Feel the blade of a broken promise
Carvin' wounds in a waste of conscience
I alone have the will to fight it
Save my own demise
(The sound of water rushing from a faucet into a tub already partially filled is the only sound heard. Solomon Cain sits in the tub in a state of undress as the hot water fills the tub. The tub is completely white, as is the tile wall and the tile floor. The room is empty of any amenities or accessories, just a solid white bathroom, except for the half empty bottle of Wild Turkey 101 and an orange prescription bottle that sits on the floor beside the tub.
Solomon turns off the faucet as the tub is nearly full and then leans back in the large tub and slides his body down a bit to fully immerse his body in the water. The drip, drip, drip of water still dropping slowly from the faucet is the only sound heard until Solomon lets out a loud sigh and then inhales deeply.
Solomon then slides down farther in the tub sinking his entire head. His hair and beards wave about in the water, and then bubbles from Solomon as he screams under the water but the sound is muffled by the water. Solomon then shuts his mouth and blinks his eyes slowly before sitting up out of the water and taking fast deep breathes.
Solomon then grabs the bottle of Wild Turkey and when it is lifted a shiny new razor blade is exposed that was sitting under the bottle. Solomon pulls the cork from the bottle and tosses it across the spotlessly clean bathroom. Solomon takes a large drink from the bottle and then sits it back down on the white tile and retrieves the prescription bottle.
The label on the bottle is missing, making it difficult to know the contents. Solomon twist off the child safety lid with ease and just as with the cork tosses it across the room. Solomon tips the bottle up and pours the white pills inside into his mouth and begins chewing them up. Solomon tosses the bottle across the room and a few of the white pills that were left in the bottle spill about the tile floor.
Solomon once again grabs the bottle of Wild Turkey and chases the pills down with it. Solomon leans back into the tub relaxing again and takes a few drinks waiting until he begins to feel the pills kick in. Once Solomon begins to feel the pills kick in and then swallows the rest of the Wild Turkey down his throat and then throws the empty bottle across the bathroom and the glass shatters all over the tile wall and floor.
Solomon burps from the whiskey he just consumed, and laughs a bit at his crude manors. Solomon then picks the razor blade up from the tile floor and slides back into the tub. Solomon holds up his left arm and looks at it as if studying it for a bit and then places the razor on his wrist and drags the sharp blade down his forearm slicing his flesh open. Solomon does not scream, he does not moan, he doesn't even feel as he stares at his arm pouring blood.
A smile actually comes across Solomon's face as he takes the razor in his left hand and holds up his right arm. With a quick swipe Solomon slices his right arm open from wrist to forearm. The ting of the razor falling on the tile floor followed by the swoosh of the water as Solomon lowers his body into it is the only sound heard. Solomon immerses his head into the water again holding his arms above his head.
The blood soon turns the bath water red, but before it does Solomon's eyes blink. The blinking slows, and then his eye lids become heavy. Finally, the eye lids slam shut and never open as the blood continues to flow from his arms and darkness fades in.)
Another victim, another viper
I can feel sins grippin' tighter
To the spirits that we die for
And I will never let it go
"Son...wake up son...you are home."
(Solomon's eyes blink open again and as they finally stay open Solomon realizes he is no longer under water, but instead is laying in a lush bed. Solomon quickly looks at his arms and there are no cuts, no stitches, no scars. Solomon looks down and is completely covered in a white rob, and he notices someone standing at the foot of his bed.
"Welcome home son" says the man with a white flat top and a white goatee. Solomon sits up in the plush bed with purple velvet sheets and looks at the man standing at the end of the bed wearing an all-white suite and standing in what appears the be a king’s bedroom from mid-evil times.
"Are you...are you my father? Christian?" Solomon asks as he is still trying to figure out what is going on. "Oh, I am your father...but Christian is not my name" the man responses. Suddenly the man's skin begins melting like a candle held to a flame. Solomon scurries to all fours on the bed and tries to reach the man but as he does the skin falls completely off revealing a giant beast, with horns like a ram, skin of red leather, and eyes as dark as the darkest night.
Solomon begins backing away and looks around to see the walls of the room now engulfed in flames. Suddenly the bed falls flat to the ground and then the mattress disappears as the four post canopy bed morphs into a cage locking Solomon inside.
The scene is now much more drastic as Solomon is no longer in a bed, but instead in a giant cage. His white robe has now transformed into his ring gear, while the room now looks like a cave with fire providing the light from holes in the walls, and instead of a friendly figure who looked like his father an evil beast looking like Satan himself now stands in front of Solomon.)
Beast: OH, I AM YOUR FATHER! I AM THE FATHER OF ALL THINGS THAT ARE EVIL! This is my home, and now it is your home as well. I'm so pleased that you decided to come and meet me early, I wasn't expecting you for another thirty to forty years.
(Solomon begins to freak out a bit, not knowing if this is a nightmare or a bad trip. Solomon smacks himself across the face trying to wake up or sober up, but it is no help. Solomon runs to the front of the cage and grabs the bars trying to break free to which the beast laughs at him.)
Beast: HAHAHA! You will never escape, you are mine now.
(Solomon's head is down as he is driving with his feet and using all of his might trying to move the cage, but it is not budging. Solomon releases the cage knowing it is an exercise in futility. Solomon takes a few steps back and raises his head up to look at the beast, but notices the Beast's face is now different.
The beast face is now painted in the same fashion as Snakebite. The horns are still there, as is the pitch-black eyes, but now the face is covered with white makeup. The top of the beast head is now green, and a wicked smile is painted up the sharp fanged mouth.)
Beast: I will release you from your cage and begin your torture, but first I have to ask what are you afraid of?
Solomon: I ain't afraid of sh*t.
Beast: HAHAHA! That's what all of you tough guy types say, but I know that deep down you are afraid of something and I will find it and I will make you admit it to me.
(Solomon doesn't say a word but takes a few slow steps to the front of the cage so that his face is right up against the bars. Solomon then spits with the spit landing right on the cheek of the beast. The Beast simply wipes it away and continues speaking.)
Beast: Oh, you are a tough on aren't you. Most people are already on their knees begging for mercy, for forgiveness, for one more chance, but you...oh you spit in the very face of your master.
Solomon: I don't have a master, and I told you I ain't scared of sh*t.
(The Beast burst out in laugher again, and as he does the ground begins to crumble from around him until the ground falls from under the cage and the cage begins to roll down a large mountain. As Solomon stops rolling at the bottom of the hill he realizes that the cage is gone from around him. Solomon pulls himself to his feet and looks around at the dark and barren landscape, there is simply pure nothingness.
The sound of the beast's voice can be heard, but the beast is nowhere to be seen.)
Beast: Maybe your fear is becoming like your father.
(A gust of wind comes, blowing dirt and sand from the ground into Solomon’s eyes. When Solomon is able to clear his eyes of the derby and see again in front of him he sees a woman, who has seen better years sitting on a couch with a glass pipe in her hand, and a small white rock in the pipe. In front of the woman is a little boy playing with Dollar Tree action figures and watching TV. "Mommy when will I get to meet Daddy?" the little boy asks. "Probably never, why would he want to meet you? You are the reason he left me in the first place you little sh*t" the woman snaps at the child.
The child drops his head and his toys and slowly pulls himself out of the floor. "Sorry Mom" the little boy says, and as he walks away from her he fades into dust. "You are sorry" the woman says and then lights the pipe and begins smoking it.
Solomon runs at the woman and tries kicking her in the head but the dust just fades to nothing it. Solomon spins around and looks up at the top of the mountain.)
Solomon: That doesn't scare me, that just p*sses me off.
(Suddenly the beast appears back at the top of the mountain. "Oh, maybe this will do the trick" the beast says and then morphs into Skrabz. Skrabz stands at the top of the mountain with the Mile-High championship and looks down the mountain at Solomon with a look of disgust on his face.)
Skrabz: Ya know fam ya never be as good as da man called Skrabz. You no contender to me, you not worthy of stepping into the ring with me, you are nothing. Down there kicking around at dust, ya dizzy fam.
(Solomon's face squints up with rage and takes off in a sprint trying to run up the hill. Solomon makes it a few feet up the hill but the ground under him is loose and the rocks keeps sliding from under Solomon's hands and feet and he slips and slides all the way to the bottom of the hill.
Skrabz begins laughing at the top of the mountain and shouts down "What's wrong fam? Can't climb the mountain? How do you expect to be the man if you can't even climb the mountain and get to the top? I told ya fam you are nothing".)
Solomon: Just wait till I get up there you limey f*ck. I'm going to beat the sh*t out of you and show the whole world I am the toughest son of a b*tch walking the earth. You took the easy way up there, you were placed at the top of the mountain and selected to hold that championship, I am going to scratch and claw my way to the top and take it. So, stand up there and look down on me, like everyone has looked down on me my entire life, but know that when I get down there I'm going to throw you off the top of that mountain and watch your body splatter all over the ground below.
You think a few lose rocks are going to stop me? Nothing can stop me, I have and I will continue to conquer everything thrown in my path. If you are so d@mn tough, and such a bad a$s than have your master let you off the leash and let's see what you can really do. You claim to be the top dog, but I think you are just a neutered little b*tch.
(Skrabz begins stomping around the top of the mountain clearly frustrated.)
Skrabz: All ya do is talk boy. You are all talk and no action just like Forge said. You want to keep talking to me get on my level and see where that mouth gets you.
Solomon: I ran Forge off, and I'll gladly do the same to you.
Skrabz: But you ain't even on my level bredrin.
(Solomon looks around at the derby laying at the bottom of the mountain and notices two jagged rocks. Solomon grabs both rocks and begins running up the mountain. At the same point as before he begins slipping and falling down the mountain. This time though Solomon slams the jagged rocks into the side of the mountain like spikes and they stick into the side of the mountain keeping him from falling.
Solomon digs his boots into the side of the mountain and pushes his body up and continues to climb up the side of the mountain, the whole time never taking his eyes off of Skrabz. With every inch closer Solomon gets Skrabz becomes more and more worried.
A woman appears beside of Skrabz, and Solomon recognizes her instantly as his mother. "Give up on your stupid dream kid, you are nothing and will never be anything" his mother says to him just as she had so many times in his life. Solomon ignores it though and continues to climb. Another man then appears at the top of the mountain and it is clearly Robert Mack, dressed in a suit and looking healthy. Robert stands beside of Skrabz and Solomon's mother and looks down the mountain at Solomon as well.
"You aren't ready for the main event, and you aren't ready for Skrabz" Mack shouts down the mountain at Solomon, but Solomon is not fazed by this. More people continue to appear at the top of the mountain including Solomon's 5th grade teacher Ms. Potts, Officer Wright who was Solomon's arresting officer, Becky Taylor who was Solomon's high school crush, and so many more from his past appear and all deliver the same message that Solomon isn't good enough, that he will never succeed and that he should give up, but no matter who appears and no matter what they say Solomon keeps climbing until he reaches the top.
Solomon pulls himself over the edge and onto the top of the mountain. Solomon is on all fours, covered in dirt and sweat, and panting like a dog trying to catch his breath. Solomon lifts his head and looks at the crowd who had been discouraging him his entire climb and they begin to slowly back away.
Solomon pulls himself to his feet and throws the two jagged rocks over the side off the mountain and begins to walk toward Skrabz who stands in the middle of the group. Skrabz and the group begin backing up as Solomon comes forward. One by one the members of the group fade to dust until only Skrabz is left standing face to face with Solomon.)
Solomon: I told you I was going to make it to the top of the mountain and stand face to face with you. Here I am Skrabz, and now it's just you and I. Now it's time to back up that big mouth of yours, and now it's time for me to kick your a$s. So, let's see how bad you really are, let's see how tough you are, let's see if you really deserve to hold that championship or if you were just in the right place at the right time and caught an old lady slipping.
Come on Skrabz show me how tough you are, show me what you've got. FIGHT ME! Don't make it easy for me like RNR and Ripley did. Don't run away like a b*tch like Forge did. Square up and let's go. You and everyone else wants to say I haven't earned my chance to face you, well I say there hasn't been a challenge for me yet. Let's see if you are that challenge Skrabz, let's see if you really are worthy to hold that championship, and if you really are as good as everyone makes you out to be. Quite frankly I think you are a ....
(Out of nowhere Skrabz smashed the Mile-High championship across the side of Solomon's head. Solomon staggers a bit but regains his balance and turns back to face Skrabz. Solomon let's out an angry growl and charges at Skrabz, but Skrabz catches Solomon coming and drops him with the Mic Check.
Skrabz gets up dusting himself off, and picks up the Mile-High championship and tosses it over his shoulder. Skrabz looks down at Solomon who is laying with his face in the dirt. Skrabz scoffs a bit and then turns and begins walking away from Solomon.)
Skrabz: We can do this all night if you want...actually we can do this for all eternity if you want, but I will make you tell me what you are afraid of.
Solomon: I'm afraid.
(Skrabz stops walking and for a split second begins twisting in and out of the beast but stays as Skrabz. Skrabz turns back around and looks at Solomon who has pushed himself back up to his knees.)
Solomon: I'm afraid for the next generation if you are what they see as a champion.
(Skrabz face twist in anger and his eyes go pitch black like that of the beast. Skrabz begins marching toward Solomon and as he does the giant horns form upon his head. Skrabz stands in front of Solomon whom is still on his knees. Skrabz grabs him by his hair and says "tell me what it is you fear". Solomon simply smiles and then upper cuts Skrabz right in the testicles.
Skrabz falls to his knees and is eye to eye with Solomon. Solomon gives and even bigger wicked smile and grabs Skrabz by the horns and slams his head into the face of Skrabz. Skrabz falls onto his back as Solomon releases the horns. Solomon climbs on top of Skrabz, and in a mount position and looks down as a small trickle of blood begins to drip from Skrabz nose.)
Solomon: I told you I was going to kick your a$s and that I was going to make you bleed. You think you're better than me. Well one day they will lay me down to rest, but until that day I only answer to myself. You are not my master, you are not the best...I AM THE F*CKING BEST AND I WILL TAKE THAT MILE-HIGH CHAMPIONSHIP!
(Solomon begins punching Skrabz with hard right jabs.)
Solomon: You may not believe it, Robert Mack may not believe it, and no one else on earth may not believe it, but I DO! I have always been the only person to believe in me and I've always been the only person I can depend on and it's got me pretty d@mn far, and it is going to take me to the Mile-High championship. I don't need Tox, I don't need Shox, I don't need Robert Mack, I don't need anyone or anything but my own two fist and with them I can take everything in this world.
(Blood begins to fly up onto the face of Solomon as he continues to punch Skrabz over and over again.)
Solomon: Everyone doubts me, and that is fine. I've been the underdog my entire life and I've had to fight for survival my entire life. I've done more than survive though, I've strived. Raised with no father and by a junkie mother, the only white kid in the projects of Cleveland, a lone wolf in prison and a lone wolf in life. I stand on my own two feet and fight my own battles, and I win those battles. I will win the battle at Good Time, just like I've won this battle.
(Solomon stops punching Skrabz and stands to his feet. Solomon looks down at Skrabz and has punched through the flesh and exposed the skull, and even the skull has a slight crack in it. Solomon reaches down grabbing Skrabz by his beastly, ram like horns and lifts him up. Solomon takes a few quick steps back and swings Skrabz around by the horns and throws him off of the mountain. In midair though Skrabz fades into a cloud of dust.
"HAHAHAHA! You can't kill me" Solomon hears behind his back. Solomon spins around to see the Beast now in his original form, no longer taking the shape of Skrabz. "I will kill you, you son of a b*tch" Solomon says and then begins marching towards the beast, clinching his fists tight ready for battle.
"Oh really?" The beast askes, and then suddenly Scarlett appears in the grip of the beast. Solomon freezes in his tracks as he sees the beast holding Scarlett by the throat and holding her out over the edge of the mountain ready to drop her.
"On your knees" the Beast says. The anger in Solomon's eyes only become more intense and he takes another step forward. "ON YOUR KNEES OR I DROP HER!" the beast shouts at Solomon. Scarlett tries to scream but her airway is to restricted by the grip on the beast. Solomon stops once again and then kneels and drops his head in shame.
"Good. Now tell me what it is you fear or I drop her." the beast commands. Solomon slowly raises his head and looks at the beast. "I fear I will never truly be loved" Solomon says in a broken tone.
"Was that so hard?" the beast asks sarcastically. Solomon's eyes fill with rage, and the vein in the side of his head begins to pop out in anger. The beast simply smiles and then releases his grasp dropping Scarlet off of the side of the mountain. She screams as she falls, and the beast laughs. Solomon springs to his feet and sprints across the mountain and tackles the beast and both of them go flying off of the mountain.)
Risin' up, I'm a fighter
Young and loud with desire
Heroes blessed by the fire
I won't let these demons
Drag me to the grave
Marie L'Angell's
Angelville, Louisiana
August 26th, 2018
(Solomon snaps up from his sleeping, trance like state. Sweat covers his entire body and he breaths deeply trying to catch his breath as he sits on the small cot in a small dark room with very macabre interior. An old woman in a wheel chair wheels to his bedside from a dark corner of the room and hands him a glass of water.
Solomon quickly grabs the water and begins taking large drinks. The old woman, who is Marie L'Angell smiles at him and even gives a little chuckle. Solomon finishes his water and then looks at her.)
Solomon: What are you laughing at?
Marie L'Angell: I told you that was some wicked voodoo you came in here asking for.
(Solomon looks at her with a blank stare.)
Marie L'Angell: Must say, I never seen anyone fight that hard against the spell. You got a lot of demons locked away in you boy.
Solomon: So that was all just...what a dream?
Marie L'Angell: No, that was no dream darling. That was the voodoo letting you find something out about yourself. It let you know what you are afraid of, and when a man knows what he truly fears it expands his limits. Some men though, under that spell can get dragged down by their demons and they never come out. I tried to warn you of that but you wouldn't listen
Solomon: Ma'am, I won't let my demons drag me down, and there isn't anything on this earth that I can't defeat.
(Fade out.)
