Epic Number 3

(The scene fades in on a large iron door. It stands six feet tall and four across, with a silver handle jutting out on the right side. A small window is set in the middle, but the pane is glazed over, obstructing any view. As if it were sensing the camera's presence, the door starts to swing open with a resounding creak. Soon, it slams against the metal wall with a loud BANG. Little specks of ice fall from the inside frame with this noise. The camera steadily moves through the opening, seemingly unaffected by the sub-zero temperatures. It maneuvers around hanging cow carcasses, their giant red bulk dangling silently in the enrapturing darkness. Then, an illumination appears from around a corner. The camera pans toward it, and finds a solitary figure sitting on a wooden crate. A single spotlight shines down on him from the alloy ceiling. His ever-present cigarette burns as if it had never gone out, but that is not what catches the eye. This enigma in black holds a lone rose, its surface completely blue with frost. The light glances unnaturally off the creation, sending back thousands of rays at random and odd angles. He stares at it thoughtfully, an expression of peaceful contemplation on his face. It is also noted that his Oakleys are off for the first time, revealing hauntingly dark-blue eyes and two perpendicular scars running across his right one. This scene is rather uncharacteristic of him, as he appears serene and at rest. The only contrast to the
equanimity of the spectacle is the perpetual cigarette, hanging from the corner of his
mouth.)

"Look at this. No, don't think, just look at it. Do you see the correlation? So like man is it; an excessively sharp exterior, made to frighten, but hollow
nothingness between those walls. It wards you off with its ferocious growl, but purrs like a kitten when you touch it. Such is the essence of mankind. All words and blatherskite, but very little meaning to it all. That's why I'm here. To give things a purpose again. Mother Earth's citizens have it too easy in today's modern world. Everything is practically gift-wrapped for them, and some things actually are. It's no wonder an alarming number of Americans are obese. We've gotten lazy and stupid. Well, things are going to change around here. The universe will return to its natural state, a primal order where the weak and unlearned are slaughtered to feed the strong. This is the way the Creator intended things to be, and his will is mine as well."

"Jayzon, dear Jayzon. I see you despondently traveling through your old hangouts, not merely opening old wounds, but pouring salt in them at the same instant. It pains me to see you do this, because you remind me of me. I made the exact same errors when I was your age. I will give you a piece of advice that
you should keep with you evermore: You have to forget the past, yet remember it. That doesn't appear to make any sense, but be patient. You seem caught up in your tragic yesteryears, and I know from experience that one cannot do that. I don't doubt that you've had your problems, but this is neither the time nor the place for it. We've all been down that road, my companion, to some extent or another. You and I have had it worse than others, but you simply cannot dwell on it. You have been fighting the odds all
your life, and I, of all people, should understand. We're really not that different, when you take into account our current positions. But you must turn away from the agony. Avoid your days of yore when they come calling. Still, these facets of yours remain. Did you see my last interview? This is what I mean. This is it. That is the one chaotic thought that will bring the towers crashing down. That's where it all ends, Jayzon. The end of the line. You have to learn, which I know you are quite accomplished at doing, and move on. Forget about the house you grew up in. Forget all the memories that keep flooding back and holding you down. Forget about all the losers that you knew. Abandon them, and you can lose them in the sparkle and fade. We all suffer for our art, child, but some of us seem eternally fated to draw the short straw. You must go on. Take all of that damage done to your psyche and channel it. Not into anger, of course; all blind fury does is wear you down and send you to an early grave. You must take vengeance. Those people who did those horrible things to you are long gone by now, but that doesn't mean that you can't punish their kind. That's what I do. I figure and calculate and devise until my plan is
perfect - and then, I execute it. Seething rage will get you nowhere but six feet under. You must learn to shun the lesser troubles in life and focus on the big ones; for example, how the entire race is going to hell in a handbasket. We must fix this, Jayzon, if it means complete martyrdom. I know you can understand this. I come to you as I am, as a friend and nothing else. Break down the pretenses. Let everyone's inner colors be seen through the facade. I feel close to you, almost as a brother, now that I know what you have experienced. That's why hurting you on Saturday will hurt me as well. Well, nobody said this role would be easily played. I will show you the true light of day, even if it means resorting to the euphoria morning."

"Now that that is said and done, I feel I must address the match that is occurring on tonights's card. I only wish there were more competitors to address. It just doesn't make sense for there to be a dozen plus wrestlers on the roster and have next to none of them put up an effort. I have already stated that I will not tolerate insolence, and that policy stays intact. Some of you may not care what happens to the XWF, but guess what? I do, and I will fulfill whatever
obligations I can to keep it open, even if that means going through and eliminating each and every one of you slackers. *Sigh* Well, I can at least harangue those who did something this past week. Jayzon, everything I said for our singles match goes toward you in the PPV. I have done everything I can to help you find your personal happiness. I only hope that you will heed my counsel and embrace only the purest of ideals; the Grand Evolution. Wannabe - Jayzon speaks highly of you, and I think that anyone who passes his appraisal would most likely pass mine as well. Unfortunately, you haven't put any words forth to speak of, so I must urge you to step forward and show the world whether you're gold or pyrite. But Wannabe watch out...this aint over. This isn't baseball, where you get three strikes before being counted out. This is your one and only warning. Mind it or perish, for that is the way of the gun. Watch your back."(His fingers relax, and the frozen rose begins a soft tumble. The camera follows its journey downward until it hits the floor and shatters into a million tiny shards of nitrogenic glass. Even though it has been completely decimated, the fragments still rebound the light onto the pewter walls and the lens. As the camera sweeps upwards to find him once again, he is gone, with not a speck of evidence left behind. The scene fades...)



I am your joy and your regret
I am your fury and your elation
I am your yearning and your sweat
I am your faithless and your religion.

- Alanis Morissette, "Still"