PROMO - The Dreams Of A Madman

[Guest Aecas]

The camera slowly fades into focus as Ben Hardy looks over his shoulder at Gus; both men are walking down a hallway, stopping occasionally as Hardy checks the name of a door before moving on.

 

Ben Hardy: I don’t think we’re ever going to find him Gus, we’ve been around the arena twice now and there’s still now sign of him.

 

No sooner has Hardy finished speaking but a door opens out into the corridor, Aecas steps out into the hallway looking down at Ben and Gus with an unreadable expression on his face. Gus almost crashes into Hardy as the plucky interviewer halts sharply to avoid crashing into the gothic giant.

 

Aecas: You took your time…I’m in here…

 

Without waiting for a response Aecas turns on his heel and walks back into the room leaving the door open, Hardy turns to cast a nervous glance at the camera before slowly moving around and through the door, Gus following him at a cautious distance. The locker room is dark and foreboding, the only light coming from a television playing ream after ream of wrestling clips, Ben Hardy moves into the room cautiously, jumping as the door slams behind him with a bang. Aecas sits down on a plain steel chair giving Ben a sharklike grin.

 

Aecas: Don’t look so nervous Ben, I won’t bite…

 

Hardy smiles a little nervously and sinks into another chair opposite Aecas, his eyes drawn to the TV momentarily before he remembers his job and raises the microphone to his mouth, Gus hovering just behind him. The camera is leveled on Aecas the shadows dancing curiously across his body from the glow of the television, fresh red cuts from his Shed match adorn his face the colour a striking contrast to his pale skin.

 

Hardy: Aecas, you've come far in your matches since your return...But...

 

Aecas continues to stare at Ben Hardy with his dead eyes, that sharklike grin still never leaving his face.

 

Aecas: But what, Hardy?

 

Hardy: How....how could you do...what you did...to Viktor Tarakanov?

 

If it were possible, Aecas' grin would have grown even wider...as his eyes bore into Hardy who starts to squirm slightly under that penetrating stare and he chuckles slightly.

 

Aecas: How could I not? Viktor knew what he was getting himself into when he walked down that ramp, as did I. I sent Viktor to hell and back in that match, a favour that he repeated for me.

 

Hardy: A…a favour? He ripped open your face for a second time. We all saw it happen on Metal…

 

One of Aecas hands moves up to idly stroke over the cuts on his face, the scars that Tarakanov created and summarily reopened, his fingers glide slowly over them before stopping and digging the nails into the cuts slowly tearing away the clotted blood as Hardy stares in horrified fascination. Aecas chuckles softly as fresh blood wells up from the cuts, running down his face in fat drops as he idly tosses away the scab tissue, licking the fresh blood from his fingers unaware or ignoring the expression of revulsion on Ben Hardy’s face.

 

Aecas: He caused me pain Hardy. In this world there’s nothing so defining as pain. Pain is relative, pain gives you a focus, and pain gives me the extra incentive to tear my opponent limb from limb…to see him scream…to make his agony plain for all to see...

 

Hardy: Viktor Tarakanov suffered four broken ribs and a nasty concussion from that match…

 

Aecas: That he did, Viktor is a man of iron, but I showed him that even iron can be broken with a powerful enough strike. I am not done with Viktor yet, and I am sure the feeling is mutual, we shall meet again in that ring Ben Hardy, and there shall be a reckoning though it does not matter who wins or loses, its all about the competition.

 

Hardy nods a little distractedly as the images on the TV screen catch his eye, Gus pans the camera a little to the right to view the screen of the TV. Aecas’ eyes also turn as he regards the screen, clip after clip of wrestling matches being played, all of them involve Aecas, and all of them show some scene of brutality. The content seems to be mixed between Aecas dealing out devastating punishment to his opponents or himself covered in blood, being hit again and again with various weaponry, but laughing all the time.

 

Aecas: Wrestling was always my dream Ben Hardy. And as you can see it is a dream I pursued to fruition.....

 

Ben Hardy looks incredulous as he watches the video, of what Aecas has put himself through over the years and shakes his head as he looks back at the huge Goth sitting opposite him.

 

Hardy: With respect Aecas…..you're dream looks more like a nightmare....

 

Aecas' head snaps up to look at hardy, his dead eyes boring into the suddenly nervous interviewer, Hardy's fears only increase when Aecas cracks a thin half smile.

 

Aecas: You're not the first to say that my dream is more a nightmare, but you see Ben Hardy you and all the others forget one simple thing....

 

Hardy cautiously holds the mic out towards Aecas, licking suddenly dry lips.

 

Hardy: And what’s that?

 

Aecas grin grows to sharklike proportions, a grin that shows more teeth than humour, and most of those pearly white seem disturbingly pointed, as the camera zooms in on his face, his dead eyes staring directly into the lense and the viewers watching.

 

Aecas: They forget that this is my nightmare....AND I DECIDE WHEN I WAKE UP!!!!!!

 

The words Wake up, echo fleetingly slowly fading out to as the camera fades, the last shot is Aecas’ terrible grin and dead eyes as the words “Wake up” get less and less audible, finally fading out completely as the picture goes black.

[Guest Crowe]

\m/ >_< \m/

 

That kicked ass. Aecas reminds me of Crow... a much larger, psychotic, blood thirsty and scarier version, but hey, the connection is there. I like the mental image of Aecas grinning like a shark, it's quite... evil in my mind and it works remarkably well.

 

Great promo, keep it up, hoommieee~!