[Mark Ward]

 Post all roleplays for this match here.
One RP per week

Good luck!

[Crimson]

 Prologue:


In the 1950’s the gothic art craze swept Europe again. The art movement that began in France around 1200 AD became popular once again. Many artists throughout France and Europe began using steel in the movement. An artist from Paris named Pierre Travers began using steel to create large gothic art and even structures in some cases. Travers saw other artists all molding steel and thought he could create a whole environment from it. Travers read about the success a man’s new amusement park in Florida was having. “Disneyland” the owner Walt Disney named it.

This intrigued Pierre and he believed his steel gothic art would create an even better amusement park. The artist then sold all of his possessions and gathered his life savings for a move to America. He would travel to Orlando and even visit Disneyland for even further inspiration. A piece of land located in Jupiter, Florida caught Pierre’s attention in a local newspaper one day.

Unknown to Pierre at the time, the two individuals selling the property had a low selling price for a reason. The two men stumbled up on Seminole burial grounds throughout the entire property. The reason the land was untouched was for this very reason. The thick forest did have a clearing ready to build anything on really. Strange accidents happened to loggers during the excavation of the field however, leading the two investors to sell out cheap before word got out.

The night before the three men met to discuss the potential purchase, Pierre had a vivid dream. Legend has it that he spoke with a native american priestess. She claimed to be the human embodiment of pure evil. Pierre would claim she had long black flowing hair with half of her face missing. The skull and empty eye socket visible on one side of her face with a beautiful cherokee native american female on the reverse side. Travers claimed she told him that she was put to death by white men after killing many of them. She claimed a relic was made from her bones by an african witch doctor and a seminole medicine man. They collected her bones after she was burned alive. The african witch doctor and medicine man would construct a relic to expose true evil embodiment should it reappear. Unknowingly creating a powerful item that could be used as a weapon in the wrong hands. Pierre claimed after the dream he was told the exact location of the buried relic. Legend says he dug it up then reburied it somewhere in his beloved amusement park that he established.

Pierre would purchase the property the very next day after his vivid dream. The two individuals selling the property never informed Travers of the seminole burial ground. For the next two years straight he would construct large gothic art structures to be placed throughout the park. He would carefully mold his art into actual rides too. Pierre wanted to keep a mom and pops feel to the place where he was so far away from the main freeway. After finishing the park in late 1957, he decided to open it to the public in March of 1958.

Travers created a huge willow tree out of steel to place at the entrance of the park. Twisted rod iron chains falling straight down to imitate the iconic weeping branches. “GothicWorld”, he would name his creation. A much smaller operation than that of Disneyland. The park would open and actually be a success in the beginning. After a few months however, strange and unexplained things began happening. First a kid was thrown from the coaster and caught a sharp piece of steel to the skull. The child died on impact at the scene. Two months after that Travers was sued after a large woman fell from the top of the ferris wheel. She died before paramedics could respond.

The law expenses began to mount, leaving Pierre Travers near complete bankruptcy. After the third incident involving his own daughter Pierre finally gave up. He closed the doors to his life’s work and three months later was found hanging from the large steel willow tree. Travers claimed in the months leading up to his apparent suicide that an old native american chief was in his head. A voice that told him, “The dead are sacred”, over and over. The owner would be cut down and the weeds and vines around the park would grow high. Rust set in over time leaving the steel stained with an even more creepy hint of orange. The park authority wouldn’t even accept the property for free in 2008. Hidden deep in the woods it became a lost world of sorts. Untouched and unbothered until the summer of 2017.

Tommy Crimson came to Florida this past summer to wrestle full time for Online Championship Wrestling. The contract he signed allowed him to purchase a compound to go with the studio he owns in the Keys. Crimson purchased the amusement park fully knowing that it was a Seminole burial ground. The remaining money he had from his contract Tommy used to repair the rides in order to reopen the park. After hiring employees he opened the park to sustain itself until he got a solid marketing deal going in wrestling. Crimson used his own wrestling moniker for the name, “FuryLand”. In July of last summer, the doors were open and people from all over came to the creepy floridian cousin to Disneyland. In August two children died causing the park to be closed to investigate. Later the park would be found to be not at fault after a large donation came into the Jupiter District Attorney's office. The park was allowed to be reopened but Tommy waited to do that in order to search. Crimson initially bought the property to search for a relic that is believed to be buried somewhere on the property.  He opened the park only to capitalize on his investment while searching.

After locating many old native american relics, Crimson had to halt all searches due to Hurricane Irma. It would devastate the entire state of Florida. The storm would also lead to OCW closing. Crimson would send workers in to clean up the property and repair anything that needed it. Now many of his workers do not even charge a wage. They all want to be apart of the dead eye society. They do anything that Crimson needs done at any time. The park was reopened in October to capitalize on Halloween. Tommy had the park pumped full of satanic imagery that’s hidden in plain sight. Crowds of parents wisp their children into this death trap every single day. Other much larger parks have taken notice of the success of Furyland recently. Crimson has been away wrestling in Australia while it’s been reopened. He’s now returned to finally locate the relic that Pierre Travers buried nearly 60 years ago.







10/18/2017
Jupiter, FL(FuryLand)
1:29 p.m.



The Fury Studios building sits on the back forty of Furyland. The building is located a good distance away from the rides and “noise”. The building is new and large. The workers used the tree’s around the property to build it. The solid building is where Tommy keeps all the expensive camera equipment including the drones. A small pond is a pebble's toss away from the newly built structure. The scene is peaceful and serene. Inside the building is everything that Fury Studios could ever need to produce promotional material for Crimson. At the pond, an unknown woman sits dipping her right hand into the water. She swirls her finger about in complete wonder. A few feet out from her laid out is a dead deer. The deer caught blue tongue and died. She completely ignores the rotting flesh.

Inside the building, in an office on the backside of the building sits Tommy Crimson. He sits at a large round table. The table is shaped like a pentagram with real craftsmanship behind it. A large buck knife sticks in the table top directly in front of Tommy. “Kristopher” is carved just out from the large knife. Camera’s are in every corner of FuryLand including the studio building. All of the footage is kept and archived inside the studio.

Crimson snatches the knife from the table then drags it across “Kristopher”. He continues this until the name is completely scratched out. Tommy then stabs the knife back into the table with real force. The table rocks a bit before settling again. Crimson stands up and walks toward the back door. The office walls are covered in satanic imagery. Maps of FuryLand cover a small chalkboard next to the large table.. Tommy has been looking them over for potential dig sites. He continues out the back door pushing the screen door wide open then allowing it to slam shut. The noise catches the Native American woman’s attention that still plays in the pond water.

She stands up then screams, “CRIMSON!”

Tommy stops dead in his tracks then peers over at her. The bright sun shines in his eyes leading him to squint to see who called out.

“Where have you been?” Tommy calls back out at her.

She stands up then walks toward Crimson. She briefly pets the dead deer before finally walking up to Tommy. He hired the woman to advise him on his next dig.

“The smell of rotting flesh drew me here. That deer got it’s tongue all swelled up to where it could not even drink water. It’s dead.” She explains to Tommy in with detail.

“Listen Atsila, I brought you here because you said you knew about the buried relic.” Tommy replies in a serious tone.

“Atsila” which is cherokee for “fire” looks out across the pond, The ecosystem of the water is alive with many different animals and reptiles. She looks away from Tommy and replies softly with her back still to him, “These woods have legends. Myths even. My great grandfather was Chief when he sold the relic to a frenchman who built this amusement park.”

Crimson watches as the woman begins to shake. Frightened by the legend of the relic she was told as a small child.

“See… This relic was made from the bones of an ancient ancestor of mine. She was my people’s version of what a white man would refer to as Satan.” Atsila explains while still shaking a bit.

Tommy watches as she walks into the water up to her ankles.

“This demon was not male as the white men wrote about in the beginning. Oh No. This devil is female and she killed for sport until the day she died. She kept score with white man scalps and no one would fuck with her.” Atsila further explains the wretched past of her ancestor.

“Legend says my people finally shunned her and ran her this way toward Florida. She came here and was captured while attempting to murder a seminole scout. They found all her scalps then used her bones to capture her true embodiment of evil into the relic.” Atsila now shakes completely frightened.

“My grandfather claimed if a person stares into the relic without being the true embodiment of evil that they would go mad. The person would literally go crazy from the demented voices that engulf their brain. The madness consumes the person whole until they finally kill themselves to find relief. True evil like that can be harnessed and used to accomplish anything.” Atsila explains now in a near whisper in fear others could hear.

Tommy grins wide still behind Atsila. Crimson has done his research and believes this relic to be the most sacred he has ever searched for. Tommy is in the business of finding such relics by any means then actually uses them. Then he will resell them at an even larger price for profit. This particular relic could potentially change his life forever. Tommy approaches slowly from behind Atsila. He slowly leans over her right shoulder then whispers into her ear, “How do I find this relic, Atsila?” The high definition cameras throughout pick up the sound clear as day.

She clears her throat then replies with real resentment in her voice, “It was pure evil so it had to be buried in the center of the five point star to prevent evil doers from digging it up.”

Tommy turns away from Atsila and begins to walk away. Suddenly she turns and takes off after him. She maneuvers herself to get in front of Tommy to hinder his path. Atsila drops to both knees in front of him. She grabs hold of his Sublime shirt then twists her balled fists to get a good hold in order to emphasize the urgency.

“You can’t dig it up, Tommy! Don’t you see? It will bring a curse on this world and if you are that evil it will lead you to be the most powerful mortal in the entire world! That is power a mind like yours can’t wield without burning the entire world to the ground.” Atsila continues to beg using reason.

Tommy looks away over at the rotting deer then back slowly at Atsila.

“I want to watch the world burn. It’s the satisfaction I will get from seeing people that once were happy are left destroyed by tragedy that makes it all worth it. See bitch, it’s all about controlling the minds of others that really gets my cock hard. Watching them work like a puppet by just hearing propaganda I spread to further my own cause. I want to curse Kristopher Ryans. I want that personal hex to be the loss of the thing he covets most. That belt made of gold he keeps then keeps some more.” Crimson explains to Atsila while she is still on her knees.

She opens her mouth wide open to offer sexual favors to persuade Tommy to not go after the relic. Crimson openly laughs at her for that effort. He pushes her to the side then walks back toward the studio in full stride. Tommy enters the office and slams the door behind him. Crimson essentially ignores the businessman now sitting in the chair directly in front of his own desk.

Tommy rushes over to the small chalkboard with the maps of FuryLand. He uses a thin transparent view graph he retrieves from a nearby folder cabinet. Tommy then places his logo underneath the clear sheet and begins to trace the pentagram. After he finishes this, Crimson then places the star over the wide map of FuryLand. He lines the points of the logo up carefully. Tommy takes looks in the center of the drawing and realizes it’s beneath the steel willow tree. This realization makes complete sense with stories he’s heard from locals. The relic is underneath the fucking willow tree.

Tommy turns away from the map smiling ear to ear when he notices the older gentlemen still sitting in front of Crimson’s desk. The smile fades to a near sneer. The businessman holds up both hands to indicate no malice intent.

The older man is Tommy’s banker that has come for a chat. Crimson appears irritated by this man’s very presence now.

“I’ve just had a breakthrough, Jay.” Crimson exclaims at the banker loud and proud.

Jay stands up and positions both hands out in front of his body. He opens his mouth to speak but Tommy halts that quick.

“I need money to finish my dream. I know I owe you a little over a hundred grand. I needed a small loan to get this place able to appeal to families again. You will get your money by the end of the working day today.” Crimson assures the relentless banker.

Jay turns away from Tommy then walks for the backdoor where Crimson just entered. Jay turns around as he gets to the door to face Tommy again. Crimson again cuts him off before he can speak a single word.

“Get the fuck out of here, Jay!” Crimson screams then taunts the out of shape elderly banker.

Jay backs out of the office quickly then turns to run only after pushing the screen door open.

Tommy watches as the frightened man nearly runs over Atsila, whom is still on her knees just outside the back door.

Pixie Paradox comes walking around the corner of the studio. She enters the backdoor and looks right at Tommy.

“Ed Steen is here to dig with a large backhoe.” Pixie informs her significant other.

Tommy nods at her then looks back at the map once again. He smiles then turns and heads out the door. He walks around Atsila who is now openly weeping.

Crimson heads back for the park through the thick forest. The mom and pops operation is in full swing today. The rides are all going with free labor from crazed Tommy Crimson fans all around. The employees all wear the solid white contacts to further Tommy’s brand and by selling dead eye society starter kits by the truck load. Crimson enters the backgate with Pixie not far behind. She pulls a pig head mask over her face after she walks through the gate. The eyes of the mask glow solid white with Crimson influence.

The crowd of people they first encounter is thick. Children beg parents for more rides. Tommy grins as he walks through a small store selling the kits that is completely sold out. More trucks are on the way to cash in even further. Pixie adjusts her mask to slightly improve her vision as she catches up to Crimson. The couple walk past the carousel. A few of the horses are missing heads and have been painted to appear as if they were chopped off. The graphic detail is irresistible to the white trash inhabitants of the surrounding area. Ed Steen meets Crimson at the double iron gate entrance of the park. A large caterpillar sits behind him. Ed reaches out his right hand as Crimson approaches.

Tommy reaches out with his left hand shaking Ed’s hand with a firm no bullshit shake.

“The equipment has arrived and we are ready to dig.” Ed informs Crimson upon releasing his hand.

The park begins to clear out as it closes for a few hours. Ed gets inside the backhoe to wait as the large crowd heads toward the exits. Mr. Steen is completely freaked out by the solid white eyes that all the people leaving have. He even locks the glass door of the backhoe.

Tommy grins when he notices the tough construction guy’s fear of the crowd. Three security guards close the iron front gate after the last patron has vacated the park. Crimson watches as the men all struggle to close the huge gate. The creaking noise of the closing gate can be heard throughout the park. Ed swings the door of the backhoe open then screams in Tommy’s direction, “Where do you want me to dig, Mr. Crimson?”

“I need you to take out the big steel willow tree. That’s where we are digging.” Crimson directs the backhoe operator in a stern tone.

Ed Steen starts up the large piece of machinery. He then drives it toward the large rusty willow tree that has chains to imitate leaves. The chains swing as the piece of equipment heads toward the piece of art in a hurry now. Ed swings around in his seat to control the bucket of the backhoe. He swings the bucket around with controls to hit the side of the steel tree. The tree slumps a bit so he uses the controls to bash it once more with the large bucket. The slumps to the side even further. Gravity takes hold as the tree begins to slide then fall. The huge steel structure is then hit with the large bucket a third decisive time! The steel willow tree falls over exposing three large anvils at the base, that had anchored it to the ground for so many years.

Three large trucks pull up to the front gate all hauling lumber. The driver of the first truck gets out then walks over to the gate. Crimson notices the drones are now active and covering the entire park recording footage overhead.  

Tommy walks over to the large gate and speaks to the man.

“What do you have? Is that my special lumber?” Crimson inquires immediately without hesitation.

The man nods in agreement. “Mike” is written across his shirt.

“The wood has notches toward the top of the boards to indicate how many suicides were successful in which tree. They are all graded and the deaths are all certified.” Mike reluctantly replies.

Crimson peers over at the load. The material has come all the way from Japan. The suicide forest in fact. The lumber was ordered months ago and after throwing money at all the red tape, Crimson has his wood.

Fujikawaguchiko actually have laws protecting the forests. This wood was stolen then shipped alongside other consumer goods. People Crimson paid off at the ports all helped get this precious lumber here. Aokigahara or “Sea of Trees” is the exact forest where this cargo comes from. Now dubbed, “The Suicide Forest”, many people travel there each year to end their lives. It is the second most popular place in the world to commit suicide. Locals believe it to be haunted by lost souls that wander aimlessly. This lumber was actually cheaper than most foreign lumber because it is considered evil or tainted. Tommy made a request for it and the blackmarket delivered per usual.

Crimson begins to open the gate for the trucks to bring the lumber in. The trucks drive through to enter the park. After parking, they all exit the vehicles while pulling on gloves. Not a one wants to spend another second around this park or that lumber. Mike calls out at Tommy, “Do you have any free workers that can help unload this?”

“Here they come now.” Crimson announces proudly.

Across the large gravel parking lot a group can be seen coming. They walk in single file up the road toward the park with real purpose. The group continues across the parking lot in full stride. They all wear bright orange construction worker hats with solid white eyes.

The scene creeps the workers out and they work fast to unload the lumber. The men Crimson sent for walk through the gate then immediately begin helping to unload the lumber. The last of the large troop toward the back are actual carpenters.

Mike is completely shocked by the sheer amount of workers entering the park. All strong men that take the wood carefully checking the notches as if it were a piece to a puzzle. The wood is gone before the carpenters even get inside the park. Mike and his crew attempt to leave in a hurry but the crowd hinders that attempt. Tommy laughs at the frightened men then makes his way back over to Ed Steen, whom is still using the backhoe to dig where the steel willow once stood.

The workers all begin constructing something out of camera shot. The hammering begins just as Crimson gets to back to Ed. He digs carefully searching for anything. After a few more large buckets full of dirt, Steen hits something that causes the entire backhoe to shake. He pulls back in order to retrieve the bucket from the large hole. Ed kills the engine then watches as Crimson walks over to the hole. Tommy leaps down into the unearthed pit. A large Fury Studio’s drone follows him to film. Carefully stacked stones line the floor underneath Crimson’s boots. The backhoe hit rock bottom for sure but it appears to be constructed by man.

Tommy gets on his knees and begins digging the loose earth away from the stones. He finds a skeleton in the center of the stone pile.

“He was the sacrifice.” A voice calls out from above. Crimson looks up to see Atsila peering down at him.

“He was the most pure warrior in the entire tribe. He had to be sacrificed so this evil could be kept here forever. Now you have disturbed this sour ground. The punishment for this unholy offense will be swift and without pity.” Atsila explains further attempting to scare Tommy off.

Crimson looks back down at the stones. He then shoves the skeleton off to the side. He carefully begins removing the stones, tossing them aside in the large hole.

Tommy continues for several minutes removing stones. Finally after the twenty first stone, he locates a box made of silver. Water begins to seep as Tommy wipes the mud off the box then holds it up to further inspect it.

*BARK!*

Crimson drops the box from the sudden sound of a dog’s bark. He looks up to see “Kayfabe”, Pixie’s beloved golden retriever. Tommy tosses a small stone at the dog to lead it to run off. He then turns his attention back to the silver box.

Tommy opens the box with his back turned to the filming drone. He looks up out of the hole then closes the box shut tight. Tommy uses a few roots to pull himself up the side of the large hole. Crimson steps all over the skeleton while attempting to get out. He uses the roots to slowly pull himself up to the rim of the hole. Tommy then places the silver box on the ground then uses his upper body strength to pull himself on up.

Tommy gets out of the hole then carefully picks the box back up. He clutches it close and barks orders as he walks away.

“Those workers will halt construction to help sit this tree back up. It’s one of the main draws of this entire place. Put it back in the fucking ground before I get back.” Crimson screams at Ed, who listens carefully from inside the backhoe. He nods then starts the engine as the construction workers all stop working then turn to head toward the fallen steel willow tree. The camera’s intentionally and carefully avoid showing what the large Crimson construction crew is constructing.

“Get that tree back up! Then finish your task. This park better be reopened in thirty fucking minutes.” Tommy exclaims with a harsh tone at his large group of workers.

Tommy then walks past Pixie, who is on the ground rolling around with her dog. Kayfabe licks her in the face then she notices Crimson. Pixie leaps up to her feet then gives chase.

Crimson heads through the backgate back towards the studio. The drone following him has to fly low to avoid tree branches. Tommy travels down a worn path deep into the forest. He gets back to the studio then walks all the way around the building to the back door. He reenters the office then quickly sits the silver box down on his desk.  

Tommy stands back then looks it over. The light coming through the window from the evening sun causes the box to glisten. Pixie comes in the office with Kayfabe on her heels.

Pixie slumps down on Tommy’s desk with her elbows. She rests her chin on her right knuckle to watch Crimson. He just stares at the box then opens it once more. Pixie can’t catch a peek nor can the cameras at this particular angle.  

“So are you going to sell it to get all that money you need?” Pixie asks from across the desk.

Tommy appears completely annoyed by the question.

“I plan everything to be ready for anything. I knew the time would come that I would need this relic to reach the next level. I also figure that it is priceless. The fortune I seek will be come to me this very day. I need that money to finish what I’ve started. This relic will only further the influence of Tommy Crimson. That box holds my key to victory. The money is for the death blow that proceeds that relic.” Tommy carefully explains to his deranged significant other.

“If the true evil embodiment can look upon the relic without going mad then he will be shown his immediate future. There is a major risk to this, however. If you are not the “One”, you will lose your mind completely.” Tommy continues with a hint of hesitation in his voice. The change of tone catches Pixie’s attention.

“Well… I’ve got to feed the baby.” Pixie replies attempting to escape the awkwardness of the situation.  

Pixie takes off the small backpack she has on. The rubber white eyed plastic babydoll missing half of it’s head creeps most out. This form of therapy is unhealthy but Tommy has the fix. Crimson looks away from the box and over to Pixie. She uses a shotglass to give the fake baby a drink of water. Crimson rolls his eyes then realizes the time has come to unveil his surprise for Pixie.

The phone sitting on Crimson’s desk suddenly rings. Tommy quickly takes a seat then answers.

“Hello?” Crimson calls out into the receiver.

Tommy listens to the person on the other end talk. “Perfect timing. Bring her in, Deshaun.” He replies after a few moments.

Deshaun is the best security person on staff currently at FuryLand. Tommy winks at Pixie after he hangs up the phone. She pulls at the plastic babydoll’s head, twisting it apart from it’s body.

“It’s not a real baby, Tommy. I wanted a real one.” Pixie exclaims at Crimson with real hurt in her eyes.

A sudden knock on the screen door alarms both Pixie and Tommy. They turn to look immediately to see Deshaun knocking. “Come on in.” Tommy calls out at the doorway.

Deshaun walks into the room with a shocked look across his face. Eyes are both wide with disbelief of some sort. Tommy grins then uses his hands to indicate Deshaun to spit it out.

“Mr. Crimson… The woman you requested be here has arrived. She’s right outside the door. I have to resign now. I can’t work here anymore after realizing what you have done, Mr. Crimson. I quit.” Deshaun announces then turns and exits out the screen door allowing it to slam shut. Tommy laughs then watches as Pixie quickly rushes to the door. First she peers through the screen but can’t see. So Pixie swings the door open then her mouth drops.

Tommy watches on still seated behind his desk. Pixie slowly brings a hand up to cover her mouth then she pulls the pig mask back over her head as she backs away from the doorway.

A woman suddenly walks through the door. Not just any woman by any means. A public made celebrity perceived to be a horrible mother that was also once upon a time actually charged with the murder of her own child, Casey Anthony. The infamous mother walks in with a large round belly. She was tried for the murder of her toddler in Florida. The case was global news feast. Partying at clubs and getting drunk in the month after her toddler went “missing”. Casey was acquitted after a lengthy trial in Orlando. The verdict of her trial remains the most controversial ever. Years following the trial she had to disappear from the public hidden in Florida somewhere. Now she stands in Tommy Crimson’s office pregnant with a new child. Pixie is completely horrified by her mere presence.

“Hey sweetheart. How are you?” Crimson calls out at Casey Anthony.

She turns her head slightly then uses both hands to rub her pregnant belly.

“This baby wants to come out.” Casey explains while attempting to flirt infuriating Pixie even further.

Tommy snaps his fingers to get Pixie’s attention. She tosses the doll she’s snapped in two to the side then faces Crimson. They lock eyes.

“She is the surrogate for our new baby. A real live baby like you want.” Crimson informs Pixie.

Paradox appears shocked by the news but then replies with a question, “So you used artificial insemination to do it, right?”

Tommy laughs then shakes his head leading Pixie to slump over slightly from heartbreak.

“Oh No… I fucked her to get her pregnant, Pixie. I liked it, too. I shot load after load into that murdering whore. Finally my seed took and she’s now with child.” Crimson replies with cold hearted intent.

Casey just smiles and continues to rub her belly. She completely ignores the names that Tommy calls her.

“See Pixie… You are weak. Just like Kristopher. Once you were strong willed and could do anything but not now. You lack discipline. You sold out just like Ryans did. I smell the scent of my enemy on you. Pixie you aren’t worthy of carrying my child. My child must be like me but even more evil and demented. This child will be raised with standards not afforded to most of the sheep. You couldn’t conceive such a child. Casey could.” Crimson enlightens Pixie.

“I love you, Tommy. I didn’t want to give up our boy. I wanted to raise him.” Pixie gasps out with tears rolling down both of her cheeks. Her mascara begins to run as she tosses the pig mask to the side alongside the doll parts.

“That baby would have been a drug baby. Mentally retarded no doubt. I dare not have my name tied to any mentally challenged persons of any kind. My son will be of strong mind and body. Not some drug baby from a basement pornstar that doesn’t fuck that great to begin with.” Crimson insults Pixie without mercy.

Casey continues to rub her belly and smile. She ignores everything going on around her. Pixie snatches up the silver box suddenly.

Tommy stands up then slowly gives chase. Pixie dashes through the forest now barefoot holding the silver box tight. Crimson is completely annoyed now but takes off after Pixie. She gets to the backgate then quickly heads through the park. A drone tails her closely overhead. One also follows Tommy through the forest again. Pixie gets to the willow tree, that is now standing upright and anchored in once more. She looks over and realizes the important project has just been finished.

The camera’s finally reveal what the workers were building this whole time. The stage was finished quickly by the group of seventy men. They used the suicide forest wood to construct a small stage with a roof over head. They also used it to construct benches directly in front of the stage. It shines from being sanded down to a beautiful finish. The workers all leave the park passing patrons who are now allowed to renter. The park slowly comes to life but Pixie stands in the middle of all the people coming in for a real show.

Tommy comes sprinting in when he spots Pixie. Crimson slows his jog to a walk as the patrons enter to enjoy all the rides. Pixie squats down on the ground. She then opens the box and retrieves something out of it! Tommy is mortified by her touching the relic. Pixie holds the item in her hand that is covered by a piece of leather. She slowly begins to pull away the leather but Crimson calls outs, “Don’t!”

Pixie ignores him and pulls off the leather casing. The hand mirror is exposed to sunlight for the first time in over a century. The bone handle and even the casing around the mirror are all human. Pixie turns the mirror around and any light reflected from it burns. She finally turns it to face her. Pixie looks deep into the mirror. Tommy drops the hand he had extended to stop Pixie. She looks into the mirror and her face turns grim in a matter of seconds. Her eyes widen as she screams out loud. Paradox then begins to shake her head around. The images projected into her mind from the mirror caused her to blow a fuse. Pixie drops the mirror and it lands on the ground mirror side down. The whole back of the mirror was made from pieces of a human skull.

Pixie begins to thrash around on the ground while holding her head. Some unknown noise rattles around in her brain. Atsila appears alongside Tommy out of nowhere.

“You must bind her. She will kill herself if you don’t.” Atsila advises.

A few of the security guards who remain hold her down while Crimson binds her hands then feet. The rest of his small security walk out after that. They attempt to put as much distance between them and the mirror as possible.

Crimson leaves Pixie tied up next to the steel willow tree. The drones all hover above now and even cameramen have arrived for the moment the entire wrestling world waits patiently for.  

People come into the park all with solid white eyes. They ride the rides and spend all their hard earned money on anything with “Crimson” written across it. They ignore the incident with Pixie completely. The patrons don’t even take the first photo of it for fear it may hurt the reputation of FuryLand in some way, also the waiver they each signed at the gate.

Tommy looks at the mirror from a distance. He approaches it slow and carefully. Pixie lost her mind after she looked into it. Now Crimson finds himself wrestling with looking into it himself. He shuffles his feet closer towards the mirror. Tommy finally reaches the mirror but before he can bend to retrieve it, Atsila’s voice rings in his ear, “Only the “One” can see his own reflection. If you aren’t worthy you will go mad and lose everything. The mirror will show you the future and evil will linger around you for the rest of your days if you are the true evil embodiment..”

Tommy takes her advice under serious consideration. He hesitates to pick up the mirror. Crimson suddenly falls to one knee. He looks the mirror over once more then realizes it must be done. Crimson slowly picks the mirror up by the bone handle. He breathes in heavily then flips the mirror around. Eight different camera angles catch the shot.

Crimson peers deep into the mirror. A thousand voices enter his head. He panics believing he will go mad but the voices die out abruptly. The reflection staring back at Tommy is him. Crimson’s eyes roll back into his head suddenly. The mirror gives Crimson a glimpse of his own future. Tommy shakes around from the mirror’s hold on him. The mirror then releases him and gives all its remaining power to Tommy in a huge burst. The mirror shatters into a thousand pieces in front of eight different cameras. The cameramen scoot back away Tommy after the display. The bone handle and back of the mirror turn to dust and flutter away after a short gust of wind.

Crimson finally stands back up. Tommy then turns away from the camera’s and shakes his head to catch his bearings. Crimson turns back toward the camera’s and opens his eyes. Both eyes are now solid black to hail Tommy as king over the Legion of Crimson. He begins to walk toward the stage built from the suicide forest lumber. Even patrons walking about avoid the new stage. The creepy vibe of the small stage is high.

A worker from the park comes out to Crimson holding his human face and skin jacket. He carefully slips it on then walks toward the stage in full stride now. The mirror being destroyed allowed Pixie to come back from the madness. She now sits hog tied next to the front gate in total distress. Kayfabe comes over to try to comfort Pixie.

Tommy ties his red mop back as he walks up the steps of the stage. People begin to huddle around the newly built structure. They sit on the benches located in front of the stage. The lumber still proudly shows the notches cut in to indicate that tree’s suicide count. The stage was ordered this morning and was finished by four p.m.

The drones fly in low to film and all the camera’s throughout are set to “Global”. Tommy tops the steps of the stage then crosses it. The new boards creak as in response to Crimson’s body weight.    .

A FuryLand employee walks out on the stage and props an apple i-pad in the corner. The device shows Crimson which countries is streaming the feed live in real time.

Tommy walks out to the center of the stage. The entire thing has been wired to pick up the slightest sound. No mic required here today. Crimson struts across the stage as a crowd from the park visitors begins to form. The camera’s all focus in on Tommy.

“The time has come, Kris. Your day of reckoning will be upon you before you know it. That day you always knew would come but kept handing out dumb catchphrases to counter and dismiss the very thought. The day you lose that Roulette Championship now has a date and time.” Crimson exclaims at the crowd and cameras.

“Now I have completed my task here in Florida. I found what I was looking for. The story it told me was beautiful. You were apart of that story, Ryans.” Crimson reveals then turns away slowly.

“I saw the future clear as day. You will lose. I saved my sure thing for you, Kristopher. I bought this property and led it to prosper while I searched. Day after day I would search for just a small peek into the future at the perfect moment. That moment was a mere ten minutes ago, Kris. The story ended with you laid out on your back sucking air in complete disbelief.” Crimson explains in great detail.

“I refuse to come after you for opponents you defeated before me. I know they aren’t as good as I, Kris. You know that too as does whoever posts the cards in SCW. Those opponents found ways to lose. They searched so hard for that one thing to beat you that they lost focus completely. A man like you needs beaten senseless as much as possible. Someone like yourself needs to be broken before he can truly fight the good fight. That battle you insist upon waging will cost you that belt. Pinning your back against the wall facing a truly worthy opponent you can’t contain with catchphrases or crude hit or miss humor.” Tommy insults openly.

“Kristopher wants to believe he can’t beat me. It gives him real purpose to go on. I’ve said it before that he’s tired, drained, and primed to be beaten. Ryan’s changed his image to mirror that of highly influential female in his life. One that I had tied up and gagged before sending him to the hospital.” Tommy continues to run down his opponent.

“It’s way past due. Ryans uses that belt to further a brand that was spinning it’s wheels. He had to change everything about himself to be more marketable after holding a title for months upon months. That was a move that exposed you, Kris. When you completely changed without a reason it left you open for such charges. You can’t draw like SCW claims you can. Just because you claim to have morals now and that all that bad behavior is behind means dick to me, honestly.” Crimson laughs briefly then walks across the stage. His gaze never waivers from the camera’s.

“This stage was constructed to contain my anger and fury. I spent thousands of dollars to have it built with special wood. I wanted to keep this promo in perspective so I could project it worldwide unfiltered. I want my message to be heard without any confusion, Kristopher Ryans.” Crimson wholeheartedly promises his next opponent.  

“You can spin my message anyway you like but it will not matter. When everything's said and done. you will be without that strap. You will have to watch me take it because you can’t do anything to stop it from happening. Kristopher has become accustomed to being the aggressor and has used this strategy to succeed beyond belief.” Tommy expresses respect for that aspect of his opponent's character.

“I can seize on that strategy, Kristopher. I want you to change up your style and really give Tommy Crimson a challenge. I’ve waited six months for a real challenge and here you are. I know you believe inside that egotistical head of yours you believe you can pull it off. I love that fact. I want to see the look in your eyes when my hand is raised and all that work you put in  over the past year launches my fucking career here.” Crimson spews more hateful words then turns to look out across the crowd. The crowd that has gathered are completely consumed with Tommy’s live promotional event.

“When I call you egotistical… I know you may question that so allow me to explain further. I understand that Kali’s influence on you has led to a change of heart for you. That change is all external because you are a con deep down. You want these people to believe you can change and become a different person when we both know that’s total bullshit. You are egotistical and drunk on glory. You yearn glory now like a frat boy does pussy. You live for it now. I think once you can’t build on anything you will crumble, fail, then fall off to the side forgotten. Once I take that belt you lose that credibility you build on week after crucial week. I want nothing more to stall your career so I can leapfrog you.” Crimson reveals his true intent.

Tommy stands on the stage in front of the large crowd. People are still all throughout the park enjoying the park before closing. Crimson flexes his arms out and can almost feel the power he accepted from the mirror now. He points his ire and fury back at Kris.

“It took me only two matches to get to you, Kristopher. I won both and I will win this one, too. I am a star that you can’t hold down or wish away. This match is the best one on the entire card. Like I said before, I fully intend on stealing that show. I refuse to be followed after they all see what I do to you. When they see all that power you need like a drug is taken away suddenly. Can you handle such a blow now? Or will you succumb to failure like the bitch that I think you are.” Tommy mocks the champion’s manhood openly.

Crimson calls a man from the crowd up on to the stage. The man is wearing a blue striped collared mechanics shirt. Tommy then calls a female from the crowd. She is wearing an H&R Block polo shirt. Tommy turns to the large african american man. Crimson points at the man’s name tag. It reads, “Bob”.

“Bob is a mechanic. He works in the Seattle area. Bob came here today to help build this stage. The work he put in here today will help end Kristopher Ryans. Now Bob, explain why you are important.” Crimson instructs the polite mechanic.

Bob steps out in front of Tommy with his head down at the ground. Bob clears his throat then slowly raises his head. Both of his eyes are solid white.

“Last week I changed the brakes out on Heather Ryans vehicle. She brought it in and then a voice spoke to me.” Bob explains.

“What did it say, Bob?” Crimson inquires immediately.

“I’ll never tell.” Bob promises then slowly backs away then shuffles off stage. Crimson then turns to the female.

“This is Candy. She does taxes in the same area where Bob works. As you can see she works for a company but also does personal work on the side for wealthier clients. What makes you special, Candy?” Crimson asks the female tax specialist.

Candy walks out in front of Tommy shy of the crowd. She also has solid white eyes heavily influenced by Crimson.

“I did Heather’s taxes months ago and recently went back to look over it. The audit could cost them heavy fines.” Candy openly admits her dirty deed. She then ducks off the side of the stage too.

Crimson struts across the stage. The two people disappear in the crowd. Tommy stops and faces the crowd once more.

“That is what you have failed to realize, Kris. My influence is all around you and those that you love. Heather and Kali will eventually venture out to shop and live life. Then what? These people are dangerous and I can’t help what they do to those you love, Ryans. Are you capable of keeping the ones you love most safe? No.” Crimson answers his own rhetorical question quickly.

“You may think I paid a few crisis actors to follow me around all white eyed? That’s actually how it all began but then I gained a real hold on all these weak people. Much like the hold I have on you. I know you are uncomfortable, Kris. I believe you are scared of me. That tough act only goes so far and then you end up knocked out in a trap that I set personally.” Crimson brags about his deceit.

“I know you think you have proven yourself but I don’t believe that you actually buy that. These men you faced were not on your level. I have built a legacy in Japan and was working on doing the same in America before than drunk country singer ran OCW into the fucking dirt. Now all the wrestling sites and magazines that remain in Australia are writing about me.” Tommy continues to speak to the crowd and play to the cameras all around.

The wood of the stage floor begins to smoke suddenly. The tainted lumber continues to shock the crowd and even a skeptic like Tommy. The smoke clears and Crimson becomes visible once more.

“Many men have stood in this same position and professed how they would defeat Kristopher and take his title. Ryan Keys stood here. James Tuscini stood here. Joshua Acquin and Travis Andrews all stood in the same exact spot I do now. These men don’t have it like you do, Kris. They would fight you but then ended up all failing in their endeavors. I watched the tape so close to see a mistake or blemish in your game somewhere in all those matches. None of those men took you to the limit. They none were capable of going places that a Ryans/Crimson match can go. The distance I will take that match will wear you out much like this promo has. Can you even process all that has transpired here today? I doubt it. You are tired and begging for someone to take that belt. It’s me, Kris. I Am That Guy. I’ve simply come to put you out of your misery.” Crimson laughs after mocking his opponent’s obvious fatigue.

“I think you got lucky is all. That’s my honest opinion of this near year long title reign of yours. You Got Lucky. You survived these men to remain champion all this time despite all the odds. That all ends at High Stakes. Sliding by with luck or not getting the best possible opponent has in all actuality made you weaker and weaker. That’s why I won’t be surprised when I beat you. I will take that belt that no other man in this company was able to take. I will beat the man no other man in all of SCW could defeat. That will propel me over you so I can take out anyone at the top. You will legitimize me, Kris. I will become a main eventer off your back because I use stepping stones for what they are for. There is a legitimate purpose for all this success you have had.” Crimson suddenly stops and turns away from the cameras and crowd. He then slowly turns back around. Tommy leans in close and the drones stream the feed live throughout the entire world.

“Kristopher… I want you to know that I have always wanted to defeat someone in the position you are in. You are perceived to be unbeatable. The SCW Golden Boy in the flesh! There is nothing in this business that Kristopher Ryans can’t do or so I’ve been told. Well what does that say about me when I finish you at High Stakes? People for a hundred years will write of the night that Crimson slayed the proverbial dragon, Kristopher Ryans. He couldn’t spit fire but did favor a scrawny hipster with a real problematic eating disorder. None of that will matter when you get tired deep in that match, Kris. You will want to fall before I am ready for you to. You will beg to give in before I am done, but I will not allow it. I will steal that show before I let your pussy ass quit.. I have carried top stars all over the world. You may not think I will have to with you...” Crimson exclaims then a video clip flashes across the screen.



The crowd can’t see it but the feed being sent out to the masses has it edited in on the fly. Fury Studios is killing it when Crimson comes back into focus.

“I create to destroy. It’s something I’ve done for years and it's beginning to really make me a wealthy man. This life I’ve chosen of breaking heroes is something I take great pride in. I enjoy watching a man that previous believed himself to be better than anyone realize in a moment of total clarity that he is no Tommy Crimson in the squared circle. You will believe this up until the very moment you face me, Kristopher. So show everyone that hero tough act you pull off half assed to begin with. That shtick just doesn’t fly with who you really are inside. How can any of us buy you for something you’re not? You’re no hero. You are no man of the people. You are just another scared little boy standing in my fucking way. I hope when you realize you don’t have it in that match leads you to piss yourself. If it’s in the back I’ll know for sure then you are in fact dickless. I want to show the whole world who you really are. The exposure alone is blockbuster worthy. With you out of my way there will be no one left in this company who can stop me. Are you man enough, Ryans? To stop me? DO IT you little bitch, I Double Dare You.” Crimson taunts his opponent with his final remarks.

Crimson leaps off the stage then makes his way through the crowd that has formed around the stage. They all cheer and chant Tommy’s name but he completely ignores the praise. He appears almost annoyed by it. A lincoln limo has pulled up to the front gate of FuryLand. The workers that remain all have solid white eyes. The rest left after many different strange things happened throughout the day. The limo at the gate is followed by two black SUV. The tail cars are obviously heavy security. Tommy walks up to gate then approaches the limo carefully.

Pixie sits over by the gate completely distraught at this point. Her loyal retriever, Kayfabe, now sits by her side while she weeps still bound.

Meanwhile on the other side of the large gate, Tommy approaches the back window on the passenger side of the long vehicle. The window rolls down after the occupant presses a button on the door handle. A gloved small hand comes out of the window! What appears to be a female’s hand shakes Crimson’s tightly.

“I wanted to deliver it personally, Sugar!” A female voice calls out from the open window.

The door swings open then a short voluptuous looking woman steps out. The drone overhead finally gets a clear shot of her face. The female is country music legend, Dolly Parton. Security rush over to her as soon as she steps foot outside of the limo. Three large men stand behind her while she faces Tommy Crimson.

“I see the park is thriving in the fall. This weather allows for a much longer season than back in Tennessee.” Dolly informs Tommy.

Crimson laughs then looks over at the crowds in his park. They now don’t have the white eyes but their actual eye colors. They all appear to be having fun inside the park. Dolly takes note of this then reaches in her blouse. She retrieves a square piece of paper. Crimson reaches for it but she doesn’t allow him to have it just yet.

“Not Yet. This place has a dark past. I know about it but I intend to change that opinion. I will put in water rides and slides all over this property. This new park will carry the Dollywood name and create a wholesome place for families to come.” Dolly assures herself before handing the apparent check over to Tommy.

He looks at the amount she’s paying and nearly passes out. Seven figures on an initial four hundred thousand dollar investment.

Crimson is completely shocked by what she’s willing to pay for this mom and pops amusement park. He hides that enthusiasm from Dolly.

“I even got that stage built you wanted to sing on.” Tommy brags on himself to the celebrity.

Dolly peers through the gate and can see the newly constructed stage where Tommy just tore Ryans a new asshole. She grins then nods that she is grateful for the extra work. Dolly has no idea where the boards used to build it came from.

“The Dollywood of Florida”. Sounds like a real white trash paradise. I am leaving this place and moving on with the money I’ve made. It’s time to start my empire. Ground level investors will see immediate returns when buying stock in Tommy Crimson.” Tommy boasts at Dolly. She laughs then replies, “Well Sugar… Good luck with that.”

Dolly sits back down in her seat, inside the limo. The large bodyguards watch her close around this creepy guy selling a creepy amusement park. Crimson nods at them then at Dolly as she prepares to take off. She has bought the amusement park and now owns it. She will clear it off then build water rides all over the seminole native americans buried throughout the property. A methodical madman just took her like he has so many like her before. Crimson walks back through the large gate.

Pixie is now laid over on her side out from the gate. Tommy grins at her briefly then notices a blue ball on the ground. He walks over then bends down to pick it up.

“Kayfabe! Fetch!” Crimson yells at Pixie’s golden retriever.

Tommy then tosses the ball over the tall gate and directly over the cars turning around. Dolly’s limo has built up some speed now after turning when the blue ball lands fifteen feet in front of the moving vehicle. Pixie watches as her beloved dog runs directly in front of the limo. Tommy celebrates after placing the ball in the exact spot where he aimed. Pixie screams when the dog is hit! The dog goes underneath the limo then the both driver side tires. The limo halts to a complete stop on the gravel road but it’s too late.

Pixie watches Crimson turn back towards her. He smiles from ear to ear after his evil deed. She slowly lowers her head flat to the ground, still bound. Tears trail down both of her cheeks after she witnesses Crimson kill “Kayfabe” on purpose.

Tommy locks eyes with her. The looks tells Pixie everything. She knows she caused this to happen because she grabbed the silver box earlier. This tactic is used by Crimson to break female lovers often with huge success. Pixie continues to cry uncontrollably while Tommy looks over the seven figure check once again. The money he’s needed to complete his dream is now in his hands. Crimson knows his life will never be the same after the moment. He clutches the check close then turns slowly to the hovering drone.

”I’m coming.” Crimson threatens Kristopher.

A frightening female scream can be heard. It is followed by the Fury Studios logo as the scene fades to black.

To Be Continued.





 

[Kristopher Ryans]

 High Stakes Fan Event
Las Vegas Convention Center
Tuesday, 17 October 2017.
OFF-Camera

It had been a long day. Even worse, it had come at the end of a long flight. Flying from Australia, back to the states had always been a flight that he hated, and being released from the hospital just a couple hours before boarding had not made it any easier. He had slept off most of the flight, which was not hard to do on a mostly empty private plane, and was at least a little refreshed by the time he landed. However, that was hours ago. He spent the morning at his table, signing autographs and shaking hands. It was the kind of thing that he had been indifferent about until recently, but now enjoyed. It also meant having the same conversation dozens of times in a day. Everyone is your biggest fan. Everyone is curious about the change of heart. Everyone wants to see him win at High Stakes. He understood, because otherwise, why would they be in his line? Why would they want to take a picture to show off to their friends and family? So he endured. Not because he had to. He could have left. In fact, he had left dozens of these events early in the past. When he got up from his desk, the crew around him expected that he would be continuing the trend. He enjoyed the surprise on their face when he told everyone in line that he just needed some fresh air and would be right back. Kris scooped up the SCW Roulette Championship off of his table, and put it over his shoulder. With a wave, he disappeared behind the curtain that functioned as his backdrop, and out onto the convention center floor. Almost immediately, several crew members surrounded him, and walked him through to a back exit door. They formed a barrier between Kris and anyone that would look to follow him, and the champion disappeared through it, out to the back lot of the facility. He closes his eyes as the sun hits his face, and takes a deep breath.

Fan: “...and here I was thinking that I was wasting my time because you don’t smoke anymore."

Kris spins on his heel, sliding the championship off of his shoulder, down his arm, and into his hand. His left hand balls into a fist, ready to take a shot at whoever owned the voice that caught him off guard. When he lays eyes on the man, he has his hands raised up in innocence. In his right hand is a cigarette, burned most of the way down. Kris’ eyes dart around their immediate surroundings, seeing several identical filters on the ground at the fan’s feet. He had been out here for a while, but that is not what bothered the Roulette Champion.  If his words were any indication, he had been waiting for Kris, and that never turned out well.

Fan: “Tommy Crimson really has you all fucked up, doesn’t he? Look at you!”

The fan drops one of his hands, and points at Kris’ clenched fist with a smile on his face. Kris had not even realized that he had made a fist, or was prepared to fight. The reaction was completely instinctual, and once it was brought to his attention, he relaxed. He sizes the man up, seeing he had both a height and weight advantage. The fact that he was a fan made him less intimidating as well. There was something that left the champion unsettled though. This man knew who he was, knew what was going on, and was waiting to talk to him.

Fan: “Calm down. I saw Climax Control. I understand why you would be on edge after getting dropped like that…. And when you were doing so well too… It was almost sad to see."

This was not what he came out here for. Kris just needed a few minutes away from the questions, and the advice. He needs a time to breathe, and recenter himself. Kali had been sent home following the attack. Heather was not on tour with them. For the first time in a long time, he was entirely on his own. This was supposed to be a break from everything, not a lecture.

Kris: “Look man, no offense, but I’m just trying to get some air. You have something you need to say, or want a picture, there is a line back that way."

The champion points back at the door he came out of in the hopes that it would end the conversation. However, almost as soon as the words were gone, he knew that they were not going to have any impact. The fan shrugs, and flicks away his cigarette without finishing it.

Fan: “Don’t lump me in with the rest of them. I might be a fan of yours, but I am not one of them. Sin City is not the only company promoting things today. Yeah, High Stakes is a big deal, but you’re not the only company in town."

The fan steps forward, and extends his hand. Kris notices that it is his left. In addition to the information that he had already thrown at Kris, obviously he was also well aware of his handedness. The uneasy feeling that the champion had when he came through the door was starting to come back, but he steps forward, and accepts the man’s hand into his own.

Fan: “Kyle Kavanagh, and you can trust me when I say that I actually am your biggest fan."

He points back over his shoulder, and shakes his head.

Kyle: “Those people in there are not fans. They are sheep. If you pander to them a little, they will love you. If you turn on them, they will hate you. They don’t know what it means to be a real fan. They are the equivalent of the people who change sports teams based on who won the last championship."

Kris lets go of the man’s hand, and takes a step back. He was not sure where this was all leading, and now the fandom was bordering on stalking. The man was not physically intimidating by any means. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt, black cargo pants, and shoes that were not meant to run in. If it came to blows, Kris was confident he could take him. If by chance he was wrong, he knew he could outrun him.

Kris: “Thanks for following me… I guess. It is nice to know that people think I---”

Kyle cuts him off, and finishes Kris’ thought for him. The timing of the words, the lightly joking tone, and even the pause to chuckle were identical to the way that Kris repeated the line to fans over and over again at every event.

Kyle: “I’m interesting enough to pay attention to. This is all that I ever wanted to do with my life… at least once drugs were off of the table."

Kris’ brow furrows as he raises his eyebrows and a slight smirk comes across his face. He raises his hands, but Kyle is quicker to the motion. The two both sarcastically clap their hands lightly three times. Kris cannot stop the words from coming out of his mouth at the same time as Kyle’s.

Kris: “I’m impressed."
Kyle: “I’m impressed."

The smirk disappears, and Kris’ voice raises. He was done playing this game with a man that he did not even know. If he was honest, it was bordering on creepy. Something about this whole meeting had him just as on edge as when he was in the room with Crimson. Kyle holds up his hands though, and tries to ease his fears.

Kyle: “I told you that I am a fan. It means I have been paying attention Kris. I have watched your whole career in SCW. I even caught your stuff in Pride, and Force 1. You can’t expect to talk to me like you do the people in there. Crimson might tell you that he can see behind the curtain, but rest assured that I know which parts of what you do are an act, and which parts aren’t."

Kris shakes his head and brings the Roulette Championship back up onto his shoulder. He takes a step forward, looking to go around Kyle and back into the building. Before he can though, Kyle steps into his path, and cuts him off from the door.

Kris: “You can let me go around you, or I can go through you, but I don’t have to stand here and have this conversation with you. I don’t know you. I don’t owe you anything. I definitely don’t need you to tell me things that I already know."

Kyle is not caught off guard, or even remotely surprised that Kris’ tone changes. He knew it was going to come to this. Nobody ever wanted to participate in a conversation full of hard truths. It was actually what made most people hate Kyle. What Kyle knew that Kris did not, was that Kris needed to hear what he had to say.

Kyle: “You can’t go into the match as a Nobody. You can’t be Kris Halc, or Halich anymore. If you do, you’ll lose. Crimson will beat you and you will have nobody to blame but yourself."

Finally, Kris snaps. There were no cameras around, and this was not a social media platform. Whoever this guy was, he knew which buttons to push and which order to push them in, because Kris explodes. His voice raises loud enough to cut through the door.

Kris: “I have to. I can’t hold back anymore! You saw what happened on Climax Control! I let him push me! I let him dig at me! I tried to blow it off! I wasn’t going to let him get at me, and look what happened! He took Kali, tied her up, and then used her to get the drop on me! The old me? The Nobody? If he wants that guy so bad, that guy can take him apart for all I care!”

The door pops open, and two of the security guards step through. As soon as Kris lays eyes on them, he closes his mouth. Kyle turns to look back over his shoulder, not intimidated by the fact that each of the two men were at least twice his size.

Kyle: “This is a private conversation gentlemen, can we get some space?”

His tone is cool and collected, which catches both men by surprise. Kyle even goes as far as to sell it with a smile that eases their fears. Both men look up at Kris, who shakes his head and raises a hand to wave them off. Without argument, the two go back inside, and close the door behind them. Kyle watches the door closed, and appears proud of himself when he turns back to Kris.

Kyle: “Those are some impressive trained dogs you have there. Did it take long to housebreak them?”

Kris laughs, welcoming any change of subject following his outburst. He nods towards the door.

Kris: “The bigger one still shits on the floor occasionally, but the ugly one takes care of it for me."

Kyle is already done with the distraction though. He reaches into the leg pocket of his pants, and pulls out a soft pack of cigarettes. He slaps the top of it, and one pops up through the top. He raises it to his lips, and pulls it from the pack without touching the filter with his fingers. One hand works the pack back into his pocket while the other finds his lighter.

Kyle: “Tell me why you saved Mikah…”

The words are slightly muffled, but clear enough to be understood through the cigarette. He raises the lighter as Kris struggles to figure out what he is talking about. Kyle takes a long drag from the cigarette and pulls it away from his lips. He exhales, and then helps Kris out.

Kyle: “On your birthday. Mikah’s little wardrobe malfunction. You saved the day, and possibly her career. Before the cameras caught anything you scooped her up and got her out of there. Her opponents would have used that against her for months, but you stopped it. You were the guy that wasn’t supposed to give a shit about anything, but you stepped in to protect her."

Kyle meets Kris’ eyes, and takes another drag from the cigarette. He does not exhale before speaking, and small bits of smoke come from his mouth alongside his words.

Kyle: “I mean you had been talking about getting her top off on social media for weeks at that point. You were given the chance, and you chose to save her the embarrassment."

He exhales the rest of the smoke, and shakes his head.

Kyle: “Your opponents could have used that against you. I would have. I mean it was one of the first looks that we got behind the mask. It was a little crack in the armor that was Kris Halc. There was more to it than that though. You showed us all something new. Why?”

Kris struggles with it, but something tells him that lying his way out of it was not going to work. Every time he tried to blow Kyle off, he had his reaction scouted. With nobody around to corroborate the story, Kris figured there was no harm in answering honestly.

Kris: “I didn’t want her to lose everything because of a party she organized for me. I didn’t want it to turn her into a punchline. If that meant that people made fun of me for being soft, I could handle that. I was undefeated for a long while at that point. I had control of the show. Anybody that spoke out against me, I could have taken care of one way or another. She didn’t need to live through that."

Kyle raises his free hand up, and brings the tip of his thumb together with the rest of his fingers. He repeats the motion a few times, a way of making fun of Kris for talking a lot but not saying anything.

Kyle: “It’s simpler than that and you know it."

Kris takes a sharp breath in, trying not to explode again. He forces all of the negativity into the back of his head, and says the first thing that comes to mind.

Kris: “It was the right thing to do for a friend."

Kyle shakes his head. He was closer, but he was not there yet.

Kyle: “So if it had been anyone else you would have just enjoyed the sight? You would have pointed and laughed if it were Mercedes, or Veronica, or Jessie?”

Kris opens his mouth, but again Kyle says the words before he can get it out. His pacing, and even the sound of his voice mimics Kris’ perfectly.

Kyle: “Well… no."

Kris locks onto Kyle’s eyes with his own and yells out louder than before.

Kris: “STOP DOING THAT!”

Kyle shrugs, and takes another drag from the cigarette. He holds it away from Kris, and flicks the end of it, sending ashes flying through the air.

Kyle: “Stop lying to me then."

Kris sighs heavily and moves towards the door.

Kris: “I don’t owe you anything dude…”

He reaches for the door, but as soon as he pulls the handle, Kyle spins and brings his leg up to kick the door closed. Kris moves his hand from the handle, and swings at the smaller man, but Kyle hops back, avoiding contact. He tosses the cigarette, and uses his free hand to bat Kris’ second shot away before it can make contact with him. Kris swings a third time, and Kyle ducks under his arm. On the way under though, Kyle reaches out and grabs the bottom strap of the Roulette Championship. He pulls it away from Kris while he is off balance, and holds it in his hand. Kris turns back towards him infuriated, but Kyle holds it out in front of his face.

Kyle: “Crimson is going to do the same thing if you don’t shut up and just listen to me…."

He extends his arm and offers Kris the championship.

Kyle: “...and he’s not going to give it back as easily."

He seems hesitant to take it, but Kyle makes no move to pull it away when he reaches out. Kris takes it, and positions it back on his shoulder.

Kyle: “You helped Mikah because you started to realize what people like me have always known. You got dealt a shit hand in life, and you bought into the idea that you were a piece of shit. It wasn’t enough that everyone else thought it about you, you believed it about yourself. It’s why you got into the drugs. It’s why you competed while hurt in Japan. It’s why your career, until this last year, has been a series of disappointments."

Kris rolls his eyes, but Kyle reaches out and slaps him across the right cheek. It is not hard enough to hurt, but it definitely gets Kris’ attention. His eyes ignite when he refocuses on Kyle, and the smaller of the two men can tell that the champion is having a hard time not lashing out again. The fact that he holds back only works to prove his point though. He knew that whatever Kyle had to say was important enough for him to take this chance talking to him.

Kyle: “You came back with the right attitude, and you started winning. Something was different. Something was better. You weren’t miserable anymore, you were having fun. Yeah, you stumbled. It was never thrown out there, but Jet City broke up because you were struggling again, didn’t it?”

Kris knew exactly what he meant, even without saying the words. He flashes back to the conversation he had with Jason in that hotel room. He had slipped, and everyone was willing to bury it but Jason. As much as he blamed his half-brother publicly, Kris knew it was his fault. He opens his mouth to say as much, but Kyle raises his hand and stops him.

Kyle: “...and that’s fine, because it brought on Kali. It also brought on everything that happened to you this summer. The thing that a lot of people miss, is that you didn’t change. You are exactly the person that you have always been under that mask. I saw it when you saved Mikah, and that was way before Kali came to Sin City. She didn’t change you. She helped you strip away that lie you told yourself over and over again."

Kris looks down. This had been his worst fear for a long time. The whole reason for separating his feelings from how he acted on camera was to prevent this from happening. Yet, here he was, standing behind a convention center with someone that could tear through the layers of bullshit and see what was happening beneath the surface. He was starting to understand what Kyle was saying, but there was something he needed an answer for first.

Kris: “...and why do you care? What’s in this for you?”

Kyle shrugs his shoulders, and sighs lightly.

Kyle: “Getting to say I told you so. That’s all that’s ever in anything for me. A while back, you got into an argument with someone that might mean something to me. I told her she was wrong about you when she blocked you. I told her there was something else in there. I intend to prove myself right."

It was all starting to make sense now, and Kris was surprised that Kyle would admit his motivations so easily. Other people would have tried to circle around to some moral obligation to do the right thing. There was something different about this guy though. Something that made Kris think that no matter what he asked, he would get an honest answer. On one hand, it was comforting. On the other, it made him incredibly jealous that someone could be so open.

Kris: “So all of this is selfishly motivated? You’re not even just here to do me a solid?”

Kyle shakes his head with a laugh, and then searches the ground for his discarded cigarette. When he does not immediately spot it, he seems disappointed, but lets the idea go.

Kyle: “Nothing in life is free. If I didn’t get something out of it, I wouldn’t be wasting my time. I’m not important though. It’s you we’re talking about."

The door swings to the building swings open again. This time, instead of either of the two large security guards, the man that steps through is more Kyle’s size. He has a headset on his head, with one of the two earpieces pulled back behind his ear. He has a clipboard in his hand, and looks back and forth between the two fighters. Kris looks to Kyle confused, and for good reason. Kyle addresses the man before either of the two others can say anything.

Kyle: “I said just give me a second, okay? It’s not like there are people waiting to see some rookie with one match. I’ll be there."

The man with the headset turns around, and goes back inside the door. Kris moves to follow him, but Kyle’s words stop him.

Kyle: “You’re not the Nobody. You’re not Kris Halc. You’re not ‘Pure’ Kris. You’re not an accident. This person you are, this ‘Miracle’ is the real you."

Kris stops, and turns back towards Kyle.

Kris: “...and what am I supposed to do with that? Crimson already proved to everyone he could manipulate that person."

A smile crosses Kyle’s lips, and it reminded Kris of how he looked just before signing off of his promos.

Kyle: “I actually had a few thoughts about that too…”

Kyle moves towards the door. Kris pushes it his direction, and the smaller man catches it, holding it open wide. Kyle reaches into his front pocket and hands Kris a small business card before stepping through the doorway and into the building.

Kyle: “Remember who the real you is."

Kris turns the card over, looking down at the message scribbled on the other side. When he looks up confused, Kyle is gone, lost in the crowd. The security guards close in on Kris as fans take note of his coming back in and try to approach him. The Roulette Champion shakes his head, trying to push the conversation to the back of his mind. He slides the card into his back pocket and makes the short walk back to his table, somehow feeling lighter.

==============================================================
==============================================================

Learning Experience
ON-Camera


“This is where it started, Crimson."

Kris is standing in front of the camera as the scene comes to life. Behind him is an empty bar. The display behind the counter lights up the bottles so that they draw attention away from how shoddy the craftsmanship was around the rest of the space. None of the tables sit at the same height. All of the lights hanging above the booths came down different lengths. Not even the lightbulbs matched. Some tables were brightly illuminated with LED bulbs, while others could barely be seen older, dimming ones. Nothing captures the attention of the fans like the red hoodie that Kris is wearing though. It had come up often lately. The debate about it was all over social media. Half of everyone seemed to support his putting it back into the ring with Crimson. The rest thought that he would be doing himself a disservice.

“When I first started in this business, it was from right here. I stood in this bar, I hustled people out of some money. I bragged about how things were not always as they seemed. According to you, that is the real me, not the guy that has been walking around the locker room of Sin City lately."

The camera follows him as he walks, and he runs his fingertips across the wood railing of one of the pool tables.

“It’s a convincing argument. I certainly enjoyed my time here. People liked me. I could pretend to be wasted, and they would just let me take their money. We had fun every single night. When it was all over, I would show up in one of a handful of companies, work a sloppy match, get paid, and start the cycle over. It didn’t matter if I was homeless. It didn’t matter what I was putting in my body. It just mattered that I was having a good time. I didn’t have anyone in my life that mattered. All I wanted to do was tear people down, and make a few people laugh while I was doing it."

He laughs, and then shakes his head. If he was really being honest, he needed to correct himself a little bit.

“I guess it didn’t really matter if anyone other than me was laughing. That’s kinda the point though, isn’t it? As long as I was entertaining myself, I could live with it. As long as I felt like I had taken a step forward, I was happy with where I was. I did that, everyday. You know, I never realized what would happen though. I never realized that, in pushing forward, that I was moving towards something. I had plans. I had goals. That is not what I mean though. I was moving towards something that I would have never expected. It was not something that I could even wrap my head around until after it happened. I used to be the cynical guy that called people weak when they showed they cared about something. I used to be the one that would cross any line, just to do it. I used to be the guy that fit in here."

He looks around, and then back to the camera.

“At one point, this was one of the most important places in my life. Now, I look around and all I see is a shit hole. I don’t have a good time looking back. I look back and remember people blowing their rent checks on alcohol while their kids were at home being babysat by a television. I remember people that were so despicable that they would steal wallets from people that just happened to walk in off the street without thinking twice. I remember the shooting gallery in the back office that everyone pretended didn’t exist. I associate this place with throwing years of my life away. You say that is the real me. I say I don’t know who that person is. I don’t even recognize that person. More importantly though, I’m saying that eventually you are going to look back and think the exact same thing about yourself."

He taps his lips with his index finger, trying to organize his words. After the third time, he holds his hand up to stop Crimson from arguing with his screen, if he was indeed watching.

“I know you’re going to say that I am wrong. I know you are going to say that I sold out. You already touched on it at Climax Control. You said that I am the best competitor on this roster, but I have made myself beatable. You said that I have run out of steam. You think that I am tired, injured, and ready to have someone unburden me from the trials and tribulations of being Roulette Champion."

The smile on his lips shows exactly what he thinks of the accusations. It does not seem to be weighing on him at all.

“To you, I am in the middle of an identity crisis, and you are here to expose and embarrass me. You insulted, pushed, prodded and picked at me all night, and you couldn’t get me to life a finger. You had your people put their hands on someone that I care about, and then took advantage of that distraction and knocked me unconscious. I can’t really be mad, because that is the same kind of thing that the man that used to frequent this place would have done. In fact, that is the kind of thing that I HAVE done. What was surreal was talking to Stoner about how it is like looking in the mirror when you talk, only to have you do the same thing that I would do. Once my ears stopped ringing, I actually found it kind of funny. Last week was a learning experience for sure."

This time he holds up both of his hands, not wanting anyone, Crimson included to jump to conclusions.

“I didn’t learn that I could be manipulated. I didn’t learn that I was wrong. I learned that SCW thinks the best weapon to use against me, is a less evolved version of me. Crimson, whatever your goals, whatever your motives, I’m sure you think you’re doing everyone a favor by putting me out of my misery. You look at me and see someone who needs a break. You see someone who is weighed down. Whether you’re right or not does not matter. What matters is that you think that you are right. You think that you NEED to beat me. Sure, you want to beat me because of what it means for your career here, but it is more than that. You see someone that used to be so much like you, but has found a better way. You feel the need to validate your existence by tearing down what I have. If you can beat me, it shows you that you’re right. If you beat me, you can sleep easy knowing that your way is the best way to the top."

He laughs, and this time cannot hold it in at all. One hand comes up to his mouth to cover it, but it is of no use. It takes him a few moments to compose himself.

“If you had done as much research as you claim, you will have seen my record here. You would see that on the list of the best ever here, my win/loss ratio is not looking so hot. You would see that I needed this year long winning streak just to break even. Right now I have lost as many supercard matches as I have won. I went on a losing streak that lasted through two separate runs in this company. The really funny part, is that I did all of it at my worst. I did all of it as the person that hung in this place. I did all of it, as the person that was so much like you."

He unzips the famous red hoodie, and shrugs his shoulders out of it. He pulls his wrists free, and tosses it off camera. The shirt underneath came with the phrase that he had not yet said printed across the front. Everyone watching was now painfully aware that he was definitely going to get to it this time, and he was amping up to it.

“I changed in the last year. It wasn’t because of a crisis of faith, it was because I was shedding all of the things that were wearing me down. I changed my name, because my name should have never been tied to the person that attempted to raise me. I opened up about my family, and had Kali tour with me because I had gotten to a place where I was comfortable just being myself and letting people know that I was having a good time doing it. Back when I walked around acting like a badass, I made a lot of mistakes. It took me the entire last year to make up for them. It took me a year of busting my ass to even make my record look reasonable. It took me a year to make up for coming up short when I went for the Roulette Championship in both my third and fourth matches with this company. It took me a year to realize that being you, was not going to get the job done. I already walked your path. I already came up short. I already wasted my time learning the lesson that I’m giving you right now for free."

He is forced to stop, having gone as far as he could without a breath. Each word had come out faster and faster, and had did not stop to break between them. It was more excited than fans had seen him in a while.

“It took me four years to right all the wrongs and fix all the mistakes, and all because I couldn’t grasp the things that you can’t grasp. You actually said that this championship was your key to the main event. You think that beating me, the best person on the roster, and the champion of champions, is going to launch you up to the top. That shows your profound misunderstanding of the way that things work around here. See, I maybe the best here, but how many main events have you seen me in? I have been unpinned for an entire year, and have only been in a few. Holding this championship keeps you at the bottom, even if you are the best. That is why I had to beg and plead with Christian and Mark to give me a shot at it. That is why when I did it, everyone said I was taking a step back. The only thing that has kept me going this long, was that I had a record to break. The desire to be better than Equinox, to right those mistakes I made in my first year, was enough to carry me through to being the longest reigning SCW Roulette Champion in company history. That desire came from getting my ass handed to me by the best person in SCW in my third match. Just like so much of my career, that desire is a feeling that you are going to be really familiar with after High Stakes."

He takes a step towards the camera now, and his face is lit up like it has not been since his promo from New York City before he won the Roulette Championship.

“I think what stung the most was that after Equinox beat me, and shut me up, he left. I could never come back and beat him. I could never prove that I was better in the ring. Instead, I had to attack his record. You told me that I looked tired on Climax Control. To tell you the truth, I am tired. I am tired of this title. I am tired of not knowing what stipulation I am walking into. I am tired of the endless string of brutal matches. I have suffered through watching two people less talented than me work main event after main event. I have listened to people call me the best while seeing my name placed in the opening match of card after card. The Roulette Championship is not your ticket to the top, it is a weight around your ankle that keeps you grounded at the bottom. It is a championship that means you will face every sorry excuse for a competitor that comes into this company, likely in their first few matches. It is a title that means you defend against people like Steve Ramone and Joshua Acquin who couldn’t buy a win with all of the money in the world. You say I am tired. I say for the last 150+ days, I have been asleep. I would have stayed asleep if not for you. You may have even beaten me in this match without your little stunt. Now, just like Equinox did to me, I am going to beat you, and then move on."

He gets to the camera, and reaches under it, taking the strap of the Roulette Championship into his hand, and holding it up in front of the camera.

“I can see how bad you want it. I can see how badly you want in my head to twist me up. I see the lengths that you are willing to go, but I have lived the fact that you are wrong. I could throw this match. The old me probably would have come out all fucked up, and enjoyed losing. Before Climax Control, I may have just blown off really taking this seriously. You bit off more than you could chew by waking me up. All of this could have been yours, but it is going to be so much more satisfying to deny you the opportunity. I will carry this title until my contract with this company is up. That doesn’t mean anything to most people, because it is just another couple of weeks. It means everything to you though Crimson. It is denying you the opportunity to be champion, and passing off the title once you are at the back of the line. It is letting you know that no matter how good you think you are, you’re not better than I am. It’s about teaching you how much better you will be once you grow up, and stop trying to be so intimidating. I want you to remember this moment, because it is the beginning of a very rocky road."

He brings the championship up and drapes it over his shoulder.

“All you had to do was keep your mouth shut, and maybe you would have beaten me. You had to go out of your way to get my attention. You just had to step up and give me a reason to defend this championship one more time before moving up to bigger and better things. I’m gonna need you to do that just one more time at High Stakes. Step up, and #JustTakeTheL."

==============================================================
==============================================================

Home
Jet City Sports Lab
Thursday, 19 October 2017.
OFF-Camera

The gym had been closed for a few hours at this point, but it did not stop Kris from stopping. The imported white sportscar his half-brother made a spectacle out of was parked around the back of the Jet City Sports Lab, meaning that Jason was undoubtedly working late. He punches the keycode into the pad next to the door, and waits for the green light to pop on before pulling on the latch. The door swings open into the storage area, and Kris can hear voices talking. He walks through the hallway, finding Jason’s door ajar. The two voices inside are familiar, and he smiles as he pushes the door open.

Kris: “It’s good to see you up and around, white girl..."

Kirsten Reynolds turns in her chair, and looks back towards the door. She sees Kris standing there and looks back and forth between him and Jason. The older of the two brothers nods with a smile, and she gets up from her seat. She makes short work of the distance between them, and wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He puts his arms around the small of her back, and hugs her back. His lips hover close to her ear, and he speaks low enough so that Jason cannot hear him. When the two separate, she looks him in his eyes, and places a hand on both of his cheeks so that he cannot look away.

Kirsten: “You better hurt this guy."

She smacks his cheek with her right hand, and shoots and look back at Jason.

Kirsten: “We can finish this later."

She does not even wait for a response before turning back towards the door. Jason shakes his head with a smile on his face.

Jason: “I’m not changing my mind...”

She waves her hand in his direction but does not turn back towards him.

Kirsten: “That’s what you always say…”

She squeezes around Kris and out into the hallway. Kris watches her go, and then makes his way into the room, taking her chair. He puts his arms up on the rests, and then lifts his foot up to place against the side of the desk. The smile on his face catches Jason off guard. It was not something that he was used to seeing.

Kris: “It was easier when it was just the three of us, wasn’t it?”

Jason leans back in his chair, and lets out a laugh that he was not sure that he still had in him. The idea was insane of course. When it was the three of them, he and Kirsten were arguing nonstop, and most of it was about which rehab they were going to try and convince to take Kris. It was clear that the two remembered the times differently, but Jason was not about to take that away from him. The two of them had enough problems already. Instead, he redirects a little.

Jason: “Easier doesn’t mean happier. Look at us. You just had the owner of the company you work for say that you ARE the company. We built Jet City. I brought back Pride. We are both married with kids, or kids on the way. Easier? Maybe. Better? Not a chance in hell."

Kris laces his fingers together, and rests his hands on his chest. They had agreed to keep up appearances as far as anyone else was concerned, but now that Kirsten was gone and away from earshot, the energy faded from the room. Jason’s smile disappears, and he falls silent. If Kris had come by, he needed something.

Kris: “I’ve been thinking a lot about something that you told me."

Jason shrugs. He knew better than to try and interrupt or lighten their conversation. Every time he had tried at the wedding, he had been shut down. He could not hold back though.

Jason: “I was under the impression you never listened to me."

Kris does not look up, or even acknowledge the comment. He spins his thumbs in a circle around one another.

Kris: “You said that I needed to separate myself from everything. That I should keep the parts of myself that I wanted fans to see separate from the person that I was around friends and family. It was to protect me. It stops people from really being able to use my own feelings against me."

Jason nods, not quite understanding where Kris was going. It was strange that words from four years ago were suddenly on his mind.

Jason: “It’s like with Emily. Or Lindsay. Or Talia. You don’t see people bringing that up and hammering me about it on Twitter or even when I was competing. I don’t put that part of my life out there. We even hired JJ as a manager so that people would make comments about which of us were banging her instead of focusing on anything important. It is all crafted so that nothing that someone says before a match can get in your head."

That was the point though. As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he realizes why Kris had it running through his head.

Jason: “...and that’s what you’re worried about. You created that persona. You lived it for most of your career. Now that you decided to be more like yourself, you think you fucked up."

He laughs, and it brings Kris’ icy glare up from his hands. Most others would be intimidated, but Jason had seen the look more often than anyone, Heather included.

Kris: “What?”

Jason shakes his head, and takes a second to get his wits about him. When he is finally able to quell the outburst, Kris is about to blow up.

Jason: “Your ability to blame yourself for everything knows no limits does it?”

Kris averts his eyes. His mouth falls open, and he mumbles some sarcastic comment that Jason does not quite pick up. For Jason, it was a familiar look. Every time Kris failed a drug test and they had another rehab talk, he had gotten the same look. The relationship between the two was already broken though, so holding back was going to get Jason nowhere. Where he normally would have backed off, he pressures Kris instead.

Jason: “Seriously. You are going to put Kali getting kidnapped on your own shoulders? Because you didn’t snap and beat the guy right there in your locker room? Because you didn’t take him seriously? Now it is your fault that Kali got tied up, and you got knocked out? You’re the one to blame, right? All because you did not listen to me. You let too much of yourself shine through and now the sky is falling. Is that what you think?”

Kris does not bother looking back in his direction. He was not going to argue with him, because it was not the reason that he came. He was glad that Jason was able to walk himself through the majority of the problem. It meant that Kris’ job became easier and their conversation became that much shorter.

Kris: “Somebody said something to me… well kind of…”

He thinks back to the card Kyle had given him just days before. The words printed on it were kicking around in his head no matter what he had done. That was the reason he found himself sitting here.

Kris: “... nobody is a villain in their own story."

Jason laughs, and nods his head.

Jason: “It is a George R.R. Martin quote. The rest of it is, ‘We’re all the heroes of our own stories.’ Like nobody goes out of their way to be a hateful person just to be a hateful person. Even the worst of the worst people think that they are doing the right thing. It is all a matter of finding their motivation and understanding them. Why would someone say it to you?”

He was not quite sure yet, but he was starting to figure it out. His eyes dart back and forth, thinking through his conversation with Kyle to put together what he was trying to tell him. More importantly, even though Jason had given him the rest of the quote, it did not explain the second line on the card. Something told Kris that now was not the time though. He looks back up at his half-brother, and switches gears.

Kris: “If it were you? You have the choice of taking the high road, as unproven as it is, or going low and walking away unscathed. What do you do?”

Kris knew the answer before Jason even had a chance to open his mouth. It did not change the fact that he needed to hear it though.

Jason: “If someone put their hands on someone I cared about, I’d burn their whole world to the ground. You’ve seen me do it. I made a career of doing it. There are no lines. There’s no holding back. You do what you have to do to make sure that they suffer. You walk into a match knowing one of the two of you aren’t walking away from it. Then you make sure that person is you, no matter the costs."

It was only then that Kris realized what it was that Kyle was trying to tell him. He shakes his head, but more importantly than that, his eyes light up. Jason sees it like a cartoon light bulb switching on over his half-brother’s head.

Jason: “Did that help?”

Kris shakes his head, not even checking his tone for rudeness.

Kris: “No, that was bullshit, but you did give me the answer though."

He gets up out of his chair, and turns towards the door, but Jason rises out of his seat.

Jason: “Wait."

Kris spins, and is genuinely surprised to see Jason caught off guard by his running out. It takes Kris a second to process that it bothered Jason that he did not understand. The single word he managed to spit out was dripping with desperation.

Jason: “What is it that you figured out?”

Kris laughs, not sure that Jason would understand.

Kris: “Something our marooned friend told me before he left. There’s a difference between playing the hero, and being one. Put that with what Kyle said, that everyone thinks they are the hero of their own story, and what do you get?”

Jason smiles, thinking the whole thing over to try and get to Kris’ point. It only takes a second, and he is almost ashamed of himself for not getting it sooner..

Jason: “You could use Kali to justify being that person. You can spin it to make it sound like Crimson deserved you to be your worst. You could give him exactly what he wants, and leave him to regret that decision, but you would know…”

Kris nods.

Kris: “I would know that it was just an excuse to take the easy way out. I have a chance to beat him my way, to play my game, to prove him wrong. Beating him any other way, wouldn’t really be beating him. I’m always going to be the hero in my own head. It’s not me that matters though."

Jason chuckles a little, and adds to the sentiment with some of Kris’ own words.

Jason: “When in doubt, follow the fans."

Kris smirks, remembering telling the confused Scott Oliver to do the same thing.

Kris: “I think it’s time that Tommy Crimson met The Miracle."


==============================================================
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The Miracle
ON-Camera


“This week has been eventful. It kicked off with a concussion and and long flight. I had fan events that really flipped my world upside down. I stopped by Jet City and did the family thing for a while. Then, I jumped on a flight to come all the way back out here to Australia all on my own. Crimson made sure of that fact, didn't he? Fool me once, shame on me. There will never be someone to fool me twice, because I'm a fast learner."

The scene comes to life with Kris standing in the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Australia. The show is still a week out, so nothing has been set up. The floor that he is standing on is hard wood, and the stands around him are completely empty.

“Anyone paying attention on social media knows that I have been going back and forth about something else as well. Maybe that is why the fan events had me so twisted up. I left Climax Control last week thinking that there was nothing that I wouldn't do to beat Tommy Crimson. I ran through all of the foul things I was going to do during this match during every second of the CT scan that I got following your cheap shot. I talked to friends, family, and people that I had never met before in my life. I honestly got more advice in the last week than I have in my entire life. That's not the only surprising thing that happened either. For the first time, I actually listened to what a lot of these people had to say. You know what I realized? I don't need to be a Nobody to beat you, but you need me to be a Nobody in order to beat me."

He smiles widely, and the camera starts to circle around him. The champion stays stationary, but his head turns with the camera as it crosses in front of him.

“Why else would you tell me that the version of me that exists now is not good enough to challenge you. As an opponent, as an underhanded and pathetic excuse for a human being, why would you want me to be at my best? Also, if you really wanted me to be at my best, why would you take me out in a way that could have taken me completely out of this match? The easy, and most obvious answer, you gave me. It's all some game that you are trying to play. You tried to bait me into snapping in my locker room. When that didn't work, I forced you to play Kali against me. When I maintained my cool, you got frustrated and took your best shot. Well I have news Crimson, I'm still here. I'm still standing. I'm ready for this match."

The camera passes behind his shoulder, and he pauses for the time it is behind him. It moves back around his side, and he turns his head towards it as it rotates back in front of him.

“It was all part of your mind fuck, right? You see The Miracle. You see me having a name that I can be proud of. You see me surrounding myself with positive influences. I have been building towards this since I first came back a year ago. I will give it to you. You almost had me. You almost got me to buy into the idea that the people around me only worked to make me weak. You had me believing that if I went back to how I used to do things, I had a better chance. It didn't matter if it was The Accident, The Nobody or Pure, anything was better than the fraud that I had become, right? So you pushed, and you pushed. You did everything that you could to get me to change my tune. You overplayed your hand though. Had you not taken your cheap shot, maybe it would have eaten away at me over the course of this week. As it stands, you made this easier than you could ever know."

He steps forward and the camera follows behind him as he walks forward. He starts to make his way towards two double doors leading to the main lobby of the arena. As he nears them, two security guards reach for the handles and pull the doors open. The hallway outside is empty, but the camera picks up a ton of background noise. It sounds like a large group of people all having individual conversations. Kris turns, still walking backwards but now facing the camera.

“You say being surrounded by people makes me weak? How weak does this sound?"

Kris turns back around, and steps through into the lobby. The camera follows him, and catches the reaction of all of the fans standing by a makeshift stage set up just outside the doors. The outcry of cheers from the crowd makes the audio on the recording equipment cut in and out a few times. Kris makes his way up the stairs and onto the stage as the camera moves around to take its place at the back of the crowd. There is a podium at the center of the stage, and he makes his way to it, but only long enough to take the microphone off of the stand attached to the top of it. He spins it in his hand, and then moves around the podium. He points down at the crowd, who back up a little to allow him some space to sit down on the edge of the stage. Instead of speaking, he reaches out, shaking hands of everyone that can get close enough to reach him. The crowd packs in around him as he raises the microphone up to his lips.

“I was talking to Tommy Crimson a little before coming out here..."

Kris points towards the camera, and the fans follow the trail, booing loudly as they turn. Most stop when they realize that it is just a camera, and not the man himself, but the point was made.

“He thinks that I'm wasting my time by talking to you guys. He thinks caring about people or things is weakness. To him, the world should burn, and all of us with it. Now I have already talked a little about that. I have said it sounds like me. I have said that he is wrong. What I haven't said, and probably the most important thing that I could say, is that it sounds awfully lonely out there by himself. I think everyone in here would agree with me that having people around that want to see you succeed is a good thing, right?"

The crowd roars back with cheers in response. It takes a second to organize, but they break into a undeniable chant of "YES!". Some even turn to point at the camera, sending a message to the man set to challenge their champion.

“Crimson says that I need to turn my back on all of you to beat him. He says I need to stop worrying about what you think because it makes me beatable. I think it's exactly the opposite. I think all the energy that I wasted picking on you guys, and irritating you is put to better use these days. I mean the second that I stopped trying to piss you guys off, I started winning. I let you guys into my life starting back at Summer XXXtreme and all of you have been supportive. I put up a poll about changing my name and you backed me up, even if it meant that things got a little confusing for a while. I never gave any of you a reason to be on my side, but all of you came around. I couldn't have broken this record, or beaten everyone that I beat, as many times as I had to beat them, without you guys in my corner. Crimson took it upon himself to challenge that. He decided that he was going to try and drive a wedge between us. He put Kali in jeopardy so that there was no way that I would bring her to High Stakes."

The crowd boo again. Kali had quickly become a popular person at fan events. In the last few months, the two had rarely been seen separate. Kris raises a hand, trying to calm them down.

“Don't worry, she is fine. We just thought that maybe it would be better for her and Heather to watch from home. I got myself a six foot tall, two hundred and fifty pound babysitter in the form of Aaron Isaacs, so they know I am not going to get into too much trouble. At least back in Seattle, she doesn't have to worry about some white-eyed failure at life to put their hands on her."

The crowd laughs, and Kris laughs with them. It was clear that he was starting to enjoy his back and forth with them.

“So Crimson may have succeeded in separating me from one person for this match, but I think I am bringing a few thousand people with me that he has no chance of scaring off!"

Again, the cheers short out the audio equipment in the small space. The sound becomes choppy as the whole lobby area seems to vibrate in excitement. When the crowd dies off, Kris is still smiling.

“So I'm not gonna say that he should call an ambulance, or that there's gonna be an accident. I'm not gonna say that right now I'm a nobody, and he's going to make me a somebody. I'm not going to sit out here and find a dozen different creative ways to make him a more pure individual. I am just going to say that it is miraculous that I can sit here after all this time, and have you people in my corner."

On cue, the fans pop again, but this time Kris talks over them.

“I have spent my whole life letting other people tell me what they think I should be. I have gone through dark times, I have had some truly amazing experiences. I have died. I have been injured. I have had my family taken away from me, and I have had my family returned to me after more than twenty years away. In the last year, you have all taught me that it's not worth being in this business if I am not enjoying it with all of you, instead of in spite of all you. I promised to come back and make things right, and you guys gave me that opportunity. I had no idea that it was going to change me, but it has. It took time. It wasn't overnight. It wasn't because of one person. Each and every one of you had a hand in it, and I just wanted to say thank you."

He stands up from the stage, and points out at some of the security crew. They all seem to come together in front of the stage, right in the middle of the crowd. There is a lot of pushing but Kris is focused up on the camera.

“Hey Tommy! You want to know my name? I am 'The Miracle' Kristopher Ryans, and in a little over a week, I am going to beat your ass with the help of all these people. Right now though, I think I'm going surfing."

He tosses the microphone aside as the crowd roars in approval. He backs up, and gets a running start before leaping off of the stage. Mostly it is security members that catch him, but as the camera starts to fade, the crowd carries him away from the stage and deep into the heart of the crowd. The last shot that the camera picks up is Kris, riding on the hands of his fans, raising the SCW Roulette Championship up in the air.

[Crimson]

 Epilogue

In 1854 a female african voodoo priestess was abducted. She was taken by an American ship off the coast in the dead of night. The ship headed back for America with others that had been abducted. The men onboard would rape the young priestess hundreds of times before the ship returned to port in Virginia.

The female’s actual african name was never documented.  She was abducted at seventeen but fully versed in the black arts well by then. Her eventual slave owners would name her Mary. She worked on a large plantation deep in the thick appalachian forest. The woman’s owner would work her nearly to death for ten straight years.

One day men began leaving the plantations and smaller farms in the surrounding area. Mary took note of this almost immediately. Legend says, she had a small shed hid deep in the forest where she practiced voodoo. Her male owner died of cancer suddenly after a curse she created took hold. The man’s sons would take over the large plantation but before they could run it into the ground completely, the Civil War broke out.

Mary would hide away in her shed with any free time she was awarded. She would notice all the men going to war and realized a new curse was needed. Legend has it, Mary would steal a personal item from every woman in the small town. She put a curse on each and every female that had a husband fighting for the south in the war. Mary called her creation, “The Widowmaker Curse”, and the historical records show that it in fact may have worked.

The war would ensue. The battle lasted for two straight days and when the smoke cleared not a male from the small town was left. Mary’s curse had worked and she recorded it down in a grimoire, then left it for her ancestors to come. The curse is known by very few that practice voodoo and the dark arts.

Mary gave the book to one of her children. Rumors got out about her shed and after it was found. The scorned widows caught Mary and she was burned alive in the middle of the small town. The town would fall just three days later after union troops invaded. Not in time to save Mary, but the curse would make it out of the Civil War to live on.

It is estimated the curse is practiced by three living people. The two voodoo priests in Africa stay hidden and no records even exists that can prove they are still alive. The only remaining descendant of Mary lives out west now. Shunned by the rest of her family she left the south after word of her witchcraft got out. A private investigator recently hired by an unnamed celebrity, tracked the woman down in Los Angeles County.




Los Angeles, California
10/23/2017
2:23 p.m.


The smog hovers above one of the largest cities in the world. The hollywood sign can be made glowing out through the smog only from so far out. Traffic jams in every direction litter the ground below. A wide shot finally comes into complete focus from above the city of angels. A mature logo crosses the screen then fades out. A high pitched female scream followed by the Fury Studios logo then crosses the screen. The shot draws up as “The Widow” by The Mars Volta plays over the camera view of LA.

“Freeze without an answer.”


“Free from all the shame.”


“Then I'll hide.”


“'Cause I'll never never sleep alone.”

The song fades out as the overhead shot begins to cross over Sunset Boulevard. The shot continues along around Los Angeles until it comes to the Satanic Temple. The large building holds black mass events on a regular basis. The building is packed on these nights but sits fairly empty at the moment. A small group inside are holding a gathering about spells. The ladies and even men trade secrets of the dark arts during these so called “meetings”.

The overhead camera suddenly cuts away to another high angle shot a block away. Tommy Crimson comes into focus suddenly. The wrestling superstar is occupied by Pixie Paradox, Casey Anthony, and two newly hired bodyguards.

Both men were paid a full year's salary upfront because of their resume. The man on the right of Tommy is Marcus Tame. A former navy seal captain and as recent as July, A mercenary working for foreign and US governments.

The man to the left of Crimson is Tyrone Sims. He is a former cage fighter that hunted columbian drug dealers through the jungles in Columbia. A mercenary in his own right, Sims stands seven feet tall towering over the six foot five Tame.

The group of five make their way towards the Temple of Satan. Tommy looks like he is in a hurry, crossing the street in front of oncoming traffic! The bodyguards quickly stop traffic so Crimson can cross safely and without any risk. The group continues on down the street until they come to the large notorious building on the left.

A handful of young adults walk out of the swinging doors of the building as the group approaches. One of the men notices Crimson and immediately hits a knee to bow before Tommy. He finds this strange but continues around. The others notice their friend bowing which leads them all to do the same. Crimson turns back to see every single one of the twenty something year olds all bowing before him. He shakes his head with disapproval then walks up to the swinging doors.

Marcus walks up in front of Tommy and opens the right door by pushing it slightly. Tame walks into the temple first with Tyrone right behind. They clear the immediate area then call for Tommy and the girls to come on in. Crimson struts through the open door and peers out into the room. His eyes take a moment to adjust after leaving the bright sunny weather outside.

A man wearing a Slayer t-shirt notices a sudden flood of people coming in. The satan worshiper then realizes one of the people is none other than Tommy Crimson. He falls to both knees to bow. The rest of the small group meeting inside the Temple of Satan turn to see what the man is kneeling to. The small congregation has a mixture of people of different races. The group also has young to old within the fold. Tommy notices when the rest of the group bows before him that an elderly african american lady in the back does not.  

Crimson glances over and notices a podium with a microphone in the center of the room. A pentagram is spray painted on the black fancy microphone stand. The black paint is thick like house paint. Tommy walks over to the mic then clears his throat.

Crimson and the elderly woman sitting in the back lock eyes. Tommy’s black eyes glow underneath the cheap lights. The other four all now have solid white eyes. The elderly woman appears to be unimpressed as Crimson begins, “Stand up!”.

The small group all stand up in unison. “Be Seated.”, Crimson orders from across the podium booming over the PA system throughout.

The people all heed his commands and find a seat immediately. They all look on without as much as blinking. The elderly woman continues to watch on from a distance. Crimson now has a crowd and lets loose.

“Why do you bow to me?” Tommy asks as he points at the man wearing the Slayer t-shirt. The man stands up then replies, “You are Tommy Crimson. The “one”. The Anti-christ. The Son of Satan.”

Tommy grins then shakes his head in disbelief. The man takes a seat. Crimson is speechless at first then gathers his thoughts briefly before he begins.

“You people are no different than baptists in Mississippi. Do you honestly believe that Satan is a good guy who does bad shit on the weekends? Get a fuckin’ clue, man.” Crimson openly mocks the entire group. He pulls the mic up off the podium to get it closer to his face.

“The world doesn’t have some special force that can help you along in this life. That’s a lie created by the weak to give them some sort of purpose in this life, but it was perpetrated by the rich to give hope to those same people so they buy more shit. A purpose mind you, they don’t understand at all but a higher power does so Jesus take the fucking wheel!” Tommy screams out. A few members of his small crowd laugh infuriating Crimson.

“You laugh until they come take your house and leave you homeless. You giggle until they audit you and find you forgot a comma so now you lose everything. This temple represents everything you all claim to stand against. Organized religion led you all to seek a place to rebel against the grain which is why this temple was built here in the city of angels.” Tommy points out the hypocrisy with fierce accuracy.

Crimson struts across the wide shot. The camera men filming stay out of sight but they have followed Tommy here from Florida. The Fury Studios team is all still intact. Tommy takes the microphone off the stand.

“I come here searching for a sure thing. I want to put the final nail in a proverbial coffin where I work sunday. Los Angeles is where the woman I need to find is located. All of the White Eye Society searches for her but it is I, Tommy Crimson, who has located her.” Crimson brags to his small audience. The elderly woman in the back begins to squirm a bit with anxiety.

“A woman with the knowledge she has would never buy into organized religion like this. Surely not, I would think any way. That assumption was not only incorrect but way off. Turns out the very woman I search for is in this very congregation here today.” Tommy announces.

“This woman is no ordinary woman by any means. She has ancestry ties that finish a puzzle it has taken me weeks to construct. This puzzle once completed will destroy one, Kristopher Ryans, causing him to lose his championship belt slash streak.” Crimson explains further. One of the elderly men in the front looks back at the elderly lady after Tommy’s last comment.

“This woman would be old now and is the only known living person to have the information, and help I search for here today. She hides in plain sight here in L.A. because it’s easy done in a city this size. Her ancestor crafted the infamous Widowmaker Curse.” The Fury informs the crowd. A few more members of the crowd turn around in their seats to look at the old woman in the back. She grimaces from the sudden notoriety. Tommy continues, “I need this curse to halt this progress of an upcoming opponent. He stands in my way and I want a sure thing. This hex is priceless to me and could change the life of the person who knows how to perform it properly.”

The woman in the back stands up slowly. Crimson can tell by the way she is dressed that the woman indeed practices voodoo. She stands up and makes it very apparent that she is in fact, a high priestess in the dark arts.  The woman uses a cane to gain her balance. She gets to her feet then begins to walk slowly toward Tommy. He watches as she comes closer with a slight limp in each step she takes.

She reaches the podium then uses it to keep her balance. The old woman leans in close to Tommy. She covers the mic to hide her next comment then whispers, “The curse you seek comes with a price.”

Crimson steps back then locks eyes with the elderly woman. Her eyes are as blue as the sky and full of wonder. The wonder is fueled by many decades of stored occult knowledge. Tommy leans in close to her then whispers back, “I am willing to pay any price for this particular curse. Life changing type money. I am not here to fuck around.”

The woman grins wide then steps away slowly from Tommy. She turns around to face the man in the Slayer t-shirt.

“Chad, go get the clay from the basement. The box is marked, “Israel Clay”. I will need the scalpel as well in order to do this. This curse requires a steady hand with an experienced mind to pull off.” The woman informs Chad.

“Okay, Miss Mary!” Chad replies then leaps up to do as he was told. Tommy appears a bit shocked that the woman he searched for has the same name as her ancestor, “Mary”. Crimson watches as Chad takes off across the large room for the basement. The elderly woman turns back around to face Tommy again.

“I want two hundred thousand dollars upfront. Every time that this curse is used, the one who put the curse on loses a part of themselves. People in my family have went mad using it. This will be the second time I have performed it but I have it perfected.” Mary explains in detail to Tommy.

“Done.” Crimson replies without any hesitation.

Chad comes back into the large room holding a box in both arms. He can’t see where he is going and nails his knee on a chair. This causes him to fall forward spilling the contents of the box out onto the floor.

“Shit!” Chad exclaims on the floor.

He picks up the clay and scalpels up off the floor then quickly tosses them back inside the box. Mary takes a seat up front and Chad rushes over to her with the box. He sits it down directly in front of her. Mary rustles items about in the bottom of it soon after. She searches in the box for the perfect piece of clay. This clay comes from Israel and will work for this spell due to its occult qualities.

“Perfect!” Mary calls out with excitement in her voice.

She pulls out a piece of orange clay. Mary snatches up a scalpel then removes it from the plastic holding it. She then begins to use the sharp instrument to cut into the clay. After she gets the square shaped clay completely oblong, Mary halts her progress. She then looks up at Tommy, who is now hovering around her.

”I will need a photo of the person and a personal item from the spouse you intend to curse. The curse technically will take hold of her leading to the husband's death.” Mary explains carefully to Crimson, who reaches into his back pocket immediately. He retrieves a photo that is folded up. In the same back pocket, Tommy retrieves a small plastic ziplock bag.

He hands over the two items and Mary carefully inspects them. She slowly unfolds the photograph revealing, Kristopher Ryans. The headshot of the SCW superstar is his most recent photo. Mary then opens the plastic ziplock bag. Tommy explains, “The hair in the smaller bag belongs to his wife that her dead eye hairdresser provided. I took the hair from him after knocking Kris out on Climax Control.”

Mary nods then takes the hair from the two smaller bags located in the ziplock bag. She rolls the hair up together then begins to knead it into the clay. Mary molds it and mixes it, attempting all the while to keep the overall oblong shape.    

Crimson, Casey, Pixie and both body guards now watch on as Mary does her magic. She begins to use the sharp scalpel to cut into the clay. Mary carefully uses the razor edged tool to copy the photograph Tommy handed her. The congregation all stand around her to watch now too.

She has the clay sitting in her lap as she uses the medical instrument to carve Ryans face on the blank piece of clay. Mary continues to carve, molding a face out of the oblong shape. They look on as she copies the photo like a real artist. The detail in the face blows the minds of every single person looking on. After Mary finishes the face she begins to use the scalpel to draw a spider web on the sculpture.

The carving of the face is identical to the photo of Ryans. Mary finishes the spiderweb across the face, all but the final strand. She then looks back up at Crimson. The two once again lock eyes.

“Once I finish this web with the clay and personal items it will take. I have a feeling for some reason you don’t want the web finished just yet?” Mary asks Crimson point blank.

Tommy appears annoyed by the question but never the less replies, “No. I don’t want you to finish it yet. I want this to be on my terms and I actually need this man once I top the card. However, if things don’t go as planned on Sunday, this web will be finished.” Tommy threatens with true malice.

Mary looks confused but then holds her hand for payment. Marcus Tame picks up a briefcase he was carrying earlier then opens it up. Tommy reaches over and takes a few stacks of money he acquired by selling FuryLand mere days earlier.

Mary flips through each stack to make sure all the hundred dollar bills are accounted for. This takes her a few minutes to do but Tommy waits patiently while she counts. After counting two hundred thousand dollars out, she smirks up at Crimson.

“You do realize that if that web is finished on that face he will really die. I’ve witnessed the awful things you have done on television. This however is very different. If you finish that web strand, Ryans wife will end up with The Widowmaker Curse. This man will die and there is no reversing that. This curse was created to destroy real evil in slavery times but you use it now to combat good with evil?” Mary asks with a puzzled look across her face. Tommy turns away from Mary to avoid her gaze.

“I will use this if I have to. I would rather use him for as long as I can when I get to the top. Killing the man seems a bit harsh but I can’t feel empathy. I don’t have the ability to have pity on those who oppose me.” Crimson replies.

Mary stands back up and takes hold of Crimson’s right shoulder. She pulls at it, leading Tommy to turn to face her again. Mary looks deep into the eyes of the most evil human being she’s ever met.

“The world is yours for the taking after sunday. This man is shaken already and with what has transpired here will no doubt be in real fear for his life. An individual like yourself holding an item like this over his head is real cause for concern. Each night Kristopher loses a little more sleep then a little more the next. Each day he weakens.” Mary informs Crimson of her future insight.

Tommy leans down to Mary. She uses each of her hands to frame his face. Mary leans in close and whispers softly, “This power’s ability to kill is all too real. If you finish that web he will die within twenty four hours leaving his wife a widow.” Mary inserts caution that falls on deaf ears.

The two new body guards are wearing body cameras. The feed goes straight to the production floor currently at a hidden location. Fury Studios is in limbo at the moment, leading to complete secrecy of future plans. The eyes of the entire congregation has changed to solid white when the camera extends out from Tommy and Mary on the two bodyguards body cams.

Mary hands the piece of carved clay over to Crimson. She leans in once more with a whisper before letting it go, “Hail Satan!”

Crimson laughs slightly at the older woman whispering this. The others around believe she said something insightful and Crimson doesn’t change that. Mary sits back down in her seat. Tommy stands up and the body guards are completely freaked out. Now Mary has solid white eyes, too. Everyone in the Temple of Satan besides the two new bodyguards have the officially licensed Crimson white eye society contacts in. The two men regain their composure as Tommy heads for the door. The group all bow down on one knee for Tommy as he exits including Mary this time. Chad helps the elderly voodoo priestess down to one knee. Tommy turns before he reaches the swinging door and looks back. “Sheep.”, he simply states.

Pixie and Casey are standing next to each other when Tommy walks out. Both of the females know what Crimson has planned next. They have secretly spent the last three days making plans of their own. Tommy turns around after getting one last insult in. Pixie looks over at Casey and nods leading Anthony to nod back. She then slips down on the floor and ends up sitting on her butt looking up. Casey then begins to breath as if she were hyperventilating. The small crowd, bodyguards and Crimson all turn to look at her.

“My. Water. Just. Broke!” Casey blurts out at last.

Pixie squats down directly in front of her then begins helping her to breath.

“Breath in and out just like we learned at lamaze class this past weekend. BREATH!” Pixie screams into Casey’s face.

Fake tears stream down Casey’s face as she breaths in and out heavily. Crimson and the bodyguards are about to react when Pixie chimes in, “I need to get her to a hospital right now. I’ll need Marcus to drive while I possibly deliver the baby in the backseat.”

Crimson thinks this over for a brief moment then replies, “Fine. Marcus can go with you but take AJ, too!”

Tommy points at one of the four cameramen that is filming from Fury Studios. AJ holds his camera tight and continues to film as Tommy handcuffs the briefcase to Marcus’s wrist,  the remaining cash left from the sale of his amusement park tucked inside. Crimson paid a major studio to do his last promo before High Stakes Vll. Tommy then ponied up for a private jet in order to return to Australia. Then he dished out two hundred grand for an ironclad curse he can possibly use to kill his next opponent leaving just over five million in total. The black GMC SUV that they all arrived in has the rest of the money in the boot, hidden where the spare tire should be. After Crimson secures the case to Marcus, he takes off out the swinging doors of The Temple of Satan back up the street. Marcus is headed in the direction of the SUV.

Crimson squats down in front of Casey beside of Pixie. He looks into her solid white eyes with wonder. She smiles slightly in between deep breaths. Pixie takes hold of Casey underneath her right arm. The Dollface Killah then lifts Anthony up to her feet while both breath in and out selling the fake water break relentlessly.

Tommy gives Pixie a skeptical glance which scares her to death. She quickly hoist Casey on up then pushes her toward the door. AJ follows close behind as the two spill out onto the street. Marcus pulls up in front of the temple in the SUV. Tyrone and Tommy walk out onto the sidewalk then watch the hectic scene unfold in the street. Pixie gets Casey in the backseat then rushes around the car in a hurry. She realizes she didn’t shut the back door after getting in the passenger seat. Pixie leaps out quickly then shuts Casey’s door. She then hops back in the passenger seat as AJ gets in the hatch to film over the seats. Crimson and Sims watch as they speed off toward a hospital.

Tommy and Tyrone catch a taxi that drives by slow looking for a fare. The two men pile into the back of the taxi. The taxi is a beautiful one from the nineteen sixties that shines in the warm hollywood sunshine.

As soon as the door is shut, the driver of the taxi takes off in the heavy traffic. “Where to, my friends?” he calls out from the driver's seat.

“The ten freeway bridge over Hoover Street.” Crimson replies immediately. He notices the driver is wearing a nametag that reads, “Khan”.  

The taxi inside is not as nice as the outside, The floorboard has a few holes rusted out where you can see the road moving below. Star Trek merchandise is placed throughout the taxi. People have carved awful things into the metal ceiling. Many different colored sharpies have written across the top of it also.

“All The Heroes Are Dead.” is written out in dark green. Tyrone’s body cam now feeds back to the studios while the other three cameramen follow close behind in a second taxi. Tommy rolls his eyes at all the star trek stuff. Tyrone looks out the window at all the sights and sounds of Los Angeles.

Tyrone turns to Crimson, who now is being filmed from a POV angle.

“I will protect this with my life.” Sims promises to Tommy while holding the clay Kristopher Ryans face covered in an almost complete spiderweb. Crimson nods at the former mercenary then stares out the window himself. The people of L.A. annoy Crimson with the materialistic, condescending, and spoiled behavior they all exhibit. A sick feeling hits the pit of his gut as the taxi drives past all these fake plastic people. Work. Buy. Consume. Die.

Meanwhile… across the city near the interstate drives the large SUV. The camera shot cuts to inside the large vehicle. Inside the vehicle sits Marcus Tame, Pixie, Casey, and AJ the camera man. Casey and Pixie continue to breath heavy like they are in a lamaze class. Marcus appears to be completely stressed by this entire situation. Pixie suddenly stops breathing heavy then leans over across the bodyguard, careful to brush both of her large breasts across his lap.

Tame reacts immediately by shifting. The attractive blonde continues to flirt after rolling the driver side window down. She then drags her breasts back along his lap noticing a response this go. Marcus looks down at her as she slowly teases. Pixie looks up at him with her beautiful blue eyes. “T.C.” is carved into the middle of her forehead but he pays it little attention.

“You seem stressed… Allow me to take care of you?” Pixie pleads of her boyfriends bodyguard.

Marcus shifts his bottom around in the seat to make room for the briefcase still attached to his wrist. Pixie peers over the seat at Casey, who has completely stopped the heavy breathing now. Paradox slowly lowers her head into Tame’s lap. The camera angle changes to adjust for sensitive sexual material. Casey waits until Marcus is unaware of what’s happening around him before she strikes. She stands up slightly out of her seat then snakes her hands down the inside of Tame’s seat. Marcus still drives but his sole focus is what Pixie is doing. The camera blurs a bit but Casey slips her hand over Marcus’s pistol that’s attached to his hip. Pixie really hammers down as Anthony unbuttons the strap holding the glock in place.

Pixie continues her work but only the sounds can be heard. The picture has become fuzzy and blurred to protect the innocent somewhat. Casey snatches the pistol suddenly then sticks it to Tame’s head after pulling the slide back to load the firearm.

“Pull Over!” Casey screams at Marcus.

The SUV screeches to a halt then Tame pulls into an empty alleyway. Pixie raises up from his lap then locks eyes with him. She slowly wipes her mouth then grins wide at the frightened body guard.

Casey holds the gun to his head until they are parked in the alley, hidden away from the public on the street.

She leans back never taking the gun off him. Pixie bats her long eyelashes at Tame then says, “I need your pants then you are free to go.”

Marcus immediately finishes sliding his pants down his legs. He pulls up the name brand underwear he's wearing but Pixie stops him then instructs, “No. Take those off too.”

Tame rolls his eyes then drops his head back against the rest of the seat with frustration. He then looks in the rear view mirror and see’s Casey Anthony still holding a loaded gun right at his head. Marcus reluctantly removes his underwear then opens the car door. Anthony carefully steps out of the back after opening the door. She continues to hold the gun on the half naked bodyguard. Pixie opens the passenger door then walks around the front of the SUV.

Pixie arrives at the driver’s door as Marcus stands before her. She carefully takes the briefcase that is attached to his wrist. “No! Wait.” Tame exclaims at Pixie but she ignores him.

She gets the briefcase up into both hands then uses her knee beneath it to hold it up slightly. Pixie gets to the lock on the front. A three number code is needed to open the digital lock on the briefcase. Pixie takes her index finger and chooses the code.

“6.6.6.”

The case’s top raises to let her know the code is correct. Pixie immediately begins taking the remaining cash out of the case then tossing it into the SUV.

AJ the cameraman continues to film while shaking a bit. Pixie doesn’t stop her friend from doing his job because she wants Tommy to know exactly what has happened here. AJ doesn’t dare to use a cellphone or anything. He continues to film Pixie unload the case into the SUV. She then takes the keys from Marcus and heads for the hatch in the back. Pixie presses a button on the key remote to open the hatch before she gets there.

The hatch slowly rises and Pixie pushes it on up to peer inside. She quickly moves bags around to get to where the spare is kept. Pixie carefully lifts the flat surface that covers the spare storage container. She realizes all the cash left remains in this compartment. Pixie then rushes to the front of the vehicle to move the cash from the case into the original hiding spot.

After she finishes she walks up behind Casey, who still holds a loaded gun at Marcus. Pixie walks around her never hindering her line of sight with the weapon. She then pulls a wide long strand of duck tape from a roll she found in the hatch. Pixie gags Marcus then ties his hands behind his back carefully. She then leads him over to a dumpster in the alley. Casey continues to hold the gun on him even after he takes a seat next to the garbage container. Pixie ties his feet then looks at Marcus.

“I want you to tell that son of a bitch that I got three fourths of his money now. What he didn’t spend for his one shot promo or anything else he deemed worthy to waste it on. I am owed this money for all the abuse and child I lost while with that fucking monster. When you do get free tell him he will never ever find us.” Pixie informs her captive as she stands back up.

Casey puts the gun away as her and Pixie turn back for the SUV. Marcus struggles against the dumpster with no success. The tape that binds him will allow these two women to escape before word gets out of their double cross. Pixie gets in the driver's seat  while Casey claims the passenger seat up front. Paradox starts the engine then leans out the window as the vehicle reverses to scream, “SWERVE!”. Marcus appears confused by the wrestling term as the women take off down the street after quickly exiting the alley.



Hoover Street, Los Angeles (Across Town, Same Time)
10/23/2017
5:13 p.m.


Tommy and Tyrone are still riding in the taxi totally unaware of what just transpired with Marcus and the girls. The taxi comes up on the street they are travelling to. Tyrone turns to Crimson the backseat.

“Why didn’t you goto the hospital with Casey?” Sims asks his employer.

Tommy scrunches up his forehead with displeasure but then replies, “Because I don’t care.”

Tyrone leans back in the seat now wide eyed. Crimson grins realizing his bodyguard much like Kristopher Ryans has never encountered a man like himself. The taxi driver dumps them out on Hoover street and both men can see a bridge in the distance immediately upon exiting the cab.

“There is where we are headed.” Crimson states after pointing out the bridge.

The two men walk alongside the highway toward the bridge slightly hidden by smog. They continue as people drive by them. Many of the drivers on the road appear red with road rage. Angry motorists all around the two men fight and argue as they travel along. The taxi carrying the three Fury Studios cameramen stops and let’s them out alongside Tommy and Tyrone. They pick up the feed giving Sims body cam a rest.

The two men walking down the street being followed closely by three camera men doesn’t even catch the attention of the passing motorists. This unfolding scene is nothing new for tinseltown.

The men all finally reach the Ten Bridge that is located overtop of Hoover Street. All of the men but Tommy are confused by the location. The overpass appears normal with graffiti covering the inside walls as they slip underneath.

The evening sun shines bright but they all avoid it underneath the bridge. Tommy looks along the floodwall for any kind of opening. A hole in the concrete halfway through allows passage to behind the tall flood wall where the large columns are located that anchor the large bridge above.

The hole use to be for a vent that has since been removed. The hole looks as if it has been made larger by any number of seedy shady individuals.

The large body guard squirms through the hole after Crimson slips through. The camera men all scramble through the hole after the two men. They bump into Tyrone leading him to kick back at them. The large man knocks two of the camera men over but they quickly recover to shuffle out of the hole. On the other side of the floodwall is another world entirely.

The air is filled with the scent of stagnant piss. The walls are covered with graffiti that all look like cries for help.

“There is no escape.”

“Save me from the demon that has consumed me.”

“There Is No God.”

“All The Heroes Are Dead Now.”

Many more statements like they are spray painted all over the columns and back side of the flood wall. The scene creeps out Tyrone and all three camera men. Tommy seems to revel in the gritty dirtiness of the scene.

The ground below their feet is now powder like dirt. So much walking and lack of sunlight has left no grass here. Tommy looks on the walls around the small confines. An “X” marks the wall just out from him.

The “X” has two words written smaller on either side of the “X”. The left side reads, “Death.” The right right reads, “Rebirth.”

Crimson realizes this is the exact spot he came here for. The camera men continue to film every move that Tommy makes. Tyrone looks on confused by everything that is happening but the money is so good he stays put without any hesitation.

Tommy sits down at the “X”. He slumps down with his back up against the floodwall. The words can be made out but the “X” that marks the spot is hidden behind Crimson.

Tommy looks down at the ground. A few cracks throughout allow some sunlight in. Crimson brings his head back up and he looks over at the four men watching on.

“I have come here to sit in this very spot. This spot has been searched for since the early nineteen nineties.” Crimson informs his audience of employees.

“A poem was written here way back then. One that was eventually turned into a hit song. There is a reason I came here. This very spot is where Anthony Kiedis died then was reborn.” Tommy names the Red Hot Chilli Peppers lead singer. Tyrone appears even more confused now.

Crimson stands up suddenly. He walks over from the “X” to another spot. Close to one of the large columns he stops then turns to face the men once again.

“See Anthony came here that warm night in 1992 to purchase drugs from this very spot. He even had to lie to be permitted into this hidden abyss of sadness.” He explains to the camera’s and Tyrone.

“This all gang territory to this very day. Back then the latin gangs ran this part of town and sold drugs here to junkies from all over LA. Anthony lied to the gangsters, claiming he was a fiance to a sister of a fellow gang member. He then purchased his drugs then walked over to that spot marked on the wall.” Crimson points to where he was just seated at the “X”.  

Tyrone pulls his weapon from its holster at the very mention of “gang territory”.

“He took a seat between two gangster’s that were shooting speedballs leaned up against the wall.” Tommy excitedly exclaims.

“He would load up his rig with the toxins then inject himself in the arm after tieing off with a rubber hose he carried with him.” Tommy slows to emphasize the madness involved in carrying gear to get high on your person. He walks back over to the marked spot on the wall. He leans against the wall with both arms extended out. He puts his palms flush against the wall facing away from his four employees.

“See.. He shot that shit into his arm then died. That man then awoke. Alive. He took all his sadness then projected it onto a pad he carried in his pocket. Anthony used that pen to write a poem called, “Under The Bridge”. Tommy pushes off the wall then spins around to face the men.

“Anthony used raw human emotion in the weakest state of his entire life. He faced himself and in doing so saved himself. Under The Bridge would launch the Red Hot Chilli Peppers into the mainstream top ten in the early nineties. All that happened in this spot. ” Tommy grins realizing they don’t understand.

“Only when this man lost everything did he become the best possible version of himself.” Crimson explains then turns back away.

“Right now Pixie and Casey are running with all of my money.” Tommy blurts out. He swings around to see a shocked look across all four mens faces now.

Crimson grins wide then holds up his smartphone at the cameras. A red dot on a map can be seen travelling along the screen in a hurry.

“They took everything and maybe killed Marcus.” Tommy informs the world.

“Those bitches believe they got me and they have. See I knew Pixie was going to turn on me but I knew she would wait until I was my most vulnerable out here in tinseltown. This red dot is a tracking device I had shot into Casey Anthony’s neck to keep track of her. After I get that kid in her belly she will likely be disposed of.” Tommy grins wide after revealing the depths of his total control.

“Now I further the legend behind this place. I too lost myself here and now I must write my under the bridge on sunday. The harmony will be one of agony while the pitch will be a hipster’s scream. I will do it all to survive now that I have lost everything. Only after you lose everything are you willing to die to achieve anything.” Tommy finishes nearly blowing everyone’s minds. The cameramen even halt filming attempting to figure out how they will paid after this.

Tyrone has already been paid in full for a year's worth of his services so he stands his ground. Crimson kicks the dirt on the ground about. The cloud of dust flies high into the air. The cameramen suddenly all stop talking and Tyrone turns to see what happened. All three men holding cameras now have solid white eyes. They then begin to film without questioning payment what so ever now.

Tyrone steps up to Crimson then says, “Do you want me to go after them?”

Tommy steps back then shakes his head. He replies, “No. Let them spend all the money then after we get the kid they can be dealt with.”

Tyrone sticks his glock back in its holster. He then crawls back out the hole, where they all entered from. Tommy follows close behind Sims after he stands back up on the opposite side of the floodwall.

Tyrone Sims looks conflicted and deep in thought. Crimson walks up to him.

“Those girls bit the hand that fed them. They fell for a trap I set to push myself to the limit. Now I am broke and I know the only way to get back in the positive is to take that fuckin’ belt.” Crimson screams up at Tyrone.

“The madness that swirls around in my head has fueled a successful career for me. I film everything because Knoxville always told me that footage is money. I film then film more since my days on the Jackass crew as a stunt double stand in. I used that money I earned in my youth doing dumbshit to put myself through the best wrestling school.” Tommy continues to brag looking for acceptance to creep across Tyrone’s face.

“I work harder than any wrestler on this planet. No other man can stand the pace I set not even the bulimic ken doll I face this Sunday.” Crimson continues to search for a glimpse of respect in Tyrones eyes.

“I worked for a solid year to earn that seven million dollars. Material things are what makes you weak. The pursuit of these things ignites vigor and real drive to achieve. I now have no choice but to beat this man now. There can be no other outcome because of what I allowed to transpire today.” Tommy halts attempting to impress his body guard.

“Now we must go to that studio. I have no money to spend for retakes now which means I must be flawless. There is no reset because I must do it all in one take.” Crimson informs Sims of his near impossible task that lay ahead.

“When you are as good as I am you have to remind yourself every once in awhile what it is you are fighting for. Now I must fight and succeed to survive.”

Crimson finishes as all the camera men finally exit the hole in the wall to join Tommy and Tyrone.

The five men then begin to walk alongside the highway. They head west towards the city where the major motion picture studio is located. An overhead shot comes into focus. The drone is being flown by a Fury Studios employee at a nearby cheap motel. Suddenly a shot can be heard. A mexican mafia gang member suddenly runs across the street away from the five men walking. Tommy and the rest watch on as the gangster rushes across the road toward a falling drone. He quickly snatches it up after shooting it out of the sky! He runs off with the expensive piece of Crimson’s equipment out of sight. Tyrone laughs but Crimson becomes enraged. The group continue to head toward the city.



Warner Brothers Studio(back lot)
Hollywood, CA
10/23/2017
7:43 p.m.


The group of men finally hitch hike to the studio. Crimson makes sure he still has his plane tickets as they approach the backgate to the film studio.

Tommy eases his concern after finding the plane ticket. He then takes off to the gate but all of them are stopped by three security guards.

“Hey! What is your business here!?” The largest one calls out as the men walk toward Tommy.

“I am Tommy Crimson and I am here to spit fire.” Crimson assures the guard.

The small nerdy looking guard on the right side begins looking on a clipboard. The little guy adjusts his thick glasses to read the names on the list. About halfway down the list he realizes that the name is on it. “I need your I.D.”, the nerdy guard announces.

Tommy hands it over immediately. The guards look the men over close assessing their threat level on the spot. The nerdy guard gives the I.D. back then replies, “Open the gate, It’s him. You are thirty minutes late but if you hurry they will still film today.”

The gate slowly opens and all five men take off toward the studio. The largest studio in the lot is where they are headed. Tommy paid a large amount of money to film here but left no room for any kind of mistake. He gets one take and that is it. The cameramen continue to follow Tyrone and Tommy as they worm in between smaller buildings to reach the largest set.

They reach the set finally and the director screams out from his chair, “FINALLY!” FUCK!”

Tommy gives him a sideways glare to the scrawny screaming man but then makeup takes over. They quickly get Crimson ready while the cameramen with Tommy film and Tyrone stands off to the side as to not be in the way.

After Crimson puts on his human skin and face coat, he walks off toward the first set. The Director, Jose Sanchez, walks over to Tommy. The smaller Sanchez has to look up at Crimson but the size difference changes his attitude almost immediately.

“We have a huge set here that you will progress through during the promo. I will direct all the effects happening behind you but we have everything set up that you paid for. You didn’t pay for retakes so I’m afraid you get one shot at this.” The director explains further.

Crimson can see down the sets and all the props all around from where he is standing. He can’t see the entire length but knows this will be tough to pull off in one take. Tommy reminds himself that he just lost everything. Tommy slaps himself in the face then begins to shake his arms about to prepare.

The director takes a seat in the moving vehicle that has the three dimensional camera’s alongside the high definition ones. There will be two different releases of this promo after it is finished be produced the following day. Tommy’s cameramen continue to film but know they are outgunned here. Tyrone gets behind the huge filming structure to walk behind it. The director gets comfortable in his seat and his assistants all stand behind the moving filming vehicle that sits on a track. Tommy wipes the sweat from his brow as the director screams out, “ACTION!”

The Fury Studios shot dies out and the expensive studio cameras begin to film. Tommy walks into the wide shot. He walks on leaving footprints of blood with each step he takes. The effect is added in on the fly. The scene around Crimson changes to a icy cruel winter in Detroit. This symbolizes the brutal cold hearted beginnings of Tommy. He walks through the shot leaving bloody footprints in the fresh snow as he travels on. A wind and snowmachine add to the dramatic effect. Tommy continues on no matter how deep the slush becomes.

The snow dies out and Tommy walks through a closet room, The door swings open and a large man begins swinging a belt wildly at a young Tommy from his point of view. Crimson stops to watch the scene all around him. He slightly grits his teeth when he hears the snap of the belt across flesh. The memories of many drunk foster parents beating him without mercy raises the hair on his arms and down his spine. Crimson however, continues to walk on. The next set he enters is an old woman’s house.  

The scenes play out around Tommy as he walks while the shot is clear and amazing. Actors walk across the screen in predetermined positions. One plays a teenage Tommy Crimson. The teenagers are going through an old woman’s house searching for medication to sell so they can eat that day. Young Crimson is currently enrolled at wrestling school and this was before he met Johnny Knoxville. With nothing to eat he resorts to stealing pain meds to feed himself. A few in the crowd watching begin to tear up at the heartbreak on full display.

Tommy continues walking through the long set. The red footprints linger behind Crimson even after he has moved steps ahead. This symbolizes all the sacrifices and blood he shed to achieve his lifelong dream.

The next set he walks through is where it all began for him. In AWWL, Tommy would become World Champion, proving to himself that he belonged in professional wrestling. The glory was short lived as the actors in the scene end up at a bedside with young Tommy. A injury he suffered would end his run in the promotion. This led him to OCW where he achieved greatness again. He would become a multiple time champion there. Disputes backstage with other wrestlers would lead Crimson to leave for a promotion named GCWA.

Tommy stops to watch the glory he achieved back then played out before him with method actors. Crimson turns to face the camera after stopping in front of the GCWA set.

“This is where it all began, Kris. I learned many of the lessons you are yet to learn while I wrestled in GCWA. I defeated anyone that was put in front of me and was rewarded with the top prize for all my hard work.” Tommy brags openly.

“I defeated hall of famer after hall of famer while there. Everyone of those men stood before me and spouted why they were great or “unbeatable”. Crimson explains further.

“These men were much like you. They believed those things they said and just knew they would defeat me in the middle of that ring. They were all fools back then just as you are now. Glory is earned through unattainable goals that manifest into reality. Goals like beating an asshole that hasn’t lost in a solid year.” Tommy grins then continues to walk on through the shot.

“I held that company up and many many others. I can draw with anyone alive including someone as boring as you, Kristopher. Open Your Eyes.” Crimson advises in a creepy tone.

Tommy continues to walk through past the Japan promotions he has wrestled for. He made an internationally known name for himself wrestling overseas. The crowds were different but the result was the same as in America. The actors on this set play off japanese actors. They show an older version of Crimson holding world title after world title belt throughout Asia.

Tommy watches the scene play out then continues on his way through still leaving bloody footprints through his own history playing out before him.

After being champion in all corners of the world the next set shows the return of Crimson back to America. Florida to be exact. Shots of FuryLand are shown to document the history with pinpoint accuracy. The shot shows Tommy defeating Iggy Hardy mere months ago for his Savage Championship. A belt that was held by Iggy for several months before Tommy came back in to take it.

Crimson stands and remembers that moment from his past. The set of OCW then turns to flames and burns causing the actors to run. The set burns and the special effects added sell the shot. Tommy continues to walk through another set while the director still follows on the vehicle sitting on a track. They film while Crimson continues on now in a desert. He walks by the world famous, “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.

The set then turns to showing actual footage of Crimson wrestling in SCW. He defeated two men twice to make it to the promised land. All four men who opposed him would fall to the better, faster, more talented wrestler. Crimson then walks into the next set which shows the past year of Kristopher Ryans slash Halo’s career.

The shots from different SCW shows cross the screen. In the background you can see that Crimson has halted his progress completely. The shots show Ryans defeating challenger after challenger to his Roulette Championship.

Crimson looks on in awe of the success of his next opponent. Ryans appears to be happy when he first gains the title, but as the footage continues to roll you can see a change in the man. He begins as Halo winning the championship, and each time he defends the promo’s used for each particular match flash across the wide shot. His words are written out in some instances as Kris speaks in the promos.

As the year progresses Kristopher becomes less and less interested. In some off shots taken when he’s not paying attention a frown engulfs his face. Tommy continues to watch it all play out standing in the center of the shot. Kristopher changes his name after months of battling fatigue. The name change indicates weakness to all who bare witness to it.

Finally the story unfolding all around Crimson comes to him. Tommy leaves Kristopher knocked out then sent to the hospital. A look of approval covers the face of the champion. He looks refreshed and renewed to wrestle now. This indicates the true weakness of the wrestlers he defeated throughout his near year long reign. Tommy doesn’t point this out but does take note of it.

Crimson watches as the shots show in detail the slow downward spiral of Kristopher Ryans even while succeeding. The video then begins to roll footage of Ryans lack of personality. The different looks he has given while chased by the wrestling world paparazzi.

Tommy looks over at the camera. The scenes surround him in a circle on the set. The bloody footprints still behind him.

“This is what I’ve tried to show you all along. Look at that face. You have become complacent in SCW. This behavior proves to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are not ready for what lays ahead. I have watched all of the tape on you that I could. My assessment is that you are a great wrestler with zero personality. This has caused you marketing concerns since the beginning of your career.” Crimson continues.

“This safe zone you have created will be obliterated come Sunday. That false sense of security you are losing with each passing hour will all fade away. These moments are designated for the greats. I am that great wrestler that will dethrone a champion that has endured all comers. Dealt with adversity with violence of his own creation. Kris, you are out of your league whether you know it or not.” Tommy speaks directly to Ryans through the camera.

Crimson then continues on through the long huge corridor of sets constructed to his specific specifications to film this promo.

The scenes of Ryans winning and being conflicted turn to a huge puzzle box. Tommy is inside of it and it closes in around him. Crimson shows no emotion after becoming trapped in the shot. The clear puzzle box is a projected riddle created by Tommy himself.

“This puzzle box holds the key, Kris.” Crimson proclaims to the camera.

“Confliction. That is the first piece of the puzzle that I will use to defeat you. You can’t tell who you are anymore. This conflicted behavior has led to terrible decisions. Now you look for solace in friends that have never faced anyone like myself. Being conflicted costs you.” Tommy exclaims and a piece of the puzzle box is removed. The box shifts around with Crimson inside.

The puzzle ends up with the piece that fell away at the top to not allow Tommy a way out already. Tommy struts the inside of the huge clear box. Slowly he turns to face the camera once more.

“Morality. See when you were Halo this was not a problem for you. Now that you have changed your ways for the better, at least in your honest opinion anyway, but I see a weaker man now that has rules to abide. Morality costs You.” Tommy calls out from inside the box.

The puzzle box shifts once more as another large piece falls away. He continues to keep his balance somehow.

Two large pieces of the puzzle remain. Tommy shakes his head to not get sick from all the shifting around to regain his composure quickly. Crimson looks back into a camera directly above him now.

“Ahhhh… then there’s of course, Fatigue. You have travelled non stop for well over a year. You grow weary and gloom from all the work you are now forced to do. Running a promotion on top of being a major champion in Sin City Wrestling? Being completely worn out costs You.” Crimson screams out while still trapped.

The right side of the box then fades away after Tommy announces the third word to trigger it to do so. Crimson grins then looks up at the final piece of the box. He could even get around it at this point but decides to inform the world of the fourth reason Kristopher loses comes sunday to finish the puzzle.

“Desire. You have none left. SCW has drained you of all that by booking you the way they have. You lasted well beyond what they could have ever imagined. Loss of your desire to succeed will cost you.” Crimson informs his opponent of another flaw in his game.

The last puzzle piece fades away slowly after Tommy finishes it using the certain words to solve it. The path continues on so Crimson continues on his way when he enters a solid white room. The lights are so bright he Tommy can’t see anything. The camera’s attempt in vain to get a more clear shot but the lights are just too bright. Crimson uses both arms to cover his face then continues to speak to Kristopher Ryans.

“I believe that you think I won’t be able to handle the bright lights of this huge match. You are mistaken. It will be you that these lights effect in the end. Once we are out there deep in the shit you will fold. That slight bend of your will can cost you everything and it will.” Tommy eases forward through the blinding lights of this set.

Crimson slowly creeps closer and closer to the next set but continues to speak directly to Kris using all the cameras.

“Thirty minutes deep into that match you will wonder how it all come to this. How you could be defeated by a man with no morals. You won’t believe that I used methods you never perfected to beat that ass. That bitter taste will never fade once I defeat you.” Crimson continues while inching forward inch by inch.

Finally Crimson reaches another set. The cameras continue to follow him. They have traveled across a huge studio with many different settings that Tommy called for when he paid upfront. The next set appears to be a video game environment. The SCW officially licensed video game to be exact. Details about recent downloads and simulations begins to scroll all around Crimson. The scrolling text is actually facts from the past month. Two weeks ago Crimson was added to the game as a downloadable character for a fee. That character became the most downloaded one of all time. Scenes from the game flash across the set. A three dimensional high flying maneuver is performed by the video game version of Tommy. It’s Kristopher Ryans being GodBooked in one of the many hundred thousand simulations ran during the past week online by fans.  

The facts scroll across the screen indicating that in seventy eight percent of these simulations, Tommy Crimson wins. The math doesn’t lie and everyone watching knows that. Tommy continues on his way through. He doesn’t say a word about the video game numbers just gives a sly grin to the camera for Kristopher. The next set he comes up on is a large with mirrors all over. The way which Tommy came in suddenly becomes blocked with mirrors leaving Crimson trapped once again.

He walks around the room. The floor is all mirrors placed neatly together like tiles. The walls are covered with mirrors all around. A light in the far corner lights up the entire room due to the reflective abilities of all the mirrors. Tommy doesn’t panic but with a calm composure, turns to the cameras to address Kris.

“You go on and fucking on, man. I’m starting to believe you talked previous opponents to death. They just said fuck it, he’s not going to ever shut the fuck up with this sissy metrosexual bullshit. You talked for two hours and accomplished dick.” Crimson insults Kristopher right at the camera.

“There is no way you are going to beat me. That was all weak. I’d beat anyone that you talked to in that promo. You should have spoken with Aaron Issacs. I systematically ripped him apart. I whipped his ass just like I am going to do you come Sunday. Aaron knows for a fact you can’t beat me. So I know a part of you believes it too.”<font

[Crimson]

 â€œSee after I beat you, I will have proven I am the biggest draw here now. I did something no other man could do. I can’t get to the top and make the kind of money I want to with a Calvin Harris or a Dmitri either. Oh No…. I am dragging you with me to the tip top because I need a Batman to my Joker. It’s you, Kristopher.” Crimson twists his hands together after unveiling the perfect plan.  

“We are going to make so much money but you will never ever defeat me. Time after Time you will try only to be smited by the wrestling gods. Doomed to relive the nightmare that will unfold on Sunday over and over in graphic detail. I will consume you completely. Can’t you see the trap I have set? How could you possibly avoid it in such a conflicted state? It’s me, Kris. The man that’s better. The man you can’t avoid any longer. This time you came weak and unprepared to face the best wrestler alive. I’ve come for what’s mine.” Tommy explains with brutal honesty. He spins around on the mirror floor. Bloody footprints are left in a smear because of this.  

”I can’t believe the advice you were given in that promo either. They all want you to be a weaker version of yourself. So conflicted. You do realize fucking that Kali bitch while being married is douchey? Not a very “good guy” thing to do.” Tommy quotates the insult for Kris using both hands.  

“I also noticed you advised me, An Eleven Time World Champion, that my methods won’t work and will fail. Nice advice, Fuck-O. You caused me to do something that I hate to do right there. Bring up my past at a new promotion. I don’t need any advice from you, Kris. You are in no position to be giving anyone anywhere any kind of advice.I just need you to show up and I will take care of the rest.” Crimson dismisses his weaker opponent’s advice completely.

“Have I popped holes in everything you tried to do in that shitshow, yet? I think you already did that by droning on. Goddamn, I just don’t think I can watch the second. I had to suffer through that shit like I was stuck in quicksand and fading fast.” Crimson grabs his head then shakes it from the memories of the terrible promo.

“You claim I’ve renewed your love for wrestling, when actually you are scared to fuckin’ death right now. You are no good at promo work. All of your peers are witnesses to me destroying You, here and now. You should grab a pencil and pad while you watch this.” Tommy dishes out a bit of his own advice.  

Crimson shifts in the huge room of mirrors. The shots are wide and perfect.

“You also claimed that I couldn’t get you to lift a finger on Climax Control?” Crimson asks the closest camera with real curiosity.  

“I put you in the hospital and traumatized your side bitch. Then you actually promo at a gym against me. That’s a fucking insult to someone as creative as myself. Unoriginality seems to a plague you’ve contracted then spread to Aaron Issacs. Most likely from tongue to butthole in a random zoo bathroom.” Tommy laughs after the sick burn.

“I think you took me lightly and like Crusader and the rest, will fail to defeat Tommy Crimson. Even that off camera and on camera bit you do is fucking stupid. Here’s some off camera and on camera footage for you….” Crimson presents proudly as the shot cuts away from him.

A female comes across the camera with her face half blurred. She resembles Kristopher Ryans wife from certain angles? She is sitting at a table having a lunch with a friend. Her friend has a hair band mane. His identity is hidden with a blur but could be anyone. Ha. Maybe. The female could be Ryans wife, the shot is blurred quite a bit for legal purposes. The general idea of these two identities are given in a subtle manner. The male leans in to kiss the female and she accepts. The deep kiss appears real and they linger facing each other locked in embrace.

Suddenly the female leaps to her feet then screams, I can’t here. Come with me!”, then takes the male's hand. She leads him away down a street as the shot fades out. Tommy comes back into focus with a wide grin across his face.

“A few dead eye society guys are videographers where she lives, Kris, I think. I bet you know that guy… Ha.. Was that really them? We may never know but I am sure the internet will figure it out for us. You can’t even please her, Kris.” Crimson spews while wringing his hands together in maniacal manner.

“She’s tired of waiting on you to get home. She needs to be fucked by a man that might stay the night. So please go on with how you are going to get to me now. You can’t control this situation anymore than you can control that whore wife that can’t sing for shit you got. Forget it, Ryans. You don’t have what it fuckin’ takes to compete with me. Your brain is being fucked without lube on the grandest scale of them all! REJOICE DEAD EYE SOCIETY!” Crimson screams out wildly then swings around the huge mirror room.

The mirror room opens up. This room symbolizes looking at yourself to keep in perspective, who it is that you are. Ryans sees Kristopher Halo’s reflection everytime he looks into a mirror. Yet he fights that reflection with name changes and historically bad merchandise sales. Crimson enters the final set. The bloody footprints behind him do finally fade. They catch fire now as he walks along he leaves a fiery footprint. The set he comes to has mid eighties floor television sets for walls and a floor. The whole environment are old tv screens. They flicker to life and each tv show a different time Crimson won a title. They are so many televisions going at once but the sound dies down as Tommy turns to face the cameras once more.

“These things I’ve done mean nothing to me at this point. I like to watch tape on myself to remember who it is that I am. I never forget because of that and I am always aware of what I am capable of. I believe there is only one person in all of SCW, who can take that Roulette Championship.” Crimson announces proudly.

“That man everyone who’s faced Kristopher has waited for has arrived. A boogeyman would eventually come along that he couldn’t overcome. A man with a mind for this business that far surpasses that of Ryans.” Crimson continues to build like a carpenter.

“I came here to beat Kristopher Ryans. This is my one and only shot to show the entire wrestling business that I still got it. I need Ryans later but I think I can’t risk it. What if somehow he overcomes all of this? What if I have misread him as a human being?” Tommy inquires at the cameras.

The three camera men hired by Crimson begin filming again. They show Tyrone standing in the very last set. Crimson realizes there is a door leading to a set he didn’t design on paper. A bright red light comes from the dark room. A hallway leads to the doorway that is glowing red around the cracks. The little signs of dust can be made out around the frame of the door. The hallway flickers with lights. Different colored neon signs cover the walls of the long trippy hallway leading to the red glowing door. Tyrone Sim, Crimson’s bodyguard, stands in the middle of the hallway clutching something close to his chest. Tommy approaches him with complete caution.

Tyrone has his head lowered toward whatever it is he has hugged up in both arms. Crimson walks up to him, leading Sims to raise his head up then open both eyes. The neon signs reveal that now Tyrone has solid white eyes. He has sold out to Crimson. He hands Tommy what it is he was holding. Tyrone watches on as Crimson unravels the blanket to find the clay mold of Kristopher Ryans face. A spiderweb covers his entire face all but one strand. Beside the clay mold is an open pocket knife. Tommy hesitates a bit but then takes the mold and knife. He holds the mold up to the cameras that are still filming.

Crimson carefully takes the knife and begins to carve the last strand of the web in. He finishes the spider web over Kristopher's face to activate the curse of the widow maker. Tyrone takes off away from Tommy as he continues to walk slowly toward the glowing red door.

Neon signs cover the walls that read, “Hero’s Die”, “Hipsters Can’t Fight.”, and even one that reads, “Kris Is A CockSucker”. They light the way of the long creepy hallway. Tommy takes the mold of Ryans and smashes it on the floor suddenly. This was explained to do this to ensure the curse couldn’t be reversed. Tommy grins at the camera then speaks into it once more.

“I just couldn’t help myself. Why not use a sure thing? Now you have to decide what is more important. Staying safe to protect those you love or fight and possibly die of the widowmakers curse. You should show up and just hand that strap over to me because I could kill you after what I’ve just done.” Crimson threatens the life of his opponent without any hesitation.  

“You are done. I have all but secured myself a victory. I know you will say it’s not real. You will claim I am just a madman but when you are alone… You will wonder if the curse has taken hold which I assure you, it has.” Tommy promises Kris.

Crimson walks over and slumps down against the wall of the hallway. He looks up and the neon lights flicker, illuminating his face.

“It’s over. I have destroyed you twice now. You can rant and rave all fucking day if you like. I won’t be watching the sequel to that shitshow.” Crimson runs down his opponents work again.

Tommy walks along the hallway toward the glowing door.

“Kristopher… You have been a real fighting champion. I intend to further that cause with my reign and even surpass what you have done. I may decide I want the top strap then just drop it to mock you. Who knows? I know I am worried about your health now, Kris. Do you feel ill at all?” Tommy asks the camera with a forehead wrinkled with fake concern.

“You should feel privileged that I will be the one to dethrone you. After you suddenly die they will always read about you at the bottom of my wikipedia page. I heard from one fellow wrestler that you are a future hall of famer in SCW. What does that make me?” Crimson inquires about his own place in the SCW universe.

“I have created a maddening scenario here for you all the way around. You find out your wife may or may not be cheating? Then you have a widowmaker curse put on you to top it all off. Where are you safe, Kris? Do you understand why I am the most controversial man in this business now?” Tommy continues to ask rhetorical questions.

Tommy walks closer toward the door at the end of the hallway. A light hanging on the wall suddenly comes to life! The neon sign unseen till now reads, “Legend”. Crimson laughs after seeing this then looks back at the camera.

“It’s true. I am a legend. I have done it all but one thing. I have never beaten the longest reigning Roulette Champion for his belt. The clock is ticking and time is running out, Kris. When you come to that ring remember the curse and that your wife may or may not be cheating. I want you softened up for the show I am about to put on. You can thank me after the show for saving your career by taking your belt. It’s no problem, you’ll see.” Crimson finishes underneath the “Legend” neon light. It dies out leaving Tommy in complete darkness once again. He staggers in the dark along the wall toward the glowing door. The edges all around the door glow a concerning evil red.  

Crimson reaches the door and slightly pushes it. It creaks open slightly exposing a creepy red light. The room inside can’t be seen what so ever because of this demonic light. Tommy leaves the door slightly open then turns around to face the cameras one last time.

“I know you are busy talking somewhere right now. You will talk then talk some more about a situation I have complete control over now…. I think I have doomed you to a shorter life than before you knew who Tommy Crimson was. I have owned you here in one single take.” Crimson brags.

Tommy gives out an evil maniacal laugh before he turns back towards the door.

“I’ll see ya sunday, Kristopher. It will be an historic end of an era. You will fight me with everything you have got only to come up short. That’s if that curse doesn’t kill you before the match and I am awarded the belt by default. That could happen.” Crimson advises Kris once more. He then reaches in his pocket to retrieve the plane ticket.

“You should hide before I get back to Australia. I am on my way and if the plane makes it that’s a wrap on your title reign. I hope the last thing you see tonight before you drift off to sleep is my face. I will continue to haunt you even long after I become Roulette Champion, if you even make it.” Tommy taunts further. Crimson then follows up with a cocky last statement.

“Follow That.” Crimson screams out then enters the doorway.

Slowly he struts inside the creepy light. Tommy doesn’t walk through fast but takes his time to fade into the bright light. He becomes engulfed in the red light. The door slams behind him as the shot begins to fade. A proud Crimson will now make his way to Australia for the biggest match this weekend. Tommy did all of that in a single take. <i<“Under The Bridge” begins to play as the screen turns to fuzz and the credits begin to roll.

The End.