10,001 (1,980)

Darkness is something that consumes everything, there is no get out of jail free card. There is no working hard to avoid it, no distance one can run. In the end everything is consumed by darkness, emptiness, silence. We are all destined to be engulfed by it, if we are lucky enough, in the present, we could become familiar with it. Learn from it, navigate it, be comfortable with it. A single warehouse light turns on, providing a hard focus on a stool seating Marcus Collins. His head held slightly lower than usual, gaze towards the floor as if looking through it. He takes a long drag from a cigarette, his eyes slightly widening for a moment as if trapped in thought. It is so silent; you can almost hear the tobacco burn. In reality it’s Marcus inhaling, creating a faint guttural air sound. He shifts his foot on the ground and instantly breaks the silence.


I know I sometimes play around, acting like I know what the future holds for me. I really don’t, it was all an act, and though I feel a few of you may have figured it out, I know the shock most of you are experiencing right now. The whole snorting grandma’s ashes, it was a bit, it never gave me psychic powers. Sure, I do my best to prepare, practice how my opponent may pin me. Work on submission escapes so I won’t be put in a position to tap. All after Miles of running and full weight workout. Guess I had to learn the hard way that’s not enough.


Marcus looks up at the camera, most uncharacteristic his face is absent confidence, absent his entire demeanor. A broken man stares at the camera, puffy eyes, dark circles, an almost expression of holding back stronger emotions. He takes a deep breath, and exhales to himself.


Nobody likes to lose, but losing a championship right away, less than a whole ass week, that makes you really question things. The worst part about it, I can’t even remember what happened to take the pin. I must have been hit with something crazy, just remember sliding out of the ring to catch my baring, attempting to process it all. I can’t help but question my own futu…


Um, Marcus… sorry.


Partially thrown off by the interruption, he slightly leans to his right to look around the camera.


Cameraman?


Cameraman: Bill actually, but yeah, um, you didn’t take the pin.


I know I didn’t tap.


Bill: No, Calaway got pinned when you were otherwise recovering.


Ooooooh. Well, no reason to go on with the rest of this then.


Marcus stands up taking a drag of his cigarette and flicks it off into the darkness and walks off camera.


This stupid thing cost me my only champions bonus, time to look for another.






09/02/2022 8:12 p.m.
The Roof at The Durham
Durham, NC


The evening rooftop experience of Durham North Carolina is set perfection with a cool night air, and the sounds of the lively city five stories below. Music fills the rooftop bar as guest and employees bustle around the restaurant. Marcus leans back in a chair, resting his feet on another chair associated with his semi private table around the main wall of the restaurant. Two whole sides of open city views would take the eye of anyone, but for Marcus it is the women who he shares a mutual attention focus with.


You know what’s great about working for a major network backed promotion? That additional attention you get, take all this, all they had to do was see a professional network quality camera accompanying me, and suddenly I’m upgraded to the best table here. I can get used to this.


A waitress walks over and drops off a drink, Marcus attempts to flirt but she swiftly turns around and returns to her work. He slightly chuckles to himself, grabs his glass and takes a sip from the drink. He gives a ‘good enough’ motion and sets it back on the table. He finally looks at the camera as the wind picks up and starts to blow his hair.





If you couldn’t tell, my thing is I get lucky. I’m never going to be the most dominant talent in any company, but I will have a lot of achievements in a short period of time. Tonight, is prime example of that, the way I lost the TV Title. Props to Addy, you’re fast, but now I know, and I will keep that in mind next time. Eventually I figure I will get it back, but I can share for now. I’m not a very demanding person, so I’ll go where the company wants me to, but I won’t turn down any opportunity to take away someone’s precious. Which may or may not come soon, or maybe a couple months down the road, doesn’t matter to me, as long as I have opponents in front of me, and checks clear, we all good. I don’t even see it as the company’s job to keep me entertained, so that just means that I am everyone’s problem. I know, even despite my six days of success, I’m still unproven to most, I know the script, it’s how it goes, never seeing the threat come for you until the knife is at the throat. Happens all the time, and I can’t help but wonder if this week’s opponent will be like that?


He reaches over to his glass and picks it up just as his waitress walks over and drops off a message with an absolutely disgusted look on her face. He pauses in slight confusion and sets the glass back down. He reaches over to the folded piece of paper, and opens it up to read the message inside.





He looks over at the girl he was looking at moments ago, raises his glass back up in acknowledgment to her, takes a sip, and returns it to its place. Keeping a serious expression on his face and continuing to look in her direction, he takes the message and begins to rip it up before dropping the smaller pieces to a now puzzle on the table.


Lack of patients and the desperation is just so unattractive in anyone.


He shakes his head to himself for a moment, takes another drink, and refocuses his attention to the audience at home.


I don’t think the context of the situation matters, if you are unable to be patient and allow for the most opportune time for things, you tend to ruin whatever shot you may have had. I would say that I see things like that in Kyle Kemp, but I honestly not sure how I feel about this one. On paper the guy is stellar, grand slam champion, held everything at least once, four years going strong. Yet, he’s, my opponent? That probably pissed him off to no end. ‘This guy? Really? New guy squash match.’ Or something pretentious, you all know how that guy goes, I’m just happy I didn’t have to sit through four years of that same bullshit. I don’t know how everyone put up with a year of “I’m the only true grand slam champ”. It’s funny he says that because I never saw his name in the TV or the Hardcore title history records posted on AW.com. I’m sure it’s a clerical error, maybe a conspiracy, there’s no way ol Kyle Kemp wouldn’t make that up. Maybe he wore a mask once and called himself Captain Dingleberry, I really don’t care.


He takes his feet off the chair in front of him and sits up straight, he takes a cigarette out and lights it. He grabs the drink and alternates between the two for a beat until the drink is gone. He places the empty glass on the table and finishes his cigarette.


Really is a nasty habit. But yeah, at the end of the day I don’t care if he lies or not, that has nothing to do with the reality of the situation. Let’s look at this, you, the veteran around here, facing someone in their fourth match, instead of facing someone for placement for another title shot? I mean if I were you, if I had the company historical accomplishments, that’s what I would do. See the way I see it, you gain nothing, I lost this past week at the PPV, so what, you’re gonna give a new guy another loss? That could very well happen, every week could be anyone’s week, but the thing is I seem to be the only one around here that knows that. Why is everyone all angry? I can’t throw a baby around here without hitting someone who has mommy or daddy issues and acting all 90s teen angst as grown ass adults. At what point do we stop talking about how bad ass they are, and actually do it?


Marcus pauses before answering his own question and gestures to the camera a moment as he takes out his phone. After a moment suddenly a familiar voice is heard:





That you Kyle?


He presses his phone and an audible “click” is heard signifying that his phone is locked. He lays it on the table next to the empty glass.


Yeah that was you, a couple weeks ago now? Yeah, same ordeal where you talked about being ‘more mentally ready’ and some how contradicted yourself by making it seem like you NEEDED that win because no one is taking you serious anymore. I sadly had to preference which exact video that was from, because sadly it seems to be a theme with you. You’re super great at this wrestling thing, but no one gave you chances, you had to figure it out on your own, and blah blah blah I’m the best. How is that any different from anyone else in the locker room?







Standing up he steps away from the camera and turns his attention to the evening city. Bill quickly stumbles around the chairs and takes a good position to film.


It feels you’re just trying to convince yourself that you are worth, anything honestly. Jealous over people like me who get the rub over you. Jealous that you don’t get opportunities you feel you should have. Why is that? Because you felt you won a few titles you should what? Get a call for more? You have to do something first Kyle. How about this, drop the whole grand slam thing, it’s a worthless personality trait for you. Next thing you will be talking about is how great at football you were in high school. Wins, losses, that shits in the past, I’m looking to what steps tomorrow is going to provide. No one cares what you did yesterday, its yesterday, what are you doing today? Have another disappointment? Before last week I learned ten thousand ways to fail, this week ten thousand and one. I think it will take more than a little kick to the head or a weak submission to get me to learn ten thousand and two. I would say I want the champion Kyle, but at this point we all know that won’t happen, and will just enjoy taking on a former world champ, formerly at his best. Sad, but hey, you could always prove me wrong, but I foresee a kick out or two in my future. Enjoy the weekend, because Monday will be a bitch.