Post by The Swallowing on Jun 5, 2020 0:23:57 GMT -5
The morning after.
He walks down the tree-lined street towards his hotel, as the morning sun reflects into his eyes, off the glass skyscrapers that surround him on his journey. In these times, you didn't know where trouble would come from, given the gravity of the unrest that had gripped the metropolis in recent days. It was quiet enough on this stretch of the concrete jungle, though the noise of firecrackers and shouting echoed over the treetops in the distance. Still, the pavement upon which he walked was peaceful enough that he could hear the crinkling of the plastic bag carrying breakfast, swinging by his side, dueling with the sound of the soles of his shoes scuffing across the uneven concrete.
He rounds the corner with an effervescent smile beaming across his face. He bumps into a posse of men standing around aimlessly under the shade of the business awnings. Raising his hands apologetically to move past the crowd, but they shift in unison to block his path.
The first blow struck the right temple, causing his breakfast bag to drop and it's contents to spill chaotically across the cracks in the cement and out onto the bitumen. Without a chance for response, he is struck from the other side by another assailant. The third blow from another is driven straight into the solar plexus, causing him to double over, clutching at his abdomen gasping for air. That's when the pain started as a blow from behind forces him down to his knees. Looking up into the eyes of his attackers, he tries desperately to process his memory for recognition. Another blow strikes him in the mouth, and he collapses prone onto the cold, unfriendly ground. The haunting symphony of pounding boots begins to rain down on his exposed midsection, the striking force of the blows ripping the clothes from his body as he desperately tries to protect himself from the seemingly unprovoked cruelty.
The crowd of violent men drags their victim to the gutter to place his mouth on the concrete as he sobs for mercy. They laugh with the callousness of jackals as they continue their beating.
The lead jackal stops the attack and readies his heel to drive into the back of his victim's skull when the shouts of passers-by force them to flee, leaving a broken, battered, and bloodied man sprawled in the gutter next to his broken eggs.
Present day.
Come on bitch, get over ‘ere an’ roast these dumb fucks.
Addy pats the empty chair sitting next to her.
I guess this is somethin’ I’mma have to get used to, huh? You orderin’ me around and shit?
Lissie sits next to her.
If that’s the sorta shit ya into.
I’m into things like winning titles. If my pride is somethin’ I gotta swallow…
So ya into a fuckin’ showers’a gold, aye? I thought I did tha kinky shit?
Look, I’m changin’ things up this time, aight? Usually, my tag team partners tend to take a backseat because, well, come on. But you, babe? You’re my equal. We’re two tits on the Mount Rushmore of women’s wrestling. You, the first-ever induction in the Hall of Fame, and me, a two-time World Champion. Ain’t no one can ever take that shit away from us. So I’m more than happy to let you set the stage. Tell me, bitch. What are we steppin’ into on June 14th?
Well, bitch I ‘preciate the offer of takin’ ya backseat but ya brother ain’t gotta like it an’ le’s be real we ain’t tha fuckin’ Adlers.
Addy cackles.
But fah real, girl when we roll up on fuckin’ Minneapolis an’ roll down ta that fuckin’ ring ain’t not one’a’em gonna stop us doin’ what we wanna, Lis. Spence an’ Crow, Cass an’ Olive, Odin an’ Kemp. We gonna fuck ‘em all. Like take ‘em out tha back an’ find tha dirtiest fuckin’ bit’a wood ya can, makin’ sure it’s full’a rusty nails an’ shit an’ fuck ‘em ‘til they cry fah mummy. They just gonna be on tha end’a whatever chokin’ tha Swallowin’ gonna give ‘em. They all know what ya do wit’ fuckin’ ladders. The whole world wants ta shame me ‘cause I like wood. So tha’ four’a em can just take tha fuckin’ chairs, sit tha fuck down an’ choke down on tha’ fourteen inch fuckin’ strap-on I’m gonna shove down their fuckin’ throats, aye. They be swallowin’ an’ chokin’ on their snot from cryin’ like toddlers an’ we be fuckin’ winnin’ those belts. There ain’t shit any’a’em can do ‘bout it, neither. ‘Cept for the fuckin’ dookies they gonna inevitably drop in their fuckin’ pants when they finally realize how bad me an’ you gonna fuck ‘em up.
Addy fingers guns towards Lissie.
Swallow them fuckin’ apples.
Lissie looks over at Addy as she finishes her sentence, wondering if she’s going to continue speaking.
You done? My turn?
Addy motions that the floor is hers.
I don’t bring dildos to the ring. Sorry to disappoint everyone sittin’ at ringside. She might be that kinda nasty bitch, but we ain’t that kinda team. But I’ll tell you what we’re really like, though, if you ain’t already caught that glimpse of it when we sent Kennedy Matthews to the fuckin’ unemployment line.
What we do is we complement each other, in ways never seen in Action Wrestling history. Two months ago, when we were at each other’s throats, gunning for the biggest prize of ‘em all… would you ever’ve expected us to be where we’re at now? Could you ever see this unholy alliance actually castin’ our differences aside, knowing that the sum of our parts equal an unbeatable whole? We’re two sides of the same coin, y’know? We both want to be the best, we both have the desire and the fuckin’ ability to be the best, and you put us together?
Kill or Cure.
The Following.
Team Adler.
You’ve got no fuckin’ idea what you’re gettin’ into.
The evening before.
‘Everyone knows, Robbie.’
Lissie Hope can’t even look her brother in the eye. They share an appetizer plate at SkyLounge in Las Vegas, having made the trip for the opening of the AW Hall of Fame facility and to meet up with Adelaide Ainsworth. For better or worse, they would need to coalesce, and Robbie did everything in his power to unify them. But there was still a cloud hovering over them.
‘The scars shouldn’t be for their amusement. Open season for their ridicule.’
‘People are going to talk about anything to get into your headspace. You were treading a fine line doing that on-camera.’
‘I wasn’t on camera! I made sure I wasn’t! But Olive joked about it. Crow disregarded it. Estrella blatantly bullied me for it. And you should see the shit I gotta wade through in my DM’s because of it.’
‘Dirty little secrets are never kept in the dark for long, sis. It was obvious what you were doing, and it breaks my fuckin’ heart.’
A tear drops from his eyes as he grabs her fingers and pulls her hand close. He runs his eyes over her skin, moistening her flesh. He flips her wrist over and peels back the long-sleeve, running a finger along the faded scars blackened by the dagger artwork on the inside of her forearm.
‘You’re an open-book, Lissie. You’ve always been, maybe to your detriment. And I just want to help you.’
‘You can’t.’
‘I don’t want you to end up like her.’
The tragic end of Hana Kimura weighed heavily on his mind.
‘I won’t. I don’t do this to die. I do this for control.’
‘I don’t want you to do it at all.’
She saw the pain in his eyes. Lissie finally understood how her behavior affected others, but most importantly, how it traumatized her brother. Her best friend. Her confidante. The act of disfiguring her own body wasn’t only a vehicle to mask emotional torture, or gain insight into the physical pain of being bloodied. Not long ago, she sought the bright lights and debauchery and companionship in Sin City to cleanse her mind and propel her forward, but the blade had replaced her self-abuse. Finally, she began to realize it.
‘Okay.’
‘You’ll stop?’
His eyes lit up like an overwhelmed child who’d been the gamechanger in a parent’s intervention.
‘For you? Anything.’
Men who need minions to do their dirty work ain’t men at all.
Kyle Kemp, you delusion fuckwad. I guess Walter choked the sense out of you so many times you’ve reemerged as someone unrecognizable. He beat the humanity out of you. You used to be humble, an iconic archetype of the American dream, and now you’ve infected a larger-than-life figure, a former World Champion, and made him nothing more than your personal bitch. Odin was someone to be feared, and you’ve dragged him down to your level. You aren’t enlightening anyone. You aren’t uplifting anyone. You lurk in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to pounce…
...but’ya can’t do it your fuckin’ self.
You hire goons to terrorize us, to try and decimate us, but even with all your henchmen you still couldn’t bury us. So what kind of momentum are you even carrying into this match? What have you proven after four weeks of unleashed terror, other than proving that the entire idea of you is a fuckin’ sham?
Fah, a big man with tha reputation'a fuckin' god. Ya sure fuckin' weak man. Twenty years atop tha fuckin' industry, an' ya fuckin' Daddy dies an' what ya suddenly become Ultimate Destroyer. I ain't gonna pretend I know what tha fuck goes inside'a that head but ya don't gone an' got all fucked up mentally. No wonder Kempy come along an' twisted ya 'round ‘is little finger. Ya lookin' fah a Daddy replacement now e's gone. Failin' ya Dad and lettin' Mommy down. Hell, Odie, despite ya success in the ring ya always bein' failin' fah twenty fuckin years an' more. As a son, as a wrestler an' most certainly as a father. Ya think Kemp gonna make ya better. Ya so far gone it's time fah ya just ta eat a bullet.
That's only thing'll fix ya.
An' Kemp preyin' on ya like an' old man lookin' fah young boys that done just come outta tha closet an' shit. He's tellin' ya whatever he wants an' wrappin' round his little finger while ya suckin ‘is dick an' he's fuckin' ya bareback. What're gettin? Raped. That's all.
Just eat the bullet, Odin.
Lissie looks a little taken aback by the brash finish of Addy’s diatribe.
Christ.
So, like… I don’t like to use that kinda shit as a joke. As a punchline. When you’re tryin’ to be a role model, someone these fans pay money to cheer for, someone who sells merchandise, you’ve gotta learn to choose your words carefully.
I was disillusioned for a long time, thinkin’ that’s how I wanted to be perceived.
Nowadays? I’ve learned to appreciate a bitch who just don’t give a fuck.
You, Crow, you’re the good guy in all this, ain’t ya? You’re the moral authority, the legendary figure who claims to do things righteously. But you’re just as crass as those you rebuke, aren’t ya?
You used my fuckin’ scars as a punchline. You turned it into a fuckin’ joke. And you’re the shining beacon of nobility? Fuck you, man. You tried, and failed, to get under my skin. Your win over me means jack shit in the grand scheme, because here we are, right back where we started.
And you, Spencer, you fuckin’ deserter. Where’re your slabs now? I thought you were trying to be a face of a movement? I thought you were the workhorse, the Triple Crown, someone who was emboldened?
When ya run from ya fuckin' problems ya always got ya fuckin' problems, Spence. Ya think Slab City is tha fuckin answer ta tha questions ya ain't willin' ta hear. But it ain't. Shit, always gonna go wrong in a fuckin' life, but ya gotta face it an' fuck it up else it gonna fuck ya up fah'ever. An' that's where ya at right now ain't it. Ya think ya somethin' special bein' tha king'a nothin' in a community'a scabs an' all. But ya ain't, all'a men an' women out there are nothin'. Just like you Spence. We know 'bout ya achievements but when shit get tough ya go runnin', ya all flight, no fight.
Only slab gonna give ya peace, is tha one with a steel door.
Ya think hangin' with a dead man gonna bring back the dead man, it fuckin ain't Spence. What're ya doin' Crow? Latchin' onta man wit'out direction, wit'out conviction. Helpin' 'im? Liftin' 'im up? Nah, ya leechin' off 'im like a fuckin' parasite. Fah, all'a ya emboldened words ya can't walk alone. Ya talk loud hopin' no sees the quiver in ya hands, hears tha murmur in ya heart. Well I do.
Coward.
The night of.
Slipping the black hoodie over her head, Adelaide emerged from the bathroom's darkness to find her boyfriend, Robbie Hope, standing arms crossed in front of her with a look of consternation painting his face.
"What're you doing, Adz?" he presses her.
The gears work in Addy's mind as she searches through the databanks of memory to find an answer to satisfy his need for knowledge and her desire to get out of the room without telling him the truth. After seconds that feel minutes, she succumbs to telling him the truth.
"I'm gonna get me fuckin' title back, Bobby." she smiles nervously.
"Adz, babe. You know you shouldn't do that." his voice is almost pleading.
"I gotta, Bobby. I said I was gonna. So I gotta." She is firm in her words, even stomping her foot like a petulant child as she speaks, despite knowing deep in her mind that Robbie is probably right.
"No. Adelaide. You don't." His voice remains strong and direct.
Addy flinches, taken aback, by his use of her full name. "Robbie," she pleads, "I fuckin' told 'em I was gettin' it back. An' now is tha time, babe."
Addy tries to push past Robbie, but he wraps his arms around her, bringing her into his naked chest. He holds her with one arm and strokes her hair gently with his other.
"I don't want anything to happen to you, Adz," Robbie speaks soothingly.
"Ain't nothin' ever gonna happen ta me, Bobby," she says with cockiness in her voice, but her body language juxtaposes her voice and words as she melts further into his body.
"Adz, please. You can't. Especially now. With everything going on out there on the streets, they will surely not hesitate to harm you. And I am sure there will be more security in the building than there ever has been before." Robbie keeps his voice level as he pleads with Addy to stay with him.
"I s'pose ya right, babe." she agrees with her words. Yet in the back of her mind, she knows she will find another time to regain the real Trinity World Championship belt from the AW Hall of Fame.
"Let's go back to bed, when the morning comes I will get us and Lissie breakfast."
"Sounds good, Babe." she murmurs, and they make their way back into the king-size hotel bed, their two bodies becoming one.
But cowardice works when played right don't it Cassidy? I mean how else does a narcissistic little cunt who most likely bleaches 'is fuckin' asshole...
Lissie nods as Addy talks.
...make it top fuckin' ten in Havoc an' 'olds on ta one 'alf'a tha Tag Titles. So it has it's fuckin' place an' it works fah ya Cass. Well an' fuckin' good. But 'eres tha thing, cunt. When ya get in tha ring at Evo 3, I'm gonna make it a mission ta fuck ya up. Not fah any real reason. Just 'cause ya got tha belt an' I think it'll be funny ta punch a big-mouthed, small-dicked, bleached fuckin' asshole motherfucker fair in tha fuckin' face. Mainly 'cause I wanna see ya cry and beg fah Olive ta come an' save ya like she 'as every fuckin' time ya bit off more 'an can chew. Ya can be dark voice in 'er head as she get closer tah her next mental breakdown, a fuckin' breakdown I'll gladly fuckin' send 'er too. While ya start beggin' and cryin' 'cause ya got no cunt tah look after ya. That's ya downfall ain't it, Cass. Fah, all the money in tha fuckin' world, ya still need someone tah wipe ya ass in tha mornin'. Ya need ya little sycophantic cunts just ta tell ya how good ya are.
Ya need ta drink that fuckin' Kool-Aid.
Tell ya what, Olive switch 'is Kool-Aid fah 'is ass bleach an' let 'im drink that shit.
How does Cassidy's dick taste, Olivia?
I mean, I could tell you and we can compare notes, but you've been throated so many times because you need to swallow his lifeblood, don't'ya? He's the root of anything you've ever accomplished, and you know that's the only way he'll ever accept you and consider you his equal.
But you could be so much better.
I would love to have you on Rushmore. I'm fascinated by you, Olivia. You come into this business like a doe in the headlights, not knowing what the fuck you're doin', and you outshine him every time. But he's not the one getting letters from the bosses, questioning his desire. He's not the one getting the glaring looks from overbearing daddy.
Pass him my digits, bee-tee-dubz.
You called it, though. You said I’m the most dangerous when I’m the predator. You said I’m on track for my next big win in mid-June. You just didn’t realize it would come at your fuckin’ expense.
You had no idea it was comin’ with my primal enemy at my side.
Your stupid fuckin’ brother Cassidy is probably lookin’ at you right now and pushin’ your head into the wall, because he didn’t have anything to do with this premonition. And he’s gonna hate you more than he already did to begin with.
This may be our similarity, but this is also how we differ.
Addy and I’s hatred was reconcilable. Because we know how to put shit in perspective. We know what the fuck matters at the end of the day.
And that’s taking those fuckin’ straps off your shoulders and bucklin’ them tight around our waists.
Addy nudges Lissie in the ribs with her elbow.
People are gonna fuckin’ doubt us because we ain’t tha stereotypical fuckin team. We ain’t all fuckin’ lovey-dovey, we ain’t all rom-com bullshit, but we are fuckin’ real. From tha moment ‘Fuck then Pain Away’ drops ta tha final bell rings, me and Lis, we gonna be fuckin’ shit up. We gonna be throwin’ cunts of’a ladders, watchin’ ‘em crash ta the fuckin’ ground like ducks shot outta tha fuckin air. We gonna be puttin’ cunts through tables, makin’ chow deep on that fuckin’ wood. An’ we gonna be smashin’ skulls like eggs wit’ chairs, blood oozin’ outta every fuckin’ hole like’a runny fuckin’ yolk.
Then we gonna take those fuckin’ tag titles an’ walk out the fuckin’ Champs.
That’s what we gonna do. There ain’t nothin’ any’a ya other cunts come do ta stop us.
Addy flexes Lissie’s arm.
Now, Lis, babe, it’s time fah ya ta fire up them cannons an’ drop some bombs. ‘Cause I left these pussies bleedin’ an’ that’s on period.
Lissie pauses for a second, deep in thought. It takes her a moment to raise her eyes back up to the camera.
We’ve broken out of our shells, and the future looks fuckin’ grim for all you fuckin’ pussies. Just look at our track record. We’ve done what everyone in this industry only dreams about. We’ve got World Championships to our credit. We’ve main-evented the grandest stages. We outlasted countless others to make a deep run at Havoc.
We are the pinnacle of Action Wrestling.
Mount fuckin’ Rushmore.
Our bellies might be full, but we’re still fuckin’ hungry.
We’re gonna expose every crack you’ve ever tried to hide and we’re gonna climb that ladder and pull down those straps, ‘cause that’s the only way this match was ever gonna go.
I’ve done it, already. I know what it fuckin’ takes to come out of a match like this, and Addy is eager to learn. She’s got the killer instinct that everyone only thinks they’ve got, until they get blinded under those bright lights.
I don’t give a fuck that KOS is a former World Champion.
He did it in an era that didn’t include us.
This is our era now.
An’ forever. I promise ya in twenty years no one gonna be tellin’ us to eat a bullet. We’ll still be knockin’ down incestous siblings. We’ll still be fuckin’ up cunts that’re too fuckin’ weak to stand on their own.
And we’ll be doin’ it with those straps around our waists.
So ya can choke on that.
And don't spit.
Just swallow.
‘It’s perfect.’
‘Yeh bitch, we need ta show we united an’ shit.’
‘We’re getting there.’
Lissie smiles as she works on the editing of their joint promo. They seemed to have a natural chemistry that couldn’t be taught, but whether that could translate to the ring remains to be seen. She had faith in herself, that she could bury the hatchet and work with someone once considered a rival. But there was still a bit of creeping doubt that wouldn’t be rectified until they stepped in the ring.
‘So, we chill, now?
‘Yeah.’
‘We fam?’
‘...Yeah.’
‘Good shit.’
‘Where’s Robbie?’
‘Went ta get some breakfast an’ shit, should be on ‘is way back.’
‘He’s been gone for a bit, but he’s gonna be stoked when he sees what we did.’
Lissie and Addy sat at the bar in their hotel suite, still finding small-talk a little bit uncomfortable. But they were trying, at Robbie’s request - and to their credit, it certainly was becoming easier. Lissie poured creamer in her coffee and noticed Addy filling her cup with Bailey’s. Lissie gave her a bewildered look, and Addy was confused by it.
‘It’s kinda early for that, no?’
‘Ain’t nothin’ happen in tha mornings, gotta do somethin’ ta spice shit up.’
‘Fuck it.’
Lissie slid her coffee over to Addy and watched her pour heavy. They clanked their cups together but were interrupted by Addy’s phone buzzing. Addy read the text message and her expression changed quickly. Before Lissie even had a chance to ask about it, her phone began ringing. It was an unknown local number.
‘Hello?’
‘This is LVPD, I’m trying to reach Elisabeth Hope.’
‘This is her.’
Lissie looked over at Addy who’s eyes had begun to water. She was hastily tapping a text message and turned her back.
what are you talkin about
‘You should get to University Medical as soon as possible.
Your brother Robert is unconscious and is en-route.’
where is he
what did you do
‘WHAT? What do you mean? What’s going on?!’
‘This is an active investigation.
Our detectives will reach out to you shortly.
It’s imperative that you go now.
We didn’t do this to him.
You did.
‘What happened?? Spit it out!!’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t you fuckin’ leave me ha--’
The line went dead. Lissie began hyperventilating, struggling to catch her breath.
‘Ay what’s wrong?’
But Addy knew.
‘Ro-Robb-Robbieee…’
She could barely choke out his name and let out a gutteral scream.
‘Sit down, ‘ya havin’ a panic attack.’
But once Lissie got control of her breathing, she shrugged Addy’s arm off her shoulder and walked slowly to the bathroom, pulling the switchblade out of her purse before locking the door behind her.
Finally, Addy allowed herself to cry.