Signs of Life (EoD Week 4 RP1)
Oct 14, 2020 0:49:55 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, The King, and 1 more like this
Post by Adrien on Oct 14, 2020 0:49:55 GMT -5
Breakthrough, hoping your demons can't catch you
So many people with a good view
If you should ever be the one to hit the ground
The stop sign's on the wrong highway
And it's so dark, looking for answers
But your headlight's already gone out
You're looking for a spark
Can April hours spring signs of life in me?
Monday, October 12th, 2020
Cameras: ON
“Part of me wonders at times… how many people expected me to get this far?”
Adam Sanders shakes his head while positioning a marshmallow on a stick. The sun has long set with the dark of night completely taken over the North Carolina sky. The only thing illuminating the Awkward One is the flames that are a few feet ahead of him.
“After all, I’ve been on the network for only a handful of months. The End of Days event will only be the second global show I’ve been a part of. By the standards of a lot of people, I’m still new around here. So why would someone like me get to the semi-finals to this tournament, right?
“I’m not an overly proud person. I’m not going to go on a tangent about how great I am or how people underestimate how skilled I am. I just go to the ring, do everything I can to win my match then go home. I try not to complicate things and maybe the fact that I’m not a more exciting personality, there are people who will sleep on the skills that I do have.
“You don’t have that problem, Zo-I mean, Pepe.”
Adam extends his stick into the bonfire to roast the marshmallow. He takes a sip from a silver thermos that is sitting by his feet. The Michigan native has a light gray hoodie that’s unzipped. The temperatures have declined a bit but not enough for him to put on a thick jacket yet. Underneath the hoodie was a t-shirt for the movie Detective Pikachu.
“For better or for worse, you have this aura of mystery around you and that makes you more interesting than the guy who plays Pokémon on his Nintendo Switch backstage and feels uncomfortable around people I don’t know. And that’s okay. I am me. I’m not ashamed of who I am. I would definitely not try to be someone I’m not.”
Adam gives a subtle smile after that comment. His black beanie covers most of his brown hair.
“Zo- I mean, Pepe. You likely expected to see someone else at this point. Maybe it was Guillotina. Maybe it was Rin Kubo. Maybe it was Spike Skye. To you, I’m likely this no-name who has only been here for a cup of coffee…”
The avid coffee drinker raises his thermos, implying that there is coffee in it.
“... and hasn’t accomplished anything in the XHF Network. My network accolades read as runner-up to this and semi-finalist to that. So you will likely question if I belong here. Who is this random guy who stands before you, a former X*Cr- I mean, a very talented Puerto Rican rising star?
“The simple answer is that I’m someone trying to finally have my big breakout moment. This is my destiny. This is my moment. And I have to get through anyone and everyone to get to that moment. I can’t be afraid of anyone to get to this goal. No matter how many X*Crown Championships this person may or may not have won. No matter how many times this person has destroyed competitors. I’d rather be broken than afraid, Zo- I mean Pepe.
“If I have to leave this match on a stretcher, so be it. If I have to spend some time in a hospital, so be it. But I have to keep fighting if this is the path I want to take. I can’t be intimidated from the final objective when I’ve come so far… the X*Crown Championship.”
Sanders withdraws his stick from the fire in front of him and retrieves his now-roasted marshmallow.
“We are in a dangerous match. I’d even say this is my most dangerous match to date. I’ve done casket matches, Ultimate X matches, and now a wind tunnel match, but this is the first time I’m going to be dealing with a fire in the ring. Perhaps this isn’t a first for you. Maybe that’s the advantage you have on me: you’re used to the danger.
“I respect your abilities. Regardless of your name, I know you’re a dangerous and skilled opponent. I’m not deluding myself about that. I know what I’m getting into, and I want you to know that I hold your talent in high regard. But right now, you are an obstacle. You are a stepping stone. I’m hungry for my big break. Losing is not an option for me.”
Adam begins to press a graham cracker and chocolate into his roasted marshmallow to make himself a smore.
“There’s a fire in me. Much like the ring that we will be stepping into and this fire right beside me. And it burns for this opportunity... ambitious opportunity to be amongst the top of the Network. You’re not going to be the one to extinguish it. I don’t intend to be in the third-place match at the End of Days tournament. My plan and my goal are to be in that death trap casket match to earn the right to punch my ticket for an X*Crown Championship opportunity.
“I guess the only way to really show you that fire, to prove that fire is within me, is to make sure you feel the heat as I win this inferno match… because as much as I respect your abilities, I got a ceiling to break through.”
A heart that's been buried in the ground,
Can break if it's never found
I spent so much time digging that grave
And even if it's pain that I feel
At least I know that it's real
I'd rather be broken than afraid
Can April hours spring signs of life in me?
Tuesday, October 13th, 2020
Cameras: OFF
“Yeah. I’m almost to his room. Let me let you go. I love you. Bye.”
Adam Sanders pulls his iPhone away from his year and taps the red button to end the call with his fiancée. The hallway at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans seems a bit less crowded than it has in previous visits, but he has to occasionally lean against the wall to give space to an occasional doctor or nurse to walk past him from the opposite direction.
He tries to make sure his visitor’s sticker is visible every time someone walks past him, concerned that they think he isn’t supposed to be here. He mostly avoids eye contact to make sure he doesn’t prompt any sort of awkward conversation with a random stranger. He just needs to get to his destination.
Adam: “Oh. Eve.”
The Awkward One can see a familiar face up ahead along the hallway, looking into the hospital room of one of the closest people in all of their lives: Eddie Walker. The woman turns to face the young man, and a gentle smile crosses her face. Her golden blonde hair and her baby blue eyes shimmer in the ceiling lights.
Everalda: “Good afternoon, Adam.”
Adam: “Good afternoon. Is Adrien in there?”
Everalda Cochrane casually shakes her head and folds her hands in front of her.
Everalda: “He’s currently on a food run. Is there anything you need?”
Adam: “I was just curious. How is Eddie holding up? He seemed very… doom and gloom the last time I spoke to him.”
It was only a few days ago. Adam remembers having to change the subject from Eddie and his wife’s medical matters to Adam’s End of Days escapades to get some signs of life from the Manager Extraordinaire. Hopefully, in his absence, Adrien’s wife was able to get some progress on getting his cheerful disposition back. Unfortunately, a small frown crosses Everalda’s face.
Everalda: “He’s… not very enthusiastic about his situation. He often talks about how he’ll never be the same man he once was before the accident.”
Wearily, she looks down and presses her lips together in a thin line. She’s normally an optimist, but as the situation continues, things look grimmer. Adam looks down for a moment, the concern for his manager beginning to weigh on him as well.
Adam: “Yeah. That’s how he was when I was over here last week. I had to distract him by talking about the weird matches I’m having to go through in this tournament I’m in.”
Adam wasn’t sure Everalda had been keeping that close of an eye on his career as her top priority was her husband, Adrien Cochrane’s career. She offers a faint chuckle and a sweeter smile. Anything to bring her out of the self-inflicted gloom.
Everalda: “You have been tested time and time again, Adam. You’re doing well. However...”
The way she regards Adam now seems to be perplexing, quite a wave of shock and awe coming over her.
Everalda: “...a-are you certain about the inferno match? It just seems so… diabolical.”
It was a question Adam kept asking himself. The honor for the most dangerous match Adam has ever participated in keeps getting passed on the more and more he advances at the End of Days tournament.
Adam: “To be perfectly honest, it scares me to death. But this is what I have to do to prove I can be the top champion. True courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s pushing on despite it.”
Nodding slowly, Everalda takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.
Everalda: “‘I asked him… ‘How can a man be brave if he’s afraid?’ ‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ he told me.’ A quote my baby sister shared with me from one of her favorite shows.”
She offers a weak yet warm smile to Adam, then turns to look into the medical ward, a soft shimmer in her eyes.
Everalda: “We’ll make it through this somehow. All of us…”
Everything surrounding him weighs on Adam’s mind as he gives an automatic yet honest reply.
Adam: “I sure hope so…”
It was as soon as the final word of Adam’s sentence lingered that one of the doctors who has been working on the Walkers approaches the two. He was still wearing his mask and carried a clipboard. It takes a second for Adam to remember his name.
“Mrs. Cochrane, is your husband around?”
Turning to face the doctor, Everalda lightly shakes her head and laces her fingers together.
Everalda: “No, Dr. Boudreaux. He should be back from his food run soon. Is something the matter?”
The doctor looks over at Adam, who he has not had nearly as much interaction with compared to the Cochranes. He then glances back at Everalda.
Dr. Boudreaux: “Perhaps I should speak to you more privately since this is a serious matter.”
“Whatever you’re about to tell my wife, you can say in front of Adam.”
It was almost like he felt his ears burning after being asked about one too many times. The Dropkick King appears behind the doctor and stands between his wife and student.
Dr. Boudreaux: “Oh, Mr. Cochrane. I was about to deliver some bad news.”
Adam’s eyes dart from Adrien then to Eddie’s hospital room. Walker is resting, the EKG still showing vital signs. This may not concern Eddie, but… the thought made the trio feel uneasy.
Everalda: “...does it have to do with Mrs. Walker?”
Adrien likely read the same thing Adam did when the doctor’s expression changed upon hearing Everalda’s question. That wasn’t a very good poker face.
Dr. Boudreaux: “Her last surgery was unsuccessful. I’m sorry to say that she didn’t make it.”
There was a feeling of dread that overwhelmed the environment. Everalda’s eyes widen and she covers her mouth with her hands. She can’t fight the tears that come to the surface.
Everalda: “No…”
She feels herself becoming faint, her knees quivering and her legs wobbling. Adrien’s hands immediately start rubbing his temple, trying to process everything. Adam’s reaction is a bit different. He immediately looks back into the room where Walker was in his bed, still motionless.
Adam: “Does… he know yet?”
Dr. Boudreaux: “No. I’m about to go tell him. I’m very sorry for your loss as well. I know how close your families were. I’ll answer any questions you may have once we inform him.”
Cochrane sinks into the nearest chair, still trying to absorb the information that was given to him. He glances back up at the doctor before giving a weak head nod.
Adrien: “Yeah. Thank you.”
It becomes more apparent that his wife is not doing well. Her complexion pales and the tears spill down her cheeks and along with her hands. Forcing herself to move, she leans against the wall and hangs her head, distraught.
Everalda: “After all this time, I hoped… I prayed…”
Adam sees Everalda being consoled by her husband almost immediately. The two wives would always spend the day together when the Walker and Cochrane families got together. Adam’s only fear was what was going to happen in a moment. He saw the despair in Eddie the last time he visited the forty-five-year-old.
Adam: “When are you…?”
Adam realizes the answer to his question when he sees Dr. Boudreaux was entering the room, likely to break the news to Walker. While Adrien and Everalda were trying to process the loss on their own, they likely didn’t notice that this was about to go down until they heard a loud NO coming from the hospital room.
Adam: “Adrien, I think we’re needed…”
Adam can see Eddie flailing from the window. Everalda steps back as the two wrestlers enter the hospital room of a grieving widower…
TO BE CONTINUED
It's a long ride, don't think it's over
It's a fine line between disaster and a good time
Pick up the pieces and find out who you are
It's a cruel sound, you know you're heading
For a meltdown, feeling the pressure like a landslide
You have to figure out why you fell apart
Can April hours spring signs of life in me?
A heart that's been buried in the ground,
Can break if it's never found
I spent so much time digging that grave
And even if it's pain that I feel
At least I know that it's real
I'd rather be broken than afraid
Can April hours spring signs of life in me?
