Post by Dean Matthews on Jul 8, 2018 21:30:59 GMT -5
The door to the New York apartment where Jessica called home opened gently into the dark home. The space beyond the door was quiet showing Jessica was still asleep, resting from the events of the night before. The figure which crept through the door and eased the door closed wore a simple pair of black shorts and a black tank top, its frame covered by a thin layer of sweat from the run.
A pair of wires ran from his pocket up to each ear where earbuds sat. His hair pulled back into a loose, messy ponytail. The man known the world over as Dean Matthews. Of course, he was also known by another name but he wouldn’t ever truly answer to that. Not willingly.
Daryl, the faithful dog of the house, trotted up, his tail wagging happily, but considering Jessica was still asleep he didn’t bark. He smiled down at the dog as the music in the earbuds changed and the guitars picked up. A female voice could clearly be heard with how loud the music was playing.
As the words blared in his ears he made his way down the silent hall and to the doorway of the master bedroom. Beyond it lying on the bed was the blonde frame of Jessica Sears. She was lying, nude, on her stomach with the sheet up to her spine. Her blonde hair fanned out around her head and her leg arched to the calf and her foot was sticking out beyond the sheet.
She was beautiful.
For a time Dean just stood there watching her sleep as the music played in the stillness through his earbuds. The message of the song soaking into his being as he went over the events of the last few nights. The DVD. The Reptile’s emergence and the darkness. He didn’t remember anything after that until he woke up in the middle of the War Games match.
He took his lip between his teeth and turned walking back through the house and to the front door leading back outside. Closing the door behind him gently as to not bother her and disturb her sleep. He grabbed a small steel box off the window ledge beside the door and popped it open with a button to reveal the contents within, a row of cigarettes. He never smoked inside, when the mood struck.
As the zippo flashed and the bright light stung his eyes, the music continued in his ears. In that flash of light, he saw it all. The Reptile grabbing her throat, and this time not releasing her. The Reptile crushing Joshua’s throat and Jessica not being able to reach him. The lifeless blind stare from the husband to be and father, for no other reason, than because he annoyed the creature.
A different life.
A cloud of white escaped from his nose as he stared ahead. In his mind he let himself see it all. How close he had come to losing it all. To losing his career. His life.
Was this how his father had felt every day?
He took another deep inhale before his eyes turned to the camera and he spoke over the blare of the music.
Dean: “If the last three days have taught me anything….it’s to appreciate what I have.”
The words more a shout than spoke before he raised a hand and pull the bud from his left ear and left it to dangle. This time when he spoke his voice was calm and smooth. Quieter than before.
Dean: “And this week I have Damon Grave. The Young Lions Champion. I am gonna show up and do my job but to be honest with you? I’d rather not win the championship. Eating a loss is never an easy thing to do, but in reality, if I did to Damon Graves what I do to everyone else in that ring with me than I’d have to face Jessica sooner or later for it.”
He glanced back at the window and exhaled another cloud of white from his nose.
Dean: “And I don’t wanna face Jessica. Not because I think she’s better, or because I think she can beat me but I don’t think I can give her the kind of match she deserves. I do not think I could hit her with the same ferocity i do everyone else. I couldn’t hit the Injection with the same UMPH as I do everyone else.
Her health matters to me, whereas to be honest? Damon’s simply doesn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the guy. I don’t think he’s a bad person or even a bad competitor but when push comes to shove, if I end up snapping his leg in a sharpshooter or his neck in the Injection, I won’t lose any sleep. Not a single wink.
It’s the risk you run by stepping into the ring with a Matthews. We break people. It’s what we have done for nearly two decades now.”
He lifted the hand again and took another long inhale from the object in his right hand and blew the cloud of white from his nose as he looked back at the camera.
Dean: “I hear what he said. He wants me to unleash the Reptile. That it causes most people to shit themselves and he’s not most people. He’s got a plan. He’s gonna chop me down with a chainsaw. And don’t think I didn’t get notice the tree references, Damon.”
An annoyed, but an amused twitch of his lips occurred than as he mentioned the connection to the Tree Ent.
Dean: “People shit themselves at the mere mention of the Reptile, only because they know it. They have seen it with their own two eyes. Because the last thing they want in this world is for the damn things lifeless cold eyes to fall on them.
This match is about you and me. It’s about that championship.
You say you want me at my best, or my worst depending on perspective but I won’t do that to Aurora. At my worst, as you call it, this match would no longer be about your title it would become about your life. About two very simple prospects.
How can you save it….and how can the beast beat it out of you.”
Dean shook his head softly and dropped the remains of the smoke at his feet, crushing it with the right boot. Yes, he runs in boots, shaddup. He looked back up at the camera and shook his head a second time.
Dean: “I don’t want that Damon. I don’t wanna do that to you. Or to Aurora. Or to the NGW fans, who’ve been so great since I debuted. Or your children, if you have any. So no, this match will not be about the Reptile and you. It will be you and me and that championship.”
Dean turned to grab the door again only to stop at the last minute and glance back at the camera.
Dean: “And Damon. One thing you need to remember. Ax. Chainsaw. That tree you were cutting down? It wasn't hitting you back. Easy to make something look easy when you aren't in danger. How much of a badass would you have been, had that tree fallen on you and broken every bone in your body?
Yeah. Thought as much."
Dean pulled the door open and beyond the lights shined from the kitchen. Jessica was finally awake. The door closed and the camera faded to black.
A pair of wires ran from his pocket up to each ear where earbuds sat. His hair pulled back into a loose, messy ponytail. The man known the world over as Dean Matthews. Of course, he was also known by another name but he wouldn’t ever truly answer to that. Not willingly.
Daryl, the faithful dog of the house, trotted up, his tail wagging happily, but considering Jessica was still asleep he didn’t bark. He smiled down at the dog as the music in the earbuds changed and the guitars picked up. A female voice could clearly be heard with how loud the music was playing.
“We always took for granted
The way we talked for hours
It's funny how the time can fly
And how quickly we devour it
Lost in the moments
Too blind to realize
Our precious moments held so dear
Just disappeared.”
As the words blared in his ears he made his way down the silent hall and to the doorway of the master bedroom. Beyond it lying on the bed was the blonde frame of Jessica Sears. She was lying, nude, on her stomach with the sheet up to her spine. Her blonde hair fanned out around her head and her leg arched to the calf and her foot was sticking out beyond the sheet.
She was beautiful.
For a time Dean just stood there watching her sleep as the music played in the stillness through his earbuds. The message of the song soaking into his being as he went over the events of the last few nights. The DVD. The Reptile’s emergence and the darkness. He didn’t remember anything after that until he woke up in the middle of the War Games match.
“I'd give it all
Tear up everything
Push out all the pain
To feel
I'd give it all
Tear up everything
Push out all the pain
To feel again.”
He took his lip between his teeth and turned walking back through the house and to the front door leading back outside. Closing the door behind him gently as to not bother her and disturb her sleep. He grabbed a small steel box off the window ledge beside the door and popped it open with a button to reveal the contents within, a row of cigarettes. He never smoked inside, when the mood struck.
As the zippo flashed and the bright light stung his eyes, the music continued in his ears. In that flash of light, he saw it all. The Reptile grabbing her throat, and this time not releasing her. The Reptile crushing Joshua’s throat and Jessica not being able to reach him. The lifeless blind stare from the husband to be and father, for no other reason, than because he annoyed the creature.
A different life.
“We built our highest walls
To disconnect us from this world
Don't break them down
Don't break them down
Lost in the moment only to realize
The hurt I feel when we're apart it kills me
It kills me, it haunts me
The shivers run right down my spine
It kills me, it's haunting me (it's haunting me)
Shivers run right down my spine.”
A cloud of white escaped from his nose as he stared ahead. In his mind he let himself see it all. How close he had come to losing it all. To losing his career. His life.
Was this how his father had felt every day?
He took another deep inhale before his eyes turned to the camera and he spoke over the blare of the music.
Dean: “If the last three days have taught me anything….it’s to appreciate what I have.”
The words more a shout than spoke before he raised a hand and pull the bud from his left ear and left it to dangle. This time when he spoke his voice was calm and smooth. Quieter than before.
Dean: “And this week I have Damon Grave. The Young Lions Champion. I am gonna show up and do my job but to be honest with you? I’d rather not win the championship. Eating a loss is never an easy thing to do, but in reality, if I did to Damon Graves what I do to everyone else in that ring with me than I’d have to face Jessica sooner or later for it.”
He glanced back at the window and exhaled another cloud of white from his nose.
Dean: “And I don’t wanna face Jessica. Not because I think she’s better, or because I think she can beat me but I don’t think I can give her the kind of match she deserves. I do not think I could hit her with the same ferocity i do everyone else. I couldn’t hit the Injection with the same UMPH as I do everyone else.
Her health matters to me, whereas to be honest? Damon’s simply doesn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the guy. I don’t think he’s a bad person or even a bad competitor but when push comes to shove, if I end up snapping his leg in a sharpshooter or his neck in the Injection, I won’t lose any sleep. Not a single wink.
It’s the risk you run by stepping into the ring with a Matthews. We break people. It’s what we have done for nearly two decades now.”
He lifted the hand again and took another long inhale from the object in his right hand and blew the cloud of white from his nose as he looked back at the camera.
Dean: “I hear what he said. He wants me to unleash the Reptile. That it causes most people to shit themselves and he’s not most people. He’s got a plan. He’s gonna chop me down with a chainsaw. And don’t think I didn’t get notice the tree references, Damon.”
An annoyed, but an amused twitch of his lips occurred than as he mentioned the connection to the Tree Ent.
Dean: “People shit themselves at the mere mention of the Reptile, only because they know it. They have seen it with their own two eyes. Because the last thing they want in this world is for the damn things lifeless cold eyes to fall on them.
This match is about you and me. It’s about that championship.
You say you want me at my best, or my worst depending on perspective but I won’t do that to Aurora. At my worst, as you call it, this match would no longer be about your title it would become about your life. About two very simple prospects.
How can you save it….and how can the beast beat it out of you.”
Dean shook his head softly and dropped the remains of the smoke at his feet, crushing it with the right boot. Yes, he runs in boots, shaddup. He looked back up at the camera and shook his head a second time.
Dean: “I don’t want that Damon. I don’t wanna do that to you. Or to Aurora. Or to the NGW fans, who’ve been so great since I debuted. Or your children, if you have any. So no, this match will not be about the Reptile and you. It will be you and me and that championship.”
Dean turned to grab the door again only to stop at the last minute and glance back at the camera.
Dean: “And Damon. One thing you need to remember. Ax. Chainsaw. That tree you were cutting down? It wasn't hitting you back. Easy to make something look easy when you aren't in danger. How much of a badass would you have been, had that tree fallen on you and broken every bone in your body?
Yeah. Thought as much."
Dean pulled the door open and beyond the lights shined from the kitchen. Jessica was finally awake. The door closed and the camera faded to black.