Then and Now 3

[Zasshu II]

-----------------------------
Then
-----------------------------

It’d been a long night of sobering up for Frank Black, he didn’t remember much of what happened to him, only that he owed his life to the man… GOD standing before him.

Angel: How do you feel my son?

God? Did he just think that? He must still be drunk to be calling this black clad gothic freak with the pale face God. Frank looked up at Angel with a toothless grin.

Frank: I ain’t ya son.

Angel reached out and placed his right hand on Frank’s shoulder, a shudder ran through him, almost electricity. Frank looked up into the black eyes of the man-GOD before him and felt himself questioning everything he had ever believed. He shook his head, the hell was wrong with him?

Angel: All creatures are mine.

Frank: Ya fucking crazy bro.

Frank tried to stand up but Angel’s hand pressed him back down into his seat.

Angel: You are MY son and you WILL listen.

Frank: Ain’t nobody gonna tell me what to do.

He tried to push himself up but Angel’s hand suddenly left his shoulder and struck him hard across the face. Frank fell back and almost tipped over in the chair, he’d been hit before but never by someone… Something this powerful. Could he really be more than human?

Angel: You WILL listen.

He seethed with anger as he stared into those black eyes.

Angel: I have watched you fumble around blindly in the darkness, betraying the only thing with any sort of meaning in your life, your family.

Frank: Eddie betrayed himself.

Angel: SILENCE!

He didn’t know why but he was compelled to listen as Angel towered over him.

Angel: In the end, family is the only sure thing in our life. Family brought us into the world, family taught us the skills to survive and family will be there to hold our hands when we go. YOU betrayed your family.

He knew Angel was right, he knew it was all his fault but it was so hard to admit it. It was so hard growing up in Eddie’s shadow, watching him become a successful pro wrestler, watching him get the beautiful girl, all Frank ever wanted to be was just like his older brother Eddie… Where was this all coming from?

Angel: I can give you back your family.

Frank: How? Eddie will never forgive me.

Angel: Start by forgiving yourself, my son and let me worry about Eddie.

Forgive himself? There was no forgiving what he’d done.

Angel: All things can be forgiven in time.

Frank: W-what?

Angel’s smile was warming, comforting, his touch suddenly relaxed Frank as an euphoria overtook him.

Angel: I hear all things, I see all things, I know all things. You made a mistake my son, just one and a single mistake cannot damn you to Hell. Your brother will forgive you, this I promise and together we will form an unbreakable bond. We will be a family.

Frank: Family?

The thought brought tears to his eyes. He felt his contempt and anger slowing melting away and only thought of embracing his brother like when they were kids, laughing and joking with Rachel. His lustful desires for her were all but gone and all he felt in his heart was a growing love and warmth.

Angel: Do not fight it, embrace it, allow my light into your life and I will guide you.

Frank: Guide me, Lord…

For a moment his smile resembled that of a shark revealing it’s teeth in the moments before it bit into it’s prey but that thought was quickly washed away in the light and the aura that seemingly surrounded Angel. Frank felt himself smile for the first time in weeks.

Angel: As you wish, my son.

-----------------------------
Now
-----------------------------

The IWF banner stood proudly behind the man in black with his arms crossed, his hair was tied back behind his head and his black eyes were hidden from us by his aviator sunglasses, Angel appeared to us as more than a man. Just before him in the foreground stood Frank Black, cut off camo shorts and a sleeveless stars and bars shirt, his head swayed as he glared into the camera.

Frank: MASON!!! What’s wrong Mason was the first whipping not good enough!? Did the message not get through that thick ass fucking skull of yours!? I’m on a mission from GOD! MASON! GOD! And you know what GOD wants? He wants me to stick my foot so far up yer ass yer choking on my laces! He wants me to get inside that ring and make an example out of you MASON! See, you’ve been chosen. Chosen to showcase the full extant of GOD’S MIGHTY WRATH!

Angel stands silently behind him, arms still crossed as Frank seemingly seethes with a mixture of anger and righteous purpose as he paces.

Frank: Monday obviously wasn’t enough. I put you down and you got back up. NO ONE GETS BACK UP! See bitch, there are only two positions in this company on ya knees or on ya back! And I’m fixing to put you on ya back permanently if you don’t fall the fuck in line with our LORD!

Frank stops pacing and just dead pans into the lens.

Frank: The choice is yours Mason! You could either be a part of the final solution or a part of the fucking problem. Personally I don’t care. I love a good fight, I love dishing out some righteous punishment to a none believer so by all means join the idiotic fucking sheep against us. Stand there like a puppet with Verona’s hand up your ass and tell us how it’s only a matter of time before GOD falls down to Earth. News flash for you ignorant little shits! GOD has been pulling the strings of this puppet show since before the doors even officially opened. HE IS THEN! NOW! AND FOREVER!

Angel places a cold hand on Frank’s shoulder and he momentarily freezes.

Angel: You are not what you think you Mr Mason. You are not a monster. You are not an unstoppable force. You are a man like Frank, like Eddie, like Jake. You are a man who is very misguided in his beliefs. You think you will make an example of my children but in reality all you do is serve my purpose.

There is faint smile upon the face of our Lord.

Angel: Through your violence and your passion you serve me and my new age. You see Mason there was a time in this business when men like yourself wouldn’t even be considered worthy of hiring but this is MY Age, MY time and I see the potential in your bloodlust. You could be a powerful ally, Mason, spreading my message with each of your fists as the petulant masses drown in their own blood and lies.

He shudders from the thought.

Angel: You could be a knight in my army, a righteous weapon of GOD. You could be so much more than you are or ever hoped to be. All you have to do is KNEEL.

Angel slowly removes his hand from Frank’s shoulder and he snaps back to life as if coming out of a trance.

Frank: So this how it’s gonna be Mason! I’m a come down to GOD’S ring Sunday night, I’m gonna give ya one chance to get down on ya knees and pledge yourself to his glory and his greatness and then I’m gonna beat ya fucking skull in like you was a rabid dog! Cause GOD’S message is a simple one, it’s a message of brutality, of violence a message of only the strong fucking survive and if you wanna fucking survive in HIS Age then you better cut the fancy bullshit and bloody me up before I put you the fuck out!

Frank’s head sways a bit as he starts to get agitated.

Frank: An then we got a real nancy boy in Jake THE BITCH Conway. How ya doing Jake? Still tucking your tail between ya legs and hiding from my big bad older brother? I know Eddie is an ugly sum bitch but that ain’t no reason to hide! He only wants to fight Jakey poo! Ya know, that thing we get paid to do! So why don’tchya be a man an accept the challenge instead of sitting on ya hands waiting for our Lord to give ya a match!?

Frank’s brother Eddie steps onto the scene, he’s wearing a black t-shirt with torn up camo pants and a sick grin on his bearded face.

Eddie: What ya forget about me Jake?

Eddie smirks as he steps forward, Angel and Frank to either side of him.

Eddie: Ya think I was just gonna go away!? NUH UH! I’m here to stay Jake and as long as you keep sticking that giant ass nose into my GOD’S business then I’m a keep running my mouth about ya until you shut me up. Ya had your chance to take the crowd Jake, ya failed. Ya stepped up to GOD and you got ya ass handed to you on a silver platter! Now look at ya! Playing second fiddle to that pompous piece of shit known as Roberto Verona!

Eddie laughs for a second and then viciously spits at the ground.

Eddie: That sack of shit left you out there to die!

He slowly shakes his head.

Eddie: And you still defend him like the good little lap dog you are. Ya a disgrace Jake. Always fighting other people’s battles an never ever fighting for yourself. Well GOD has given me a holy fucking mission. He has asked me to finish what we started almost ten months ago and bring your career to a grinding fucking halt. Unfortunately you’ve been ignoring my invitations to the dance and Verona, over stepping his bounds as usual, has seen fit to pit you against my brother.

Eddie sneers and looks back to Frank and Angel, then back to the lens.

Eddie: As if that’s any better. It don’t matter which one of us you face, it don’t matter what bullshit rules your boy attaches to the match, I WILL get my grubby hands on you Jake and I will beat the ever loving shit out of you for MY GOD.

Frank: But before all that happens we got this match to worry about, a little three way to satiate GOD’S appetite for destruction and trust me I’m looking to destroy baby!

Angel steps between the two of them and each drops back to either side of him.

Angel: Jake, I’ve already exposed you as the failure that you are, I’ve opened up the eyes of the world to the depressing man that you’ve become. The sheep no longer look to you and see someone to be revered, they see a man to be pitied. They, like me, see a sick old dog just begging to be put down. That is what you want, isn’t it Jake?

Slowly he tilts his head to the side.

Angel: You want this life to be over, you want an excuse to finally step out of the ring for good and fully embrace the roll of stay at home dad. You want the peace that so many others before you have found outside of the ring. You want a reason. A catalyst. You pray for that career ending injury so you can walk away with your head held high and the heroes farewell, like Spike.

His lips spread into a smile.

Angel: My family will gladly answer your prayer, Jake, be it Frank this weekend or Eddie the next, we will give you exactly what you want.

Frank steps forward, his finger point right at you.

Frank: We gonna put you out of your misery, bitch!

He steps back and drags his thumb across his throat with his tongue hanging out. Eddie steps forward, his right hand in the shape of a gun as he points it at you.

Eddie: With a bullet between the eyes.

Fade.