Episode: 1.10
Air date: September 5, 2003
Cast Members: Desi Stark and JD

Previously on Slaying Here in Allentown

• Ghost is shot by the Lobos outside the Agway truck. Coyote then wades into the Lobos and is severely beaten by them. [Episode 1.04]
• A mob chases two Carmines from Dorney Park while James Schuler watches from his office window. He asks no one in particular, "What’s happening to my city?" [Episode 1.09]
• James Schuster tells Desi, "You’re the kind of person that Aegis would be proud to have as an employee." [Episode 1.08]
• Kevin tries to drag the injured JD to safety, and he gets shot. [Episode 1.08]

Teaser

• Interior of a hospital room
• The camera pans across the room. Number 322 is on the door. Everywhere the camera looks, there's lots of medical equipment. Finally the camera tilts down to the hospital bed. Coyote is on the bed, connected to all of the medical equipment. He's on a ventilator.
• Ghost is there, holding Coyote’s hand. He whispers to Coyote, "No tengas miedo, hermano mío. Nunca no estás sólo. Siempre estoy contigo. Somos juntos siempre."
• The door opens and a doctor enters. He looks at Ghost.
  • Doctor: Are you a blood relative of the patient's?
  • Ghost: (looking away, speaking weakly but defensively): Who needs to know?
  • Doctor: (gently) I do. I’m his doctor. I need to know for the paperwork.
  • Ghost doesn't reply.
  • Doctor: Can you at least tell me his real name?
  • Ghost: (stands, wipes his eyes, and turns toward the door. His voice cracks slightly as he says:) It's Coyote.
• Ghost leaves the room without looking back. Medium shot of the doctor as he watches Ghost go.
• The camera slowly tilts down from the doctor to Coyote. It zooms in on his face, which we see in profile. A single tear emerges from his closed eye and slowly trickles down the side of his face. 
• Cut to black. Roll theme song and title sequence.

Act 1: Elsewhere

• Exterior establishing shot of Aegis Security.
  • Cut to an interior shot of the office area of Aegis. This area is a cubicle farm where office workers and (presumably) unassigned security officers are fulfilling their administrative duties. 
  • Desi is in a cubicle, reading from a book entitled Security Procedures. As the camera zooms out, we see that this book is one of a collection, stacked on Desi's desk, that makes the Oxford English Dictionary look like a set of Cliff Notes. 
  • Outside Desi's cubicle, two coworkers meet in passing. One says to the other, "TGI Friday's for lunch, right?" Desi glances over at her little brown-bag lunch, then looks hopefully at her coworkers, who have not noticed her. "Right! Of course!" says the second. They part and go on their respective ways without so much as glancing at Desi.
  • A few seconds later, we hear a different voice from outside Desi's cubicle say, "I'll return his call after we get back from Friday's." We get the impression that everyone in the office is going to TGI Friday's for lunch except Desi. Desi, feeling left out, continues reading.
  • Jim, an unassigned security officer, steps up to the opening of Desi's cubicle. She hasn't noticed him. He's smiling and looks as if he's about to ask her something, then he sees Desi's bag lunch. Jim makes a small motion with his hand that says, "Shucks, missed it this time," turns, and walks away from Desi's cubicle just as she becomes aware that someone was there. Desi perks up at the prospect of being visited, but then deflates again when she sees it's a false alarm. She goes back to reading her procedures. "Rule 14.5.3..."
  • A phone rings in the background. There's a murmur of conversation, followed by a more discernible, "Hold on, I'll find out." Then, addressed to the entire room, "Is there a Desi here?" Desi identifies herself and Jim, the man who called out, asks what extension she's sitting at. Desi replies, "227." Jim says thanks, repeats "227" into his phone, and then says, "Yeah, any time," and hangs up.
  • Desi glances at her phone, which has quite a few buttons and lights. Nothing happens. The seconds tick by. Still nothing. Desi wonders whether she misinterpreted the number on the phone and is about to turn to ask someone when suddenly the phone does ring and it startles her. As she reaches for the phone, she sees that there are several lights glowing steadily or flashing. She picks up the handset and says hello. Nothing. She pushes one of the buttons and says hello again; this time, Desi's greeting is broadcast over the PA system. Several heads prairie-dog over the sides of cubicles. Desi anxiously puts the handset down again.
  • Jim appears at Desi's cubicle opening. He picks up the handset, pushes a button, and hands the handset to Desi. Desi timidly says hello into the handset. It's Kevin. He says he'll be working this evening, so he's off right now. He asks if Desi is going to lunch at TGI Friday's. The whole office goes to lunch at Friday's on... well, Fridays. Desi says she's planning to read her procedures through lunch. Kevin says, "Ooo, wait till Section 16. It's a killer. I'm coming into the office to join the crew for lunch. Why don't you come along?" Pleasantly surprised, Desi knocks her brown bag into the trash can and accepts Kevin's invitation. 00:12:20
• Cut to JD
  • She's sitting on a futon in rather Spartan surroundings. We take this to be her bedroom. JD is filling out an employment application. She gets to the section where it asks about the applicant's criminal record. JD pauses for a moment as her face darkens. Then she crumbles up the application and tosses it into the garbage.
  • There's a knock on the door. A man's voice says, "We need to talk."
  • Cut to a close-up of JD's shoes. As the camera slowly zooms out, we see another pair of shoes walking in a circle around JD. The camera zooms out further to reveal JD seated on a chair in the middle of a lower-class living room. JD is looking down at the floor. Pacing back and forth behind her, vaguely reminiscent of a vulture, is her foster father. He's holding a letter in his hand. He announces that the agency isn't very happy with him right now because of the things that have happened to JD. From now on, she has a 9-pm curfew. No questions. No excuses. When he dismisses JD, they both make a bee-line in opposite directions and exit the frame. The camera remains focused on the empty chair in which JD was sitting.
• Back to Aegis Security, Inside Mr. Schuler's office
  • He's listening to someone on the phone as he sips from his coffee cup. He puts the cup down as he begins to speak. "We can do that. You'll find our bids to be competitive." He rises and strolls over to his window and looks out. "Yes, I'm familiar with the process.... No, I'll have no difficulty submitting a  bid by that deadline."
  • As he turns from the window, the phone cord pushes his coffee cup to the edge of the desk. He notices this just as the cup topples over the edge. He reflexively reaches for the cup, but he's much too far away to have a chance of catching it before it hits the floor --
  • -- when the cup instantaneously changes direction and catapults into Mr. Schuler's open hand. The coffee that was in the cup splashes onto the window behind him. Stunned, Mr. Schuler lowers his hand holding the phone and stares incredulously at the cup in his other hand. He looks back and forth between the cup and its last position on his desk when there's a knock on his door. He starts, instinctively hides the coffee cup behind his back (and without thinking, the phone handset as well) and says, "Come in."
  • Marcie opens the door and steps into his office. "Your 11:30 appointment is here," she says. Mr. Schuler stares back at her, dazed. "OK," he finally says. Marcie sees the phone cord trailing from his desk to a point behind Mr. Schuler's back. She stands there for a moment, looking at him, concerned. She says nothing, however. And after a few seconds, when it's obvious that Mr. Schuler isn't going to say anything, she smiles nervously, leaves, and closes the door behind her.
  • Mr. Schuler takes his hands from behind his back and resumes staring at the coffee cup. Then he starts when he notices the phone in his hand. He puts it to his face. "Can I call you back?" He hangs up, puts the coffee cup down on his desk, looks over at the coffee splashed on the window, and moves to his office door. As he opens the door, he turns one last time to look at the cup, then heads out and closes the door behind him.
  • The camera zooms in on the coffee as it drips down the window. Through the window and the dripping liquid, we see the gates of Dorney Park across the street. 00:18:30
• Outside Mr. Schuler's office
  • Kevin enters Aegis Security. He smiles and waves at Mr. Schuler, who walks right past Kevin, practically oblivious. Kevin picks up Desi and the entire office goes out for lunch. Along the way, Desi notices that Kevin isn't wearing his sling. He explains that he has an appointment with the doctor in two days and he's confident he'll be given the OK to stop wearing the sling. They talk a little about the agony of having to read security procedures.
  • On the way to his car after collecting Desi, Kevin sees his uncle (Mr. Schuler) talking to a business contact in the lobby. Mr. Schuler has apparently regained his senses. Realizing this, Kevin hides his injured arm (and lack of sling) behind Desi so as to avoid his uncle's wrath.
  • In the parking lot, Desi meets another security officer, Kyle, as she attempts to get into Kevin's car. Apparently, Kyle traditionally sits next to Kevin on the ride to TGI Friday's.
  • The camera moves from the parking lot, through the coffee-stained window, into James Schuler's office. Mr. Schuler enters his office to discover someone is waiting here for him, sitting in the guest chair. Mr. Schuler is surprised, and not at all happy, to see Ernesto.
• Cut to Coyote's hospital room
  • JD walks into the room to discover a man in a white lab coat listening to Coyote's heart through a stethoscope. As she enters, the man looks up at her hopefully. He introduces himself as Dr. Ross, Coyote's neurologist. He asks if JD is a relative or if she knows his name. She replies no and Coyote, respectively. The doctor is disappointed.
  • Dr. Ross explains that he desperately needs to speak to a blood relative of Coyote's. JD offers to try to find out if he has a relative in the area. Dr. Ross is grateful for the offer. He takes a business card from his wallet and hands it to JD. That's when JD catches a glimpse of a photograph in the doctor's wallet of a smiling girl, perhaps 8 or 9 years old. Dr. Ross asks if JD is a close friend of the patient's. JD, perhaps misinterpreting the question, replies that the doctor is not likely to find anyone closer. Based on that information, the doctor shares Coyote's prognosis with JD.00:31:40
  • It's not good. Coyote has suffered swelling of the brain as a result of the beating for which he was brought here [Episode 1.04]. The swelling caused the pressure inside Coyote's skull to build, to the point that it resulted in a cerebral hernia. This is a very serious condition in which part of the brain is squeezed out through the foramen magnum, the hole at the base of the skull where the spinal cord comes out of. 
  • JD asks if Coyote is going to die. She points out that he's a fighter. Dr. Ross concurs. Dr. Ross shows JD that Coyote's pupils are fixed and dilated. That's a sign of severe brain damage. The parts of the brain that best survive a cerebral hernia are actually the ones that got squeezed out through the skull. That part of the brain controls the most basic of functions. Coyote can breathe on his own, his heart beats. But all higher functionality has been lost. Dr. Ross just discovered recently that Coyote has lost his swallow reflex. If he weren't fed continuously through the tube in his throat, he'd choke on any amount of food or liquid because he wouldn't automatically swallow. 
  • JD asks how long Coyote has to live. Dr. Ross replies that because Coyote is a fighter and because his most basic vital functions are working, he has forever. He'll remain alive for as long as he's fed, until he dies of some other cause, such as disease. No one has ever recovered from neurological damage as severe as Coyote's. Dr. Ross is looking for familial permission to unplug Coyote's life-support equipment. JD asks what will happen if they can't find a relative of Coyote's. Dr. Ross says that in the absence of a living will, a request by his next of kin, or a court order, the hospital must continue to provide treatment to the patient. There are no grounds to request a court order and he doubts the patient left a living will. So as things stand, they have to keep him alive. Like this. Indefinitely.
  • JD understands. Dr. Ross asks her to call as soon as she has any information and leaves JD alone with Coyote.
  • JD takes Coyote's hand and hangs her head. Cut to a commercial break. 00:58:10 
• Interior of a very squalid building
  • In the shadows, several people are gathered in a knot, speaking in conspiratorial whispers. We recognize this place as the interior of the Lobo house.
  • Ernesto passes by. Suddenly the talk stops, and the people break up into more casual-looking poses. When this happens, one of the people who emerges from the knot, and who looks directly at the camera as he glances toward Ernesto, is Pedro. Pedro then drops his gaze and looks away.
  • Ernesto approaches the group and speaks to them. We don't hear the dialog, but by Ernesto's body language, it was clearly a question. The people that Ernesto addressed look around, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. One of them (not Pedro) points off in the distance. Ernesto looks in that direction, nods, and then heads that way. He reaches the goal of his quest: Priscilla. Ernesto takes her aside. His serious facial expression contrasts with Priscilla's bemused look. He takes Priscilla into the first-floor "conference room" that we've seen several times before and he closes the door.
  • Ernesto gives Priscilla an assignment: to kill the Slayer.
• Cut to the interior of Kevin's car
  • Kevin, Desi, and two other security officers are inside the car, returning from lunch. Kevin and the other two officers are merrily talking shop talk. Desi's present, but not participating in the conversation. Clearly, much of the jargon is beyond her, and the stories are based upon an unspoken history which she does not share. Desi isn't being deliberately excluded from the conversation, but she can't meaningfully join in. We conclude that Desi has been suffering this behavior not just on the ride back from lunch, but through lunch as well.
  •  In the parking lot, Kevin explains he's not coming back into the office. He's going to head home right away so he can get some sleep before his assignment at a factory tonight. Kevin and Desi agree to get together Sunday, when they're both off-duty. Kevin will call later to work out the details.
  • Inside the office, conversations from lunch are continuing among the cubicles. There's a lot of camaraderie in the air. Desi slinks back to her little, gray cubicle, and starts reading again, at the top of the page. 01:06:00
• Cut to JD, wandering around town
  • She's near Lobo territory, looking for Pedro. She wants to find him when Ernesto isn't around.
  • She finds Pedro and a few Lobo friends in a run-down park. They've got a conspiratorial demeanor to them. JD knows the body language of a drug trade, and it's definitely not that. Someone is posted as sentry. As she watches, a cop car goes right past, and the sentry doesn't sound the alarm. No, whatever it is that these Lobos don't want to be caught at, it's clearly not the cops that they feel they have to hide their actions from.
  • JD catches Pedro's eye. He takes a few seconds to excuse himself from his friends and approaches JD alone. Pedro makes sure he stays within sight of his friends as he talks. 01:13:25
• Cut back to a close-up of Desi.
  • She's staring at the camera, glassy-eyed. As the camera slowly zooms out, a large paunch enters the frame. As the camera continues to zoom out, we see that Kyle has trapped Desi in her cubicle by blocking the doorway. Kyle continues: "So I wrestled him to the ground. And I held him down till the cops came. And they said, good job, Mr. McLaughlin...." Kyle pauses, and during this lull, Desi finally snaps to consciousness. She notices it's her quitting time. She extricates herself from Kyle's confinement and prepares to leave.
  • Desi still has quite a bit of reading to do. She decides to take the procedures home with her. She's about to head out of the building when Mr. Schuler stops her and points out that the Aegis' security procedures cannot leave the building. He explains that they're proprietary information that, in the wrong hands, could be used to foil the operations of Aegis security officers. In fact, if an officer's adversaries knew the contents of those books, the officer could be hurt or killed. Desi apologetically surrenders the  books and Mr. Schuler graciously offers to return them to the office library. Desi decides she'll work late one day next week to catch up on the procedures. Mr. Schuler says that the reading will probably get easier for Desi as time goes on, but if she needs more time with the books, staying late would be the best way to address that need.
  • Out in the parking lot, Desi is unlocking her car when she becomes aware of a dull, droning sound. As the sound stops, Desi turns around and Priscilla is standing there. An ominous conversation follows.

Act 2: The Binds Tighten

• Interior shot of the Carmines' house
  • The house is filled with the usual level of activity. Nina is watching something across the room. We see that it's Ghost, talking among a group of his ganstas. Nina is watching intently, as if she's studying Ghost.
  • JD enters the frame. She's looking for a Carmina because she believes that the boys won't know or care about Coyote's real name or next of kin. JD interrupts Nina's surveillance. JD explains that Coyote's not doing well and the doctors want to talk to his family. Does Nina know his family? Nina says she thinks Coyote's aunt is still in Puerto Rico. She'll ask around for a name. 
  • Ghost is holding an opened pack of cheese crackers -- the kind you can get from vending machines. Ghost is gesticulating with one of the cheese crackers, but when he finally brings it to his mouth, his facial expression changes to one of disgust and he puts it down again. The other five cheese crackers are still in the pack. Nina says to JD, "Will you get him to eat?" Then Nina heads off to find the information about Coyote.
  • JD approaches Ghost. By the time she reaches him, he's brought the cracker to his mouth once more, and again put it down. JD tells Ghost that she talked to Coyote's doctor and learned about his condition. Ghost confesses that he doesn't like to talk to people in white coats. Suddenly there's a squeal of several sets of tires outside in the street. Several people yell, "Cheese it! Cops!" Without a thought, Ghost grabs JD and runs out one of the back doors, along with several other Carmines. There are several cut shots of Ghost and JD running down alleys, narrowly avoiding police cars, officers on foot, and at one point, a resident's chained Rotweiler.
  • Cut to a nurse's station inside a hospital. One of the monitors begins to beep much faster. As the nurse looks up, there's a digital read-out for the heart rate of one of the patients. The numbers are climbing as we watch: 70... 74... 78... 83... She nurse shouts down the hall, "Get Dr. Ross! There's a problem in 322."
  • We have a few more cut shots of Ghost and JD running. Then finally, they end up inside a Dumpster. In the dim light inside the Dumpster, Ghost pants, "What the hell's going on? This town's nuts! We'll go back as soon as the coast is clear." JD tells Ghost that Nina will try to get the information about Coyote's family.
  • Cut back to the hospital. Dr. Ross is standing over Coyote. He's looking at the heart monitor, which is displaying a pulse rate of 96 at this point. He looks down at Coyote and says, "What, are you running a marathon in there?" Dr. Ross opens Coyote's eyelid.
  • Cut back to the interior of the Dumpster. JD says, "Coyote's apparently not going to get any better." Ghost is about to reply when he suddenly screams "Ow!" and covers his eyes. As far as we can tell, the interior of the Dumpster has not changed. "What is that?" Ghost shouts.
  • Cut to a shot of the camera looking directly into a very bright light. The light moves off to one side, then moves back, moves off to the other side, moves back, and finally just goes out. As the glare fades, we see Dr. Ross standing there, holding his penlight. This is apparently from Coyote's point of view. After a second, Dr. Ross puts the penlight into his coat pocket. To someone off-camera, he says, "We'll just keep him under observation."
  • Cut back to the interior of the Dumpster. JD asks if Ghost is alright. Did he get something in his eyes? He says no, he just saw light. Very bright light. How could JD not see it? After a moment, they go back to talking about Coyote. JD asks if Coyote would want to be kept alive like he is now. Ghost reminds JD that after the Lobos beat Coyote, Ghost told her that Coyote would kill him for not letting the Lobos finish him off. JD explains that the hospital can't take him off the machines unless a family member requests it. She also points out that Ghost needs to think about taking permanent leadership of the Carmines. Ghost replies that he's been thinking about that every day.
  • Ghost is about to say something, but instead erupts into a spasm of coughing. We cut to an exterior shot of the Dumpster with a voice-over of the coughing fit. The lid of the Dumpster flies open as Ghost emerges, still hacking. Finally, the coughing subsides. Ghost spits onto the pavement in the alley. JD asks if Ghost is sure he's OK. The conversation reveals some oddity about Ghost's health. Then they head back to the Carmín house to see who they can round up. JD checks the time to make sure she's got plenty of time to get home before curfew.
  • Turns out the raid collected only three or four Carmines, and they were all Extras. They find Nina, who has managed to find someone who knew Coyote's real name and the name and address of his aunt in Puerto Rico. The aunt is Coyote's nearest living relative. Ghost exits to talk to the rest of the gang. Nina confesses her concern about how Ghost will handle Coyote's death if it occurs. He's been down to see Coyote every day for the last three or four weeks. She thinks on some level, Ghost knows that Coyote won't recover. As JD leaves, Nina says she'll try to stop down at the hospital later. 01:38:05
• Cut to Desi and Priscilla seated inside a Perkins
  • Priscilla is eating a large slice of cake. Desi says, "I really don't know which part to be more shocked at: that you've been ordered to kill me, or that you've asked me not to take it personally." Priscilla also reveals to Desi something that Desi has not known about herself: that she's a Slayer. Priscilla doesn't go into a lot of detail about what a Slayer is, but she does offer a word of advice: Don't let Aristartes -- the guy with the teeth in his hands -- find out that Desi hasn't been trained to be a Slayer, or he'll have a tremendous advantage over her. He's much more powerful than he looks, especially now that the veil is lifted. Priscilla says the veil was more than just cosmetic; it suppresses supernatural effects as well as masks them. When Desi asks why Priscilla convinced her to bring down the veil, Priscilla protests, "Technically, I didn't convince you to drop the veil. I pointed out that there was a ritual going on that you might be interested in. I pointed out that shattering the box would destroy the veil. I never deliberately convinced you to do anything."
  • Desi asks if Priscilla would lead her to Ernesto (who we realize is also Aristartes). Rubbing her cheek where Ernesto struck it, Priscilla says that she doesn't plan on returning to Ernesto anytime soon. Even so, she would recommend against Desi confronting Aristartes until she knows more about herself. Priscilla also reveals that she has power over normal houseflies and she uses them as spies. They're not smart, but they're numerous, and they have a great sense of smell.
  • In parting, Priscilla points out that if she tries to kill Desi next time they meet, it's because Aristartes has finally paid up. "But don't expect that to happen soon," she says. In a chipper tone, she adds, "Until then, let's be friends!" 01:50:30
• Cut to the interior of the Allentown Public Library
  • With the help of the librarian, JD uses a computer there to look up the phone number for Coyote's aunt in Puerto Rico. She calls Dr. Ross and relays the information to him.
  • Cut to a shot of Dr. Ross at a nurse's station. He's taking down the information as JD gives it. He's writing this directly in Coyote's chart. At one point, he suddenly stops writing and says under his breath, "Why didn't I notice that before?" When JD asks what the problem is, Dr. Ross says, "Um... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that out loud. It's nothing related to his diagnosis. In fact, I'm sure it's an error in his chart. His fluid output is almost twice his input. That's just not possible, especially for the length of the interval that this has been going on. His fluid output has been elevated for the last three weeks." 
  • Dr. Ross dismisses this anomaly, gets the rest of the information, and promises to get in touch with the aunt right away.
  • JD points out that her friend Ghost has been having health problems over the last three weeks. Dr. Ross tells JD to have Ghost stop in at the clinic. JD asks if they wear white coats there, because Ghost has a problem with people in lab coats. After a beat, Dr. Ross gives JD his receptionist's number and tells her to schedule an appointment for him to see Ghost personally.
  • After the phone conversation, the camera stays on Dr. Ross. He says to a nurse, "I'm going to need an interpreter, for Spanish, down in the social services office in 10 minutes." Then he heads purposefully down the hall.
• Cut to Desi on the phone
  • She's talking with Doug, asking him to look up information about Aristartes, and Slayers. From what we hear on this end, Doug seems unwilling to leave his band's rehearsal. Desi says that Father Sullivan isn't answering the phone. Maybe she'll go down to Doug's friend Abe Solomon to see if he can help. Desi warns her parents she might be a little late and heads out.
  • Cut to the interior of the Occult Emporium as Desi enters. Abe Solomon is behind the counter, looking at Desi. When the only other customer in the shop concludes his business and leaves, Desi identifies herself as a friend of Doug's. She says that Doug is occupied and could Abe possibly look some things up for her? He consents, and she asks him to look up a demon named "Aristartes." He gathers up a few books from various (seemingly random) areas in the store. Together, he and Desi begin to search through the books.
• Cut to an interior shot in a conference room inside the hospital. 
  • Dr. Ross is seated across from a woman who's on the phone. The woman is speaking Spanish. The woman (an interpreter) pauses. We hear nothing, but we assume she's listening to someone speak. 
  • Dr. Ross: Ask her for the name and number of a doctor she trusts. I’ll fax him all the test results. He'll agree with my conclusion. (Interpreter relays this)
  • Interpreter: She wants to know how you can ask her to do this thing.
  • Dr. Ross: For mercy’s sake. We’re human beings; we define ourselves by our relationship to others: mother, brother… (chokes slightly as he looks down at the photo of the little girl in his wallet) father. Nothing is stronger than the connection between two people. Yet sometimes we have to break those bonds and move on. It’s the hardest thing to do, and it hurts like hell, but it’s the best thing for everyone. Trust me, I know. I beg you, let him go.
• Cut back to an exterior shot of a street.
  • JD is heading home. It's after sundown. She checks her watch -- still plenty of time to get home before her 9 p.m. curfew.
  • Suddenly, from around the corner of a nearby building, Ice emerges and races past JD at full speed. He doesn't seem to notice her, but then about 20 feet later, he skids to a halt and turns. There's a look of absolute terror on his face. "JD!" he shouts. "RUN!"
  • The camera is looking at JD from Ice's point of view. Over JD's shoulder, we can see a mob of citizens running this way. Many of them are armed with makeshift weapons that they're waving in the air. They look very angry. One of the vigilantes in the fore points at Ice and yells, "There he is!" Then spotting JD, "And he's got a friend!"
  • Cut to a staccato of shots of Ice and JD running before the crowd. Periodically, each pulls the other into an alley or along a side street. The shouting of the mob indicate that our heroes aren't gaining appreciably on them. In one shot, a beer bottle shatters on a brick wall next to JD. These people are out for blood!
  • Cut to a uniformed security guard who's shining his flashlight about as he patrols the outside of an industrial-looking building. He verifies that the doors are chained and secured with a padlock. He goes off-frame and a few seconds later, we can see him inside the building through one of the windows. It appears to be a factory, but the equipment isn't running. The guard -- whose face we have not seen clearly -- makes his rounds and heads down a flight of stairs into the factory's basement.
  • Cut back to Ice and JD, who have run up to the double-doors of an abandoned-looking industrial facility. The doors are chained and locked! They run along the length of the wall to see if they can find another door when part of the crowd emerges from around the corner ahead. The rest of the crowd is behind them. Ice then realizes that he and JD are standing in front of a louvered window that's open. "In here!" he shouts as he thrusts her through. Ice barely gets in through the window himself just as a pair of arms reaches through and grabs him. Cut to commercial break.

Act 3: Trapped!

• Picking up where we left off:
  • Ice is inside the building, but has been grabbed through the window by the mob on the outside. JD sees that the windows have heavy, roll-down shutters. She hits the button to lower the shutters. As the shutters descend slowly on the arms holding Ice, they release their grip and are pulled back unharmed through the window. Outside, JD and Ice hear the crowd cursing and banging on the walls and shutters.
  • The building can't be completely abandoned because there are a few lights on inside. Ice, panting, explains that he didn't do anything. Some residents on the street saw him in his gang colors and started chasing him. With each block, the crowd that was chasing him grew in number. Then he saw JD. "Come on," he says. "Let's find another way out of here."
  • As Ice and JD cautiously make their way between pumps and piping, they can here the townfolk outside, trying to get in. When they hear a sound like a pick against the side of the brick building, they decide to take the first means of escape that presents itself -- a ventilation grate that's set in the wall, about 7 feet off the floor. Ice says, "I'll hoist you up; you get the grate off."
  • Ice grabs JD by the waist and lifts her up. She only has a small pocket knife to work with and it takes a while to loosen even a single screw on the grate -- a job made more difficult by the fact that Ice's grip is weakening. JD keeps sliding down in Ice's arms; with a grunt, he hoists her back up, but within seconds, she slides down again. With another grunt, he hoists her up again. Just as JD is about to suggest that she get up onto Ice's shoulders, JD sees a flurry of movement as someone slams into Ice and knocks him into a nearby electrical panel, shouting, "Get your hands off her!" JD falls to her feet and Ice's attacker turns to her and says, "Jewel, are you OK?!" It's Kevin.
  • Kevin moves toward Jewel and says, "Are you hurt --" Kevin never gets to finish the sentence because Ice slams into him at this point. Kevin sails into a pump and slams his left shoulder (the one that was shot) against the equipment. He shouts in pain and drops his flashlight, which rolls slowly across the floor. Ice and Kevin end up rolling around the floor, clanging against equipment and piping as they tussle. But by the time we can figure out exactly what's happening, Ice gets the upper hand -- Kevin's on the floor and Ice is straddling him and holding Kevin's flashlight over his head, poised to deliver the final blow. That's when JD, who has been yelling for the boys to stop fighting, grabs the flashlight so that Ice can't swing it. "Don't hurt him! He's my friend!"
  • Ice looks at JD, then looks down at Kevin. We've never seen Ice angry before. He demands an explanation from Kevin. After he gets it, he lets Kevin rise. As we cut away, Ice is eyeing Kevin's security-guard uniform, while Kevin takes in the gang trappings of Ice's wardrobe.
• Cut to a close-up of a fax machine that's spitting out pages.
  • Dr. Ross gathers the pages and reads over them. We're obviously inside a hospital. Cut to Dr. Ross as he hands sheets of paper to a nurse at a nurse's station. "For the John Doe in 322: DNR... durable power of attorney... We'll need a court-appointed witness for when I unplug him. Usually that's Dan Bolinsky. If you can call and make the arrangements, he might still be in. Let him know I'll be here until 10 p.m. Any time he can come over, we'll do it then." The nurse acknowledges all of this.
  • Dr. Ross leaves. When he steps away from the counter, we see Nina in the background, down the hall. She looks stunned at what she's just heard. After a few moments, she comes to her senses and goes running off, down the hall. 02:21:00
• Cut back to Desi in the Occult Emporium.
  • Desi finds a woodcut picture of Aristartes' mouth-in-hand in one of Abe Solomon's books. The book lists him as "Aristartes the Opener." She shows the entry to Abe. He looks over the writing and understands now why he didn't find anything about Aristartes on his earlier search. He thought that the demon the Cast Members described was a kind of demon. It turns out that Aristartes is the name of an individual -- this individual -- not a species. Abe says that a demon with an individual name is much more powerful than an unnamed demon. And if the demon has a title, like "the Opener," it's more powerful still. In general.
  • Desi also looks for information on a demon called a "Slayer," but finds none.
  • Abe begins reading carefully through the book that Desi found.
• Cut back to Ice, JD, and Kevin.
  • JD formally introduces Ice and Kevin to each other. As she explains to Kevin that there's an angry mob outside and they need to get out, Ice's cell phone rings. It's Nina; she tells Ice that the doctors got the OK to unplug Coyote. They expect him to last for at least a week. Nina's there with Coyote now, but she doesn't want to be alone. She asks if Ice could please come to the hospital to keep her company after he tells Ghost about the situation. Instead, JD agrees to go to the hospital to stay with Nina while Ice goes to the Carmines' house to tell Ghost what's happening. Kevin says there's a tunnel in the basement that leads to one of the other buildings in the complex. He can take JD and Ice out that way.
  • Everything's looking good (all things considered) until Ice takes a step and practically collapses. It turns out that during his tussle with Kevin, he banged his knee against something. He's been concealing his discomfort (and preserving his pride) by standing still while keeping his weight on his other leg. JD looks at the knee. It's very swollen. She thinks it's sprained. Kevin says, "I'll give you a hand." He offers his left shoulder for Ice to lean on -- no, wait, he switches sides so Ice leans on Kevin's right shoulder, the one without the recovering bullet wound -- and helps Ice hobble along. The three of them walk off-camera.
  • Cut to an exterior shot. The camera pans across the factory that's surrounded by the mob, continues across the parking lot, and stops on a small auxiliary building. A door in this smaller building opens. JD steps out, verifies the coast is clear, and Ice and Kevin hobble out after her. Kevin says to JD, "I'll get your friend here where he needs to go. You go where you need to go." JD thanks him and takes off while Kevin radios for back-up, explains that he needs to step away from the scene, and reports the mob. He suggests calling the police to restore order. Then they shamble off.
• Close-up on Abe Solomon as he reads from a large book:
  • "Aristartes the Opener is invariably summoned by powerful sorcerers... (mumble, mumble) is itself a sorcerer and can summon other demons... capable of using foul magicks." But there's no explanation why he's called the Opener. The book doesn't list his weaknesses, either. Nor specifically what his powers are. No, wait, here's a vulnerability: "Cannot enter sanctified ground." Like a church. Or an older graveyard.
  • Desi tells Abe he has to do more research. Abe begins gathering books.
  • As Desi gathers books to hand to Abe, one of them falls open, revealing its frontispiece. There's a label on the frontispiece, rendered in a beautiful, calligraphic hand. It reads, "Ex libris Philippus Vitreus." The ornate design catches Desi's attention, even though the words have no meaning for her. She closes the book and hands it to Abe.
  • Desi asks Abe where he gets his books; as they don't appear to come from Barnes and Noble. Abe explains that he gets them from auctions, collectors, estate sales, antique stores. Those sorts of events. He'll travel throughout the tri-state area to acquire paraphernalia. He invites Desi to come along with him on such a trip sometime; an invitation Desi politely evades. She asks Abe to call her as soon as he has more information on Aristartes the Opener. Desi then leaves.
• JD enters Coyote's hospital room. 
  • The doctor looks up. It appears he was expecting someone else. Nina is sitting quietly in the room. Like JD, Nina isn't a Carmina, although she hangs with them. Unlike JD, Nina has never been terribly close to Coyote, so she feels really awkward about being the only person here with him. JD's arrival is a great relief to Nina.
  • Dr. Ross thanks JD for getting him the information about Coyote's family. She replies with, "I see you didn't waste any time." Dr. Ross gently, but unapologetically explains that he considers the act of keeping Coyote in this condition to be an affront to his dignity. JD counters that some of Coyote's friends may not get the chance to say goodbye. Dr. Ross pauses. After a moment, he says he didn't think of that and he apologizes. He gives JD a few minutes alone with Coyote. After the doctor leaves, JD says to Coyote, "Life really sucks, doesn't it? I figure this is how you'd want it. The others are on their way. I'm sorry about how this whole thing turned out."
  • Dr. Ross reenters the room with an older gentleman. He says to JD and Nina, "This is Dan. He works for the court system. He needs to witness the procedure. I really can't keep him. I'm sure you'll have time afterward to say your goodbyes." JD elects to remain in the room as Dr. Ross begins powering down the life-support equipment. 02:42:47
• Ice, propped up by Kevin, has gotten to the Carmines' house
  • Several of the Carmines, including Spyder, are outside. They see the duo approaching. Concerned by what they see, they approach. Kevin asks Ice quietly, "Are you sure this is where you want to go?" Ice assures Kevin that it is. The Carmines ask Ice to explain why he's hanging around a guy who's dressed kinda like a cop. They let Ice and Kevin pass.
  • Inside the house, Ice and Kevin approach Ghost. Ice tells Ghost that they're pulling the plug on Coyote. Ghost listens, then addresses the entire house in a firm and loud voice: "Everybody! The doctors say that Coyote is dying. Anybody who wants the chance to say goodbye needs to do it soon. I'm going over there now." Murmured conversations ripple throughout the house.
  • Back in the hospital, Dr. Ross finishes turning off all the therapeutic machines. He then starts unplugging them. When he's finished, only the diagnostic equipment is still connected to Coyote and running. One of the machines begins to alarm, surprising Dr. Ross. "His blood pressure is dropping fast. I didn't expect this to happen so soon."
  • In the Carmines' house, Ghost turns to Ice and says, "OK, let's go." Then his eyes flutter and roll back into his head. He drops to the floor.
  • Kevin immediately slips into security-guard mode and takes charge. "Step back, give him air!" he shouts. Kevin check Ghost's vitals while Ice quietly assures the anxious Carmines that Kevin is on the up-and-up. Kevin realizes that Ghost is in shock -- his blood pressure is dangerously low and he feels clammy. Ghost has to get to a hospital immediately or he'll die. Most unnerving to Kevin is that there is no logical explanation how Ghost could go from standing and speaking to this condition in a matter of seconds. Usually, it would take the loss of a lot of blood to induce this state. "He needs a hospital now!" Carmines with cars step forward and volunteer to drive.
  • Cut to a scene of the Carmines getting Ghost into a car. Kevin is seated right next to Ghost. He's asked for and been provided with blankets to keep Ghost warm.
  • Back at the hospital, Nina's pager goes off. She excuses herself. A few minutes later, she returns to Coyote's room and tells JD, "That was Ice. Something's wrong with Ghost. There's some guy with them who said he's in shock; his blood pressure's really low." JD reflexively looks up at the monitor at Coyote's blood pressure, which is falling rapidly. "They're bringing Ghost in to the hospital. They're on their way now."
  • Dr. Ross says somberly to Dan Bolinsky, "I don't have an explanation for this. Nothing that I turned off controls his heart rate or blood pressure." JD asks what will happen next. 02:53:15
  • Kevin calls ahead to the hospital to notify them that they're bringing in a patient in shock. Because in TV land, there's only one doctor on duty in a hospital at any given time, a nurse notifies Dr. Ross that there's a patient who's on his way into the emergency room. She rattles off a short list of the incoming's vital signs. JD looks up and sees the exact same values on Coyote's read-out. Dr. Ross doesn't notice this. He excuses himself to head down to the emergency room. Dan says he's finished here and heads out as well. Nina goes with them to wait for Ghost's arrival in the emergency room.
  • JD is now alone in the room with Coyote. She takes his hand and tells him, "Like I said before, I know it sucks. I know it's not what you wanted. But I don't know if the outcome would have been much different. At one point, the two gangs [Carmines and Lobos] were equal. But there's something supernatural going on out there now. And there's nothing you could have done. There's nothing you can do now. You have to let Ghost handle things now. I know you would want what's best for the Carmines. I swear to you I'll make sure that the head of the Lobos pays for this."
  • Cut to the car that's taking Ghost to the hospital. Kevin is on the phone with the hospital. In mid-sentence, Kevin is startled by Ghost suddenly and loudly drawing in breath, like a man who was on the verge of drowning and who broke the surface of the water just in time. In contrast, Coyote's blood-pressure values and pulse rate continue to decrease on the monitor. Coyote doesn't squeeze JD's hand. There's no evidence at all that he's aware of his surroundings. JD brings Coyote's hand up to her face. As the camera slowly zooms in on JD, the shot stays on her for about three or four seconds. We notice, but JD does not, that her watch says 9:15 p.m. Then, off-camera, we hear the steady tone that a heart monitor makes when the patient flat-lines. 
  • The Carmín car pulls up at the hospital. Carmines pour out of it, making it almost reminiscent of a clown car. Paramedics in white coats are standing there to treat the victim, as soon as they can identify him. Finally, the only ones left in the car are Ghost and Kevin. Kevin calls to the paramedics, "Right here!" Ghost's eyes are open, but he looks as if he's run a marathon. The paramedics load Ghost onto a gurney and take him into the hospital.
  • As Ghost is wheeled through the corridors, the audio is only music, no dialog. Ghost is obviously responsive, but very weak. Nina takes Ghost's hand and brings it to her face, in an eerie parallel of JD's posture with Coyote. Ghost smiles weakly. Although he looks exhausted, just the fact that he's conscious is very encouraging.
• Cut to Abe Solomon inside the Occult Emporium.
  •  It's after hours. He's reading a book on necromancy. He rubs his eyes and closes the book for a moment. To himself he says, "Well, I didn't really expect to find the answer in this one. But every once in a while, people reach across from one side of the grave to the other in an attempt to be helpful." He flips through the pages of the book one last time, quickly. Nothing catches his attention, and within a few seconds, he's at the frontispiece. The camera holds on the label on the frontispiece: Ex libris Philippus Vitreus. In voice-over, Abe says, "It's always worth a shot, though." Cut to black. Roll end credits.

Director's Commentary on this Episode.