AFTER THE EVENTS OF DEFTV 145 - NIGHT TWO

Travel bag rolling behind him as he prepares for a quick trip out of state after most of the roster have already left, he silently walks the mostly empty halls of the DEFIANCE Wrestle-plex. 

Alone. 

His thoughts were racing a mile a minute. 

I had Troy beat. I know I did. I know I did. Where the hell did I go wrong? Should I have doubled down on that heel hook again? 

Alone with his thoughts, he continues his walk down the hall. He’s done this walk hundreds of times since signing with DEFIANCE back in 2016. But… 

There was no doubt about it. Something was off with this one. 

Scotty was the better man last night. All there is to it… should have gone for that choke! But you didn’t get a chance to use it. But you know it’s good. You’ve been working on that one for a couple months now… but he might get to go to DEFCON while… you’re still on the outside looking in.

Only the wheeling of his travel bag and his footsteps are around for anybody else to hear. 

Sarah wasn’t there this week. She traveled back home to see her family. No girlfriend to be with him. 

He stops and takes out his phone. A quick “I love you” and it’s on his merry way again. 

Yeah… things suck right now. He wanted Ryan there with him. 

Ryan…

He’s been training with her? With Lindsay? Look, he’s a grown man and he can do what he wants at the end of the day. What he does is his business… but why’d I have to find out about it THAT way?

What started a nipping little buzz on the back of his neck was growing quickly. Festering in his head. 

Ryan… I’m happy for him. He has worked his ass off this last year to rebuild himself and he’s doing it… but so have I. I’ve worked my ass off and I don’t have the FIST to show for it. I never should have signed away the rematch clause. You’ll earn it back the old-fashioned way. Hard work pays off… until it doesn’t.

Jesus. 

Burns stops right at the doors. 

Do you really want to do this?

He’s not sure. 

Twelve years. You’ve produced a great body of work in the last twelve years.

Yeah… but what good is it

The doors open. 

Burns starts walking towards the parking garage… 

And towards the big fancy blue customized party bus where Tom Morrow and company are waiting. 

Alvaro de Vargas. Theo Baylor. And the newest members of his group, Mason and Max Luck. 

“So…” says Tom. “Ready to talk business?”

Come on, you idiot. You KNOW better than this.

Burns looks to the smiling faces of the Lucks, a nod from Theo and an unusually stone-faced Alvaro de Vargas… then back to Morrow. 

Say no. There’s still time.

“...Just give me the pitch. That’s it.”

That’s all Morrow needs to hear as he moves aside and holds out a hand for the bus.

“Cool. Let’s go for a drive, fellas.”

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