I should kill you.
Denver, Colorado.
Last Year
”You piece of shit!”
Austin’s knuckles cracked against his face. Spit and blood sprayed across the wall. Made even worse by the slightly off white eggshell color. He hit the floor, Austin towered over him, his hands closing again into fists and his teeth grinding together. His anger radiated out from his body. Austin realised he needed to calm down. But after all he learned, all he’s seen. How can he?. Austin reached down and with little effort pulled him up slamming him against the wall. ”I should kill you” Austin’s voice boomed, his eyes inflamed as his pupils focused. Austin growled and turned throwing him across the room.
15 minutes earlier….
Austin sat in the drivers seat. He stared across the street at the small, three bedroom house. It was nice. Clean. Austin took a long deep breath looking down from the house to the piece of paper with the name and address clearly written that he received from Amanda Carr. His phone vibrated, his sister asking how his day went, how the show was. Austin sighed heavily, he hated lying to her. Amy would have tried to stop him. Lisa knew, and she was keeping the secret. The door opened, a young woman stepped out, long blond hair, blue eyes. Pretty. Standing next to her was a little girl. Maybe 2 years old, then Austin saw him.
Xavier Coates.
He had short brown hair and green eyes. Amy was right, her son looked like his father. Austin could feel the anger grow. The woman and the little girl made their way to the car. She fastened her daughter into the car seat and turned kissing Xavier with a smile. They pulled away and Xavier turned to make his way back into the house. But he stopped, he slowly turned and looked right at Austin and the car. Austin didn’t even blink or move, his nostrils flared as he kept his eyes locked on Xavier. A few strands of hair flow down in front of his eyes as he reaches to the door handle pulling it to open the door. He stepped out and Xavier turned his head confused. Austin moved across the street and put his hands in his pockets trying to remain calm.
Xavier turned square to Austin looking up at the March larger man. ”Xavier Coates?” He gave a small nod, still confused. Austin stood in front of him and offered his hand.
Xavier reaches out tentatively taking it and shaking it. ”I’m sorry, do I know you?” Austin took a deep breath and his mind raced. The options were there. Does he tell Xavier the truth? Does he risk it? Austin needed answers, he needed to know why.
He relaxed his body language, trying to defuse the situation. ”My name is Austin. I was sent to…” He trailed off. Xavier still looked at him suspiciously. Austin thought back to the file, to all of Amy’s information. Austin sighed and continued lowering his voice/ ”I was sent to check that you remember your deal” Xavier seemed to become agitated, he motioned for Austin to follow him, they moved through the front door as Xavier looked around, he was nervous and clicked the door lock. ”You seems stressed Mr Coates” Austin was enjoying this a little too much. Xavier places his hand on the wall with his forehead resting next to it.
After a few moments he pushed off and turned, his hands on his hips. ”Look I paid Mr...I paid to have my problem taken care of. I promised I would never say anything. What’s going on?” Austin stayed silent for a few moments folding his arms over his chest with a small smile. He was trying to read Xavier. How was he going to get the truth out if this...man?
He stepped forward, he dropped his shoulders and relaxed trying to make Xavier relaxed too. ”I have just been sent to make sure you understand what my employers did for you…”
Xavier seemed to snap, he threw his arms in the air and paced back and forth with a growl. ”Christ! You knock up one slut and end up paying for it for years” Austin took a sharp breath in, his hands turn behind his back and he pushes his chest out. Xavier continues. ”Look, your employers did a great job with the pictures and threats. She ran back to New York with that brat...I paid 20k. I think that’s enough.”
”Is that what your son was worth?”
”Wha-“
He threw his punch ”You piece of shit!” And we’re caught up. The next few moments are a blur up to the death threat. Austin’s hand is wrapped around Xaviers throat, His legs kick and he cannot move. He can barely speak. ”Listen very carefully. You will put money in an account every week. I will tell Amy it was in your will. You will stay dead...you will not meet your son...nod if you understand.” Xavier frantically nods, Austin drops him in a choking heap on the floor. Austin leans down and puts a card in Xaviers front pocket. ”Do not miss a week. Or I will be back. I found you once, I can do it again..” He backed away, turning on his heels pushing the door open slamming it behind him. His phone rings, he sighs as he gets to the car. ”Lisa? Yeah. It’s done. Amy won’t have to worry...I’ll be home soon. I love you…”
The middle ground
We are greeted with a tapping. The sound of water hitting a concrete floor. But in a rhythmic motion. As we trail up we find the tip of a old style wooden walking stick hitting the smooth concrete floor. All legs of the chair sit just in front of the large legs of Austin James Mercer in black boots and black jeans: his long hair dangling down from under a black and red top hat.
”It didn’t take me long did it?. It didn’t take me long at all to crawl my way back up to relevance. You see, that is the difference between myself and people like Caleb Storms, Stephan Callaway and Agustino Romano. Now, i’m not saying any of those men are not talented. In fact all three of them are. But the problem that many seem to have in sin city wrestling is that they refuse to accept their position and acknowledge the things they need to change to succeed. And trust me in this, anyone who is good enough to earn a contract in SCW is good enough to become greater and better through hard work and ethics. I know, strange hearing that coming from a Wolfslair member right? Since we..you know..”
“All sound the same…”
“But it’s true. I have watched the cream rise to the top with a champions mindset. Ben did it, Jack did it. Alex and Griffin both fell for it and lost it in impressive fashion. Some people just lose that fire and mindset when they attain their goals. We are yet to see if Jack is one or the other. Right now?. Well he has that mindset. He has that drive. And as of the last climax control...well…”
“He now has a challenger..”
“And I have just been waiting for the usual whining and complaining. You see, while I disagree with many things that my stablemates decide to say, and their beliefs, there is something that I do agree on. When we reach heights, when we become the best of the best and attain things that most people can only dream of, a lot of you decide that you want to revel in our fall. Take all the people who laughed when Alicia basically destroyed her body defending that title and she lost it. All the people who celebrated when Alex and Jo lost the mixed tag, world and roulette titles, despite the fact that many who decided to run their mouths never held any of those.”
Austin pushed up to his feet, revealing that he was wearing one of his own T-shirts not one of the groups. A T-shirt brandishing him in an anime art style.
”And that is the world that we live in. You become heated and ostracised based off of your success. And while the other members of Wolfslair accept that and lash out, I have a different approach. I carry myself with respect and dignity. There are some people in this company that have proved time and time again that they do not deserve that respect. And they know who they are. But for the most part, so many people look at me and see me is different. I will go down to that ring and do everything that I can’t win the match but I never try and go out of my way to hurt or humiliate.”
“But that’s what can sometimes happen when you are as dominant as I have been. In fact, here we are, almost November and I have lost...3 times...3….and won 13….and one on one I have not been beaten since September...of last year.”
“That is dominance.”
“But this week I find myself in the unique position of facing a champion. The current reigning and defending Roulette champion. Mr Kedron Williams…”
Austin steps sideways and twirls the cane.
”Mr Williams. You accomplished something great a few weeks ago. You’re able to beat a man who mini thought was going to keep that roulette title all the way up to a point where he would have to vacate it if he wanted to go for anything else. A man who seem to thrive in the chaos of the roulette division. O’Malley. It was impressive Kedron, and it’s not something that should be overlooked or overshadowed or swept under the rug looked at as a fluke. It is something that should be celebrated, it is something that should be looked at as a real accomplishment and an accolade in this business and in this company. Because O’Malley is not a simple pushover, some people don’t like the fact that he’s an outspoken Irishman and he likes to run his mouth but the truth is? He earned the right to do that with the roulette title win and all of his success in SCU.”
“But what about your success? You have been one of the most inconsistent people in this company. Every time you seem to take a few steps forward you get shoved back down. You are not anywhere near as bad as people like Caleb storms or Stephen Calloway, but you’re not at the same level as myself, Ben Jordan, or Fenris.”
“You sit in this middle ground. And that is as frustrating as it is dangerous.“
“See Kedron, if you were someone like the aforementioned Caleb storms or Stephan Callaway I would be able to look you in the eye and talk about how I was just going to destroy you and there was nothing you could do about it. And I could say with the kind of confidence and conviction that would be borderline cocky or arrogant. And you would have no choice but to believe it, the fans would believe it, the officials would believe it, that’s just how this happens.”
Austin stops toiling the cane and slams the base of it down on the concrete floor would send an echo throughout the room.
”And if it was the other way, if I was going into this match and you have been as dominant as say Ben or Fenris, Well, then I would switch tactics. My confidence would still be there but it would not be at the forefront. I would remind everyone how great you’ve been and how dominant you’ve been and that this is two alpha males going one on one and that everyone should be excited. But this is dangerous, because on paper Kedron, you look at our past and the fact I’ve beaten you before and our recent histories and many would think I should be confident that I will walk through you like I would Caleb. But that’s the problem. You are not like them.”
“I have to be alert and careful here. And it’s not just because of apparent powers you may or may not have all your mind games.“
“I have to be careful, because the middle ground that you occupy, is bordering on maddening for someone like me. Because I’m expected to beat you, I’m expected to walk through you, but you are is dangerous when motivated as the other people in this company who have held the world title and gone on amazing runs. So, while I’m expected to beat you I know damn well that it isn’t that simple and that you could get into that ring and beat me“
He shrugs and moves his left foot sideways kicking the cane so it spins in his hands.
”With that being said, momentum in this business is very important. Look at what my mentum did for Alicia over the last few years, look at what momentum did for me. And now I have more momentum, I’ve come back stronger and better than ever and already earned myself a shot of the world championship and I cannot have my momentum be stopped. So you are dangerous to that, you are a threat to my momentum, a threat to my future world title aspirations and I cannot, and refused to, let you get in my head and stop me from achieving my goals. So you will be getting the respectful former champion Kedron, you’ll be getting the competitor, but, you will also be getting a man ready to do what it takes. So at climax control I’m looking forward to going against you, because it will test me, but I’m not looking to let my momentum die for someone who likes to stand in the middle.”
Austin growls and smiles before turning and carrying the cane over his shoulder walking away whistling the theme from jeepers creepers. Happy Halloween…..
