Madness

Back in the basement where the location has been synonymous with violence and villainy. The walls echo a tortured past and the dense air whispers the screams of its victims.

MALE VOICE: Please! Let me go!

FEMALE VOICE: Who are you! What do you want!

The sound bites of cries of victims intertwined become less frequent as we go further into the neglected basement.

The only sign of life is of the abducted Jonny O’Dell who still appears to be chained up to a wall. He lifts his head up to fully reveal the scabbed wording of ‘HATE’ across his forehead. Only this time he’s stripped fully naked of his clothes and dignity. It also appears that he is covered head to foot in… human faeces. Head to foot in……….. Shit.

Suddenly, a disruption comes storming down the staircase. It’s Hughie Freeman and he’s livid. He throws his boot-bag off a wall.

O’DELL: Seen that face before…

Hughie Freeman does not respond as he leans on a wall with his fist pressing against it.

O’DELL: Every time I used to look in the mirror…

Hughie slowly tilts his head in the direction of Jonny O’Dell.

O’DELL: Come closer..

Hughie then wastes no time in going over to O’Dell with both fists clenched. But bizarrely, does not react in violence. Instead, puts his face closer to O’Dell with menace.

O’DELL: Tell me what you see..

HUGHIE: I see a man covered in my shit.

Freeman sniggers, like he’s regained his power over the fallen and vulnerable Jonny O’Dell.

O’DELL: No you don’t… you see you covered in your own shit.

O’Dell sniggers in the same fashion as Hughie did. Rather than receiving an expected whack as O’Dell laughs at his expense, Hughie decides to turn away.

O’DELL: Exactly me last year. You think you’re special because you’ve won one match.. 

Despite only being able to see the back of Hughie Freeman, you can sense aggression oozing from his very pores.

O’DELL: Hell, I was the most in form guy going into War Games last year and I still never got picked.

Freeman has seemingly had enough and walks over to his table full of tools. It’s the same table that has caused torture to O’Dell over the course of the whole week.

O’DELL: Go on, react in HATE… That’s exactly what they want!

HUGHIE: I’m gunna cut your fucking dick off!

True to form, Hughie Freeman picks up his trusted blunt butter-knife and heads for O’Dell.

O’DELL: Please yourself. I mean, where has that gotten you..?

The careless demeanour of being carved like a Christmas turkey again from O’Dell takes Hughie by complete surprise. The retort from O’Dell has perhaps tickled his intrigue and stopped him dead in his tracks.

O’DELL: This isn’t creativity. It’s madness. Madness to think people like us can create history in HOW.

The words hit a chord with Freeman as he looks on with true puzzlement.

HUGHIE: You know nothing about me.

O’DELL: Wake up.. You’re my stereotype.

A simple head tilt and a winced face from Hughie creates a sense of bamboozlement.

O’DELL: …You’re in my spot.

HUGHIE: Don’t you fucking say it..!

O’DELL: You’re a charac–

HUGHIE: I’m not a fucking-fucking!

The pressure is clearly getting to Hughie as he grabs his hair in despair. He can’t even repeat the same attempted word suggested by O’Dell. Meanwhile, not knowing how to react after his default emotion of HATE is seemingly getting rewired here.

O’DELL: Let me guess.. surplus to requirements this week?

HUGHIE: Huh?

O’DELL: The office has nothing for you?

HUGHIE: What the..? How did you..

O’DELL: How many times have you tried calling them? Cos double figures means you’re in the friend-zone and you’re real fucking desperate.

HUGHIE: Left a few pissed voice-mails..

O’DELL: If you’ve started to come up with your own ideas then they’ve got you with your pants down over a barrel my friend..

You think this HATE group is the answer? Please, HATE fuels madness. Madness fuels embarrassment. Embarrassment fuels being covered in another man’s shit.

HUGHIE: You’re a fucking loser.

O’DELL: Penny dropped yet?

The pot calling the kettle black. It seems Jonny O’Dell and Hughie Freeman aren’t so dissimilar after all.

O’DELL: Madness has already started to creep in.. let me guess, RICK’s fault? Or was it the office’s fault for throwing two random guys into a match that seemed impossible for them to be kindred-spirits?

HUGHIE: Yeah..

O’DELL: No.. Hughie. No.

HUGHIE: Then what is it that I’m supposed to do?

O’DELL: Creativity is not creating something out of the box. You’ve got to get inside the box and toe the very line.

HUGHIE: Doesn’t sound very creative..

O’DELL: Trust me.

HUGHIE: But then that would mean I’m just like everybody else. Wait, you’re saying my whole life..

O’DELL: Yep.

Freeman goes as white as a sheet. He is hit with complete and utter shell-shock.

HUGHIE: No. It can’t be..

O’DELL: You think you’ve travelled your whole life when really–

HUGHIE: (Interrupting) — Might as well of been working at Disneyland in a Mickey Mouse costume..

O’DELL: Yep.

A sense of discovery glazes the eyes of Hughie Freeman. You could say.. an epiphany.

HUGHE: I’m a..

O’DELL: Go on..

O’Dell sinisterly looks on with estranged excitement. He encourages Hughie to say the very word he’s been against ever since day one in HOW.

HUGHIE: I’m a..

O’DELL: Say it…

HUGHIE: I’m a..

A close-up of O’Dell’s baleful face as Hughie’s grip weakens.

HUGHIE: …………………..A CUNT full of HATE!

The close-up on O’Dell shows a man radically change his expression to sheer horror. The silhouetted shadow of Freeman gets larger on O’Dell and the wall behind him.

HUGHIE: And that’s the bottomline!

Freeman does no more than jam the butter-knife straight into O’Dell’s eyeball.

HUGHIE: Put that on your TV show!

O’Dell screams in excruciation pain as Hughie turns his back on the helpless victim.

HUGHIE: Ignore me, banish me, fuck me over HOW and we’ll see what happens. Cos I’m Hughie Fucking Freeman and if no one wants to burn HOW down to the ground.. then the HATE in me will.

I’m not here to take elocution lessons, be told what to wear, and come out of the HOW manufactures machine just like everybody else.

Punishment at will. Cos I dared to go against the grain. What’s next.. dressing up as the Easter bunny for the Bandits?! Being Andy Murray’s private bagpipe player every time he takes a step?! Being a HATEFUL son of a bitch just.. just.. like…

YOU.

Freeman aggressively leaves with the sound of stomping feet going up the stairs. The final image is of a critically injured O’Dell pleading for his life.