Vampire Slayer

Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:33 am

I’ve always been someone that finds it hard to ask for help. Even from a young age, I’ve had this stubborn independent streak that just became more prominent the older I got. Especially once I started wrestling.

I imagine a lot of that had to do with the fact that I have an older brother already in the business. So I guess there was some part of me that believed I had to do everything on my own, just to prove that I was more than just “Phoenix’s little sister”. I had this innate compulsion to stick it to everyone that wanted to look down their nose at me, and I had this insane belief that I needed to go it alone.

But now that I’m older, I’ve come to realize that it’s not a bad thing to ask for a bit of help. I knew that if I really wanted to make myself someone of note in the wrestling world, I was going to have to swallow my damn pride and reach out to someone I knew could get me to where I wanted to go.

He was also just about the last person anyone would have ever expected me to work with…

----------

August 1st
Tampa, Florida

It was a packed house in the bar this balmy Saturday night, but that was the way Kasey Winterborn liked it. It kept her moving as she served the crowds that gathered for tonight’s entertainment, which was a rousing edition of Marvel vs DC trivia.

There was a lull in customers for a few moments, and Kasey took the opportunity to wipe down the bar. She felt someone bump her hip, and she glanced over with a grin to see her roommate/coworker Darrell standing next to her. “The tips are gonna be good tonight!” he exclaimed, waving a fistfull of bills at her.

Kasey patted the pocket of her apron, where her own little stash of tips was tucked away. “Hell yeah! Trivia nights are always the money makers!”

“Speaking of money makers, ‘grats on that epic win last week!” Darrell high-fived her. “You looked flawless, babe. Almost as if you hadn’t been out of the ring for almost a year.”

“Well, I’m glad it looked good, cause I felt rusty as hell!” Kasey laughed, gathering up a few empty glasses from the bar and taking them to the dishwasher. “But regardless, I picked up that W, baby!” The easygoing smile fell a little bit. “Too bad it wasn’t enough to get me into that championship match.”

“Uh, do you or do you not have a second chance at that next week?” Darrell said pointedly.

“Well, yeah...but even still. I should have been in that title match from the start. Now I have to prove myself all over again.”

“Psht, like that’s gonna be an issue.” Darrell grabbed Kasey by the shoulders and shook her lightly. “You are going to go to that ring and be amazing again, dammit! Where’s the fiery, feisty Little Miss Vex from last week?”

Kasey laughed as she struggled out of Darrell’s grip. “Alright, alright, point made! I get it! Besides, not like I haven’t made an entire career out of being the underdog.” She got a pensive look on her face for a moment. “Although, now that I think about it, maybe it’s about time I called for a little assistance...”

Darrell gave her a warning look. “You better not be talking about who I think you’re talking about.”

She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the bar. “Look, I need to get the edge on the competition. And he’s just the guy to help me get that. I need every advantage I can get if I’m going to walk into Hell on Earth and walk out of it as the very first Grand Champion.”

He grabbed her shoulders again, but this time his face was serious. “Girl, from what you’ve told me of this guy, he sounds like he is nuttier than squirrel shit. You really want to take career advice from someone like that?”

“If I’m actually going to make a serious run at this, then yeah. Maybe it’s time to change my approach.”

“But your career has been just fine up til now.”

Kasey let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her vibrant hair. “But that’s the problem. I don’t want people to look at my career and say, ‘Well, I guess she was kinda OK’.” She shook her head vehemently. “No, I want people to look at what I’ve done and say, ‘Holy shit. What a goddamn legend.’ I want the accolades, I want the adoration, and I sure as hell want the titles. Is that so wrong?”

Darrell’s face softened a bit, and he leaned in to give his friend a quick hug. “Of course not, dollface. You deserve it. And I guess if you think he’s really the one that can get you there...who am I to stand in your way?”

The smile returned to Kasey’s face, but just then a new wave of customers approached the bar, and the two friends returned to their duties.

—————

August 5
Tampa, Florida

The sunsets over Tampa had long been a favourite view of Kasey Winterborn, the vibrant colours leaving her in awe every time she looked at them. It was part of the reason she stayed in the waterfront city for so long, when under any other circumstance she would have moved on long ago to the next adventure in her crazy life.

This particular night found her not on her apartment balcony, but rather down at the Tampa Riverwalk, a bustling hub of activity with a multitude of shops, hotels and restaurants. She strolled along through the crowds, admiring the views and smiling at people as they passed her by. Soon, she found herself seated at an outdoor cafe with a stunning view of the Hillsborough River, a tall glass of icy lemonade in front of her. She people-watched for a few moments, taking in the ambiance, before she slid her aviator sunglasses up to the top of her head and turning her focus to the camera lens, holding her hand up with her thumb and forefinger nearly touching, held a hair’s breadth apart.

“This close. This freakin’ close. Do you know how aggravating that is? So close, and yet so far away. Thirty-eight seconds is what kept me from being in that Grand Championship match.” She let out a bit of a frustrated growl, before taking a deep breath through her nose and exhaling through her mouth. “No worries. Not gonna keep rehashing the past. What’s done is done, and all I can do now is keep my focus on what’s to come. I mean, it’s not like I’m completely out of the running for the title. Au contraire, my little nerdlings!”

She wrapped her lips around the straw in her drink, sipping at it slowly. “It seems that I was so damn impressive in my debut that I have been granted a second chance. Seems that Mister Callum Walker in his infinite wisdom has decided to make the Grand Championship match not just a one-on-one affair. Nah, he’s looking to spice up that gumbo. It’s gonna be a good ol’-fashioned triple threat dance for that glorious strap. Jason Terrance. Dickie Watson. And Kasey Winterborn.”

She gave a cocky little smirk to the camera, her dark brown eyes flashing with mischief. “I know, I know, maybe I’m jumping the gun just a little bit. I realize that I have a bit of work to do before I actually get into that match, but I’ve never been afraid to get my hands dirty to get what I want. So I’m ready to jump every hurdle that’s placed in front of me, and I’m gonna make it look easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.”

She took another sip of her lemonade, smacking her lips together. “So, the hurdle I have to leap over to get into this match just happens to be the one I tied with last week at Proving Ground. Both Phoenix LeStrange and I came away from our matches with a time of ten minutes and thirty-nine seconds. Not only that, but we made it look damn good. Girl power, amirite?” She winked cheekily. “But since we were both mega-impressive, we’re the ones that get to duke it out for the chance to be that third wheel in the Grand Championship match.”

She folded her hands together on top of the table, leaning in slightly towards the camera lens. “I gotta say, I totally dig the whole vampire gimmick thing you’ve got going on, girl. I mean, I was big into Anne Rice in high school. Me and a bunch of my friends would all get together and play Vampire: The Masquerade too! I was this totally glam Toreador, who ran this hip art gallery and always seduced her victims before -“

Suddenly from the left side of the screen, a hand clutching a piece of paper is thrust into view, obscuring Kasey’s face.

“Yo, what the eff? I’m in the middle of something here!” she said incredulously, trying to see around the paper.

The hand just shook the piece of paper insistently.

“Seriously, I’m trying to cut a damn promo! Can it wait?”

The hand then slapped Kasey directly in the face with the paper before withdrawing from view. Kasey gave a shake of her head as she peeled the paper from her face. “Ugh, RUDE!” Her brown eyes scanned the page for a moment, her face scrunching up into a look of disbelief. “Wait, wait, wait….she ACTUALLY believes she’s a vampire? She’s not just some chick who never outgrew her obsession with Twilight?” Kasey grimaced slightly, before turning the paper over and grabbing a pen, scribbling furiously. “Note to self: get rabies shot before the show.” She glanced back up at the camera with an awkward grin and a little chuckle. “Uh...that’s completely unrelated, I swear.”

She swept the pen and paper off the table and planted her palms down on its surface, leaning forward to gaze intently at the camera lens. “Look, I don’t give a flying pig’s wet fart if you think you’re a vampire, a werewolf, a chupacabra, or some other unholy abomination. Once we step between those ropes and that bell rings, you’re nothing more to me than an obstacle on my way to the Grand Championship. And when there’s an obstacle standing between me and what I want...I remove it. With extreme prejudice. It’s nothing personal, girl, I promise. It’s just that if anyone’s going to be the first Grand Champion in Project: Honor, it’s going to be me. I don’t care if I have to fight the whole damn roster to get there, because I will. And then, I will stand tall and proud with that belt clutched in my hand, raised to the heavens. So if you were a smart girl, you’ll stay down when I put you down.”

She rose up from the chair she was in, smoothing out her shorts and sliding her sunglasses back onto her face. “Come Friday night, you can just call me Buffy, cause I’m about to drive a stake through the heart of your championship dreams, girl. Sorry not sorry.”

With a cocky little smirk, she raised her hand and wiggled her fingers as she turned on her heel and flounced off down the boardwalk, as the camera faded out to black on her retreating form.