Post by Night Rider on Oct 21, 2018 1:37:17 GMT -5
The clock ticking on the wall woke him from his deep slumber. He stared into the darkness not seeing it but knowing it was there by it's constant racket. His head felt like it was about to explode. Still the noise continued. He wanted to pick something up and throw it at the damn clock but he couldn't move. His body felt like it weighed a million pounds. Suddenly a light appeared. More like a white sphere that danced around the room like it was at a night club. It stopped directly in front of the clock and for a brief moment he saw the face of it. Both the hour and minute hands were missing, all that was there was the second hand that continued it's constant ticking. It was beginning to drive him mad.
"James Wolf, you seem familiar to me. Pardon the interruption. Tough break you had there against Teo. Yeah, I saw that crap. I bet going into that match you actually thought you had a chance didn't you? It's okay Jim, mistakes happen. Just like the mistake you are making now thinking the same thing when you will be stepping into the ring against your worst nightmare, a pissed off mother fucker with nothing at all to lose. I'm like a Pit-bull that's been beaten and starved a couple days before fighting. It makes them really fucking mean. Are you ready for one wickedly good time? How about we celebrate Halloween early and give them a real blood bath."
That damn ticking, it just would not stop. The sphere seemed to glow brighter and change colors as it flew up towards the ceiling and disappeared. He tried to sit up but it was as if some invisible force were holding him down. Then the ticking stopped. His eyes darted back and forth trying to see what was going on. There was nothing but silence. A silence so deep he almost wished for the ticking to start back again.
"What about it Wolf? Do you think you're a tough guy? You think that you have what it takes to defeat me? I just bet you do. The only trouble with that is, I don't think you do. As a matter of fact, I know that you don't! You just don't have it in you son. It's time you face up to the truth and realize that before it's too late. I would hate to destroy your self esteem also."
An image began to form in the ceiling above him. He watched as it began to take form. It evolved into a face he didn't recognize. When it began to speak to him the voice wasn't familiar.
Darkness
Night Rider, you have been summoned. Your assistance is needed. It is time!
Night Rider
What the hell? What are you talking about and how the hell am I speaking when I can't move a damn muscle?
Darkness
Your words are being sent telepathically. You are receiving them the same way. You have been chosen. There is great danger lurking that could destroy our world as we know it. You are the only one who can do what must be done.
Night Rider
What are you talking about? What must be done? How am I the only one?
Darkness
You are the only one who can safely travel to this realm and back. You were there before in the shadows, now you must return.
Then the floor gave out and the whole bed was falling down at an alarming rate. The further if fell the more speed it picked up. He couldn't breath. Still he kept falling. It seemed like it would never end.
"Yoo Hoo, it's me again. How the hell are you Jimmy boy? I bet you are a whole lot better than you are going to be. You see, I know what to expect from you. I already know what you are going to do before you even try it. I've seen guys like you come and go throughout the years. You have all the talent in the world but you have no ideal what to do with it. It's a shame really. Guys like you are nothing but a waste. Always worried about what everyone else thinks. I couldn't give a fuck what anyone else thinks about me. All I have to do is fulfill my obligations and do what I do best, kick some @$$! Nothing else matters! You'll figure that out eventually. With some guys it just takes longer."
Was this the end? Was he going to die? It sure felt like it. His chest felt like it would explode inward. Then he hit the bottom. He was in a forest. There were trees all around him, evil, spooky trees that looked like they could reach out and grab you. The bed was gone. He was laying on a pile of leaves on the ground. He stood up and began to walk. he figured if he walked in one direction it would eventually lead to somewhere.
"There's no need to run Jimmy boy. Don't be scared."
He could see something in the distance. A small image that grew larger the closer he got. It was a giant scary tree with a grandfather clock inside of it. A huge pendulum swung back and forth. He stepped towards it and grabbed for the pendulum to stop it. Instead he slipped and hit the hands on the clock, they began to spin backwards while he fell to the ground.
He was ten years old, bent over his fathers knees. His father was spanking him with a razor strap. He remembered this. It was just before he and Diablo were sent to the orphanage. His father beat him bloody and they were taken away. He could feel the strap hitting him and ripping into his flesh. He had enough! He stood up and grabbed the razor strap. He wrapped it around his fathers throat and choked him with all his might.
"Do you know what is really sad Jimmy boy? What's really sad is that some people just don't have a clue. People like you. You call yourself The Mercenary of the WCF? Really? Like no one has tried that one before. A Mercenary is an individual who is hired to take part in an armed conflict but is not part of a regular army or other governmental military force. Mercenaries fight for money or other recompense rather than for political interests. In the last century, mercenaries have increasingly come to be seen as less entitled to protections by rules of war than non-mercenaries. Indeed the Geneva Conventions declares that mercenaries are not recognized as legitimate combatants and do not have to be granted the same legal protections as captured soldiers of a regular army. If that's what you are then by definition wouldn't that make all of us Mercenaries? So what makes you so special? You just don't get it do you?"
His father lay dead on the floor in front of him. He turned to see his mother laughing as she was beating the shit out of Diablo. She threw him against a wall and ran over laughing to pick him back up. Night Rider ran for the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the rack. It's blade was long and sharp. It gleaned when he moved it in the light. He held it behind his back and walked over to where his mother was now hitting Diablo with a wooden paddle. He reached around her and brought the knife back around her throat. He smiled as the blood began to flow. He could feel it's warmth as it covered his hands.
Suddenly he was back in the woods standing in front of the tree. The clock was gone, nothing but a giant scary tree. He made his way around it and kept walking. He knew there must be something more he needed to do. He could sense it. He continued walking until he came to a clearing. Just across the way he could see a lone wolf entering the same clearing. It spotted him and began circling him. It's eyes glowed with hunger or hatred or both. He stood and turned with it, waiting for it to lunge. When it finally did he was ready. He grabbed a sharp stick from the ground in front of him and just as the wolf was in reach he plunged it deep into it's neck. It screamed as the glow left it's eyes.
"Beware Jimmy boy. The time is upon us. How quickly it flies when you're having fun. I imagine our match will be over before we know it. I look forward to all of the fun we will have. You see,, I need to work my way back up that ladder to the top and you are nothing but another rung on the way up. No offense, it's nothing personal. You just happen to be the lucky one. Consider it your comeuppance. Why? Because after you face me you will never be the same again. Oh yeah, I know it's early but....."
