Post by chase on Feb 4, 2021 15:08:48 GMT -5
"War is hell. There's no denying that" Chase Blackley said before taking a long draw from the cigarette that hung loosely from his lips.
It was dark out. Crickets chirped, looking for mates. The sky was cloudless, showing all the stars of the Universe. It's amazing how many stars one can see when not in the big city.
Chase sat on a stump in front of a small fire. Sweat beaded from his forehead as he stared into the flames.
"War changes you. You can go from being happy go lucky, to shrivelling with fear at the first glimpse of a fire fight, to trying to be Rambo. And then you can't let that feeling go. Everything and everyone is an enemy. Your wife. Your kids. The mail man. They're all potential threats. Of course the feeling comes and goes." He said before ashing the cigarette on the ground.
His eyes were lost to the flames. They danced in his brown eyes like belly dancers swaying to the crickets music.
"I wasn't always like this, you know. Sure I've always been a protector. I've always stood up to the monsters of the world. I haven't always won, but you don't always have to win. Sometimes simply standing up, holding your ground, and letting that monster know that you won't be trifled with is enough. Of course you have to have a certain mindset to accomplish the task at hand. Not everyone has the mindset to fight their inner demons. Either meta physical and actual demons." He said before getting up.
He paced, still staring at the dancing flames as if looking for something, searching for an answer.
"Even now I fight those inner demons. Fuck. Always I fight them. When you've been to a war zone for long enough, the battles never leave your mind. Even now I hear the bombs dropping. I hear the squelching of blood. But I fight as I always have. Sky Edwards. You have your own demons to fight. And you're losing the battle. Your mind is weak. That makes your body weak. How much longer can you fend off The Predator when you barely fight for your mind and body? You say no, but you put up very little resistance. See, that's a major difference between you and I. You give up far too easily. The Predator lurks about and you hit yourself? That's not how you fight a demon, Sky." Chase said with a smile.
"No. It takes far more determination than you seem to have in order to win. You don't seem to have it. That's why the difference between the two of us is so great. I'm determined to never lose. Even against myself. I'm determined to defeat my inner demons. That's why I do this. And that's why you will lose at Metal. Not because of skill in the ring. I say that even though I can kill a man in the blink of an eye using only my hands. No. It's because, like me, you fight on two fronts and you can't. It's too distracting. I'm not distracted. If there's one thing I learned in my years of war is that you have to grit your teeth and do what is needed, no matter how hard it is. No matter if your muscles ache and pain shoots through your body. You don't give up. You fight on...fight until your opponent is gone and you stand tall. That's my mindset, Sky. Is it yours? I know that it may be The Predators, but is it yours? I would venture to say no. You're far too weak minded for the answer to be otherwise." Chase said in a low, deep voice.
His eyes glazed over. He didn't look afraid. He spread his legs to brace himself in the event of an attack.
"They're coming. I don't have much time, so I'll say this. What I'm about to say are facts. You can deny them if you want. In fact, I'm sure you will. You seem to like lying to yourself. You can't beat me. I know you're undefeated. I know you've managed to skate by on the Predators brutality. But you can't win. You can't beat me. I refuse to let you. I won't stop coming at you until you can't get up. I refuse to let that demon beat me, no matter how brutal. I was trained to fight past the point of having nothing left. The Predator will have to kill me. And good luck with that. Many have tried. Warlords from the most dangerous places on Earth have thrown everything they have. I'm still here. They aren't. Those are facts, Sky." Chase said before dropping to the ground.
He held his head with his hands, grunting.
"Fucking firebombs. I knew they had fucking firebombs. Fuck. I have to get out of here."
His eyes were glazed over. His face held one of determination.
"James! Get out of here! They're gonna burn this whole damn forest down." Chase yelled.
And then he came to. His face still held that same determination, but his eyes were normal.
"They didn't get me this time. And they won't. I'm not called the Boogeyman for nothing. Sky, you do know how bad this is for you, right?" Chase started.
His eyes quickly glazed over again. This time, a look of pain crossed his face. Years began to fall slowly down his cheeks.
"Jessica?" He whispered quietly, barely audible.
Chase began to slowly back away.
"You're at home. How can you be here? You have to leave. The planes are coming back. JESSICA!"
Fade.
It was dark out. Crickets chirped, looking for mates. The sky was cloudless, showing all the stars of the Universe. It's amazing how many stars one can see when not in the big city.
Chase sat on a stump in front of a small fire. Sweat beaded from his forehead as he stared into the flames.
"War changes you. You can go from being happy go lucky, to shrivelling with fear at the first glimpse of a fire fight, to trying to be Rambo. And then you can't let that feeling go. Everything and everyone is an enemy. Your wife. Your kids. The mail man. They're all potential threats. Of course the feeling comes and goes." He said before ashing the cigarette on the ground.
His eyes were lost to the flames. They danced in his brown eyes like belly dancers swaying to the crickets music.
"I wasn't always like this, you know. Sure I've always been a protector. I've always stood up to the monsters of the world. I haven't always won, but you don't always have to win. Sometimes simply standing up, holding your ground, and letting that monster know that you won't be trifled with is enough. Of course you have to have a certain mindset to accomplish the task at hand. Not everyone has the mindset to fight their inner demons. Either meta physical and actual demons." He said before getting up.
He paced, still staring at the dancing flames as if looking for something, searching for an answer.
"Even now I fight those inner demons. Fuck. Always I fight them. When you've been to a war zone for long enough, the battles never leave your mind. Even now I hear the bombs dropping. I hear the squelching of blood. But I fight as I always have. Sky Edwards. You have your own demons to fight. And you're losing the battle. Your mind is weak. That makes your body weak. How much longer can you fend off The Predator when you barely fight for your mind and body? You say no, but you put up very little resistance. See, that's a major difference between you and I. You give up far too easily. The Predator lurks about and you hit yourself? That's not how you fight a demon, Sky." Chase said with a smile.
"No. It takes far more determination than you seem to have in order to win. You don't seem to have it. That's why the difference between the two of us is so great. I'm determined to never lose. Even against myself. I'm determined to defeat my inner demons. That's why I do this. And that's why you will lose at Metal. Not because of skill in the ring. I say that even though I can kill a man in the blink of an eye using only my hands. No. It's because, like me, you fight on two fronts and you can't. It's too distracting. I'm not distracted. If there's one thing I learned in my years of war is that you have to grit your teeth and do what is needed, no matter how hard it is. No matter if your muscles ache and pain shoots through your body. You don't give up. You fight on...fight until your opponent is gone and you stand tall. That's my mindset, Sky. Is it yours? I know that it may be The Predators, but is it yours? I would venture to say no. You're far too weak minded for the answer to be otherwise." Chase said in a low, deep voice.
His eyes glazed over. He didn't look afraid. He spread his legs to brace himself in the event of an attack.
"They're coming. I don't have much time, so I'll say this. What I'm about to say are facts. You can deny them if you want. In fact, I'm sure you will. You seem to like lying to yourself. You can't beat me. I know you're undefeated. I know you've managed to skate by on the Predators brutality. But you can't win. You can't beat me. I refuse to let you. I won't stop coming at you until you can't get up. I refuse to let that demon beat me, no matter how brutal. I was trained to fight past the point of having nothing left. The Predator will have to kill me. And good luck with that. Many have tried. Warlords from the most dangerous places on Earth have thrown everything they have. I'm still here. They aren't. Those are facts, Sky." Chase said before dropping to the ground.
He held his head with his hands, grunting.
"Fucking firebombs. I knew they had fucking firebombs. Fuck. I have to get out of here."
His eyes were glazed over. His face held one of determination.
"James! Get out of here! They're gonna burn this whole damn forest down." Chase yelled.
And then he came to. His face still held that same determination, but his eyes were normal.
"They didn't get me this time. And they won't. I'm not called the Boogeyman for nothing. Sky, you do know how bad this is for you, right?" Chase started.
His eyes quickly glazed over again. This time, a look of pain crossed his face. Years began to fall slowly down his cheeks.
"Jessica?" He whispered quietly, barely audible.
Chase began to slowly back away.
"You're at home. How can you be here? You have to leave. The planes are coming back. JESSICA!"
Fade.
