Post by Gib on Mar 21, 2009 20:58:10 GMT -6
(Scene opens, the sprawling city of New York lies ahead. Buildings touch the heavens and on the top of the buildings is a man, he sits with his legs dangling over the edge, a pair of half broken binoculars in his hands a dirty breaking hockey mask covering his face. He starts to talk with his gaze not leaving the binoculars)
Darkness…
(He drops the binoculars and looks down, the fall is enormous yet his legs dangle, knowing that this fall wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the one he took to get where he is.)
The eternal abyss which is so hard to leave, which is so hard to claw out from is the place where for the past few months I have felt the most comfortable. It is where I feel that I can truly be what I was always meant to be. See, James… Never once did I blame you or you alone, you were just a scapegoat for humanity, for every single person that passed me when I as on the street, destitute and couldn’t even be bothered to look my way, like looking at me is a reminder of how they, their selves are also human, how they, their selves are also susceptible to a fall, a fall so hard that they are never able to recover.
(He finally looks up and his eyes are blackened, lack of sleep causing bags to form where his mask begins)
See, I once thought that everything would be ok, I once thought that all of this would end like some bad nightmare, someone would come out and I would remember what it was like to have people cheer for me, to feel for me, to live with me but they didn’t. They spit at me, they turned on me and they laughed. They all had a good laugh at my expense. They scoffed, they through change and with each week, with each degrading statement it chipped away at my psyche, it chipped away at my pride and piece by piece my mighty fortress collapsed and I was left as this. I was left as a mutant, as you put it, a bottom feeder.
(he spreads his arms out wide)
Yeah, I wanted to be like your dad, I wanted to separate things but I couldn’t, and now I truly do see the error in the things that I have done. Your statements about my son ring true as I was never a father to him, and his failure lies on my shoulders, my life’s failures lie on my shoulders, my wife’s death lies on my shoulders and maybe, just maybe when I needed someone to remind me that everything will work out, that everything will once again be fine there was no one, there wasn’t a single person that I thought was my friend. There wasn’t a single solitary acquaintance that offered shelter, offered food, offered retribution so I left the world as I knew it, and I now am doing what I do best.
(his arms return to his sides)
I just don’t understand, I really don’t understand. These people that are wrestling alongside me used to wear my t-shirts when they were children, they used to care. They pumped their fists with me, they felt it when I was on the edge of loss and cheered me on, cheered for me to come back, cheered for me to win. Every single time I thought there is no way that I can regain myself they were there, except the one time, that moment when it snapped, when there was no more work, there were no more comic book conventions, there were no more appearances no independent shows. Life as I knew it was over.
(He stands and starts to lean over the edge of the building, standing on the ledge, his massive body precariously close to certain death)
See, it is in our nature to turn away from things we don’t like and no one likes to see a fallen hero because in that very thought is the foreshadowing of their very own life, and the demise that will most likely occur. A demise caused by their own mistakes just as my demise was. See, I thought I was untouchable, like the high school student that thinks drinking and driving won’t affect them before getting behind the wheel and killing their best friend. I thought that there was nothing that could ever stop my momentum, that I was a locomotive with and endless supply of fuel and for so many years I chugged on, wrestling through injury after injury, facing opponent after opponent, gaining accolade after accolade and what has it done? It has left me as this….
(he motions to himself)
A man who relishes the thought of destroying, breaking, hurting and humiliating is all I am. Jimmy being dead to you means nothing, it means absolutely nothing because your friendship, or lack there of nullified this kinship that you thought we had. The things I did for you, the doors I opened for you, and the path I set you on is one that is eventually going to lead you to greatness. It is a path that I took myself, a long time ago. What you have to think about, ponder, and decide upon is whether or not the end result is worthwhile. Is the end of the road going to be vast or end in wreckage that no person can fathom? You see where living life in the fast lane left me. See, being dead to a former friend doesn’t mean much when you have been dead to yourself for such a long time.
This is no gimmick, this is no staging. I am what you see before you, I am a robot and I have come to terms with it, it is a means to an end. The end that I so cherish, the end that I so desire and want. Someone needs to step into my worlds and not only beat me, not only pin me but destroy me so that I can crawl, retreating into the pits where I can be consumed by worms and maggots. This life, this existence is worth nothing. Where did I go wrong? When did things fall astray?
(He suddenly is excited, raises the binoculars to his eyes and stares at the building across from him, after a moment he lowers the binoculars, cocking his head in dejection)
Your mother has turned on me? That is not a surprise, she is just another sheep, another member of the flock that is too weak to lead. She, like you and the rest of these so called fans are so fickle that everything they see is one sided; everything they see is only looked at in terms of how it affects them and not those that surround them, don’t you get it yet? Don’t you understand? That is why I have become what I am, that is why I do what I do, because week after week I deal with people and their tunnel vision. If one person, one single person had tried to help me then I wouldn’t have gone as far as I have.
(He raises his head and his eyes are blank)
Then Adam came to me, said he wanted to change the business, change the way people think about wrestling, and he wanted me to stand by his side. See, Adam believed in me, this man that I once held nothing but the most putrid of hatred for extended his hand, and in that hand was an olive branch and I accepted, I accepted because I had nothing else, I had no one else. You, your mother, the fans and all those people that I helped watched, laughed and spit. And they loved it, they loved every moment of their vile actions, and for that I am going to punish them, as I will punish you. Adam, a man who I fought against week after week a man who I feuded with constantly was the only one willing to help and guide me, he was willing to show that my true power would come at the exact moment that I shed my humanity and allowed the beast that lied within to come out and play. And the beast likes to play Jimmy, that beast loves to rear its ugly head and gnash its horrid venomous teeth, planning its bite for those who are to ignorant to see their hypocrisy.
(He clenches his fists)
Is this the end my friend? Satan is coming around the bend, and he is coming to seek retribution for crimes that were caused against him, he is seeking to punish the masses by destroying their heroes. They love you, they revel in your majesty and for that you are a target, you have painted a giant red bulls eye on your chest. I know what you are capable of Jimmy, I know that one thing you aren’t capable of is stepping me into the ring and euthanizing me. You don’t have it in you, and bringing your mother to the ring wasn’t a mind game, I honestly want her to be there, I want to look into her eyes, I want to see her heart break into thousands of tiny shards, into irreplaceable pieces that there is no chance to mend. I want her to see, truly see her son face a man that wants nothing more then to tear him apart. And when I am successful, when I defeat you, incapacitate you and leave you awaiting the help of EMT’s, I want to go down to her, and smile and tell her, let her know that everything won’t be all right, that there is no redemption, that there is no second chances, that her little boy who was once so full of life and potential is now going to be spending his nights eating a series of cocktails through straws.
(red liquid starts to pour from his hands, where his fingernails are digging through, separating his flesh)
I want to point at her and say to her, this is your fault, this is your doing you and your type of people that can’t look outside of their bubble, and then I will walk to the back, leave the arena never once looking behind me and wait for Adam to tell me what to do next.
(His hands cease their grip and his hands open, tiny cuts in the center of his palms already clotting)
Harness that rage Jimmy, harness it. I revel in the thought that you want nothing more than my demise because that is what your father would want, he would come to the ring, kick my ass and then invite me out for a chicken sandwich. Now there are no chicken sandwiches Zane, they are gone and it is because of you and your type.
There is no retribution for a wayward soul, and I don’t ask for any. I ask only one last thing from you, and this comes from the old me, the person I can no longer be, the person that died the day I was pissed on my Leonard Fox, the man whose legacy has been forgotten, I ask that you end me, I ask that you don’t defeat me but you destroy me, I ask not that you gain simple victory but that you maim me in a way that allows me to leave, to never be seen again so I can go and live out the rest of my sorry excuse of a life in a shell, an impenetrable shell that will never be broken.
(Suddenly he perks up and raises the binoculars to his eyes, his eyes glow as he looks across, the camera turns and zooms into a hotel room where Kristoff Liam Bates sits on the edge of a bed, he is dressed in a nice new suit as he grabs a photograph from the bedside table, he picks up the phone and waits a few minutes before talking. The camera looks back at Harold who is watching this with bated breath, watching the every action and movement of Kristoff with the attention of a voyeur. He speaks, not removing his gaze)
His nightly call to his wife, to check on the kids, to make sure everything is all right. What a great man Kristoff is, I am sorry that I did such horrible things to a man that truly has worked his whole life to be a model citizen, not like you Jimmy, not like a spoiled brat, the son of royalty who was given his career on a silver platter. He clawed his way up and he fights with a resolve that in unmatched a resolve that I couldn’t break regardless of the hateful spiteful things I did to him. I regret those things, because he is a good man, not like you. The things I do to you are things that I will revel in.
Kristoff I am truly sorry and I hope the actions I have taken didn’t jade you, I hope they didn’t tarnish what you have created.
(he sighs deeply and lowers the binoculars)
James, the time for talking is over, the time for pleasantries has subsided. It is time for you to shine over me, it is time for you to finish me. I beg of you Jimmy, I beg…
Release me from the ties that bind me
Grant me the retribution that I seek…
Free me…
Destroy me, it is you fate to do so, it is in your blood whether you realize it or not.
(Scene fades as Harold throws the binoculars over the edge and the scene fades.)
Darkness…
(He drops the binoculars and looks down, the fall is enormous yet his legs dangle, knowing that this fall wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the one he took to get where he is.)
The eternal abyss which is so hard to leave, which is so hard to claw out from is the place where for the past few months I have felt the most comfortable. It is where I feel that I can truly be what I was always meant to be. See, James… Never once did I blame you or you alone, you were just a scapegoat for humanity, for every single person that passed me when I as on the street, destitute and couldn’t even be bothered to look my way, like looking at me is a reminder of how they, their selves are also human, how they, their selves are also susceptible to a fall, a fall so hard that they are never able to recover.
(He finally looks up and his eyes are blackened, lack of sleep causing bags to form where his mask begins)
See, I once thought that everything would be ok, I once thought that all of this would end like some bad nightmare, someone would come out and I would remember what it was like to have people cheer for me, to feel for me, to live with me but they didn’t. They spit at me, they turned on me and they laughed. They all had a good laugh at my expense. They scoffed, they through change and with each week, with each degrading statement it chipped away at my psyche, it chipped away at my pride and piece by piece my mighty fortress collapsed and I was left as this. I was left as a mutant, as you put it, a bottom feeder.
(he spreads his arms out wide)
Yeah, I wanted to be like your dad, I wanted to separate things but I couldn’t, and now I truly do see the error in the things that I have done. Your statements about my son ring true as I was never a father to him, and his failure lies on my shoulders, my life’s failures lie on my shoulders, my wife’s death lies on my shoulders and maybe, just maybe when I needed someone to remind me that everything will work out, that everything will once again be fine there was no one, there wasn’t a single person that I thought was my friend. There wasn’t a single solitary acquaintance that offered shelter, offered food, offered retribution so I left the world as I knew it, and I now am doing what I do best.
(his arms return to his sides)
I just don’t understand, I really don’t understand. These people that are wrestling alongside me used to wear my t-shirts when they were children, they used to care. They pumped their fists with me, they felt it when I was on the edge of loss and cheered me on, cheered for me to come back, cheered for me to win. Every single time I thought there is no way that I can regain myself they were there, except the one time, that moment when it snapped, when there was no more work, there were no more comic book conventions, there were no more appearances no independent shows. Life as I knew it was over.
(He stands and starts to lean over the edge of the building, standing on the ledge, his massive body precariously close to certain death)
See, it is in our nature to turn away from things we don’t like and no one likes to see a fallen hero because in that very thought is the foreshadowing of their very own life, and the demise that will most likely occur. A demise caused by their own mistakes just as my demise was. See, I thought I was untouchable, like the high school student that thinks drinking and driving won’t affect them before getting behind the wheel and killing their best friend. I thought that there was nothing that could ever stop my momentum, that I was a locomotive with and endless supply of fuel and for so many years I chugged on, wrestling through injury after injury, facing opponent after opponent, gaining accolade after accolade and what has it done? It has left me as this….
(he motions to himself)
A man who relishes the thought of destroying, breaking, hurting and humiliating is all I am. Jimmy being dead to you means nothing, it means absolutely nothing because your friendship, or lack there of nullified this kinship that you thought we had. The things I did for you, the doors I opened for you, and the path I set you on is one that is eventually going to lead you to greatness. It is a path that I took myself, a long time ago. What you have to think about, ponder, and decide upon is whether or not the end result is worthwhile. Is the end of the road going to be vast or end in wreckage that no person can fathom? You see where living life in the fast lane left me. See, being dead to a former friend doesn’t mean much when you have been dead to yourself for such a long time.
This is no gimmick, this is no staging. I am what you see before you, I am a robot and I have come to terms with it, it is a means to an end. The end that I so cherish, the end that I so desire and want. Someone needs to step into my worlds and not only beat me, not only pin me but destroy me so that I can crawl, retreating into the pits where I can be consumed by worms and maggots. This life, this existence is worth nothing. Where did I go wrong? When did things fall astray?
(He suddenly is excited, raises the binoculars to his eyes and stares at the building across from him, after a moment he lowers the binoculars, cocking his head in dejection)
Your mother has turned on me? That is not a surprise, she is just another sheep, another member of the flock that is too weak to lead. She, like you and the rest of these so called fans are so fickle that everything they see is one sided; everything they see is only looked at in terms of how it affects them and not those that surround them, don’t you get it yet? Don’t you understand? That is why I have become what I am, that is why I do what I do, because week after week I deal with people and their tunnel vision. If one person, one single person had tried to help me then I wouldn’t have gone as far as I have.
(He raises his head and his eyes are blank)
Then Adam came to me, said he wanted to change the business, change the way people think about wrestling, and he wanted me to stand by his side. See, Adam believed in me, this man that I once held nothing but the most putrid of hatred for extended his hand, and in that hand was an olive branch and I accepted, I accepted because I had nothing else, I had no one else. You, your mother, the fans and all those people that I helped watched, laughed and spit. And they loved it, they loved every moment of their vile actions, and for that I am going to punish them, as I will punish you. Adam, a man who I fought against week after week a man who I feuded with constantly was the only one willing to help and guide me, he was willing to show that my true power would come at the exact moment that I shed my humanity and allowed the beast that lied within to come out and play. And the beast likes to play Jimmy, that beast loves to rear its ugly head and gnash its horrid venomous teeth, planning its bite for those who are to ignorant to see their hypocrisy.
(He clenches his fists)
Is this the end my friend? Satan is coming around the bend, and he is coming to seek retribution for crimes that were caused against him, he is seeking to punish the masses by destroying their heroes. They love you, they revel in your majesty and for that you are a target, you have painted a giant red bulls eye on your chest. I know what you are capable of Jimmy, I know that one thing you aren’t capable of is stepping me into the ring and euthanizing me. You don’t have it in you, and bringing your mother to the ring wasn’t a mind game, I honestly want her to be there, I want to look into her eyes, I want to see her heart break into thousands of tiny shards, into irreplaceable pieces that there is no chance to mend. I want her to see, truly see her son face a man that wants nothing more then to tear him apart. And when I am successful, when I defeat you, incapacitate you and leave you awaiting the help of EMT’s, I want to go down to her, and smile and tell her, let her know that everything won’t be all right, that there is no redemption, that there is no second chances, that her little boy who was once so full of life and potential is now going to be spending his nights eating a series of cocktails through straws.
(red liquid starts to pour from his hands, where his fingernails are digging through, separating his flesh)
I want to point at her and say to her, this is your fault, this is your doing you and your type of people that can’t look outside of their bubble, and then I will walk to the back, leave the arena never once looking behind me and wait for Adam to tell me what to do next.
(His hands cease their grip and his hands open, tiny cuts in the center of his palms already clotting)
Harness that rage Jimmy, harness it. I revel in the thought that you want nothing more than my demise because that is what your father would want, he would come to the ring, kick my ass and then invite me out for a chicken sandwich. Now there are no chicken sandwiches Zane, they are gone and it is because of you and your type.
There is no retribution for a wayward soul, and I don’t ask for any. I ask only one last thing from you, and this comes from the old me, the person I can no longer be, the person that died the day I was pissed on my Leonard Fox, the man whose legacy has been forgotten, I ask that you end me, I ask that you don’t defeat me but you destroy me, I ask not that you gain simple victory but that you maim me in a way that allows me to leave, to never be seen again so I can go and live out the rest of my sorry excuse of a life in a shell, an impenetrable shell that will never be broken.
(Suddenly he perks up and raises the binoculars to his eyes, his eyes glow as he looks across, the camera turns and zooms into a hotel room where Kristoff Liam Bates sits on the edge of a bed, he is dressed in a nice new suit as he grabs a photograph from the bedside table, he picks up the phone and waits a few minutes before talking. The camera looks back at Harold who is watching this with bated breath, watching the every action and movement of Kristoff with the attention of a voyeur. He speaks, not removing his gaze)
His nightly call to his wife, to check on the kids, to make sure everything is all right. What a great man Kristoff is, I am sorry that I did such horrible things to a man that truly has worked his whole life to be a model citizen, not like you Jimmy, not like a spoiled brat, the son of royalty who was given his career on a silver platter. He clawed his way up and he fights with a resolve that in unmatched a resolve that I couldn’t break regardless of the hateful spiteful things I did to him. I regret those things, because he is a good man, not like you. The things I do to you are things that I will revel in.
Kristoff I am truly sorry and I hope the actions I have taken didn’t jade you, I hope they didn’t tarnish what you have created.
(he sighs deeply and lowers the binoculars)
James, the time for talking is over, the time for pleasantries has subsided. It is time for you to shine over me, it is time for you to finish me. I beg of you Jimmy, I beg…
Release me from the ties that bind me
Grant me the retribution that I seek…
Free me…
Destroy me, it is you fate to do so, it is in your blood whether you realize it or not.
(Scene fades as Harold throws the binoculars over the edge and the scene fades.)