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Post by Laura Phoenix - HBIC on Mar 7, 2020 20:12:30 GMT -5
Demon's Run Rogers Centre Toronto, Ontario, Canada Tuesday, March 17, 2020
PWS Heavyweight Championship 60 minute Iron Man Match Malachi (c) vs. Mack McKane
Deadline: Saturday, March 14, 2020 11:59PM Eastern Maximum 5000 Minimum 500
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Post by Mack "The Knife" McKane on Mar 10, 2020 21:58:16 GMT -5
-I REMEMBER…-
“The day he called: impossible... You’re drifting out inside the room where I was born. I held you up, not strong enough... Said my goodbyes and watched your smile fade away... ...It’s not right. I can't be honest. I’m a bit demolished when I’m... Picturing holding your body in the room. The white sheets I’m facing; My nervous pacing that you’re... Just another heart... That I can’t bring back to this side of the ground.”
(The scene opens to a dense woods as rain gently falls, there’s a gently worn path leading down through the cavalcade of trees as we see a dark, cloaked figure walking towards the end where it opens into a tiny field and we see a few scattered headstones. The figure walks to the one nearly exactly in the middle of the field and they kneel placing a single black rose on the grave which reads “ISLA MCKANE” as we see the cloaked figure take off his hood and remove his signature mask...Mack McKane was making a visit.)
Mack McKane: ...I-...I don’t know...WHY I’m here, I was lucky to even remember where it were but just...somethin’ told me…
(Mack takes a deep breath and sits on the wet ground in front of the tombstone.)
Mack McKane: ...it WEREN’T like we was exactly close, y’know? An’...for the longest time...I blamed you. I blamed you for pickin’ that arsehole. I blamed you for agreeing to RAISE a FAMILY...in a bleedin’ EVIL CARNIVAL. D’you know how MENTAL that sounds when I say it out loud!? I-...
(Mack takes another deep breath and shakes his head.)
Mack McKane: ...I didn’t know...where else to go to find a bit of peace. Everything’s gone to Hell in a handbasket. I fight for a living now...and against your warnings, I’ve settled in with the greatest human I’ve ever met. Maybe I came here to gloat about that, innit? You always told me and Kenny to never settle in...they always leave. S’that why you stuck with the bastard until the bastard stuck YOU? I-...
(Mack grabs at his hair as the rain continues to fall gently as he sits in silence for a moment.)
Mack McKane: ...I didn’t come here to hash out old memories...I didn’t come here to lament about a life long lost. And I damn sure weren’t here to bitch about how I turned out because for every problem I have...as MENTAL as I am...I found ‘em. I found *MY* family. I got a load o’ people that actually GIVE a shit when I go off the rails. I got a support group to remind me I don’t HAFTA do it all on my own! But I didn’t...come here to gloat. But I also didn’t come to mourn. You chose your path. If I’m honest I...I think I came here…
...to FORGIVE you.
(Mack kinda chuckles looking around the woods until his eyes zero in on what he detects as movement.)
Mack McKane: OI! SOMEONE THERE!?
(Mack flips out Cutrina and pops to his feet, scanning the woods wildly...until he’s finally assured it was his mind playing tricks on him. He kneels back down.)
Mack McKane: Anyway...I just...I wish things had been different. ‘Course I do. I guess I...I just wanted to let you know...I turned out alright.
...rest easy, Mum.
(Mack puts his mask back on and pulls the hood over his head still scanning the woods as he turns and walks back out of the clearing as we transition…)
-AMBUSH-
“I don't think anybody doubts whether I've done some bad things. The question is: what, of course, and how, and maybe even most importantly, why?” -Ted Bundy
(The scene opens back to show the same hooded figure turning down a New York street alley, he considers it a “shortcut” back to the studio when all of a sudden two black leather clad men step out in front of him, one holding a bat and the other holding a crowbar. Mack turns and sees that two more men have followed him up the alleyway, one with a biker chain and the other with brass knuckles.)
Mack McKane: ...I’d ask who sent’cha but honestly? At the moment. I couldn’t be fucked.
Thug: Poor choice of words…’cause you’re about to be. Ya know we heard you was some vicious pit bull but all I’m seein’ is a scared little rodent. Get ‘im boys.
(Before Mack can throw off his jacket and brandish Cutrina all four men jump him beating him mercilessly with their weapons...Mack starts fighting dirty, punching groins and stomping insteps and he eventually gets back to a vertical position throwing one head first into the dumpster as the biker chain crashes across his back sending him back to his knees. The three remaining men just start putting the boots to Mack as hard as they can until from outta nowhere...there’s a whistle. And as the three men look up towards where it came from, standing on a stairwell we see a dark, handsome man brandishing a hammer. The three men grab their fallen associate and pull him up retreating to the end of the alley as the man kicks the end of the hammer to swing it over his shoulder as he slowly saunters down the steps to reveal it’s Mack’s brother...Kenny McKane.)
Kenny McKane: 4 on 1 seems a bit much, don’tcha think?
Thug: Whoever you are, just stay the fuck outta this!
Kenny McKane: Awww now now…’fraid I can’t DO that, can I?
Thug: Don’t be a HERO, man!
Kenny McKane: Hero? A-HA! No no my dear boy see...I’m no hero. I am a villain. The likes of which you’ve yet to behold so either BUGGER OFF...or stand ye ground. Because that happens to be...my brother you’re beating on.
(The man who got thrown into the dumpster charges and effortlessly gets clocked, middle of the forehead with the hammer. Not hard enough to kill him or knock him out, but just enough to let him know he doesn’t want this fight. All four men trip over each other getting the fuck outta Dodge as Mack slowly makes it to his knees looking off towards them...before slowly turning his steely gazeto the left where a hand waits to pull him up. Mack snarls and spits on the ground.)
Mack McKane: ...where...the FUCK...YOU been!?
Kenny McKane: ...I can explain everythi-
(Mack throws himself up to his feet shakily throwing himself against the dumpster to barely hold himself up as he spits blood from his mouth absolutely snarling at Kenny, Kenny holds up his free hand as if to say “calm down”)
Kenny McKane: I know...believe me, I know. There’s so much you must want to say to me...probably even DO to me...but all I ask is you hear me out firs-
Mack McKane: I HAVE HAD...HELL...BROUGHT TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO MY FOOKIN’ DOORSTEP. I have faced insurmountable odds, I faced that PSYCHO...with our FATHER...after he attacked KATIE. THEY GOT TO KATIE, KEN!!!
Kenny McKane: I know...and they’ll pay for every scratch, trust me.
Mack McKane: Trust you? Bleedin’ TRUST YOU!? I worked, I scraped, I STARVED for YEARS trying to get you a fair trial and the whole time...you knew. The whole time you KNEW when the light at the end of the tunnel was coming and you let me believe it wouldn’t be for DECADES. You. LIED. to me!
Kenny McKane: For good REASON, Mack! If you would only-
Mack McKane: And then, AND...THEN...I go to pick you up on the day you’re supposed to be released! I figured “He had his reasons...I’ll hear him out...It’ll just be damn good to have him home” but you WEREN’T. THERE. You left no NOTE...no CONTACT INFORMATION...NOTHING. So not only did you LIE...you GHOSTED me! And I...I looked. I looked and I looked and I looked while I was fighting off an ENTIRE fuckin’ corporation! An ENTIRE roster of wrestlers that wanted to spill my blood as their art on that damned canvas and all I could think about was “Kenny’s out there in trouble somewhere”. And now you just HAPPEN to...fuckin’ SHOW UP...RIGHT as I’m about to get my arse stomped in!?
(Mack suddenly comes to a realization…)
Mack McKane: ...I went to Mum’s grave...that was you...in the trees. I seent someone move...it was YOU, INNIT!?
(Kenny pushes his fingers into his eye sockets taking a deep breath before he looks back at an obviously unstable Mack.)
Kenny McKane: ...yeah. It was me.
Mack McKane: So what, you been FOLLOWING me all this time!?
Kenny McKane: Not...ALL this time…
Mack McKane: ...since when?
Kenny McKane: ...since I heard about the attack on Katie.
(Mack’s shoulders straighten and he gets deadly calm as he glares a hole through his brother.)
Mack McKane: ...you’ve been here...this entire time...and you ain’t said a GOD. DAMN. WORD!?
Kenny McKane: IT WAS FOR...YOUR OWN GOOD.
(This hits Mack like a semi truck with a look of almost pained rage and disbelief on his face.)
Mack McKane: MY own good? MY...OWN GOOD!? Since you been followin’ like a creepo I’m sure you seen by now I can HANDLE...me OWN.
Kenny McKane: You can! And I’m extremely proud of you! Can I PLEASE...give you my side o’ the fuckin’ story now?
(Mack crosses his arms and leans against the wall as Kenny walks over to him exasperated.)
Kenny McKane: I am SORRY. I’m sorry I lied to you, I’m sorry I disappeared, I’m sorry I was a right shit brother, okay? But I thought if you thought I was stuck in jail and lost visitation rights...you’d at least buy that I was safe. Yes. I knew I didn’t finish the job...I was a kid. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. YES. I knew there was a day I was gonna get released and it was gonna go off without a HITCH if that bloody Russow hadn’t started digging. YES. I ghosted you. Because I knew as soon as I got out, the first thing on your mind would be your raging bloodlust and you’d try and abandon EVERYTHING you’ve made for yourself to go find them. And I can’t let you do that.
Mack McKane: THAT’S not your decision to make!
Kenny McKane: It’s not YOURS. EITHER!!!
Mack McKane: ...what are you playing at?
Kenny McKane: I saw you...in that ring, against all odds, MY LITTLE BRUVVAH. And you was takin’ on the world. NO ONE could touch ya. And then I seens ya with that pretty little number and I seens ya with all yer friends and the family you chose around yas and I COULDN’T...I WOULDN’T let you give that up for this. So yeah...I bailed.
...an’ I started huntin’.
Mack McKane: Hunting?
Kenny McKane: Had a brush with ‘em a time or two...came close...so did they…
(Kenny lifts his shirt to show some fresh scars.)
Mack McKane: Let me HELP you!
Kenny McKane: ...you will...when the time is right. Just like when the time is right, I hope to meet your little squad. But for now...brother...stay the course. WE always believed there was nothing but pure evil running through our veins but...when your music hits...and I see that crowd's reaction. From the elderly to the young little kids wearing your RIDICULOUS mask...you give the people hope. I don’t know who hired these fuckholes to try and do you in...but-
Mack McKane: I’m...like, 99% sure I know who it was...and he has one motherfucker of a meeting coming to his doorstep.
(Kenny smiles and reaches out grabbing Mack pulling him into a hug as Mack fiercely hugs back as Kenny pulls away with his forehead touching Mack’s.)
Kenny McKane: I promise yas...I WILL be in touch...you WILL see me soon. We’re in it now...not bad for a couple o’ street rats, eh?
(Kenny hands Mack a burner phone before turning, popping his collar, and disappearing into the night as Mack limps his way back to the apartment.)
-AM I DISPOSABLE TOO!?-
“You're so endearing! You're so beautiful! Well I don't look like they do! And I don't love like they do! But I don't hate like they do! ...Am I ever on your mind?”
(There’s a fumbling at the door as Mack throws all his weight against it trying to unlock it but before he succeeds, the door swings open and he almost faceplants into the room until he’s BARELY caught by Mattie Cormier who looks terrified.)
Mattie Cormier: BABY WHAT HAPPENED!?
Mack McKane: Caught a...warm little “Good Luck” party in the alleyway…
Mattie Cormier: Oh my God! How many!
Mack McKane: Four of ‘em...came outta nowhere...didn’t even have time to get the jacket off.
Mattie Cormier: Did they say who sent ‘em!? We have to call the police!
Mack McKane: NO! No...it’s alright babe. If we call the police, they launch an investigation, and...and I can’t have that right now.
(Mack sheds his coat and his mask as Mattie helps him to the loveseat and he collapses as she goes and gets an ice pack and some disinfectant wipes to clean him up.)
Mack McKane: Bastards. They didn’t say who sent ‘em but...I got my hunch.
Mattie Cormier: ...you don’t think Malachi would…
Mack McKane: Nah. That ain’t Mal’s style. Besides...he picked the regular 60-Minute Iron Man match cause he wants to show the world I can actually wrestle...his point gets shot if I’m crippled before I get there, innit?
Mattie Cormier: ...then it was either Star or…
Mack McKane: Your not so secret admirer...I swear when I catch him.
(Mattie’s face suddenly drops and she gets a nervous look as she shakily asks…)
Mattie Cormier: M-Mack...you said you didn’t want the police investigating. Are...are you in trouble?
(Mack pulls the ice pack off his eye and stares off into the distance before quietly stating…)
Mack McKane: ...I only got away ‘cause Kenny intervened.
Mattie Cormier: ...KENNY!?...like, *THE* KENNY!?!?
Mack McKane: ...yeah.
Mattie Cormier: WHA- HOW-
Mack McKane: ...he’s been trailing me a few weeks now...he caught wind Syn and our darling “Father” attacked Katie and figured they were about to make their move.
Mattie Cormier: Wh-...well where IS he!?
Mack McKane: In the wind again...honestly I don’t...I don’t know how much more I can take.
Mattie Cormier: What do you mean sweetie?
Mack McKane: ...before they started beating me they called me a “scared little rodent”...Everett calls me a street rat. Hell, even our friends make jokes about me sleeping in a gutter somewhere. Is that what people think of me? They value life so li-
(Suddenly Mack and Mattie jump as they hear a frantic squeaking sound…)
Mack McKane: ...what the Hell was that?
Mattie Cormier: I..we’ve had a mouse problem in the apartment lately and I told Gabe to pick me up some traps…
Mack McKane: ...Mattie.
Mattie Cormier: I swear I told him the non-lethal ones!
(Mack gets up and limps over towards the squeaking sound holding his ribs as he looks behind the couch and sees a little white baby mouse scrambling frantically for it’s life caught directly in the middle of a glue trap. Mack drops to a knee and screams for a pair of gloves as Mattie jumps into action. Mack tries and tries his best to frere the little guy from the glue trap...but the mouse finally succumbs to the poison they were lined with. Mack sits on his knees...holding the glue trap in both hands...and he begins to shake.)
Mack McKane: ...he done nothin’ wrong.
Mattie Cormier: Oh Mack I...I’m so sorry.
(Mack begins to absolutely tremble with rage as he stands up...calmly turns around...and shows the trap to Mattie who tries to look away.)
Mack McKane: Look at it...LOOK AT IT.
(Mattie looks at it and tears start to fill her eyes as Mack walks over and gently places it in the trash can leaning onto the edge of it, still seething with rage.)
Mattie Cormier: Mack...honey...it was...it was just a mous-
Mack McKane: Just a mouse.
(Mack flips his hair back and suddenly gets...VERY calm as he walks over and begins frantically washing his hands in the hottest water available muttering “just a mouse” to himself over and over repeatedly as Mattie stands very wary of him.)
Mack McKane: ...just a mouse just a mouse JUST...A MOUSE!!!
(Mack flips around and we see disturbia in his eyes as he begins frantically pacing like a feral lion.)
Mack McKane: He was a mouse. He couldn’t do you no harm. He wouldn’ta done NOBODY...NO HARM!!! He was just lookin’ for a place to LIVE! A place to SURVIVE!!! And whattya know...he gets KILLED for his efforts! Circle of FUCKIN’ life, innit!?
Mattie Cormier: Mack I...I don’t know what to say…
Mack McKane: Is that what you think of me? You think so little...of the life of “just a mouse”...what do you imagine of ME? When you met me...I was living in and out of abandoned warehouses! I SLEPT with rats! And d’you know WHAT!? They was BETTER company than most o’ these scumbag pieces o’ SHIT I’ve met in the “upper class”. You think I don’t see the glares I get at your “showcases”? You think I don’t hear the whispers of how I’M not good enough for you because *I’M*...a COMMON...STREET RAT!?
Mattie Cormier: Of COURSE not!!! Mack, you’re being ridiculous!
Mack McKane: Ridiculous? I’M being ridiculous!? I just watched an innocent creature DIE...for being nothing more than who he WAS. And it don’t matter! It don’t make a SHITLICK of diference! Man or mouse...that’s EXACTLY...what EVERYONE’S been tryin’a do to me ever since I started WORKING for that ass-backwards company!!! I’m just a RAT they’re tryin’ to EXTERMINATE! WHO DO I EVEN TRUST ANYMORE!?
(Mattie is crying as she takes a few steps towards Mack.)
Mattie Cormier: My darling, I didn’t even know they were there! I...I TOLD Gabe you’d be against snap traps and glue traps! I SWEAR I didn’t mean for this to happen!
(Mack splashes water on his face and dries it off and seemingly takes a deep breath…)
Mack McKane: No...no no...I know, my love...c’mere…
(Mattie approaches with caution as Mack pulls her in and wraps her in his arms.)
Mack McKane: I’m sorry...tonight’s just...been a lot to process. Hell the past few MONTHS have been a lot to process. I know you...I know your heart...you’d never harm another living thing…
Mattie Cormier: ...are you gonna be okay?
Mack McKane: ...as long as I have you...I’ll be perfect.
(They share a kiss and press their foreheads together as Mack quietly slips out…)
Mack McKane: ...but Gabe is gettin’ a glue trap stuck to his precious hair next time I catch him..
(Mattie laughs as they kiss again...this scene ends with Mattie asleep in Mack’s arms but he is still awake staring at the beautiful paintings adorning their loft as he slides out of bed as to not disturb her...he grabs his jacket slinking out the door…)
-LET THE MONSTER RISE-
(We open to see clear plastic sheets lining a room and in the middle of it on a cellophane covered table lies a cavalcade of brutal, calculated, and vicious weapons. It’s not long before we hear a door creep open and see the ragged features of Mack McKane enter...shed his jacket...walk to the table and collapse into the chair sitting beside it with his head in his hand rubbing his temples as he takes a deep breath.)
Mack McKane: Now...no more games...no more bounties...no more traps, hijinx, or screwjobs. Now it is signed, NOW...it is BONE. HARD. MEDICAL. FACT. that one more time...for your precious “investors”...for your precious “RATINGS”...you’ve forced two hungry lions into the colosseum to see who’s teeth are sharper!
“A coat of Gold… Or a coat of red… A lion still has claws. And mine are long and sharp my Lord… ...as long and sharp as yours.”
Mack McKane: Since day one...day...fuckin’...ONE. You’ve made me out to be the deadliest, angriest, most vicious wild animal you have prowling these hallways and you never...ONCE...thought to get to know the real me. Them fans though? They SEE through bullshit and they know...they are WELL. AWARE. When they are being fed LESS THAT THEY DESERVE.
*WE*...ARE WHAT THEY DESERVE.
(Mack flips his hair and throws all his weight back in the chair looking up towards the ceiling.)
Mack McKane: ...and you wasted it. C’mon now, admit it! You...WASTED...the salivation...the tension...the craving for Mack McKane vs Malachi. You fired your load early on a regular TV show because YOU...didn’t know what you HAD...and you were just throwing BULLSHIT together to keep your girl, Red happy as champion...with less than qualified contenders. IMPOSTORS...to the throne. And me?
...you fed me to the FOOKIN’ wolves, innit.
(Mack reaches into the hole in the middle of the table and pulls up a replica of the PWS:Apex Collateral Damage Championship.)
Mack McKane: Beauty, innit? Papa Russow bought it for me ‘cause he thought I oughta have a keepsake of the history I made with it...the history YOU PROFITED FROM. You threw me in the Collateral Damage division. To be an afterthought. That’s where you put all the broken pieces...that’s your Island of Misfit Toys who were NEVER supposed to make ANY waves in YOUR precious company! You saw my viciousness and you instantly thought “nah...he’d NEVER work on a National stage.” but then...and I’ll admit RIGHTFULLY...you looked at Malachi. Strong competitor, good lookin’ kid with a chip on his shoulder and somethin’ to prove...shackin’ up with a second gen prodigy. STRAIGHT to the top, innit! An’ I don’t BLAME Mal for that! Good on ‘im FOR it! And sure ‘nuff...the MOMENT you give him even a glance at that Heavyweight Championship...he snatches it on his first attempt and of THAT...there was never any DOUBT.
...but what ‘bout me?
(Mack stares lovingly into his title as he sits it gently on the table and runs his hands across it before pressing his forehead to it. He remains there a few seconds before lifting his head.)
Mack McKane: ...with respect to Malachi...congratulations on the win...but them people couldn’t be FUCKED to pay attention to it. And here’s where the niceties end, bruv. You are...one HELLACIOUS competitor in that ring. You got a bit of a prick side to ya which has served ya well. Ya got the girl...the pedigree...you got it all. But that’s exactly why. Your reign. Failed.
(Mack lays back in the chair crossing his legs as he reaches onto the table and pulls up a hammer toying with it, twirling it, giving it a whirl.)
Mack McKane: It weren’t nothin’ against YOU, kid. You done everything right proper. You wear the belt right, you do the press junkets, you look and ya play the part. But see now...THEREIN lies the rub, innit? Because for all your technique...for ALL your flash...them people were turnin’ their TV’s off…
...unless it were me.
(Mack lays the hammer back down and picks up a pair of needle nosed pliers.)
Mack McKane: Fun fact? These are STUPENDOUS for loosening tongues. Ya know...should ya ever need to interrogate a cunt.
(Mack suddenly gasps and covers his mouth twirling the pliers in his hand.)
Mack McKane: OH NO! There I go again! See...me mouth has gotten me into PLENTY o’ hot water but me hands...have calloused so much they don’t feel much o’ anything anymore. Because I took...what that HAG Star Stormz gave to me. I took her lemons and I made margaritas! Week IN and week OUT...ALL them people were talkin’ about was what...I...was gonna do next, innit? What can Heather Haze and I do to destroy each other further. God bless that girl, I thrashed her so bad she went and found Jesus. Innit wonderful!? But see the only problem with THAT is...and I think you know this, Mal…is there IS no God. And if there is, your arms are just far too short to box with him. See but the DEVIL...well that cold sonuvabitch is real. I met him at the crossroads. And he told me the story o’ Robert Johnson. An’ he told me all I had to do was SIIIIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE...and I’d have all the power I needed...all the power I WANTED in the world. And boy, was it ever temptin’...
(Mack leans forward and beckons the camera closer.)
Mack McKane: ...but I looked him in the eyes...while I was stabbin’ him in the back. And with his last gasping breath he smiled at me and said “You’d make...one HELLUVA demon” and I said “Brother...I challenged the Devil himself…” and I did. I faced each and every one of my demons, then I called down to Satan and I told him to bring his puss-ass on because if he can’t even win a fiddlin’ contest what the FUCK could he have on ME?
(Mack stands looking quite out of his mind as two female assistants walk into the room and put a butcher’s apron on him as he fastens his mask.)
Mack McKane: ...do you know...what it is to sacrifice? The blood...the gore...the ultraviolent ratings attached to the legacy of the Collateral Damage title now? I did...what you couldn’t do, Mal. I took a title that had lost ALL it’s prestige and I made it THE most talked about piece of hardware in the entire Goddamn company but that...that wasn’t IT for me. See I loved...LOVED my time as Collateral Damage champion. But what I hated...was the looks I would get walking through that backstage area. I HATED...the fact that everyone walked on egg shells when they came to talk to me I. HATED. That our own BOSSES...didn’t have the NERVE to look me in the EYE. NOT because they were intimidated! NOT because they were scared! But because like EVERY CHAPTER OF MY LIFE...THEY WERE DISMISSING ME. IGNORING ME. And so I decided that after awhile...I’m making them all this money...and I’m still living in abandoned warehouses...I’m a little tired of the unfair treatment. I WANT. MY RESPECT.
(Mack picks up a gold plated version of Cutrina, his beloved butterfly knife as he laments into it singing…)
Mack McKane: ...Dear Mattie, I am so sorry, can you forgive me for this…
(Mack screams at the top of his lungs and throws the blade backwards landing dead between the eyes of a picture of Everett Jacobs.)
Mack McKane: I have the world’s pettiest boss shredding my dreams in front of me like confetti falling for her and acid rain staining my legacy for ME. I have the single slimiest, skeeviest pervert in the world with Daddy’s trust fund lurking around every corner just WAITING for the one moment I’m away from the one person who’s kept me...from HONESTLY...killing you ALL. I said it. I meant it. I’ll not hide from it anymore. Jack, Malachi, Bella, ALL of you...the thoughts that have crossed...my fuckin’ mind...listening to each and everyone of you PISS and MOAN about your “family issues” when I don’t even see MY family unless they’re trying to kill me OR I’m being jumped by the fuckin’ JETS from Guys and Dolls!!! D’you wanna call it jealousy? FINE! Call it jealousy, call it abandonment issues, call it...whatever! I’m...SO...TIRED. I’m just tired of IT all, of YOU all...I’m TIRED.
(Scenes...pictures flash from everything Mack has endured from barely making it to Mattie in time to the tattered, broken home of Katie to the shredded contract falling to the mat as Mack grabs at his head and rips his mask off.)
Mack McKane: But I THANK you...Malachi. I...THANK you. Because you see for as lovely and charming as each and every precious member of my menagerie here IS to me...I don’t NEED them. I don’t NEED them and I don’t WANT them because for ONE. HOUR. Your sour ass is MINE. I’m sooooo very glad you patched things up with your brother and you both have a doting sister and everything’s GRAND in the Merry Old Land of Oz but here comes the FUCKING. TWISTER. Because the gloves...are off. I WARNED you...from the beginning. You have my respect...for whatever that means to you, you got it. And Hell, after we’re done beating the FUCK outta each other...I may even admit to LIKING you. But as much time passes bell to bell? I’m going to show the WORLD that it’s NOT just the weapons...it’s NOT just the aesthetic...it’s the HEART. MY heart. NOBODY does this better than I do! NOBODY connects with those people like I can! I *EARNED* THIS! So you want fair?
...Game On, Cunt.
(Mack puts his mask back on and lays his forehead on the table as we fade to black.)
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Post by Malachi on Mar 15, 2020 1:01:09 GMT -5
March 10 Waterford, Ireland
With SCW currently on their “Going Home” tour taking place in the UK, it made sense that Malachi would spend as much time in his homeland as possible. Not only to cut down on the unnecessary travel, but as a chance to decompress and relax in between matches. Despite not having a match on this week’s edition of Climax Control, he nevertheless had a match coming up in PWS Apex. Perhaps the biggest match of his career thus far. So having a little downtime in his native Ireland was proving to be very beneficial for him.
He had always had the mindset that a champion was only as good as his competition. With the fact that he was going up against one of the fastest-rising stars in the company in Mack McKane, that adage was being put to the ultimate test. The two men had already tangled once before, in a vicious, violent and devastating hardcore match that solidified both of them as “ones to watch” within the company. And they had both delivered on that promise. While Mack had carved a bloody swath through the ranks of the PWS roster, becoming the longest-reigning Collateral Damage champion, Malachi had earned his way to a World Title shot back in December...which he capitalized on in spectacular fashion.
Once he had the title in his grasp, Malachi made no secret of the fact that he wanted his number one contender to be none other than Mack McKane. And despite every roadblock that had been thrown up by an extremely determined Star Stormz, it was now set in stone. The two men would be heading to Toronto, Ontario to collide in the middle of the ring for the PWS Apex World Championship...in the company’s first-ever 60 minute Iron Man Match.
All of this was swirling inside his head as he sat on one of the two narrow twin beds inside his childhood bedroom that he had shared with his older brother Lachlan, staring around at all the wrestling posters covering every square inch of the walls. Memories came racing back to him as he looked at them all, a little smile curving one side of his mouth. A soft knock at the door drew his attention, and he turned his head to see Alanah standing in the doorway, a photo album clutched in her arms as she smiled at him.
Mal patted the bed next to him, and she entered the room and sat next to him. “I was going through my closet and I found this,” she said, laying the album on her lap and flipping open the front cover. Immediately they were greeted with a family portrait of the five of them, Alanah no more than a few months old and the two young boys with gap-tooth grins, bookended by their beaming parents. Alanah smiled at the picture, running a finger over the image of her father. “I miss him so much,” she said.
Mal wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight to his side. “Me too, Lanah-bean,” he said. “Wonder what he’d think of all three of us getting into wrestling?”
“I think he probably would have expected it from you and Lach. Me, not so much,” she laughed.
“And yet, you’ve done the best out of the three of us. Not even a year into your career, and you’re already carrying gold. I think Da would have been bursting with pride,” Mal said, kissing the side of Alanah’s head.
She smiled bashfully. “Yeah, but look at you! You’re a World champion!”
“That I am, baby sis,” he said with a cocky little smirk. Alanah just rolled her eyes and playfully smacked his arm as he laughed. “And I plan on staying a World champion for a long time to come.”
“So, you’re not worried about Mack then?”
“Not worried, exactly. I have no illusions that he’s going to give me a hell of a fight. He and I are going to absolutely beat the brakes off each other. But I’ve worked too hard for too long to get to this point just to lose it all. I know Mack is in the same situation, and he’s coming into this thing with nothing to lose. Which makes him dangerous beyond belief. So I am concerned...but I’m confident. I’m walking into Toronto as the champ...and I’m leaving the same way.”
Alanah rested her head on Mal’s shoulder. “Well, no matter what happens in this match, just know that I’m so proud of you and I will always look up to you.”
He smiled softly, pulling her into a tight hug. “Thanks, Lanah.” He stood up from the bed, helping Alanah to her feet as they left the bedroom. “I think I better go find Bella. Her and Mum being along this long is probably not a good thing.”
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March 13 Canterbury, England
“The hell you mean Alanah’s in the hospital?” an incredulous Malachi said, his eyes wide as he stared at Bella Madison. The couple were getting ready for the day in their hotel room, when Bella’s phone had gone off with a text message.
Bella shrugged, looking at her phone with a worried expression. “That’s just what Jack’s message said, that he and Alanah were on their way to the hospital to get tested. I guess they don’t want to take any chances with this virus going around.”
He let out a sigh, running his hands down his face. “Fucking hell! This is the last thing we need right now!”
“Tell me about it,” Bella said, a frown appearing on her face as she slid her phone back into her purse. “If Alanah ends up contracting this thing…”
Her thought went unfinished as Mal cut her off. “Don’t. Don’t even put that out into the universe.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. “I know you’re worried. I’m sure Jack is completely beside himself as well.”
Mal returned her hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. “I knew it was a bad idea for her to travel.”
“Hey, she’s a tough girl. And I don’t think she would have done it if she didn’t think it was safe. As long as we all take the right precautions, I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“God, I hope you’re right. I’ve got enough shit to deal with without worrying about Alanah.”
Bella gently pulled his face down to hers and gave him a soft kiss. “You just keep your focus on Demons Run and keeping that title.”
Mal smirked at her. “You got that much faith in me?”
“Psht, of course I do. Yeah, Mack may be my friend...but I have to live with you. And there will be no living with you if you lose that belt.” Bella gave a smirk of her own. “Then again, there’ll be no living with you when you do keep the belt. Your ego will be bigger than ever!”
Mal gave a mock gasp, holding a hand over his heart. “You wound me, sassy lass! I will have you know I am a humble champion!”
Bella let out a peal of laughter. “Yeah...and Luka’s a perfectly well-behaved dog.”
They shared another laugh as they grabbed their jackets and headed out the door.
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Later That Day Herne Bay Clock Tower
“March 17. Toronto, Ontario. The date and place where I carve my name into the history books as the greatest champion in PWS history.”
Standing underneath the massive structure of the Herne Bay Clock tower in Canterbury, Malachi gazed out across the bay before turning his attention to the camera in front of him, holding his PWS Apex World title high and proud on his shoulder. The day was overcast and threatening rain, with a strong wind coming off the water. Dressed in a black leather coat, dark jeans and Vans sneakers, the Irishman’s face was set in a determined glare as his steel-blue eyes stared down the camera lens.
“And just how am I going to do that, you ask? By retaining this title in PWS’s first-ever 60 minute Iron Man Match...against Mack McKane. Someone not exactly known for his straight wrestling style...but someone that I know is going to give me the fight of my life. Something I’ve been waiting for - something I’ve been craving since I captured this title.”
He glanced down at the gold strap resting on his shoulder, before looking back up to the camera. “Now Mack, I know I said that you could go toe-to-toe with the best of us...but there was a bit of a footnote to that statement - I never actually said you could win. We’ve already tangled once in your world,...and now, you’re stepping into mine. You made your name by being one of the most sadistic, brutal, and twisted motherfuckers to ever step foot on the canvas. I made mine as one of the most relentless, ruthless and malicious. Ask anyone on the European circuit. Ask them how many bones I shattered, how much blood I spilled. How many men I sent crawling back to their families irrevocably changed because they dared to step up to me. This time will be no different. You and I have a lot of respect for each other, I think we’ve established that...but respect can only go so far.”
“Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that you are going to push me to my absolute limit in this match, just as I will to you. But when it comes down to that final moment, those last few seconds before the timer runs out...that’s when we find out just what we’re made of. Just how much we can dig down deep inside ourselves to pull out that last bit of strength to overcome. And I’ve made my career out of outlasting every other person that I’ve come up against. See, you sort of stumbled into this business. Me? This is what I’ve wanted since I was a boy. Since the age of thirteen, this is all I’ve ever worked for. I’ve spent more hours in a wrestling ring than I have anywhere else. I didn’t even go to university, because in my mind there was no other career option for me. I wasn’t going to give up until I became the biggest wrestling star this sport has ever seen. And, well...it looks like I’m well on my way, doesn’t it?”
He pulled the belt off his shoulder and held it up to the camera. “Thing is Mack...you need this title because you have this incessant need for validation. You want to be able to wave this title in front of Star and Everett’s faces along with the biggest middle finger you’ve ever thrown in your life. You want this to prove to all your critics and doubters that you belong. That you can hang with the big boys. But that’s the difference between you and I. I couldn’t give two flying fucks what anyone thinks of me. I’ve known from the moment I started this journey that I belonged in a wrestling ring. And fuck anyone else that thinks otherwise. I KNOW I’m one of the best in this business, and I don’t need anyone to tell me that. The fact that I’m standing here holding the PWS Apex World Championship just reinforces that. And on March 17, when that 60 minutes is up, and I’m standing in the middle of the Rogers Centre hoisting this belt up above my head, everyone will know…
The Era of Malice has just begun.”
Resting the belt back over his shoulder, he drew his thumb across his throat menacingly as he turned to walk off camera, the camera fading out on an image of the tumultuous seas in the background.
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