Today could be like any other day.
It could, but for obvious reasons, it was not. Under most circumstances, Carter McKinney was leading a relatively happy life. He had a wonderful home and a job he loved, a dream that many could but wish they could say the very same. He had supportive friends and family in his life, and perhaps at the very top of his list, he was engaged to be married to the love of his life. A man who had become his knight in shining armor from the day they had met. But if there was any one particular thing that life had to teach us, is the fact that nothing is guaranteed, and that fate always got its own way. Nothing was certain in our everyday lives, and the slightest straying from our respective paths could be like someone tipping over a single domino. Tip just one, and many more would tumble over right after.
This was certainly the case where Carter was concerned in his private life away from the prying eyes of the SCW Universe. Away from the six-sided ring where he and his peers put their bodies on the line for the entertainment of the rabid fans known to Sin City Wrestling. Away from the fans asking for autographs and photo ops, away from nosey reporters anxious for the latest scoops and glimpses into his and his peers’ everyday lives.
As of late, life had proven its penchant for taking twists and turns against even the best laid out plans, when Carter had found himself in the middle of not one but two legal dramas. Circumstances that had gone beyond his control had turned a peaceful and happy existence into something more akin to a nightmare. But this is where his fiance Miles Kasey had admitted his love for Carter, in recognition that the twenty four year old man possessed the tenacity of a pitbull when it came to adversity. While he might get depressed or frightened like any other human being, he did not just give up. He sunk his teeth into whatever was causing his undue distress and he did not let up until his problem had been solved. But it never proved more helpful than when you had loved ones standing right there, ready to back you up.
He knew Miles would be taking charge in the legal issues where a woman literally named Karen was concerned, along with her accomplice who together they orchestrated an (attempted) attack on Carter’s person mere months ago. But that was an issue for another day.
Olympia, Washington -
Olympia Municipal Court
The turquoise 2024 Toyota Corolla had cruised down the city street, en route to its final destination, having ventured all the way from Seattle, Washington to the state capital itself. Miles Kasey sat behind the wheel, taking charge as was asked of him to get the family to its destination, namely the law firm that had been in charge of the estate of the late Cillian Macguire, Carter’s recently deceased father. To Miles’s right was surprisingly NOT his fiance, but his fiance’s grandmother, Joan McKinney. It was in the back seat (no jokes now, it was not the proper time!) where Carter would be found, seated beside his mother Joanna. All four were dressed properly as if for a day in court, and as a matter of fact, that was exactly where they were headed. It was stated as before, Carter had legal issues to attend to, issues where Miles had been a direct witness. As for the participation of his Mom and Grams…?
“Mom, you know you didn’t have to come with us?” Carter turned in the back seat to look at the woman who had given him life, and sacrificed her own in more ways than one during the process of his growing from adolescent into a young man. “Miles and I could have taken care of this ourselves.”
Joanna stared straight ahead, the glasses over her eyes doing nothing to shield the world around her from the anger buried deep within. There was definitely a case of ‘Momma Bear Syndrome’ brewing just below the surface and if scratched wrong, would soon erupt. On her lap was a manilla folder filled with legal papers from the passing of her late ex-husband, a testament that she stood ready to help her son in any way she could. However, her son’s meager protest could have ultimately served as the catalyst for ‘said scratch’ as she turned her head to address her only child and he almost flinched under her stare. A true declaration that a boy never outgrew his mother’s care – or her authority.
“You and Miles will NOT handle this alone!” She declared, her mere tone enough to make Miles have the inclination to answer back with a “yes ma’am” even though her words were not directed at him. Joanna continued, “Those lowlifes tried to steal from your father’s estate. That makes this my business!”
No more need be said, as Carter had no basis nor desire to argue the point. She was right. His dad had made his mom the executor of his will and by attempting to relive the family from his father’s possessions, his ‘other grandma’ and uncles had indirectly involved her.
“And you, Joan?” Miles spoke up all-too casually as he followed the directions of the GPS. “What made you decide to tag along?”
Joan aka Grams just shrugged her shoulders as she watched the cityscape pass them by and she said, “Oh I wasn’t going to miss this for the world.” Prompting a smile from Miles as he turned back and pulled into the parking lot of the Lee Creighton Justice Center, the modern location of the Municipal Court Administrative Offices, the Courtroom itself, Olympia Probation Services, and the City Prosecutor's office. It was time to put one of these annoyances in life to rest and pick that fallen domino back up and set it right.
The arbitration room was what one might expect, almost completely empty save for the long, cherry wood table stationed in the very center with vacant chairs on each side. At the head of the table was the Arbitrator, a Missus Catherine Leigh. Carter and his side of the legal case had arrived early, along with the attorney who had handled his late father’s estate; Noah Bennett. In a row it was Mister Bennett, Carter, Joanna, Joan and finally, Miles. The clock on the far wall continued tracking, drawing their eyes to it as Mrs. Leigh checked her own watch just to be certain.
The arbitrator said, “If they are not here in the next five minutes, then we’ll simply conclude…” But whatever else she had been prepared to say was interrupted as the door to the room was opened by the municipal clerk and held so that into the room could enter Carter’s grandma by name only, Fiona, along with her ever present and always supportive sons, and Carter’s uncles - Liam and Conor.
“Please forgive us for being late.” Fiona sniffed with an air of self indulgence. “Traffic was unbearable.” Before she, along with her sons, took their seats opposite of Carter’s own.
“No attorney?” Mrs. Leigh asked, more of a statement than a proper question, but Fiona merely shook her head in an uncharacteristic sign of defeat.
“No.” She said, “We’ve been through enough of that.” But her son Liam added, “But we will if need be.” His eyes bearing down onto Carter who acted as he hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge him. In fact, Carter simply opened his mouth and added insult to injury with a silent yawn.
“Well then,” Mrs. Leigh said as she clasped her hands together on the surface of the table. “We all are well aware of why we are here. Last month you, Missus Macguire, along with your two sons broke into the house at 5416 Peninsula Drive to steal…”
“I object to the term ‘breaking into’.” Fiona sniffed with her nose in the air, as Liam added, “And I object to the use of the term ‘steal’!”
“What exactly would you call it?” Now was the time where the attorney Noah Bennett spoke up. “You drilled off the front door lock to gain access and then started to make off with multiple items from inside the house that did not belong to you.”
Mrs. Leigh looked to the Macguire’s side for a response but they remained stone silent. She opened the folder at the forefront of the table and she read off the report, “It says here that you attempted to take several pieces of furniture, artwork and photographs before you were stopped. It also says that things turned physical between Liam Macguire and Carter McKinney, and you - Missus Macguire, were taken into custody for … striking a police officer?”
“I did not strike her.” Fiona said matter-of-factly. “I slapped her.”
“There’s a difference?” Mr. Bennett stated. “Kindly explain it to us.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Mrs. Leigh stated, a hand held up to ward off any further interruptions. “We’re not here to discuss that. We are here to mediate whether or not the rightful owner of the house, Carter McKinney, will be pressing charges against you for the events described.”
“You would do such a thing?” Fiona turned to Carter, her eyes drawing his attention toward her and he remained impassive. “You would take your own family to court? Your own grandmother?”
To which Carter openly and brazenly scoffed, stating simply, “You might have been my father’s mother, but you are not my grandma!” He then turned toward his father’s brothers and added to stress the point, “And you may have been my dad’s brothers but you are not my uncles! I hadn’t laid eyes on any of you three for the better part of a decade, not until my Dad died! And only then did you show up, sniffing around for whatever money or material possessions he had!”
“Objection!” Conor called out, to which Mrs. Leigh actually rolled her eyes in front of all present and said, “May I remind you that this is not a courtroom nor a hearing? There are no objections to be overruled or sustained. We are here to discuss the matter at hand and hopefully settle the issue away from the actual courtroom setting.”
Properly chastised, Conor exchanged looks with his brother and mother before sitting back in his chair, practically sulking like a child rather than the grown man he actually was. Fiona patting his hand only added to the almost comical picture.
“The simple fact in this case is,” Joanna stated, opening the folder she had brought along with her, citing her legal status as the executor of Cillian’s estate. She slid the folder over toward Mrs. Leigh and went on, “The only one who has any say in who gets what, is myself.”
“That is not…” Fiona started to speak but Joanna literally talked over her, driving the elder to silence, “If there was something you wanted to remember your son by, you could have come to me.” She shrugged and shook her head before continuing, “But you didn’t. You decided that was beneath you and you’d rather simply take what you wanted instead of speaking to me like an adult.”
“And look what happened.” Mr. Bennett added. “There is no debate or room for discussion toward the fact. There is video evidence from the security cameras as well as the dash cam of Mister Kasey’s rental that has already proven your guilt. The only question now is what Carter intends to do with it.”
“Carter?” Mrs. Leigh directed the floor to him, and this was the moment he had both looked forward to as well as dreading in equal measure. All eyes turned to him and he drew in a deep breath before looking straight at Fiona, “The only reason I’m here is to put all of this behind me so I can finally move on and past it.”
He looked to his Mom and then back to Fiona, shaking his head, “I’m not taking you to court, much as I might want to. And despite the fact I said I would never acknowledge you as my grandmother, let alone family… you were still my dad’s Mom.” He looked to Liam and Conor to follow up, “And you were his brothers, much as it pains me to admit it. That is the only thing keeping me from asking Missus Leigh here to move forward with charging you.”
“Well, at the very least you’re showing some maturity.” Liam said derisively, drawing some hard stares from all others save for his mother and brother. To which Carter returned his gaze and words toward Fiona, adding, “The house is mine. That much is fact. What’s also a fact is that everything in the house…?” He shook his head. “The only one who gets to decide what to do with it is this woman.” He patted Joanna on her hand as her burning gaze went straight through the three opposite her.
Carter said, “If she wants to keep my Dad’s possessions there, that’s for her to decide. If you want anything from Dad's… you talk to her. I have no opinion on the matter, except for this.” He tapped a forefinger on the surface of the table and stressed, “If my Dad had wanted any of you to have anything of his, he would have said as much in his will. But he didn’t. Take that for what it’s worth … and do not bother me or my family ever again.”
Miles felt a surge of pride in his man for having dealt with the situation so effectively, The smile on his face spoke volumes as he hadn’t taken his eyes off of Carter since the meeting started. Grams as well smiled, and Mr. Bennett simply nodded in satisfaction.
Mrs. Leigh looked around the room and asked, “Has anyone further to say?”
Mr. Bennett spoke up, “Just this. The appeals court already ruled against Mrs. Macguire when she and her sons attempted to contest the will. When they made their move to try and take the deceased’s belongings last month, they have legally disqualified themselves from any rights in regards to his estate.”
All eyes turned toward the three accused and for the first time since the ordeal had begun, they looked utterly defeated. Fiona, after what seemed an eternity, looked up to Joanna and asked in a shaky breath, “May I contact you then when you’re willing?”
Yet Joanna was unmoved and all she could say was a simple, “You can … but I am not promising anything.”
Fiona nodded and that was all but a silent sign that the arbitration had concluded. Everyone stood up and first Mr. Bennett, followed by Carter and Joanna, shook the hand of Mrs. Leigh before all present took their leave…
“Miles, dear?” Grams said from the front passenger seat which he himself had insisted that she take for the duration of the trip, both out of a sense of respect and to help further integrate himself into the family’s goodwill. Not that such a gallant act was warranted to do so. Miles had been lovingly adopted by Carter’s Mom and Grams from the moment they met him and the fact he would soon be an in-law only made their hearts swell even more so.
Grams asked, “Where are you taking us?”
From the rear seat, Joanna was looking at the surroundings passing by herself and had noticed the cityscape had given way to a more domestic and rural setting amidst trees and the impressive setting of Lake St. Clair. Joanna added, “Yes, I thought we were going back to Seattle before it got dark.”
“Well, it’s going to be dark out before we get back anyway.” Miles answered. “So Carter has a little something he wants to show you.”
“You never got to see the house Dad left me.” Carter said, his attention on his Mom as he knew well that this would affect her most of all. “All things considered, I thought you both should see it … as it’s where Miles and I decided we wanted the wedding to be held.”
As the car turned into the familiar turnaround drive that wove through the trees and toward the house, Joanna asked, “... What? You want to get married at…?”
“Dad’s house.” Carter stressed. “Miles and I talked it over and … I guess it’s my way of having him there. If that makes sense.”
“I think it’s lovely.” Joanna smiled at her son, then logic took over as the car slowed to a crawl. She asked, “But do you think there will be enough room for a wedding?”
“Oh I don’t think that is going to be much of a problem, dear.” Grams stated as she stared ahead at the palatial estate willed to her grandson. Joanna turned to look and she slowly removed her glasses in silent awe.
“Yeah.” Carter nodded. “That was pretty much our reaction.”
“Ladies?” Miles said as he turned off the car engine. “Shall we?” And no more need be said in the open invitation to have a tour of Cillian - now Carter’s - house, and where he and Miles would be married. Seat belts were unfastened and car doors opened, and the four made their way up the path and toward the house as a typical Washington rain started to fall…[/color]
And it was as if the rain was washing away the color of the world around them, leaving the scene running in rivets like a ruined painting that had gotten wet. Yet rather than a blank canvas being left behind, it was a dismal and dreary setting. The front door of the house swung shut behind the group, and an eerie music could be heard as the camera swiftly panned out far and wide, taking us elsewhere with no say in the matter.
It was as if a dream had turned into a nightmare, and the world around was reflecting the fact. Where we once reveled in the beauty and surrealism of Lake St. Clair and the inherited estate, we were now taken to what at first resembled a run down school. One child - only one - was playing in front of the school, a blank expression on her face as she “merrily” skipped rope and sang…
“One! Two! Carter's coming for you!
Three! Four! Cries for mercy he'll ignore!
Five! Six! You face a career eclipse!
Seven! Eight! You he'll obliterate!
Nine! Ten! You won't want to face him again!”
Then in what could only be described as fast forward, we were moved forcibly forward, bursting through the front doors and into the empty, dilapidated hallways of the once prosperous building, abandoned by student and faculty alike. The camera continued to move quickly throughout the twists and turns of the school’s hallways until it arrived at one door in particular which was hanging off of its hinges.
The boiler room.
It would seem this room is the only one teeming with life, as the machines were fully functioning, too well to the point that they were spewing steam everywhere while rattling audibly, threatening to erupt. That was when the sound of footsteps was heard over the machinery, and what could only be described as relentless ‘nails on a chalkboard’. The lights flickered and a single bulb popped, casting the area in darkness as a lone figure emerged from the parting steam; a slender figure that could be seen wearing a striped cardigan sweater in the colors of the rainbow, a violet fedora – and glittering long-nailed glove. This was what was causing the ear splitting sound as the glittered nails raked across the metallic boilers. While the facer remained hidden, the figure himself was prominent.
“Carter Krueger, at your service.”
He took a sweeping bow.
“And I'll be your tour guide through today's nightmare.”
That being said, the figure turned its back to the camera and stepped back into the steam, prompting a follow.
“I find myself in something of a conundrum. It’s only within a matter of days where I find myself facing off against something of a mystery – an enigma. A man whose identity remains well hidden save for a simple name - the Entity. Now, the first thing that came to my mind when this man not only signed on the dotted line and made his presence known by mentally tormenting J2H himself, but when I found out that after his match encounter with Rodrigo Afonso, that it was none other than li’l ol’ me who would be up against our resident Scooby Doo villain. Can you imagine?”
The figure paused and gave a mimic of jazz hands to showcase his giddy excitement.
“It got me to thinking, and considering what IS an Entity but a mere person or object. A simple institution that has separate and distinct existence and objective or conceptual reality. 3. : an organization. I mean, I get it. I understand that you went with this name because it’s mysterious in nature and it makes you think of something more along the lines of a spirit or monster. You know, use that enigmatic name to be the first step in getting under the skin and into the collective minds of your opponents, hm?”
He started to chuckle while wagging one of those elongated nails in a ‘no-no’ gesture.
“That would only work on the weak minded and someone without the remotest hint of imagination in their noodle.”
He tapped that nail to the temple of his still hidden face and head.
“To anyone that could be bothered to use their head, they’d see the moniker for what it really was; a useless ignition for the playing of mind games. An Entity is nothing more than a single person, single product, or single organization. An individual, branch, partnership, associated group, association, estate, trust, corporation, or other organization, and any government. To put it in the simplest of terms my dearest friend, anything and anyone can be an Entity. So when you get right down to it, there's really nothing altogether special or unique about you.”
The steam parted and we found ourselves in what could only be best described as a photo lab. And along the wire where photographs were dried and developed in the ‘old fashioned’ way, there was a row of nothing but images of the Entity on full display. Some images of his competitive matches against J2H and Rodrigo Afonso, but more so close up shots of his masked face and those unnerving eyes. The long/sharp nailed hand ran along the images as if caressing them until the hand dipped down beneath the running faucet which could be seen now as flowing with a thick, red liquid.
The hand rose once again and ran the nail tips along the pictures, leaving crimson streaks. Much like open wounds.
“And while I could be mistaken - although I know I’m not - I'm pretty sure that when you chose this name and hid your identity under a mask, you were going for a more dramatic effect. It’s just a shame that you’re such a terrible salesman that you didn’t really follow through. You could have done so much with what was presented to you, and you had to go and blow it. I’m speaking, of course, about your little run-in with our very own Prince, J2H. Now under ordinary circumstances, I’d have a good laugh at why you chose to poke the bear with J2H of all people, but when you want to make the biggest impression, you go after the grandest target. And nobody can deny that J2H is the grandest of the grand.”
The figure strolled through an open doorway and into a bedroom setting. It resembled a virtual blood bath ala Nightmare On Elm Street with the waterbed imploded and blood dripping from every surface. Your ‘tour guide’ approached a desk where a toy SCW ring had been set up and the much desired Elite J2H figure was propped up, facing off against a badly homemade Entity figure.
“You came into here, trying to screw with the mind of one of the best, and what happened? Now ordinarily I would say that you couldn't get the job done but let's face it. This is J2H that we're talking about. I had a match against the man and he showed me why he's the best even to this day. So me pointing out to you that you couldn't take him would be pretty darn hypocritical of me now wouldn't it? Oh make no mistake. The match between you both was one made of epic violence that had the entirety of the SCW Universe talking. A certain Match of the Year candidate! But…”
“You didn't just not beat him. There's a difference. You vanished. You pretty much ran away without finishing the job. Why is that.. Enigma? I could have understood the tactic if you were ‘living to fight another day,’ but that's not the case. You've had nothing to do with J2H since, so it just begs the question - what was the point except to get your name out there? But with how you handled not just the match but it's aftermath. My friend, I am sorry to best describe it as anticlimactic. It served no purpose save for self promotion and even that concept fell flat when you tucked your tail between your legs and ran like a whipped dog.”
Reaching into the toy ring, a flick of the finger, the Enigma figure was toppled over with J2H standing tall. Carter Krueger’s hidden visage turned to the camera with arms held out.
“Okay, you're violent. We GET it! But does that really make you so different than one out of hundreds of other wrestlers? Does it really make you special in the eyes of the world around you? Trust me when I say I've been inside of the ring with men like Austin James Mercer who put me through a literal hell and he didn't need to put on this air of mystery or pretend to be something that he's not. He was simply and unapologetically himself.”
He tilted his head like a curious puppy.
“Is that why you tend to resort to mind games, Enigma? Is that why you delve into the eternal darkness.. “
He tapped a forefinger to his temple.
“Up here? To make up for your, or what is the word I'm thinking of? Mediocrity? To keep those watching from understanding just how one-dimensional you truly are? Well, kindly allow me to give you something of a history lesson.”
“For fifteen years, I had what would best be described as the ideal childhood. Until the day came when I put my faith in my family, and up so that I felt I could come out as homosexual. I believed as happy and as loved as I was, everything would be all right. How wrong I was.”
“My father, the man I practically worshiped, could not accept me for who I was. And under duress, he attempted to have me placed against my will in one of those conversion camps. My mother, however, what's what one might refer to as a mama bear. And she fought him to the point of ruin where their marriage was concerned to keep me safe. It ended their marriage, and it destroyed my family.”
“And that torment followed me from home to school because we all know just how good and accepting kids are. I was called every derogatory name under the sun, everyday without release. I was harassed. I was beaten up. And despite my and my family's protests, the school simply turned aside and pretended not to notice. That was my school life. My mother wanted to take me out of school but I would not allow it. I would not let them win! That small amount of pride was the only thing that kept me from taking a razor to my wrists.”
“I thought I had finally found happiness in a living and sensual boyfriend. Little did I know I was destined to become less than a statistic. I was beaten bloody, had bones broken. I was choked. Sexually assaulted. And I was so desperate for love, I was willing to live with it until my Knight In Shining Armor came to my rescue! He… along with my closest of friends and my family have been the one shining light, piercing through the darkest of clouds.”
“And then… Well then we have when fate intervened and showed what a cruel bitch she can truly be! When it came to light that my father who I thought abandoned me, had loved me the entire time. Had never given up on me. Died immediately after reconciliation.”
“Not your average Disney happily ever after, cute little woodland creatures tale, now is it? So tell me, Enigma. After everything that I've had life throw at me…”
He finally stepped from out of the shadows, revealing his face; contacts that rendered his eyes completely white and runny, black eyeliner streaking down his face and pooling at his chin.
“What then could someone like you POSSIBLY do to me?”
