"Woe, destruction, ruin, and decay;
The worst is death, and death will have his day."

- William Shakespeare







Trash Dumpster
Detroit, Michigan
A Day After War Games


The Inspiration awakes to find himself in a dumpster. The revolting smell fills his nostrils as LH quickly sits up and rolls out of the trash bin onto the cold, hard cement below him. LH smiles as he stares up into the heavens above him.




"Another match, another victory for The Inspiration as I continue my quest to inspire the talent of the XWF. It's as if I've hit a road block however. My wife is dead. My daughter is dead. My other daughter is still being held captive by a tyrant that just disposed of me off the side of an arena. All this pain and all this agony and all I feel is emptiness. A hollow feeling welling up in my gut as I consider that I may never find a home suitable for me anymore. Maybe I'll just wander this road endlessly. Maybe I'll just wander until I finally find where I belong. Perhaps I'll take up an occupation where I systematically decipher the thoughts and motives of those around me."

"Perhaps the next stop on the journey of myself lies in that haunted house I am entering to combat the arrogant Mr. Gilmour. It seems on the weekend following the most eerie and menacing event of the year that I will be engaging in a battle for my livelihood against a man who is often referred to as the face of the XWF. The opportunity has arisen, but, in the end of it all, The Inspiration doesn't settle for a loss. He doesn't settle for second place. I shall be in that Haunted House alongside you, Mr. Gilmour. Please refrain from shrieking like a prepubescent girl as I frighten and eliminate the face of the very company that built me to such fame."

"Upon my first entry into the XWF, two instances brought the surrealism of where I was to the forefront. The first was my debut match in the XWF against a formidable team of 'Loverboy' Vinnie Lane and Socrates whilst my partner barely put forth any effort. I entered the match and did perfectly fine on my own until my partner came in and was succumbed to one move. His shoulders touched the mat for the three seconds as 'Loverboy' claimed victory on that day. It tarnished the record of myself and still leaves a mighty stain. In fact, you could almost say that 'Loverboy' aided me in my first loss and first win. For in the week after, I was paired with 'Loverboy' and we conquered four other individuals in a match to give me my first win. Maybe it was ego or maybe it was blindness, but I went on a losing streak. My shoulders were never placed on the mat for a three count, but I would come up with the short end of the stick at every corner. Then a fatal-4-way of epic proportions occurred and the infamous evasive streak had come to an end. 'Loverboy' Vinnie Lane did what no one else had, at that point. Mr. Lane pinned my shoulders to the mat tarnishing my record once more. After what seemed like the lowest point in my career, I did what all prideful men do when faced with adversity. I brushed myself off and stood again. Two days later I met up again with a Master of Minds. He claimed he would force me to surrender. He claimed he would force me to cry uncle, but, on that day, my luck would shift. I would lift the weight of Mastermind onto these shoulders and defeat Mr. Mind in his match of choice."

"Finally, it seemed I had discovered my strength and courage. It seemed that I found my source of fuel as I ventured forth defeating solid competition in the forms of Mr. Austin, Mr. Heartsford, and Mr. Hannigan. I even entered a duel with a red-hot Mr. Arkham. I was kidnapped by a group of Mr. Arkham's fan boys and threatened with my life. No clue as to how many of his other victims were sentenced to such a violent ordeal, but the end product was The Inspiration triumphing once again. With that win, I earned myself another match with a fellow by the name of Enigma. After a fierce and absolutely heinous match, I wound up coming in second. For only the second occasion, my shoulders had been fixed to the mat for a three count. Once again, my record tarnished by a formidable foe. In a few short weeks, the masked monstrosity returned cashing in his briefcase. He unmasked to one of the most shocking reveals in the history of the XWF. Underneath the mask was none other than the now Universal Champion."

"Theo Pryce."

"I give this brief overview of my career as this is a 'Til Death Do Us Part' Deathmatch. Only one soul will emerge from inside the haunted house structure. I maintain no fear as to to who the candidate being executed will be, but it would be a fool's errand to not feel the gravity of this certain match. Even when I do win, I will have accomplished something by which I'm not proud of. I will have terminated the life of a great man who is loved by the masses whether in jest or in truth. I linger upon Mr. Lane for the sole reason that he elected to declare Mr. Angel and Mr. Gilmour as his fellow Trios partners. As this is Mr. Lane's show, it is imperative that I focus upon the connections between the host and the feature attraction of Mr. Gilmour. Mr. Lane would be the ringmaster in this circus of sorts. Mr. Gilmour would take the place of the lion tamer with his enormous feline as his assistant to entertain the masses. The Inspiration would take the place of the feline at the behest of the tamer. Following orders and entertaining the masses. It's all a game and a show with no thought or attention dealt to the center of attention in the lion. The lion is mocked and taken advantage of until the day when the lion is fed up with it. The lion tamer opens the mouth of the lion and sticks his head in."

"The foolish lion tamer."

"The lion's eyes glare downwards as he realizes the opportunity is there. The lion closes his jaws, the man squirms for a few moments, and then stops. Mr. Gilmour. I sincerely hope you have prepared for what awaits you on this special event. Spooky Shove It shall be the day LH Harrison ascends to the status of Immortal, and they day Mr. Peter Gilmour descends to the pits of Hell."

"I'm sorry for misleading you into thinking this would be an easy conquest. For this battle shall be your fiercest... and your last."

The Inspiration sits up and pulls a rolled up notebook out of the back of his pants as well as a pen from pocket. Why The Inspiration had these things on him during a War Games match is beyond anyone's understand. He flips the flimsy notebook open and begins writing furiously. The Inspiration looks up as his hazel eyes seem to grow a darker shade.

"LH 29: 17-18. With faith asunder and glory lost, He who has been cast into the pits of Hell shall rise again with fury wrought."

The Inspiration stands up and sighs. His eyes avert to the notebook and back to the dumpster. He flings the notebook into the dumpster as he sighs. LH Harrison crosses his arms as he walks away from the arena. The focus stays on LH as he walks further and further until out of sight. The focus fades away into pitch black.

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*Song 'Hotel California' by The Eagles performed on piano by Clavileman via YouTube