Lex Collins versus Aokigahara Zombie

Before


In a hospital in Boston where a certain Kowloon Zombie sits in a waiting area by himself. His leg is in a complicated knee brace and his crutches lie on the wall next to him. He reads a magazine until he is startled by the sudden appearance of a man in a beat up leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans. Aokigahara Zombie tries to straighten out his hair by shaking his head since he is holding a bouquet of flowers, a small stuffed bear, and sporting a huge grin.

Aokigahara: Hi.

Kowloon sighs and recovers from the shock.

Kowloon: What the hell are you doing here?

Aokigahara: I came to see you two kids. I was busy but I saw that you two had some trouble and were in here. I just wanted to see how the recovery is going. Where’s our girl, Siberia?

He looks around expectantly and Kowloon grimaces.

Kowloon: She’s doing some rehab work on her back. She’s getting better. A visit from you won’t help. Tokyo shows up all the time. You shouldn’t be here if he does.

Aokigahara: All she needs is some positivity and who’s more positive than I am? Imagine if both of us are here? It would be a real party.

Kowloon: I don’t think it would and frankly, I don’t want you here either.

Aokigahara looks at him with mock surprise and pulls out a flower and a card from the bouquet.

Aokigahara: These are for you. Get well soon, buddy!

Kowloon: Oh just stop. You know most of us can’t stand you. We only tolerate you ‘cause the master believes you are important for the group.

Aokigahara: By “most” you only mean a small number of people. Is this about the Thailand group? That wasn’t my fault. Anyway you can’t stop me from wanting to see my fallen comrades. It hurt me so much to see you both beat to shit. Good job on that, by the way. It gave us some solid publicity, didn’t it?

Kowloon: You don’t know how it was, alright. I’m not even going to explain, either. I don’t need understanding from a crooked cop like you.

Aokigahara pauses and stares with an expressionless face but then grins again.

Aokigahara: Oh that was in a past life. Stop letting what happened to you while you were a criminal affect what is going on now. We are both better men since becoming Zombies. Reborn! Renewed! Now let’s change gears, yeah? Siberia doesn’t need to see us like this when she gets done. I promote a positive environment.

Kowloon: Are you even sober right now? You stink of cigarettes and booze. You know we don’t support that.

Aokigahara: I'm always a little spirited. I know that’s your thing but don’t push your agenda on me. I’ll save the people my own way.

Kowloon: How by beating on them until they can't get up? What kind of way is that? You just like to dole out beatings and to take them instead of doing this for the competition. You’re just a freak that should have been gone long ago.

Aokigahara sets the bouquet and bear down and thinks for a second while looking around. They are alone.

Aokigahara: You ever seen the Fight Club?

Kowloon: What?

Aokigahara suddenly clutches the exposed part of Kowloon’s knee and he yelps in pain and tries to pry Aokigahara squeezing grip off. Aokigahara goes in close and whispers.

Aokigahara: Shh. Shh. Tell me. Is this working out for you like that movie says? Is this the best moment of your life? Remember not to go away to that happy place. You people like panda’s, right? Well forget them. Stay right here in the moment. That’s how you’re supposed to feel alive. Are you there yet? I don’t know how I would feel if I were you. This isn’t exactly like my situation was. See, it was the best moment of my life when I was hanging from that tree in my sacred forest. I guess you need to be a bit closer to death than this but is it helping take out that stick from out your rear?

Kowloon: Let me go!

He tries to push Aokigahara off who just gets better leverage and twists his hand on the repaired knee.

Aokigahara: No I don’t want to deprive you of this experience. Stay in the moment now. Is this doing anything for you? Do you feel it? This is what I am about. I don’t know if I like this much but it does help some. Here’s some advice. See, if some thug attacked me and my partner like this, threatened my group and, damaged my leg… Oh I’d take one look at my partner lying in that coma with tubes in her body and I’d tell the doctor to cut that leg off. I’d go to wherever this person was and I’d get a match to make it legal. Then I’d beat this person over the head with my leg until I saw brains. I’d show him what a Zombie is really made of.

He lets go of Kowloon’s knee and relaxes back into his chair. Kowloon grimaces and holds his leg up still reeling from the pain.

Aokigahara: I’m just saying you made us look weak, boy. You are in no position to talk to me like you do. I can take the names and the insults. They’re just words and all. Sticks and stones and such. Don’t ever disrespect my craft. That’s something different. That’s me in my core. You attack that then you are in for some pain.

The doors on the side opens and a nurse helps Siberia Zombie slowly walk to a wheelchair on the side. Siberia thanks her and waves goodbye. She looks over and sees Kowloon looking very uncomfortable and sitting next to a grinning Aokigahara who’s holding some flowers and a teddy bear out at her.

Siberia: Uncle Aoki! What a surprise… Is everything alright out here?

Aokigahara pats Kowloon on the shoulder.

Aokigahara: Sure just catching up with my old friend, here, and waiting for you. He’s been telling me how you are recovering nicely.

Siberia: Yeah I’m getting better every day. Is anything wrong with Kowloon?

Kowloon struggles to regain his composure but manages to nod.

Aokigahara: Our guy here just tried to be a hero and walk without his crutches. He’s a brave one isn’t he? Aren’t you, pal?

He turns to Kowloon who stares at a laughing Aokigahara then leans back and punches him in the mouth and the scene cuts at the moment of impact.



Now


We are at a bus stop in Houma, Louisiana. A woman with a conservative blouse and dress looks at her phone time as she impatiently waits. A man crosses in front of her and sits down next to her. She gets up and looks down the street to check if the bus is coming. It isn’t and she sits back down. There is something bothering her. She feels her skin crawling on the right side of her face and neck and she glances over and Aokigahara Zombie is trying to stare into her soul. She gasps as he smiles and his teeth are red and his mouth is full of blood.

Aokigahara: Oh, sorry ma’am. I just got punched in the face some and bit through my tongue. Stitches are fresh and I can’t help but fiddle with it. Can you see it?

He swallows the blood and sticks his tongue out at her. There is a stitched up laceration going across the right side of his tongue. She covers her eyes and nods so that he stops.

Aokigahara: It feels amazing but it makes it kind of hard to enjoy eating. Have you ever had any injuries like this?

She shakes her head and he looks up starting to list. She looks for the bus again.

Aokigahara: Well I have had a few like this and worse. Broken fingers, arms, a twisted ankle, burns, internal bleeding because of a busted rib. See this small tiny scar on my nostril? Somebody ripped it open once with some glass. That was something nice and pure. He was really working out some frustrations. The skull if fine, though. I think it’s thicker like a caveman.

He laughs and the woman looks appalled. She really doesn’t want to ask him the question that’s rolling around her mind but she is so curious right now.

Woman: What do you do? Are you a criminal?

Aokigahara: Oh no, ma’am. Everything I do and all the things that have been done to me have been legal and I have been a condoning participant. I am a professional wrestler in 7 countries and an inspirational guru in 8. Right now I’m here to show the Americans what I can do.

Woman: Do you lose a lot with all these injuries?

Aokigahara: I lose sometimes and I win sometimes. It does not really matter to me all that much. What really matters is the experience. It’s just you there with another human being and most people try to match wills and training to try to see who is the better fighter. I go in there with the same motive but with a twist. I want to experience the honesty inside of people and show them what they are capable of. People can be really honest when doing violence and trying not to receive any. You tap into something true, and something primal. It’s real liberating.

I have to pick and prod at people to get them to reach the right state. Do you know how guarded some people are? Most of us are brought up being so guarded. The ones who become wrestlers can tap into it sometimes but still hold back. When I have to tease it out of them some people can’t take it and go down and I win. Others lose control and also go down. There are a few, just a few I’ve met, that can go there to that place. They can show me some real potential. The things they can do to some flesh and bone is just magical. You ever been in so much pain that you see colors? Get those spots dancing in your eyes? The world is turned down just a tad and it’s just you and the feeling?

She admits to herself that this is crazy and that she is a little scared. She is also a little interested and excited so she answers anyway as he wipes some blood dribbling down his chin with the back of his hand.

Woman: I had a kid a few months ago.

Aokigahara: Yes! That’s what I’m talking about. Something real and powerful. It makes you feel human. You should be proud. All mothers are beasts.

Woman: It didn’t feel good at all.

Aokigahara: Well just look at you now after you went through that. You know what you can handle and you have a child to care for. You have to be tough and you know you can be. You have to be to raise the kid. It all started with the pleasure then the pain and back to pleasure. It was necessary for you to feel that to grow.
The pain made you better than you were.

I’m going to go through it again on a regular basis. In fact, you and the baby should come watch me when I fight Lex Collins at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center next week. Watch me recreate the pain you felt in a fight. I don’t know much about the man yet but I will make sure I will know him by the end of the match. It will be the debuting match for both of us in PAW. I hope he really wants to show what he’s made up and it doesn’t take too much to get it out of him.

I’m really going to put on a show to tell the people of PAW what I’m all about. He’ll be the perfect example. I want him to show me why he fights and I will take him as far as he can go. I will help him reach his full potential as a fighter and I will be the instrument. If he tries to end it quick, I will destroy him. If he tries to stall, I will destroy him. If he tries to run I will punish him. Then I will destroy him. Finally, if Lex Collins obliges me and resists then endures and he participates then I will be looking for another great experience in my life. I want to feel like I used to before I left Japan. I want to hurt so much that I feel alive.

He sighs and turns his attention back to the woman next to him who has decided that she is a bit more freaked out than excited. She is pulled out of the trance by his next question.

Aokigahara: So, you want a ride?

Woman: What? I thought you were waiting for the bus.

Aokigahara: Ah no, that old green cadillac is mine. I just sat down here because I saw a moth caught in a spider web under this bus stop sign. I was waiting for the spider to eat it until I saw you there looking distraught and decided to help. It’s what I do.

Woman: No I’m fine, thanks anyway.

Aokigahara: Of course you’re not fine. It’s in my nature to help people out so hop in.

She looks at the time and shakes her head.

Woman: Fine, but don’t talk about your job anymore.

They start walking to the car and he holds the door open for her and gets into the driver seat.

Aokigahara: Oh I get it. Not for everyone but still come watch so I can change your attitude about it. Speaking of jobs, I’ve almost gone through my advance so you have to give me the bus fare for this ride.

Woman: What?!

He drives away cackling like a loon as she crosses her arms and stares out the window.