Walking through a parade of WZCW Superstars, some already having been eliminated from the Lethal Lottery, some still with numbers in hand, waiting for their moment to shine, Thrash walks slowly, his hand on his back, in obvious pain. As he enters the Locker Room, the look on his face is one of sadness, as if he hadn’t done enough in the short time he had in the Lottery. Being eliminated by Rush and having not eliminated a single soul, there wasn’t many words that he could use to describe how he felt right now. But if there was going to be one, it would have been-
“Useless. Absolutely useless. So much for being lethal out there!”
A voice comes from nowhere, just as Thrash sits down on the empty bench, while the one opposite is occupied by fellow stars, Grizzly Bob & Action Saxton. As he turns his head, Johnny Klamor is standing in the doorway, looking as smug as ever.
“Well, the last time I saw you, I called you Trash and you certainly lived up to it tonight! How long was it you lasted boy, a few minutes? Well, there’s looking bad…and then there’s you!”
Thrash, already feeling downtrodden, turns his head back around, to face the floor.
“Klamor. Why have I got the pleasure of seeing you tonight?”
”I just thought I’d come and see how you were feeling after that pathetic showing tonight! Well, I wasn’t planning on it, but you were so bad that I thought I had to!”
“Look, I tried my best in the Lethal Lottery tonight Johnny, but I’ll admit, I underestimated what it was going to be. I wasn’t sitting there thinking that it was gonna be a walk in the park, but I wasn’t expecting everything to pile on top of me like that. Let’s just hope that it’s not Celeste Crimson that wins.
“Could’ve been worse?! How dare you talk about Celeste Crimson like that! She’s twice the man you’ll ever be and well... she’s not even one! It won’t be long before she’s the WZCW Heavyweight Champion anyway, and you’re still stuck back here, at the bottom of the pack.”
The words of Johnny Klamor are obviously hitting Thrash in the wrong way, whose emotions aren’t what they were before the match began. He stands up off the bench, before turning around, starting to pack his Gym bag up ready to leave.
“Nothing to say Thrash? If you can’t keep up with the competition, why would you bother being here?! We’ve got plenty of new Superstars, just ready to take your place at the click of a finger! The Carnival of Carnage, they’re waiting in the wings and they’re destined to overtake you whenever they get the chance.”
”The same Carnival of Carnage whose members I beat in consecutive shows? Yeah Johnny, they’re definitely gonna be right up there to overtake me!”
“Well, there’s thousands of other wrestlers out there, all we have to do is pick one up, drop him right into WZCW and just like that, he’s the “New Thrash!” Well, not the new Thrash, who would want to be you?”
“Look, if you think that you’re going to shake me up tonight Klamor, then you’ve got another thing coming! I may not have proven myself out there in the ring tonight, but when the shows come back around and I’m out there again, wrestling my regular schedule, I guarantee you that I’ll be back on form. You won’t be able to stop me and neither will anyone else. If you think that I’m joking, then just keep watching, because you’ll soon realise that Thrash is not just here to linger, Thrash is here to make an impact.”
Klamor laughs out loud, right in the face of Thrash. The emotions may be hidden, but on the outside, his face is starting to become one of anger. His cheeks are starting to redden and his breathing starting to get heavier. As Klamor continues to laugh, the anger of Thrash takes over and he walks towards Johnny, who only starts to back away, until he hits a wall. The figure of Thrash towering over him has the laughing stopped instantly.
“Now Johnny, if you don’t mind, I’m going to leave now. I’m going to go home, rest up my back and get ready for the next show. I’ll see you when I see you, hopefully not too soon.”
Thrash turns around, grabbing his bag up from the side and throwing it up onto his shoulder. He approaches the doorway, but before he even makes it to the corridor, the booming voice of Johnny Klamor doesn’t cease to give in.
”But Thrash, why won’t you stay to hear the good news?! An exclusive, just for you!”
Thrash stops in his tracks, as a grin appears on Klamor's face. Slowly turning round, ever so agitated, Thrash starts to walk back into the room, sitting down on the bench.
“I knew you wouldn’t walk out if I said that! God, you’re so predictable, it’s brilliant.”
“Look, you’re running out of time, if you’ve got something to say to me, you better spit it out of that stupid mouth of yours, because you’re really starting to piss me off.”
“Language Michael, language! Now, you see when I said that we could just pick up anybody that we wanted, to take your place?”
“It’s not like you just said it five minutes ago now, is it? Oh wait Johnny, it was! What are you getting at? I’m fired?”
“No, firing you would be too easy! We’re just going to push you out, it’s more painful in the long run, especially on those already so badly frayed emotions of yours, Mr. Sullivan.”
“Why are you calling me Mr. Sullivan? Nobody uses that name anymore!”
“There’s no particular reason Mike.”
Thrash looks ever more confused as Klamor starts to throw all these cryptic sentences in his direction. The grin on his face is priceless, as he knows for a fact that he’s getting into the head of WZCW’s “Rocking” Superstar. But why?
“Can you just get to the point?! I’m starting to get sick of your little games John, they’re not clever and they’re certainly not funny.”
“Well, there’s the perfect candidate looking to take your place in WZCW. He’s got a little bit more skill than you and well, he’s certainly a lot more polished than you’ll ever be, but don’t you worry! I’m sure that your old band would love somebody to go around and clean their dishes once you’re out of here!”
“Perfect candidate? Let me guess, some lowlife thinks he wants to best me and that he can take me out of WZCW in a match! Oh, what a beautiful place this is turning out to be.”
“Lowlife?! No, it’s not Donny J. We’ve found a guy, he’s the epitome of wrestling… and the epitome of what it means to really be a Doctor.”
Thrash’s head starts to shiver, as he turns away from Klamor
“A Doctor?”
“Congratulations, your ears work! Yes, our newest Roster member is a former Doctor. A slight kook, but believe me when I tell you that if you’ve ever had some kind of problem, mentally that is, he’ll be the reason that you no longer exist. The guy’s not exactly all there, eleven counts of assisted suicide, and now he’s around to make sure that the mentally ill aren’t around no longer. It’s not like you’re mentally ill though Mikey, hey?”
Thrash starts to look sick as Klamor, knowing what kind of thoughts and fears he’s put into Thrash’s head, taps him on the shoulder, as Thrash just tries to brush him away, like a man swatting a fly.
“Oh come on Michael, it’s not like you have any problems! Anyway, I better get to the point now. In his debut match in WZCW, on Aftershock, Thrash will be facing Dr. Zeus! That means, you’ve gotta fight the good Doctor!”
Thrash hasn’t spoken in a while, his face is one of mixed emotions. Not knowing whether to explode in anger, or burst out in tears, his head drops into his hands. Lifting his head up slowly, he looks at Johnny Klamor, almost evilly.
“Me? I’m facing Zeus?”
“Oh, aren’t you a clever one! Yes Thrash, you! Dr Zeus against Thrash, on Aftershock. This is going to be one brilliant match, I can see it now. The Doctor against The Rocker. Have fun and good luck, I’m sure that you’re going to need it.”
Klamor starts laughing again, turning around to walk out of the door, as Thrash sits down on the bench. His hand is running through his hair as all the negative thoughts that were in his mind force their way to the front. There’s nobody left in the Locker Room as cheering can be heard out in the arena. Slowly, but surely, Thrash stands up again, moving slower than he’s ever done before. He grabs up his bag, letting it dangle from his hand, before walking out the door, looking as sick as a Dog. His mind is playing on him, possibly more than it ever has done.
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2 Nights Before Aftershock - 9:14am
“So, it’s been days now has it Mr. Sullivan? Please, go through it once more and tell me, without stopping, what’s been happening.”
In the Doctor’s office that Thrash said he would never find himself in, his former therapist, Dr. Laura is standing, facing out of the window. Thrash is sitting in the chair, sweating. The thoughts that Johnny Klamor put in his mind are obviously having more than the desired effect on him. He’s gripping the chair hard with his left hand, as he tries to bring himself to talk through the story once more.
“Well, ever since I heard that I’d be facing him this week, the thought of his ways, thought of his…methods have been on my mind. Can’t you tell what I’m talking about Laura?”
No answer. Thrash looks over at her in anticipation of something, but there’s nothing coming from the Doc, who is still staring aimlessly out of the window. Strangely, the walls begin to distort, becoming almost blurry in the eyes of Thrash. But this isn’t his worry, his main one is speaking without getting a reply.
“Obviously not, I’ll carry on. I can picture myself, wrestling this man who just overpowers me in everyway possible. Just as he stares into my eyes, I start to fall under some kind of spell, as he works his way with me. He knows about my problems you see, he knows everything about my past. But how? Nobody has ever heard about those times, not a single one! Apart from you… WAS IT YOU?!”
Once more, no reply, as the woman scratches her head.
“I could’ve sworn that you were wearing a purple Jumper a minute ago.”
As if he’s distracting himself from the conversation, an observational Thrash realises that the Doctor now has a long white Jacket on.
“Look, when it comes down to it, Dr. Zeus finally beats me, before the crowd disappear and it’s just left to me and him. Out of nowhere, a chair appears and I’m sitting in it. Taking a knife, he slides it across my throat and I start bleeding over the ring, my life draining. All of the problems that I once had are no longer and Dr. Zeus says that at last, I have been cured. What’s happening to me Laura, why is this getting to me so much?!”
The silence is getting annoying now. Both hands of his are gripping the chair, as he doesn’t have anything left to say, until he notices something else.
“Your hair! It’s…shorter!”
Hitting himself on the side of the head, Thrash is trying to figure out whether his mental state is playing up, or whether he really is seeing a change.
“Laura, what’s happening?!”
A chuckle can be heard, but the voice is of no woman. The voice is deep, but not familiar to Thrash at all. He’s still sweating, wriggling around in his seat, but not getting up at all.
“Who are you? What are you doing to me?!”
The mysterious figure, who is definitely not “Dr. Laura” runs their hand through their hair, before sliding the same hand into the trouser pocket.
“For winning, you need not to long
On Aftershock, you’re dead and gone.”
Thrash immediately braces himself to the back of the chair, frozen in motion. He’s heard about the speech, after doing enough research on his opponent this week, trying to find anything that may settle his mind. But that rhyming style, it can only be Dr. Zeus.
“You’re not my Doctor! You, are not a Doctor.”
Finally turning around, the chilling figure of Dr. Zeus faces Thrash, whose eyes glare at his opponent.
“Yes, yes I am. I am a Doctor.”
A smirk appears on the face of Zeus, who has something in mind as he begins to slide on a glove.
“You needn’t make any noise
Just succumb to my killing toys."
As Dr. Zeus picks up the knife that Thrash had just described to what he thought was his Doctor, he launches himself out of his seat, picking up a vase from the desk.
”You are NOT getting over on me Zeus, don’t you think that for a second!”
Throwing the Vase, it goes straight through the body of Dr. Zeus, smashing right through a window behind him. The noise is a loud “SMASH!”-
“Get out!”
Leaping out of bed, Thrash is dripping in sweat. Luckily for him, what he had just sat through wasn’t reality. But it had certainly taken it’s toll on him, as he looks at his hands. Where he was gripping onto a chair was actually him clenching his fists. His nails, not even very long had cut into his skin, which was now bleeding down his arms. As he looks up, he realises that just above, the window has a hole in. Turning his head slightly to the right, he realises that the book he kept on the bedside has gone.
“Never again. This is never going happen to me, again. Dr. Zeus may not like those who have a slight mental problem, but up until this past week, nothing has affected me. Knowing that he would want to rid the world of me disgusts me. Just because I have a problem, doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t exist anymore!”
Getting out of bed, still moving slowly, but definitely more steady, Thrash makes his way into the bathroom. Having a cold shower to wake up his mind, the Superstar who always has a mind full of confidence looks severely knocked. In the midst of throwing on some clothes, just anything to keep warm and look half decent, the doorbell goes. Nothing but shock comes over the face of Thrash, who continues to dress, when the doorbell rings again. Looking as though he mightn’t want to, he makes his way downstairs and towards the door.
“Who is it?!”
”Dude, it’s Alex! Remember, I said I’d be round today?”
Trying to rack around his brain for a suitable response, Thrash makes his way up to the door and opens it. Alex Sandro is standing in the front porch, looking pretty happy.
“Yeah, course I remembered. Whaddya take me for?”
Alex looks Thrash up & down, obviously surprised to see his friend in such a disheveled state.
“Man, what the fuck happened to you? You look like somebody dragged you down the road a coupla times, then beat on you.”
“Look, Alex, you don’t need to know right now. There’s just… something running around in my mind, my match this week in WZCW has put all the pressure on me and well, I’m just struggling a little bit right now.”
”Awh, Thrash afraid he’s gonna lose a match?! Lighten up man! It’s not like it’s life or death.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about Alex, don’t be stupid. You don’t know if it’s a matter of life or death!”
“Woah, calm down. It’s not like you’re facing a murderer.”
Thrash isn’t happy with the pure ignorance that his friend is showing him right now. Not being up on the details of what Thrash has been through the past week, Alex starts to laugh at his own statement. Not thinking, Thrash launches a right hand, into the jaw of Alex, his closest friend. Alex falls back, hitting the floor, before he grabs his jaw in pain.
“What the fuck man?!”
Snapping out of a sudden trance, Thrash realises what he’s just done.
“Oh my god. Alex, I'm sorry! Believe me, you just don’t know what’s going through my mind right now. I’ve been put into a match this week against a Doctor. Not only that, a Doctor that thinks the mentally ill should be killed. You know what I’ve been through Alex and all week, I’ve been taunted about the fact that my mental state isn’t what it was and well… for the first time in a long time, I’ve been having nightmares. But these are more extreme than anything that I’ve ever experienced. I’ve hurt myself in my sleep and even started to destroy my own place!”
Still on the floor, Sandro starts to realise what’s happened to Thrash, as he makes his way up off of the floor, still in pain.
“Shit, I’m sorry. You’re right, I have no clue what’s happening to you and I should honestly pay some more attention. So, what’s actually happening with you right now? They’re putting you in a match with who? I don’t know any Doctor in WZCW.”
“Some new guy, Dr. Zeus. Johnny Klamor came into the Locker Room, just after the Lottery and well, he knew. He may not have known everything, but he knew. Whether Zeus had got the information to him, or whether he knew himself, he was using it to get into my head. It has to be Zeus! I mean, being a Doctor, he could get his hands on that kind of information easily.”
”Thrash! Stop. You need to stop worrying. So maybe this Doc has a way of getting to know about you, but who else does?! You go out there and you play his stupid little mind games against him. You show him that what you need, is not to be sly, but to have an extremely good method of kicking someone’s ass! That’s what you’ve got my man, you can kick ass in ways nobody else can.”
“Alex, you know what to say, that’s for sure. Whether or not I’m going to be able to cope when it comes down to the match on Aftershock, I don’t really know. My mind is all over the place and this Dr. Zeus is certainly playing on it. I can tell you right now Alex, that I will make sure that nobody finds out about this, this is between you and me. On Aftershock, it’s between Dr. Zeus and Thrash, where I will finally take him down and put all of this to bed once and for all. Then Zeus can go back to getting into the mind of everyone else and mine can be settled at last.”
“Now, that’s the kind of Thrash that I know. You can’t let stupid mind games sink in, even if they’re affecting to the point where your history is being brought up. The more you let this get to you, the worse it’s going to be when you’re standing in the ring with him. You’ll be falling over your own feet just trying to make any kind of move on him!”
“Look man, thanks. This is the worst state that I’ve been in for, well I don’t even know myself now. Come Aftershock, I know that I’ll be like this all over again, so I’ve gotta ask you something. Is there any chance that you’d accompany me to the ring for my match?”
The face of Alex smiles, as he puts his hand on Thrash’s shoulder.
“Dude, you didn’t need to ask. You know that I’d do it anytime you wanted.”
Thrash laughs weakly, but for the first time since seeing Klamor, a smile appears on his face.
“As cloudy as my mind might be right now, I can’t not face my demons on Aftershock. Dr. Zeus may have played his games on me outside the ring, but when he steps in there with me, I can guarantee you that he’ll be playing my game and once that bell tolls, he’ll be down for the three and looking up at me. Time for some self-medicating."
Thrash and Alex continue to talk, sitting down on the sofa. Thrash’s mind may have started to come back to a better place, but how will it fare when he finally steps into the ring with Dr. Zeus? Will the real thing be too much to handle, or will he overcome his fears and demons at last?
