Prologue

This may seem unimportant at first, but I can assure you, it’s pivotal.

Have a heard a song that captures your heart? Have you ever heard a song that is so tantalizing that you cannot help but sing the chorus over and over again? Well I remember a song that I used to sing when I was a child. A song that I now realise has a ridiculously dark meaning behind it. For years I sung it with what few friends I had, playing the game with anyone who was not entirely terrified of me. They did have fair reason to be scared.

When I was younger I danced and I sung to the rhythmic harmony of “London Bridge is Falling Down”. I know what you’re thinking. You think that this song is about nothing other than the bridge, which is obviously in London, crumbling to nothingness as fast as Peter Gilmour’s career when Soldier and Feder left. Well, you should take the time to research the song as I have. I have delved into its meaning.

People claimed that it was about when London Bridge was attacked in the 11th century, supposedly by the Vikings. This is a lie. There is no such evidence to support this theory.

I will finally tell you its true meaning, I mean look at you, panting like a dog in desperation for more.

London Bridge is about immurement. This is a term that I was not that familiar with until recently. The idea behind it is that you entomb someone within a building and rather than letting them suffocate, you force them into one of the most tortuous deaths of all. Starvation and dehydration.

Now while this seems cruel enough on its own, this children’s song is actually based on the immurement of… any guesses? Anyone in particular? That’s right, children.

The Leigh family claimed that one of their children was sacrificed via immurement so that the structure would remain strong. Many believed in those times, long prior to the 17th century, that this ritual would allow the building an everlasting health. Ludicrous I know… yet dark.

That is the supposed identity of the fair lady who is mentioned within the song.

You are probably thinking… Why? Why am I telling you this? Why does it matter?

Well it matters because it shows the corruption within our society. A corruption that lives strong within the XWF, the CCWF, or whatever other bullshit name you want to give it.

When I was younger I used to play a game involving the London Bridge song. The idea was that two of my friends or me would stand opposite each other and hold our hands together to create an arch or more obviously a bridge. Everyone else runs in a circle going through the arch repeatedly until the song ends.

The children wait for the end of the song. When the song ends, the children creating the arch bring their arms down, capturing one of their friends like some sickening guillotine. Yeah, run home guys, your kids are probably practicing sacrifice in the playground as we speak.

There is a point to all of this though, a more important meaning. This world is built to corrupt us. The XWF is corrupt. This great place is going to crumble because Shane is back. We know what he did the first time. Do you think this time will be any different? This is The Black Circle all over again except perhaps much, much worse.

I must say though, I am disappointed in our former XWF Universal Champion “Loverboy” Vinnie Lane. His friends, his colleagues, his rivals. Whatever they were to him. It does not matter. He turned on them as fast as he could because he seized an opportunity to align himself with a very powerful man in Shane . He took the easy way out because that’s what he does. Now? Well now he has turned on all of us.

This week I face Robbie Bourbon. A man who supports the XWF. He challenged me after I challenged Game Girl and I respect that. This Wednesday is far bigger than our match and it’s far bigger than either of us. It’s about showing the CCWF what the XWF is all about. We fill fight you off Shane, we always do!

It matters not how many sacrifices you make to keep your foundations strong Shane, eventually you will crumble. In my time here one thing has always remained a constant. The XWF. Managers come and go but the XWF keeps on battling.

Throw whatever you like at us Shane. At the end of the day the CCWF will end up just like London Bridge.

It will come falling down.

End of Prologue

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I woke to Ambrose Helios panicking relentlessly. He was banging on my door and shouted furiously for help.

In a nervous sweat I quickly put some boxers on and opened the door.

“What is it?!”

Ambrose looked me up and down for a moment shaking his head before realising why he was panicking.

“It’s Clive! He’s gone!”

“What do you mean he’s gone?!”

“And I found this!”

Ambrose handed me a torn opened envelope with a letter within it.

Dear Steve & Co,

We have taken Clive from you because he is a sinner. He crushes the people around him in order for his business to thrive and we do not approve of this. We do not approve of the way he treats the people around him and we do not appreciate the fact that he and Ambrose saved you from your doom. He will face the consequences in your name. There’s nothing you can do about it.

Come and find us at the church. He’s dying within.

Fire begins to burn in my eyes as I pass the letter back to Ambrose. I quickly get dressed and Ambrose gets the car running outside.

The church is inevitably the same church that I was held hostage in just a short time ago. Why though? Why would he tell us? It must be a trap. It must be. What choice did I have though? We need to save Clive. We needed to.

We got in the car and we rushed to the church. There was no rain. There was no sun. There was no blue sky. There were merely clouds that suffocated the beauty of the sky. Grey in colour it was a blanket of misery.

Ambrose powered through the slight mist.

“This is going to be a trap you know Ambrose, don’t you?”

“How naïve do you think I am? Of course it’s a trap. That’s why we have got to be prepared for anything. It seems most likely that it will be a fight.” He said with a slight worry in his usually calm tone.

“It feels different this time; it’s not going to be a simple fight. They know that they would have very little chance of defeating us. That’s why this is so difficult; we are in massive trouble here Ambrose. Massive trouble.”

Ambrose looked at me and nodded, frowning slightly. I turned to look out of the window, thoughts flowing through my fearful mind.

We both stood outside the church. The doors were probably locked but we didn’t want to crash through them one at a time. We needed to attack in unison.

“3… 2…. 1!”

We both barged at the doors which flung open into the dazzling church. We both stumbled on one knee but quickly looked up with urgency, prepared for a fight. There was no need to prepare for a fight though. We entered to see Clive, my Godfather, conscious but gagged. He was tied against the altar. He was trying to scream but the gag prevented him from doing so.

Suddenly Ambrose was jumped from behind, taking a crossbar to the back of the leg. It’s weird how God’s servants acted more like soldiers. I turned and kicked the attacker in the head. Two more of them ran at me, I flipped one over and then clotheslined the other. Ambrose tried to struggle to his feet but was taken down by two of them, his leg severely hurt. I was surrounded by about six of them.

Their leader walked in.

“Steve Davids. You are no coward I will give you that but perhaps you are a fool. You should not have come here tonight. The inevitable is on its way.”

“Oh yes? What’s the inevitable?”

“Ha. The inevitable is that you and your fellow sinners here shall be sacrificed. God’s temple will stand stronger than ever.”

This building was crumbling and these idiots thought that sacrificing sinners would help it to remain strong. They truly believed it. In this day and age. Really?

“This better be some kind of sick joke!”

The six men formed a circle around me while two others tied Ambrose up. The six of them held each other’s hands and moved rapidly around me. They sung in harmony like demonic angels.

London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, My fair Lady. Build it up with wood and clay, Wood and clay, wood and clay, Build it up with wood and clay, My fair Lady. Wood and clay will wash away, Wash away, wash away, Wood and clay will wash away, My fair Lady. Build it up with bricks and mortar, Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar, Build it up with bricks and mortar, My fair Lady. Bricks and mortar will not stay, Will not stay, will not stay, Bricks and mortar will not stay, My fair Lady. Build it up with iron and steel, Iron and steel, iron and steel, Build it up with iron and steel, My fair Lady. Iron and steel will bend and bow, Bend and bow, bend and bow, Iron and steel will bend and bow, My fair Lady. Build it up with silver and gold, Silver and gold, silver and gold, Build it up with silver and gold, My fair Lady. Silver and gold will be stolen away, Stolen away, stolen away, Silver and gold will be stolen away, My fair Lady. Set a man to watch all nigh, Watch all night, watch all night, Set a man to watch all night, My fair Lady. Suppose the man should fall asleep, Fall asleep, fall asleep, Suppose the man should fall asleep? My fair Lady. Give him a pipe to smoke all night, Smoke all night, smoke all night, Give him a pipe to smoke all night, My fair Lady.

“This is absolutely outrageous!”

I roared as I clotheslined two of them. The other four jumped on me. They brought me down and then dragged me into a room behind the altar. Blood was smeared across all of the walls and rotting corpses lay there with nothing attached to them other than rope and underwear.

Looking up at the leader, I turned my head; a sickening tear trickled down my eye. My voice was breaking due to shock. I whispered to him as I stared in disbelief.

“Oh my fucking God. What have you done?!”

Immurement.

He simply smiled. Out of nowhere though!

CRACK!

Ambrose was back to his feet and he cracked the demonic leader on the back of the head. I kicked out of the grapple and head-butt one of his followers before planting another one with a forearm.

“CLIVE!”

I shouted.

One of the followers was stood over him with a knife.

“GET BACK! GET BACK OR I WILL KILL HIM!”

I knocked out the last remaining follower other than the one who held the knife. Ambrose and I closed in on him

“NOT ANOTHER STEP! I MEAN IT!”

BANG!

A bullet soared through the follower’s head. A figure emerged in the door way with a grin on his face. He winked at me then dashed.

“MORGAN!” I shouted. It was my brother who had gone missing. I had not seen him in nearly a year.

Ambrose looked at me, a tear trickling down my face.

“We need to leave Steve!”

I dropped to my knees.

“WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!”

Fades to black. The words of “London Bridge is Falling Down” echoed in my mind.

3x Xtreme Champion
1x Briefcase Holder
1x Television Champion
1x Universal Champion