Where once was light
Now darkness falls
Where once was love
Love is no more


We slowly fade into a shot of Charlie Nickles staring down his own reflection in a pond of water. He sits alone in a dark clearing encircled by pine trees. The moonlight is all that illuminates our notorious antagonist. Tears run down the man’s face like falling rain as he recounts the mistakes and failures of his past.

You will not rest in peace, Goldi…..I promise I will bring you back long before you ever get the chance to rest.

He TOOK you from meeeee….

Charlie shakes his head in disgust. He sneers into the water at his own reflection.

God’s plan for us, Goldi…God’s plan for us is nothing but horseshit! I don’t give a rat’s ass about HIS plan for US…..I’m forging a new destiny for us, Goldi….I’m building us a new home outside the shade of the Lord’s tree. I’m building us a new home out of blood and bone. A home fit for a QUEEN, a home fit for MY QUEEN! I can’t wait for you to come back and see it, Goldi.

Charlie reaches into the tall grass near him and lifts Morbid Angel’s book of undeath up out of the foliage. The moonlight reflects off the sinister face on the front of the tome.

I’ve been talking to my new friend, Goldi, and he has answers for us. My new friend tells me that we don’t need God because HE has the answers we need! We made a deal, Goldi, a deal to get you back. I just want you to be back with me, you are so precious to me.

Charlie looks up from the pond water and into the moonlight above. He pictures the spirit Goldilocks there with him, looking up at the same moon from the ethereal realm. Charlie would do anything to bring her back, anything at all......







The screen cuts to a shot of a graveyard resting in perfect darkness. A variety of tombstones, both new and old, stand with dignity above their cold and unmoving namesakes. The only signs of life come from the grassy green lawn. Worms maw upon the rotting flesh of the fallen below the view of the camera. The night is still and peaceful.

The camera zooms in on the tombstones. The camera slowly moves from left to right once it is zoomed in, giving the audience just enough time to read the names as they slide on and off the screen.

BOB

Johnny Legend

Azrael Erebus

Jenny Myst

Osira Themis

Schism

Cage Coleman

Betsy Granger

Terry Borden

Elijah Martin

Ruby

Micheal Graves

The camera ceases its horizontal movement as it rolls across the last name. It slowly zooms out on a tombstone bearing the true name of The Dark Warrior. As the camera zooms out further we can see that it is standing above three unfilled graves.

All is peaceful…..

Until The Nickleman arrives.

A shirtless maniac steps in front of the camera with a 40 oz in his hands and a nice sag to his jeans. His bare feet are caked in dirt as is his heavy brown beard. His inebriation becomes more visible with every step he takes. He only stops stumbling once he drapes his body over the tombstone. Charlie’s mind floats to the sky with the spirits in the darkness as he guzzles down the rest of his malt liquor. Once the glass bottle is empty Charlie throws it into the center grave. We hear the sound of glass shattering as Charlie wipes away some dripping booze from his chin.

Deserves it! He does! Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life! And I will give it back to her…I promise.

Charlie stared off into the darkness as his broken soul cried out for golden love. The Nickleman was in the exact graveyard he had chosen for the PPV match, but he still felt completely lost.

Three souls for the price of one, Goldi. My new friend said that’s all it will take….

Charlie wipes a tear from his eye as he stares up into the night sky. A single star shines down upon The Nickleman in his hour of greatest need. The camera fades to black as Charlie silently gazes out into the vast emptiness of space.







Charlie Nickles is on his knees in the middle of a dingy garage. Tears have stained his cheeks and reality has shattered his fantasy. Morbid Angel presents an ornate knife to The Nickleman. Charlie looks at the knife, then up to Morbid. Our holy angel nods his head in affirmation, as if giving Charlie permission to grab the dagger. Charlie brings his hand up to the hilt of the knife and takes it from Morbid’s possession.

This blade was among the first crafted by the Knights Templar. It was blessed by Priests every step of the way while being forged. It is said that thousands of heretics felt it’s metal during the holy crusades. So much blood was spilled by this blade that the templars began to call it the Soul Taker. With this dagger, Charlie Nickles, you can win the goodwill of the Lord through the sinful souls you oh-so inevitably collect.

The Nickleman slowly rotates the dagger as he inspects it’s exquisite craftsmanship.

Mil-ihh-tum….X-wrist-tea?

It’s an old templar saying.

What’s it mean?

Soldier of Christ.

I’m not….I’m not sure this blade is meant for me.

The sinner looked up at the Angel with hopeless remorse and gut-wrenching regret.

It’s never too late to slaughter in the name of The Lord, Charlie. The path of the lightbringer is drenched in the blood of the vile. You can still be the XWF’s holy warrior.

But….why? What’s in it for me?

Charlie looked up at the Morbid Angel in a desperate search for answers and meaning. The soft tone of Charlie’s voice gave away his heart’s yearning for purpose. Nickles held his cold golden baby against his chest as he awaited the Angel’s response.

Through God all things are possible. The Dark Warrior’s tainted touch sent Goldi’s soul to the otherside. Not only is The Dark Warrior a patricidal pedophile, but he is perhaps the least skilled mage I have ever observed. It would take a miracle to bring Goldi back after such an arcane overcharge, and miracles like that can only come through God’s mercy. Earn his mercy, Charlie. Bathe in the light of the Lord as you wash yourself in the remnants of the wicked. Show God that you walk in his path and he will repay you a thousand times over.

Charlie brings the belt down to his lap and looks down at it with melancholy. He taps the TV championship’s center plate with the tip of the dagger. He wears the look of a broken man as he lifts his gaze back up to Morbs.

I think it is truly too late for me, old chap. Some of my wrongs can never be made right.

Your situation, Charlie- it reminds me of the Apostle Paul. He, too, had lived a life of sin: but then one day in the wilderness he saw God, and from thenceforth he walked along the holy path of light. Paul, a one-time heretic of the highest order, now a revered saint. The gospel of Paul shows us that transformation is always possible, Charlie, if you just have faith.

It’s clear to see that Charlie doesn’t look convinced. Morbid Angel pulls an occult tome out of his fresh-to-undeath all-black suit. He gestures for Charlie to follow him over to a nearby table.

Come, Charlie. There is something you should see.

Charlie rises to his feet with a knife in one hand and the belt in his other hand. Nickles walks over towards the large rectangular table as Morbid places the book on the wooden tabletop. Morbid opens the book up to a seemingly random page before pointing at some text in the middle of a paragraph. Charlie looks over Morbid’s shoulder with only minimal interest….

Until the flames come to life.

Morbid hastily withdraws his finger as an infernal enchantment takes hold of the book. Charlie pushes Morbid Angel out of the way as he sees a familiar figure dancing inside the fire….

GOLDI!!








But Back In The Graveyard, the only flame that exists is inside of Charlie’s heart…………




She's always hungry. She always needs to feed. She must eat.

Charlie states to nobody in particular as he sits on the ground with his back resting against the Graves tombstone. Three empty burial plots lay in front of the shirtless Nickleman as he runs his hands through his uncombed hair.

It’s the only way to bring her back to me.

Charlie shakes his head from side to side as he clenches his hands into fists.

How many more souls must I trade for my precious?! Three more, three more they say!

Charlie continues to shake his head from side to side as he runs his fingers back through his unwashed matts of hair.

He did this to himself! He can’t blame me for how far I take things! I’m still The Family Man, and a family man has to protect his woman! He has to fight for her! He has to KILL FOR HER!

Souls, souls, souls must be collected FOR her!

I must! I must! There is no other choice….

He will bend the knee and TREMBLE before me! He will stammer through an apology and offer me his fun-time fantasy pills, he will do and say anything to be spared….he’s already so, so scared of The Nickleman. He has nightmares about me, I know it, I can feel it in my soul at night…I can feel it in this very graveyard….I’m thinking of him, and he’s thinking of me, but our thoughts…..ohhhhhh they couldn’t be more different….but still, every single thing he’s thinking I’m thinking…

I can see the AXE! I can feel it in my very hands.

Charlie brings his hands out in front of his chest like he’s holding the hilt of a two-handed weapon.

AND HE SWINGS THE INVISIBLE WEAPON THROUGH THE AIR!

Don't worry kiddos, I won't let daddy hurt himself!

Not before I have the chance to do it first!

The Nickleman’s chapped lips curl into a sadistic grin as he relaxes his hands and brings them down to his lap. He slowly turns his head so as to face the now zooming in camera.

I’ve spent my whole life turning my body into a weapon- and no matter how hard they tried to break me, my mind never crumbled. Even when Demos stole my body I was still there in the back of his cerebral cortex…

Charlie places his right palm on the lower half of the back of his head. He then squeezes tightly.

I was there, watching, planning, plotting my return! My mind has become as sharp a weapon as my body. I am always ready for war: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I will never step away from the conflict.

I know who I am and I know what I want- but most importantly of all, I know how to get it. I know that I can only live the life I want to live through unrepentant bloodshed. I never flinch or second guess myself, I never hesitate on the battlefield. I don’t look away when I’m standing on the wrong side of the long barrel.

Graves crossed the wrong man this time…and he is not prepared for the carnage I’m going to bring to his door.

Graves had to have his mind broken before he could be turned into a weapon. Now it’s time for the Nickleman to repeat this process of breaking Graves down and transforming him into something more useful. The Dark Warrior must fall, just as all other challengers have fallen before me: but when this final challenger falls he will they will be REPURPOSED, ohhhh yessss.

Charlie reaches into his waistband and pulls out the ornate dagger bearing the markings of the Templar Order. He twirls it around in his hand with a sick smile. He places the tip of his left pointer finger on the end of the dagger and lets it poke through the skin. Charlie cackles softly as he pulls his finger back and ‘sanitizes’ the wound by licking it.

In the blood there are traces of our soul. Once I break the Dark Warrior into bits and pieces it will be simple enough to collect his fragmented soul. If I scrounge together enough loose flesh and read meat, then surely I can find a sage to reconstruct this cretin’s soul for consumption. Goldi NEEDS it….she’s hungry, and she needs to find her way back home!

Charlie runs his hands through his matted hair again as tears begin to stream down his face. Charlie just can’t get a hold of himself as the tears flow from his eyes like a rushing river. A small pool of tears begins to collect on the ground near the Nickleman’s feet…..

Charlie didn’t know what to make of the man he looking at him through the tearry pond…






















Morbid Angel slammed the infernal book of undeath shut. The flames immediately turned to ash as the Angel forced the book’s covers to meet. Charlie’s jaw dropped with shock at Morbid’s sudden action.

WHY DID YOU DO THAT? She was finally here again!

I called upon the power of God so that you could peer into the otherside- but it is best not to keep that gate open for too long. Every second we bring an ethereal soul back into this realm we run the risk of other spirits coming through. With God’s might, however, we may well be able to bring her back for good!

No, bring her back now! She was here, I was talking to her! So what if she’s made of fire?! I’ve dated redheads before! I just want my lovely Goldi back!

It’s not that simple, Charlie…

Morbid Angel slides the book off the table and tucks it back into his suit jacket. Charlie looks at him with a furrowed brow and a nasty sneer.

It seems like it really is that simple! Just open the book back up and let Goldi come back through!

Morbid Angel uses his hand to wave away the ridiculous notion. Charlie looks on with a clearly disgruntled demeanor.

We have to be patient, Charlie. God has a plan and we must follow it to bear the fruit of his trees.

Plan?! Plan?! How can it be God’s plan for Graves to kill Goldi through magical malpractice?! That’s fucking absurd!

The Lord works in mysterious ways…

Charlie slammed his fists on the table in frustration as Morbid sang the age-old tune of the faithful.

You promised to put Goldi in a woman’s body, but now you have nothing but excuses! Goldi was sent to purgatory by a wanna-be axe murderer and you’re telling me we can’t do anything about it!

We can EARN the Lord’s favor.

I need her back NOW, god damn it, and if God won’t bring her back then I’ll have to do it myself!

Don’t be hasty! It’s not my fault that you couldn’t protect Goldi long enough for the ritual to take place!

Charlie rushed into Morbid’s personal space and pointed an accusatory finger into the holy man’s face.

DON’T YOU FUCKING SNAP AT ME!

Morbid raised his hands up innocently as he leaned back.

Easy now, Charlie. We’re all on the same side here. I’m just saying the only way to get Goldi back is to be patient. You just have to have patience.

No you don’t…..he’s lying….

Charlie brought his finger down as a look of confusion washed over his face. He looked around the room for the mysterious voice. Morbid placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder as The Nickleman seemed to calm down.

There we go. It will all be okay if you just follow God’s plan for you.

God plans for you to fail……..God is working against you……….but I know how to save her soul…..

Charlie looked at Morbid Angel’s midsection. The voice seemed to be coming from inside of Morbid’s suit jacket.

You just need to get some rest, Charlie. You’ll think more clearly after a good night’s sleep. I’m sorry this didn’t go according to plan, but rest assured that we will get Goldi back if we just carry forward the Lord’s plan.

Don’t listen to the words of fools….LISTEN TO ME.

Charlie shook his head from side to side as he tried to get a grip of his senses.

This old man doesn’t know how to use me…….I am so much stronger than he will ever know……Let me HELP you….TAKE ME from him…..

Do you have a hotel or something, Charlie? I’m sure they probably got you something nice given your championship status.

Hotel? Uh, yeah…they got me a first floor room at the Super 8…..I…yeah, I think you’re right. I need to get some sleep. I just….I miss her, you know?

Of course you miss Goldi, but know that this is all part of the Lord’s plan. He wouldn’t put you through great trials without great rewards.

The Lord….is a BASTARD…….The Angel….is a FOOL…..let me HELP you….TAKE…..ME.

Why don’t you uh, why don’t you come stay in the room with me? You know, I could really use the company….

Morbid Angel looked around the garage he had been hanging out in and shrugged his shoulders.

Sure, why not? What’s the worst that could happen when you share a room with The Nickleman?

Morbid Angel placed a hand on Charlie’s shoulder as he guided him back to the dingy motel. While Morbid was busy trying to convince Charlie that God’s plan was going to work out, Charlie was busy listening to the whispers and plotting his next move before the PPV…….