INT. THE HADDONFIELD WOODS
MYLES BERMAN is seated at the campfire as the fire crackles in the night. He throws another log on as a stick breaks nearby. MYLES turns, just as THE SHAPE steps into the area. MYLES stands, dropping his firewood as he looks at THE SHAPE across the fire.
MYLES
Oh, my God. Michael Myers.
THE SHAPE walks around the campfire, causing MYLES to circle in the opposite direction, keeping distance between them. MYLES’S keeps his eyes fixed on THE SHAPE as THE SHAPE does the same.
MYLES
Charging into the enemy camp, Michael? Not a very sound battle strategy, is it?
The circling game continues as the fire illuminates their faces.
THE SHAPE stops, stares at MYLES, who grips his firewood log from the ground. He starts riasing it just as SARA MOYER emerges from the woods, meeting eyes with MICHAEL.
SARA
I saw what you did, Michael. I’m through running from you.
THE SHAPE walks towards her as SARA lunges forward, connecting with a kick to MICHAEL’S chest, knocking him back a few steps. She swings with a right, but MICHAEL catches her fist in his palm before grabbing her around her neck. SARA gasps for air as MICHAEL tosses her into the fire in front of her. SARA ignites, clothes-first, as she screams in agony.
MYLES
Sara!
MYLES yanks her out of the fire as MICHAEL sneaks up behind him, stabbing him in the back. MYLES howls in pain as he falls to the ground.
SARA yanks off her fiery top and grabs MYLES’S piece of burning wood, lunging it at MICHAEL, who takes a step back. SARA looks at him through angry eyes as THE SHAPE stares at her.
SARA
Come on, Michael. You’ve been after me for a long time. Keep coming.
SARA lunges forward with the firewood, causing MICHAEL to dodge the blow and chop down with a vicious left, breaking the firewood in half. MICHAEL slashes at SARA with the knife, causing her to jump back and dodge the blow. MICHAEL lunges forward as SARA sidesteps it, spinning around and elbowing MICHAEL in the head and decking him with a left.
MICHAEL staggers backwards, shaking out the cobwebs as SARA gets down in her karate stance. MICHAEL straightens up and looks at her through rage.
SARA
That’s right, Michael. I’m not the same weak girl you chased around that house. I’m a slayer now.
MICHAEL starts breathing heavier as SARA stares at him with intesity. SARA lunges out with a right, but MICHAEL swats it away and hits SARA full-force with a right hand, knocking the breath out of SARA.
MICHAEL then slashes SARA across her arm, causing her to yell out in agony as blood trickles down it.
SARA staggers back as MICHAEL slashes at her again, slicing the other arm. SARA falls to the ground in pain as MICHAEL stands over her fallen form. SARA looks up at him in fear.
SARA
No!
INT. THE WOODS
ANGEL, BUFFY, and LAURIE are walking along the trail as SARA’S scream cuts through the air. BUFFY’S eyes widen.
BUFFY
I think we’re here.
ANGEL
Excuse me.
ANGEL takes off down the trail as BUFFY and LAURIE follow.
INT. THE REBEL CAMP
MICHAEL raises the knife just as ANGEL charges into the area, tackling MICHAEL at the waist before he kills SARA.
ANGEL and MICHAEL roll around on the ground before they both stand, knocking over come wood from the fire. The fire begins to spread as ANGEL decks MICHAEL with a right. MICHAEL staggers, but lunges forward with the knife, jamming it into ANGEL’S side. ANGEL growls in pain and his face takes demonic form as he looks into MICHAEL’S eyes.
ANGEL
You killed my friends, you bastard.
ANGEL punches MICHAEL in the stomach before yanking the knife out of his stomach. MICHAEL slashes ANGEL across the chest with the knife, causing ANGEL to howl in pain.
ANGEL leaps forward, kicking MICHAEL in the chest and sending him staggering back. ANGEL charges MICHAEL once again, tackling him as they both go rolling down a hill.
BUFFY and LAURIE enter the area as SARA breathes heavily over a crawling MYLES.
BUFFY
Where did they go?!
SARA
Down the hill.
BUFFY
Laurie, stay here!
LAURIE nods as BUFFY takes off down the hill.
EXT. THE HILL
ANGEL and MICHAEL roll down the hill and hit a tree at the bottom. ANGEL stands, tackling MICHAEL to the ground.
ANGEL and MICHAEL go rolling further down an incline and end up on the shore of the river. They stand and MICHAEL nails ANGEL with a slash of the knife. ANGEL almost falls, but catches himself with his hand as he backs up. MICHAEL slashes at ANGEL with a right, but ANGEL catches his arm, nailing MICHAEL with a right to the chest.
MICHAEL staggers backwards as ANGEL spins around with a spinning back kick, sending MICHAEL over into the river water with a splash.
ANGEL runs and leaps into the water, tackling MICHAEL as they both disappear underneath the damp, green water.
BUFFY comes running down the hill.
BUFFY
Angel!
INT. THE WATER
ANGEL and MICHAEL are struggling underneath the water, but the both emerge from the swampy murk as ANGEL decks MICHAEL with a right. MICHAEL falls into the water as ANGEL leaps at him like a rabid animal.
MICHAEL jams the knife upwards, stabbing ANGEL in the chest as he lands. MICHAEL throws ANGEL off of him, splashing him into the water. MICHAEL reaches over and grabs a small piece of sharp wood in his knife hand as his knife is now washed away.
BUFFY reaches the water and begins running through it as MICHAEL jerks ANGEL out of the river and jams the wood into his chest. ANGEL yells and feels the wound, falling underneath the water and disappearing from sight as BUFFY stops.
MICHAEL turns and looks at her, throwing the wooden stake at her. BUFFY catches it in the air as MICHAEL backs up out of the water on the other side. BUFFY’S eyes widen as she scans the area for ANGEL.
BUFFY
Angel?! ANGEL?!
BUFFY dives underneath the water, searching for ANGEL, but finds nothing. She comes back up out of the water to see MICHAEL turning and walking away from the river. Heavy breathing echoes over the scene as BUFFY continues looking for ANGEL.
INT. THE WOODS
MICHAEL MYERS walks through the darkness as THE FIRST as ANGELUS steps out of the shadows.
THE FIRST/ANGELUS
That...that was just terrific. But it didn’t get rid of me, did it? You’ll never be rid of me. You know why? Because without me, you can’t exist, Michael.
MICHAEL stops and looks at ANGELUS as he morphs into LYNDA VAN DER KLOK
THE FIRST/LYNDA
Isn’t that just so totally groovy, Michael? The more you kill, the more we drive you crazy.
LYNDA morphs into ANNIE BRACKETT.
THE FIRST/ANNIE
Oh, Michael. I give you all.
ANNIE morphs into FAITH.
THE FIRST/FAITH
But just to think, William the Bloody has killed two slayers. He’s got you beat, M. You’ve gotta up the competition. You should’ve killed Sara back there. But, you’re not man enough, I guess.
MICHAEL slashes at FAITH/THE FIRST, his arm going through her. FAITH laughs, holding out her arms.
THE FIRST/FAITH
What’s the matter, Michael? Can’t get get rid of me, can you? I’ll haunt you until you die, Michael.
MICHAEL decks a tree nearby and grabs his head in confusion. CU on MICHAEL’S face as a tear comes out of his eyes and runs down his mask. His breathing is heavier now as FAITH walks up to him, looking him in the eyes.
THE FIRST/FAITH
Don’t cry, Michael. Go back home. It will all be over soon.
FAITH waves her hands and disappears as MICHAEL stands alone in the woods, his hands clenched and his breathing heavy with anger. MICHAEL turns and walks on into the night.
INT. THE REBEL CAMP
BUFFY is sitting, staring at the fire with sadness in her eyes as SARA and LAURIE sit with her. MYLES sits with a sling on his arm.
SARA
You didn’t see him turn to dust, right? He could still be alive.
BUFFY
He was in the water. There’s no way to tell either way. But, I found no trace of him.
LAURIE
Your friend was a vampire...named Angel.
BUFFY
He was different from other vampires. He had a soul.
MYLES
He was a creature of the night. The devil’s tool. A demon. A soul doesn’t change that.
BUFFY
He’s good. He may have a demon in him, but he’s a man just the same.
LAURIE
Is it possible to want to go back into a coma?
BUFFY
How can you say that he’s a demon and just leave it at that? It’s not that simple. There are shades of gray in this world.
MYLES
All I know is that vampires weren’t God’s creations.
BUFFY
You’re telling me that no matter what he does, no matter how many lives he saves, no matter how much good he does, that in the end, he’s gonna go to hell because he’s evil?
MYLES
He’s damned, Buffy. That’s the way vampirism works. I’ve read everything I could get my hands on in the past year.
BUFFY
I don’t believe that Angel’s damned. I won’t.
SARA
Someone’s coming.
SARA, LAURIE, MYLES, and BUFFY turn as some REBELS come out of their tents, ready to fight. They lower their weapons when CORDELIA and LONNIE arrive.
LONNIE
What’s a guy gotta do to get a welcome home around here?
SARA frowns, walking over to LONNIE and hugging him as BUFFY and CORDELIA spot each other.
SARA
Never have I been so glad to see you.
BUFFY
Cordelia.
CORDELIA
Buffy?! Oh, my God!
CORDELIA squeals and runs over, hugging BUFFY.
LONNIE
What happened to you, Myles? Sprain something jerking off again?
MYLES
(laughs)
I wish.
SARA
Michael Myers was here.
LONNIE
Is everyone okay?
SARA
No. He got Mr. Brackett and we found the Corruthers’ a few minutes ago.
BUFFY
And Angel. He staked him.
CORDELIA
What? You don’t mean that, right? Angel’s not gone. Not after getting this close to seeing each other again.
BUFFY
He’s gone, Cordelia. I’m sorry.
CORDELIA turns away from them and glances out at the wooded area.
LONNIE
You can blame Richie and Keith for this.
SARA
Why?
LONNIE
They’re spies. They shot me and dropped me off a cliff. I only hope they didn’t come back here.
SARA
Oh, my God. Tommy. They went with Tommy and Jimmy to town!
LAURIE
Jimmy?
LONNIE
We’ve got to stop them before they—
TOMMY
(o/s)
Too late. They already tried to kill us.
Everyone turns to see TOMMY, JIMMY, WILLOW, and RONNY entering the area. LAURIE locks eyes with JIMMY as BUFFY and TOMMY look at each other.
BUFFY
Tommy...
BUFFY walks over and TOMMY greets her with a hug, spinning her around and setting her on the ground.
TOMMY
Good to see you.
BUFFY
You, too. We should set up a battle plan. We only have a few hours until the battle begins.
TOMMY
You’re right. But, I’ve taken care of most of it. There are more soldiers coming in from the surrounding states and your announcement on national television is sure to draw in a lot of people. Our chances are slim, but not impossible. Welcome to our home, Buffy.
BUFFY
I’m just glad you made it here okay. How did you hook up with Willow and Ronny?
WILLOW
We saved Tommy’s life.
JIMMY
And mine.
RONNY
Rushed into a burning building. Ms. Tate. We were looking for you.
LAURIE
I’m going by Laurie Strode now. The old identity.
RONNY
My bad.
BUFFY
Come on. Let’s all rest up and get prepared for tonight. We’re gonna need our rest.
The REBELS all walk back to the fire, gathering around and grabbing some food as the fire crackles in the night.
INT. THE FIRST’S COMPOUND—PRISON
XANDER sits in his cell as WESLEY and FRED are dragged in by SKIP and thrown into the cell at his feet. XANDER runs over and helps WESLEY and FRED stand. SKIP salutes them.
SKIP
See you at the executions.
SKIP exits the scene as WESLEY shakes his head.
WESLEY
They’re getting ready to decapitate us.
XANDER
Decapitation, eh? Couldn’t do the gas chamber? The electric chair? Lethal injection? The all-day viewing of The Godfather Part III?
WESLEY
I suppose not.
FRED
We’ve got to get out of here.
XANDER
Well, we already tried to leave and they weren’t having it. Any other suggestions?
SPIKE
(o/s)
I have one.
WESLEY, XANDER, and FRED turn to see SPIKE standing in the corridor. XANDER’S eye looks angry.
XANDER
Never liked me, huh? Just wait until I get out of here, buddy! I’m gonna stake your ass! (pause) Not literally. I’m gonna stake your heart, not your ass. Because, well, that has gay overtones.
SPIKE
Put a pipe in it, pirate boy. I’m gonna get you out.
FRED
Why should we trust you?
SPIKE
I have a deal with the Slayer.
WESLEY
If you could just let us out, there could be discussion for this later.
SPIKE
Right. Not just yet. Skip won’t be around when they’re about to execute you. I’ll be back then.
WESLEY
But that could be too late!
SPIKE
If I let you out now, we’re gonna have a replay of your earlier escape plan, except I’ll end up in the cell next to you.
XANDER
And then I can stake your ass...heart.
FRED
Assheart?
XANDER
Work with me here. I have a migraine-like pain coming from my left eye socket!
SPIKE
I won’t let you get your heads cut off. I’ll swoop in for the save. Got it?
WESLEY
I understand.
SPIKE
See you a bit.
SPIKE turns and exits as the trio looks worried.
INT. THE HADDONFIELD WOODS
BUFFY is standing on a large elevated rock as THE REBELS are gathered around. Among them are WILLOW, RONNY, SARA, MYLES, LAURIE, JIMMY, TOMMY, CORDELIA, and LONNIE.
BUFFY
In a few hours, we are gonna storm the compound and make The First wish he had ever existed. All of you may lose your life in this battle, so be prepared to die in this fight. Tommy, you’ve done an excellent job preparing the rebels. Tonight, all of that training will lead up to this. According to Lonnie and Cordelia, locked inside a prison cell are Xander, Fred, and Wesley, located in the west wing of the compound. Spike is our man inside. Look for him once those of us who are going inside the building reach it.
RONNY
If they reach it.
BUFFY
That’s me, Willow, Laurie, and Tommy. The rest of you, hold their armies back. We’re heavily outnumbered here. We have to fight extra hard.
JIMMY
There’s just so many of them.
BUFFY
I know. But we’ve been outnumbered before. Now it’s just in the thousands. Hoepfully, my TV message got through to some people. If you have anything you need to say to someone, that you need to take care of, that you need to resolve, now’s your chance, because there may not be another one. In a few hours, we storm the compound and we take our world back and send The First back to hell.
ANGEL
(o/s)
Can I get in on this action?
Everyone turns to see ANGEL standing in the background. BUFFY look at him and jumps down, walking over to him with hesitation.
BUFFY
Angel, is that really you?
BUFFY reaches up as ANGEL smiles. He reaches out and grabs her hand, gripping it in his. BUFFY breathes a sigh of relief as she falls into his arms, kissing him passionately. TOMMY looks on, a little jealous, but happy for them.
ANGEL
I got washed away by the current. But I’m alive...well, sort of.
BUFFY
Get prepared. We have one hell of a fight tonight.
ANGEL
I know.
ANGEL and BUFFY walk away, hand in hand as everyone separates into groups to prepare for battle.
INT. THE FIRST’S COMPOUND
THE FIRST as ETHAN RAYNE is standing in his throne room as several of minions have gathered. HARMONY KENDALL, RICHIE CASTLE, KEITH HOLLANDER, SKIP, GENERAL ELLIS, FREDDIE HARRIS, and LINDSEY MCDONALD are gathered as ETHAN/THE FIRST gives his speech.
ETHAN/THE FIRST
In a few hours, I will be welcomed into this world in my corporeal form. There’s no room for error in this one, people. No room for failure. This is the big one, the one where we all endure. Lindsey, you have the biggest role of all. Don’t let me down.