July 1st 2022

It was late.

Lucy was tired.

Rogan had taken over driving earlier in the evening as the two of them began their journey back to Chicago for Synergy in a few days time. The Dark Man’s driving had an ebb and flow to it. It was gentle, and it made it easy for Lucy to relax back into the passenger seat and let him take her wherever the road would take them.

Many nights she fell asleep just letting her body be carried along with the rhythmic movements as their RV meandered down the darkened streets – but not on this night.

Her mind was abuzz.

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind, and she struggled to find one negative amid the flurry of thoughts that ran through her head as she sat with her head against the headrest, her eyes closed.

She’d done it. She captured the UGWC World Championship once again. Words couldn’t possibly capture the feeling that went along with that accomplishment. The relief that washed over her when the referee’s hand hit the mat for the third time, the jubilation that rushed through her veins when the World Championship was laid into her arms… the rush of gratitude she felt when she glanced up into the rafters to see the man silently driving beside her staring down at her, the pride in his eyes visible, even from so far away.

It was that last part that she kept thinking about.

Until she’d met him, she’d never experienced such belief from another person. Sure people believed in her, but no one had faith in her like Rogan did. Lucy knew she’d never be able to show him how much that meant to her, but she wanted to try her damndest.

“I have a recurring dream….” Lucy heard Rogan’s voice, but she didn’t move. She didn’t open her eyes as he spoke ever so softly from beside her. ..”You’re standing across from me. You’re holding the World Heavyweight Championship.”

He exhaled softly. “I’m holding the Conquest Championship. Its final stone has been set in its place.”

Her heart caught in her chest for a moment. Lucy knew when she pursued Tony and that world title, and when Rogan won the Conquest championship that in the near future the two of them could be in the very situation that Rogan was describing. And for any other people, she surmised, that might be a problem.

“Silence and tension fill the air. And this is finally our moment. This is finally our fate. This is finally our prophecy fulfilled.”

He pauses once more, but the tone of his voice and the sudden chill in the air around them sent her heart tumbling down into the depths of her stomach.

“…But we never get our moment. Something always gets in the way. It’s the Astro Creep. And he’s grinning that wild grin that he does, and he’s giggling behind the mask.” Rogan sucks in a hard breath. “Because he knows we’re frozen.”

Lucy wasn’t used to hearing that air of uncertainty in Rogan’s voice. Maybe it was because he thought she was sleeping – or maybe it was something else. But Lucy knew the moment she saw Tempest win the Battleground match, that she’d have her work cut out for her.

Tempest is… Tempest.

Rogan stayed silent for a while, it was almost as if Lucy could hear the thoughts racing through his mind. She wanted to open her eyes and tell him it was just a dream, and that—

“…But it’s just a dream.” Rogan finally said with a sigh. “But it haunts me. Because that’s what they do. They haunt our dreams. Our thoughts. Our fears. Your task at Wrestlestock will be ominous and daunting.”

While Lucy had already known that, hearing Rogan say it so seriously – It made her body buzz. It felt as if the vibration from the RV was coursing through her body and with it came the pang of the nerves.

“Phrixus Deimos has been trying to stop them for a long time now, seemingly alone. Beating Tempest at Wrestlestock is more important than you realize, Lucy. And I’ll be there to make sure that none of the others interfere with that.” Rogan said, his voice sounding more determined than anything else. And while Lucy knew better than to trust the word of most people, she knew she could trust him to make sure Tempest versus Lucy Wylde wouldn’t turn into Tempest and the Creeps versus Lucy Wylde.

A soft smile played over her lips at the thought.

“Perhaps it’s time I make a phone call to CCPE… or at least Sebastian.” He said, softer than before.

Lucy could feel his gaze settle upon her before she heard him sigh once again, and after a few minutes of silence, Lucy shifted in her seat and took a deep breath. She had a lot to think about, and it all revolved around making sure Rogan got his moment.

Their moment.

 

You make a lot of promises, Tempest.

You say a lot of shit that sounds really good, things that would make so many others quake inside their boots at the simple thought of you doing even the smallest part of what you say you’re going to do.

But how much of it do you mean?

How much of it is the truth, and how much of it serves to lull yourself into a false sense of security?

You want me to dress you down and tell you that there’s no chance in hell that you’re walking out of Wrestlestock with the UGWC World Championship. You want me to tell you how much better I am, how worthless you are.. And how I worked too God damned hard to earn this belt to just let it fall into your grubby little hands.

But the thing is, only one of those statements is true, and it isn’t even completely true at that.

I have worked hard to be where I am. But ain’t no one in the world worked hard enough to claim that their effort is worth more than someone else’s effort.

And there’s no denying that you put a lot of yourself into who you are, and what you do, Tempest. You’ve made a name for yourself by being THE Astrocreep. No one can take that away from you. But that worries you, doesn’t it?

No matter what anyone says, you’re still just a scared little boy.. Wanting to be seen. Wanting to be noticed. Wanting to know that he means something to someone.

Anyone.

 

July 4th 2022

The Dark Lady Cometh

The thought drifted through Lucy’s mind as she, Ken and Kyra stepped backstage after the ‘contract signing’, and it brought a smile to her face, amid the circumstances.

She knew Tempest would try something.

She knew that going in. But what she wasn’t prepared for was the two people that stood adjacent to her, being the two people that would have come out to thwart Tempest’s plan. Lucy looked between her sister and her new brother in law and smiled.

“Thank you.” She finally said, nodding her head.

Kyra shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not like they didn’t have it coming to them, but for what it’s worth… You’re welcome.”

“I don’t even know why you’re thanking us,” Ken said as he kind of shrugged. “I mean, isn’t that what family does?”

Lucy and Kyra’s eyes met for a few seconds before Kyra finally looked away. Whether Lucy liked it or not, her familial issues with her sister were of no secret to anyone. At least now, though, they could share the same room without things breaking down into a fight of some kind.

“Things haven’t always been that way, you know. Besides, who doesn’t like knowing they’re appreciated?” Lucy finally said, lifting the world championship up onto her shoulder and sighing.

“Yeah, I know about all that. It’s the past. If you two put it behind you, it stays there.” Ken flashed a reassuring smile. “Besides, I’ve heard there’s like a shitton of Creeps that Tempest could pull in from other places. With the three of us, four if you include Rogan, at least that gives us a fighting chance.”

Lucy nodded her head. “With Tempest, you never know. I’m grateful for any help in keeping things just between Tempest and myself.”

Ken simply nodded, knowing full well the potential that it still might not be just Lucy and Tempest in the ring. Still, they would try their best to minimize the numbers game.

“That’s one of your more annoying traits.” Kyra added in with a fiendish smirk. “All work, no play makes Lucy a dull lady.”

The gravelly tone of Kyra’s voice as she finishes that last sentence makes Lucy laugh. After a few seconds of looking annoyed, Kyra finally joined in and when their eyes met again, it felt different. Like for the first time in a very long time, the two of them were on the same page. Ken, to his credit, kept his mouth shut not knowing exactly what the hell was going on.

“This is good. Right?”

The women both stopped laughing, leaving Ken with a confounded look on his face.

“Right?”

Kyra grabbed Ken’s arm and shook her head. “We’re not trying to punch each other in the face, so yeah.. I think it’s good.”

“Thank God.” Lucy said, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. “This bitch hits hard.”

“Don’t I know it. Made that mistake twice.”

Lucy smirked as she glanced between Ken and Kyra. “But look at you two. I think it’s sweet. It seems like everything is falling into place for once in our lives, and I couldn’t be happier.”

“It’s… nice to see you happy.” Kyra replied, a bit of pink rising to her cheeks. For anyone who knows Kyra, knows she’s not exactly the type to express herself like that. Nothing like her sister. “I might even be a little proud of you, you know…”

Kyra pointed at the title belt on Lucy’s shoulder.

And with that, it’s Lucy’s turn to blush. “I.. wow. Who are you and what have you done with Kyra?”

“Like since we’ve gotten married? I don’t think you want to know all that.” Ken winced immediately, as he wound up on the business end of Kyra’s elbow. “All I did was treat her like a human being, I guess.”

“A lot of people don’t understand, or don’t care about what that’ll do for someone.” Lucy replied with another shrug of the shoulders.

“…That and Adina threatened to hit me with a steel chair if I didn’t let her wear the dress,” Ken quipped. “She can be quite persuasive.”

“I knew he only did it for the kid.” Kyra chuckled and elbowed her husband again before turning her attention back to her sister, the smile slowly fading from her lips as she addressed Lucy more earnestly. “But hey, in all seriousness – kick that motherfuckers ass next week. We’ve got your back if you need it.”

“Absolutely. One thing about this company is that strength in numbers seems to only apply to the Astrocreeps. It’s about time that they were met with equal resistance.”

As Ken finished, Lucy glanced over his shoulder at a monitor that was replaying what had just happened out in the ring. And even as she watched herself spear the ever loving shit out of Tempest and nearly kick his head off, all that she could think about were Tempests words..

’It’s as if you don’t see me. You’ve frustrated me for nearly two years, Ms. Wylde.’

’According to Matthew 23:12, those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. For the last two and a half years, I’ve made a career out of humbling the exalted. Don’t think you’ll escape that… fate… forever.’

Lucy pried her eyes away from the monitor and looked down at the floor, the glint of the light reflecting off of the title belt perched on her shoulder catching her attention as she did. She couldn’t hide the dark smile that was etched on her face as she eyed the nameplate, adorned with her name.

“It is about time we let them know, once and for all that we do see them.”

 

The funny thing is, Tempest that I do see you.

Clear as day, without question. I see you. And whether they want to admit it or not, everyone else sees you too.

Believe it or not, I understand the fear of being invisible. I understand that gnawing feeling in the pit of your stomach that tells you you’re inferior to everyone else. But the difference between you and I is that you feel that way because people might not fear you as much as you’d like them to.

Because I don’t fear you the way you wish I would.

We’re both a product of where we came from and one would think you would have thought of that by now, dear Tempest. We’re not as different as you think we are… Except I took my circumstances.. My fate and I used it for good, or at least what I’d deem as good. I used it and I grew from it. I became a stronger person because of it.

What did you do?

Sure, here you are… Finally at the pinnacle of your master plan. All too ready and willing to make your nest in the World Championship division.. All too eager to make sure all eyes are on you as you try and take over the UGWC completely, you and your squad of wannabes. And that’s exactly what they are, aren’t they Tempest?

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about, no.

My focus is solely on you.

The man who took whatever fate handed you and let it turn you into a shell of what you could have been. Being a product of the shit life handed you is a lot different than letting it define who you are. I spent fucking YEARS being defined by it, molded by the things that happened to me before I made it here. And that’s all I look at when I see you. Someone who hasn’t figured that out yet.

And it’s a shame.

You let yourself be overshadowed by those who claim to follow you because you feel like you’d be nothing without like-minded people to build up your ever-faltering confidence in yourself. But sometimes, Tempest… you gotta fall before you can learn how to walk. Sometimes you gotta fail before you can succeed.

And sometimes… you gotta be alone before you can ever be comfortable in your own skin.

 

July 5th 2022

It was Lucy’s turn to drive, and it was Rogan’s turn to sleep. Lucy had convinced him to lay down in the bed on this night, wanting him to truly rest after his match. If she hadn’t, the Dark Man would be right next to her, navigating the dark roads in all their splendor.

The longer she spent out here, the more roads they explored together.. The more she realized what she’d been missing all these years. It was peaceful, if not a bit eerie. But she welcomed the silence. She welcomed the dark roads and the starry nights in a way she never thought possible.

Lucy used to feel alone in these moments.

She used to fear the moments of reticence, and often wondered if anyone would have cared if they never saw her again. Many moments she found herself convinced that she could disappear and no one would even know she was gone.

…And then there’s Tempest.

The more Lucy contemplated the man that she’d be standing across from in just under two weeks time, the more she saw the shredded pieces of a man who was very similar to who she was not too long ago. A part of her pitied him, but another part of her knew, or rather hoped that he’d eventually figure it out the way she did.

Deep down in the recesses of her mind though, she knew that there was a chance that he was too far gone – Too deep to ever find his way out of the hole he’d dug himself into.

But if anyone ever asked him, he’d say he brought the shovel and he happily buried himself as deep as he could, all while wishing more people would notice him.

Lucy shook her head as she looked up and out over the darkened highway, its edges draped in shadows. As they got closer to the desert, the darker the shadows seemed, and the more Lucy wondered what she’d find if she ventured out into the abyss.

“Jesus, Rogan would be proud.” Lucy mused to herself as she smirked out at the darkness – and for a split second she swore she saw a face, staring at her from within. If she didn’t know any better, she would have sworn she’d seen herself standing there, long blonde hair hidden beneath a hat that was nearly indiscernible from the blackness that surrounded her.

The eyes though. Even in the few seconds she saw whatever it was that she saw.. The eyes were the thing that caught her attention the most. Unlike her own bright blue hues, these eyes were a deep, crimson red – Lucy couldn’t help but think that it was miraculous that she even noticed them at all.

Or was she just imagining it?

Maybe she was more tired than she’d thought so she made the decision to find a spot to pull off, and spend at least a few hours back in bed with Rogan.

But as she looked, the minutes turned into hours and before she realized, the sun was peeking up over the horizon and the next town was in her sights.

“Good morning.” She glances up and over her shoulder momentarily to see Rogan standing just behind her, his hand resting on the back of her seat.

“Hey you. How’d you sleep?”

“Good enough. What about you?” He questioned as he slid down into the passenger seat, and she could feel his eyes watching her intently.

She chuckled. “Well, about that.”

“You’ve been driving this whole time?”

Lucy simply nodded her head in response, and much to his credit, Rogan sat back and turned to look out the window, seemingly content with her response. But Lucy wasn’t as content as he was.

“I was planning on pulling off somewhere way back there.” She stated, pointing behind them at the miles upon miles of road behind them. “But I saw something, and I guess I just got lost in my thoughts and well, here we are.”

She waves towards the town that was growing larger in the windshield.

“You saw something?”

Lucy nodded. “I mean, yeah. It was.. I don’t know if I can explain it. But… It felt like I was looking at myself. It felt like I was looking at the Dark Lady.”

 

Ask me how I know, Tempest.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who couldn’t get out of her own way. She struggled and she struggled to reconcile the demons within herself but only when she rid herself of the parasites that continually held her down did she finally find the path that led her to the promised land.

I am where I am right now because I walked the path you walk. I cried, I bled, I nearly died… But eventually I found my way. And while you think my fate lies in losing to you on the biggest stage that UGWC has to offer, let me tell you what I think.

I think you talk a big game. I think you’re so God damned desperate to pry your way into my mind that you haven’t yet realized how deep I am into yours. Sure, you look yourself in the mirror each day, and you tell yourself that no matter how much I frustrate you, no matter how much it bothers you that you can’t make me fear you… that you’re still The Spider King. That you’re still the Tempest… and I’m just one person. One insignificant blip on your radar.

But that’s where you’re wrong.

I’m the ONLY blip on your radar, Tempest. Not just because I’m holding this title that you covet. I reside inside your mind because you can’t make me fear you. If you could look past your own fear of inadequacy, you’d see me just as clearly as I see you and you’re realize that nothing.. NOTHING you could ever do could compare to the journey I’ve been on to get here.

I’ve already dealt with the worst, Tempest.

I’ve already faced my deepest, darkest fears and I came out on the other side and I fucking prospered. I fucking rose above any and everything that anyone could ever think to face me with. Instead of trying to show me shit that I’ve already left in the dust, maybe you should look at yourself in the mirror. Maybe you should take a moment and think about what you’re really getting yourself into, Tempest.

I won’t stand here and tell you that you’ve got no chance. But I will assure you that come night four of Wrestlestock, you’re going to come face to face with someone who’s already lost everything and worked her ass off to get it back. You’re coming face to face with someone who knows your pain, and isn’t scared to introduce you to it once again. You’re coming face to face with someone who isn’t afraid to stand up and fight against you, and every single one of your creeps because I know I’m better than that.

I know that even if you do win, even if you do reach your so-called ‘goal’, that I’ll still have beaten you, Tempest.

Because Lucy Wylde doesn’t quit.

Lucy Wylde doesn’t tuck her tail between her legs and crawl away, defeated. If you do walk out of Wrestlestock with that belt, just remember that you fear ME.. Not the other way around. You might have won the match, but Tempest, my dear… I’ll have won the war long before it’s even over. Remember that everytime you look over your shoulder as you carry around something that you may have won.. But you never truly earned.

Or at night, when you lay your pretty little head down to sleep… hoping that I don’t haunt your dreams once again… Because I will, Tempest. I’ll haunt you until you’re as weak and as broken as you wished I would have been at your feet.

But not because I lost. No, no… I’ll haunt your every solitary thought because you know that I know who you really are, Tempest. And that scares you more than anything else ever could, doesn’t it. I know your potential… I know what you could be, if only you’d rely more on yourself and not your merry band of misfits… But the thought of doing this by yourself is overwhelming, isn’t it?

The UGWC World Title isn’t what you want Tempest, even if that’s what you and everyone around you keeps telling you that you want. What you want is for someone to tell you it’s going to be okay and for someone to notice you, and care about you.

I care, Tempest.

I care more than you’ll ever know, and everything is going to be okay.

And that’s why you’re going to walk out of Wrestlestock empty handed. Not because I’m obsessed with championships, or success.. But because you’re not fucking ready to take on this burden. Because you haven’t truly understood that you’re better than you think you are.. And honestly? I’m not sure if you ever will.

But I hope.

I hope, and I prepare to teach you a really tough lesson… One that you’ll thank me for someday. So prove me right. Bring all your friends to the ring, and I’ll bring mine – and I’ll force you to stand on your own two feet and lose to me like a man… Or I’ll force you to taste your first taste of true Greatness.

The Dark Lady cometh, and she doesn’t take any prisoners, Tempest because after all… There’s no fate, but what we make.

So let’s meet our fates together.