Constantine wakes to the sound of singing birds outside of his window. He rubs his eyes in attempt to shake the tiredness from them and squints through the beautiful window to his far right. The blue of the sky is not disturbed by any clouds whatsoever as the former Heavyweight Champion pulls himself out of his bed and towards the warm glow of the morning sun. In the air, Constantine smells the faint aroma of breakfast; the unmistakable smell of suburban normality. Peering out of the window, Constantine spies the newspaper delivery boy making his way down the road, tossing papers left and right until he reaches the end and disappears around the corner. Constantine lets out a contented sigh as he turns on his heels and retrieves his dressing robe from it's hanger and throws it around his shoulders. On the night-stand, a glass of orange juice waits for him as it normally does. Picking it up, he sips at the citrus liquid that stings at his inner lethargy. Constantine leaves his room and begins down the hall as the sound of Mia and Casey in the kitchen echoes cheerfully through the house. Constantine smiles as he continues down the hall before slowly peering around the kitchen door and spying his own slice of perfection.
His daughter smiles widely at him, the mess of her breakfast spread across her fat little cheeks and the chair that she sits in. Mia turns as the high-pitched giggling of her child, again, fills the kitchen. Constantine sticks out his tongue as he moves inside the kitchen and meets his fiancé with a warm embrace.
Mia: Uh-oh! You woke up, Daddy!
Constantine gives Mia a smile before moving towards his daughter at the table. In recent weeks, she has begun to look more and more like Mia, Constantine had thought. The way her small brown locks fell to one side of her face and the way her eyes light up a room were things that Constantine had always loved about Mia. He kisses Casey's forehead and pulls up a chair directly beside her. After a moment or two, Constantine picks up the newspaper and flicks through it. It isn't too long before Mia ambles towards Constantine and places down his breakfast. Folding up the newspaper once more, Constantine picks up his cutlery and looks down at his serving. He is soon joined at the table by his beautiful partner and another wave of calm pleasure rushes over Constantine.
Constantine: It's funny...
Mia looks up at John, momentarily breaking her gaze from the gossip magazine that rests before her. Constantine's train of thought is derailed somewhat as he looks at her stunning face, underpinned by the glowing sunlight pouring in from directly behind her; she almost looks angelic in some ways.
Mia: What is?
Constantine lets out a sigh before shaking his head and smiling. He waves his hand nonchalantly; almost wishing that he hadn't said anything aloud.
Mia: Come on, out with it...
Mia smiles at John as she presses him for the end of his thought. Feeling a swelling of love and emotion in his chest, Constantine can barely look into the deep blue eyes of his fiancé. He steadies himself once again before looking back at Mia.
Constantine: After everything that has gone on in the past few months and years, I never thought that we would ever have this again.
Mia gives Constantine a reassuring smile as she reaches out for his hand in the middle of the small dining table.
Constantine: Everything that happened before Gold Rush and everything that happened after... I thought for sure that I had blown it; that everything that I really loved were gone for good and all that would be left would be a memory. Matt Tastic, Dorian Slaughter, Ty Burna; they all tried to make this go away.
Constantine shuffles uncomfortably in his seat as he gazes down at his plate, trying anything to not look at the woman who he had so unashamedly broke her heart. She grasps at his hand tightly as he continues to talk.
Constantine: I made such a mistake, Mia. Choosing wrestling and Championships over you was the biggest mistake of my life. I'm so glad that you gave me another shot, Mia. Waking up to this every morning just makes me the happiest man on the planet. Everything I ever worked for was material and it always left a void. But since you and Casey came along, I've been so happy. You don't know how much you mea-
Constantine looks up from the table as he looks to punctuate his words with a loving gaze. But nothing remains. Where Mia and Casey once sat, only empty chairs remain. The softness of her hand grasping his is no more, and the calm of peace and love, replaced by fear and loathing. Outside, the beautiful sunshine is replaced by horrific thunder and lightning and the interior of the kitchen begins to wash away. After a moment, the haze of the illusion lifts, leaving Constantine sitting alone in a wooden chair; rocking back and forth.
Constantine opens his eyes to reveal the cold and dark interior of the hut he come to dwell in. The warmth of Mia's love was al but a forgotten memory as Constantine turned his head to the left and spied the old man who greeted him on his first night in this horrible place. Getting to his feet silently, Constantine moves towards the old stone fireplace and tosses a few more logs into the fire. A plume of orange embers fly from the fireplace as the heavy log comes crashing down. Constantine stares into the fire for a moment before turning on his heels and silently moving back to his chair.
Bill: You can't ever go back to that...
Constantine sits back down in his chair as he stares into the fire; expressionless.
Bill: You do understand that as soon as you made your choice to come here instead of going back to that fancy old mansion of yours, they were as good as gone. You get that, right?
Constantine lets out a hateful grunt as Bill meets it with a gleeful yelp.
Bill: Heck, I knew you were dreaming about that dough-eyed little piece of skirt. The sobbing, the tears, the heartache. It means nothing, boy. She's gone... Forever probably.
Constantine remains quiet as Bill gets to his feet and struts around the cabin, his body casting shadows on the wall as he does. Opening the small wooden door, Bill looks out into the night, the rain falling mere inches from his face. Constantine watches him as he turns back into the cabin with a smug grin on his face.
Bill: You better get used to, Constantine. That fancy life of yours is nothing but a memory. You think that she would welcome you back with open arms after being missing from her life for the last four months? The same four months where your beloved daughter has grown up without a daddy in a mansion that is far too big for just two people?
The shadowy figure moves back inside the small cabin and continues to walk towards John until he is mere inches from his face; the smell of smoke and alcohol filling the lungs of the Power Trip. Constantine remains relaxed, however; showing no emotion as Bill examines him. After a moment or two, Bill lets out another gleeful laugh before heading back to his chair. As he seats himself, the sound of creaking wood fills the cabin. Rocking back and forth, Bill continues to look at Constantine.
Bill: You made your choice, son. Now you're going to have to pay the price for that. Love, family, hope... It's all gone. Replaced by danger, a life without mercy, and unending hopelessness. Great choice.
Constantine finally turns his head towards Bill, giving him a horrible stare under his furrowed brows.
Constantine: I don't care about any of that!
Bill: Oh no? I can see it in your eyes, son. You miss everything that you had, there's no doubt about it. But the path you've walked doesn't allow for you to go back. Push on, push forward; that's the only way out of this mess that you've found yourself in. The day that you made the decision to come here, the next chapter of your life was paved for you. You just need to keep walking down that winding road, if you catch my drift.
The former World Champion gives Bill a confused look but surrenders to the manic ravings of, what he was sure was his inner mind rambling through his crooked and twisted thoughts. Somewhere, deep down, Constantine must believe these musings; why else would Bill be able to zero in on them?
Bill: Since Gold Rush, you have become the most iconic and dangerous man in the history of WZCW. How many people have wanted to put Ty Burna on the shelf? Showtime Cougar, Titus, vengeance, Chris KO... The list goes on and on. But here you are, John Constantine; the man who finally retired the greatest superstar to ever grace a WZCW ring. Tell me honestly, son, would that have been possible if you were back at home?
Constantine turns his head away from Bill now, refusing to accept the cold hard truth of the matter. Embarrassed by his choices and his actions, Constantine looks towards the fire again, the heat rising in his cheeks as Bill presses on.
Bill: Taking Dorian Slaughter out of the game, too... That was special!
Bill lets out another gleeful laugh before picking up his bottle of whiskey from the small wooden table to his immediate right. Bill sips on the moonshine before cuddling it to his breast as a mother would her child.
Bill: And here we are, one step away from reclaiming what was always yours; the WZCW Heavyweight Championship. Truth be told, I thought they would have found someone better for you to face off against than Dreamer Daggershield... What a joke!
Constantine shoots off of the chair and makes his way towards the door. Bill remains quiet as the Power Trip pulls the wooden handle and turns back towards his companion.
Bill: Was it something I said?
Constantine gives Bill a shake of his head and moves outside into the rain. Deep into the woods he goes, trying to find some purpose; some clarity. Truth be told, in the weeks that he had shared the cabin in the woods with Bill, he had lost a piece of himself. Whatever now remained of the former politician, it wasn't John Constantine; that was for sure. Casey, Mia, civility; they were lost. Constantine was always a man who lived by his principals but in recent weeks, he had felt those shift inside of him. Years ago would he have stopped short of putting Ty and Dorian out of the business and risking their careers? Probably. Something had snapped inside of Constantine and he knew it.
So, into the woods he ran; the rain lashing from the skies and hitting with force. In his mind, Constantine thought about what waited for him at the Lethal Lottery. Constantine didn't know much any more, his brain had been warped and twisted by his own demented ravings, but what he did know was how much of a dangerous opponent Theron Daggershield could be. Sure, he had never been to the lofty heights of this position before but Constantine always had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before he found the key to unlock that door and walked through it. Little did he think that it would transpire that Constantine would have been the one to unlock the door for him. Constantine's actions towards Dorian, and the disrespect he showed Theron was all the fuel that Theron needed to find another level and challenge for the Heavyweight Championship. Bill could say all he wanted but Constantine knew how much of a challenge Theron would be.
Voice: He'll choke!
From the darkness, the voice booms towards Constantine like a tornado, distracting the Power Trip enough to lose his footing and tumble through the trees and down a small hill. Constantine lies on his back, looking towards the skies. The stars shine back at him as he feels the pain of his fall on every inch of his body. Slowly getting back to his feet, Constantine scans the area for the source of the booming vice but nothing can be seen in the deep darkness. Constantine takes a deep breath and begins hobbing through the trees once more. Could it be right that Theron would choke in the main event; Constantine began to think. Theron had been gifted many opportunities in the past and had failed to take almost every one of them. Constantine was correct in his knowledge that Theron was a great superstar. But even he couldn't find a reason for Theron's failings when it mattered most. Title shot after title shot were giving to Theron; a mighty reward for his promising displays. But no one could argue that he lived up to the billing on each of those occasions.
Constantine: God damn it!
Looking down at his leg, Constantine spies a dagger of wood piercing his skin and drawing blood. Grabbing the piece of wood, Constantine pulls it from his limb and tosses it into the woods. Grimacing from the pain, Constantine begins moving again. He must have run for miles before the fall, he thought. He didn't recognise this part of the woods but it didn't really matter; he just wanted to be as far away from Bill and the cabin as he could. He needed to find answers... Find himself.
Voice: We believe in you, John...
Again, the voice startles Constantine. Constantine spins around on the spot, looking for the source. But nothing can be seen. That is until a glistening light moves around a far away tree. Constantine squints his eyes through the rain looking at what could be mistaken for a woman walking towards him. He feels a shot of fright travel through his spine as the woman approaches.
Constantine: It can't be...
Constantine moves towards the woman, trying to focus his eyes through the pouring rain and make sense of what he is seeing. Closer and closer, the figure draws; brightening the woods with every step.
Constantine: Mia?!
The Power Trip's jaw falls in utter shock as Mia continues to walk towards him. Finally, she reaches him; smiling widely. Constantine is lost for words and staggers backwards slightly.
Constantine: How... H-
Mia: It's okay, John. Everything is okay.
Constantine struggles to deal with what he is seeing and hearing, even as it speaks to him. His chest heaves up and down as he breathes.
Mia: You've come so far... So far away from me.
Constantine: Mia, I am so sorry!
Mia raises her hand to Constantine's face, placing one finger over his lips. He closes his eyes as her skin finally makes contact with his. With the rain continuing to pour down his face, the tears from hiss eyes can barely be seen.
Mia: Don't be sorry. Finish this, John. Finish this for everyone. For me, for Casey and for yourself. Theron Daggershield is the only man who stands between you and us being together again. Put him down once and for all and we can be together again. Everything that has gone before doesn't mean anything now. The mistakes that you've made can be forgiven. Just don't make this count for nothing. Go to the Lethal Lottery and break Theron Daggershield. Make him suffer for keeping us apart and when all of that is said and done, come back to me.
Constantine keeps his eyes shut as Mia's finger loses touch with his lips. To his surprise, Mia is gone once more, replaced by the all too familiar sight of Bill in his red-neck get-up. Constantine lowers his head and swallows hard, trying to rid himself of the pain of losing Mia once again. Bill raises his arm and points beyond Constantine. The Power Trip has a feeling he knows what lies there. With a heavy heart and much sadness, Constantine turns around to find The Cabin only 10 feet away from him. All of his running, all of the distance gained... It was for nothing.
Bill: She isn't gone, Constantine. As long as you remember why you made this choice, then she can never really be gone. But she is right! You must finish this. You must fulfil the potential that we, and that she, has seen in you from day one. Theron Daggershield stands in the way of progress and must be destroyed. Perhaps, when all of this is over, you may be able to win her back. But do you honestly think that she is going to welcome you back if all of this is for nothing? Go back to her a loser, with nothing crowning the time you have spent away and watch her shun you...
Constantine feels the anger building in his bones.
Bill: I can show you how, I can give you the tools to beat Theron. Do this for us and perhaps everything can be like it was... Fail, and she will never want you again!
Constantine turns his back to Bill and begins to walk towards the Cabin that dimly sits upon the nearby hill. As he reaches the door of the Cabin, he peers inside to where only Bill's rocking chair would sit. Upon it, the burlap sack that has become too familiar for everyone in WZCW sits. Constantine moves inside the Cabin and collects it.
Constantine: I'll do it... But not for you and certainly not for myself.
The former World Champion pulls the sack over his head and moves towards the door of the Cabin once again.
Constantine: I'll do it for her.
The Power Trip slams the door behind him.
Constantine: Theron Daggershield... Lethal Lottery... EXPECT ME!
