CJ Thorpe’s grave.
“Have you ever heard the story of Sisyphus?”
Jackson’s hand shoots from the mud caking the bottom, gripping the walls of the grave.
“A man, trapped in hell, spends every day moving a boulder up a hill. Pushing with all of his might, sweat dripping down his brow, and heart pounding in his ears as he pushes to the summit.”
Cade digs his fingers into the soil, clawing his way free of the soil, slowly getting to his feet.
“Yet, the moment he reaches the peak, the moment he achieves his goal? The boulder comes crashing down on top of him. Both him, and his burden, rolled right back down to the bottom.”
He tries to scale the wall of dirt, immediately collapsing back into the puddle.
“No matter how hard he works, at the end of the day he’s right back to square one.”
Jackson stands up, burying his fingers into the dirt.
“But, despite it all, he never stops. His hands are raw, his feet are blistered, and breathing feels like fire!”
He begins to climb.
“And Sisyphus perseveres.”
Dirt falls in clumps as Cade ascends.
“The safety of Arcadia, the will of the people, this is my burden to bear every single day. Ever since I stepped between the ropes of Olympus I’ve been fighting an uphill battle. Through gritted teeth and bloodied palms I pushed my boulder to the summit, wishing, hoping, that I might finally reach the peak and bring hope to all of Arcadia!”
His foot slips, but Cade kicks it right back against the soil, pushing up.
“But at every turn I was knocked back to the bottom. No matter how close I came to happiness something always got in the way, something always pushed back. Over and over again my spirit was crushed, my heart was broken, and I found myself on my back, staring up to the level lights.”
There’s a pause, Cade letting out a soundless scream as he pushes forward.
“Even now, the odds are stacked against me, aren’t they? Kaos looms overhead and I stand alone at the bottom of the mountain, an insurmountable task ahead. Most men would quit, they would finally give in. But I refuse. And do you want to know why?”
His hand reaches the top, the sheriff pulling himself over the edge!
“It’s because I imagine Sisyphus is happy.”
Jackson rolls out of the grave, gasping for air.
“No matter how far the fall, how overwhelming the odds, he endures. Because one day he’ll roll the rock past the peak.”
“He’ll be free.”
“At Kaos, I’m going to scale that mountain. Bruised, bloody, broken. I’ll roll that fucking boulder to the very top.”
Cade stands, limping away from the gravesite.
“I’ll never stop, Ares. No matter how many men you throw at me, how painful the beating, I’ll refuse to lay down. My dream of a free Arcadia will never die.”
“No one’s above the Law.”
“And as I reach the summit, as I persevere through the Kaos, just know.”
“I am the Law.”
Cut.