Post by CYPHER on Jun 24, 2022 12:31:20 GMT -5
(Previously: ocwonline13.proboards.com/thread/8882/ent1ty-2-5-pun1shm3nt)
Three weeks later
Tyler Norrie scratched and clawed his way through the shrubs and bushes that populated the dense landscape before him. His bare hands grasped at the sticks and stones, seeking some kind of purchase but never truly being able to find it. Still, he moved onward, knees scratched and bloody from the constant contact with the dried out flora. He pursed his dry lips together and they cracked immediately, causing the iron taste of his own lifeblood to fill his throat.
Tyler’s dried out esophagus wasn’t ready to accept the offering, and so he hacked loudly, sending a torrent of bloody bile onto the ground ahead of him. But he didn’t care, because that wasn’t the only thing ahead of him.
So was she.
Her back was to him, the sun illuminating her just enough that he could catch a glimpse of the hidden beauty from side-on. She was sitting on the edge of a cliff, legs dangling over the side. Blonde hair trailing in the light wind that brushed over her shoulders.
He knew it was her, and if he was going to do one thing before he let the elements take him, it was letting her know he was here.
Finally after what felt like days of heaving his body over the scorched earth, he made it.
Tyler reached out and touched her shoulder. She didn’t react, so he hacked out the last of the bile in his throat, and tried to speak.
“Anna…”
He managed one word, it was all he could say before he felt his throat close over entirely. He began to gasp for air, feeling like he was drowning in the hazy air surrounding them.
Then Anna turned to face him…except it wasn’t Anna.
At least not as he remembered her.
A mess of cogs and wires stared back at him, the normal features of a face barely distinguishable. Then, two slits appeared at top of the metallic surface, and a third at the bottom.
And it spoke.
“It's OK, you’re here now Cypher, and that’s what matters.”
Cypher lurched forward, coughing and spluttering. He reached up and touched his face, trying to ground himself in reality after the third nightmare of his sister this week. His fingers came away wet. Cypher glanced over at Dot. She was still fast asleep, offering no point of refuge. Not like she would be anyway. They hadn’t talked about Anna since he’d got back home. He hadn’t offered to, and she hadn’t asked.
Initially he didn’t want to talk about it.
Now he felt like he was slowly sinking into the ground in a tomb of his own making.
Sleep wasn’t an option…but neither was staying awake.
Cypher flopped back down onto the bed, as he did he felt something round and hard underneath his pillow. Frowning, he reached back and rummaged underneath. He already knew what it was by the time his hand had closed around it and pulled it out. Before he could think to stop himself, the pill was sliding down his throat.
“Just to fall asleep” he told himself.
“I just need it to fall asleep.”
/~/
“Where is he?”
“Y’know…in his room.”
“How long?”
“Couple weeks.”
“No like, how long has he..”
“Oh, I don’t know. ‘Least most of the time ‘e’s bin in there.”
…
“God damn it Tyler.”
“Ya want me ta’ give yas some private time?”
Thaddeus Duke, at this time having just inked the deal that would make him majority owner of OCW, paused.
Looking typically suave in his business attire, he was in direct contrast to Dot, sporting a leopard print hat and Led Zep tee. But her nonchalant attitude is absent, instead she anxiously chews her lip, eyes darting from the door to Thad and back.
“You don’t think it would be better for you to be there too?”
“We just had a fight, don’t think it’d be wise.”
“Right, see you on the other side then.”
Thad opened the door and stepped through as Dot made herself scarce. The man he had not long ago dragged from near death looked like he was on a trip right back there.
Cypher’s face was ghost white, his eyes seeming to bulge even bigger than they ever had before. He looked like he had been sweating buckets…and in spite of all that?
The mf was smiling.
In fact he barely noticed Thad walk in. He was staring up at the ceiling, like Sahara was up there naked or some shit.
“Tyler?”
Cypher’s eyes slowly but surely dragged themselves away from the roof and over to Thad.
“Thaddy!”
It was like he spoke the word in slow motion, accentuating each syllable.
“How you feeling?”
“I’m great buddy, where’s your hot girlfriend?”
“Not on the roof.”
“...Wha?”
“Listen to me, Tyler.”
Thad grabbed his friends arm and squeezed it, trying to appeal to his better judgment despite his somewhat euphoric state.
“I didn’t save your life just so you could piss it away with pills.”
Cypher’s jaw dropped open, the harsh and direct words like a slap to the face.
“I-
“Where are they?”
“Where are what?”
“Don’t fuck around.”
Thad instantly zeroed in on the drawer next to Cypher on the bedside table, and began rooting around inside. Before Cypher could stop him, he’d pulled out the orange container and was moving towards the slightly open window.
“NO!”
But it was too late.
The pills rained down onto the sidewalk below.
Cypher could only watch, his movements far too slow in his drug-addled state.
Thad turned back to him.
“I just bought OCW, you’re getting a TransAtlantic title shot at Reformation. Take some time to get through the withdrawals, but once that’s over?
Making his way to the door, Thad casually looked back at his stunned friend.
“You best be ready.”
/~/
[Dial Tone]
“Hello?”
“Alex?”
“My God, are you OK? Why didn’t you call me sooner?!”
“I’ve been…distracted.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“It felt like I was.”
…
“What happened? Where did you go?”
…
“What did they do to you?”
“I didn’t call you to talk about that.”
“Then why did you call me?”
“Because I wanted to, is that a fucking crime?”
…
“Sorry, I’ve been on edge lately.”
“You’ve been on edge?!”
“I’ve been worried sick about you, Tyler, for weeks - and you don’t even think to call?”
“There’s been worse shit to worry about than informing you, OK? I’ve literally gone through hell in these last few days, I wasn’t exactly keeping up with who I’d called and when.”
“Then talk to me, I’m here for you.”
“I’ve got a shot at a singles title at Reformation.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, TransAtlantic Championship. Dangerous Dan. One on one. Thad’s gonna announce it.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
…
“I guess that’s it for our tag team.”
“I thought we could still be partners.”
“I can’t sit here and wait around forever, Tyler.”
“I’ve given up a lot just to stick by your side, but I don’t know if I can keep doing that…waiting for you to commit to us. Waiting for you to pick up the phone, and call me.”
“You’re serious? You’re seriously going to bail on me, just because I got a title shot? I thought you’d be happy for me Alex, I really fucking did.”
“I am Tyler. I am so proud of you. But the truth is you’re leaving me in the dust for a singles opportunity, and you’re expecting me to be OK with that.”
“I’m not.”
...
“What do you want then? A title shot? Fine, when I win the damn thing you can be first in line - you happy now?”
“Now you’re gonna patronize me? I’m not some dumb broad, I'm a lioness. I don’t need your handouts. If I’m going to have a title shot, it’s going to be one I earned, not one you’re giving me because you look down on me.”
“I’m trying to show you that this means more to me than a title shot. That I actually care about Hacker Apocalypse.”
“It shouldn’t, you’re going to go and win that title and I’m going to be proud of you. But right now, I don’t fit into your life, so I’m moving on.”
“Screw you then, I don’t need your bullshit. If you can’t deal with me getting a title shot, then you can stay mad.”
“Go back to Paramount where you belong, bitch.”
[Call disconnected]
/~/
Dan, do u really think ur the dangerous 1 in this situation?
I literally just watched my own sister, who I thought was dead for over a decade, come to life before my very eyes only to turn into a nightmare.
I had to sit by while a madman tried, and nearly succeeded, in convincing me that every relationship, every friendship I ever formed in this business was manufactured through a character that bore no resemblance to the real me.
I watched my tag team partner walk out on me because she couldn’t stand to see me succeed without her, my success eating away at our bond until we became nothing more than acquaintances.
I had to listen to one of her partners make fun of my dead sister, reducing her to a punchline of a pathetic joke reeking of alarmist humor.
I haven’t competed much recently because I fell back into an addiction. I’d been sober for so long but after everything that happened this past month it was the one comfort I had left.
Then I wake up and scroll through Twitter, watching the fed I’ve come to call home practically tear itself to pieces over meaningless bullshit right before my eyes.
You know what I thought, Dan?
I thought fuck it, I don’t need this.
I don’t need a championship.
I’d rather go back to Twitch streaming, it’s so much easier and u only have to deal with Twitch Chat, which, in comparison to Twitter, is somehow less degenerate these days!
I’m not going to lie 2 u Dan, I genuinely thought about quitting recently…
But then I realised something.
That’s what they want.
CJ O’Donnell, Alexandra Calaway, Bob Greiner, hell chuck half the roster and a majority of the brainless Twitter fuckwits in there too, they all would love to watch me walk away.
They wanna Sebastian Stone me. Want to see me quit so they can get a chuckle out of it and start humming “Another One Bites The Dust”.
One less thing to worry about, right?
The issue is for them, I’m gonna deny them the last sticker they need to add to their collection in order to get the cereal box prize, cos I’m not going anywhere.
If that’s bad news for them, Dan, can u imagine how bad it is for u?
Weeks and weeks of pent up frustration, and this time I’m not dumping it into my girlfriend.
I’m putting it into every single punch, knee strike and kick ur gonna feel when u step into the ring with me.
Hope ur wearing some red facepaint this time Dan, might be the only kind that isn’t going to get messed the fuck up.
Wanna kno the funniest thing? This isn’t even personal. Like I have nothing against u rly Dan, despite the fact u look like a cartoon character on crack, ur probably a decent dude.
Ur just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
It could be any1 across from the ring from me on Sunday, and I’d still try to end their career.
This transcends championships Dan, it’s bigger than just u or Crazy Chris over there.
Cos on Sunday, ur not just walking into a massacre.
Ur walking into an apocalypse.
Three weeks later
Tyler Norrie scratched and clawed his way through the shrubs and bushes that populated the dense landscape before him. His bare hands grasped at the sticks and stones, seeking some kind of purchase but never truly being able to find it. Still, he moved onward, knees scratched and bloody from the constant contact with the dried out flora. He pursed his dry lips together and they cracked immediately, causing the iron taste of his own lifeblood to fill his throat.
Tyler’s dried out esophagus wasn’t ready to accept the offering, and so he hacked loudly, sending a torrent of bloody bile onto the ground ahead of him. But he didn’t care, because that wasn’t the only thing ahead of him.
So was she.
Her back was to him, the sun illuminating her just enough that he could catch a glimpse of the hidden beauty from side-on. She was sitting on the edge of a cliff, legs dangling over the side. Blonde hair trailing in the light wind that brushed over her shoulders.
He knew it was her, and if he was going to do one thing before he let the elements take him, it was letting her know he was here.
Finally after what felt like days of heaving his body over the scorched earth, he made it.
Tyler reached out and touched her shoulder. She didn’t react, so he hacked out the last of the bile in his throat, and tried to speak.
“Anna…”
He managed one word, it was all he could say before he felt his throat close over entirely. He began to gasp for air, feeling like he was drowning in the hazy air surrounding them.
Then Anna turned to face him…except it wasn’t Anna.
At least not as he remembered her.
A mess of cogs and wires stared back at him, the normal features of a face barely distinguishable. Then, two slits appeared at top of the metallic surface, and a third at the bottom.
And it spoke.
“It's OK, you’re here now Cypher, and that’s what matters.”
Cypher lurched forward, coughing and spluttering. He reached up and touched his face, trying to ground himself in reality after the third nightmare of his sister this week. His fingers came away wet. Cypher glanced over at Dot. She was still fast asleep, offering no point of refuge. Not like she would be anyway. They hadn’t talked about Anna since he’d got back home. He hadn’t offered to, and she hadn’t asked.
Initially he didn’t want to talk about it.
Now he felt like he was slowly sinking into the ground in a tomb of his own making.
Sleep wasn’t an option…but neither was staying awake.
Cypher flopped back down onto the bed, as he did he felt something round and hard underneath his pillow. Frowning, he reached back and rummaged underneath. He already knew what it was by the time his hand had closed around it and pulled it out. Before he could think to stop himself, the pill was sliding down his throat.
“Just to fall asleep” he told himself.
“I just need it to fall asleep.”
/~/
“Where is he?”
“Y’know…in his room.”
“How long?”
“Couple weeks.”
“No like, how long has he..”
“Oh, I don’t know. ‘Least most of the time ‘e’s bin in there.”
…
“God damn it Tyler.”
“Ya want me ta’ give yas some private time?”
Thaddeus Duke, at this time having just inked the deal that would make him majority owner of OCW, paused.
Looking typically suave in his business attire, he was in direct contrast to Dot, sporting a leopard print hat and Led Zep tee. But her nonchalant attitude is absent, instead she anxiously chews her lip, eyes darting from the door to Thad and back.
“You don’t think it would be better for you to be there too?”
“We just had a fight, don’t think it’d be wise.”
“Right, see you on the other side then.”
Thad opened the door and stepped through as Dot made herself scarce. The man he had not long ago dragged from near death looked like he was on a trip right back there.
Cypher’s face was ghost white, his eyes seeming to bulge even bigger than they ever had before. He looked like he had been sweating buckets…and in spite of all that?
The mf was smiling.
In fact he barely noticed Thad walk in. He was staring up at the ceiling, like Sahara was up there naked or some shit.
“Tyler?”
Cypher’s eyes slowly but surely dragged themselves away from the roof and over to Thad.
“Thaddy!”
It was like he spoke the word in slow motion, accentuating each syllable.
“How you feeling?”
“I’m great buddy, where’s your hot girlfriend?”
“Not on the roof.”
“...Wha?”
“Listen to me, Tyler.”
Thad grabbed his friends arm and squeezed it, trying to appeal to his better judgment despite his somewhat euphoric state.
“I didn’t save your life just so you could piss it away with pills.”
Cypher’s jaw dropped open, the harsh and direct words like a slap to the face.
“I-
“Where are they?”
“Where are what?”
“Don’t fuck around.”
Thad instantly zeroed in on the drawer next to Cypher on the bedside table, and began rooting around inside. Before Cypher could stop him, he’d pulled out the orange container and was moving towards the slightly open window.
“NO!”
But it was too late.
The pills rained down onto the sidewalk below.
Cypher could only watch, his movements far too slow in his drug-addled state.
Thad turned back to him.
“I just bought OCW, you’re getting a TransAtlantic title shot at Reformation. Take some time to get through the withdrawals, but once that’s over?
Making his way to the door, Thad casually looked back at his stunned friend.
“You best be ready.”
/~/
[Dial Tone]
“Hello?”
“Alex?”
“My God, are you OK? Why didn’t you call me sooner?!”
“I’ve been…distracted.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“It felt like I was.”
…
“What happened? Where did you go?”
…
“What did they do to you?”
“I didn’t call you to talk about that.”
“Then why did you call me?”
“Because I wanted to, is that a fucking crime?”
…
“Sorry, I’ve been on edge lately.”
“You’ve been on edge?!”
“I’ve been worried sick about you, Tyler, for weeks - and you don’t even think to call?”
“There’s been worse shit to worry about than informing you, OK? I’ve literally gone through hell in these last few days, I wasn’t exactly keeping up with who I’d called and when.”
“Then talk to me, I’m here for you.”
“I’ve got a shot at a singles title at Reformation.”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, TransAtlantic Championship. Dangerous Dan. One on one. Thad’s gonna announce it.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
…
“I guess that’s it for our tag team.”
“I thought we could still be partners.”
“I can’t sit here and wait around forever, Tyler.”
“I’ve given up a lot just to stick by your side, but I don’t know if I can keep doing that…waiting for you to commit to us. Waiting for you to pick up the phone, and call me.”
“You’re serious? You’re seriously going to bail on me, just because I got a title shot? I thought you’d be happy for me Alex, I really fucking did.”
“I am Tyler. I am so proud of you. But the truth is you’re leaving me in the dust for a singles opportunity, and you’re expecting me to be OK with that.”
“I’m not.”
...
“What do you want then? A title shot? Fine, when I win the damn thing you can be first in line - you happy now?”
“Now you’re gonna patronize me? I’m not some dumb broad, I'm a lioness. I don’t need your handouts. If I’m going to have a title shot, it’s going to be one I earned, not one you’re giving me because you look down on me.”
“I’m trying to show you that this means more to me than a title shot. That I actually care about Hacker Apocalypse.”
“It shouldn’t, you’re going to go and win that title and I’m going to be proud of you. But right now, I don’t fit into your life, so I’m moving on.”
“Screw you then, I don’t need your bullshit. If you can’t deal with me getting a title shot, then you can stay mad.”
“Go back to Paramount where you belong, bitch.”
[Call disconnected]
/~/
Dan, do u really think ur the dangerous 1 in this situation?
I literally just watched my own sister, who I thought was dead for over a decade, come to life before my very eyes only to turn into a nightmare.
I had to sit by while a madman tried, and nearly succeeded, in convincing me that every relationship, every friendship I ever formed in this business was manufactured through a character that bore no resemblance to the real me.
I watched my tag team partner walk out on me because she couldn’t stand to see me succeed without her, my success eating away at our bond until we became nothing more than acquaintances.
I had to listen to one of her partners make fun of my dead sister, reducing her to a punchline of a pathetic joke reeking of alarmist humor.
I haven’t competed much recently because I fell back into an addiction. I’d been sober for so long but after everything that happened this past month it was the one comfort I had left.
Then I wake up and scroll through Twitter, watching the fed I’ve come to call home practically tear itself to pieces over meaningless bullshit right before my eyes.
You know what I thought, Dan?
I thought fuck it, I don’t need this.
I don’t need a championship.
I’d rather go back to Twitch streaming, it’s so much easier and u only have to deal with Twitch Chat, which, in comparison to Twitter, is somehow less degenerate these days!
I’m not going to lie 2 u Dan, I genuinely thought about quitting recently…
But then I realised something.
That’s what they want.
CJ O’Donnell, Alexandra Calaway, Bob Greiner, hell chuck half the roster and a majority of the brainless Twitter fuckwits in there too, they all would love to watch me walk away.
They wanna Sebastian Stone me. Want to see me quit so they can get a chuckle out of it and start humming “Another One Bites The Dust”.
One less thing to worry about, right?
The issue is for them, I’m gonna deny them the last sticker they need to add to their collection in order to get the cereal box prize, cos I’m not going anywhere.
If that’s bad news for them, Dan, can u imagine how bad it is for u?
Weeks and weeks of pent up frustration, and this time I’m not dumping it into my girlfriend.
I’m putting it into every single punch, knee strike and kick ur gonna feel when u step into the ring with me.
Hope ur wearing some red facepaint this time Dan, might be the only kind that isn’t going to get messed the fuck up.
Wanna kno the funniest thing? This isn’t even personal. Like I have nothing against u rly Dan, despite the fact u look like a cartoon character on crack, ur probably a decent dude.
Ur just in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
It could be any1 across from the ring from me on Sunday, and I’d still try to end their career.
This transcends championships Dan, it’s bigger than just u or Crazy Chris over there.
Cos on Sunday, ur not just walking into a massacre.
Ur walking into an apocalypse.