Day dawned behind Madison’s eyelids before she could even open them. And when she did, the overhead light shined incessantly down on her, forcing her to avert her gaze and curse out of frustration.

Realization was a scant mistress at first, Madison’s mind was all static in it’s confusion. But as the blurs and dots in Madison’s vision from the accursed light faded, the details slowly started to fill in.

But that didn’t mean they made sense.

Madison was in a run down hospital room. A chair with ripped upholestery was upended in the corner. A nearby mirror was heavily cracked and splintered like a lightning bolt. And the wall paper, beige and antiseptic as it was, was starting to peel.

And that was about when the pain set in too.

Madison looked down at her body and was aghast.

What…what the fuck!

She screamed, partly in shock and partly in pain. Because about a dozen IV needles were haphazardly jammed into her body. Some of the locations didn’t even make sense, and only one of them was even tethered to an IV bag, which Madison noted was full of some sort of syrupy black ichor. Madison slowly set about removing all the needles, cursing as each one slid out of her skin. When the task was complete, Madison finally noticed the griminess of her hospital gown and bed, and she decided to slip out of both. She looked about for her clothes, or any possession she recognized really, but found nothing.

Think, Maddy, think. How the hell did you get here? Who’s behind….

But her thoughts were interrupted by an obnoxious blurt of static from the old fashioned intercom hanging above her door. This was followed by a jangling tone that sounded off key. Her attention turned fully to the boxy intercom, and her eyes widened in shock as it started to drip blood!

What the fuck is this…?

Then, going to the window, she stared down at the parking lot. But, oddly, the entire lot was coated in a thick veneer of fog, and what little she could see of the cars down below told her that they all hadn’t been used in some time as they were all rusted out hulks.

Wait, what….!

Just then, Madison thought she saw a figure in the fog down below, something vaguely humanoid in shape but not quite human. But it was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

She turned away from the window, glowering at the pinpricks of crimson that appeared on her flesh from the IV’s. Did I do any drugs? She paused, pondering. No, I didn’t. Then, what the hell is going….

Madison. A commanding voice called out from the intercom. Even more thin tendrils of blood eminated from the speakers as it spoke. And the voice? All too familiar.

Lux! Madison growled. How the hell did I get here? Where the fuck is here anyway?!

This is your nightmare, Madison. I’m just along for the ride. As for where? You don’t recognize it?

Madison squinted in confusion, and then her features slackened into an audible groan as the pieces came together. She had been researching that stupid Silent Hill game after the Savage card came out. A few shots of Crown later she had passed out in front of her laptop. Which, naturally led her here.

Madison stood still in place and pinched her eyes shut.

What are you doing?

Shut up, Lux! I’m willing myself to wake up! Madison squeezed her eyes shut even harder, but still blessed wakefulness would not come. Ugh! God DAMMIT! Madison brushed an errant lock away from her sweat mottled forehead. HOW DO I WAKE UP?!

Considering how much booze you drank? Probably not for a while. Lux’s tone was needling and sarcastic. But maybe it’s for the best. I think you’ll learn something about yourself tonight.

Fuck this. Madison uttered, ignoring Lux’s declaration. She headed for the door and emerged into a wing of the hospital that was somehow even more delapidated than her room. Nonetheless, she plunged on, still wincing in pain from the numerous needle sticks that had perforated her body.

You can’t escape this. Lux intoned cooly over the intercom.

Escape what?! Madison barked, still progressing down the hall. She flung an empty wheelchair out of the way as she went.

Realization. Coming to terms.

Be more vague, bitch.

Oh, that’s right. You prefer things plain, don’t you, Madison. It’s part and parcel of the utter artlessness of YOU. Fine. Lux pauses for a moment. Your child. Samael. It’s always struck me as very interesting why you would keep a memory of a child you clearly abandoned.

Madison rounded a corner and stopped short.

Fuck! She barked, and then immediately clasped her hands over her mouth. For her outburst surely drew the attention of…



The shambling monstrosities masquerading as nurses. A mainstay of those insipid Silent Hill games. Madison retraced her steps and ducked into a nurses station, hiding herself under the desk. Meanwhile, Lux continued.

And while we’re at it, what does the whole concept of motherhood mean for Madison Dyson anyway? I mean, obviously it’s not something you value. The way you secreted that boy, Samael, away in your mind. I can’t help but wonder though, is it something a woman like you is ASHAMED of? The love, the tenderness, that comes with being a mother. Are you even CAPABLE of those things, Madison? And even if you were, would you be proud of those feelings? Or would you consider them a sign of WEAKNESS?

You going all Dr. Phil on me, bitch? Go ahead. Madison breathed out the retort, trying to make as little noise as possible.

What did Samael mean to you? Hell Madison, when’s the last time you even saw him?

Madison peeked up over the top of the desk just in time to see the deformed nurses stumbling around the corner. They moved like disjointed marionettes, fleshy puppets dancing at the whim of some spastic overlord. Dipping back under the desk, Madison scanned around for something, anything, to use as a weapon. Finally, she laid eyes on a packet of syringes laying on the floor roughly ten feet away from her. Drawing a steadying breath, Madison darted for them and scooped them up. Rapidly, she tore the packaging away from the syringes. But by the time she was done with that one of the nurses had wandered into the nurses station. Madison vaguely remembered something about these creatures being drawn to sound, and her body locked up tight. It was then that Madison realized the syringes still had the caps on them, effectively rendering them useless as a weapon.

Is he still a boy? Or is he a young man now? Bereft for years of a mother’s love?

Madison grimaced, ignoring Lux’s incessant prodding. Then, working the syringes around in her fingers, she tried to get at the caps covering the needles. That was about when one of the syringes slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor.

Uh oh.

The nurses head snapped around, almost inhumanly so, as if it was untethered to a spinal cord. She raised one rotted arm, clutching a rusted scalpel in her hand. Then, with an unexpected quickness, the creature started swinging the scalpel wildly in Madison’s direction.

Shit!

Madison jumped back from the nurse’s lunges, still working at getting the cap off the syringes.

Just then, a loud buzz sounds from the nurses station as the intercom just above Madison’s head starts bleating an obnoxious sound. Intercut with the sound was Lux’s voice, calling out She’s over here! Come and get it!

Fuck you, bitch! But Madison’s cursing did nought but further draw the attention of the nurse in front of her, and she again set to cutting the air in a desperate attempt to get at Madison. Madison tried throwing a syringe like a dart at the creatures face as she backpedaled, but the needle bounced harmlessly off the soiled wrappings covering the creature’s visage. Madison tried again, but this time she missed completely. With a frustrated chortle, she threw the rest of the needles at the nurse and then turned to bolt, only to see another twisted nurse blocking her egress from the nurse’s station.

You’re trapped Madison. Is this what it felt like when you had Samael? Trapped by your own offspring? Chained to a child you never wanted?

Madison didn't even acknowledge Lux’s taunting, knowing she had to get away while making as little noise as possible. With a clumsy vault, Madison made it on top of the desk of the nurse’s station, but she tripped a little, a mistake that would cost her dearly as one of the blade wielding nurses slashed out at her, drawing a line of crimson across Madison’s back. Madison cried out in pain and tumbled over the edge of the desk, back out into the hall and away from the nurses. But the back of her hospital gown was quickly soaking with blood, and she struggled to get up off the floor for the pain.

That looks like it hurts. Surely nothing compared to the pain of child birth. Though, knowing you, you were probably drugged to the gills for that. Do you even remember birthing, Samael? Do you even CARE?

FUCK OFF! Madison screamed cathartically, her voice an admixture of anguished strain and rage. Madison sucked in a deep breath, willing herself to her feet despite the lacerating pain leering across her back. I have to find a way out. She spoke to herself. Then, seeing the nurses start to jauntily walk out of the nurse’s station, Madison cut a hard left away from them.

Do you want to get out of here?

OF COURSE I DO YOU DUMB COOZE! Madison shrieked, using the wall for support as she made her way down the opposite hall.

Fine. Let’s meet in maternity then. Let’s finish this.

Maternity?! You just don’t know when to let go, do you? Madison laughed, but it was a lilting insane thing. Where the fuck is maternity?

Hang a left, and then a right.

And the nurses?

I’ll clear the way.

How are you in control of this? I thought this was my nightmare?

Lux laughed lightly. Have you learned nothing? You truly don’t understand the power I wield over you?

Madison replied as she fought for purchase in the debris laden hallway. Yeah, yeah, what the fuck ever. You can kill me whenever you want. I fucked up. Godammit, I FUCKED UP! Madison’s voice raised to a crescendo of frustrated admission. But, once quiet reigned again, Madison realized she could hear a sound in the near distance. An infant’s cry.

Maternity! Madison called aloud, as though rehoning on her objective. Gritting through the pain in her back, Madison forced her way forward, down the rotting halls before finally reaching a large window. Just beyond it was the maternity ward. The infant’s beds were arrayed in a circle around the room, with a bloodied pentagram bridging the gap between them. The crying still rang out from within, but Madison could see no evidence of an actual child. Stepping cautiously into the room, she surveiled her surroundings with an acute eye, but saw no overt threats.

So now what, Lux? More preaching about what a fucked up mother I am? Because you’re going to have to do better than…

But it was then that Madison realized that the infant’s crying had stopped, and a new sound had started. It began as a low keen coming over the loudspeakers, growing louder and louder.



What now?!

Suddenly, the walls about Madison started to flake away, like so many burnt embers. And then, the floor beneath her feet followed suit, the tile turning into black sooty remnants that were cast about by an unseen wind.

What the fuck?! Madison made a beeline for the door, or started to anyway. Because she realized quickly that it was now gone. The siren continued as the trappings of the maternity ward continued to peel away, revealing rusted steel latticework underneath. And below Madison’s feet, as the floor faded, was a crisscross of rebar below which a massive conflagration burned. The temperature in the room instantly shot up what must have been at least 40 degrees, and sweat permeated Madison’s body, stinging the laceration in her back.

Lux! LUUUUUUUUX!!!!

But there was no answer save the incessant whine of the siren. But even above the siren, Madison heard the sound of something clattering just behind her. It was a chunk of blackened cement. Madison looked above and saw that the ceiling was gone, replaced by a ceaseless black void that seemed to expand ever upward. But somehow, she could sense that something was rooting about up in that foul darkness. Another piece of cement hit the rebar next to her, and then another. Madison backed away, and in so doing could swear the siren had gotten even louder. Slapping her palms to her ears, she let out a scream of frustration.

STOP STOP STOOOOOOOOOP!!!!

And then something answered.

It dropped down from that char black pit in the sky, and at first Madison couldn’t even make sense of it. It was black and sicky looking, veins shot through with a grotesque tar like liquid. It was massive, bulbous, and looked organic. The shape of it was utterly alien to Madison. A central mass with two appenadages waving off of it, and at the end of those appendages small circular masses that looked tumerous. The realization of what this was came slowly, but surely.

It was a giant poisoned uterus.

The appendages were fallopian tubes, and affixed to the ends of them were the ovaries. The fallopian tubes flopped onto the floor in front of the uterus and suddenly bony protrusions popped out of the ovaries. And thus, the mass dragged itself across the metal grating, digging the bony protrusions from the ovaries into the crevices between the rebar and hauling itself towards Madison.

Madison’s brain was so overwhelmed she was numb to the horror at first, but when it finally clicked that she was in grave danger she moved. Reaching back behind herself, she skittered in reverse until she found the rusty metal wall. Frantically, she scanned the room again but saw no exit. And the twisted uterus was slowly undulating closer and closer to her. Madison, staying flush with the wall, moved again. And this time the creature lashed out with one of the pronged ovaries, catching the wall just above Madison’s head. Madison stopped in her tracks, heart thudding against her chest and seeing nowhere to go.

LUX! STOP THIS! STOP IT NOW!

But still there was no reply from her nemesis. The beast reared back on its haunches and swung around, pivoting to face Madison again. It picked up one of its fallopian tube arms and brought it high before plunging it down towards Madison again. Madison screamed and held up her arms, shutting her eyes and praying to God in heaven to just wake the fuck up.

But the blow didn’t come. And quite abruptly the siren was silenced. Madison slowly opened her eyes and in place of the uterine creature Samael now stood. 

Mother, why do you hate me? Samael spoke.

Madison, reeling from the whole ordeal, took a few moments to find her words.

I….I don’t HATE you. It just….wasn’t a good time for mommy, you know?

Well when WOULD have been a good time for a son, mother?

Madison found herself wanting for an answer.

Is now a good time? Mommy? Samael held out his arms as if for a hug.

Madison was still.

Mommy? The boy spoke again, seemingly insistent on the hug.

Finally, Madison found the will to move. But in so doing realized she was afraid once again. Though it was a different kind of fear this time. Approaching Samael, she held out her arms, awkwardly coming in for the embrace. Madison pinched her eyes shut again.

And the embrace never came.

THE WAKING WORLD
MADISON’S HOME

Madison awoke at her laptop. Groggy, reality slowly started to fill in at the edges. Home. No sirens. No uterus creatures.

No Samael.

Madison sat up, spying the shot glass next to her laptop. Empty.

God, I need another drink. Madison muttered.

Crawling off the stool, she started making her way to the kitchen. But as she walked, she became aware of a sensation in her eyes. Bringing her fingers up to her left eye, she felt moisture there.

Tears? No. Impossible. 

Why?

Rubbing the back of her hand against her eyes to do away with the moisture, she continued heading for the kitchen. Running her hand up the wall, she found the light switch and turned on the light. Then, going to the expansive wine rack against the far wall, she pulled out a bottle and snagged a wine glass out of a nearby cupboard to pour herself a mighty helping. The glass was half poured when she caught sight of the reflection of Lux in the glass. Lux was standing just over her shoulder, her face expressionless.

Mixing alcohols is never a good idea.

Shut up.

Did you sleep poorly?

Bitch, you know I did. You were there.

Lux’s expression becomes somewhat bemused. I was?

Don’t play games with me asshole. You were there. In my nightmare.

I have nothing to do with your nightmares, Madison.

Bullshit.

It’s the truth. I had nothing to do with it. Whatever you dreamed up, it was all you.

Madison scoffed and continued filling the glass, obscuring her vision of Lux. She took the glass and threw it back, draining it with a quickness. She then filled another glass and drained that one too.

But try as she might, Lux’s words continued to ring with a dolorous clang inside her head.

It was all you.

It was all you.

It was all you.

Madison went to pour again and stopped herself.

She thought she heard an infant cry in the distance.


Boy oh boy, it MUST be Halloween because here we are unearthing the corpse of Charlie Nickles’ career!

And you just had to know I’d go there Chucko. Call it obvious. Call it low hanging fruit.

Me? I prefer to call a spade a spade. I prefer to call it BLOOD IN THE WATER.

But I’ll hand you this Chucks. Once upon a time you were actually worth something. You were seen as someone with a future in the XWF. So full of vigor, of PROMISE! I mean there you were, earning your stripes, tearing up the midcard with two solid TV title reigns. And hell, lets throw in that Supercontinental reign too. Wasn’t QUITE up to the snuff of your TV reigns but it’s still there, superficial as it was.

All that momentum. All that barely tapped potential. We were all thinking the same thing, Chucks.

“That there is a Universal Champion in the making.”

But then…that was it. That was just IT. Nothing more came of the Charlie Nickles experiment. And it’s not like you didn’t have chances either! Hell, you even got a pity fuck of a Universal Championship match this past summer after doing fuck all forever. But what happened, just like your other big opportunities?

Nada. Goose egg. A big fat load of nothing.

And that about sums you up for the last two years Chuck. A big fat load of nothing. A flash in the pan who once looked promising only to fall flat on his face every time he was given the ball and told to REALLY run with it.

Hell, at one point you even had the full weight (pun definitely intended) of the Brotherhood of Bastards behind you. Until Bobby Bourbon broke off that engagement and sent you packing. And let’s consider that for a moment, shall we? Like how big of an asshole do you have to be to get ejected from a group with BASTARD in their name?

Yeah, Chuck. You are the DEFINITIVE “Mr. Coulda Woulda Shoulda”. You had the XWF lapping out of the palm of your hand and did fuck all with it.

So why NOW, Chuck? Why come back NOW when the level of competition in the XWF is admittedly the highest it’s ever been? Why come slithering back through our doors after humiliating yourself a few months back against S.E.B.? Did your local crack house run out of drugs? Did your family refuse to take you back for the one millionth time? Is pan handling just not as profitable as it used to be?

You fucking LOSER.

I am outright EMBARASSED for you, Chuck. HUMILIATED! On your behalf! Because here you are, the place where you showed your ass, the place where you smacked your skull on the glass ceiling more times than anyone can count, proving that you aren’t even an iota as talented as people once thought you are….here you are with your hands out plaintively, a tear in your eye, BEGGING us for sum’ ‘mo.

Yes, BEGGING.

Begging and pleading for another chance. Begging and pleading for that spotlight that makes you feel like slightly less of a fuck up. Begging and pleading to gin up that “controversy” you so love to proffer up because its the only way you can get any attention at all. I mean, let’s be honest about why you’re really here.

Because causing pain and destruction are the only things you’ve ever been even remotely good at. Because the only place you have any purpose, or feel any acceptance, or even feel remotely worthwhile, is in that ring. And just how pathetic is that? To be such a partial human being like that. Chucky boy you’re nothing more than a flesh and blood Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em robot. Press a button and watch him dole out punishment. And when that gets dull? Throw him in the back of the closet and forget about him forever. Yeah, that’s about what you’re good for. And the worst part?

I bet your fuckin’ proud of it. Being less of a human being than the rest of us. Being a dumb animal whose only ever been moderately good at tearing shit down and fucking it up.

And sure, you might be tempted to take some pot shots at my own capacity to be a dumb fighting animal of late. Be my guest. I’m not ashamed of any of it. You know why? Because at least I’m HERE. At least I’m FIGHTING. Call me a stone cold bitch with middling talent all you want but at least I didn’t run after blowing multiple opportunities at the top of the card like you did Chuck! Hell, I never got those opportunities to begin with.

You know how many times I’ve challenged for the Universal Championship? None! But here you are, yee of privileged largesse, wasting shot after shot at the top spot like they’re yet another used needle you’re plunging into a collapsed vein.

Chuckles you can be damn sure that if I ever got a Universal Championship shot I'd bring my A game. And if I still lost? You wouldn't see me roaming the halls of the XWF like the lonely ghost of some pathetic fuck up pining for the years past when he was actually GOOD.

God DAMN you are just the SADDEST thing.

*Sigh*

This is going to be like euthanizing a rabid animal. And I’m going to enjoy every second of it.

Chuck, at Spooky Savage you’re going to find I have more than enough change to break a nickel.