OFF-CAMERA
The Gospel of St. John Cross - Chapter 2
People ask me all the time why I’m writing this story.
Why does anyone write something in the first place?
Remembrance.
Human beings write because they want life experiences to be remembered; a record of the person’s truth.
The same goes for me.
I don’t know it my story is worth remembering.
But my ancestors, both physical and spiritual, need their stories told.
The truth about Missio Dei needs to be written so people might not repeat the same tragedies again.
Maybe humanity might remember and evolve forward for the good of all.
Missio Dei is Latin for “the mission of God.”
According to Holy Writ, the mission of God is to restore humanity and all that exists to its pre-evil state.
My ancestors believed that Jesus of Nazareth was God incarnate sent to show humanity the perfect way of love and the cost of evil when love is denied.
Followers of the Master are given the task of being love to a broken world so it might finally heal and become perfect as God always intended.
My ancestors lived peacefully with all people until the day the Godless infiltrated the movement.
The Godless are human beings who blatantly reject the ways of love.
They are selfish, greedy, judgmental, and practice all forms of hate.
Missio Dei’s innocence made it the perfect prey for the Godless.
My ancestors were cautious with modern human advancements and it was here where Godless entered the Order.
In an effort to understand the broken world outside the community, Missio Dei allowed a reformed Godless into the Council of the Master.
The Council of the Master is a group of twelve democratically-elected leaders who study Holy Writ and govern twelve Missio Dei communities.
In one generation, the former Godless influenced the council to elect an archpriest to oversee the twelve regions.
He brought in modern technology but also an exclusivist mindset.
Historically inclusive, women were no longer allowed to serve on the council.
My great-great grandmother Petra was the last woman to serve on the council.
The Archpriest also made his position a life-term and bloodline-based.
This began the dark age of Missio Dei.
Once the Archpriest seized control of the Council of the Master, he called for the writing of the Master’s Manifesto.
The Master’s Manifesto brought an authoritarian structure to Missio Dei.
It added rules and regulations to daily life that were clearly beyond the testimony of Holy Writ.
Dissenters were punished, exiled, or sentenced to the Soul’s Demise.
Petra, my great-great grandmother, was the first person to be sentenced to the Soul’s Demise for opposing the Archpriest.
Since then, an unspoken feud has existed between the family of the first Archpriest and the Cross family.
What I am about to write has not been read outside the confines of Missio Dei.
But it’s time people know the oppression others are suffering in the name of God.
My family will have its justice one way or another.
And the truth will no longer be suppressed.
According to the mandates of the Manifesto, every day has ritual (most done first thing in the morning).
On the First Day, devotees are expected to rise and burn incense made with a mixture of frankincense and myrrh. While the incense burns, a devotee lets the smoldering ashes fall three times on their arm as a symbol of one’s sins being refined by fire.
On the Second Day, after morning prayers, devotees are expected to go to the chapel and kiss a ring belonging to the Archpriest and asking the regional council member for intercessory prayer.
On the Third Day, an unbonded devotee is expected to sit in their room during morning prayers with a slitter (a small, thin-bladed knife and make a slit on the arm for each time an unholy thought occurs during prayers. The regional council member is required to examine a devotee’s arm for slits. If no slits are found, the devotee is mandated to repeat the First Day’s incense ritual for lying. If slits are found, the devotee must dip into the chapel baptistry, naked despite the presence of the opposite sex, and as long as no unholy thoughts occur they are free to go. If unholy thoughts occur, the First Day’s ritual must be performed. Bonded life partners are required to stay home and have sexual intercourse. The missionary position is the only form of sex permitted. Any other forms sex must be reported to the council member. A female cannot refuse a male at any time on the Third Day.
On the Fourth Day, devotees are expected to visit the tomb of the Archpriests and pay a financial offering to the family.
On the Fifth Day, devotees are expected to meet with the regional council member to discuss the application of the Manifesto or report on anyone not adhering to it.
On the Sixth Day, devotees are expected to become living sacrifices. A devotee is expected to be silent and shed a drop of blood every hour for 12 hours as a sign of commitment to God, Missio Dei, and the Archpriest.
On the Seventh Day, devotees are given rest from all rituals and families are encouraged to spend time together.
The punishment for minor sins is performing the incense ritual.
The punishment for moderate-to-serious sins is exile to the Land of the Godless for a time period determined by the council.
The punishment for atrocious sins is being declared Godless and sentenced to the Soul’s Demise.
This is the oppression the Cross family has fought against since the beginning of Dark Age.
My family began an underground resistance movement until they were betrayed by another family.
My parents were declared Godless by the Archpriest and the council and sentenced to the Soul’s Demise.
The Soul’s Demise is Missio Dei’s method of execution adopted since arrival of the Archpriest.
A large hewn block of marble is hung via two ropes and held by two “strong” men chosen by the council.
The victims is made to lie on their backs, facing the bottom of the hewn marble block.
There were inscriptions of Holy Writ on the bottom of the marble block describing the wrath of God.
Upon the order of the Archpriest, marble block called the Soul’s Demise is dropped on the victim, crushing and killing the victim instantly. The blood of the victim pours out of small grooves like those of winepress.
No one sees the mangled corpse of the victim except the two strong men.
However, the blood of the victim that runs into the chapel courtyard must be cleaned up by the surviving members of the family after the body is removed and incinerated. The surviving family becomes servants of their regional council member for a year before they are allowed to return to the community.
The Archpriest made me watch my parents suffer the Soul’s Demise.
After I was made to clean up my parents’ blood in the courtyard, I was sent to Blackwatch.
When I defied my Blackwatch superior officers and put on trial before the council, I asked God to send me to the Soul’s Demise.
But the Archpriest refused...coward.
Instead, he said he wanted me to face the Land of Godless alone so that I might repent of my family’s sins and return to the Order cleansed.
I am not a devotee of the Archpriest.
I am a Cross; a revolutionary like the Master before us.
The Archpriest and the Council should have killed me instead of exiling me.
Now, among the Godless, I dare them to come find me.
And if they do find me, God have mercy on their souls, because I, as sure as Hell, will avenge my family.
I will find you… for this is my Gospel.
ON-CAMERA
ST. JOHN VOICE OVER: If I am a lost cause, stop trying to find me.
There is a slow-moving image of St. John Cross standing, with his back to the camera, in front of the world-famous Las Vegas sign at the entrance to the Strip. He’s dressed in simple jeans, a black t-shirt, sandals, and a duffle bag slung across his chest.
ST. JOHN VOICE OVER: If I am blind, stop trying to force your vision upon me.
A clip of St. John, dressed in the same clothes as the previous image, walking up the front steps of a huge mansion. The front door of the house opens and Effie Bingham greets St. John at the door. No words are exchanged but the look on Effie’s face is an undeniable one: a lustful look.
ST. JOHN VOICE OVER: If I am unsalvageable, stop trying to save me.
There is a frame-by-frame montage of St. John’s match against Anthrax, ending with his hand raised in victory.
ST. JOHN VOICE OVER: If I am damned, let me go unknowing into Hell.
A shot of an intimate scene. The back of a blonde woman wearing nothing a black t-shirt and no bottoms is shown. She is straddling what looks to be an enthralled St. John whose pants are at his ankles.
ST. JOHN VOICE OVER: And perhaps among the Godless I will find my paradise.
In a shocking twist, a slow-moving image of St. John and Effie Bingham asleep in the same bed. Their clothes are spread all over the bedroom. After several moments, we find St. John sitting in the living room couch by himself, wearing nothing but jeans, staring at the blazing fireplace.
St. John Cross: Behold the hour has come. I have spent the last year wandering the Land of the Godless to finally arrive at this particular time for a particular purpose. When I was forced to join Blackwatch, I vowed to take the required training and turn it towards ending the oppression of Missio Dei and, one day, unleashing it upon the Archpriest and avenging the murder of my parents. But since the cowards have exiled me I have no choice than to unleash my divine indignation in the squared circle of Sin City Wrestling.
The exiled monk looks at the camera with a steely expression. The flickering light from the fire gives him a hue of light and darkness.
St. John Cross: My mother used to tell me that I was born to be a blessing. Now, I live to be curse. In my eyes you will see a soul determined to being terror, scourge, and wrath upon those who stand before me in Sin City Wrestling. At Climax Control 225, I will face two men who I know nothing about except that they are both championship material. The SCW World Champion scoffs at me because I have high expectations of myself, so maybe defeating a mixed tag team champion in Lachlan Kane and a former champion like Travis Levitt will make Fenris think twice about me.
St. John wets his lips as he ponders the task before him.
St. John Cross: What makes me believe that I can defeat two championship level opponents with under ten matches under my belt? Because I am committed something even greater than professional wrestling. I am committed to the journey that will take me face-to-face with the man who ordered my parents killed. And each opponent I face is another test in preparation for that fateful day. I am committed to this for however long it take me. I live to scourge and crucify all those who stand between me and ultimate destiny. Lachlan Kane and Travis Levitt, you are a part of this greater journey. You are part of the preparation to unleashing my divine indignation and finally being free. Gentlemen, if you have any hope of defeating me in the ring, you will have to be willing to die for a cause bigger than the payday of a SCW salary.
He glares at the camera.
St. John Cross: Are you ready to make such a sacrifice? I am. And when I eventually win the SCW World Heavyweight Championship, I still will not rest until my mission is complete. My journey doesn’t end with the SCW World Title. It will only be a beginning. So my two questions to you are these, Kane and Levitt, when you come to the ring at Climax Control 225, will you be committed to being part of a greater journey, one that might leave you beaten, scourged, and crucified? The answers are found within you. Either way, I savor the opportunity to show you and SCW blessing and curse that I am. For this is my Gospel and it shall come to pass.
A slow fade to black.
