Post by Shadow on Aug 11, 2012 18:59:32 GMT -4
[glow=silver,9,200]THEN...[/glow]
Shadow beat the living crap out of six different people in the past seven days. On Meltdown last week, he dominated Dante. Shadow tossed Dante from the ring with a Gorilla Press Slam, dropping him on John Combe. The monster clobbered Combe too. Shadow caught Combe in a cross body splash and even took the hit to hurt Benny Horrowitz more!! With John Combe held out, Shadow power slammed the rookie. To finish the match, Shadow buried Benny Horowitz under the “Dark Storm.” A powerful victory; however, Shadow did not escape that match without taking damage
No, he was not invincible. Nevertheless, Shadow persevered, even three nights later. Overdrive was everything he thought it would be. Shadow did not work those three men very often. He was not booked against that level of Meltdown Megastar. Shadow knew he was starting at the bottom. Hell, he knew he was cleaning the bottom. Now he had the chance to really impress, not only Johnny Diamond, but President Jeff too. Monday night, Shadow felt like he did the night he won the Overdrive championship.
Now he earned an opportunity to challenge for the Xtreme Championship. He conquered three other Megastars to do it, three of Meltdown’s top megastars. Just like Combe and Dante, Shadow mowed through Mannie and Yarmouth with a double clothesline. That night, Shadow pulverized Yarmouth in the corner, delivered aa powerslam (shades of Meltdown), and finally chokeslamed Yarmouth in the middle of the ring! Next Shadow lifted Shane Borderland in the air and Gorilla Press Slammed him over the top rope, another Meltdown move!
After that Shadow cranked up the heat. He leaps into the air off the top rope, hitting the Shadowsault! But that still wasn’t enough. Shadow took things to another level when he hit Young Mannie with a Big Boot which put Yarmouth through the table. Then, carrying his own rebound momentum, Shadow fired a second boot cannon at Shane Borderland, blasting him through a steel chair. At that moment Shadow earned an Xtreme Title match at Shockwave.
Beating them also meant the only person left to defeat on Meltdown would be Carmen Rivera. She would be on another show sooner or later. He would get his chance. But this chance was to take down a former Meltdown Mega-ass: Steve “The Hitman” Stryker. Stryker had something to say to Shadow after that match. It would certainly not be forgotten.
[glow=silver,9,200]NOW...[/glow]
Aug 10th 2012
Marin City, CA
Noon
As the bright sun shone down on the desolate Northern California wasteland of Marin City, Shadow opened the passenger side door to the black big rig. Last night, after Overdrive, Shadow caught a ride north with a truck driver out of Orange County. The trucker was more than happy to offer Shadow a ride, hell even Shadow knew how boring the road could get after a long night of driving; having someone to talk to helped pass the time. The Larkspur Motel looked like crap, as usual. Shadow didn’t mind though. Last night was a good night, even with Steve Stryker smashing Shadow in the face with the Xtreme title. “The Hitman” made sure he got Shadow’s attention. Now Shadow needed to grab a shower, then he had to get to work. As he approached the motel, driver of the eighteen wheeler that ferried Shadow north sounded the horn as he takes off. Shadow politely waved. They’d never exchanged names, just shot the shit about the Angels, Giants and the A’s. The truck driver was a Giants fan, that’s all Shadow really remembered. In the distance, someone watched the Volvo Mac Truck driving down the road. Through the binoculars, someone watched Shadow enter the motel.
Faint music filled Shadow’s ears as the lobby doors opened and he walked past the front desk. Whoever was working that day did not recognize him. Didn’t matter, the credit card for “Steve Williams” wouldn’t raise any flags for another week. Old tricks were the best tricks. The clerk nodded, acknowledging that Shadow was there. He preferred to go completely unnoticed. Without a word or gesture, Shadow headed for his room, but the elevator was still “Out of Service.”
“Stairs it is,” Shadow said, “again.”
A sigh escaped his lips as Shadow opened the door to the stairwell. It was a sauna had to be triple digits in that small area. The motel barely had air conditioning in the rooms. Of course they wouldn’t shell out the money to vent their hallways and stairwells. Sweat began to form on Shadow’s brow. He passed a window and looked out. Shadow could swear there was a cloud of dust drifting across the mountain on the horizon. Shrugging it off, Shadow opened the door to the third floor and entered the empty, mauve taupe hallways. The color scheme was not soothing.
“Why the hell did they put me way up here?”
The big man asked himself as he lumbered down the hallway. After a week of staying at this motel, Shadow hadn’t seen anyone else on his floor. Talk about isolation. Then again he wondered how the hell the motel even stayed open. On average there were only ten cars in the parking lot, and Shadow didn’t have transportation anymore. As he approached his room a putrid pungent aroma crept up Shadow nostrils. It wasn’t rotten eggs. Beneath his feet something squished. Shadow looked down at the cheap, stained and wet carpet.
“Great,” Shadow muttered as he looked to his right, room 309 three doors down from him. “I’m standing in pee.”
He took a step out of the soggy carpet and wiped his boots on the rest of the floor. That answered his question about other guests on the third floor. Shadow’s gone twelve hours and someone pees in the hallway. He sure knew how to find five star hotels on no star highways. The “Do Not Disturb” sign still hung from door 315. Shaking his head, Shadow slid the card key into the door. A beep filled the air as the green LED lit up. Shadow opened the door to his motel room.
The room was dark, Shadow kept the curtains drawn shut. His hand hit the light switch on the wall to his right. Across the room a bulb flickered but didn’t come on and the other two lamps hummed to life. The room was a mess. Shadow didn’t clean up before he left yesterday. One the other hand, the room looked cozy, for someone like Hannibal Lecter that is. Shadow tossed his bag down by the bathroom doorway. Looking at his watch, Shadow saw that his shift started in a little over three hours. Emily was going to bug him tonight. That girl was carrying a torch for him, she’d barely known him a week. Hell the girl didn’t even know Shadow’s real name. For a moment, Shadow pondered how she would react when he just up and left. The ‘love em and leave em’ philosophy was not Shadow’s style. Maybe tonight, ‘he’d but her dinner.
“Aw hell!” Shadow kicked over a trash can as he crossed the poorly lit room.
With a sign, Shadow realized he needed to clean the room. There was so much to do. Shadow reviewed the list in his head: shower, shave, sleep and clean the room. Something wasn’t getting done before he left. It was not a hard decision to make.
An hour later, a clean and groomed Shadow shut the door to his motel room and left for work. Outside his room, Shadow left two trash bags full of cheap food wrappers and a whole other trash bag of crushed aluminum energy drink cans. Still, the “Do Not Disturb” sign dangled from his doorknob. Someone had been come clean up the urine mess. Well they put up a neon yellow cone over the puddle. Shadow looked to his left, then to his right. The staircase beyond 309 was the fastest way out. To his left, that staircase led to the Motel’s rear entrance. Shadow signed and walked forward, he stepped around the piss puddle and continued down the single corridor hallway. Then Shadow stopped. He turned around and looked at the far end of the hallway, toward the second stairwell. Again, Shadow shook his head.
“Must be nothing,” Shadow pushed open the door to the blistering hot stairwell.
As the door closed behind him, everything slowly shifts to the other end of the hallway. On the far side of the motel, the other stairwell door opens.
Emily flirted with Shadow all night. It was nice to feel wanted. But Shadow knew she would get attached. He made it through his shift with minimal trouble. The thing he liked most about his job was the fact Irving paid Shadow every night in cash. Three AM. Shadow walked to and from work usually, tonight was no different. The streetlights were few and far between, as Shadow treaded the darkness. He could see the hotel in the distance. It’s dull light giving off false hope. Shadow approached the faux-oasis.
Bugs fluttered through the lamp lit parking lot. Shadow avoided them. Inside the desk clerk rushed up and stopped him. Shadow didn’t understand.
“Mr. Williams,” the clerk stammered. “There’s been a break in.”
“What?” Shadow looks around. silver
“About fifteen minutes ago, the family in 309 saw a man leaving your room. Claimed he was a police officer. Still, they called it in by the time we got there, he was gone. We called the police they are on their way. Sir, wait!”
Shadow took off down the hallway. He burst into the stairwell and shot up the steps. He hit the third floor running, taking off down the hall. Shadow drew his gun as he approached his room. The door was still open. Inside Shadow cleared the corners. He didn’t have to check the room, it was empty. Everything he had tacked on the wall was gone. His weapons were still there, the hotel manage must have seen them. The cops were on their way. Shadow had to bolt. Quickly he gathered everything together.
Shadow finished wiping his prints off the door knob, a fast clean. He gathered up his things at the same time. It took ten minutes. Thank God he cleaned earlier. Shadow opened the door to the stairwell and then he heard them. The police had arrived. They were marching up the stairs. Shadow turned and bolted down the hallway. He hit the other stairwell before the cops made it to the third floor. Shadow shot through the door and down the steps. No cops that he could hear. At the bottom floor Shadow still heard nothing. There were two doors, one led back through the hotel. The other led out the back door. Shade needed to get gone fast. He opened the back door to the parking lot. Outside Shadow searched for a car, something simple he could boost for a hundred miles or so. He looked around. More cops would be here soon. He looked around and then Shadow saw it. 95 Toyota Corolla was tiny and inconspicuous. Shadow approached the car.
“Looks like I found my ride.”
Last week was a memorable moment for me, because I accomplished something I haven’t done since my return: I won a match on Overdrive. While a simple Overdrive victory may seem like nothing, when you return like I did, brawl with some of the top talent in APW and have jack shit to show for it, well it kind of stings. But Thursday night, I not only won a match, I claimed my spot at Shockwave. Then Steve Stryker decided to remind me who I would be facing on the 26th.
Steve, you apparently didn’t listen to me Thursday. I told you the reason I signed up for that match was to get a shot at you. There was no reason to smack me in the face with that belt, it was totally uncalled for. But God dammit boy, it sure put a smile on my face. Finally, someone is stepping up to the plate. I’ve been on Meltdown three months and no one has had the balls to nut up like you did on Overdrive. Making MY hit list is not something that people do easily. Getting your name crossed off takes a whole hell of a lot harder. Oh and Steve, do not think that you got “Get out of Hell Free” card either. If by some Papal sanctioned miracle, you survive and I do NOT get drafted to Overdrive, I’ll come round again. Sooner or later I will claw my way back and settle the score. If you don’t believe me, just remember; I said I was a man of my word. I warned Shane, Mannie and Yarmouth this week I would leave a slew of bodies in my wake. Thursday night, I did just that. Mr. Stryker, I am telling you right now. You sir, are on borrowed time.
Being on Overdrive sure brought back a lot of memories too. I love Meltdown and my reasons for hunting Steve Stryker like the game he is, are all for Meltdown’s glory, but Overdrive ignites a fire inside people. When they feel an opportunity just within reach sometimes ordinary people do extraordinary things. Yarmouth, you impressed the hell out of me on Overdrive. There aren’t a lot of people who will stand nose to nose with me like you did. And seeing what you remind me of, I would expect no difference.
However, I don’t believe you are able to manage your rage. Why won’t you just let go? Tonight is the opportunity of a lifetime. Someone once said I was the man to beat on Meltdown. Step up or step aside Yarmouth. You are an unstoppable force how dare you let an equal and opposite reaction affect you? I won’t hold back. Why should you? When this match is over, even the ring won’t be standing. APW finally makes the match of the month and it after a spectacular show like Overdrive.
Your presentation against my momentum, that’s what all this is Yarmouth. How will you perform out there in the ring, will you let go and become the next Meltdown monster; or will you falter and just be seconds? Winning won’t matter as much if you go that way. I know why you’re angry Yarmouth. I know you just wish that your threats wouldn’t feel hollow. And you wished that people would believe you when you told them that you were going to win. I know that feeling Yarmouth, I’ve been there. You’re not a joke. The people love you. Give them what they want. HULK!
Think Power Rangers, Megazord (you), versus Dragonzord (me). Yeah I’m the cooler one. Green Ranger had a dark side and he led his team to victory! Dibs! When those two things brawled they destroyed the city, and they looked awesome while doing so. Now tonight Yarmouth there will be no weapons, no equalizers. Monster versus monster. You’re the only one brave enough to come back for more, that’s fine with me. I respect that. Are you ready Yarmouth? Did you get right with Jesus? Six men in four days, I tore through six men in four days. Now I will finish another one off. Tonight Yarmouth, I’ll remind you I’m hated by few, envied by many, but feared by all!
