AF11: The Beard vs. Justin Cooper - Mayhem Scramble Qualifier

[Viola Moonlight]

After at least 2 years since the last match, the highly-anticipated Mayhem Scramble match will be returning to Redemption 2012 where the Mayhem champion (whether it be Ace Stevens or Derek Jacobs) will be defending their title in a brutal environment. Aftershock plays host to multiple qualifiers where only the winners will advance to the match and the PPV card. For those that lose... unlucky.

Deadline is Tuesday, July 10th at 11:59 PM Central Time.​

 

[Theo Mays]

I hate flying here. I sit here in this cramp seat and usually the smell of Nathan’s hot dogs sits next to me as Talent just couldn’t get enough of them. Instead I’m stuck next to the smell of mothballs and death. Especially death. I’m not even sure it is safe for this lady to fly. Any bit of turbulence will send this lady into an unexpected (or should I say expected) shock. Nicholas Sparks you read? Pfft, I could write a book that’s more entertaining than his. I don’t see the appeal in flying; I’d rather just hop into a car and drive. However this is my first trip home since I left and I want to make it as quick and painless as possible. My mother is crazy and I’m sure I’ll hear about how much of a disappointment I am. It gets me so angry and I’m not exactly a chipper person when I’m angry. I just wanna get up and rip things apart.

BEARD SMASH!!!!!!!

Havoc reeks across the airline as children scream, men try to fight back (and fail), and the woman scream and try to protected the previously mentioned children. A rage appears like none other as The Beard, now dyed purple and ripped shorts smashes everything around him as the plane tosses and turns in the clouds above. Airline security tries to make the save, but The Beard is just too much from them. If we know anything it is that this may be the end of mankind as we know it.

Sir, sir you need to wake up, we have landed.

The voice of a stewardess awakes me from the dream as I just sigh before I grab my bag and head off to the rental car center. I’m looking for a minivan, yet somehow the guy at the counter convinced me to get some fancy Porsche. I figured why not. I have Talent’s bonus from Kingdom Come since he up and left before they were handed out. The car pulls up and I just can’t help but think a man of my size is going to fit in this car. It is the airplane all over again, fantastic.

I almost hate driving as much as I do flying. The worst part is trying to find a radio station. I don’t have the motivation to search for good music so it is whatever the last user of the car listened to. Pop music, oh how I hate you.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (stronger)
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn’t mean I’m lonely when I’m alone…

What are you looking at frat boy, I could make dinner out of your face quicker than you can win a game of beer pong. Yeah you drive away. Speaking of frat boys I have Justin Cooper in a qualifying match on Aftershock for the Mayhem Scramble match. Hmm Mayhem, that might be right down my alley. I can go big, bad, and bearded over all their asses. A lot of pain inflicted and some pain given in return, I dig that. This radio station gets under my skin. Thousand Years by who? Wait is this chick singing random words. Nope there is a chorus and a point to this song. Now there is a song that would be a hit, a song of completely random words.

Tree, stop sign, yellow
Tampa, bottle, bold
Saxton, Saboteur, irregular heartbeat.

Yeah that would totally work. Joy, home. They say it is where the heart is. Well if that is the case then rip mine out and stomp it into the dirt. Stomp into the dirt, I need to remind myself to do that to Justin Cooper’s face. The house looks different from the last I remember. The shutters are painted, the house is redone. Hmm, maybe mom isn’t as nuts as I think she is.

***DING DONG***

Hello Jasper.

It’s Jay mom.

Please come in.

The place looks nice ma, you’ve done the place well.

It would be much nice if you would be here more often.

Don’t start mom.

I’m just saying. You are wasting your brain doing whatever it is you do. You could have been a world class author or poet. I still have the poems you wrote around the house. I’ve had them painted in certain rooms. They will live forever with me, it is just a shame they don’t live with you.

Sophistication still serves a purpose in my life mom. I’m no different than I was when I left home.

You mean when you left me here alone with your dying father and went off on some journey to find yourself. There was nothing to find. Everything was here. You could have lived a great life and settled down. With beautiful grandchildren.

I’m not the settling down type mom.

The last thing I want this woman to know is that I’m in relationship with a beautiful woman who actually loves me for who I am and not for what I could have been.

Don’t give me that Jasper. You were with that pretty blonde, what’s her name?

I just shrug my shoulders, I know her name. So does my mom though. She’ll spit it out, she just wants me to feel guilty about it.

Karin Marshall. That’s it. You remember her right hun?

I remember Karin, things just didn’t work out.

Didn’t work out? Don’t give me that Jasper. It would have worked out but you just up and left. And now you come back home looking for answers with that God awful Beard. What would your father said. That’s right, you killed him! Damn it, you leaving put him in his grave. Maybe if you would have stayed home and went to school like a normal child your father would still be sitting here today and we wouldn’t be so disconnected.

Well if this wasn’t the straw that broke the camel’s back. She thinks me leaving is what caused my father to die? Maybe if she wasn’t such a conniving bitch things would be different. Maybe it is time I give her a piece of my mind. Maybe it is time for me to explode.

I killed dad? That was all on me? Maybe if you didn’t walk around seeking pity for dad’s sake things would be different. All you wanted was attention while dad sat there ill. There was nothing any of us could do. Me leaving had nothing to do with him dying. You forced me out mom, you did this to me. You drove me to this mental instability that I’ve been trying to fight off. For once in my life I was nearly happy and things started falling apart, but maybe that is a good thing. Maybe I need this carnage in my life. Maybe I need mayhem.

Don’t you dare raise your voice at me Jasper.

I will raise my voice mom. I’m not one of your puppets that you can control like dad was. I will stand up for myself, I will do what is right for me. And clearly that isn’t here. I belong outside of this hell that you have forced upon me. I like my way of life. I don’t care if you don’t approve. I have the perfect mix of old and new. I still hold pieces of home near my heart. I have the poetry, the wine, the fine eating. But that isn’t enough to keep me happy mom. I have become a man of beardhood and a man of life mottos. And more importantly a man of wrestling. This childhood that drove me to insane lengths and made me a miserable mess, I can finally destroy those thoughts by taking out any and all frustrations out on my opponents. I’m a man of two sides, a Jekkyl and Hyde of sorts. A man of pure sophistication and a man of pure hatred.

That was the end of that. Door flies open and out I go. My mom’s thoughts, I’ll never know. I left her there like I did years back, but unlike the last time I won’t come back. Moving onto the Mayhem division may be the best thing that could happen to me. I can finally unleash this pent up anger and pound it into the poor soul who stands across from me. Justin Cooper, the hitlist starts with you and it ends with the Mayhem championship. Let the Bearded Mayhem begin.
​

 

[Da Prophet]

From a far I could see Officer Tate brushing the hair of his little girl before school. I could see him making her toast, tying her shoes and kissing her goodbye as the bus pulled up. The little one skipped off to the bus with her father standing on the step with tears building up in his eyes. I watched from the top of a building as Officer Tate closed the door and went back inside. It was clear to me that the thing he valued most was his darling daughter. To me I saw his daughter as his weakness. The good officer went back into his study, or so I assumed, to continue work. With such a demanding job Officer Tate still manages to be a family man, which impressed me more than anything.

Justin: Iris!

On my right Iris stood up next to me. His arm wrapped in bandages from our escape of the compound last week. He wasn’t fully recovered but we had work to do so Iris had no choice but to do as I said.

Justin: A night time we move in. Not a moment before and not a moment after. When the sun sets we move. Understand?

Iris nodded his head and flicked his hood over the top to cover his face. My focus moved from Iris back to the house of Officer Tate. I watched over it throughout the day and it seemed like a perfectly normal place to live. They had the white picket fence you see in the movies, the nice car, the beautiful wife and child. It was everything Officer Tate had ever wanted. Unlike me, someone who never really got what they wanted. I was still burning over the loss on Accession and the possibility of not being on Redemption. So much was going on in the company and now with outside business coming into play it was hard to comprehend things.

Officer Tate was an issue by itself. He was causing me problems and I couldn’t allow him to do anything more. He had down enough as far as I was concerned. It was time to wait and soon enough it would be time to move in on Officer Tate. Soon enough it would be time to act. Much like this past week it was time to act and I failed but this time I will not. Tonight I knew what had to be done and nothing was going to get in my way of doing that.

- - - - - - - -

Night fell on the street and Officer Tate’s little girl had left the house with another child and her mother. I assumed she had gone for a sleep over. Like most mothers do when their child is away Tate’s wife went out with some of her girlfriends for a night on the town. She was dressed up in a new dress and high heels. I watched as she kissed his husband goodbye before heading out with the pack. From the inside of the house Officer Tate look outside and blew a final kiss goodbye to his wife as she entered a cab.

Justin: Are you ready?

Iris spoke softly.

Iris: Yes.

From the side of his long black jacket Iris pulled out a long grappling rifle. It was one of the items taken from the High Society compound last week. I knew these tools would come in handy one day. Iris was trying his best to act professional but he had no idea how to operate the machine. I put the poor guy out of his misery by snatching it from him and firing it across the street into the house next to that of Officer Tate. The rifle had shot a long piece of wire across the street and it was stable enough for us to use it to climb into our wanted position.

I wrapped cable on my end around a steel pole that was sticking out from the top of the building. It was tight enough to give us peace of mind that our journey would be completed safely tonight. Both Iris and I looked around at the night sky and then back to each other as if to see who would step up first. To no surprise, it was me. I grabbed the cable, jiggled it a little and then wrapped both my hands around it. Unsteadily I pulled myself off the edge of the building, wrapped my legs around the cable and began to inch my way toward Officer Tate’s house.

- - - - - - - -

After a good fifteen minutes I had finally made it across to Tate’s balcony. I was safely placed on the edge with my feet holding position well. Iris had not made his way across the street and didn’t intend to do so. He watched from across the street as I cleaned my hands, straightened up my clothing, brushed my hair out of my face and fixed my hat. From inside the house I could hear Officer Tate talking to himself. He was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork with the television on in the background. He was still wearing his suit from earlier in the day and had not washed since the day began.

I waited on the outside for my chance to move in. All I needed was a moment and I got it surprisingly quickly as Tate rested his head against his arm for a second. He had drifted off into a state of rest. Quickly I flicked over the hinged of the door and slide into the room. He hadn’t noticed me yet. Without making much noise I placed a book against the door to keep it open for a quick exit should I need it later on. In my right pocket I had a small supply of smoke balls which were taken from the compound last time I faced off against Tate. These would be hidden on the second rope of his book shelf for the time being.

As I made my way around the room I noticed Officer Tate had fallen into a deep sleep. My plan was working and Tate had just provided me with the perfect addition. He was no threat to me anymore. With Tate unable to stop me I looked around the room. I was scanning for something. It was important that I get what I came for before Tate woke. I looked, looked and looked some more but no luck. It didn’t seem like my possession was here until I turned around and saw it hanging from the neck of Officer Tate.

Around the wrinkled neck of Tate was a long chain with a key attached to the end of it. This was the reason for me being here. I needed the key. It had great importance to the survival of the High Society. Knowing where the key was did not help me very much at this point. I still needed to get it from the old guy and that would not be very easy. He was slouched over the table with his mouth wide open like some type of dog. It was pathetic to see. A little more pathetic then The Beard but not by much I might add. Both have very little going for them. I continued to walk around the room but grew sick of waiting for some magical plan to arise in front of me. It seemed like the only option at the time so I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Justin: Fire! Holy shit! Fire! Someone help, we got a bloody fire!

Yelling fire out loud caused Officer Tate to jump up into action. He rushed forward as if he was looking for the fire. The poor man was confused and looked like a six month old baby. He had saliva running down his cheek and his pants were sliding down his legs. As he turned to me I reached out and snatched the key from around his neck. Still half asleep Officer Tate had no idea I had taken it from him. I quickly rushed over to the book case, threw down the smoke balls and ran for the door. It was impossible for Tate to find me and I managed to escape once again.

- - - - - - - -

No longer in the area Iris and I sat near a camp fire. Iris sat across from me eating a can of beans with no spoon to do so. It was disgusting. He was acting like a child by scooping the beans with his hand and then licking them up into his mouth.

I had far better things to deal with instead of watching Iris eat. The key I had taken from Officer Tate dangled from my right hand and it had my full attention. The key was small compared to normal house keys. It also had the letters “HS” scratched into it. These letters were not done by a professional however and that could be seen by the scratchy job of placing the letters on the key.

Iris: So, what does it open?

I ignored Iris. He didn’t need to know.

Iris: You gonna’ tell me what it opens?

I wasn’t and will not until the time is right.

- - - - - - - -

Night had passed and it was the day of Aftershock 11. The sun was shining down upon us, we still wore the same clothes from the day before and Iris smelled quite unpleasant. Together Iris and I packed up our possessions before setting off. The most important of our possessions hung down from my neck of course.

Justin: Everything ready Iris?

Iris: I’ve checked around the area and it doesn’t look like we have left anything behind.

Justin: Good. Now, come on, we’ve got things to do.

After such a late night I wasn’t totally aware of what time it was or what day it was either. The thought of WZCW had passed me by until Iris mentioned it.

Iris: You know you’ve got a match today right?

Justin: The thought had come to mind Iris. I’m facing that Beard fellow.

Iris: I think so. Probably the easiest thing to do since you both failed during the fatal four way last week.

Justin: No need to mention that again Iris. I was a little busy with other things to be dealing with three other guys. Plus I felt a little sorry for Overlast. He needed a victory more than me. I threw him a bone and he doesn’t even realise that. If not for me Overlast would be serving a chubby kid at McDonald's right now. I gave him something to look forward to. I’m that nice Iris. I’m God’s gift to the people.

Iris rolled his eyes.

Iris: So what’s the game plan this week? A little magic, bringing in mask dudes, knee him in the chest when he is on the ground and defenceless?

Justin: I thought I would try a spinning back hand.

Iris: I’ve seen people do those in big match situations Justin and they fall over looking like idiots.

Justin: Perhaps you’re right Iris. Maybe a spinning back hand isn’t the best option to defeat The Beard this week.

Iris: Have anything else in mind?

Justin: Nah. I’ll make it up as I go along. I’m sure Beard will be confused as usual. He isn’t the smartest fellow. All that facial hair makes me sick. Who would want to touch him? He looks like an animal from the zoo.

Iris: I hate the zoo.

Justin: So do I. In fact The Beard sounds like a freak show attraction. Surely we at WZCW could have found someone better than him? What happens if he were to become a champion? Could you imagine that?

Iris: If he wins then he gets a place in the Mayhem Championship Scramble at Redemption.

Outrage! How could they let this fool into a title match? I should be placed into that match automatically. This isn’t fair at all.

Justin: This… this… ridiculous I say! How could we take a title seriously when a guy who doesn’t shaves is walking around with it? We wouldn’t be able to see the title belt because it would be covered by hair.

Iris: You need to win this match Justin.

Justin: I know that Iris. Believe me, I will not let some hairy bastard ruin the division that I made famous. I’m the guy that caused the influx of talent into the division and I will not allow The Beard to kill what I created.

Iris: Yeah!

Justin: Whilst I may have to deal with Scumm once again it will be a small price to pay for a chance to regain the title which should have never been taken from me. A title that I want back! This isn’t just a scramble match for a title; this is a scramble match for my life. I want my damn title back!

With that said I patted Iris on the back and signalled that we were to head left. Iris pushed forward as I followed behind. I knew what needed to be done this week and my sights were set on regaining the title which I never should have lost!