Constantine City of Demons (2018)

[bunniefuu]

(SCREAMING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

How you doing, mate?
Treating you good, are they?

Spoke to Dr. Hunter.

He thinks you're making some progress.

Before you know it, we'll be
back on the road with the band.

Of course, we'll have
to find replacements

for Alan and Steve.

God bless the poor bastards.

But all in good time, right?

- Brought you something.
- (SMOKE WHOOSHING)

Not the esoteric stuff
you usually go for.

Beats staring out the window, right?

I mean, you...

Johnny.

Johnny, what are you doing?

You swore you were gonna stop.

No more magic, right?

No more magic!

(CRYING) have to.

I... I have to. I have to.

I can't let it happen again, Chas.

(SOBBING) I can't

let it happen again.

I can't let it happen again!

Some help in here!

I can't let it happen...

(GROANING)

Hey, easy on him. Jesus!

(CONSTANTINE BREATHING HEAVILY)

(GRUNTING)

I can't... Can't...

Let it happen...

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

WOMAN: You had an affair
and now she's pregnant?

(CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE)

MAN: That's great news.
I'm so happy for you.

(CONVERSATIONS STOP)

WOMAN: Queen of Angels.

(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)

(GASPING)

Last time I ever drink like that.

(SCOFFING) Yeah, right.

Tell us another one, John.

- (GROWLING)
- Jesus!

I must be still dreaming.

(GROANING)
Nope, definitely not dreaming.

(GRUNTING)

What are you?

We're you, Johnny.

Like hell you are.

"Materialized psychisms,"
Jung called us.

Projections from the unconscious.

Your own inner demons

given physical form.

Oh, that's not good.

And the only way I'm going to
stop you nasty little buggers

is to take you back!

(CASTING SPELL)

(ALL SCREECHING)

(SIGHS)

(YELLING)

(PANTING)

Something opened a door between

my conscious and unconscious mind

and let them out.

That's never happened before.

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Christ. We don't want any!

CHAS: Open the bloody door, John.

Chas?

Maybe this isn't a good time.

It's never a good time, mate.

You look like sh*t.

Oh, thanks, mate.

And how have you been
this past, what is it?

Nine years, 10?

Since you spewed up all over
Renee's aunty at the wedding.

She took it well, I thought.

The aunty, not Renee.

So, you two
lived happily ever after, eh?

Not exactly.

We've been separated for seven months.

Who'd you shag then, knob-head?

Nobody.

If it was as simple as that,

- maybe we could've...
- Could've what?

(SIGHING) I don't know.

We were happy, we really were.

In the past few years,

I've been in a kind of dark place.

Pushing Renee away.

Drinking myself sick.

I, uh...

You... What?

I thought I was past it, John.

After all this time.

(SCREAMING)

I thought I was past it.

Why are you here, Chas?

It's not for marital advice,

and it's not 'cause you've
missed me all these years,

that's for sure.

Maybe I have.

You were my best mate, John.

Since we were 10 years old.

Why are you here?

Since Renee kicked me out,

it's like my whole world's gone dark.

Only decent thing
I've been able to hold on to

is my little girl.

You have a kid?

(CHUCKLING) She's eight years old.

I sent you a bloody announcement
when she was born.

Must have missed that one.

Trish is...

She's the only light in my world.

The only hope... And, uh...

What?

She's in a coma.

Doctors haven't a clue what caused it

or how to cure it.

But I've spent enough time around you

to smell the stink of dark magic.

It's convenient to pin our troubles

on some devil lurking
in the shadows, Chas.

But sometimes,

shitty things happen

because that's just the way
the world is.

CHAS: Just come have a look at her.

That's all I'm asking.

CONSTANTINE: Saving kids isn't something
I'm very good at,

as you know better than most.

But it's different this time, John.

It's my daughter.

My daughter.

All the more reason
not to bring me into it.

No, no.

- I won't have him here.
- He can help.

Help?

He's a disease that infects
everything around him.

And I won't have him infecting my girl.

Chuffed to see you too, Renee.

How long do you need?

Five minutes.

Alone.

Five minutes, Renee.

These bloody doctors can't do anything,

maybe he can.

Five minutes.

(MACHINES BEEPING)

Not a second more.

(GROANS)

(SCREAMING)

(HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)

Hello, Trish.

I'm John.

Mind if I have a look at your aura?

Tainted...

By what?

Let's have a look inside.

Jeez! Bloody hell!

(SPEAKING DEMON LANGUAGE)

Chas, Renee, I'm gonna need
a little more than five minutes.

Why? What are you up to, John?

I'm calling in a specialist.

John, John!

John!

(CHANTING SPELL)

Ugh, your timing sucks, Johnny.

I was right in the middle of a threesome

with a dryad and a sylph.

Both of whom, I might add,

are better in the sack
than you ever were.

Hey, you were nothing to write
home to my mum about either, love.

(SCOFFS) We both know that's not true.

Now what do you want
from the Nightmare Nurse?

Well, I did swear an oath
to preserve life, do no harm,

and all that other crap.

So, what do you think?

I think you should shut up
and let me do my job.

It's possession, right?

What part of shut up
don't you understand?

It's not possession

because there's nothing here to possess.

What?

Her physical form is here

but her essence, her soul...

It's gone.

Well, someone was there a minute ago.

Let's find out who.

(GROANS)

(AS TRISH) Help me!

Trish, Trish, where are you?

In a... In a cage, I think.

It's hard to see.

And it's so cold.

Are you alone?

All alone.

Except when he comes.

Who, Trish? Who comes?

The nasty man.

Does he have a name?

(GASPING)

Trish, does he have a name?

(AS DEMON) I have many names.

Be careful to choose the right one.

Well, then tell me what the name is.

Guess.

This isn't a bloody game.

(CHUCKLING) It is to me.

What do you want with the girl?

Ooh, so many questions

buzzing in your little gnat brain.

But if you want answers,
John Constantine,

you'll have to come by for a visit.

Come by? Come by where?

(SCREAMING)

CHAS: John! John, open the damn door!

(ASA PANTING)

Asa, are you okay?

Give me a second to put my dress on.

Son of a bitch!

If I was human, I'd be toast now.

But I'll get the paperwork written up
as soon as I can.

What the hell, John? Who's she?

A private nurse I've hired
to watch over Trish while I'm away.

Away?

Well, where are you going?

Los Angeles, apparently.

MAN 1: I'll never leave you, I swear.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

MAN 2: Set a meeting for Tuesday.

(CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE)

- (HIGH-PITCHED RINGING)
- (GASPING)

That's the same dream I had before

all the psychisms came crawling out.

Someone's messing with my head.

Maybe it's early-onset dementia.

(SCOFFING) I should be so lucky.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT ON PA:
Ladies and gentlemen,

as we prepare for landing,

please be certain your seat belts
are securely fastened.

No problem.

Beautiful, isn't it?

We're not on
a sightseeing tour, knob-head.

I don't know how I let you talk me

into taking you along.

It's my natural charm.

You can't resist it.

She's my kid, John.

I have to be part of this.

Besides, you need a driver.

I can drive myself.

Ha! Come off it.

Five minutes behind the wheel

and you'll be wrapped around
a palm tree.

- (TURBULENCE)
- (WHIMPERS)

Oh, good thing I can depend
on your nerves of steel.

Listen,

we're messing with deep,
dark magic here, Chas.

Deeper than Newcastle?

(SCREAMING)

Can't change the past, Chas.

No. But you can change this.

- Even if we can save Trish...
- We will.

You will.

If there's one thing
I've learned over the years,

it's that there are no happy endings.

There never are.

There's always a price to pay.

No price is too high
when it comes to my little girl.

Tell me that after you've paid it, mate.

Yeah. You're gonna be a huge help.

(RINGING)

Come on, knob-head, let's go pay a visit

to the bastard who's got your girl.

CHAS: You think it's a trap?

- John.
- What?

You think it's a trap?

Chas, it's always a bloody trap.

RENEE: Are you sure we're the only ones

who can see that, whatever it is?

The Shield of Ermed
will protect Trish's body,

anchor it here while John
searches out her soul.

Lost souls, mystic shields, Demons.

This is...

Oh, this is crazy.

You people go about your lives
like sleepwalkers.

You have no idea what's out there.

The darkness that's hovering
on the periphery of your vision.

(GROWLING)

I know more than you think.

Darkness you talk about.

It nearly destroyed my husband.

He was with John in Newcastle.

So, you know the story?

Just scraps of it.

Johnny boy likes
to brag about his exploits.

But not that one.

(SCOFFING) It was years before
Chas finally told me.

Tell me.

About Newcastle? No.

(INHALING) I can't.

I just...

It wasn't a request.

RENEE: They were inseparable,
John and Chas,

from the time they were kids
growing up in Liverpool.

Looked after each other.

God knows their families couldn't.

Opposites, you know?

Chas was attracted
to John's unpredictability.

And John, he was drawn
to Chas' soft heart.

I think it was the music
more than anything that bonded them.

- (ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)
- They were obsessed.

Had to learn to play.

Had to form a band.

They spent years performing in
shitholes for a percentage of the door.

They always thought they were
a day away from fame and fortune.

Maybe it would've worked out

if they hadn't ended up in Newcastle.

The Casanova Club was run
by a twisted bastard named Alex Logue.

Fancied himself a sorcerer.

(SCOFFING) Had what he called
"magical convocations"

in the rooms under the club.

Don't ask me what that means.

I don't wanna know.

(WHIMPERING)

But I do know that Logue
used his daughter, Astra,

as a focal point for his spells.

A human channel to draw the dark magic

down into the physical world.

(SOBBING)

(SCREAMING)

His own child.

Can you imagine?

Oh, it was bad.

And then, John Constantine
went and made it worse.

You see, John was another one

who fancied himself a magician.

Been studying the occult
since he was a boy,

claimed he had a natural gift.

(ASTRA SOBBING)

- Logue had been a mentor to him...
- (CHANTING SPELL)

...but when John found out what
was happening with the girl,

he decided he was gonna save Astra.

He could've just called the cops,

but that would've been too easy.

- (CHANTING SPELL)
- And of course Chas,

the loyal idiot,
was right there with him.

And what better way to stop
a devil like Alex Logue

than by summoning a bigger one.

(GROWLING)

(GASPS)

A real one.

(ROARING)

That was John's logic.

And it worked, up to a point.

(YELPING)

(GROANING)

(NECK SNAPS)

- (SLASHING)
- (SCREAMING)

- (JAWS BITING)
- (CHOKING)

- (SLICING)
- (SCREAMING)

(SNARLING)

- (ROARING)
- (SCREAMING)

John thought he could use Nergal

to put the fear into Logue
and his friends,

and get Astra away from them.

But he was arrogant even then.

Our John didn't know half
of what he thought he did.

So, he never wove a binding
spell around the demon,

which means he couldn't control it.

- (DEMON SNARLING)
- Couldn't stop Nergal...

(BOTH GASPING)

(SCREAMING)

(GROWLING)

...from unleashing hell on Earth.

(ALL SCREAMING)

(NERGAL ROARING)

(ALL SCREAMING)

Some got out, some didn't,

and John... (SIGHING)

Well, he learned that night

that his natural gift...

Wasn't gift enough.

(WHIMPERING)

(SCREAMING)

No!

(GASPS)

No!

(SCREAMING)

(YELLING)

And that's how John
ended up in Ravenscar.

(GASPING)

And my Chas just
soldiered on all those years.

No! No!

Pretending everything
was all right. (SCOFFING)

I believed him, too.

But once you've been through
something like that,

it never can be.

(RENEE SOBBING)

Can it?

About Newcastle?

No, I can't.

We're just...

That's all right.

If you don't wanna tell me,
you don't have to.

You could've sprung for
something bigger, John.

I feel like I'm in a bloody clown car.

I didn't see you reaching
into your pocket to help.

How's that for you?

(LAUGHING)

(BOTH LAUGHING)

Weird.

- What?
- Don't know.

Maybe it's the jet lag
or maybe it's this city.

I'm used to London.

I know her. Down to every alley.

Every shadowed corner of her soul.

But this place...

Too much light.

I could use a bit of light right now.

Well, you soak it in, mate.

Me, I don't trust it.

CHAS: This is it. 1247 Enstrom.

- You one for anagrams, Chas?
- No.

Why?

Enstrom. Move the letters around,

and what have you got?

Monster.

(CHUCKLES)

It's funny, eh?

Yeah.

I'm in hysterics.

(SNORTS)

Yes.

Clearly the right place.

I think we're expected.

Enter freely and of your own free will.

I've always wanted to say that.

(DOOR CLOSING)

(FLY BUZZING)

- (GRUNTING)
- Oi!

Master Beroul will be down presently.

Please wait right here.

- (SQUELCHING)
- Ugh.

Bollocks!

Oi! He said to wait here.

Yeah. And that's just
what I want you to do.

(DOOR CREAKING)

(GAGGING)

I rather like the smell.

Master Beroul, I presume.

Beroul will suffice.

Oh. The pool's not ready yet.

I've got to wait
for the bodies to liquefy,

dredge out the bones.

And then?

Use it for my daily swim, of course.

Ugh. Lovely.

Isn't it, though?
A man needs to stay in shape.

Uh, you're no bloody man.

Something you'd do well
to remember, Mr. Constantine.

You know me.

Your reputation precedes you.

(GROANING)

Why else would I go
to all this trouble to bring you here?

Ah, you used Trish as a lure.

(SCOFFING) Mr. Chandler
is one of the few people

on this Earth you care about.

I knew you wouldn't refuse
your old friend's plea for help.

You could've just texted me.

And would you have come? (CHUCKLING)

A man of your nature, John,

requires something more theatrical, hmm?

More dangerous.

What's this all about?

I'll explain everything.

At the party.

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

(SCREAMING CONTINUES)

(BATS SQUEAKING)

(SCREAMING CONTINUES)

(SCREAMS)

(LAUGHING)

(INAUDIBLE)

WOMAN: No!

(STRAINING)

(LAUGHING)

I adore old Hollywood, don't you?

Of course, if you don't like the 1920s,

something a bit
more contemporary, perhaps.

(1980s MUSIC PLAYING)

You're gonna die. You're gonna die.

(PEOPLE GROANING)

Dance.

Uh... I don't think so.

Out in the world,
beyond my wards and enchantments,

you may be able to resist me.

But here, in my house...

- Is this Hell?
- A hell.

My hell.

You see, I've been visiting
Los Angeles for years.

Felt right at home, instantly.

After all, everybody in this town

sells their soul for a dream.

(GRUNTING)

People here are so desperate,

so enamored of illusion.

Oh, yes.
They'll very happily debase themselves

for the merest whisper
of fame. (CHUCKLING)

Down there, you know, we've got to wait

for the damned to descend,

fight among ourselves for the pickings.

But up here, mmm?
So many souls.

It's a cast of thousands, millions.

Power-hungry, delusional,
egotistical, selfish.

All the qualities we look for
in candidates for damnation.

I had what you Brits
would call a brainwave.

A branch office of Hell, right here.

A franchise operation, like fast food,

but with the added benefit
of eternal damnation.

So many souls just begging
to be corrupted and consumed.

(CHUCKLES) So much power
for a demon to absorb.

The sky is the limit

for the entrepreneur who gets in first.

(MOANING)

But I've got competition.

Five other Demons
with similar aspirations.

And I want that competition eliminated.

- And that's where I come in.
- Precisely.

I don't do anything till I see the girl.

Which one?

Chas' Trish.

Ah. (LAUGHING)

Nothing my kind savors more

than the sweet subtle flavors
of an innocent soul.

Where is she?

Safe, right here. (CHUCKLING)

You could say she's a prisoner of love,

held, quite literally, within my heart.

Let her go, you bastard. Let her go.

No, Chas.
If what Beroul's saying is true,

then any att*ck on him
is an att*ck on your daughter.

But we don't know if it's true, do we?

(YELLING)

- Chas!
- Not to worry.

He isn't dead.

- (GASPS)
- BEROUL: Just displaced.

Bloody hell.

(BEROUL GRUNTS)

Not that the idiot could've hurt me.

Now, will you take the job?

If I'm working for you,
I want a fat salary,

- and a swanky hotel.
- Done.

Now get out.

It's time for
The Young and the Restless,

and I never miss it.

CONSTANTINE: Jeez,
keep your bloody head on, Chas.

I'm coming. What?

- (TRUCK HORN HONKING)
- Yeah, I'm driving. So what?

(BRAKES SCREECHING)

(YELLING) Piss off.

I said, piss off.

(EXCLAIMING IN CONFUSION)

Took you long enough.

I might've gotten lost a few times.

CHAS: So you're working for Beroul now.

Are you crazy?

Stupid question.

He didn't give me much choice.

We've gotta play his game

if we wanna get Trish back, all right?

And what do all the coma victims

have to do with this?

(GROWLING)

The best I can figure,

their souls are fueling
the engine of Beroul's magic,

like batteries,

providing the energy for him
to open up small doorways

between Hell and Earth,

so he can set up his bloody franchises

and feed on the souls up here.

But where does Trish come into it?

There are dozens of coma cases here,

but in London, there's just...

Oh.

Go on.

Tell me it's all my fault.

Maybe it is.

Or maybe you can't be responsible

for every damn Demon

that wants to make trouble
in this world.

(ALL GROWLING)

Only thing I know is
I want my little girl,

and if anyone
can get her back, it's you.

Tell that to Astra Logue.

(ALL GROWLING)

You were a stupid, arrogant kid then.

Yeah? And I'm a stupid,
arrogant man now.

But I'll do the best I can
for you, Chas.

You've got my word on that.

Good. So what's next?

Next? We follow Mr. Blobby's orders,

k*ll his enemies and kiss his fat...

(DISTANT GROWLING)

sh*t!

(GROWLING)

Where'd they come from? Who sent them?

One of Beroul's competitors, no doubt,

who wants to stop me before I stop them.

Well, can't you just,
I don't know, magic them away?

Who the hell do you think I am?

Benedict bloody Cumberbatch?

CHAS: Well, do something!

(GROWLING)

John!

(TIRES SCREECHING)

Hit the brakes.

(BOTH GRUNT)

(DEMONS GROWLING)

(CHANTING SPELL)

Now that's a border wall.

Yeah, well, the enchantment's
not gonna last.

We've got less than a minute

before those things
start eating our livers.

You know, for a guy who lies so much,

you tell the truth
at the worst bloody times.

(CAR HORN HONKING)

- Get in.
- Really?

And I'm supposed to trust you because...

Because if you don't, you're gonna die.

Now get in the car, John.

- Who the hell are you?
- A friend.

And how do you know my bloody name?

Look, maneuvering the vehicle

while controlling this body
isn't easy for me.

- Clearly.
- So, shut the hell up

and let me concentrate on my driving.

(TIRES SCREECHING)

What's this?

Didn't I tell you?

We've moved up in the world.

You coming?

I'll be in touch.

Where the hell am I?

You think that was Beroul's work?

If he could do that,
he wouldn't need me.

Then who?

CONSTANTINE: Well, whoever it was,
they just saved our skins.

(SCREECHING)

RENEE: What the hell are those things?

Spirits from the lower astral plane.

They're so hungry for life on Earth,

they can't move on
to the deeper heavens.

What do they want with her?

Trish's soul isn't here.

So she's a perfect vehicle for them.

A way back.

No. No!

Don't worry.

- (BANGING)
- (SCREECHING)

ASA: They can't get to her.

Yet.

(SIGHING)

What do you mean, "yet"?

(EXHALING) The longer her soul's away
from her body,

the harder it's going to be
for me to protect her.

Oh, God.

I wish Chas was here.

You still love him?

Once you've shared your life
with someone,

created a child together,

opened your heart so wide,

that love never leaves,

no matter how much you might want it to.

And Trish...

Oh, God. She adores that man.

(CHUCKLING) Girls and their dads,
you know?

Actually, I don't.

I understand the pleasures

of this human flesh well enough.

But the kind of love
you're talking about,

it's a mystery to me.

I'm disappointed in you, John.

Two days

and you haven't made any progress.

My enemies are still out there.

Well, it's not like
you gave me an address.

I've had to follow the ley lines,

see where they converge in places

that will be conducive to your kind.

Or are you just marking time

while you plot against me?

I'm getting close, Beroul.

Get closer.

The meter's running
on the girl, you know.

Progressive neuropathy.

The sooner you get poor Trish
back into her own body,

the more of it
she'll still be able to use.

How do I know
that you really have her, eh?

Her soul could be anywhere.

Oh, I suppose I can give you
a little glimpse.

Perhaps the motivation
will speed you along.

(SCREAMS)

(CHUCKLING)

(YELPING)

sh*t.

(GROANING)

Trish?

(GASPS)

Trish, is that you?

Don't hurt me. Don't hurt me.

(WHIMPERING)

Help her!

John, there's just so long
I can keep her body alive

while her soul is...

Wherever the hell this is.

You don't want to know. You need...

BEROUL: Time's up.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(GROANING)

Trish. Trish, I swear I'll get you out.

I swear I will get you out!

(SOBBING)

(VOMITING)

(CHUCKLING) Believe me now?

- (COUGHING)
- Aw, feeling queasy?

I thought you had the stomach
for this kind of thing, John.

Yeah. Piss off.

I thought you'd changed since Newcastle.

(LAUGHING) Oh, the look on your face
when I opened that portal

and tossed little Astra in.

Even tainted by her father,

there was still
so much innocence left in her.

(CHUCKLING) Delicious.

No.

Yes.

Nergal.

But Beroul?

Was a convenient mask.

I told you back in London

that I had many names.

I've been keeping tabs on you
since Newcastle, John.

Watched you claw your way back
from the edge of sanity.

Watched you master the very dark arts

that failed you 15 years ago.

You really should thank me.

Thank you?

After all, I did inspire you
to become a better man,

didn't I?

And now, here we are,

reunited after all this time.

Bastard.

Uh-uh-uh.

Wouldn't want to hurt poor Trish.

Why are you doing this?

Because you've got
so much potential, John.

And I'd like to help you actualize it.

You see, I have minor limitations

while I'm in this world.

I need a human agent with your skill set

who can travel freely,

seek out new customers,

help build up the business.

Think of all we can accomplish together.

I do this one thing for you, Nergal.

You give me Trish

and then you never see me again,
you understand?

I understand if you need
to take some time

to think about it.

Now, get out of my house.

And one more thing.

What happened to Astra?

She's somewhere in the bowels of Hell,

(CHUCKLING) screaming your name.

Now, get out

and do your damn job.

Oh, and, John,

if your whore in London tries
to get inside me again,

it won't end well

for her or Trish.

I'm getting closer
to finding them, Chas.

Demons like those five
leave a psychic residue

like a slug leaves a trail of slime.

So just hang in there, all right?

No, you don't have to come out.

Take the night to yourself.

Have a drink and get some... (GRUNTS)

In there.

What are you looking at?

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(BELCHING)

MAN: Hey, jerkoff.

Not your usual,

but I hope it will do.

Nice to see you again, John.

Again?

All of it. All of them.

Some call me Angela.

Others call me...

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

ANGELA: Queen of Angels.

You.

Coming?

Where?

Afraid of me, John?

Do you think I'm one of them?

- A devil from Hell?
- Maybe.

Come with me and you'll see

that I am so much more.

(DOOR OPENING)

What is this?

A history lesson.

(ANGELA MOANING)

You said you know London, John.

Every alley,

every shadowed corner of her soul.

Now step out into the sun

and know me.

(BOTH GRUNT)

My body is flesh and blood,

stone and concrete,

tree and earth.

My mind is thick

with 10 times 10 million memories.

Radiant, like the histories
of all my people.

(BOTH MOANING)

You're the collective consciousness

of the city.

(MOANING)

You're Los Angeles.

Queen of Angels.

(MOANING)

From the very beginning, John,

men and women have come to me

seeking second chances,

hoping to remake,

rebirth themselves in my light.

I'm not perfect, John.

There have been times
I've failed my people.

Failed them badly.

But for all my flaws,

for all my failures,

this is a city of hope.

The city of angels.

And I won't have
those hell things poisoning it.

Poisoning me.

(ANGELA MOANING)

It was you back in London,

poking around in my head.

Rooting through the darkness
of your psyche.

Calling out the little monsters

that live inside you.

- Why?
- I had to be sure of you.

You see, John,

I need your demons
to fight these Demons.

We all use each other.

You know that better than anyone.

(CHUCKLING)

sh*t.

(SIGHING)

How can you sit there
checking your bloody e-mail

when my girl's life is on the line?

When that bastard Nergal has her.

I'm not checking e-mails, knob-head.

- I'm doing research.
- (GROANING)

I haven't got the power

to take on Nergal's competitors.

I need a w*apon to use against them.

I don't think you're gonna
find that on Amazon.

I've been poking around the ethers,

pulling down bits of information.

- About what?
- Not what.

Who. Mictlantecuhtli.

Ancient Aztec death god.

One of the big boys.

(ROARING)

(YELPING)

(ROARING)

Aztec empire d*ed out.

And Mictlantecuhtli
should have d*ed with them.

But the faith persisted

and Spanish settlers
brought him with them

to Southern California.

New gods rose and fell,

but Mictlantecuhtli
is a stubborn bastard

and he just keeps hanging on.

That's... That's not real, is it?

I gave up on trying
to figure out what's real

a long time ago.

Not a helpful answer.

(GROWLING)

(ROARING)

And what's this Mict... Mictl...

What's this bloody god
got to do with my Trish?

Let's find out.

Lovely.

Mictlantecuhtli, god of bones
and of the grave mouth

and of all that begins
when the heart stops,

I come to you as a suppliant.

I spill my own blood now
to show respect.

Thank you for letting me
into your house.

Thank you for hearing...

(YELPING)

(GROANING)

(FLIES BUZZING)

MICTLANTECUHTLI: How did you find me?

How did you find me?

You're not like the others.

You're not trying to hide.

You want your worshippers to find you.

MICTLANTECUHTLI: One day, yes,

when I'm strong again.

Once I was worshiped by millions,

and they sacrificed
millions more in my name.

Now, to my eternal shame,

I am reduced to feeding

on the energy of the animals

that die every day above my head.

But I still have power

and I am still a thr*at
to someone like you.

What prevents me from feeding on you,

John Constantine?

Sucking out your meaningless life

and feasting on your soul?

Don't gobble me up
until you've heard my offer.

I am listening.

(GRUNTING)

(GROANING)

Jesus, John.

You're white as a sheet.
Are you all right?

No, but I'm alive

and that's gotta count
for something, right?

Now, I've got an errand for you to do.

- It's important, Chas.
- Done.

And you?

I've got a phone call to make,

of sorts.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

CHAS: A church, Johnny?

- Really?
- Unconsecrated.

Otherwise, I'd have a hard time

setting foot in there.

And so would they.

(DOOR CREAKING)

(YELPS)

- Oi, careful.
- This sh*t's heavy. Christ.

Who knew there was
a black market in Holy Water.

Just don't drop it, all right?

Don't want you splashing it around

till dead-on midnight.

And make sure all the windows
are locked before you leave.

Cover every way out of this place.

(GROWLING)

What's that bloody smell?

Smells like sh*t.

Is this the thing that invited us?

Yep. That would be me.

Can it make good on its promise?

Does it think that
this place can protect it

if it disappoints us?

CONSTANTINE: It's got a name.

Have you done as you promised

when you summoned us here,
John Constantine?

Have you delivered Nergal to us?

Oh, that.

That was a lie.

(DEMONS ROARING)

You lied to us?

And I feel terrible about it.

Then what shall save you,

little smear of flesh?

I was hoping that he would.

(BANGING)

You promised me a feast, Constantine.

And you have delivered.

What is this ridiculous thing?

You five seek to usurp a land
that's rightfully mine.

I will stop you.

Consume you, body and soul.

(ALL LAUGHING)

I am more than a match for you.

(GRUNTING)

(ROARING)

(EXCLAIMS)

(SCREAMING)

Trapped. We are trapped!

(ROARING)

(BOTH YELPING)

I could have never found
these five on my own.

Never held them here
without your magics.

We live to serve.

Now, what are you waiting for?

Finish your dinner.

We are not dead yet.

Going somewhere?

(SCREAMING)

They were more worthy
adversaries than I expected.

Exactly what I was counting on.

I can't let you live, Mictlantecuhtli.

- You're too bloody dangerous.
- We had an agreement.

And it's been fulfilled.
You got to fatten yourself up.

I've got five dead Demons.

Not my fault if they
took you down with them.

Please, Constantine, carry me back

to the slaughterhouse,

where I can renew myself.

- Where...
- There's nothing more pathetic

than a god who begs.

(CHANTING SPELL)

Enjoy the rest, old man.

God knows, you could use it.

CONSTANTINE: It's done, Nergal.

All of them wiped out in one fell swoop.

Well played, Constantine.

Well played.

WOMAN: Indeed, John.

Very well played.

You two,

together.

Nergal has been visiting me
for a long time.

We're old, well,
friends certainly isn't the word.

Reluctant acquaintances.

But you told me
you wanted them all gone.

Five is victory enough.

Nergal, I'm afraid, would put up
a fight that could destroy my city.

And I can't have that.

So we've made

an arrangement.

He stays and runs his little franchise.

But limits his activity
to an acceptable level.

There's no acceptable level
where that's concerned.

Some will suffer at Nergal's hands.

Most will not.

- The city will survive.
- And you can live with that, can you?

We all make compromises, John.

And we all have to live with them.

But my kid! What about Trish?

You have no idea how sorry I am.

But one life measured
against the lives of millions.

Damn it.

God damn it.

She's still in here. (CHUCKLING)

And he's never gonna let her go.

(CHAS GRUNTING)

(LAUGHING)

I was wrong before.
This is on you, John Constantine.

This is all on you!

(YELLS)

(GASPING)

Huh.

I still need you, John.

To be my agent out there.

Keep the franchise humming.
As long as you work for me,

the girl will stay alive.

In a coma.

What kind of life is that?

Or...

I could just dispatch her
to Hell. (CHUCKLING)

Astra could use a playmate.

You bloody bastard!

I'll... (GROANING)

That's no way to talk to your employer.

Now pull yourself together.

We've got lots of work

ahead of us.

Screwed it up again, didn't you?

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Mrs. Chandler.

- (GROANING) What?
- Mrs. Chandler.

- I don't want to hear it.
- Renee.

I don't wanna hear it.

Given your daughter's
lack of brain activity,

you're only putting yourself
through more t*rture

by leaving her on life support.

I urge you to consider letting
Tricia's body shut down naturally,

- and to somehow...
- No!

(SOBBING)

I think you'd better go.

I can help you, Renee.

(GASPS)

- The way Constantine did?
- No.

I can reduce your pain.

Make this decision easier for you.

Reduce my pain? (SCOFFING)

You're just like him, aren't you?

You think you can wave your magic wand
and make the world a better place?

But all you ever do is make it worse.

(SOBBING)

Hey.

Another one.

- Another what?
- Another anything, love.

You're past your limit, time to go home.

Why don't you call yourself a ride?

Bugger off.

Nobody tells me when I've
reached my limit.

(VOMITS)

(GROANING)

Abraca-f*cking-dabra.

(SCOFFING) Figures.

(GRUNTS)

Now that's more like it.

(SIREN WAILING)

(CELL DOOR BUZZING)

OFFICER: Constantine,

bail's been posted, come on.

You tell Nergal
I don't want his damn bail.

I'm happy right where I am.

Don't care.

Name was Chandler.

You're the last person
I expected to see.

Then we're even, 'cause
this is the last place I expected to be.

How'd you know where to find me?

I've watched you do this
a dozen times over the years.

Things go balls up
and you're out getting pissed.

Picking fights with the wrong people.

You got a better idea?

Yeah, get up off your lazy ass
and save my girl.

We lost, Chas.

Nergal's gonna hold on to Trish
till her body dies and maybe...

Maybe after that too.

Go home, be with your wife.

Beg her to take you back.

- Maybe something good can come of this.
- No!

You're not gonna do to her
what you did to Astra bloody Logue.

Now come on, we've wasted enough time.

Hey, we're not going anywhere.

Not till we have a plan.

NURSE: Excuse me.

Where are you going?

Visiting hours were over at...

CONSTANTINE: Don't you
worry about it, love.

Uh, I won't.

Wait outside, Chas.

Anyone tries to get in, deck 'em.

Deck 'em?

Believe me, you'll be doing 'em a favor.

(CHANTING SPELL)

(CREATURE HISSING)

(GROWLING)

Voodoo chant.

How old-fashioned.

Got you here, didn't it?

You've cut me off from my supply chain.

Blocked my access
to those slabs of comatose meat.

Not very nice.

(CHANTING SPELL)

What do you want?

And let's make this quick.

I've got a meeting with a producer.

(CHANTING SPELL)

Pitching him a fantastic project.

A musical, of course.

They're all the rage now.

Stories about a deluded loser
from merry England

who comes to la-la land
with a head stuffed full of dreams,

only to have those dreams devoured by
a charming tap-dancing demon.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

(GROANING)

(CHANTING SPELL)

(SCOFFS)

You do realize that this
is just one room in one hospital?

There are hundreds more
of those sleeping beauties out there.

And you can't cut
me off from all of them.

CHAS: He's not cutting
you off from your supplies, ass hat.

He's cutting you off
from the wards and protections of that

Addams Family mansion you live in.

What are you up to?

(CHANTING SPELL)

(RUMBLING)

You opened a few doors
between Hell and Los Angeles.

Johnny's opening the rest.

What?

Something your pal
Angela said stuck with him.

How you'd take the city down
if you went to w*r with her.

But John thinks you love
LA too much for that.

- (PEOPLE SCREAMING)
- (TIRES SCREECHING)

So what's it gonna be, Nergie?

Bring an army of Demons up here

and let them demolish
your personal paradise,

claim it for themselves,
or you let the girl go.

(GROWLING)

CONSTANTINE: I could use
a little help here.

Here's Johnny!

(NERGAL GRUNTING)

All Constantine, all the time.

I really should thank Angela for this.

(GRUNTING)

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

You won't do it.

I already have, you chump.

You were worried about
five competitors, right?

Well, how about 500?

Or 5,000?

- (NERGAL YELPING)
- (CONSTANTINE DEMONS SNARLING)

(GRUNTING)

(GROWLING)

All right, damn you, close the doorways.

Close them and you can have the girl!

(CHANTING SPELL)

Now, give me my daughter,
you son of a bitch!

I'm going to k*ll you.

You wretched bag of misery and beer.

And, oh, what I'm going to do

to sweet, innocent little Trish...

- (GASPING) But you said...
- I lied.

And so did you.

You're a talented lad.

But you haven't got the power
to open the gates of Hell.

Oh, a few temporary cracks
here and there.

A few dramatic rumbles.

But you can't bluff me, John.

You were terrified, I saw it.

An Oscar-winning performance.

Don't you think?

Chas, remember what you said
about sacrificing anything for Trish?

- Yes.
- Did you mean it?

I'm choking here, Johnny.

Did you mean it?

Yes!

Then God help you.

Asa, are you ready?

- Renee, get up.
- What?

Get up now!

(CHANTING SPELL)

(GROANING)

(ASA CHANTING SPELL)

What have you done? (GRUNTING)

You didn't realize, did ya?

That the biggest w*apon we had
against you was inside of you all along.

Now, Asa!

(SCREAMING)

But I... I don't understand.

It's the Camdever curse, Nergal.

That's love you feel.

Renee and Trish's love for Chas,

- and it's all inside the girl.
- (GROANING)

All inside you.

And to a creature like you,

that's a cancer,

spreading like an LA wildfire
through every cell

in that repulsive body of yours.

Listen, stop this, John.
Stop it and I swear to you

I'll give her back to you.

We've already got her back, you twit.

No, not Trish. Astra.

The binding pact
seared into my own flesh.

(SCREAMING)

Wait, I'll take you to her.

(BREATHING HEAVILY) Set her free.

Johnny, no!

Redemption, John,

after all these years.

Bugger off.

This is redemption enough.

(GROANING)

(HIGH-PITCHED SCREECHING)

(GROANING)

(GROANING)

(GASPS)

Trish, my baby.

You're back.

Not bad, Con-man.

Not bad at all.

She's really all right.

Yeah.

- Go ahead, blubber. I won't mock ya...
- (SNIFFLING)

- Too much.
- I better call Renee and...

What?

That spell I used.

It was called the Camdever curse.

Yeah?

So?

Accent on the curse, mate.

What do you mean?

I warned you, didn't I?

Magic that powerful
requires a sacrifice.

Yeah, well, Nergal's
a steaming pile of demon shite,

- so...
- That's not what I mean.

In order for the curse to work,

I had to channel Renee and Trish's
love for you into and through Nergal.

Every last bit of it.

It's gone, Chas.

All their love for you is gone.

What?

Renee won't have any memory of you now.

Oh, she'll recall a drunken
one-night stand eight years ago,

- but your face, your name...
- What?

- And Trish?
- Trish has never known her father.

(GASPS)

There's always a price to pay, Chas.

And this is it.

You had this in your pocket
the whole time, didn't you?

I did.

But I hoped I wouldn't have to use it.

You miserable sack of sh*t!

The proper response is "thank you."

John!

John, what?

The Camdever is big magic.

And Renee and Trish,
no matter how much they loved you,

it wasn't enough, Chas.

So, I had to throw in some extra
juice to put the spell over the top.

I had to throw in us.

You'll have a vague memory
of an arrogant sod

who saved your girl
and ruined your life.

But the memory
of those two kids who grew up together

in the pool...

Gone.

Uh, sorry.

Your name?

- It seems to have just...
- Constantine.

John Constantine.

Yeah?

Well, it's a name
I hope I never hear again.

MAN: I knew you could do it, John.

Angela?

More or less.

You knew I'd b*at Nergal.

Well, I hoped.

Sorry about your friend.

Yeah, well, he's better off without me.

MAN: Which is worse, I wonder?

Being the one who doesn't remember

or being the one who does?

He needs a new home, John.

And I think he'll fit in
nicely around here.

- You take good care of him.
- I will.

Ugh!

Not really a fan of old and wizened.

Thanks for the gesture, though.

I'll see you later if you like.

In a body that might
please you a little more.

Mmm, a tempting offer.

But no, thanks.

I'm getting homesick.

And if I'm gonna
knock boots with a city,

I'd rather it was London, love.

So be it.

Best of luck, Chas.

You're gonna need it.

CONSTANTINE DEMON: Oi, oi.

Slow down, mate.

Bloody hell.

One of you actually made it out alive.

It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that.

Oh, it never is, mate.

So, you gonna take me back in?

Eventually, but right now,

I could use a little company.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)