Into a Bloody Trance

[Jacob The Mantis OGrady]

As the evening snow falls, the borough of Brooklyn is slowly transforming into a sprawling wintery jungle. With the sun setting and temperatures dropping, we come across The Mantis in an empty public park leaning against a leafless tree, wearing a forest green hoodie with a black puffy vest, black jeans and work boots, along with his signature mask, and holding his black metal baseball bat in a gloved hand. He looks up at the sky, a dull overcast grey.

 

The Mantis: Trance...I hear you. I hear your ignorance and I hear your lies.

 

He looks back down, straight into the camera.

 

The Mantis: You see, when I speak, I say only what is needed. I say what others are afraid to say. And at the Anniversary Show, I did just that. I said that men such as El Parca are the furthest things from a true champion. It is through men like him that OCW has been sent spiraling into the flaming pits of hell from which it may never resurface. So do you honestly believe, with your childish insults and your self-indulgent bravado, that you are any better than them?

 

The Mantis points the bat at the camera, aggressively gesturing towards the camera with it as he grows increasingly agitated.

 

The Mantis: I have principles, Trance. Something which your father should have taught you about long ago. I stand for the truth. I stand for honour. I stand for integrity. I stand for what is right. For you to insinuate otherwise is nothing short of slander. Do you think you are the only afterthought in this industry? Do you think it's only your voice that has fallen on deaf ears? Do you think you're the only one being laughed at? Do you think that it's only you that is thrown aside, stepped upon and ignored like trash on the sidewalk?! What do you stand for, Trance?! Because it seems to me that all you stand for is the next drizzled sausage to come into your mouth!

 

The Mantis turns away from the camera for a second, eyes closed and shaking his head, sighing roughly. He raises the bat over his shoulder and resumes, the camera slowly zooming in on him.

 

The Mantis: So, Trance? I accept your challenge. I will show you how it really feels to be thrown aside. To be stepped upon and ignored. And you can be damn sure that I'll say "hello", all right. Right after you dial my three sacred numbers.

 

Zero.

 

Two.

 

Eight.

 

The Mantis: And once I'm done with you...Parca, and anyone else who gets in my way, will be next. And after that...what then?

 

He stares into the camera with a menacing scowl, and baring his teeth as the film slowly fades to black...