Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

OneInTheChamber · (08-23-2016)

August 23, 2016
Charlotte, North Carolina
Just after midnight

The scene opens as Jenny Chambers is walking around Chris Chambers’ apartment. Jenny has a distraught look on her face as she picks up every piece of paper she can find and reads them, tossing them astray, she periodically keeps checking her phone as she continues to tear through the apartment looking for something specific. She reaches the kitchen and stops and takes a deep breath. She walks over to the refrigerator and grabs a bottle of water out of it and takes a quick drink and places the bottle on the counter. She grabs her cellphone again and hits her brothers picture on the speed dial and it rings until it hits voicemail. Jenny leaves a message.

Jenny: Chris, it is your sister. Where are you?!? We haven’t heard a word out of you since your loss to James Madison. I know you don’t like losing, and I know that everything else that has been going on, people are making you the laughing stock of the XWF, but we are family. I love you bro, and you need to come home and you will work through this! I love you, please come home!

Jenny hangs up her cellphone and takes another drink of water. She walks over to the window and looks out over the night sky of Charlotte. She looks down at her phone and wonders just where her brother could be.

Las Vegas, Nevada
Somewhere just outside of the strip

The camera pans around the Las Vegas strip. The night life still bustling throughout the city. The camera catches a glimpse of a couple stumbling out of one of the tiny wedding chapels. The camera zooms past them and down into a dark alley. At the end of the alley stands a big burly man beside a door that says VIP ONLY. The camera pans its way in through the doorway to dark room with 5 people sitting around the table. Several shady figures sit there, and at the head of the table sits Chris Chambers, who appears to have had a few drinks and looking at his cards on the table. Ace of Hearts and Ace of Diamonds. Chris looks down towards his chips and back at the table and antes up. He laughs as he begins to speak.

Chris: I really do appreciate you guys letting me crash and hang out here until Saturday. After all I’ve been through this last few days, taking a break from the media and all the hoopla of the XWF has been nice. Who am I kidding to think I was going to beat legendary James Madison? I guess the only thing that really matters is that I tried, so I guess that says something. As for Nate Higgers, I don’t know why that guy has a problem with me and is around at all my matches, but he can takes his racist views and shove it … what a prick, takes my Federweight title and now he has to be all up in my business, well he can go to hell.

The guys around the table chuckle at the bantering of Chris Chambers as they continue to take a few drinks of the beverages they have around the table. One of the guys looks across the table at Chris and slams his drink to the table and addresses Chris.

???: Quit your god damn bitching son! You got work to do, just because you lost to Madison don’t mean a god damn thing, you are getting ready to step into the ring with the reigning defending Intercontinental Champion, Dillinger! So sit over there and be a little whining bitch all you want, the world goes on and you still got shit to do, so suck it up big boy!

Chris looks up with a look of shock as he looks at the blurry figure across the table. The round of antes finish up and the dealer deals King of Diamonds, King of Spades, and Ace of Spades on the table. A small grin comes across Chris’ face as he address the man yelling at him across the table as he places a bet of five hundred thousand dollars.

Chris: Damn it Alex, I told you to quit taking the Lords name in vain! As for the XWF, I know I have work to do, and really, none of them matter, but yeah, big whoop, I’m facing Dillinger, he had to run his mouth, and I’m going to be the one who shuts it come Saturday. What a superstar! Dillinger the reigning defending Intercontinental Champion. He’s a really high caliber of fighter! Chris laughs. No, seriously, look at Dillinger’s last few opponents and tell me why he should be a main eventer? I mean really, he barely survived a match with Gilmour, who I ain’t even going to speak on right now because I’m going to be busting him up later in the week as well, so really, let’s get serious. I mean he faced Robbie Bourbon at Leap of Faith, and you see how that ended, and we know how I made Robbie Bourbon tap like a little cry baby, so there’s that.

Everyone minus the male that Chris called Alex fold but Alex continues to bet and eventually goes all in before they see the river cards. Chris calls all in as well and they both stand up and flip their cards over, and Alex flips over King of Clubs and King of Hearts. The crowd begins to gasp and Chris clasps his hands in prayer.

The dealer flips the fourth card.

Queen of Hearts.

Chris falls to his knees and awaits the last card to flip.

The dealer flips the fifth card.

Ace of Clubs.

Chris screams in joy and a few people around the table groan as the dealer begins to collect all the chips and push them over towards the side of the table that Chris was sitting at. Alex looking slightly upset grabs his drink and walks away. Before he leaves, he leans over towards Chris and whispers:

Alex: You’ll get what’s coming to you Chris, I promise you that….

Alex walks away as he finishes his drink and slams the glass into the wall. The last few people gasp and shake their head in disappointment as Alex exits the room. Chris sits down and begins to organize his chips and awaits the next hand to be dealt. One of the attendants walks over and sits Chris a bottle of water down beside him and he chuckles as he acknowledges them.

Chris: Thanks for that, is that you telling me I’ve had too much to drink? I’ll tell you when I’m done, so how about you get me another Crown and Coke?

The attendant begins to walk off when a voice screams out from behind the bar.

???: You’ll have nothing else from this bar Christopher. I should have never even give you the first drink after all the crap you put your family through with your drinking when you were in high school! Now you drink that water and get the hell out of here!

Chris whips his head around hearing the voice. He recognizes the voice of one of his childhood friends, Samantha. Sam, he called her as a kid. Samantha used to live next door to Chris as he grew up in grade school. They were really close friends until Sam’s parents moved her to Las Vegas. Chris hadn’t kept up with her but had no idea what she had been doing besides the random pictures she would post on her Facebook and Instagram. Chris begins to turn around and acknowledge her, but he hangs his head in shame as he opens the bottle of water and begins to sip at it.

???: Now that’s better. Now calm down and focus. You gotta get out of this funk man, this is not where you belong and you damn well know it. You are much better than these damn scoundrels that come in here night in and night out. You used to pray for me, and now I’m praying for you! One loss and you are back to your old habits? I don’t think so! So finish this game, or cash out and get back home!

Chris: Damn it Sam! Can’t I just enjoy myself a little bit? I mean I have done good things and I have been such a good man and good example to people, I just need to unwind and relax some! You gotta give me a break!

Sam: No sir! You’ve always been holding yourself to a higher standard and have been preaching the Word of Christ, and now you are, in my hole in the wall here in Vegas, living a life of sin? No, you get out of here and go home to your family and straighten yourself up! I’m going to pray for you because you are the ONLY reason that some of us even watch the XWF anymore. You are the best of them, no matter the talent or results, you are the good guy here Chris and you can’t let yourself be drug down to their levels.

Chris grabs his chips and tosses them up on the counter to Sam. She counts out his money and cashes him out. She hands him another bottle of water and hands him his cellphone and keys that were in his box of belongings. Chris sits down and speaks to her as he looks at all the missed calls from his sister.

Chris: I’m sorry Sam. I don’t know what else to do. I really feel like I have let everyone down by all this nonsense and everything that has been going on, I was supposed to be undefeated, I was going to be X-Treme champion, and yet here I am, a loser, I just don’t understand how God is letting me through all this and allowing me to have to deal with all these struggles yet again!

Sam: Chris, you can do this man! I know you can, and just like David, you need to go face your giants! They are all now thinking you can’t do it, you can’t make it, you will never win, but I am telling you that you can and will Chris! You weren’t raised to be like this, so you need to get out of here, go back home and refocus before your match on Saturday. I love you man, and you know I’m here if you need me, but please don’t come back here, you are so much better than all this! Chris leans over the counter and grabs a hug from Sam.

Chris: I appreciate you Sam. I really needed this. Thank you so much. This is what Jonah must have felt like when he was on the boat, in the middle of the raging storm, and it was all because he was running from what God had told him to do. So here I am God! I surrender once again, wherever you have me go, I’ll go, and come Saturday, when I step into the ring with Dillinger, I will be just one more step away from realizing my dreams! Thanks Sam, I’ll make this up to you!

Chris grabs his water and belongings and makes his way out the door. Rain has begun to fall in Las Vegas, Chris realizes he needs to call his sister. As Chris begins to dial the number, Alex comes out of the shadows and hits Chris over the back with what appears to be a baseball bat. Alex pummels Chris and takes his money and runs off. As Chris lays there bleeding from the mouth and nose and being battered, he hits send on the call and as Jenny answers the phone, he speaks.

Chris: Jenny, I need you…. Help…… me.

Chris blacks out and the camera fades to black.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Chambers fall from grace...
Author	Message