Work Text:
Matador Dark: A Vampire Audio Adventure
by Escaped Audios
[hotel lobby ambiance]
Alfonso: Thank you for choosing the Alaric hotel! We hope you enjoy your stay in Spain.
[beat]
Any plans tonight?
[beat]
Oh, I hear that part of town is great, though I’ve never gone out there to party. I mostly just stay here, you know. The down side of working night shifts at the hotel is missing out on all the fun night life.
(sighs)
Oh well. I’m kind of a workaholic anyway. Parties aren’t my thing.
[beat]
Are you sure you’ll be fine going out alone? I don’t mean to be rude but if you’re in an unfamiliar country it’s best to go out with someone who knows the area. This isn’t a high crime neighborhood but… you should be cautious.
[beat]
It’s… never mind. Just be safe.
[walking, heels]
[automatic doors close]
[night street ambiance, distant Bacalao music thumping]
[walking, echoing through the night]
[lights powering down, flickering off]
Scythus: (chuckling, echoing in the darkness)
[beat]
Scythus: (creepy) It’s dark isn’t it? Awful how these street lights seem to burn out at just the wrong moment.
[beat]
Scythus: (hostile) What, are you just going to ignore me?
Scythus: (hideous, monstrous laugh)
Scythus: (patronizing) You know… they say pretty girls shouldn’t walk alone at night.
[beat]
Scythus: (low chuckle) Oh… if you knew what was really out there maybe you would hide too.
[beat]
Scythus: I mean… you would hide from me.
Scythus: (charging, shouting animalistically)
Scythus: (grunting, cut off by a tackle)
Alfonso: (shouting, tackling Scythus)
Alfonso: Cuidado! Es un vampiro!
Scythus: (struggling, grunting, wrestling)
Scythus: Quien eres?/Who are you?*
*Give me a take in both English and Spanish. The Spanish prononciation should sound like “Kyen Ehres”
Alfonso: Un matador oscuro.
Scythus: (shouting, pushing)
[body scraping floor]
Alfonso: (recovering)
Alfonso: (patient) Alergate de aqui. Es peligroso.
[beat]
Alfonso: (frustrated) Joder chica, Hablas Español?!
[beat]
Alfonso: Ok, English?
[beat]
Alfonso: I mean stand back. He’s dangerous. He’s not even human. Hide!
Scythus: Are you done? You’re standing between me and my prey.
[flintlock hammer locks]
Alfonso: As is my duty. I’ll give you one chance to leave this territory peacefully.
Scythus: And if I don’t?
Alfonso: I have silver bullets.
Scythus: (taunting) Hmmm… You don’t look so hard. I think I’ll take my chances.
(gore, claws unsheathing)
Alfonso: Stand back!
Scythus: (shouting, battle cry)
(flintlock pistol fires)
(ricochet against stone)
Scythus: (taunting, shouting) You missed!
Scythus: (battle cry)
Anslemo: Mierda…
[claws striking rapier]
Scythus: Oh… so you want to fight me like that? Your sword against my claws?
Alfonso: I want you to stand down, creature.
Scythus: (chuckling, toying) Your sword… it’s made of steel.
Alfonso: What of it?
Scythus: They give silver swords to the elite slayers. Your steel blade means you… (chuckling, evil) ...are easy prey.
Scythus: (menacing, sadistic) Step away from the girl, unless you both want to die an incredibly… painful death.
Alfonso: I’m not afraid of you, creature.
Scythus: (smug) You should be.
Scythus: (two battle cries, swinging claws twice)
[one parry, one gore sound effect]
Alfonso: (struck by claws, groaning in pain)
[body falling]
Alfonso: (struggling to breathe)
Scythus: Is that it, Slayer?
Alfonso: You wish… (struggling, gasping)
Scythus: (self assured chuckle)
(blood drips to ground)
Scythus: (sniffing air) ...hmm… smells like the blood of a stalwart man. How very repulsive. I much prefer the taste of fear.
Alfonso: (groaning)
Scythus: Are you not afraid yet? I’ll make you afraid. Just what does a slayer fear most?
Alfonso: Fuck you.
Scythus: (ignoring Alfonso) Is it knowing you failed to save the life of an innocent? The thought of seeing them die right before your very eyes?
Alfonso: Why would I ever tell you?
Scythus: Then I guess I’ll just have to kill her, and find out myself.
(footsteps)
Scythus: (creepy) Now where did she go in all that commotion…
(heartbeat)
Scythus: (sniffing the air)
Scythus: (sing-songy) I can smell your blood, little snack.
(trash being shoved to the side)
Scythus: (loud, menacing, demonic) I found you! And now he can’t save you.
Scythus: (laughing, evil) Good night, sweetheart.
Scythus: (optional) (some kind of biting noise I really don’t know just do something to indicate you bit her)
(heavy footsteps moving fast)
Alfonso: (shouting)
(gore, wooden stake plunges in)
Scythus: What… you want to fight me without any silver?
Alfonso: Wooden stakes work just fine.
(one last plunge, gore)
Scythus: (shouting, in pain, then exhaling gently, fading away)
Alfonso: Ven te conmigo. No esta muerto, solo paralizado.
Alfonso: Oh, right. English. Ok. (exasperated exhale) Look, just come with me, we have to leave NOW. I will explain everything.
(footsteps, walking quickly)
(asphalt gives way to gravel)
Alfonso: ...wait. I recognize you. You were a guest at the hotel!
[beat]
Alfonso: Yeah. The hotel gig? That’s not my real job. I take temp jobs all over the place, they keep suspicion down while I travel around tracking vampires.
[beat]
Alfonso: Yes, VAMPIRES.
[beat]
Alfonso: What, do you think I just walked up and murdered a random person in the street? With a fucking wooden stake?
[beat]
Alfonso: No. He’s not dead by the way, at least not yet. The wooden stakes don’t kill them, they just immobilize them. He’ll die when the sun comes up, vampires can survive in the sun for a few minutes max before they drop dead and turn to dust.
[beat]
Alfonso: Text whoever you were planning on seeing tonight and tell them you’re not seeing them. Do not tell them why. If they ask, tell them it’s private.
[beat]
Alfonso: Because I need to make sure you’re alright before you go. Here, we’re near the hotel, you still have your room key right?
(automatic doors open)
Alfonso: Alright. Here we are.
(footsteps)
(key card beep)
(door unlocking)
(long exhale)
Ok… I need to see if you were hurt.
(big inhale)
(fabric shifting)
Alfonso: No, we can’t take you to a doctor. Are you kidding me? And tell them what, that you had a run in with a vampire? I’m sorry but I can’t risk you getting that information out. Just follow my instructions, I need to do some first aid checks on you.
[beat]
Will you cooperate if I explain?
[beat]
Ok. I can’t have you talking about vampires, because once word gets out about vampires, word gets out about vampire slayers. Once vampires know slayers are operating in an area, they evacuate and find new hunting grounds, and we have to trace them all over again.
To make things worse, they’re masters of manipulation. As they leave, they’ll say just the right things to set the communities they’re fleeing from into paranoia. People start suspecting one another, burning each other at the stake, sometimes even accusing slayers of being vampires themselves. After centuries of this cat and mouse game, slayers and vampires have a quiet truce not to reveal one another, so that both sides may operate in secrecy. It’s better that way.
They hunt in the darkness, and we fight them in it. During the day we blend in with the rest of society as best we can. We only reveal ourselves when we absolutely have to, like right now. Speaking of, I need to do a first aid check on you. I have all the medical equipment I need.
[beat]
I need to check your heart rate. Just try to relax and breath in.
(deep breath)
Ok. You have an elevated heart rate. After what you went through that’s to be expected. I’d be must more concerned if you didn’t have an elevated heart rate.
[beat]
I’m going to have to pull your sleeves up a little further. Not all vampires go for the neck. Most go for the wrists, or the veins in your forearms.
(fabric pulling)
Hmmm… no bite, but it looks like he bruised you pretty hard.
[beat]
Yeah, that type of vampire is known for being physically strong. He’s a Fiera Oscura, some people also call them Nosferatus. They’re probably the most physically dangerous of all the vampires, but the least subtle. Certainly the least intelligent. They attack people out in the open and don’t tend to cover their tracks. The plus side is that their kind are easy to track, the downside is that they tend to bite the first person they see the moment they get hungry. You have to shut them down fast, otherwise, well, people end up in your situation.
(fabric shifting)
Wait a minute… that blood. Please tell me that’s not your blood.
[beat]
Oh god…
[beat]
Pull your sleeve down over your shoulder, I need to see.
(stressed out exhale)
Mierda.
(stressed inhale)
MIERDA!
[beat]
That means SHIT! That’s means god DAMNIT fucking SHIT!
[beat]
Were you waiting to tell me that he bit you?
[beat]
God damnit… you have no idea what’s at stake do you?
[beat]
If he bit you that close to your neck, it’s absolutely certain that the venom is already in your system. At this point either your die or you become a vampire.
[beat]
(calming down) No, there’s no cure. There used to be an herbal remedy, Hierba Del Amanecer, but the fucking vamps wiped it out years ago. As far as I know it’s extinct.
[beat]
(inhaling)
Fuck…
[beat]
Look, there’s one person that might be able to help you. I hate to ask her for help but… she’s got a lot of experience. She was once a horticulturalist that grew Hierba Del Amanecer. We might have time to seek her out.
[beat]
How long do we have?
Hmmmm…. Guessing by the location of the bite, and the depth of the teeth marks, I’d say you have about 30 days. Maybe less. I’ll do everything I can to stop you from turning, but you’ll have to follow my directions very, very closely.
[beat]
That means during the next thirty days I can’t let you out of my sight. It’ll be too dangerous.
[beat]
For one, I can’t risk you talking. That means you stay with me and don’t leave my sight for even one day. That and I don’t know exactly if and when you’ll turn undead, so I can’t risk you turning undead. To make things worse, your aura might attract other vampires to you, and they don’t like new vampires competing in their turf. The ones who don’t try to enslave you will try and kill you on sight. Am I making myself clear?
[beat]
Oh, one more thing, and I need for you to understand that this isn’t personal.
[beat]
If we can’t find a cure before you turn… I will have to kill you.
- END CREDITS -