Post by J-Hop on Aug 22, 2015 23:14:45 GMT -4
The Gates Of Hell
The script has been flipped. Who I thought was homies is now enemies. Who I looked up to is now fakes. I hate it, I really do. I really wish folks stood up and took a stand rather than falling in line with the crooked-faced assholes. The gates were opening up more and more as it was already feeling like hell. As these weeks were passing by under new management, the heat was beginning to turn up. Last week, we took yet another victory but the war was far from won.
I got the shot to take on the devil himself, CJ Gates in a one on one contest. So many things I wanted to say that I really ... couldn’t say. As previously mentioned, I kinda looked up to dude back when I got in. I wanted to get my game up, my accolades and reach his plateau but shit, right now, looked like I am the better man. He took a good friend of mines, used to be good friend and turned him into a what he is today, a joke. Wearing three-piece suits and speaking proper doesn’t make you better than anyone else. You still a man of acreage lands and cattle. This gig won’t last and neither will the hypnosis that Gates has him under.
“CJ Gates, I’m going to spread my foot right into the crack of yo’ pale ass, homie. You’ve been a thorn in not just my side, but everybody’s. Arkia’s side, Mark’s side, Bailey’s, Sally’s and yes, my side. Gooch would say it too but he’s punch drunk under your spell. Now he’s the creative director of the new Deception Division thanks to that ‘ironclad’ contract. You’ve been a load to deal with CJ. Johnny Rebel trying his best to change things and here you are making things worst. I want the old CJ Gates. I don’t know who the hell you are, this image isn’t you. Not who I remembered, but hell with it ... I got revenge to issue out, not for only me but for those involved.”
Standing atop one of the cliffs at the beautiful attraction, that is Sunset Cliff, I looked out along the seaboard, watching the surfers out far ride belly-up on their boards as the waves followed. I saw a lot as they said it was one of the best spots to catch the Sun setting, immediate coming of it’s name. My arms pinned behind my back as I had on a white tee and some jeans, I just took in the sight of all that was around me right now. A bit of peace.
“This is my calming before the storm, CJ. I’m sure you’ve watched me over the years I been APW from afar as I was on Asylum and you were on Overdrive, you saw my many leaps of faith into the unknown, flying fearless. It’s what I do best. Pin my ears and take on the adventurous challenge. You will certainly be my biggest challenge thus far since returning to APW. I wanted to one day go up against you, certainly not in these circumstances but at one point, a good, even-paced, back and forth matchup between us two but now, it’s all a different story, all because of you and your shenanigans.”
“You really turned a valued friendship upside down. Gooch was never this. Sure, his past job, he wore a suit, but he is forever loved for his old persona of wearing overalls and out there in the damn open field, grabbing up cattle. That farm life. All the good days of what we had are now ruined. I can’t stand the son of a bitch you turned him into and now he’s head creative control of the newly introduced Deception Division? Your strings, your lackey is now feeling himself a bit too much. I hope he was brought back a smidget of the way after last week’s loss, how he was the only one left, getting rolled up and defeated in the middle of the ring. Maybe one day his vision will become clear again and he can see just what the hell you really are, CJ.”
I lowered my head as I continued to try and hold what really was trying to come out. I was infuriated. Going back, witnessing in flashback form of all that had occurred back in Portland, I continued to look out at the water.
“What you did to Mark was cold, relieving him of his position at his headquarters? That’s petty and distasteful, but I guess where your head is right now, which is up in your ass, I or Mark should have expected that. When you and Gooch attacked Arkia ... I guess she should’ve expected that too, huh?”
I nodded, biting my lip.
“I’m going to come at you hard. I’m turning it up a notch ... I’m going to make it my business to open your eyes. You can attempt whatever trick in your book you have going against me and yeah, I may falter but I won’t surrender. I’m not made like that. I can’t stay down for long. You got Gooch to be your lackey. Not going to happen with me. CJ, you lucky I’m not the type who will look to find every object under the ring to bash your skull in. I’m sure either Mark or Arkia will get to have that moment. Me, I’m just going to take you to your limit. Make you sweat this bitch out, possibly even bleed (no promises). I’m going to push you to the edge. If you go over ...”
Hopkins takes a couple steps forward to the edge of the cliff he was standing on as he looked straight down, seeing how extremely deep it was.
”...Then that’s on you, homie. I might and I might not grab your hand to keep you alive. I might just let you fall and lie about what occurred.”
I laughed, knowing I couldn’t be that type of person, even if I tried. That was also my downfall at times, I wasn’t a savage-type of person. Only way was if something cruel really occurred and maybe shit would come off. Who knows, I’ve been through alot, but not enough to a point where I’d ultimately lose my damn cool.
“I can’t really let you fall and die because that would be considered murder in the first. I will make you suffer though CJ. Again, I will do all in my power, at my size to make you feel some pain. Trust me on that and if you care to smirk because you feel what I’m saying is perhaps “bologna” then we shall see come Friday night, right here in San Diego!”
I leaned my head, as I turned my back to the water, looking behind me as it was a small crowd of folks, full of smiles on their faces to my surprise.
“Ya’ll been standing here the entire time?”
They all nodded, steady smiling. I shook my head smirking as I had to admit it, fans were the best thing ever. They support you wherever you go. Even the haters follow suit sometimes. All had come to a fade.
|| Tuesday August 18th 2015 x San Diego, CA x ”Zoo Safari Park”
It was yet another adventure on the daily as Darron and myself had landed down in San Diego the other day, Sunday. We searched and worked for places to go check out during the small vacay trip. From Amusement parks to Eateries to all kinds of shit. Darron was quickly inhibiting the role of Boogie, who was still in New York, finishing up his brief rehab stint. His hunger was transitioning into Boogie’s ways of eating. Today though was different, very different. We weren’t going to none of the usuals. Nah, we were hitting up something out of our own alley. The Zoo. Preferably the Zoo Safari Park down here in San Diego, a major attraction.
So much weird shit, we were the odd two. Looking all around as all kinds of noises were heard. Birds, Elephants, all of what they had was out here making their noises,stirring us up into mixed emotions.
“Hops, look man, I get you adventurous and all homie but this ... I don’t do this! I don’t do wild animals, bro!” Darron said, shaking his head as we entered the facility, showing our tickets.
“Man, just chill. You’re gonna’ love this!” I said, reassuring Darron all would be fine.
“No, no the hell I won’t, Hops! This is a damn ZOO. Haven’t you seen that damn show? Animals turning on humans, making their calls and got folks shook up?” Darron said, steady in a bit of fear as he referenced that television show.
“I’m aware of it D, but that is movies, television. This is real life. They aren’t attacking us!”
Darron somewhat nodded his head as he looked at me, still unsure.
“Yeah, whatever fam!”
I was laughing so hard on the inside, trying hard to not let it spill out from the inside to out. I did to a point, get what he was talking about, but there was nothing that could possibly go wrong when they are caged up or fenced in. We were steadily walking through, making our way through the small stuff, all the history spots that made you read how it all started and those small little facts about the place.
“YO!!!” Darron shouted as he weaved his head to the right, ducking what was a unique bird that was flying over, making a loud “squawking” noise.
The look in his eyes were getting better and better by the moment. He walked gingerly, watching everything around him as he was acting like he was in a state of paranoia.
“You see that?” He said, looking up into the sky.
“Nah, but you look crazy as hell right now. Got them ’Bernie Mac’ wide eyes going. Chill man, they not gonna hurt you out here.”
“Bullshit!” He said, sticking to his ‘guns’.
I continued to laugh, shaking my head endlessly. We did however keep walking as he kept an eye on everything that was going on around him, even the fellow visitors. Bucking at the little kids who stared up towards him. I yanked him by the shirt, pulling him steadily along.
“Trying to have a good time out here, get my mind off the ring and you out here “bucking” at eight year olds. C’mon son!”
Darron shrugged his shoulder at me, not obviously giving a damn. We once again stopped, this time we came up close to the showing of several Giraffe’s that were roaming inside the fence as some of the visitors stood close to the fence, reaching up and feeding the Giraffe’s limbs off the apricot tree as they were going heavy on those limbs. We took in the sight as I pushed Darron to walk forwards with me, up close to the fence, getting a better view.
Darron, seeing the Giraffe head and neck bend over low to grab the rest of what was off that apricot tree limb, the Giraffe got a quick sniff of Darron, who took two steps backwards, causing the kids that were right there to laugh at his reaction.
“Ya’ll wanna laugh, huh? C’mere you godd---“
Grabbing and quickly covering Darron’s mouth from finishing off, the parents of the kids had that look on their face as they looked at both Darron and me. Yelling at him, I got him to cool it as there were kids around, this being a family environment and all.
“Damn dude, chill that shit forreal!” I said, close to his ear, keeping my voice at a low level. “Kids are out here if you aren’t blind!”
“Yeah I know, they smiling and ‘cheesing’ in front of my face. I’m not going near those damn Giraffe’s man. Long-neck ass motherfu---“
Another quick save as I smiled, holding and hiding my frustration.
“Bruh, seriously. Calm it!” I said before dropping a smack across the top of Darron’s head.
He seemed back to himself as we proceeded away from the showcase of Giraffe’s. Again, we never really made a choice to visit Zoos. We considered where we were, a live and deadly Zoo. Concrete Jungle was the nickname for a reason.
“I bet you’d probably like to put your boy in a Zoo full of Guerillas out here, huh?”
I looked at him a bit odd. “Who?”
“Haha, CJ Gates.” Darron said as I immediately dimmed my eyes, looking at Darron before smirking.
“Yeah, that’d be a fun ass battle to see!”
Why he had to mention that dude’s name, I had no clue but I did not want any thoughts or reminders of the guy. I already knew what I was up against and what I was going to do. This was all about relaxation, enjoying the sights and view and here he was mentioning names that drew the color “red”. Which indeed means rage.
“Keep that man’s name out your mouth, alright? Trying to enjoy today without a hitch.”
He quickly nodded his head.
“Yeah, I gotcha ... loud and clear!”
Darron walked alongside as we continued our way through the Zoo. Darron looking at what was being featured as he stopped and went right, another showcase viewing, this time of the Elephants as they blew their “horns”. Darron smirked as he looked over at the Elephant being a show Elephant raise his right front leg up before dropping it to the Owner’s comments of stomping down and squashing the big-ass Watermelon.
“Dayum!” Darron said out of shock. “Man, imagine if that was someone’s head down there.”
We both winced at that thought.
“Yeah, just imagine if you had to pay up a loan and didn’t on time from an undercover mob boss...Yeah!”
“Yeah, let’s move on!” Darron said as we continued our way on through the Zoo.
We moved on through, through the other visitors as we wanted to visit all the areas inside the Zoo, being it was pretty much our first. Very neat and clean zoo. The smell was obviously off, but it’s a Zoo. Not much one could do about that.
The scene had slowly came to a fade as all went to black.
