Odium RP #1: Song of The Rats (Reverend Shadow)

The instinctive natures of earth’s creatures are astounding, to say the least. When you observe techniques and habits, it’s remarkable to think they perform without higher learning. These tasks include building a nest, include laying eggs in the sand, include hibernation. If a fox is trapped in the woods, instinctively, it will gnaw it’s own foot off for survival. If a Bear is starving, it will hunt and kill without remorse to eat. Animals without the gift of higher learning are blessed with the gift of sincere simplicity. These animals do not feel remorse or pity or insecurity, they are creatures of the world; Adapting to it as they must and carefully surviving for thousands of years. Humans, however, are rather different. Humans are given the aforementioned higher learning. We are blessed with the ability to choose, and to select, and to decide. Most animals simply exist to survive. Humans, however, have developed a culture based on trades, jobs, and the subsequent money we earn. If a human chooses to be a carpenter, they can study and learn that craft as they choose. Higher learning, however, is simultaneously a curse in a way. Humans rely rarely on pure, animalistic instinct. Instead of surviving by whatever means necessary, we think and we null over and we consider. Humans consider and filter through emotions. Still, humans follow certain instinctive patterns that are shared throughout all species. In all animals of all shapes and sizes and regions, animals will follow those who they deem a leader. Animals follow the guidance and strengths of their brethren who can march onward and in front of the pack without looking back to see who’s following. While noble, it’s equally matched by the instinct to abandon those at their absolute worst. If a pack leader is caught in a bear trap, the rest of the pack will scatter for their own survival. While abandonment may seem insensitive, it is truly logical. We must realize nothing lasts forever. Nobody will be a champion, a hero, a leader forever. While the weak can, and will place their stock into someone or something, once it proves ineffective, they will find something else to follow; whether they follow a cause, a leader, or a direction. It matters not if it’s wild animal or human, instincts run within all creatures’ blood like a shadow watching from behind; Controlling our opinions and decisions. If you see applicable, it’s quite arguable in this circumstance, those placed on a pedestal as heroes, or superstars if you will, receive equally the same treatment as your leaders. Superstars like Destroyer, Frost, ZMaster, Alex Sean, EBR, Justa Mazing, even the recent Reverend Shadow, they are placed at the top of the ladder and proclaimed as the champions of the people. Whether one is better than the other is only established when pitting one champion against another. And, like clockwork, the losing champion will be cast away and ignored as weak and destroyed. Let us hope, for his sake, the losing champion tonight, the losing fighter, can march past their disgrace and failure. Let us hope, but certainly, there is no guarantee.





Once again, we find ourselves alert. Our eyes dart across the room and back. Nothing but dark; No lights to speak of. In our ears is a faint, random scratch; A series of scratches, in fact. These scratches become louder and quickly quieter. These scratches sound like taps, but also scratches again. It’s confusing to say, but it doesn’t stop. The old floorboards creak with the rhythm of the scrapes and tapping of the floor. Any attempt to locate this noise is worthless without a light source. Our eyes look around, perhaps for a drawstring or maybe a switch, but none is to be found.





“When I had my epiphany, when I decided to create anarchy for the sake of revolution, I was sitting in a room much like this. Perhaps it was better furnished and maybe… A little lighter, but it was dark enough. I sat on a cot, my back leaning against the wall and my head looking up at the sky; Looking for god to see if he was looking down. Still no answer from god for me, maybe another day I suppose. Either way, I sat there and I pondered my destiny. I was making a pretty decent living on my own, working in fast food and other convenience jobs. People don’t realize that I, myself, am quite the respectable business man. It only took me a year and a half to develop my retirement fortune. I used my name for that time to overprice myself and draw as much money out of each company as much as possible. It’s also worth mentioning the… Nest egg I laid for myself while CEO of the Xtreme Wrestling Alliance. The fact is, I worked for gas money, something to spend when I went out, stuff like that. As for survival, I’ve always lived a low maintenance lifestyle, even when I was married. I lived this simple lifestyle for over a year, wondering what it was I was missing. I tried coming back, and it didn’t work. I tried becoming the owner of the WFWF, and it didn’t work. Nothing I did here worked, so I tried living a normal life. I worked at Wal*Marts and Subways and fast food restaurants, still nothing worked. I felt cursed. I felt cursed by my own success. It took one Trent Draven’s fall from power to make me realize what it was I needed to do. Not anything to do with Trent Draven, but it was the WFWF in general I was concerned with. I realized that if I could not run the show, I could destroy it. I realized I could take apart the WFWF piece by piece, slowly extracting the cancer from within it’s core. I realized eventually, the WFWF would be cleansed and I would have brought forth the end, the omega of my era, and the beginning, the alpha of a new generation. The new generation that lives in men like Calvin Lee, respectfully. This omega would come forth from my revolution and chaos. I realized to change things, I had to destroy everything and rebuild from the rubble. This, my revolution, was my epiphany."





While it is not in our focus, the tip tap of the claws on the floorboards are still rapping away. It takes a critical eye to finally notice a slim but existent light source from a small window in the top, right corner of this room. This light, so faint it can only gift us with a thin shadow of what’s around us; we peek, ever so carefully, we peek. We look around for the source of our annoyance. Almost immediately we are met face to face with the shadow of a creature; Small and stocky with pointed ears and a curiosity in it’s shape. The animal quickly scurries away from shadow’s view and we realize this is a mouse. We are very uncomfortable and rush out of our seat; Apparently another bed. We crash to the floor! Our body hits dead impact on the ground and the tapping is now pounding in our eardrums from all directions. Quickly, we launch to our feet and scurry around much like the mouse beneath our toes. A door; A light switch next to the door! Our pale, clammy hand reaches for the switch and flicks on a small lamp to our right. The scurrying beneath our feet has stopped… for now. Our eyes begin to investigate, first the shelf holding the lamp; Nothing of interesting within it’s bounds. We scan around to find, well, not much of anything. The room is small, small enough to be uncomfortable for one person; Small enough to drive two towards insanity. We look behind us, first is our bed of choice. We notice the two beds, one resting atop the other; A bunk bed. The same is said for where the voice comes from, the voice being identified as one Alex Sean. He sits, his back to the wall and head looking up at the roof. Perhaps, maybe, he is looking for god, but it’s clear he gets no such response. We turn back towards the door and imagine turning the door handle. We imagine opening the doors to the rows upon rows of bunk beds; Reaching down an endless hallway of a room. We picture the sleeping women, all dressed in their night gowns and resting in prayer. These women, in fact, serving this monastery we inhabit at the moment. Of course, as you would imagine, we know this already. In fact, with further self research we remember that we are, in fact, in the private quarters of the headmistress. These walls, however, remain bare and empty and uninhabited, this life not for many.





Alex Sean: Anybody who knows me would know I’m not a religious man; not yet, at least. I don’t adhere to gods or monsters, fear or worship, black or white. I follow no such texts or books of glory. I do, however, respect the task these women have undertaken. To live through something they believe in, to give up their passions and dreams for their spirit, I admire that. I admire anybody who can serve a god with no proof he, she, it exists. These women worship god. They are devout Catholics, they believe in this cause. Reverend Shadow is a different story. Reverend Shadow does not adhere to the catholic faith or Judaism, Muslim, not even Christianity. Those who follow the preaching of Reverend Shadow, this false idol, have been blinded by his disguise. Unlike these blind followers, I understand exactly which faith Shadow follows; Himself. Reverend, you are selfish and immature. You preach the word of god for your own success, as if it’s a turnkey to controversy. I find this blatant use of the lord’s name disturbing. More so, I find your blatant attempt at controversy childish and flawed. As I watch from the shadows, I notice people attempt to beat you by feeding you with power, by allowing you to… be Reverend Shadow. The differences between them and I are major, but in this circumstance, I find it most important to point out that I have a lot of years on you, child. You call yourself a reverend and an idol and someone to believe in, I call you a gimmick. I call you a character that comes along every few years, something unoriginal and uncreative and dishonest. Reverend, I consider you nothing more than a fantasy. No more powerful than a fan fiction or a short story, no more honest than a movie or a television series. Unlike these cowards, these followers, I refuse to adhere to your superstitious premonitions and identity crisis.





The scurrying of the mice returns beneath our toes. They rush quickly towards the first exit, perhaps frightened by the words, perhaps by the light.


Alex Sean: However, Reverend, I will allow you to become what you seem to be striving for. I will allow you, Reverend Shadow, to become a martyr. Not a martyr to the Romans or to the Christians at a stake, but Reverend, you will be a martyr to my revolution. I returned and within a month, broke ZMaster harder than anybody before has. ZMaster, in this case, was stronger than you. ZMaster, unlike you, had heart and limited experience. To steal an old cliché, you are coming to a gun fight with a knife. I hear you consider The Anointed no risk to you. You don’t fear us? Fine, but you should. Compared to me, you’re a child. You have many years to go before I’ll ever allow you to look in my eyes. At this point if you were to look in my eyes truly, I think you’d be scared. I think the blood and the tears and the death I’ve witnessed would frighten you into a vegetative state of terror. I do not dare respect you enough to destroy you like that. You, Reverend, will be a martyr because you will witness the instincts of man and the lack of commitment of this industry. Come Odium, when Calvin and I defeat you and Viera, your stock will crash. More importantly, much as the rats leave a sinking ship with no promise of survival on the other side, the faith these people have in you and your future will forever be stained. Your future will be stained by my dark cloud of enmity and vengeance over your cowardly and arrogant words. You chose to mock The Anointed, you chose to mock me, you chose to call us out. This, Shadow, cannot do. You think you live in the dark corners of life, you think you live in the shadows of hell. I’ll show you hell, I’ll bring the brimstone and the fire. I’ll send you straight to hell into the clutches of the goblins and demons of misery. In the least, I suppose, it’s better you’re a hypocrite rather than a believer. Because, after Odium Reverend, God will show you no mercy. Real or not, there will be no salvation for you.