Post by Noah Mackenzie on Feb 8, 2014 10:36:28 GMT -5
“Noah! Noah! Noah!”
The lights are on bright, the crowd is on their feet, Pantera is blaring through the speaker system, and the infamous black curtain is all that stands between Noah Mackenzie and the spotlight that Noah Mackenzie has spent the majority of his career burning in. With Miranda by his side, the crowd chants just a few feet away are causing goosebumps to appear as the hairs stand up on his arms. This is what he lives for.
“Noah! Noah! Noah!”
As he makes that first step to move through the curtain, he finds his legs frozen in place. He reaches out towards the curtain, but it seems to move further from him than it just was a moment ago. As he felt the contents of stomach beginning to churn, he takes a deep breath, trying to collect himself before trying to move again, but to no avail. As he looks towards Miranda, anxiety setting in, he notices that it is not Miranda standing beside him, but his brother Ryan.
“Noah listen to me, what are you waiting for? You’ve done this a million times before, why is this time so different?”
Noah opens his mouth, but the words can’t be heard. A grim expression forms on Ryan’s face as he reaches out, placing a hand on Noah’s shoulder.
“Listen to me little brother, you’ve got this. What does Brianna Casablancas or Jared Black have that you don’t aside from a british accent and a penchant for failure? Do I really have to remind you of what it means to be Noah Mackenzie?”
Again, Noah tries to respond, but instead of his own words, the voice of his younger brother Will is all that he hears.
“Of course you have to remind him Ryan, we go through this all the time. Ever since you retired, this pathetic bastard doesn’t know what to do with himself. He doesn’t have your coattails to ride or your way with words to hide behind. No, now that Noah has come out of retirement, and he’s forced to do this on his own, he’s completely lost.”
The familiar metallic taste of bile begins to creep into Noah’s throat as another hand reaches out from behind him, resting on his shoulder as Miranda’s voice fills his ears.
“Ten time World champion… Fourteen time Hardcore Champion… Nine time Tag Team Champion with your brother Ryan… Three Hall of Fame inductions… All of this is what you are Noah… This is in your blood.”
“That’s not true Miranda. That isn’t who Noah is, that’s what he’s done. Noah Mackenzie is a name that has become globally synonymous with victory, chaos, and perfection. You have never ridden my coattails like Will suggests. He only says that because he knows how much it bothers you. If Will is nothing else, he is one hell of a motivator. He knows how bad it gets to you to hear that you are in my shadow. He knows how hard that will push you to prove him wrong Noah, and that’s exactly what he wants. Jared and Bianca may feel that this is their time, but never in the history of this industry has anyone been able to stop you when you’re driven… Not even me.”
Noah goes to respond once more, but before he can, again, the voice of Will overtakes him, causing his blood to run a little colder.
“Fuck you Ryan, and fuck Noah too. Personally, I hope Bianca proves herself right and humiliates poor Noah in that ring. Maybe then, the little shit will come down from his high horse and realize what I have grown tired of proving… He is only mortal. He’s not the greatest, but simply the latest in a long line of Mackenzie men who just didn’t know when to stay gone. I hope this time, when he suffers defeat, it drives him insane. I hope it causes him to lose sleep, to start hearing the voices of doubt, to see my face, and I hope it drives him so mad that it causes him to eat a bullet… Maybe then you infallible fucks will know what it feels like to be me.”
Ryan reaches out now, slapping Noah across the face, anger burning in his eyes.
“Don’t you fucking listen to him Noah. You go out to that ring, drop Jared on his empty skull, then do what you do best, bury that arrogant little bitch Bianca beneath a Dublin Sky, do you hear me? Miranda is going to be standing in your corner physically, but you don’t think for even a moment that I won’t be there in spirit, watching as you cement your place in the spotlight. Just because Will has fallen off of his rocker doesn’t mean that he’s going to take you with him. You’re better than that Noah… Now quit freaking out, step through that curtain, and show them all why Noah Mackenzie is the best that this business has ever seen, do you hear me?!”
The adrenaline is building in Noah now, the signature grin beginning to form on his face. Miranda clenches his shoulders tight as he leans forward whispering in his ear.
“You’ve got this Noah, trust me. What I need you to do right now is step up, step through that curtain, and wake the fuck up! Wake up Noah! Wake up!”
Finally, in his own voice, Noah lets out a yell that would make a deaf man cringe before pushing through with all of his might, finally breaking free of the fear and stepping through the curtain, and standing on that stage before realizing that Miranda, Ryan, and Will have disappeared and the arena is completely empty, yet the voices can be heard clear as day…
“Noah! Noah! Noah”
-----------
Noah snaps up quickly, cold sweat beading on his face as he looks around the dark hotel room, seeing nothing but the silhouette of Miranda through the window on the balcony outside. Shaking off the chills of the dream he just had, Noah tosses the blanket aside, and climbs out bed, putting on a pair of black basketball shorts as he stands. Reaching down, Noah grabs the crumpled packs of Camels off of the nightstand, pull out the last mangled cancer stick of the pack and clenching it between his teeth. He brings the flame of the zippo up as he opens the hotel room door, stepping out onto the balcony to join Miranda. After expelling a plume of acrid smoke into the air, he turns to her, still shaking the sleep from his head.
“You know Noah, you should be asleep. We just got back from visiting Ryan in Dublin, you have got to be jet lagged still.”
A sly smirk forms slightly on her lips as she turns to face him, leaning back against the railing.
“After the dream I just had, sleep is the last thing I need. Actually, can we talk?”
The nervousness in his voice let Miranda know that it had happened again. This isn’t the first time he’s had this dream since coming out of retirement, but this time, it seems to have effected him a little more than usual.
“You’re your own worst enemy do you know that? No matter what anybody tells you, you still can’t accept the fact that you are great at what you do can you? Don’t let Bianca’s commentary rent space in your head Noah, you can’t. The woman thinks she knows you so well because of speculation and rumor, but anybody who actually knows you knows that she couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Noah takes another pull from the cigarette, letting out a large sigh before leaning onto the rail.
“It’s not just her though. What if they’re right? Those kids on the plane I mean. Should I have just stayed retired? Am I too old for this? I mean, Bianca is a fresh face that is just now looking to make her mark on this industry while I’ve already accomplished everything I’ve ever wanted to and more. Am I just hanging on past my prime Miranda?”
Miranda shakes her head before smacking Noah’s shoulder with some force.
“Don’t you dare even try that! You’ve forgotten more about this business than that little twat has yet to learn. You need to shake all of this nonsense and quickly. When you hit that ring at Massacre, what you need to do is send a message. This isn’t about the Central Championship Noah. Hell, you and I both know that nothing is going to stop you from holding that title, and when that day comes, you will add more prestige to it than anyone else who may hold it before you. The message you need to send is that you are just as good now as you have ever been. Both Bianca and Jared, as well as the rest of the OCW need to know that when you say you are the king of the mountain, that you can back it up like nobody else.”
Noah smirks faintly now. Something about hearing how much confidence Miranda has in him tends to ease his mind a little. The seed has been planted in his head now, causing Noah to begin to buy into Miranda’s words, yet the anxiety still fights to consume him.
“I’ve held more gold than Fort Knox Miranda, I don’t need more to validate my claim. I just need to know that I came out of retirement for the right reasons. Am I trying to recapture the fire from my glory days? I mean, Bianca is going to find out quickly that I am of a different breed. I could care less about the official outcome of the match. What it’s about for me has always been the same… I can’t call any match a success unless I leave my opponents knowing that I have brought them to their limits, and to make sure that it’s a trip they don’t want to take again anytime soon.
Jared already knows the taste of defeat, so for him, I just need to drive the point home which shouldn’t prove too difficult. Bianca though? She’s proving to be a tough nut to crack. I don’t know if she’s actually pissing me off or if she’s just motivating me. Either way, I need to keep my emotions in check, otherwise things could end badly for everyone. Ever since that stupid feud I had with Will, I try to avoid going that far again.”
Miranda thinks back to the time Noah speaks of, and just the thought sends chills down her spine. That’s a side of Noah that she has hoped is dead and buried, for everybody’s sake. Trying her best to shake the thought, Miranda puts her hand on Noah, running her fingers down his back, tracing the scars she finds along the way.
“You’re letting her get to you Noah. You know better than anyone that if you can rent space in someone’s head, the match is over before the bell even rings. Knock that shit off and focus already. You are bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, and far more ruthless than someone the likes of Bianca Casablancas. At Massacre, I expect you to walk through that curtain, step between those ropes, put it all on the line, and demonstrate why you are the greatest thing to happen to OCW, do you understand me? Come on Noah, play along with me here… Let’s hear that confidence that I know is buried in there somewhere.”
Miranda laughs now as she nudges Noah, turning towards him before pulling out her cell phone and holding it up, pointing it at him like some kind of camera. She winks at Noah as he apprehensively stands up straighter to look at her. His resistance quickly wears off as Miranda sticks her tongue out, instigating him ever further. Finally, Noah snaps his head back with a grin then glares at her phone with his trademark arrogant smirk.
“This is what you wanted? This is what you’re clamouring for? Well be careful what you ask for! At Massacre, Bianca Casablancas and Jared Black are going to get a crash course in what it means to face a Mackenzie, or better yet, THE Mackenzie. Call me a glory whore, call me a self-entitled dirtbag, call me what you will, but when your little card castle comes crashing down around you, don’t look at me like I made the mistake. Don’t look at me with regret in your eyes because you brought this on yourself! Your stone has been chosen, your epitaph carved. When the lights are at their brightest and the crowd is on their feet, you will find out first hand that your arms truly are too short to box with God as I take great pride in doing what I do best… Burying you both beneath a Dublin Sky! When you’re both sitting in your hotel rooms at the end of the night, replaying your failure in your mind over and over again, you will be haunted by the last sound you heard before you saw nothing but light…
NOAH! NOAH! NOAH! NOAH!”
The lights are on bright, the crowd is on their feet, Pantera is blaring through the speaker system, and the infamous black curtain is all that stands between Noah Mackenzie and the spotlight that Noah Mackenzie has spent the majority of his career burning in. With Miranda by his side, the crowd chants just a few feet away are causing goosebumps to appear as the hairs stand up on his arms. This is what he lives for.
“Noah! Noah! Noah!”
As he makes that first step to move through the curtain, he finds his legs frozen in place. He reaches out towards the curtain, but it seems to move further from him than it just was a moment ago. As he felt the contents of stomach beginning to churn, he takes a deep breath, trying to collect himself before trying to move again, but to no avail. As he looks towards Miranda, anxiety setting in, he notices that it is not Miranda standing beside him, but his brother Ryan.
“Noah listen to me, what are you waiting for? You’ve done this a million times before, why is this time so different?”
Noah opens his mouth, but the words can’t be heard. A grim expression forms on Ryan’s face as he reaches out, placing a hand on Noah’s shoulder.
“Listen to me little brother, you’ve got this. What does Brianna Casablancas or Jared Black have that you don’t aside from a british accent and a penchant for failure? Do I really have to remind you of what it means to be Noah Mackenzie?”
Again, Noah tries to respond, but instead of his own words, the voice of his younger brother Will is all that he hears.
“Of course you have to remind him Ryan, we go through this all the time. Ever since you retired, this pathetic bastard doesn’t know what to do with himself. He doesn’t have your coattails to ride or your way with words to hide behind. No, now that Noah has come out of retirement, and he’s forced to do this on his own, he’s completely lost.”
The familiar metallic taste of bile begins to creep into Noah’s throat as another hand reaches out from behind him, resting on his shoulder as Miranda’s voice fills his ears.
“Ten time World champion… Fourteen time Hardcore Champion… Nine time Tag Team Champion with your brother Ryan… Three Hall of Fame inductions… All of this is what you are Noah… This is in your blood.”
“That’s not true Miranda. That isn’t who Noah is, that’s what he’s done. Noah Mackenzie is a name that has become globally synonymous with victory, chaos, and perfection. You have never ridden my coattails like Will suggests. He only says that because he knows how much it bothers you. If Will is nothing else, he is one hell of a motivator. He knows how bad it gets to you to hear that you are in my shadow. He knows how hard that will push you to prove him wrong Noah, and that’s exactly what he wants. Jared and Bianca may feel that this is their time, but never in the history of this industry has anyone been able to stop you when you’re driven… Not even me.”
Noah goes to respond once more, but before he can, again, the voice of Will overtakes him, causing his blood to run a little colder.
“Fuck you Ryan, and fuck Noah too. Personally, I hope Bianca proves herself right and humiliates poor Noah in that ring. Maybe then, the little shit will come down from his high horse and realize what I have grown tired of proving… He is only mortal. He’s not the greatest, but simply the latest in a long line of Mackenzie men who just didn’t know when to stay gone. I hope this time, when he suffers defeat, it drives him insane. I hope it causes him to lose sleep, to start hearing the voices of doubt, to see my face, and I hope it drives him so mad that it causes him to eat a bullet… Maybe then you infallible fucks will know what it feels like to be me.”
Ryan reaches out now, slapping Noah across the face, anger burning in his eyes.
“Don’t you fucking listen to him Noah. You go out to that ring, drop Jared on his empty skull, then do what you do best, bury that arrogant little bitch Bianca beneath a Dublin Sky, do you hear me? Miranda is going to be standing in your corner physically, but you don’t think for even a moment that I won’t be there in spirit, watching as you cement your place in the spotlight. Just because Will has fallen off of his rocker doesn’t mean that he’s going to take you with him. You’re better than that Noah… Now quit freaking out, step through that curtain, and show them all why Noah Mackenzie is the best that this business has ever seen, do you hear me?!”
The adrenaline is building in Noah now, the signature grin beginning to form on his face. Miranda clenches his shoulders tight as he leans forward whispering in his ear.
“You’ve got this Noah, trust me. What I need you to do right now is step up, step through that curtain, and wake the fuck up! Wake up Noah! Wake up!”
Finally, in his own voice, Noah lets out a yell that would make a deaf man cringe before pushing through with all of his might, finally breaking free of the fear and stepping through the curtain, and standing on that stage before realizing that Miranda, Ryan, and Will have disappeared and the arena is completely empty, yet the voices can be heard clear as day…
“Noah! Noah! Noah”
-----------
Noah snaps up quickly, cold sweat beading on his face as he looks around the dark hotel room, seeing nothing but the silhouette of Miranda through the window on the balcony outside. Shaking off the chills of the dream he just had, Noah tosses the blanket aside, and climbs out bed, putting on a pair of black basketball shorts as he stands. Reaching down, Noah grabs the crumpled packs of Camels off of the nightstand, pull out the last mangled cancer stick of the pack and clenching it between his teeth. He brings the flame of the zippo up as he opens the hotel room door, stepping out onto the balcony to join Miranda. After expelling a plume of acrid smoke into the air, he turns to her, still shaking the sleep from his head.
“You know Noah, you should be asleep. We just got back from visiting Ryan in Dublin, you have got to be jet lagged still.”
A sly smirk forms slightly on her lips as she turns to face him, leaning back against the railing.
“After the dream I just had, sleep is the last thing I need. Actually, can we talk?”
The nervousness in his voice let Miranda know that it had happened again. This isn’t the first time he’s had this dream since coming out of retirement, but this time, it seems to have effected him a little more than usual.
“You’re your own worst enemy do you know that? No matter what anybody tells you, you still can’t accept the fact that you are great at what you do can you? Don’t let Bianca’s commentary rent space in your head Noah, you can’t. The woman thinks she knows you so well because of speculation and rumor, but anybody who actually knows you knows that she couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Noah takes another pull from the cigarette, letting out a large sigh before leaning onto the rail.
“It’s not just her though. What if they’re right? Those kids on the plane I mean. Should I have just stayed retired? Am I too old for this? I mean, Bianca is a fresh face that is just now looking to make her mark on this industry while I’ve already accomplished everything I’ve ever wanted to and more. Am I just hanging on past my prime Miranda?”
Miranda shakes her head before smacking Noah’s shoulder with some force.
“Don’t you dare even try that! You’ve forgotten more about this business than that little twat has yet to learn. You need to shake all of this nonsense and quickly. When you hit that ring at Massacre, what you need to do is send a message. This isn’t about the Central Championship Noah. Hell, you and I both know that nothing is going to stop you from holding that title, and when that day comes, you will add more prestige to it than anyone else who may hold it before you. The message you need to send is that you are just as good now as you have ever been. Both Bianca and Jared, as well as the rest of the OCW need to know that when you say you are the king of the mountain, that you can back it up like nobody else.”
Noah smirks faintly now. Something about hearing how much confidence Miranda has in him tends to ease his mind a little. The seed has been planted in his head now, causing Noah to begin to buy into Miranda’s words, yet the anxiety still fights to consume him.
“I’ve held more gold than Fort Knox Miranda, I don’t need more to validate my claim. I just need to know that I came out of retirement for the right reasons. Am I trying to recapture the fire from my glory days? I mean, Bianca is going to find out quickly that I am of a different breed. I could care less about the official outcome of the match. What it’s about for me has always been the same… I can’t call any match a success unless I leave my opponents knowing that I have brought them to their limits, and to make sure that it’s a trip they don’t want to take again anytime soon.
Jared already knows the taste of defeat, so for him, I just need to drive the point home which shouldn’t prove too difficult. Bianca though? She’s proving to be a tough nut to crack. I don’t know if she’s actually pissing me off or if she’s just motivating me. Either way, I need to keep my emotions in check, otherwise things could end badly for everyone. Ever since that stupid feud I had with Will, I try to avoid going that far again.”
Miranda thinks back to the time Noah speaks of, and just the thought sends chills down her spine. That’s a side of Noah that she has hoped is dead and buried, for everybody’s sake. Trying her best to shake the thought, Miranda puts her hand on Noah, running her fingers down his back, tracing the scars she finds along the way.
“You’re letting her get to you Noah. You know better than anyone that if you can rent space in someone’s head, the match is over before the bell even rings. Knock that shit off and focus already. You are bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, and far more ruthless than someone the likes of Bianca Casablancas. At Massacre, I expect you to walk through that curtain, step between those ropes, put it all on the line, and demonstrate why you are the greatest thing to happen to OCW, do you understand me? Come on Noah, play along with me here… Let’s hear that confidence that I know is buried in there somewhere.”
Miranda laughs now as she nudges Noah, turning towards him before pulling out her cell phone and holding it up, pointing it at him like some kind of camera. She winks at Noah as he apprehensively stands up straighter to look at her. His resistance quickly wears off as Miranda sticks her tongue out, instigating him ever further. Finally, Noah snaps his head back with a grin then glares at her phone with his trademark arrogant smirk.
“This is what you wanted? This is what you’re clamouring for? Well be careful what you ask for! At Massacre, Bianca Casablancas and Jared Black are going to get a crash course in what it means to face a Mackenzie, or better yet, THE Mackenzie. Call me a glory whore, call me a self-entitled dirtbag, call me what you will, but when your little card castle comes crashing down around you, don’t look at me like I made the mistake. Don’t look at me with regret in your eyes because you brought this on yourself! Your stone has been chosen, your epitaph carved. When the lights are at their brightest and the crowd is on their feet, you will find out first hand that your arms truly are too short to box with God as I take great pride in doing what I do best… Burying you both beneath a Dublin Sky! When you’re both sitting in your hotel rooms at the end of the night, replaying your failure in your mind over and over again, you will be haunted by the last sound you heard before you saw nothing but light…
NOAH! NOAH! NOAH! NOAH!”
