Post by Kevin Bishop on Jun 24, 2016 10:12:03 GMT -5
We open to a garbled video feed, sitting in a wooden chair is Leah with hair pulled back in a pony tail and she looks to be wearing a nice black blouse skirt combo. She stares into the camera with somewhat of a light hearted smile. She taps her right index finger on the wooden chair three times before she starts to speak.
“Hello WCF faithful, I am Leah Hodder and I am here with The Plague Kevin Bishop.”
The camera swings over and shows Kevin Bishop sitting with his hair slicked back and he’s wearing an all black suit looking very Johnny Cash-esque. Kevin stares intently at Leah just before the camera moves back to her.
“Now I’d like to take this time to inform everyone that I am in fact here of my own accord, Kevin Bishop and his wife Karma have been nothing but welcoming to me since I arrived here…”
The camera pulls back to get both Kevin and Leah into view and Kevin is nodding in agreement as he places his left leg over his right knee.
“Leah, you have been great company and I’m glad that this warehouse hasn’t been some kind of prison or some medieval torture chamber for you. Ha, I kid, but I did learn that you can make some killer egg white omelets.”
Leah playfully laughs.
“I appreciate you taking the time here with me to give me my one off interview with The Plague himself.”
Kevin rubs on his beard as a guy walks up and hands him a coffee cup.
“Thanks, Nathan.”
Kevin points to the guy who walks away.
“That’s Nathan, a good kid, trying to work his way up in my Brotherhood… You see I’m an equal opportunist, I speak big about not taking in the weak, but truthfully, I don’t mind helping the weak if they have admiration for something greater. I’m just not one to take on freeloaders, that’s what I don’t want associated with my Brotherhood.”
Leah nods along.
“No, I totally get it, at some point, people need to be able to help themselves. Can’t just give a man a fish because he’ll only eat for a day, but if you teach him to fish, then he’d eat for a lifetime. What got you into all this? I mean I heard about your old mentor Darren Knight, is this how he ran things as well?”
Kevin a takes a drink of his coffee and he places it on the side table next to him.
“For the most part, but Darren was also a lot different than that of myself. Darren had a lot of demons that he couldn’t deal with very well, so in the end it made him weak, too weak to lead this Brotherhood. He battled addictions to the vices of man and ultimately it caught up to him… Rest his soul wherever it may lie…”
“So Darren Knight passed away then? His substance abuse became too much for him?”
Kevin nods.
“Yes, he gave in to his weakness and he let in become him… These demons that he let in ran rampant and they ended up defining him as a man, no matter the legacy he was going to leave behind. That’s why I took up this mantle as The Plague and that’s why I push as hard as I do to keep this Brotherhood going. It’s not for a selfish reason as many believe it to be and I’m going to take his mistakes and learn from them. That’s what we do in this world, right? Learn from the mistakes of those around us, so we don’t end up making the same ones. It’s the reason we learn about history our entire lives, so we’re not doomed to repeat it… I believe that concept is lost on many in this world, don’t you?”
Leah tilts her head to the side.
“I suppose maybe in some instances… Are you speaking of the race wars that have kicked up yet again or the bashing of those who want their rights in individuality?”
“That’s exactly it Leah, people in this country specifically choose to judge things that they have no fucking clue is really about and that’s what has become the norm in this day and age. Picketers show up anywhere and everywhere to send out their judgment because they feel their opinions fucking matter. You have keyboard jockies sitting in their parents basement flaming people on the internet to make their lives seem more relevant, because they mean something damn it.”
Leah smirks.
“Sounds to me like you’re not a fan of this country, Kevin…”
Kevin shoots back.
“It’s not the country that’s the problem, it’s the ignorance of the people within it… Hell this country was built on the pursuit of a freedom that we weren’t getting anywhere else. Sure it started off with having their right to religion anyway they see fit, but that was only the catalyst to help people choose their own free will and follow what they chose to set out to do. That’s how this country got to where it is today, but through all adversities there’s always been those who fought against the change. Do you remember the Salem witch trials? Talk about people were different from the rest… What happened there?”
Leah jumps in.
“The people of Salem burned witches and they also drowned them, they followed what they perceived to be ‘tests’ to prove if the women were witches or not… What does that have to do with the events of now?”
Kevin uncrosses his legs and he leans forward toward Leah.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s about being fucking different than the rest of the populace, those who are different are sent to the stakes and set a blaze… It’s more metaphoric now, but its still the same old same old… The people of this country persecute those they don’t understand and they cast them out… So when people get confused on what it is my Brotherhood truly offers… It’s a safe haven from all the hate and I help these people gain a singular purpose that helps them succeed when others want them to fail. My vision is more than a vision, Leah, you’ve seen what’s truly behind the curtain… You’ve seen what has been set into motion… My Brotherhood is all around me and it’s not them giving ME strength, but me feeding them. I am a beacon of light and hope, I illuminate the way for them to venture out into the world with a protective shield… If giving the opportunity to go out into this world and do whatever you would like to, without worrying about a consequence… Wouldn’t you sign up for that?”
Leah nods along.
“I would, but is it really that simple? How does all this translate from wrestling to the real world though?”
Kevin smiles.
“Is there really a difference, Leah? This warehouse here is mine and it belongs in the real world… Just because I make my living in the squared circle, that doesn’t take away from my mission statement… The fans have caught on and they are calling out to me not just in the wrestling domain, but out on the streets as well. That is power right there… How many men can say they can captivate the masses like that on the scale that I am? Many look at my Brotherhood has insignificant because I don’t shine a light on every member… But the truth is, they’re around every corner and they’re placed within every crowd. I’ve been told time and time again that I need my Brotherhood to be the man sitting here in front of you right now and I am here to tell you, that The Plague isn’t made by the Brotherhood… I don’t need my Brotherhood to fight my battles or my wars… My Brotherhood needs me, you see that’s the difference between a leader and a follower… The followers need the leader to know where to go, but it is the leader who blazes the trail and plans ahead.”
Leah adjusts her seating and looks back to Kevin.
“So what is your end game exactly? I’ve followed your path very closely over the years and you end companies… Is that really what The Plague is all about?”
“There’s so many sides to The Plague than what has been revealed… But yes the original mission statement set out by my predecessor was to conquer, destroy, and rebuild in our image… It was so easy back then, to the point that people threw themselves in front of The Plague’s feet just so he didn’t have to touch the dirt floors of these dying companies… Why destroy them, that’s the question you truly want answered… It’s because the companies were too weak and they didn’t survive the test… Their champions fell to the loyal followers of my Brotherhood first and then it was time for The Boss to come down from his tower… The Boss who stays out of the fold of his men finally has to come face to face with his fate and it’s at that moment the fans see what true coward he truly is… It’s the same story in every company I’ve worked for and it’s always been the same result…”
Leah takes a drink of water and places her glass down onto the side table beside her.
“What makes WCF different, if at all? Are you planning to run the same routine here?”
Kevin slightly smiles.
“That’s still to be determined, but I have been keeping an eye on all sides of the playing field… I’ve noticed Seth at the top of his tower moving his men into place without fear and I have seen the armies building up against his tyranny… But I also have seen men just like him in every company I have worked for… His ivory tower is only going to stay stable for so long before it comes crashing down around him and his men… The only way to survive is to adapt and just because I have a plan that I follow doesn’t mean it doesn’t differ when it needs to… Crazy I’ll quote Mike Tyson but ol’ Iron Mike says, ‘Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.’ As off the deep end that man is through all the head trauma, we hope, he spoke some truth with that statement… We all come into everything we do with a plan, but it’s how we react once that first punch lands on us, that makes us who we are… I’ve never turned tail and ran, no matter how hard the punches were. That’s the kind of strength I give my people and it’s under my guise that they can tackle this world without hesitation…”
Leah nods a bit.
“So my final question for you… What is this No Survivors mantra that you throw around every promo you give? If there’s no survivors, then who will follow you?”
Kevin laughs out loud.
“Seriously? That’s what you’re caught up on? No Survivors… It’s a tag line of our culture… You can perceive any way you choose to… It could be the weakness in us all will not survive… It could be the opponents in the ring will not survive… The company could be left with no survivors… But the truth of the matter is this, if you rest your head under my shield and you carry my cross willingly, then you will survive in the end. It’s that simple, you choose my side and you are guaranteed safe passage…”
Leah looks over to the camera.
“Well there you have it folks, The Plague himself, wants you to join his Brotherhood… It’s within his arms that you’ll find safe passage to a world without hate and persecution… The line has been drawn in the sand… Do you know which you’ll choose to be on?”
Leah smiles at Kevin.
“Thanks again, Kevin for giving me this one on one. This looks to be a bright future for the two of us.”
The camera fades out and we instantly open back up to Kevin Bishop standing alone in a room with posters and newspaper clippings hanging on the walls. A single light dangles from the ceiling and it sways back and forth. Kevin stands in the middle of the room dressed in black pants, a pair of black boots, a black Metallica t-shirt, and his hair is slicked back.
“That was the interview I did with Leah before she passed… She wanted to know it all and yet, there’s so much more to share… That’s not all of what The Plague is… From that moment of seeing her pass til now, I had the opportunity to truly reflect and I even had the chance to catch Ace’s promo about me… So many words to hand out Ace and I’m not surprised… You’re a talker, it’s what you do, you make your wise cracks because I pushed you to do so… So easily manipulated Ace, it makes you a bit predictable… In return you’ll throw out some witty banter about how every time I think I know what you’re next step is you’ll simply change… blah, blah, blah… Yeah, same old song and dance that I’ve seen many men like yourself do before… I gotta say though Ace, that is a very nice title collection you have there… A man with so many accolades… You claim that your greatness will with stand the test of time and then it hit me… You speak of all these things that make you great with adding title after title to your collection… It brings to mind the great Achilles… History, gotta love it… But Achilles was a great warrior who defeat army after army and compiled quite the list of accomplishments as well… He swore that everyone even the Gods would know his name… But we all know how that ended up for him, right? A simple arrow through his heel and his life was ended… All of those accolades meant nothing when he was finally taken… Sure his name has lived on forever, but for what, really, Ace? For a man who’s weakness was his damn heel? Go ahead and look up the myth, he supposedly dipped into the waters of the River of Styx which in turned made him invulnerable all over except for his heel, in which his mother was holding him by when she plunged him into the waters… This tale claims that no matter what you believe in this world, everything has a weakness… No matter how much bravado you have and how much fortitude you possess… There could always be something as small as an arrow that’ll take you down…”
Kevin smiles.
“You know Ace, I’m happy to hear you didn’t let the loss of your friend send you down some dark path that you couldn’t come back from and that you were able to take those demons and turn them into a source of strength… I’d hate for some pint up emotion be a crutch for you lean on when I beat you in the middle of that ring… You claim that I lack emotion and I lack conviction for those I have lost… Is that what you truly see? I took those loses and I let them push me to become the man I am today… Those I have lost were judged and persecuted, that’s where my direction came from… My goal to shelter those who our considered outcast… So feel free to judge me, just as the entire world has done my entire life… It’s what you don’t see that should truly scare you… You hold your monster deep inside of you and it fuels you, but me on the other hand, The Plague is on the outside… I’m calm and I’m collected and that is what you should really be worried about… It’s the monster you don’t know and believe me, when my back is against the wall and it is all on the line, my predictability isn’t so clear… This battle… This war between us, it’s the kind of story that’ll live on forever… The record books will have our names in bold as a bench mark for two new comers who seamlessly set the bar too high for all to follow… The Bishop and The Ace… Two different pieces for two different games… You claim this business isn’t a game but the thing is, you’ve been played since the very beginning… You were fed fall guys from day one and now you stand in front of your first real competition and you are quick to stand behind your gift for gab… We are both what the company wants us to be and that is the sad truth. Seth pitted the two of us against each other at Blast because he knew it’d put asses in the seats…”
Kevin walks over to the farther wall to the left and he runs his hand against a wrestling show poster. It has a younger Kevin Bishop standing next to a guy by the name of Cheshire with a Intercontinental title on the line.
“You see, I’m no stranger to championships myself Ace… This man on the card was Cheshire and he was the leader of The Dark Wonderland… The Brotherhood and The Dark Wonderland were at each other’s throats for months and it finally came down to the PPV of the year. Unchained, all rules went out the window and the intercontinental title was on the line… I see you claimed that I always let the big chance slip through my fingers… Again that’s you’re judgment that you quickly lean on when you don’t understand shit… You’re quick to fill in the blanks, but I suppose that’s just your nature… My back was against the wall in this match, my Brotherhood was banned from ringside and his Wonderland as well… Cheshire and I went all over that arena and just when I thought everything was done… I thought I had him easily beat, he grabbed that steel chair of his… You see Cheshire was known to end careers with a chair… He was known for his Hatter Swing… He’d hit you with that chair with the side of it right to your damn skull and his opponents always crumbled… I took that hit and the lights went out… I didn’t think I had anything left in me but as I slowly counted along to the ref’s hand hitting the ground, I took everything I had left in me and pushed Cheshire off of me. He attempted that pin five more times before he lifted me back up from the ground. He stood in front of me, I was dazed and my body slowly swayed back and forth… It was at that moment, Cheshire thought he had me… He went for that Hatter Swing again and this time my instincts made me duck it… As he swung off balance I jumped onto him with a DDT and I dropped him down onto his career ending steel chair. With all my might I picked him up and I dropped him with The Black Death and I got the three count… Just as I walked into that war as man who leaned on his blue print, that same blue print you choose to shit all over… I came out the victor with the IC title in my hands… My blue print is some simple book that gives me the answer to all equations… It’s a guide and through it’s guidance it allows me differ from it to make the best choices that I need to at the time… You listen to the wrong words that I speak and to you it sounds like random ramblings of a delusional fool… That’s fine by me because you’re not one of my brothers and I wouldn’t expect you truly understand…”
Kevin moves along to a news paper clipping that shows the words ‘On This Day The Doors of True Honor Wrestling Bid The Wrestling World A Farewell’.
“The men and women of THW thought they knew the man they invited into their company… They heard of MY accolades and they saw me as quite the name… Fast forward to the end and you can see they made the wrong choice… Now I don’t stand here, Ace trying to tell you tall tales of my past, but just as you stood where you were discrediting everything I’ve accomplished and the titles I too held… I suppose I felt inclined to touch on the subject myself… You see, I’ve collected titles just as well as collected followers… But the last time I checked it wasn’t a title running out to save me from an outnumbered situation… That’s another thing that has me puzzled on your train of thought… You look at my Brotherhood and you see a man who let’s his people empower him, but as I have said before, it’s my accomplishments that lend them strength. I set the bar for them to reach for and it’s through their efforts that they are rewarded. You claim a man is made by setting out on your own because it allows you to live any way you see fit… Really? That’s what makes a man? I see that and I raise you… Now I’ve lived the street life alone and the streets lead me to the man who helped mold me into the man I am today… You may see some coward who stands behind his people, but that’s not the man who stands before you Ace… I’m a leader of men and I lead by example… I showed Tony Miranda just as you did and I showed Psychopomp… The Plague isn’t some force that can be extinguished so easily… You look at the past and you mention how the bubonic plague came and went… Reason being is, no one was there to orchestrate its path of destruction, it wiped out whatever and vanished… But if someone was there to fan the flames and keep pushing it forward, then we would’ve had a different landscape in this world… So if you feel like you are some kind of quarantine for my Plague, then you are a bigger fool than Psychopomp himself… And that’s saying something, Ace. My Plague has thrived for over a decade and not a single man has brought it down, do you seriously think you have what it takes? If you somehow found the inner fortitude to do it, let me tell you this… Cut the head off the hydra and two more will rise in its place… So if you think taking me out is your key, then you have another thing coming. You seem to be painting a picture loud and clear here, Ace, and it’s that you truly don’t know the man you stepping into that ring with. You take snip-its of things you hear or see and you run with it like it’s the gospel truth… You tell me to tread lightly and I can’t help but return that same warning to you…”
Kevin moves along the wall showcasing more and more articles speaking of companies closing. He stops in front of a picture of a group of men standing side by side with a young Kevin Bishop standing in the middle holding a world title belt and a young Sean Craven standing next to him.
“My Brotherhood… My Brothers in arms that helped me take down the machine on so many occasions… We ran roughshod on so many wrestling companies and we never looked back. Always looking for the next challenge and always hungry for more… So you can stand tall by yourself Ace but I know for a fact that you know how glorifying it is to stand amongst your brothers as a collective unit… Just because you lost your brother and you had to find the hard way to the life of solitude and self reliance… That doesn’t make you have an edge on me, because as I have said before, I set the example for my men and they learn through me. If I fall I don’t stay down and if I win then I lift them up with me… That’s what brothers do, Ace, we are always there for each other and we always have each other’s backs… So as you waltz out that ring on Sunday and you lift yourself and you have your own back, I’ll be the one coming in with all my Brotherhood watching on… I will win the US title for each and every one of them… That’s the difference between you and me Ace… You’re doing this for yourself and for me, I am doing it for all of my Brothers… There is strengths in numbers and with a leader who gives back more than takes, I don’t see how you could raise your nose up to that…”
Kevin shifts his body back toward the swaying light.
“But I digress Ace… I am looking forward to proving your every notion of who I am wrong this Sunday and make you bare witness to what The Plague truly is… You claim you’re a survivor Ace, but I’ll take pleasure in ripping your sword of strength and salvation from your cold hands…”
Kevin smiles as he looks up to the light and he holds onto the chain dangling from it.
“You’ll survive… If I let you.”
Kevin yanks down on the chain and the light goes out. We fade out to black.
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We open to the interior of Kevin’s 1967 all black Chevy Impala, he changed his attire to an all black johnny cash inspired suit, in the passenger seat sits Karma dolled up in an all white dress with her hair up in a messy bun, and in the back seat sits Sean Craven messy blue dreads blowing in the wind wearing a black and blue Ride The Lightning shirt. Kevin looks back to Sean through the rear view mirror.
“So, there’s a gathering in Philly today?”
Sean pops his head up.
“Yes sir, the people are stoked about the Blast PPV, there’s people camping out already around the arena.”
Kevin smiles.
“Good, I think it’s best that we pay a little visit to my Brotherhood then…”
Kevin speeds ahead down the road until he comes to a parking garage by the Wells Fargo Center arena. He drives to the top and he parks next to the elevator. Everyone piles out and start walking toward the elevator.
“My love, what do you plan to say to the masses?”
Kevin smiles as the elevator door opens in front of him.
“The words always find their way to me… Once I stand among them… I know the right words will flow through onto their ears…”
Kevin, Sean, and Karma all step into the elevator and a light audio version of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ plays over head. As they reach the bottom floor, the doors open up and as they step out to the street, Kevin notices the grouping of people right outside the arena doors. The group make their way toward the door and Kevin stops at a T-shirt stand. He picks up an all black t-shirt and shows it to Karma. The man behind the table points to it.
“$5.50, what size would you like?”
Kevin stands confused.
“I see all of these wrestler shirts on this table, but there’s not a thing on this one, why is that? And $5.50? Sounds pretty cheap to me…”
The man grabs the shirt back.
“You don’t want it, that’s cool man, $5.50 is a hell of a price for a The Unknown t-shirt, he’s a visionary.”
Sean starts laughing behind Kevin as Kevin flips through more shirts on the table.
“A visionary… Right… Well good luck on moving that merchandise… Who else do you have for sale?”
The man runs his hands along the shirts on the table and he picks up a black one with Severan King wearing a white suit and his arms spread wide on the front of it.
“How much are you selling the Severan King shirt for?”
The vendor smiles.
“You’re going to laugh and I don’t even think Severan King knows this, but I’m selling them for $6.66! HAHAHA!”
The vendor starts to laugh and Kevin chuckles a bit.
“Wow, I bet him and his God would strike you down if he found out about that… But what the hell, give me one of those…”
A familiar voice comes into ear shot over Kevin’s shoulder.
“Plague baby! Where’s The Plague merchandise?! You gotta get that brand going, Kev.”
Kevin turns and Silver Goldstein is standing with a philly cheesesteak in one hand a lemonade in the other.
“Silver… I thought I got rid of you a while ago…”
Karma rolls her eyes.
“He seems to be a bigger cockroach than Seth Lerch…”
Silver puts his hands up in a don’t shoot fashion.
“Plague baby, don’t shoot, I’m just looking out for what’s best for my client after all…”
Karma starts to laugh.
“This guy can’t take a hint babe. Silver, Kevin Bishop doesn’t need some bottom dwelling jew to do his talking for him, let alone rebrand him and I’m not sure how much clearer we can make this for you. You’re like that last pounder that Sean was with who just wouldn’t stop following him around… So get off my man’s dick and hit the bricks!”
Silver laughs it off as he backs away a bit.
“I get it, I really do, you don’t need representation, but come on, I know you see what’s happening around here… With you and with your Brotherhood and with the men who try to stand in your way… You have guys like this Ace character who has made it their personal crusade to destroy your name and everything you stand for… You may not want my help but I still feel an obligation to you to help you succeed in this transition in your life… If you won’t let me do the work in the light, then at least let me continue to do it in the shadows…”
Kevin smirks as he rubs his beard gently.
“Like the cockroach you are, Silver… Whatever you plan to do in the dark, I don’t want to see it and I don’t want to hear about it… Sean will be your liaison and he’ll keep a watchful eye on you… If you get out line for just a second, Silver, I can’t make any promises that Sean won’t deal with you…”
Silver puts down his drink and puts his hand out for Kevin to shake it and Kevin just looks at his hand.
“Desperation is seeping off of you, Silver… I’ve been watching you throw yourself to wrestler after wrestler and you keep coming up empty handed… If you think that I’m your meal ticket then you better start enjoying table scraps because that’s all you’re going to get from me… Do I make myself clear?”
Silver nods as Kevin grabs onto his hand and shakes it.
“Now I have a sermon to deliver to the masses…”
Kevin throws the Severan King shirt to Silver Goldstein and he starts to walk toward the gathering of people by the arena doors. He ascends the stairs and the people spread like the red sea looking in awe. The fans reach out to touch any part of Kevin that they can as he finally reaches the doors. He turns around and he stares out along the sea of screaming fans. He raises his arms and they erupt even louder. As he lowers his hands the fans start to subside.
“My Brothers and Sisters, I’m so glad I could grace you with my presence! You have been the driving force of my run here in the WCF and it has truly blown me away! That first cadence of cheers when I dropped Tony Miranda with The Black Death had my mind running circles! I’ve been a darkness on the wrestling community for a very long time and I never once had fans who made me feel so wanted… Hell even NEEDED! You are so sick of being told that The Family is what’s best for you and that everyone else should just fall in line! That’s what The Plague was designed to stop in the first place and it’s what I’ve always set out to do! I have destroyed companies, I’m not going to lie, but I feel different about this place… This time I won’t push the envelope too far, but I’ll push it enough to bring you the change that all of you are so in desperate need of! Do you want a change?!”
The fans erupt in cheers and uproars.
“Each and every one of you here right now, you are my Brotherhood! I want you to rise up in arms against those fools who tell you differently! My enemies are your enemies! The men who stand in my way, stand in your way from a future that you have begged me for! Will you stand with me and help clear my path?! Will you allow me to be your beacon of hope and truth?!”
A young boy pushes his way through the crowd and stands right in front of Kevin.
“Take a look at this young man here my brothers! He’s barely a teenager and where does he stand in the fight against tyranny?! He stands right here in our collective, ready to take the fight to whoever he needs to! That’s powerful, isn’t it?!”
The fans erupt and hang onto every word.
“My Brotherhood doesn’t discriminate against age or sex or sexual orientation or religion… I see that look when I mentioned these things, but The Plague is about breaking down all of the barriers that have been built up for all these years! Take a look around this day and age and you tell me what you see! It’s insanity at its finest, people still burning metaphoric witches at the stake for being different! I’m different, this young man is different, my brother Sean over here is different, and yes even Silver Goldstein is different! That’s the world we live in, not even conjoined twins are exactly the same when you dig down deep! People look at us and they look at all the outcast in this world who aren’t like them and they instantly judge… That’s the mistake that so many make and it leaves them vulnerable in the process… Is it really better to walk these streets alone depending on your own will and determination to survive? You see, I’ve had that family dynamic in my life and I know how reassuring it was to have a leader in the house hold who set the course and protected the shelter… That idea is lost on some in this world and particulary my opponent this week. Ace believes all he needs is himself to claim glory in this world, but I stand here and I what to say this… You may be able to do that on your own, but the satisfaction of leading men and women through example of that determination and then reaching your goals… There’s no better high, Ace… This man speaks of The Plague as if it’s going to just diminish and disappear taking my decade long legacy with it… Are we going to allow that to happen?!”
The fans starts chanting No in unison.
“My Brothers and my sisters! I want you all to place a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you and I want you to listen closely as I speak…”
Everyone in the crowd follow suit and place a hand on the person’s shoulder in front of them.
“We are The Brotherhood of The Plague Nation and we are the answer to the question, WHEN WILL CHANGE COME TO WCF?! Each and everyone of you hold that key and as I continue to evolve and continue to climb this ladder to the top, I will have each and every one of your best interest at heart… This Sunday will be OUR victory and I will gladly lend the title to the outcast of these United States! No longer will you walk into a room filled with hate and have to stand idly by as people scoff at you! No longer will you have to feel ridicule by loved ones because you choose to follow your own path instead of their own! We all strive for that freedom in life, the freedom to do what it is you feel you are destined to do! Don’t let mere mortals restrain you, because in my light you are all capable of God like feats! As I venture out into this company I to will have to deal with trials and tribulations! I too will have to take on Herculean Labours to prove my very mettle in this world… That first Herculean Task is to take out Ace and claim the US title for our own… After that all other tasks will fall right into place…”
Kevin pauses and looks around noticing everyone has their heads bowed and they start to hum in unison.
“Sunday for many is a day of rest, but I for one am not taking the day off! I’m going to war Sunday and with my crook and shield, I will vanquish my foe in the name of The Plague and in the name of the Brotherhood! Not a single soul is going to stop our rise to power here in the WCF, are you with ME?!”
The fans all release their hold on their neighbors and they erupt in unison with loud cheers.
“This Sunday at Blast, I’ll say it the same as I always have… There will be NO SURVIVORS! For only the strongest survive! Ace claims he fights to survive but he hasn’t been in the ring with The Plague before and I can guarantee that he won’t be leaving that ring as the same man he stepped in as! Now let us march into Blast on Sunday my brothers and lets us take what is rightfully ours! FOR THE BROTHERHOOD!”
Fans start chanting ‘FOR THE BROTHERHOOD’ over and over again as Kevin watches on. Even the boy who came to the front is screaming his head off which brings a smile to Kevin’s face. Kevin and his entourage make their way into the arena leaving the masses cheering behind them. As they walk down the hall, Karma stops Kevin.
“That smile on your face… What’s that all about?”
Kevin points out the window at the crowd.
“Can you believe that electricity? It’s intoxicating and I’ve spent so much of my life steering clear of that because all those years the fans wanted some untouchable cartoon character of a man to cheer for… Now I stand upon my platform of change and I’m the one they choose to turn to? Oh how the world is a changing… Besides that, did you see that boy who made his way to me?”
“I did, you’re even influential to the youth of this world my dear…”
Kevin smirks.
“That kid reminded me a lot of Severan’s son, his eyes lit up when I was talking and he hung onto every word that I said… I fear for this Ezekiel kid, his father is a mad man who attempted to walk the desert for 40 days and throw all caution to wind by doing so… He has a match at Blast, so he could’ve missed out on the show if he kept walking in that desert… I’m not sure if the sun baked his brain or if he even thought all of that through… Ezekiel needs a better leader in his life to look up to… Someone who won’t put chains on him to keep him in the church to feed their own ego…”
Karma laughs a little bit.
“I don’t know how you don’t see it my dear…”
Kevin tilts his head a bit.
“What’s that?”
“You two are a lot more alike than you care to admit… Just because he follows the church of God and you follow The Plague, doesn’t mean you guys are that different. Look at it this way… You both control a control with a whisper and you both gain followers without hesitation… You two are natural leaders and I truly believe it’s a matter of time before you both are standing in that ring together. I could imagine your verbal jabs you two will take at one another… I mean I just recently saw that he had visions of The Plagues of Egypt… That’s a little foreboding isn’t it?”
Kevin smirks.
“Yeah after the fact I talked about them, then he has a vision about it… His visions are probably as phony as that Criss Angel guy who levitates in the desert… You may have a point though…”
Kevin looks to Sean.
“Sean… I may have something that you could help me with… Follow me…”
Kevin and Sean start to walk away and Silver Goldstein stands next to Karma. He looks down at her tits and her eyes catch him.
“Excuse me bottom feeder, my eyes are up here!”
“Agh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Silver adjusts his suit jacket.
“So… Dinner on me?”
Karma rolls her eyes and walks off toward The Plague, leaving Silver with his arms spread open.
“What? Was it something I said? Don’t worry I’ll have my people call your people?!”
As Karma catches up with The Plague, we fade to black.
“Hello WCF faithful, I am Leah Hodder and I am here with The Plague Kevin Bishop.”
The camera swings over and shows Kevin Bishop sitting with his hair slicked back and he’s wearing an all black suit looking very Johnny Cash-esque. Kevin stares intently at Leah just before the camera moves back to her.
“Now I’d like to take this time to inform everyone that I am in fact here of my own accord, Kevin Bishop and his wife Karma have been nothing but welcoming to me since I arrived here…”
The camera pulls back to get both Kevin and Leah into view and Kevin is nodding in agreement as he places his left leg over his right knee.
“Leah, you have been great company and I’m glad that this warehouse hasn’t been some kind of prison or some medieval torture chamber for you. Ha, I kid, but I did learn that you can make some killer egg white omelets.”
Leah playfully laughs.
“I appreciate you taking the time here with me to give me my one off interview with The Plague himself.”
Kevin rubs on his beard as a guy walks up and hands him a coffee cup.
“Thanks, Nathan.”
Kevin points to the guy who walks away.
“That’s Nathan, a good kid, trying to work his way up in my Brotherhood… You see I’m an equal opportunist, I speak big about not taking in the weak, but truthfully, I don’t mind helping the weak if they have admiration for something greater. I’m just not one to take on freeloaders, that’s what I don’t want associated with my Brotherhood.”
Leah nods along.
“No, I totally get it, at some point, people need to be able to help themselves. Can’t just give a man a fish because he’ll only eat for a day, but if you teach him to fish, then he’d eat for a lifetime. What got you into all this? I mean I heard about your old mentor Darren Knight, is this how he ran things as well?”
Kevin a takes a drink of his coffee and he places it on the side table next to him.
“For the most part, but Darren was also a lot different than that of myself. Darren had a lot of demons that he couldn’t deal with very well, so in the end it made him weak, too weak to lead this Brotherhood. He battled addictions to the vices of man and ultimately it caught up to him… Rest his soul wherever it may lie…”
“So Darren Knight passed away then? His substance abuse became too much for him?”
Kevin nods.
“Yes, he gave in to his weakness and he let in become him… These demons that he let in ran rampant and they ended up defining him as a man, no matter the legacy he was going to leave behind. That’s why I took up this mantle as The Plague and that’s why I push as hard as I do to keep this Brotherhood going. It’s not for a selfish reason as many believe it to be and I’m going to take his mistakes and learn from them. That’s what we do in this world, right? Learn from the mistakes of those around us, so we don’t end up making the same ones. It’s the reason we learn about history our entire lives, so we’re not doomed to repeat it… I believe that concept is lost on many in this world, don’t you?”
Leah tilts her head to the side.
“I suppose maybe in some instances… Are you speaking of the race wars that have kicked up yet again or the bashing of those who want their rights in individuality?”
“That’s exactly it Leah, people in this country specifically choose to judge things that they have no fucking clue is really about and that’s what has become the norm in this day and age. Picketers show up anywhere and everywhere to send out their judgment because they feel their opinions fucking matter. You have keyboard jockies sitting in their parents basement flaming people on the internet to make their lives seem more relevant, because they mean something damn it.”
Leah smirks.
“Sounds to me like you’re not a fan of this country, Kevin…”
Kevin shoots back.
“It’s not the country that’s the problem, it’s the ignorance of the people within it… Hell this country was built on the pursuit of a freedom that we weren’t getting anywhere else. Sure it started off with having their right to religion anyway they see fit, but that was only the catalyst to help people choose their own free will and follow what they chose to set out to do. That’s how this country got to where it is today, but through all adversities there’s always been those who fought against the change. Do you remember the Salem witch trials? Talk about people were different from the rest… What happened there?”
Leah jumps in.
“The people of Salem burned witches and they also drowned them, they followed what they perceived to be ‘tests’ to prove if the women were witches or not… What does that have to do with the events of now?”
Kevin uncrosses his legs and he leans forward toward Leah.
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s about being fucking different than the rest of the populace, those who are different are sent to the stakes and set a blaze… It’s more metaphoric now, but its still the same old same old… The people of this country persecute those they don’t understand and they cast them out… So when people get confused on what it is my Brotherhood truly offers… It’s a safe haven from all the hate and I help these people gain a singular purpose that helps them succeed when others want them to fail. My vision is more than a vision, Leah, you’ve seen what’s truly behind the curtain… You’ve seen what has been set into motion… My Brotherhood is all around me and it’s not them giving ME strength, but me feeding them. I am a beacon of light and hope, I illuminate the way for them to venture out into the world with a protective shield… If giving the opportunity to go out into this world and do whatever you would like to, without worrying about a consequence… Wouldn’t you sign up for that?”
Leah nods along.
“I would, but is it really that simple? How does all this translate from wrestling to the real world though?”
Kevin smiles.
“Is there really a difference, Leah? This warehouse here is mine and it belongs in the real world… Just because I make my living in the squared circle, that doesn’t take away from my mission statement… The fans have caught on and they are calling out to me not just in the wrestling domain, but out on the streets as well. That is power right there… How many men can say they can captivate the masses like that on the scale that I am? Many look at my Brotherhood has insignificant because I don’t shine a light on every member… But the truth is, they’re around every corner and they’re placed within every crowd. I’ve been told time and time again that I need my Brotherhood to be the man sitting here in front of you right now and I am here to tell you, that The Plague isn’t made by the Brotherhood… I don’t need my Brotherhood to fight my battles or my wars… My Brotherhood needs me, you see that’s the difference between a leader and a follower… The followers need the leader to know where to go, but it is the leader who blazes the trail and plans ahead.”
Leah adjusts her seating and looks back to Kevin.
“So what is your end game exactly? I’ve followed your path very closely over the years and you end companies… Is that really what The Plague is all about?”
“There’s so many sides to The Plague than what has been revealed… But yes the original mission statement set out by my predecessor was to conquer, destroy, and rebuild in our image… It was so easy back then, to the point that people threw themselves in front of The Plague’s feet just so he didn’t have to touch the dirt floors of these dying companies… Why destroy them, that’s the question you truly want answered… It’s because the companies were too weak and they didn’t survive the test… Their champions fell to the loyal followers of my Brotherhood first and then it was time for The Boss to come down from his tower… The Boss who stays out of the fold of his men finally has to come face to face with his fate and it’s at that moment the fans see what true coward he truly is… It’s the same story in every company I’ve worked for and it’s always been the same result…”
Leah takes a drink of water and places her glass down onto the side table beside her.
“What makes WCF different, if at all? Are you planning to run the same routine here?”
Kevin slightly smiles.
“That’s still to be determined, but I have been keeping an eye on all sides of the playing field… I’ve noticed Seth at the top of his tower moving his men into place without fear and I have seen the armies building up against his tyranny… But I also have seen men just like him in every company I have worked for… His ivory tower is only going to stay stable for so long before it comes crashing down around him and his men… The only way to survive is to adapt and just because I have a plan that I follow doesn’t mean it doesn’t differ when it needs to… Crazy I’ll quote Mike Tyson but ol’ Iron Mike says, ‘Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.’ As off the deep end that man is through all the head trauma, we hope, he spoke some truth with that statement… We all come into everything we do with a plan, but it’s how we react once that first punch lands on us, that makes us who we are… I’ve never turned tail and ran, no matter how hard the punches were. That’s the kind of strength I give my people and it’s under my guise that they can tackle this world without hesitation…”
Leah nods a bit.
“So my final question for you… What is this No Survivors mantra that you throw around every promo you give? If there’s no survivors, then who will follow you?”
Kevin laughs out loud.
“Seriously? That’s what you’re caught up on? No Survivors… It’s a tag line of our culture… You can perceive any way you choose to… It could be the weakness in us all will not survive… It could be the opponents in the ring will not survive… The company could be left with no survivors… But the truth of the matter is this, if you rest your head under my shield and you carry my cross willingly, then you will survive in the end. It’s that simple, you choose my side and you are guaranteed safe passage…”
Leah looks over to the camera.
“Well there you have it folks, The Plague himself, wants you to join his Brotherhood… It’s within his arms that you’ll find safe passage to a world without hate and persecution… The line has been drawn in the sand… Do you know which you’ll choose to be on?”
Leah smiles at Kevin.
“Thanks again, Kevin for giving me this one on one. This looks to be a bright future for the two of us.”
The camera fades out and we instantly open back up to Kevin Bishop standing alone in a room with posters and newspaper clippings hanging on the walls. A single light dangles from the ceiling and it sways back and forth. Kevin stands in the middle of the room dressed in black pants, a pair of black boots, a black Metallica t-shirt, and his hair is slicked back.
“That was the interview I did with Leah before she passed… She wanted to know it all and yet, there’s so much more to share… That’s not all of what The Plague is… From that moment of seeing her pass til now, I had the opportunity to truly reflect and I even had the chance to catch Ace’s promo about me… So many words to hand out Ace and I’m not surprised… You’re a talker, it’s what you do, you make your wise cracks because I pushed you to do so… So easily manipulated Ace, it makes you a bit predictable… In return you’ll throw out some witty banter about how every time I think I know what you’re next step is you’ll simply change… blah, blah, blah… Yeah, same old song and dance that I’ve seen many men like yourself do before… I gotta say though Ace, that is a very nice title collection you have there… A man with so many accolades… You claim that your greatness will with stand the test of time and then it hit me… You speak of all these things that make you great with adding title after title to your collection… It brings to mind the great Achilles… History, gotta love it… But Achilles was a great warrior who defeat army after army and compiled quite the list of accomplishments as well… He swore that everyone even the Gods would know his name… But we all know how that ended up for him, right? A simple arrow through his heel and his life was ended… All of those accolades meant nothing when he was finally taken… Sure his name has lived on forever, but for what, really, Ace? For a man who’s weakness was his damn heel? Go ahead and look up the myth, he supposedly dipped into the waters of the River of Styx which in turned made him invulnerable all over except for his heel, in which his mother was holding him by when she plunged him into the waters… This tale claims that no matter what you believe in this world, everything has a weakness… No matter how much bravado you have and how much fortitude you possess… There could always be something as small as an arrow that’ll take you down…”
Kevin smiles.
“You know Ace, I’m happy to hear you didn’t let the loss of your friend send you down some dark path that you couldn’t come back from and that you were able to take those demons and turn them into a source of strength… I’d hate for some pint up emotion be a crutch for you lean on when I beat you in the middle of that ring… You claim that I lack emotion and I lack conviction for those I have lost… Is that what you truly see? I took those loses and I let them push me to become the man I am today… Those I have lost were judged and persecuted, that’s where my direction came from… My goal to shelter those who our considered outcast… So feel free to judge me, just as the entire world has done my entire life… It’s what you don’t see that should truly scare you… You hold your monster deep inside of you and it fuels you, but me on the other hand, The Plague is on the outside… I’m calm and I’m collected and that is what you should really be worried about… It’s the monster you don’t know and believe me, when my back is against the wall and it is all on the line, my predictability isn’t so clear… This battle… This war between us, it’s the kind of story that’ll live on forever… The record books will have our names in bold as a bench mark for two new comers who seamlessly set the bar too high for all to follow… The Bishop and The Ace… Two different pieces for two different games… You claim this business isn’t a game but the thing is, you’ve been played since the very beginning… You were fed fall guys from day one and now you stand in front of your first real competition and you are quick to stand behind your gift for gab… We are both what the company wants us to be and that is the sad truth. Seth pitted the two of us against each other at Blast because he knew it’d put asses in the seats…”
Kevin walks over to the farther wall to the left and he runs his hand against a wrestling show poster. It has a younger Kevin Bishop standing next to a guy by the name of Cheshire with a Intercontinental title on the line.
“You see, I’m no stranger to championships myself Ace… This man on the card was Cheshire and he was the leader of The Dark Wonderland… The Brotherhood and The Dark Wonderland were at each other’s throats for months and it finally came down to the PPV of the year. Unchained, all rules went out the window and the intercontinental title was on the line… I see you claimed that I always let the big chance slip through my fingers… Again that’s you’re judgment that you quickly lean on when you don’t understand shit… You’re quick to fill in the blanks, but I suppose that’s just your nature… My back was against the wall in this match, my Brotherhood was banned from ringside and his Wonderland as well… Cheshire and I went all over that arena and just when I thought everything was done… I thought I had him easily beat, he grabbed that steel chair of his… You see Cheshire was known to end careers with a chair… He was known for his Hatter Swing… He’d hit you with that chair with the side of it right to your damn skull and his opponents always crumbled… I took that hit and the lights went out… I didn’t think I had anything left in me but as I slowly counted along to the ref’s hand hitting the ground, I took everything I had left in me and pushed Cheshire off of me. He attempted that pin five more times before he lifted me back up from the ground. He stood in front of me, I was dazed and my body slowly swayed back and forth… It was at that moment, Cheshire thought he had me… He went for that Hatter Swing again and this time my instincts made me duck it… As he swung off balance I jumped onto him with a DDT and I dropped him down onto his career ending steel chair. With all my might I picked him up and I dropped him with The Black Death and I got the three count… Just as I walked into that war as man who leaned on his blue print, that same blue print you choose to shit all over… I came out the victor with the IC title in my hands… My blue print is some simple book that gives me the answer to all equations… It’s a guide and through it’s guidance it allows me differ from it to make the best choices that I need to at the time… You listen to the wrong words that I speak and to you it sounds like random ramblings of a delusional fool… That’s fine by me because you’re not one of my brothers and I wouldn’t expect you truly understand…”
Kevin moves along to a news paper clipping that shows the words ‘On This Day The Doors of True Honor Wrestling Bid The Wrestling World A Farewell’.
“The men and women of THW thought they knew the man they invited into their company… They heard of MY accolades and they saw me as quite the name… Fast forward to the end and you can see they made the wrong choice… Now I don’t stand here, Ace trying to tell you tall tales of my past, but just as you stood where you were discrediting everything I’ve accomplished and the titles I too held… I suppose I felt inclined to touch on the subject myself… You see, I’ve collected titles just as well as collected followers… But the last time I checked it wasn’t a title running out to save me from an outnumbered situation… That’s another thing that has me puzzled on your train of thought… You look at my Brotherhood and you see a man who let’s his people empower him, but as I have said before, it’s my accomplishments that lend them strength. I set the bar for them to reach for and it’s through their efforts that they are rewarded. You claim a man is made by setting out on your own because it allows you to live any way you see fit… Really? That’s what makes a man? I see that and I raise you… Now I’ve lived the street life alone and the streets lead me to the man who helped mold me into the man I am today… You may see some coward who stands behind his people, but that’s not the man who stands before you Ace… I’m a leader of men and I lead by example… I showed Tony Miranda just as you did and I showed Psychopomp… The Plague isn’t some force that can be extinguished so easily… You look at the past and you mention how the bubonic plague came and went… Reason being is, no one was there to orchestrate its path of destruction, it wiped out whatever and vanished… But if someone was there to fan the flames and keep pushing it forward, then we would’ve had a different landscape in this world… So if you feel like you are some kind of quarantine for my Plague, then you are a bigger fool than Psychopomp himself… And that’s saying something, Ace. My Plague has thrived for over a decade and not a single man has brought it down, do you seriously think you have what it takes? If you somehow found the inner fortitude to do it, let me tell you this… Cut the head off the hydra and two more will rise in its place… So if you think taking me out is your key, then you have another thing coming. You seem to be painting a picture loud and clear here, Ace, and it’s that you truly don’t know the man you stepping into that ring with. You take snip-its of things you hear or see and you run with it like it’s the gospel truth… You tell me to tread lightly and I can’t help but return that same warning to you…”
Kevin moves along the wall showcasing more and more articles speaking of companies closing. He stops in front of a picture of a group of men standing side by side with a young Kevin Bishop standing in the middle holding a world title belt and a young Sean Craven standing next to him.
“My Brotherhood… My Brothers in arms that helped me take down the machine on so many occasions… We ran roughshod on so many wrestling companies and we never looked back. Always looking for the next challenge and always hungry for more… So you can stand tall by yourself Ace but I know for a fact that you know how glorifying it is to stand amongst your brothers as a collective unit… Just because you lost your brother and you had to find the hard way to the life of solitude and self reliance… That doesn’t make you have an edge on me, because as I have said before, I set the example for my men and they learn through me. If I fall I don’t stay down and if I win then I lift them up with me… That’s what brothers do, Ace, we are always there for each other and we always have each other’s backs… So as you waltz out that ring on Sunday and you lift yourself and you have your own back, I’ll be the one coming in with all my Brotherhood watching on… I will win the US title for each and every one of them… That’s the difference between you and me Ace… You’re doing this for yourself and for me, I am doing it for all of my Brothers… There is strengths in numbers and with a leader who gives back more than takes, I don’t see how you could raise your nose up to that…”
Kevin shifts his body back toward the swaying light.
“But I digress Ace… I am looking forward to proving your every notion of who I am wrong this Sunday and make you bare witness to what The Plague truly is… You claim you’re a survivor Ace, but I’ll take pleasure in ripping your sword of strength and salvation from your cold hands…”
Kevin smiles as he looks up to the light and he holds onto the chain dangling from it.
“You’ll survive… If I let you.”
Kevin yanks down on the chain and the light goes out. We fade out to black.
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We open to the interior of Kevin’s 1967 all black Chevy Impala, he changed his attire to an all black johnny cash inspired suit, in the passenger seat sits Karma dolled up in an all white dress with her hair up in a messy bun, and in the back seat sits Sean Craven messy blue dreads blowing in the wind wearing a black and blue Ride The Lightning shirt. Kevin looks back to Sean through the rear view mirror.
“So, there’s a gathering in Philly today?”
Sean pops his head up.
“Yes sir, the people are stoked about the Blast PPV, there’s people camping out already around the arena.”
Kevin smiles.
“Good, I think it’s best that we pay a little visit to my Brotherhood then…”
Kevin speeds ahead down the road until he comes to a parking garage by the Wells Fargo Center arena. He drives to the top and he parks next to the elevator. Everyone piles out and start walking toward the elevator.
“My love, what do you plan to say to the masses?”
Kevin smiles as the elevator door opens in front of him.
“The words always find their way to me… Once I stand among them… I know the right words will flow through onto their ears…”
Kevin, Sean, and Karma all step into the elevator and a light audio version of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ plays over head. As they reach the bottom floor, the doors open up and as they step out to the street, Kevin notices the grouping of people right outside the arena doors. The group make their way toward the door and Kevin stops at a T-shirt stand. He picks up an all black t-shirt and shows it to Karma. The man behind the table points to it.
“$5.50, what size would you like?”
Kevin stands confused.
“I see all of these wrestler shirts on this table, but there’s not a thing on this one, why is that? And $5.50? Sounds pretty cheap to me…”
The man grabs the shirt back.
“You don’t want it, that’s cool man, $5.50 is a hell of a price for a The Unknown t-shirt, he’s a visionary.”
Sean starts laughing behind Kevin as Kevin flips through more shirts on the table.
“A visionary… Right… Well good luck on moving that merchandise… Who else do you have for sale?”
The man runs his hands along the shirts on the table and he picks up a black one with Severan King wearing a white suit and his arms spread wide on the front of it.
“How much are you selling the Severan King shirt for?”
The vendor smiles.
“You’re going to laugh and I don’t even think Severan King knows this, but I’m selling them for $6.66! HAHAHA!”
The vendor starts to laugh and Kevin chuckles a bit.
“Wow, I bet him and his God would strike you down if he found out about that… But what the hell, give me one of those…”
A familiar voice comes into ear shot over Kevin’s shoulder.
“Plague baby! Where’s The Plague merchandise?! You gotta get that brand going, Kev.”
Kevin turns and Silver Goldstein is standing with a philly cheesesteak in one hand a lemonade in the other.
“Silver… I thought I got rid of you a while ago…”
Karma rolls her eyes.
“He seems to be a bigger cockroach than Seth Lerch…”
Silver puts his hands up in a don’t shoot fashion.
“Plague baby, don’t shoot, I’m just looking out for what’s best for my client after all…”
Karma starts to laugh.
“This guy can’t take a hint babe. Silver, Kevin Bishop doesn’t need some bottom dwelling jew to do his talking for him, let alone rebrand him and I’m not sure how much clearer we can make this for you. You’re like that last pounder that Sean was with who just wouldn’t stop following him around… So get off my man’s dick and hit the bricks!”
Silver laughs it off as he backs away a bit.
“I get it, I really do, you don’t need representation, but come on, I know you see what’s happening around here… With you and with your Brotherhood and with the men who try to stand in your way… You have guys like this Ace character who has made it their personal crusade to destroy your name and everything you stand for… You may not want my help but I still feel an obligation to you to help you succeed in this transition in your life… If you won’t let me do the work in the light, then at least let me continue to do it in the shadows…”
Kevin smirks as he rubs his beard gently.
“Like the cockroach you are, Silver… Whatever you plan to do in the dark, I don’t want to see it and I don’t want to hear about it… Sean will be your liaison and he’ll keep a watchful eye on you… If you get out line for just a second, Silver, I can’t make any promises that Sean won’t deal with you…”
Silver puts down his drink and puts his hand out for Kevin to shake it and Kevin just looks at his hand.
“Desperation is seeping off of you, Silver… I’ve been watching you throw yourself to wrestler after wrestler and you keep coming up empty handed… If you think that I’m your meal ticket then you better start enjoying table scraps because that’s all you’re going to get from me… Do I make myself clear?”
Silver nods as Kevin grabs onto his hand and shakes it.
“Now I have a sermon to deliver to the masses…”
Kevin throws the Severan King shirt to Silver Goldstein and he starts to walk toward the gathering of people by the arena doors. He ascends the stairs and the people spread like the red sea looking in awe. The fans reach out to touch any part of Kevin that they can as he finally reaches the doors. He turns around and he stares out along the sea of screaming fans. He raises his arms and they erupt even louder. As he lowers his hands the fans start to subside.
“My Brothers and Sisters, I’m so glad I could grace you with my presence! You have been the driving force of my run here in the WCF and it has truly blown me away! That first cadence of cheers when I dropped Tony Miranda with The Black Death had my mind running circles! I’ve been a darkness on the wrestling community for a very long time and I never once had fans who made me feel so wanted… Hell even NEEDED! You are so sick of being told that The Family is what’s best for you and that everyone else should just fall in line! That’s what The Plague was designed to stop in the first place and it’s what I’ve always set out to do! I have destroyed companies, I’m not going to lie, but I feel different about this place… This time I won’t push the envelope too far, but I’ll push it enough to bring you the change that all of you are so in desperate need of! Do you want a change?!”
The fans erupt in cheers and uproars.
“Each and every one of you here right now, you are my Brotherhood! I want you to rise up in arms against those fools who tell you differently! My enemies are your enemies! The men who stand in my way, stand in your way from a future that you have begged me for! Will you stand with me and help clear my path?! Will you allow me to be your beacon of hope and truth?!”
A young boy pushes his way through the crowd and stands right in front of Kevin.
“Take a look at this young man here my brothers! He’s barely a teenager and where does he stand in the fight against tyranny?! He stands right here in our collective, ready to take the fight to whoever he needs to! That’s powerful, isn’t it?!”
The fans erupt and hang onto every word.
“My Brotherhood doesn’t discriminate against age or sex or sexual orientation or religion… I see that look when I mentioned these things, but The Plague is about breaking down all of the barriers that have been built up for all these years! Take a look around this day and age and you tell me what you see! It’s insanity at its finest, people still burning metaphoric witches at the stake for being different! I’m different, this young man is different, my brother Sean over here is different, and yes even Silver Goldstein is different! That’s the world we live in, not even conjoined twins are exactly the same when you dig down deep! People look at us and they look at all the outcast in this world who aren’t like them and they instantly judge… That’s the mistake that so many make and it leaves them vulnerable in the process… Is it really better to walk these streets alone depending on your own will and determination to survive? You see, I’ve had that family dynamic in my life and I know how reassuring it was to have a leader in the house hold who set the course and protected the shelter… That idea is lost on some in this world and particulary my opponent this week. Ace believes all he needs is himself to claim glory in this world, but I stand here and I what to say this… You may be able to do that on your own, but the satisfaction of leading men and women through example of that determination and then reaching your goals… There’s no better high, Ace… This man speaks of The Plague as if it’s going to just diminish and disappear taking my decade long legacy with it… Are we going to allow that to happen?!”
The fans starts chanting No in unison.
“My Brothers and my sisters! I want you all to place a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you and I want you to listen closely as I speak…”
Everyone in the crowd follow suit and place a hand on the person’s shoulder in front of them.
“We are The Brotherhood of The Plague Nation and we are the answer to the question, WHEN WILL CHANGE COME TO WCF?! Each and everyone of you hold that key and as I continue to evolve and continue to climb this ladder to the top, I will have each and every one of your best interest at heart… This Sunday will be OUR victory and I will gladly lend the title to the outcast of these United States! No longer will you walk into a room filled with hate and have to stand idly by as people scoff at you! No longer will you have to feel ridicule by loved ones because you choose to follow your own path instead of their own! We all strive for that freedom in life, the freedom to do what it is you feel you are destined to do! Don’t let mere mortals restrain you, because in my light you are all capable of God like feats! As I venture out into this company I to will have to deal with trials and tribulations! I too will have to take on Herculean Labours to prove my very mettle in this world… That first Herculean Task is to take out Ace and claim the US title for our own… After that all other tasks will fall right into place…”
Kevin pauses and looks around noticing everyone has their heads bowed and they start to hum in unison.
“Sunday for many is a day of rest, but I for one am not taking the day off! I’m going to war Sunday and with my crook and shield, I will vanquish my foe in the name of The Plague and in the name of the Brotherhood! Not a single soul is going to stop our rise to power here in the WCF, are you with ME?!”
The fans all release their hold on their neighbors and they erupt in unison with loud cheers.
“This Sunday at Blast, I’ll say it the same as I always have… There will be NO SURVIVORS! For only the strongest survive! Ace claims he fights to survive but he hasn’t been in the ring with The Plague before and I can guarantee that he won’t be leaving that ring as the same man he stepped in as! Now let us march into Blast on Sunday my brothers and lets us take what is rightfully ours! FOR THE BROTHERHOOD!”
Fans start chanting ‘FOR THE BROTHERHOOD’ over and over again as Kevin watches on. Even the boy who came to the front is screaming his head off which brings a smile to Kevin’s face. Kevin and his entourage make their way into the arena leaving the masses cheering behind them. As they walk down the hall, Karma stops Kevin.
“That smile on your face… What’s that all about?”
Kevin points out the window at the crowd.
“Can you believe that electricity? It’s intoxicating and I’ve spent so much of my life steering clear of that because all those years the fans wanted some untouchable cartoon character of a man to cheer for… Now I stand upon my platform of change and I’m the one they choose to turn to? Oh how the world is a changing… Besides that, did you see that boy who made his way to me?”
“I did, you’re even influential to the youth of this world my dear…”
Kevin smirks.
“That kid reminded me a lot of Severan’s son, his eyes lit up when I was talking and he hung onto every word that I said… I fear for this Ezekiel kid, his father is a mad man who attempted to walk the desert for 40 days and throw all caution to wind by doing so… He has a match at Blast, so he could’ve missed out on the show if he kept walking in that desert… I’m not sure if the sun baked his brain or if he even thought all of that through… Ezekiel needs a better leader in his life to look up to… Someone who won’t put chains on him to keep him in the church to feed their own ego…”
Karma laughs a little bit.
“I don’t know how you don’t see it my dear…”
Kevin tilts his head a bit.
“What’s that?”
“You two are a lot more alike than you care to admit… Just because he follows the church of God and you follow The Plague, doesn’t mean you guys are that different. Look at it this way… You both control a control with a whisper and you both gain followers without hesitation… You two are natural leaders and I truly believe it’s a matter of time before you both are standing in that ring together. I could imagine your verbal jabs you two will take at one another… I mean I just recently saw that he had visions of The Plagues of Egypt… That’s a little foreboding isn’t it?”
Kevin smirks.
“Yeah after the fact I talked about them, then he has a vision about it… His visions are probably as phony as that Criss Angel guy who levitates in the desert… You may have a point though…”
Kevin looks to Sean.
“Sean… I may have something that you could help me with… Follow me…”
Kevin and Sean start to walk away and Silver Goldstein stands next to Karma. He looks down at her tits and her eyes catch him.
“Excuse me bottom feeder, my eyes are up here!”
“Agh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Silver adjusts his suit jacket.
“So… Dinner on me?”
Karma rolls her eyes and walks off toward The Plague, leaving Silver with his arms spread open.
“What? Was it something I said? Don’t worry I’ll have my people call your people?!”
As Karma catches up with The Plague, we fade to black.
