The beer tasted good, the bubbles popped slowly on his tongue and reminded him of whence they'd come for up to a minute after the sip.

A coyote howls.

Another sip, this one longer. The bottle is gone now, time to grab another. The clink as it crashes into it's brother in the trash bin.

Kshhhhhhh...

Another friend to pass the time with.

Shrieks, the screams of a woman being torn apart. Things you can never unhear again. A long pull from the bottle helps settle things. The shrieks stop for a second.

They stop, but I'll never forget it. The things I saw in that desert...that woman. I was brand new. Barely three months out of the Academy. As I followed those footprints through the desert I never expected to find what we did. When the screams grew persistent I picked up the pace, running at a dead sprint for close to two miles despite the fact this it was July, in the middle of Arizona, in forty pounds of gear, in the middle of some of the most unforgiving terrain in the United States.

A pull that empties the bottle.

Kshhhhhhh...

Another pull to start a fresh bottle.

The screams were probably done by the time I was halfway there but my brain would not let me hear it. I kept running, kept jumping over rocks in the pitch black like I knew they were there even though I was as lost as lost could be.

Bottle finished. Ksssshhhhh. Bottle Open.

I knew it was quiet when I got there, that’s when I finally got out of my “tunnel vision”. The thing they warn you about the most at the Academy. What I saw there…

Long pull. Deep Breath. Long Pull. Bottle Finished. Kshhhhhhhhhh. Bottle Open. Long Pull.

I never knew coyotes would attack a human being like that. But there it was right in front of me. She looked like something out of Dawn of the Fucking Dead. Stomach all gone.

Long Pull.

Throat ripped open, eyes rolled back, and her face…

Long Pull.

Just looking at her face I knew she knew what was happening to her as it did. She wasn’t my grandma, drifting away in the middle of the night, re-uniting with her lost loved ones with a slight smile on her face. She died alone and in horrible pain. Her face told me that much. I made sure the pack of coyotes was gone (in case they were rabid) and radioed for a supervisor. A quick memo and a “Hey, you good?” later and it was time to go home.

Long pull. Deep Breath. Long Pull. Bottle Finished. Kshhhhhhhhhh. Bottle Open. Long Pull.

You think I drink now? That night…goodness I was blackout about ten minutes after I came in the door. I woke up with my body armor still on! I wasn’t always this way…wrestling state championships in high school, a decorated college career, thousands of hours “rolling” in a Gracie-Barra gym. I’ve always been able to take care of myself.

A baby starts to squawk.

The room is doused in light and we see Ronnie Wilkins rough and calloused hands reaching into a crib. The baby’s cries grow louder for a moment before he recognizes his father, in whatever way an infant does. The room is nothing special, a Queen sized bed with an old, hand me down, crib at the foot of it. Dressers and nightstands that were elegant once upon a time but now carry the scars of years of use.

But not like I’m going to take care of you. That job wasn’t for us pumpkin.

A phone rings down the hall, Ronnie’s eyebrows raise. Moving as fast as he dares with a child who’s days can still be counted in the double digits, the former All-American wrestler reaches the phone on the fifth ring.

“Hello?”

“Yes, is this Ronald Wilkins?”

"Yes...who am I speaking with?"

“Excellent, this is Shane …owner of the XWF. I believe you had some interest in employment with MY company?”

Short pull…just to regain his composure.

“Why yes sir I do. Thank you very much for the callback.”

“Well it just so happens a man with your particular skills might be necessary in a few weeks. Be ready to go by February 23rd…consider it your interview and your on the job training.”

“Yes sir! Will do!” But the line had already gone dead.

A crack of light widening as the door swings open. A beautiful brunette stands in the light.

“Who was that?”

A much smaller figure steps from behind the woman.

“Yeah Daddy, who called you on the phone?”

“Opportunity son…it’s time for daddy to get to work.”