Post by Sebastian Savage on Jun 13, 2013 4:00:30 GMT
I remember this church from my childhood.
It was one that my family visited every Sunday.
Well, what remained of my family.
It pretty much fell apart after my mother's death.
Which sadly happened the day I was born.
I'm told that this church we visited every Sunday was my mother's favorite.
Which is probably the reason my father insisted that we attend.
To remind us about how she lived.
Before she died.
Thanks to me.
Regardless, there use to be a giant stone gargoyle perched on one of its steeples.
One of four.
I often wondered as a child what it must be like to be up so high with an eye over the entire city.
He seemed like a guardian to me and for a while that's what I wanted to be.
A guardian.
Until the day I heard the whispers.
Many voices talked at once but they all sounded the same.
I was an insignificant speck then.
Foolishly worshiping a granite beast to escape the brutal lashings of both word and whip at the hands of my father.
An asinine little twat running around and praying to a GOD that had forsaken me the moment my dead mother gave birth to me.
In a way, I have remained insignificant.
Choosing to hide in the shadows in search of a greater meaning.
Up until now that is.
When my search for meaning has guided me here.
I know most of you wont care about this revelation.
And that is fine.
Because I don't care either.
{One month ago, a tortoise walked across a New Mexican desert. The slow pace of the shelled creature made one wonder if it even had a destination in mind, or if it was simply walking until properly cooked underneath the sun. In the distance, protruding red rocks reach for the sky while the squawks of vultures circle the carcass of some dead animal. The tortoise seems to pay no mind to any of it as it inches towards some unknown destination. Eventually, the sounds of an approaching vehicle beckons our attention. We turn to find a speeding Bentley screech to a halt, puffs of smoke and debris kicking up into the air behind it. A couple of seconds pass before the driver's side door is opened and out steps the heel belonging to the beautiful foot of the lovely Hannah Reed.}
Hannah Reed: You know... When you said the middle of nowhere I didn't expect to actually be nowhere.
{Her voice carried with the hot winds as she addressed her passenger. The sunglasses on her face did very little to prevent the glare from the New Mexican sun from shining through. With a hand she shielded her eyes as she studied her surroundings.}
Hannah Reed: There's nothing for miles. We could, like, disappear and nobody would ever find us. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Roberto Verona: Of course it wasn't. It was your idea.
Hanna Reed: Hardy har har, Mr. Funny Man.
{Roberto stood leaning against the passenger side door which was swung open, the beeping from inside the car indicating as such. Both were clearly overdressed for this visit to the land of desert sand and sun.}
Hannah Reed: Do you think he'll be reasonable?
Roberto Verona: Don't know. There was never much reasoning with this guy.
{Roberto spoke as he unbuttoned his expensive suit's jacket, taking it off and throwing it into the car along with his tie. He unfastened the top button to his shirt as well as his cufflings, tucking his shirt's sleeves up to his forearms. Hannah bit her lip as she looked at him curiously.}
Hannah Reed: Are you expecting trouble? I thought we were on the same side.
Roberto Verona: This man has no sides.
Hannah Reed: Lovely.
Roberto Verona: Ladies first.
{Like a gentlemen Roberto allows Hannah to take the lead and finally you are able to see a rundown church with half of its roof caved in in the middle of a barren desert. The place looks like it could implode at any second but this doesn't stop Hannah and Roberto from slowly approaching it.}
"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."
My father had this verse framed and it hung on his office walls.
He was a man of war that never actually believed that saying.
Yet, there it hung for all to see.
He was an unkind fellow.
Forced me to sit through endless documentaries of war.
He'd always point out the facts he believed were wrong.
Never found out if he was right.
But they were some sweet memories with my father.
You know, when he wasn't thrashing me for being born.
For killing my mother.
Years later I would find out why he kept that Bible verse with him.
It was mother's favorite.
I spent quite a lot of time repeating this saying, this slogan in hopes of understanding the way my mother thought. I did this to find a connection to her but the only thing I could ever draw from her favorite verse was that it didn't stop her from dying.
You see, we as people, we all form these attachments to outside influences in hopes of finding understanding in our own lives. Sometimes we beat a dead horse until it dies again as we search for answers to questions that don't require any. I feel like I've been wasting away these last months, decaying in my pit of sorrow as I searched for a meaning so readily available to others with a lackluster existence. I wanted so much more but only found myself unraveling. Riddled with pain, tormented by hate, carried by rage and tortured by a need to break every single one of you.
There are no words that could describe indubitably what I wish to convey. I have found in my life of solitude an understanding that is far greater than any meaning any of you have found.
Do not fret for in the absence of a proper vocabulary I have discovered a vicious method by which I could fully explain to you what it is I feel. I fear you wont like my methods much for they involve an unnerving amount of blood. I can only promise you that, though you'll be pitted closer to death than you've ever been, you'll find a reason to live. I am angry. I am sad. I am hateful. I am anguished. I am everything you all shy away from. Soon you will be forced to face me and there will be no running away anymore for any of you.
What is it you desire the most?
Keep it close for one day I shall rip it away.
{Hannah begins knocking on a half broken down door. Roberto facepalms at her actions.}
Roberto Verona: Are you seriously knocking on that door right now?
Hannah Reed: What? I don't want to be rude.
Roberto Verona: It's not even hanging from its hinges anymore, woman.
Hanna Reed: I don't just want to walk in and surprise him. He should know we're here before we do.
{Roberto pulls he away from the door and then proceeds to kick what's left of it down. The whole wall seems to wobble from side to side before settling.}
Roberto Verona: Trust me. He knew we were here before we even got here.
{Roberto leads the way into the building, dust still floating in the air that was kicked up by the kicked down door. Cockroaches and other insects scurried about, hiding from the sunlight. Hannah was very careful where she stepped, waving the dust away from her face.}
Hannah Reed: Are you sure he's even here?
Roberto Verona: I got the address from Kelly Fox.
Hannah Reed: How would she know?
Roberto Verona: She would know because out of everyone she would be the one he would tell.
{Sun was bright outside but the further they made their way into the church the darker it seemed to get until morning turned to night.}
For the last few months, an abandoned church has been my home.
It reminds me of my youth.
I guess that's the thing with churches.
Familiarity.
Wherever you are, a church can bring you back home.
I don't want to be home anymore.
I burned a cross to watch it burn out of boredom.
It inspired me.
Like a burning bush.
So I came back.
I have always wanted to be the best.
I guess in a way we share that similarity.
This need drove me to test my mettle against stiff competition. It's how I found myself at NCW. If you wanted to be the best, you had to beat the best. That old cliche.
NCW is dead now.
For weeks I have been scouting IWF, taking down mental notes on who is regarded as great around here. Some names are very familiar while others have only just now caught my attention. My name is irrelevant at this point in time.
What is life without its surprises?
I don't imagine that it is much of a secret at this point. Those who know who I am know that I am coming and those that don't will soon find out exactly who I am. I could've made an impact as Xander Famularo has or maybe found myself someone delicious to feud with like Brad Kane and Alex Jones has. Maybe I should've spoken to GOD or cater to the masses with my good looks and youth. Perhaps I should've been a comedian or ditched a former partner and brother to thrive on my own.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, I guess.
Instead I wanted to go a different route. I wanted to find the most chaotic moment to come into this company. I wanted to come into this federation the way I came into this world, kicking and fighting at the expense of another person's life. Now do not take my words literally. I will not be murdering anyone. However, don't take them lightly either because I do aim to hurt. I do aim to destroy and my aims are difficult to deflect. The Battle Royale was made for me. A number of us will descend to that ring as if falling to hell and I will climb over every single one of your carcasses to find myself back in the world of the living.
For too long I have been away finding excuse after excuse as to why I shouldn't be here doing what I was bred to do. I have been absentmindedly living my life in solitude. I was once a son, a brother, a father, a friend, a wrestler until the day came when I became disinterested. This game just wasn't fun anymore. I felt like a lackey, like a slave to a world whose rules and regulations mean nothing to me. I found myself lacking motivation or desire.
So I simply walked away.
I needed something more and failed to fulfill my initial mission.
That wont happen again.
I'm afraid IWF is now stuck with me and soon I will be crowned.
It would be a waste of time for me to address each and everyone of you involved in the Bloody Assizes Battle Royale. I don't wish to run any of your names down. But I do wish to work your bodies down until they're broken. I can see some familiar talent on the laundry list of "To beat" items and I know some new names will be added to that list. I'm okay with this. I'm okay with finding out for myself exactly how stiff the competition is around here. There will be no studying my enemy, no watching tapes or reading on backgrounds. I will simply go into this match with everything I have to offer and with the knowledge that everything I offer is enough.
You'll excuse me if I giggle at your demise. Life has a tendency to put a smile on my face as others burn to the ground. I can't help but laugh as I conquer any and all that stand before me. I go into this match in hopes that one of you is good enough to slay me and I pray that this is the case because if it is not...
All hope is lost.
{The hallway seemed to stretch for far longer than it initially appeared. Somehow it seemed like it wasn't even the same church anymore. It was still broken down but the atmosphere seemed to be from another dimension.}
Roberto Verona: So is signing this guy worth this trip?
Hannah Reed: If he agrees it will be.
Roberto Verona: If he doesn't?
Hannah Reed: He wont say no.
{She seemed confident but Roberto simply shook his head as he moved some debris out of the way. He checked his wristwatch before wiping the sweat from his brow.}
Hannah Reed: How long have we been here?
Roberto Verona: Too long.
{Eventually they come across a chamber room where a man stands in front of the ques, lighting a candle. A burnt cross lies in a pile of ash beside him and the whole thing appears theatrically horrifying.}
Hannah Reed: Uhm... Mr...
Man: No need to address me formally. I know why you are here. I've been waiting for you.
Hanna Reed: You have?
Man: Yes. You are my ride back into civilization.
{Hannah looked to Roberto who shrugged his shoulders in confusion.}
Hannah Reed: I'm kind of confused.
Man: Do not worry. Soon... It will make sense.
{The man's head slowly turns as the camera zooms in only we don't catch the identity of the man. Instead it rests on a shot of the wickedly eerie half-smile on his face and it is on this image we fade to white.}
It was one that my family visited every Sunday.
Well, what remained of my family.
It pretty much fell apart after my mother's death.
Which sadly happened the day I was born.
I'm told that this church we visited every Sunday was my mother's favorite.
Which is probably the reason my father insisted that we attend.
To remind us about how she lived.
Before she died.
Thanks to me.
Regardless, there use to be a giant stone gargoyle perched on one of its steeples.
One of four.
I often wondered as a child what it must be like to be up so high with an eye over the entire city.
He seemed like a guardian to me and for a while that's what I wanted to be.
A guardian.
Until the day I heard the whispers.
Many voices talked at once but they all sounded the same.
I was an insignificant speck then.
Foolishly worshiping a granite beast to escape the brutal lashings of both word and whip at the hands of my father.
An asinine little twat running around and praying to a GOD that had forsaken me the moment my dead mother gave birth to me.
In a way, I have remained insignificant.
Choosing to hide in the shadows in search of a greater meaning.
Up until now that is.
When my search for meaning has guided me here.
I know most of you wont care about this revelation.
And that is fine.
Because I don't care either.
{One month ago, a tortoise walked across a New Mexican desert. The slow pace of the shelled creature made one wonder if it even had a destination in mind, or if it was simply walking until properly cooked underneath the sun. In the distance, protruding red rocks reach for the sky while the squawks of vultures circle the carcass of some dead animal. The tortoise seems to pay no mind to any of it as it inches towards some unknown destination. Eventually, the sounds of an approaching vehicle beckons our attention. We turn to find a speeding Bentley screech to a halt, puffs of smoke and debris kicking up into the air behind it. A couple of seconds pass before the driver's side door is opened and out steps the heel belonging to the beautiful foot of the lovely Hannah Reed.}
Hannah Reed: You know... When you said the middle of nowhere I didn't expect to actually be nowhere.
{Her voice carried with the hot winds as she addressed her passenger. The sunglasses on her face did very little to prevent the glare from the New Mexican sun from shining through. With a hand she shielded her eyes as she studied her surroundings.}
Hannah Reed: There's nothing for miles. We could, like, disappear and nobody would ever find us. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.
Roberto Verona: Of course it wasn't. It was your idea.
Hanna Reed: Hardy har har, Mr. Funny Man.
{Roberto stood leaning against the passenger side door which was swung open, the beeping from inside the car indicating as such. Both were clearly overdressed for this visit to the land of desert sand and sun.}
Hannah Reed: Do you think he'll be reasonable?
Roberto Verona: Don't know. There was never much reasoning with this guy.
{Roberto spoke as he unbuttoned his expensive suit's jacket, taking it off and throwing it into the car along with his tie. He unfastened the top button to his shirt as well as his cufflings, tucking his shirt's sleeves up to his forearms. Hannah bit her lip as she looked at him curiously.}
Hannah Reed: Are you expecting trouble? I thought we were on the same side.
Roberto Verona: This man has no sides.
Hannah Reed: Lovely.
Roberto Verona: Ladies first.
{Like a gentlemen Roberto allows Hannah to take the lead and finally you are able to see a rundown church with half of its roof caved in in the middle of a barren desert. The place looks like it could implode at any second but this doesn't stop Hannah and Roberto from slowly approaching it.}
"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."
My father had this verse framed and it hung on his office walls.
He was a man of war that never actually believed that saying.
Yet, there it hung for all to see.
He was an unkind fellow.
Forced me to sit through endless documentaries of war.
He'd always point out the facts he believed were wrong.
Never found out if he was right.
But they were some sweet memories with my father.
You know, when he wasn't thrashing me for being born.
For killing my mother.
Years later I would find out why he kept that Bible verse with him.
It was mother's favorite.
I spent quite a lot of time repeating this saying, this slogan in hopes of understanding the way my mother thought. I did this to find a connection to her but the only thing I could ever draw from her favorite verse was that it didn't stop her from dying.
You see, we as people, we all form these attachments to outside influences in hopes of finding understanding in our own lives. Sometimes we beat a dead horse until it dies again as we search for answers to questions that don't require any. I feel like I've been wasting away these last months, decaying in my pit of sorrow as I searched for a meaning so readily available to others with a lackluster existence. I wanted so much more but only found myself unraveling. Riddled with pain, tormented by hate, carried by rage and tortured by a need to break every single one of you.
There are no words that could describe indubitably what I wish to convey. I have found in my life of solitude an understanding that is far greater than any meaning any of you have found.
Do not fret for in the absence of a proper vocabulary I have discovered a vicious method by which I could fully explain to you what it is I feel. I fear you wont like my methods much for they involve an unnerving amount of blood. I can only promise you that, though you'll be pitted closer to death than you've ever been, you'll find a reason to live. I am angry. I am sad. I am hateful. I am anguished. I am everything you all shy away from. Soon you will be forced to face me and there will be no running away anymore for any of you.
What is it you desire the most?
Keep it close for one day I shall rip it away.
{Hannah begins knocking on a half broken down door. Roberto facepalms at her actions.}
Roberto Verona: Are you seriously knocking on that door right now?
Hannah Reed: What? I don't want to be rude.
Roberto Verona: It's not even hanging from its hinges anymore, woman.
Hanna Reed: I don't just want to walk in and surprise him. He should know we're here before we do.
{Roberto pulls he away from the door and then proceeds to kick what's left of it down. The whole wall seems to wobble from side to side before settling.}
Roberto Verona: Trust me. He knew we were here before we even got here.
{Roberto leads the way into the building, dust still floating in the air that was kicked up by the kicked down door. Cockroaches and other insects scurried about, hiding from the sunlight. Hannah was very careful where she stepped, waving the dust away from her face.}
Hannah Reed: Are you sure he's even here?
Roberto Verona: I got the address from Kelly Fox.
Hannah Reed: How would she know?
Roberto Verona: She would know because out of everyone she would be the one he would tell.
{Sun was bright outside but the further they made their way into the church the darker it seemed to get until morning turned to night.}
For the last few months, an abandoned church has been my home.
It reminds me of my youth.
I guess that's the thing with churches.
Familiarity.
Wherever you are, a church can bring you back home.
I don't want to be home anymore.
I burned a cross to watch it burn out of boredom.
It inspired me.
Like a burning bush.
So I came back.
I have always wanted to be the best.
I guess in a way we share that similarity.
This need drove me to test my mettle against stiff competition. It's how I found myself at NCW. If you wanted to be the best, you had to beat the best. That old cliche.
NCW is dead now.
For weeks I have been scouting IWF, taking down mental notes on who is regarded as great around here. Some names are very familiar while others have only just now caught my attention. My name is irrelevant at this point in time.
What is life without its surprises?
I don't imagine that it is much of a secret at this point. Those who know who I am know that I am coming and those that don't will soon find out exactly who I am. I could've made an impact as Xander Famularo has or maybe found myself someone delicious to feud with like Brad Kane and Alex Jones has. Maybe I should've spoken to GOD or cater to the masses with my good looks and youth. Perhaps I should've been a comedian or ditched a former partner and brother to thrive on my own.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda, I guess.
Instead I wanted to go a different route. I wanted to find the most chaotic moment to come into this company. I wanted to come into this federation the way I came into this world, kicking and fighting at the expense of another person's life. Now do not take my words literally. I will not be murdering anyone. However, don't take them lightly either because I do aim to hurt. I do aim to destroy and my aims are difficult to deflect. The Battle Royale was made for me. A number of us will descend to that ring as if falling to hell and I will climb over every single one of your carcasses to find myself back in the world of the living.
For too long I have been away finding excuse after excuse as to why I shouldn't be here doing what I was bred to do. I have been absentmindedly living my life in solitude. I was once a son, a brother, a father, a friend, a wrestler until the day came when I became disinterested. This game just wasn't fun anymore. I felt like a lackey, like a slave to a world whose rules and regulations mean nothing to me. I found myself lacking motivation or desire.
So I simply walked away.
I needed something more and failed to fulfill my initial mission.
That wont happen again.
I'm afraid IWF is now stuck with me and soon I will be crowned.
It would be a waste of time for me to address each and everyone of you involved in the Bloody Assizes Battle Royale. I don't wish to run any of your names down. But I do wish to work your bodies down until they're broken. I can see some familiar talent on the laundry list of "To beat" items and I know some new names will be added to that list. I'm okay with this. I'm okay with finding out for myself exactly how stiff the competition is around here. There will be no studying my enemy, no watching tapes or reading on backgrounds. I will simply go into this match with everything I have to offer and with the knowledge that everything I offer is enough.
You'll excuse me if I giggle at your demise. Life has a tendency to put a smile on my face as others burn to the ground. I can't help but laugh as I conquer any and all that stand before me. I go into this match in hopes that one of you is good enough to slay me and I pray that this is the case because if it is not...
All hope is lost.
{The hallway seemed to stretch for far longer than it initially appeared. Somehow it seemed like it wasn't even the same church anymore. It was still broken down but the atmosphere seemed to be from another dimension.}
Roberto Verona: So is signing this guy worth this trip?
Hannah Reed: If he agrees it will be.
Roberto Verona: If he doesn't?
Hannah Reed: He wont say no.
{She seemed confident but Roberto simply shook his head as he moved some debris out of the way. He checked his wristwatch before wiping the sweat from his brow.}
Hannah Reed: How long have we been here?
Roberto Verona: Too long.
{Eventually they come across a chamber room where a man stands in front of the ques, lighting a candle. A burnt cross lies in a pile of ash beside him and the whole thing appears theatrically horrifying.}
Hannah Reed: Uhm... Mr...
Man: No need to address me formally. I know why you are here. I've been waiting for you.
Hanna Reed: You have?
Man: Yes. You are my ride back into civilization.
{Hannah looked to Roberto who shrugged his shoulders in confusion.}
Hannah Reed: I'm kind of confused.
Man: Do not worry. Soon... It will make sense.
{The man's head slowly turns as the camera zooms in only we don't catch the identity of the man. Instead it rests on a shot of the wickedly eerie half-smile on his face and it is on this image we fade to white.}
Well howdy there pardner.