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Shawn Warstein · (04-13-2020)

In a room shrouded in darkness, a lone light shines. Illuminating the bedroom where a body is shaking and convulsing on the king size mattress. Suddenly and without warning the body goes limp. We see a female sitting next to the body, her hand laid across the chest of him. With each labored breath her hand raises and lowers. A look of dread covers her face.

“Relax, Atara...he’s fine.” A voice echoed through the room as a man walked in, wearing an ornate robe. He has a scraggly unkempt beard and long brown hair. “You have to remember, Shawn wanted this…”As he approaches the bed opposite of Atara, takes a deep breath and places a hand on the forehead of Shawn. “There’s a lot of turmoil in him. He must….” A look of concern covers Atara’s face.

“Just look at him…” Atara caresses the cheek of the unconscious body in front of her. “Somethings not right.”

As she said that Shawn began coughing, and a small amount of blood dribbles out of the corner of his mouth. Atara grabs a nearby towel and dabs it away. “You can’t tell me that’s normal.”

“It certainly isn’t normal.” The man closes his eyes and places his hand on Shawn’s forehead, but he quickly pulls his hand away. “There is something blocking me from regaining control.”

“What does that mean!?” Atara throws the towel at the man. “What do you mean you can’t regain control!”

“I’ve never had someone go this deep, it’s as if he’s broken the bond and has lost the tether to reality.”The man curls his lip, and what follows could only be described as a confused grunt. “I told him that dreamwalking wasn’t a good idea…”

“Not a good idea!? So you knew something like this could happen!?” Atara stands up, and much like a warrior goddess she towers over the man. “You are going to fix this… and you’re going to fix it now!”

A worried expression falls over the man’s face as Atara’s menacing glare hasn’t faded. “I don’t know if I can… There’s something in his mind, it’s not allowing him to be released. No matter what I try.” His eyes fall towards Shawn’s lifeless body. “It’s on him. If he wants to come back or not. He has a long fight ahead of him…”

Just then I open my eyes, slowly. I can’t hear anything and my body is paralyzed. I fight to move anything but I am unable. I can feel my chest rise with each breath, and soon in my eyeline I see Atara hovering just above my head. Her hair carelessly draped over my head. As she places her forehead on mine, I feel her hand come up to my cheek. A labored breath, as I try to speak, but nothing comes out. My eyelids get heavy as I fight to keep them open for just a moment longer to see her in all of her beauty. My eyes roll back into my head, as my eyes close. The last thing I heard was Atara.

“.....Shawn….”

—————————————————————

The sense of dread still covers my body, as the blue figure hovers over my lifeless body. My eyes dart around the grove we are in, as the crimson figure stays on the outskirts, much like a guard monitoring the perimeter. I fight with every ounce that I have to move, and as I lift an arm the blue figure pins my arm to the dirt.

“Don’t move. Just listen.” A cold chill comes over my body. “You chose here for a reason, but why?” A question that I am just now realizing, I chose this, all of this is my doing. This figment of my imagination seems so realistic. “Oh this is really happening. I am you and I know your thoughts. You can’t run from me here.” Trapped I have no other option than to listen to what the figure has to say.

The crimson figure rushes out into the grove and after hearing a small skirmish, it comes back holding something over its shoulder. With a thunderous thud on the ground, a body is dropped next to me. There lay Thannasi, face swollen, purple, and both eyes closed. I see a few twitches from him as I turn my attention to the blue figure.

“He knew better than to come here. We tried warning him with the Mark of the Gods. The signs were there, and he ignored them. He will be fine, but for now I need you to follow me.” Without warning the crimson figure swoops me up, and carries me, as my feet dangle along the patchy dirt ground, as I glance back I see Thannasi still laying there motionless.

Being dragged through a dense forest, all I see is the reddish hue being projected along the trees. The blue figure leading the way, as we hang back. Every so often the crimson figure would switch arms that I’m being carried in as I can barely hold my head up, when a screeching is heard echoing in the forest. Just as we arrived at a cave entrance, devoid of any light and an intimidating blackness shrouding the true depth of the formation. The crimson figure drops me right at the front of the cave and tosses me a small blade, as the blue figure snaps it’s fingers. Just as it snaps the cave illuminated revealing a path that led deep into the heart of the cave.

“Go on. Inside you’ll encounter the beast that you wish to conquer.” A long arm is held out pointing towards the opening, as I stand up on my wobbly legs. The blue figure extends its arm towards me, and with a single touch to my forehead. I bright white light engrossed me and all of my wounds were healed. My cracked ribs no longer hurt and breathing wasn’t labored anymore. I felt brand new. I looked up towards the blue figure and the icy blue eyes stared back at me. I felt a calmness come over myself but it was quickly replaced with nerves. The two figures floated behind me and as I glanced over my shoulder they both disappeared into the night. I stare into the long winding cave, with lights illuminating along the right side of the walls. As I close my eyes and take a deep breath, I tentatively took a single step into the cave, followed by another. The damp air in the cave hangs heavy, with each step the coolers of water falling from the ceiling echo in a rhythmic symphony. My feet stick to the floor only for a moment, and when lifted I am greeted with a squelching sound.

“Hey demons…” I said softly to myself with an anxious tone. “It’s me ya boy. Don’t worry I’m just here to take care of that two headed serpent and I’ll be on my way.” With each passing step my confidence in my surroundings grows. The anxiety falls off, and I’m left alone to battle the serpent.

“I know what you’re going to say, here I am walking in a dark cave, how fucking original right? It’s like one of the greatest horror movie tropes that could be thought up, but no, in this case the cave is like a metaphor for the battle that’s happening right before everyone’s eyes. One man walking towards the battle, while the other just stands at the end hoping no one shows up. Cowering in fear, full of hope yet also shrouded in despair. Wishing to the gods that they will be left alone. Well I’m here and I’ve heard everything that has been said. And seeing as how this cave runs deep… Looks like I’ll have plenty of time to say a few words.” As I continue down deeper into the cave the few lights illuminating the area begin to flicker.

“Well that’s a sign of life isn’t it? Honestly I half expected you to smoke yourself into a stupor and forget that you even had a match on Saturday. I guess it’s still a possibility, but you’re not going to pass this up. You’ve been thrown into the ring with people that are below your level.”A quick shrug and side smile. “Trust me I know all about that. Just look where I’m at here both you and Carnes. It’s as if there is no one on the roster up to my level, and it shows. With the malodor that is spewing from your mouth. You tried your hardest to not say a bad thing about me.”

“It’s a shame really. You had your opportunity to really sink your teeth into this, and you just couldn’t do it. You needed to make yourself feel more important than you actually are. I couldn’t tell if that was what you really think, or if you just didn’t want to get on my bad side. Either way you weren’t wrong about at least one thing. The fact that I’m not going to let this title go so quickly.”In disgust I shake my head. “Just look at the scum that has come out of the woodwork since I’ve won this title. All of a sudden Carnes thinks he’s on my level. The Zombie corpse of Michael Graves has shown up, and for what? For the thought of being the one to knock me off of the throne.”

“While I applaud their gusto, we all know how this ends for everyone involved. Me standing tall, holding my title above my head, while everyone lays on the mat thinking about where they went wrong. I can answer that for everyone.” With each step I take my confidence in the cave grows, as I begin to navigate it like an expert, quickly hurdling obstacles in my path, and ducking under anything without a second thought.

“Everything went wrong the second I accepted the challenge. The second I decided that this title is mine. There isn’t a soul that can pry it from my grasp, you Grif and Carnes aren’t going to be able to do it. Michael Graves isn’t going to be able to do it.” I hold up my hands in a stopping motion. “Well let’s not get ahead of ourselves shall we? We still actually have to fight, and I was born for this, you Grif were created in a Shane

fever dream. So take your victory over Peter, and relish in it because once Saturday comes, that will be a far cry from the results you’ll see then.” The cave starts to close in, as I begin to crouch and shimmy my way through. I pop out on the other side and brush myself off and clear my throat.

“Will the English translators of the Hanari Cranes promos please help me? I know that with that accent he pretends to have, but could you please just leave it in Spanish, that way he wouldn’t come off sounding like a complete and utter jackass all the time. Like he literally said he was going to break my arm into so many pieces that they will have to be swept up with a broom? Like that has to be a mistranslation. He would have to sever my arm from my body, and then dump the bone fragments onto the mat. Then the comparison to Mastermind in a sling for weeks? So Chico? Which is it? Because honestly all I’m hearing is a blow hard talking tough.”

“I’ve seen some intense people in my day, but Hanari just isn’t it. The most intense people in this industry don’t have to tell you to watch how hard they go. They just go.” A simple and quick shrug, with a Jim Halpert like grin. “I mean sure you could just as easily not say that, and then I’d be in awe of how hard you brought it. Like the warrior you say you are. You’re getting better with every match… that’s debatable. So using your logic I must be getting better every match too. Just think about it for a moment. If I’m the pinnacle of the XWF, and you’re floating around the middle, and we are both getting better…” A quick hand roll and exaggerated head bob. “Come on. The rising tide raises all boats. If you’re getting better does that mean I just stopped? That I decided, nah I’m good here?”

“Fuck no. If anything I’ve expanded my game ever farther than it’s ever been. Thanks to a certain someone I’ve even dipped my toe into MMA training.” As I continue to walk down the cave the ceiling is starting to open up a bit more as I stretch my arms high towards the ceiling, and I slowly bring them down to my side. “Again before you were able to touch the ceiling. You could see the limit to which you were able to reach. Yet now in the ring with me, that ceiling just jumped up tenfold didn’t it?”

“Be honest with yourself for one moment.”

“You knew you didn’t stand a chance in the ring with me. That’s why you resorted to calling me a monkey wearing silk right? Your momma had to come with the stinger. You couldn’t even come up with that one on your own. Pathetic. There were a million different routes you could’ve gone, but you settled on that one. A simple pig wearing lipstick is still a pig could’ve worked. Personally I would’ve gone with a chupacabra sighting still doesn’t mean it’s real. That’s fitting for you, you know with you being a fake and a fraud all at once.” I raise my hand and slice across my throat. “I mean that’s just what I do to the frauds who claim to be the top dog. Just look at my track record. Sarah Lachlan, gone. Kenzi Grey, gone. The mythical Engineer, gone. Who shall be next to realize that this has always been my kingdom, I just allowed others to sit on the throne. I wanted the world to know what would happen to this place should I not decide to step in and take control again. And what did you get? Robert Main, Unknown Soldier, and Engineer. What do they all have in common? I’ll let you think about that.”

“Like I know I may talk until the cows come home, but I actually back it up. Every time. Meanwhile you are concocting scenarios in your head that make you seem grander than reality shows. Madison Dyson left, so as the runner up that makes you King. I don’t think so, that makes you second. Madison won the March Madness tournament, you don’t get the accolades that come along with that just because you failed last out of everyone. You are not the King, and you never will be. There’s one King in the XWF and you are looking at him.” I spread my arms wide and look up towards the ceiling, a huge grin comes across my face. “Wait, didn't I already do the Jesus pose once? Oh well with how often Hanari repeats himself it fits. Do you know why I can call myself the King? I’m the Universal Champion. I'm at the top of the mountain. I am who everyone is chasing. You are nothing more than a jester in the court, who the second they no longer become entertaining gets the guillotine. Off with your head I’ll say, and before you can blink, your pathetic existence here will be gone.”

“But a King is only as good as the Queen by his side. I mean since everyone else is bringing her into this, I might as well address it as well right?”

“Everyone seems to have this preconceived notion about what our relationship is, and you’re all entitled to your opinions. Yet if you think for one second that I need her ringside to beat the two of you, then you are sadly mistaken. We are both very capable in the ring and can handle ourselves. She knows that she doesn’t need to be ringside, and she won’t be. This is one of those scenarios that everyone has built in their heads. As much as I love her by my side, it’s unnecessary when dealing with the likes of you two. So please I beg the both of you to plan and prepare for her being there because she won’t be.”

“That’s the thing with royalty, we know the populous. We know what they need, and what they need right now more than ever is a King that stands up on his own, fights their own battles, regardless of the pitiful peasants sent to destroy his throne like the lemmings they really are. The only thing that is going to stop me from making an example out of the both of you on Saturday are the gods themselves.”

“But let’s be honest. They don’t give a shit about you at all, why else would you two be led to the slaughter?”

Another loud thunderous roar rattles the cave. The noise causes water droplets to fall from the ceiling, mimicking a quick rainfall. With each step I take towards the beast my heart beats louder and louder. My hands begin to tremble. Thoughts of failure fill my mind. The last time I encountered this creature, not only did I fail, but it wasn’t in a confined space.

I approach an opening and peer into the opening. There were the two figures emblazoned in their colors trying the beast up, and showing no regard for it. I walk into the dimly lit chamber and approach the beast. Both figures back away from the serpent.

“You must take the heart from the creature.” Said the crimson figure. “Or free the beast and gain the favor of the gods.” The blue spectral being stated. “The choice is yours, and yours alone. Choose wisely.”

The two figures dissolve into the air, leaving me with the serpent. As I take one step forward, the camera fades to black.

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