The Journey to The Point of No Return...
Jul 13, 2016 14:23:47 GMT -5
Stuart Slane, TheButcher, and 3 more like this
Post by Kevin Bishop on Jul 13, 2016 14:23:47 GMT -5
CRASH!
Zach Davis: HOLY SHIT EXTREME JUST PUT SEVERAN KING THROUGH THE CROWD BARRIER!
Freddy Whoa: AND NOW HES IN THE RING!
Bishop looks around realizing he is in real trouble and tries to jump on Extreme who simply picks him out of the air with a bear hug then gets cracked in the back of the head with a super kick
Freddy Whoa: HERE WE GO ZMAC UP TOP
Zach Davis: DARK JUSTICE!
1...
2...
3...
Zach Davis: This thing was mental there are EMTs with Severan King, Bish is trying to find his face in the ring
Freddy Whoa: And the darkness are in the ring with their hands held high!
Kyle Steel: Ladies and gentlemen your winners! Dat Hawt American Darkness!!!!!
We open to the backstage area where Severan King is being wheeled off on a stretcher toward an ambulance, he is followed by his worried family, Kevin Bishop, Karma Bishop, and Sean Craven. The EMTs place Severan King into the ambulance and Kevin waves Sean toward the ambulance and Craven gets in with the King family. Kevin lowers his head and Karma starts to rub his shoulders.
“My love, this defeat isn’t the end of The Plague, you know that…”
Kevin shakes his head.
“It’s not the defeat Karma… Severan King may not be a swarn member of my Brotherhood, but the moment he made an alliance with me, he took that step forward… I let him down and I couldn’t save him from being carted off to the hospital… I told every one of my brothers that I would protect them and insert the men who will do anything they damn well please and all my promises go out the window… That’s what has me shaken, Karma… These two deranged maniacs with their sicker fuck of a manager, have no moral compass and they will stop at nothing to be the top of the food chain… What man do I have to become to surpass that? Where do I draw the line? And further, asking the ultimate question… Can I do what many have not? Can I come back from the point of no return? To truly defeat The Darkness, I’m going to have to become The Plague that Darren Knight ultimately wanted me to become… The man I have strayed away from since I stepped foot into this company… The struggle inside of me is real and it’s sad that men like Thomas Uriel Bates saw something in me that could help his cause, because as much good that I could do for his cause, I can do just as much damage to it in the process… I’m a wild card to say the least… My agenda has many layers to it and not a single person can truly look at what we have set in motion with a clear view… I watched Danny Anderson interview our World champion and he spoke of me in a way that made me feel like my time here has meant something… He also claimed that people should keep an eye on me because soon I’m going to make a power play… Truth of the matter is, that’s only the tip of the iceberg of thought that has been put into my ultimate plan here in WCF…”
Kevin lets Karma rub his shoulders some more.
“Karma… You speak of this defeat and a quote comes to mind from Muhammad Ali… He said, I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life. You see, every since I stepped foot in the WCF I was on a streak and I wanted to keep tasting that victory… Seth set them up and I went to work to drop them… I went toe to toe with Bates and Blaze two challenges together against veterans of this company… The mountain and the People’s champion… I won… But the thing is… Every man I’ve fought since I got here were of a sane mindset and sadly I do speak of Pyschopomp in that same breath… But DHAD were indeed on a different level of insanity and that line of morality that they streak past without a second thought… That’s what made them dangerous… That’s what took Severan King out of action… That’s what left The Plague standing in that ring in a two on one landslide… Dark Justice cut me down… My shoulders pinned for the three count… That was me tasting defeat… I took my first defeat and I froze in thought…”
Kevin lowers his head even lower.
“As I lie there motionless… Those hot lights beaming down on me… I peered out to the crowd and I witnessed people in tears and in shock… Tears and shock?! For ME? The PLAGUE?”
Kevin shrugs Karma off and he turns towards her, staring her in the eyes.
“I’ve heard the old saying… If you’re the hero in a story long enough then you’re destined to become the villain… But when did that script change? In this day in age, is it possible for the villain to change into the hero? Can a tiger truly change his stripes? Am I even a cult leader any more? I look around and a decade ago, this would’ve been simple… The bad guy gets booed and the good guy gets cheered… Simple, right? But now… Now the times have changed… People truly believe their voices matter and the injustice that has run rampant inside the walls of the WCF has been running for so long that a new face instantly became a beacon of hope… So I had to change… I had to see their light that they were praying for… Evolve my agenda and still look at that final goal that I’ve craved for in every company before this one…”
Kevin runs both of his hands through Karma’s hair and he holds her head in place.
“I was on a rise my dear… Everything was moving just as I needed it to and then some… I got the nod from a veteran… I got the people backing me through every maneuver… My peers took notice of my talents within the squared circle… But I got caught reaching… Just as Icarus flew too close to the sun and plummeted… I too felt the wrath of the sun’s rays… That unforgivable scorching will not leave my cremated wings… I will claw my way back to the pinnacle and I will continue to rise through the ashes of my past… This one defeat will not define me and it will not keep me grounded… And with you…”
Karma lowers her head a bit and Kevin lifts her chin with his right hand.
“You my love standing by my side… I will always find a way to stand back up… DHAD think they have me cornered and I’m going to simply bow away from it all… They don’t know me as well as they think they do… I didn’t scrape and claw my way through the streets of New York… I didn’t fight my way around the world to hone my craft… I didn’t step into the WCF just to make it this far and give in… I AM the United States Champion for a reason… Mikey eXtreme can scream and pout all he wants about me not being a deserving champion… He claims I stole my title from him… But if Mikey eXtreme was such a true champion, then why the hell did he lose it in the first place? Was he not strong enough to step up to the challenge of actually defending it successfully whenever the duty called? Was he simply not man enough to keep what he claimed was rightfully his? Mikey was supposed to be American Strong, his colors don’t run and he always remembered 9/11... As for me, well.. The WCF is going to have to pry the United States title from my cold dead fingers if they want it back… I’m not going to stomp my feet in disgust if some new guy steps in line to claim it for their own if I in fact was bested by another… Then again as I said Mikey claims to represent America and with his actions, I’d say he’s probably right… He’s just like every keyboard warrior that lives in their parent’s basement that spends their days sparring with the evil injustices in the world and spew out their hatred for the sake that they feel entitled to do so… Mikey eXtreme feels entitled to run his mouth because he earned it and the US title will forever be stamped with his name no matter what shmuck comes along to claim it for their own… It’s like the guy in the office licking every piece of food in the fridge be it his or not, just so he can say it belongs to him…“
Kevin turns to look at the camera that’s been watching him this whole time and he smirks.
“Go ahead Mikey, keep pissing on every inch of WCF, until you feel satisfied I suppose, but it won’t change a damn thing… You’re going to still be left wanting what isn’t truly there for you to grasp… At least when I look at your tag team partner, Zombie… He looks to be a fighting, defending, outclassing, out bashing, outhashtagging, internet champion who doesn’t let mere mortals step into his domain to claim what is rightfully his… Then again, if for some reason or some fluke his next opponent finds a way to pull out the upset… I don’t see The Honey Badger bowing and stepping away… I see The God Damn Honey Badger taking back what IS his and not giving up until it is back where it rightfully belongs… Every damn rookie that steps into WCF sees that title and they know instantly who has their piss stain all over it… I’ve tagged with Zmac and now I have stood toe to toe with him… If our actions in that ring don’t speak the volumes of respect we have for one another or at least the respect I have for him, then you may be blind… So you can run your lips like you seem to enjoy to do Mikey, but the truth of the matter is, I’m not going anywhere and the United States title isn’t going anywhere… My name is in fact in the record books and when I walk into The Ultimate Showdown with my title and my key to the biggest prize… I know I’m walking away a champion no matter what and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it… All you can do is hope that you find a way to be in that match and for your sake, I hope you do… Because from now until then, I am going to be itching for another opportunity to hit you with The Black Death… Once I do, it’ll be your Inevitable Death Nail soon to follow…”
Kevin shoves the camera guy away.
“It’s time to get out of here Karma…”
The two walk away hand and hand as the camera guy turns to notice Lester Parish watching the two with a black WCF hoody covering part of his masked face. The camera fades out to black.
We open back up inside The Plague’s warehouse and Kevin Bishop sits in his office reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu, with Steven the keyboard jockie who’s typing away at his laptop sitting across from him. Kevin wears his ode to Johnny Cash attire black button up, black slacks, and black dress shoes and Steven wears a black light weight material hoody with The Plague Nation written in red lettering across the chest, a fitted black ball cap turned backward, a pair of thick brimmed black hipster glasses, black skinny jeans, and a pair of black converse. Steven looks up over the laptop at The Plague with a smile on his face.
“We had a visitor today…”
Kevin places the book onto the desk.
“Is that right? Who might that have been?”
Steven watches the intense eyes of Kevin Bishop staring daggers through him.
“Well I know you don’t like uninvited guest, but it was the genius that is Lester Parish… The dude is a real artist, it’s crazy to think that a brilliant man is locked inside such a mongoloid though… He memorizes entire songs, he performed the 4th Movement of Dvorak’s ‘New World Symphony’ on the spot… I was just trying to write a goofy song for you about zombies and shit, and the dude takes me to school…”
Kevin rubs his beard and smiles.
“I knew his way of teaching was unorthodox, but I had no idea… This mongoloid genius you speak of isn’t just a monster in the ring, but he is also calculating… He sees everything around him as a tool to push himself and those around him into the higher atmosphere of their own psyche… I like Lester Parish and I see a true teacher within him… I want him to utilize our people and this warehouse to mold the future along with me… Parish believes in The Plague and he believes in MY rise here in the WCF…”
Steven butts in.
“You see, Parish did speak of the scales being off balanced here and how our Brotherhood being broken up into two categories… Those fearful of the world and those scared of themselves…”
“There is some truth to his claims and I’ve seen it at every gathering… It hasn’t stopped our brothers from following every word and I still see a strength in all of them…”
Steven nods.
“But Parish believes they’re going to stay separated in thought… He says you dream of everyone coming together and that won’t happen due to their differences…”
Kevin continues to rub his beard.
“And that young Steven is why I will allow Parish to use this warehouse as his refinery and all of my brothers as his tools to help continue the process of everyone unifying into one cohesive unit…”
Steven raises his left index finger a bit and Kevin nods to him.
“There’s one other thing… He hand picked me to be his voice… He’s a bit of a shut-in and I think his genius works best flowing through a single channel…”
Kevin chuckles a bit.
“He plans to turn the jester into a knight?”
Steven laughs.
“That’s about as well as I took it too… I was like, dude I just play the keyboard and type shit on the internet while also handling the high tech stuff… But he swore that with me as a mouth piece that the brothers and sisters will learn to live in harmony amongst the ranks…”
Kevin shrugs and nods in approval.
“Well, if he believes you can be the middle man he needs, I suppose you’re just another piece to the enigma that is Lester Parish’s way of teaching…”
Kevin picks his book back up and he instantly feels Steven still staring at him. Kevin lowers his book and looks at Steven with a ‘there’s more?’ type of way.
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering what your thoughts are on Lester Parish becoming number one contender to your US title… And the fact that you have to fight him before The Ultimate Showdown…”
Kevin slowly lowers the book and places it on the desk in front of him.
“What the hell, Seth?! Do you not pay a fucking attention to your shit storm of booking? I swear to God, this man is as lost as Silver Goldstein trying to navigate the New York Subway stations…”
Kevin smiles an irritated smile.
“Tell me Steven… How can someone become the number one contender to the Television title one week… Not even get his match… Then become number one contender to the US title the very next week? I mean, I want to imagine that Seth is just on some kind of rampage to throw me and my Brotherhood off, but I think that’d be giving him way too much credit… I think the man is sitting in his office throwing darts at pictures on the wall to see what matches to put together… The fact that this company is still around is astonishing… I’ve heard people speak of this ‘New Era’ and how the new batch coming in has somehow revived WCF for the better… But with the same leader running everything, I don’t see how this ‘New Era’ is going to succeed against all adversity…”
Steven smiles.
“So you’re okay with fighting Parish with your title on the line then?”
Kevin mockingly laughs.
“Oh come on kid… Of course, who the hell wouldn’t want to fight a monstrous battle just before competing with the top CHAMPIONS IN ALL OF WCF AT ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN?! ARE YOU THAT FOOLISH?!”
Kevin slowly composes himself.
“But hey, that’s our wonderful leader and his brilliant booking skills… Pit my new brother against me with my title on the line…”
Steven jumps in again.
“Don’t forget he’s undefeated…”
“Thank you for the lovely reminder Steven… But as I gave him credit for before, Lester Parish is in fact the destroyer of dreams for the jobbers of WCF… Look at me, Steven, do I look like some run of the mill jobber to you? I am the United States Champion and this is MY Plague Nation!”
Steven nods with excitement.
“He said he was going to bring out the true Plague that is within you, do you believe that to be true?”
Kevin smirks.
“After taking my defeat hand delivered by the Coked Up Madman and the eXtreme jackass… I’ve told myself that I was going to push myself to the point of no return to overcome those who are willing to throw their moral compasses out the window in order to win at all cost… I will give in to whatever darkness that I have strayed from since stepping foot into the WCF… If I have to go back to The Plague of old then that is exactly what I will do and if it takes Lester Parish to play the role of the catalyst… The lightning rod that will push me beyond the thresh hold then so be it… It is a role that he was destined to play in the rise of The Plague and if he truly sees the greatness in me, then he’ll play the role like the artist that he is…”
‘Fatlip’ by Sum 41 starts playing and it takes The Plague’s attention, looking straight at Steven who quickly pulls his phone out of his pocket.
“Sorry Plague, haha, just a text message…”
Steven swipes his phone and reveals his text message.
“Oh good, it’s my buddy Zander, he said he may have tracked down…”
Steven looks up to Kevin with eyes wide.
“The Bunker…”
We fade out to black abruptly.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY STEVEN THE KEYBOARD JOCKIE
We open to the black 1967 Chevy Impala pulling up next to a blue and white smart car. Kevin steps out of the driver’s side and Steven steps out of the passengers’. They step toward the smart car and out of the driver’s side piles out a jabba the hut looking guy with thick brimmed black glasses with a black fedora on, what looks to be poncho size black tshirt that says Ciero Fearo in white lettering on the chest, what looks like they want to be black skinny jeans, and black converse who may or may not be busting out of the seams. Kevin walks up to the man of shapes and extends his right hand.
“You must be Zander I presume…”
Zander’s hand reaches out and eclipses The Plague’s hand and shakes it in place like a convulsion.
“Yes, Mr. Plague sir, I’ve heard nothing but great things about you and your work… I don‘t come out much from my command center, but the moment I heard you needed help finding this bunker, I knew I had to offer my assistance…”
Kevin rips his hand from the suctioning effect that was the octopus like consistency that was Zander’s mitt. The Plague wipes his hand off on his shirt and he turns to look into the woods.
“I appreciate your assistance Zander, why not fill me in on what we are looking at around here and how did you find this place?”
Zander takes a deep breath and adjusts his glasses.
“Well you see… I triangulated some signals that were being pumped out every time Parish sent out his video feeds every week and by back tracking the servers, it lead me to this one place over and over again… I utilized my drone, Buster to scout out the area before I wasted your time, I wanted to make sure we could find the hatch… It really felt surreal, I thought I was about to join Jack and company on Lost, it was awesome…”
Zander literally shakes from his enjoyment and Kevin looks to Steven who simply shrugs.
“Right… Well, how about you and… Buster lead the way then…”
Zander pulls out Buster from the trunk of his car and he fires him up. He pulls out the controller and he guides Buster into the woods with Kevin and Steven following behind.
“It’s not far up a head here, believe me if it was, I would still be sitting in my car… I wasn’t built for long treks…”
Kevin chuckles and looks at Steven again.
“Yeah, I can believe that Zander… The woods are pretty nice though…”
Zander breathes a little heavy and takes a hit from his inhaler, which causes Kevin to stop in his tracks followed by Steven.
“Zander, we will catch up in a second, I got a rock in my shoe…”
Steven looks at Kevin who looks to be a little irritated.
“Steven, what the hell is this? You bring me some guy who looks like he’s about to kill over and die… How did you even bait him to leave his hole?”
Steven puts both hands up in a I surrender fashion.
“It wasn't me man… Zander is a really big fan of yours… He doesn’t leave his hole because he’s afraid of what the people of this world will think of him and it was you speaking of the outcast of this world banding together that made him feel like he had a dog in the fight… I just so happen to be the middle… man… Hey, you think that’s what Parish has in mind for me?”
Steven laughs and Kevin runs his right palm down his own face.
“Okay, okay… Fine… I take blame, but if he passes out on this little journey of ours, I blame you…”
Steven shrugs.
“It’s the price I’ll pay for this, then I accept…”
Kevin and Steven don’t have to rush far to catch up, Zander is still slowly trotting along.
“Oh good, we just made it to the rock formation that reminds me of The Baron Von Massaker…”
Kevin and Steven look at each other, then to Zander.
“Why’s that Zander?”
Zander chuckles.
“Because it’s oddly shaped, it thinks it’s really hard, but it’s really fake and empty on the inside…”
Zander walks up to a cliff and kicks the rock formation causing it to swing open like a door on a hinge, revealing a path into the cliff. Zander looks at the hole and then looks at the others.
“Well fellas, um… This is where I leave you but I will venture forth with Buster guiding the way with his lights turned on.”
Zander moves out of the way of the hole, allowing Kevin and Steven to follow Buster into the cliff opening. The two follow closely, allowing Buster’s lights to illuminate their path.
“I wasn’t surprised your boy had to stay behind, this is a tight squeeze even for me…”
Steven chuckles.
“I’m sorry Plague, I know it’s hard to look at, but he has a heart of gold and he’s damn good at hacking into shit… Maybe he could figure out what Seth Lurch really spends his money on?”
“That’s not a bad idea, Steven… Definitely keep that in mind…”
The two continue on until Buster’s lights turn off at the end of the cave where natural light shines through another opening. Buster is the first to go through followed by Steven and then Kevin. Outside of the cave we step into an open field surrounded by large trees and in the middle of the field is a hatch.
“There it is boys… The bunker…”
Kevin smiles wide and inches his way toward the hatch.
“I remember when I was a young boy before everything went to shit… My father and grandfather use to take me out to the woods just like this… They taught me how to smoke out ground hogs and the moment I heard about this damn bunker and the solitude that Lester Parish lived in… I knew I had to find this place… I had to smoke him out to show him the true light that he hides away from… He speaks fondly with his siren’s song and he lures mortals into his traps week in and week out… But he won’t get so lucky this week… No mere song and rambling of his tongue will detour me from retaining my KEY to the Ultimate Showdown… Lester Parish will fall in line with my vision and he WILL play his role in the rise of The Plague…”
Kevin looks to Steven.
“Did you bring them?”
Steven smiles and he pulls out sticks that look like some form of makeshift explosive.
“Yes sir, the firebombs you asked for… Another thing Zander is good at it… It’s good to have a guy for shit like that…”
Kevin smirks.
“Go ahead then, let us baptize Lester Parish in the flames and bring him out of the shadows…”
Steven runs up to the hatch and he yanks it upward. He pulls out his lighter and he lights the fuse before tossing the sticks down into the hole. Steven hears a voice come from the hatch.
“What IN THE HELL IS THIS?!”
Steven quickly runs back to The Plague and Kevin notices an old man with stringy grey hair in blue overalls, a greasy white tank top, and black work boots climbing up out of the hatch with a shotgun in hand.
“I’M GUNNA GETCHA SUMMABITCHES!”
Kevin and Steven run out of shotgun range but Buster isn’t so lucky, as a blast drops it to the ground.
“COME BACK AND FIGHT LIKE MEN YOU PIG FUCKING BASTARDS!”
Just as the old man stops his rant a loud explosion is heard that rocks the ground beneath The Plague’s feet.
“Don’t stop running Steven!”
Steven can barely keep his breath.
“I’m right behind you Plague!”
The two make it to the cave and they make short work of it, all the way to the other side. They pop out the hole with the makeshift rock formation and they run into Zander’s bulbous backside.
“Zander! What the hell man?!”
Zander stands in tears.
“He killed him… That mother fugger killed HIM! BUSTER!!!!”
Zander lets out a whale cry that’d bring forth the largest humpback in the entire ocean and Kevin tries to calm the beast.
“Zander, buddy… It’s okay, Buster simply played the part he was destined for… He gave his life for the cause…”
‘Fatlip’ by Sum 41 starts to play and Kevin spins around to look at Steven who is fumbling with his phone.
“Sorry, got another text message… Not sure of who it is from… It’s a restricted number…”
Kevin snatches the phone out of Steven’s hand.
“What does it say?”
Restricted Number: “A HOLE with gopher holds not a MOLE…”
Kevin hands the phone back to Steven and Steven reads it quickly.
“Dude your princess is in another castle, haha…”
“Very funny Steven, why don’t you grab babbling brook over there and let’s the get hell out of here before the hills have eyes comes popping out of that hole there…”
Steven looks behind him and quickly grabs Zander by the tree trunk of an arm.
“You better get a move on boulder or we are all in for it!”
The three make it through the woods and to their vehicles. Zander holds himself against his smart car who looks like it may tip over from the pressure of holding him up. Steven jumps through the passenger window and into his seat. Kevin stands looking into the woods and watches as smoke fills the sky. The Plague looks to the out of breath blubbering Zander.
“Zander, I don’t blame you for falling for Parish’s obvious trap… The man has lived in solitude for a long time, it’d be foolish to think he’d be found out this easily… You did well enough getting us this far, at least we are headed the right direction… I’m sorry for your lose, but in war there’s always casualties, but the fight must continue to push forward… If you feel inclined to continue helping us, then I will accept your assistance in this fight, but if you feel too overwhelmed, then I too understand your plight…”
Zander catches his breath as he opens his passenger door.
“Anything I can do… For you… Plague… I will gladly offer… My assistance…”
Zander takes a hit from his inhaler.
“I want to witness the rise of The Plague and his Brotherhood.”
Kevin nods to Zander who crams himself into his car and The Plague simply shakes his head in astonishment. Kevin looks out to the smoke one more time before getting into the impala.
We fade out to black.
We open back up inside the warehouse, it’s a poorly lit room that has The Plague Nation’s black and grey American flag hanging on the wall behind a fold up black steel chair with the US title sitting on it. The Plague himself steps into view picking up the title and sitting down in the chair, the camera set up perfectly to show the flag hanging triumphantly behind Kevin Bishop’s head. The Plague unbuttons his top button of his shirt and he adjusts his seat before talking.
“Lester Parish… I’ve noticed you since you first stepped into WCF… I’ve noticed your path of destruction through the no names who step foot into our ring thinking they’re something special… Just as the vets here think this ‘New Era’ is made up of flash in the pan, here today, gone tomorrow talent, we frown upon the rookies, those who can’t hold a candle to us. When you speak you captivate the senses of those who bear to listen and I commend you for that… I never said I didn’t respect you and I would never have offered you such a high spot in my Brotherhood if I didn’t see something in you… I’m glad we both agree on one thing and that's this…”
Kevin holds the US title up to the camera.
“This belongs to me and I do deserve it more than you ever will… This is more than a title at the moment… It is my KEY to the grander prize… Is it foolish to reach so high so soon? Most likely, but at least I know I won’t say I didn’t attempt it when given the opportunity… So many people squander chances when they have it in their hands and I’m not one of those people… Every match is an opportunity to go out there and to lead by example… You speak of art and how you must be the art… Well what I do in that ring is very much the definition of The Art of Wrestling… I have spent years traveling the world and honing my craft to be able to bring the crowds to life when they witness these modern day gladiators destroying one another for the sake of their entertainment. We are modern day gladiators, Parish… We put on our armor made up of bravado and ego, we step foot into the ring with a sense of purpose… One falls and the other… The other basks in the glory of victory, gaining even more pride in their selves. To go to battle with a new found brother is going to be testing, that’s for sure, but just as I went toe to toe with Bates a couple of weeks ago… We both know this is a sport, a competition if you will, and we know it’s about the better man walking away with his hand held high… You claim you want to bring out The Plague, the true dark entity that I’ve every bit buried for the sake of building my Brotherhood on a stronger foundation and I will allow you to step up to that very challenge… I need it, Parish, I need this darkness that I pushed down deep inside to be released before I step into the ring with every champion the WCF has to offer… Come Slam this week, I will be ready to bleed for the cause and I will be ready to cut ties with my moral compass for the sake of going far beyond the point of no return… I walk in The Plague The Leader of Men and I walk out The Plague The Destroyer of Nations… The Plague who toppled companies for the sake of proving his dominance… That Plague who dismantled opponents limb by limb just to see them writhe in agony… We all have a darkness Parish and for men like you and me… It may take a little longer to truly see it, but once it is tapped in to… There’s no easy way to bottle it back up and it’s a darkness that people could only hope to contain…”
Kevin smirks.
“So as we prepare for this battle come Sunday, I want you to think of what Plague you want to see walk out of Slam as United States champion, because as I said, you will be the catalyst that I need to push me into Ultimate Showdown… You are going to play the role you were destined to play and you have chosen to accept the role with open arms… So as I torture you and I break you down to the abysmal being that hides deep inside your soul… I want you to remember one thing… You wanted this… You swore this is what had to come for the rise of The Plague to come to fruition… Just as you tempered that steel to create that magnificent piece of art that is now the symbol of this Brotherhood… You look at me as just another piece of steel for you temper… The difference though, Parish… I will not be a weapon wielded by men, I will be a living breathing weapon to be wielded by thy self…”
Kevin lays his title across his lap and he points to the camera.
“You can continue to hide your face behind your mask… You can continue to hide down deep in your bunker… But WHEN the time is right, the truths of the light will shine down upon you and I will drag you into its brilliance…”
The Plague smiles a bit.
“Parish… This Sunday is just another step in the rise of The Brotherhood and I ask you to bring that same drive that you have had since day one… I want you to forget that I am The Plague and the leader of The Brotherhood… I want you to forget that you offered a gift to the gods for your spot within these walls… No matter if Seth Lerch was the master mind behind you being placed in front of me or not… The truth of the matter is that we were destined to be standing across from one another… I was destined to lose to DHAD… And I was destined to face off against a new brother to become THE MAN I need to be, to walk into Ultimate Showdown knowing that I have to do whatever it takes to walk out with the grandest prize… Let us continue this story of The Plague’s rise this Sunday and let us continue to build this Brotherhood… Very soon we will rise up from the ashes stronger than we have ever been…”
The Plague’s smile turns a bit sinister.
“Sunday we go to war… And I’m coming full force with every weapon in my arsenal… The Plague is going to rise and there’s no one who can contain him… Not Parish, Not Buddy Roman, NOT DHAD, NOT BATES, AND NOT SETH LERCH!”
The Plague pauses for a second as he inches toward the camera.
“The Brotherhood is coming… The Plague is going to rise… The End is Nigh…”
The camera cuts off to black abruptly.
Zach Davis: HOLY SHIT EXTREME JUST PUT SEVERAN KING THROUGH THE CROWD BARRIER!
Freddy Whoa: AND NOW HES IN THE RING!
Bishop looks around realizing he is in real trouble and tries to jump on Extreme who simply picks him out of the air with a bear hug then gets cracked in the back of the head with a super kick
Freddy Whoa: HERE WE GO ZMAC UP TOP
Zach Davis: DARK JUSTICE!
1...
2...
3...
Zach Davis: This thing was mental there are EMTs with Severan King, Bish is trying to find his face in the ring
Freddy Whoa: And the darkness are in the ring with their hands held high!
Kyle Steel: Ladies and gentlemen your winners! Dat Hawt American Darkness!!!!!
We open to the backstage area where Severan King is being wheeled off on a stretcher toward an ambulance, he is followed by his worried family, Kevin Bishop, Karma Bishop, and Sean Craven. The EMTs place Severan King into the ambulance and Kevin waves Sean toward the ambulance and Craven gets in with the King family. Kevin lowers his head and Karma starts to rub his shoulders.
“My love, this defeat isn’t the end of The Plague, you know that…”
Kevin shakes his head.
“It’s not the defeat Karma… Severan King may not be a swarn member of my Brotherhood, but the moment he made an alliance with me, he took that step forward… I let him down and I couldn’t save him from being carted off to the hospital… I told every one of my brothers that I would protect them and insert the men who will do anything they damn well please and all my promises go out the window… That’s what has me shaken, Karma… These two deranged maniacs with their sicker fuck of a manager, have no moral compass and they will stop at nothing to be the top of the food chain… What man do I have to become to surpass that? Where do I draw the line? And further, asking the ultimate question… Can I do what many have not? Can I come back from the point of no return? To truly defeat The Darkness, I’m going to have to become The Plague that Darren Knight ultimately wanted me to become… The man I have strayed away from since I stepped foot into this company… The struggle inside of me is real and it’s sad that men like Thomas Uriel Bates saw something in me that could help his cause, because as much good that I could do for his cause, I can do just as much damage to it in the process… I’m a wild card to say the least… My agenda has many layers to it and not a single person can truly look at what we have set in motion with a clear view… I watched Danny Anderson interview our World champion and he spoke of me in a way that made me feel like my time here has meant something… He also claimed that people should keep an eye on me because soon I’m going to make a power play… Truth of the matter is, that’s only the tip of the iceberg of thought that has been put into my ultimate plan here in WCF…”
Kevin lets Karma rub his shoulders some more.
“Karma… You speak of this defeat and a quote comes to mind from Muhammad Ali… He said, I never thought of losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right. That’s my obligation to all the people who believe in me. We all have to take defeats in life. You see, every since I stepped foot in the WCF I was on a streak and I wanted to keep tasting that victory… Seth set them up and I went to work to drop them… I went toe to toe with Bates and Blaze two challenges together against veterans of this company… The mountain and the People’s champion… I won… But the thing is… Every man I’ve fought since I got here were of a sane mindset and sadly I do speak of Pyschopomp in that same breath… But DHAD were indeed on a different level of insanity and that line of morality that they streak past without a second thought… That’s what made them dangerous… That’s what took Severan King out of action… That’s what left The Plague standing in that ring in a two on one landslide… Dark Justice cut me down… My shoulders pinned for the three count… That was me tasting defeat… I took my first defeat and I froze in thought…”
Kevin lowers his head even lower.
“As I lie there motionless… Those hot lights beaming down on me… I peered out to the crowd and I witnessed people in tears and in shock… Tears and shock?! For ME? The PLAGUE?”
Kevin shrugs Karma off and he turns towards her, staring her in the eyes.
“I’ve heard the old saying… If you’re the hero in a story long enough then you’re destined to become the villain… But when did that script change? In this day in age, is it possible for the villain to change into the hero? Can a tiger truly change his stripes? Am I even a cult leader any more? I look around and a decade ago, this would’ve been simple… The bad guy gets booed and the good guy gets cheered… Simple, right? But now… Now the times have changed… People truly believe their voices matter and the injustice that has run rampant inside the walls of the WCF has been running for so long that a new face instantly became a beacon of hope… So I had to change… I had to see their light that they were praying for… Evolve my agenda and still look at that final goal that I’ve craved for in every company before this one…”
Kevin runs both of his hands through Karma’s hair and he holds her head in place.
“I was on a rise my dear… Everything was moving just as I needed it to and then some… I got the nod from a veteran… I got the people backing me through every maneuver… My peers took notice of my talents within the squared circle… But I got caught reaching… Just as Icarus flew too close to the sun and plummeted… I too felt the wrath of the sun’s rays… That unforgivable scorching will not leave my cremated wings… I will claw my way back to the pinnacle and I will continue to rise through the ashes of my past… This one defeat will not define me and it will not keep me grounded… And with you…”
Karma lowers her head a bit and Kevin lifts her chin with his right hand.
“You my love standing by my side… I will always find a way to stand back up… DHAD think they have me cornered and I’m going to simply bow away from it all… They don’t know me as well as they think they do… I didn’t scrape and claw my way through the streets of New York… I didn’t fight my way around the world to hone my craft… I didn’t step into the WCF just to make it this far and give in… I AM the United States Champion for a reason… Mikey eXtreme can scream and pout all he wants about me not being a deserving champion… He claims I stole my title from him… But if Mikey eXtreme was such a true champion, then why the hell did he lose it in the first place? Was he not strong enough to step up to the challenge of actually defending it successfully whenever the duty called? Was he simply not man enough to keep what he claimed was rightfully his? Mikey was supposed to be American Strong, his colors don’t run and he always remembered 9/11... As for me, well.. The WCF is going to have to pry the United States title from my cold dead fingers if they want it back… I’m not going to stomp my feet in disgust if some new guy steps in line to claim it for their own if I in fact was bested by another… Then again as I said Mikey claims to represent America and with his actions, I’d say he’s probably right… He’s just like every keyboard warrior that lives in their parent’s basement that spends their days sparring with the evil injustices in the world and spew out their hatred for the sake that they feel entitled to do so… Mikey eXtreme feels entitled to run his mouth because he earned it and the US title will forever be stamped with his name no matter what shmuck comes along to claim it for their own… It’s like the guy in the office licking every piece of food in the fridge be it his or not, just so he can say it belongs to him…“
Kevin turns to look at the camera that’s been watching him this whole time and he smirks.
“Go ahead Mikey, keep pissing on every inch of WCF, until you feel satisfied I suppose, but it won’t change a damn thing… You’re going to still be left wanting what isn’t truly there for you to grasp… At least when I look at your tag team partner, Zombie… He looks to be a fighting, defending, outclassing, out bashing, outhashtagging, internet champion who doesn’t let mere mortals step into his domain to claim what is rightfully his… Then again, if for some reason or some fluke his next opponent finds a way to pull out the upset… I don’t see The Honey Badger bowing and stepping away… I see The God Damn Honey Badger taking back what IS his and not giving up until it is back where it rightfully belongs… Every damn rookie that steps into WCF sees that title and they know instantly who has their piss stain all over it… I’ve tagged with Zmac and now I have stood toe to toe with him… If our actions in that ring don’t speak the volumes of respect we have for one another or at least the respect I have for him, then you may be blind… So you can run your lips like you seem to enjoy to do Mikey, but the truth of the matter is, I’m not going anywhere and the United States title isn’t going anywhere… My name is in fact in the record books and when I walk into The Ultimate Showdown with my title and my key to the biggest prize… I know I’m walking away a champion no matter what and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it… All you can do is hope that you find a way to be in that match and for your sake, I hope you do… Because from now until then, I am going to be itching for another opportunity to hit you with The Black Death… Once I do, it’ll be your Inevitable Death Nail soon to follow…”
Kevin shoves the camera guy away.
“It’s time to get out of here Karma…”
The two walk away hand and hand as the camera guy turns to notice Lester Parish watching the two with a black WCF hoody covering part of his masked face. The camera fades out to black.
We open back up inside The Plague’s warehouse and Kevin Bishop sits in his office reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu, with Steven the keyboard jockie who’s typing away at his laptop sitting across from him. Kevin wears his ode to Johnny Cash attire black button up, black slacks, and black dress shoes and Steven wears a black light weight material hoody with The Plague Nation written in red lettering across the chest, a fitted black ball cap turned backward, a pair of thick brimmed black hipster glasses, black skinny jeans, and a pair of black converse. Steven looks up over the laptop at The Plague with a smile on his face.
“We had a visitor today…”
Kevin places the book onto the desk.
“Is that right? Who might that have been?”
Steven watches the intense eyes of Kevin Bishop staring daggers through him.
“Well I know you don’t like uninvited guest, but it was the genius that is Lester Parish… The dude is a real artist, it’s crazy to think that a brilliant man is locked inside such a mongoloid though… He memorizes entire songs, he performed the 4th Movement of Dvorak’s ‘New World Symphony’ on the spot… I was just trying to write a goofy song for you about zombies and shit, and the dude takes me to school…”
Kevin rubs his beard and smiles.
“I knew his way of teaching was unorthodox, but I had no idea… This mongoloid genius you speak of isn’t just a monster in the ring, but he is also calculating… He sees everything around him as a tool to push himself and those around him into the higher atmosphere of their own psyche… I like Lester Parish and I see a true teacher within him… I want him to utilize our people and this warehouse to mold the future along with me… Parish believes in The Plague and he believes in MY rise here in the WCF…”
Steven butts in.
“You see, Parish did speak of the scales being off balanced here and how our Brotherhood being broken up into two categories… Those fearful of the world and those scared of themselves…”
“There is some truth to his claims and I’ve seen it at every gathering… It hasn’t stopped our brothers from following every word and I still see a strength in all of them…”
Steven nods.
“But Parish believes they’re going to stay separated in thought… He says you dream of everyone coming together and that won’t happen due to their differences…”
Kevin continues to rub his beard.
“And that young Steven is why I will allow Parish to use this warehouse as his refinery and all of my brothers as his tools to help continue the process of everyone unifying into one cohesive unit…”
Steven raises his left index finger a bit and Kevin nods to him.
“There’s one other thing… He hand picked me to be his voice… He’s a bit of a shut-in and I think his genius works best flowing through a single channel…”
Kevin chuckles a bit.
“He plans to turn the jester into a knight?”
Steven laughs.
“That’s about as well as I took it too… I was like, dude I just play the keyboard and type shit on the internet while also handling the high tech stuff… But he swore that with me as a mouth piece that the brothers and sisters will learn to live in harmony amongst the ranks…”
Kevin shrugs and nods in approval.
“Well, if he believes you can be the middle man he needs, I suppose you’re just another piece to the enigma that is Lester Parish’s way of teaching…”
Kevin picks his book back up and he instantly feels Steven still staring at him. Kevin lowers his book and looks at Steven with a ‘there’s more?’ type of way.
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering what your thoughts are on Lester Parish becoming number one contender to your US title… And the fact that you have to fight him before The Ultimate Showdown…”
Kevin slowly lowers the book and places it on the desk in front of him.
“What the hell, Seth?! Do you not pay a fucking attention to your shit storm of booking? I swear to God, this man is as lost as Silver Goldstein trying to navigate the New York Subway stations…”
Kevin smiles an irritated smile.
“Tell me Steven… How can someone become the number one contender to the Television title one week… Not even get his match… Then become number one contender to the US title the very next week? I mean, I want to imagine that Seth is just on some kind of rampage to throw me and my Brotherhood off, but I think that’d be giving him way too much credit… I think the man is sitting in his office throwing darts at pictures on the wall to see what matches to put together… The fact that this company is still around is astonishing… I’ve heard people speak of this ‘New Era’ and how the new batch coming in has somehow revived WCF for the better… But with the same leader running everything, I don’t see how this ‘New Era’ is going to succeed against all adversity…”
Steven smiles.
“So you’re okay with fighting Parish with your title on the line then?”
Kevin mockingly laughs.
“Oh come on kid… Of course, who the hell wouldn’t want to fight a monstrous battle just before competing with the top CHAMPIONS IN ALL OF WCF AT ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN?! ARE YOU THAT FOOLISH?!”
Kevin slowly composes himself.
“But hey, that’s our wonderful leader and his brilliant booking skills… Pit my new brother against me with my title on the line…”
Steven jumps in again.
“Don’t forget he’s undefeated…”
“Thank you for the lovely reminder Steven… But as I gave him credit for before, Lester Parish is in fact the destroyer of dreams for the jobbers of WCF… Look at me, Steven, do I look like some run of the mill jobber to you? I am the United States Champion and this is MY Plague Nation!”
Steven nods with excitement.
“He said he was going to bring out the true Plague that is within you, do you believe that to be true?”
Kevin smirks.
“After taking my defeat hand delivered by the Coked Up Madman and the eXtreme jackass… I’ve told myself that I was going to push myself to the point of no return to overcome those who are willing to throw their moral compasses out the window in order to win at all cost… I will give in to whatever darkness that I have strayed from since stepping foot into the WCF… If I have to go back to The Plague of old then that is exactly what I will do and if it takes Lester Parish to play the role of the catalyst… The lightning rod that will push me beyond the thresh hold then so be it… It is a role that he was destined to play in the rise of The Plague and if he truly sees the greatness in me, then he’ll play the role like the artist that he is…”
‘Fatlip’ by Sum 41 starts playing and it takes The Plague’s attention, looking straight at Steven who quickly pulls his phone out of his pocket.
“Sorry Plague, haha, just a text message…”
Steven swipes his phone and reveals his text message.
“Oh good, it’s my buddy Zander, he said he may have tracked down…”
Steven looks up to Kevin with eyes wide.
“The Bunker…”
We fade out to black abruptly.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY STEVEN THE KEYBOARD JOCKIE
We open to the black 1967 Chevy Impala pulling up next to a blue and white smart car. Kevin steps out of the driver’s side and Steven steps out of the passengers’. They step toward the smart car and out of the driver’s side piles out a jabba the hut looking guy with thick brimmed black glasses with a black fedora on, what looks to be poncho size black tshirt that says Ciero Fearo in white lettering on the chest, what looks like they want to be black skinny jeans, and black converse who may or may not be busting out of the seams. Kevin walks up to the man of shapes and extends his right hand.
“You must be Zander I presume…”
Zander’s hand reaches out and eclipses The Plague’s hand and shakes it in place like a convulsion.
“Yes, Mr. Plague sir, I’ve heard nothing but great things about you and your work… I don‘t come out much from my command center, but the moment I heard you needed help finding this bunker, I knew I had to offer my assistance…”
Kevin rips his hand from the suctioning effect that was the octopus like consistency that was Zander’s mitt. The Plague wipes his hand off on his shirt and he turns to look into the woods.
“I appreciate your assistance Zander, why not fill me in on what we are looking at around here and how did you find this place?”
Zander takes a deep breath and adjusts his glasses.
“Well you see… I triangulated some signals that were being pumped out every time Parish sent out his video feeds every week and by back tracking the servers, it lead me to this one place over and over again… I utilized my drone, Buster to scout out the area before I wasted your time, I wanted to make sure we could find the hatch… It really felt surreal, I thought I was about to join Jack and company on Lost, it was awesome…”
Zander literally shakes from his enjoyment and Kevin looks to Steven who simply shrugs.
“Right… Well, how about you and… Buster lead the way then…”
Zander pulls out Buster from the trunk of his car and he fires him up. He pulls out the controller and he guides Buster into the woods with Kevin and Steven following behind.
“It’s not far up a head here, believe me if it was, I would still be sitting in my car… I wasn’t built for long treks…”
Kevin chuckles and looks at Steven again.
“Yeah, I can believe that Zander… The woods are pretty nice though…”
Zander breathes a little heavy and takes a hit from his inhaler, which causes Kevin to stop in his tracks followed by Steven.
“Zander, we will catch up in a second, I got a rock in my shoe…”
Steven looks at Kevin who looks to be a little irritated.
“Steven, what the hell is this? You bring me some guy who looks like he’s about to kill over and die… How did you even bait him to leave his hole?”
Steven puts both hands up in a I surrender fashion.
“It wasn't me man… Zander is a really big fan of yours… He doesn’t leave his hole because he’s afraid of what the people of this world will think of him and it was you speaking of the outcast of this world banding together that made him feel like he had a dog in the fight… I just so happen to be the middle… man… Hey, you think that’s what Parish has in mind for me?”
Steven laughs and Kevin runs his right palm down his own face.
“Okay, okay… Fine… I take blame, but if he passes out on this little journey of ours, I blame you…”
Steven shrugs.
“It’s the price I’ll pay for this, then I accept…”
Kevin and Steven don’t have to rush far to catch up, Zander is still slowly trotting along.
“Oh good, we just made it to the rock formation that reminds me of The Baron Von Massaker…”
Kevin and Steven look at each other, then to Zander.
“Why’s that Zander?”
Zander chuckles.
“Because it’s oddly shaped, it thinks it’s really hard, but it’s really fake and empty on the inside…”
Zander walks up to a cliff and kicks the rock formation causing it to swing open like a door on a hinge, revealing a path into the cliff. Zander looks at the hole and then looks at the others.
“Well fellas, um… This is where I leave you but I will venture forth with Buster guiding the way with his lights turned on.”
Zander moves out of the way of the hole, allowing Kevin and Steven to follow Buster into the cliff opening. The two follow closely, allowing Buster’s lights to illuminate their path.
“I wasn’t surprised your boy had to stay behind, this is a tight squeeze even for me…”
Steven chuckles.
“I’m sorry Plague, I know it’s hard to look at, but he has a heart of gold and he’s damn good at hacking into shit… Maybe he could figure out what Seth Lurch really spends his money on?”
“That’s not a bad idea, Steven… Definitely keep that in mind…”
The two continue on until Buster’s lights turn off at the end of the cave where natural light shines through another opening. Buster is the first to go through followed by Steven and then Kevin. Outside of the cave we step into an open field surrounded by large trees and in the middle of the field is a hatch.
“There it is boys… The bunker…”
Kevin smiles wide and inches his way toward the hatch.
“I remember when I was a young boy before everything went to shit… My father and grandfather use to take me out to the woods just like this… They taught me how to smoke out ground hogs and the moment I heard about this damn bunker and the solitude that Lester Parish lived in… I knew I had to find this place… I had to smoke him out to show him the true light that he hides away from… He speaks fondly with his siren’s song and he lures mortals into his traps week in and week out… But he won’t get so lucky this week… No mere song and rambling of his tongue will detour me from retaining my KEY to the Ultimate Showdown… Lester Parish will fall in line with my vision and he WILL play his role in the rise of The Plague…”
Kevin looks to Steven.
“Did you bring them?”
Steven smiles and he pulls out sticks that look like some form of makeshift explosive.
“Yes sir, the firebombs you asked for… Another thing Zander is good at it… It’s good to have a guy for shit like that…”
Kevin smirks.
“Go ahead then, let us baptize Lester Parish in the flames and bring him out of the shadows…”
Steven runs up to the hatch and he yanks it upward. He pulls out his lighter and he lights the fuse before tossing the sticks down into the hole. Steven hears a voice come from the hatch.
“What IN THE HELL IS THIS?!”
Steven quickly runs back to The Plague and Kevin notices an old man with stringy grey hair in blue overalls, a greasy white tank top, and black work boots climbing up out of the hatch with a shotgun in hand.
“I’M GUNNA GETCHA SUMMABITCHES!”
Kevin and Steven run out of shotgun range but Buster isn’t so lucky, as a blast drops it to the ground.
“COME BACK AND FIGHT LIKE MEN YOU PIG FUCKING BASTARDS!”
Just as the old man stops his rant a loud explosion is heard that rocks the ground beneath The Plague’s feet.
“Don’t stop running Steven!”
Steven can barely keep his breath.
“I’m right behind you Plague!”
The two make it to the cave and they make short work of it, all the way to the other side. They pop out the hole with the makeshift rock formation and they run into Zander’s bulbous backside.
“Zander! What the hell man?!”
Zander stands in tears.
“He killed him… That mother fugger killed HIM! BUSTER!!!!”
Zander lets out a whale cry that’d bring forth the largest humpback in the entire ocean and Kevin tries to calm the beast.
“Zander, buddy… It’s okay, Buster simply played the part he was destined for… He gave his life for the cause…”
‘Fatlip’ by Sum 41 starts to play and Kevin spins around to look at Steven who is fumbling with his phone.
“Sorry, got another text message… Not sure of who it is from… It’s a restricted number…”
Kevin snatches the phone out of Steven’s hand.
“What does it say?”
Restricted Number: “A HOLE with gopher holds not a MOLE…”
Kevin hands the phone back to Steven and Steven reads it quickly.
“Dude your princess is in another castle, haha…”
“Very funny Steven, why don’t you grab babbling brook over there and let’s the get hell out of here before the hills have eyes comes popping out of that hole there…”
Steven looks behind him and quickly grabs Zander by the tree trunk of an arm.
“You better get a move on boulder or we are all in for it!”
The three make it through the woods and to their vehicles. Zander holds himself against his smart car who looks like it may tip over from the pressure of holding him up. Steven jumps through the passenger window and into his seat. Kevin stands looking into the woods and watches as smoke fills the sky. The Plague looks to the out of breath blubbering Zander.
“Zander, I don’t blame you for falling for Parish’s obvious trap… The man has lived in solitude for a long time, it’d be foolish to think he’d be found out this easily… You did well enough getting us this far, at least we are headed the right direction… I’m sorry for your lose, but in war there’s always casualties, but the fight must continue to push forward… If you feel inclined to continue helping us, then I will accept your assistance in this fight, but if you feel too overwhelmed, then I too understand your plight…”
Zander catches his breath as he opens his passenger door.
“Anything I can do… For you… Plague… I will gladly offer… My assistance…”
Zander takes a hit from his inhaler.
“I want to witness the rise of The Plague and his Brotherhood.”
Kevin nods to Zander who crams himself into his car and The Plague simply shakes his head in astonishment. Kevin looks out to the smoke one more time before getting into the impala.
We fade out to black.
We open back up inside the warehouse, it’s a poorly lit room that has The Plague Nation’s black and grey American flag hanging on the wall behind a fold up black steel chair with the US title sitting on it. The Plague himself steps into view picking up the title and sitting down in the chair, the camera set up perfectly to show the flag hanging triumphantly behind Kevin Bishop’s head. The Plague unbuttons his top button of his shirt and he adjusts his seat before talking.
“Lester Parish… I’ve noticed you since you first stepped into WCF… I’ve noticed your path of destruction through the no names who step foot into our ring thinking they’re something special… Just as the vets here think this ‘New Era’ is made up of flash in the pan, here today, gone tomorrow talent, we frown upon the rookies, those who can’t hold a candle to us. When you speak you captivate the senses of those who bear to listen and I commend you for that… I never said I didn’t respect you and I would never have offered you such a high spot in my Brotherhood if I didn’t see something in you… I’m glad we both agree on one thing and that's this…”
Kevin holds the US title up to the camera.
“This belongs to me and I do deserve it more than you ever will… This is more than a title at the moment… It is my KEY to the grander prize… Is it foolish to reach so high so soon? Most likely, but at least I know I won’t say I didn’t attempt it when given the opportunity… So many people squander chances when they have it in their hands and I’m not one of those people… Every match is an opportunity to go out there and to lead by example… You speak of art and how you must be the art… Well what I do in that ring is very much the definition of The Art of Wrestling… I have spent years traveling the world and honing my craft to be able to bring the crowds to life when they witness these modern day gladiators destroying one another for the sake of their entertainment. We are modern day gladiators, Parish… We put on our armor made up of bravado and ego, we step foot into the ring with a sense of purpose… One falls and the other… The other basks in the glory of victory, gaining even more pride in their selves. To go to battle with a new found brother is going to be testing, that’s for sure, but just as I went toe to toe with Bates a couple of weeks ago… We both know this is a sport, a competition if you will, and we know it’s about the better man walking away with his hand held high… You claim you want to bring out The Plague, the true dark entity that I’ve every bit buried for the sake of building my Brotherhood on a stronger foundation and I will allow you to step up to that very challenge… I need it, Parish, I need this darkness that I pushed down deep inside to be released before I step into the ring with every champion the WCF has to offer… Come Slam this week, I will be ready to bleed for the cause and I will be ready to cut ties with my moral compass for the sake of going far beyond the point of no return… I walk in The Plague The Leader of Men and I walk out The Plague The Destroyer of Nations… The Plague who toppled companies for the sake of proving his dominance… That Plague who dismantled opponents limb by limb just to see them writhe in agony… We all have a darkness Parish and for men like you and me… It may take a little longer to truly see it, but once it is tapped in to… There’s no easy way to bottle it back up and it’s a darkness that people could only hope to contain…”
Kevin smirks.
“So as we prepare for this battle come Sunday, I want you to think of what Plague you want to see walk out of Slam as United States champion, because as I said, you will be the catalyst that I need to push me into Ultimate Showdown… You are going to play the role you were destined to play and you have chosen to accept the role with open arms… So as I torture you and I break you down to the abysmal being that hides deep inside your soul… I want you to remember one thing… You wanted this… You swore this is what had to come for the rise of The Plague to come to fruition… Just as you tempered that steel to create that magnificent piece of art that is now the symbol of this Brotherhood… You look at me as just another piece of steel for you temper… The difference though, Parish… I will not be a weapon wielded by men, I will be a living breathing weapon to be wielded by thy self…”
Kevin lays his title across his lap and he points to the camera.
“You can continue to hide your face behind your mask… You can continue to hide down deep in your bunker… But WHEN the time is right, the truths of the light will shine down upon you and I will drag you into its brilliance…”
The Plague smiles a bit.
“Parish… This Sunday is just another step in the rise of The Brotherhood and I ask you to bring that same drive that you have had since day one… I want you to forget that I am The Plague and the leader of The Brotherhood… I want you to forget that you offered a gift to the gods for your spot within these walls… No matter if Seth Lerch was the master mind behind you being placed in front of me or not… The truth of the matter is that we were destined to be standing across from one another… I was destined to lose to DHAD… And I was destined to face off against a new brother to become THE MAN I need to be, to walk into Ultimate Showdown knowing that I have to do whatever it takes to walk out with the grandest prize… Let us continue this story of The Plague’s rise this Sunday and let us continue to build this Brotherhood… Very soon we will rise up from the ashes stronger than we have ever been…”
The Plague’s smile turns a bit sinister.
“Sunday we go to war… And I’m coming full force with every weapon in my arsenal… The Plague is going to rise and there’s no one who can contain him… Not Parish, Not Buddy Roman, NOT DHAD, NOT BATES, AND NOT SETH LERCH!”
The Plague pauses for a second as he inches toward the camera.
“The Brotherhood is coming… The Plague is going to rise… The End is Nigh…”
The camera cuts off to black abruptly.
