The sound of hospital machines beep and hiss in the background as we approach a private room. Inside, a man sits on the edge of his bed in a hospital gown, his entire head bandaged.
A Doctor sits in a chair before him, carefully checking the wraps.
“Okay, I think these are ready to come off, Mr. Whitlock,” he advises, taking the end of one cautiously. “This may sting a bit.”
Carefully he begins unwrapping the bandages, slowly unravelling them from Whitlock’s face until finally, they’re off.
What we see before us is horrifying.
The Doctor reaches over to the table and grabs a mirror, handing it to Whitlock.
The Candidate slowly takes a look at his reflection, grimacing as he does.
Half of his face is seriously burned and scarred, his upper lip having been drawn up and tight with the scarred flesh.
His hair has been shaved down to its base.
“You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Whitlock,” The Doctor remarks. “This could’ve been a lot worse. You escaped the fire before it could’ve killed you and the civilians who helped put you out, combined with the snow, made your wounds-“
Whack!
Suddenly, Whitlock smashes the hand-held mirror across the Doctors head.
The impact thrusts him backwards off the chair and immediately, Alton stands up, reaching down to pick up a shard of glass.
The Doctor crawls across the floor with blood seeping from a wound on his forehead, dazed and confused, barely able to say a word.
“P-PLEASE!” He begs.
Alton doesn’t listen. It’s as if he didn’t hear. He reaches down, pulls The Doctor back up and stabs the shard off glass into the side of his neck.
As blood spurts out in every direction, he hisses.
“My name isn’t Whitlock,” he growls, dropping the Doctor to bleed out. “My name is Two-Face.”
Cut.
You’ve been fed lies and they have nourished you. Sustained you in this world, this reality where everything you see before you is nothing more than… Bullshit.
Wake up.
The veil is all around you. Everywhere. Pulled over your eyes to shield you from the truth that they don’t want you to know.
But it’s okay. The truth is here to pull you free of your prison.
Wake up… and smell the bullshit in the air.
Just like the magician that wows the audience with his trickery.
Trick, by trick, the sheep all fall into his trap. They watch what he wants them to watch and they never see the twist coming.
When he tells them that magic is real, they believe every fucking word that comes out of his lying mouth, because he has sold the lies to them.
Because they cannot figure out a way that the trick happens. Because they cannot see behind the veil he has presented them. They smell the bullshit, and to them is smells like fuckin’ roses.
In the eyes of the sheep, the magic is real. But in truth, the magic is nothing more than trickery and lies.
Have you ever watched a magic show knowing exactly how the tricks are put together?
Knowing where to look, so that you can see the magician palm a card here, or slip a shell over a coin there. When you can see beyond the veil that the magician presents, you can smell the stench of the bullshit.
That is my reality. That is how I see the world. And that is why I am here.
To free you from the lies.
To wake you up.
Because until you see behind the veil, the Magician will always fool you. And you will continue to believe in magic.
The Butcher’s magic. The reality he has crafted here.
You will be just another sheep, another lamb brought forth to slaughter. Another soul for the Sandman to torment, another piece of Sigil’s collection.
Lie by lie, the magician’s veil covers you until they have you right where they want you. Believing.
Because ignorance is bliss, and the more you chow down the lies around you, the more blissful you become. Unaware of what is really going on behind that veil.
Unaware of how the magician has fooled you once again.
You never see what’s up his sleeve. You never see the twist coming.
And just like that, he’s stolen your fucking pocketwatch.
Wake up, damnit!
Everything you know is a lie.
From the Observatory, to the Realms that Sigil walks to the blood money that BEG throws around.
It’s all part of the veil.
Pyre is the Red Queen.
Banzan is a monster hunted by a monster.
Brent Kersh was paralysed by his own son…
It’s all part of the magician’s master plan.
And the veil is fucking coming down.
Wake the fuck up and smell the bullshit!
We’re in a squalid apartment, somewhere in New York City. Wrestle Heroes begins tonight and Reaper sits on the edge of his bed in the dark, his head in the palms of his hands.
He’s crying.
That’s not something we usually see out of The Reaper – but this isn’t him, is it? It’s Adam Rook.
Bare.
“I’m sorry,” he cries into his hands. “I never knew it would follow me home, I swear.”
Suddenly, an orange glow appears from behind him, illuminating the back of his head and his face as he slowly lifts it from his palms.
The Judge.
“I knew you had something to do with it,” he growls. “Even inadvertently, this whole scenario was caused by you.”
Adam stands up and whips himself around to face Judge.
“Me!?” He yells. “You let some… whatever the fuck he is, interfere with the natural order that you’re supposed to protect. Everything is about balance with you, isn’t it? How the fuck did that happen?”
“You dare to blame me? Your meddling wife-“
That’s it.
The very mention of Alexa has Reaper running and leaping over the bed with a Shotgun Blast.
Only The Judge vanishes before it can connect.
“Come back you fucking coward!” Reaper screams. “We’re not fucking finished, not by a long shot!”
The Reaper immediately slumps against the door, sliding down it towards the ground. He sits there, shaking his head – leaning it backwards on the wood to contemplate everything.
Every emotion imaginable is running through his head.
Vengeance.
Rage.
Hatred – of Monty, of Judge and more importantly, of himself.
Cut.
Six Champions start this match off with three additional competitors.
Once three are eliminated, the match is over.
Until tomorrow…
When the six who remained return and three more enter the fray.
On Sunday Night, we’ll determine our Champions – of which, the people at the summit could likely change on a daily basis.
Stood in the ring, The Sandman, Pyre, Sweet Alice, Bishop, Sigil and Voynich stare at each other with intensity. Would this be the first and last night they share a ring?
But moreover, who’s their first three opponents?
The lights around the Slaughterhouse scramble, flickering wildly before the sound of ‘Illuminati’ by Korn begins to play. When the lights focus once more, a figure stands atop the entranceway – hooded.
“I can’t believe what’s happening, where is your self-control
Why can’t you just be honest, the corruption takes its toll”
He throws off the hood, revealing his heavily tattooed head – filled with various ancient symbols and runes. Leaving his cloak behind, he takes off toward the ring, looking around him wearily as he does so and unpredictably side-stepping, running and stopping without warning on his way down the entranceway.
“You rape our hope, too proud to cope
You built this house of shame.
You smile, you gloat. This disease you promote.
An infection is what we are now”
Rolling into the ring, Rune untrustingly takes in his surroundings with a wild look in his eyes.
This newcomer as rolled right into the lion’s den, perturbing everyone within it. No-one quite knows what to expect.
The arena goes black for a brief few moments as the gravelly voice of Tom Waits rings out, followed by fog rolling out.
“I had a good home and I left! I had a good home and I left!”
The lights flash at the entrance stage, showing someone standing there with a shotgun slung over their shoulder. The song continues, flashing at the steps of the march.
“Left, right! Left right left!”
The song is interrupted by the firing of a shotgun, and the lights flick on, centering on the back of The Reaper. The song reaches its chorus as he turns to face the audience.
“Hell Broke Loose! Hell Broke Loose!”
The audience roars into life as he marches down the ramp. He clambers into the ring, passes his shotgun off to the ref, and limbers up briefly before the start of the match.
There’s no music.
No fanfare.
Nothing.
The disfigured two face steps out from within the tunnel, stopping at the top of the ramp to grin.
Then he storms towards the ring and all hell breaks loose.
There’s an all-out brawl in the middle of the ring with fists flying left and right.
Remember, Wrestle Heroes is a traditional Battle Royal – meaning once you’re thrown over the top rope and your feet hit the ground, you’re eliminated!
The Sandman soon separates himself from the melee, stalking from the corner as Rune is tossed his way and into a giant Big Boot. The OSW Champion pulls him back to his feet and tosses him immediately over the top rope.
ONLY RUNE HANGS ON!
The Conspiracy Theorist manages to save himself and as Sandman storms forward with yet another Boot, ducks underneath and dives through the middle rope to take out his other leg!
The Reaper meanwhile has Bishop in the opposite corner, driving shoulders into his mid-section. He drags the VHS Champion out and into a Side Walk Slam, planting him.
Pyre and Sweet Alice meanwhile have picked up exactly where they left off at Red Snow – only this time it’s Alice with Pyre in a different corner, pummelling down at her with sweet revenge.
Two-Face has been laid out and now recovers near the apron.
That leaves Sigil and Voynich – face to face and toe to toe in the middle of the ring.
As the fans ramp up their volume, these two former friends begin slugging it out.
RIGHT!
LEFT!
RIGHT!
LEFT!
Sigil ducks under a Clothesline attempt.
STEP UP ENZIGURI!
NO!
Voynich ducks!
The Collector pops back up and runs at him, but The Best Kept Secret is wise to it, sending him barrelling off into the ropes. The two Tag Team Champions may just take each other out at this rate.
SPEAR TO VOYNICH!
Out of no-where, RUNE DRIVES INTO HIM WITH A SPEAR!
Sigil comes back from the ropes to see it, stopping just short of a collision.
He turns around to find The Sandman waiting.
The OSW Champion scoops him up and drops him SNAKE EYES on the turnbuckle, only THE REAPER RUNS THE SANDMAN OVER THE TOP ROPE!
OH MY GOD!
NO FUCKING WAY!
HE HOLDS ON! HE HOLDS ON!
THE SHOTGUN BLAST!
LEAPING SUPERMAN PUNCH TO SANDMAN WHO’S T-T-T-TEETERING!!!
BUT HE STILL HOLDS ON!
Reaper gets back to his feet and growls, going again..
SHOTGUN BLAST!
NO!
TWO FACE GRABS HIM IN MID-AIR AND RUNS HIM INTO THE CORNER!
THE SANDMAN SURVIVES!
Two Face starts going to work with right hands, only to be the recipient of a Headbutt that stumbles him backwards.
He uses a Back Elbow to silence Reaper, delivering another for good measure before walking away.
ONLY BISHOP SCOOPS HIM UP!
TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER!
THE LAST RITES!!
The Hunter gets immediately back to his feet, grabbing Two-Face and TOSSING HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!
We’re down to eight!
Bishop dusts his hands off and turns around to Pyre, who snaps him overhead with a very quick Snap Suplex.
She gets back to her feet and watches as Sweet Alice storms at her, side stepping to see her foe fly into the ropes. Alice quickly comes back, ducking a Clothesline attempt and leaping into a Hurricanranna that sends Pyre into the waiting hand of The Sandman.
The OSW Champion scoops her straight into the air.
CHOKESLAM!
The entire canvas shakes with the impact of that.
Sigil and Voynich meanwhile have been separated.
Rune is currently battling with The Best Kept Secret and Sigil is being occupied by Reaper.
The Sandman seems to have seen enough.
He walks over to Rune, dragging him away by his beard into a fierce uppercut.
Voynich quickly comes out to attack but is pulled into and dropped with a ginormous Belly to Belly.
The Sandman gets back to his feet in time to see The Reaper coming at him again.
He pulls him in…
DEEP SLEEP!
END OF DAYS!
The OSW Champion is laying waste to anything that moves.
By the time he’s back up, Pyre and Alice have turned their attention to him.
They know full well what happens if in this moment, they don’t team up. The Double Feature and Rewind Champion leather The Sandman with boots, looking for a Double Team.
DOUBLE SNAP SUPLEX!
GIRL POWER!
These two could’ve been a formidable tag team had Pyre not been in it for herself.
They get back to their feet and that trend continues with PYRE DUMPING ALICE OVER THE TOP ROPE!
SHE LANDS ON THE APRON!
The Fire Witch quickly hits the ropes, looking to bump her off and comes back across the ring..
KNEE TO THE FACE!
ALICE PUTS AN END TO THAT!
She steps back in to see Rune running towards her…
OVERHEAD SLAM!
RUNE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED! SHE OVERHEAD SLAMMED HIM RIGHT OVER THE TOP ROPE!
Could the current crop of OSW Champions clean sweep this tonight?
Reaper is all that remains.
Alice pops away from eliminating Rune to walk into Bishop and a Big Boot. The Hunter pulls her back to her feet and launches her into the ropes, connecting with a Clothesline on the return.
Sigil meanwhile waits for him to turn around…
PLANESWALKER!!!!
DROPKICK TO BISHOP!
HE FLIES ACROSS THE RING AND INTO THE CORNER!
The Reaper knows that his opportunity awaits. If he can just eliminate one of these Champions, he’ll make it to day two.
He runs towards Sigil, dropping him with a Clothesline.
Clothesline to Pyre!
Clothesline to Sweet Alice!
Clothesline to Voynich!
He’s handing out Clothesline naps, folks!
The Harvester scoops up Sandman…
SAMOAN DROP!
JUSTICE BROUGHT TO THE OSW CHAMPION!
COME ON REAPER!
YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Wait a minute… what the fuck?
THAT’S THE JUDGE
THE JUDGE IS IN THE RING WITH HIS AXE!
REAPER TURNS AROUND…
AXE HANDLE TO THE FUCKING SKULL!
Sigil is waiting as Reaper turns around, stumbled, dazed and in no control of what’s going on.
THE COLLECTOR RUNS HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!
THE REAPER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED WITH AN ASSIST BY THE JUDGE!
WHAT THE HELL?
THE JUDGE EXITS THE RING, HIS TIME IN THIS MATCH TO FOLLOW!
The bell sounds, bringing a stop to the action in the middle of the ring for night one.
The Sandman is still the OSW Champion.
Pyre is still the Double Feature Champion.
Sweet Alice is still the Rewind Champion.
Bishop is still the VHS Champion.
And The Collectors Edition, whilst not much of a tag team any more, still hold the OSW Tag Team Championships.
Tomorrow night, all six of these competitors will be back inside this ring for Night Two of Wrestle Heroes and three more competitors will join them.
Night one was a success…
But there’s still six more to go!
He’s growing weak.
The now elderly man reaches out to Sandman, asking for a hand that The Monster offers him.
This relationship – it’s not yet understood.
“Lucid Falls grows weaker,” Sandy mutters. “We need more.”
The Sandman nods in agreement.
“I’ve secured the dungeon and have began invading dreams. Soon, Lucid Falls will be at capacity and you’ll be healthy again.”
Sandy smiles.
“I need one more thing, Sandman,” he replies. “I need you to find one more victim – a special victim; someone we can feast off who has resilience and in their continued fight, will power me. We need to replace Ashley Williams.”
“I’ve begun that hunt already. I killed Nygma so that Storm would chase me to the ends of the Earth,” Sandman says with a vile tone. “When he’s ready, I will add him to Lucid Falls.”
His eyes widen.
“You killed Nygma?” He asks. “Oh, how I’m proud of you, Sandman. My life-force fades. I have barely six months left in me. If he isn’t in captivity by Ring of Dreams, I’ll perish.”
The Sandman leans in, whispering in Rogers ear.
“I’ll never let that happen,” he promises.
Cut.