>>> Flammable <<<

[Aerynn Donnelly]

>>> 20 February 2014 - Reno, NV <<<

-- The scene opens up with someone messing around with the camera. The camera reveals what looks to be an empty room in a warehouse. Except, the room isn’t empty.

-- In the middle of the room sits a box. Just an ordinary box. Nothing special about this box. No writing on it. The top flaps of the box are closed. But no tape holds it closed.

-- Suddenly, off camera, the sounds of footsteps are heard approaching.

“Impunity..

Again, ye are usin’ tha’ word.. I dinna think it means whot ye think it means.

See, I was mistaken earlier as tae who tha peacock in all o’ this was. Tis nae Nick Daniels. He’s not more than a simple lil boy who thinks he’s some kind o’ messiah fer his ‘middle o’ nowhere’ town. He’s nae more than a fly in tha ointment tha’ ye’ll be usin’ tae rub yer bruised ego down when all o’ this goes down on Tragic Engagement.”

-- Suddenly, Aerynn Donnelly steps in front of the camera and moves over to stand before the box. She leans over and picks up said box. Revealing that the box isn’t any bigger than maybe a shoe box. She looks from the box to the camera and smiles.

“Ye see, tha thing is, Sentinel, ye an’ yer little painted up trollop are under tha misguided impression tha’ we are beneath ye. Tha’ none o’ us.. Me, Pauly, Nick Daniels.. are naught more than dirt under yer boot. Well, thing is.. Where ye have tha talent, yer ego is much like this box here. All o’ tha titles an’ matches ye’ve won? All o’ tha pay-per-views ye’ve competed in? Whot do they mean here?”

-- She releases a side of the box, balancing it on her right hand as she reaches up to open it with her left. First one flap and then the next.

“Those titles. Those matches. Those pay-per-views.. They mean nothin’. They’re empty.”

-- She moves the box to reveal the inside of it.

“Empty. Like this here box.

They mean not a thing here in UWA. So, Sentinel, keep beatin’ tha’ useless, imaginary drum. Keep sendin’ out tha call o’ war tae e’eryone.

‘Cause thing is.. No one is listenin’. No one is listenin’, ‘cause no one cares.”

-- She then sits the box back down in the middle of the room.

“An’ Talon.. Ye claim tha’ ye’ve participated in multiple main events. Tha’ ye’ve stepped away from tha ring.. Fer whote’er excuse yer simple mind can come up wit’. Yet, yer mouth is writin’ checks in Sentinel’s blood.

Tae quote a famous movie, ‘Ye know, fer a woman tha’ won’t fight. Ye sure run yer mouth kinda wreckless, don’cha?’

Talon, I know who I’m facin’ in this match. Tha only reason I keep talkin’ ‘bout an’ tae ye.. Is cause ye can’t keep yer mouth shut.”

-- The flaps of the box are still opened. And she moves to stand to the left of the box.

-- Motioning towards it with her hand, she tilts her head slightly.

“An’ Nick Daniels.. I think Talon an’ Sentinel got us confused. Seems tae me tha’ the one who has too many irons in tha fire is ye.

‘Tha Burnin’ City Saint’.”

-- She ticks a finger up with her left hand.

“’Tha Burnin’ Son’.”

-- She ticks up a second finger.

“Well, at least they got tha’ part right. Ye will burn, Daniels. Ye’ll burn an’ then ye’ll smolder. Much like tha forgotten fires o’ yer hometown. Much like yer mental state. Much like tha twisted an’ diluted belief tha’ ye’re gonna walk away from Tragic Engagement as tha World Heavyweight Champion o’ UWA.”

-- She looks down at the box and grins.

-- Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a box of matches. She slides it open and retrieves a single match. She recloses the box and lifts it up to strike the matchhead on the side of the box.

-- The match springs to life with fire and she gazes into the flame.

“I know where each an’ e’eryone o’ my loyalties lie. I know which irons burn brightest an’ hottest wit’ in tha flame o’ me own soul.

Do ye?”

-- She turns to look at the camera.

-- The hand that’s holding the burning match, she reaches out and lets it fall inside the box. The inside of the box is suddenly engulfed in flames. She lets it burn for a few minutes and then kneels down to close the flaps of the box.

-- After a few minutes, only smoke can be seen rising from the, now, closed up box. She gazes at it and quirks a half grin.

“Ye spoke o’ Hope an’ Desire. Ye spoke o’ how yer reign in UWA will be a dictatorship. ‘Bout how this is no longer a democracy. Ye speak o’ how ye’ll destroy any happiness within tha ranks o’ UWA. An’ wit’ whot, Daniels?

Ye want tae be tha King o’ UWA? Tha Lord Almighty o’ tha Ring?

Ye’ll be wearin’ a crown o’ ash when I’m done wit’ ye.”

-- She stands up at this point and retrieves the box of matches. Once again, she pulls out a single match and strikes it. She stands no closer, nor further away, from the box than she had been a moment before. And once again, she allows the match to fall to the box once more.

-- As it lands on the top of the box, the box itself bursts into flames. Burning hot and bright.

“Ye made a promise on Mayhem tae show e’eryone who tha star o’ UWA was. Tha’ ye were tha’ star..

But, ye seem tae ferget one lil thing, Daniels.. When stars are burnin’ their brightest..

It’s at the moment o’ death.”

-- She moves to crouch before the camera and rests her arms on her knees. She perches her hands under her chin and frowns for a moment. Only to let her hands drop and hang between her knees.

“Pauly. Pauly Pauly Pauly. I must say, tha view under tha bus ye tried tae throw me under is rather nice. But ye ferget somethin’ ‘bout me, lad..

Ye try an’ throw me under tha bus, I’ll drag ye down wit’ me.”

-- She pushes up from her crouch to stand once more.

“Ye see, I dinna have tha heart tae tell yer ol’ man tha truth ‘bout me da ‘cause it wasna his problem tae tackle. ‘Twas mine. E’en on his deathbed, me da made some rather.. questionable decisions. An’ ‘cause he’s my ol’ man, I let him pin tha blame on me.

An’ like a randy bitch in heat, ye jumped on tha’ blame tae save yer own arse.

We all make mistakes, Pauly. An’ ye are free tae choose. But, yer nae free from tha consequences o’ tha’ choice.

Tha’s tha universal paradox.”

-- She then moves back to stand in the middle of the room.

“Ye need tae remember, Pauly..

Two things define ye. Yer patience when ye have nothin’.. And yer attitude when ye have e’erythin’.”

-- She then turns to walk away from the camera. Only to stop a moment. Pausing long enough to speak over her shoulder once more.

“Eventus stultorum magister.”

“Fools have to learn by experience.”

-- And with that, she walks away from the camera.. And the scene fades to black.