MY DARKEST HOUR I
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“No, not my babies, please.”
[Paige Van Chan’s voice, gurgling with blood at every uttered syllable. She can barely speak as blood dribbles from her split lips.] [Newton remembers how it felt. He remembers how their blood tasted, splashing against his mouth as he brutalized them.] [And he had never felt so ashamed in his life.] [Of course, he had hurt many innocent victims – he had tortured, manipulated and deceived his way through life without a care in the world; but never had he ever taken to violence in such a disturbing manner.] [Never had he done this.] [He sits there on the wet ground, looking at his bloodied hands as the rain begins to pour, his eyes weeping tears that turn to waterfalls.]“What have I done?”
[Cut.]FAMILY MEETING
RECORDED EARLIER
“Brent, this is ludicrous.”
[Nicole. She’s not actually present, only her voice coming out of his phone. It’s been put in speaker mode and laid on the central table in the room. Framed pictures of Danielle and Trevor seem to shadow the pairing. Yet there is another person present in the room.] [Phoebe Outlaw.]“She’s not going to stop, babe.” [Brent calmly states, retreading familiar ground.] “She came after our baby. She trapped Danielle. Mother doesn’t just walk away when things don’t go her way. She created the Scarecrow. He may not be hunting me right now, but she’s slid right into his place. And as fearsome as Scarecrow is, he’s predictable in a way Mother isn’t. She toys with her prey.”
[He looks over at a frowning Phoebe, the scars of her battle with Mother still fresh in her mind.]“This is the only way.”
[A pregnant pause fills the air before Nicole finally responds.]“Brent. I love you. I don’t want the next time I see you to be in a body bag.”
[Beat.]“But this little tyke that I’m watching sleep right now is our primary concern. I trust you. Just come back home to me.”
[Brent sighs.]“Please.”
[The Enforcer leans forward to the phone.]“You have my word. I’m not going anywhere.”
[The love lingers in the air for a moment before Brent nods.]“We’ve got to go. We’ve got to get back to Miami. I needed this trip back here. To remember why I fight.”
[We focus on Phoebe as the Kersh’s state their love and goodbyes to one another. Feebs gets to her feet, looking around the room before settling her eyes on the picture of Danielle.]“Phoebe.”
[She turns to see Kersh standing next to her. Their eyes meet, so many things unsaid between them. Good and bad. He makes sure she’s focused on him before speaking.]“Are you su…”
[She cuts him off.]“More than anything in my life. The past haunts us, so we’re going to squash it.”
[Brent lets out a little chuckle, more for Feebs sake than his own. He knows how that statement really shakes out.]“Good luck then. We may not talk before it’s all over. James Hunter isn’t someone to trifle with.”
[Outlaw grins.]“Nor is Mother, old man.”
[Kersh doesn’t react to the barb. Instead, in a very uncharacteristic move, he reaches out and embraces Phoebe. Her hands stay at her side for a moment, but the younger woman slowly returns it in kind.] [What is Brent’s plan?] [Cut.]ALIBISTAIR MONTIBLEAUX VS. MICHAEL GRAVES
SINGLES MATCH
THE POWER OF YES!
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Do you want to wake up?”
[He searches the darkness for whom it belongs, but finds nothing. His eyes strain against the seemingly endless black, but nothing comes to view.]“I said, do you want to wake up?”
[The Chief frowns.]“I do.”
“Good,” [the voice continues.] “But breaking free of these restraints will not be easy. You’ll need to succumb to a power greater than yourself.”
[He grimaces.]“I won’t do it,” [The Chief responds with a defiant shake of the head.] “I just won’t. I know what you want of me Noah. I know what you expect. I won’t believe my God is responsible for the carnage you wish to bring upon the world. I won’t succumb to you, and you can’t break me. Haven’t I shown you this much?”
[There’s a pause.]“You have shown yourself to be worthy, but humanity is only capable of so much. The end is nigh and if you wish to break free of your confinement, and see to its conclusion, you have the power to do it. All you have to do is say yes.”
[Finally, The Chief gets angry, and begins to yell.]“To what!? What the hell do you want from me, kid!?”
[Cut.]BLOOD ON THE HANDS
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Sinner! This time, you watch me die. You watch what he did to me. All of this blood is on your hands.”
[Blood drips from the ceiling, Destiny’s blood, landing on Mike Lane like a sudden shower downpour. Mike raises his hands above his head, shielding his face from the downpour of blood. But the blood continues to pour, splattering over him. Eventually, the flow of blood dies down to a trickle. It is then that Destiny walks towards him. She reaches out and touches him, taking him by the hands. Hands that are now covered in blood. Lane has no choice but to look her in those cold, dead eyes, burning with scornful rage. He utters two single words, words that come out weakly and feebly, words of a man at the end of his rope.]“I’m… Sorry.”
[The figure of Destiny disappears, only the echo of her screaming voice hanging in the air. Screams that come from a cold, yet threatening voice.]“Liar! My blood is on your hands! I will not rest until you truly are sorry!”
[With that, the Asylum disappears. Lane finds himself once again in the Tap Room, staring at his hands. Hands that were once clean now still remain stained with crimson blood. The blood of his sin. The blood of Destiny Flint. He looks at his hands, and screams. Screams of a broken man, a man who knows not where to turn. Screams of a man who is crumbling before our very eyes.] [Cut.]JONATHAN HEARTSFORD VS. JACOB PHOENIX
SINGLES MATCH
NIGHTLIGHT
BACKSTAGE
“He’s behind you.”
[A sinister voice calls out.]“Ring-a-ring a rosey, a pocket full of posey..”
[The Shark turns slowly, coming face to face with The Boogeyman; he reaches out, grabbing the Vigilante by the throat, strangling him down to his knees.]“Let… go… of..” [he demands, losing breath.] “Me!”
[The Boogeyman lets out a sinister laugh, all the while, his song remains sung in the background.] [Gasp!] [Suddenly, he awakes. El Trébol Junior and Marvolo are by his side, and with his own hand wrapped around his throat, he gasps for air.]“You were choking,” [El Trébol says, panicked.] “You weren’t breathing. What happened?”
[The Sharkman coughs violently.] “The Boogeyman, he was in my dream and it felt so real. He was strangling me and I couldn’t breathe.”“Our powers are failing,” [Marvolo interrupts, rubbing his chin.] “We should be able to ward off these evil spirits, but we’re succumbing. First, Trébol falls into the trap of Nicholas Mammon and now The Boogeyman invades your dreams.”
[Trébol puts his hands on hips.]“He’s right. I didn’t make a conscious decision to go to Needful Things; I was compelled to. Had you not stopped me, I would have given everything to that man.”
[The Sharkman stands up, concerned.]“I don’t understand it. I thought we were complete. I thought that our goal was clear and our mission had begun. We were healing this place but their power is mightier than ours. Something is missing and if we don’t find what, we’ll meet the same fate as our ancestors. This evil is powerful, gentlemen. It’s stronger than we’ve ever encountered, either apart or together.”
[Cut.]LIGHT THE WAY
BACKSTAGE
“Where your eyes don’t go…”
[Helios looks around himself frantically, using his flames to light the hallways, always catching a glimpse of the Scarecrow before the Hayman disappears into the night.]“You do not fear me, you had control over me. But when you cannot burn me, you are helpless.”
[Helios stops his assault on the empty halls before looking around himself. He walks into the blackness ahead. CROW’S HAND SHOOTS FROM THE DARKNESS AND GRABS HELIOS’ NECK!]“Without your fire, you are nothing.”
[Black.] [Moonlight lights the scene as the darkness is lifted. Standing at the edge of a lake is Crow, Helios still firmly grasped in his hand.]“And like the very flames you would use to immolate me, you are easily snuffed out.”
[Helios tries to singe Scarecrow’s hand, fire spreading up Crow’s arm! BYE BYE BIRDIE INTO THE LAKE! Helios is submerged! The Revenant fights to leave the water as Scarecrow walks away from the lake’s edge, not looking back at the drenched revenant.]“You tried to light the way, but the darkness unleashed upon us will not be turned against me.”
[Darkness slowly begins to wash over the scene as we are left with Helios, the fire demon’s skin flaking and peeling as he pulls himself from the water.]CAPTAIN ZAPPA VS. JACEN NOVAN
SINGLES MATCH
BLACK CHIP
BACKSTAGE
“Through the Ashla, I can slow this darkness down. But I have not been able to reverse the spread. I have fought darkness before, and the Ashla has never failed me. This darkness is unlike anything I have experienced before – I need a greater grasp of the Ashla to fight it.”
[From within his robes he draws a computer chip. It is about the size of his palm. Novan lays it before him. Where once green and fresh looking, the chip is darkened black. Comparing it to his infected arm, Novan can see definite similarities in the pattern and spread of the black infection. It confirms what he already knows.]“The same virus. If I can reverse the spread in my own flesh, I can fight the darkness within TAM. He is not… Unsalvageable.”
[He picks the charred black chip up and turns it over in his hands. As he does, it begins to emanate a soft beeping. Moments later, the world seems to explode around Novan. Bricks, mortar and concrete are sent flying in all directions. Through the dust cloud and rubble, a cold, computerized voice is heard.]“Tracking complete. Hostile located…”
[The Automaton had entered, bursting through the solid brick wall of the room where Novan was hiding out. It stands in the rubble, scanning the room for signs of life.]“Hostile being, you are in possession of a stolen memory chip. My directive is to retrieve the memory chip and exterminate the hostile responsible for its theft. Resistance is futile.”
[The chip continues to beep, leading The Automaton to where Novan crouches, protected from the rubble by the Ashla, having created a clear space around himself. The Automaton raises its hands to strike but Novan holds the chip out before him. The Automaton pauses, not wishing to damage its memory chip.]“TAM. This chip is faulty, look at it. The memories it contains will reveal your true self. The Ashla can free you memories.”
[The Automaton does not even pause. It steps forward, grabbing at the memory chip.]“The contents of my memory chip are classified. Resistance is futile.”
[Novan turns away, pulling his toes up over his head. TAM swings at Novan’s head but catches only the hood of his robes. His empty robes fall to the ground, leaving the Automaton perplexed as to what has transpired.] [The Automaton scans for signs of where his foe has gone. But Novan has disappeared, along with the blackened memory chip.]THE BRAVE AND TERRIBLE
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“How do you like your new home?” [Alibistair says, his pistol still I his hand.] “You’re going to be here for a long zime.”
[The man closes in on the bars, grimacing. He’s a disturbing individual, with scars strewn across his wrinkled, angry looking face.]“These bars won’t hold me, Montibleaux,” [the angry bald-headed man growls.] “I will get out of here and I will find you. There’s no-where you can run from me.”
[Alibistair shakes his head.] “You’ve been a terror on zis world for far too long. All those people you’ve killed, all zese worlds you’ve destroyed; zat stops now, Jones.” [Jones grabs the bars, startling his adversary.]“You can’t stop me, kid,” [he barks.] “You haven’t stopped me. This place, “[he says, looking around.] “Will only be my home for so long. When I get out of here, and I will, I’m going to kill you.”
[Alibistair Montibleaux steps backwards and holsters in his pistol.]“Until zat day, until we meet again, zis case is closed.”
[He casually walks off, leaving Jones behind to hold tightly onto the bars and smile.]“You’re a dead man, Montibleaux,” [he screams.] “Jones has spoken!”
[Cut.]CAEL GABLE VS. LUX BELLATOR VS. PHOEBE OUTLAW
TRIPLE THREAT MATCH
BEG THE QUESTION
RINGSIDE
“Hello, Phoebe.”
[James Hunter now stands before Outlaw. He looks around at the walls of the Tap Room.]“When you attacked me, I considered making one trip to end you. But instead, I had my associates taunt you with my presence. Then I found you outside of the arena, because I needed you to know that you will never be able to run away. Not until I’m finished. But now that I stand here in this place, I see that it has changed quite a bit. It feels more like home, more of a place that a man like me can do his work.”
[Outlaw snorts.]“What kind of work is that? Interior decorating?”
[Hunter lets a grin form on his lips.]“I hope you’ve considered my question. When you’ve had everything taken away from you, what is really left to live for?”
[Outlaw turns serious for a moment.]“Yeah, I have.”
[Hunter raises an eyebrow.]“And?”
[Beat.]“I live for Dani. Because she saw something in me that no one else ever did.”
[A chuckle this time from the Question.]“That she did. I don’t know what, but she saw something. That’s why she did what you could never do. She gave her life for you. But I have to thank her for that. Because now I get to finish the last string holding me to this life. I will step back into a ring I thought I had walked away from, and I am going to make you beg for that life that you so cherish. And then I’m going to do as I meant to do so long ago.”
[The masked men throw the sheet back over Feebs head.]“And that’s end your life.”
[Darkness.] [Outlaw rips off the sheet to find that she is now alone in the hallway. She stays on her knees for a moment, her eyes closed.] [A single tear drops down her cheek.] [Followed by a smile.] [Cut.]TWISTED
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“What has happened?”
[The footsteps slow as they approach, but the voice is out of breath as he speaks.]“Sir. Zappa has escaped!”
[In one quick motion, Rhodes is on his feet and standing beside him.]“Do you know where he went?”
“Yes sir. We have him pinned down, but…”
[Solomon looks at him with impatience as they begin walking.]“What?”
“There’s something different about him.”
[A flash.] [A body is thrown across a room as Captain Zappa is surrounded by men with swords pointed in his direction as Captain Zappa looks deranged. His eyes are completely black, his veins protruding and pulsing, and he’s lashing out in all directions.]“GET OUT OF MY WAY!”
[Zappa grabs one of the swords with both hands and YANKS the holder towards him with remarkable strength! Zappa pulls him in tight and pulls his own sword to the Templar’s throat.]“Get out of my way or I’ll end him.”
“Zappa, stop this immediately!”
[Solomon Rhodes, the voice of reason, breaks through the group with his arms held out in front of him as a sign of peace. He instructs his men to lower their swords to which they do.]“Zappa. You need to calm down. This doesn’t have to end in violence. Let him go and we can talk this out. I know that you don’t want to be kept safe. We can talk about-“
“NO! I’m through doing things your way. It’s been months, and where have we gotten?! NOWHERE. I’m infected. This darkness has been unleashed, and where are we? No closer to a solution. Maybe I am looking at this wrong, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to be another prisoner. Maybe… maybe DTR will have the answers to my questions.”
“This isn’t you. You know what he is capable of. Surely you don’t think he could actually help you.”
[Zappa contemplates that and drops his guard a little bit. He squirms out of the grasp of Zappa who quickly grows enraged once more.] [HE PLUNGES THE SWORD RIGHT INTO HIM! The young man falls as blood begins to spurt from his mouth. Zappa looks back at Solomon Rhodes as his eyes flicker once to white before back to black as he turns and blasts through the guards. They turn to give chase.]“NO! Let him go.” [Solomon Rhodes falls to his knees by his Templar who is bleeding out.]
“But sir, he…”
“He needs to be dealt with accordingly. At The Long Night, I will deal with him AND that snake, Dave.”
[The picture slowly fades as DTR is shown grinning in the dark corner of the room before slowly fading away with a parting word.]“Step three… complete.”
DANVERS VS. HUNTER VS. TAM VS. SOKOLOV
FATAL FOUR WAY MATCH
FOUNDATIONS
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“It won’t come off like that, Michael.”
[Bellator speaks with a calm voice, almost charismatic and friendly in its tone. He draws closer to Lane, who does not even stop scrubbing to acknowledge the presence of the man whose words have led him to this place.]“As much as you don’t want t believe it, I am here to offer you life. Life more abundant than you could ever imagine. It is the only way to cleanse the sin from your soul and the blood from those hands.”
[Lane turns, facing Bellator eye to eye, holding the brush up like a weapon. His eyes scream of desperation. But within the desperation, Lux can see something telling. Belief.]“You know that I speak the truth, Michael. I can see it in your eyes. You scrub at those hands so hard because you know that it is your sin that has covered them with Destiny’s blood. You know the wages of sin, but you also know that it doesn’t have to end like this.”
[The usual fight and retort is gone from Mike Lane. Where we would expect him to take the fight to Bellator and rid himself of the torment that he has been put through, he does not. Instead, he crumbles to the floor, head in his hands. A broken man.]“I’m sorry…”
[Bellator kneels before the broken man, his voice more akin to a whisper now.]“You build your foundations on your own shoulders Michael. Now you find those foundations have crumbled around you, your sin has torn them down. Don’t you see how dark this world has become? Where even you cannot endure it any longer? How the Lord cannot let this darkness continue. The world is coming to an end Michael, each breath brings us closer to judgement. Now is the time for sinners to repent, for soon it will be too late.”
[Bellator places a hand on Lane’s shoulder. At first Mike flinches, but in his current state he does not move himself away. Bellator lifts his head up, looking into the eyes of his foe. He takes Lane by the hand, the blood disappearing from his hands at the very touch of Lux. Lane snaps his hands away and the stain returns, much to his dismay.]“There is a way out of this Michael. A way to cleanse those hands. A book that holds all the answers you seek.”
[In his downward spiral, Lane manages to find the resolve to scoff at the suggestion.]“I’m not interested in your bible, Bellator.”
[Bellator smiles, a knowing smile, sinister almost in the twinkle that glints in his eye.]“I’m not talking about the good book, Michael. I speak of a different book – the Book of the Damned. In it, you will find your salvation. Inside the covers of that book, you will understand your role. You will understand how to repent for your sins. Seek it out, Michael and you will understand.”
[With that, Bellator pats Lane on the shoulder and disappears from sight, leaving Mike to his thoughts once more. He tosses the soap brush aside, looking over his blood-stained hands once more and closes his eyes to draw in a deep breath. This is rock bottom, and his way out could just have been provided by the very man who put him here.] [Cut.]D’VON CHAMBERS VS. THE SHARKMAN
SINGLES MATCH
FATHER AND SON
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“I do.”
[A crowd cheers as they embrace and share a kiss. A disembodied voice speaks out, confusion apparent.]“That isn’t what happened.”
[Flash.] [Phoenix sits on a couch, his arm around Stephanie. They look happy. Across from them sits Jensen Cussen, rocking a baby boy on his knee. A far cry from the man we know.]“You’re a great father, kid. This is what I wanted for my family.”
[Jensen’s words ring out with clarity, a far cry from the angry tones we hear normally.]“This isn’t real.”
[Flash.] [This time the child is older, able to run and play. In the background, we see Jensen and his wife Lisa laughing along with Jacob and Stephanie. The boy runs up to the edge of a white fence, when a voice speaks out to him.]“Look at you, a chip off the old block.”
[The boy smiles as a shadow overtakes him.]“It’s in there, isn’t it?”
[From afar, we can hear a scream from Jensen.]“The evil lives in you. It’s time to destroy the world, boy.”
“No.”
[Jensen and Jacob appear on the scene, but the boy is gone. There is no flash here, but instead the world freezes. The two men seem to have control of themselves though.]“What is this?” [Jacob asks.] [Off in the distance, a scream echoes.]
“You thought that your little mark was a one way road, didn’t you? You thought that it’d give you an edge.”
[Jensen chuckles.]“But you forget that my network is a little bigger than yours. I can’t infect you. I’m not even sure I can kill you. But I can make you wish you were dead.”
[The scream intensifies. Cussen smiles.]“That’s the best part, that old man in the back of my mind gets to see it too. Two birds with one stone, as they say.”
[The angry Phoenix looks where the boy was standing.]“That was Noah?”
[Cussen laughs.]“Oh no. That was your son, Jacob. Cursed with the same specter that made a man like Jensen Cussen who he is. The boy’s great grandfather. You see, Jacob, you fear the idea that Stephanie died because of you and you won’t be able to avenge her. But Jensen fears his father. Sometimes I think he’d rather see Noah bring about the end, because that means his father was wrong about the evil in their blood.”
[Phoenix stands resolute as he strips off the long sleeve shirt he’s wearing.]“You may have infected him, but I don’t know how much you know him. You’re only making him stronger.”
[Cussen laughs, his eyes a black abyss now. The Virus showing its power.]“And if he is to succeed, then you’ll kill him. So we both win.”
[Jacob pauses for a moment before looking directly into that abyss. He quickly grabs his arm and gives it a big pinch.] [Light.] [Jacob Phoenix snaps awake. Instead of showing anger, instead he seems to be shaken by the words and actions of Jensen Cussen.] [Cut.]YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Mister Gable. How does it feel to lose your FREEDOM? To be RESTRICTED in your movement?”
[Danvers tilts his head to one side as he looks down at Gable, who pants heavily.]“Perhaps a karmic event is taking place, or perhaps…”
[Danvers runs his fingers gently through Gables wet hair.]“Perhaps your mind is SICK.”
“How does it FEEL, Mister Gable, to be confined to a small room for the remainder of your days on this mortal plane? Does it reflect a negative time in your life? Perhaps you can think of an example?”
[Gable’s chest rises and falls, rises and falls. Danvers tilts his head in the opposite direction.]“I see. And tell me Mister Gable, when you think of what you did to that man, does it mirror your anxieties of your own parents incarceration in my own world?”
“I’m sure those are worries of yours. But fear not. THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU SOON.”
[Danvers runs his fingers down Gable’s nose, across his lips, and pinches his chin gently.]“For this will be your first Long Night, but soon I will RELEASE your parents from their incarceration, when you submit to me… your MIND.”
[Gable snatches the wrist of Danvers, his arm coming back to life. He grasps the wrist tightly and looks Danvers dead in the eye.]“I will NEVER give you what you want. If you want my mind, you’ll have to FIGHT ME for it!”
[Gable launches from the bed, tackling thin air. Isaac Danvers is gone.] [Gable sits up, wrapping his arms around his knees as he peers into the darkness.]SOLOMON RHODES VS. LEE CROWLEY
SINGLES MATCH
OUT OF THE DARKNESS
BACKSTAGE
Static.] [It’s D’Von Chambers.] [He makes his way through the back of the Tap Room, a look of frustration on his face.] [Several members of his congregation follow.]
“I may have to look into adding The Sharkman to the church at some point” [Chambers ponders as he dabs the sweat from his forehead with a towel.] “but I have to focus on Michael Graves for now!”
[A grimace overcomes him.]“Those stupid druids came to and let him go or the deal would already be done!”
[Suddenly…] [Darkness.]“Now what’s this…” [Chambers scoffs.] [The fluttering and screeching of bats.]
“My Chiroptera didn’t come to D’Von!”
[Michael Graves. His voice calls out from the darkness.] [We can’t see anything. And neither can Chambers and his Church.]“How would you describe it then Bat Boy” [Chambers taunts.] “One second they’re worshipping me as Barbatos and the next, they’re aiding your escape.”
“They were released from their hysteria” [Graves retorts, almost at a whisper.] “Once they stepped out of their darkest hour.”
[Lights.] [And it’s Graves. He stands nose to nose with Chambers who is slightly taken aback. A devilish smile forming on the lips of The Bat’s Shadow.] [And suddenly…]“PRAISE HIM!! PRAISE JESUS!!!! IT’S HIM!!!! HALLEJUAH!”
[The Bishop’s eyes open wide and his blood runs cold as he peers back to the members of his church who have fallen to their knees worshiping Michael Graves.]“You were right about this place D’Von.” [Graves warns.] “It is distorting our minds. Our visions. In you, my Chiroptera see Barbatos and in me the members of your congregation see….”
[Chambers looks back to Graves, a concerning look on his face and BOOT TO THE MIDSECTION.] [Graves cinches him into a double underhook and DAWNBREAKER!] [CHAMBERS IS OUT!!!] [The Prophet of the Bat God stands over top of his foe; his chest rising with each breath he takes as the Church continues their praise.]“But after The Long Night, everyone will know who the real God is….” [Graves declares as he lifts his hands skyward.] “HAIL BARBATOS!!!!”
[Cut.]TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS
TAG TEAM MATCH, TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
MIXED SIGNALS
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Still looking for me, Sergei?”
[Sergei turns around, and is confronted by the Aerial Knight; no sword to the head this time around, merely a glare from Heartsford.]“What exactly is it you’re looking for? You seem…uncertain.”
[That word triggers the Red Tsar, who lunges at Heartsford…only for the Aerial Knight to sidestep him, watching as Sergei nearly collides with a nearby tree. Sergei turns to face Heartsford again, an angry snarl on his face.]“My patience is wearing thin! If you won’t come with me, I’ll take you in by force.”
[Heartsford tilts his head in confusion at this.]“Take me in for what, Sergei? What are the charges against me? Why won’t you wake up to what’s happening around you?”
[This last question confuses the Red Tsar, who stops in his tracks.]“Haven’t you noticed something…strange about our surroundings? The trees, Sergei…look at the trees.”
[Sergei looks at the trees nearby…and notices they are oozing with black bile.]“The trees are infected…but how? The infection is still confined to the Tap Room.”
[This prompts a nod from the Aerial Knight.]“Exactly. Look again, open your eyes to the truth.”
[As the Red Tsar turns to look at the tree again, darkness falls upon both men…and in the blink of an eye, we discover they are still inside the Tap Room. Sergei stares at Heartsford, who nods again in assurance.]“The darkness is playing tricks on you, Sergei. Something in this place is sending mixed signals. Haven’t you wondered why the voice in your head hasn’t been speaking to you? They’re not the ones targeting me…it’s the infection.”
[Before Sergei can respond, Heartsford runs off in a flash…and as if on cue, Sergei hears someone speaking to him.]“Doubt.”
[Cut.]THE MARCH
THE UNDERWORLD
“I beg of you to turn back,” [Janus pleads.] “I beg of you to stop your marching on these gates and put to bed your thirst for vengeance before it’s too late.”
[Terminus approaches, looking at the two faced God – his body a broken husk. He takes a deep breath, sucking the air around him in.]“I can smell your vile betrayal, Janus,” [he says with a sneer.] “I can taste it. Tell your King I have arrived to take back the Underworld. Tell him that I will lock these gates, and him within them – as you tasked me to do.”
[He reaches forward, snapping Janus’ neck in one fell swoop. He suddenly crumbles to dust, vanishing into the air. Lee Crowley then appears, stood at the gates, his eyes wide with fury.]“You shouldn’t have come, Terminus.”
[Ordell rolls his neck.] “This ends, now.” [Then he marches towards Crowley.] [Cut.]EDWARD NEWTON VS. JAKE JECKEL
SINGLES MATCH
MY DARKEST HOUR II
RECORDED EARLIER
“My wife,” [he mutters, his voice straining to come through the gruff and icy veins of Proteus.] “My kids.”
[Tears begin to stream down his face.] [And then they freeze.] [His blue eyes begin to return, slowly taking over as Proteus rises from where Bruce Van Chan once momentarily weeped.]“I’m going to fucking kill you, Newton.”
[Cut.]FIGHT FOREVER
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“Mother.”
[The ancient evil looks down on Dani, a sneer on her face.]“So beautiful, as all my children are. This one is special, though. She represents your death.”
[Kersh lets out a small snort as he leans back, finally looking at his adversary.]“Is that what all this is about? You think that because I didn’t get killed that you just get to take everything from me? That you get to show me how happy we would have been if I’d have just said no to Errol Flint?”
[Mother locks eyes with Kersh.]“No.”
[Beat.]“You never seem to understand things, my child. You know the truth of your family bloodline and the Scarecrow. Your forefathers fought against that truth. They died. Your son fought against that truth. He died. Your daughter is just another pawn in the game between good and evil, Enforcer. I’ll have your blood, one way or the other. Your baby is beyond my grasp, but this one is now firmly within it. Yet you fight against the truth.”
[She reaches out a hand.]“Give yourself to me, Brent, and this will all be over. Danielle will be restored, though she will never be able to breed. The Scarecrow will take care of the baby once he remembers who and what he is. Your line will die, but your wife and daughter will live.”
[Kersh looks down at the hand, his lips pursing in anger.]“No. You never seem to understand things, Mother. You’re not going to win. I’m going to live. Nicole is going to live. Our baby boy is going to live. And you will never get your hands on our blood.”
[Mother smiles once more, her gaze following Brent’s hand to where it now rests.] [The plug to Dani’s machinery.]“Do you think I did not know of your plan? Even you cannot be so foolish as to not know that there is nowhere I cannot see. I’m the Mother of All, my child. Even now, I can see your beautiful wife and son watching some foolish television program in your safe house.”
[She brushes her hand over Dani’s pale and bruised arm.]“Your kind will fight forever if I let you. Even now, the girl fights against a body that will never respond to her again.”
[Brent lets go of the plug, his eyes full of energy.]“Yes, Enforcer, Danielle is more vibrant than ever. I wanted her to see the tears of her lover. I wanted her to feel the agony of her father. And most of all, I want her to feel as I use her body for her most precious commodity. That blood is too pure to waste.”
[Kersh seems shaken, but with a sigh, the steel returns.]“I’ll still do it. She’s a Kersh. She knows what’s at stake here. You’re not doing anything to her.”
[Another smile from Mother.]“No, you won’t do it. But I’ll be happy to extract what I need from you, Enforcer. As long as you live, you’ll be fighting me and my children.”
[The lights flicker as she vanishes.] [Brent slides back in the chair, his eyes full of both anger and hope.] [Dani is alive.] [But will he have to kill her?]THE SCARECROW VS. CREEPING DEATH
SINGLES MATCH
YOU SEEK HIM HERE
SOMEWHERE ELSE
“J-Jackie?” [he mumbles.] “Jackie?”
[Nothing.] [Jake bends down to inspect the eye, realizing that it has been brutally and unmistakably ripped from its socket. He gulps, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a lighter.] [The visibility is poor, but the lighter illuminates the room, revealing a message scrawled upon the wall in blood, hair and human tissue.]“You seek him here, you seek him there!”
[Jake reads aloud.]“But you’ll find him everywhere.”
[The Juggalo carefully begins to look around the room, finding to his horror, limbs in different directions. He stumbles backwards, falling over something that sends him tumbling to the floor, splashing into the sticky blood.] [It’s a head.] [Its mouth is open, its tongue missing.] [Jack Jeckel.] [Cut.]