The Telly

A shellshocked Rockstar Spud, hurries to the bar, in this moment he truly understands the importance of Raging Dead to his career, in a flash he begins to think about others who had a hand in moulding the man he is now, for the better and the worse.



In a flash we see silhouettes:

• The first of a large man with perfect hair and perfect muscular definition.
  
  
  
• The second is a female figure with rogue style hair parting appearing white against the blackness of the shadowed figured.
  
  
  
• The third is a wolf.
  
  
  
• The fourth is a dark unfeeling cowboy.

Spud rubs his eyes and plants himself on a bar stool, sweat pouring from his head, gasping for air or some kind of reprieve. The full bar of patrons takes no notice of Spud.



A tall male barman approaches.





Before he can answer Laci Valentine grabs Spud from behind by the shoulder and hugs him.





The barman walks away.





Spud looks into the back-bar mirror at himself and Laci, concern painting her face and unease painting his. He stares at this, not knowing what to say or do. This isn’t the first loss Spud has had but it doesn’t make it any easier.



So, he just silently looks.





But that was the problem, Spud knows the dark places lesser things have taken him to, he needs to get a handle on this now.



Spud turns to Laci.





Spud stare back into the mirror, Laci kisses him on the cheek.



Laci slowly and reluctantly leaves the bar, eyes never leaving Spud.



Spud stares at himself in the mirror, wondering how a guy like him gets to be in such a privileged position and a legend like Raging Dead can just fade away, it’s not fair, even when the odds are in his favour the world is seemingly against him.



Spud thinks about why his boss seems to be harbouring such a grudge for him, he brings eyes to the product, he makes the company money, why does Austin hate him so.



Is it the same reason he was told countless times to find a new career, is it the same reason his father doesn’t want anything to do with him, is he really a stain on his home, his industry, his company, his championship belt, his family, his friends.



Spud feels faint, eyes never losing sight of his visage in the mirror but vision blurring slightly.



Until, Spuds view of himself is blocked by a figure, though it’s unclear of size or major defining feature, it’s almost certainly a woman.



The figure slides two whiskeys in front of Spud, neat, and hurries away.





Spud looks around the bustling bar for a friend, concerned co-worker, anyone he knew at all, but all the faces were unfamiliar.



Maybe a shy fan? Maybe?



Spud raises one glass and toasts essentially himself in the mirror.





Spud breathes.



Then knocks back the whiskey.



Spud looks over to do the same to the other one, but it’s disappeared.






Spud scans the room, it’s completely empty, not a patron in sight, where did they all go at once?



Heeled steps walk down towards Spud, it’s the figure.






The figure again pours 2 neat whiskeys, places one in front of Spud and the other just to the left of him.



Spud for a second puzzlingly looks at the other drink.



Then turns to his own and downs it. As he looks over, again, the glass next to him is empty.



Spud then confusedly looks up to the figure, to see a face he recognises, a face he knows intimately, turning his attention to the body, that of which he also knows intimately.







Spud looks down and remorsefully sips at his whiskey, it’s full again, Charli hasn’t moved.




Spud puts the whiskey down and it’s full the moment he looks back.





Spud downs his whiskey.



A flash of Spud in a blood-soaked ring, forehead pouring and sick grin on his face.



Charli steps into shot in front of him, same sick grin on her face.



Charli lifts Spud to his feet and the pair share a passionate, blood-drenched kiss.



As Spud pulls away Charlie bites his lip, keeping him in close, Spud grips her by the belt and aggressively tugs her in, he was hers, she was his.



BACK IN THE BAR






Spud gets up and speedily moves away.





Spud takes a right turn, moves about 50 yards, then another right for roughly the same before a final right to the door for the bathroom.



Spud pauses bemused slightly.



He opens the door.



The bathroom is massive, lavish and bluely lit with rows of pristine cubicles facing directly towards the sinks.



Face down on the sink, is a well built, perfectly dressed, blonder than blonde man, SNIFFING away.



Spud moves into the first cubicle, locks the door, trying to ignore the man and just pee in peace.



The man hears Spuds cubicle close.





Spud rolls his eyes as he flushes the toilet.





Spud unlocks the door and opens it to the man whose lower face is caked in cocaine.





Spud continues to ignore and steps up to wash his hands.





Spud looks up, none too pleased.





Spud huffs but continues to try to ignore.




Spuds taken about all he can take.





Spud stands tall beside Golden but even slouched Tony is the far taller man and completely unfazed by Spuds outburst.




With every word Tony Golden seems to grow larger, arms more muscular, hair more perfect, Spud by comparison, looks tiny and insignificant.




Spud cowers as the gigantic Golden looms over him.





Tony is interrupted by a loud HOWWWWLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!



For the first time Tony looks somewhat afraid.



Tony quickly shrinks back to his normal size as the sounds of animal sprinting towards the pair rings in.



Spud cowers, covering his face.



FADE TO BLACK MOMENTARILY



Spud uncovers his face.



Standing before him is a majestic and huge wolf. Spud knowingly smiles at the wolf. The wolf bows its head slightly, allowing Spud to stroke it.



Spud hugs the wolf.





The wolf looks up as if to agree.




The wolf picks up the AWF Provincial Championship in its mouth, it must have fell off while Spud was cowering.



The wolf passes the belt to Spud, who smiles as he receives it.



The wolf runs away.



Spud gets up and chases the wolf out of the bathroom.



The wolf’s gone and Spud’s in the bar, no need for any route taken, just out of the bathroom door back to the start.



Charli’s gone too, the rooms empty and is completely pitch black, except for the spotlights over the actual bar, the rest of the room is basically invisible and grows cold, freezing in fact.



Spud approaches the bar, downtrodden to have lost the wolf.



A dark figure further obscured by the blackness of the room approaches, it’s a cowboy, the cowboy slides over another whiskey for Spud and holds one up himself.




The Cowboy clinks glasses with Spud before both knock them back.





The Cowboy reaches over the bar and grabs a bottle of whiskey. The cowboy fills his own glass and then Spuds.





Spud shakes his head, he knows, he’s known the whole time.



Spud lifts his glass and clinks it with the Cowboy.







The pair drink their whiskeys, ‘Raging’ Drake Nathan pours them 2 more.





Drake drinks his drink. Spud watches intently.



Drake won’t finish his point until Spud does his drink too. Spud slowly obliges, whiskey is definitely more RD’s drink than Spuds.







Spud sadly looks down into the bar, watching as his glass is yet again filled.







Spud smiles and struggles through another Whiskey with Drake.





Spud contemplatively swirls his again full whiskey.






Spud looks up.






The cowboy slowly removes his hat, the shadow concealing his face reveals familiar countenance.



Tears fills the eyes of Spud as he stares in the face of his idol, his rival, the man who’s tested his metal and sharpened him to the person he is today.



No prizes for guessing who.



Spud and Drake share a smile before the lights cut out.









COMPLETE BLACKNESS







FADE IN

Spud comes to and he’s sat propped against a wall in a random hotel corridor, facing room 258.



He looks at his hand and in it is a key card.



On the off chance he tries it, it works, he’s in.



Spud wryly smiles, looks to the sky and enters the room. Spud immediately throws himself on the bed.



Spud takes out his phone, scrolls down through his contacts, he hovers over the name Charli for a second before continuing to scroll and getting to Laci and calling her.











TBC BY ANYBODY

Ruxx Rampede has sat Homunculus down on a chair in a room I guess. Black Clyde watches, hoping his knowledge of physical training can somehow help.

"Hurry up with the bags!"

A little bellhop who looked to be about ninety pounds soaking wet drags a large pink suitcase in the front doors. He nearly runs over the toes of Cheriè Belanger, who had been the one doing the bellowing. She jumps back into the chest of her not-so-identical twin.

"Watch it! I need those toes, you imbecile."

"Sorry... miss..." the heavily accented man replies. Cherie rolls her eyes and the pair walk up to the reception desk, Victoire taking the handle of both of their suitcases, much to the relief of the bellhop.

Cheriè notices Laci and her friend at the desk but ignores them as she knocks on the wood of the desk, looking for the attention of the girl behind it.

"My sister and I would like a room key, s'il vous plaît."

Suddenly, Laci turns, grabbing Cheriè with both hands and plants a kiss on her lips. The french girl squirms. Victoire seems to shocked to respond. The dark haired girl that Victoire recognized as the squatter from Olympia, has a smile that gets wider and more evil as she watches.

Cheriè is shocked. She's never been kissed by a girl before and certainly never french kissed. At first she tries to protest but Laci seems to have a hard hold. Cher had to admit, she was a good kisser. Before either woman realized what was happening, Cher's hands drop. That's when Laci releases her, looks at Cher's face and immediately runs off.

Zaylee Flynn walks closer. "How was it? Did you believe she was into it?"

Cher can only nod, shellshocked.

Zaylee pats the french Canadian on the shoulder.

"Thanks."

"Here's your room keys."

The girl behind the desk hands Victoire the cards. She then takes Cher's arm. "Come on Ma Cheriè, we will have a lay down."

Zaylee's eyebrows go up. "So you do speak English."

"Sometimes."

Victoire has no desire to have any further words with the dark-haired woman and ushers Cher to the elevator. Once inside, they realize they aren't alone. Vic recognized the man immediately, in fact she remembered watching a video of her father wrestling this man.

"Hey, I'm Robbie. You're Crusher's kids, right?"

"Oui, monsieur." Vic responds.

"Your Dad was a phenomenal guy. Was a real loss to this industry when he passed."

Victoire nods her head. Having never met her biological father she heard similar stories a lot, including from Bret Hart himself.

Vic hits the button for the fifth floor.

"So you trained with the Fischer family?" He asks after several stagnant moments.

"Oui."

Cher still seems shocked into silence.

"And that girl, the red head, you trained with her too?"

Cher seems to be knocked from her daze.

"Laci Valentine is a massive Cu..." Victoire puts a hand over her sister's mouth.

"Forgive my sister, Monsieur. She is in one of her moods."

Cher's eyes go wide and then angry. The door suddenly dings and it opens for a large woman in a ballgown. She looks at Victoire and smiles.

"Are you here for the convention too?" The voice that comes out from the women's mouth is decidedly not naturally feminine, but put on as part of her costume.

"Convention?" Robbie asks.

The woman turns and smiles sweetly at Robbie. "Well aren't you very rugged and handsome. It's a Drag convention. We are touring Europe."

"My sister is not a boy in a dress, she's a real woman!" Cher says.

The queen turns back. "What makes a real woman... hunty? Hmmm.... Maybe if you thought a little more about that, you wouldn't be such a cretin." She turns back to Robbie. "But you sweetie, feel free to come down for a night cap later. We're all meeting in the bar."

The door opens on the 4th floor. The Queen steps out. She winks at Robbie before the doors close.

"This is a hotel of crazy people!"

Cher storms out as soon as the doors open again. Vic turns to Robbie. "Merci."

Robbie steps off with her. "Could you do me a favour, maybe? I know I don't really know you but..."

Fade out