๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐
May 23, 2021 19:01:01 GMT -5
T.F.K., CJ Phoenix, and 9 more like this
Post by James Nightingale on May 23, 2021 19:01:01 GMT -5
Dripโฆ Dripโฆ Drip...
An eye opens, the pupil constricts as it adjusts to the light creeping through the bedroom curtain. James awakes from his sleep, rubbing his eyes as he comes to his senses. After taking a moment to gather his bearings, he pushes up on his mattress until he is upright on the edge of his bed. He peers down to the bedside table and notices a note left for him. He smiles as he extends his left arm, picking up the note to read it.
Taken the kids to school,
enjoy the lie in baby
love Ali xxx
enjoy the lie in baby
love Ali xxx
The note had been left propped up next to a picture of Alice and himself on their wedding day. He lays the note back down on the table, exchanging it for his wedding band, which he then slides onto the ring finger of his left hand. He then proceeds to stand and stretch his arms behind his back before walking over to the window, opening the curtains to reveal The King City.
James looks over the medieval cathedral city, a picture of classic looking buildings being overshadowed by a centuries-old cathedral. He looks up to the greyed-out sky, a blustering rainstorm has engulfed the city, yet a single ray of light had pierced through the thick clouds and had concentrated through Jamesโs bedroom window. He finally turns and heads for the bedroom exit.
He calls out for Alice as he walks down the stairs, โAliโฆ are you back yet my love?โ
There is no response, perhaps she had stayed out after dropping the kids off at school. He shrugs and continues to head down the stairs. He is greeted by the family cat as he reaches his descent, Binx. James crouches down and strokes the black catโs fur before rubbing him on the head.
โHey there pal,โ he says warmly. โYou must be hungry, letโs go get you some foodโ.
James heads to the kitchen with the cat in tow, he reaches the sink and bends over, opening the door to grab a pouch of cat food. As his back is turned, a black figure can be seen walking silently across the exit to the lounge.
Unbeknownst to James that he is not alone, he continues to look for some cat food, finally retrieving a pouch. โI hope chicken is ok, buddy?โ he asks.
James tears open the top of the pouch and squeezes out the contents into Binxโs bowl. The cat immediately begins to devour the food as James smiles and turns to the bin, throwing away the empty pouch. He then proceeds to walk into the lounge, slumping back into his chair and turns the television on. He points the controller towards the TV, cycling through the channels until he reaches Sky Sports News. He then rests the controller back down on the arm of the chair as he relaxes back.
The black figure can be seen standing behind James in the kitchen, it turns and walks towards the fridge, opening it slowly and pulling out a beer. At first, James hears a noise, but he thinks it is Binx. He turns his head only slightly but catches a glimpse of the cat which was enough to satisfy his curiosity.
TCHKK!
But then the noise of the opening of a beer bottle causes further alarm, and James turns completely around and catches sight of the black figure. He is paralysed by fear, unsure of his next course of action. The hesitation allows the intruder to casually take a swig of the beer, and then chuckles to himself.
โTrust James Harrison to have crappy beer in his fridgeโฆโ says the intruder.
James recognises the voice and squints as he tries to recognise him. Suddenly, his facial expression changes from that of fear to confusion.
โRobert,โ he asks, โIt canโt be you?โ
Robert walks out of the shadows of the kitchen, the light of the television revealing his identity. He smiles at James, then tips the bottle towards his shocked friend before taking another sip of the beverage. He then puts the bottle down and walks towards James with his hands extended out wide.
โYes my friend it is me, it has been a long timeโ states Robert, who is looking to hug James.
But the latter, confused with the sudden reappearance of his presumed to be dead friend, evades him and keeps his distance, backing himself up into the next room.
โI DONโT KNOW WHO THE FUCK YOU AREโฆโ shouts James, โBUT ROBERT IS DEAD!โ
He is reminded by the pain of finding his friend, hanging from the ceiling of his hospital room, โYou died in my armsโฆโ
Robert pulls down the neckline of his top, revealing an oblique ligature mark where the chain had tightly clamped around his neck.
โThat is true,โ replies Robert. โWell in truth I was already dead when you found me, but I am dead. I am not here now though, much like yourself, James; you are not in the real world. This place, this isnโt what you think it is. You are stuck here, trapped. You are her hostage, his hostage. You were my guiding light in my time of need, now it is time that I return the favourโ.
James looks as confused as ever, he shakes his head in defiance. โI donโt know what the hell youโre on about, but I am getting the hell out of hereโ.
He pushes past Robert. โI need to find Alice,โ he proclaims.
As James reaches for his keys, Robert calls out to him, โYou will not find her in this place, it is just you and Iโฆ and themโ.
James looks into the mirror situated above the key pot by the front door, usually used by Alice to check how she looked before heading out, and he is stunned by what is looking back at himself. It is him, but different. Looking upon James Harrison is James Nightingale, dressed in his ring entrance attire, including his harrowing goth-style entrance mask. He steps back in shock, he feels his face, yet the reflection does not change. Robert walks up to James and places his right hand on his shoulder. James does not fight him off, he just turns to his friend in confusion.
โWe need to leave, now,โ demands Robert, they both turn and face the stairs.
A bright red light begins to shine brightly at the top of the stairs, then moments later red smoke begins to creep down the staircase. Burning bright, the light hurts their eyes. Robert grabs James, pulling him to attention.
โWe have to move now, if she gets you, then itโs all over. I know youโre confused, but trust me I will help you escape herโ.
James nods with acceptance, and Robert opens the door. The smoke is almost upon them, Nightingale looks upon them both from the mirror.
โRUN!โ screams Robert.
They both run out of the front door into the pouring rain. They quickly navigate their way through standstill traffic, and Robert begins to pull away from James.
โRobertโฆ I canโt keep up...wait!โ cries James, he turns his head over his left shoulder to see the red smoke still pursuing them.
He turns back to Robert, he is nearly out of sight.
โRobert, please!โ he calls out one final time. But he trips and begins to lose his footing. Finally, his legs give way and James slumps to the roadโs floor. His head bangs hard onto the ground as the light fades to dark.
James finally awakes following his fall. He extends his arms out to push himself up off the ground, pressing his hands down. But to his surprise, he doesnโt encounter the hard unforgiving tarmac of the road, it is a soft carpet.
He slowly pushes himself up. James winces as he clambers to his knees, he has an abrasion on his forehead following the fall. He looks around and is alarmed to find himself back in his bedroom.
Had he slept? Was his encounter with Robert merely a bad dream? Had he fallen out of his bed?
As James finally climbs to his feet, he notices what once was a loving, warm feeling bedroom now is cold, unkempt and abandoned. He is horrified when he turns and faces the bed he shared with Alice. The duvet is thrown back, and the bedsheets are stained with copious amounts of blood. His heart begins to race, is that Aliceโs blood? Where is she?
โAlice!... ALICE!!!โ he anxiously calls out to her.
Suddenly he begins to hear sobbing behind his back. He turns in hope of it being Alice, but it is not her. A woman, wearing a white dress, sits with her back to James, her knees pushed into her chest, her hair covering her face.
James looks confused, but being a kind-natured nurse, he slowly approaches the woman.
โI donโt know who you are or what you are doing in my home, but I can help youโฆโ
He extends his right arm out to comfort the woman, but as he places his hand on her right shoulder she screams at him.
โDONโT YOU FUCKING DARE TOUCH ME AGAIN, JAMES!!!โ she shouts fiercely.
James steps back immediately, his hands now out front in an attempt to diffuse the situation, โI donโt know you, but I am only trying to help whilst also trying to understand what is going on hereโ.
She stops sobbing, she wipes her eyes as she clears her nose whilst inhaling. โI loved you, James, I really loved you. But it wasnโt enough for youโฆโ she begins to climb to her feet, whilst keeping her back turned to James. She appears to be holding her stomach.
โI stood by you as you tried to destroy my family. I was meant to be your Queen, and our child was to inherit your empire,โ states the woman.
James, still confused, โI donโt know who you areโฆโ
The woman turns around, her cheeks blotchy, stained with mascara, it is Emily Deschanel. She begins to slowly walk towards James, clutching her stomach whilst he cautiously steps back towards the corner of the bedroom.
โWhat are you running from James Nightingale? Are you running from your Matriarch? Has poor Robert been filling your head with lies and fairytales? You cannot outrun the monster when you are the very thing you're running from,โ proclaims Emily.
James remains confused, โI donโt know you, I have done nothing to wrong you. Why are youโฆโ
Emilyโs face fills with rage, โWrong me?.. WRONG ME!!!โ she looks down to her stomach, then releases her hands as a steady flow of blood begins to pour out onto the carpet and all over her dress.
โTrust me, James, no one has more blood on their hands than you doโ.
James looks down to his hands, and they are now covered in blood, all the way up his forearms to the bend in his arm. And in his right hand, a large kitchen knife, stained in fresh blood. He holds it up to his line of sight, then in shock, throws it down to the ground.
โNo, no, I wouldnโtโฆ I couldnโt,โ he begins to sob as he backs up to the wall. He slides down into a seated position. He holds on to his hairline with both hands, inadvertently smearing blood over his face as he tries to make sense of what is going on.
Emily once again presses onto her wound with her left hand, stemming the blood flow. She slowly reaches down with her right hand and picks up the knife. She stands tall with the knife in her possession, it hangs down at the side of her now crimson-stained dress.
โItโs time you stop blubbering like a child and listen to some hard truths, Angel of Death,โ she says with an authoritative tone to her voice. James stops sobbing and looks up at Emily.
โNice guys always come last James, you knew this when you failed at your first attempt at becoming a wrestler; thatโs why you quit. Just look at the landscape of todayโs professional wrestling scene, there aren't any heroes anymore, the world is too dark a place for a hero to thrive. Itโs corruptive nature, itโs brutality, there was no hope that the old James Harrison would thrive in today's sceneโ.
โYou just have to look at the likes of Carter Shaw or Lissie Hope... oh how you tormented that girl, caused her to do all those bad things to herself,โ she laughs for a moment before regaining her focus.
โThey are prime examples of how a hero cannot thrive in this harsh world. It is why the likes of Walter can roam freely through existence despite the atrocities that he has committed, and is why you too are a free man because this world was made for the likes of The Mongrel and yourselfโ.
โYou may have many flaws still, James, but no one can deny your toughness, your dedication to your craft. You have a sick addiction to causing pain, to cause the utmost amount of suffering possible. Just look at what you did to me, you bastardโ.
James tries to climb to his feet, but Emily points the knife directly at his throat.
โDonโt you fucking move,โ she screams at him. James concedes and raises his hands out to show heโs no threat once more.
โI loved youโฆ I gave up everything for you. My sister, my careerโฆ I would have followed you to the depths of hell, but you never wanted me. You used me, brainwashed me so that you could use me as a pawn against my sister. I brought you gifts, I gave you my bodyโฆโ
She rubs her belly, โI gave you my body, James. And together we made a child, a little boyโ.
Tears run down her cheeks, she rubs them away with her forearm, the knife still in her hand. โAnd when you were done with me, you took this very knife and DROVE IT INTO MY STOMACH! LEAVING ME FOR DEAD!!... AND YOU KILLED OUR SONโฆ our sonโฆ our poor innocent sonโ.
James' head drops in shame. Just as he seems conceded to being punished for his atrocities, the red light shines around the doorframe and smoke begins to filter from under the bedroom door. He sits up in fear as he watches it begin to spiral around Emilyโs legs. After closing her eyes for a moment, she opens them once more and they are now glowing the same shade of red as the light. She lets out an unnatural shrill of a scream as she raises the knife high into the air and charges for James.
โEMILY...NO!!โ he screams. In desperation, he raises his legs and pushes her away.
She hits the opposite wall with a thud, causing her to drop the knife.
THUD!
She hits the opposite wall with a thud, causing her to drop the knife.
James begins clawing at the wall, desperate to find any way out. Suddenly the noise of shifting bricks can be heard, followed by ripping. Robert tears through the wallpaper to reveal an opening.
โQuickly,โ he shouts to James, picking him up under the arms and muscling him back up to his feet, all whilst Emily is clambering back up herself. He exits into the darkness with James just as Emily has picked up the knife once more, and charges for them both, but the passage closes off just in time, trapping her within the bedroom.
James continues to be led by Robert through a dark passage until they enter an old corridor inside an abandoned hospital. A storm is blowing outside, tree branches clatter against the windows as the wind can be heard loudly echoing through the empty corridors.
โWhere are we?โ asks James, he continues to survey the contents of the corridor. He picks up a file and raises it so he can read the writing on the front.
โYour new home,โ replies Robert, as James reads the label on the cover of the file.
Wyoming State Hospital
โWyoming?โ says James, โIโve never been to Wyoming in my lifeโ.
โActually, you have,โ proclaims Robert. โThis would become Nightingaleโs base of operations once he relocated to the States.
โBut why here?โ asks James, who is still struggling to understand.
โNightingaleโs first great victory happened inside these abandoned walls. Plus, heโฆ you felt at home here. So much pain and suffering was caused inside this place, it seems only fitting one as evil as Nightingale could feel so at ease hereโ.
Suddenly, beeping can be heard down the corridor. James turns in response, โThatโฆ sounds like a cardiac monitor. Someone is here, I need to help themโ.
He runs towards the beeping sound, whilst Robert remains in place, an anxious expression on his face. James finally enters the room and finds a man with extensive head injuries on a life support machine. His face is wrapped in bandages, a breathing tube protrudes out of his mouth and is attached to a ventilator. James approaches him as he watches the patients chest raise up and down. He checks the patientโs wristband:
VIC VENABLE
He hears another beeping monitor coming from the room next door, he leaves Vic and follows that sound. He finds a second patient attached to a respirator, this one, female. He strokes her hair as she appears as if she is sleeping peacefully. He then checks her wristband:
ELISABETH HOPE
โRobert, what happened here?โ asks James, but there is no response. James turns his head to see if his friend is still there.
He leaves the two patients behind as he looks for Robert, โWhere are you?โ he calls out, a small sense of panic starting to resound throughout his words.
His attention is however drawn to a door at the end of the corridor as he can hear what he thinks is another woman crying.
โHello?โ James calls out, โWhoโs there?โ
There is no response, he edges closer to the door and cautiously turns the old door handle down, pushing the squeaky door open. He enters what appears to be a basement, out of place from where he had just come from. He nervously follows the sound of crying until he finds a woman cradling an unconscious man in her arms. She sobs into his chest as James approaches them.
โCan I help you?โ asks James, who despite everything he has experienced, still wants to help.
โNo you canโt... James,โ replies the woman with conviction as she looks up at him with a look of disdain on her face.
โYou are truly lost,โ says Zooey Deschanel, as she cradles Sam Kidsgrove in her arms, as he lays in a coma.
James looks crestfallen. He notices in his hand is an insulin syringe. He then notices track marks on Kidsgroveโs neck.
โI did this,โ he proclaims, his head hanging low, โI truly am what they say I amโฆ a monsterโ.
He looks back at the door he just entered through, โI presume they both lie there too because of my actions?โ he asks.
Zooey scowls at James, โYou are despicable, irredeemable. Worst of all, you show no remorse for the havoc, the pain youโve caused us allโ.
She looks over to the entranceway; red smoke starts to filter through into the basement as the door shakes with the bright red light protruding around the edges...
โYou cannot outrun her, she owns you. Youโre her puppet, stop this charade of trying to be a good guy. You are the devil incarnate, you have no soul, no hope, you truly are irredeemableโ.
She grasps onto Samโs unconscious body, she kisses him tenderly on the forehead. James remains crestfallen, looking heartbroken as he stares at the ground, showing little regard for the incoming smoke.
โIโฆ I am redeemable,โ he says quietly whilst still staring at the floor.
Zooey breaks her sight away from Sam and looks at James with disdain once more, โWhat did you say?โ
He looks up at her confidently, โIโฆ amโฆ redeemableโ.
She begins to shake her head frantically, โNOโฆ NO YOU ARE NOT!..โ She looks down at Sam, โHe would have been able to save you if you were redeemable, thatโs what he does, he saves peopleโ.
A smile forms on Jamesโs face, โThere is still time yetโ.
James runs away from the smoke and past Zooey and Sam, she turns and looks at him, speechless as he passes her by. He heads out through a door on the other side of the basement and runs towards an exit at the end of a long corridor. The door is already open, and bright sunlight shines through.
But just as he approaches the exit, he is intercepted by the smoke from his left and right, it swiftly begins to twist around his body. James urgently tries to evade it, but he is stuck within The Matriarchโs grasp. She finally appears in corporeal form, rising out of the smoke with the bright red light shining from her lantern. Blinding James; he tries to shield it from his eyes with his arm but it is too strong.
Just as he is about to succumb to The Matriarchโs thrall once more, Robert runs and knocks James out of her grasp, getting himself tangled inside her web of despair. James comes to his senses and looks up to see Robert starting to be consumed by the red smoke.
Robert smiles at his friend, โJames, you once tried to guide me to the light, and you did. I might have died, but I was freed from my pain, and I was able to be with my children again. Now I have returned the favour - you have been lost for such a long time, but I have now become the catalyst for the return of the man inside, I have been the guiding light to freeing James Harrison from this prison. Inside the monster that is James Nightingale, a hero is dormant, waiting to be uncaged. Action Wrestling is filled with other monsters: Walter, Philidor, Devilโs Gate, even Alice. There is only one man who can stop them... you, Jamesโ.
James looks on as Robert begins to disintegrate.
โYou have always been a good man... in here," he points to his own heart, but then points to his head, โBut she filled up here with lies, she corrupted your thoughts, she made you her slave. You must break free from her graspโฆโ
โBUT I DONโT KNOW HOW TO ESCAPEโฆโ states James, desperation settling into his tone as Robert has nearly perished inside the smoke.
โYou willโฆ I have faith in you Jamesโฆ find a wayโฆ Action Wrestling depends on itโฆโ with that Robert finally disintegrates into the cloud of red smoke. The Matriarch rises once more, her lantern up high as the red light shines brightly.
But James doesnโt let her intimidate him again, and he shields his face with his arm once more as he runs towards the exit.
โReturn to me my Angel of Death,โ cries out The Matriarch.
James ignores her plea, and finally reaches the exit, a free man.
THUD!
There is an invisible barrier preventing him from exiting, he frantically reaches out and touches the exit, but something is stopping him from passing. He looks down at his clothing, and he is now wearing his old nursing uniform. He looks back to the exit, and he sees himself stood in front of James Nightingale, who looks directly into his eyes. The Matriarch appears by Nightingaleโs side, a sick, sinister smile spread across her face, knowing that she has James Harrison trapped.
James frantically bangs on the exit, and screams, โSAVE ME!โ.
BANG! BANG!! BANG!!!
He frantically bangs against the barrier, but is trapped again, unable to free himself of The Matriarchโs grasp, from the prison that is James Nightingale.
Nightingaleโs expressionless face shows no mercy towards Jamesโs pleas.
โPLEASE...PLEASE FREE MEโฆโ
Nightingale closes his eyes as James Harrison disappears into the darkness.