Dark Quests (Three Screenplays) Read online

EVE

  And once we get inside the castle?

  TREY

  We take it one coin at a time.

  EVE

  According to Frost’s diary there’s a

  complex maze of tunnels beneath his castle.

  Most are natural. Some not so much.

  TREY

  And luckily we have the diary to lead us

  through them.

  She nods as the waiter drops the bill off at their table. They both look at it.

  EVE

  Who’s paying?

  Trey flips the coin—

  TREY

  Heads or tails?

  EVE

  Tails.

  Trey catches it, looks down. Sighs.

  TREY

  Tails. I lose.

  INT. SCOTTISH HOTEL – NIGHT

  Trey walks Eve to her room. She uses her card key to unlock the door.

  TREY

  Do I get a goodnight kiss?

  EVE

  I don’t give goodnight kisses to thieves.

  TREY

  You didn’t seem to mind when we were

  engaged.

  EVE

  That’s because you lied to me. I didn’t

  know you were a thief and a liar when we

  first met.

  Trey leans down and steals a kiss anyway. Eve’s eyes widen and she seems to enjoy it at first, but then pulls away.

  TREY

  So I stole a kiss. What did you expect

  from a thief?

  Trey laughs and moves off down the hallway, whistling contentedly. Eve watches him go, shaking her head and grinning.

  INT. EVE’S HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

  Once in her room, Eve goes straight to her suitcase. She removes a flask. The hard stuff. She takes a long pull. Then sits back and closes her eyes, letting the alcohol take effect. And that’s when a man speaks behind her in low voice.

  MAN

  Believe me, I’ve tried every drug there

  is, too. But there’s no denying the lure of

  the coins.

  Eve, now buzzing, doesn’t even jump at the voice. She simply swings around in her seat and we see what she sees: Draken standing near her closed balcony door. Draken pulls back his hood, revealing his pale and narrow face. Cheeks hollow. Blood red lips. He looks like a vampire. Or someone who has sold his soul.

  DRAKEN

  Good evening, Ms. Friday.

  EVE

  Senator Draken. Fancy meeting you here.

  Draken steps towards her. Eve, who finally seems to catch on that she might be in some real danger, takes a step back. Directly behind her is the front door. She reaches back, feels for the door knob. Grabs it. Opens the door—

  SLAM!

  Draken, who is still halfway across the spacious room, simply raised his hand and the door behind her slammed shut. Eve gasps, shocked, confused. And now terrified. Still, she bravely faces the approaching Draken.

  EVE

  Neat trick, asshole.

  DRAKEN

  I want the coins. You now have two of them.

  EVE

  How much is it worth to you?

  He motions with his hand, and a powerful invisible force slams into Eve, hurling her into the door.

  DRAKEN

  The price is non-negotiable.

  INT. TREY’S ROOM – NIGHT

  As the antiquities thief enters his own suite, shutting the door behind and still whistling, three men are waiting for him in his room. All dressed in black and all pointing guns at him. Trey stops in mid-whistle—and then reacts instinctively. He hits the light switch next to him, plunging the room into darkness. Gunshots ring out as three flashlights click on in unison. Trey pounces on the first man, fists swinging. The man grunts, tries to fight back. Trey grabs him, turns him around and, as two more shots ring out, uses the man as a human shield. The killer cries out and goes limp. Trey tosses him aside and dives as more shots ring out.

  INT. EVE’S ROOM – NIGHT

  As Draken raises a pale hand, we can see zigzagging blue veins just beneath the surface of his skin. Just like with Eve. Now he opens his hand, forming a sort of claw, then slowly tightens his grip. Immediately, invisible fingers clamp around Eve’s throat. She gasps, choking, grabbing at her throat futilely. From halfway across the room, Draken uses his dark powers to squeeze the life out of her. Eve’s face rapidly turns purple. He walks slowly toward her.

  DRAKEN

  Where are the coins, Ms. Friday? And this

  time no fakes.

  Draken now stands before her. Still holding his clawed hand out before him. He leans over Eve, his face skeletal and evil.

  DRAKEN

  Where are the coins?!

  Eve’s flailing hand knocks over the bedside lamp. Her grasping fingers curl around the iron base. She hefts the lamp up—and cracks it hard over Draken’s skull. The man topples to the side, in a heap of black clothing.

  Eve sucks in great lungfuls of air. She wants to run but she needs to breathe first. She stumbles back toward the door. As she reaches for the handle, Draken rises to his feet, hauled up as if by a supernatural force. She reaches for the doorknob, but it’s now superheated. She burns her hand and cries out. She turns and faces Draken. There’s now a huge gash across his cheek, the wound deep and bloody. Incredibly, before Eve’s astounded eyes, the wound closes and heals.

  EVE

  Oh, shit.

  INT. TREY’S ROOM – NIGHT

  It’s chaos in the darkened hotel room. Fists flying, punches traded. Furniture completely destroyed. Trey, briefly illuminated by an outside streetlamp, shakes off a punch, and then lunges back into the fray.

  One of the cult members staggers away from the scene and flicks on the light. The overhead illumination reveals Trey now holding a cult member by the throat, ready to deliver a wicked blow. Trey blinks in the sudden appearance of light.

  Standing by the switch, the cult member takes aim with his gun. Trey swallows and watches helplessly as the man pulls the trigger. Nothing happens. Out of bullets. Trey grins at his sudden stroke of good luck, then turns and delivers that final knock-out blow. The last cult member flings open the door and bolts. Trey pursues behind him.

  INT. HOTEL HALLWAY – NIGHT

  As the cult member runs to the left down a side corridor, Trey watches him go, briefly considering giving chase. Instead, he chooses to go right, back toward Eve’s room.

  INT. EVE’S ROOM – NIGHT

  Draken raises both hands, and a powerful force lifts Eve into the air, where she pauses briefly, hovering. Draken makes another gesture with his hands and—wham!—she’s hurled backwards into the wall. She slumps to the ground.

  Draken seems about to attack her again, but then pauses. He cocks his head to the side a little and focuses on her breasts. Now he reaches out toward them, his hand open, shaking...and as he does so, two coin-sized shapes push out against her brassiere and her blouse, stretching both to the max. Only then do we realize that Eve has hidden the two Judas Coins in her bra. Eve looks down, sees what’s happening to her blouse, and immediately slaps Draken as hard as she can across the face.

  EVE

  Pig!

  INT. HOTEL HALLWAY – NIGHT

  As Trey nears Eve’s suite, he hears loud voices from within, followed by something slamming hard against a wall. He reaches the door, tries the handle. Locked. He pounds on the door, shouting.

  TREY

  Eve! Eve!

  No response. He backs up and throws a shoulder into the door. The door doesn’t budge, and now he’s hurt his shoulder. He grabs it.

  TREY

  Dammit!

  He gathers himself up, lifts his foot, and kicks the door in. The lock and doorjamb splinter. The door bursts open.

  INT. EVE’S ROOM – NIGHT

  Draken, furious at the disturbance, raises his bony hand. The moment he does so, a phosphorescent ball of white energy hurls towards Trey. Our hero is immediately enveloped in a crack
ling halo of zigzagging bolts of superheated energy. Trey winces, waiting, but nothing really happens.

  TREY

  Ouch! That hurts.

  Trey reaches inside his shirt collar and lifts out the Fourth Nail, which is still attached by a leather strap. The holy relic is now glowing red. It’s obvious: the nail protected him from Draken’s dark magic. Trey drops it down inside his shirt...and burns himself again, wincing.

  Draken frowns, clearly not liking what he’s up against. After only a moment of deliberation, the senator turns and flees back through the hotel suite. Trey gives chase, but before he can reach him, the gaunt man disappears through the closed balcony doors, like a ghost through walls. Trey pulls up, mouth dropping open, eyes bugging out.

  TREY

  I did not just see that.

  Trey, of course, must open the French doors. As he does so, he watches as Draken leaps over the balcony wall and disappears from view. Trey dashes over to the wall, looks down—

  WIDE SHOT on the falling Draken, as his robe flutters behind him like a failed parachute. The man drops eight stories, and Trey watches in stunned silence as Draken lands easily, turns and looks up briefly, and then dashes away.

  EXT. LOCH ENDES, SCOTLAND – DAY

  SUPERIMPOSED across the screen are the words: “LOCH ENDES, SCOTLAND.”

  WIDE SHOT ON a beautiful Scottish loch surrounded by thick, verdant forests. Rising out of the middle of the loch, on a small man-made island, is a castle. This is Castle Noble. To the east, cutting across the loch, leaving behind a long, foaming wake, is a ferry packed with tourists.

  INT. FERRY – DAY

  Standing together near the prow are our heroes, Trey Jordan and Eve Friday. Their hair whips around them, their light jackets flapping. Eve is also wearing a light backpack. A light drizzle angles down. Sitting at the stern of the boat, watching Trey and Eve carefully, is a man wearing a beanie and sunglasses. Upon closer inspection, we see, in fact, that the man is O’Brien.

  INT. CASTLE NOBLE – DAY

  Trey and Eve join a throng of tourists as they are led down a once great hall. The tour guide is a young guy with flaming red hair. He speaks quickly as he points to various tapestries, suits of armor, and weapons of all types. His eyes seem to linger on Trey, which our thief begins to notice.

  TOUR GUIDE

  The castle was originally built in 1487,

  during the Hundred Year War...

  Trey and Eve continue to walk with the crowd, feigning interest. She whispers to Trey.

  EVE

  According to Frost’s diary, we need to

  find the library.

  Trey nods. The tour guide continues, flicking his gaze suspiciously toward Trey and Eve:

  TOUR GUIDE

  The man-made island itself is a minor feat

  of human engineering. Most remarkable are

  the dungeons, which flood when the tide is high.

  Sometimes, as legend has it, the prisoners would

  be left to drown.

  As the tour continues, unknown to Eve, Trey casually steps to the rear of the crowd. And when the group turns a corner, Trey acts quickly. He reaches out and snatches O’Brien, pulling the man aside and into an empty room.

  INT. CASTLE ROOM

  Trey, grabbing the Irishman’s collar, smashes him against the wall. O’Brien is still wearing his sunglasses and hat, a flimsy disguise.

  TREY

  You’ve been following us since Edinburgh.

  Who are you?

  The man is sucking in air, trying to breathe.

  O’BRIEN

  Can’t...breathe...

  Now Trey recognizes the voice. Trey rips off the man’s sunglasses and hat, and sees for the first time that it’s O’Brien.

  INT. CASTLE HALLWAY

  Eve pauses, realizes that Trey has disappeared. She turns in a full circle and stands on her tip-toes, looking over the heads of those around her.

  EVE

  Trey?

  (raises her voice)

  Trey?!

  INT. CASTLE ROOM

  Trey is still holding O’Brien by the collar.

  TREY

  You’re supposed to be mummy food.

  O’BRIEN

  You’re not the only one with nine lives,

  my friend.

  TREY

  You’re most certainly not my friend.

  How did you escape, O’Brien?

  QUICK FLASHBACK as the mummies approach from all directions, we once again watch O’Brien don the strange-looking silver glove...then back to present time.

  O’BRIEN

  Let’s just say I received a helping hand.

  A BEAT, and then it occurs to Trey what O’Brien is referring to. Trey’s eyes narrow ominously.

  TREY

  The Hand of Nuada!

  (a beat)

  It took me three years to find it—

  O’BRIEN

  And only minutes for me to steal it.

  Trey tightens his grip around O’Brien’s throat.

  TREY

  You’re working for Draken.

  O’BRIEN

  And you’re working for the Vatican.

  Since when do we care who we work for?

  It’s always been about the money, Trey.

  You know that and I know that.

  Trey suddenly shoves O’Brien out through an open window nearby. We see what O’Brien sees: It’s a long drop to the castle grounds below. He turns back to Trey, grinning triumphantly.

  O’BRIEN

  Until next time, my friend.

  And just like that the Irish thief breaks Trey’s grip and flips backward out into space. Trey lunges at him but can only watch helplessly as O’Brien crashes down through the thick underbrush below, disappearing completely. And that’s when Eve bursts into the room.

  EVE

  Will you quit screwing around, Trey Jordan!

  (a beat)

  I think I’ve found the way down to the library.

  INT. HALLWAY

  Eve leads the way to a recessed doorway at the end of a long hallway. A sign by the door says: “ACCESS RESTRICTED, EMPLOYEES ONLY.”

  Without hesitation, Eve brushes past the sign, opens the wooden door and steps inside like she owns the place. Trey watches her, impressed by her chutzpah, and follows behind.

  INT. STAIRWELL

  Once inside, Eve leads the way down a wide flight of stairs. Electrical lights set into the walls illuminate their way.

  INT. UPPER HALLWAY, CASTLE

  The red-haired guide slips inside the same marked doorway. He follows Trey and Eve from a safe distance.

  INT. LOWER HALLWAY, CASTLE

  EVE

  We need to find the dungeon, which has

  been converted into the library.

  TREY

  Would hate to see what happens if you’re

  late with a book.

  A moment later, at the end of a long hall, they cautiously step through a doorway and into—

  INT. LIBRARY

  The library is huge. It’s lined with dozens and dozens of huge bookshelves, complete with ladders and spaced with massive leather reading chairs and lamps. Before them is a monstrous brick fireplace.

  TREY

  Almost seems cozy.

  They move down a narrow aisle, and turn a corner. Directly before them is a hulking iron maiden, which appears out of the gloom like a macabre specter. The torture device is partially open, revealing rusted spikes within.

  EVE

  About as cozy as a bed of nails.

  Using a flashlight, Eve whips out Frost’s diary and flips through the pages. She stops on one in particular, running a finger under each line as she reads.

  EVE

  Frost didn’t take too many chances,

  even in his own diary. It simply says:

  “Between A and P.”

  TREY

  Now what the devil does that mean?

  INT. HALLWAY


  The young castle guide pauses at the door to the library. He looks through the small glass window and sees flashlights moving through the darkened room.

  INT. LIBRARY

  Trey glances around the library. We see what he sees: A fireplace, rows of bookshelves, and a massive replication of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. Other than that, the room is old and dusty and creepy as hell. Clearly no one has been down here for quite some time.

  EVE

  Should we start looking through the books?

  TREY

  Between all the A’s and P’s?

  EVE

  Surely that’s what he means. The books are no

  doubt shelved alphabetically by author.