"So talk."


Frankie's voice was filled with rage, her eyes burning embers against her pale white skin. She didn't look at me, it was almost as if she stared through me. Like her gaze could penetrate my very form. Razor sharp dagger style. I couldn't blame her, I deserved nothing less.


"Well... why aren't you saying anything? Cat suddenly got your tongue?"


I couldn't help it. I laughed. It was nervous laughter that came as a knee jerk reaction. Frankie was not amused by this, not one bit. Seeing me squirm, getting anxious and tense, only seemed to enrage her even more. Quickly composing myself, I attempted to rectify the situation.


"You really want to do this with an audience present?"


I nodded towards the crowd that had gathered behind her and she sighed as she briefly acknowledged them. Rolling her eyes, she stepped back and began walking away from me.


"Lets take a walk."


Her tone was dry and brittle, clearly she was annoyed with the whole scenario. I followed in tow, stating skeptically.


"Just like that? What about all those people?"


"What about them? They just seen me get hit by a bus and pick myself up off of the concrete. Totally fine. Not a single scratch on me. If anybody tries following for whatever reason, they're fools. And should be acknowledged as such."


So we simply walked away. Leaving the hoards of startled and bewildered onlookers behind us. No one followed. We walked for some time in silence, until we reached a park bench and then we sat down. Frankie glared straight forward for a moment, before turning to me sharply, her eyes narrowed and full of fury.


"Why exactly did you push me in front of a bus?"


"I don't know."


"You don't know? Are you fucking kidding me, Zane? You don't know?!?! You can't even lie to me and give me a proper excuse? You'd rather go with ignorance? Unbelievable. Do you realize how pathetic that is? You sound like a god damn idiot, right now! You don't know! That's so beyond stupid."


My eyes were cast instantly downward as I lowered my voice to just above a whisper.


"I could tell that you were keeping something from me. I didn't understand why you'd do that. Keep a secret from me. I also didn't know how to talk to you about it, discussing things... addressing problems, isn't my strong suit. So I bottled it up and waited, hoping you'd tell me on your own. Things built up and escalated in my mind. Then I reacted impulsively. I don't know why I did what I did, I just acted. Without thinking. I'm sorry. Something awful could have been the result of my actions. You could have been injured or worse... killed. I'm a monster. An abomination. I don't deserve to be with you or anyone else, a nightmare creature like me should be locked away in an underground facility and studied. I don't even deserve that... the dead should be buried. Six feet in the ground. Not walking around, free to do as they please. The dead shouldn't be able to be active and animated, existing amongst the living. Clearly, what I did is proof of that, no good can come from a thing like me roaming the streets. All I'm destined to do is hurt people."


That's when my voice cracked and I quickly cleared my throat, placing my attention on Frankie. I granted a bit more volume to enter my tone and spoke more precisely and sincere.


"How did you get hit by a bus and remain uninjured? How are you okay after having that happen?"


They were real points of interest. Frankie sighed and settled back against the bench. Fingers tugging at a rip in the knee of her jeans. Focus planted on her boots. She didn't sound angry anymore, more exasperated than anything else. Perhaps what a balloon might sound like as it deflated. Or an empty plastic bag, billowing in the wind.


"Because you're not the only abomination in the world."


Confused was an understatement. I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing and hoped that she would continue. She did exactly that.


"I believe the term is 'living weapon', your friend Griffin MacAlister went through the transformation process willingly. Meanwhile I was kidnapped from college. Taken against my will and tossed into the back of a van, after I attended a stupid party thrown by one of the sororities. I didn't even want to go but my friend convinced me to attend. It's why I understood what happened to you, why I feel close to you. You know what it's like to be abducted. Drugged and manipulated, utterly transformed and turned into something else."


Sighing again, she yanked a strand of thread loose from the hole in her jeans, pulling on it repeatedly, she continued.


"Anyway, the next thing I knew, I'm in some laboratory and there are scientists injecting me with chemicals. Hooking machines up to me and altering my genetic make-up. Apparently I had some type of surgery performed on me. Although the only proof I had was the scars. The weird thing about them was the lack of pain, I didn't feel any soreness or discomfort. Then I was forced to watch mind enhancing videos for hours, like I woke up in A Clockwork Orange or some shit, it was grueling to say the least. The worst part... the most frightening aspect about all this was that it was totally done against my will. I didn't sign up for any of it. How can people get away with that? How often does type of thing happen?"


Pause and a deep breath, for courage or it could have been because the memory was that painful to relive and talk about.


"I guess they thought they had a better handle on me. A better sense of control over their new project. They were wrong. I managed to break free and escape the first chance I got. Thanks to their conditioning and alterations, I made short work of the scientists. Who more than likely never got into a fight. Ever. Security was a little tougher but not by much. They were all well out of their depths when it came to me. Their glorious creation."


"After I escaped, I ran and kept on running. Except everything was different. I could do things that I could never do before. Jump higher, run faster and I was strong... real strong. My body could also sustain injuries better, I didn't become sick... not even after I had sex with a zombie. It was like I was immune to the virus, but I didn't fully understand why? Then you introduced me to your friends and I met Griffin, I researched everything I could on him and discovered that we went through the same exact process. At least, that's what I assume. It must be the answer, nothing else makes sense. There's nanotechnology coursing through my body. I was enhanced and changed into a living weapon. He and I are exactly alike in that sense."


"I should have told you sooner but I didn't know how. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to deceive you or keep secrets. That only led to you doubting me and pushing me in front of a bus. Now you know the truth and all it took was exposing my secret to the public. Who knows what will come of that? I can only assume nothing good."


Never did I expect to be told that tale but it made sense. She was alive and immune to the zombie virus. My girlfriend, the living weapon. It was all so tragic that this was forced upon her and also quite peculiar, considering we shared something this terribly jarring in common. Getting abducted and being experimented on. The only difference was the fact that she didn't die. Still that was a bizarre aspect to share. Bizarre and truly awful.


"Maybe nothing will happen. Nothing bad anyway. We were merely two random individuals on the street. With the emergence of all the strange beings - aliens, advanced humans, vampires, sorcerers and robots... such a sighting might be considered old hat."


I stopped my words, reached out and took Frankie's hand. The icy touch of the undead, attempting to comfort.


"I'm sorry. I should have never pushed you in front of that bus. Who reacts like that? That's insane. I should have spoken to you and asked you about stuff. Used my words. Not let things build up inside, to the point where I reacted like that. That's not normal. Those are the actions of a monster. The precise thing I try to avoid being, outside of a wrestling ring anyway."


"So what do we do now?"


"I don't know. Would it be weird if we didn't end things? I mean, I pushed you in front of a bus. That's messed up."


"Yeah, but I survived."


With a chuckle, she directed her sights to me.


"We could chalk it up to the problems that zombies and living weapons face."


"You mean, pretend that it never happened?"


"No, but that doesn't mean this has to terminate this relationship, it can simply be seen as a learning experience, we can allow it to teach us to have better communication skills. In the future."


"Communication is key."


"That is very true."


"So we're good?"


"I think so. Things started off rocky but we pulled through."


I briefly dropped my head in shame.


"Fuck. I can't believe I pushed my girlfriend in front of a bus."


"If it makes you feel better, I could always push you in front of a speeding locomotive?"


"Hard pass."


"A truck?"


"Nope."


"Horse and buggy?"


"You want me to get hit by a horse and buggy? I don't think that could realistically happen. The horse would have to be traveling at a tremendous speed and the stagecoach driver would have to be incapacitated in some type of fashion."


"I could get the guy drunk first."


"You want to look for guys controlling horses and buggies and lure them into getting drunk?"


"If it helps to make you feel better about things, I'm down. Anything to help you heal."


"I think you might've gotten more injured by that bus than you realize."


A shared laugh. And just like that, things were on their way to being normal. Well... as normal as they could be.




"Tala and Jaslene Sugay. The Sugay Sisters. Hello ladies. I caught your promo. That was certainly... something. The best part was that you actually believe everything that you said. Interesting. Another couple of broken brain bimbos, returning to spread their diseases and lower everyone's IQ from merely witnessing your promos. Good job. Your parents must be so proud."


"Tala never lied about licking a pussy and yet she's not a lesbian. What the fuck? That's the definition of being a lesbian, taking part in sexual activities with another lady. That would be like me saying I'm not gay, I just drop down to my knees and suck another dude's cock. I don't do that but if I did, I wouldn't be foolish or naive enough to deny the truth. In other words, Tala you're a lesbian. Own it, for it's your truth. Either that or you're bi-sexual. You definitely aren't straight is the point. You are as tilted as they come. Clearly you had your brains fucked out of your skull. That's the only way to explain your stupidity on the subject."


"On top of being a cum dumpster, you're dumb. And it only took a short video for you to prove that as fact. What ever will you reveal next? Do you plan on listing off your stds in alphabetical order? Maybe tell everyone about the multiple cocks you've taken in a single setting? One for every orifice, right? Gross."


"Ha! I'm sorry, I'm being cruel. It's not your fault that you two are idiots that spend more time on your backs than a coma patient. Obviously, it's the upbringing. Whatever trailer park you were raised in is the cause, the source and root of it all."


"Meh. We can't all have perfect destinies. For example, I'm a zombie. I have to eat brains as a form of sustenance. This wasn't something that happened by choice either. No, this fate was forced upon me and it's a curse, that I had to learn to live with. Much like the blight that is your brain capacity. Hey, I made the best of it and now, here I am, wrestling in the XWF and using my specific gifts to my advantage. I made lemonade out of lemons and tossed some brains in as a garnish."


"Ever face an undead abomination before? No, I don't think you have but come Saturday, you will be able to say exactly that. It's not quite like facing anyone else, least of all your pathetic claims to fame. I've been here for less than a year and I managed to rack up a far better supply of roster members that have fallen, due to my abilities. I've built up quite a reputation as well. Of being ruthlessly aggressive."


"Dare I say a monster."


"I am a zombie though, so that would only make sense and you two are nothing more than extras in a direct to dvd, horror film. The tragic fate to befall a pair of sisters, shot in a setting that looks like someone's backyard. With a production value that's so shitty, half the time you see the microphone falling down into the scene. C-list actors and porn stars, at best. A status that doesn't work to your advantage."


"What are you going to do to me? Besides introduce me to the stank that rises up off you both. Give me a disease? Please. I'm already dead. There's nothing you can do to me. I told the world that it's my time to rise, like a corpse from a grave. I'll come at you and there's nothing you can do to put me down, I'll keep on getting back up and coming. Endlessly. Your stamina lowering as you get weak and tired."


"That sort of thing doesn't effect me. I'm a zombie. An animated corpse. I don't get tired or worn out. You'll have to put a bullet in my head to stop me. Because I'm relentless and unyielding. I won't stop. Ever. Meanwhile there's so much I can do to you. Hope Atticus Black still has a supply of those zombie cures. Or we soon might have something in common. On the plus side, your venereal diseases will be cleared up."

1x X-Treme Champ
1x Hart Champion
1x SOTM November 2018