Post by Krähe on Sept 19, 2019 23:36:59 GMT -5
A camera flicks on to reveal the inner sanctuary of the First Self Righteous Church on Sunday September 15th 2019. Technically Sunday with five minutes till 12am.
The sanctuary was empty as one would expect, or it would be if not for the two men sitting on the ledge of the baptismal.
One was very familiar with the current setting, Richard was the church's music pastor. He found himself standing on the platform every Wednesday and Sunday, but in all his year's of service he'd never found himself tied and gagged on stage.
The other man was in the last place anyone would expect to find him.
Zachariah Krähe looked around the church and it's empty pews with all the curiosity of a young boy in a new place. It could've been considered the most innocent expressions the camera had ever seen on his face. If not for the tied up pastor beside him of course.
"You know." Krähe said with a hint of surprise in his voice. "This place isn't so bad really, cozier than I expected it to be."
He cut the pastor a conspirator's grin, and raised brows.
"I guess you have to keep your flock comfortable when fleecing them." Krähe's grin remained firmly in place, completely at odds with his sudden mocking tone of disdain.
Richard never realized how loud the clock on the wall was until this moment, while he stared into the amused grey eyes of what must be a psychopath.
"You know." Krähe continued conversationally, as he pulled out a silver flask from his jacket.
"I have a knee jerk hatred when it comes to most organized religious leaders. " He slowly unscrewed the flask with a nonchalant shrug, while sharing this personal snippet. Almost as though they were having this discussion over coffee.
"I'd say don't take it personally, but honestly you should, because my loathing for your particular flavor of religious douchebaggery is in a whole nother tier from the regular religious asshole." He smiled slightly at his own words. "Which truly makes this heart to heart so ironic…" His rough chuckle seemed to reverberate through the empty church, and it wasn't a pleasant sound.
Richard actually felt the tug of his own eyeballs, as they desperately jerked in their sockets, searching for anything that could give him hope. Finally they latched onto the camera as if it were a life line.
His sudden focus finally made him notice the sound of his own heart pounding. It would have drowned out his captives words if Richard wasn't so terrified of being caught unaware.
"You know I almost didn't take this job. It's really not my main thing anymore, well it was again kinda for a little bit, but everything's changing again...Eh, I'm getting ahead of myself. The point being is I was ready to pass this up, but then it hit me."
One of Krähe's scarred hands gestured vaguely from his head outwards, as though pantomiming an explosion.
"This job is exactly what I need to get my head straight. You hear people talk all the time about the benefits of-" He paused here to make air quotations. "Unburdening their souls, and honestly I'm not mocking it much. I can see the value other's find in sharing their demons with someone they THINK won't judge them."
He took a swig from his flask, grey eyes still trained on Pastor Richard. A knowing smile twisting his lips when done.
"You and I know that's bullshit though. Most of the time anything revealed is ultimately used to manipulate, and stroke the judging ego of the one listening. Still, I can't deny that the idea does have merit...That's where you come Dicky."
Krähe trailed off taking note of Richards sudden tunnel vision.
"What are you-" Grey eyes tracked Richard's gaze to the camera, and he laughs as though it were some great joke. "Oooh, don't worry about the camera Dicky. You would be shocked at what people consider entertainment nowadays. Then again you are a bit of a cum stain, so maybe not. Don't be offended though, all you shityness makes you just the man I need."
Richard's eyes jerked back to focus on Krähe, a nauseous feeling churned in his stomach. Krähe just continued to grin.
"What better pastor to unburden my soul to than the one whose dirty laundry stinks even more than mine? Now you might not realize it but this leaves you with a rare choice. You can sit here and be a good little rotten pastor...or-"
Krähe paused, before pulling out a file folder.
"We can go down to the police station with this nice fat folder full of things they would love to know about Pastor Richard...Aka Dicky."
He waggled his brows, and flipped open the folder with a teasing grin.
"Let's see, we have documents of embezzlement, pictures of you with prostitutes, buying illegal substances...Do I really need to continue Dicky? Would you like to go to the police?"
Richard's eyes were wide, as he shook his head in furious denial.
"That's the spirit. Now? I'm gonna take this gag off, and we're going to have a talk, and by that I mean I'll talk, you'll listen. When I'm done you will give me all the information I need. Understand?"
Richard's head bobbed up and down in agreement.
"Good, now let's get this gag off you. You know I think of this agreement as being the result of a brilliant realization, but you can think of it as a divine revelation if you like. I respect others' rights to their religious beliefs."
Richard whimpered slightly as the duct tape holding the ball of material in his mouth was yanked off, and sat there for a moments gasping in air, while frantically trying to figure out if he was supposed to respond. Well fuck it.
"Fair enough-" Richard gasped out before his breathing finally started to regulate. "Please continue."
Krähe accepted the answer magnanimously, and let the folder flop to the ground in favor of cradling his flask once more. Long fingers tapped against the metal, while he tried to figure out where to begin, until finally the memory came back to him.
"I can't go back to yesterday, I was a different person then."
Richard tilted his head in confusion at the quote.
"Isn't that from Alice in Wonderland? Book not movie."
Krähe chuckled, and continued with a nod.
"Yeah, a friend once said that to me years ago. Who would guess a handful of words in a classic kid's book would be so true? I didn't. Thinking about it now it feels like a lifetime ago."
His fingers started to fiddle with the cap of the flask, while he sifted through memories. A nostalgic look briefly softened his hard features.
"I laughed it off at the time, not seeing the significance. I knew better than to dismiss my friend even back then, but I was still young and dumb enough to do just that."
He shrugged and took another drink.
"Then again, there are some things you don't understand until you experience it for yourself. I learned the true meaning of those words fast and hard. Life sucked down the man that dismissed a simple quote into its undertow, chewing him up to sinew and bone. When all was said and done I was little more than the emotional husk of the man I once was."
He slid his gaze over to Richard, who was surprised to find himself a rather captive audience.
"I knew then I could never be who I was, couldn't even see that version of me clearly anymore. I didn't have anything left in me to try, so I faced forward and kept going. My life had turning into a string of going from one job to the next, never staying in one place, never forming any attachments, and always careful never to care too much."
Krähe's smile turned sharp, eyes lit with a dark amusement.
"And then there she was like a White Rabbit sent to yank me down the Rabbit Hole again. Munin made me an irresistible job offer, and Valor Pro got a new name on it's roster. Of Course I didn't read the fine print. A stupid oversight when making deals with the devil, but honestly it was the best mistake I ever made."
Krähe shook his head at his own foolishness, but deep down he could admit to himself that he knew what he was getting into. He'd simply been too tired to care.
"Suddenly I had to interact with the same people week in and week out. There was no: roll in, do my job, have fun, fuck shit up, and leave. Before I knew it I was getting tangled up in my own web, and I was changing because of it. If I'd noticed I probabl-" He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Nope there is no probably about it. I would have left immediately without a second glance, but by the time I noticed it was too late."
Krähe's words cranked through Richard's brain like rusted gears running oil for the first time in years. He was shocked to realize that on some level he could relate, and that perhaps he himself had been running for a long time.
His troubled eyes watched the stranger took another drink from his flask, while gathered his thoughts. The action gave Richard the impression that he didn't normally speak so openly about such things.
Finally with a determined sigh Krähe continued.
"I couldn't run anymore." The words somehow seemed louder than they actually were in the silence of the church. "And because I couldn't run I was finally forced I to face the truth."
Grey eyes slid over to catch Richard's troubled gaze.
"I'd been running from myself the whole time...just not the parts that most people run from. Terrifyingly, the man that lived life as a traveler passing through the lives of others didn't want to leave. I'd changed once more, yanked back into the world of the living kicking and screaming. My heart felt like it was shoved back into my chest, and Dorothy we weren't in Kansas anymore."
Krähe's eyes shined with something close to awe, and his smile reflecting the warmth of someone who finally felt like they belonged. Slowly though that all drained away. What was left was something raw, cold, and angry.
"Then someone pushed my devilish rabbit from the roof, and suddenly it was my turn to gather up the broken pieces."
His voice grew rough, while the hand holding his flask white knuckled.
"I left, not that there was much choice. I didn't see how I could stay, and I didn't really know how to leave as the new me...So I fell back on what I knew without any real concept of how it would affect those I left behind."
Krähe's tension left him on a sigh, as he deftly screwed the cap back onto the flask, and tucked it away.
"I never expected to be remembered. It never occured to me that people would care, or note my absence. I hadn't been a part of anyone's life for years, and I absolutely was not used to considering anyone to be a part of mine...but then they were."
His eyes darted back over to his silent tied up companion. He searched Richard's eyes for any sort of understanding, and surprisingly he found it, which gave him an odd sort of courage to continue.
"It was terrifying, and ridiculous that a man who was basically an expert at leaving hadn't a clue how to come back. I was at a loss for the first time in a long time, so decided it was time to tie up a few loose ends, while figuring it out. For a moment I nearly deluded myself into thinking I could go back to the way things were, but you can't go back to yesterday though..."
Krähe's somber looked thawed a bit around the edges to allow some amusement.
"Especially when you have a White Rabbit."
He seemed about to say more, but thought better of it. His lips instead twisting into a cheshire grin, as he let himself drop back to his feet.
"Now I'm back, and my first match is like something out of the Twilight Zone."
Richard sat blinked in a sort of dazed confusion. Surprised really, that he didn't have mental whiplash from the sudden shift in the story. The man had obviously left out a large gap in his story, but he wasn't about to question it. He wasn't in a position to, and if anyone thought otherwise, well fuck them.
Hello, my name is Richard. I'm a coward, and currently tied up in a church with a psychopath.
The Twilight Zone comment interrupted Richard's mental commentary however, and after a moment of silence he realized his captor was looking at him expectantly.
"Uh-" Richard cleared his rather dry throat, and licked his lips."Twilight Zone?"
Krähe grinned at him like a proud PaPa, before moving forward full steam ahead. Leaving Richard to be dragged behind while silently giving more genuine prayers of thanks than he had in a decade.
"Yes, picture it Dicky. You're at show finishing up some paperwork for your come back. You've heard things about this new guy in the company. Everyone seems to think he's a dead ringer for you, but you didn't think much of it. Then you see it, or I should say him."
Krähe spread his hand out as though gesturing to a screen.
"A guy that looks just like you on his way to an interview with...well someone you have a history with. What else do you do but follow right?"
Krãhe looked back over at Richard who caught the look, and started nodding with enthusiastic agreement.
Richard is obviously getting really good at catching his cues by now.
"So I follow and find myself a little place to watch in the shadows. Truly, I had no intention of doing anything more. Then there she was charging down the ramp. I-"
He cut himself off, turning away from both Richard and the camera for a moment, before turning back.
"I couldn't stop myself, before I knew it, I was finding myself a front row seat on the stage. The scene was so familiar it was eerie. Like watching myself from a distance in person."
He trailed off with a huff that was almost a laugh.
"Dicky, I don't know if I believe in out of body experiences, but I'm pretty damn sure that I now know what it feels like. Only I knew that wasn't me, and the longer I watched it was all the more obvious. It was the most weirdly entertaining shit I've ever seen in years. Apparently whoever is doing booking now agrees, because Novack is exactly who I'm facing next show."
Richard's eyes naturally widened at this, no cue required, which was exactly the reaction Krähe was looking.
"Yeeeah, but you know what? The more I see if this guy the less it gets me. I mean-"
He cuts himself off, and abruptly turns to the camera.
"Better yet, I think it's past time for this...Novack, I honestly have no issue with you. In fact if anything I feel for you as much as I'm capable of feeling, which admittedly isn't much. Still, it's something."
He shrugged his shoulders with a cheeky grin.
"I mean, you likely came into Valor pro expecting to start off with your own clean slate. Instead you find yourself pigeon holed with my name, yanked into the strings of things I left behind, and constantly compared to a man that you never knew existed."
Krähe shoved his hands into his pocket, and rocked back on his heels.
"It sucks no matter how you look at it, and to make matters worse we're really almost nothing alike."
He scoffed slightly at even the thought of it.
"If anything you've far more in common with Cross Recoba than me…"
He trailed off, his attention taking a sudden temporary shift."
"Speaking of Cross."
The smile he gave the camera at just the thought of "The Fox" was a grin sharp enough to cut.
"Hey asshole, did you miss me?" He paused here, as though giving Cross time to respond to his mockingly cheerful greeting.
"Yeah, I didn't think so. Heads up though, you still owe me about fifteen thousand dollars. Don't worry about bringing it to me Buddy. My associate will be more than happy to pay you a visit sooner or later."
With a smart ass wink he shifted his focus back on track and continued from where he left off.
Poor Richard's head was starting to ache from all the holes, twists, turns, and dead ends this man verbally made.
"Anyways Novack, the bottom line is I have no issue with you. That being said I also have no intention of letting you leave this match victorious."
He cocked his head to the side slightly as he spoke, eyes subtly flicked over Richard, before returning to the camera. He had to make sure the man hadn't had any stupid ideas.
"Watching you relive a moment from my past once was novel, but it won't be happening again. I'll be moving onto compete for the Unyielding Championship just as I did last year."
He gave up any pretense of being good natured or laid back, until there was nothing left, but cold grey eyes and a sharp smile.
"You came into Valor Pro, and got tangled up in my strings. Now it's time to cut you lose..."
His broad shoulders gave a gaelic, before he turned his attention from the camera once more. This time it was clearly a dismissal of the man he would soon be face.
Suddenly, Richard found himself once more the soul focus of his captor, and his stomach churned at the return of that cold look in the man's eyes.
"Well Dicky, this has been a very helpful session overall. I myself would definitely put it down as a win, but you know we're well into Monday, and you know what that means.."
He trailed off with an expectant look thrown Richard's way. This time Richard was at a loss for words, which earned him a disappointed look and exasperated sigh.
"The work week Dicky, Monday is the beginning of the work week, and I still have a job to do."
He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a fat straw. The sight of said straw immediately caused Richard to squeak, without even knowing what it's for.
Krähe to look at the man with disapproval, before chastising him.
"Hey man, be cool. Just listen and don't speak. If we do this right you'll walk...at some point."
He quickly abandoned that line of reasoning when Richard started to hyperventilate, his mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Undaunted by his failure Krähe tried again.
"Listen, you aren't going to die, but you will help clean up the mess you made. Which includes helping me transfer the money you embezzled back to where it belongs. If you cooperate your life won't completely go down the shitter."
Richard slowly nodded his head with a shaky breath. He didn't really have a choice, and he knew it. The realization did nothing to help the sweat that poured down his back and forehead.
"Ok." He said. "Ok, I'll t-tell you anything you want."
Krähe gave the man an almost gentle smile at his words.
"Well Dicky I really appreciate that, and I really want to believe you, but..I have to be sure. There's a process to this you understand, I have to put the fear of God in you."
Krähe chuckled at his own joke, not caring that his current audience didn't find it funny.
"If it helps, think of this as a crazy trust exercise."
With that final bit of unhelpful advice Krähe moved in for the kill. The fat straw was shoved into Richard's mouth, before he could react, and then he found himself drowning in the baptismal.
"Breathe through your mouth not your nose you idiot."
The words were distant and watery, barely heard over the thundering of his heart.
Richard's dunk into the baptismal only lasted for a moment, before Krähe yanked him up, and pulled out the straw simultaneously. Richard wasn't allowed much time to gag and suck in air. In fact he was only given a few minutes, while Krähe's irritated voice penetrated his brain loudly after being submerged.
"Fucking amatures." The lunatic bit out, before continuing gruffly. "That was your only practice run. Now breathe through your mouth not your nose, or this'll last a lot longer than you want."
It already has! Richard desperately thought, before he was shoved under again.
The camera fades to black, and Johnny Cash's rough voice was grated out the chorus of "God's Gonna Cut you Down".
"You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down"
The camera came back to life with the dawn.
Pale tendrils of light snaking its way through the nearly empty parking lot. A young woman stumbled past the classic black Chevy wearing one shoe. She never looked up, intent on putting one foot in front of the other for her walk of shame.
Two men watched her, while leaning against the car. One soaking wet and shivering, the other calm and dry.
Johnny Cash continued to sing over the radio, as they watched her.
Richard took a deep breath more grateful for the feel of it filling his lungs than he ever been. In the light of day he almost wanted to believe what happened in the dark morning hours was only a dream, but he knew better.
This was possibly one of the most surreal moments of his life, where his previous captor/tormentor passed him a freshly lit self rolled cigarette, before lighting up his own.
He blinked at the offer for a moment, before accepting it numbly.
"What now…" He asked hesitantly, not quite brave enough to look at the man beside him.
Krähe's exhaled his first draw of smoke the tendrils coiled around them highlighted by the sunlight.
"Well." He said after a moment, one corner of his mouth curled into a small enigmatic smile. "I don't know what you're gonna do, but I do know one thing Dicky."
He turned his head slightly to look at the dripping man beside him. That small smile spreading into a grin.
"You can't go back to yesterday."
youtu.be/eJlN9jdQFSc
The sanctuary was empty as one would expect, or it would be if not for the two men sitting on the ledge of the baptismal.
One was very familiar with the current setting, Richard was the church's music pastor. He found himself standing on the platform every Wednesday and Sunday, but in all his year's of service he'd never found himself tied and gagged on stage.
The other man was in the last place anyone would expect to find him.
Zachariah Krähe looked around the church and it's empty pews with all the curiosity of a young boy in a new place. It could've been considered the most innocent expressions the camera had ever seen on his face. If not for the tied up pastor beside him of course.
"You know." Krähe said with a hint of surprise in his voice. "This place isn't so bad really, cozier than I expected it to be."
He cut the pastor a conspirator's grin, and raised brows.
"I guess you have to keep your flock comfortable when fleecing them." Krähe's grin remained firmly in place, completely at odds with his sudden mocking tone of disdain.
Richard never realized how loud the clock on the wall was until this moment, while he stared into the amused grey eyes of what must be a psychopath.
"You know." Krähe continued conversationally, as he pulled out a silver flask from his jacket.
"I have a knee jerk hatred when it comes to most organized religious leaders. " He slowly unscrewed the flask with a nonchalant shrug, while sharing this personal snippet. Almost as though they were having this discussion over coffee.
"I'd say don't take it personally, but honestly you should, because my loathing for your particular flavor of religious douchebaggery is in a whole nother tier from the regular religious asshole." He smiled slightly at his own words. "Which truly makes this heart to heart so ironic…" His rough chuckle seemed to reverberate through the empty church, and it wasn't a pleasant sound.
Richard actually felt the tug of his own eyeballs, as they desperately jerked in their sockets, searching for anything that could give him hope. Finally they latched onto the camera as if it were a life line.
His sudden focus finally made him notice the sound of his own heart pounding. It would have drowned out his captives words if Richard wasn't so terrified of being caught unaware.
"You know I almost didn't take this job. It's really not my main thing anymore, well it was again kinda for a little bit, but everything's changing again...Eh, I'm getting ahead of myself. The point being is I was ready to pass this up, but then it hit me."
One of Krähe's scarred hands gestured vaguely from his head outwards, as though pantomiming an explosion.
"This job is exactly what I need to get my head straight. You hear people talk all the time about the benefits of-" He paused here to make air quotations. "Unburdening their souls, and honestly I'm not mocking it much. I can see the value other's find in sharing their demons with someone they THINK won't judge them."
He took a swig from his flask, grey eyes still trained on Pastor Richard. A knowing smile twisting his lips when done.
"You and I know that's bullshit though. Most of the time anything revealed is ultimately used to manipulate, and stroke the judging ego of the one listening. Still, I can't deny that the idea does have merit...That's where you come Dicky."
Krähe trailed off taking note of Richards sudden tunnel vision.
"What are you-" Grey eyes tracked Richard's gaze to the camera, and he laughs as though it were some great joke. "Oooh, don't worry about the camera Dicky. You would be shocked at what people consider entertainment nowadays. Then again you are a bit of a cum stain, so maybe not. Don't be offended though, all you shityness makes you just the man I need."
Richard's eyes jerked back to focus on Krähe, a nauseous feeling churned in his stomach. Krähe just continued to grin.
"What better pastor to unburden my soul to than the one whose dirty laundry stinks even more than mine? Now you might not realize it but this leaves you with a rare choice. You can sit here and be a good little rotten pastor...or-"
Krähe paused, before pulling out a file folder.
"We can go down to the police station with this nice fat folder full of things they would love to know about Pastor Richard...Aka Dicky."
He waggled his brows, and flipped open the folder with a teasing grin.
"Let's see, we have documents of embezzlement, pictures of you with prostitutes, buying illegal substances...Do I really need to continue Dicky? Would you like to go to the police?"
Richard's eyes were wide, as he shook his head in furious denial.
"That's the spirit. Now? I'm gonna take this gag off, and we're going to have a talk, and by that I mean I'll talk, you'll listen. When I'm done you will give me all the information I need. Understand?"
Richard's head bobbed up and down in agreement.
"Good, now let's get this gag off you. You know I think of this agreement as being the result of a brilliant realization, but you can think of it as a divine revelation if you like. I respect others' rights to their religious beliefs."
Richard whimpered slightly as the duct tape holding the ball of material in his mouth was yanked off, and sat there for a moments gasping in air, while frantically trying to figure out if he was supposed to respond. Well fuck it.
"Fair enough-" Richard gasped out before his breathing finally started to regulate. "Please continue."
Krähe accepted the answer magnanimously, and let the folder flop to the ground in favor of cradling his flask once more. Long fingers tapped against the metal, while he tried to figure out where to begin, until finally the memory came back to him.
"I can't go back to yesterday, I was a different person then."
Richard tilted his head in confusion at the quote.
"Isn't that from Alice in Wonderland? Book not movie."
Krähe chuckled, and continued with a nod.
"Yeah, a friend once said that to me years ago. Who would guess a handful of words in a classic kid's book would be so true? I didn't. Thinking about it now it feels like a lifetime ago."
His fingers started to fiddle with the cap of the flask, while he sifted through memories. A nostalgic look briefly softened his hard features.
"I laughed it off at the time, not seeing the significance. I knew better than to dismiss my friend even back then, but I was still young and dumb enough to do just that."
He shrugged and took another drink.
"Then again, there are some things you don't understand until you experience it for yourself. I learned the true meaning of those words fast and hard. Life sucked down the man that dismissed a simple quote into its undertow, chewing him up to sinew and bone. When all was said and done I was little more than the emotional husk of the man I once was."
He slid his gaze over to Richard, who was surprised to find himself a rather captive audience.
"I knew then I could never be who I was, couldn't even see that version of me clearly anymore. I didn't have anything left in me to try, so I faced forward and kept going. My life had turning into a string of going from one job to the next, never staying in one place, never forming any attachments, and always careful never to care too much."
Krähe's smile turned sharp, eyes lit with a dark amusement.
"And then there she was like a White Rabbit sent to yank me down the Rabbit Hole again. Munin made me an irresistible job offer, and Valor Pro got a new name on it's roster. Of Course I didn't read the fine print. A stupid oversight when making deals with the devil, but honestly it was the best mistake I ever made."
Krähe shook his head at his own foolishness, but deep down he could admit to himself that he knew what he was getting into. He'd simply been too tired to care.
"Suddenly I had to interact with the same people week in and week out. There was no: roll in, do my job, have fun, fuck shit up, and leave. Before I knew it I was getting tangled up in my own web, and I was changing because of it. If I'd noticed I probabl-" He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "Nope there is no probably about it. I would have left immediately without a second glance, but by the time I noticed it was too late."
Krähe's words cranked through Richard's brain like rusted gears running oil for the first time in years. He was shocked to realize that on some level he could relate, and that perhaps he himself had been running for a long time.
His troubled eyes watched the stranger took another drink from his flask, while gathered his thoughts. The action gave Richard the impression that he didn't normally speak so openly about such things.
Finally with a determined sigh Krähe continued.
"I couldn't run anymore." The words somehow seemed louder than they actually were in the silence of the church. "And because I couldn't run I was finally forced I to face the truth."
Grey eyes slid over to catch Richard's troubled gaze.
"I'd been running from myself the whole time...just not the parts that most people run from. Terrifyingly, the man that lived life as a traveler passing through the lives of others didn't want to leave. I'd changed once more, yanked back into the world of the living kicking and screaming. My heart felt like it was shoved back into my chest, and Dorothy we weren't in Kansas anymore."
Krähe's eyes shined with something close to awe, and his smile reflecting the warmth of someone who finally felt like they belonged. Slowly though that all drained away. What was left was something raw, cold, and angry.
"Then someone pushed my devilish rabbit from the roof, and suddenly it was my turn to gather up the broken pieces."
His voice grew rough, while the hand holding his flask white knuckled.
"I left, not that there was much choice. I didn't see how I could stay, and I didn't really know how to leave as the new me...So I fell back on what I knew without any real concept of how it would affect those I left behind."
Krähe's tension left him on a sigh, as he deftly screwed the cap back onto the flask, and tucked it away.
"I never expected to be remembered. It never occured to me that people would care, or note my absence. I hadn't been a part of anyone's life for years, and I absolutely was not used to considering anyone to be a part of mine...but then they were."
His eyes darted back over to his silent tied up companion. He searched Richard's eyes for any sort of understanding, and surprisingly he found it, which gave him an odd sort of courage to continue.
"It was terrifying, and ridiculous that a man who was basically an expert at leaving hadn't a clue how to come back. I was at a loss for the first time in a long time, so decided it was time to tie up a few loose ends, while figuring it out. For a moment I nearly deluded myself into thinking I could go back to the way things were, but you can't go back to yesterday though..."
Krähe's somber looked thawed a bit around the edges to allow some amusement.
"Especially when you have a White Rabbit."
He seemed about to say more, but thought better of it. His lips instead twisting into a cheshire grin, as he let himself drop back to his feet.
"Now I'm back, and my first match is like something out of the Twilight Zone."
Richard sat blinked in a sort of dazed confusion. Surprised really, that he didn't have mental whiplash from the sudden shift in the story. The man had obviously left out a large gap in his story, but he wasn't about to question it. He wasn't in a position to, and if anyone thought otherwise, well fuck them.
Hello, my name is Richard. I'm a coward, and currently tied up in a church with a psychopath.
The Twilight Zone comment interrupted Richard's mental commentary however, and after a moment of silence he realized his captor was looking at him expectantly.
"Uh-" Richard cleared his rather dry throat, and licked his lips."Twilight Zone?"
Krähe grinned at him like a proud PaPa, before moving forward full steam ahead. Leaving Richard to be dragged behind while silently giving more genuine prayers of thanks than he had in a decade.
"Yes, picture it Dicky. You're at show finishing up some paperwork for your come back. You've heard things about this new guy in the company. Everyone seems to think he's a dead ringer for you, but you didn't think much of it. Then you see it, or I should say him."
Krähe spread his hand out as though gesturing to a screen.
"A guy that looks just like you on his way to an interview with...well someone you have a history with. What else do you do but follow right?"
Krãhe looked back over at Richard who caught the look, and started nodding with enthusiastic agreement.
Richard is obviously getting really good at catching his cues by now.
"So I follow and find myself a little place to watch in the shadows. Truly, I had no intention of doing anything more. Then there she was charging down the ramp. I-"
He cut himself off, turning away from both Richard and the camera for a moment, before turning back.
"I couldn't stop myself, before I knew it, I was finding myself a front row seat on the stage. The scene was so familiar it was eerie. Like watching myself from a distance in person."
He trailed off with a huff that was almost a laugh.
"Dicky, I don't know if I believe in out of body experiences, but I'm pretty damn sure that I now know what it feels like. Only I knew that wasn't me, and the longer I watched it was all the more obvious. It was the most weirdly entertaining shit I've ever seen in years. Apparently whoever is doing booking now agrees, because Novack is exactly who I'm facing next show."
Richard's eyes naturally widened at this, no cue required, which was exactly the reaction Krähe was looking.
"Yeeeah, but you know what? The more I see if this guy the less it gets me. I mean-"
He cuts himself off, and abruptly turns to the camera.
"Better yet, I think it's past time for this...Novack, I honestly have no issue with you. In fact if anything I feel for you as much as I'm capable of feeling, which admittedly isn't much. Still, it's something."
He shrugged his shoulders with a cheeky grin.
"I mean, you likely came into Valor pro expecting to start off with your own clean slate. Instead you find yourself pigeon holed with my name, yanked into the strings of things I left behind, and constantly compared to a man that you never knew existed."
Krähe shoved his hands into his pocket, and rocked back on his heels.
"It sucks no matter how you look at it, and to make matters worse we're really almost nothing alike."
He scoffed slightly at even the thought of it.
"If anything you've far more in common with Cross Recoba than me…"
He trailed off, his attention taking a sudden temporary shift."
"Speaking of Cross."
The smile he gave the camera at just the thought of "The Fox" was a grin sharp enough to cut.
"Hey asshole, did you miss me?" He paused here, as though giving Cross time to respond to his mockingly cheerful greeting.
"Yeah, I didn't think so. Heads up though, you still owe me about fifteen thousand dollars. Don't worry about bringing it to me Buddy. My associate will be more than happy to pay you a visit sooner or later."
With a smart ass wink he shifted his focus back on track and continued from where he left off.
Poor Richard's head was starting to ache from all the holes, twists, turns, and dead ends this man verbally made.
"Anyways Novack, the bottom line is I have no issue with you. That being said I also have no intention of letting you leave this match victorious."
He cocked his head to the side slightly as he spoke, eyes subtly flicked over Richard, before returning to the camera. He had to make sure the man hadn't had any stupid ideas.
"Watching you relive a moment from my past once was novel, but it won't be happening again. I'll be moving onto compete for the Unyielding Championship just as I did last year."
He gave up any pretense of being good natured or laid back, until there was nothing left, but cold grey eyes and a sharp smile.
"You came into Valor Pro, and got tangled up in my strings. Now it's time to cut you lose..."
His broad shoulders gave a gaelic, before he turned his attention from the camera once more. This time it was clearly a dismissal of the man he would soon be face.
Suddenly, Richard found himself once more the soul focus of his captor, and his stomach churned at the return of that cold look in the man's eyes.
"Well Dicky, this has been a very helpful session overall. I myself would definitely put it down as a win, but you know we're well into Monday, and you know what that means.."
He trailed off with an expectant look thrown Richard's way. This time Richard was at a loss for words, which earned him a disappointed look and exasperated sigh.
"The work week Dicky, Monday is the beginning of the work week, and I still have a job to do."
He reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out a fat straw. The sight of said straw immediately caused Richard to squeak, without even knowing what it's for.
Krähe to look at the man with disapproval, before chastising him.
"Hey man, be cool. Just listen and don't speak. If we do this right you'll walk...at some point."
He quickly abandoned that line of reasoning when Richard started to hyperventilate, his mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water.
Undaunted by his failure Krähe tried again.
"Listen, you aren't going to die, but you will help clean up the mess you made. Which includes helping me transfer the money you embezzled back to where it belongs. If you cooperate your life won't completely go down the shitter."
Richard slowly nodded his head with a shaky breath. He didn't really have a choice, and he knew it. The realization did nothing to help the sweat that poured down his back and forehead.
"Ok." He said. "Ok, I'll t-tell you anything you want."
Krähe gave the man an almost gentle smile at his words.
"Well Dicky I really appreciate that, and I really want to believe you, but..I have to be sure. There's a process to this you understand, I have to put the fear of God in you."
Krähe chuckled at his own joke, not caring that his current audience didn't find it funny.
"If it helps, think of this as a crazy trust exercise."
With that final bit of unhelpful advice Krähe moved in for the kill. The fat straw was shoved into Richard's mouth, before he could react, and then he found himself drowning in the baptismal.
"Breathe through your mouth not your nose you idiot."
The words were distant and watery, barely heard over the thundering of his heart.
Richard's dunk into the baptismal only lasted for a moment, before Krähe yanked him up, and pulled out the straw simultaneously. Richard wasn't allowed much time to gag and suck in air. In fact he was only given a few minutes, while Krähe's irritated voice penetrated his brain loudly after being submerged.
"Fucking amatures." The lunatic bit out, before continuing gruffly. "That was your only practice run. Now breathe through your mouth not your nose, or this'll last a lot longer than you want."
It already has! Richard desperately thought, before he was shoved under again.
The camera fades to black, and Johnny Cash's rough voice was grated out the chorus of "God's Gonna Cut you Down".
"You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down"
The camera came back to life with the dawn.
Pale tendrils of light snaking its way through the nearly empty parking lot. A young woman stumbled past the classic black Chevy wearing one shoe. She never looked up, intent on putting one foot in front of the other for her walk of shame.
Two men watched her, while leaning against the car. One soaking wet and shivering, the other calm and dry.
Johnny Cash continued to sing over the radio, as they watched her.
Richard took a deep breath more grateful for the feel of it filling his lungs than he ever been. In the light of day he almost wanted to believe what happened in the dark morning hours was only a dream, but he knew better.
This was possibly one of the most surreal moments of his life, where his previous captor/tormentor passed him a freshly lit self rolled cigarette, before lighting up his own.
He blinked at the offer for a moment, before accepting it numbly.
"What now…" He asked hesitantly, not quite brave enough to look at the man beside him.
Krähe's exhaled his first draw of smoke the tendrils coiled around them highlighted by the sunlight.
"Well." He said after a moment, one corner of his mouth curled into a small enigmatic smile. "I don't know what you're gonna do, but I do know one thing Dicky."
He turned his head slightly to look at the dripping man beside him. That small smile spreading into a grin.
"You can't go back to yesterday."
youtu.be/eJlN9jdQFSc