The Abomination is here (1424)

During Clash, moments after Holden was “escorted” out of his Suite.

A camera is trained on a set of double doors somewhere outside of the arena. The muffled shouts from both Holden and, presumably, the security staff who “escorted” the Bastard out of his Suite. The cameras are rolling as the doors crash open followed by all four “guards,” who are holding Holden at shoulder height, carrying him out the door. Serenity is following close behind, ordering them to put Holden down. Attempting to explain that all they are doing is making things worse, but her words fall upon deaf ears.

They make it a few paces out the door when the men who are holding his feet release him, allowing his all black Chuck’s to hit the ground. The moment they do, the guards holding his arms shove him forward and Holden almost falls but catches himself. Serenity quickly darts between her man and the guards who, all four of them, look like they’re ready to fight him.

”Stop! Holden, please stop!” she pleads with him before turning to face the guards and then pleads with them. ”Go back inside, please!? You don’t understand! He won’t stop!” she is breathing hard, her face a mix of anger and concern as she looks to Holden and then the guards. Holden, for his part, cracks his knuckles and then his neck while challenging them to take just one step towards him.

”I’ll fuckin kick the shit outta all four of you!” he growls but the stomping of boots on pavement, a group of people running towards the scene. The guard’s eyes widen, collectively, just before the camera whips to the right. Running up on the scene is a group of five masked individuals, a different group from each of the last two times we have seen them, and they are ready to fight as well. Serenity looks helpless in the middle.

”Please go back inside…” she quietly pleads one last time. Unfortunately for Holden and his supporters, the guards back up and enter the building, closing the door behind them. Serenity’s eyes are brimming with tears as she turns to her seething other half. ”Don’t do it, Holden. Please, just walk away, don’t fight…..please…” He meets her eyes and, upon seeing the fear and heartbreak in them, his stance shifts from coiled and ready to fight to a little more relaxed, but his hands are still clenched into fists. Serenity throws herself into his arms and buries her face into his chest. ”Thank you, thank you, thank you…”

Holden glares at the guards as they retreat through the doors, closing them behind themselves, and the couple turns towards the camera. Now his glare is directed towards the cameraman and the shot quickly cuts to black.

sometime Tuesday…

A camera opens on Holden who is relaxed in his seat aboard one of C.C.P.E.’s private planes. He is wearing his “Bow to None” hoodie, a pair of black Dickies cut-off’s, a black bandana around his head (as well as “flying” one out of his back left pocket,) and a pair of black slippers with a white paisley/bandana print. He takes a puff from a “dab” pen, a cannabis vape pen, and exhales a small puff of smoke before wrinkling his nose.

”This just ain’t as good as the real thing, ya know? Kinda like my opponent this week; some past-his=prime, obscure, fucktard who has been tossed into the deep end and can hardly doggy paddle. Brent Alpine, an egotistical, arrogant blowhard who is trying to make a success out of the twilight of his career. I won’t be the launchpad for his resurgence. If anything, I’ll be the first, and last, land mine in his path of redemption.``

Holden picks up a tumbler and takes a sip from the golden liquid held within. Serenity enters the shot and takes a seat in the chair next to him, looking like a million bucks, and is typing out a text. Her thumbs stop moving, briefly, while she exchanges a lingering kiss with her other half. Their eyes meet and the lust between them is obvious but she, instead, returns her attention back to her phone and he to the camera.

”I don’t know much about Mister Alpine, and I mean no disrespect when I say that, it’s just that I’m too damn busy to dick around on the internet. I fire off Tweets but those are quick and don’t take too much time. Kat Jones, my agent from Chronic Chris Page Enterprises, can attest to the insane amount of requests for me to appear at one company or another. That’s on top of my commitment to Champions Advantage Performance Center or my part in that upcoming ‘Splat!’ project. My point is, I’m too damn busy to look up a guy who was competing back when I was getting a handy from my first girlfriend fifteen years ago….”

He first takes another hit from the vape pen, (actually, it was more like three hits) and exhales a slightly larger puff of smoke before taking a large swallow of the golden liquid. He makes a fist with his left hand and uses it to cover his mouth while pinching his eyes shut. His breath exits his nose in a slow, delayed exhale. ”You ok?” she asks without a look and without her thumbs halting for the briefest of moments. Holden just nods in answer. It takes him a moment but he eventually returns his attention to the camera.

”Someone like some nice Scotch…” his voice trails off before he lets out a short, high pitched whistle. ”That is some good shit right there.” he says with tears filling his eyes. ”Management is attempting to punish one of us, it would seem, and it sounds like you….if you asked me. I don’t know if you are familiar with my work but I take extreme joy in spilling blood, setting fools on fire, and breaking bones. I’ll swat your high flyin ass like Kong was swattin at the planes tryin to rescue Faye Rae.

And, speakin of management, I know Pasternak is watchin and what I say will eventually get back to Torture. What I did to Scala is entirely your fault. You put his scrub ass on your show, gave him a few minutes every week to talk his shit, make threats, and disarage my girlfriend; thee greatest Women’s Champion in the history of our company. You let him do this! You encouraged him to do it! Each and every week, letting him vomit his bullshit to the camera. What did you expect me to do? What did you think would happen?

My only regret is that he didn’t die. He watched him layin on the ground, bloody and twitchin, and thought for sure he was done for. Had I known he was goin to make it, I’d have strangled the life outta him wit my bare, fuckin hands. Woulda loved to have wrapped my hands around his throat, my thumbs on his Adams apple, and squeezed the life outta him. But, like my Grampa always said before my beatings, you gotta learn from your mistakes. Next time, Joey, I’ll make sure you’re fuckin dead…”

His hands are visibly shaking as he reaches for his drink and Serenity even notices, setting her phone aside and places a hand on his knee. Her eyes ask the question “Are you ok?” and he gives her a small nod. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly through his nose. He sips from his drink before returning it to the coaster.

”Brent, you’re walkin into a fight with one of the most violent, dangerous men on the roster. In Alabama, you and I are gonna meet in that ring and I’ma throw a beating your way, the likes of which you’ve never experienced. Your triumphant return is going to end with me planting your head in the mat before you look up at the lights while the ref counts three. Your return is the “wrong place, wrong time” scenario. Instead of celebrating a win you’ll be nursing your neck and a potential concussion… if I don’t decide to cut you up first…”

Holden leans back and kicks his feet out in front of him, crossing his feet at the ankles. With a smirk he signs off. ”As a friend of my Dad used to say, ‘Fuck outta here.’” As the camera fades out, Holden gives it a smirk and we go to black.