St. Jury: Hallowed Ground PT. I

[Cory Steel]

A BROTHER TORN

It had been a couple days after Trauma, Jury had taken off right after the match heading back to the Compound with Victor riding behind him. A lot had been on his mind, mainly the conversation between Billy Sadistic and himself, and now the pressure of knowing that at Trauma 181 it'd be nowhere to run balls to the wall against Grimm and Stormm.

Judge was taking it head on like it was nothing but another match. A stroll in the park and a picnic with flowers. How could Judge take it so lightly? They were about to take on two highly decorated talents, one made people shudder just by the mention of his name, and the other has more accomplishments under his pinky than Pontius Pilate. Beating them was going to take more than Underground tactics or prayers.

The ride back helped and a hour later they pulled in side by side killing the power to their iron horses. Victor removed his helmet lighting a cigarette, "You've been pretty quiet Jury, shouldn't you be a little more thrilled about the advancement? You guys beat the Unholy Alliance brother!"

"I am glad," Jury said removing his mask, "But I am worried, Judge isn't taking this serious. We could pull a great victory at 181 but he has his heads in the clouds, murdering left and right, and stepping on the toes of what could be a great alliance."

"Stepping on the toes?" Victor said chuckling, "Breaking the damn things Jury! What he did with that message wasn't merely stepping over the line the idiot has ran across it with two fingers in the air spitting in their faces."

"They aren't happy," Jury heads towards the Compound Victor following him, "Shortly after we arrived at Trauma Billy approached me. I figured Grimm but that only tells me he's way more pissed."

Victor unlocks the door heading on inside but Jury stands by the door looking at his mask. His prison. He then tosses it into the trash can before heading in himself but he bumps into Victor, "What the Hell Vic-"

Victor stood stock still, his mouth hanging open, and all his color drained from his face. Someone was sitting at the head of their table where club meetings were held, he wore a black cowboy hat, a full black suit, his legs were crossed tapping the end of the table with duct taped boots, and he played with the white gavel.

"Cory I am assuming you've kept our dear old friend in the dark about me? Sad," the man said waving a finger back and forth shamingly, "Because I've forgiven him for our falling out. I got my big man pants on now and I want to address your current mess, Jesse McCoy."

Slamming the gavel down he stands up reaching into his pocket pulling out a folder laying it down on the table walking between Jury and Victor, "He is a ticking time bomb Vic, you know it and he knows it. When he blows it'd be best for everyone to be well away from him."

He pats Jury on the shoulder, "Happy early birthday buddy," and walks out the door. Victor swings on Jury but his trained reflexes are quick he grabs the old mans fist, grabs Vic by the throay lifting him off his feet, and slams him to the ground. Victor tries to fight it but Jury is clearly stronger, "Two cans of bad worms Jury! Why him?"

"You let me handle him," Jury said through gritted teeth, "And let me handle Judge. All of this will solve itself and we will be fine."

Jury lets Victor up and he jumps up fixing himself before leaving himself. Jury sits down resting his head in his hands, rubbing his hands over his stubbled head, and finally grabbing the envelope. He taps it against the table but just tucks it onto his own pocket just as Judge bursts through the door being carried.

"What happened?" Jury says jumping up helping his brothers sit Judge down. He can smell the booze on Judge's breath, his nose is broken, multiple lacerations on his face, and his clothes torn. Other injuries aren't clear but Rat shrugs, "He wanted a drink after the show and as you know he's popping them damn pain pills! Some men came in wanting to speak with him and then fists went flying."

"I whipped them," Judge was laughing slamming his open hand on the table, "I beat their asses! Religious prosecution at its finest so I stood up for my Lord."

Jury, having enough, snapped he picked his brother up slamming him on the table punching him a couple times before Judge got his leg between his brother and pushes him off and hard into the wall. Victor is back and holds the men back, "No don't stop them this needs to happen."

The two big men tie up kicking each other in their power struggle, "Standing up for your Lord? Are you crazy! Have you seen your actions you confounded blasphemous fool?!"

"Ah fuck you! Like Mathew I have a pussy doubter for a brother," Judge roared through gritted teeth and blood, "Like them I'll beat the word into you! I will beat it into the Hand! And at the end I will beat it into that false witch and his candy coated harlet when we take those titles!"

Jury gains the upper hand pulling Judge into him wrapping him into a bear hug and taking him to the ground. With the mount he rains down blows on a barely blocking Judge, "What makes you the right hand of God? This is over Judge and if you don't pull your head out of your ass Revelation is going to eat us up and spit us out! They will be the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and all your shit talk will be idle false words laughed at because you'll be nothing more than a FALSE PROPHET! False!"

Judge cries out just as a left hook catches Jury in the eye knocking him off Judge. The big man is up before his brother and begins kicking him in the ribs, "I am the seventh revelation! I am the seventh revelation you sniveling schmuck and it'll be me carrying you like always."

He kicks Jury again and again, "All this success has been on my back and the Lords! Revelation isn't shit but just that, shit on the bottom of my boot! I am their beginning and end!"

Judge goes for another kick but Jury catches his foot driving himself up shoulder right into Judge's crotch and they tumble past the other guys and break through the door. They crash and separate once they hit the ground. Getting up slowly they get their feeting before trading blows again Judge smiling, "We have a unity Jury and I don't understand this dissidents!"

Jury wasn't smiling his focus was all rage, "You will bring us down you blind son of a bitch!"

They suddenly clocked each other and both men dropped to their knees. "I'll make a deal with you Judge," Jury spits out some blood looking up at his brother, "If God means us to do what we've been doing and we beat Revelation I'll stand by you until the end. You will never be questioned by me or the rest of us."

"And if we lose?" Judge asked using the back of his hand to wipe away blood pouring out from his nose.

"We go our separate ways," Jury spat with bitterness, "You will denounce your alliance as a Saint, claim to be a foolish prophet, and we settle things between us the old fashioned way."

Jury stands up looking down at his stunned brother, "I will return my hunt for the Underground and if I have to break you for it."

Jury turns to walk away, "I will break you and your faith," he then walks away Victor close to him. The others help Judge up and they carry him back inside the Compound.

HALLOWED GROUNDS.

October 31st, 2015. Another birthday spent alone.

Jury sat in the woods soaked from the rain. He'd ventured to Kentucky with the mind set to talk with Billy but something else had called to him pulling him off course. It was a year ago or so that Cory had fought something in these woods that would have killed any other man alive, it'd left its scars of course, and his hand went to his chest feeling the horrendous three scars that had reminded him of his transformation. The calling was the bear he'd killed and it's large bones laid on the ground axe buried into its giant head. The skull stared at Jury with a dead snarl and he stared back at it with his own snarl. Memories kept flooding back about his time as the lackey to the Black Hand, he had longed so long to be apart of them, a brotherhood with the most feared men in PCW.

They ridiculed him and used him with no purpose other than to keep him at arms length so he wouldn't become a problem. Mikey had called him a meat shield, never trusted him, and they cast him away like shit in a child's diaper.

He had found Judge then. He was brought into The Saints and felt welcomed. They made him their leader. Jury had found a brother and bond that couldn't be tested. A balance that he'd never had to his chaotic life.

Now it was being tested, tested against the men who mocked him. Jury had mellowed because of Judge, but now Judge was unbalanced with power and hatred. He was crazy. He left Jury Cory confused amd struggling to find who he was again. Where did Cory fit in? What was his belonging in PCW? Would Trauma end a bond he ached for since birth?

On these hallow grounds he came to seek answers but all he got was more questions. They were good enough to beat Revelation, right? Would it be a dream?

*SCRAP*

Jury looked up and saw the man in black tossing a shovel of dirt onto a pile of fresh dug dirt. He wore a black cowboy hat that hid his face in shadows, he stopped leaning against the shove, and pointed to the empty hole.

"Buck up man," said the man in black, "Times are going to get difficult but you have the strongest will of any man in the world or PCW. Destined to do great things still, but you are coming to that fork in the road where you got to pick to ride with the Devil or become the Hero. The choice is yours and no one else's."

Jury stood up and walked to the edge of the grave peering inside, he saw both Judge, and himself laying at the bottom. They were both dead.

Jury snapped awake covered in sweat and clutching the giant skull of the bear. The hole wasn't there. The man in black wasn't there. He was alone and his question finally answered. If he couldn't reach Heaven, he'd raise Hell.