Post by Stormm on Jun 20, 2016 21:56:32 GMT -5
The blood, splattered across his face, was of no matter after what he just witnessed. That moment would forever be etched into his mind, perpetually on repeat. But it was over. It was finally over. And he'd never be the same again!
The crisp California night air was met with flashes of reds and blues, and the hustle and bustle of the city had made its way to that small west coast community. Justin Michaels, professional wrestling superstar, business mogul, husband, and father sat in the opened doors in the back of an ambulance with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Dried blood had yet to be wiped away from his face and had already stained his shirt and jeans. It was a night that the Force of Nature would never forget, and the sun had only just dropped below the horizon.
He watched someone die that evening.
This was nothing like the faked heart attack he witnessed his father go through. It was nothing like being unaware of where one of his best friends, Kaden Calix, was and just assumed him dead. This was literally watching the life of an individual fade from their eyes, and making sure they were dead before he turned away.
Just the thought of it shot chills up and down his spine. That wasn't at all a bad thing, but in fact something he wished for most of his life. But now that it was all over, what would Justin do? What would he have to say? Was he happy? In fact, the one real emotion that he felt at that moment while he watched the authorities and paramedics traipse around in their own flashing lights, keeping passersby at bay and helping those in need, was disappointment.
Because he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger.
It would not be the best publicity for the man known as Stormm as he was set to return to the squared circle, being involved with a corpse. Fortunately for him he was not alone when the gun that killed a man went off. His best friend and business partner, Brian McCallister, had been in the man's possession for many months leading up to that night. It had been one of the longest games that Justin had played on the deceased, and Brian offered his services nearly a year prior to try and stack the deck in their favor.
A former rival inside of the ring against Justin, and a onetime friend, Steven Lee had showed up towards the end wielding a gun of his own. It wasn't his. A man with years of inner turmoil had sought after the help he needed desperately, but had been twisted. Luckily for him, since Justin's Havoc Entertainment corporation took over the mental institute, Southwind Gardens, Steven had been properly treated and was back out on his own. There was still a long way to go for him.
Finally, there was Lianna Leitz. Steven's former girlfriend who had also been a lab rat for the deceased and has since been treated for her mental issues, with several demons left to exorcise.
The truth was all he had to tell right then and there, and the truth he would give. Justin did worry that the truth would be too farfetched for anyone to believe, he just hoped that priors would be enough to exonerate from any crimes that night. Pure Class Wrestling had seen much worse than a man who was merely present at the time of a suicide.
The clear sky and the setting sun brought in lower temperatures than the heat that accompanied Justin to the former homestead of Steven Lee himself. A house that had been abandoned nearly two decades in the past, but had been surprisingly occupied for the last two by one person or another. It was there that Justin found Lianna all those months ago in his search for the missing Southwind patients. He never actually stepped foot in the basement at the time, which turned out to be the makeshift headquarters for one former doctor, Damian Sorrow, while on the run.
Some in the industry may question professional wrestling's Force of Nature why he chose just a few nights before his return to go after Sorrow. But he was the man that single-handedly tormented Justin for almost twenty years, it wouldn't be a hard sell for him. While many would expect any number of excuses from Stormm, the answer would be relatively simple.
To get it over with.
No matter how hard he tried to push aside the dealings of Damian Sorrow, he always found his way back in. The former doctor was a sadistic son of a bitch, no doubt, and he knew how to play with the emotions of anyone he met, let alone someone he'd known for thirty-seven years. Justin was not about to waste his time retuning to the squared circle, having worked his ass off to recover from his broken collar bone just to get screwed over by an old man in a lab coat.
There were already too many psychopaths that would want to physically hurt the Force of Nature inside of the squared circle when he returns to the spotlight at Trauma 194, company on that card included. The last thing he would want would be to get it from both ends, both emotionally and physically.
But if you ask him, he won't admit to going to Lost Hills, California that night with the intention of seeing Dr. Sorrow die. He'll simply tell you that he just wanted to put the old coot back where he belonged; in a cell.
That was not in the cards for Damian, who was not about to be confined back to his six by eight with little more than his own thoughts to entertain him, and took his life into his own hands for the last time.
It was a bittersweet moment for Justin. The game had taken much from him, but it was over, and he won. Damian may have thrown in the towel before Justin had a chance to end the game himself, but all that really mattered was Justin's worst years were now behind him.
Or so he hoped.
Steven and Lianna were talking with a couple police officers at that time, and Justin finally caught sight of Brian walking towards him from the other ambulance at the same time a gurney was being wheeled out of the dilapidated house. Everyone there, both inside and outside of the police tape, fell silent and shot their attention towards the paramedics wheeling the corpse out of the house.
A heavy breath escaped between his lips as his eyes clenched tight. "What now?"
Justin opened his eyes and looked up at Brian, who was lucky enough to have avoided the gore splatter from what seemed like just moments prior. "I live my life." He answered back.
Simple answer to a far from complex question, Brian simple nodded his head. "You know; you owe me pretty big now."
They both chuckled. Justin had missed the comradery between him and Brian, and never stopped making himself feel horrible for letting Brian walk into what seemed like a death trap. Both were lucky. Really fucking lucky! "How about a job at Havoc Entertainment?" Justin joked back. "You can start tomorrow."
"I'll resume my post next month, and you'll like it!" He tried to keep a straight face, but the lightheartedness was too welcoming in such a dismal place for them.
Justin was able to keep his straight face a little longer than Brian. "That's fair, but you missed a lot of work, so I'm going to need to dock your pay!" They both cracked a smile and Brian elbows the Force of Nature in the shoulder.
That had been the most they talked in almost a year, short of a few cryptic phone calls that Brian was able to make while pretending to aid Dr. Sorrow in his escape from prison, but they had already fallen back into their groove with one another. "Seriously, what are you going to do now?"
"The only thing I know how to do." Justin hung his head. It was kind of a sad statement that held true. "Don't stop." It was a phrase that had many meanings, but meant more to Brian than almost everyone else Justin knew. "I'll probably get Lindsay and the kids setup in Greenville half the time, and then travel back and forth to Kansas City the rest."
Brian nodded his head. "So you're going back?"
Justin smiled. "I guess I am."
Nudging at his friend, Brian sat down next to him, and Justin slid to his left. "What does she think about all this?"
"Same as usual. Supportive and secretly pissed." He knew that his wife, despite her past with the business, wanted him to stay home with their kids. He also knew that she'd never tell him not to, because she'd feel guilty about it. The best case scenario would be to spend as much time as possible with him around all of his live appearances and special bookings. Given the events of that evening, he had high hopes that he'd be seeing a lot more of his family.
"How pissed do you think Catie is going to be?" Brian was legitimately worried.
Nudging him back, Justin shook his head. "Once you two leave the bedroom, she's going to tear you a new one!" He smiled. "I'll be next, because I was in on it, and didn't tell her." Brian looked at him and nodded his head with a heavy sigh. "Lindsay will get off easy for knowing, based on the fact that she already ripped into me, and those two actually grew really close while you were away."
All of the emotions were starting to get the best of Brian. The thought of seeing his wife again, him and his best friend's wife becoming really good friends, and the thought of getting yelled at even, brought a tear to his eye. He closed his eyes and wiped it away before it fell. "We're idiots."
"Yeah, and they'll let us know that for the rest of our lives; but they love us." They both nodded and stared off into space, reflecting on how incredibly lucky they both are, for many reasons.
Standing up, Justin tossed the blanket into the back of the ambulance and pulled the bottom of his shirt to his face to wipe away any lingering blood. "I've got to do one more thing before they question me, I'll catch back up with you before we head to the airport." He took off towards the paramedics wheeling the body bag towards another ambulance.
Having already explained himself to the first responders some, they nodded at him, and allowed him to unzip the black bag. He did so very slowly, questioning whether or not to open it any further, but went ahead with it anyway. The smell was already horrid, and the sight wasn't much better. More than half of the top of his skull had been opened up from the handgun, the man's face, however lifeless, was unchanged. His Poirot mustache that he had grown since escaping untouched.
Justin smiled the biggest smile he had in a while, though. Not because Damian was dead. But because for the first time in a long time, even looking straight into the man's face, he wasn't the first thing on Justin's mind. Zipping the bag back up, he nodded at the paramedics, and walked towards the cops who were talking to Steven and Lianna earlier.
His statement? It would be a cake walk compared to what he had been through already.
His wife and kids? He couldn't wait to see them and hold them in his arms.
Pure Class Wrestling? There would be nothing he couldn't handle there.
Seromine? A formerly great superstar trading in his actions for words and a cheap ass gimmick. Justin had always dreamed of a Stormm versus Jason Willard match, he supposed that would still have to wait. Regardless, the new face of a man he once knew was just another roadblock on his way to claiming every singles title in PCW.
Ring rust? Shun the non-believers!
Andy D? He's coming for you!
/ * * * * * * * /
The crisp California night air was met with flashes of reds and blues, and the hustle and bustle of the city had made its way to that small west coast community. Justin Michaels, professional wrestling superstar, business mogul, husband, and father sat in the opened doors in the back of an ambulance with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Dried blood had yet to be wiped away from his face and had already stained his shirt and jeans. It was a night that the Force of Nature would never forget, and the sun had only just dropped below the horizon.
He watched someone die that evening.
This was nothing like the faked heart attack he witnessed his father go through. It was nothing like being unaware of where one of his best friends, Kaden Calix, was and just assumed him dead. This was literally watching the life of an individual fade from their eyes, and making sure they were dead before he turned away.
Just the thought of it shot chills up and down his spine. That wasn't at all a bad thing, but in fact something he wished for most of his life. But now that it was all over, what would Justin do? What would he have to say? Was he happy? In fact, the one real emotion that he felt at that moment while he watched the authorities and paramedics traipse around in their own flashing lights, keeping passersby at bay and helping those in need, was disappointment.
Because he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger.
It would not be the best publicity for the man known as Stormm as he was set to return to the squared circle, being involved with a corpse. Fortunately for him he was not alone when the gun that killed a man went off. His best friend and business partner, Brian McCallister, had been in the man's possession for many months leading up to that night. It had been one of the longest games that Justin had played on the deceased, and Brian offered his services nearly a year prior to try and stack the deck in their favor.
A former rival inside of the ring against Justin, and a onetime friend, Steven Lee had showed up towards the end wielding a gun of his own. It wasn't his. A man with years of inner turmoil had sought after the help he needed desperately, but had been twisted. Luckily for him, since Justin's Havoc Entertainment corporation took over the mental institute, Southwind Gardens, Steven had been properly treated and was back out on his own. There was still a long way to go for him.
Finally, there was Lianna Leitz. Steven's former girlfriend who had also been a lab rat for the deceased and has since been treated for her mental issues, with several demons left to exorcise.
The truth was all he had to tell right then and there, and the truth he would give. Justin did worry that the truth would be too farfetched for anyone to believe, he just hoped that priors would be enough to exonerate from any crimes that night. Pure Class Wrestling had seen much worse than a man who was merely present at the time of a suicide.
The clear sky and the setting sun brought in lower temperatures than the heat that accompanied Justin to the former homestead of Steven Lee himself. A house that had been abandoned nearly two decades in the past, but had been surprisingly occupied for the last two by one person or another. It was there that Justin found Lianna all those months ago in his search for the missing Southwind patients. He never actually stepped foot in the basement at the time, which turned out to be the makeshift headquarters for one former doctor, Damian Sorrow, while on the run.
Some in the industry may question professional wrestling's Force of Nature why he chose just a few nights before his return to go after Sorrow. But he was the man that single-handedly tormented Justin for almost twenty years, it wouldn't be a hard sell for him. While many would expect any number of excuses from Stormm, the answer would be relatively simple.
To get it over with.
No matter how hard he tried to push aside the dealings of Damian Sorrow, he always found his way back in. The former doctor was a sadistic son of a bitch, no doubt, and he knew how to play with the emotions of anyone he met, let alone someone he'd known for thirty-seven years. Justin was not about to waste his time retuning to the squared circle, having worked his ass off to recover from his broken collar bone just to get screwed over by an old man in a lab coat.
There were already too many psychopaths that would want to physically hurt the Force of Nature inside of the squared circle when he returns to the spotlight at Trauma 194, company on that card included. The last thing he would want would be to get it from both ends, both emotionally and physically.
But if you ask him, he won't admit to going to Lost Hills, California that night with the intention of seeing Dr. Sorrow die. He'll simply tell you that he just wanted to put the old coot back where he belonged; in a cell.
That was not in the cards for Damian, who was not about to be confined back to his six by eight with little more than his own thoughts to entertain him, and took his life into his own hands for the last time.
It was a bittersweet moment for Justin. The game had taken much from him, but it was over, and he won. Damian may have thrown in the towel before Justin had a chance to end the game himself, but all that really mattered was Justin's worst years were now behind him.
Or so he hoped.
/ * * * * * * * /
Steven and Lianna were talking with a couple police officers at that time, and Justin finally caught sight of Brian walking towards him from the other ambulance at the same time a gurney was being wheeled out of the dilapidated house. Everyone there, both inside and outside of the police tape, fell silent and shot their attention towards the paramedics wheeling the corpse out of the house.
A heavy breath escaped between his lips as his eyes clenched tight. "What now?"
Justin opened his eyes and looked up at Brian, who was lucky enough to have avoided the gore splatter from what seemed like just moments prior. "I live my life." He answered back.
Simple answer to a far from complex question, Brian simple nodded his head. "You know; you owe me pretty big now."
They both chuckled. Justin had missed the comradery between him and Brian, and never stopped making himself feel horrible for letting Brian walk into what seemed like a death trap. Both were lucky. Really fucking lucky! "How about a job at Havoc Entertainment?" Justin joked back. "You can start tomorrow."
"I'll resume my post next month, and you'll like it!" He tried to keep a straight face, but the lightheartedness was too welcoming in such a dismal place for them.
Justin was able to keep his straight face a little longer than Brian. "That's fair, but you missed a lot of work, so I'm going to need to dock your pay!" They both cracked a smile and Brian elbows the Force of Nature in the shoulder.
That had been the most they talked in almost a year, short of a few cryptic phone calls that Brian was able to make while pretending to aid Dr. Sorrow in his escape from prison, but they had already fallen back into their groove with one another. "Seriously, what are you going to do now?"
"The only thing I know how to do." Justin hung his head. It was kind of a sad statement that held true. "Don't stop." It was a phrase that had many meanings, but meant more to Brian than almost everyone else Justin knew. "I'll probably get Lindsay and the kids setup in Greenville half the time, and then travel back and forth to Kansas City the rest."
Brian nodded his head. "So you're going back?"
Justin smiled. "I guess I am."
Nudging at his friend, Brian sat down next to him, and Justin slid to his left. "What does she think about all this?"
"Same as usual. Supportive and secretly pissed." He knew that his wife, despite her past with the business, wanted him to stay home with their kids. He also knew that she'd never tell him not to, because she'd feel guilty about it. The best case scenario would be to spend as much time as possible with him around all of his live appearances and special bookings. Given the events of that evening, he had high hopes that he'd be seeing a lot more of his family.
"How pissed do you think Catie is going to be?" Brian was legitimately worried.
Nudging him back, Justin shook his head. "Once you two leave the bedroom, she's going to tear you a new one!" He smiled. "I'll be next, because I was in on it, and didn't tell her." Brian looked at him and nodded his head with a heavy sigh. "Lindsay will get off easy for knowing, based on the fact that she already ripped into me, and those two actually grew really close while you were away."
All of the emotions were starting to get the best of Brian. The thought of seeing his wife again, him and his best friend's wife becoming really good friends, and the thought of getting yelled at even, brought a tear to his eye. He closed his eyes and wiped it away before it fell. "We're idiots."
"Yeah, and they'll let us know that for the rest of our lives; but they love us." They both nodded and stared off into space, reflecting on how incredibly lucky they both are, for many reasons.
Standing up, Justin tossed the blanket into the back of the ambulance and pulled the bottom of his shirt to his face to wipe away any lingering blood. "I've got to do one more thing before they question me, I'll catch back up with you before we head to the airport." He took off towards the paramedics wheeling the body bag towards another ambulance.
Having already explained himself to the first responders some, they nodded at him, and allowed him to unzip the black bag. He did so very slowly, questioning whether or not to open it any further, but went ahead with it anyway. The smell was already horrid, and the sight wasn't much better. More than half of the top of his skull had been opened up from the handgun, the man's face, however lifeless, was unchanged. His Poirot mustache that he had grown since escaping untouched.
Justin smiled the biggest smile he had in a while, though. Not because Damian was dead. But because for the first time in a long time, even looking straight into the man's face, he wasn't the first thing on Justin's mind. Zipping the bag back up, he nodded at the paramedics, and walked towards the cops who were talking to Steven and Lianna earlier.
His statement? It would be a cake walk compared to what he had been through already.
His wife and kids? He couldn't wait to see them and hold them in his arms.
Pure Class Wrestling? There would be nothing he couldn't handle there.
Seromine? A formerly great superstar trading in his actions for words and a cheap ass gimmick. Justin had always dreamed of a Stormm versus Jason Willard match, he supposed that would still have to wait. Regardless, the new face of a man he once knew was just another roadblock on his way to claiming every singles title in PCW.
Ring rust? Shun the non-believers!
Andy D? He's coming for you!
