Caged In

[Brian W.]

- The scene opened to an empty car parked in what appeared to be an abandoned parking lot. As the camera approached the car it was revealed that the car was indeed occupied, by none other than Michael Cole. Cole was watching his cell phone until he looked up from the screen and glanced around to see if anyone was in a watching distance. Satisfied that no one could see him, he zipped his pants down and put his hands down his pants. Right when things were about to get… jerky… the camera cut to what appeared to be an angle of a drone that was hovering over Cole’s car. The camera showed Coles face getting closer and further away as the drone began, and continued, to bang up against the window of the car. The camera cut back to the view of the camera man as Cole rolled the window down –

Michael Cole: What the?! What the hell is that?!

- Cole rolled the window up and opened the car door to chase off the drone. As he stepped out of the car, his pants fell to his ankles. He looked at the camera and embarrassingly grinned. His face turned a shade of red as he bent over and pulled his pants up. After zipping up his pants, he realized that the drone had landed next to his car, and had a note attached to the top of its body. Cole bent over and snatched the note from the drone and began to read it. He got a look of shock on his face as he leaned in to his car and grabbed his phone. With the note in one hand, and his phone in the other, he dialed a number and put the phone to his ear –

Michael Cole: Uh… Yes sir, you are going to want to see this note.

- Cole paused and listened to the person on the other side of the line –

Michael Cole: Yes sir, I’ll be right in.

- Cole hung up the phone and put it, and the note in his pants pockets. He then grabbed the drone and got back in to his car and quickly drove off, squealing his tires in the process-

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- Michael Cole was seen getting out of his car holding the drone from earlier. He closed to door to his car and began to walk to the door of the house. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. When no one came to the door, he began to walk away as he heard someone screaming –

????: Hello?! Michael Cole?! Is that YOU?!!

- Cole looked around for a moment as he tried to figure out where the voice was coming from –

????: Over here. Psst… OVER HERE!

- Cole looked over to his left and appeared to see something a bit off in the distance –

Michael Cole: Matt? Is that you?!

- Cole started walking over toward a cage that had a lock on the gate. Matt Hardy was inside the cage sitting in a corner. Hardy’s face looked rough, like someone who hadn’t bathed in a long while. Cole approached the cage and tugged at the lock in an attempt to remove it and open the gate. After struggling for a couple of moments, Hardy spoke up –

Matt Hardy: Cole, be a friend and grab those bolt cutters. You know, those bolt cutters that are literally right next to the gate!

Michael Cole: If they were right next to the gate the whole time, why haven’t you grabbed them and gotten yourself out?

Matt Hardy: Michael, enough with the semannnnntics of the situation! Please get me out of here. I’ve been trapped for entirely too long. Longer than anyone would like to be trapped in a cage.

Michael Cole: Exactly how long have you been in this contraption?

Matt Hardy: Contraption? It is a cage. A cage meant to hold a wild animal. Both things in which I am not! And to answer your question… at least 336 hours.
Michael Cole: Two weeks? That’s impossible!

Matt Hardy: NOTHING is impossible! Except, how you knew the conversion from hours to weeks. That seems impossible… BUT that isn’t what is important right now. GET. ME. OUT. OF. HERE!

- Cole grabbed the bolt cutters and cut the lock that was holding the gate closed. He then opened the gate which allowed Hardy to stumble out of the cage –

Matt Hardy: Thank you kindly Mr. Michael!

Michael Cole: Anytime Matt. I know you have been through a lot, apparently, but would you be able to sit down and talk about just what is going on here?

Matt Hardy: Sure Michael! Who needs to shower? Or eat? Or breath fresh air?

Michael Cole: Do you want to go inside? Or…

Matt Hardy: No! The only way this thing is happening, is if you are in the cage. So you know what it was like. I’ll answer any question once you are in there!

- Hardy pointed to the cage he had just emerged from. Cole was hesitant and laughed a bit thinking Matt was kidding. However, once he saw the serious look on Matt’s face, Cole slowly entered the cage. Hardy closed the gate behind him –

Matt Hardy: Wow, you actually got in there, huh? You may begin.

Michael Cole: This is strange. Hah. Never been in a cage like this before.

- Cole laughed nervously –

Michael Cole: Matt, you said you had been in this cage for two weeks, correct? Well, if that is indeed true… It can’t be true!

Matt Hardy: Why would I lie about such a horrible, horrible fate?

Michael Cole: Matt, you have been in matches the last couple of weeks. It isn’t physically possible for you to be stuck here, and wrestle in matches at the same time.

Matt Hardy: I was afraid of this. You are aboluteeeely sure I have been in matches the last couple of weeks?

- Cole nodded –

Matt Hardy: Let me guess. I lost? In spectacular fashion?

- Cole again nodded –

Matt Hardy: It twas an imposter. It isn’t the first time. Probably won’t be the last.

Michael Cole: An imposter? Who was it? Why would someone do that?

Matt Hardy: I don’t know who it was. But I’d imagine it was the same person who trapped me in here. And why do it? I don’t know Michael, jealousy? Anger? A little bit of both? A lotta bit of both?

Michael Cole: Who do you think did this to you?

Matt Hardy: I have my suspicions, you see. A couple of months ago, you may recall… or you may now, I’m not entirely sure how close attention you pay to my personal happenings. Anywhooooo, I kicked someone special to me off The Hardy Compound. Someone who was preaching love. Trying to get me to be a lover, instead of a fighter. None other than, Gandhi. I believe he returned to the Compound, drugged me, locked me in this cage… and then transformed his appearance to look like me. He did this because he was upset that I made him leave and wanted to do everything he could to ruin my professional career!

Michael Cole: Matt, this is weird, even for you. But then again, I am in a cage asking you questions about a dead guy who is apparently trapped in an elephant’s body. What is weird anymore?

Matt Hardy: YESSSSSSSSSSS, now you are getting it Mr. Michael! Come, walk down this deranged journey with me. We can talk more about this in the Hardy Mansion!

- Hardy turned and walked toward his mansion assuming Cole was following. The problem was, when Close attempted to get out of the cage, the gate got stuck, trapping Cole. Cole screamed for Hardy to help him out, but Hardy was walking away having a very animated conversation with himself and didn’t hear anything. Hardy entered his mansion and left the door open for Cole, who was seen struggling in his attempt to escape the cage. The camera faded to black as Cole continued to scream for help -