A Drama in Two Acts

Based on the film, Alucarda, la hija de las tinieblas,

by Juan López Moctezuma (1977)

Libretto by ZJC (2026)

---

Principal Cast

Character	Description
ALUCARDA	The ‘Crossroads’ daughter of the Desert and European Gothic ancestry. An untamed, elemental force.
JUSTINE	A fragile, grieving orphan whose transformation provides the opera’s tragic heart.
THE BRUJA	An ancient, earthy figure who acts as the ‘Memory of the Desert.’
FATHER LÁZARO	The rigid, uncompromising arm of the Church.
DR. OSZEK	A Viennese psychoanalyst and man of science.
SISTER ANGÉLICA	The kindest face of the Convent, who becomes the voice of mourning.
LUCY WESTENRA	Alucarda’s mother. Appears in the Prologue only.

Silent Roles

Character	Description
MOTHER SUPERIOR	A terrifying presence who never speaks. She watches from the shadows.
THE BRUJO	A beautiful, disturbing boy. He appears, gestures, and is sacrificed—all in silence.
CINTIA	The girl who committed suicide. Appears as a body in the funeral procession.

Chorus

Group	Description
THE NUNS	Female chorus. They move and sing in rigid unison, descending into hysteria.
VOICES OF THE WIND	Offstage voices that mimic the wailing of the Zone.

---

Setting

The Zone of Silence, Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico. 1910.

---

PROLOGUE: The Birth at the Crossroads

The ruins of a colonial palace in the Chihuahuan Desert. The architecture is skeletal, half-swallowed by sand. A violet twilight hangs over the horizon.

LUCY WESTENRA lies on a bed of dry corn husks and tattered silk. She is drenched in sweat and blood. The BRUJA moves with earthy grace, tending to her with bowls of water and bundles of herbs.

A sudden, piercing cry—LUCY screams in childbirth.

LUCY
(Weak, her voice a ghost)
¡Ay!… el aire… no puedo… respirar el polvo… / Oh!… the air… I can’t… breathe the dust…

BRUJA
(Deep and steady)
Empuje, señora. El desierto está escuchando. No le tenga miedo al Silencio… dele su aliento. / Push on, ma’am. The desert is listening. Don’t be afraid of the Silence… give it your breath.

A final surge. The sharp, thin cry of a newborn baby.

BRUJA [cont.]
(Lifting the child)
Es una niña, señora… y es preciosa. Tiene los ojos de la obsidiana. / She’s a girl, ma’am… and she’s beautiful. She has eyes like obsidian.

LUCY
(Reaching out with trembling hands)
Mi niña… mi pequeña luz de sombra…
Naciste donde los mapas terminan.
Pobre criaturita… me gustaría verte crecer…
Pero la sangre me reclama. La tierra me llama por mi nombre.

My little girl… my little light of shadow…
You were born where the maps end.
Poor little creature… I would like to see you grow…
But my blood calls me back. The earth calls me by my name.

(She grabs the Midwife’s arm with surprising strength)

Llévela al Convento. Por favor… prométame que la protegerá.
No deje que se la lleven. No deje que él la encuentre.

Take her to the convent. Please… promise me you’ll protect her.
Don’t let them take her. Don’t let him find her.

BRUJA
¿Quién, señora? ¿El padre? / Who, ma’am? The father?

LUCY
(Eyes wide, looking at a shadow no one else can see)
El pasado. El hambre que cruza el mar.
¡Júrelo! ¡Júrelo por la Virgen y por la Muerte!

The past. The hunger that crosses the sea.
Swear it! Swear it by the Virgin and by Death!

BRUJA
(Solemnly, crossing herself and then touching the baby’s forehead with a pinch of Desert soil)
Lo juro. La protegeré. La llevaré a las puertas de piedra. Ella será una hija del Convento… hasta que el desierto la reclame. / I swear it. I will protect her. I will take her to the stone gates. She will be a daughter of the Convent… until the desert claims her.

LUCY falls back. Her breathing rattles. She whispers one last name.

LUCY
…Alucarda… / …Alucarda…

She dies.

The BRUJA wraps the baby in a blood-stained lace shawl. She exits the ruins into the vast, purple night. Sand begins to blow into the room, covering the body of LUCY WESTENRA.

FADE TO BLACK.

---

ACT I

Scene 1: The Gates of Stone

Outside the high, limestone walls of the Convent. The Desert sun is high and bleaching. A dusty wagon sits before the massive wooden gates. The architecture is austere, imposing, European in its denial of the surrounding Desert.

JUSTINE, dressed in a heavy black mourning dress, is helped down from the wagon by a DRIVER. She looks fragile, her eyes wide with shock.

DRIVER
¡Justine! ¡Al fin has llegado! No es lugar para una niña sola, pero aquí los muros son gruesos. / Justine! You’ve finally arrived! This is no place for a girl alone, but the walls here are thick.

JUSTINE
¿Es este mi nuevo hogar? El aire… el aire aquí no se mueve. Todo parece… de piedra. / Is this my new home? The air… the air here doesn’t move. Everything seems… made of stone.

The small side-door of the gate creaks open. SISTER ANGÉLICA enters, warm and kind.

ANGÉLICA
Por aquí, Justine. Cuando nos dijeron que tus padres habían muerto, mi corazón lloró contigo. Te hemos estado esperando. Pasa… deja el polvo del camino afuera. / This way, Justine. When we heard your parents had died, my heart ached with yours. We’ve been waiting for you. Come in… leave the dust of the road outside.

JUSTINE
(Looking back at the vast Desert)
El hombre que me trajo dijo que el desierto tiene voz. ¿Es cierto, Hermana? / The man who brought me here said the desert has a voice. Is that true, Sister?

ANGÉLICA
(Smiling, guiding her inside)
Aquí solo escuchamos la voz de Dios, pequeña. En el silencio de la oración, el mundo desaparece. Aquí encontrarás una nueva vida. Ven. Olvida el sol. Olvida la arena. / Here we hear only the small voice of God. In the silence of prayer, the world disappears. Here you will find a new life. Come. Forget the sun. Forget the sand.

They walk through the threshold into the Convent hallway. The acoustic changes—stone walls, echoing reverb.

ANGÉLICA [cont.]
Aquí el tiempo no corre como afuera. Rezamos, estudiamos, y nos preparamos para ser esposas de lo eterno. No tengas miedo. Yo seré tu guía. / Time doesn’t flow here like it does outside. We pray, we study, and we prepare to be brides of eternity. Don’t be afraid. I will be your guide.

A shadow streaks across the white wall. ALUCARDA appears—perched on a high stone ledge, her hair wild, her white shift stained. She stops and stares at JUSTINE from a distance.

ANGÉLICA [cont.]
(Sighing)
Y esa es Alucarda. Ignórala, Justine. Ella… ella llegó aquí en una noche de tormenta, envuelta en encaje y sangre. No conoce las reglas. Es como el viento que sopla en la Zona del Silencio: no se puede atrapar. / And that’s Alucarda. Ignore her, Justine. She… she arrived here on a stormy night, wrapped in lace and blood. She doesn’t know the rules. She’s like the wind that blows in the Zone of Silence: uncatchable.

ALUCARDA lets out a short, mocking laugh and vanishes into the shadows. JUSTINE watches the spot where she was, mesmerized.

JUSTINE
(To herself)
Ella no parece de piedra. Ella parece… fuego. / She doesn’t look like stone. She looks like… fire.

FADE.

---

Scene 2: The Garden of Stone and Thorns

The Convent Cloister. A rectangular garden enclosed by arches. Meticulously kept but sterile—mostly sand, a few struggling rosebushes, a dry fountain. The heat is shimmering.

JUSTINE sits on a stone bench, clutching a black prayer book. She tries to pray, but her eyes keep wandering to the horizon.

ALUCARDA appears suddenly, hanging upside down from a low tree branch. She is eating a prickly pear fruit, her fingers stained purple.

ALUCARDA
(Light, mocking)
¿Por qué lees ese libro de muertos, Justine? Las letras no se mueven. Las sombras, sí. / Why are you reading that book of the dead, Justine? The letters don’t move. The shadows do.

JUSTINE
(Startled, standing)
¡Alucarda! Me asustaste. Es… es mi devocionario. Me ayuda a no sentirme tan sola. / Alucarda! You scared me. It’s… it’s my prayer book. It helps me not to feel so alone.

ALUCARDA drops to the ground with feline grace. She circles JUSTINE.

ALUCARDA
La soledad no es un libro. La soledad es este muro.
(She touches the stone wall)
Siente… la piedra está fría, pero el sol la quiere quemar. Tú eres como la piedra, Justine. Te visten de negro para que el sol no te encuentre.

Loneliness isn’t a book. Loneliness is this wall.
Feel… the stone is cold, but the sun wants to burn it. You are like the stone, Justine. They dress you in black so the sun won’t find you.

JUSTINE
(Defensive, yet intrigued)
Sor Angélica dice que el negro es respeto. Mis padres… ellos acaban de… / Sister Angelica says that black is respect. My parents… they just…

ALUCARDA
(Stopping directly in front of her)
Tus padres son tierra ahora. Como mi madre. Ella vive en las ruinas, donde el viento no pide permiso para entrar. ¿Quieres verla? ¿Quieres ver lo que hay detrás de ese muro? / Your parents are dust now. Like my mother. She lives in the ruins, where the wind doesn’t ask permission to enter. Do you want to see her? Do you want to see what’s behind that wall?

JUSTINE
No podemos salir. La Madre Superiora dice que el desierto es un lugar de pecado. Que allí habita el Silencio. / We can’t leave. The Mother Superior says the desert is a place of sin. That Silence dwells there.

ALUCARDA takes JUSTINE’S hand, her purple-stained fingers leaving marks on her skin.

ALUCARDA
El Silencio no es pecado, Justine. El Silencio es música que ellos no saben cantar. Mi madre me habla desde la arena. Me dice que tú no eres una huérfana… eres una semilla. / Silence is not a sin, Justine. Silence is music they don’t know how to sing. My mother speaks to me from the sand. She tells me you are not an orphan… you are a seed.

They sing.

ALUCARDA
Ven conmigo a donde el mapa se borra,
donde las cruces no tienen sombra.
Deja que el polvo te limpie el luto,
deja que el hambre se vuelva fruto.

Come with me to where the map fades,
where the crosses cast no shadows.
Let the dust cleanse your mourning,
let hunger become fruit.

JUSTINE
Tengo miedo de lo que no tiene nombre,
del viento que llora y del sol que corrompe.
Pero tus ojos… tus ojos son pozos,
donde el miedo se vuelve… hermoso.

I fear the nameless,
of the weeping wind and the corrupting sun.
But your eyes… your eyes are wells,
where fear becomes… beautiful.

Their voices weave together.

ALUCARDA
Júrame, Justine. Júrame que si cruzamos ese muro, no volverás a cerrar los ojos ante la oscuridad. / Promise me, Justine. Promise me that if we cross that wall, you will never close your eyes to the darkness again.

JUSTINE
Lo juro, Alucarda. Llévame al Silencio. / I swear it, Alucarda. Take me to Silence.

They slip through a hidden gap in the garden wall where the stones have crumbled. The Convent bells begin to toll for Vespers—harsh, metallic, alarmed.

They vanish into the purple haze of the Zone of Silence.

FADE.

---

Scene 3: The Oracle of Dust

A desolate Desert landscape. In the background, the palace ruins shimmer in the sunlight. The sky has an eerie, almost electric hue.

ALUCARDA and JUSTINE run through the Desert, laughing. In the distance, a procession of figures in black carries a rustic coffin.

JUSTINE
(Stopping, panting)
¿Qué es eso, Alucarda? Nunca había visto un lugar que se sintiera tan… vacío y tan lleno a la vez. / What is that, Alucarda? I’ve never seen a place that felt so… empty and so full at the same time.

ALUCARDA
(Pointing at the ruins)
Es otro secreto, Justine. Como tú y como yo. El desierto guarda lo que la iglesia quiere enterrar. ¡Vamos a buscar más! / It’s another secret, Justine. Just like you and me. The Desert holds what the Church wants to bury. Let’s go find more!

JUSTINE
(Looking at the funeral procession)
Mira… ¿quiénes son? / Look… who are they?

ALUCARDA
Van a enterrar a Cintia. Se quitó la vida porque no aguantaba el peso de la cruz. La llevan a tierra no sagrada… donde por fin podrá descansar del cielo. / They are going to bury Cintia. She took her own life because she couldn’t bear the weight of the cross. They are taking her to unconsecrated ground… where she can finally rest from heaven.

JUSTINE
(Hugging herself)
Me dan miedo los funerales. Me recuerdan que el frío siempre llega. / Funerals scare me. They remind me that the cold always comes.

ALUCARDA
No tengas miedo. Todos tenemos que morir, Justine. Y te prometo que hay una felicidad después de la muerte que los sacerdotes no conocen. No está lejos. ¡Ven! / Don’t be afraid. We all have to die, Justine. And I promise you there is a happiness after death that priests don’t know about. It’s not far off. Come!

THE BRUJA appears from among the bushes. She doesn’t walk; she seems to emerge from the earth itself.

BRUJA
Hijas… miren lo que el viento ha traído. ¿Quieren jugar un juego? Un juego donde el futuro no se escribe con tinta, sino con sombras. / Daughters… look what the wind has brought. Do you want to play a game? A game where the future isn’t written in ink, but in shadows.

JUSTINE
(Backing away)
Creo que deberíamos irnos, Alucarda. Sus ojos… no tienen luz. / I think we should leave, Alucarda. Her eyes… they have no light.

BRUJA
(Laughing)
¿Escuchan? ¿Qué oyen? ¿Nada? Eso es porque el Silencio tiene mucho que decir. El viento me cuenta por qué muere la gente, quién busca un amuleto para no ser olvidado… Vengan, no muerdo… a menos que el destino lo pida. / Do you hear? What do you hear? Nothing? That’s because Silence has much to say. The wind tells me why people die, who seeks an amulet so as not to be forgotten… Come, I don’t bite… unless destiny demands it.

She leads them toward a small adobe hut. THE BRUJO sits on the ground—beautiful, disturbing; an indigenous cherubino. He takes JUSTINE’S hand with unexpected strength, studies it, then releases it as if burned.

The BRUJA observes.

BRUJA
Nada más que silencio, hija. Un silencio que grita. Sombras… sombras que se muerden la cola. Ten cuidado, Alucarda… ella ya es tuya. / Nothing but silence, my daughter. A silence that screams. Shadows… shadows that bite their own tails. Be careful, Alucarda… she’s already yours.

The BRUJA’s monologue.

BRUJA
Ahora verán las maravillas que guardo. Yo estudio la alquimia del desierto… puedo convertir este polvo en piedras preciosas, y las piedras en sueños que nunca imaginaste. Tienes sueños extraños, niña… profundos, cortantes, como los pájaros que se pierden en el bosque. Vienes del rocío, pero las criaturas de la noche te están esperando. Tienes que ser valiente… porque el camino de regreso al Convento se está borrando.

Now you will see the wonders I hold. I study the alchemy of the desert… I can turn this dust into precious stones, and the stones into dreams you never imagined. You have strange dreams, child… deep, sharp, like birds lost in the forest. You come from the dew, but the creatures of the night await you. You must be brave… for the path back to the Convent is fading away.

ALUCARDA laughs and pulls JUSTINE’S hand. They run toward the ruins.

BRUJA
(Shouting at the wind)
¡Hijas! ¿A dónde van? ¡No pueden huir de lo que ya llevan en la sangre! / Daughters! Where are you going? You can’t run from what’s already in your blood!

The girls disappear into the distance. The BRUJA watches. The BRUJO sits, still, his eyes following them.

FADE.

---

Scene 4: The Shrine of the Holy Death

The interior of the Ruined Palace. A small, hidden alcove contains a modest altar to SANTA MUERTE: white candles, marigolds, and small cadaverous figures draped in lace. Outside, the Desert wind whistles through the stone.

ALUCARDA leads JUSTINE by the hand, her voice hushed and reverent.

ALUCARDA
Mira, Justine. Aquí no hay confesionarios. Nadie te pide que te azotes por tus pecados. / Look, Justine. There are no confessionals here. Nobody’s asking you to flog yourself for your sins.

JUSTINE
(Fearful, looking at the skeletal figure)
¿Quién es ella, Alucarda? Parece… la muerte. / Who is she, Alucarda? She looks like… death.

ALUCARDA
Es la Santa Muerte. La que nos cuida cuando los hombres de negro nos olvidan. Ella no te pide que sufras para ser santa. Ella solo te pide que seas tú. / It’s Santa Muerte. The one who watches over us when the men in black forget us. She doesn’t ask you to suffer to be a saint. She only asks you to be yourself.

JUSTINE
(Shivering)
No… Alucarda, vámonos. Este lugar no nos quiere aquí. / No… Alucarda, let’s go. This place doesn’t want us here.

ALUCARDA approaches her, her voice becoming obsessive and dark.

ALUCARDA
Todos tenemos miedo. Pero hablo de morir amando… morir juntas para que podamos vivir eternamente con la misma sangre corriendo siempre por nuestras venas. Yo vivo en ti, Justine… ¿morirías por mí? Te quiero tanto… nunca he estado enamorada de nadie, excepto de ti.

We’re all afraid. But I’m talking about dying loving… dying together so we can live eternally with the same blood always running through our veins. I live in you, Justine… would you die for me? I love you so much… I’ve never been in love with anyone, except you.

JUSTINE
(Breathless)
¿Lo dices en serio? / Are you serious?

ALUCARDA
No sabes cuánto. Llámame cruel, llámame egoísta… el amor siempre lo es. Tienes que amarme hasta la muerte. Recuerdo una noche… casi me asesinaron. Me hirieron aquí, y nunca volví a ser la misma.

You have no idea. Call me cruel, call me selfish… love always is. You have to love me until death. I remember one night… they almost killed me. They hurt me here, and I was never the same again.

JUSTINE
¿Estuviste a punto de morir? / Were you close to death?

ALUCARDA draws a knife.

ALUCARDA
Sí. Casi. Hagamos un pacto. Si tenemos que irnos de esta vida, lo haremos juntas. / Yes. Almost. Let’s make a pact. If we have to leave this life, we’ll do it together.

JUSTINE
(Stretching out her hand, hesitating)
Está bien… si eso te hace feliz. / That’s fine… if it makes you happy.

As the knife nears JUSTINE’S palm, ALUCARDA freezes. Her eyes lock onto a coffin in the shadows.

ALUCARDA
Espera… «Lucille Westenra… muerta hace años». Justine… esta es mi madre. Nunca le he visto la cara. / Wait… “Lucille Westenra… dead for years.” Justine… this is my mother. I’ve never seen her face.

JUSTINE
¡No! ¡Tengo miedo, Alucarda! / No! I’m scared, Alucarda!

ALUCARDA heaves the lid open. Inside is the skeleton of LUCY, still wrapped in blood-stained lace.

JUSTINE
¡Santo cielo! ¡Dios mío! ¡Oh, Dios mío! / Good heavens! My God! Oh my God!

ALUCARDA screams—a raw, high-pitched sound. They flee.

The stage shifts to the exterior of the ruins—blue and cold. JUSTINE chases ALUCARDA through the sand.

JUSTINE
¡Alucarda! ¡Espera! ¡Te dije que este lugar me asustaba! ¡Vuelve! ¿Qué te ha pasado? / Alucarda! Wait! I told you this place scared me! Come back! What happened to you?

ALUCARDA
(Trembling, her confidence shattered)
Hace frío… estoy temblando… Volvamos, Justine. Lo que tenemos que hacer es volver… volvamos al Convento. / It’s cold… I’m shivering… Let’s go back, Justine. What we have to do is go back… let’s go back to the Convent.

They stand in the Desert, lost.

FADE.

---

Scene 5: The Anatomy of Evil

The Main Hall of the Convent. Stark, cold, echoing. FATHER LÁZARO stands in a high pulpit, looking down at a sea of black-and-white habits. THE NUNS are in a state of high-strung devotion.

LÁZARO
El demonio no toca a la puerta; el demonio la derriba. Entra en el cuerpo, usa los órganos para su propio placer… se apodera de la voluntad por encima de la fuerza humana. ¡Aquí está escrito! ¡En el libro sagrado! / The devil doesn’t knock; he breaks down the door. He enters the body, uses the organs for his own pleasure… he seizes control of the will beyond human strength. It is written here! In the holy book!

(He slams the Bible against the pulpit.)

Desde los tiempos del Señor, la Tlahuelpuchi y otros demonios han perseguido las almas cristianas. No hacen distinción entre hombres, mujeres o niños. ¡Él, el Diablo, usa vuestros cuerpos como si fueran suyos! Destruye, pervierte la lengua, distorsiona los labios… ¡En vez de plegarias, sale espuma de la boca! / Since the time of the Lord, Tlahuelpuchi and other demons have haunted Christian souls. They make no distinction between men, women, or children. He, the Devil, uses your bodies as if they were his own! He destroys, perverts the tongue, distorts the lips… Instead of prayers, foam comes from the mouth!

THE NUNS begin to sway.

LÁZARO
Debemos vivir bajo la norma, la única verdad. Si no, el Diablo encontrará un sitio en vuestro interior y se llevará vuestras almas al fuego eterno. ¡Arderán para siempre! ¡Sus cuerpos sufrirán torturas que la mente no puede imaginar! ¡La cólera de Satán no tiene piedad! / We must live by the law, the only truth. Otherwise, the Devil will find a place within you and drag your souls to eternal fire. They will burn forever! Your bodies will suffer tortures beyond comprehension! Satan’s wrath knows no mercy!

(With a thunderous roar)

¡ARREPIÉNTANSE! / REPENT!

Chaos erupts. THE NUNS scream, cry, collapse into hysteria. In the midst of the panic, JUSTINE, who has been staring at ALUCARDA with wide, unblinking eyes, suddenly buckles. Her knees hit the stone floor.

ALUCARDA
(Catching her)
Justine… ¿Qué te pasa? Mírame. / Justine… What’s wrong? Look at me.

ANGÉLICA
(Rushing over)
¡Justine! ¡Contéstame, hija! / Justine! Answer me, daughter!

JUSTINE stares at ALUCARDA. Her eyes roll back. She falls limp.

A chilling tableau: ALUCARDA holding the unconscious JUSTINE, ANGÉLICA looking at ALUCARDA.

FADE.

---

Scene 6: The Blood Wedding of the Shadows

Justine’s cell. Cold stone, a single crucifix on the wall, a small iron bed. Outside, the Zone is screaming.

ANGÉLICA and GERMANA hover over JUSTINE. ALUCARDA stands in the shadows of the doorway, watching.

ANGÉLICA
(Softly)
¿Te encuentras mejor, hija? El sermón de Lázaro fue… pesado para un alma tan joven. / Are you feeling better, daughter? Lazarus’ sermon was… heavy for such a young soul.

JUSTINE
(Weakly)
No lo sé… siento que el aire me pesa. / I don’t know… I feel like the air is heavy.

THE NUNS exit. The door clicks shut. The atmosphere changes.

ALUCARDA moves toward the bed with manic intensity.

ALUCARDA
¡Monstruos! ¡Te hicieron esto! No les cuentes nuestro secreto, Justine. Las voces han regresado… vienen del pasado. Todo se aclaró en el desierto: solo quedamos tú y yo. / Monsters! They did this to you! Don’t tell them our secret, Justine. The voices have returned… they come from the past. Everything became clear in the desert: only you and I remain.

JUSTINE
Oh, Alucarda… estoy tan asustada. / Oh, Alucarda… I’m so scared.

ALUCARDA enters a trance.

ALUCARDA
Nos lo pagarán… poco a poco. La Llorona… Nahual… Tlahuelpuchi… / They’ll pay for it… little by little. La Llorona… Nahual… Tlahuelpuchi…

JUSTINE
¡Alucarda! ¿Qué te pasa? ¡Por Dios, contesta! / Alucarda! What’s wrong? For God’s sake, answer me!

ALUCARDA begins to thrash. She rips the Crucifix from JUSTINE’S neck with a violent snap.

ALUCARDA
¡MUERTE! ¡MUERTE! ¡MUERTE! / DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!

The room explodes into a storm. Thunder shakes the stone. Lightning flashes.

THE BRUJA steps out of the shadows, laughing.

BRUJA
¡Jajaja! Tienes razón. Se lo haremos pagar. ¡Llamala! ¡Llamala! / Hahaha! You’re right. We’ll make her pay. Call her! Call her!

ALUCARDA
(In a soaring, desperate cry)
¡SANTA MUERTE! ¡CIHUATETEO! ¡LA LLORONA! / SANTA MUERTE! CIHUATETEO! LLORONA!

Red lightning. THE GIRLS appear stripped of their Convent clothes—naked and vulnerable yet empowered. THE BRUJA looms over them like a dark priestess.

ALUCARDA
(Kneeling before Justine)
Mírame, Justine. Eres tan guapa. Mírame… mírame… / Look at me, Justine. You’re so beautiful. Look at me… look at me…

The BRUJA guides the knife. She cuts their breasts. The red hue of the storm floods the room. She smears the blood onto their lips.

BRUJA
Ahora… únanse una con otra. Y luego… únanse en mí. Únanse en el Silencio. / Now… unite with one another. And then… unite in me. Unite in Silence.

THE BRUJA vanishes into the shadows. ALUCARDA leans in.

ALUCARDA
Mírame, querida Justine… / Look at me, my dear Justine…

ALUCARDA drinks the blood from JUSTINE’S lips. A moment of horror and profound intimacy. She licks the wound clean.

The Convent bells begin to toll—not for prayer, but in alarm.

BLACKOUT.

---

Scene 7: The Two Altars (The Ecstasy of Blood)

The stage is split. STAGE LEFT: SISTER ANGÉLICA’S cell—stark white, a crucifix, a candle. STAGE RIGHT: The Desert Shrine—shadowy, lit by torches, a skeletal figure of SANTA MUERTE draped in marigolds. A storm is brewing.

ANGÉLICA kneels in her cell.

ANGÉLICA
Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos… santificado sea tu nombre. Hágase tu voluntad, así en la tierra como en el cielo. / Our Father who art in heaven… hallowed be thy name. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

On the Desert side, THE BRUJO—beautiful, naked, terrifying—leads ALUCARDA and JUSTINE. They are also naked, their skin shimmering under the lightning. Dozens of figures emerge from the shadows—a naked congregation. They begin a concentric, hypnotic dance.

ANGÉLICA continues to pray, her voice becoming more desperate.

ANGÉLICA
Líbranos de la maldad, oh querido Dios… dame fuerza para mantenerme alejada del pecado. / Deliver us from evil, oh dear God… give me strength to stay away from sin.

The dance intensifies. ALUCARDA and JUSTINE touch, their movements fluid and transgressive.

A figure representing DOÑA BELLA SEBASTIANA—the skeletal Bride of Death—joins THE GIRLS’ hands. The dance behind them turns into a chaotic orgy of movement.

In the Convent cell, blood begins to seep from ANGÉLICA’S eyes, running down her cheeks like red tears.

ANGÉLICA
(In a final, soaring cry)
¡POR FAVOR, PROTÉGELA, SEÑOR! / PLEASE PROTECT HER, LORD!

A massive wound opens on THE BRUJO’S neck. He crumples as a sacrifice.

In the cell, it begins to RAIN BLOOD. The white walls are splattered crimson. ANGÉLICA, her face smeared in gore, begins to float, lifted by the sheer psychic violence of the ritual. She is smiling—a terrifying, glassy-eyed beatitude.

BLACKOUT.

---

ACT II

Scene 1: The Gospel of the Skin

A stark, whitewashed classroom in the Convent. Large windows reveal the harsh Chihuahuan sun. A blackboard is covered in Latin verses. NUNS sit in rows.

GERMANA leads a lesson on the life of St. Teresa of Avila.

GERMANA
Y así, la Santa se entregó al dardo del ángel… Una herida que no duele en la carne, sino en el espíritu. Una sumisión perfecta. / And so, the Saint surrendered to the angel’s dart… A wound that does not hurt the flesh, but the spirit. A perfect submission.

ALUCARDA and JUSTINE sit at the back. They exchange a look of secret shared power.

ALUCARDA
(Interrupting)
¿Sumisión? O fue deseo, Hermana? / Submission? Or was it desire, Sister?

THE NUNS gasp.

GERMANA
(Startled, angry)
Alucarda… hablamos de la gracia divina. No de deseos terrenales. / Alucarda… we’re talking about divine grace. Not earthly desires.

ALUCARDA
¿No lo sientes? Debajo de ese hábito negro… ¿no sientes que tu piel tiene hambre? Nosotras vimos a la Niña Blanca. Ella no pide oraciones. Ella pide vida. / Don’t you feel it? Beneath that black habit… don’t you feel your skin is hungry? We saw the White Girl. She doesn’t ask for prayers. She asks for life.

GERMANA
¡Cállate! ¡Hijas de Satán! ¡Fuera de aquí! / Shut up! Daughters of Satan! Get out of here!

THE GIRLS sing.

ALUCARDA & JUSTINE
No hay pecado en el deseo,
no hay infierno en el placer.
El cuerpo es el único templo
que el tiempo no puede romper.

There is no sin in desire,
there is no hell in pleasure.
The body is the only temple
that time cannot break.

THE GIRLS move through the rows. Everywhere they touch a NUN, that NUN begins to shake or weep.

ALUCARDA
Mírame, Germana. Anoche la sangre llovió sobre Angélica. ¿Quieres saber a qué sabe la eternidad? / Look at me, Germana. Last night blood rained down on Angelica. Do you want to know what eternity tastes like?

THE NUNS break. One laughs hysterically; another flagellates herself with her rosary. The classroom descends into religious mania.

GERMANA
(Falling to her knees, screaming)
¡Lázaro! ¡Lázaro, ayúdenos! ¡El desierto está dentro! ¡Las paredes están sangrando! / Lazarus! Lazarus, help us! The desert is within! The walls are bleeding!

ALUCARDA and JUSTINE stand on the desks, looking down at the writhing NUNS. Outside, the sky turns a deep, bruised purple.

BLACKOUT.

---

Scene 2: The Weakening

Justine’s cell. JUSTINE lies in a stupor, pale as wax. ANGÉLICA sits nearby, her face a mask of desperate love.

ANGÉLICA
(To herself)
No te dejaré, mi niña. No te dejaré. / I won’t leave you, my child. I won’t leave you.

DR. OSZEK enters, followed by MOTHER SUPERIOR, who stands in the doorway, watching in silence.

DR. OSZEK
Necesito más luz. / I need more light.

ANGÉLICA opens a window.

ANGÉLICA
Empeora minuto a minuto, doctor. / It’s getting worse by the minute, doctor.

OSZEK checks JUSTINE’S pulse.

DR. OSZEK
¿Cuánto hace que esta así? / How long has it been like this?

ANGÉLICA
Desde esta mañana, doctor. / Since this morning, doctor.

MOTHER SUPERIOR watches, unmoved, silent.

DR. OSZEK
Su pulso es muy débil. El corazón también. Esta chica está muy enferma. / Her pulse is very weak. Her heart is weak too. This girl is very sick.

JUSTINE stirs. Her eyes open—just slightly. She sees the Crucifix around ANGÉLICA’S neck. She screams.

DR. OSZEK [cont.]
¿Qué te pasa hija, que te pasa? Tranquilízate… tranquilízate. Así… así. / What’s wrong, daughter? What’s wrong? Calm down… calm down. Like this… like this.

JUSTINE passes out. ANGÉLICA weeps silently. MOTHER SUPERIOR watches, unmoved. OSZEK stares at his hands.

FADE.

---

Scene 3: The Trial of the Flesh

FATHER LÁZARO’S study. A dark, oppressive room dominated by a massive, bleeding crucifix. ALUCARDA sits in a hard wooden chair, unnervingly calm. GERMANA stands by the door.

GERMANA
(Hissing)
Es tu turno ahora, Alucarda. El Padre te sacará el veneno. / It’s your turn now, Alucarda. The Father will draw out the poison.

LÁZARO enters. He moves with heavy, rhythmic steps. ALUCARDA rises slowly, crosses the stage with the grace of a predator, and kneels before him with mocking, exaggerated piety.

LÁZARO
(His voice a low rumble)
Dime, hija mía… / Tell me, my daughter…

ALUCARDA
(Voice like silver)
Yo… yo… / I… I…

LÁZARO
Sí. Adelante. / Yes. Continue.

ALUCARDA
Me han dicho que viniera aquí. Me pidieron responder una pregunta y lo hice… y la Hermana Germana se enfadó mucho conmigo. / They told me to come here. They asked me to answer a question and I did… and Sister Germana got very angry with me.

LÁZARO
Y por una buena razón. Me han explicado lo que pasó. ¿Has pecado, Alucarda? / And for good reason. They’ve explained what happened to me. Have you sinned, Alucarda?

ALUCARDA
(Looking up, eyes wide)
No recuerdo haber hecho nada malo. / I don’t remember doing anything wrong.

LÁZARO
(Leaning over her)
Los mentirosos arderán en el infierno por la eternidad. ¿Estás segura? No pierdas esta oportunidad. Puedes contar la verdad ahora y aquí. / Liars will burn in hell for eternity. Are you sure? Don’t miss this opportunity. You can tell the truth right now, right here.

ALUCARDA rises slowly until she is standing dangerously close.

ALUCARDA
No he mentido. Amo la vida… con Justine. Nos hemos vuelto muy unidas. Yo la amo, y usted… usted se hace llamar bendito. Usted cree en la ‘vida eterna’ y adora a un Dios muerto… pero yo adoro la Vida. Usted adora la Muerte. / I haven’t lied. I love life… with Justine. We’ve become very close. I love her, and you… you call yourself blessed. You believe in ‘eternal life’ and worship a dead God… but I worship Life. You worship Death.

LÁZARO
(Stunned, stepping back)
¡Blasfemia! / Blasphemy!

ALUCARDA advances on him.

ALUCARDA
Yo quiero a Justine. Y usted… usted solo quiere matar. Hemos hecho un pacto y lo sellamos con nuestra sangre. ¡La culpa no es nuestra, es suya! Se cubre el cuerpo con esa negra sotana porque se avergüenza de él. Tiene miedo a la vida… / I love Justine. And you… you only want to kill. We made a pact and sealed it with our blood. The fault is not ours, it’s yours! You cover your body with that black cassock because you’re ashamed of it. You’re afraid of life…

(She grabs the edge of his robe, her face inches from his.)

¿Pero le gustaría poseerme, verdad? ¡Pues tómeme! ¡Quítese esa sotana! ¡Sea el hombre que oculta bajo su miedo! / But you’d like to possess me, wouldn’t you? Well, take me! Take off that cassock! Be the man you hide beneath your fear!

LÁZARO lets out a guttural, primal scream. He falls backward, tripping over his own chair.

GERMANA
(Rushing over)
¿Pero qué pasa, Padre? ¿Qué ha pasado? / But what’s wrong, Father? What happened?

LÁZARO
(Cowering on the floor)
¡Sáquela de aquí! ¡Fuera! ¡Dios mío, no… no… no! / Get her out of here! Get out! Oh my God, no… no… no!

ALUCARDA stands over him, laughing. GERMANA drags her out as LÁZARO begins to pray frantically in Latin, his voice cracking.

FADE.

---

Scene 4: The Cathedral of Pain

The basement of the Convent. A vaulted stone cellar. The air is thick with dampness and the smell of copper. FATHER LÁZARO and THE NUNS are stripped to the waist, their backs crisscrossed with bloody welts. They move in a rhythmic, agonizing dance of self-flagellation.

LÁZARO
(Ragged, punctuated by the crack of the whip)
¡Lo que dijo era horrible! ¡No eran palabras de una niña… era el demonio hablando por su boca! ¡Solo el Diablo! / What she said was horrible! Those weren’t the words of a little girl… it was the devil speaking through her! Only the Devil!

GERMANA
(Wailing as she strikes herself)
¡Por favor, Señor, no nos abandones ante la dificultad! ¡Líbranos! / Please, Lord, do not abandon us in our time of difficulty! Deliver us!

NUNS
¡El Diablo! ¡El Diablo está entre nosotros! / The Devil! The Devil is among us!

LÁZARO signals for them to stop. They collapse, panting. He produces a heavy, ancient Vatican record.

LÁZARO
¿Creen que estar en la Iglesia nos protege? He leído los archivos del Vaticano… incidentes confirmados. En 1479, en el monasterio de Cameron, las monjas ladraban como perros y predecían el futuro. ¡Convirtieron el santuario en un templo de Satán! / Do you think being in the Church protects us? I’ve read the Vatican archives… confirmed incidents. In 1479, at the Cameron monastery, the nuns barked like dogs and predicted the future. They turned the sanctuary into a temple of Satan!

GERMANA
(Reading from the book)
En 1550, las monjas de Nazareth subían a los árboles como gatos… levitaban durante horas en el aire del demonio. / In 1550, the nuns of Nazareth climbed trees like cats… they levitated for hours in the devil’s air.

NUN III
¡En Roma! Tres huérfanas como estas… dos enfermaron, la tercera enloqueció. ¡Murieron las tres! ¡Justine y Alucarda están poseídas! / In Rome! Three orphans like these… two fell ill, the third went mad. All three died! Justine and Alucarda are possessed!

TERESA
(A lone voice)
No… el diablo puede estar en cualquier parte, pero no en esas pobres chicas. / No… the devil can be anywhere, but not in those poor girls.

LÁZARO
(Turning on her)
¡Es una conspiración! Satán elige a las criaturas más delicadas para destruir a la Sagrada Iglesia Católica. Tal vez no sea el Rey de las Tinieblas… pero es uno de sus mensajeros. ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que Justine se comporta así? / It’s a conspiracy! Satan chooses the most vulnerable creatures to destroy the Holy Catholic Church. Perhaps he isn’t the King of Darkness… but he’s one of his messengers. How long has Justine been acting this way?

TERESA
Casi una semana. Dijo que… que le molestaba la luz. / Almost a week. He said that… that the light bothered him.

LÁZARO
(With terrifying triumph)
¡Eso es! Un diablo heliofóbico. La sexta categoría de los infiernos. El que odia la luz y actúa en las sombras. ¡Para salvarlas, debemos destruir al mensajero! / That’s it! A heliophobic devil. The sixth category of Hell. One who hates the light and acts in the shadows. To save them, we must destroy the messenger!

(He raises his bloody whip like a scepter.)

¡Tenemos que preparar un Exorcismo! / We need to prepare an exorcism!

THE NUNS gasp and cross themselves. The static of the Zone swells, swallowing the sound of their prayers.

FADE.

---

Scene 5: The Theft of the Innocent

Justine’s room. Dimly lit. JUSTINE is deathly still on the bed. ANGÉLICA hovers over her.

ANGÉLICA
¡Justine… mi pobre Justine! No dejaré que te toquen con sus látigos. No dejaré que te lleven a ese sótano de sombras. Te esconderé… donde el desierto no pueda encontrarte y la Iglesia no pueda romperte. / Justine… my poor Justine! I won’t let them touch you with their whips. I won’t let them take you to that cellar of shadows. I’ll hide you… where the desert can’t find you and the Church can’t break you.

She struggles to lift JUSTINE.

ANGÉLICA
Vamos, pequeña… ayúdame. El aire aquí está envenenado. Tenemos que correr antes de que el sol se ponga. / Come on, little one… help me. The air here is poisoned. We have to run before the sun sets.

The door is kicked open. THREE NUNS enter. They move with mechanical, cold efficiency.

NUN I
(Sharp, accusing)
¿Hermana? ¿Qué está haciendo? El Padre Lázaro ha reclamado a la niña para la purificación. / Sister? What are you doing? Father Lazarus has claimed the girl for purification.

ANGÉLICA
(Shielding Justine)
¡No! ¡Ella no es un demonio! / No! She’s not a demon!

THE NUNS advance. A struggle.

NUNS
¡Apártate, Angélica! Tienes que salir. ¡Abran la puerta! / Step aside, Angelica! You have to leave. Open the door!

ANGÉLICA
¡No! ¡Justine! ¡No dejaré que se la lleven! ¡Es mi sangre! ¡Es mi alma! / No! Justine! I won’t let them take her! She’s my blood! She’s my soul!

THE NUNS grab JUSTINE’S arms and legs. They drag her from the bed. JUSTINE remains limp, her head lolling back.

ANGÉLICA
(Screaming)
¿A dónde se la llevan? ¡Justine! ¡Contéstame! / Where are they taking her? Justine! Answer me!

THE NUNS push ANGÉLICA back into the room and slam the door. The bolt slides into place.

ANGÉLICA collapses against the wood.

ANGÉLICA
(A long, haunting wail)
¡Ay, mi niña… mi niña…! / Oh, my little girl… my little girl…!

She weeps. The sound of her sorrow echoes.

FADE.

---

Scene 6: The Exorcism (The Breaking of the Vessel)

The Torture Chamber of the Convent. A suffocating space of red stone. JUSTINE, almost lifeless, is tied to a wooden cross. The instruments of ‘purification’ gleam under the torches. Smoke fills the air.

A NUN drags ALUCARDA inside. Upon seeing JUSTINE, ALUCARDA lets out a wail.

THE NUNS drag her to a second cross and chain her up.

FATHER LÁZARO enters.

LÁZARO
No desesperes, hija mía… estamos aquí para librarte del Mal. No son ustedes, es el demonio quien se resiste. ¡Lo demostraré exponiendo la Marca Diaboli! ¡Desvístanla! / Do not despair, my daughter… we are here to free you from Evil. It is not you, it is the devil who resists. I will prove it by revealing the Mark of the Devil! Undress her!

ALUCARDA
(A heartbreaking lament)
Justine… no… ¡Morirán pronto! ¡Sentirán el fuego que yo ya conozco! / Justine… no… They will die soon! They will feel the fire I already know!

THE NUNS undress JUSTINE. At the sight of her naked body, THE NUNS enter a collective hysteria—they crawl, howl, pound the floor.

LÁZARO
(Exalted)
¡Ahí está la evidencia! ¡No pueden oír el nombre del Salvador! ¡Están poseídas! ¡Cállenla! / There’s the proof! They can’t hear the Savior’s name! They’re possessed! Silence her!

ALUCARDA is gagged.

LÁZARO begins the Great Exorcism.

LÁZARO
¡Yo te ordeno, espíritu diabólico! Por aquel que juzga el mundo… ¡Abandona estos cuerpos! ¡Vuelve a las profundidades! Humíllate ante Cristo, que salva a las almas del fuego. ¡Dios Padre te lo ordena! ¡La Sagrada Cruz te lo ordena! / I command you, demonic spirit! By Him who judges the world… Leave these bodies! Return to the depths! Humble yourself before Christ, who saves souls from the fire. God the Father commands you! The Holy Cross commands you!

THE NUNS intensify their torment. JUSTINE breathes her last. Her head falls.

The door crashes open. ANGÉLICA and DR. OSZEK enter.

ANGÉLICA
(A blood-curdling scream)
¡Justine! ¡Mi niña! / Justine! My girl!

DR. OSZEK
¡Paren! ¡Deténganse! ¡Esto es la expresión más primitiva de ignorancia que he visto! ¡Usted… Lázaro… acaba de matar a Justine! / Stop! Halt! This is the most primitive expression of ignorance I have ever seen! You… Lazarus… have just killed Justine!

LÁZARO
(Cold)
¡Cómo se atreve a interrumpir un rito sagrado, Doctor! / How dare you interrupt a sacred rite, Doctor!

OSZEK examines ALUCARDA.

DR. OSZEK
Malditos sean… desátenla. Me llevaré a esta chica antes de que la maten también. Su ‘fe’ es un matadero. / Damn them… untie her. I’ll take this girl before they kill her too. Their ‘faith’ is a slaughterhouse.

OSZEK takes ALUCARDA in his arms. She is catatonic, staring at JUSTINE’S body.

THE NUNS lower JUSTINE and hand her to ANGÉLICA.

ANGÉLICA holds JUSTINE’S bloodied body in a grotesque Pietà. OSZEK leaves with ALUCARDA. LÁZARO remains impassive, like a stone statue.

ANGÉLICA
(To Germana)
Fuiste testigo… permitiste esto. ¿Dónde está el amor? Destruyeron su cuerpo… pero el Señor no abandonará su alma. Que Dios tenga piedad de usted, porque el desierto no la tendrá. / You were a witness… you allowed this. Where is the love? They destroyed her body… but the Lord will not abandon her soul. May God have mercy on you, for the desert will not.

GERMANA
(Icy, triumphant)
Suficiente, hermana. / Enough, sister.

END OF ACT II.

---

Scene 7: The Clinic of Shadows

Dr. Oszek’s study. Filled with the artifacts of 1910 progress: a brass-horned gramophone, anatomical charts, glass jars of specimens. Outside, the Desert wind makes the glassware rattle.

ALUCARDA lies unconscious on a leather fainting couch. DR. OSZEK sits by her side, checking her pulse. His face is haunted.

ALUCARDA wakes up screaming.

ALUCARDA
¡No, no! / No, no!

DR. OSZEK
Todo está bien… / Everything’s fine…

ALUCARDA
¡No me toque, no me toque! / Don’t touch me, don’t touch me!

DR. OSZEK
Nadie quiere hacerte daño, todo está bien. / Nobody wants to hurt you, everything is fine.

ALUCARDA calms down.

ALUCARDA
Tú no… ¡el viento! / Not you… the wind!

DR. OSZEK
(Sighing, putting on his spectacles)
Lo que usted llama ‘el viento’ es una corriente térmica del Bolsón de Mapimí. Usted sufre de una disociación severa. Es fascinante, en realidad. Un caso de libro sobre cómo la represión religiosa fractura la psique femenina. / What you call ‘the wind’ is a thermal current from the Bolsón de Mapimí. You suffer from severe dissociation. It’s fascinating, really. A textbook case of how religious repression fractures the female psyche.

ALUCARDA moves toward him with a predator’s grace.

ALUCARDA
Usted cruzó el mar para medirnos, ¿verdad? Cree que si le pone un nombre en latín a mi sed, la sed desaparecerá. Pero dígame, Doctor… ¿qué nombre le puso al miedo que siente ahora? / You crossed the sea to measure us, didn’t you? You think that if you give my thirst a Latin name, it will disappear. But tell me, Doctor… what name did you give to the fear you feel now?

DR. OSZEK
(Chuckling nervously)
Yo no siento miedo. Siento curiosidad profesional. / I don’t feel fear. I feel professional curiosity.

ALUCARDA leans close, looking into his eyes. The electric light flickers and buzzes.

ALUCARDA
Mientes. Tus ojos huelen a Viena… huelen a bibliotecas antiguas y a una hija que jamás podrías entender. Crees que estoy enferma porque quiero sangre. Pero acabo de despertar. Y tú… estás rodeado de fantasmas que no entiendes. / You’re lying. Your eyes smell of Vienna… they smell of old libraries and a daughter you could never understand. You think I’m sick because I crave blood. But I’ve just woken up. And you… you’re surrounded by ghosts you don’t understand.

ALUCARDA vanishes into the flickering shadows. The room is empty, save for OSZEK, who remains deathly still.

A knock at the door.

DR. OSZEK
(Calling)
¿Quién es? / Who is it?

TERESA
(Muffled)
Soy yo, hermana Teresa. Algo terrible ha pasado en el Convento, tiene que venir. / It’s me, Sister Teresa. Something terrible has happened at the convent; you must come.

OSZEK opens the door.

DR. OSZEK
Pero si son las cinco de la mañana. / But it’s five in the morning.

TERESA
La reverenda madre me envió a buscarte; dice que tienes que venir enseguida. / The Reverend Mother sent me to find you; she says you have to come right away.

DR. OSZEK
Ya estoy acostumbrado a las terribles cosas que pasan en el Convento. ¿Qué sucede ahora? / I’m used to the terrible things that happen at the convent. What’s happening now?

TERESA
¡Es Justine! ¡No está muerta! / It’s Justine! She’s not dead!

They exit together.

FADE.

---

Scene 8: The Transgression of the Flesh

The Convent Chapel. The altar is in disarray. The air smells of ozone and burnt flesh. DR. OSZEK enters hurriedly, followed by MOTHER SUPERIOR, who stands in the doorway, watching in silence.

DR. OSZEK
(Looking at an empty spot)
¿Quién ha hecho esto? ¡El cuerpo de Justine ha desaparecido! ¡Las telas están trituradas! / Who did this? Justine’s body has disappeared! The fabrics are shredded!

FATHER LÁZARO

[Entering.] Parecía como si hubiera sido secuestrada por los demonios del infierno. / It looked as if she had been kidnapped by demons from hell.

DR. OSZEK
¡Superstición! Tendré que avisar a las autoridades. Alguien robó el cuerpo; no hay otra lógica. / Superstition! I’ll have to notify the authorities. Someone stole the body; there’s no other explanation.

A NUN bursts in screaming. Everyone rushes to GERMANA’S cell. On the floor, a pile of ashes and charred human remains, still smoldering.

DR. OSZEK
(Bending over, horrified)
Ha sido quemada hasta morir… por dentro. Una combustión imposible. / She has been burned to death… from the inside out. An impossible combustion.

MOTHER SUPERIOR watches, unmoved, silent.

LÁZARO, with inhuman coldness, lifts the charred corpse and carries it to the chapel. Suddenly, an inhuman scream tears through the silence. The ‘dead’ corpse stirs, writhes, emits shrieks.

LÁZARO raises a machete and begins to strike the neck with rhythmic violence. Blood splatters the paintings of saints. Finally, he severs the head.

DR. OSZEK
(Panting, backing away)
¿Qué significa esto? ¡Estaba muerta y seguía moviéndose! / What does this mean? She was dead and yet she was still moving!

LÁZARO
El Diablo la movía. ¿Cómo explica esto su ‘ciencia’, Doctor? Ha sucedido ante sus ojos. ¿Aún duda? / The Devil was moving her. How do you explain this with your ‘science’, Doctor? It happened right before your eyes. Do you still doubt?

DR. OSZEK
En París me enseñaron que la religión era farsa y cadena… que la mente enferma crea sus propios demonios. Soy un hombre razonable, pero me enfrento a lo sobrenatural y tengo miedo. Esta mujer estaba muerta… pero algo habitaba en ella preparado para atacar. Es el Diablo… es el Diablo. / In Paris, I was taught that religion was a farce and a chain… that a sick mind creates its own demons. I am a reasonable man, but when I face the supernatural, I am afraid. This woman was dead… but something dwelled within her, ready to strike. It is the Devil… it is the Devil.

LÁZARO
Él la llevó del altar al infierno. Germana fue contaminada. / He led her from the altar to hell. Germana was corrupted.

A VOICE
Fue Justine. Ella es el foco. / It was Justine. She’s the focus.

ANGÉLICA
(From the shadows)
¿Justine? No… ella es la víctima. / Justine? No… she’s the victim.

LÁZARO
Tenemos que encontrarla antes de que haya más cuerpos, más poseídos. Ella es el mensajero de la sed. / We have to find her before there are more bodies, more possessed people. She is the messenger of thirst.

DR. OSZEK
Debemos encontrarla… o lo que quede de ella. / We must find her… or what’s left of her.

ANGÉLICA
(Taking a step forward)
Yo sé dónde buscar. Conozco los sitios donde solían esconderse del mundo. / I know where to look. I know the places where they used to hide from the world.

DR. OSZEK
Entonces, guíenos, Angélica. / So, guide us, Angelica.

ANGÉLICA
(Taking the Doctor’s hand)
Prométame que no le hará daño. Prométamelo, Doctor… por lo que queda de su alma. / Promise me you won’t hurt her. Promise me, Doctor… on what’s left of your soul.

DR. OSZEK
(Broken)
Vamos. / Come on.

They all leave, save LÁZARO, who remains on stage with GERMANA’S remains.

FADE.

---

Scene 9: The Altar of the First Mother

The ruins of the colonial palace. Moonlight cuts through the cracked ceiling in jagged shafts. The air is stagnant.

DR. OSZEK, MOTHER SUPERIOR, and several NUNS enter cautiously, led by ANGÉLICA. They reach the chamber where LUCY’S COFFIN sits.

ANGÉLICA
(In a breathless whisper)
Doctor… Justine no puede estar lejos. Puedo sentir su frío aquí mismo. / Doctor… Justine can’t be far away. I can feel her coldness right here.

DR. OSZEK
(Pointing to a small door)
Parece que hay otra salida. Vamos, hermanas. / It seems there’s another way out. Come on, sisters.

Everyone exits except ANGÉLICA. She stands alone among the broken statues. She looks at the Coffin.

ANGÉLICA
(Approaching the lid)
¿Justine? ¿Hija? / Justine? Daughter?

She heaves the lid open. A sickening, wet sound—the splash of liquid. The coffin is overflowing with dark, thick blood. SUBMERGED in it is the reanimated JUSTINE. Her skin is translucent gray, her fingers have become eagle-like talons, her face a skeletal mask of hunger.

JUSTINE rises from the blood. She lets out a piercing, unearthly scream. She lunges, slashing ANGÉLICA’S face.

ANGÉLICA
(Cowering, bleeding)
¡Por favor… Señor… ayúdala! / Please… Lord… help her!

JUSTINE freezes, recognizing ANGÉLICA. The eagle-claws soften. For a heartbeat, she looks human again—lost and small. ANGÉLICA, sobbing, pulls her into a maternal embrace.

ANGÉLICA
Justine… oh Dios, mi pequeña Justine… / Justine… oh God, my little Justine…

The door bursts open. DR. OSZEK and MOTHER SUPERIOR rush in. Seeing the ‘monster’ embracing ANGÉLICA, he cries out.

JUSTINE’S face twists back into the Cihuateteo snarl. In a blind rage, she bites deep into ANGÉLICA’S neck. OSZEK and MOTHER SUPERIOR pin JUSTINE back into the coffin.

DR. OSZEK
¡Sosténgala! ¡Ahora! / Hold it! Now!

They drive a wooden stake through JUSTINE’S chest. JUSTINE shrieks one last time, her body reverting to its original, fragile form as the life leaves her for the second and final time.

Everyone gathers around the dying ANGÉLICA.

ANGÉLICA
(A faint whisper)
Doctor… Alucarda… el… el Convento… / Doctor… Alucarda… the… the Convent…

She dies in OSZEK’S arms.

MOTHER SUPERIOR turns—slowly, deliberately—and exits. She does not look back.

THE NUNS carry ANGÉLICA’S body off-stage. OSZEK remains for a moment, looking at his blood-stained hands, before picking up JUSTINE’S lifeless body and following them into the darkness.

The stage is empty. The coffin drips.

FADE.

---

Scene 10: The Burning Sanctuary (The Finale)

The Grand Chapel of the Convent. Massive crucifixes hang from the rafters. The air is thick with smoke. Outside, the sky is a bruised purple.

FATHER LÁZARO stands at the altar, leading THE NUNS in a desperate, percussive chant. They are terrified.

ALUCARDA enters through the massive main doors. She is transformed into something ancient—a feathered serpent-like goddess. Every step she takes causes the floorboards to smolder.

ALUCARDA
¿Dónde está mi mitad, Lázaro? ¿Dónde está la sangre que ustedes intentaron drenar? / Where is my other half, Lazarus? Where is the blood you tried to drain?

LÁZARO
(Screaming, holding up a monstrance)
¡Atrás, Hija de las Tinieblas! ¡El fuego te espera! / Back off, Daughter of Darkness! The fire awaits you!

ALUCARDA
(Laughing)
El fuego no es mi castigo, Padre. El fuego es mi corona. Ustedes construyeron estas paredes para esconderse de la tierra… ¡pero la tierra ha venido a cobrar su deuda! / Fire is not my punishment, Father. Fire is my crown. You built these walls to hide from the earth… but the earth has come to collect its due!

ALUCARDA pulls down the heavy oil lamps from the ceiling. Fire races across the carpets and THE NUNS’ robes. THE NUNS scream and dance as the flames grow.

ALUCARDA
(Final Aria)
¡Mírenme! Soy la hija de la encrucijada. Soy el mapa que se borra. El Convento es ceniza, la Iglesia es polvo. ¡En el Silencio todos somos libres! / Look at me! I am the daughter of the crossroads. I am the map that fades away. The Convent is ash, the Church is dust. In Silence, we are all free!

As the Chapel burns, the doors burst open. DR. OSZEK enters, carrying JUSTINE’S body. The stake is still visible in her chest.

DR. OSZEK
(Broken)
Aquí está… Alucarda. Aquí está tu ‘libertad’. La medicina no pudo salvarla… y mi mano tuvo que terminarla. Todo es ceniza… mi ciencia, mi razón… todo es ceniza. / Here she is… Alucarda. Here is your ‘freedom’. Medicine could not save her… and my hand had to end it. All is ash… my science, my reason… all is ash.

ALUCARDA stops the fire for a moment. She walks toward OSZEK. He falls to his knees and lays JUSTINE’S body on the stones.

ALUCARDA kneels and pulls the stake from JUSTINE’S chest. She cradles her head.

ALUCARDA
Pobre pajarillo de Viena… Quisiste medir el infinito con una regla de madera. Justine… mi sangre… ya no hay más sed. Solo queda el sueño. / Poor little bird of Vienna… You tried to measure infinity with a wooden ruler. Justine… my blood… there is no more thirst. Only sleep remains.

ALUCARDA looks at OSZEK, then at LÁZARO.

ALUCARDA [cont.]
Ustedes ganaron, ¿verdad? Ella está muerta. El monstruo ha sido vencido. Pero miren a su alrededor… han quemado su propio cielo para matar a una niña. / You won, didn’t you? She’s dead. The monster has been defeated. But look around you… you burned your own sky to kill a little girl.

---

THE EXTINGUISHING OF THE NUNS

THE NUNS begin to fall. One by one, they crumple to the floor. As each Nun falls, she reaches up and reverses her own habit—the black outer layer pulled away to reveal ash-gray beneath. Each becomes a pile that looks, from the audience, like ash.

LÁZARO alone remains standing. He opens his mouth to speak—and nothing comes out. He crumples last, reversing his own cassock as he falls, becoming just another pile.

---

THE MOTHER SUPERIOR’S EXIT

In the midst of the chaos, crossing from one side of the stage to the other, walking through the fire without looking at it—the MOTHER SUPERIOR.

She does not run. She does not hurry. She walks at the same pace she has walked these halls for forty years. She passes LÁZARO’S falling body without a glance. She steps over a fallen Nun without breaking stride. She reaches the edge of the stage, pauses just long enough to adjust her wimple, and exits.

She does not look back.

---

THE VANISHING

ALUCARDA stands at the center of the chapel, JUSTINE in her arms. The fire surrounds them but does not touch them. The light begins to drain from the stage—a slow desaturation, as if color itself is being pulled away.

As the light fades, ALUCARDA and JUSTINE become silhouettes. The final image is their embrace outlined against the glow of the embers.

Then: nothing. The stage is empty. The piles remain. The embers glow.

Silence. Five seconds. Ten.

---

EPILOGUE

THE BRUJA enters from the back of the theater, walking through the audience. She carries a marigold.

She steps onto the stage. She moves carefully between the piles, never disturbing them. She stops at the center.

From her pocket, she produces the marigold. Holds it up. The light catches it—the only color in the gray.

She drops it into the ash.

She looks out at the audience. She smiles—not warmly, not coldly, but with the patience of something that has waited centuries and can wait centuries more.

She exits the way she came, through the audience.

The stage is empty. The marigold glows in the single pinspot.

A solo cello—offstage, distant—plays a single, haunting phrase. Once. Softly. Then fades.

FADE TO BLACK.

THE END

)(^)(