For Wesley
Jan 31, 2021 23:57:35 GMT -5
“The RevolutiDaddy” Wesley, CJ Phoenix, and 4 more like this
Post by The Following on Jan 31, 2021 23:57:35 GMT -5
The bumps, twists and turns of the road jar everyone as the van carrying The Following speeds back to the airport. All of the men are somehow quieter with every passing second, each reflecting on the past few weeks which have been emotionally draining to say the least. So much had happened to them since Christmas. The holiday cheer had long worn off and been replaced by a thirst for blood.
It was a thirst that could only be quenched by leaving The HR Department in a bloody heap at Revolution.
No other scenario would make Kyle Kemp and Dandy DiVito happy. Not after what they’d seen a couple of weeks prior when Wesley was put on the shelf. Not after they were forced to watch as it happened. The emotions from that night still ran circles around Kemp’s head.
Every time he closed his eyes he saw Wesley being powerbombed over and over on the exposed wood. He saw the blood trickling out of Wesley’s mouth. He saw Ash Blake smiling while she directed the HR Department to do it. The images wouldn’t stop and with those images came the guilt.
Kemp looked around the van and instead of seeing his brothers, he saw men that he’d let down. He saw men that had lost a beacon of hope in Wesley. Since joining The Following, Wesley had been the glue that had held the team together. His heart had touched every member, and he’d given plenty of guidance to both new and old members. Now their heart was laying in a corner room of the compound, nursing wounds that may never heal.
Before Kemp could fall any further down the rabbit hole of despair, his thoughts were interrupted by Dandy moving seats and sitting next to him. Both men stared straight ahead as the van rumbled along before Dandy spoke.
“I know things been fuckin’ rough since Wes went down, but Revolution gon’be our chance. It’s our chance to show these boys we ain’t here ta be fucked wit’.”
“Those ain’t boys. I think the last couple of weeks showed that.”
“They ain’t fuckin’ nothin! You gotta get yo’ head right. This Followin’ shit… this is all yo’ show. You created this. Don’t let a bunch of rich boys take it away from you!”
“I’m not letting anyone take anything from me. We didn’t lay down the challenge to these guys to lose. We did it to avenge our brother.”
“That’s fuckin’ right! So what we gon’ do next week?”
“Beat the hell out of Samson and Garvey.”
“You goddamn right….and we gon’ do it for Wesley.”
“For Wesley.”
Both men smiled as the van continued on its way to the airport.
Making people better. That’s what The Following is all about. Ever since I started on this crusade I have strived to make this world a better place by making people see the error of their ways and make the necessary adjustments to become better people. I have given people the benefit of the doubt when I have initially dealt with them so many times. Do you think I wanted to be nice to some of these menaces I’ve come upon?
The answer to that is no. I didn’t want to be nice and give them a chance to join The Following but I gave them a chance anyway. People like Masuda Teijin and Graham Baker and countless others were given an opportunity to join me only to have them spit the opportunity back in my face. Did I enjoy that? No, but I persevered. I continued to spread my message and continued to make sure people knew that I would always give them a chance. In the back of my mind, I knew there would come a time when someone would come by that I just couldn’t give a chance to. That time has finally come.
Samson and Garvey are two individuals that cannot be saved. They are two that cannot be motivated to change. They are two that cannot see the problems with their past decisions. Why? Because you need to have emotions to be able to process all of those things, and these two have none. I’ve seen it first hand since the first moment they jumped Dandy and I. I knew it then and I definitely know it now.
Little is known about either of you except that you are bought and paid for by Ash Blake. That in itself is a problem for me because there isn’t one person I despise on this Earth more than her right now. Surprised boys? You shouldn’t be. You see everything that you have done to us has been with her overseeing it. All of the attacks, the mind games and the decision to try to end Wesley’s career was all her. It wasn’t you two idiots. You don’t have the mental capacity to tie your shoes let alone come up with a plan like when you first came after us by locking everyone but Dandy and I in that locker room. That took brains. You are just brawn.
I’ll give you both credit. You can take a punch! Hell, you can both take a chair shot. But that’s all you’ve got. A thick skull with nothing worth a damn shaking in between there. Dandy and I have come at you the past few weeks with chairs, punches, emotion and you are still standing. Some would get frustrated. We are salivating. We know it’s going to take a lot more to end the threat that is the HR Department and I relish that. I want this to be slow. I want to systematically pick you apart and make you feel it.
I want Ash Blake to look on with the same helpless feeling in the pit of her stomach as I had to look on when you took out Wesley. I want her to be getting ready for her World Title match and look up at the screen, thinking that her two big monsters are going to bring the Tag Team Titles back to Philidor and see Dandy and I physically dissecting you. I want to end the dream of any gold coming back to Philidor before she even gets the chance. Before this is all over I am going to live rent free in the mind of every member of Philidor Holdings. You’re going to be focused on your matches and your own personal shit but constantly wondering where Kyle Kemp and the rest of The Following are!
Philidor Holdings was formed to be a security blanket for Ash Blake. Plain and simple. That security blanket needs to be taken away and I can’t think of a better way to do that then by taking her two biggest and baddest men down. I can’t think of a more perfect way by handicapping her. I’m going to laugh when everyone looks at Philidor a few months from now and sees that the return on investment is nothing for all those involved!
Let me tell you all what you should invest in. You should invest in The Following! We may be down a man but our confidence has not waned! Our belief that being a better human being will carry us and our members that no one deemed possible. Just do a comparison of the two entities. What has Philidor done?
They’ve failed to win any match of significance including Trios which we won. They’ve boasted about all of this talent they have but no one in their little group has won a championship since they’ve formed. In fact they’ve lost more titles than they’ve won. That’s right, Ash. We haven’t forgotten Turmoil no matter how much you want us to. In fact, many of the Philidor members have been less active since getting paid so you could say their production is even worse than before.
Meanwhile our record appeals for itself! Trios Champions. Tag Team Champions. Future Cruiserweight Champion in CJ Phoenix. Oh and Wesley broke out more than you could ever imagine! 2021 is going to be just a more successful 2020 for a the Following.
We’ve done all of that because we are a family and family triumphs over all. You made us watch as you tried to end one of our family members and now you must pay the price. That price is watching Philidor Holdings going bankrupt. I will not rest till two things happen. 1. The Followings message is taken seriously and 2. Philidor Holdings is in shambles. Dandy and I begin that process on Sunday.
I want all members of Philidor Holdings to do me one favor. Watch the Tag Team Titles match. Really sit down and watch. Watch the statement that we make on the front lawn of the White House! Watch as your two bodyguards go down and realize that once they’re out of the way, it’s open season on your ass!
We are going to show everyone that there is only choice in 2021 and that is to FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING!
Kemp stood in the hallway of the compound and stared at a door down the hall, the one that belonged to Wesley’s room. Kemp knew he’d love nothing more to walk down the hall and open that door. He’d love to walk right in there, check on Wesley, and have a conversation. The only problem is every time he tried to walk down there, he just couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door.
He sighed as he watched Chase Jackson walk right up to the door and do just what he longed to do. Chase disappeared inside of Wesley’s room within a moment of knocking. Kemp wanted to run up and join him, but once again, the mental block took hold and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he turned and walked into his office. Kemp flopped into his office chair and picked the remote up off the desk.
Kemp took a deep breath and turned on the television. Playing on that television was the same thing that had been on it for the 3 weeks prior: replay after replay of the entire course of events from the night Wesley was taken out. Kemp had watched it over and over since it happened, obsessing over what he could have done differently. What he could have done to protect his people.
Kemp got to the spot in the replay that always made his blood boil, and he paused it just as Ash Blake said “Break him.” Kemp stared at her face, stared at the cold and calculated look that everyone saw, but in this paused moment, he saw how she really felt. He saw the amused twinkle in her eye. She enjoyed it. She enjoyed every second.
He pressed play and watched her tell them to do it again. Watched the crushing powerbomb on the exposed wood. Watched the blood fly out of Wesley’s mouth. Kemp still felt Carter Shaw and Noris Crankey holding him and Dandy against the ring apron. He still felt everything, and the rage that sparked fueled him.
It fueled Kemp, because he swore to show all of these people a better way and he let them down by not seeing all the angles. He underestimated Philidor Holdings that day, but he swore that would never happen again. Ever.
Kemp couldn’t go see Wesley, because he couldn’t bear to look his brother in the eye until Kemp had avenged Wesley’s loss and taken that paid out on Philidor Holdings. Kemp knew the first step in getting that revenge was to come at Revolution.
Kemp banged his fist on the desk as he started the video over and swore to himself, “It’s going to come by any means necessary.”
Dandy stood in the hall just outside of Wesley’s room. He’d stopped by for a visit, but he’d heard the unmistakable voice of Chase Jackson inside with Wesley already and didn’t want to interrupt the pair’s conversation. Dandy made eye contact with a few of the near nameless followers that walked down the hall. The first of the two nodded at Dandy as he passed, but the second looked at Wesley’s room and smirked before muttering something under his breath to his walking mate.
The first man’s face immediately soured at the second’s quiet remark, and Dandy’s attention turned wholly toward the second man.
“What’d you say, motherfucka?”
The second man looked at Dandy to feign innocence.
“What?”
“Don’t fuckin’ what me, I saw you look at Wesley’s fuckin’ room and say some snide shit to your buddy there.”
“Woah. I’m not his buddy, Dandy. This guy’s an asshole.”
Dandy looked at the second man with increasingly intense fire in his eyes.
“What the fuck did you say?!”
The asshole shrugged, so Dandy turned his attention to the other man.
“What the fuck did he say?!”
The first man hesitantly responded.
“Don’t kill the messenger?”
“Dude!”
Dandy puffed his chest out at the asshole.
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth.”
Dandy turned to the second man.
“Spill it or I’ma do more than kill the fuckin’ messenger.”
The messenger chokes out what the asshole said as the door to Wesley’s room opens.
“He said that pussy who can’t even take a couple powerbombs, so why’s he the trainer?”
“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?!”
Chase Jackson flew out of Wesley’s doorway and grabbed the asshole by the collar before putting him against the wall. Dandy watched on with a perverse pride in Chase beating him to the punch before he turned to the messenger.
“You better go. This ain’t gon’ end well for him.”
The messenger blinked rapidly in confusion before the reality of the moment set in and he ran off toward the training ring.
Followin’ versus Philidor. This shit’s all gon’ get boiled down to a simple li’l phrase: stable wars. I’ma tell y’all right now that ain’t accurate. This ain’t some fuckin’ crips and bloods shit where we hate y’all ‘cause of yo’ fuckin’ colors or yo’ fuckin’ neighborhood or ‘cause y’all joined the wrong fuckin’ club. Nope. Not by a fuckin’ long shot. To be real? I ain’t give a single fuck ‘bout Philidor.
I mean, why would I? Philidor introduced itself to the world the same night Kemp introduced Wes an’ me to the world as Followin’. Same fuckin’ birthday. What’s been happenin’ since then? We been punkin’ you mo’fuckas ever since! We got them tag straps. You got… you got fuck all goin’ on. We got them trios. You got… knocked out in the first fuckin’ round. We got strong, passionate family. You got… Derrick Vayden takin’ his li’l balls an’ goin’ home instead of fuckin’ ‘round wit’ y’all. I mean, shit, if that ain’t the indictment of all fuckin’ indictments, I don’t know what is. Derrick Fuckin’ Vayden could handle hangin’ aroun’ wit’ Andre Jenson and Magic Maddox FOR FREE wit’out thinkin’ ta leave. He spent so much time FOR FREE with Geri fuckin’ Miller that he married the girl an’ didn’t go full ass OJ on her shit. But you put him wit’ Philidor and PAY ‘IM, and suddenly, y’all are so fuckin’ insufferable that he can’t even stomach hangin’ ‘round no more?! Man, fuck. If makin’ my favorite punchin’ bag leave the fuckin’ comp’ny ain’t the crownin’ fuckin’ achievement of the Philidor crew so far, y’all ain’t got one.
So, no, none of this shit to me is ‘cause the card’s gon’ say FOLLOWING V PHILIDOR. Right now, all a’ this shit is what it is ‘cause them fucks in tha Philidor HR Department don’t know how to not have every damn thing they want handed to ‘em, so they lash the fuck out an’ they hurt somebody I give a whole heap of fucks about in Wes. They got my boy laid up for months now. They got ‘em fuckin’ wrecked. Why? ‘Cause they wasn’t ready to have to earn another fuckin’ title shot. They wasn’t ready to get in fuckin’ line and wait they turn like e’rybody else do. So they had to cut the line an’ maybe end the career of a man who could wrestle fuckin’ circles ‘round ‘em. I ain’t here to abide by that shit, boys.
I know you prolly thinkin’ Dandy done worse than that! But I’m a better man today than I was yesterday an’ the day befo’ that and every goddamn day befo’ that. That’s what happens when you run wit’ mo’fuckas who exist for the purpose of helpin’ other sombitches. Through all this shit, I made my peace wit’ the man I been. I closed that chapter a’ my fuckin’ autobiography, son. But you fucks? Nah. You still the type to cheap shot a mo’fucka an’ injure ‘im when he ain’t never meant fuck all in terms of standin’ in yo’ way an’ hurtin’ yo’ plans. Y’all still the pieces of shit who ain’t worryin’ ‘bout who y’all gotta fuck up to do what you wanna do. Y’all still the amoral shit gibbons who feel like they money can just buy whatever they want. Sorry, boys. I been there. I walked in them shoes. I bought the fuckin’ t-shirt an’ all that shit. It ain’t all it’s cracked up ta be. But you boys is convinced that y’all can make yo’ nut playin’ that way, so who am I to tell ya otherwise?
I’ll tell you mo’fuckas who I am: I’m Dandy Fuckin’ DiVito. I’m the baddest motherfucker to ever hold that Action Wrestling World Championship. I’m the man who beat the unbeatable. I’m the man who been sittin’ bedside wit’ Wesley since y’all tried to end his fuckin’ career. I’m the man who, along wit’ my boy Kyle Kemp, is holdin’ the title that you ain’t NEVER gonna fuckin’ win ‘til we deided we done holdin’ ‘em, an’ I promise you fuck right now, we ain’t gon’ make that call to let yo’ asses take ‘em. Nah. Kemp and me? We out for fuckin’ blood. We ain’t gon’ stop until you bastards is laid up like Wesley is. Eye for an eye an’ all that shit.
So this ain’t gon’ be no fuckin’ regular ass bell-to-bell affair, boys. No, no. It ain’t. What it’s gonna be is a knock down, drag out fuckin’ fight. They ain’t gon’ be nothin’ that can stop us from battlin’ you bitches except a fuckin’ casket. I hope y’all know what you gettin’ yo’selfs into wit’ this shit. At this point, you opened pandora’s fuckin’ box, an’ you can’t unfuck your life now. Y’all might be 10-feet tall, but it’s cool ‘cause we can chop down a fuckin’ tree. Y’all might be bulletproof, but it’s cool ‘cause we got blunt force trauma. Y’all might be fuckin’ immortal, but it’s cool ‘cause we got nothin’ better to do than spend the rest of our fuckin’ lives makin’ yo’s fuckin’ hell. You kicked the fuckin’ hornets’ nest, boys. Well, the hornets is gonna make y’all pay for your dumb fuckin’ mistake.”
Dandy and Chase sat in the parlor after throwing the asshole out of the compound and into the Minnesota winter. Dandy smirked and Chase looked on confused.
“What?”
“Nothin’.”
Dandy smiled a little more.
“Seriously, what?”
“It’s just that you fuckin’ handled that douchebag exactly like I was gonna. You an’ me… we mo’ alike than I ever knew.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, yeah, man. You been waitin’ on Wes hand an’ fuckin’ foot. Doin’ e’rything he needs when he needs the help. You protectin’ our brother when he can’t do it he self. That’s exactly why that shithead pissed me off so much tonight. He ain’t have the respect for the fuckin’ family we all gotta be fo’ each other. He ain’t have the ability to care ‘bout nobody but he self. You saw I was handin’ business but you didn’t just leave it be. You STILL puffed yo’ chest out and did the fuckin’ work that’s gotta be done when we got a brother out here that’s down an’ out. You did what I woulda did if them roles was reversed.”
Chase smiled a subtle smile.
“Thanks, Dandy. I… I appreciate that.”
Dandy stood from his seat and patted Chase on the shoulder.
“Keep it up, man. I appreciate it, and whether Wes is able to tell you his own damn self, he does, too.”
Dandy exited the room and headed down the hall.
Dandy knocked on Kemp’s office door.
“Come in.”
Dandy opened the door and took a seat across from Kemp at Kemp’s desk.
“You ready, man?”
“For Revolution?”
“Yeah, man. What else?”
“Sorry, Dandy. There’s just a lot weighing on my mind right now.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“How long you got?”
“Ha! Seriously… What’s up?”
“Honestly, I’m struggling with the fact that Wesley got hurt on my watch.”
“Your watch?!”
“You’re all here because of me. It’s on me to keep you all safe.”
“Nah.”
“What?”
“I’m just sayin’ that ain’t your fuckin’ responsibility, Kemp.”
“And why do you think that is?”
“We’re all grown ass men, Kemp. We all uprooted our lives to come here and be a part of this whole goddamn family thing, man. You ain’t responsible fo’ the decisions we all made on our own. We own our own decisions, man.”
Kemp’s eyes narrowed as he considered what Dandy said.
“I’m deadass serious, Kemp. You cannot fuckin’ eat yourself alive over this shit. Wes wouldn’t fuckin’ want that, Chase wouldn’t, CJ wouldn’t, and I sure as fuck don’t want that. Your head needs to be in the game, and it can’t be if you’re worryin’ ‘bout one of the boys gettin’ injured.”
“But what about Wesley?”
“You wanna help Wes right now? We gotta do what you was sayin’ earlier: we avenge this shit. You wanna take care of the family? We go out there and we fuckin’ show the whole ass world that fuckin’ with The Followin’ ain’t advisable. We make these punk fucks pay for what they did. We smoke their asses in front a’ e’rybody.”
The pair sat in silence for a beat.
“I’ma ask again now, man. So… you ready?”
Kemp’s eyes met Dandy’s, and Kemp nodded confidently.
“Thank you, Dandy. You’re right. Let’s show the world what happens.”
It was a thirst that could only be quenched by leaving The HR Department in a bloody heap at Revolution.
No other scenario would make Kyle Kemp and Dandy DiVito happy. Not after what they’d seen a couple of weeks prior when Wesley was put on the shelf. Not after they were forced to watch as it happened. The emotions from that night still ran circles around Kemp’s head.
Every time he closed his eyes he saw Wesley being powerbombed over and over on the exposed wood. He saw the blood trickling out of Wesley’s mouth. He saw Ash Blake smiling while she directed the HR Department to do it. The images wouldn’t stop and with those images came the guilt.
Kemp looked around the van and instead of seeing his brothers, he saw men that he’d let down. He saw men that had lost a beacon of hope in Wesley. Since joining The Following, Wesley had been the glue that had held the team together. His heart had touched every member, and he’d given plenty of guidance to both new and old members. Now their heart was laying in a corner room of the compound, nursing wounds that may never heal.
Before Kemp could fall any further down the rabbit hole of despair, his thoughts were interrupted by Dandy moving seats and sitting next to him. Both men stared straight ahead as the van rumbled along before Dandy spoke.
“I know things been fuckin’ rough since Wes went down, but Revolution gon’be our chance. It’s our chance to show these boys we ain’t here ta be fucked wit’.”
“Those ain’t boys. I think the last couple of weeks showed that.”
“They ain’t fuckin’ nothin! You gotta get yo’ head right. This Followin’ shit… this is all yo’ show. You created this. Don’t let a bunch of rich boys take it away from you!”
“I’m not letting anyone take anything from me. We didn’t lay down the challenge to these guys to lose. We did it to avenge our brother.”
“That’s fuckin’ right! So what we gon’ do next week?”
“Beat the hell out of Samson and Garvey.”
“You goddamn right….and we gon’ do it for Wesley.”
“For Wesley.”
Both men smiled as the van continued on its way to the airport.
Making people better. That’s what The Following is all about. Ever since I started on this crusade I have strived to make this world a better place by making people see the error of their ways and make the necessary adjustments to become better people. I have given people the benefit of the doubt when I have initially dealt with them so many times. Do you think I wanted to be nice to some of these menaces I’ve come upon?
The answer to that is no. I didn’t want to be nice and give them a chance to join The Following but I gave them a chance anyway. People like Masuda Teijin and Graham Baker and countless others were given an opportunity to join me only to have them spit the opportunity back in my face. Did I enjoy that? No, but I persevered. I continued to spread my message and continued to make sure people knew that I would always give them a chance. In the back of my mind, I knew there would come a time when someone would come by that I just couldn’t give a chance to. That time has finally come.
Samson and Garvey are two individuals that cannot be saved. They are two that cannot be motivated to change. They are two that cannot see the problems with their past decisions. Why? Because you need to have emotions to be able to process all of those things, and these two have none. I’ve seen it first hand since the first moment they jumped Dandy and I. I knew it then and I definitely know it now.
Little is known about either of you except that you are bought and paid for by Ash Blake. That in itself is a problem for me because there isn’t one person I despise on this Earth more than her right now. Surprised boys? You shouldn’t be. You see everything that you have done to us has been with her overseeing it. All of the attacks, the mind games and the decision to try to end Wesley’s career was all her. It wasn’t you two idiots. You don’t have the mental capacity to tie your shoes let alone come up with a plan like when you first came after us by locking everyone but Dandy and I in that locker room. That took brains. You are just brawn.
I’ll give you both credit. You can take a punch! Hell, you can both take a chair shot. But that’s all you’ve got. A thick skull with nothing worth a damn shaking in between there. Dandy and I have come at you the past few weeks with chairs, punches, emotion and you are still standing. Some would get frustrated. We are salivating. We know it’s going to take a lot more to end the threat that is the HR Department and I relish that. I want this to be slow. I want to systematically pick you apart and make you feel it.
I want Ash Blake to look on with the same helpless feeling in the pit of her stomach as I had to look on when you took out Wesley. I want her to be getting ready for her World Title match and look up at the screen, thinking that her two big monsters are going to bring the Tag Team Titles back to Philidor and see Dandy and I physically dissecting you. I want to end the dream of any gold coming back to Philidor before she even gets the chance. Before this is all over I am going to live rent free in the mind of every member of Philidor Holdings. You’re going to be focused on your matches and your own personal shit but constantly wondering where Kyle Kemp and the rest of The Following are!
Philidor Holdings was formed to be a security blanket for Ash Blake. Plain and simple. That security blanket needs to be taken away and I can’t think of a better way to do that then by taking her two biggest and baddest men down. I can’t think of a more perfect way by handicapping her. I’m going to laugh when everyone looks at Philidor a few months from now and sees that the return on investment is nothing for all those involved!
Let me tell you all what you should invest in. You should invest in The Following! We may be down a man but our confidence has not waned! Our belief that being a better human being will carry us and our members that no one deemed possible. Just do a comparison of the two entities. What has Philidor done?
They’ve failed to win any match of significance including Trios which we won. They’ve boasted about all of this talent they have but no one in their little group has won a championship since they’ve formed. In fact they’ve lost more titles than they’ve won. That’s right, Ash. We haven’t forgotten Turmoil no matter how much you want us to. In fact, many of the Philidor members have been less active since getting paid so you could say their production is even worse than before.
Meanwhile our record appeals for itself! Trios Champions. Tag Team Champions. Future Cruiserweight Champion in CJ Phoenix. Oh and Wesley broke out more than you could ever imagine! 2021 is going to be just a more successful 2020 for a the Following.
We’ve done all of that because we are a family and family triumphs over all. You made us watch as you tried to end one of our family members and now you must pay the price. That price is watching Philidor Holdings going bankrupt. I will not rest till two things happen. 1. The Followings message is taken seriously and 2. Philidor Holdings is in shambles. Dandy and I begin that process on Sunday.
I want all members of Philidor Holdings to do me one favor. Watch the Tag Team Titles match. Really sit down and watch. Watch the statement that we make on the front lawn of the White House! Watch as your two bodyguards go down and realize that once they’re out of the way, it’s open season on your ass!
We are going to show everyone that there is only choice in 2021 and that is to FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING!
Kemp stood in the hallway of the compound and stared at a door down the hall, the one that belonged to Wesley’s room. Kemp knew he’d love nothing more to walk down the hall and open that door. He’d love to walk right in there, check on Wesley, and have a conversation. The only problem is every time he tried to walk down there, he just couldn’t bring himself to knock on the door.
He sighed as he watched Chase Jackson walk right up to the door and do just what he longed to do. Chase disappeared inside of Wesley’s room within a moment of knocking. Kemp wanted to run up and join him, but once again, the mental block took hold and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he turned and walked into his office. Kemp flopped into his office chair and picked the remote up off the desk.
Kemp took a deep breath and turned on the television. Playing on that television was the same thing that had been on it for the 3 weeks prior: replay after replay of the entire course of events from the night Wesley was taken out. Kemp had watched it over and over since it happened, obsessing over what he could have done differently. What he could have done to protect his people.
Kemp got to the spot in the replay that always made his blood boil, and he paused it just as Ash Blake said “Break him.” Kemp stared at her face, stared at the cold and calculated look that everyone saw, but in this paused moment, he saw how she really felt. He saw the amused twinkle in her eye. She enjoyed it. She enjoyed every second.
He pressed play and watched her tell them to do it again. Watched the crushing powerbomb on the exposed wood. Watched the blood fly out of Wesley’s mouth. Kemp still felt Carter Shaw and Noris Crankey holding him and Dandy against the ring apron. He still felt everything, and the rage that sparked fueled him.
It fueled Kemp, because he swore to show all of these people a better way and he let them down by not seeing all the angles. He underestimated Philidor Holdings that day, but he swore that would never happen again. Ever.
Kemp couldn’t go see Wesley, because he couldn’t bear to look his brother in the eye until Kemp had avenged Wesley’s loss and taken that paid out on Philidor Holdings. Kemp knew the first step in getting that revenge was to come at Revolution.
Kemp banged his fist on the desk as he started the video over and swore to himself, “It’s going to come by any means necessary.”
Dandy stood in the hall just outside of Wesley’s room. He’d stopped by for a visit, but he’d heard the unmistakable voice of Chase Jackson inside with Wesley already and didn’t want to interrupt the pair’s conversation. Dandy made eye contact with a few of the near nameless followers that walked down the hall. The first of the two nodded at Dandy as he passed, but the second looked at Wesley’s room and smirked before muttering something under his breath to his walking mate.
The first man’s face immediately soured at the second’s quiet remark, and Dandy’s attention turned wholly toward the second man.
“What’d you say, motherfucka?”
The second man looked at Dandy to feign innocence.
“What?”
“Don’t fuckin’ what me, I saw you look at Wesley’s fuckin’ room and say some snide shit to your buddy there.”
“Woah. I’m not his buddy, Dandy. This guy’s an asshole.”
Dandy looked at the second man with increasingly intense fire in his eyes.
“What the fuck did you say?!”
The asshole shrugged, so Dandy turned his attention to the other man.
“What the fuck did he say?!”
The first man hesitantly responded.
“Don’t kill the messenger?”
“Dude!”
Dandy puffed his chest out at the asshole.
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth.”
Dandy turned to the second man.
“Spill it or I’ma do more than kill the fuckin’ messenger.”
The messenger chokes out what the asshole said as the door to Wesley’s room opens.
“He said that pussy who can’t even take a couple powerbombs, so why’s he the trainer?”
“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY?!”
Chase Jackson flew out of Wesley’s doorway and grabbed the asshole by the collar before putting him against the wall. Dandy watched on with a perverse pride in Chase beating him to the punch before he turned to the messenger.
“You better go. This ain’t gon’ end well for him.”
The messenger blinked rapidly in confusion before the reality of the moment set in and he ran off toward the training ring.
Followin’ versus Philidor. This shit’s all gon’ get boiled down to a simple li’l phrase: stable wars. I’ma tell y’all right now that ain’t accurate. This ain’t some fuckin’ crips and bloods shit where we hate y’all ‘cause of yo’ fuckin’ colors or yo’ fuckin’ neighborhood or ‘cause y’all joined the wrong fuckin’ club. Nope. Not by a fuckin’ long shot. To be real? I ain’t give a single fuck ‘bout Philidor.
I mean, why would I? Philidor introduced itself to the world the same night Kemp introduced Wes an’ me to the world as Followin’. Same fuckin’ birthday. What’s been happenin’ since then? We been punkin’ you mo’fuckas ever since! We got them tag straps. You got… you got fuck all goin’ on. We got them trios. You got… knocked out in the first fuckin’ round. We got strong, passionate family. You got… Derrick Vayden takin’ his li’l balls an’ goin’ home instead of fuckin’ ‘round wit’ y’all. I mean, shit, if that ain’t the indictment of all fuckin’ indictments, I don’t know what is. Derrick Fuckin’ Vayden could handle hangin’ aroun’ wit’ Andre Jenson and Magic Maddox FOR FREE wit’out thinkin’ ta leave. He spent so much time FOR FREE with Geri fuckin’ Miller that he married the girl an’ didn’t go full ass OJ on her shit. But you put him wit’ Philidor and PAY ‘IM, and suddenly, y’all are so fuckin’ insufferable that he can’t even stomach hangin’ ‘round no more?! Man, fuck. If makin’ my favorite punchin’ bag leave the fuckin’ comp’ny ain’t the crownin’ fuckin’ achievement of the Philidor crew so far, y’all ain’t got one.
So, no, none of this shit to me is ‘cause the card’s gon’ say FOLLOWING V PHILIDOR. Right now, all a’ this shit is what it is ‘cause them fucks in tha Philidor HR Department don’t know how to not have every damn thing they want handed to ‘em, so they lash the fuck out an’ they hurt somebody I give a whole heap of fucks about in Wes. They got my boy laid up for months now. They got ‘em fuckin’ wrecked. Why? ‘Cause they wasn’t ready to have to earn another fuckin’ title shot. They wasn’t ready to get in fuckin’ line and wait they turn like e’rybody else do. So they had to cut the line an’ maybe end the career of a man who could wrestle fuckin’ circles ‘round ‘em. I ain’t here to abide by that shit, boys.
I know you prolly thinkin’ Dandy done worse than that! But I’m a better man today than I was yesterday an’ the day befo’ that and every goddamn day befo’ that. That’s what happens when you run wit’ mo’fuckas who exist for the purpose of helpin’ other sombitches. Through all this shit, I made my peace wit’ the man I been. I closed that chapter a’ my fuckin’ autobiography, son. But you fucks? Nah. You still the type to cheap shot a mo’fucka an’ injure ‘im when he ain’t never meant fuck all in terms of standin’ in yo’ way an’ hurtin’ yo’ plans. Y’all still the pieces of shit who ain’t worryin’ ‘bout who y’all gotta fuck up to do what you wanna do. Y’all still the amoral shit gibbons who feel like they money can just buy whatever they want. Sorry, boys. I been there. I walked in them shoes. I bought the fuckin’ t-shirt an’ all that shit. It ain’t all it’s cracked up ta be. But you boys is convinced that y’all can make yo’ nut playin’ that way, so who am I to tell ya otherwise?
I’ll tell you mo’fuckas who I am: I’m Dandy Fuckin’ DiVito. I’m the baddest motherfucker to ever hold that Action Wrestling World Championship. I’m the man who beat the unbeatable. I’m the man who been sittin’ bedside wit’ Wesley since y’all tried to end his fuckin’ career. I’m the man who, along wit’ my boy Kyle Kemp, is holdin’ the title that you ain’t NEVER gonna fuckin’ win ‘til we deided we done holdin’ ‘em, an’ I promise you fuck right now, we ain’t gon’ make that call to let yo’ asses take ‘em. Nah. Kemp and me? We out for fuckin’ blood. We ain’t gon’ stop until you bastards is laid up like Wesley is. Eye for an eye an’ all that shit.
So this ain’t gon’ be no fuckin’ regular ass bell-to-bell affair, boys. No, no. It ain’t. What it’s gonna be is a knock down, drag out fuckin’ fight. They ain’t gon’ be nothin’ that can stop us from battlin’ you bitches except a fuckin’ casket. I hope y’all know what you gettin’ yo’selfs into wit’ this shit. At this point, you opened pandora’s fuckin’ box, an’ you can’t unfuck your life now. Y’all might be 10-feet tall, but it’s cool ‘cause we can chop down a fuckin’ tree. Y’all might be bulletproof, but it’s cool ‘cause we got blunt force trauma. Y’all might be fuckin’ immortal, but it’s cool ‘cause we got nothin’ better to do than spend the rest of our fuckin’ lives makin’ yo’s fuckin’ hell. You kicked the fuckin’ hornets’ nest, boys. Well, the hornets is gonna make y’all pay for your dumb fuckin’ mistake.”
Dandy and Chase sat in the parlor after throwing the asshole out of the compound and into the Minnesota winter. Dandy smirked and Chase looked on confused.
“What?”
“Nothin’.”
Dandy smiled a little more.
“Seriously, what?”
“It’s just that you fuckin’ handled that douchebag exactly like I was gonna. You an’ me… we mo’ alike than I ever knew.”
“Yeah?”
“I mean, yeah, man. You been waitin’ on Wes hand an’ fuckin’ foot. Doin’ e’rything he needs when he needs the help. You protectin’ our brother when he can’t do it he self. That’s exactly why that shithead pissed me off so much tonight. He ain’t have the respect for the fuckin’ family we all gotta be fo’ each other. He ain’t have the ability to care ‘bout nobody but he self. You saw I was handin’ business but you didn’t just leave it be. You STILL puffed yo’ chest out and did the fuckin’ work that’s gotta be done when we got a brother out here that’s down an’ out. You did what I woulda did if them roles was reversed.”
Chase smiled a subtle smile.
“Thanks, Dandy. I… I appreciate that.”
Dandy stood from his seat and patted Chase on the shoulder.
“Keep it up, man. I appreciate it, and whether Wes is able to tell you his own damn self, he does, too.”
Dandy exited the room and headed down the hall.
Dandy knocked on Kemp’s office door.
“Come in.”
Dandy opened the door and took a seat across from Kemp at Kemp’s desk.
“You ready, man?”
“For Revolution?”
“Yeah, man. What else?”
“Sorry, Dandy. There’s just a lot weighing on my mind right now.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“How long you got?”
“Ha! Seriously… What’s up?”
“Honestly, I’m struggling with the fact that Wesley got hurt on my watch.”
“Your watch?!”
“You’re all here because of me. It’s on me to keep you all safe.”
“Nah.”
“What?”
“I’m just sayin’ that ain’t your fuckin’ responsibility, Kemp.”
“And why do you think that is?”
“We’re all grown ass men, Kemp. We all uprooted our lives to come here and be a part of this whole goddamn family thing, man. You ain’t responsible fo’ the decisions we all made on our own. We own our own decisions, man.”
Kemp’s eyes narrowed as he considered what Dandy said.
“I’m deadass serious, Kemp. You cannot fuckin’ eat yourself alive over this shit. Wes wouldn’t fuckin’ want that, Chase wouldn’t, CJ wouldn’t, and I sure as fuck don’t want that. Your head needs to be in the game, and it can’t be if you’re worryin’ ‘bout one of the boys gettin’ injured.”
“But what about Wesley?”
“You wanna help Wes right now? We gotta do what you was sayin’ earlier: we avenge this shit. You wanna take care of the family? We go out there and we fuckin’ show the whole ass world that fuckin’ with The Followin’ ain’t advisable. We make these punk fucks pay for what they did. We smoke their asses in front a’ e’rybody.”
The pair sat in silence for a beat.
“I’ma ask again now, man. So… you ready?”
Kemp’s eyes met Dandy’s, and Kemp nodded confidently.
“Thank you, Dandy. You’re right. Let’s show the world what happens.”