Glory Days Addiction

Sometime after Chaos 97

“So…”

Kyra says as she and Ken approach the front door of the converted office building that’s now the home of one Trent Steel. They stop and turn towards one another, looking at each other for a few moments.

“So…”

“This is what you wanted me to be a witness for, huh?”

“Can you blame me?”

Ken replies, a small smirk on his lips as Kyra turns her eyes down to the ground, shifting her feet around as Ken reaches out and presses the button on the intercom.

“Nah, but you don’t give Trent enough credit.”

Kyra glances back up at Ken and he shrugs.

“Never hurts to have an extra set of eyes.”

Kyra grins.

“I’m just here for the dinner you promised me.”

Ken chuckles softly and nods, looking down at the ground himself – and kicking a few small pebbles around.

“Yeah?”

The gruff voice of Trent Steel comes from the speaker, his voice sounding strained, stressed. Kyra and Ken turn their attentions back to the intercom, Ken reaching out and pressing a button as Kyra leans in beside him, her arm absently brushing his as he speaks.

“Hey, Trent.”

“Ken?”

“And Kyra.”

Kyra replies, standing up and backing away from the speaker. Ken backs away as well, waiting for a response from Trent. After a few moments, a sigh can be heard from the speaker.

“Great.”

A buzz follows Trent’s voice, signaling that the door is open for them to enter.

“That went surprisingly well.”

Ken says, opening the door. Kyra shakes her head and walks through, with Ken following her.

“Well, he’s got a lot going on.”

Kyra chirps back as they climb the stairs to the door, where they find it already open – Trent standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

“Figured I’d find out what the fuck you two want before I bother letting you in.”

Ken stops in front of Trent and runs his hand over his head, giving Kyra a glance before addressing the ‘son of a bitch’.

“We just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing, Trent.”

Trent replies with a scoff.

“I’m just fucking peachy. Two people I care about have been missing for two months, and the only things the cops are really doing are looking into me. It seems people already have jumped to conclusions about me again eh Kyra? Wouldn’t know what that’s like right?”

He shakes his head. Ken opens his mouth to speak, but Kyra beats him to it.

“Trent, we know you’ve got a lot going on… And we’re sorry that you’re dealing with so much. We just wanted you to know that you’re not alone.”

“If there’s anything we can do..”

Ken’s voice trails off and Trent just stands there, staring both of them down for a few uncomfortable moments before he sighs and uncrosses his arms.

“What I really need is to know what you two are really doing here.”

“We saw what happened at Chaos, and it’s bullshit. We know what’s really going on and we’ve got your back.”

Kyra picks up right where Ken leaves off.

“Jack’s a bastard.”

“He’s a disgrace.”

“He’s a–”

Trent abruptly stops their line of speech, pounding his fist on the doorframe.

“You don’t think I know that? Who told you that back when you were with him? I warned you about that fucking cocksucker and what happens…exactly what I said. And don’t think I don’t know what the two of you are trying to do. I saw what happened at Chaos too… And this thing with the two of you?”

He motions between Ken and Kyra.

“What is this thing between you tw– Nevermind. I don’t want to know. Let’s just say I didn’t do what I did to earn entry into the Ken Davison Culthouse of fun. Don’t think that playing to my current situation is going to earn you any favor in my eyes.”

He narrows his gaze at the two of them as Ken clears his throat.

“Trent, I am a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them. We’re only here because we know that you are going through some shit… and we didn’t properly show you our support sooner. Let’s face it, we of all people realize what it’s like to to walk through the proverbial badlands with no one watching your back.”

Trent smiles. A great big fucking toothfilled grin.

“You think you know what it’s like? You think you know what THIS is like for me? Let me tell you what this is like for me you egotistical chum bucket of human fecal matter…No one. No one has ever had my back in this goddamn company!”

He points right to Kyra.

“I’ve had to prove myself to you when you ran the place that I wasn’t some kind of woman abuser! And after I did that what did you do? What did you do?! You go running around with someone who you knew was a snake in the grass! And as for you ya god damn fucknugget little bitch…You don’t fucking know me. If you knew me you would know that you aren’t welcome here…You think you are doing the right thing? I’ve been doing the right thing since I got here and you know what it gets me…nothing. I’m alone, and everyone seems to agree that’s the best damn thing for me. I got three kids up those fucking stairs who have had their world turned upside down and the only thing keeping me from going all god damn apeshit on the rest of the world with a fucking chainsaw is that I’m all they got left. You want to know what I’m going through? You want to know what it’s like? Tell you what Ken…Kyra…What do I do besides wrestle? Come on. Surely both of you have some kind of clue. No phones. No google. What do I do besides wrestle? You think you know me so well…come on…name one goddamn thing.”

Kyra looks up and coughs.

“I.. Well, I heard you’re a pretty good cook.”

Ken turns and looks at her, his eyes widened and she shrugs her shoulders.

“What? I like to eat.”

Trent takes a deep breath and sighs.

“Never underestimate the memory of someone who likes to mooch. Come on in.”

Trent turns and motions for the two to come into the house, and it’s at that point they see Trent Steel has a holster on his side with a loaded handgun at his side. Trent gestures down the hall away from the stairs going up.

“If you want to talk we’ll talk in the kitchen, you take a move upstairs…I take a kneecap.”

Kyra sighs.

“I know I’m a bitch, but come on”

Trent points upstairs, for a moment we can hear laughter of a group of people having fun. Trent sighs himself.

“That’s my world title up there. Those three are very important to me and I don’t let anyone meet them, Kyra. You haven’t earned that yet, and to be honest practically no one in my circle has met them because that’s more precious to me than the job and we can all agree above anything else I’m a professional. You want to talk, then follow me. You don’t. Go. You want free food…you stay.”

Kyra nods in understanding. Ken gives a half-hearted smile.

“Well first off, I’m obviously staying… But in all seriousness, I know we’ve had our differences Trent. I’m not a nice person, as everyone is so fond of pointing out but I’ve got a kid too and I get it.”

“I got teenagers…you really wanna go up there?”

“Don’t look at me. Been there, done that. Your call.”

Kyra shakes her head.

“Fuck no. Adina’s three going on sixteen. I don’t need anymore of that shit in my life.”

“To the kitchen!”

“I guess I’ll call Maisy’s and reschedule.”

As they follow Trent, Kyra grabs Ken’s hand and stops him.

“Hopefully not too far in the future…”

She says softly, a playful grin on her lips.

“We’d better. I Googled the best restaurants in Baltimore.”

The two follow Trent inside and the door closes behind them.



The sunset in the background paints the skyline a beautiful shade of pink. Along the beachfront in Ocean City, Maryland, you can see the boardwalk bustling in the background. The camera pans slowly to the left, where “Godly” Ken Davison sits on the shore. Wearing a pair of black jeans and a black Kyra Johnson shirt, he stares off into the distance. He begins speaking without bothering to look into the camera.

“Jack Michaels, you done fucked up. You need to understand that you are running out of bridges to burn and places to run. I expected you to make a move, perhaps one not so brazen. From the second you showed up I questioned what your angle is. You’ve shown your hand and we know exactly what your end game is. However, you are a little man of even smaller consequence. You, like all things, will be dealt with in due time. I just wanted to make certain that you knew that your actions will have consequences. After all, the smile on Kyra’s face is a loaded gun and I am the bullet.”

Davison leans forward onto his knees, planting his hand in the sand and pushing himself to an upright position.

“You know, I have been struggling all week to come up with something to say to you, JC. Sure, I could sit here and talk about how formidable you are. I could talk about how much of a badass you are. I could even tell everyone what a wonderful boss you were. I could. But, I won’t. I have said many, many times that I am a great many things, but a liar is not among them.”

Davison strides forward, now looking into the camera, re-enforcing his disregard for Jack in that moment.

“What you truly are, JC, is a pit bull who has lost his bite. You are a chihuahua that is looking for some rich bitch to carry you around in her handbag. You sit there and bark, bark, bark, until someone finally pays attention to you. You are merely a more talented, but less motivated, Matt Knox.”

“You see, I recognize the fact that I need to keep Jack on my radar, but my focus needs to be on JC and… damnit! What’s his name? Don Willis? Juan Willis? Egon Willis? Whatchu talkin’ about Willis? Help me out here, people!”

A look of mock exasperation crosses Davison’s face.

“In all seriousness, Jon, I know you’ve overcome a lot in your life. Allow me, if you will, to ask you an honest question. Where has that gotten you? I’m not talking about in this company or in this business. Where has that gotten you in life? You are a failure. You are weak. I know loss. I had my life torn away from me when I was 19 years old. I lost my fiance and my child. I lost everything I had…” Davison’s voice cracks, his volume dropping with every word. “Every… Single.. Thing.”

Davison takes a brief moment to compose himself.

“I tried to kill myself that night. I woke up in a pool of my own blood and vomit. I could have turned to drugs and alcohol to deal with my depression. It was at that moment, mourning my loss, that I was in the same exact place you were when your old man died. The thing is, where you became a junkie, I became a God. I came to realize that no kind and loving God could possibly allow the children in his flock to feel that kind of pain. I came to realize that I was in control of my life and that I had no one to blame for my actions but myself. I became many things… cold, calculating, some would even say heartless. I became a human weapon who indiscriminately terminated opponents with extreme prejudice. People look at WAR like I did something noteworthy. To them, it was the brutal beating of one on their heroes. For me, it was just another Sunday.”

“Now, I walk back into the ring as the triumphant champion. Kyra Johnson and I are the greatest thing going in Carnage Wrestling today. We are the here and now. Jack Michaels, and furthermore, JC, are trying to recapture what they once had. Why is that? So glad you asked.”

Davison smiles knowingly at the camera.

“You don’t sit around and think about the quote unquote glory days because your life sucks. Your life sucks because you sit around and think about the glory days. As each moment passes the proverbial ship that is your best moments sails farther and farther away until it is just a dot on the horizon. No amount of reminiscing can change that. That is why JC runs his mouth. That is why Jack Michaels came out of retirement, even if it’s for “one night only.”

Davison makes air quotes as he says “one night only.”

“There is nothing wrong with having a bit of nostalgia once in a while. It’s a great feeling to remember the good old days. The problem comes when you don’t know your place in the world. The problem comes when you are holding on tightly, oh so tightly, to the past those endorphins kick in and for that brief moment of time it’s as if you are in fact living those glory days all over again, as if the ship were right there in front of you… and that’s the trap. That’s where the reality that I present to you slaps you in the face.”

“The problem with you, JC, is that you are chasing your glory days because being the boss didn’t give you what you wanted. You are chasing your glory days because you want what I now have. You are chasing your glory days because you fail to appreciate all the wonders and opportunities awaiting you in your here and now. You started to consider your living situation to be nothing more than an afterthought, musch as the rest of us do now, as somehow less real than what was. And what made those glory days so special in the first place? It was your own perception. It was your own attitude towards the world and people, more than anything else.”

“That’s the difference between us. I’ve learned that the past is the past and sometimes, it is better to leave it there. I, too, used to hold on so tightly to how things were that I couldn’t make the mental and emotional space for what I needed to do. In order to do something special you need to be able to live in the here and now. You have to be willing to do whatever needs to be done..How can you expect any other outcome than your life sucking now if you don’t pay it the proper care and attention? The problem, JC, is that you want to go back to your glory days. You want to cut the line by running your mouth on Twitter? Well, buttercup, here’s your shot. Just be aware that Kyra and I are the bitch slap that is going to bring you back to reality.”

Davison continues walking down the beach, kicking an empty beer bottle away from the ocean tide.

“And what about you, Willis? I want you to know that I recognize you for exactly what you are. You’re not a former addict. You are an addict, plain and simple.They say that when someone you know is struggling with addiction that it can seem like they turn into a different person right before your eyes. Now I have not known you that long, and I’m not gonna pretend that I have. But I know you. I know your type. And I know you’re all the same.”

“That’s right, Willie. It doesn’t matter if your drug of choice is some unless it is substance or your new addiction, professional wrestling. The fact of the matter is you are addicted to that adrenaline rush. You need that high whether it comes from natural or synthetic means. You are addicted to self destructive behavior.”

“You choose, intentionally choose no less, to engage in self-destructive behaviors. Simply point, you are a masochist. You need to recognize that you are self sabotaging yourself. But I’m sure that you view this as some kind of trade off. You think that there’s some kind of benefit in you coming into my world, standing at my feet, and begging for my attention. There is no winning for you in this situation.”

Davison takes a step away from the water as the incoming tide rolls in.

“But it’s like when you used to shoot up or get drunk on a work night, back in the day when you were working a 9 to 5, and you know you shouldn’t do it. You know.You know that you can’t do your best, yet you choose to do it anyway because you want the immediate payoff. You want instant gratification. That’s almost, let me stress that, almost as stupid as thinking that you can walk in to my world and take anything from me.”

“The thing is, this is nothing more than a counterproductive strategy on your part and I know you don’t recognize that fact. I know that you won’t recognize that fact so well after I whoop your ass. You won’t recognize that fact until well after Kyra whoops your ass. Hell, I’m willing to bet that after you lose this match, JC himself is gonna try to whoop your ass. When you decide that you are going to settle on a counterproductive strategy such as yours, they always backfire when you’re looking for that high. They always backfire when you’re looking for that rush. You are looking to build yourself when all we are gonna do is tear your ass down.”

A look of somberness crosses Davison’s face.

“I understand that your father died. But why would you turn to something that could destroy you from the inside out? Did you think that the people that you love thought you were useless? Did you question if your work would ever be good enough for your father? What sort of daddy issues did you have that you turned a move direction that you did? The reason I ask is because I understand that you had some kind of unresolved issue with your father. It’s usually during early development that we are most influenced by parents, teachers, and other people in positions of authority. Usually we see this kind of behavior in people who are insecure. We see this behavior in people who didn’t have good strong role models. Contrary to popular belief, I am a caring man. I would like you to ask yourself: Why? Why do you do the things you do?”

“I suppose that’s another conversation for another time. If you need to see the light, I can show you the way. JC is not your friend. JC couldn’t give two shits about you. To JC, you are nothing more but the ends to a means. He wants to use you to try to get one over on myself and Kyra. I want you to think about that. You saw what JC was like when he ran this company. What makes you think he would be any different now?”

Davison holds his fist out in front of the camera. Easing his grip and sand slowly begins to fall out.

“It doesn’t matter either way, to be honest. Kyra and I have individually come into our own. Collectively, we are about to do the same. Time slowly ticks away. Eventually, it runs out on all of us. JC’s time is already up. Willis, what you do with your time is your choice, so you need to choose wisely. At Chaos 98, you won’t have much of a choice because we are the Olympus of Carnage Wrestling and we will smite you. Enjoy it while you can, boys, because your time is running out.”

Davison opens up his palm and blows the remaining sand into the lens of the camera before it fades to black.