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This extensive write-up from the efforts of Blair Rhodes!

The show opens on the grand vista that is Exeter high, all sixties blocky angles and high windows like arrow slits. There are lush green gardens to break up the synthetic edifaces, students hanging around staircases (neither up nor down), and an unfortunate freshman duct-taped to the flagpole. The school is equipped with two football fields, the larger one (behind the school) having the bleachers. Three pairs of shoes are shown walking forwards, one after the other: beat-up red Converse Chucks, then black sneakers covered with drawings in White-Out, then Chloe[TM] pale blue leather ballet flats. We now see the three people (Candy, Cynth and Cass) converge. Cass idly hefts her satchel, subtly drawing attention to the fact it's not a backpack. Conversation reveals that Cynth dropped them off.

Cass asks directions to the principal's office (she has to check in). Candy knows the way, and goes to lend the duct-taped freshman her pen-knife. Cass: "Who was it last year?" Candy: "Uh, Phil." Cass spots some strangely familiar faces. It's Troy, sitting on his own, playing with his yoyo (no, literally). Candy explains how the "ADD Duo" eventually went their separate ways. She points out Alistair, a jacketed jock(!) surrounded by a coterie of cuties including a hot black(!) girl, and Stephie. "Stephie's with Alistair?!" Cass squeaks incredulously. "Yeah, I think they go to 'college parties'," Candy reports. For posterity's sake, Cass takes a photo of them. She notices that Lollie's nowhere to be seen. Candy reports the two fell out. Cynth wants to share news about the band. Lollie approachs and Candy darts to do that penkife-lending thing. Lollie squeals like, well, a high school blonde and hugs the girl from NYC. Cynth mentions that their band is called "Black Orchid".

Next thing you know, the students are in assembly. Principal Bidwell drones on about how the seniors are now expected to live up to their full potential. This means being leaders and setting an example to the younger students. He introduces three new members of staff: Ms Preston, drama teacher (attractive, vibrant, possibly neurotic); Mr Lyle, geography (blue slacks and shirt, and that's about it) and Miss Tamerlaine, science (scatty, big hair and big specs). As an afterthought, the Principal notes that the Western Corridor has finally been re-opened following repair work for fire damage. This news creates an audible ripple of nervousness throughout the student body. Cass: "Isn't it... haunted?" Candy: "Well... I know nobody goes THERE..." Cass: "Then why go there?" Candy: "There's no guards." Cass: "... Did you have anything to do with the fire?" Candy, looking slightly less than innocent: "No!"

OPENING CREDITS

Principal Bidwell is in one-on-one conference with Zak, Can and Cynth. All the meetings seem to roll into one, the slatted sunlight painting slowly-changing patterns on the wall. Cynth apparently needs "special attention"; "... but I passed," she whimpers. Cass will also be subject of some "special attention": being a big city girl, she might be out of touch with the way things are done in a small town like Exeter, where everybody knows everybody's business. Zak has earned something of a "reputation": there are notes from everyone on his file. Bidwell pauses, and wants Zak to know that if he's ever... unhappy, that he'll be there to talk. In any case, because of struggling with academic work, Cynth is now in the school's mentor programme; she'll be assigned a teacher-mentor in her free periods (as will Zak and Cass) "So, that's no time after school, right?" Cynth asks.

On a mission, Zak enters the West Corridor. Students travel the windowless hall, books clutched protectively to their chests like wards. He arrives at a door that's slightly ajar. He enters Miss Tamerlaine's den of disorganisation, with papers piled high everywhere and science paraphenalia scattered in such a manner to cause any custodian an infarction. The new teacher doesn't know who he is at first, and Zak is only too happy to string her along. She removes a rat cage from a chair, can't find a place for it, so hands it to Zak (still with the startled rat inside). They get down to business; her records show that he has "emotional tendencies". Zak informs HER that HIS records show that she has "trouble communicating" and is "scatterbrained." Zak: "Because after all, Miss Tamerlain, there IS a permanent record...!" Miss Tamerlaine reassures him she's here to help him at Exeter High. Zak thanks her and announces that they're done for their first day. Pleased with their progress, she has him sign a form saying she's mentorted him, and Zak makes a time the next day at 11:00 to show her around the school. Zak: "I'll be in the music room if you need me."

Cynth arrives at a teacher's office. She knocks and enters timidly. Things don't go well with Mr Lyle from the outset, with him having trouble pronouncing her full name. By contrast, the geography teacher's room is fastidiously tidy. He gives the young student a pep talk, pacing up and down like a detective as he verbally dissects her student record. "I passed..." she protests meekly. Lyle consults a stack of papers. Lyle: "Well, your results are telling me that you consistently underperfrom and then manage to scrape through with a final effort. Would you agree that's a fair assessment?" Cynth: "Well... that's just how I perform." Lyle changes tack, asking Cynth about her band, and how much time she spends practicing, intimating that time spent on the band is time taken from schoolwork. Cynth points out she works on schoolwork in school time, and spends after school time on the band. Again, Lyle changes direction, casually letting slip he played bass in a punk band, before essentially putting aside childish things. Lyle: "In the end, you'll have to decide what's important, and what's not, and I hope it's not a choice you end up regretting." Cynth is adamant she won't give up. They shake hands (good touch, not a bad touch!), and enjoy a clean break.

Meanwhile, Cass has arrived at a teacher's office, the door emblazoned with a hand-made sign. She enters and assists Ms Preston in aligning a landscape. The arty teacher is excited that Cass attended a name-brand school in the Big Apple, coincidentally the one that Ms Preston's ex is teaching at. She recalls him somewhat fondly "... he was so PASSIONATE, and REAL...". Cass reveals she's already accepted an offer from a prestigeous Univerity. However, since they won't take her until she's 18, she's essentially marking the seven months until her birthday. That aside, she tells Ms Preston she'll take what she can get. Ms Preston is reorganising the drama department. Preston: "I feel you're a kindred spirit. I'll be keeping a lookout for people such as yourself, who don't quite fit in... and we can have some fun!" The teacher-mentor announces she's having a little get-together tomorrow afternoon, and hopes to see Cass there.

Lunchtime finds the students outside, doing the thing that students do second-best: complaining. Cynth can't understand why she was assigned a geography teacher. Cass is more concerned that they were assigned new teachers who don't know the way the school works. Zak doesn't think this is a disadvantage: "We can mould them to our needs." They're discussing Ms Preston when Max appears. Cass: "So, you narrowly missed being duct-taped, hunh?" Max: "Are you STILL telling that story?!" Max is interested in having a band meeting. Max: "Oh, you're all on the mentor programme?" "All the cool kids are going it!" Zak retorts. Candy: "Hey!" Zak smirks. "How was the lounge last night?" Candy wigs out and proceeds to relate the tale of this owl that perched in the trees immediately outside and hooted basically all night, robbing her of precious Slayer-sleep. Max and Cass compare notes on classes (driving seems popular, though it's remedial driving for Zak). Max leaves as Zak asks whether it'd be wrong to skip class on the first day of school. Candy: "Is that a moral question?" Zak: "It's more logistic. I could just walk out the gate." Candy reminds them about their mentors; Zak apparently has an idea.

Meanwhile, Alistair and Clarise make their way through the school. Alistair amuses himself by coming up with slogans for Clarise. Alistair: "Clarise... she's so black, she's white!" The debutante in question is busy checking her reflection in her RAZR[TM]. Clarise: "What are you, my second publicist?" He wants to go to the romatically secluded janitor's closet. Clarise: "Er, why?" Alistair: "Duh, so we don't have to go to class." Clarise: "... This has possibilities." On the way, they have to duck out of sight as Ms Preston storms out of her office. "I'm wasted here!" she fumes. "I wish I was-!" smirks Alistair.

The two students enter maintenence hall. It's a long windowless hall divided down the middle by shelves. Cheap orage-tinted lights hang overhead in spherical wire cages. There is a rhythmic buzzing and "POP"ing sound. Alistair: "Frogs?" At the end of the hall, opposite the door and on the far side of the central shelving is an old deep freeze, padlocked shut. The noise apparently comes from here. Alistair: "Frozen frogs?"

Suddenly, the door behind them slams shut, and is then secured. They take cover behind the deep freeze. There is a disgusting slurping, oozing sound, and then a hiss like steam, followed by another and another. Something is approaching them! Tentatively, the two peer around the deep freeze. Slowly stalking down the hall, horrible in aspect, is a large dog-like creature. It's coal black skin sloughs the light, and firey eyes blaze with eldritch fire. Steam snakes upwards from its paws as the thing advances, the floor burning at its foul touch. Alistair undermines his manhood and screams shrilly like a little girl.

...and we hit the COMMERCIAL BREAK

ACT II

The dog creature advances on them as the two compromised students bicker. Clarise: "WHO'S idea was it to come here?!" Alistair: "I didn't know this was going to happen!" Clarise: "If you think you're getting ANYWHERE with me now, Mister-!" Alistair bravely makes a break for it as Clarise kicks off her shoes and follows, both putting the central shelves between themselves and the devil dog. It's claws click and rattle on the floor as it rounds the corner and launches itself after the fleeing teens. Alistair desperately heaves at a section of shelving, bringing it down in front of the slathering maw. Clarise makes it to the door, ignoring the pain in her feet, grabs the handle, and the floor slips away from her. Alistair races to join her. They just manage to get the door open and dive through before the cthonian canine is upon them, the door desperately slammed on that horrible visage as they make good their escape, Clarise trailing bloody footprints.

Meanwhile, Candy, Cass and Cynth are hanging out at the bleachers. Bret wanders up. Cass and Cynth discuss how to get home. Candy introduces the young artist to her friends. Bret mentions he's doing drama, and seems unconcerned that Cass is also. Bret: "I didn't know you were into drama. Beats government. I mean, who'd do THAT?" "Yeah, I had my first class in it today," Candy mentions off-hand. "We're gonna do a model UN." Bret looks a little uncomfortable at his faux pas, so she throws him a bone, thanking him for the photo. Cass also compliments Bret on the studio photo. Candy asks him about his upcoming exhibition, claiming her step-dad's interested. Bret invites her along. He leaves, and Cass determines that Candy's date with Bret is he reason her phone was off during the beginning of the Goober incident. Out of the blue, Cass tells Candy - based on Bret's studio photo - that she could model. She offers to show Candy her portfolio. Then suddenly, nothing happens. They sigh in boredom. Reluctantly, they head back towards classes, dicussing the significance of PE.

The spell of apathy is broken when they literally run into Alistair and Clarise in a near-collision of comic proportion. Alistair is obviously distressed, and Clarise appears to be disorientated, carrying her shoes in one tremling hand. Cass is outraged and concerned with Clarise by turns. Cass: "Hey! You bled on my shoes!... Hey! You're bleeding-!" Alistair babbles about a big dog-thing in the maintinence hall. "There was this big dog-thing, and it had these big teeth and -" He turns to Clarise for support. "You saw it, didn't you?!" "No, I didn't, and neither did you!" Clarise grimaces, picking shards of something from her feet, blood ink-dark against her ebony skin. Zak notices a trail of bloody footprints behind the two teens. He suggests she goes to the nurse and offers to help. "I can make it myself, Zak," Clarise sneers, obviously in pain. She leaves, with Alistair tagging along like an errant knight. The others try to make sense of what just happened, while following the trail Candy: "What were they ON?" Cass: "Well, they were obviously in that maintinence hall together. Maybe it just got crazy. ... That's near the West Corridor, right? Didn't you damage it with a firebomb?" The Slayer is indignant. Candy: "Look, I was there, but that fire wasn't my fault!"

The two round a corner and see a figure, backlit from cheap, eerie orange light bleeding from the so-called haunted corridor and briefly glistening on the floor as the Corridor entrance is closed. The figure goes to the staff room and closes the door behind it. They realise Clarise's bloody trail ends in line of sight of the West Corridor's entrance; the light was reflecting off a recently-cleaned floor. Cass keenly studies the teachers' room door at a distance, then realises from the lack of general impetuosness in the vicinity that Zak has apparently gone to class. They go to the maintinence hall. Candy enters the hall while Cass stands watch. Inside the hall, Candy sees something more disturbing than young blood: footprints melted into the mezzanine. She manages to get a photo of them, a giant step for something.

"What's going on?" Cass jumps and turn to see a suspicious geography teacher hovering suspiciously (as opposed to suspiciously hoveing). By the creases in his slacks, she can see Lyle means business. Lyle: "Someone opened the maintinence hall. Can you girls tell me anything about that?" Caught in the headlights, the girl from New York City thinks fast. Cass: "You're Cynth's mentor, right? She askerd me to come and speak to you. She doesn't feel comfortable in the mentor programme." "Well, I hardly feel this is an appropriate context fro discussing such a thing," the teacher harrumphs like a good patriarch. He terminates the conversation and disappears into the teachers' domain. Cass lets out a breathe as Candy joins her. It looks like Alexander was telling the truth(!) Candy: "Let's go."

Zak enteres the Stevens-Kight household through the back door, entering into the kitchen. The young man closes the door with exaggerated care, the muscles in his neck taunt. Suddenly, the visible tension explodes from within him, and he sweeps a nearby spice rack off the wall; wood, glass and spices smash together in a kalaedescopic jumble. Upstairs in his study, Brian reacts to the sound. Zak stomps up to his room and slams the door. Brian again reacts to the sound, and goes to investigate. He finds Zak in his room, music playng loud and incense wafting through the air, sweet and cloying like nostalgia. They talk about getting out of school early and flame-footted canines. Brian's brain jerks, and briefly he's back in the wild plains of Norfolk with his Euro-research buddies, quaffing Abbot Ale and searching for the Black Shuck. Retiring to his study, Brian examines the photos e-mailed to him by Candy of the charred footprints and the padlocked deep freeze. His brow furrows as his brain goes to work, piecing things together.

Meanwhile, during a moment of quiet contemplation, Cass offers to show Candy a photo of her boyfriend. What woman could resist? She shows Candy a picture of Benny, all intricately coiffed fauxhawk, winning come-hither grin and impeccably arranged designer stubble. Cass: "He's an 'Elite' model." Candy: "Yeah, I can see...!" Cass: "No, that's the name of the agency. We've been going out for six months." Candy is spared a reply by a painfully ostentatiuous convertible pulling up with Stephie at the wheel. She offers Cass a ride up the hill. Candy shrugs, releasing Cass to hop aboard the Stephie express. Cass: "So, this car must eat up those carbon credits, huh?" "Oh, I don't care about that," Steffie breezes. She's had the car a mere four months; her boyfriend picked it out (Cass winces slightly) - he's from Exeter College. "My boyfriend's an 'Elite' model!" Cass blurts. Stephie winces slightly.

In the school's music room, Lollie paces back and forth. Lollie: "Where is he?! He knows we have practice today!" 'Rockstar Supernova' this ain't (yet). Cynth call Zak. Lying on his bed, the young man answers his phone. He acts all shocked about holding up band practice, and promises to get there ASAP. Back at the "studio", Cynth unleashes the new song and lyrics ("melancholy/allegory") on them. Lollie: "... What do they mean...?" Cynth: "Well, since you're the face of my art... This part is how you're sad, because of the world and stuff..." She talks chords with Max when a certain teacher enters the studio, like a parent interrupting an intimate moment. Lyle: "I thought I heard a guitar!" Lollie is all girly smiles: "We're planning my band!" Lyle tries to prove he can hang with the kids by helping Max with the tough stuff (like chords). Cynth shakes her head: what a freak!

In his study, Brian reads hypertext and ancient manuscripts, piecing together information. Candy joins him and makes idle chatter. Brian is caught up in the spirit of the hunt and begins to enthusiastically tell Candy about his pursuit of the Black Shuck - but stops when he notices her expression. Instead, he hands her an "introductory" tome so thick she always thought it was a doorstop. She self-consciously asks if he wants her to leave him in peace, but Brian asks her to stay.

Brian asks her how she's sleeping, and Candy has an oppertunity to vent about the owl. By the time she's done, so is Brian. The owner of the pawprints is a Millakesh demon. They like to wear the skins of their prey, and having a ready supply of food, hence the deep freeze. Fortunately, Brian's uncovered the Heiss-Kinnear ritual, whereby those wearing false skins will be revealed, once touched with a snakeskin that's enchanted as part of the spell-casting. The spell is cast on a site, then those at the site are touched with the snakeskin, and ostensibly all is revealed (or not). Since there need to be as many possible subjects in range of the spell for maximum efficacy, it really has to be performed at the epicentre of the demon's appearance. Ground zero. The Western Corridor. We see a long view of said demon lair, retreating from the buzzing sounds and garish light until finally the entrance doors slams shut of their own accord, no doubt just blown by the wind.

ACT III

Zak pulls up to Exeter High in Meryl's car (last seen backing into the Stevens-Knight flower beds). A cigarette dangles anachronistically from his mouth. Maybe it's just the nicotine, but Zak is visibly shaking as he retrieves his instruments from the trunk. Grim-faced, he goes into the building, following the strains of adolescent lament. Meanwhile, Cass phones Candy to talk about what they did all day. Cass struggles with the concept of a Stephie-Lollie fallout. Candy: "Yeah, it was like this atomic bomb one lunchtime. They just went psycho on one another!" Taking the place of incidental music, we are treated to MTV-like interspersed shots of Black Orchid performing "Darkness Fills My Heart With Pain"; Lollie clutches the microphone stand like a dying lover as she pours out her carefully-constructed angst. The conversation continues. [Cynth drums furiously, attacking the punishing rhythm, almost unrecognisable from her normal shy self].

Cass remarks that Stephie apparently wants to be friends. [Brian holds up sheets of parchment and a leathery strip of skin, looking like he's going over a checklist]. [Zak joins Lollie at the mic and they musically thrash out their issues]. Cass and Candy shoot the proverbial breeze, the nature of battling demons, and whatever happened to Alison and her son. The Slayer is poker-faced. Candy: "He died." Cass: "Oh..." She arranges for her grandmother to drop her off at school so she can help.

At practice, Zak avises Max to step up his bass-playing by changing up. Zak demonstrates for the perplexed Max; it's quite clear that Zak's hands are sweating and shaking as he does so. Cass and Candy txt Cynth to bring her up to speed. Zak is visibly nervous that Candy is returning to school, obviously for some Slayer-type reason. Zak: "Candy? She's... coming back?" Cynth: "Yes, she's coming back... 'for a spell'." They try to clear things away to encourage Lollie to leave, but she channels Courtney Love - since she's the lead singer, she doesn't have to pack away any equipment. Max catches Cynth's eye, and manages to usher out Lollie. Cynth: "Thanks, Max."

Just outside, Brian and Candy meet Zak, Cynth and Cass. Brian: "Right, so everybody knows what they're doing. Let's go!" Cynth: "Er, no...!" Brain: "Right. Of course. Candy, Zak, I need you to be on hand to take out this demon once it's uncovered. Cynth, I want you with me to assist with the spell." He comes to Cass "... and-" snaps his fingers. "He doesn't even remember my name!" howls Cass. Brian assigns her to be on standby to run distraction; she grudgingly acquieses.

Candy reports there's an alcove near the teacher's office that the Brian and Cynth can use to cast the spell. Trying to be as unobtrusive as anyone drawing pentragrams in red sand on the floor of a public school can be, they lay out the snakeskin, light the snail-wax candles, unfurl the papyrus and begin chanting (discreetly). Suddenly, the teachers' room door is open and Mrs Preston trills and flounces towards certainly discovering the spell-casting. Brian and Cynth halt their chanting. Sashaying into action, Cass ably intercepts the dramtic drama teacher, blithely engaging her in conversation about upcoming projects. Equally suddenly, Miss Tamerlaine appears from the door opposite, steaming ahead and loaded for bear. Cass offers to carry those heavy boxes for the scatty science teacher, even if it means going the long way around (away from the spell-casting), which Cass says is ultimately quicker, fast-talking 'em like Eddie Murpy in his salad days by mentioning 'Black Orchid'. The teachers look like they're about to return to the teachers' room, when Candy appears and talks to Miss Tamelaine about the mentor programme.

Now in relative safety, Brian and Cynth breath the last eldritch syllables of the incantation. The candles flare and the sand swirls like a handful of red dust as the snakeskin between them inflates, then collapses empty and still once again. The Slayers East are across things, when Mr Lyle enters the equation by entering the increasingly-crowded hall. Cynth hears her mentor bark his suspicions about this unauthorised congregation and jumps to her feet, grabbing the snakeskin and rushing into the hallway. Cynth: "Mr Lyle!" She throws her arms around the startled teacher and hugs him. Cynth: "It's SO good to see you!" Cass ushers the two teachers away from the entrance to the western Corridor, ably lugging Miss Tamerliane's boxes. Perhaps attracted by the voices, Ms Preston appears.

Cynth releases Mr Lyle, who seems even more tense than normal. She darts to follow Candy and Cass. Brian exits the alcove to see a blandly-dressed man with every muscle in his arms and neck straining awkwardly entering an office. Through the glass, Lyle's silhouette writhes. Brian sends Zak to fetch Candy, who has disappeared around the corner. Meanwhile, Candy recieves the snakeskin from Cynth and nimbly wraps it around Miss Tamerlaine's wrist. Candy: "Wouldn't this make a lovely bracelet?". She reacts, Cass starts and the boxes tumble from her frozen hands stangely slowly as the teacher's skin sloughs off her in a moist torrent of flesh, splattering to the floor.

ACT IV

From behind Lyle's office door, Brian sees the silhouette throw up its arms then suddenly bend double like a jacknife, out of sight. There is a wet splattering sound... and a ghost taste of East Anglian ale catches in Brian's throat as an unearthly growl rumbles from inside the office. The door unhelpfuly creaks open, a rhythmic hissing sound biting at his ears. The hideous dog-like demon inside bares basalt teeth as it advances.

Meanwhile, through a thin mist rising from burning its pawprints, Cass Cynth and Zak back away from the demon's slathering maw. Cass nimbly gets behind Candy as the Slayer hurls a heavy box of science apparatus at it. Knotted muscles ripple beneath leathery flash as the demon moves its head to the side and the box goes crashing harmlessly past.

Cass snatches up the snakeskin and disappears back towards the Western Corridor. Zak enters the maintinence hall. Cass arrives back and hurls the snakeskin at Ms Preston. It wraps wetly around the drama teacher's face, causing her considerable distress.

The Tamerlaine-demon growls and lunges, cracking Candy across the face with a paw that's more a hoof. She sees stars, and the floor smacks her in the back.

Brian manages to sidestep as the Lyle-demon lunges for him. He snatches a fire retardant blanket from its wall mount.

Ms Preston writhes on the floor, struggling to remove the snakeskin facepack. Zak grabs he and drags her into the maintinence hall.

Cynth sees Brian trying to make like a matador, and throws a phial of holy water on the thing's carcass. It snarls as the liquid burns its thick, fetid hide. For her part, Cass likewise annoints the Tamerlaine-demon, which recoils and howls at the holy liquid's touch. It roars in pain and leaps at the Slayer, but she's already up and somersaults impossibly high to avoid the snapping teeth.

The Lyle-demon essentially calls Brian's bluff and pins him to a wall, thudding a burning a paw into his aged flesh. The searing pain of the wound unleashes the beast in the academic and he yells in fury.

Cass blindsides the Tamerlaine demon and empties a vial along its knotted spine. The demon squeals and roars as it thrashes madly about, paws burning a crazy pattern in the floor and walls.

In the maintinence hall, Zak looks around for an escape route. Cynth throws a spherical holy water bomb at the Lyle demon, but its grappling with Brian throws off her aim and the wall gets consecrated. The Tamerlaine demon attacks Cynth with a snarl (and tooth and claw), but Candy intercepts the demon with her sword, and it goes down with a hiss and a roar.

In the relative seclusion of the maintinence hall, Zak finds the "popping" deep freeze and crowbars it open. The lid flies open and two skinless human forms lying in (frozen) state stare fixedly upwards, grinning as if at someone's gallows humour. Zak doubles up; his lunch burns as it comes up, splattering richly on the floor already pitted with pawmarks. He tries to wipe away the bitter taste, and goes to check on the shellshocked Ms Preston. Preston: "I expected some prank, being new and all... but, really-!"

Brian manages to throw the fire-retardant blanket over the snapping maw, blunting the Lyle-demon's attack. Cass and Cynth waste no time in dousing the thrashing beast with holy water, causing it to shriek horribly. Brian tears a fire extinguisher from a wall mount and swings the scarlet cannister in a wide arc to connect with the bulge under the blanket with dull "CLANG". Having no more holy water, it is Cynth's black Converse that carries the day - she stamps on the blanket-covered demon, and it thrashes no more.

Zak meets up with Cass, essentially dragging Ms Preston with him. Zak: "Let's get her out safely." He unwraps the snakeskin from the teacher's shoulders and drops it unceremoniously at Candy's feet. Zak and Cass escort the shaken teacher from the school. Candy and Brian argue briefly about how much to involve the police and how to cover their tracks before following the Slayer's lead. Brian fingers the wound on his chest. Brian: "Let's go to the pharmacy for some burn cream." Candy: "Oh, I'm OK." Brian: "That's great I'm not!"

Outside, Zak trembles in the later afternoon sun. He lights a cigarette with automatic hand and walks off into the sunset, not looking back and Cass calling after him. Cynth drops off Cass at her grandmother's.

Zak arrives home, greeting Meryll in the kitchen. Zak: "By the way, your car's at school." On her way home, Cynth passes a certain house and smiles at the rocking-out silhouette of Max practising guitar. Alone in her room, Cass is talking to someone on her earpiece (presumably Benny). After sundown, Candy goes on patrol, pushing herself onwards through the darkness. Brian is fussing as Meryll tends to his wounds. Meryll: "How do you get yourself into these situations?!" Brian: "Love, honour and cherish- ouch! You're enjoying this!" Grim-faced, Candy runs on through the night. She hears a sound, and a stake fills her hand as she goes into action.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: MORGAN DAVIE

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