The Path to Forgiveness.
Pain shot through his body. Every single time he moved. Going from laying down to sitting or standing was agony. He knew he’d been in a war. Not just a regular match or a battle, a full blown one on one war. Two men stepped into a cage, they tried to end each other, but when the dust settled, all that ended was their issue. Austin went home, the travel there was nothing but pain, he knew he had to take the week off….
But what would Wolfslair look like when he returned?
He had been kicked out, the excommunicated prodigal son. But as he sat at home recovering he got a text message from Alex telling him he could return when he wanted. It was a sobering moment. One filled with more questions than answers. He now knew that he was still a part of Wolfslair, that his family was still, well, family. But, what would the air be like? Would he be able to help those around him, work with them again and train? Or would it be like it had been before? Air filled with tension and heavy with anger and frustration?
He couldn’t let that happen. He swallowed hard and pushed the car door open standing up and looking to the sky, it was a cold spring morning. A breeze moving through the trees on the small patch of earth next to Wolfslair. The leaves rustled as Austin couldn’t help but smile. He took a sharp breath in and relaxed, it all became clear. He had apologized to Alicia, cleared the air, but there were others he had wronged other members of his family that he pushed away, stopped talking to and ignored.
As he took a step into the gym his eyes scanned the room. It was almost empty.
No surprise there. It was only 6am. Only a few names would come in that early.
He looked over to see Alex and his sister Charlie in the office talking. Sonya not there yet as she needed to wait till their kids were awake. Alicia was in the small equipment room doing cardio, music blaring over the loudspeaker inside the room as she ran on the treadmill. He laughed to himself, three weeks away, almost a month and nothing changed. He swallowed hard and looked over the other side of the room. He saw long blond hair with a few black streaks, broad shoulders, tattoos. Johanna Krieger. A woman who was not only a member of Wolfslair the gym but also the group in Sin City.
He wasn’t ready to face Alex or Sonya. Especially Sonya. And the rest hadn’t yet arrived. There was no Aiden, Miles, Lachlan, Kallie. Or new arrival Dickie Watson.
But, Jo was there. He took a deep breath and moved towards her putting his bag down as she finished stretching out the heavy ropes. ”Hey Jo, got a minute?” There was nothing, no grunt, no nod, no greeting. This was going to be harder than he thought. Austins hands slid into the front pockets of his jeans, he leaned back against the lockers on the far side of the room, his shoulders slumping. ”I need to apologise. See, I didn’t just wrong Alicia or Alex. I wronged the entire gym.”
There was a pause. He looked over at her, Johanna went about her business, wrapping her wrists and hands in tape getting ready to whip the heavy ropes. A favorite exorcise of the German beast.
Austin shook his head and gave a small nod, his heart sinking. ”I get it, I screwed up, I still need help, I need help from people I care about who have had my back. But, to get that I need to be a man.” He gave a nod to himself, pushing off the lockers and moving around to Johannas side holding out his hand. ”I’m sorry Johanna” Johanna looked at his hand and dropped the end of the rope.
She looked up confused at him before reaching up and taking out her earbud. ”Oh, you’re back...Hello I guess..” She shook his hand, shrugged and popped her earbud back in. Austin stood looking dumb founded. She had heard nothing of what he said. His jaw dropped and quivered, Johanna picked up the ropes and started whipping. He stepped back and laughed to himself before hearing another laugh coming from behind him.
He turned to find Alex, his arms folded, his head shaking. ”Welcome back…”
Cross Out
”I’m still alive, I’m kicking and I am going to be getting back in the ring. I am so sorry to disappoint you all…”
His eyes lit up, a smile coming across his face as he let out a small grunt clasping his hands together as he sat forward.
”I heard all the comments, all the wishes about my health. It must burn all of you to know that even though Fenris beat me none of you got what you wanted. See, it wasn’t enough that Fenris beat me, no, you wanted him to end me. You all wanted my career to be done, my livelihood taken away all because of my actions over the last few months. But, I ask all of you now, what is it that I really did?”
“Really. Ask yourselves, deep down. Was what I did really that bad?”
“Go back to when this all started. When I turned my back on the fans of SCW and started doing things my way. What is it that made it shocking or made it that bad?. See, Caleb Storms is a fellow professional wrestler signed to SCW. He’s a former champion and someone who has been employed for a very long time, he knows what is bright and wrong in this business but he turned around and accepted a title being HANDED to him. A cardinal sin. So, I slapped him around.”
“I didn’t end his career.”
“I didn’t put him out for an extended period of time.”
“I just slapped a little sense into him, that’s it. He went on to continue his little career. But then what? What was next? I roughed up Aron a little. Is he dead? Can he walk? Is he completely recovered with no lasting effects? Of course. Because while I made statements, I didn’t end anyone, I didn’t stop them from living their lives, making a living. I would never do anything like that because I am all about this business. I am about it’s legacy, it’s legitimacy and I am a firm believer that the best of the best get what is coming to them.”
He shakes his head, a sigh escaping his lips.
”I also delivered something to you that a lot of you said you wanted. Last year Kristjan walked away from wrestling, he walked away from Sin City Wrestling and he walked away from all of you. Not only did he walk away but he walked away broken and defeated. He lost that fire, that passion and wasn’t the same man who held the SCW world title. I brought him back and I brought that out in him. I made him Fenris again. The white wolf. And I was met with disrespect. Hell, even in attacking Frnris David disrespected me...but I was in no condition to do anything about it. So now, I move on…”
“Aimless”
“Booked in a matchy against Mark Cross who, well, as much as I know Mark has been a part of SCW he’s failed to ever make the splash that he wanted to or thought he was capable of. That was, until now. See, Mark has, for the second time won the Blast from the past. Hell of an accomplishment. And because of that he gets to go on and face Jack Washington for the SCW title. Or, is that who the champion is now? Because I don’t think anyone knows or cares. See the Sin City Wrestling world title has been made irrelevant by people who are lazy and refuse to step up.”
“Maybe Mark can change that.”
“See, I don’t have an issue with you Mark. I think sometimes you fall into the same trap that others do and say a lot without actually saying anything, but then again we can all stumble into that, I prefer to keep it shorter, sweeter but also have every single word and emotion mean something. And as a person and a professional I don’t have anything against you Mark, in fact I wish you well and hope after our match you go on to do great things, and maybe..dare I say...make the world championship mean something again?”
He gives a small shrug of his shoulders before standing.
”But, before you get there Mark, before you step in the ring with Jack and try and get your hands on what was once the biggest prize in our business, well you have to get in the ring with me. And I won’t lie, I’m beaten up, I’m sore, I’m overtrained, overworked and underappreciated but still ready to go. People will always agree that Austin James Mercer turns up every single week, every match and every day. i am ready to get in the ring and face you. And you will get the best of me. Regardless of how I feel right now, you will be facing the former world champion and while I’m sure you want to go out there and do your best and get a victory over me and be able to put that feather in your cap…”
“It won’t be easy Mark.”
“And if I could offer some advice it would be simple. See, I know it would be so easy for you to stand under the tree and reach up to grab the low hanging fruit, to be the same blind morons like Krystal, Bobbie and all the silly little squawking birds, you could try and ignore the reality of what I did, what I was trying to do and also what I have done in the past and call me “whiny” or a “jerk” for attacking Aron or a “coward” despite all the evidence to the contrary. Or, you could show everyone you’re not as stupid as they are..”
“You could accept that I am still one of the best professional wrestlers on this planet and that I could still be at the top and deserve to be in the talks for the title. You could give me that respect. Acknowledge what I have done…..it’s up to you Mark, but at Climax Control you go one on one with one of the greatest in SCW today and ever...and do deny that, to go down that same road everyone else has?..well….that would be a crime...and one I would punish you for..”
