AS 140: Vlad vs. Just Carl

Complete silence. Nothing but pitch black darkness, masked by an unbearable silence. Carl sat in the damp darkness of his own self-conscious, unaware of how he got here, and unaware of how to leave. Time passes slowly when one is trapped in his own head, and this was no different. The plane touched down, a several hour flight in a matter of seconds to Carl. Almost brain dead he grabbed his carry on and exited the plane, almost brain dead he got himself a taxi back to the hotel room. Carl was floating up the stairs, right into his bedroom. He closed the door and collapsed to the ground. He wanted to cry, to scream, to break everythingâ?¦ but he just lay there. AS139 had been a complete failure. No only did Carl lose, Carl ate the pin. He sat 0-3, disappointed in himself and heartbroken. He couldnâ??t even bare to face his girlfriend right now from embarrassment. Carl sat up, and sighed. He was embarrassed in himself for acting this way, he was acting like a toddler who was told â??noâ? in the grocery store. But the loses hurt. Carl shook his head and let the pain sink, â??bottle it up champ, just bottle it up. Use this next showâ?, he told himself. Carl rose to his feet and for the first time in a long time, grabbed himself a beer from the hotel fridge.

***

â??You know, sometimes things donâ??t go your way. Sometimes you try your best and you just fall down.â?

The scene pans out, Carl is sitting in a booth at a local diner. In front of him a finished plate that once held a steak salad.

â??Falling down hurts, and itâ??s never easy to get back up after busting your butt. You feel like the world is out to get you, it hurts man. It hurts. My opponent this week, he knows all about that. Vlad, hasnâ??t tasted victory in a while. Going into this match we are both hungry for a win. Now, I can only imagine you are going to be the odds on favorite. Your MMA background is no joke, one of those strikes could probably turn out of my lights.â?

Carl looked down at his empty plate before grabbing his class of sweat iced tea and taking a sip.

â??But donâ??t count me out, because Iâ??m not out. Not by a longshot. I may have gotten pinned at AS139, but I gave it my all in that match. I gave everything I had. I am proud of my performance there. And I have taken that loss and I have evolved Vlad. I thought it over, watched the tape a few dozen times, put in hours at the gym to improve. I know itâ??s cliche but you are getting a different man.â?

Another sip.

â??You are getting a hungrier man. Like I said, we are both hungry but man, I am so hungry I could eat a horse right now. The first win alludes me, but itâ??s right there. Itâ??s teasing me, taunting me. Itâ??s within reach and then poof, itâ??s gone again. Gotta be faster than the poof.â?

Carl makes a grabs an imaginary poof out of the air.

â??Iâ??ve got it now Vlad, right here. And Iâ??m not letting it go.â?

He clenches his fist tight.

â??Come at me with your â??Leviathan Crossâ?, but donâ??t count on putting me down with one, or two, or three. Lock me in a gogoplata, Iâ??ll break my bones to escape and finish you off. The Just Business World Tour is starting now, and itâ??s starting with you. We are going to ride this train all the way to the top baby, and when we get thereâ?¦ Weâ??ll break the ceiling and keep on going!â?

Carl grabs his drink and chugs the rest of it.

â??This isnâ??t the circus and I am done being clowned around. I am here to prove I belong damnit.â?

The cup shatters in Carlâ??s handâ?¦ he didnâ??t realize how intense he was holding it. He looks around at the people now staring at him. He sighs and then looks down to see his hand bleeding.

â??Sorry about my language.. Guess I better get this checked out. Iâ??ll see you soon Vlad, and remember. No matter what happens in that ring, Itâ??s Just Businessâ?