The
End of Nowhere: June 25, 2008, 5:47 a.m.
It seems strange
to believe that five months ago, I was a newcomer to NLW. Everyone else knew of each other and had
competed against one another in federations all over. I was the lone man out; no one knew who I was
or what I was capable of.
Looking back on that
first show from Milwaukee, it seems almost fitting that two of the only three
people who were on that show that are still making an impact on nearly every
Uprising since are facing off in a match.
Seems odd (or perhaps a bit sad)
to think that of all the active wrestlers that appeared on NLW's first
Uprising of this run--even if they weren't active wrestlers at the time--only
three remained.
The current NLW
Champion, The Ice Man.
The former NLW
Commissioner turned active wrestler, Harvey Danger.
And some fat guy
from the End of Nowhere who people said would not last a month in NLW after a
long hiatus from the business.
There's something
to be said for proving people wrong. But
right now, I have other issues to deal with.
Namely, the
aforementioned Mr. Danger. As I
mentioned before, I have nothing against Harvey. It's just when the bell rings, everything
gets thrown out the window. You either
win or you lose based on your skills.
And based off the skills he showed in his match against Draco, I will
admit to being a tad worried. He's
proven that he can hang with the best of them…and I know I'm not quite at that
level yet. I cannot afford to take
Harvey lightly, despite what many others might think.
Besides, I have no
intentions of losing now. Come Uprising,
I will see it done once again. And I
will roll into the Legacy title match ready to finally shut the critics--and
that ass Jake Steel--up once and for all.
These were the
thoughts that floated through his mind as he made his usual morning run around
the End of Nowhere. He passed by his
cabin, making certain that everything was still in order (well, as much order
as you can make out of nothing) before crossing to the southeastern part of the
land. Although Elyssa was still at work,
he figured her to be home within half an hour, and he wanted to make certain
that things were ready for her. She had
mentioned that there had been a series of crimes occur that seemed linked, and
looked eerily similar to some she saw while on the force in Los Angeles.
Shaking those
unpleasant thoughts from his head, Will set himself to getting things
ready. Sure enough, just as he finished
putting the final touches on breakfast, he heard a car pull up to the house. A flash of emerald green out of the corner of
his eyes let him know that it indeed was Elyssa returning home, and a smile
crossed his face. A moment later, he
heard the front door open and he turned, the breakfast tray in his hands as
Elyssa stumbled in and flopped on one of the chairs.
"Rough night,
dear?"
"That's just
the half of it. I think I'm being put in
charge of this case I mentioned to you."
"That's a
good thing though, to have someone experienced running the show…right?"
"Not
necessarily. I can't say anything else
right now; my mind has shut down on me.
I need what you are holding in your hands."
Will set the tray
down as Elyssa tore into the food with gusto.
While she ate, he stared out into the main portion of the End of
Nowhere, a ribbon of black asphalt and the distant outline of his cabin the
only two points of interest marking the bleak landscape. In the back of his mind, he could envision
this place covered in wildflowers, with trees dotting the landscape, and not
for the first time wondered why this land would not support growth.
"…Will, are
you listening to me?"
He literally
jumped and turned to face her, blushing slightly. "Sorry, dear, I was lost in thought for
a moment."
Her eyes narrowed,
but otherwise there was no reaction.
"I asked, 'What did you have planned for today?' Seeing as that I am off tonight, I was
thinking we could go out and do something."
He smiled. "So far as I know, nothing. I was going to swing by my place since I
haven't been there in a day or two to make sure it's still in one piece--and
also to let you get your rest while I am out--but beyond that I have nothing in
mind."
"Will…who
said anything about me resting right now?"
Anything else he
would have said was lost in that moment, as Elyssa smiled.
Residence
of William Prydor (Baltimore, Maryland):
June 25, 2008, 11:19 a.m.
His wits finally
back about him, Will pulled into his driveway and killed the motor on his
truck. At first glance, it seemed as if
there was nothing amiss. The same
thought continued as he opened the front door and walked inside. Everything looked to be in order, except for
the blinking red light on the answering machine. As he hit the button, the female mechanical
voice informed him that he had four new messages.
The first two were
telemarketers for the Baltimore Sun, which he erased quickly. The third was another call from the vampires
of the United States. No, not the
IRS…the American Red Cross, bugging him to donate blood again. He shook his head as he erased that message.
The last message,
though, sent a chill through his body.
"Will…your father's going into the hospital. He's had a relapse. I'll call you when I know more."
That voice
belonged to someone who, while he might not see eye to eye with her or even
like her at all, he felt obligated to at least listen to…for the time
being. The woman on the other end of the
line was his father's wife. His father,
Donald Prydor, was a Vietnam and Korea veteran from the 82nd Airborne Division,
and a cancer survivor. Apparently the
cancer had more to say about the situation.
He always thought
that his father made a mistake in marrying again after Donald divorced Will's
mother. The elder Prydor remarried in
July of '96, and for twelve years Will had slowly distanced himself from his
father, mainly due to that marriage.
However, some
things were more important than trivial grudges.
The timestamp on
that last message was two hours ago.
Shaking his head, Will began to wonder just how well Elyssa would take
to hearing that plans might have been changed….
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