
EXT. ALLEY BY THE APARTMENT
A faded yellow taxi PULLS UP and stops. Someone steps
out, grinds a cigarette butt into the asphalt.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - FOYER
Doors open, flood the musty darkness with a brief relief
of sunlight. A MAN -- whose face we don't see -- steps
inside, his trench coat hanging like the folded wings of
a raven.
He pauses, pulls an ORNATE LIGHTER and lights a
cigarette. Takes a puff and pushes on inside.
INT. NARROW STAIRCASE HALL WALL
Lined with tenants trying to get a glimpse of the
unexplainable.
The Stranger pushes through. Suspicious faces step out
of his path. The ones that don't he pushes aside -- even
the gangbangers.
The man has no patience for politeness, no time for tact,
no fear of anything.
This man is JOHN CONSTANTINE.
He arrives at his destination, barges into --
4.
INT. APARTMENT 7B
One scan of the situation is all it takes. The bed --
the child -- the panicked priest -- who rushes to John.
HENNESSEY
(whispering)
Thank God you're here...
John shoots him a disgusted look. Hennessey gives him a
wide berth.
John walks past the panic-stricken MOTHER without a
glance, sets his cigarette on the nightstand, the glowing
tip drooped over the edge. He puts a gloved hand to the
child's face and it burns on contact. His demeanor
instantly changes as he leans right next to the ear of
the little girl and whispers --
JOHN
This is Constantine. John
Constantine, asshole.
The girl JOLTS, bandages on her arms cut into her skin.
Eyes snap open -- glare right through him.
JOHN
How ya doing?
JEANIE
Vamos juntos a matarla.
John whips out a key chain crammed with medallions.
JOHN
Let's see who we got here...
He holds them up so they cast shadows across Jeanie's
face. He flips through each of these sculptured SAINTS
until the child suddenly reacts to one -- tries to look
away.
John stares at the Saint responsible, seems genuinely
puzzled. He turns to the Mother -- very serious.
JOHN
I need a mirror. Now.
Shaken, the Mother produces a small compact. John pushes
it away, turns to the doorway crowd.
JOHN
A large mirror. At least --
(sizes up the child)
-- three feet high.
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED:
The hallway crowd discusses possibilities.
JOHN
MOVE.
Tenants run to retrieve a mirror. Hennessey looks
worried.
John grabs the bed -- shoves Hennessey aside as he swings
the bed around, legs gouging hardwood all the way. Faces
it toward the window.
INTERCUT - APARTMENT 5G BELOW
Several of the MEN from the hallway crowd storm through
an OLD WOMAN'S stuffy apartment, locate a huge ironframed
mirror and rip it and half the plaster from the
wall.
JOHN
centers on a drapery ROPE, pulls hard. Drapery HOOKS
EXPLODE off the curtain rod as he swings open the window,
looks down into the alley where that yellow taxi is
parked.
JOHN
Chaz?
CHAZ (20s) looks up from his cab. Cool. Frustrated.
You just know he'd love to be up there, not down here.
JOHN
Move the car.
CHAZ
Why?
JOHN
MOVE THE DAMN CAR.
John frees the drapery rope, ducks back into the room.
CHAZ
Park the car -- Move the car...
Chaz shifts into reverse, moves the car three feet.
CHAZ
There, I moved the damn car.
6.
INT. HALLWAY
Four men struggle to carry up that enormous mirror. The
Old Woman follows, begs them to be gentle. They swing
the mirror around, take out a chunk of banister. She
freaks.
INT. APARTMENT 7B
Hennessey can only watch as John threads the drapery rope
through the fire escape railing, drapes it back through
the window and loops it over the ceiling fan.
He climbs onto the bed, leans over the child whose eyes
have closed and she's shaking badly. Her body seems to
be going into shock. Isn't strong enough for this.
John has no choice -- slaps her. Eyes pop back open.
Dark and dilated. He yells down at her in Aramaic and
English.
JOHN
Amar natash bow basar! -- Rescind
from the flesh I command thee --
The girl chokes as if ready to spit.
JOHN
That's it -- time to go home.
Jeanie SCREAMS --
JEANIE
Tiempo para morir!
Her body suddenly PULSES half again larger. John recoils
for a beat. Odd. He continues in Aramaic --
JOHN
Amar natash bow basar --
Another PULSE and this time a SHAPE is clearly seen
expanding under the child's skin -- as if the demon
inside were trying to burst right through.
John backs off -- watches as the shape ripples her flesh,
like fingers caressing from the other side. John glances
to Hennessey. What the hell?
MIRROR arrives at the doorway, BANGS against the JAM.
John waves them in. The four men heft it into the room.
JOHN
Lift it. Over the bed. Up.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
John ducks, settles on the girl as they raise it over
him.
JOHN
Hennessey, tie it off --
Hennessey is glad to be called into service -- quickly
ties one end of rope to the mirror. John straddles the
girl, positions his head between her and the mirror above
him.
JOHN
Now close your eyes -- all of you
-- and whatever happens -- do not
look into the mirror.
The men close their eyes. Muscles tense under the
weight.
JOHN
Amar natash bow basar! -- rescind
from the flesh I command thee!
Jeanie reacts -- that SHAPE reappears, contorts the young
body all out of proportion.
John unblocks the mirror for a second and Jeanie is
reflected inside. It's not just the image of a young
girl in there, but something else. The surface of the
mirror FLEXES in the hands of the men. One starts to
look --
JOHN
No!
Jeanie SCREAMS -- breaks free of the straps. She rises
up, grabs John tight around the throat. Nails dig deep.
HENNESSEY
John?!
JOHN
(looking into
mirror)
Not yet!
John struggles, puts his hands over her mouth -- cutting
off her air supply. Question is, who's going to pass out
first?
Jeanie's body is racked by whatever's inside her. She
goes into shock, body collapsing -- shaking -- close to
death.
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Look! Look at me!
But she's passing out first. John quickly takes the
medallion that caused the earlier reaction --
JOHN
Goddamit -- look!
-- and presses it against her forehead. Eyes snap wide
and John unblocks the mirror. Jeanie locks on her
reflection and the image in the mirror changes
drastically.
JOHN
Smile pretty you vain prick.
The child's reflection has now changed to a pissed off
DEMON. One that knows it just got suckered in.
MIRROR VIBRATES wildly in the men's grip. Demon
reflection ripples the glass -- bending it outward into
three-D space as the girl takes her last breaths --
JOHN
Now, Hennessey. Now!
Hennessey PULLS the rope with all three-hundred-plus
pounds as John gives the demon face a full extended
FINGER.
JOHN
For your boss.
Demon pushes for him but mirror is jerked into motion.
Swings right out the window but catches on a sliver of
wood --
JOHN
No you don't.
John jumps up and helps push the mirror free.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - HUGE MIRROR
Falls SLOW MOTION from the 7th story -- tumbling end over
end, sunlight beams glancing off the glass, PROJECTING
the image of the Demon into the LA cityscape. ONTO
buildings, sidewalks, a passing truck -- until all three
hundred pounds of IRON AND GLASS come CRASHING down ON
the taxi's hood.
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED:
CHAZ
SHIT!
Demon's image SHATTERS on impact -- GLASS SPLINTERING
into a million diamond-like fragments that choke the air.
The GROAN of something evil reverberates into the city
beyond.
Chaz looks up, sees he missed dying by three feet.
INT. APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS ACTION
Jeanie GASPS -- takes her first breath as a child again.
And CRIES. Mother pulls her in, hugs her tight. Note
the girl's fingernails. No longer black.
John's beat, reclaims that stub of a cigarette, still
burning. Takes a drag. He pushes past Hennessey who is
approaching the mother.
HENNESSEY
Now about the fee...
John slips FROM VIEW into the kitchenette, hides the fact
that he has to lean against the door to keep his balance.
He catches his breath, looks up and is staring right at a
child's crayon drawing magneted to the fridge. A drawing
of a figure poking another in the side with a long stick.
This image is repeated over and over.
John tugs it off the fridge, tucks it away.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - STAIRWELL - LATER
Hennessey follows John down the spiraling stairs, passing
the gathered tenants. A few are freaked, cross
themselves. Others horrified. But many want to touch
them, shake their hands.
A shadowy FIGURE several floors up stares over the rail
at the heroes below. Note the slick suit, the polished
veneer.
This is BALTHAZAR and he definitely does not rent here.
He flicks an ancient COIN between his fingers.
JOHN pauses, gazes up through the stairwell as if sensing
something. No one there. Balthazar is gone.
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
JOHN shakes off the feeling, continues down the steps
where Hennessey is shoving his HAT in front of the
tenants. They're gladly giving to the cause.
HENNESSEY
Thank you. Yes... Gracias...
JOHN
Hennessey.
Hennessey stops his panhandling, continues toward the
exit.
INT. FOYER
John and Hennessey stop near the front entrance. John
rips the white collar from Hennessey's neck.
HENNESSEY
I know, I know, but I didn't think
she was really possessed, not like
that.
JOHN
I'm not back an hour and you drag
me into --
HENNESSEY
-- Don't be mad, John, don't be --
John rummages through his coat pockets --
HENNESSEY
On the left side.
John keeps searching.
HENNESSEY
Vest pocket.
John rips his smokes from the left vest pocket --
JOHN
Don't do that shit on me --
HENNESSEY
Sorry, sorry. Here, you can have
half.
Hennessey starts to divvy the cash but John snatches the
hat.
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
I should take it all, save you
from yourself.
He gestures that bagged BOTTLE in Hennessey's jacket.
HENNESSEY
It keeps them out, so I can sleep.
Please, John, I need to sleep.
John stares at his pathetic friend, sighs, finally slips
a few bills from the wad and hands them over.
Hennessey is bubbling with appreciation, starts to
follow. John simply holds up a hand. Hennessey stops,
watches John walk out. Alone.
EXT. ALLEY BY THE APARTMENT
John turns the corner, spots Chaz punching a dent from
the taxi's hood.
JOHN
I told you to move it.
CHAZ
Well maybe if you had told me you
were dropping a three-hundred
pound mirror with a pissed-off
demon in it I would have moved it
further.
Chaz slams the hood. They slide into the car.
CHAZ
Well?
JOHN
Well what?
Chaz reaches back into John's front coat pocket -- pulls
out Hennessey's wad of cash -- slips off a few bills.
CHAZ
Shouldn't have cut your stay in
the land of enlightenment. You
were so close to growing a
conscience.
John grins, pulls his special lighter, lights a smoke and
sits back.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Los Angeles...
He looks back up at the apartment, still puzzled.
JOHN
Never ceases to entertain.
Chaz crams the car in gear as John takes a drag, coughs.
EXT. THE SKY
One of those perfect days. With perfect clouds. So
clear you feel you could reach out and touch Heaven.
Two young girls rise INTO FRAME on side-by-side swings.
For a moment they're suspended against that incredible
sky. Then gravity takes hold and they fall back to
Earth.
MAN (V.O.)
You still with me?
INT. SUBWAY - DAY
ANGELA'S (30) weary eyes open. She's on her belly hidden
between track ties and shadows even deeper. Grips a
police-issue revolver tight. She's pinned down, unable
to move.
ANGELA
Yeah...
The MAN is thirty feet down the same track. Their VOICES
ECHO off the curved walls, come from everywhere.
How either of these two got here isn't important. Who
will get out is.
MAN (O.S.)
So what's next, Detective? We
gonna do a full marathon?
Intermittent RADIO CHATTER buzzes from Angela's WALKIETALKIE.
You get the sense Angela is not alone in here.
ANGELA
Put your weapon on the tracks and
step out with your hands above
your head.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
MAN (O.S.)
Or how 'bout you show yourself and
I put a bullet in your skull just
like I did hers!
ANGELA
That's just not going to happen.
MAN (O.S.)
You sure about that?!
Angela checks the chamber -- sees she has one bullet
left.
ANGELA
(almost pleading)
Now put down your weapon on the
tracks and --
GROUND BEGINS to VIBRATE. Tunnel starts to GLOW.
MAN (O.S.)
Well ain't this a peach?!
Angela looks back, sees several SHADOWS of figures waving
far off. Her RADIO is flooded with futzed CHATTER.
DETECTIVE WEISS (V.O.)
(over radio)
Get off the tracks! Blueline is
coming! Clear the tracks!
Angela peeks over the track. Still no sign of her perp.
The TRAIN is coming INTO VIEW and its BEAM shoots through
the tunnel, turning every particle of dust into a supernova.
The SOUND is DEAFENING.
MAN (O.S.)
C'mon, Detective, step into the
light and be saved!!
Angela looks back, squints into the brilliant LIGHT.
She grips her GUN and in one burst of flat-out bravado --
rises as she AIMS.
And there he is -- the Man rising with his own gun.
Angela FIRES as both dive off the track. His BULLET
RICOCHETS behind her. Hers finds its mark. Man goes
down right in the train's path.
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED:
Angela rolls over on the side of the tracks, catches her
breath. She closes her eyes and crosses herself as the
train roars past in a staccato blur.
EXT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY - DAY
Chaz's taxi pulls up, parks.
TAXI TRUNK
OPENS, REVEALS suitcases stamped with AIR INDIA. John
starts inside, pauses as Chaz yells --
CHAZ
There are four bags. I have two
hands. This give you any ideas?
JOHN
Make two trips?
John walks in. Chaz curses under his breath.
INT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY
Evening leagues are going strong. John walks in, looks
totally out of place. He moves down the BALL RACK area,
runs his fingers across the various leftovers, finally
stops at a pearl-white dazzler.
He lifts it from the rack, steps out into the prep
area -- in front of one of the few lanes not in use.
Number 13.
John snatches a grease pencil from the overhead,
scribbles right on the ball -- "PROVISIONS DEPLETED."
He fluffs his trench coat back, steps onto the polished
wood with his well-traveled Oxfords.
Young bowlers on both sides stop to look at this oddity.
An attractive brunette is rather curious. John gives her
a wink. Her boyfriend doesn't appreciate it.
John bowls. Perfect hook ball. Strike! Brunette grins.
John returns the smile, heads into the hallway by the
pool tables.
15.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT
Seems small until you walk in and realize it's as long as
a bowling lane. Makes that cage enclosed bed at one end
seem like it's a mile away.
Chaz throws the suitcases on it as John arrives.
CHAZ
(yells across room)
Simple question. How much longer
do I have to be your slave?
John pulls a chain and a wall of window shutters open.
JOHN
You're not my slave, Chaz. You're
my very appreciated assistant.
Like Tonto and Robin and that
skinny fellow with the fat friend.
Along the floor, encircling the entire room, are 5 gallon
Sparkletts bottles. Each is adorned by a small handmarked
CROSS. John takes a moment to adjust one out of
place.
CHAZ
How much longer?
John doesn't like his tone.
JOHN
Well I don't know, what's the
going rate for saving a taxi
driver hanging from his
fingernails about to be swallowed
into the jaws of Hell?
CHAZ
So what time you want me back?
John gives him a knowing look, goes back to emptying his
pockets.
JOHN
I need to make an appearance at
Midnite's. Say ten-ish?
Chaz sighs, starts out --
JOHN
Chaz...?
Chaz turns back, catches an object John throws him.
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
A little something from Delphi.
It's a dashboard air freshener shaped like a cow.
Chaz tips it. Moooooo. John finds it rather amusing.
CHAZ
Gee, thanks.
Chaz leaves. John removes a small BLACK BOX from his
jacket. He sets it carefully on its own shelf by the
window -- stares out.
BEEMAN (O.S.)
'Provisions depleted?'
John turns to see BEEMAN waddle in.
BEEMAN
I gave you three months worth.
You were gone only one.
This diminutive occult version of Bond's "Q" carries a
custom bowling bag and squints in the light like a mole.
JOHN
What can I say, Beeman, India was
a real drain.
They shake hands. Beeman sets his bowling bag onto the
table, unzips it.
BEEMAN
So what do you need?
JOHN
Everything you got.
BEEMAN
(pausing)
You smell something, John?
JOHN
Maybe. Incubus in this girl I
just exorcized seemed a bit more
spirited than usual.
Beeman starts pulling things out. First is a frayed RAG.
Then glass containers...
(CONTINUED)
17.
CONTINUED:
BEEMAN
Well, I've got your stone
fragments from the Road to
Damascus, dust from the Dead Sea
Scrolls -- oh, you'll love this --
Out comes a little MATCHBOX with a smiling bug graphic.
BEEMAN
Screech beetle from Mount Sinai.
He shakes the matchbox and the BEETLE flutters inside.
It's WINGS create an eerie HIGH-PITCHED WHIRL. John
shrugs. So?
BEEMAN
Yeah, to you it's nothing but to
the Fallen -- like fingernails on
a chalkboard.
JOHN
What is it with you and bugs?
Beeman pulls out a set of sculptured BRASS KNUCKLES.
Actually solid gold and engraved with religious markings.
John takes them, tries them on. Nice fit.
BEEMAN
Gold was blessed by the Bishop
Anicott during the Crusades.
John spots a foot-long COPPER TUBE in the bag, pulls it
out, grips the bicycle handle on one end.
BEEMAN
Watch it there.
With this puny little thing? John gives the handle a
squeeze and WHOOOOSH -- ten-foot FLAME BELCHES out.
BEEMAN
Dragon's breath.
JOHN
I thought you couldn't get it
anymore.
Beeman shrugs, modesty. John starts to put it down on
the table and Beeman quickly pulls the frayed rag away.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
BEEMAN
Whoa, don't want to get a flame
near this.
(off John's look)
Piece of the shroud Moses wore to
the mountain.
John picks it up -- You're shitting me, right? Nope.
JOHN
Got any callinicus?
BEEMAN
(intrigued)
How spirited was this incubus?
JOHN
(coughs)
Like it was trying to come right
out through the girl
Beeman just stares at him -- is this a joke?
JOHN
I know how it sounds...
BEEMAN
We're finger puppets to them,
John, elaborate costumes -- they
can work us but don't come through
us. They can't. You know that.
JOHN
Check the scrolls anyway.
Corinthians. See if there are any
precedents.
BEEMAN
Sure, John. Anything else?
JOHN
(coughs again)
Wouldn't happen to have anything
for --
Beeman sets down a bottle from the bag -- Vick's 44.
BEEMAN
On the house.
EXT. LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT - DAY
Lots of blue on blue in this parking lot.
19.
INT. LOCKER ROOM
Locker door opens and Angela is there, covered in the
grime of the subway. She's pained as she pulls off her
shoulder holster. Looks at herself in the door mirror.
Tired, aging eyes stare back.
WEISS (O.S.)
Gutsy move out there, Dodson.
Angela glances at DETECTIVE WEISS as he opens his locker.
ANGELA
Gutsy? Well that's a new one.
The two exchange a look.
WEISS
You're alive. Bad guy's dead. No
point in using the other words.
ANGELA
Thanks.
WEISS
(shuts his locker)
Even though it was reckless --
irresponsible -- stupid...
ANGELA
I knew you still cared.
WEISS
You're good, Angela, real good but
one of these days...
ANGELA
(heard it before)
I know, nobody's luck lasts
forever.
He meets her eyes. Exactly. He really does care.
Weiss breaks it off, leaves. Angela turns to close her
locker door, notices her reflection does not turn.
She grabs the door, looks back in. Reflection is as it
should be. She shudders, slams the locker door.
EXT. CLUB MIDNITE - 10 PM
So exclusive there's not even a line out front. Just a
pair of bouncers waiting to roll someone just for fun.
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED:
Chaz follows John from the cab to the entrance. A
Bouncer selects a PICTURE CARD from a deck. On the front
are TWO FLYING DOLPHINS. Only we can see the back, which
is --
JOHN
Two frogs on a bench.
Yep. They let him pass. Chaz steps up and lucky him --
he gets the same TWO FLYING DOLPHINS.
CHAZ
Two frogs on a bench.
But Chaz is stiff-armed because the back of this card
shows a BEAR in a dress.
CHAZ
What? But I'm with him! Right,
John? John?
John glances back -- gives him an impassive look. Chaz
backs away, stares after him. Someday.
INT. CLUB MIDNITE
MUSIC FLOODS this exclusive establishment. It's a clash
of cultures and influences not easily dated. A retro
speakeasy for the new millennium.
John walks through a maze of passages while the fantasies
of a twisted city play out in the shadows. He pauses,
sees a clan of suited businessmen in a corner, showing
off for several ladies.
One fills a line of shot glasses from a pitcher of water.
Another waves his hand over them, turns the water into
RED WINE. The ladies are very impressed, drink up.
NICO, a young black man, walks past John.
NICO
Neighborhood's going to Hell.
John offers a half smile. He likes this kid, walks on.
One of the men in the group turns, watches John.
Balthazar. He grins and pockets that odd COIN.
INT. HALLWAY
John starts up a long flight of stairs, stops in front of
two very large doors.
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
Their surface is ancient, the wood petrified over
countless centuries. John places his fingers into the
gnarled folds, closes his eyes --
JOHN
Numquam leadatur a morsu.
A living GROAN BELLOWS from the rigid seams but the doors
don't budge.
JOHN
Bastard changed the code again.
(bangs the doors)
Midnite! Come on, do I have to
huff and puff here?!
The doors unlatch.
INT. MIDNITE'S OFFICE
SWEEP ACROSS a meticulously-crafted ORRERY, a scientific
sculpture that normally displays our solar system in
relative motion. But the planets here are ancient RELICS
with symbols and names -- MATERIAL, ASTRAL, SPIRITUAL,
ICONIC, etc. And the globe at the center -- "CREATOR."
This is an orrery of the forces of the Universe. And
it's not moving.
MIDNITE (O.S.)
Et separatur a plasmate tuo, Ut
num quam laedatur amorsu antiqui
serpentes...
John steps in through the doors behind.
JOHN
Deciding which color to paint this
place again?
PAPPA MIDNITE stands in the jungle he calls an office.
Part African witch doctor, part savvy businessman. A
full six and half feet of solid contradictions.
MIDNITE
You're back early.
JOHN
I got tired of spending your
money.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
MIDNITE
But I'm sure you spent enough.
JOHN
Well I do have a certain standard
of living.
MIDNITE
Tell me you found it.
JOHN
I found the vault.
MIDNITE
That's not what I asked.
JOHN
Hey, can I help it if Buddhist
monks don't take bribes?
Midnite strides toward him when John calmly pulls from
his pocket a small ebony and gold RELIC. It stops
Midnite cold.
JOHN
Gotcha.
A reluctant grin cracks Midnite's stern features. He
takes the relic in his thick fingers -- stares
breathlessly at a gaunt figure bracing itself against a
cosmic wind.
MIDNITE
Second century depiction of a
sephiroth in the 4th realm...
JOHN
Right. So we good here?
Midnite ignores his outstretched palm, slides the relic
precisely onto one of the many rods jutting from the
Universal orrery.
MIDNITE
It should counter the iconic
plane --
JOHN
That damn thing's never going to
balance.
Midnite lets go and the complex machine actually starts
to move. To turn.
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED:
John is somewhat intrigued until the newest relic
collides with another and the orrery jams to a halt.
Midnite deflates, stares at John, suspiciously.
MIDNITE
Must I remind you of what selling
fake relics will do to your
health?
JOHN
It's authentic, Midnite, you just
have the wrong piece. Jesus...
The two have a mini stare-down. John's rigid poker face
is only broken by a cough. Midnite sighs, breaks it off.
JOHN
What? -- I didn't blink -- that
was a cough. You never cough?
Midnite reaches into his tuxedo jacket and hands over a
thick stack of HUNDREDS.
JOHN
Better not be any Washingtons in
here this time.
MIDNITE
Why did you cut your trip short?
John stops the counting, actually thinks about it.
JOHN
I don't know... Just a feeling --
John suddenly spins toward the entrance doors, is stunned
to see --
JOHN
Balthazar.
Balthazar is behind him. Utterly confident. Chillingly
so.
BALTHAZAR
We're not still whining about
Manhattan, are we?
John's attempt to disguise his anger fails.
BALTHAZAR
That expression alone has made my
entire night.
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED:
John takes several steps toward him. Grins. Malevolent.
There's history here.
JOHN
I'll make your night -- I'll
deport your sorry ass right where
you stand --
MIDNITE
JOHN.
John stops in his tracks.
JOHN
It's bad enough that you let these
half-breeds in at all but this
piece of shit --
BALTHAZAR
Perks of becoming a primary
investor.
JOHN
What?!
Midnite's eyes say it all -- not here, not now.
BALTHAZAR
Things change, balances shift.
Get used to it, Constantine.
JOHN
Not while I'm still breathing --
John starts to cough again.
BALTHAZAR
I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.
John tries to catch his breath, can't. And that scares
him a bit. He tries to hide it, pushes out.
EXT. CLUB MIDNITE
John SLAMS out the exit -- coughing. He pulls the Vicks
44 from his jacket, struggles with the child protector
cap.
HENNESSEY
Hey, John.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED:
John is surprised to see Hennessey waiting. He chokes,
is about to bust the Vicks 44 bottle. Hennessey grabs
hold, twists off the cap with one flick. John guzzles
the syrup.
HENNESSEY
I'm real sorry about this morning,
John, real sorry. Please don't
hate me for draggin' you into
that. Please don’t...
John can finally breathe.
JOHN
I don't hate you.
HENNESSEY
That's good to hear. Real good...
JOHN
But could you at least wait until
I call for you before you show up?
HENNESSEY
You didn't call?
JOHN
Not yet. Jesus, Hennessey, you
freak me out sometimes.
HENNESSEY
So you want me to go away and come
back?
JOHN
No. I've got an assignment for you.
HENNESSEY
Really? What kind of assignment?
JOHN
The kind you'll have to be sober
for.
HENNESSEY
Oh God, you want me to surf the
ether.
He instinctively touches an AMULET around his neck. Four
intersecting crosses.
JOHN
Come on, you know that exorcism
wasn't right.
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
HENNESSEY
I... I don't have the Sight
anymore.
JOHN
Don't have it or don't want to use
it?
Hennessey vacillates. This is obviously tough for him.
JOHN
Just look around. A few days.
You spot anything unusual,
anything -- you let me know.
Okay?
John wraps an arm around his shoulder like a good buddy,
then reaches behind his neck --
JOHN
It'll be like old times.
-- and unclips the amulet from Hennessey's neck. That
unnerves the big guy. John drops it in Hennessey's
pocket.
JOHN
Just for a few days.
HENNESSEY
Okay, okay... for you, John. Like
old times. Right.
Hennessey takes one last sip from his drink, hands the
bottle over. John downs the rest. Nods.
INT. ST. ANTHONY'S CHURCH - CONFESSION BOOTH - NIGHT
Angela sits inside.
ANGELA
I killed a man today. Another
one.
FATHER GARRET sits on the other side of the mesh window.
FATHER GARRET
I'm sorry, Angela.
ANGELA
Most cops go twenty years without
firing their gun. Not me. I
always seem to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
27.
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - SERIES OF SHOTS - NIGHT
Angela arrives home. Pours milk for a cat. Lets her
hair down. Slips off her shoes.
ANGELA (V.O.)
I didn't even see his face. I
just pulled the trigger and he
went away. Just like all the
others...
Angela in the SHOWER -- trying to wash off the guilt.
FATHER GARRET (V.O.)
These feelings are natural in your
line of work, Angela. I'd be
worried if you didn't have them.
Angela now in a recliner, cat in her lap. She's tired.
Eyes are heavy.
FATHER GARRET (V.O.)
But you have to be strong. You
can't allow your faith to be
overshadowed by guilt.
ANGELA (V.O.)
I'm trying.
Her eyes close.
ANGELA (V.O.)
I'm trying real hard.
INT. RAVENSCAR - NIGHT
Angela's eyes open. An Angela whose frightened features
are dripping with a fever sweat.
She's in a hospital gown, stares around a corner.
Janitor polishes the floor in the distance. A nurse
checks off charts in the f.g. And right between the two
darts Angela, unseen by anyone.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
A metal fire door swings open and Angela bursts out --
breathing deep. She runs across the tar roof, almost
afraid to look back.
She gets to the ledge, steps up. A BOTTLE in the way
fall -- FOLLOW IT DOWN TO the --
28.
COURTYARD
-- where it SHATTERS --
INT. GROUND FLOOR HOSPITAL ROOM
The sound has drawn the attention of BARRY (10) lying in
bed. He moves up and stares out the window -- sees the
broken glass in the courtyard. He scans up the building
and spots a FIGURE standing on the roof.
ROOFTOP - WIDER
Chilling April air flutters Angela's gown, vaporizes her
breath. Tears stream down her cheeks as she contemplates
the unthinkable.
Cityscape of lights are spread out below but Angela is
seeing something else.
REFLECTED IN HER EYES --
is a city engulfed in RED FLAMES. Follow that tear with
the same reflection of fire inside as it traces her cheek
and slips into her mouth.
ANGELA shudders, rubs her wrist where we see the skin has
swelled and reddened just like the Prisoner's. And
there's that same circular symbol in the flesh.
She wipes her tears -- tries to be strong. Takes a few
breaths for courage, them simply steps off.
INT. BARRY'S ROOM
BARRY'S WIDE EYES follow her down.
EXT. COURTYARD - LATER
Barry approaches across the barren courtyard, leans down
to Angela's contorted body. But she's still alive.
Barry stares into eyes that are fading fast. He reaches
out, touches her face. Eyes close. She's gone.
INT. ANGELA'S APARTMENT
Angela stirs awake. Disturbed.
OVER this we hear INCESSANT COUGHING --
29.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - BATHROOM
John switches on the light, leans up from the sink and
wipes his mouth with a towel. It's covered with blood.
More runs down the drain. He stares at himself in the
mirror. ON John's worried eyes --
MATCH CUT TO:
ANGLE - ANGELA'S EYES
looking equally distraught.
WEISS (V.O.)
It's her, Angela...
EXT. RAVENSCAR HOSPITAL - WIDER - CONTINUOUS ACTION -
DAY
Angela is led by Detective Weiss past several officers
and medical personnel.
WEISS
It's Isabel.
They arrive at the covered body in the courtyard.
Coroner sees Angela approach and lifts the sheet from the
face.
Angela comes to a dead stop, emotions coming fast and
furious.
She leans close and we see a mirror of Angela. That's
when you realize that wasn't a dream. This is her twin.
But that circular symbol is nowhere on her wrist now.
Angela's eyes well with tears. It takes everything she
has to stay in control. Helps to wrap herself in the
job. She steps back, looks up at the tall building.
ANGELA
She... she fell from the roof?
WEISS
No. She jumped.
Angela gives him an incredulous glare. Shakes her head.
WEISS
I know it's hard to accept but --
(CONTINUED)
30.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
Isabel would never in a million
years take her own life. Never.
WEISS
Angela... there was a surveillance
camera on the roof.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
John marches down a hallway, his trench coat a step
behind. He unconsciously rubs his left wrist, coughs.
Flicks an unlit smoke between his fingers.
John stops at a doctor's office door -- hesitates.
INT. RAVENSCAR - SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE
View of the rooftop. There's Isabel in her nightgown,
stepping up -- pausing just a second. Then one step and
she's gone. So clear. So unrefutable.
WIDER
Angela shudders as a comforting HAND rests on her
shoulder.
WEISS (O.S.)
Take some time...
Angela brushes off his hand, then spots Weiss and the
others on the other side of the room. Whose hand was
that?
INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE
A LINE OF LIGHT BOXES illuminate several CHEST X-RAYS. A
DARK sinister splotch snakes through both LUNGS. John
stands there, stares at this wall of death with disbelief.
JOHN
No -- I've beaten things,
insurmountable things, things most
people have never even heard of
and after all that you think I'm
going to be done in by THIS?
He raises a puny little cigarette. DR. LES ARCHER (50)
sighs. A delicate bedside manner is not his specialty.
(CONTINUED)
31.
CONTINUED:
DR. ARCHER
You wouldn't be the first, John.
JOHN
It can't be that simple. I mean
come on, Les, you saved me before.
You can do it again, right.
DR. ARCHER
This is different. This is
aggressive.
John tries to stay cool -- fails. He TRASHES the X-ray
boxes. Diseased lungs disappear. Doc shakes his head.
DR. ARCHER
Twenty years ago you didn't want
to be here. Now you don't want to
leave.
JOHN
That's because I know exactly
where I'm going this time.
INT. HALLWAY
John steps outside of the Doctor's office, pauses to
gather himself. He starts walking. Wants out of here
fast.
INT. RAVENSCAR - HALLWAY
Angela is on the move. Emotions are coming in strong.
She can't get out of here fast enough.
She aims for the elevators, sees a MAN has just entered
one.
ANGELA
(rushing toward it)
Wait, hold the door!
Angela, gets to the elevator, looks in. John stands
inside alone. This should be the first time we realize
they were in the same hospital.
ANGELA
Going down?
John pauses as the doors start to close.
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Not if I can help it.
The doors close right on Angela.
EXT. SOMEWHERE IN ISTANBUL - DAY
A PICKUP TRUCK crosses a barren landscape.
In the back bed are several goats and one Prisoner.
He grips the relic tight in one hand. That anxious fever
has returned.
Glazed eyes dart to the side and lock on a rising
jetliner in the distance -- dart back to the road they're
on -- heading the opposite way.
Prisoner clamps his eyes tight, grips to the relic
tighter.
Eyes snap open and he turns, thrusts his elbow through
the center window, leans in and grabs the Driver -- jerks
his head back against the bulkhead -- cracking it in the
process.
Prisoner latches onto the wheel, takes control. He
swerves the car off the pavement, gets out and takes over
as driver.
Truck continues on, bouncing through a shallow ditch and
into the field beyond, aiming straight for the rising
airliners in the distance.
EXT. L.A. APARTMENT - DAY
Close to condemned status. SCAN UP floor after floor,
COMING TO REST ON a window covered with aluminum foil.
INT. HENNESSEY'S APARTMENT
Every wall of this tiny shithole is covered in aluminum
foil. A sober Hennessey stands surrounded by decades of
newspapers and periodicals -- tries to get his breathing
in check.
He instinctively reaches to his neck to touch the amulet
but it's not there. Oh yeah -- in the pocket. Decision
made, he reaches up, starts tearing the foil from the
walls and the window.
33.
EXT. ECHO PARK (DOWNTOWN L.A.) - DAY
John sits at a park bench. Motionless. Taking in the
world. Clouds passing the sun. Shadows drifting across
the city. Leaves swirling after passing cars.
John just sits there, HEARING every breath he takes,
wondering which one will be his last.
ELLIE (O.S.)
Lung cancer? Lung cancer?!
John turns to see ELLIE (23) strutting up the sidewalk.
Uninhibited. Oozing sex appeal. But dangerous. In more
ways than you think.
ELLIE
That's funny as shit, John.
JOHN
As if you guys didn't have
something to do with it...
ELLIE
Hey, I think you brought this one
on yourself.
John stares at her, tries to get a read.
ELLIE
Now why wouldn't you trust me?
JOHN
I don't know, something in the
air --
She sits right on his lap, playfully.
ELLIE
Don't worry, John, you'll beat
this. You beat everything.
JOHN
Not this time, Ellie.
John lifts her off of him, sets her aside.
ELLIE
Oh wow, you're serious... No
wonder the Boss is in such a good
mood.
JOHN
Yeah, I thought maybe you could
talk to him for me. You know...?
(CONTINUED)
34.
CONTINUED:
Ellie jumps off the bench, creates an odd SOUND as she
does.
ELLIE
What?! Dammit, John, I know I owe
you but to even ASK that? All
those saints and martyrs slipping
through his grasp -- his own foot
soldiers sent back to him in
chunks. He's going to take all
that out on you, John, and he's
going to enjoy ripping your soul
to shreds until the end of time.
JOHN
So I take that as a 'no?'
ELLIE
You're the one soul the man
himself would actually come up
here to collect. And you know how
much he despises this place.
JOHN
I'm starting to see his point.
Ellie sits back down, strokes his arm.
ELLIE
Have you gone to see the Snob?
Like scratching fingers across a blackboard. No way.
ELLIE
Look, don't let your ego get in
the way on this. I'd miss having
someone up here I can... relate
to.
She gives him a kiss. And for a second John's leg is
brushed by a tail. John doesn't react. Just turns and
walks away.
INT./EXT. CHAZ'S TAXI - DAY
Seen through a mild rain is the Theological Society
building, a foreboding structure that looks out of place
for this city. John stares out the back seat window,
takes a swig from a bottle of hard liquor. He turns to
Chaz --
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
I'm sure I can get you in here.
Chaz gives the building another glance, shoves the meter
flag back down. Tick... tick... tick...
CHAZ
Pass.
INT. THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY - LATER
A few bishops talk quietly. A cardinal studies
Scriptures. Definitely not the place for atheists.
John walks through the vaulted chamber room to the --
LIBRARY
John stops, fixes on the two gentlemen standing in front
of a fireplace. One is a young man of pure class wrapped
in Armani's best. The other is Father Garret.
John stands to the side and waits for their conversation
to end. An ATTENDANT makes the rounds.
ATTENDANT
Can I take your coat, Mr.
Constantine?
JOHN
No thanks, I'm not staying long.
ATTENDANT
How about you, ma'am?
Attendant turns to Angela standing just a few feet away,
her gaze fixed on the same two men.
ANGELA
I'm not staying long either.
John glances over and for the second time they make
contact. Something about her eyes. John stares a bit
too long. Angela looks back toward the fireplace.
ANGELA
My business with him is urgent.
JOHN
First come, first served.
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
So you're rude no matter where you
are.
John gives her a look. The two men shake hands and start
to part. John and Angela make their move toward the men.
Both are surprised when Angela goes for Father Garret and
John goes for --
-- the SNOB, officially known as GABRIEL. Yes, that one.
FATHER GARRET
and Angela have retreated to another area for privacy.
ANGELA
Why is he stalling on this? My
sister needs a Catholic funeral.
FATHER GARRET
Angela, it's still considered a
mortal sin --
ANGELA
She didn't commit suicide.
FATHER GARRET
The Bishop has read otherwise.
ANGELA
Father... David -- this is Isabel.
(meeting his eyes)
Please...
Father Garret stares at her, tries to be compassionate.
FATHER GARRET
I'll talk to him again.
But Angela has just lost a load of faith.
BY THE FIREPLACE
Gabriel sits in his chair, watches the fire with
unblinking eyes. John approaches from behind and against
the backdrop of flame, sees the nebulous shape of wings.
The ghostly image is visible for only a heartbeat.
GABRIEL
(without looking back)
I know what you want, son.
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
John sits across from him.
JOHN
Been keeping your all-seeing eye
on me, have you?
GABRIEL
I could offer how a shepherd leads
even the most wayward of his flock
but it might sound disingenuous.
JOHN
So you're going to make me beg?
Angela pauses on her way out, looks over.
GABRIEL
It wouldn't help. You've already
wasted your chance at redemption.
JOHN
What about the minions I've sent
back, the souls that I've saved --
that should guarantee my passage
across --
GABRIEL
(keeping it private)
-- No -- passage requires faith
and faith by definition is belief
without proof. You have proof.
And that means you're not playing
by the same rules as everyone
else. Your work has mostly been
for selfish reasons. I'm sorry.
JOHN
This is bullshit -- bullshit!
Now he's really got Angela's attention.
JOHN
It's like you've got some cosmic
scale weighing everything we do --
help an old lady across the
street -- put in a nickel, kick a
dog, take out a dime -- you're
fucking nickel and diming us to
death down here!
GABRIEL
Keep your voice down.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED:
John jumps up, leans into his face.
JOHN
And you know what, you're the ones
with the problem, not us -- You make
these impossible rules to decide who
goes up, who goes down and you don't
even understand us --
This more than anything gets under Gabriel's skin.
GABRIEL
Each of you is born with the
promise of salvation preordained.
The cost of your redemption is
simple belief. And yet you whine
about impossible rules. Sometimes
I imagine you hardly deserve the
gift you have been given.
JOHN
Gift?! More like a curse the way
you manage things.
Gabriel stands and towers over John.
GABRIEL
I am taking your situation into
account, John, but don't push me.
JOHN
Why me, Gabriel? It's personal,
isn't it? I didn't go to church
enough? I didn't pray enough? I
was five bucks short in the
collection plate? Why?
Gabriel moves right up to him, makes this very personal.
GABRIEL
You're going to die because you
smoked 30 cigarettes a day since
you were 15. And you're going to
Hell because of the life you took.
Or to put it in a way that your kind
would understand. You're fucked.
EXT. THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY - MINUTES LATER
Angela stands on the porch at the edge of a downpour.
She hears a cough, looks over to see John standing on the
other side, looking equally frayed. They share another
glance.
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
John fishes a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Empty.
JOHN
He has a rotten sense of humor.
(steps past)
And his punch lines are killers.
John tosses the cigarette pack, walks right into the
RAIN, away from Chaz's taxi pulling up.
CHAZ
(shouting out)
John? It's raining! Hey!
Angela watches John disappear in the rain, looks down at
the empty cigarette pack.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HENNESSEY'S APARTMENT - A CIGARETTE PACK
lies on the floor next to food wrappers, Coke bottles and
stacks of newspapers. Hennessey sits amongst the
garbage, slumped over. But he's not sleeping.
He's surfing the ether. Allowing his sixth sense to
guide him. His hands move down and across the stacks of
newer periodicals, fingers probing the layers of
information.
Left hand suddenly stops.
Hennessey's eyes open. He removes the layers of periodicals
on top of his left hand, leans close. Edges his fingers
away and sees an OBITUARY. A name -- Isabel Dodson.
EXT. L.A. STREETS - EVENING
John walks the streets, numb to the world. A rat
scurries past near the curb. Then another. Several
crows fly by.
Above him is a BILLBOARD - "YOUR TIME IS RUNNING OUT."
Doesn't matter that below it is -- "TO BUY A NEW CHEVY."
The point is crystal clear. John shakes his head, breaks
out laughing which quickly turns into a coughing fit.
He leans to a gutter. Another rat scoots past. John
barely notices. Then a frog jumps past. But it's the
crab crawling by that finally catches John's gaze.
(CONTINUED)
40.
CONTINUED:
VOICE OF MAN (O.S.)
Hey, buddy, you got a light?
John turns, settles on a silhouetted figure standing
behind him, unlit cigarette butt in its mouth.
OLD MAN
(coughs)
We gotta stick together, right?
John gathers himself. As he walks over to this OLD MAN,
he rummages through his coat pocket, retrieves a
matchbox.
The box shudders as a high-pitch FLUTTERING filters from
inside. Old Man winces as his entire body VIBRATES.
John realizes -- this is Beeman's matchbox, the one with
the screech beetle inside. And now he knows -- a beat
too late.
Old Man attacks.
John is knocked onto his haunches. As the Old Man closes
in, he's revealed in more detail. Body and face are
actually an intricate puzzle, an assemblage of city
vermin. Rats, insects, crows, frogs, crabs -- all held
together in the shape of a man.
John scampers backwards, just inches from this being's
outstretched grasp. He shakes the matchbox and the
screech beetle inside flutters again.
Old Man/Demon cringes as his entire body vibrates apart
for a second, then snaps back together. He GRABS onto
John with fingers of squirming vermin. Snake wraps
around his wrist. Crab snaps at his skin.
John shakes the beetle box harder -- causing the parts to
vibrate even further. Old Man grabs John's head and
vermin of various leg count crawl right onto John's face.
John's had enough -- shakes the matchbox violently, then
smashes it against the sidewalk.
BEETLE lets out a death SHRIEK and the Old Man
stutters -- his parts vibrating so wildly you can
actually see the b.g. through the seams.
John scampers loose, grabs a road barricade and swings it
with all his might. Old Man form shatters on impact.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED:
The entire mess collapses to the ground in a flood of
scattering critters. John starts stomping on them as
they scatter into the city.
John stands there, shocked and concerned. What the hell
is going on?
INT. ANGELA'S APARTMENT - DAY
That surveillance VIDEO FOOTAGE from Ravenscar plays
again. There's Isabel in her nightgown walking across
the roof.
Spread out on a cluttered coffee table is Isabel's case
file. CORONER'S REPORT is opened. Let's see "NO DRUGS
IN SYSTEM" and the biggie -- "Cause of Death -- SUICIDE."
Angela sits on the couch in her robe. Disheveled and
distraught. She's taking this hard.
ANGELA
I'm sorry, Isabel...
She lowers her head. And in that brief moment of
silence --
ISABEL (V.O.)
(on TV)
Constantine.
Angela snaps back to the TV, freezes in shock.
There's Isabel ready to jump but this time she's looking
right back AT us -- at Angela. Then she's gone.
Angela quickly rewinds the tape and watches the sequence
again. This time Isabel doesn't look back. This time
there is no name. But Angela did see it. Did hear it.
She sits for a second. Stunned.
INT. MIDNITE'S OFFICE
John paces as Midnite works on that Universal orrery,
adjusting components but balance continues to elude him.
JOHN
A few months, maybe a year.
That's it. End of story. Game
over.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED:
JOHN (CONT'D)
(as Midnite doesn't
react)
Well, don’t break down on my
account.
MIDNITE
What do you want from me? A
shoulder to cry on?
JOHN
This bastard attacked me right out
in the open -- on Sepulveda no
less.
MIDNITE
They don't like you, John. You've
deported how many back to Hell?
JOHN
That's just it -- this wasn't some
possession or wayward half breed,
it was a full-fledged demon.
Here. On our plane.
MIDNITE
Right.
JOHN
I know what I saw.
MIDNITE
You must have just crossed over
and didn't even realize it --
JOHN
I didn't cross over -- It was on
this side. Here.
MIDNITE
-- it's wet out, you're wandering
around aimlessly, not to mention
completely emotional --
JOHN
Emotional?!
John slams a fist against the counter. The orrery almost
topples but Midnite saves it. Decades of work almost
lost.
Midnite glares at a desperate John.
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED:
MIDNITE
Okay, so you saw something. We've
seen a few small ones slip through
now and then.
JOHN
It's more than that... first the
girl, then this.
MIDNITE
John, you know my connections.
Any shifts or tremors in the
planes and I'd hear about it.
John just shakes his head, looks up -- convinced.
JOHN
Something's coming.
Midnite sighs, gives up with him.
INT. LAPD OFFICE - LATER
The name JOHN CONSTANTINE is center screen on a
monitor -- typed into the police station's SEARCH ENGINE.
Angela sits alone in the squad room, rain streaking
across the windows.
Interpol comes back with results and a list of priors
scroll under John's name.
Must be a hundred PARKING VIOLATIONS. Several SPEEDING
tickets and a few RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT. In fact John's
license has been REVOKED.
But it's the other incidents that draw Angela in.
BRIEF CLOSEUPS
Of specific words in a few HEADLINES -- "Occult activity
on the rise..." "Claimed possession is refuted by
Bishop..." "Satanic cult dissolved..."
Accompanies with an assortment of unusual case photos.
-- BLOOD PATTERNS on a WALL -- Odd SYMBOLS burned into a
ceiling. A cross burnt to a crisp.
-- JOHN in handcuffs looking back at a mother holding her
son in her arms. A younger and more noble Father
Hennessey stands beside them, looking grateful.
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED:
Another line -- "INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE to PROSECUTE."
Angela scrolls, sees cities listed where John has made
waves -- LONDON -- PARIS -- ROME -- BUDAPEST -- MOSCOW.
Stops on the one that matters -- LOS ANGELES. And
there's an address.
Angela hits PRINT and the HP HUMS away.
A desk PHONE RINGS. Angela quickly looks around, sees
she's the only one here. She gets up, answers it.
ANGELA
L.A.P.D. This is Dodson, hello?
Dead air. The next PHONE RINGS. Angela reaches for it
when the NEXT ONE RINGS, and the NEXT, the NEXT.
The RINGS HOP phone to phone in intimidating mockery.
Angela freezes, forces herself to stay calm. Sure
enough, the RINGS abruptly CEASE.
Angela reaches over, rips the page from the printer,
leaves.
INT. ISTANBUL AIRPORT - DAY
A police guard scans passengers and a printout of the
Prisoner. He walks past a man standing in the metal
detector line.
This is actually the Prisoner wearing the clothes and
glasses of the Driver. Is that a blood stain on the
lapel?
Sweat drops from his forehead and he nervously places the
iron relic in a bag he took from the truck driver. He
has no choice but to place it on the conveyer belt.
MYSTERIOUS POV
Watching the Prisoner. He looks back AT us, suspicious.
Nothing there.
PRISONER
looks back nervously, as his bag goes through the
detector.
45.
DETECTOR SCREEN
shows the folds of the bag, a wallet, a passport and
nothing else. The iron relic doesn't even produce an
outline.
Bag slides out, untouched. Prisoner can't believe his
luck, grabs the bag and walks on toward the gates.
EXT. LOS ANGELES - NIGHT
VARIOUS of the city -- the contrasts between the bright
and cheerful and the dark and mysterious. That abandoned
mission behind Bob's Big Boy, the Islamic Temple wedged
between competing banks.
COME TO REST ON --
The towering statue of The Good Shepherd. His hands are
welcoming us into the "HOLY CROSS CEMETERY."
Right across the street is the 20 Lanes Bowling Alley.
INT. 20 LANES - THE BAR
John drinks alone. Pissed at life. At death.
That small black box of his lies on the table unopened.
Spider runs across the table. John flips an empty glass,
traps it underneath. He takes a drag on his cigarette,
tips the glass and blows smoke inside. Spider can't
escape the poison air, bumps the glass. Trapped. Dying.
JOHN
Welcome to my life.
ANGELA (O.S.)
Mr. Constantine?
John looks up, spots Angela. Those eyes again.
ANGELA
I saw you at --
JOHN
-- I remember.
ANGELA
And --
JOHN
Yeah.
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
She did make an impression.
ANGELA
I'd like to ask you a few
questions.
JOHN
I'm not really in the talking mood
right now.
ANGELA
Could you just listen then?
Angela sets her LAPD detective badge on the table.
ANGELA
Please?
JOHN
Always a catch...
Angela sits across from him, puts the badge away.
ANGELA
My sister was murdered last week.
JOHN
Sorry to hear...
ANGELA
Her name was Isabel. Isabel
Dodson?
She looks for a reaction. None.
ANGELA
You don't remember her?
JOHN
Never met her.
ANGELA
You sure?
JOHN
She look anything like you?
(as Angela nods)
I would've remembered.
Another beat as their eyes meet. John looks away.
(CONTINUED)
47.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
She was a patient at Ravenscar.
Then last Tuesday she just decided
to step off the roof.
JOHN
I thought you said she was murdered?
ANGELA
Isabel would never take her own life.
JOHN
You'd be surprised at what people
will do.
ANGELA
Look, I know I'm not making much
sense -- hell I'm not really sure
what I'm doing here... I just
feel -- the circles you travel
in -- the occult, demonology,
exorcisms...
John just stares at that spider in the glass. Trapped.
ANGELA
I believe someone got to her, Mr.
Constantine, brainwashed her into
stepping off that roof. Some kind
of legion or cult.
JOHN
Sounds like a theory. Good luck.
ANGELA
Well I thought with your
background and experience, you
could at least point me in the
right direction.
JOHN
Yeah, okay. Sure.
John points -- toward the exit. Angela is not amused.
But she's not giving up.
ANGELA
My sister always talked about a
world better than this. Heaven as
some call it. She wasn't afraid
of dying because she knew it was
waiting for her. What everyone
fails to grasp is that if she had
really taken her own life --
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
-- she would have committed a
mortal sin and her soul would have
gone straight to Hell where it
would never feel love or
compassion or anything but pain
again as the master himself rips
her apart over and over for the
rest of eternity.
(beat)
That about right?
The words have hit so hard that Angela is speechless.
John sees the hurt in her eyes, would like to take it
back -- but it's too late.
She turns and starts out, slows --
ANGELA
You're not the only one afraid of
Hell.
John tries not to let that get to him. She leaves. He
glances out the window, watches her pass by. So long.
Good riddance.
But something's not right. Those deep shadows on the
buildings seem to be moving. John watches, confused,
realizes they're heading in Angela's direction.
JOHN
Oh shit...
He stands, gains his bearings. As he walks out he flicks
the glass over. Spider runs free.
EXT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY - NIGHT
Cars are lined all the way down the street. Angela walks
along the sidewalk unaware of the shadow following her.
It's joined by another in the trees -- both closing in
with each step.
JOHN (O.S.)
Detective!
Angela looks back, sees John in the street.
JOHN
How open is your mind?
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
She doesn't answer, continues walking. What she doesn't
see are the shadows seeping back into the fringes. But
John does. He starts walking toward her.
JOHN
Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?
(off no answer)
How about what comes out of each?
Angela keeps walking. He catches up with her.
JOHN
Hey!
ANGELA
You mean like angels?
JOHN
And demons.
Angela stares at him, continues walking. He keeps up.
JOHN
See, you don't have the mindset
for this kind of work.
They walk together down the lonely street.
ANGELA
Look, I see terrible things every
day. A mother drowns her baby. A
ten-year-old shoots his father.
But it's not demons, it's the evil
that men do.
Behind them, a streetlight BLINKS OUT. Then another.
They're not looking back so they don't see it.
JOHN
You're right, we're capable of
terrible things but we usually
justify it with motives like money
and power and jealousy.
Another LIGHT FIZZES, blinks out.
JOHN
Then sometimes, something comes
along and gives us just the right
nudge and we do truly evil things
just for the kick of it.
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
I don't believe in demons.
JOHN
You should. They believe in us.
They pass another streetlamp as it goes bright, then
blacks out. Both look up.
The next LAMP FLARES then FIZZES OUT.
Angela turns and sees that there are no lights behind
them. She looks to John. But he's staring straight
ahead. Because now the light in front of them is FLARING
BRIGHT.
JOHN
We should go...
Second later it BLINKS OFF. John grabs her hand --
JOHN
Fast.
Angela's confusion turns to tension as a raspy guttural
WIND races toward them.
John jerks her into action. They run towards the next
light. It blinks out right when they reach it.
They race to stay in the light, aiming toward the safety
of the brightly-lit statue of the Good Shepherd.
EXT. HOLY CROSS CEMETERY
They make it through the gate, pass through an alley of
overhanging trees. Something RIPPLES through the
branches -- flitters right past Angela's face. She swats
at it, manages to get a branch across the cheek.
They near the Good Shepherd and the floodlights FLICKER,
fade out. Statues of saints become dark monoliths.
John stops in an OPEN AREA between trees and a mausoleum.
A lit CROSS on the wall provides the only illumination.
Angela feels the scratch on her cheek, sees a trickle of
blood. Now she hears SOUNDS in the darkness. Like
LEATHER RUBBING. Surrounding them.
ANGELA
What is that?
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED:
John is just as surprised he's saying this --
JOHN
Wings.
ANGELA
Wings?
John rummages through his trench coat -- fishes out that
cloth Beeman gave him. The one supposedly wrapped around
Moses.
JOHN
And maybe talons.
The cross is getting dimmer and dimmer...
ANGELA
Are you kidding? Of what?
JOHN
Something that's not supposed to
be here.
John quickly wraps the cloth tight around his hand.
Angela spins, eyes seeing only darkness as the sounds get
CLOSER -- ghastly sound of MOVEMENT in the fringes of
light.
The cross now resembles a dying wire filament and with
every second the circle of light gets smaller and those
SOUNDS GET CLOSER. John takes out his special lighter.
JOHN
Close your eyes.
They are now standing in pitch darkness.
ANGELA
Why?
JOHN
Suit yourself.
John flicks the lighter and in one powerful motion --
sweeps his arm up as he lights his hand.
Sacred cloth catches fire -- then IGNITES with a
brilliant retina-searing FLASH -- blinding Angela and
illuminating a --
-- CIRCLE OF WINGED DEMONS -- a roiling broth of
reptilian death -- right there -- ready to pounce.
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED:
RED FLAME radiates from the cloth and DEMONS SHRIEK as
they are instantly vaporized.
John tucks his burning hand into a coat pocket,
extinguishes the flame. He leans down to a rubbery stain
left from one of the burnt demon carcasses. Shakes his
head in disbelief.
JOHN
(to himself)
'I accidentally crossed over?' I
don’t think so.
ANGELA
(coming up behind)
What was that? I saw wings -- and
teeth -- they were flying. What
the hell were those things?!
JOHN
They weren't angels.
John scans the area, trying to think this through.
JOHN
Seplavites, actually. Scavengers
for the damned.
(off her lost look)
Demons?
ANGELA
What? You can't be serious...
this is impossible...
JOHN
Yeah...
(to himself)
And I don't think they were after
me...
John looks at her with renewed interest.
JOHN
You really believe she wouldn't
commit suicide?
ANGELA
(a bit thrown)
My sister?
(a beat)
Never in a million years.
John makes the decision.
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Let's be sure.
He starts walking. Angela is now compelled to follow.
ANGELA
How?
JOHN
Simple. See if she's in Hell.
EXT. L.A. COUNTY MORGUE - NIGHT
Not exactly an inviting place.
Hennessey steps off the curb, looks up at his
destination.
INT. ANGELA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
John stares at a photo of Angela and her father in police
uniform. Obviously happier times.
Angela walks out of her bedroom holding a cardboard box.
That gray cat follows close to her heels.
ANGELA
These are all Isabel's things.
JOHN
The cat too?
ANGELA
Yeah, why...?
John ignores the box of items, picks up the cat. He
studies it a bit, then sits back in a chair with it.
ANGELA
Don't you need candles and a
pentagram for this to work?
JOHN
(deadpan)
Why, do you have any?
John puts his feet, shoes and all into a BUCKET OF WATER.
JOHN
I need you to step outside now.
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED:
Angela wants to stay.
JOHN
Angela? Please.
Angela reluctantly moves toward the exit. John holds the
cat, stares into its huge, unblinking eyes. There's a
moment where animal and man seem to connect.
The water around John's feet begins to BOIL.
ANGELA pushes the door closed behind her but it slows on
its way to latch.
Bulbs pulsate as current ramps down. The room flickers,
is suddenly caught in a ghostly dim half-light and John
has now crossed over into --
APARTMENT IN HELL
Same layout, different decorator. John takes a deep,
raspy breath, slowly stands. He turns to the wall behind
him which is torn away, looking like some half-bombed
structure in Beirut.
Beyond the wall is no longer the blackness of a
nightscape but a sickly sepia glow. Not quite day, not
quite night.
John steps over the crumbling wall into --
EXT. HELL LOS ANGELES
John walks out onto the top overpass of a crumbling maze
of intersecting freeways. Burnt-out husks of longforgotten
vehicles sit in rows of gridlock. A low DRONE
penetrates the silence.
JOHN
Is she here?
On the horizon is a dying RED SUN. It strains to cut
through the putrid brown haze.
JOHN
Is she here?!
His VOICE REVERBERATES to infinity.
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED:
John cautiously steps closer to the railing, looks down
to the ribbons of twisting streets below. They're
crammed with teeming masses of the damned. All walking
down in silence, faces numb with sorrow and grief.
JOHN
IS SHE HERE?!
That low DRONE RISES IN PITCH and John now spots a huge
blanket-like BLACKNESS crawling over the cityscape,
rapidly closing in on him. You get the feeling this
isn't a safe place for the living.
JOHN
It's a simple question! Is she
here or not?!!
John suddenly locks on something far off.
On top of a distant skyscraper is a FEMALE FIGURE in a
sheer white gown. John can't make out her face but knows
she's looking right at him.
JOHN
Isabel?
She lifts something and tosses it. John watches as a
small object tumbles toward him just ahead of closing
darkness.
INT. ANGELA'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY
In that same motion we left her in -- Angela finishes
pushing the door closed. As it LATCHES --
JOHN (O.S.)
(weakly)
Angela... come back in...
Confused, Angela pushes the door back open. Cat BOLTS
out. Angela catches her breath, moves inside.
INT. LIVING ROOM
John sits slumped in the chair, drained. Steam rises off
his skin. Angela sees the water in the bucket has almost
all boiled out. She walks in, kneels down to him.
ANGELA
John? What happened?
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
Sweat drips off as he looks up. He opens his palm --
reveals to Angela a simple HOSPITAL BAND. The name
"ISABEL DODSON" is typed on it.
Even as a semi-convert, this news completely floors
Angela. She takes the plastic band -- grips it tight --
tries to hold herself together. The adrenaline and pain
overwhelm. Her knee buckle and she drops to the floor.
John watches, isn't sure how to help. He finally reaches
out a single hand -- slowly rests it on her shoulder.
The contact seems to open a floodgate of emotion and
Angela falls right into his arms. John hasn't been this
close to anyone in a long time. Angela finally composes
herself.
ANGELA
How? How did you do this...?
John tries not to stare into those eyes too long. Fails.
INT. L.A. COUNTY MORGUE - NIGHT
Body drawer slides open -- reveals Isabel. Lying in a
cold, sterile room of death. A Hell of a different type.
Hennessey stares down at her, looks around the room
again, makes sure he's still alone.
He reaches in, rips open the protective plastic and
lowers his hand inside. Places it first on her forehead.
Nothing. Then on her chest. Nothing. Wrist is last.
Hennessey shudders. This is it.
He closes his eyes and opens himself to the void --
JOHN (V.O.)
When I was a kid, I saw things...
FLASHBACK - EXT. STREET - DAY
A TEN-YEAR-OLD John comes out of a corner store with milk
in a bag. He slows, eyes a MAN at a mailbox.
JOHN (V.O.)
Things I wasn't supposed to.
The man looks right at young John as he passes. His face
is distorted and his feet have sprouted roots which are
dug into the ground.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
WAITRESS (O.S.)
Coffee?
Young John looks up toward the voice --
INT. DINER - NIGHT (PRESENT)
John looks up at the Waitress.
JOHN
Tea.
She leaves. Angela sits across from him. They're at the
table by the window.
JOHN
My parents sent me to a doctor, a
shrink, a priest. I was in four
different institutions by the time
I was eighteen.
Angela notes him rubbing his wrist.
JOHN
The last place they put me was run
by a church...
A DOCTOR rushes past their table. PAN WITH him INTO...
FLASHBACK - INT. MENTAL INSTITUTION - HALLWAY
The Doctor rushes toward distant SCREAMING.
JOHN (V.O.)
The revered Father made the
brilliant deduction that I was
possessed, said I needed to be
exorcised...
INT. ROOM - HIGH ANGLE
The Doctor runs in. Sees the revered Father below,
leaning over a bed where an 18-year-old John is held down
by three interns and that Doctor. John angrily screams
at them all.
JOHN (V.O.)
It was like someone trying to pull
teeth that weren't there.
Young John clamps his eyes shut tight.
58.
INT. DINER - JOHN (PRESENT)
Present-day John does the same, remembering the pain.
JOHN
So I took things into my own hands
and I found a way out.
ANGELA
You attempted suicide.
John sees she's looking at his wrist. The hint of a
jagged scar can now be seen under the sleeve.
JOHN
I never attempt anything.
John's reflection in the window becomes --
FLASHBACK - TEENAGE JOHN
kneeling with a pair off scissors. He's inside a...
INT. CLASSROOM
Teenage John looks up at a room filled with people from
all walks of life. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, garbage
men. All somewhat different than normal. They sit in
school chairs and wait for John to do the deed.
He puts the blade to his wrist -- one swipe and the world
around him accelerates away in a STREAKED BLUR --
INT. DINER (PRESENT)
ANGELA
But you're still here. Alive.
JOHN
Not my doing.
His chest suddenly HEAVES forward -- and we're on...
FLASHBACK - TEENAGE JOHN
as he's jolted by DEFIB PADS. He's in the back of a...
INT. AMBULANCE - MOVING
Paramedics are soaked in sweat. One looks a bit like a
young Dr. Archer. Heart monitor is FLAT LINE. There's
little hope.
59.
EXT. LOS ANGELES
The ambulance moves through a city that is transforming.
From this world's Los Angeles to a barren Hell version.
JOHN (V.O.)
Officially I was dead for seven
minutes. But believe me, seven
minutes in Hell is a lifetime.
Ambulance heads toward that dying RED SUN.
INT. AMBULANCE
FLAT LINE on the monitor suddenly SPIKES with a pulse --
INT. MORGUE (PRESENT)
Hennessey's hand jerks back from the plastic. His eyes
fix on Isabel's wrist. That odd circular SYMBOL is back.
Hennessey's unsettled, quickly shoves the drawer closed.
He rushes out, slams right into a SECURITY GUARD coming
in.
SECURITY GUARD
Hey, what're you doing in here?
Guard looks back into the body room, sees a drawer
partially open. He walks over, pulls it out further --
sees the plastic cut away. Jesus.
The symbol has already faded from Isabel's wrist.
JOHN (V.O.)
When I returned I didn't just see
demons anymore, I could do the one
thing they couldn't -- come and go
as I please.
EXT. MORGUE - HENNESSEY
runs as fast as a very obese man can -- aiming for that
PHONE BOOTH on the corner. He grabs the receiver,
punches numbers as fast as he can. RING -- RING --
RING --
HENNESSEY
Be there, John... please...
Something shivers up Hennessey's leg and into his body.
Eyes glaze over and Hennessey settles on a RESTAURANT.
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED:
JOHN (V.O.)
Heaven and Hell are right here,
behind every wall, every face --
the world behind the world. It's
crossing over that's the real
trick. That's why most demons can
only whisper in our ears. But
even a whisper can turn your
favorite pleasure into your worst
nightmare.
INT. LATE NIGHT RESTAURANT
HENNESSEY barges in, squeezes past the MAITRE D'.
MAITRE D'
Sir, you need a reservation!
But Hennessey is on a quest. For food. And it's
everywhere.
He starts grabbing meals right off of plates. Fish,
pasta, prime rib. Shovels it all in. Patrons are
yelling -- screaming. He's eating as if his life
depended on it. And even though he's devouring anything
in sight, this huge man is wasting away before our eyes.
In the middle of all this chaos is one customer calmly
eating his meal. Balthazar.
Hennessey hijacks a food cart -- consumes everything on
it yet his skin is getting looser and the body inside
gets thinner.
He grabs a steak from a woman's plate but she jerks it
back so he bites into his arm. She screams as her
husband pulls her away.
Hennessey's strength is withering away. Desperate, he
grabs a FORK, digs it into his own hand.
A Hispanic BUSBOY rushes into the room, grabs onto
Hennessey.
JOHN (V.O.)
But the worst demons are the ones
that are allowed to be here -- the
ones that are half-human so they
blend in...
Balthazar stands, throws a few bills on the table and
starts toward the back EXIT.
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED:
JOHN (V.O.)
... just like those with the
angel's touch living alongside of
us. The half-breeds.
That Busboy lowers Hennessey to the floor. For a moment
we see him framed against the front doorway. And in that
instant we get a brief glimpse of --
ALTERNATE LOS ANGELES
An incredible pristine lake reflecting a city of light.
BACK TO SCENE
BUSBOY looks up, meets Balthazar's eyes. Bitter enemies.
Balthazar grins, flips that coin between his fingers. He
leaves out the back exit.
JOHN (V.O.)
They call it 'the Balance.' I
call it hypocritical bullshit.
INT. DINER
JOHN
So when one of them gets a little
cocky, peddles their influence or
hijacks a soul -- I deport their
scaly ass right back to Hell.
(takes a sip of tea)
I don't get them all but maybe
enough to insure my retirement.
ANGELA
Sounds like you're trying to buy
your way into Heaven.
JOHN
Well, what would you do if you
were sentenced to a prison where
half the inmates were put there by
you?
Not a serene image at all. Angela studies him.
ANGELA
Why you? I mean many go to Hell,
why were you able to escape?
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
(sips tea)
I don't know.
ANGELA
God has a plan for all of us.
JOHN
Not for me.
John's bitterness is obvious. Angela just stares at
him -- finally --
ANGELA
Isabel saw things too.
John looks up. Moment is lost when her CELLULAR RINGS.
The cop in her reacts, flips it open.
ANGELA
Detective Dodson here.
EXT. RESTAURANT - LATER
The morgue is seen across the street. The Guard that
chased Hennessey is just outside.
WEISS (O.S.)
Security Guard spotted him near
the body, chased him out.
We MOVE PAST Angela standing with Weiss. Around them is
a complete shambles of fine dining --
WEISS
He comes over here, makes a run at
the entire menu and pow --
deflates like a fricken Macy's day
balloon.
-- COME TO REST ON John's shattered face. He stares down
at Hennessey. Now yards of loose flesh sunken over an
assemblage of bones. Only that ragged black tie he wore
is familiar now.
John leans down to the remains of his friend. A cop
starts to intervene but Angela blocks him. Let him be.
John has trouble taking this in, reluctantly reaches into
Hennessey's coat pocket -- finds the protective amulet he
himself removed from his friend. That's even more
crushing.
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Shit...
(sympathetic)
Why didn't you call me, you fat
sonna bitch...
John lowers his head, then spots blood stains on one of
Hennessey's hands. He opens the fingers, studies the
fork wound. The blood is already drying over it.
John reaches over to the mess of dishes on the floor and
grabs a melting ice cube.
He pushes it into Hennessey's hand, wiping away the dried
blood. It quickly becomes apparent -- this isn't random
stabbings. This is a shape.
John takes a napkin, lays it on the palm and presses.
Residual blood creates a symbol onto the napkin.
It's the same circular symbol we saw on Isabel's wrist.
John doesn't know what it is, but he knows it's important.
JOHN
(to Hennessey)
Rest in peace, Father.
INT. 20 LANES - BEHIND THE LANES
With a loud crowd and 20 huge PIN MACHINES GRINDING AWAY
the noise back here is DEAFENING. But this is Beeman's
home. See the desk, the TV. The fold-away bed.
Beeman is on the phone. There's a conversation but it's
way too noisy to hear. All we see are the emotions on
Beeman's face. No doubt news of Hennessey's death is one
of the biggies.
Beeman quickly reaches for a marker, puts it to paper and
starts drawing -- listening and drawing --
He's finished, hangs up. Stares at the Symbol. That
cabinet with the ancient books now gets his attention.
JOHN (V.O.)
I need to see where Isabel died.
EXT. EAST LA - NIGHT
Graffiti-adorned walls give way to a tall iron fence,
heavily-shadowed grounds and finally the six-story
hospital complex of RAVENSCAR.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
A rim-lit figure stands on the roof. But this one isn't
wearing a hospital gown, he's wearing a trench coat.
ANGELA (V.O.)
Seances, crystals -- channeling...
Our father thought she was just
trying to get attention. She
certainly did that.
EXT. ROOFTOP
Angela stands behind John. A large water tank is
anchored to the roof next to her. Note the FLAME logo.
ANGELA
She'd tell everyone about things
she said she saw. Crazy things.
Things that hadn't happened yet.
She'd scare my mother to death,
talking on and on about
Revelations and the end of the
world. Then one day she just
stopped... never said another
word.
JOHN
So you put her in here.
Angela doesn't need to be reminded. It hurts even more now.
JOHN
Show me her room.
INT. CORRIDOR
John and Angela head toward Isabel's room. A NURSE
appears from around the corner walking with a boy. It's
Barry, the boy in the courtyard.
He locks on Angela and when she makes eye contact he
breaks away from the Nurse, runs toward her with arms
outstretched.
NURSE
Barry!
He runs right into Angela's arms, hugs her tight. Angela
is totally baffled. John is thoroughly intrigued.
NURSE
Oh God...
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED:
She rushes in, gently tugs the boy away.
NURSE
No, Barry, that's not Isabel.
Barry stares at Angela. He reaches out, touches her
face, confused. Nurse pulls him back even further.
NURSE
I'm sorry. They were friends. He
kind of had a crush on your sister.
Angela nods, understanding. The Nurse leads Barry away.
He doesn't take his eyes off Angela the entire time.
Neither does John.
JOHN
You were twins.
Angela nods, steps inside. John pauses, thinking.
INT. ISABEL'S ROOM
John steps inside, gives the sterile room a thorough
scan.
JOHN
So how long?
ANGELA
Two months.
(beat)
This time.
He pulls out a drawer, looks at the bottom.
ANGELA
I already did all that.
John runs his hands under the steel bed frame.
ANGELA
Now you're insulting me.
JOHN
You don't walk off a building
without leaving something behind.
ANGELA
You saw everything she left
behind. In that box.
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Maybe she left something else.
Something more personal. Just for
you.
Angela doesn't like that look he's giving her.
JOHN
You were her twin, Angela. Twins
tend to think alike.
ANGELA
I'm not like my sister.
JOHN
But you were at once time. When
you were kids. When you'd spend
every waking hour with each other.
You'd start a sentence, she'd
finish it. You'd get hurt, she'd
cry.
ANGELA
That was a long time ago...
JOHN
That kind of bond doesn't just
disappear.
ANGELA
There's nothing here.
Angela seems unbalanced. John gets more aggressive.
JOHN
She planned her death in this
room, she thought it up right
where you're standing --
Angela backs away. John advances.
JOHN
She knew you'd come -- She counted
on you to see what she saw, to
feel what she felt -- to do what
she did. What did she do, Angela?
ANGELA
How should I know?
JOHN
What did she do, Angela?
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
I don't know!
JOHN
What would you do?
Angela backs into a wall. Nowhere else to go now.
JOHN
What would you leave her? What
would it be? Where would it be?!
Where would it be?
Angela lashes out, shoves John hard, pushing him out of
her way. She turns to the window, almost hyperventilating.
John stays back, watches. Angela opens her eyes. The
tension seems to flow right out of her when she sees --
ANGELA
The tree.
EXT. COURTYARD - NIGHT
A lone tree stands in the center of the lit courtyard.
John and Angela approach it. Examine it. Nothing. John
drops lower on the tree, to a child's height. Finally
sees something near the ground, gestures to Angela.
She kneels down next to him, sees what he sees.
That same SYMBOL. The one Hennessey carved into his
hand. But this time there's more.
ANGELA
(trying to
rationalize)
There must have been a tree in our
backyard... when we were kids...
John may not be buying it but he's not saying anything.
His fingers trace these words carved below the symbol --
JOHN
'COR 14:01.'
ANGELA
Cor?
JOHN
Corinthians.
(CONTINUED)
68.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
(shaking her head)
There is no 14h act in Corinthians.
John's face goes pale --
JOHN
I need a church.
INT. HOSPITAL CHAPEL - MINUTES LATER
Several families sit in solemn prayer. The pastor
comforts a man and wife. John and Angela slip through,
head for the shelves of reference books on the back wall.
They whisper.
JOHN
Corinthians goes to 21 acts in the
book of Ethenius. It's like a
dark mirror of the Bible. It
paints a different view of
Revelations, says that the world
will not come to an end at the
hand of God but be reborn in the
embrace of the damned.
ANGELA
There's a difference?
JOHN
Depends on which side of the fence
you're standing.
John stops, casually sticks his hand in the pastor's bowl
of holy water near the altar.
ANGELA
So why haven't I seen this book
before?
JOHN
Because it doesn't exist here on
this side.
John closes his eyes and the water in the bowl begins to
BOIL --
ANGELA (O.S.)
What do you mean --
Flickering candlelight slows to a stop, catching Angela
mid-question and the room in that dim half-light.
John turns and is inside --
69.
SAME CHAPEL - HELL
The epitome of blasphemy -- A church in Hell. Only they
don't worship God in here. And that's not Christ on the
cross. And those stained glass windows are now slate
black.
John is now facing books with completely different
markings. He searches as a DRONE rises in pitch and an
INKY BLACKNESS begins to flow down the walls, getting
closer to John with each heartbeat.
He finds the book, steps back as he closes his eyes --
REGULAR CHAPEL
ANGELA
-- not here on this side?
John turns, covered in sweat. He's holding a book she's
never seen, is already flipping through it.
ANGELA
Where did that come from?
JOHN
(stopping to read)
13:29. 13:30 -- Here...
Corinthians 14:01...
(skimming to this)
'The sins of the father would only
be exceeded by the ego of the
son.'
ANGELA
Whose son?
John stands, his brain going into overdrive.
JOHN
Symbol isn't a demon's... that's
why I couldn't place it... not a
normal possession...
ANGELA
John, what are you talking about?
JOHN
But he can't cross over --
impossible for the son to cross
over...
ANGELA
Whose son? God's?
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
No. The other one.
(off her look)
Lucifer had a son too.
INT. 20 LANES - BEHIND THE LANES
Beeman sits under the glow of a desk lamp. The narrow
alley of machines stretches out behind him. He stares
into the scrolls -- an ancient book with a single page
folded a thousand times. Turns another page.
BOWLING AREA
Amazing how disturbing a bowling alley is when it's
closed. Rows of empty lanes stretching into darkness,
the unlit pin areas looking like the jaws of an army of
beasts.
BEEMAN (O.S.)
Oh my...
BEHIND THE LANES
Beeman has stopped turning pages. That's because he's
now staring at an etching of the same symbol. Below are
ink drawings of a ghastly beast rising up through a body.
But it's what's above the beast that is most troubling.
A figure on a cross -- his arms outstretched -- seemingly
welcoming the beast into this world.
BEEMAN
This is not good...
BOWLING BALL hits a lane. Beeman spins to the sound.
BALL ROLLS round and round, closer and closer until it
CLANGS dead against the back wall of one of the lanes.
Beeman gets up, starts down the corridor of dormant pin
machines.
He stops at lane 13, leans way way down, past the
machinery and peeks out the pin hole.
BEEMAN
John?
71.
EXT. LA STREETS - NIGHT
Angela's SUV races quickly through traffic while John
gets her up to speed.
JOHN (V.O.)
The myth says Mammon was conceived
before his father's fall from
grace but was born after.
INT. SUV
JOHN
But unlike his old man, he's never
been in the presence of the Creator
so he has no fear of him, no respect
either. That goes double for us --
God's most prized creations. Mammon
would be the last demon we'd ever
want crossing over.
ANGELA
But demons can't come and go,
that's what you said.
JOHN
Unless they found a bridge.
(off her look)
Some psychic with the chops to
reach all the way to Hell and the
grit to withstand whatever shit
she'd pull out.
ANGELA
Isabel...
JOHN
But even a bridge wouldn't help
Mammon. Because to cross over, the
myth says he'd still need the one
thing he could never get. Divine
assistance. The help of God.
Angela sits back, letting that sink in.
ANGELA
So it's impossible.
JOHN
Impossible? Sure it's impossible.
That's what makes it so dangerous.
These things exist to break the
rules, to find the loopholes. If
the past is any indication, then
the future isn't on our side.
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED:
John sits back, gut churning. Angela's in detective mode.
ANGELA
She knew. That's why she killed
herself. But it doesn't make
sense...
JOHN
Makes sense to me.
ANGELA
John, she sacrificed herself to
beat him.
John nods. Your point?
ANGELA
Why is she in Hell?
One of those rare moments where John has no answer.
INT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY
Something small and SHINY is rolling down the alley. It
lands in the trough, spins round and round --
Beeman leans out to try and see what it is. The silver
object keeps spinning.
He waits for it to stop, swats a fly near his face. Then
another.
Book on his desk ignites in flame.
EXT. 20 LANES - NIGHT
SUV pulls into the empty parking lot. John is out before
Angela gets it in park, unlocks the side door. A few
flies escape to freedom as he opens the door. John
rushes in.
INT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY
Only a LOW HUM pervades the dead stillness of the alley.
JOHN
Beeman?
John grabs the door that leads behind the pin area. It's
locked from the other side.
(CONTINUED)
73.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
(pounds on door)
Hey, Beeman? Beeman?!
The LOW HUM fluctuates -- sounds like a BUZZING.
ANGELA
Maybe he's not here.
JOHN
He's always here.
Several more flies flit by him. This time John notices,
turns and spots the source of the HUM -- a cloud of FLIES
near the center aisles. Angela follows his gaze, spots
them as well.
ANGELA
What?
John heads across the lanes. Swarm gets thicker and
thicker. Angela keeps up with him, covers her mouth.
They approach the pin area of the center lane. The
source of the swarm is slowly revealed. In the catch
trough is a solid mound of flies.
John leans closer, spots a HAND protruding from the
mound.
JOHN
Oh Jesus, no --
He rips his coat off, flings it at the mound and million
flies scatter -- revealing the body of Beeman. Ravaged.
Flies pouring out of his mouth, his ears --
ANGELA
(stepping back)
Oh God --
John goes ballistic, screams to the walls --
JOHN
Who are you?! Answer me!!
Goddamit -- reveal yourself! I
summon you!
He angrily rips his sleeves up -- revealing two distinct
TATTOOS on his forearms. Slams them together with all
his might -- clenching his eyes tight -- concentrating --
Veins in his arms and neck bulge, look ready to explode --
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
Angela steps back in awe as the air around his
outstretched arms begins to WARP -- to tear a faint hole
from the bowling alley right into another world right
here -- darker -- Hellish --
JOHN
Into the light I command thee!!
Into the light I --
John is choked by a cough -- can't finish -- arms
separate and he buckles to his knees, reveals to Angela
just how ill he really is.
She leans down to him, sees hints of blood on the floor.
JOHN
... this is my fault... I sent
them in... I sent them right to
their deaths... a damn one-man
plague.
ANGELA
John, you need a doctor.
JOHN
I've seen a goddamn doctor!!
Angela glares at him -- understands now. He's dying.
John stands, almost stumbles. Angela tries to help.
JOHN
Get away from me!!
ANGELA
John?
JOHN
Stay the hell away --
(tortured look to her)
Please --
He uses the handrail to walk away. Angela stands there,
confused by her own emotions. She turns back to the
carnage, hears the distant SIRENS.
INT./EXT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
John sits in his opened window, simmering. He holds a
lit cigarette but doesn't dare put it to his lips.
Outside the city goes about its unending churn.
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED:
Down on the street are several police vehicles. ENGINES
START and they drive away. Swirl of blue and red lights
flash across John's moist eyes.
ANGELA (O.S.)
There were no trees in our back
yard.
John finds Angela across the room in his doorway.
ANGELA
But you knew that already, didn't
you?
John meets her eyes. Sees the questions piling up.
ANGELA
(walking towards him)
You see something in me...
Something Isabel had.
JOHN
Go home, Angela.
ANGELA
I need to understand --
John just shakes his head.
ANGELA
Why not?
JOHN
Because you open up to that world,
you're inviting whatever's out
there back in. That's what
happened to Isabel.
ANGELA
I'm not Isabel.
JOHN
No, she embraced her gift while
you denied yours and that denial
is exactly why you're still alive.
Stick with me, that'll change.
John gets off the window, starts walking away.
JOHN
And I don't need another ghost
following me around.
(CONTINUED)
76.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
Dammit, John -- they killed my
sister!
That stops him cold.
ANGELA
I can't let them get away with
that. Even if it means going down
the same path she did. Now if you
won't help me get there, I'll find
my own way. But I won't run.
Never.
The two stand there -- locked in this moment.
ANGELA
Please...
John can't believe this day -- looks her dead in the eye.
JOHN
You do this, there's no turning
back. You see them -- they see
you. Understand?
Angela never blinks as she nods in agreement.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - LATER
Pushing slowly through a lifeless apartment -- drawing
closer to the opened bathroom door. WATER is pouring.
ANGELA (O.S.)
Do I take off my clothes or leave
them on?
(a beat)
John?
JOHN (O.S.)
I'm thinking.
ANGELA (O.S.)
John.
JOHN (O.S.)
On is fine.
INT. BATHROOM
John fills a 70-year-old porcelain BATHTUB. Angela
stands in the center.
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
Why water?
JOHN
It's the universal conduit.
Lubricates the transition from one
plane to another. Now ask me if
there's water in Hell.
John turns off the faucet.
JOHN
Sit.
Angela grabs his shoulder for balance, lowers herself.
When she's sitting, the water is all the way to her neck.
JOHN
Normally only a portion of the
body has to be suspended but you
wanted the crash course...
ANGELA
(teeth chattering)
What will I see?
His eyes say it all. Enough.
JOHN
Lie down.
ANGELA
(gesturing the depth)
Lie down?
JOHN
You have to be fully submerged.
ANGELA
For how long?
JOHN
As long as it takes. Here --
John cups the back of her neck, holds her face just above
the water as she lowers down. Her breathing is picking
up. John leans over the tub, looks straight down at her.
JOHN
Last chance...
(off her look)
Take a deep one.
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED:
Angela takes a deep breath, holds it. John pulls his
hand away and she settles to the bottom, her eyes riveted
on his the entire time.
ANGELA'S POV
A silent John ripples above. His hand grips her arm,
skin to skin.
BACK TO SCENE
Angela lies there and panic sets in. She starts to
surface but John pushes her head back to the bottom,
holds it firm. Her eyes dart about. Air is running out.
She can't hold her breath much longer. It's not
working --
But the room's lighting begins to pulsate -- as if the
current were ramping down. It slows to that dim halflight
as --
JOHN'S EYES -- CLOSE. A single blink.
ANGELA is lying in now BOILING WATER, screaming for all
of her life. Water muffles the sound but not the fury.
Huge TUB SHUDDERS hard -- snapping out of the hold down
bolts. John is stunned -- how powerful is this woman?
Another SCREAM and the inch-thick TUB CRACKS. Water
starts streaming onto the tile.
John lunges, grabs Angela and PULLS her up from the
water -- her muffled SCREAMS SHATTERING the air as her
mouth breaks the surface. She SLAMS hard against his
chest -- arms wrapping tight -- fingers digging into his
back -- leaving marks that might just scar.
TUB GIVES WAY and the damn breaks. John and Angela go
down -- hit the tile as one -- water washing over them
both.
ANGELA lies there on top of John. Trembling. She looks
up him, eyes filled with revelation.
ANGELA
All those people... so sad...
John nods, helping her understand.
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
ANGELA
... I've always known... where the
bad guys are... where to aim, when
to duck... it's not luck... I've
always known...
Tears stream down her cheeks. John reaches out to touch
her when her eyes CLAMP TIGHT in pain --
JOHN
Angela?
Eyes snap open and she's off him in a second, runs out.
John pries himself from the tile, goes after her.
INT. BEHIND THE ALLEY
Angela runs behind the vertebrae of machines, dripping
water the entire way. John tries to keep up.
ANGELA
It was rolling toward him -- not a
ball -- something smaller. Shiny.
She stops, kneels to the floor. John walks up to join her.
Something glints in the catch trough. She reaches down,
plucks it up and brings an odd COIN INTO VIEW --
John's face contorts with rage as he takes the familiar
coin.
JOHN
Balthazar.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - LATER
Beeman's bowling bag is flipped and the contents are
dumped onto a table. Powder, bugs and bullets go
everywhere. John retrieves the odd-tipped bullets.
Those brass knuckles and that copper pipe are taken also.
CHRISTIAN RELICS
are removed from a display cabinet.
There's the pure platinum Flask of Divinity, the
petrified husk from the River of Life -- the hollow shaft
of an iron cross -- all striking pieces individually but
when twisted and locked together form a very imposing --
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED:
-- HOLY SHOTGUN.
He swings the cross down, pours a pound of blasting
powder into the husk -- chambers a special bullet into
one of the ten barrels, snaps it shut -- turns and FIRES.
BULLET leaves a trail of flame as it streaks across his
endless apartment, blasts the center out of --
A carton of Lucky Strikes.
SETTLE ON the Surgeon General's warning -- burning away.
ANGELA (V.O.)
Can you kill him? What about the
Balance?
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - LATER
John is stuffing the bowling bag while Angela watches,
now dressed in dry clothes. That shirt is John's.
JOHN
That half-breed tipped my scales
when he started killing my
friends. I'm just adding a little
counterweight.
John lifts that holy shotgun -- KA CHICK --
ANGELA
What about me? I can't stay here
forever.
John turns to her -- locks on those eyes. He reaches
into his coat pocket as he walks up to her. She shudders
as his arms wrap around her face and for a beat they're
cheek to cheek. When he pulls back she sees he has
clipped Hennessey's AMULET around her neck.
JOHN
Think of it as a bulletproof vest.
ANGELA
So I'm going.
JOHN
(knows he can't win)
You're staying in the car.
81.
INT./EXT. 20 LANES - DAWN
FAT-ASS TIRES BURN under the full torque of a 426 HEMI.
A jet-black '70s BARRACUDA BLASTS from the basement
garage of 20 Lanes -- slides onto the streets of L.A.
Angela hangs on as John grabs the SKULL shifter knob --
slams into 2nd -- leaves another layer of tread behind.
EXT. OCEAN
FLYING OVER the ocean, a 747 ROARS RIGHT OVER US.
Dipping out of cloud cover, it reveals the coast of a
sprawling metropolis stretched out miles below.
L.A. LANDMARKS - DAWN
streak PAST. The Big Donut, the occult bookstores, the
'57 Chevy sign, that Mission in the park.
This is actually the POV FROM John's Barracuda.
He downshifts -- DRIFTS PAST a building with a facade of
pre-stressed concrete and huge gold letters -- "BZR
FINANCE AND BROKERAGE."
JOHN (O.S.)
This shouldn't take long.
INT. BZR BROKERAGE
Elevator opens and John steps out into a lobby of
concrete and glass. Pretentious design screams money.
Lots of it.
Since trading is still a half hour away, the place is
practically empty.
Across the room a stainless steal DOOR HISSES open. John
looks the other way as a Security Guard exits. Thick
DOOR glides closed, seals with another HISS. No way in.
John notices the janitor down one hallway. It's Nico
from Midnite's. He and John lock stares. Nico opens a
"Security Only" door, steps inside -- leaves the door
open.
INT. TRADING ROOM
Monitors are powering up around the room. A few of those
Young Businessmen we last saw at Midnite's are here.
(CONTINUED)
82.
CONTINUED:
YOUNG TURK
(into phone)
Hey, early bird is a fat bird,
know what I'm sayin'?
Balthazar walks through, looking every bit like the smug
and successful businessman he is. He stops at a LONG
MIRROR on one wall. Adjusts his collar, his hair. His
"look."
PRETTY BOY
What are we pushing today, sir?
BALTHAZAR
Phillip Morris.
As Balthazar admires himself, his reflection distorts
slightly. The demon in him? He touches his face, does a
vowel stretch. His face distorts even further.
That's got him moving closer to the mirror.
Balthazar's concerned because now his skin appears
in motion, rippling as if liquefied. And just when he
sees the surface of the mirror BLISTERING and starts to
move --
BOOOM --
One way GLASS EXPLODES outward on the front edge of a
FIREBALL -- sending Balthazar flying with glass and
flame.
John stands on the other side in an ACCESS CHANNEL --
that Dragon's breath flamethrower now duct-taped to his
holy shotgun.
JOHN
How's he doing it?
John steps into the trading room, eyes Balthazar rising
from the floor. Suit's in shreds, half his face is
burned off, but now he's pissed.
BALTHAZAR
This is in direct violation of the
Balance!
JOHN
Screw the Balance.
John hits him with another BLAST of FLAME -- pins him
hard against the wall.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
Balthazar's young turks attack. One leaps over the
trading station. John swings around -- aims the SHOTGUN
-- BOOM -- half-breed is blasted midair.
The other turk seems to defy gravity as he scampers
across the ceiling. John aims up -- PUMPS SEVERAL ROUNDS
-- steps out of the way as a body falls, smashes into a
desk. BOOM -- BOOM -- that'll keep it down.
INT. BARRACUDA
Angela hears the GUNSHOTS. Cop instinct takes over and
she gets out of the car. Checks the amulet. Intact.
INT. BZR TRADING ROOM
John turns his attention back to Balthazar, doesn't
hesitate and hits him with a continuous tide of flame.
Suit and skin is peeling off, revealing something else
underneath. The true form.
JOHN
How's he doing it, you half-breed
shit?!
John swings the flame aside so he can KICK Balthazar
against the wall. But now his WEAPON SPUTTERS. Shit.
Charcoal hand thrusts out, bats away the shotgun and
grabs John by the throat.
Balthazar rises from the ashes. He may be burned, but
he's one tough son of a bitch.
Balthazar slides John up a wall by his neck. John can't
break his hold. He's choking, frantically rummages
through his coat pockets. Comes out with those sacred
GOLD KNUCKLES on his right hand.
Balthazar tightens his grip and John swings, clocks him
across the face. The enhanced punch sends a dizzying
ripple throughout Balthazar's body.
But he doesn't let go. John is choking, starts whaling
on him. Again and again -- each punch weakening this
demon more.
John finally gets him against the wall. Right arm's
tired so he slips the gold knuckles onto his left hand,
and with extreme pleasure -- continues punching away.
Drives Balthazar to the floor, right to the brink of
death.
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
He leans up, winded. Watches in delight as Balthazar
strains to take his final breaths.
BALTHAZAR
I will see you very soon...
JOHN
Not really, no.
BALTHAZAR
You can't cheat it this time...
you're going back to Hell.
JOHN
True. But you're not.
John removes that small BLACK BOX from his coat.
Balthazar tries not to be concerned until John unlatches
it and removes the one weapon he hardly ever uses --
A Bible.
BALTHAZAR
What are you doing?
JOHN
I'm reading you your last rites.
Balthazar reacts. This isn't good.
BALTHAZAR
Your remedial incantations have no
relevance to my kind.
JOHN
Aren't you half human?
Balthazar doesn't have to answer.
JOHN
You see, that makes you eligible
to be forgiven. You do know what
it is to truly be forgiven? To be
welcomed into the kingdom of God?
Balthazar's worst nightmare.
JOHN
A demon in heaven -- love to be a
fly on that wall...
BALTHAZAR
You're not a priest, you have no
power...
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
-- I escaped hell, who else do you
know that has the power to do
that?!
Balthazar is now doubting his own beliefs.
JOHN
Just tell me how Mammon is
crossing over and you can go back
to your shithole.
Balthazar isn't convinced.
John stands -- raises the Bible and starts to read --
JOHN
'May the merciful God have mercy
on you and grant you the pardon of
all your sins...'
He places a hand on Balthazar's forehead. Balthazar
glares at it as John's voice rises with commanding
authority.
JOHN
'Whosoever sins you remit on earth
they are remitted unto them in
heaven. I absolve you from -- '
BALTHAZAR
-- It may not even work...
JOHN
How? How's he doing it?!
Balthazar looks scared as shit to tell him.
JOHN
(bellowing out)
'Grant your child entry into thy
kingdom in the name of the Father,
and the Son and the Holy Gh -- '
BALTHAZAR
... Sangre de dio.
John is stunned -- did he hear right? Balthazar nods.
JOHN
How?
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
BALTHAZAR
What killed the Son of God will
give birth to the son of the
devil.
John's mind races and he finally puts it together.
JOHN
He's found the Spear.
Balthazar's expression confirms it.
CLOSE ON THE PRISONER'S RELIC
It's tucked between the folds of an AIRLINES blanket.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT (V.O.)
(over com)
Ladies and gentlemen, we've been
cleared for landing. Please make
sure your seats are in their
upright and locked position.
Hand COMES IN, grips the relic. WIDEN to see...
INT. 747 - MID-FLIGHT
Prisoner in an aisle seat, trying to keep calm. He looks
behind him as if being watched. Just nerves again.
FLIGHT ATTENDANT (V.O.)
(over com)
We should be on the ground in Los
Angeles within ten minutes.
EXT. BZR BROKERAGE - FRONT AREA
ANGELA moves through the gathered crowd looking up at the
building. As she makes her way through, the amulet
brushes against bodies -- swinging from side to side.
Angela suddenly stops in the center of the street,
turns...
ANGELA
Something's coming...
She stares at her surroundings with an increasing sense
of dread. Then hears the RUMBLE and TIRES SCREECHING.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
Angela spins, spots John's BARRACUDA exploding around the
corner. It barrels up the street and slides to a
SQUEALING stop in front of her. Passenger door swings
open.
JOHN
What happened to staying in the
car?
ANGELA
You were in danger.
JOHN
Well now there's a premonition.
SIRENS crack the air. Angela jumps in and John PEELS
OUT.
INT. BZR
Balthazar is taking his last breaths when the sound of
WIND filters through the room. He looks up as a shadow
drapes across him. Eyes widen.
BALTHAZAR
One more chance...
Shadow darkens and his decimated form shudders.
JOHN (V.O.)
Jesus didn't die from being nailed
to a cross.
EXT./INT. BARRACUDA - MOVING
John takes a turn at 70 as Angela stares into John's
Bible.
JOHN
He was finished off by a soldier's
spear.
He points in the Bible at a detailed painting of the
event -- Jesus hanging on the cross -- being pierced by a
soldier's spear. It matches that child's drawing John
removed from the fridge -- now lying on his seat.
ANGELA
I'm Catholic, John -- I know the
crucifixion story.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Then you know what this spear
would mean to a demon trying to
cross over.
She doesn't.
JOHN
The stains on its edges?
Angela looks back at the painting, notes the liquid
flowing from Jesus' wound. Angela can't believe it --
JOHN
Mammon needed divine assistance --
how's the blood of God's only son?
Angela sits stunned for a moment.
ANGELA
So that's it -- he's got
everything he needs to escape...
JOHN
Not quite.
(glances at her)
Twins.
Angela gives him a look. Something in the rearview
mirror catches his gaze.
JOHN
Here we go --
John floors it and Angela glances out the back window,
spots something in the traffic -- bounding over vehicles,
hitting the pavement on all fours --
ANGELA
What is that?
JOHN
A hound on the hunt.
A blur of muscle and bone leaps over cars at incredible
speed -- denting in roofs, CRACKING a WINDSHIELD --
causing general chaos. Cars brake -- SLIDE into each
other. And still this thing keeps coming.
JOHN
Hang on --
BARRACUDA slides into an alley, races toward the other
end.
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED:
Angela looks back, sees their pursuer enter the alley.
It makes huge strides along the walls, defying all manner
of physics.
ANGELA
Impossible.
The beast goes right up the wall and disappears above the
building.
ANGELA
I lost it.
BAM, something lands hard on the roof, denting it a good
foot.
A huge clawed TALON punches into the sheet metal, starts
shredding it right over Angela. Talon thrusts in.
Angela dodges it -- her amulet swinging wildly.
John HITS the BRAKES and the beast flips off the roof and
onto the hood -- right INTO VIEW.
A muscular anomaly with eyes that are unmistakably
Balthazar's. He lashes against the windshield with an
extra appendage. Thank God for safety glass.
He jerks back his embedded talon, pulls the entire
windshield out with it, smashing it on the hood. GLASS
PARTICLES EXPLODE into the car.
John throws the car into a spin, slamming the Barracuda
into several parked cars. Balthazar is uprooted, is
thrown from the car.
Angela looks back, sees Balthazar rolling into traffic.
ANGELA
He's down --
JOHN
He's not down. Gimme your phone.
Angela pulls out her cellular.
EXT. DOWNTOWN
A BRITISH COUPLE sit in the back of Chaz's taxi, staring
out at the seedy side of town as if it were "Wild
Kingdom."
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED:
BRITISH MAN
They mark their territory with
graffiti instead of urine but
they're still very much animals.
British woman takes documentary photos.
Chaz's CELLULAR RINGS over the BUZZ of a dispatch SCANNER.
CHAZ
This is a private line -- John?!
INTERCUT JOHN.
JOHN
Chaz -- where are you?!
CHAZ
Ah... 3rd and Figueroa.
JOHN
You still got that Sedrallus?
CHAZ
(glancing to couple)
Yeah, but I'm kind of busy right
now, John.
JOHN
Dammit, Chaz, I'm trying to save
my ass here!
CHAZ
(under his breath)
What else is new...
JOHN
Remember the Chalic of Enook
incident?
CHAZ
(remembering)
Oh no, no, no, not that, I just
paid off this car!
JOHN
West side of the 3rd Street
Bridge, say...
He checks the speedometer -- 90 mph.
JOHN
... 2 minutes.
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED:
CHAZ
I'm five blocks away!
(as John CLICKS off)
John? John?! Ah... shit.
Chaz downshifts, stops in cloud of dust --
CHAZ
Sorry, tour's over.
The British start to argue.
CHAZ
OUT YA WANKERS!!! NOW!!
EXT. LA STREETS - CONTINUOUS ACTION
John heads toward the skyline now -- at 90 mph -- to the
3rd Street Bridge on the horizon.
Angela scans behind them, can't believe her eyes.
ANGELA
He's back.
Here comes Balthazar through traffic on all fours --
ANGELA
John, he's back and he's gaining!
JOHN
Of course he's gaining.
John PUNCHES the GAS to the floor.
EXT. 3RD STREET BRIDGE
Chaz swerves onto the other side of the narrow bridge.
He SCREECHES TO A STOP across the roadway -- opens the
glove box, grabs a velvet-wrapped object and pulls a
glass vial out of it.
Inside flows a phosphorescent green liquid. Chaz jumps
out, runs to the back of the car, pauses when he hears
the sound of a STRAINING ENGINE.
Here comes the topless Barracuda over the bridge's arched
roadway. And what the hell is that running behind it?
CHAZ
Shit -- shit -- shit --
(CONTINUED)
92.
CONTINUED:
Chaz twists off the gas cap, drops the vial into the tank.
He pulls out his BEEPER, rips the cover off, exposing the
electronics.
He wedges the beeper into the tank inlet, then starts
sprinting off the bridge while --
INT. BARRACUDA
John gives Angela the number.
JOHN
9... 5... 4...
Taxi in view. Angela punches in the number --
ANGELA
9-5-4...
They RIP past the taxi --
JOHN
6... 6... 6
Here comes Balthazar up the bridge. Like a supercharged
cheetah, running full stride. And not even winded.
ANGELA
6... 6... 6
Balthazar is almost to the taxi -- John waits -- then --
JOHN
6.
Angela punches the last digit as --
-- Balthazar LEAPS to jump the taxi --
INT. GAS TANK
BEEPER CONTACTS BUZZ -- spark -- GAS IGNITES --
TAXI
EXPLODES right under Balthazar in a tremendous FIREBALL.
Initial impact only kicks him higher. It's when the
Sedrallus in the tank truly ignites that the real
FIREWORKS begin.
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
Balthazar is caught in a haze of brilliant red particles
that tear his body apart in midair. His final SHRIEK is
chilling.
EXT./INT. BARRACUDA
John smacks the wheel, victoriously -- looks over to
Angela who sighs with relief. His expression changes as
he centers on the empty necklace dangling around her
neck.
JOHN
Where's the amulet?
WHAM -- something reaches through the roof hole and JERKS
HER right out of the car.
JOHN
ANGELA!!
John SLAMS the BRAKES home -- car spins and John is
already jumping out before it comes to a stop. He runs
to the rail.
CHAZ
(running up)
What the hell was that?!
Both leap onto the concrete rail, lean over and spot a
HUGE WINGED SHADOW just as it disappears below the
bridge.
Chaz is speechless as he turns to John. This is too
much. John gives him the out he's been waiting for --
JOHN
We're even.
Chaz nods and John leaves him at the rail. He jumps back
in the BARRACUDA and PEELS OUT.
Chaz watches him race away, looks back at his burning
taxi.
CHAZ
Even?
EXT. LAX - DAY
Prisoner walks out of the terminal, here at last. He
stares at all the vehicles at his disposal. A family
crowds around the back of a minivan. Wife hugs the dad.
94.
MYSTERIOUS POV
Watches him from behind. Prisoner turns, looks back,
suspiciously. Nothing.
PRISONER
walks out to the street, slides into the minivan, tears
away. Kids' toys tumble across the seats.
INT. CLUB MIDNITE - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ACTION
John bursts through a door -- Midnite right on his heels.
MIDNITE
Mammon has been trying to climb
out of his father's shadow for
eons.
JOHN
And this time he might just make
it.
MIDNITE
(unconvinced)
Because he's got the Spear?
JOHN
And the bridge.
MIDNITE
You're giving this girl way too
much credit.
JOHN
You don't know her.
MIDNITE
And you do? That would be a
first.
John swings open a STORAGE ROOM DOOR -- looks in at
large-scale relics -- statues, props, etc.
JOHN
Where's the chair?
MIDNITE
The chair?
JOHN
The delicate little number from
Sing Sing?
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED:
Midnite just stares at him.
MIDNITE
It's a fine line that separates a
hero from a fool.
JOHN
I'll take my chances.
MIDNITE
And taint my establishment with
your blood? I don't think so.
JOHN
Midnite --
MIDNITE
You know what that device can do
to the ill-equipped --
JOHN
Midnite --
MIDNITE
-- and even in your most glorious
days your brain was never your
most powerful attribute --
JOHN
Where the hell is the chair, you
dumb shit?!
Midnite just stands there -- his body inflating past it's
seven feet. John knows he went too far.
JOHN
That was the cancer talking, you
know that, right?
MIDNITE
(holds up his finger)
Once.
John nods.
INT. STORAGE AREA
Fluorescents flicker, REVEAL boxes of toilet tissue,
cooking supplies, etc. And sitting in one corner by the
huge power transformer is --
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
-- the chair. Heavy wooden monstrosity with straps and
cuffs and the wear of many who sat in it for the last
time. Yeah, it's an electric chair right out of Sing
Sing.
JOHN
What's in your bathroom, a Renoir?
MIDNITE
I have insurance issues.
John clears off the seat, starts to sit. Midnite blocks
him.
MIDNITE
You haven't surfed in decades.
JOHN
Like riding a bike...
He tries again. Midnite blocks him again.
MIDNITE
You'll be lucky to reach an
elemental plane.
JOHN
Then just increase the juice.
John tries again. Again Midnite stops him.
MIDNITE
In your condition your body won't
take much.
JOHN
I just need enough rope to find
her.
MIDNITE
And if you do -- what then?
JOHN
One goddamn problem at a time --
John shoves past him, plops his ass in the huge chair.
His feet dangle off the ground. Midnite stands by, won't
help. So John starts strapping himself in the chair.
His chest, his ankles. One wrist. He obviously can't
strap the other. He looks to the big man.
JOHN
You want me to sign a waiver?
(CONTINUED)
97.
CONTINUED:
Midnite sighs -- finally straps the other wrist in --
pulls it TIGHT. Ouch.
JOHN
Hang on, Angela.
EXT. SKY - CLOSE ON ANGELA
moving in a surreal fashion across an evening sky. Below
her the City of Angels sweep past. Her eyes drift open
and widen in horror as she sees beyond reality --
REFLECTION IN HER EYES
The city is ON FIRE. It's a repeat of Isabel's prophetic
vision before she jumped.
MIDNITE (V.O.)
Listen to my voice inside...
INT. MIDNITE'S - STORAGE ROOM
Midnite kneels in front of John who is now handcuffed to
the chair, cables draped from every limb.
MIDNITE
I'll try and guide you out.
JOHN
Try?
MIDNITE
Mammon was forced out of that girl
when she jumped so unless he found
a holding vessel to wait in, he
would have fallen back to Hell.
JOHN
No, he's still here. I'm sure of it.
MIDNITE
Then watch yourself. He could be
in anyone out there.
John nods. Midnite lifts a palm of INSECT WINGS in front
of his face.
JOHN
Roach wings? What happened to
using lilac pedals -- ?
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
Midnite cranks the JUICE on the panel as he BLOWS and John
reacts as if being hit by a blast of wind. His head slams
back against the slats. His skin ripples from the force.
STAY ON his face as the sound of POWER courses through John.
MIDNITE
Peter do caelis, Deus, misere
nobis. Fili Redemptor mundi,
Deus, Miserere nobis...
A FLASH turns into a streak behind John's face --
stretching to infinity.
MIDNITE (V.O.)
Find the possessor and the Spear
will be revealed... find them...
find them and follow...
The flash whips back TOWARD us and John is suddenly
somewhere else. He looks O.S.
INT. PRISON CHAMBER FROM THE OPEN
FROM that MYSTERIOUS POV, we watch the Prisoner hold the
Spear for the first time. Like before, he turns and
looks behind him where --
John now stands. Watching. John centers on the Spear in
the Prisoner's hand.
FLASH AHEAD - INT. ISTANBUL AIRPORT
That same MYSTERIOUS POV of the Prisoner in line. He
turns as he did before and it's --
-- John behind him. Watching. Prisoner turns away.
FLASH AHEAD - EXT. LAX TERMINAL - EVENING
MYSTERIOUS POV is ON the Prisoner at the exit doors. He
looks back, suspiciously, and there's -
John. Watching. Prisoner turns, heads to the minivan.
FLASH AHEAD - EXT. EAST L.A. - MYSTERIOUS POV - NIGHT
of a minivan still smoking from a recent impact against a
large iron ENTRANCE GATE. Prisoner is running from it,
glances back --
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
John is there. Watches as the Prisoner enters the
abandoned wing of -- Ravenscar. John reacts. How did he
miss this?
FLASH AHEAD - INT. SLEEP ROOM
Fifty beds with fifty patients. Asleep. The Prisoner
kneels next to one of the beds. John walks over, touches
him and he rocks to the floor. Dead. Body reveals the
Spear on the blanket of the bed.
John reaches out to touch it when the boy BARRY suddenly
SITS UP from under the blanket and grabs him by the
throat. NOTE the boy's BLACKENED FINGERNAILS.
John struggles to pull him off but the boy's grip is
locked tight. John grabs at his hands -- chokes out the
name --
JOHN
MIDNITE!!
John's hands suddenly become MIDNITE'S as his ally pulls
him back into --
INT. MIDNITE'S - STORAGE ROOM
John's face is held tight in the life-saving fingers of
Midnite's grip. John gasps as he comes back -- nods to
Midnite and finally --
JOHN
Ravenscar. The abandoned wing.
He's in the boy.
EXT. OVER HILLSIDE - FLYING - EVENING
WINGED SHADOW glides across the landscape, sweeps across
manicured grounds and rises to reveal Ravenscar Hospital.
INT. MIDNITE'S OFFICE - LATER
Midnite piles ASSAULT RIFLES, SHOTGUNS, GLOCKS onto a
table.
MIDNITE
You know these won't kill them.
John adjusts the flames of a butane heater under a pan.
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
MIDNITE
You probably won't even get close
enough to use them.
In the pan is that RELIGIOUS RELIC he brought from India.
It's now MELTING. Midnite has trouble watching it
dissolve.
MIDNITE
And it's not just the boy.
John coughs, pours the melted gold into several small
casting blocks.
MIDNITE
You better worry about whoever's
helping him.
John gives the big guy a glance, dips one of the castings
into a pot of water -- HISSSSSS.
MIDNITE
As much as I admire your blind
faith even in the most dire
situations -- expecting to just
waltz into a facility that is
about to become the floodgate of
Hell is reaching a bit, even for
you.
John stops the work, centers on him and Midnite just
knows what he's thinking. Midnite sighs, heavily.
MIDNITE
Well I suppose two fools can die
just as easily as one.
John almost smiles.
MIDNITE
Hey, you think I'm trusting you to
save the world?
John taps the casting and out falls a GOLD-TIPPED BULLET.
MIDNITE
But we're going to need more than
a few magic bullets to get inside.
John centers on the Sparkletts bottles positioned around
the room. Just like John's. Hmmmm...
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
That ritual you do with the water,
can you do more than one bottle at
a time?
Midnite raises an eyebrow.
EXT. RAVENSCAR - NIGHT
The motorized MAIN GATE is jammed -- opening and closing
on a crashed VAN. The van the Prisoner carjacked. The
abandoned hospital wing stands ominous against a moonlit
night. Vague figures move about near the emergency
entrance.
John's BARRACUDA IDLES up with its headlights off. John
stares out, points up to the WATER TANK -- on the roof.
MIDNITE
(sighs)
Figures.
INT. RAVENSCAR - PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM
Therapy machines look like medieval torture devices in
the dimly-lit room. BARRY stands waist deep in a large
hydrotherapy tank inset into the tile floor. His skin is
pale, sickly looking. Obviously containing Mammon takes
its toll. Especially on a child.
His hands are below his waist and now we see they're
lowering a still-unconscious Angela into the water. Her
face floats just above the surface as he buckles
restraining straps around her wrists.
INT. RAVENSCAR - ABANDONED WING
Front glass doors swing open and John and Midnite calmly
strut inside. Stop.
HEAR the O.S. MURMURS of an unseen crowd.
This EMERGENCY ROOM is crammed with people. Lawyers.
Brokers. Soccer moms. Truck drivers. Etc... Most are
crowded in front of a set of double doors.
Room goes dead silent as all eyes lock on our guys.
John steps from Midnite, raises his hands like a riot
cop.
(CONTINUED)
102.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Okay -- let's cut the scratch and
call it a night. Meeting's over.
That's got their attention. As entertainment. A few
chuckle. John is surprised to see Ellie stepping from
the crowd. Still that bundle of sexual energy.
JOHN
Ellie?
ELLIE
Oh, John, you know how much I love
it on this side. This was just an
opportunity to make it permanent.
JOHN
You think his son will be any
different? He'll just turn this
place into his own Hell and then
where will you to party, Heaven?
ELLIE
No need to get nasty.
JOHN
Never bothered you before.
ELLIE
I am so going to miss our little
trysts.
Ellie steps closer. The crowd starts to close in with
her.
JOHN
I'm sure you will.
John pulls out his lighter, holds it up -- flicks it on.
JOHN
Now turn around and take your
friends with you.
Can he look more ridiculous?
JOHN
I will deport you. All of you.
You know I can.
John steps back up onto a chair, thrusts the lighter
higher --
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
ELLIE
Oh, John, this is embarrassing.
Where is your pride?
-- right under a SPRINKLER HEAD.
JOHN
Go to Hell.
Ellie looks up just as the sprinklers trigger.
SERIES OF SHOTS
Ellie and a room of half-humans -- all looking up as
water sprays from every nozzle. John and Midnite tense
because the first drops have no effect. A beat -- a
SPURT in the waterlines and suddenly -- SHRIEKS fill the
room as half human skin begins to FRY.
ELLIE
Holy water!
Emergency lighting has snapped on -- throwing the room
into a strobing nightmare of action. Flashes of human
skin melting, revealing snippets of the true demons
underneath. It's total pandemonium as their rage is
directed toward the only real humans in the room.
John and Midnite fling their coats open -- draw their
WEAPONS and starts FIRING away at the attacking horde.
Sacred bullets cause major damage -- wounds that ripple
out through demon bodies.
John and Midnite slam back to back -- spinning under the
protective shield of a showering sprinkler head --
shooting at all manner of distorted forms that venture
into the COLUMN OF SPRAY.
One reloads while the other FIRES. It's a hellish form
of a turkey shoot. Nothing sacred, nothing spared.
John goes for the double doors. Midnite covers him --
blows away another two disintegrating demons. Two come
up behind and he spins, takes them down.
JOHN gets to the doors, starts to open them when Ellie
jumps onto his back -- nails digging in.
ELLIE
I'm not going back there!
(CONTINUED)
104.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
We are what we are, Ellie --
John FIRES over his back, loosens her grip. He grabs
hold, shoves her face up into the spray of an overhead
sprinkler head. Legs flail about.
Midnite comes out of the rain -- grabs John.
MIDNITE
Let's go.
John drops Ellie to the floor. No more pretty face -- no
face at all -- yet the screams still come.
John and Midnite get to the doors -- shove through.
INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM
Angela's body and face are completely submerged now. She
comes to, sees Barry above her -- tries to rise but the
boy pushes her head to the bottom, holds it there. Last
bubbles are floating up from her mouth. Barry places his
other hand on her arm, closes his eyes.
INT. CORRIDOR
Holy rain has stopped in here. A fine mist floats in the
air. John and Midnite make their way through. Only
their footsteps on the tile break the stark silence.
Another set of doors is ahead. Before they reach it a
faint shadow crosses in the mist. Both pause, expecting
something to reveal itself. But it doesn't.
INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM
Faint waves undulate Barry's skin -- ripple from his
chest, down his arms and into a submerged Angela. Every
muscle in her body tenses in stark relief.
ANGELA'S POV
Barry's image ripples above her in silence. Room
lighting starts to pulse -- slower and slower and when
it's caught in that dim half-light -- Angela JOLTS and
this time we CROSS OVER INTO --
105.
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM HELL
Angela is lying in a bone-dry tank, lifts her head up to
see a room not much different than the one she just left.
Except for the SOUND. That low DRONE RISING IN PITCH --
those DEMONIC SCREECHES scratching at the walls.
And now those INKY splotches begin consuming the color
and light from the walls. Moving in on Angela. Closer
and closer -- whatever's coming is just about on her.
MAMMON (O.S.)
Angela.
Angela SPINS and for a split second comes face to face
with the hideous form of MAMMON. She SCREAMS.
INT. NORMAL PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM - REAL TIME
John and Midnite burst into the room, spot Barry standing
in the tank. His hands in the water. On Angela.
JOHN
(rushing toward him)
Barry!
Barry looks up, sees the two men rushing toward him.
Guns aimed.
JOHN
Let her up!! Let her up!!
A beat as John meets Barry's eyes -- realizes he's
staring at a frightened child. Barry backs away as --
-- Angela sits up behind John. Water rippling off,
straps dangling free.
John turns -- locks on her BLACK EYES.
JOHN
Shit --
John thinks fast -- scans the area and sees every mirror
in the room has been shattered. So much for the quick
fix.
He jumps into the water with her, grabs her face and
pushes her against the tank walls. This is an exorcism
on the fly.
JOHN
Amar natash bow basar! Rescind
from the flesh I command thee --
(CONTINUED)
106.
CONTINUED:
Angela's eyes snap open -- dark and dilated. John sees
it -- clasps a hand over her mouth -- cutting off her air
supply.
JOHN
Back to Hell, asshole --
Her body undulates as Mammon's shape tries to come through.
Pulsating through her arms, her chest -- her face.
Angela BITES into his palm. John recoils. She shoves
him off and John hits the tile hard. Angela jumps from
the tank, pushes past in a blur. John spins to see
Midnite standing right there -- Angela now firmly in his
size-twelve grasp.
MIDNITE
(to John)
Finish it.
INTERCUT WITH:
MYSTERIOUS HIGH POV
John coughs, struggles to stand. He tries to cover but
it's obvious his end is nearing. Midnite positions
Angela to face him, braces her arms out from her sides --
crucifixion-style. She tries but can't break free. John
puts a hand to her forehead --
JOHN
Et separatur a plasmate tuo, Ut
num quam laedatur amorsu antiqui
serpentes.
JOHN/MIDNITE
Rescind from the flesh I command
thee -- Amar natash bow basar!
Angela's body stops fighting. The darkness in her eyes
and fingernails begins to fade. It's working...
Midnite is suddenly JERKED backwards with an agonizing
YELL. Angela is dropped, slips into unconsciousness.
John watches in horror as Midnite's 300-pound frame is
lifted right off the floor by an INVISIBLE GRASP, slammed
into the ceiling, then twisted and thrown with incredible
force against the floor.
Midnite glares at John, tries to speak. But the words
die on his lips.
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED:
Enraged, John scans the empty room, sees a large SHADOW
on the ceiling that doesn't belong to any object.
He holds back a cough long enough to rip up his sleeves
and slams those tattoos together --
JOHN
Into the light I command thee!
Into the light I command thee!
It takes every ounce of John's life force to keep this
spell alive and when he's about to drop from exhaustion
the shadow is brought fully into the light -- becomes
that familiar shape of WINGS.
VOICE OF MAN (O.S.)
Your ego is astounding.
John strains to see the shadow become the real thing --
the majestic wings of an angel.
JOHN
Gabriel?
John is too weak to even be surprised anymore.
JOHN
Figures...
Gabriel touches down in front of him. Spear in his hand.
JOHN
And the wicked shall inherit the
Earth.
GABRIEL
You presume to judge me, John.
JOHN
Betrayal, murder, genocide? Call
me provincial.
GABRIEL
I am seeking to inspire humankind
to be all that was intended.
JOHN
By unleashing Hell on Earth? Good
thinking...
Gabriel's wings fold behind as he walks around John.
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED:
GABRIEL
You've had it too easy for too
long.
JOHN
So what's a few thousand years of
pain, right?
GABRIEL
You never deserved to be blessed.
You've all been born with a silver
spoon in your mouth, never really
appreciating the gift you were
given so freely -- unconditional
love from your creator.
JOHN
And that just bugs the shit out of
you.
GABRIEL
It's not your fault. Like the
animals you are, you never learn
unless sufficiently prodded.
Pleasure has no lasting effect.
But subject you to pain,
unpleasantness -- suffering -- and
you will take notice, you will
fight to overcome, to earn your
redemption. That is when you're
at your best.
Angela's fingernails are starting to darken once again.
JOHN
You're trying to teach us a
lesson?
GABRIEL
No, I'm giving you the chance to
rise above the suffering and truly
earn the love of God.
(a beat)
The road to salvation begins
tonight. Right now.
John just stares at this rogue angel, centers on the
Spear in his hand. He makes a break for it. Gabriel's
wings beat once.
The GUST BLOWS John through the double doors, back into
the --
109.
CORRIDOR
-- where he smashes against a mesh-screened window, drops
to the floor in a heap with the other dying carcasses.
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM
Gabriel turns back to Angela. He approaches her -- his
rippling wings sliding up around her, enveloping her --
pulling her in. Those eyes of his could melt Dracula.
CORRIDOR - JOHN
can't even stand, let alone save the girl. Or humanity.
It would be so easy to give up. To roll over and die.
But instead, he tries something he hasn't done in a long
time.
JOHN
(whispering)
... I know I'm not one of your
favorites... I'm not even allowed
in your house these days... but I
could use a little attention...
John waits for nothing. His body crumples, his cheek
landing flat against the tile.
Glistening shards of mirror glass lie around him. As he
stares at his reflection in one, he gets the idea.
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM - ANGELA'S EYES
begin to quiver. The color drains. Blackness is waiting.
CORRIDOR - JOHN
slides his back up the wall as he reels in that shard of
mirror.
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM - ANGELA'S
posture begins to change. Mammon's form ripples through
her -- starts to push out through her skin. Gabriel
stands behind her, his wings cocooned around her waist.
GABRIEL
(whispering to her)
Cross the bridge to your destiny...
110.
CORRIDOR - JOHN
pulls up his sleeve, exposes his old scar. He pauses a
beat, closes his eyes. STAY ON his face as he makes one
swift SLICE movement.
But he's in a rush here -- makes that same motion across
his other wrist as well.
With both wrists purging his life away, John settles back
into the corner and waits for the inevitable.
JOHN
Hurry...
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM - GABRIEL
reveals the Spear.
CORRIDOR - JOHN
is dying. Eyes are starting to close as...
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM - GABRIEL
Raises the Spear over Angela's chest.
HEAR the SOUNDS of a million DEMONS inside of her ready
to break free --
He holds the Spear high above her chest -- readies for
the final thrust as --
CORRIDOR
Bulbs flicker as current ramps down and TIME COMES TO A
COMPLETE STOP.
All we're left with is a distant METALLIC DRONE, like the
reverberation of a gong struck a thousand years ago.
John lies in that dim half-light. Motionless.
Something starts to swirl near him and just like that,
John is no longer alone. Shadow falls over his pathetic
form.
SATAN (O.S.)
The time has come at last to
collect your soul.
(CONTINUED)
111.
CONTINUED:
John pries his eyes open...
SATAN
Hello, John.
JOHN
You're early.
SATAN
You're the one show I wouldn't
miss.
JOHN
So I've heard.
Satan sees John's slit wrists.
SATAN
I didn't think you'd make the same
mistake twice.
John looks up at him.
SATAN
You didn't, did you?
JOHN
... so how's your son?
SATAN
And why would that matter to you?
JOHN
... he's topside...
SATAN
I know.
JOHN
With Gabriel.
SATAN
Your point?
JOHN
He's helping your son create his
own Hell on Earth...
SATAN
Well, boys will be boys...
JOHN
He has the Spear of Destiny.
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED:
Satan didn't know that. Now he's concerned. He studies
this dying man.
SATAN
This is another one of your cons.
JOHN
Go look for yourself...
Satan is still suspicious.
JOHN
You've waited twenty years for me,
what's another twenty seconds?
Satan contemplates his remark. Metallic reverberation is
overtaken as SOUND and MOTION ramp back to real time --
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM - THE SPEAR
is about to be thrust into Angela's chest.
SATAN (O.S.)
Gabriel?
Gabriel looks up -- spots him in the room. Gabriel
reacts -- pulls the spear toward her with all his
might -- but Satan is faster -- Angela vanishes and
Gabriel has now pierced dead air.
Satan holds Angela tight -- covering her mouth like John
did. She struggles and the demon inside appears --
reflected in the huge chunks of tank glass scattered on
the floor. Hideous. The real MAMMON.
SATAN
Say goodbye to the sun -- both of
you.
Mammon SHRIEKS and Gabriel's beautiful wings ignite in
FLAME --
GABRIEL
No!!!!!!!!
CORRIDOR - JOHN
is rocked by a major jolt that shakes the entire building
to its foundation. A moment later --
(CONTINUED)
113.
CONTINUED:
Satan is back. John looks up, gives him that look -- you
owe me. Satan hates admitting it but knows it's true.
SATAN
So... what do you want? An
extension?
John shakes his head, can barely utter a sound...
JOHN
Isabel...
SATAN
What about her?
JOHN
... let her... go home...
SATAN
You would give up your life so she
could go to Heaven?
John manages a nod...
SATAN
Fine.
(closes, opens eyes)
It's done.
INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM
ANGELA gasps -- her first real breath's a strain.
Adrenaline rushes through her and she quickly closes her
eyes --
EXT. THAT GORGEOUS SKY
Stretches out BEFORE us. And here come those two swings,
penduluming up in SLOW MOTION.
Young Angela and Isabel share that moment again. But
this time Isabel lets go and jumps out of her swing.
Her body sails up and away, her fingers reaching out for
what seems so close... so close...
Isabel keeps going until she fades into the sky.
SATAN (V.O.)
Time to go.
114.
INT. CORRIDOR
John relaxes, stops fighting the inevitable. Satan takes
his hand, starts to pull him home but suddenly finds
himself pulling on what seems to be infinite mass. Try
as he might, he can't budge John an inch.
And now John's other hand leaves his side, and as if
weightless, begins to rise toward something above.
No sense in beating around the bush here, John is in the
embrace of God.
Satan sees this and recoils in absolute RAGE --
SATAN
The sacrifice!! No!!!! THIS ONE
BELONGS TO ME!!
John's rising hand drifts back down in front of Satan,
the middle finger fully extended. Final straw.
Satan goes rabid -- turns to PURE ENERGY for a split
second. His hands remain on fire.
SATAN
You will live, John Constantine,
you will live so you'll have the
chance to prove that your soul
truly belongs in Hell. You will
live!
Satan eagerly plunges his blazing hands into John's
body --
John screams in agony. Satan tears through his tissue --
collecting the cancer, then ripping out a mass of
diseased tissue with one vengeful pull. John's final
blood-curdling SCREAM ECHOES over --
INT./EXT. RAVENSCAR
-- through every room. Every corridor. Rippling out
across the ground and finally dissipating in the hills
beyond.
INT. CORRIDOR
On his hands and knees, John takes that first breath.
New lungs fill for the first time. No cough. Not even a
wheeze. Face has renewed color. Wrists have sealed
tight.
(CONTINUED)
115.
CONTINUED:
John is healed.
He stands, steps back inside the --
PHYSICAL THERAPY ROOM
John stops over the body of one seven-foot African
warrior. He stands immobilized, wrecked with emotion. A
SOUND draws his attention to the one thing that could
cause him even greater rage --
GABRIEL --
is hunched over near a wall. Jagged cartilage stumps
protrude from his back. A pattern of sinew and bone is
burned into the floor behind him. It's all that remains
of his once majestic wings.
John approaches, spots blood dripping from the former angel.
He realizes what this means. Gets a kick out of it.
JOHN
Human...
Gabriel looks up as John retrieves a gun from the wet
floor.
JOHN
You don't deserve to be human.
GABRIEL
Then pass judgment on me now.
John raises the gun -- puts it to Gabriel's forehead.
GABRIEL
Do it. Seek revenge. End my
life.
John's finger nudges the trigger.
GABRIEL
Kill me! Pull the trigger! Be
the hand of God!
John pauses, realizes what's happening here...
JOHN
... and I'll be condemned again...
GABRIEL
Do it!
(CONTINUED)
116.
CONTINUED:
It takes everything John has not to pull that trigger.
He lowers the gun, shaking his head.
JOHN
You're even worthless as bait.
John starts to turn away --
GABRIEL
Deny your true nature today, but
what of tomorrow, of the tomorrow
after that? It is only a matter
of time before you end up right
back where you belong. It is who
you are, Constantine. Damned.
John's fist starts behind his back, gains momentum the
entire arc until it ends abruptly against Gabriel's face.
The ex-angel is propelled all the way to the wall --
SLAMS HARD against the concrete. Body crumples on
impact, slides down to the muck. You know this hurt like
absolute hell.
JOHN
That's called pain. Get used to it.
John turns toward the double doors -- stops cold.
Huddled in the doorway, covered in grime is Angela and
Barry. The experience has obviously left them both
drained.
John walks across the room, kneels down to them.
ANGELA
Thank you, John.
He nods, beat. Wipes a trace of blood off her brow, puts
a hand on Barry's shoulder. HOLD a beat ON this gritty
family tableau.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - MIDNITE'S UNIVERSAL ORRERY
MOVING SLOWLY PAST the inoperative device. PAST
strangely-shaped objects of platinum and gold, with names
and symbols that make a bit more sense now.
EXT. AFRICA - DAY
Huge sun beats down on a lone FIGURE walking across a
stretch of the most barren landscape on Earth. He stops,
kneels to the heavily-cracked soil. Starts digging.
117.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - THE ORRERY
A HAND comes in, affixes an unseen object to a protruding
rod. Its weight causes it to drop OUT OF FRAME but a
moment later it rises back INTO VIEW and finds a balance.
EXT. AFRICA
JOHN pulls back the protective hood from his face.
Healthy and tan with a new lease on life. He pops a
NICORETTE TABLET, then unwraps rolls of cloth from around
the Spear of Destiny. He drops it in the hole, stares at
it a long beat.
INT. JOHN'S APARTMENT - THE ORRERY
The entire mechanism shudders. And now miraculously,
every globe, every moon, every obscure object in this
miniature occult universe begins to rotate in complete
sync.
As it does, the defining object finally slides INTO VIEW.
John's lighter. ANGELA watches it rotate past, nods in
approval.
EXT. AFRICA
John sighs, finally sweeps mounds of soil over the sacred
relic. He stands, nods. Job done.
A breeze blows past and John senses being watched. He
spins and finds -- nothing. For a hundred miles. He
starts walking.
JOHN (V.O.)
Some people are born to make a
difference. I had to die. Twice.
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. 20 LANES BOWLING ALLEY - ANGELA
walking right in step. Something is closing in on her.
A new TAXI pulls up. Chaz is driving. Angela gets in.
JOHN (V.O.)
God does work in mysterious ways.
118.
EXT. AFRICA
John continues walking as something closes in on him at
incredible speed.
JOHN (V.O.)
Some people like it...
Our view RISES OVER him and gliding across the barren
landscape are the SHADOW of WINGS.
JOHN (V.O.)
Some people don’t.
FADE OUT.
THE END
119.