Trending Worldwide... #PsychoPlague
Sept 17, 2016 0:11:28 GMT -5
CJ Phoenix and Psychopomp like this
Post by Kevin Bishop on Sept 17, 2016 0:11:28 GMT -5
We open to the inside of The Plague’s Promo cabin at Camp Sunny Lake and Kevin stands in the middle of the room pacing back in forth dressed in his very Johnny Cash-esque attire. He has his hands clasped behind his back and he looks to be preparing a speech or something.
“War… It’s the beginning of the end and it’s a place that many go to end their careers… Or as I look around at our landscape, they go to try to revive their career… Winners of the past like Jeff Purse are popping back into the mix looking to prove why it is he won to begin with…”
The Plague continues to pace.
“I think of this mighty battle and it brings the Battle of Carthage to mind… Or as the soldiers there called it… The Battle of Hell Hole… So much blood shed that even DEATH himself would have a serious job on his hands and Jasper county wasn‘t the same again… As I plan out my strategy for WAR, I think of how much Death is going to be cursing my name as I drop every person who steps to me in that match… No mercy… No surrender… No SURVIVORS… This match was designed for THE PLAGUE and I’m going to show each and everyone why I am and have been on the rise from day one since I stepped foot into the WCF… The one thing that no one has chose to pay attention to… My HOMETOWN… That’s right, The Plague returns to New York for WAR and as I stand there in that ring, looking out to all of The People…”
The Plague smiles wide.
“I am going to gain that little extra boost… The fire’s going to run through me… It’s going to push me that much further and it’s going to give me that deciding edge to put down the toughest of foes… Men like Zombie McMorris who already looks past me… Or Gemini Battle who knew the taste of that World title and now has chosen to set his eyes on gaining Grandslam status… He too will line up and fall to me, because my hunger wants it more… Every legend of the past is coming in with something to prove, but there’s a reason they walked away and I’ll be the one there to remind them of that fact… So guys like FPV can continue to take notes, but it’s what I do in the ring with them involved that they won’t be able to truly prepare for… Simply put this is going to be WAR and there is only going to be one-”
A loud knock is heard at the door and it steals The Plague’s attention.
“Left standing… Who the hell is interrupting my speech prep…”
The Plague stomps over toward the door and he swings it open. Standing before him is Psychopomp with a big smile on his face, wearing a custom made black with white lettering #PyschoPlague t-shirt, a pair of black and white ZUBAZ pants, a black fanny pack, and a pair of black American Made Converse.
“Pomp, how’s it going, brother?”
Pomp stands with all smiles.
“Plague, I’m doing good, a little shaken up by your squad of attack clowns… But I’ll live…”
Plague smacks him in the right shoulder.
“Ah, you’ll live… So, what’s your thoughts on a road trip? To Alabama…?”
Pomp shrugs.
“I love the open road, too bad your clowns ruined my moped, I could’ve driven us.”
The Plague shakes his with a light hearted smile.
“Yeah… Good thing my clown ruined that opportunity… How about we just take my Impala, we could be just like Sam and Dean Winchester… Kind of…”
Pomp just about jumps out of his shoes.
“I LOVE CASTIEL! Can I be Castiel?!”
Kevin smirks.
“Of course, Pomp… Let’s hit the road, shall we?”
Kevin leads Pomp out of the cabin and down to his black 1967 Chevy Impala where Karma is standing with a silver tin in her hand. Pomp walks right up to her and she hands it to him.
“Here you go Pomp, I figured you could use a travel snack…”
Pomp hugs her and he quickly retreats to the car with the tin in hand. Kevin walks up to Karma and he holds her close.
“I won’t be gone for too long, baby… I’ll let you know when we make it there and when we are headed back…”
Karma kisses Kevin.
“Just be safe babe, I love you…”
Kevin hugs her one last time before heading to the car.
“Love you too baby.”
He hops in the drivers side as Pomp gets in the passenger side.
“Buckle up, Pomp… This is going to be a long ride…”
Kevin pushes play on the radio and ‘Cold Blood’ by Apocalyptica kicks up, just as Kevin’s wheels start to burn out. We fade out to black.
We open back up on the road with The Plague and Psychopomp cruising down the highway. The music is now turned down a bit, so Kevin can talk a bit of strategy with Pomp.
“I appreciate you accepting my offer, Pomp… I truly do see potential in you and that potential has grown since the first time you and I fought each other for the first time… But now…”
Plague looks to Pomp for a second who is staring back with a cookie hanging from his mouth.
“Now you have an opportunity even greater than all of your title shots… You have a chance to stand out in a main event match with 3 of the top champions in WCF… One who stands at the top and two who are looking to skyrocket up there sooner rather than later… If you can stand tall with me, buddy… You can write your very own meal ticket in WCF… You still eye balling that Television title?”
Pomp nods yes with a cookie still hanging from his mouth.
“Here’s the thing Pomp… I’ve worked very hard to get to my position with the company and I look at what you bring to the table… I’m not worried… Do you know how many people probably fainted by me simply saying that? They look at you and they look at your shenanigans having lifestyle and they think you’re incapable of getting the job done when it calls for it… You have survived everything thrown at you, kid… You were tossed into the hellish KOTDM Tournament without any clear idea of what you were walking in to… And look at you, you’re still here fighting… That’s what a champion is made of, hands down…”
Pomp gulps the cookie down that has been taking over his lip and he gives The Plague the most serious look he’s ever mustered it seems.
“Thank you Kevin and I truly mean that. You and Mrs. Karma have been so good to me and I, for the life of me can’t figure out why… But if you see this potential in me, then I will give it my all to prove you right.”
Plague pats Pomp on the shoulder.
“I know you will, but going into this match with Bates and Phoenix… I need more than that… I need you to bring something farther than what I’m capable of seeing in you, because I’m telling you right now, CJ is hungry… If you believe I’ve been doing great things on the forefront, this kid has been doing the exact same thing behind the scenes… We both are on this amazing foot race to the top and we both are going to stop at nothing to achieve it… Then there’s The Mountain standing in all of our ways… Yeah, Corey Black did a number on him and we are on our way to pay him a visit, but he is a monster of a man who doesn’t know the meaning of QUIT… If all of the times he has been outnumbered hasn’t proven that fact, then I don’t know what will… His desire to stand taller than everyone both physically and mentally, it’ll out shadow us all… That’s the men we are going to battle with, Pomp, so I ask you… Are you ready for this fight? Are you able to throw everything out the window to make this happen? CAN YOU DO IT?!”
Pomp launches his tin of cookies out the window and he stares dead seriously at The Plague.
“I was BORN READY, KEV!”
The Plague starts busting out laughing and it throws Pomp off.
“What?”
Kevin simply shakes his head.
“The out the window thing was totally metaphorically… I wasn’t meaning literal… And I think that was Karma’s favorite cookie tin, too…”
Pomp lowers his head in disapproval.
“Don’t worry pal… Just keep your mind on the prize on Sunday… Come out swinging, brother… Come out swinging…”
Just as Kevin finishes what he’s saying they pull up to the hospital and we fade to black.
We open inside of the hospital, Kevin and Pomp are waiting outside of The Mountain’s hospital room.
“Now Pomp… He’s probably still in some pain, don’t touch him… We don’t want to face his wrath before Sunday, you hear me?”
Pomp salutes Kevin just before they walk into the room and as they step inside, they are welcomed by a nurse.
“Excuse me, but Mr. Bates isn’t taking any visitors right now…”
Pomp starts busting out laughing.
“Did you say Master Bates?”
The nurse slightly blushes and scoffs.
“NO, I said MISTER!”
Pomp still laughs.
“Okay, right, I’m the pervert here…”
Pomp looks at Kevin and points his thumb at her.
“Pssh… This lady… Such a dirty nurse, man.”
The nurse grabs Pomp by the arm.
“Well this dirty nurse is going to escort you out of here!”
As the nurse takes Pomp away, Kevin sneaks into the room and he steps up to the first gurney. He notices they went with an extra large bed and there he is… Thomas Uriel Bates laid up with wires and tubing running into him from the machines to the left of him. Kevin just stands there in disbelief, shaking his head.
“Look at you big guy… That Corey Black did quiet the number on you… If you make it Slam on Sunday, I’d be surprised…”
Kevin looks at the machine and fingers around with it for a second.
“The real deal here… They have you all strung up… Nothing like an event like this to prove just how mortal you really are, am I right? Just a flick of one of these switches…”
Kevin snaps his fingers.
“BAM, The Mountain of WCF is taken from this cruel world… It’s kind of crazy to leave your life in the hands of doctors and nurses… You leave your life to chance if you’re able to get up out of this bed or not and out of this room to continue your path of dominance in the WCF ring…”
Kevin turns back to Bates.
“But that isn’t how I want to defeat you, Bates! I don’t want this Sunday to be the night I beat you either… I have been chasing a pin on you ever since we first stepped into the ring together… Every single damn time, it’s your partners that I’m getting the three count on or submission… I want to beat The Mountain when he’s at his BEST, so if I have to defeat Phoenix, then so be it… I’m not going to willingly take a victory over you when you’re not at your top level of competing… I have too much respect for you and what you’ve accomplished in WCF to take the easy way out on you! You see… My mission statement right now in WCF is bring true competition back to this company and I won’t stop until we all are fighting for the best match of the night… Or we are all just as hungry as the next guy to be a champion… I look around and I see too many guys who love to be the curtain jerkers or the fall guys in the ring… But how do we learn to get better, Bates? If we all choose to just be sub par? We WCF to be great again, then we need to learn to push our peers beyond their own breaking points, week in and week out… There’s promise in some, but I think the other out weighs those who can truly go… So you lay here Champ and you muster up enough God damn strength to make it to Slam this Sunday, because those curtain jerkers and those fall guys need you to be their damn beacon of hope… They need you to walk into Slam 100 percent so The Plague can go toe to toe with you at your best!”
Kevin grabs the hulking beast by the throat and face.
“You hear me you son of a bitch?! I NEED YOUR BEST AT SLAM!!!”
The nurse returns to the room and she notices Kevin with his hands on Bates. She quickly gets between The Plague and the gurney.
“I’m okay, I’m leaving!”
The nurse checks on Bates and he doesn’t seem phased.
“It’s best if you left, sir…”
Kevin rolls his eyes and he turns around to see Pomp standing by the check in counter sucking on a sucker.
“Did I buy you enough time?”
Kevin smirks.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he heard everything I had to say…”
Pomp nods and pulls the sucker out of his mouth, pointing it at the room.
“You know, he’s practically like the Incredible Hulk… And like my hero Wolverine, he too has a form of the healing factor… So its-o-fact-o… Bates can super heal…”
Kevin shakes his head with a slight smile.
“Well good… I’m counting on it… For now, we gotta get back to Camp… We got whip you into shape…”
The two begin to walk away and we fade out to black.
We open back up to the voice of a young boy speaking in pitch blackness.
“In the beginning…”
Silence falls on deaf ears.
“He was told he’d never survive…”
The boys voice changes to a little girls voice.
“He was told he’d never make it out alive…”
A crack of lightning sounds and the pitch blackness lights up enough to show a group of cloaked children standing on a stage and the blackness returns.
“The Plague was meant to die that day…”
The girl’s voice changes to another boy’s.
“That day his parents were taken from this world…”
Lightning sounds again.
“HIS world…”
The words echo.
“The Plague wasn’t supposed to be given a second chance… He wasn’t supposed to make it this far…”
Lightning sounds in multiple shots this time.
“Kevin Bishop was dealt a hand that most children his age would’ve folded and gave up… But The Plague, our leader isn’t someone who simply gives up… Our leader is the kind of man who leads by example and he’s the kind of man who does it by uplifting all of US in the process…”
A younger girls voice takes over.
“Mr. Bishop believes in our future… He says we are all worth fighting for and that through hard work, we can achieve anything we set our minds to…”
An older girls voice picks up where the little girl’s left off.
“The Plague isn’t a wolf playing a sheep… He’s not the blind leading the blind… Kevin Bishop is a man who has fought for everything he has achieved in this world and he only wants to save people from having to scratch and crawl like he did… He wants to save us all from having to hind our true selves from the world due to the prejudices that make us look like we don’t belong… Or that we are unwanted…”
The last word hangs on in the darkness.
“Many who don’t believe in him, see him as some monster who brain washes the masses… But what has he said that has truly claimed influence? It’s his actions in the ring and his die-hard fighting for our well being that carries weight with his influence…”
The girls voice fades out and a familiar female’s voice takes over.
“My husband has sacrificed so much over the years and he is the most caring man I have ever met… Is he passionate for what he believes in? Yes of course he is, he wouldn’t be a leader if he wasn’t… He looks at so many guys on his roster and he longs to help them… He feels if he doesn’t do his part to help them when they’re busting their asses the best that they possibly can, but yet they’re still stuck on the losing effort… He feels like he has failed them… It keeps him up at night and that drives him to want to try harder… Harder to save the masses from their very own self destruction…”
The lightning strikes, but this time it chain reacts to cause the lighting on the stage to kick on and before us is a group of ten children dressed in black cloaks with white plague doctor masks on, along with Karma dressed in a black loose fitting dress. Karma spreads her arms and showcases the children behind her.
“These children have put together a little show for our beloved leader and it has been my honor to introduce them…”
Karma looks back to the kids.
“Take it away kiddos!”
Karma bows and walks away allowing one of the older kids step up. He slides the plague doctor’s mask off and he holds a piece of paper out in front of him, shaking a bit from being nervous.
“Plague sir, my name‘s Samuel and I wrote you a poem in your honor… I hope you like it…”
The boy clears his throat before he starts to read out loud.
“Inevitable… It’s a word that means no matter what comes and goes… The result will wind up becoming real…
Future may sway with the winds of change… But The Plague is a constant with a die-hard iron will…
Time is something borrowed from what could be a greater force, but under his guidance we make the most of it…
The Plague wants us to thrive in a world full of hatred and pure innocence… Because he wants us to rise up from the pit…
A dark hole that the rest of the world shoved us down deep into, for they didn’t understand who we were…
A strong collective of people who were here for a second and then gone in a blur.
But that’s what set our great leader apart… That’s what made him the beacon of hope for all of us to strive to be like…
To step out of the shadows without fear and to take on a blinded world waiting for the iron to strike.
Hot and cold the temperature fluxgates under the pressure of the harsh exposure of the light.
But it is The Plague who has sacrificed for us, to show us what it’s truly like to fight.
It is through him, that we all find our inner strength to push on to the very end.
So come one, come all to his Brotherhood and you’ll be amongst a loyal friend.
A man who’d throw himself into the fire, just so you didn’t have to feel burned.
For he is our leader and he says in life there is always a lesson to be learned.
So now we open our eyes to accept all of the hate that surrounds this earth,
Following his guidance with The Brotherhood we will take on this rebirth.”
The boy bows to the crowd before him and he backs away to the line up of other kids. A young girl steps out with an innocent smile on her face.
“I am Tara… My brother Samuel and I came to The Brotherhood as lost children from the streets… Just like Mr. Bishop’s story we too lost our parents in a horrifying fashion and it was thanks to Mr. Craven being sent out into this world, that we were given a second chance at life… My big brother tried his hardest to keep us from starving, but the colder months were getting harder… We only were allowed to stay in the shelter houses for so long before we were pressured out by the other homeless folk… My brother wrote such a beautiful piece for The Plague, that I just really wanted to say thank you… Thank you so very much Mr. Bishop for taking two lost children into your warehouse and now Mr. Parish’s camp… Without you, my brother and I have no idea where we would be…”
The little girl bows and backs away into the line up. A not so much of a child, but Zander steps out onto the stage with a black cloak that brings forth memory of the very tents that are set up around camp.
“Kevin and fellow Brotherhood members… The kids and I put together a skit with the inspiration of The Plague himself… I’ll play the part of The Mighty Mountain of WCF…”
Zander rips off the cloak showing off a probably too tight black tank top and black sweat pants. Zander puts his arms out and flexes while looking down at his chest.
“How do I look? Does my pecs look super strong?”
A laughter falls onto the crowd and Zander blushes.
“The Mountain always looks so awesome when he does it…”
Zander lowers his head and Samuel steps back out onto the stage. He takes off his cloak and under it he’s wearing a Johnny Cash-esque outfit like The Plague’s with a toy US title around his waste. He takes center stage and Zander falls back to stage left.
“The moment I stepped foot into the WCF, I saw a company that was in desperate need for salvation… Three matches in and I became the United States Champion… I started on my path, but also I witnessed a man who was trying to step up alone, strong as an ox, but the fight was looking to be too much to tackle…”
Zander steps forward and a number of children start to attack him with makeshift bow staffs.
“Seth’s Family, may have been small in stature but their fight was looking to become too much for The Mountain to bear…”
Zander drops to his knees and Tara walks up with a menacing laugh and an empty bottle of Wild Turkey.
“Hahaha, Thomas Uriel Bates, you will never be able to stop me and my FAMILY!”
Tara acts like she takes a swig of the Wild Turkey as the children jump onto Zander’s back and he quickly stands up spinning them around in a very playful fashion as if he’s a human jungle gym.
“I didn’t walk into WCF as a man who wanted to save the company or even the people who watched the product… I wanted to destroy it like I did every promotion before it… I wanted to be the deciding factor on if the life support plug was pulled or not… Much to my surprise, this man’s…”
Samuel looks over to Zander who is putting up a good fight with the children.
“This man’s will to keep on fighting through everything that was piled up against him was enough to push me to side with him… I was busy taking out every person placed before me, but in the back of my mind… I knew I needed to gain this man’s respect and I needed to help him change the face of this company…”
Samuel walks up and he over dramatically starts to knocking the kids off of Zander. As the kids lie on the stage Zander stands up straight and he holds his hand out to Samuel.
“You are a man of great pride, Plague… But I can sense that pride can be used to save this company… Will you side with me to take out Seth’s regime?”
Samuel rubs his chin where The Plague would have a beard.
“You have earned my respect Bates and I can see you have a fight inside of you that knows no quit… With the combination of your strength and my ability to strategically plan out each step without fault… Seth doesn’t stand a chance…”
Samuel grabs onto Zander’s pork butt sized hand and shakes it as firmly as he can.
“I’m going to keep my eyes on you kid, I can see some great things… Did I mention DRG is coming back?”
Samuel snickers.
“No worries, Bates… I got my Brotherhood and that’s good enough for me…”
The two nod at each other and the lights cut off to black. The first boy who started talking at the beginning, starts up again.
“From that moment… Both men went off and competed at the top of their own personal levels, taking on all competitors Seth could throw their way… Bishop fought friends and future members of his Brotherhood… Bates had the cards stacked against him every time he turned around… But both found some kind of footing to keep going… It got to the point that Seth had to throw the two against each other with his terrible booking… He figured they’d simply destroy each other… But that wasn’t the case…”
The lights come on and Samuel is standing in The Plague’s wrestling gear across from another kid dressed to look like Teddy Blaze with the red glasses and everything. Zander stands off to the side with his arms crossed but still looking down at his chest in the tank top. On Samuel’s side is a kid with some poor looking dread locks, a mixture of grey/green makeup and mascara on his face, and a crazed look in his eyes as he mumbles nothingness to himself… FGT LOL comes out a lot, but nothing of any importance.
“The Plague took on Bates and Teddy Blaze, the current People’s Champion at that time and he had the coked up mad man Zombie McMorris the Internet Champion at that time on his side… The Plague gained Zmac’s respect that day and the days leading up to the big match… And the moment The Plague dropped Teddy Blaze down and took the victory away from Bates… Something inside of The Plague started to grow… A thirst for the highest level of competition and he knew Bates was going to do everything he could to not only fix WCF, but also claim the grandest prize there was.”
Samuel runs at the kid dressed as Teddy Blaze and the lights go black for a second. When they come back on Samuel is pinning the kid for a 3 count and at the count of 3 the lights go black again.
“Champion… That title helped changed The Plague’s goal for the company and it helped push The Brotherhood in a different direction… He had his United States Championship… He had his KEY to the Ultimate Showdown and it was going to be his chance to claim the grandest prize of them all…”
The lights turned back on and this time around it is Samuel getting pinned for the 3 count by the kid dressed like Teddy Blaze, causing the lights to cut off.
“There it was… An opportunity thrown away… What happened next is what truly made The Plague look like the man that the entire Brotherhood looked up to… He told each of us… Don’t let the moment of defeat define who you are, let what you do after it that makes you who you are… He took that People’s Title and he began to stand for something even more than our Brotherhood… He sided with the WCF Galaxy in a way that he never thought possible of such a destructive force… Before WCF, The Plague stood for a change that caused everything he touched to crumble and fall away to the wayside. But he evolved… He became what he had to become to survive in this new atmosphere and through that he allowed us to rise up from the ashes…”
The lights turn on and all the children were standing in a line again. Samuel stands in the middle of them holding onto The Plague’s real People’s Title over his shoulder.
“This title is all the accolade I had left from my past… It’s the only accomplishment that I can hold with my brothers and sisters… While I look around at my peers… CJ Phoenix rose up from his very own ashes and he claimed The Alpha title… A title that gives him the chance at the world title… A world title that Bates was able to finally acquire… A title that all three of us want to hold for our own…”
Samuel looks at the People’s title and then out to the crowd.
“This symbol will continue to stand tall for all of you as long as it graces my waist and I will continue to fight all comers… A legacy built by another, but will soon be perfected by The Plague as I venture deeper down the path to the grandest prize… No MOUNTAIN WILL STAND IN MY WAY!”
Samuel looks to Zander who is at the end of the stage holding onto a toy WCF World title and he sprints toward him.
“Whoa, this isn’t on the SCRIPT!”
Samuel leaps into the air and grabs the back of Zander’s head with his knee firmly under his face. He drops down and Zander comes down with him landing face first on his knee. Samuel stands up quickly and Zander rolls over practically lifeless. Samuel takes center stage and he picks up the toy WCF World title. He holds the People’s title up with the toy WCF World title and he takes a bow. In the middle of the crowd the first set of clapping comes from The Plague himself and soon after the entire crowd erupts in cheers. The Plague walks up onto the stage and stands in front of Samuel.
“Samuel… You truly impressed me, son… I don’t know how you did it, but you truly captured my essence up here… You have a bright future and I for one cannot wait to see you at your full potential…”
Kevin turns toward the crowd with his arms spread open.
“My Brotherhood! Let US give it up for our youth, didn’t they put on a hell of a show for all of us?”
The crowd cheers again.
“I spoke highly of Samuel’s future, but all of these kids and even you Zander are destined for great things under The Brotherhood banner…”
Zander stands up tall and tries ‘flexing’ again.
“About as strong as an ox and an all around nice guy… You allowed these kids to use you in their skit and it most definitely took courage to go into the unknown like that… Kids nowadays, am I right?”
Kevin chuckles a bit.
“I for one thank everyone for coming out for the events tonight and it’s not over yet. Karma and company have a nice bonfire set up outside with all kinds of food. There has been talks that Sean Craven is going to share some of his favorite ghost stories… I for one know that his stories can chill you straight to the bone… So please, stick around and enjoy the rest of the festivities…”
Kevin bows to The Brotherhood.
“Have a good night everyone… And please make sure you make our newest brother feel very welcome, his name is Pyschopomp, but you can call him Pomp for short…”
The crowd starts to stand up and make their way out of the tent. The Plague hollers to them as they leave.
“Believe me, you can’t miss him!”
The Plague watches the tent empty out and he soon follows behind the last person leaving. On the outside the bonfire is a blazing and there’s a buffet of food lined up on picnic tables pushed together. The freaks bring the food together as Sean Craven starts assisting in getting the kids seated around the fire. Karma is standing next to Psychopomp who is eating cookies out of his black fanny pack and Zander eye balling every bite licking his lips.
“Pomp, you survived the car ride and we got back in time for the kids’ great offering to me… How are you fairing around the place? I hope your room mate isn’t stealing all your cookies…”
Kevin looks at Zander and Zander quickly looks away from Pomp who stands with a cookie hanging from his mouth.
“Oh no, Plague, things are going well around here… I’m not so sure I’m looking forward to one of Sean’s ghost stories though… Seems a bit too scary coming from a man like him…”
Sean over hears it and he yells from across the bonfire.
“What does that mean, POMP?!”
Pomp hollers back.
“Nothing SIR, YOU HAVE NICE HAIR!”
Pomp shakes his head no and mouths not really.
“Well I think a ghost story is something that everyone would enjoy, so how about you all go take a seat, I have to go confront my people real quick…”
Kevin looks over to Sean.
“Make it a good one, brother!”
Sean gives a thumbs up and Kevin looks back to Pomp.
“You got a little bit of your Fresca on your #PsychoPlague shirt…”
Pomp looks down and sure enough his Fresca has poured all the way down it.
“Oh GREAT! That was custom!”
Kevin shrugs and he leaves the group by the fire as he makes his way up to what he considers to be the ‘promo’ cabin. He walks in shutting the door behind him and he makes his way over to the far side of the room. He grabs a wooden chair and he pulls it to the middle of the room. In front of the chair a camera is set up, he turns it on and he takes a seat.
“Hello, My People of the WCF Galaxy… I sit here within this cabin on this land and I feel like a man who has plenty to be thankful for… I have my health… I have my wife… I have my Brotherhood… I have my People… I have my gold… But still I sit here and I’m still hungry… I want more and I don’t plan to stop wanting more anytime soon… You see, the kids were right… I stepped foot into WCF with one goal in mind and that goal was to destroy it… But here I sit, a humbled man who realized the error of his ways… of Darren Knight’s Plague thought process… Darren Knight’s Blue Print which has been burned and left to ash along with the past that still haunts me… No matter the accomplishments I had, the way I have achieved what I have achieved within WCF far out shadows those and I’m a prouder man for that fact… This trail I am blazing is one that can’t be matched and only one other man has come out to openly challenge me to the top…”
Kevin smirks.
“C…. J…. Phoenix… No pun intended, but the kid is on fire lately and he’s been nipping at my heels ever since we started this race… But I’m not letting my guard down for a second… Just because this is another week that our names share the marquee in the main event, it doesn’t mean that we are destined forever to fight this battle… At a point, the fans are going to see the better man walk away with his hand held high for the last time… You think I didn’t see that pop the fans made when we both did our exploder suplexes? Of course I did, we are trained to feed off that shit, for a reason… We’re both hungry too, CJ, but don’t let the respect I have for you cloud your mind and to think I’m not going to do everything I possibly can to continue my rise from my ashes… But I’ve already said that to you, we both claim the ashes don’t define our rise… We are better than our past and we prove it every day we breathe a breath of fresh air… You want to live a life that makes you the ultimate role model to the WCF Galaxy and I want to lead by an example for them as well… You see I can keep comparing us all day long, but the fact of the matter is this… You and I may be cut from the same cloth some way or another, but in the end… We are not the same MAN… What drives me to be the best is far different from what drives you and that’s the truth… Everyday I look around my camp and I see my brothers and sisters smiling… They’re smiling because I fight and I represent them in this world… If the children’s little skit didn’t speak volumes to you, then you must be closed minded to the obvious… I sacrificed it all for them and I continue to do so… Yes I aim high and I put it all on the line to get there, but in the end… My victory is their victory… I show them that if they aim high and they don’t give up, then they too can get there…”
Kevin stares daggers into the camera.
“Keep knocking me down and coming at me strong… And I’ll still rise… I’ll still aim high… Because that is what I’m made up of… Never give up and never stop fighting… That’s just the morals I ingrain in my Brotherhood… Look at Pomp, my newest recruit… He is the embodiment of that very credo… No matter what life has thrown at him, he still wakes up with that goofy ass smile on his face and he is still ready to fight for what he believes in… He has fight men who have simply out wrestled him or even out crazied him… But yet he still fights… he survived the King Of The Death Match Tournament and he walked away… Guess what?”
Kevin pauses.
“Still fighting… The kid is full of heart and the best part… He’s on my side… I’m looking to help him get past the obstacles that he is facing that no one else chooses to pay attention to… But I do… And I am going to make sure he faces his problems head on… I do that for all of my brothers and sisters… You see… That’s what a good leader does and no I didn’t take them drinking the koolaid to get them to follow me… If you look at my body of work in the ring, it’s not hard to see why I get their buy in… I’m no blind man leading a bunch of blind followers… Oh no, The Plague is everything you’re striving to be like CJ, you’ve already stated that fact when you started comparing us together… But don’t worry, kid, you could compare yourself to a worse kind of man… You could start up a bad cocaine addiction and call yourself the second coming of the Coked Up Madman if you like… Or how about you go on some murdering spree and kill other wrestlers in the ring for the fun of it, like Oblivion… While you do that, I’ll still be standing here, being the one Plague that I set out to be… The one leader of men that strives for the next level… Obliterating glass ceilings in the process…”
Kevin smiles a bit.
“We main event Slam on Sunday, CJ and I know how I’m walking out of that match… The question is, do you? A Mountain at half health is still a dangerous man in that ring, I’ll give him that… But you are stuck to play the same role that every tag partner of his has played in a match with The Plague… You are his fall guy… You’re the one who takes the pin while he still looks like the massive shit house that he is and he alludes my three count yet another night… So as you lie on your back, staring up at that warm glow of the lights and the thought goes through your head… Did I lose because I didn’t want it enough or was it the fact that the World champ wasn’t 100 percent? I want you to say to yourself… The Plague just had my number tonight… This night, The Plague was just the better man…”
Kevin firmly sits back in his seat.
“Defeat is okay to take CJ… As long as you give it your all, but the thing is… You have to make sure you don’t put all the blame into your partner… Just because Bates is coming in as half a man, doesn’t make him a liability, unless you have underhanded opponents who will use that against you… Which we are not those type of men… I am a man of honor and I respected everyone in the ring with me on Sunday…”
Kevin tilts his head toward the camera.
“I just want you to know this one last thing CJ… I’m coming to kick start WAR with this one battle and I’m not coming in like a lamb… There’s a lion coming in with a full head of steam and he is blood thirsty… The Plague has a statement to continue to make for himself, for The People, and for The Brotherhood… Come this Sunday and come WAR… Only the strong will survive…”
Kevin smiles one last time.
“So with that being said, CJ... Do you believe in your strength or Bates’s strength to say you'll survive?”
Kevin winks at the camera.
“I'll guess we will see at Slam on Sunday... Beware the inevitable end… Because it's coming and there's not a damn thing you can do about it...”
The camera fades out to black.
“War… It’s the beginning of the end and it’s a place that many go to end their careers… Or as I look around at our landscape, they go to try to revive their career… Winners of the past like Jeff Purse are popping back into the mix looking to prove why it is he won to begin with…”
The Plague continues to pace.
“I think of this mighty battle and it brings the Battle of Carthage to mind… Or as the soldiers there called it… The Battle of Hell Hole… So much blood shed that even DEATH himself would have a serious job on his hands and Jasper county wasn‘t the same again… As I plan out my strategy for WAR, I think of how much Death is going to be cursing my name as I drop every person who steps to me in that match… No mercy… No surrender… No SURVIVORS… This match was designed for THE PLAGUE and I’m going to show each and everyone why I am and have been on the rise from day one since I stepped foot into the WCF… The one thing that no one has chose to pay attention to… My HOMETOWN… That’s right, The Plague returns to New York for WAR and as I stand there in that ring, looking out to all of The People…”
The Plague smiles wide.
“I am going to gain that little extra boost… The fire’s going to run through me… It’s going to push me that much further and it’s going to give me that deciding edge to put down the toughest of foes… Men like Zombie McMorris who already looks past me… Or Gemini Battle who knew the taste of that World title and now has chosen to set his eyes on gaining Grandslam status… He too will line up and fall to me, because my hunger wants it more… Every legend of the past is coming in with something to prove, but there’s a reason they walked away and I’ll be the one there to remind them of that fact… So guys like FPV can continue to take notes, but it’s what I do in the ring with them involved that they won’t be able to truly prepare for… Simply put this is going to be WAR and there is only going to be one-”
A loud knock is heard at the door and it steals The Plague’s attention.
“Left standing… Who the hell is interrupting my speech prep…”
The Plague stomps over toward the door and he swings it open. Standing before him is Psychopomp with a big smile on his face, wearing a custom made black with white lettering #PyschoPlague t-shirt, a pair of black and white ZUBAZ pants, a black fanny pack, and a pair of black American Made Converse.
“Pomp, how’s it going, brother?”
Pomp stands with all smiles.
“Plague, I’m doing good, a little shaken up by your squad of attack clowns… But I’ll live…”
Plague smacks him in the right shoulder.
“Ah, you’ll live… So, what’s your thoughts on a road trip? To Alabama…?”
Pomp shrugs.
“I love the open road, too bad your clowns ruined my moped, I could’ve driven us.”
The Plague shakes his with a light hearted smile.
“Yeah… Good thing my clown ruined that opportunity… How about we just take my Impala, we could be just like Sam and Dean Winchester… Kind of…”
Pomp just about jumps out of his shoes.
“I LOVE CASTIEL! Can I be Castiel?!”
Kevin smirks.
“Of course, Pomp… Let’s hit the road, shall we?”
Kevin leads Pomp out of the cabin and down to his black 1967 Chevy Impala where Karma is standing with a silver tin in her hand. Pomp walks right up to her and she hands it to him.
“Here you go Pomp, I figured you could use a travel snack…”
Pomp hugs her and he quickly retreats to the car with the tin in hand. Kevin walks up to Karma and he holds her close.
“I won’t be gone for too long, baby… I’ll let you know when we make it there and when we are headed back…”
Karma kisses Kevin.
“Just be safe babe, I love you…”
Kevin hugs her one last time before heading to the car.
“Love you too baby.”
He hops in the drivers side as Pomp gets in the passenger side.
“Buckle up, Pomp… This is going to be a long ride…”
Kevin pushes play on the radio and ‘Cold Blood’ by Apocalyptica kicks up, just as Kevin’s wheels start to burn out. We fade out to black.
We open back up on the road with The Plague and Psychopomp cruising down the highway. The music is now turned down a bit, so Kevin can talk a bit of strategy with Pomp.
“I appreciate you accepting my offer, Pomp… I truly do see potential in you and that potential has grown since the first time you and I fought each other for the first time… But now…”
Plague looks to Pomp for a second who is staring back with a cookie hanging from his mouth.
“Now you have an opportunity even greater than all of your title shots… You have a chance to stand out in a main event match with 3 of the top champions in WCF… One who stands at the top and two who are looking to skyrocket up there sooner rather than later… If you can stand tall with me, buddy… You can write your very own meal ticket in WCF… You still eye balling that Television title?”
Pomp nods yes with a cookie still hanging from his mouth.
“Here’s the thing Pomp… I’ve worked very hard to get to my position with the company and I look at what you bring to the table… I’m not worried… Do you know how many people probably fainted by me simply saying that? They look at you and they look at your shenanigans having lifestyle and they think you’re incapable of getting the job done when it calls for it… You have survived everything thrown at you, kid… You were tossed into the hellish KOTDM Tournament without any clear idea of what you were walking in to… And look at you, you’re still here fighting… That’s what a champion is made of, hands down…”
Pomp gulps the cookie down that has been taking over his lip and he gives The Plague the most serious look he’s ever mustered it seems.
“Thank you Kevin and I truly mean that. You and Mrs. Karma have been so good to me and I, for the life of me can’t figure out why… But if you see this potential in me, then I will give it my all to prove you right.”
Plague pats Pomp on the shoulder.
“I know you will, but going into this match with Bates and Phoenix… I need more than that… I need you to bring something farther than what I’m capable of seeing in you, because I’m telling you right now, CJ is hungry… If you believe I’ve been doing great things on the forefront, this kid has been doing the exact same thing behind the scenes… We both are on this amazing foot race to the top and we both are going to stop at nothing to achieve it… Then there’s The Mountain standing in all of our ways… Yeah, Corey Black did a number on him and we are on our way to pay him a visit, but he is a monster of a man who doesn’t know the meaning of QUIT… If all of the times he has been outnumbered hasn’t proven that fact, then I don’t know what will… His desire to stand taller than everyone both physically and mentally, it’ll out shadow us all… That’s the men we are going to battle with, Pomp, so I ask you… Are you ready for this fight? Are you able to throw everything out the window to make this happen? CAN YOU DO IT?!”
Pomp launches his tin of cookies out the window and he stares dead seriously at The Plague.
“I was BORN READY, KEV!”
The Plague starts busting out laughing and it throws Pomp off.
“What?”
Kevin simply shakes his head.
“The out the window thing was totally metaphorically… I wasn’t meaning literal… And I think that was Karma’s favorite cookie tin, too…”
Pomp lowers his head in disapproval.
“Don’t worry pal… Just keep your mind on the prize on Sunday… Come out swinging, brother… Come out swinging…”
Just as Kevin finishes what he’s saying they pull up to the hospital and we fade to black.
We open inside of the hospital, Kevin and Pomp are waiting outside of The Mountain’s hospital room.
“Now Pomp… He’s probably still in some pain, don’t touch him… We don’t want to face his wrath before Sunday, you hear me?”
Pomp salutes Kevin just before they walk into the room and as they step inside, they are welcomed by a nurse.
“Excuse me, but Mr. Bates isn’t taking any visitors right now…”
Pomp starts busting out laughing.
“Did you say Master Bates?”
The nurse slightly blushes and scoffs.
“NO, I said MISTER!”
Pomp still laughs.
“Okay, right, I’m the pervert here…”
Pomp looks at Kevin and points his thumb at her.
“Pssh… This lady… Such a dirty nurse, man.”
The nurse grabs Pomp by the arm.
“Well this dirty nurse is going to escort you out of here!”
As the nurse takes Pomp away, Kevin sneaks into the room and he steps up to the first gurney. He notices they went with an extra large bed and there he is… Thomas Uriel Bates laid up with wires and tubing running into him from the machines to the left of him. Kevin just stands there in disbelief, shaking his head.
“Look at you big guy… That Corey Black did quiet the number on you… If you make it Slam on Sunday, I’d be surprised…”
Kevin looks at the machine and fingers around with it for a second.
“The real deal here… They have you all strung up… Nothing like an event like this to prove just how mortal you really are, am I right? Just a flick of one of these switches…”
Kevin snaps his fingers.
“BAM, The Mountain of WCF is taken from this cruel world… It’s kind of crazy to leave your life in the hands of doctors and nurses… You leave your life to chance if you’re able to get up out of this bed or not and out of this room to continue your path of dominance in the WCF ring…”
Kevin turns back to Bates.
“But that isn’t how I want to defeat you, Bates! I don’t want this Sunday to be the night I beat you either… I have been chasing a pin on you ever since we first stepped into the ring together… Every single damn time, it’s your partners that I’m getting the three count on or submission… I want to beat The Mountain when he’s at his BEST, so if I have to defeat Phoenix, then so be it… I’m not going to willingly take a victory over you when you’re not at your top level of competing… I have too much respect for you and what you’ve accomplished in WCF to take the easy way out on you! You see… My mission statement right now in WCF is bring true competition back to this company and I won’t stop until we all are fighting for the best match of the night… Or we are all just as hungry as the next guy to be a champion… I look around and I see too many guys who love to be the curtain jerkers or the fall guys in the ring… But how do we learn to get better, Bates? If we all choose to just be sub par? We WCF to be great again, then we need to learn to push our peers beyond their own breaking points, week in and week out… There’s promise in some, but I think the other out weighs those who can truly go… So you lay here Champ and you muster up enough God damn strength to make it to Slam this Sunday, because those curtain jerkers and those fall guys need you to be their damn beacon of hope… They need you to walk into Slam 100 percent so The Plague can go toe to toe with you at your best!”
Kevin grabs the hulking beast by the throat and face.
“You hear me you son of a bitch?! I NEED YOUR BEST AT SLAM!!!”
The nurse returns to the room and she notices Kevin with his hands on Bates. She quickly gets between The Plague and the gurney.
“I’m okay, I’m leaving!”
The nurse checks on Bates and he doesn’t seem phased.
“It’s best if you left, sir…”
Kevin rolls his eyes and he turns around to see Pomp standing by the check in counter sucking on a sucker.
“Did I buy you enough time?”
Kevin smirks.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he heard everything I had to say…”
Pomp nods and pulls the sucker out of his mouth, pointing it at the room.
“You know, he’s practically like the Incredible Hulk… And like my hero Wolverine, he too has a form of the healing factor… So its-o-fact-o… Bates can super heal…”
Kevin shakes his head with a slight smile.
“Well good… I’m counting on it… For now, we gotta get back to Camp… We got whip you into shape…”
The two begin to walk away and we fade out to black.
We open back up to the voice of a young boy speaking in pitch blackness.
“In the beginning…”
Silence falls on deaf ears.
“He was told he’d never survive…”
The boys voice changes to a little girls voice.
“He was told he’d never make it out alive…”
A crack of lightning sounds and the pitch blackness lights up enough to show a group of cloaked children standing on a stage and the blackness returns.
“The Plague was meant to die that day…”
The girl’s voice changes to another boy’s.
“That day his parents were taken from this world…”
Lightning sounds again.
“HIS world…”
The words echo.
“The Plague wasn’t supposed to be given a second chance… He wasn’t supposed to make it this far…”
Lightning sounds in multiple shots this time.
“Kevin Bishop was dealt a hand that most children his age would’ve folded and gave up… But The Plague, our leader isn’t someone who simply gives up… Our leader is the kind of man who leads by example and he’s the kind of man who does it by uplifting all of US in the process…”
A younger girls voice takes over.
“Mr. Bishop believes in our future… He says we are all worth fighting for and that through hard work, we can achieve anything we set our minds to…”
An older girls voice picks up where the little girl’s left off.
“The Plague isn’t a wolf playing a sheep… He’s not the blind leading the blind… Kevin Bishop is a man who has fought for everything he has achieved in this world and he only wants to save people from having to scratch and crawl like he did… He wants to save us all from having to hind our true selves from the world due to the prejudices that make us look like we don’t belong… Or that we are unwanted…”
The last word hangs on in the darkness.
“Many who don’t believe in him, see him as some monster who brain washes the masses… But what has he said that has truly claimed influence? It’s his actions in the ring and his die-hard fighting for our well being that carries weight with his influence…”
The girls voice fades out and a familiar female’s voice takes over.
“My husband has sacrificed so much over the years and he is the most caring man I have ever met… Is he passionate for what he believes in? Yes of course he is, he wouldn’t be a leader if he wasn’t… He looks at so many guys on his roster and he longs to help them… He feels if he doesn’t do his part to help them when they’re busting their asses the best that they possibly can, but yet they’re still stuck on the losing effort… He feels like he has failed them… It keeps him up at night and that drives him to want to try harder… Harder to save the masses from their very own self destruction…”
The lightning strikes, but this time it chain reacts to cause the lighting on the stage to kick on and before us is a group of ten children dressed in black cloaks with white plague doctor masks on, along with Karma dressed in a black loose fitting dress. Karma spreads her arms and showcases the children behind her.
“These children have put together a little show for our beloved leader and it has been my honor to introduce them…”
Karma looks back to the kids.
“Take it away kiddos!”
Karma bows and walks away allowing one of the older kids step up. He slides the plague doctor’s mask off and he holds a piece of paper out in front of him, shaking a bit from being nervous.
“Plague sir, my name‘s Samuel and I wrote you a poem in your honor… I hope you like it…”
The boy clears his throat before he starts to read out loud.
“Inevitable… It’s a word that means no matter what comes and goes… The result will wind up becoming real…
Future may sway with the winds of change… But The Plague is a constant with a die-hard iron will…
Time is something borrowed from what could be a greater force, but under his guidance we make the most of it…
The Plague wants us to thrive in a world full of hatred and pure innocence… Because he wants us to rise up from the pit…
A dark hole that the rest of the world shoved us down deep into, for they didn’t understand who we were…
A strong collective of people who were here for a second and then gone in a blur.
But that’s what set our great leader apart… That’s what made him the beacon of hope for all of us to strive to be like…
To step out of the shadows without fear and to take on a blinded world waiting for the iron to strike.
Hot and cold the temperature fluxgates under the pressure of the harsh exposure of the light.
But it is The Plague who has sacrificed for us, to show us what it’s truly like to fight.
It is through him, that we all find our inner strength to push on to the very end.
So come one, come all to his Brotherhood and you’ll be amongst a loyal friend.
A man who’d throw himself into the fire, just so you didn’t have to feel burned.
For he is our leader and he says in life there is always a lesson to be learned.
So now we open our eyes to accept all of the hate that surrounds this earth,
Following his guidance with The Brotherhood we will take on this rebirth.”
The boy bows to the crowd before him and he backs away to the line up of other kids. A young girl steps out with an innocent smile on her face.
“I am Tara… My brother Samuel and I came to The Brotherhood as lost children from the streets… Just like Mr. Bishop’s story we too lost our parents in a horrifying fashion and it was thanks to Mr. Craven being sent out into this world, that we were given a second chance at life… My big brother tried his hardest to keep us from starving, but the colder months were getting harder… We only were allowed to stay in the shelter houses for so long before we were pressured out by the other homeless folk… My brother wrote such a beautiful piece for The Plague, that I just really wanted to say thank you… Thank you so very much Mr. Bishop for taking two lost children into your warehouse and now Mr. Parish’s camp… Without you, my brother and I have no idea where we would be…”
The little girl bows and backs away into the line up. A not so much of a child, but Zander steps out onto the stage with a black cloak that brings forth memory of the very tents that are set up around camp.
“Kevin and fellow Brotherhood members… The kids and I put together a skit with the inspiration of The Plague himself… I’ll play the part of The Mighty Mountain of WCF…”
Zander rips off the cloak showing off a probably too tight black tank top and black sweat pants. Zander puts his arms out and flexes while looking down at his chest.
“How do I look? Does my pecs look super strong?”
A laughter falls onto the crowd and Zander blushes.
“The Mountain always looks so awesome when he does it…”
Zander lowers his head and Samuel steps back out onto the stage. He takes off his cloak and under it he’s wearing a Johnny Cash-esque outfit like The Plague’s with a toy US title around his waste. He takes center stage and Zander falls back to stage left.
“The moment I stepped foot into the WCF, I saw a company that was in desperate need for salvation… Three matches in and I became the United States Champion… I started on my path, but also I witnessed a man who was trying to step up alone, strong as an ox, but the fight was looking to be too much to tackle…”
Zander steps forward and a number of children start to attack him with makeshift bow staffs.
“Seth’s Family, may have been small in stature but their fight was looking to become too much for The Mountain to bear…”
Zander drops to his knees and Tara walks up with a menacing laugh and an empty bottle of Wild Turkey.
“Hahaha, Thomas Uriel Bates, you will never be able to stop me and my FAMILY!”
Tara acts like she takes a swig of the Wild Turkey as the children jump onto Zander’s back and he quickly stands up spinning them around in a very playful fashion as if he’s a human jungle gym.
“I didn’t walk into WCF as a man who wanted to save the company or even the people who watched the product… I wanted to destroy it like I did every promotion before it… I wanted to be the deciding factor on if the life support plug was pulled or not… Much to my surprise, this man’s…”
Samuel looks over to Zander who is putting up a good fight with the children.
“This man’s will to keep on fighting through everything that was piled up against him was enough to push me to side with him… I was busy taking out every person placed before me, but in the back of my mind… I knew I needed to gain this man’s respect and I needed to help him change the face of this company…”
Samuel walks up and he over dramatically starts to knocking the kids off of Zander. As the kids lie on the stage Zander stands up straight and he holds his hand out to Samuel.
“You are a man of great pride, Plague… But I can sense that pride can be used to save this company… Will you side with me to take out Seth’s regime?”
Samuel rubs his chin where The Plague would have a beard.
“You have earned my respect Bates and I can see you have a fight inside of you that knows no quit… With the combination of your strength and my ability to strategically plan out each step without fault… Seth doesn’t stand a chance…”
Samuel grabs onto Zander’s pork butt sized hand and shakes it as firmly as he can.
“I’m going to keep my eyes on you kid, I can see some great things… Did I mention DRG is coming back?”
Samuel snickers.
“No worries, Bates… I got my Brotherhood and that’s good enough for me…”
The two nod at each other and the lights cut off to black. The first boy who started talking at the beginning, starts up again.
“From that moment… Both men went off and competed at the top of their own personal levels, taking on all competitors Seth could throw their way… Bishop fought friends and future members of his Brotherhood… Bates had the cards stacked against him every time he turned around… But both found some kind of footing to keep going… It got to the point that Seth had to throw the two against each other with his terrible booking… He figured they’d simply destroy each other… But that wasn’t the case…”
The lights come on and Samuel is standing in The Plague’s wrestling gear across from another kid dressed to look like Teddy Blaze with the red glasses and everything. Zander stands off to the side with his arms crossed but still looking down at his chest in the tank top. On Samuel’s side is a kid with some poor looking dread locks, a mixture of grey/green makeup and mascara on his face, and a crazed look in his eyes as he mumbles nothingness to himself… FGT LOL comes out a lot, but nothing of any importance.
“The Plague took on Bates and Teddy Blaze, the current People’s Champion at that time and he had the coked up mad man Zombie McMorris the Internet Champion at that time on his side… The Plague gained Zmac’s respect that day and the days leading up to the big match… And the moment The Plague dropped Teddy Blaze down and took the victory away from Bates… Something inside of The Plague started to grow… A thirst for the highest level of competition and he knew Bates was going to do everything he could to not only fix WCF, but also claim the grandest prize there was.”
Samuel runs at the kid dressed as Teddy Blaze and the lights go black for a second. When they come back on Samuel is pinning the kid for a 3 count and at the count of 3 the lights go black again.
“Champion… That title helped changed The Plague’s goal for the company and it helped push The Brotherhood in a different direction… He had his United States Championship… He had his KEY to the Ultimate Showdown and it was going to be his chance to claim the grandest prize of them all…”
The lights turned back on and this time around it is Samuel getting pinned for the 3 count by the kid dressed like Teddy Blaze, causing the lights to cut off.
“There it was… An opportunity thrown away… What happened next is what truly made The Plague look like the man that the entire Brotherhood looked up to… He told each of us… Don’t let the moment of defeat define who you are, let what you do after it that makes you who you are… He took that People’s Title and he began to stand for something even more than our Brotherhood… He sided with the WCF Galaxy in a way that he never thought possible of such a destructive force… Before WCF, The Plague stood for a change that caused everything he touched to crumble and fall away to the wayside. But he evolved… He became what he had to become to survive in this new atmosphere and through that he allowed us to rise up from the ashes…”
The lights turn on and all the children were standing in a line again. Samuel stands in the middle of them holding onto The Plague’s real People’s Title over his shoulder.
“This title is all the accolade I had left from my past… It’s the only accomplishment that I can hold with my brothers and sisters… While I look around at my peers… CJ Phoenix rose up from his very own ashes and he claimed The Alpha title… A title that gives him the chance at the world title… A world title that Bates was able to finally acquire… A title that all three of us want to hold for our own…”
Samuel looks at the People’s title and then out to the crowd.
“This symbol will continue to stand tall for all of you as long as it graces my waist and I will continue to fight all comers… A legacy built by another, but will soon be perfected by The Plague as I venture deeper down the path to the grandest prize… No MOUNTAIN WILL STAND IN MY WAY!”
Samuel looks to Zander who is at the end of the stage holding onto a toy WCF World title and he sprints toward him.
“Whoa, this isn’t on the SCRIPT!”
Samuel leaps into the air and grabs the back of Zander’s head with his knee firmly under his face. He drops down and Zander comes down with him landing face first on his knee. Samuel stands up quickly and Zander rolls over practically lifeless. Samuel takes center stage and he picks up the toy WCF World title. He holds the People’s title up with the toy WCF World title and he takes a bow. In the middle of the crowd the first set of clapping comes from The Plague himself and soon after the entire crowd erupts in cheers. The Plague walks up onto the stage and stands in front of Samuel.
“Samuel… You truly impressed me, son… I don’t know how you did it, but you truly captured my essence up here… You have a bright future and I for one cannot wait to see you at your full potential…”
Kevin turns toward the crowd with his arms spread open.
“My Brotherhood! Let US give it up for our youth, didn’t they put on a hell of a show for all of us?”
The crowd cheers again.
“I spoke highly of Samuel’s future, but all of these kids and even you Zander are destined for great things under The Brotherhood banner…”
Zander stands up tall and tries ‘flexing’ again.
“About as strong as an ox and an all around nice guy… You allowed these kids to use you in their skit and it most definitely took courage to go into the unknown like that… Kids nowadays, am I right?”
Kevin chuckles a bit.
“I for one thank everyone for coming out for the events tonight and it’s not over yet. Karma and company have a nice bonfire set up outside with all kinds of food. There has been talks that Sean Craven is going to share some of his favorite ghost stories… I for one know that his stories can chill you straight to the bone… So please, stick around and enjoy the rest of the festivities…”
Kevin bows to The Brotherhood.
“Have a good night everyone… And please make sure you make our newest brother feel very welcome, his name is Pyschopomp, but you can call him Pomp for short…”
The crowd starts to stand up and make their way out of the tent. The Plague hollers to them as they leave.
“Believe me, you can’t miss him!”
The Plague watches the tent empty out and he soon follows behind the last person leaving. On the outside the bonfire is a blazing and there’s a buffet of food lined up on picnic tables pushed together. The freaks bring the food together as Sean Craven starts assisting in getting the kids seated around the fire. Karma is standing next to Psychopomp who is eating cookies out of his black fanny pack and Zander eye balling every bite licking his lips.
“Pomp, you survived the car ride and we got back in time for the kids’ great offering to me… How are you fairing around the place? I hope your room mate isn’t stealing all your cookies…”
Kevin looks at Zander and Zander quickly looks away from Pomp who stands with a cookie hanging from his mouth.
“Oh no, Plague, things are going well around here… I’m not so sure I’m looking forward to one of Sean’s ghost stories though… Seems a bit too scary coming from a man like him…”
Sean over hears it and he yells from across the bonfire.
“What does that mean, POMP?!”
Pomp hollers back.
“Nothing SIR, YOU HAVE NICE HAIR!”
Pomp shakes his head no and mouths not really.
“Well I think a ghost story is something that everyone would enjoy, so how about you all go take a seat, I have to go confront my people real quick…”
Kevin looks over to Sean.
“Make it a good one, brother!”
Sean gives a thumbs up and Kevin looks back to Pomp.
“You got a little bit of your Fresca on your #PsychoPlague shirt…”
Pomp looks down and sure enough his Fresca has poured all the way down it.
“Oh GREAT! That was custom!”
Kevin shrugs and he leaves the group by the fire as he makes his way up to what he considers to be the ‘promo’ cabin. He walks in shutting the door behind him and he makes his way over to the far side of the room. He grabs a wooden chair and he pulls it to the middle of the room. In front of the chair a camera is set up, he turns it on and he takes a seat.
“Hello, My People of the WCF Galaxy… I sit here within this cabin on this land and I feel like a man who has plenty to be thankful for… I have my health… I have my wife… I have my Brotherhood… I have my People… I have my gold… But still I sit here and I’m still hungry… I want more and I don’t plan to stop wanting more anytime soon… You see, the kids were right… I stepped foot into WCF with one goal in mind and that goal was to destroy it… But here I sit, a humbled man who realized the error of his ways… of Darren Knight’s Plague thought process… Darren Knight’s Blue Print which has been burned and left to ash along with the past that still haunts me… No matter the accomplishments I had, the way I have achieved what I have achieved within WCF far out shadows those and I’m a prouder man for that fact… This trail I am blazing is one that can’t be matched and only one other man has come out to openly challenge me to the top…”
Kevin smirks.
“C…. J…. Phoenix… No pun intended, but the kid is on fire lately and he’s been nipping at my heels ever since we started this race… But I’m not letting my guard down for a second… Just because this is another week that our names share the marquee in the main event, it doesn’t mean that we are destined forever to fight this battle… At a point, the fans are going to see the better man walk away with his hand held high for the last time… You think I didn’t see that pop the fans made when we both did our exploder suplexes? Of course I did, we are trained to feed off that shit, for a reason… We’re both hungry too, CJ, but don’t let the respect I have for you cloud your mind and to think I’m not going to do everything I possibly can to continue my rise from my ashes… But I’ve already said that to you, we both claim the ashes don’t define our rise… We are better than our past and we prove it every day we breathe a breath of fresh air… You want to live a life that makes you the ultimate role model to the WCF Galaxy and I want to lead by an example for them as well… You see I can keep comparing us all day long, but the fact of the matter is this… You and I may be cut from the same cloth some way or another, but in the end… We are not the same MAN… What drives me to be the best is far different from what drives you and that’s the truth… Everyday I look around my camp and I see my brothers and sisters smiling… They’re smiling because I fight and I represent them in this world… If the children’s little skit didn’t speak volumes to you, then you must be closed minded to the obvious… I sacrificed it all for them and I continue to do so… Yes I aim high and I put it all on the line to get there, but in the end… My victory is their victory… I show them that if they aim high and they don’t give up, then they too can get there…”
Kevin stares daggers into the camera.
“Keep knocking me down and coming at me strong… And I’ll still rise… I’ll still aim high… Because that is what I’m made up of… Never give up and never stop fighting… That’s just the morals I ingrain in my Brotherhood… Look at Pomp, my newest recruit… He is the embodiment of that very credo… No matter what life has thrown at him, he still wakes up with that goofy ass smile on his face and he is still ready to fight for what he believes in… He has fight men who have simply out wrestled him or even out crazied him… But yet he still fights… he survived the King Of The Death Match Tournament and he walked away… Guess what?”
Kevin pauses.
“Still fighting… The kid is full of heart and the best part… He’s on my side… I’m looking to help him get past the obstacles that he is facing that no one else chooses to pay attention to… But I do… And I am going to make sure he faces his problems head on… I do that for all of my brothers and sisters… You see… That’s what a good leader does and no I didn’t take them drinking the koolaid to get them to follow me… If you look at my body of work in the ring, it’s not hard to see why I get their buy in… I’m no blind man leading a bunch of blind followers… Oh no, The Plague is everything you’re striving to be like CJ, you’ve already stated that fact when you started comparing us together… But don’t worry, kid, you could compare yourself to a worse kind of man… You could start up a bad cocaine addiction and call yourself the second coming of the Coked Up Madman if you like… Or how about you go on some murdering spree and kill other wrestlers in the ring for the fun of it, like Oblivion… While you do that, I’ll still be standing here, being the one Plague that I set out to be… The one leader of men that strives for the next level… Obliterating glass ceilings in the process…”
Kevin smiles a bit.
“We main event Slam on Sunday, CJ and I know how I’m walking out of that match… The question is, do you? A Mountain at half health is still a dangerous man in that ring, I’ll give him that… But you are stuck to play the same role that every tag partner of his has played in a match with The Plague… You are his fall guy… You’re the one who takes the pin while he still looks like the massive shit house that he is and he alludes my three count yet another night… So as you lie on your back, staring up at that warm glow of the lights and the thought goes through your head… Did I lose because I didn’t want it enough or was it the fact that the World champ wasn’t 100 percent? I want you to say to yourself… The Plague just had my number tonight… This night, The Plague was just the better man…”
Kevin firmly sits back in his seat.
“Defeat is okay to take CJ… As long as you give it your all, but the thing is… You have to make sure you don’t put all the blame into your partner… Just because Bates is coming in as half a man, doesn’t make him a liability, unless you have underhanded opponents who will use that against you… Which we are not those type of men… I am a man of honor and I respected everyone in the ring with me on Sunday…”
Kevin tilts his head toward the camera.
“I just want you to know this one last thing CJ… I’m coming to kick start WAR with this one battle and I’m not coming in like a lamb… There’s a lion coming in with a full head of steam and he is blood thirsty… The Plague has a statement to continue to make for himself, for The People, and for The Brotherhood… Come this Sunday and come WAR… Only the strong will survive…”
Kevin smiles one last time.
“So with that being said, CJ... Do you believe in your strength or Bates’s strength to say you'll survive?”
Kevin winks at the camera.
“I'll guess we will see at Slam on Sunday... Beware the inevitable end… Because it's coming and there's not a damn thing you can do about it...”
The camera fades out to black.
