In Hell [Chapter Two]

[Donzig]

Chapter Four

Isn't it bliss?
Don't you approve?
One who keeps tearing around,
One who can't move,
Where are the clowns?
There ought to be clowns? – Send in the Clowns, Judy Collins

He spat, frowning as he walked across the barren earth. At some point the land had slowly become choked with dying undergrowth, and stagnant pools of foul looking water dotted the landscape.

The Scourge hissed, shaking his head as he stared at his distorted reflection in the black bubbling water. He gathered his cloak around him, and walked onward in disgust. Worse than the pools, worse than the tangled weeds that rose from the dying earth, worse even than the twisted motley wearing creatures that hunted him? Were the signs.

They were everywhere if you looked long enough, the warped and faded wood of the signs covered in scrawled words. They were all jokes, sad little jokes that were not at all amusing to the Scourge. He lifted a hand, and rubbed at his face before he stalked onward.

Someone thought they were the height of hilarity.

That same someone was leading him deeper into the wastes, the narrow path twisting and turning. His cloak snapped and swirled in the breeze, and he jerked it free of the undergrowth as he walked across the pools of water with a shake of his head.

And then he saw it, a tattered and badly worn tent standing in a small clearing. It sagged as though sinking into the swamp, and he absently touched the hilt of his sword as he started across the ground towards it. A small group of the twisted creatures in their sad clown make up leapt forward, bells ringing from their costumes as he launched himself forward.

And then a voice cried out, laughing.

‘Don’t bother with this rabble, such things are below a perfect killer like you.’

The creatures hissed at him, cackling as they drew back. The Scourge tossed back his hood, and faced the tent where a figure reclined in a chair before the door. It wore black lace and leather, and a mask with a smiling face as it cocked its head.

‘I should have guessed.’

‘You always hated riddles.’

The figure clapped mockingly, laughing again before it flicked a lacy wrist. A chair rose from the ground, mud sloughing off of the carved and worn wood. The Scourge stared at it, arms folding over his chest as the Clown lifted a glass of wine.

‘I don’t have time for this.’

‘Oh? I thought you were a creature of the endless now? The gray present?’

Another burst of laughter, and the creatures cackled with their master before one of them halted as a sword drove through it’s chest. He flicked it aside, and that just brought more laughter as he walked forward.

‘Get out of my fucking way, fool.’

The Clown stopped laughing.

‘Only one of us is a fool. You are a sour self important ass! You’re miserable, and you want everyone to be miserable with you! You can’t even laugh like a normal person! All you do is scheme! You know there is more to life than death?’

The Scourge frowned, and he lifted the sword.

‘Everything is a fucking joke to you, a game! I have felt you creeping around! Making your snide little comments, doing your little bits, and playing games! I have had enough! I have a war to win, a world to conquer!’

The Clown mocked him, using his hand like a puppet before it slammed down on the wood of the chair. And he leaned forward, pointing an angry finger.

‘I play games? What about your games! At least I play for amusement, you’re just cruel! You’re just playing to prove how smart and clever the great and wonderful Scourge is! Who do you think you’re impressing? The only thing you’re good for is a straight man!’

The Scourge’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer.

‘Oh? I can think of something I do better than anyone.’

The Clown rose, flinging aside his cloak as the creatures leapt away from him. He ripped a rapier from a scabbard beside the chair, flicking it into the air before he caught it in his outspread hand. He reached up, and flung aside his mask to reveal a face that looked just like the Scourge’s.

‘You don’t even know why I laugh! This is all a joke, it doesn’t even mean anything! It is all pointless! You see it, and deny it! You want to give it fucking meaning! But you know it doesn’t have one. I laugh because if I didn’t I would cry my eyes out!’

The Scourge sneers.

‘You’re weak.’

The Clown stepped forward, lifting the blade as he circled slowly.

‘I am you, fool. I am the part of you that laughs at the fear, at the pointlessness! You know why you laugh when they try to destroy us? Because of me!’

The Scourge lunged forward, his blade snapping towards his stomach. And the Clown twisted away, his rapier stabbing at the exposed side of the Scourge who twisted away. The sword batted it aside, and he slashed it across his chest.

The Clown caught the sword, and shoved him away before he started to throw jabs at him as they circled in the mud. The Clown lunged again, his rapier stabbing under the guard of his enemy. He laughed as the Scourge threw himself backwards, nearly stumbling in the muck as the Clown drove a few more thrusts at him.

‘You know what? Maybe I should be in charge for awhile.’

The Scourge stumbled, nearly falling as he tripped. The rapier drove forward again, and then a hand snapped closed on that wrist. The clown was ripped forward, and the Scourge’s head crashed forward to drive into his face. Blood flowed, and the Clown stumbled back as the Scourge hissed.

‘You’re in charge of nothing, Clown.’

‘Now hold on! You need me! I am your fear, your desire to survive! You need me!’

The Scourge grabbed a fistful of lace, and ripped the clown forward as he drove the sword into his stomach. The clown gurgled, blood spraying from his mouth before he fell down in the mud. Blood was flicked from the sword, and the Scourge shrugged.

‘You always talk too much.’

Chapter Five

‘I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
An' I don't really care if you think I'm strange
I ain't gonna change…’ –Bad Reputation, Joan Jett

‘What the fuck is Dinosaur Bones?’

Saito looked up, and he rubbed a hand across his face. He was just happy to be leaving Vegas, Donzig liked to party it seemed. And worse? He seemed to know everyone in this town, though there was a lot of talk about Syndicate days.

Donzig had not seemed to like that.

‘Uh, he’s a dracolich? But a dinosaur I think? It’s complicated.’

Donzig stared at him, frowning at the empty bottle in his hands before he flung it over his shoulder. He muttered, and looked around the cluttered mess before he found a flask. He ripped the cap off, and took a long drink before he waved it towards Saito.

‘Do we get along?’

Saito blinked.

‘No. He has tried to eat you several times, and I seem to recall you gave him a stunner.’

Donzig’s turn to blink, and he stared at the window before he looked thoughtfully at the flask. A shrug, and he tugged at his beard before he dropped down in a chair.

‘How did I? You know what nevermind. Is there anyone I haven’t tried to stunner anywhere around here?’

Saito gave a snort of laughter, falling back against the bed as he laughed harder. He wheezed, shaking his head before he raked his fingers through his hair. He shook his head, snickering before he sat back up.

‘No. It’s kind of your thing. You show up, cause trouble, and if you get upset? Well, fuck man! Stunner! And believe me, you always get upset! Though sometimes you’re hilarious, one time you stole a tank and drove it through it to a GUNS show.’

Donzig blinked, the flask dropping into his lap.

‘Why the fuck would I do that?’

Saito snorted.

‘Sometimes you just do wild stuff for laughs, man. It’s kinda strange. To be fair the next time you were at GUNS you had the ODS try to murder Jesse Jamester. It wasn’t funny at all.’

Donzig glared, and he waved the flask.

‘Do I hate dinosaurs or something?’

‘Maybe?’

Donzig grunted, and he rose once more to walk across the room. He started to dig through a pile of clothes, and he soon lifted his battered and worn leather jacket. He dug through the pockets, looking around for something. He pulled out a cigar, and he smiled blissfully as he sniffed at it. Then he produced a cigar cutter, and snipped off the end before he started to chew on it.

‘Fuck it, who am I fighting.’

Saito nodded, and got serious even as a cloud of smoke swirled across the room. Donzig leaned forward, elbows on his knees. The cigar between his fingers as he watched him, head tilting as he frowned.

‘Speaking of dinosaurs, it’s Death Trap.’

A hand lifted as he shook his head, and he grunted.

‘Who the fuck is Death Trap?’

‘DT? Dave? XHF Legend? Icon? You hate him?’

‘Why?’

Saito gaped, and he shook his head before he snorted.

‘Well, no one knows. You just decided one day you hated him. You attacked him during the SWAT days to push him out of the company! You tried to murder him? You threw him into a pool of piranha in Reign?’

Donzig stared at him, the cigar dangling from his mouth before he took a drag. He exhaled a swirl of smoke, flicking ashes from it before he shrugged. He was mystified it seemed, and he rose to walk across the room.

‘Okay, I have no idea what this is all about. Are you telling me I just decided on a whim, for no reason to pick a fight with an XHF legend? I just woke up, walked into an arena, looked at this man who is a wrestling icon and took it on myself to try and end his career? I have been stalking him across companies to what? Finish him off? Because I felt like it? How often do I do this?’

Saito snorted again.

‘Constantly. It’s your thing.’

He chewed on the cigar, and smoke swirled before he lifted a hand to flick off some ashes.

‘Is there anyone in this company I haven’t tried to kill? Attack?’

‘Poena?’

Donzig blinked.

‘The crazy priest guy? Are you serious?’

‘Primal? You seem to get along with Primal?’

‘Hold up is that the hairy demon guy? Are you telling me the only people I can stand are a zealot and a hairy lunatic?’

Saito snapped his fingers.

‘Kira. Kira Izumi. You seem to get along with him, at least you never tried to destroy him.’

Donzig lowered the cigar.

‘The fuck.’

Saito waved it off, grabbing a bottle of water. He took a swig, and he crossed the room as he continued. He took another drink, and he continued with a smile.

‘So anyhow DT is a submissions expert. Real dangerous. He can take a beating. And he doesn’t like you, there are no rules in this one either. He is going to be looking for blood, man. You need to be care–’

Saito’s voice ended in a sudden wheeze, a grunt of escaping air. And he grabbed at the wrist of Donzig as he lifted him slightly, he flicked aside the cigar with a frown. Those empty merciless eyes settled on Saito, and he hissed as he leaned closer.

‘You son of a bitch! The only thing dangerous in this match is me! I am going to take DT, and I am going to tear him apart, eh? I am going to rend him limb from limb? He’s a submission expert? He’s the submission man? Well, fuck that! I’ve seen Mistress Discipline, and I know he’s a goddamned submission expert alright!’

Saito wheezed, eyes watering as his face turned red.

‘Him and his stupid fucking little hat! I am going to beat Dave within an inch of his life! I am going to make Discipline, and his step daughter, and his step daughter’s nursemaid or whatever she is watch as I take years off his career! And he does not have many years left does he? Hell, real talk? I might even amuse myself after the match by making what is left of Dave watch as I torment them! No fucking rules, right? And this is the End of Days! End of Days! Need to make it fucking exciting!’

His teeth snapped together inches from Saito’s face. The Young Lion clawed at that iron grip, and Donzig stared at him with that expressionless face. Those empty eyes blazing into his own, and then he dropped him as he drew back a step. He tugged at his beard, shaking his head as the voice hissed.

‘No! You can’t do this to me! I will have my vengeance on Death Trap! I will not be denied.’

Then he stumbled back, and grabbed the flask to take a few quick drinks. Saito rubbed at his throat, frowning as he rose slowly as he looked at Donzig. He took a step back, and he grabbed his water to take a quick swallow.

‘You okay, man? You lost it for a minute there.’

‘Yeah. But that doesn’t mean shit, I am going to do what he can’t do. And that is I am going to beat Death Trap in the middle of that ring. I am going to lay him out flat in the center of it!

One, two, and three!’

Saito nodded, and he looked back at Donzig again who leaned against the window. His eyes narrowed on his reflection, and he shrugged before he lifted the flask for another drink.