Charlie awakens in the dead of night, groaning as he is pulled from the world of dreams and forced once again to exist in the land of the living. The sound of the nurse rolling her heavy medical cart echoes through the hallway. The squealing of a wheel desperately in need of grease makes it impossible for Charlie to fall back to sleep, no matter how gently he rests his head on the polyester pillow. As Charlie lay still he hears a familiar voice calling out to him in the darkness.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see? I see Darkness!

Charlie opens his eyes slowly in disbelief. He turns his body so that he can face the entrance to his hospital room. He pushes himself up to a seated position as he gazes upon his midnight visitor. The ever-present throbbing inside his skull subsides slightly as the overwhelming feeling of confused dread washes over Charlie.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?"

Charlie: Wh-wh...what? Is it...it can't be.

Charlie looks on in shock, his mouth slightly agape, as the decomposing body of Jean-Paul Lacklan walks through the doorway. The light fixtures overhead flicker on and off, revealing slightly more of the Lacklan patriarch’s figure with each step he takes towards the camera.

Charlie: What...what are you?

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:full of pain, full of torment, full of shame

Charlie shook his head from side to side, sure that he was hallucinating, sure that he was simply remembering old clips of Lacklan while imagining the sight before him. He closed his eyes, holding them together for a few moments as he tried to clear the illusion. Jean-Paul’s corpse was standing at the foot of his bed when he opened his eyes. The wrestler’s mask was dirty and cracked in several places, but it still hid most of Lacklan’s decomposed face. The skin of Lacklan’s that we could see was green in hue. Patches of bone stuck out at the man’s elbows, shoulders, and knees. Charlie looked on with awe as Lacklan continued to call out for Charlie.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?"

Charlie: What do you see?


Jean-Paul was silent for a moment. He turned his neck 150 degrees while holding his body still. His deathly stare was directed at the empty corner in the back of the room. The same corner that Charlie had seen Sarah Lacklan’s apparition in just a few days ago. Jean-Paul broke his silence as he turned his neck back around to face Charlie. This time, however, he cranked his neck manually with what remained of his hands.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:she does not know the path that awaits her

Charlie raised his eyebrows as Jean-Paul Lacklan continued.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:Another female wrestler that is hoping to find a place in a sport dominated by men. I pity her.

Charlie: Wh-...why have you come here? Wh-..what do you want with me?


Jean-Paul cocked his head to the side as he peered into Charlie’s soul. He spoke again, his disembodied voice bouncing off the walls in the room. Was the sound really coming from Jean-Paul’s lips?

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:Soon, very soon, these questions shall be answered. Are you strong enough?

Charlie: Strong enough? For what?

Jean-Paul reached for the chair tucked under a nearby table. He dragged the chair over to Charlie’s bedside. The room was silent, save for the sounds of the chair scraping against the hospital floor. Jean-Paul placed the chair directly next to Charlie’s bed before taking a seat. Charlie rubbed his eyes with his hands, trying to clear away the confusion. Surprisingly enough, the pounding inside of Charlie’s skull was all but gone as Jean-Paul’s disembodied voice boomed through the room once again, making his intentions clear with one simple word.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:Sarah

Charlie: Your daughter? Have you come back for her?

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:The work of the Savior is never finished

Charlie: You’ve…..come to save her? Or...save me from her?

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:She was beautiful, intelligent, caring.

Charlie nodded in agreement.

Charlie: She is the most beautiful woman on this planet. I will cherish her for all eternity. Your daughter is brilliant, gorgeous. Everything I’ve ever wanted. I won’t hurt her. I will love her. Protect her. Keep her safe. I share your concern for her. When the bell rings and I have her belt around my waist, I will show her mercy. Let her come with me as I bask in the glory of God.


Jean-Paul spoke in a harsh tone, his words coming out quickly and to the point.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"If you wish mercy, then you have come to the wrong place. There is no mercy here. There is only redemption. There is only Salvation!"

Charlie: You want me…..to show her salvation?

Charlie pondered the request. His face contorted, scrunching and twisting as thoughts raced through Charlie’s mind.

Charlie: But the way you practiced salvation was brutal. Violent. Chaotic, manic. You left your targets dead to rights, laying in a broken pile of bones at the end of the night. You dominated the-


Charlie’s eyes grow big as his face lights up. He sees now, with perfect clarity, exactly what Jean-Paul has come back to accomplish.

Charlie: I see it now. You want me to dominate her. Show her the power of man. Of God. Break the chains that bind her to Kenzi Grey. Win your daughter’s hand. Save her soul from the edge of the abyss. Bring her back into the fold of God. Bring her back into her rightful spot as a woman in this world. Alongside a man. Dominated. Leave her broken in that ring. Bring her home, to be mended by the love of a man.


Charlie and Jean-Paul nod at each other, a sinister smirk spreading across Charlie's lips. A hint of doubt flashes across Charlie’s face.

Charlie: Sarah is a great wrestler. Multiple world championships. Critically acclaimed. Do you really believe I can guide your daughter to salvation?


Jean-Paul was silent as he brought his rotting hand up to his chin, stroking the bottom of the mask with what few fingers remained as he pondered the question. When he spoke, his tone was soft and light.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:And what did she offer during the promotional period?

Charlie: I think she’s done a bunch of uninspired podcasts...she’s done some daytime television spots. She..she talked a lot about her lesbian sextapes.


Jean-Paul spat brown fluid onto the ground in utter disgust. His words were full of hatred.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:Fucking lesbos. God-damned fucking lesbos. Because ZOMG! POINTLESS LESBIAN SEX! OH MY GOD ALL THE 15 YEAR OLD FANBOYS ARE JERKING OFF TO POINTLESS IMAGINARY LESBIAN SECKS!

Charlie: Why does your daughter behave so sinfully? Why does she tape her unholy bouts of sin making for the wrestling world to see?

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:Somehow having your 1-dimensional lesbian side-characters in your promos gets you points from the referees.

Charlie nods in understanding.

Charlie: Disappointing. I will fix your daughter. I will save her. You have my word.


Charlie extends a hand out to Jean-Paul. Jean-Paul extended his own rotting hand as the two grasped each other. They shook hands, a mutual respect evident in their embrace. As Charlie pulls his hand away you can still see the boils and welts from touching the steaming pipes a few days ago. Interestingly enough, Charlie did not seem to have any reaction to having his second degree burns clasped and maneuvered.

Charlie: I will bring her into the light’s embrace. Her sinful ways? Her female insubordination? I will curtail these tendencies. Discipline these behaviors out of her. She was a good girl when you were here to guide her, Lacklan. But now that you’re gone? She has lost her ways. All your teachings are seeping through her sinful flesh, being left by the wayside. As the years go by, she has-


Jean-Paul interjected.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:disregard me, discard me.

Charlie nodded solemnly at the corpse’s wisdom.

Charlie: I am afraid so, Lacklan. I am afraid so. If you could talk to her, right now, what would you say? What would you tell her?

Jean-Paul sat in quiet contemplation for a moment, considering his words carefully.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:It does not have to be this way. Do you not understand? Do you not realize the situation in which you have found yourself?

Charlie nodded along as the corpse began his zombified monologue.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"It is not worth it!" interjected Lacklan, forcefully. "It is not worth the pain and suffering. It is not worth the anxiety.

Jean-Paul looked down at the ground as a rotted hand came up to support his head. His boney elbow rested on the arm of the chair as the...ghost? zombie? projection? ...looked downwards with dejection.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:Why resist? The outcome of such a struggle does not shine brightly for you. For you, there is only pain. There is only shame. There is only anguish. There is but a future of torment for you, a future of disaster. Do you truly wish to have this future? Do you truly wish to wallow in pain and misery?

The corpse sighed softly. Which is kind of weird, because theoretically corpses shouldn’t be breathing.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"But why? Why resign yourself to such a fate? Why cast yourself away to Hell when you can be saved? Why live life in misery when you can achieve a lifetime of greatness and serenity?

Charlie: Well said, pastor. I see why you were one of the greats. While your daughter may have inherited your DNA, your wrestling skills, your wealth...she could not inherit your morality. She could not inherit salvation. It just isn’t God’s way. But pastor? I shall be God’s hammer in your absence. I shall take the reins from you, and guide your young daughter’s life onto a better track. I shall free her from sin. From depravity. From the overwhelming pressure of being a universal champion. She’s too young. Too weak. Too feminine. But she has her place, pastor Paul. And I’ll make sure she stays there.


Charlie nodded at Jean-Paul as the late Lacklan patriarch slowly rose to his feet. The late Lacklan walked towards the door. As he neared the doorway he turned back to face Charlie, who was now laying down on his side and about to catch a few more zzzs before the sun rose. Before Jean-Paul returned to his grave he spoke his parting words.

Jean-Paul Lacklan Said:"Cry Havok and let slip the dogs of war."