Road to Hell #7b: End of the Road

[Smash INC]

Keaton Saint in
The Road to Hell #7b: End of the Road

Scenes from Another Time

It was six months ago that Keaton Saint had been unloading his aggression into a punching bag as he prepared to face Johnny Rebel in Buffalo, New York. It was his chance to face a man who he had felt had reduced himself to nothing more than a cheap brand for the sake of a little more success. The time for that encounter was soon to arrive but the name on Keaton's mind was not Johnny Rebel, nor was it his apparent nemesis in Terry Marvin. In fact it wasn't a man at all, it was...

"Sally Talfourd." Keaton stated, as if he was intent on something further.

"What?" Victoria's voice echoed from above.

"You heard that?"

"I heard something, did you want a drink?"

"I didn't ask for one." Keaton responded, slightly puzzled from the question.

"Then what did you say?"

"I said..." Keaton paused awkwardly, finally realising that he had spoken out the name of someone who had no reason to be on his mind at all. "I said Sally Talfourd."

"What?" Victoria was taken aback.

"Yeah I was wondering that myself."

"No I meant why are you--"

"--I know what you're about to say." Keaton interrupted.

"What the hell does Sally Talfourd have to do with your match this week?"

"Nothing."

"But there has to be a reason why her name has just come to mind."

"I know."

"Sit down Keat." Victoria pointed to a chair

"Huh?"

"Take a seat, you need to figure something out from this if you want to stay on track to beat Johnny Rebel."

"I'm already on track." Keaton stated, although he was beginning to feel otherwise.

"If you're not focusing on the match then something is wrong."

"You're right." Keaton rubbed his forehead as he took a seat. "I just don't get where it came from."

"Tell me."

"How can I if I don't know?"

"Tell me what you were thinking about."

"Well." Keaton recounted his thoughts. "we spoke before about my need to get into a position where nothing could stagger me and--"

"--And where you could withstand the mental chess that Terry Marvin is playing right now."

"Yeah."

"Go on." Victoria twiddled her thumbs.

"Well I guess I was thinking about Rebel, how he's just gone and sold himself to an ideal that doesn't exist and then I dunno."

"You blurted out her name, you damn near shouted it."

"I did?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Wow." Keaton was surprised by this.

"How far do you go back with her anyhow?"

"Honestly, it goes back to the New Experts."

"That wasn't a lifetime ago."

"But it left a huge impression." Keaton sighed. "I guess I never got closure from all of that."

"You need to face her."

"I could talk to her any time, that's not the solu--"

"--I don't mean speak to her." Victoria interjected. "You need to face her."

"Wait, you mean wrestle her." Keaton sighed. "But she won't make the jump to Overdrive and I can't let Terry Marvin slide just because I want some closure on something else."

"Keat, it's simple."

"what is?"

"This is. " Victoria smiled. "It might not be now, but you'll reach a point where you can face her properly and what you need to do then is think about whether you're able to make the sacrifice to do it."

"But that's implying there would be one."

"I know what I'm talking about, if she's never going to make the jump to Overdrive then eventually you'll have to look at Asylum as an avenue."

"What?"

"It won't be now, it probably won't be soon but take it on board Keat." Victoria paused. "Because if you do decide to take her on you're going to be watched by so many people for so many reasons."

"I can take that."

"we'll see."

"I mean it, I can take it." Keaton shook his head. "The ire, the change in opinion of me. People might think I'm abandoning them, the fans might think I'm running away but I can take that. At some point, I have to face Sally Talfourd because I need to know."

"You really reckon you're prepared to face her."

"I know I am, The question is when I get the chance to."

==========

Black Mirror

Keaton had just finished watching Phil Atken make his move, dissecting the opponents of the match in great detail and as Keaton had studied one of his many opponents in the chamber he had begun to realise that the only weapon he wasn't prepared for Phil Atken to use was the one he had just unveiled.

The truth.

It was that moment which forced everything into place, Keaton had thought and spoken of being on the road to hell for weeks but the reality of it was just settling in. He always knew that his place in this match wasn't by effort or dedication, it was by chance. He had always known but he had never given it thought, Keaton Saint had never fully dwelt on the matter at hand and now it was beginning to attack him. Phil Atken wasn't playing mental chess, he was starting a war in the mind of the Patron Saint of Professional Wrestling.

It was this that forced Keaton to avoid looking into a mirror, he was afraid the reflection would be somebody he couldn't recognise. Atken hit harder with his words than anyone could have predicted and now Keaton Saint was left reeling. so much for the man who thought he had the upper hand at the end of Asylum. If this was a game, Keaton Saint was losing and he needed a solution to stay involved long enough to show that he wasn't there just because Borderland wasn't.

The answer, or the remnant of an answer was there. The black mirror reflected nothing and received nothing in return. Keaton Saint provided the best of himself every time he fought in the ring and what he asked for was the chance to prove he could be even greater than his initial potential had promised. The lights were off, the mirror was dark and Keaton Saint was lost in the darker side of his thoughts.

Something had to be done, lest Keaton Saint would lose himself to the abyss of mediocrity. Keaton Saint had to prove to Phil Atken that he deserved to be there, It would be a night in Hell indeed but only one could ascend from it intact. For Keaton, he just needed to prove to the world that Hell itself couldn't corrupt him. The task was a difficult one and it was made more graphic by the possibility of Keaton already being corrupted.

Time was running out for the Saint to march the right path.

==========

End of the Road

We're at the end of the road to Hell itself. Whatever games we've played up to now will be replaced by something much darker and more sinister than whatever you have imagined. A match like this one ends careers, lives and everything that lies between. But we all made a pact to show that as wrestlers we could ascend from the chaos intact and with the prize grafted to our hands. To be the best of this world, our goal is simple. Become the World Heavyweight Champion.

But to take that mantle, five others must be faced. Swords must be drawn and five must fall so that one can prove they are truly worthy of being the absolute pinnacle of this sport. It's a match built for those who are able to transcend fear, my opponents have all done that. When I enter the chamber, I will do the same.

Until then, the end of the road awaits and the five of them are stood at the final step. They're waiting for me, I'm waiting to surpass them.

Johnny Rebel is a man that I am familiar with in the ring and someone who I've felt I've been able to surpass as a wrestler. When that man was part of the Rasslemania main event then that offers some proof that he's one of the most important benchmarks in the sport and in APW. At least, that was the Johnny Rebel I knew, the one I beat on Overdrive months ago. The man I'm coming to face now is someone who I'm not aware of, a man who has changed just enough to be a different opponent entirely. Rebel lost his cause, his calling and perhaps even his identity when he fought for the Syndicate but now the chamber may give us a glimpse of a man who knows no equal. Six months ago I could defeat Johnny Rebel in the ring, the man I have to face now looks like he'd grind the old Johnny Rebel into a smooth paste. But I need to know that no matter the changes in the man, he can still be defeated. One Night in Hell offers the chance for this to happen, I won't let it escape me.

Phil Atken took the first punch and he threw one back with his words that I have to respect. It's true, he's true when he says that I do not deserve to be here. The spot I have in this match isn't mine by anything else other than proxy, Borderland isn't here so I'm a name to fill his place. Until that first bell rings I am only a name, an assumption and the potential good or bad that I represent. But what I've begun to realise is that even in a time like this I still have the advantage, even now when I have to face the fact that I'm not a deserving participant of this match something clicks in my head. I've got the most in this to lose since if I fail, there will be a thousand wrestlers around the world who will speak out and say they would've succeeded in my failure. If I fail to prove I belong then the whole sport will suffer from the fact that I couldn't get the job done, this isn't a showcase of my abilities so much as it is the only chance I have to prove beyond a goddamn doubt that I am Keaton Saint for a reason.

Phil Atken states the truth when he says I did not deserve to be put in this match, my truth will reach beyond that and pull the carpet out from under him. The chamber, the night in Hell itself will prove beyond a doubt that as a professional wrestler I can take something undeserved and turn it into something that was made for me in the first place. everyone else in this match has already proven that they belong in the chamber, I have to show that not only do I belong but that I was the only justifiable choice for a match like this. I have the most to lose, but the glory is far greater than anything I know because a victory here is a victory for my cause. the cause of Professional Wrestling.

From truth, we cross over to lies.

In a past life, Michael Callahan would have been an ambulance-chaser. in this life he's a damn good salesman, but then so was Hitler. I don't like Michael Callahan and I won't beat around the bush getting to that point, I do not like Michael Callahan. He's the sort of man who I've been trying to stop gain a foothold in this sport since before I took it up. He's the sort of man who I would fight eternally just to make sure he doesn't take away from what this sport really is. He's a dangerous man, perhaps more than anyone else because he walks around believing in his own lies. When a man can conjure up his own reality like that it spells doom for anyone who can only scratch the barrier. thankfully I'm accustomed to breaking through barriers and going further than people expect so when I face Callahan it is with the faith that has brought me so far in this sport pushing me further.

When it comes down to it, I know what I must do. I'm here to prove myself to the world in this match and I will make sure that one lasting thought will be scarred into the mind of one Michael Callahan.

Keaton Saint is VERY real.

From lies, we cross over again to the promised land and the pinnacle of Asylum itself.

If anyone is to deserve a spot in this match, surely the champion himself comes first. All eyes are on him to make good on his moniker and promise to deliver victory. But a promise can be broken and the greatest test of ability and tenacity in wrestling is much more likely to break a promise than your usual encounter. One has to wonder what goes through the mind of a champion who has to prepare to enter a match like this, perhaps he's so intent on burning everything in his path that he forgets to leave the arena without being scorched himself. We'll all here to prove ourselves worthy of being the World Heavyweight Champion except for you, whilst we'll all trying to show we can claim the title you're here to show that the title belongs to you. They are related missions but they are just different enough to define us as separate forces. in the end it is what separates us that will define who will ascend from the chaos and be the shining light on Asylum.

My task, my mission in this is simple when it comes to Anthony Bailey. I promise to give him the best of Keaton Saint.

It's a promise I've never failed to deliver on and the final name in this match may be more aware of this than she realises.

When it comes to Sally Talfourd, there's unspoken history there and that creates a problem in a match like this, where you have to relay your thoughts and feelings to the world. Our paths have crossed during our history and that's always happened to be a boon of some kind to me, Sally Talfourd was the one with the ideas when I couldn't muster up a coherent thought. Sally Talfourd has been at my side during times when an ally like her was the best thing possible. the problem is I can say these things and it goes over like a goddamn in-joke because only a few people really know what I'm talking about. The short version is this, Sally Talfourd has made in impact in my career and she's done some of the things that I've always wanted to do in wrestling. That partially fuels my desire in this match, but not entirely.

The only thing I can truly say is this, because I know you enough to know you'll understand the exact meaning of it. Sally, I need to know. I need to know because it consumes me.

At One Night in Hell, I will find out.