Boston.mp4 | Itsgonnahurt.com - Aiden From

Aiden wasn’t a "stuntman" in the professional sense. He was twenty-two, worked a dead-end job at a pier, and possessed a terrifying lack of a self-preservation instinct. He leaned into the lens, his thick Boston accent cutting through the silence of the room.

"Yo, it’s Aiden from Boston. You guys voted for the 'Slapshot Roulette.' So, here we go."

The setup was simple and insane. He’d rigged a heavy-duty pitching machine normally used for baseballs, but he’d modified the feeder to hold taped-up hockey pucks. He was standing twenty feet away, wearing nothing but a vintage Bruins jersey, cargo shorts, and a pair of plastic safety goggles he’d found in his dad's garage. ItsGonnaHurt.com - Aiden From Boston.mp4

The goal wasn't to dodge. The goal, according to the site’s twisted points system, was to take the hit and stay standing.

The final puck was the "money shot." In the video file that would eventually be titled Aiden From Boston.mp4 , this is the part where the comments always exploded. The machine misfired slightly, the puck rising higher than the others. It clipped the bottom of Aiden’s jaw and slammed into his collarbone. The sound was like a dry branch snapping. Aiden wasn’t a "stuntman" in the professional sense

"I'm... I'm still here," he wheezed, pointing a defiant finger at the machine.

The screen cut to black. Within an hour of the upload, the video had a hundred thousand hits. Aiden was a star, at least until the bruises healed and he had to find something even more painful to do for the next one. "Yo, it’s Aiden from Boston

The basement air in South Boston smelled like old copper and damp concrete, but to Aiden, it smelled like an opportunity. He adjusted the ring light—a cheap thing that flickered if he breathed too hard—and checked the frame on his DSLR.