Post by Derrick Vayden on Nov 15, 2020 22:50:34 GMT -5
I know some things that you don’t
I’ve done things that you won’t
There’s nothing like a trail of blood to find your way back home
I was waiting for my hearse
What came next was so much worse
It took a funeral to make me feel alive
The room itself is just as dull and boring as the world outside. The walls are dark blue in color, the only decorations are generic paintings of flowers and dull brown furniture.
Laying on one of these pieces of furniture is Derrick Vayden. He’s staring up at the ceiling, counting the tiles. His phone buzzes in his pocket, a message from his partner, Carter Shaw.
Where is she? He thinks. She should be here by now.
Speak of the devil and she shall appear. A professionally dressed woman steps into the room and closes the door behind her. She takes a seat at the desk across from Derrick as he sits upright.
Derrick’s personal therapist, Doctor Weaver. She had been treating him for a year now, moreso following the murder of Raging Dead...
Good morning, Derrick. Apologies for the wait.
Derrick shrugs
It’s fine.
It’s certainly been a little while. How are we feeling today?
Same as every day, Doc. Mostly with our hands.
Dr. Weaver gives an obviously courteous chuckle, but it doesn’t seem to phase Vayden.
Well, you definitely seem to be in a better mood since we last met. How have things been since your friend…
Derrick holds up a hand to stop the doctor.
No need to hesitate, doc. I’ve… I’ve come to terms with Nathan’s death. I’ve actually never felt better.
Oh. Well that’s very good to hear. Please tell me, how did you finally cross that border? With your wife and child, I imagine?
Derrick smiles a strange smile as he shakes his head.
Geri… She’s still having trouble letting go. I’ve been trying to help her but she’s just not getting it.
Dr. Weaver gives Derrick a sympathetic look.
That’s too bad. She just needs more time. But please, go on.
Well, I’ll be entirely honest. The whole deal with Nate, it really fucked me up. Sent me down a pretty rough hole. Actually… it was only last week when I felt better. One night it all… melted away. In some… weird dream…
What kind of dream?
A… weird one.
Another chuckle from Dr. Weaver. This one was more genuine due to being caught off guard.
What was the dream about?
Well… Nate and I were talking at a Philidor party, He was listening to my sins like we were in some kind of church confession… I thought he was going to be mad about me not saving him. But… He forgave me. From letting Frank Lowe get away to Natalie’s death… He just hugged me and all the pain and misery I’ve felt melted away… I woke up and felt like a hundred pounds were lifted off of me.
Derrick avoids eye contact as he skips over the part about the beating. That part still concerns him and something tells him that would lead to a conversation that would take up the rest of their session. But she still stares at him, a confused and slightly concerned look on her face.
What? Did the part about the beating slip out? I swear it was just apart of the dream.
Did you say Philidor?
...Yeah?
Derrick, please tell me you are not involved with that group.
I mean, I could. But I thought we weren’t supposed to lie to each other?
Weaver scribbles something onto her notes quickly.
Please excuse me for a moment. Something just came to my attention and I need to make a phone call.
The doctor gets up from her chair and hurries out of the room, suddenly leaving Derrick alone once again. Confusion washes over him as he stares at the door, waiting for the doctor to return. When she doesn’t return soon, he takes it upon himself to get up and look around.
Derrick looks out the window for a few moments, as if expecting to see Dr. Weaver running out of the building for whatever reason. When nobody enters or exits the building, he shrugs and continues to looking. He makes his way to the desk.
Curiosity gets the better of him and he takes a look at his notes, which the doctor had been writing throughout the session. Most of the contents don’t seem too out of the ordinary until he reaches the bottom of the sheet…
Member of Philidor Holdings - Extreme risk!
Well that’s odd…
…
…
...What's going on?
Derrick Vayden sits in a chair on the back porch of his house, facing the dark and intimidating forest at the edge of his yard. He hangs his head. He speaks in a quiet, calm voice.
It’s been a rough few months for me, that’s no secret to anyone. My friend was murdered, things between my wife and I have been strained, and it’s been loss after loss in the ring for me. I’ve been handed the world and failed to retain it. I’ve let countless people down, be it Raging Dead, Sara Pettis, my wife and daughter, or my teammates in trios and at XIII.
Every one of those things has haunted me every night as I tried to sleep. I began to hate it. Hate myself, hate the people around me, hate the business itself. I thought I would die because of all the hate in my veins.
But… then it was all washed away. In one spectacular night, I was absolved of all of my sins. Every mistake, every transgression, I was healed of all of it. For the first time in forever, I’ve been able to get a full night of sleep, even without Geri or Makayla by my side… I’ve never felt better…
Look, I know I’ve done some things lately that are hard to understand. Some may say heinous or downright unforgivable. And honestly? I may be inclined to agree with you. We’ve attacked people, hit them while they were down. We’ve put people in the hospital. Despicable stuff.
But… I need you to try to understand. This is what’s right. This is what needs to happen. Yeah, I initially only started with this group because I wanted to protect my girls. And that is still true. But I’ve realized there’s so much more to it than that.
And on the flip side, I’ve finally let go of the grudges I’ve held against others. After that fateful night before XIII, where I was cleansed… I am finally free.
Dandy, I have held a lot of resentment towards you in the past, especially after you defeated me. You getting chance after chance despite dropping the ball at every turn, somehow being less deserving of the trios championship than the previous winners, still considered a top dog despite presenting nothing to say that’s the case.
Derrick’s hands clench ever so slightly for a moment.
All of those things remain true. But that’s all right. Because I know the truth about you will be revealed soon enough. And the truth is that you’re truly nothing but a failure, a shell of your former self.
You don’t make me mad anymore, Dandy. You simply disappoint me.
Soft chuckling can be heard from the hunched over Vayden.
There’s nothing wrong with being a follower, Dandy. I realize that now. There’s nothing wrong with allowing someone else to assist you to get your life and career back on track. Everyone needs some kind of a guiding light to show them the way when the world around them becomes clouded with doubt.
No, my problem lies with who you’ve chosen to follow. See, Kyle Kemp is a false prophet. He will lead you to the slaughter, not to the top.
Carter Shaw and myself, along with Noris, Jim, and Olive, we chose to follow Ash because she knows how to win. She is the most dominant television champion in Action Wrestling history. She knows how to lead.
But you, Kyle? You are much in the same boat as Dandy. Aside from your trios win, what have you done lately? Honestly, you’ve been much like me this yeah. You’ve had a little bit of success here and there, but ultimately you’ve been unimpressive, lost in the shuffle of Action Wrestling, unable to separate ourselves from the immense talent available.
Meanwhile, your two supposed followers were in the wrestler of the year tournament while you were left out in the cold. That means Wesley and Dandy were better, did more this year, than you. That speaks volumes about both your incompetence as a leader and idiocy as a follower. He feels he needs to follow someone who, in every aspect imaginable, he is leagues better than.
You both disappoint me. You both make me feel so so sorry for you. Because you would rather play pretend, follow a complete fraud all for a bit of short-sighted success. When unbeknownst to you, the true saviors, the ones who will bring order to Action Wrestling, the group who will do everything you wish to do but better.
Dandy, Kyle, if I were you, I would consider reevaluating your priorities. I would consider a shuffling of the hierarchy of The Following. Because while you two take on Carter Shaw and myself all for an opportunity at the tag team titles, your supposed third in command, Wesley, competes in the semi finals of the very tournament you both of you failed to even qualify for. If you had any intelegence, you would let Wesley take charge of The Following, because both of you seem totally unfit to lead anyone.
Another chuckle from the obscured face of Vayden.
Actually, if I were you, I would give up the game and submit yourselves to Philidor. But we’ve already figured out you two are not interested in progress yet, so maybe we need to show you by force. We’ll have to show you that you are not meant to lead, but you do have a place, and a new life, with Philidor Holdings, if you’re willing to accept it…
Derrick let’s out a deep sigh as he shudders, maybe from the chilled Wisconsin air or maybe from the feelings he’s experiencing, as if a strange force surges through him.
The Journey to Nowhere is a road we all walk alone. Everyone must make the trek sooner or later. And you are no different Kyle, Dandy. Don’t keep the devil waiting, old friends... I, myself, was on that road for far too long… But now… Thanks to Philidor Holdings, thanks to Ash Blake...
Derrick finally looks up and makes eye contact with the viewer. His eyes are wide.
I’m home.
It’s been a rough few months for me, that’s no secret to anyone. My friend was murdered, things between my wife and I have been strained, and it’s been loss after loss in the ring for me. I’ve been handed the world and failed to retain it. I’ve let countless people down, be it Raging Dead, Sara Pettis, my wife and daughter, or my teammates in trios and at XIII.
Every one of those things has haunted me every night as I tried to sleep. I began to hate it. Hate myself, hate the people around me, hate the business itself. I thought I would die because of all the hate in my veins.
But… then it was all washed away. In one spectacular night, I was absolved of all of my sins. Every mistake, every transgression, I was healed of all of it. For the first time in forever, I’ve been able to get a full night of sleep, even without Geri or Makayla by my side… I’ve never felt better…
Look, I know I’ve done some things lately that are hard to understand. Some may say heinous or downright unforgivable. And honestly? I may be inclined to agree with you. We’ve attacked people, hit them while they were down. We’ve put people in the hospital. Despicable stuff.
But… I need you to try to understand. This is what’s right. This is what needs to happen. Yeah, I initially only started with this group because I wanted to protect my girls. And that is still true. But I’ve realized there’s so much more to it than that.
And on the flip side, I’ve finally let go of the grudges I’ve held against others. After that fateful night before XIII, where I was cleansed… I am finally free.
Dandy, I have held a lot of resentment towards you in the past, especially after you defeated me. You getting chance after chance despite dropping the ball at every turn, somehow being less deserving of the trios championship than the previous winners, still considered a top dog despite presenting nothing to say that’s the case.
Derrick’s hands clench ever so slightly for a moment.
All of those things remain true. But that’s all right. Because I know the truth about you will be revealed soon enough. And the truth is that you’re truly nothing but a failure, a shell of your former self.
You don’t make me mad anymore, Dandy. You simply disappoint me.
Soft chuckling can be heard from the hunched over Vayden.
There’s nothing wrong with being a follower, Dandy. I realize that now. There’s nothing wrong with allowing someone else to assist you to get your life and career back on track. Everyone needs some kind of a guiding light to show them the way when the world around them becomes clouded with doubt.
No, my problem lies with who you’ve chosen to follow. See, Kyle Kemp is a false prophet. He will lead you to the slaughter, not to the top.
Carter Shaw and myself, along with Noris, Jim, and Olive, we chose to follow Ash because she knows how to win. She is the most dominant television champion in Action Wrestling history. She knows how to lead.
But you, Kyle? You are much in the same boat as Dandy. Aside from your trios win, what have you done lately? Honestly, you’ve been much like me this yeah. You’ve had a little bit of success here and there, but ultimately you’ve been unimpressive, lost in the shuffle of Action Wrestling, unable to separate ourselves from the immense talent available.
Meanwhile, your two supposed followers were in the wrestler of the year tournament while you were left out in the cold. That means Wesley and Dandy were better, did more this year, than you. That speaks volumes about both your incompetence as a leader and idiocy as a follower. He feels he needs to follow someone who, in every aspect imaginable, he is leagues better than.
You both disappoint me. You both make me feel so so sorry for you. Because you would rather play pretend, follow a complete fraud all for a bit of short-sighted success. When unbeknownst to you, the true saviors, the ones who will bring order to Action Wrestling, the group who will do everything you wish to do but better.
Dandy, Kyle, if I were you, I would consider reevaluating your priorities. I would consider a shuffling of the hierarchy of The Following. Because while you two take on Carter Shaw and myself all for an opportunity at the tag team titles, your supposed third in command, Wesley, competes in the semi finals of the very tournament you both of you failed to even qualify for. If you had any intelegence, you would let Wesley take charge of The Following, because both of you seem totally unfit to lead anyone.
Another chuckle from the obscured face of Vayden.
Actually, if I were you, I would give up the game and submit yourselves to Philidor. But we’ve already figured out you two are not interested in progress yet, so maybe we need to show you by force. We’ll have to show you that you are not meant to lead, but you do have a place, and a new life, with Philidor Holdings, if you’re willing to accept it…
Derrick let’s out a deep sigh as he shudders, maybe from the chilled Wisconsin air or maybe from the feelings he’s experiencing, as if a strange force surges through him.
The Journey to Nowhere is a road we all walk alone. Everyone must make the trek sooner or later. And you are no different Kyle, Dandy. Don’t keep the devil waiting, old friends... I, myself, was on that road for far too long… But now… Thanks to Philidor Holdings, thanks to Ash Blake...
Derrick finally looks up and makes eye contact with the viewer. His eyes are wide.
I’m home.