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B.O.B. D · (06-19-2019)

My head felt funny. I had no clue where I was or how I got there, all I knew was something had to be done. As I walked along the dirt road into the only town around for miles, it felt as though I was meant to be there. The town drew closer to me even though it looked to be further ahead just seconds before, but I blamed that on the fuzz feeling in my brain.

I walked passed a sign that read 'Omega', a place I had never heard of. It seemed like a quiet town, as I didn't see anybody outside nor was there any sign of modern technology. This whole area almost seemed like it was lost in time, a remnant of America's old west past. Whether it was the random tumbleweeds that blew by me or the swinging doors on all of the buildings, the atmosphere was something right out of a Clint Eastwood movie.

I finally reached the town and found a rather interesting relic. What seemed to be the only modern object within view, there was a single street sign lodged in the middle of the road. It read 'MAIN STREET' and stuck out like a sore thumb. One would believe it to be the first step in the town catching up with the rest of the country, but it very likely could've been placed there as irony. Whatever the case, I just ignored it and continued my trek towards civilization.

The building that stuck out most to me was the saloon. It looked like all of the other buildings, except this one had a beer mug design above its doors and the wood was less faded. Seeing as how I had no way of knowing the ins and outs of this town, I figured that would be my best stop for answers.

I pushed the bar's swinging doors and stepped inside like I was some sort of cowboy. The first thing I did was scope out the patrons, a colorful bunch of folks I didn't expect given the setting. There was a group of three luchadores playing cards, each one of them with their own variation of mask. One mask was completely black with no special design on it, another was blue with a gold chicken stitched over the face, and the last one had the word 'LETTER' written across the forehead VERY largely. The men looked up at me as I entered the room, but went back to their game shortly after. From what I could see the one with the word on his mask was winning, as he was in the best mood and had the most money in front of him.

As I continued for the bar, I saw an even stranger gathering of people at a table to my left. One was a woman who had her back turned, busy talking on the old fashioned wired phone mounted to the wall. She leaned back in her chair on the back two legs, gossiping with the person on the other line. Next to her was what looked like an 80's cosplayer, his blonde hair and flashy outfit were straight out of a Firehouse music video. And lastly there was a man holding a tombstone in his arms, a very noticeable bulge in his pants. The trio may have been odd in itself, but the craziest thing was above the man's tombstone was a single storm cloud, raining down precipitation.

I was beginning to worry, as things were beginning to feel supernatural. It was one thing to be in an outdated tourist town, but certainly it was another to see a cloud inside a building. Fear came over my body, was it possible I had died and was in some kind of limbo? It would make sense that I'd die right before the biggest match of my life, but it was also just as likely I had been drugged and was hallucinating. The only question was, how much of what I was seeing was real and what was a figment of my imagination?

I decided the man with answers would be the bartender, so I approached the bar and took a seat at a stool. A man came over to me, wearing a nice suit that stood out in a place like this.

"Welcome, stranger," he greeted as he wiped out the inside of a mug. "What can I do for ya?"

I wanted to ask him about the town I was mysteriously in, maybe get some answers as to how I got there. I needed to know if he also saw the indoor rain cloud that spat out onto one of his patrons, or if was common to have Mexican wrestlers as clientele. Rather than doing any if that, though, my brain forced me to ask him about the one person I'd had my sights set on since I arrived in the XWF.

"I'm looking for a man named Robert," I casually said as if I were Clint Eastwood himself. "He's got somethin' I want."

The whole bar went silent and I could feel the stares from all of the odd individuals inside the establishment. Even the bartender's mood changed, as his eyes shifted from me to each if his customers, each one getting up and leaving as he made eye contact with them. The last to leave was the woman on the phone, as she insisted on finishing her conversation. When the bartender denied that, she simply stood up, ripped the entire wooden box off the wall, and continued to chat as she walked out. Something very strange was going on

"You're looking for the Sheriff, huh?" he asked with a crooked look.

"I guess so," I answered.

What was wrong with me? The man I knew as Robert wasn't no Sheriff, but for some reason I felt as if this guy and the Universal Champion were one. All of the oddities that surrounded me were now normal and I was meant to be where I was, searching for this particular Robert.

"You must be talking about that golden prize he prides himself in carrying, eh?" the bartender asked, eyeing me up and down.

"Sure am," I replied like I was the baddest man on the planet. "You know where I can find them?"

"Sure do," the man responded as he placed the empty glass down in front of me. "The name's DB, like DB Cooper."

"You can call me D," I introduced myself with a tip of the hat...... Hat? I'd now begun to realize I wasn't in the usual attire I'd normally wear, I was decked out in the proper clothing that fit the setting. Cowboy hat, boots, and even some leather chaps rest at the sides of my legs. As I looked above them, I also noticed a pistol resting safely in a holster wrapped around my waist.

"Well, D, I can point you in the direction of Sheriff Robert," DB told me with a friendly smile. "But whatever happens to you as a result, I can't take no responsibility for."

"I wouldn't expect you to," I shot back, knowing fully well what I was getting myself into.

"Many men have tried to take that prize from the Sheriff," DB explained with concern. "And all of them have fallen dead at his feet."

"I'll take my chances," I said, starting to get annoyed that he was stalling. I looked down at the glass in front of me and all of a sudden felt uneasy. Inside the once empty glass was a black liquid that just appeared out of nowhere. My eyes got wide as I stuck a finger in and smelled it. Water. It was nothing more than a glass of black water.

"Is something wrong, D?" DB asked with worry. "You look likes you's just seen a ghost!"

It felt as though I had. Things were already weird enough as is, not knowing at all how I ended up in the town of Omega or the paranormal events that had been happening upon my arrival. I closed my eyes in an attempt to gather myself, before opening them to see nothing but an empty glass again.

"I don't think confronting Sheriff Robert is such a good idea," DB mentioned, taking notice to how confused I was. "A man with doubt can't possibly defeat a man of Robert's caliber."

The bartender's words had snapped me out of it. There was that d word, again. It wasn't Daniel, nor was it even a stupid Main style dick joke; it was doubt. That word had been thrown around about me since I got my Title shot and I was sick of it. It was time to show everyone doubt wasn't in my vocabulary, the only d word on my mind was deliverance.

"Either you can show me where Robert is," I demanded. "Or I'll go find someone who can."

DB pursed his lips and tsked. He shook his head and laughed a little, before walking around to my side of the counter. As he made his way for the exit, DB motioned for me to follow him. I was happy to oblige.

We walked outside to chaos, but I didn't pay it no mind. On each side of the dirt road were hundreds upon hundreds of people, cheering and yelling as we made our way towards the building across from the saloon. It had to be the Sheriff's station, as above the door rested a large golden star. Me and DB stood outside the building for a moment, ignoring the people gathered here to witness what was about to go down.

"Hey, Sheriff Robert!!!" DB yelled at the building before us. "You've for yourself another challenger!!!...."

I looked from DB to the building and took a few steps forward. This was it, finally time to take what was mine. As I heard the spurs of the Sheriff's boots heading towards me, another sound also filled the air.

BANG!!!!

Without a word, I fell down to my knees and crashed into the dirt. Slowly I turned my head and saw DB standing behind me, a gun aimed in my direction, barrel steaming from being freshly shot. I had just been shot in the back by the bartender. He approached my body and knelt down beside me.

"No hard feelings," he said with a shrug. "But the only person taking Robert's prize is ME....."

It all became clear to me. The mug with black water in it, the name DB, and the bartender's reluctance to help me. This was the other man gunning for the exact reward I was and he wasn't gonna let me get to it before him. Even if it meant shooting me in the back while I was distracted.

As I bled out, I watched as Sheriff Robert stepped out of the building to confront DB. The two of them looked as though this showdown had been a long time in the making. Here I was, seemingly a third wheel, and neither of them were gonna take me as the serious threat I was.

Despite the fact I had been shot, I climbed to my feet like the Champion I knew I always had been. A little wound wasn't gonna stop me from claiming what was mine, they were gonna have to lay the dirt on me before I quit my journey. The townsfolk made an uproar as I stumbled to my feet, showing their support for my fight to keep going.

"HEY!!!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "I ain't finished yet!!!!"

Sheriff Robert looked from DB to me, confused as to who I even was. To him I was just another nobody set to die in a duel, as others had done before at his hands. He didn't respect me or the fact I was up to the task, he was just upset we were ruining his day.

"Who the fuck are you?" he boomed at me.

"My name is Big D," I told him as generic western music began to fill the air. "And this town ain't big enough for the three of us........"

DB turned towards me but it was too late, my gun was already drawn and he was met with a bullet to the chest. The bartender fell to the ground as crimson spilled from his wound. I then turned to Robert, who now had his weapon pointed at me.

Everything began to move in slow motion from that point. The Sheriff pulled the trigger of his pistol and I watched as the bullet made its way in my direction. With catlike speed, I dove out of the way causing his shot to graze the ground and kick up dirt behind me. His eyes widened as I aimed right for that stupid face of his, ready to take him down. I pulled the trigger and watched as he got hit right between the eyes. The townspeople all cheered as Sheriff Robert dropped to his knees and then to the ground, defeated.

Everything went back to normal after that, at least normal for this strange place. All the spectators threw their hands up and celebrated my feat. I had gained their admiration, taking out the toughest son of a bitch they had known. The prize was mine and I was ready to go get it, but something stopped me. I felt hazey and everything began to spin. It was as if I was Dorothy on my way back to Kansas.........

I woke up. It was a dream, none of it was real. The triumph I felt was no more, the task I accomplished in my dream had yet to become a reality. Omega was no more, something the real Robert Main was gonna find out come Wednesday night. Because my victory was gonna happen once again, and this time it wasn't gonna be a dream. And that was the Cold Big D Truth.......

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