The road to Hell is paved with good intentions
Aug 27, 2024 20:54:05 GMT -5
Derek Mobley, zybala, and 3 more like this
Post by zybala on Aug 27, 2024 20:54:05 GMT -5
: We open up in the living room of the Zybala household. Baby stuff litters the floor as the parents of now 5 month old Jackie Zybala have given up trying to clean anything that won't lead to a health hazard. The house is messy-clean, if that makes sense. Jackie is in a bouncy chair while Cathy is on the floor, playing with her daughter and smiling at the giggling baby. However, there is a deep sadness in Mrs. Zybala's eyes. She looks up as her husband walks in the room, cell phone in hand and face looking grim. :
Cathy: Well?
Zybala: It's done. You and Jackie won't be affected financially or legally by anything I do from this point forward.
Cathy: That's good, I guess. I don't see why you're doing all of this. You're a father now. You should be thinking about our baby.
Zybala: I am thinking about her. She's all I think about now. Feeding her, loving her, keeping her safe. She's my top priority!
Cathy: Then why do this at all??
Zybala: Because, the stupid curse is real. You've seen what it's done to others, what it's done to me! I've been screwed out of the world title so many times! I've been kidnapped and sent to a different timeline because of a magic port-o-potty and a bald doppelganger. You and I got stuck in a time loop watching Meteor 2. I was killed by a demon clown and somehow brought back! It all comes back to that fucking house and the curse the basement holds.
Cathy: Then just quit the company! We have enough money so that even Jackie would never have to work and you have nothing left to prove in wrestling. You made the Hall of Fame, for Christ sake!
: Zybala ponders this a moment before hanging his head low. He looks at his baby girl, shuddering out a breath as he tries to hold back tears now. :
Zybala: We both know that's not true. OCW and its curse will always find a way to drag me back. The company has closed several times, I went to other feds, owners have shifted, and I even retired, but that curse always rears its head. I was in that house, honey. I could practically taste the bad juju in the air. You could have every and any priest, medicine man, witch doctor and voodoo priestess come and cleanse the place, that curse will linger and grow. No, I have to burn the place down.
Cathy: Can't you just let Rob handle it? He owns it now, right?
Zybala: Look, I love Rob. I do. During the Penny-verse incident, he proved he can resist shit like that. However, he only fought It off at the eleventh hour and I don't want another incident. The house has to go.
: Cathy now looks down at Jackie as well. Both parents smile at the happy, bouncing baby who remains blissfully unaware of the situation. :
Cathy: What about Jackie? She needs her daddy.
Zybala: She's why I'm doing this! As long as that house remains, there's always gonna be another Welsh, or Pablono or ZyBalda. It won't let anything good or pure stand. Look what it did to the Strader's (DRE!) dream of unification under the PWA banner. It destroys anything that doesn't feed its chaos.
Cathy: If you're that worried, why can't you do it now? Why do you have to wait until the stupid show? It's only an arson charge if you get caught now. Why risk attempted murder charges?
Zybala: Because I need the others at the house. That thing's like the Amityville house. I go now, and its energies focus squarely on me. But while everyone is fighting, it will be distracted by everything. Maybe if Mobley is there, I can distract the house more by talking to Derek about expanding Outsiders into that yard as an added distraction. Lure it into a false sense of security before I strike. Hopefully, starting the fire in the basement will give everyone else time to leave. If not, well, at least I'd be getting rid of a revenant along with the curse.
Cathy: But isn't Zombie Marcus your Outsiders champ? Why burn him?
Zybala: I'm not talking about him. If I have to, I'm pushing him, Rob and Donnie Harris out of that house. I can't let my star trio burn. No, I was talking about Duce Jones. I buried that fucker alive and now he's walking around again? He is wrapped up in this curse somehow….. actually, I may have a way to deal with that before the show….
: Zybala looks thoughtfully as he picks up daughter, smiling again to match hers. His smile turns to a frown as he turns her slightly and sniffs her butt. An audible fart is heard as Mike groans. He takes Jackie over to the changing table as the scene fades out. :
: Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City is the place to be. At least for Zybala, it is. He is standing near a large backhoe and gaping hole in the ground. Zybala is holding a large duffle bag in one hand and a shovel in the other as he hops into the hole. A man leans out of the backhoe's cockpit and calls out to Zybala. :
Worker: You sure you wanna do dis? Jumpin’ in graves an’ burnin’ bodies an’ all? Bit morbid, innit?
Zybala: If I wanted your opinion, I wouldn't have put so many zeros on that bribe I gave you.
Worker: To which I'm appreciative. Dis is gonna pay for my kid's college and den sum. I'm just sayin’, mister. Why you wanna burn a stiff anyway?
Zybala: Because its spirit is still walking the earth and I need to put it to rest. I buried him after all. It's the least I can do.
Worker: Ah. You're just a wackadoo. But da cash you gave makes you da boss.
: Zybala ignores the comment as he hops in the hole. He puts the bag down and starts digging. And digging. And digging. Time passes and Zybala grows more frustrated. After digging down a few feet, he throws the shovel out of the hole in frustration and starts digging with his hands. A growl escapes his throat as he grabs his bag and climbs out. He looks around the cemetery, a manic look creeping to his eyes. :
Zybala: Yeah… yeah… I'm sure this is where I buried Duce. Where's his body?!
Worker: Maybe he ain't dead? You wrestler types have buried each udder for years an’ come out alive an’ kickin’. Look at Kane an’ Undertaker.
Zybala: No… NO. He was here! I made sure there was no way he'd climb out alive! It's that Curse! Fucking thing is bringing the dead back! With Marcus, it's fun, like Warm Bodies zombies that call people “bitches.” But Duce… no, no, no, no, no …. This isn't good. This is NOT good. It took everything and then some to beat Duce the last time. The Curse probably made him stronger. I need protection from this. I need help. I need HIM!! He'll help me burn that house down. Not only that, he'll help me win!
: Zybala storms off, leaving the confused Worker behind as we cut out once more. :
Zybala: You sure nobody has been here? Scavengers or the like?
Sherpa: Oh no. People avoid this place of mountain. Bad spirits linger in this place.
Zybala: You don't gotta tell me twice. This destruction has The Curse written all over it.
Sherpa: Yes. Area cursed. Pyramid ruined land.
: Zybala nods somberly before returning to the rubble. He moves what he can, moves around what he can't and sometimes crawls under spaces barely big enough as the sherpas watch. A loud “A-HA!” cuts through the relative silence of the mountain air. Zybala crawls back out of the rubble cradling something. He stands up and stares at his find, a small, almost manic smile on his face. :
Zybala: Found you! You were there for me when nobody else was when we were stranded on that island. You were the only one who seemed to be able to break The Curse's hold on me. With you, I was able to do sometimes The Curse wouldn't allow before; win OCW gold!
: Zybala extends his arms and holds out a human skull wearing a Rorschach mask. The sherpas visibly reach as Zybala doesn't notice. He seems to be losing some grip on reality as he converses with the skull. :
Zybala: Yeah. I know you were resting in peace. But I need your help again. The Curse is too strong for me to face alone…… I know you're just a head, but it's …. Can you just…. LOOK! I get you're dead and retired. You can at least be there for moral support….. because I helped you move all your shit into The Baby Sitters Club headquarters!..... Man, you're the only one who can help me. We won the tag titles together! We broke the Curse for a while! Us! With you by my side, I can finally win the World Title and burn that house down; ending The Curse forever!!.... What?... No, Grenier’s bad luck…. Because you and I defended the titles for months and the second I teamed up with, PTSD lost the belts. I need YOU!.... Yeah…. That COULD work…
: Zybala then peels the mask off of the skull. And we mean peel. A wet, sticky sound can be heard as the mask slowly comes loose. Small bits drip from the mask as Zybala puts in on. The sherpas retch and vomit at the sight as Zybala cradles the fleshy skull. :
Zybala: Wait ‘til they get a load of me.
: Zybala seems proud of his rip off of Jack Nicholson's Joker line as he stands there, bits of flesh falling from the skull now that the mask is off. He turns toward his guides, who back away in disgust. Zybala takes a step towards them and they take off running. Zybala chases after them, calling out how they need to get him down the mountain as the scene fades to black. :
Cathy: Well?
Zybala: It's done. You and Jackie won't be affected financially or legally by anything I do from this point forward.
Cathy: That's good, I guess. I don't see why you're doing all of this. You're a father now. You should be thinking about our baby.
Zybala: I am thinking about her. She's all I think about now. Feeding her, loving her, keeping her safe. She's my top priority!
Cathy: Then why do this at all??
Zybala: Because, the stupid curse is real. You've seen what it's done to others, what it's done to me! I've been screwed out of the world title so many times! I've been kidnapped and sent to a different timeline because of a magic port-o-potty and a bald doppelganger. You and I got stuck in a time loop watching Meteor 2. I was killed by a demon clown and somehow brought back! It all comes back to that fucking house and the curse the basement holds.
Cathy: Then just quit the company! We have enough money so that even Jackie would never have to work and you have nothing left to prove in wrestling. You made the Hall of Fame, for Christ sake!
: Zybala ponders this a moment before hanging his head low. He looks at his baby girl, shuddering out a breath as he tries to hold back tears now. :
Zybala: We both know that's not true. OCW and its curse will always find a way to drag me back. The company has closed several times, I went to other feds, owners have shifted, and I even retired, but that curse always rears its head. I was in that house, honey. I could practically taste the bad juju in the air. You could have every and any priest, medicine man, witch doctor and voodoo priestess come and cleanse the place, that curse will linger and grow. No, I have to burn the place down.
Cathy: Can't you just let Rob handle it? He owns it now, right?
Zybala: Look, I love Rob. I do. During the Penny-verse incident, he proved he can resist shit like that. However, he only fought It off at the eleventh hour and I don't want another incident. The house has to go.
: Cathy now looks down at Jackie as well. Both parents smile at the happy, bouncing baby who remains blissfully unaware of the situation. :
Cathy: What about Jackie? She needs her daddy.
Zybala: She's why I'm doing this! As long as that house remains, there's always gonna be another Welsh, or Pablono or ZyBalda. It won't let anything good or pure stand. Look what it did to the Strader's (DRE!) dream of unification under the PWA banner. It destroys anything that doesn't feed its chaos.
Cathy: If you're that worried, why can't you do it now? Why do you have to wait until the stupid show? It's only an arson charge if you get caught now. Why risk attempted murder charges?
Zybala: Because I need the others at the house. That thing's like the Amityville house. I go now, and its energies focus squarely on me. But while everyone is fighting, it will be distracted by everything. Maybe if Mobley is there, I can distract the house more by talking to Derek about expanding Outsiders into that yard as an added distraction. Lure it into a false sense of security before I strike. Hopefully, starting the fire in the basement will give everyone else time to leave. If not, well, at least I'd be getting rid of a revenant along with the curse.
Cathy: But isn't Zombie Marcus your Outsiders champ? Why burn him?
Zybala: I'm not talking about him. If I have to, I'm pushing him, Rob and Donnie Harris out of that house. I can't let my star trio burn. No, I was talking about Duce Jones. I buried that fucker alive and now he's walking around again? He is wrapped up in this curse somehow….. actually, I may have a way to deal with that before the show….
: Zybala looks thoughtfully as he picks up daughter, smiling again to match hers. His smile turns to a frown as he turns her slightly and sniffs her butt. An audible fart is heard as Mike groans. He takes Jackie over to the changing table as the scene fades out. :
________________________
That fucking curse. It has been the bane of OCW for decades. Every screwy, horrible thing you can think of. Psychopaths just being awarded the World Title while every DESERVING person being screwed out of the title or having their reigns cut short by management. Casual Murders! Bifford’s cannibalistic restaurants and never facing any justice. Welsh’s obsession with pushing new talent at the expense of his established stars. Mac O'Connor getting too many segments at pay-per-view. Matt Knox getting an invite while SYNN gets the shaft. Josie Barnes!! The list of atrocities goes on and on. And what is Mobley's and Smith's answer?
“Let's do a show at the place where all the Curse resonates from.” Fucking brilliant, jackasses. Why not just say you don't give a shit about us living and call it a day? “But you get the world championship if you outlast everyone else.” Managementese for “if you outlive everyone else. Enjoy the Pizza Party.” New leader, same disregard for life. The curse lives on. This is why I gotta burn that damned house; basement and all.
I know, I know. A bit hypocritical with 10 other people at risk of burning alive. But hopefully the smell of smoke and me yelling “fire” will get people to leave. If not, I can always ask them if they wanna be on a Dystopia. That should at least make most of them walk away from me. Knox, Black, O'Connor will just awkwardly walk away, losing the will to fight. Toussaint will just follow Donnie Harris out of the house, stroking his hate bones for him the whole time. Who cares about Pinky or whatever his name. The others, well they know me well enough that when I cry fire, shit is gonna burn. Speaking of burning….
________________________
: Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City is the place to be. At least for Zybala, it is. He is standing near a large backhoe and gaping hole in the ground. Zybala is holding a large duffle bag in one hand and a shovel in the other as he hops into the hole. A man leans out of the backhoe's cockpit and calls out to Zybala. :
Worker: You sure you wanna do dis? Jumpin’ in graves an’ burnin’ bodies an’ all? Bit morbid, innit?
Zybala: If I wanted your opinion, I wouldn't have put so many zeros on that bribe I gave you.
Worker: To which I'm appreciative. Dis is gonna pay for my kid's college and den sum. I'm just sayin’, mister. Why you wanna burn a stiff anyway?
Zybala: Because its spirit is still walking the earth and I need to put it to rest. I buried him after all. It's the least I can do.
Worker: Ah. You're just a wackadoo. But da cash you gave makes you da boss.
: Zybala ignores the comment as he hops in the hole. He puts the bag down and starts digging. And digging. And digging. Time passes and Zybala grows more frustrated. After digging down a few feet, he throws the shovel out of the hole in frustration and starts digging with his hands. A growl escapes his throat as he grabs his bag and climbs out. He looks around the cemetery, a manic look creeping to his eyes. :
Zybala: Yeah… yeah… I'm sure this is where I buried Duce. Where's his body?!
Worker: Maybe he ain't dead? You wrestler types have buried each udder for years an’ come out alive an’ kickin’. Look at Kane an’ Undertaker.
Zybala: No… NO. He was here! I made sure there was no way he'd climb out alive! It's that Curse! Fucking thing is bringing the dead back! With Marcus, it's fun, like Warm Bodies zombies that call people “bitches.” But Duce… no, no, no, no, no …. This isn't good. This is NOT good. It took everything and then some to beat Duce the last time. The Curse probably made him stronger. I need protection from this. I need help. I need HIM!! He'll help me burn that house down. Not only that, he'll help me win!
: Zybala storms off, leaving the confused Worker behind as we cut out once more. :
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It's funny. This whole event is supposed to be about breaking the cycle and making OCW different and better, but it's still the same CURSED-ASS booking. They say they care about us but book us in what basically equates to a Ten Little Indians match. Movie or nursery rhyme, take your pick. We're gonna be thrown in that house, and have to fight whoever we get stuck in a room with. And fight. And fight until only one is left standing. And if the curse gets its way, the rest get thrown away in the basement.
It's a strong fucker. It knows the fuckery and hate of OCW makes it stronger. It affects people differently. For some, it makes it so their evil never gets punished. For others, anything good gets ripped apart. For me, it's that damn World Title. The Curse, working through various bosses, uses it like a carrot and I'm the dumb horse trying to get a bite before it gets pulled away. Every time I come close to winning the belt, the Curse strikes.
There were many instances, tournaments and number one contender matches where outside interference screwed me. But the two hardest pills to swallow had to be Meyhu and Outcast. I had Meyhu dead to rights in our cage match. I was almost out of the cage before the Curse sent Vargas to slam the door on my head, allowing Matt to retain. Then there was Death March, 2021. I pinned Outcast for the three in our Icicle Death Match. Despite being stabbed through the leg with a bleu-cheese icicle, I beat Outcast. I had won the OCW World Title. However, the Curse sent Poblano out to restart the match because of some fuckery that was so blatant and horrendous, the show has been removed from the archives. The Curse couldn't even let footage of me just holding the title exist.
But it's not impossible to beat. Some shines of light make it through the dark. There was a time when I managed to sneak past the hateful gaze of The Curse and win tag team gold. Granted, I was in disguise the whole time and I had help. Maybe for Cursed Countdown, I could get by with a little help from my friend….
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: The Himalayas. A majestic mountain range and a natural wonder. Also the site of the last Illuminatus Pyramid. A structure that collapsed, killing several people. The Curse followed Welsh to TRIAD, it seems. It also seems that no one bothered to come and clean up the destruction. Remains of the structure are strewn about the area; remains that a dirty and bruised looking Zybala is sifting through. A few Sherpas stand nearby, watching and talking amongst themselves. Zybala stops his rummaging to address them. :Zybala: You sure nobody has been here? Scavengers or the like?
Sherpa: Oh no. People avoid this place of mountain. Bad spirits linger in this place.
Zybala: You don't gotta tell me twice. This destruction has The Curse written all over it.
Sherpa: Yes. Area cursed. Pyramid ruined land.
: Zybala nods somberly before returning to the rubble. He moves what he can, moves around what he can't and sometimes crawls under spaces barely big enough as the sherpas watch. A loud “A-HA!” cuts through the relative silence of the mountain air. Zybala crawls back out of the rubble cradling something. He stands up and stares at his find, a small, almost manic smile on his face. :
Zybala: Found you! You were there for me when nobody else was when we were stranded on that island. You were the only one who seemed to be able to break The Curse's hold on me. With you, I was able to do sometimes The Curse wouldn't allow before; win OCW gold!
: Zybala extends his arms and holds out a human skull wearing a Rorschach mask. The sherpas visibly reach as Zybala doesn't notice. He seems to be losing some grip on reality as he converses with the skull. :
Zybala: Yeah. I know you were resting in peace. But I need your help again. The Curse is too strong for me to face alone…… I know you're just a head, but it's …. Can you just…. LOOK! I get you're dead and retired. You can at least be there for moral support….. because I helped you move all your shit into The Baby Sitters Club headquarters!..... Man, you're the only one who can help me. We won the tag titles together! We broke the Curse for a while! Us! With you by my side, I can finally win the World Title and burn that house down; ending The Curse forever!!.... What?... No, Grenier’s bad luck…. Because you and I defended the titles for months and the second I teamed up with, PTSD lost the belts. I need YOU!.... Yeah…. That COULD work…
: Zybala then peels the mask off of the skull. And we mean peel. A wet, sticky sound can be heard as the mask slowly comes loose. Small bits drip from the mask as Zybala puts in on. The sherpas retch and vomit at the sight as Zybala cradles the fleshy skull. :
Zybala: Wait ‘til they get a load of me.
: Zybala seems proud of his rip off of Jack Nicholson's Joker line as he stands there, bits of flesh falling from the skull now that the mask is off. He turns toward his guides, who back away in disgust. Zybala takes a step towards them and they take off running. Zybala chases after them, calling out how they need to get him down the mountain as the scene fades to black. :
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Okay. Before y'all judge me, hear me out. I AM that desperate to win the World Championship. I will use any and every talisman, rabbit's foot, dead friend's mask that I can get to finally get a belt that I should have held so many times. So what if it grosses people out. We're in a company that's seen sicker shit. Me wearing a dead man's mask doesn't even break the top twenty. If it will help me win the belt, I'll wear TLS's whole outfit and dance a waltz with his skeleton.
“And that's the reason why you'll never be Champion. Stick to running your stupid Outsiders” I can hear half of you saying. And you know what? Go fuck yourselves. Seriously. All of you. I've listened to the naysayers for years talking shit about Outsiders when they never gave it a chance. “Never book me” “Don't mention my name” “Stop asking me.” We have several people in this very match that have been very Anti-Outsiders in and out of character, and to them, besides the very much OOC fuck you mentioned above, let me ask you this. Where's your fed that you've fought to keep alive for 6 years despite the main site closing down how many times? If we get stuck in the same room, I hope Will writes me bashing your fucking teeth down your throats. Outsiders has grown well past expectations and is home to many great wrestlers, writers, and people.
Look at how many Outsiders are in this match. Allton, who despite being in a wheelchair most of his life, became a household name after wrestling in Outsiders. He proved himself so much that he's finally getting a shot at the main roster. He gained everyone's respect and had mine all along. Not gonna lie, I hope Allton and I end up in the same room at some point, cuz we ain't gonna fight. We're gonna fuck up everyone who has tarnished our beloved Outsiders. Then, if it's just me and him at the end, we'll see who comes out on top. And no offense bud, but it's gonna be the last man STANDING.
Then we got the others. People who ASKED to be in Outsiders. Donnie Harris, Zombie Marcus, and established OCW legend Bob Grenier. For Marcus, it was The Malvados who brought him in because nobody wanted a Zombie. Well, we did and he became our World Champion! Then there is Donnie Harris who, like SYNN, was never appreciated in the main OCW. He is now the undefeated Streaming Service Champion who proved he can hack it with the best of them. Last, Bob chose to fight in Outsiders not only because we let him smoke to his heart's content, but he saw what I did from day one. Outsiders limitless potential. We went from the backyard to Keywest to fucking Taiwan! Outsiders is almost as unstoppable as the Curse itself!
Which is why it's an Outsider who's winning this whole fucking thing. Not Mack, or Duce, or Mister “Maybe I'll show up” Matt Knox. No, no, no. I'm gonna make sure it's an Outsider if I have to lock the others in the basement myself when I set it on fire. I think that's the TLS thing to do. Will I do everything I can to win? You betcha. While I want an Outsider to win, I want THE Outsider to win the most. I've fought too damn long and hard, I've been screwed seven ways to Sunday, and I have always been denied this title. Despite being a team player, the good guy in the locker room, everybody's buddy, I've always been made fun of and shat on.
Well, that ends now. I plan on walking out of Cursed Countdown with the gold. I'm gonna take all that disrespect I've been given and shove back down everyone's throat. And then, I'll do the most disrespectful thing you assholes can think of to the OCW World Title that anyone has ever done, including Syren jizzing all over it. I'm going to defend it in Outsiders and there's not a fucking thing any of you can do about it.