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Jon Willis · (05-01-2016)

Our scene fades in during the middle of the day in downtown Houston, Texas. Jon Willis is sitting idly on a park bench, enjoying the sunshine. Jon notes, with a strange fondness, how the month of April is ending with temperatures already reaching ninety degrees. The intense humidity that's become so well-known to Houstonians is also rearing its ugly head recently.

It would appear that things are heating up in the world.

Jon sits alone on his bench, facing the camcorder that has become a close friend in a relatively small amount of time. Since his first attempt at a "vlog", Jon finds himself really appreciating the sincerity and focus that comes from speaking directly at his audience through the lens of a camera. Jon's YouTube channel has grown quickly since posting his initial video, and while Jon refuses to hold himself to a schedule to avoid letting down his fans, he seems to be posting on a daily basis. After a moment to gather his thoughts, Jon speaks.

"So, I've been booked in a match against Nico LaVey for Savage Saturday Night. Does it make me sound like an egotistical jackass if I admit that I'm a bit let down that it's not another title shot?"

Jon laughs, grins, and tries to clarify his point.

"This is me being honest: maybe I've gotten a bit spoiled. My first two matches were for championships. That's an incredible feat and an incredible honor, sure. But more and more I find myself asking: why me? Why did the XWF management put me in those positions? Was it God? Fate? Some other sort of divine intervention? Is the universe trying to tell me something? Did I accidentally make a deal with a devil and nobody bothered to fill me in?"

Jon scoffs.

"I don't think so. The reality of the situation is that I earned those title shots. I earned a shot at the Anarchy Championship off of my name value and the eyes I brought with me into the XWF, and I earned a shot at Frodo's X-Treme Championship when I proved at Anarchy that I could walk the walk in addition to talking the talk. There's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, sure, but at this point I think it cannot be argued: I belong in the XWF."

Jon pauses for a moment to let that sink in.

"And now it's up to me to prove that not only do I belong in the XWF, I belong at the top. There are two ways that's usually proven: one is by winning titles. So, again, it disappointed me a little bit that my match with LaVey doesn't have any gold on the line. But before I talk about the other way to prove oneself, let me address something that keeps popping up: this notion that I want the titles just because I'm some sort of 'bling collector', that I'm just doing it out of vanity and self-ego."

Jon looks angrily at the camera.

"That's complete bullshit. I keep saying I want the titles but no one is paying attention to why I want them. Everyone is just making it out like I'm a false pretender, like I'm secretly just a vain egomaniac who does it all just to please himself. No one understands: this isn't about my vanity, it's about my redemption. The things I've done, the people I've hurt, I've been punished. The great state of Texas gave me eight years on a manslaughter conviction, and I spent six of those years in a prison I wouldn't send even my worst enemy to. One day I may talk about the things I saw in prison. That day will come, but not before some heavy drinking, so that means we'll all have to wait until my parole is up."

"Yet the fact remains: I've been punished for my actions. But not redeemed. The balance of the scale is still skewed. I've already been punished for what I've done... but I still need to make up for it. Too many people have told me that what I've done can never be redeemed, that it's impossible to remove that stain from my career, my life, my legacy. So I gave myself an impossible task: collect every championship the XWF has to offer. Win every belt, defeat every opponent, and stand tall as not just an XWF champion, but the only XWF champion. Then, and only then, will I consider myself redeemed. Most people assume I'll die before that day comes. In my darkest hours I hear my mind whisper to me that they're right. But, in the end, I am ready to cross that line. I'm willing to die for what I believe in."

Jon lets out a bitter-sounding laugh.

"Maybe I really do have a savior complex."

Jon spends a few seconds composing his thoughts before speaking.

"So, as I said before, one way to get to the top of the mountain is by winning championships. The other way is to run through the roster and the rankings until you're the only one left. That's what Nico LaVey means to me: the first step on a tangent path that will ultimately lead to the same final destination. Nico may not be the holder of an XWF Championship, but to say he's not a dangerous opponent does a clear disservice to the man. From what little I've seen of him, he's quite the imposing figure. He's got everything you'd expect an intimidating wrestler to have: muscles on top of his muscles, tall as tall gets, covered in tattoos, a firm belief in all things evil and vile... he's like a prototypical comic book supervillain."

"I think that's how I'm going to beat you, Nico: your story isn't anything new. Since the birth of wrestling so long ago, there have always been men who have sought to use their intimidating aura and strength and power to overwhelm and dominate their opponents. Most men are beaten mentally before they ever lock up with you, and those that do manage to overcome their fears have a hard time overcoming the rest of your complete package: the height, the stamina, the muscles, the technique. The attitude. I've seen how you talk, walk, and act Nico. You'd scare just about anybody."

"You don't scare me."

Jon looks at the camera and slowly shakes his head.

"Not one damn bit. Because I've been there, Nico: I've seen it all. I've seen what the world does to men, good men and evil men alike, when you lock hundreds of people inside a literal Hell on earth, tell them they've got nothing left to lose, and then turn them loose on each other just so you can laugh and see what happens. You want to talk about the Devil and Satan and Hell, but let me tell you: your father was right. Satan, and Hell, and Heaven, and God... it's all inside of us. There's just us, Nico. We are all that's left in the world. Let me ask you something Nico: what's a peasant to a mob? What's a mob to a King? What's a King to a God? And what's a God to a non-believer?"

"You can try your best to make a believer out of me Nico, but I fear your gospel will fall on deaf ears. We're all we have in this world: we've got no one to blame and no one to praise but ourselves. We're the reason the world is as fucked up as it is, and once we all get our collective shits together, we'll be the reason why this planet is saved and humanity as a whole enters a new age. I've got faith, Nico: faith in humanity. We have to scratch and claw and bleed for each and every little inch... but we do. We keep going. We, as a people, never surrender. And it's hard. It's hard, and sometimes it looks and feels impossible, and each and every step of the way there's someone, whether it's a priest or a politician or a warlord or an arms dealer, but someone is always there to try to slide us back further down the path."

"But we'll get there."

"We'll get there, Nico, much as you’d like us not to. It'll take us a long time, sure. I don't hold any false belief that we'll get there in my lifetime, or even the lifetime of my grandchildren. But whether it takes ten thousand years or ten million... we'll get there. Ten thousand years is a grain of sand in the desert in a cosmic sense, ten million nothing more than a few drops of water in the ocean. We'll get there, eventually, no matter what it takes. We won't need even the concept of a Heaven or a Hell anymore, because we'll have created a paradise on earth. We'll spread to the stars, colonizing as we go, and eventually, we'll bend the entire universe to our will. We'll make them all see the light. Our light. Not the light of God, or Satan, or any other Word or Being. No, Nico, just the light of humanity."

"I can see it Nico. As clearly as the camera that's pointed directly at my face. It's up to us, all of us, to keep the fires lit. To show everyone that there's a better way, and a better world. In however small a way, I'd like to think that I'm doing my part. I'd like to think that my role to play in this cosmic game is to show people that you're worth the redemption you can achieve. That you can strive for greatness no matter the odds. And that no God is necessary. We don't need God, or Satan, or Yahweh, or Allah, or any other divine intervention in order to become the person we need to be. Our own salvation has been inside of us all along."

"So I'll have no one to blame but myself if I lose, Nico. But you know what? That's the point. Every victory is one step closer on my path in particular and the greater path in general. Every defeat can be a learning experience, a way to hammer out the dents until the polished blade can cut through anything. My path goes through you, Nico, and because of that, I'm going to do my absolute best to defeat you. I wonder how you'll react when I do. Will you blame Satan? Will you hide behind the belief that He, like God, works in mysterious ways? Will you falsely believe that Satan has struck you down to teach you a lesson? Or will you realize what's been staring you in the face for so long: your father was right, your teachings are a lie, and you've been wasting your life in the service of a God that does not understand you, cannot help you, and more than likely doesn't even exist to begin with."

Jon gets up from his bench and kneels in front of the camera.

"I look forward to facing you Nico, if only in hopes of showing you the light. I'm not going to say I can save you. I just want you to know you can save yourself. You can turn it all around, and if you do so before Savage Saturday Night, you may actually have what it takes to beat me. But I doubt it. I think you'll still cling to your false God, and that God will crumble in the face of true belief. See you soon."

Jon turns off the camera and begins folding it up. The scene fades.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode True Belief, False Gods: Jon Sees The Light
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