Post by Andrew Barnes on Sept 3, 2020 9:17:10 GMT -5
A shot of a dusty television screen flashes on to static, the voices of Remi and Clearwater slowly fade in..
Both combatants lie motionless, side by side. The fans shake the building with their excitement for this match.
Clearwater: What more do they have to do to win?!
Both men slowly push their way up, grabbing on and helping each other up. Once standing, they push away and stare into each other's eyes. The wear and tear… the struggles they've endured to make it to this moment… everything that has brought them to stand before each other. Collins uses all he has left to throw--
Clearwater: BRICKS! BARNES DODGED IT! HE LOCKS COLLINS WITH ERROR!
Marks: ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR!
Remi: COLLINS IS FADING! IS IT ENOUGH?!
Barnes keeps the hold on tight and then Collins up, turns him sideways and slams him with authority in the middle of the ring.
Clearwater: THERE'S THE COVER!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING! DING! DING!
Clearwater: HE'S DONE IT!
Jessica Kaine: The winner of 2020 Penultimate Showdown… AAAAAAANDREWWW BAAAAAAARRRRNESSSSSSS!!!!!
Clearwater: What more do they have to do to win?!
Both men slowly push their way up, grabbing on and helping each other up. Once standing, they push away and stare into each other's eyes. The wear and tear… the struggles they've endured to make it to this moment… everything that has brought them to stand before each other. Collins uses all he has left to throw--
Clearwater: BRICKS! BARNES DODGED IT! HE LOCKS COLLINS WITH ERROR!
Marks: ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR! ERR-OR!
Remi: COLLINS IS FADING! IS IT ENOUGH?!
Barnes keeps the hold on tight and then Collins up, turns him sideways and slams him with authority in the middle of the ring.
Clearwater: THERE'S THE COVER!
ONE!
TWO!
THREE!
DING! DING! DING!
Clearwater: HE'S DONE IT!
Jessica Kaine: The winner of 2020 Penultimate Showdown… AAAAAAANDREWWW BAAAAAAARRRRNESSSSSSS!!!!!
ZAAAAPPPPP
The television snaps off and the scene cuts away.
"I am SHOCKED."
The scene opens up to Andrew Barnes standing backstage, watching the ending of Showdown where Jason Ryan returns. A wet towel around his neck along with a few fresh bruises from the Penultimate Showdown, Andrew Barnes watches as Jason extends his hand and America Jackson reluctantly shakes it. Andrew wipes some sweat off his face with the towel, his eyes squint from the pain of moving any part of his body.
Andrew shakes his head in disbelief, "Completely and utterly shocking."
"Jason Ryan is back.." Andrew mutters to himself.
Andrew tosses his towel up and yells, "EVERYONE!"
"LOOK!" He points at the screen.
"JASON RYAN IS BACK! AND HE FOUND GOD!" Andrew yells for all the backstage workers to hear.
Quickly, Andrew drops the charade and turns back to the screen with a blank stare.
"... Who's Jason Ryan?" Andrew says, as the scene cuts away.
LATER ON...
The scene cuts back to Andrew Barnes sitting in the locker-room in his black suit with a white button shirt underneath. Most of the staff left after packing up from Showdown, with only a few left to finish as the sound of boxes banging around in the background echo into the locker-room. Sitting in a chair, Andrew packs what's left of his gear into a bag below him, getting ready to head back to Detroit, Michigan with a huge win in the books. "Living On a Thin Line" by the Kinks plays on his phone next to him.
Andrew notices the cameras, "Oh, didn't hear you come in.." He says while stuffing boots into the bag.
"I guess you guys want to hear what I have to say about this whole Jason Ryan business? Now that I'm next in line for the World championship and all." Andrew sighs and shakes his head. He shrugs, "What do you want me to say?" That I'm glad he's back and already asking for shit? Or to hear about Jason Ryan finding God, or whatever?" Andrew asks into the camera with a serious stare.
"I mean, when people turn to religion after being such a naughty boy.. Well.. It's usually because they did something that haunts them. Which hearing about Jason.. That could be anything." He smirks.
Andrew goes back to packing what's left of his gear into the bag, "Now, I could look back at the tapes to see what might have caused this new and exciting Jason Ryan.."
Andrew pauses for a moment, ".. But I don't want to." He says with disgust.
"I'll be honest with ya, Jason." Andrew points into the camera with some socks in his hand, "I don't like you." He stuffs the socks into the bag and continues while looking down, "Nothing truly personal. I just don't like people that run away, only to return with their hands out. That's all."
Andrew looks back up at the camera, "You come back expecting title shots..HA!" He stands up and points to himself, "WHEN I HAD TO GO THROUGH HELL TO GET ONE!?"
"Nope." He shakes his head and crosses his arms, "I don't care if you have history here, Jason. None of that matters now." Andrew looks away from the camera, "Alpha Pro Wrestling deserves better. It deserves a champion that will stay and fight." He mentions, with his hands resting on his hips while stills looking away from the camera.
Andrew snaps his face back at the camera, "Not run away.. Like you, Jason."
"Which, by the way, I forgot to wish Zaigon Carter the best in Action Wrestling. Since that's the buzz around here that he's gonna go there.. Which I predicted and will come true after tonight when he announces his departure from APW. Just wait.."
"Hopefully your wings can handle the heat, Zaigon." Andrew smiles.
"Anywaaaayyyssss.. He's the past now. Something the fans and wrestlers can look back on and smile, warming their little hearts."
"He WAS the best Alpha Pro had to offer, and I can't wait for him to return in a few weeks to ask for a title shot like the ""Good Boy"" Jason Ryan."
A puzzling look upon his face, Andrew shakes his head and continues to say, "No. No. No. No. No. No."
Holds his hands up and claps them together.
"That's not how it works, Jason. You see, if Zaigon returned right now, like I mentioned, asking for a title shots.. Like you did tonight.. Well, as the current number one contender for that title you claim you deserve.. I am sorry, but I'm just gonna have to end that dream, buddy."
Andrew smiles, "No hard feelings and all." He shrugs, "It's just the order of things. Aside from Eli Beazley; I made my path pretty clear that I'm deserving of that title. And tonight I proved it by taking out the future of APW- when I ripped through body after body to claim my prize as number one contender."
While redness in his face slowly fades, Andrew Barnes sits back down in his chair and zips up the bag.
Andrew smirks, "Ask Soul Reaver. Ask Aaron Blaze. They'll tell you not to fuck with me, Jason."
He pauses for a moment.
"Look, you want to come back to APW. That's fine. I'm happy for you. It's just.. Why like this? If you wanted any other title, I would help you on that journey, buddy. Yet, you go after the very title that I NEED to make this place great. Why stop progress, Jason? Why be a prick?"
Andrew shakes his head and sighs, "Sometimes I just don't understand this business."
"You would think wrestlers, superstars, or whatever we call ourselves. You'd think we would want the best for business? And guess who is THE best right now?" Andrew points to his smiling face with the camera zooming in.
"Imagine how much money this place can make with Andrew Barnes as your world champion? Imagine the good I can bring to APW? I love talking to my fellow man when they are not in my way to destiny. I LOVE IT! The smile on their faces is almost enough for me... Almost."
"You see, what I do, I do for Alpha Pro. If you can't understand that, maybe it's time to finally run away for good. Watch from your mother's basement.. I. DON'T. CARE! STAY OUT OF MY WAY, JASON!" Andrew Barnes relaxes, lifts up his bag, stands up, and begins to walk out of the locker-room.
He stops at the doorway, "You know what." Andrew turns to the camera, "I forgot something."
Andrew Barnes struts over to his phone he almost forgot and turns the music off.
"What? You think I want to waste anymore time on Jason? I got autographs to sign for my dear fans." Andrew winks into the camera and slides his phone into the front pocket of his suit jacket.
"See ya later, Jason. And welcome back." He chuckles while walking away, as the scene fades to black.
The scene fades back to a shot of a spinning ceiling fan.
A FEW DAYS LATER..
The camera cuts to the outside of Andrew Barnes apartment building. The sun is rising as Andrew Barnes lies in bed with the sheets covering most of his body. He stares at the ceiling fan, spinning around and around. Suddenly, a ringtone sounds off next on a table next to him.
Andrew sighs and reaches for the phone, "Of course..." He sets the phone back down on the table.
The camera cuts to a up close shot of Andrew's phone screen. The text shows the next card for Monday Night Metal. And the next match for Andrew Barnes..
ANDREW BARNES VS. JASON RYAN
He wipes his face and mumbles, "Good." Andrew smiles and sits up on his bed, "I can deal with this problem early instead of later."
"End his fucking career at Metal. That's what I'll do." Andrew starts to mutter to himself, "Come into my federation and asking for the world.. Fuck him. What has he done lately?"
Through the blinds, the light from the sun slowly creeps into his room. Andrew Barnes slaps himself to wake up a bit more before he gets all the way out of bed.
"You can't let off the gas now, Andrew. It's time to finally kick it into full gear." Andrew motivates himself and jumps out of bed to start his morning workout by doing a few pushups.
"TEN!" He kicks up and starts doing jumping jacks. "TEN!" Andrew drops back down to more pushups.
In the middle of all this, Andrew still talks to himself with, "You got this!" And, "Do it for the fans!" With a slightly lower yell, so he doesn't wake up anyone in his apartment building. Andrew may be fierce in the ring, but he's kind to his fellow neighbors and fans.
"I..." Andrew breathes in heavily as he continues working out, "I will.. End.. Jason Ryan."
"I.. WILL.. END... JASON... RYAN!" Push-up after push-up, Andrew motivates himself with a ticking noise coming off in the background. A clock. Not just any clock people use to wake themselves up. This one is ticking down, one by one..
The clock continues to tick. Andrew Barnes continues to work out. And the world will continue to witness the demon inside Andrew, as he shows Jason Ryan at Metal what it is like to be the TRUE savior of APW. The scene cuts away with the ticking sound in the background.
"I..." Andrew breathes in heavily as he continues working out, "I will.. End.. Jason Ryan."
"I.. WILL.. END... JASON... RYAN!" Push-up after push-up, Andrew motivates himself with a ticking noise coming off in the background. A clock. Not just any clock people use to wake themselves up. This one is ticking down, one by one..
589 hours 55 minutes
The clock continues to tick. Andrew Barnes continues to work out. And the world will continue to witness the demon inside Andrew, as he shows Jason Ryan at Metal what it is like to be the TRUE savior of APW. The scene cuts away with the ticking sound in the background.
