Destroying the Past

Old North Church
Boston, Massachusetts
Date: Unknown

The Lord
The time has come…he should be fully aware of who he is now

I take a deep breath, releasing it slowly, as I position the bolt cutters around the heavy chain. I squeeze the bolt cutters with all my might and smirk slightly as I am rewarded with the sound of the heavy chain snapping in half

Young Corey
Who else finds it ironic that a man who could be considered a religious zealot is now breaking into churches just to lock up his followers so they go insane?

The Lord snarls at Young Corey

The Lord
We are not a religious zealot anymore. Our eyes are opened and we are able to see the world for the disgusting and corrupt place that it truly is. As for locking VVR in that cell…it had to be done

Young Corey rolls his eyes

Young Corey
I honestly don’t get WHY it had to be done though

The Lord
Because VVR’s true genius needed to be unleashed. We needed to help provide VVR with a chance to become whole and realize his true calling…we are the ones who will help VVR truly set himself free…

I nod my head in agreement as I slowly remove the heavy chain from the door and cast it aside. I then reach out and, after casting a pre-cautionary glance around at the silent alleyway to assure myself that no one was watching, I open the door a crack and slip into the church silently.

Young Corey
Not a bad place

I look around the inside of the Old North Church, noting the moonlight that spilled in through the large stained glass windows. There were scaffoldings and large dust covered pieces of plastic scattered throughout the church, signs of the remodeling that was being done in an attempt to renovate the church in order to make it usable again.

The Lord
Luckily that project has fallen on hard times

I smirk slightly. The renovation of the Old North Church was one of the biggest problems in this city. City Hall didn’t want to pay for it while the Catholic Church bitched and complained that such an elegant church should be renovated…but that the city should be the one to dish out the money for it. Luckily, the fighting between church and state meant that Old North Church was abandoned…and therefore fit my needs perfectly

The Lord
They aren’t our needs…if anything, they are VVR’s needs

Corey Casey
You’re right…this isn’t about us…

Young Corey
Nope…it’s about trapping a man we considered to be our friend in a cell all alone in an abandoned church and forcing him to go insane

I sneer at the annoying younger version of myself briefly before turning and walking down the long central isle. My footfalls are muffled by the thick red velvet carpet that stretched the length of the isle. All around me, pictures of saints seemingly stare down at me, their eyes boring hole right through me as they sense the hostility and hatred in my heart.

As I approach the front of the church, I look up at the large state of Jesus nailed to the cross that stands behind the alter. The moonlight shines brightly behind the statue, spilling through a large round stained glass window. I can’t help but shake my head as I stare up at the statue

The Lord
To think all the sheep that believe in this crap follow him because they believe he died for their sins…imagine if he came back today and saw the dozens of drug users, the endless stream of government corruption, the sins of the flesh that occur every single hour of every single day…

Young Corey
What’s wrong with believing in a power that’s higher than yourself? What’s wrong with believing that there is a rhyme and a reason for everything that occurs in this universe? What’s wrong with believing that, when you die, you are rewarded for your good deeds and punished for your evil ones?

The Lord chuckles softly

The Lord
Look at the human race you ignorant, naïve little bastard…there are very few who fit the “good” criteria model. All around us people are constantly doing whatever they hell they want, regardless of how it effects other people. Every single day, people live in sin, wallowing in their own filth and corruption. You want to know what’s so bad about believing in being rewarded for your good deeds and being punished for your evil deeds? If the system really works like that…then every single person on planet Earth is going to go to Hell when they die…because every single person on this wretched planet has committed at least one sin that is so heinous that they should be damned for all eternity. If the system really works like that…then it won’t matter if you’re a true believer, it won’t matter if you’re a member of the church…hell, it won’t even matter if you can truthfully answer the question of “am I saved?” because, at the end of the day…none of us are saved…

I look at my two counter-parts and nod my head toward the stairwell that I knew led down into the catacombs of the church

Corey Casey
If you two are done arguing about semantics…we kind of have a job to do here

Without waiting for a response from either The Lord or Young Corey, I quickly turn my back on my two counterparts and walk over to the stairwell. I quickly walk down the stone steps, feeling a sense of déjà vu come over me as the light from the torches on the wall flicker as I pass them by

Is this how Brenton Cyrus felt when he came and released me from my cell? Have I actually forced upon VVR the same sadistic and barbaric treatment that was forced upon me? The goal was to unleash VVR’s evil and more powerful and aggressive side…but what if he is not as strong as we were? What if, instead of unleashing his inner strength, we have broken him down into a shivering and pathetic heap?

I can hear The Lord growl softly

The Lord
What is the point of whispering to him in our brain? You know I can hear you

Young Corey laughs softly and shrugs his shoulders

Young Corey
I don’t know…I figured if I whispered to him in his head then maybe he would ACTUALLY LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE!

I quickly descend down the last few steps and find myself standing at the beginning of a dimly lit hallway. I walk down the hallway, resisting the urge to think about Brenton and the parallels between what I was doing to VVR and what had been forced upon me…

The Lord
We are nothing like the arrogant liar known as Cyrus. He told us he was God…that he could erase the past and turn us into an immortal Prophet. He promised us that he would save us, that he would be the one to raise us up to sit at his right hand…he made us believe he would turn us into a Demi-God…and then he snatched it all away

Young Corey
Isn’t that what you essentially promised VVR?

The Lord’s all whit eyes burn with an unholy fire as he stares at Young Corey, his hatred for Young Corey was palpable and I could feel it in the air as if it were real

The Lord
We promised VVR power and glory…nothing more, nothing less. We offered him a chance to become something more than the mediocre wrestler that he was when he joined IWF. And now we shall see if he has embraced our gift or let the darkness and insanity break him in half

Without waiting for a retort from Young Corey, I walk down the rest of the hallway until I come to a large wooden door with two large iron bars set across it. I quickly reach out and lift first one bar and then the other, tossing them to the side like they weighed nothing. I take a deep breath and release it, readying myself for one of two results: either VVR had embraced his other half and was now ready to become my most trusted general…or he had been broken, snapped in half mentally under the weight of his own mind. I slowly open the door, causing a pool of light to spill into the darkness of the cell

Corey Casey
VVR?

I hear a soft and eerie laugh come from the darkness of the cell

???
VVR isn’t here right now…if you’d like to leave a message I’m sure he will return your call

An amused look appears on The Lord’s face

The Lord
I already like this new VVR

Young Corey
This is not going to end well for anyone involved…mark my words…

I draw myself up to my full height and, when I speak, there is an edge of authority in my voice. I knew I didn’t have time to play the confusing and often times dangerous mind games of a man who was speaking with a real person for the first time in two weeks. I needed to know if VVR was ready to be freed or if I needed to end his suffering

Corey Casey
This is Lord Casey…I demand that you get over here now!

I hear the insane laughter come from the corner of the cell once more. Slowly, I see a large figure pull himself up to his feet. The figure slowly walks towards me to reveal VVR. There are large bags under his eyes and his hair is long and matted to his face. His eyes move rapidly in an attempt to take in his surroundings as his pupils dilate in order to adjust to the light

Young Corey
I’d say he’s cracked

The Lord
It’s too early to tell…try and converse with him

I stare into VVR’s eyes, searching his gaze for any sign of a mental break or hints that he had driven himself insane

Corey Casey
Who are you?

The man, once known as Vincent Van Rose, looks at me as a wicked smile spreads across his face

???
Christian

The Lord chuckles softly

The Lord
He sure did pick an awfully ironic name…

I stare Christian in the eyes, narrowing my gaze

Corey Casey
Christian…are you prepared to rejoin me and the rest of your brothers? Are you prepared to help The Chosen take IWF by storm and pave the way for the coming of SIN?

Christian smiles widely as he struggles to move his arms in the straight jacket

Christian
I am prepared Lord Casey…now let me out of here…we have things to do…

The Lord’s eyes burn brightly as a sadistic grin slowly appears on his face

The Lord
He is ready to be unleashed

Young Corey
Wonderful…we’ve created another version of us…

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Hill
Outside of what was once The City of Salvation
June 14th, 2011

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, breathing in the hatred and despair that seemed to hang in the air all around. Despite the fact that the city below lay in ruins, there was still an ominous silence that hung in the air. The birds and animals still didn’t dare to come anywhere near the ruins of the city…never mind fly anywhere near The Hill.

The Lord
We shouldn’t be doing this

I open my eyes and look down at the massive garden of statues lying below. This was the first time I had been back to The Hill since The Lord had returned…and he wasn’t too happy about the reason I was here…

Young Corey
Oh shut up

The Lord
We are trying to erase something that has no business being erased!

I ignore both of my counter-parts. The Lord was scared to take the next step into the future…since he feared that he would lose his influence over me if I followed through with what I had planned. I knew that I needed to purge myself of Salvation…of the past life that I had lived. I knew that I needed to rid myself of Brenton Cyrus and the poison that he injected into my very soul. I needed to destroy the last shreds of Salvation’s hold over me…

I hear the sound of footsteps behind me…but I don’t even bother turning around. Instead, I smirk and call out a greeting

Corey Casey
Good evening Kable

Darren “Kable” Moore slowly walks up and stands beside me. Kable narrows his eyes as he stares down at the ruins of the city below us

Kable
What was this place?

The Lord
If only he know what went on here

Young Corey
He’d probably turn and run screaming away from us…and what good would that do us in the long run?

The Lord turns and looks at Young Corey

The Lord
Are you actually thinking about what is best for The Chosen?

Young Corey shrugs

Young Corey
I’m just saying whatever I think will piss you off the most at the moment

I remain silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to describe just what the City of Salvation once was. Eventually I break the silence

Corey Casey
This place was once a giant sprawling city, a hub for a fanatical religion known as Salvation. Salvation was a religion that believed that Brenton Cyrus was a God on Earth and that he could truly guarantee that the members of Salvation would achieve Heaven both here on Earth and after they died. Brenton gathered a fanatical following around him…a following that, at one time, included me. Brenton misused this following though, deceiving them and lying to them any chance he got. But the followers were too blind to see that their “God” was lying to them until it was too late

Kable
Oh…

I could hear the uncertainty in his voice. I knew that Kable was unsure as to why I had chosen him specifically, out of all the new guys that had recently joined IWF, to join The Chosen. I knew that I needed to reassure him. I turn and look at Kable

Corey Casey
Kable…I know that you are wondering why…why I selected you to join The Chosen? Why, out of all the new guys IWF has signed recently, did I hand pick you?

Kable nods his head

The Lord
We need Kable to be a strong member of The Chosen…he is the future of this movement. Kable will be the one that will become the protégé, the one that we will teach and groom to become te future of IWF and The Chosen…

I think to my self

“I couldn’t agree more”

Corey Casey
Kable, I selected you because I saw the talent that resides within you. I can see that you are clearly the most talented new guy that IWF has ever signed. I chose you because I want to groom you as my own personal protégé…I want you to watch what I do and try to combine it with your own style. You are very good Kable…but by working alongside VVR, Syco-Angel and myself and learning from the three of us…you could become one of the greatest superstars IWF has ever seen

Kable smiles confidently

Kable
I will take every opportunity to learn. I will study you and the others inside the ring and try to follow your lead. I am honored to be working alongside you and the other members of The Chosen

I smile and nod my head. Kable had been goddamn impressive since his debut. Kable had pretty much mowed through the opponents placed before him, with the exception of maybe one or two guys. This kid definitely had a bright future…a future that was made all the more bright through his association with The Chosen. I lean down and pick up a duffel bag

Corey Casey
Your future is bright Kable…and, by aligning with The Chosen, you have no where to go but up. Now…I need you to take this bag and plant explosives on some of the statues you find in this upper part of the hill. VVR is somewhere around here, find him and he will let you know which statues have already been marked for destruction…

I hold the duffel bag out to Kable who extends his hands and takes the bag from me. Kable nods his head once more before turning and walking into the maze of statues. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I see a large figure walk out of the woods and enter the lower graveyard. A small smile appears on my face

The Lord
He is here…

Young Corey laughs softly

Young Corey
I got a question…how are you going to explain to Syco-Angel that you two should work together and trust each other after he sees that the biggest statue down in the Graveyard of the Prophet is a statue of himself crucified and being burned alive?

The Lord
Don’t worry…we have a plan

I feel a small sense of uncertainty welling up inside of me. Syco-Angel played an intricate part of The Chosen. SA and I had a long history, spanning back to the time that I debuted in NLWF. But it wasn’t just the history between the two of us that worried me. I was concerned that the monster that raged within him, known as The Nightmare, would break forth from his bonds and become uncontrollable. I pick up a sledgehammer that lay at my feet and turn away from the upper part of the hill. I quickly walk down the stone path that I knew would lead me to the Graveyard of the Prophet.

The Lord
We must be very careful and choose our words carefully…

Young Corey
Either that or we can just give him the sledgehammer and tell him to take a free shot at us…either or works!

The Lord sneers at Young Corey

The Lord
How the hell would that benefit us? If Syco-Angel drilled us in the head with the sledgehammer we’d be dead!

Young Corey snickers

Young Corey
Then at least you wouldn’t be in control…

I swing the sledgehammer over my shoulder and walk through the large black marble archway and into the Graveyard of the Prophet. I navigate my way through the numerous statues, ignoring the screaming and pain-filled faces of Keith Cunningham, Dylan Evans and Havoc. Eventually I come to the center of the garden and I see the massive form of Syco-Angel staring up at the statue in front of him. The very same statue that depicted himself being crucified and burned alive…a gift Brenton Cyrus had given me after I crucified my very first victim…which was Syco-Angel…

Corey Casey
Glad to see you could make it SA

Syco-Angel doesn’t even bother turning around to acknowledge me. His gaze is riveted on the statue in front of him. I slowly walk up and stand beside Syco-Angel, choosing my next words carefully

Corey Casey
That was a long time ago…

When Syco-Angel speaks, his voice is gruff and deep, filled with a sense of pain that seems to come from something long ago…

Syco-Angel
Not long enough

Young Corey
THE PLAN HAS FAILED! IT’S A TRAP! ATTACK!

Young Corey begins laughing hysterically at his own over-used Star Wars reference. The Lord walks over to Young Corey and slaps him in the back of the head

The Lord
Shut the fuck up!

I look down at the sledgehammer in my hands. I knew that I needed to make amends for the past while still guaranteeing that Syco-Angel would remain a faithful member of The Chosen

Corey Casey
Syco-Angel…I’m glad you decided to accept my offer to join The Chosen. You are an unstoppable force and a long time veteran in this industry. You have gone to war with some of the greatest legends in this industry and come out on top each and every time. You have been a mainstay in professional wrestling for as long as I can remember. I knew that, when I was forming The Chosen, I needed someone that could act as The Chosen’s most destructive weapon. I knew that I needed someone whom I could count on to go down to the ring each and every night and decimate his opponent so badly that he would strike fear into his opponent’s heart. I have stood across the ring from you many a time Syco-Angel…we have participated in some of the bloodiest and most violent wars in NLWF history…

I slowly hold the sledgehammer out to Syco-Angel. Syco-Angel turns and looks down at the sledgehammer before turning his gaze to me.

Syco-Angel
What am I supposed to do with this?

Corey Casey
SA…the reason why The Chosen is here, on this hill, so close to the ruins of that desolate City of Salvation…is because I want to blow every single statue on this fucking hill straight to hell. I want to wipe the slate clean for the old NLWF guys like you and I, and help the newer guys like VVR and Kable see that what was happened in the past is just that…the past. I want to send a statement to any old follower of Salvation that might return here …Salvation is dead, now and forever.

Syco-Angel looks down at the sledgehammer once more as a sick smile appears on his face. He reaches out and takes the sledgehammer from me. Syco-Angel holds the sledgehammer in his hands, staring at it for a moment

Young Corey
Jeez…that sledgehammer looks like a goddamn toothpick in SA’s hands!

I resist the urge to chuckle aloud. Instead, I think to myself

“The guy is 9 feet tall and weighs close to 800 pounds…anything is going to look small in comparison to Syco-Angel…”

The Lord
Which is the exact reason why we need him on board…

Syco-Angel suddenly lets out an ear splitting roar. He snaps the sledgehammer in half and then cocks his fists back. Syco-Angel leaps forward and begins delivering crushing punches to the statue in front of him. The force of Syco-Angel’s punches begin to cause pieces of black marble to fly everywhere as Syco-Angel dismantles the statue bit by bit with his bare hands. The Lord chuckles softly as Young Corey looks on in shock

The Lord
Well…that’s one way to destroy a statue…

I take a few steps back as a smirk appears on my face, Syco-Angel continues roaring and delivering crushing punches until the statue is nothing but a pile of rubble on the ground. I wait for Syco-Angel to take a few deep breaths and calm himself down before I approach him

Corey Casey
Welcome to The Chosen

Syco-Angel stands up and dusts himself off. Syco-Angel says nothing, instead he extends his hand out to me. I reach out and shake his hand, ignoring the fact that his hand was almost twice the size of mine and easily engulfed my hand.

The Lord
Excellent…The Chosen is united and prepared to pave the way for the coming of SIN…

VVR
Lord Casey!

I turn and see VVR and Kable slowly approaching Syco-Angel and myself. Both men had their empty duffel bags slung over their shoulders. There is a sense of panic and uncertainty in The Lord's voice when he speaks

The Lord
Are we sure we have to do this?

Young Corey
Yup! This is going to be the highlight of my day! No wait…probably my entire week!

Syco-Angel and I release each other’s hands as VVR and Kable approach us. There were no words spoken between the two of us, mostly because there didn’t need to be any words spoken. As two old vets who had known each other for a long time, both of us knew that we had just sealed a deal…an alliance that would bring the Chosen to the next level and make us the most unstoppable and powerful force in all of IWF.

Kable
We finished planting all the explosives in both graveyards Lord Casey

I smile wickedly as I nod my head slightly

Corey Casey
Well then…I guess it’s time for the show…

I reach into the inner breast pocket of my leather jacket and pull out a small black remote control. The remote control had three buttons on it as well as a small numerical pad. The members of The Chosen smirk slightly when they see the remote control, knowing full well what the next step would be…

Without saying a word, the members of The Chosen turn and walk out of the Graveyard of the Prophet. We begin walking down the stone path and through the forest that would lead us to the bottom of The Hill. The Lord suddenly begins speaking frantically. I can hear the edge of panic and desperation in his voice as I look down at the small black remote

The Lord
Come on!!! We could still use this place as somewhere to go to meditate and think! We could use the statues as a reminder of where we have come from and where we are going! We could…

I don’t wait to hear the rest of The Lord’s pathetic reasons. I quickly thumb the “detonate” button. Suddenly, a massive explosion erupts, causing the entire hill to vibrate as the ear splitting sound of C-4 blowing up dozens of marble statues rips through the otherwise silent valley. I chuckle softly as I take one last look at the top of The Hill

Corey Casey
The Lord has become stronger than the self-proclaimed God
So it is written…
…So it shall come to pass…
…Quoth The Lord…
Live in sin…