0015.MP4 - "KILL THE HERO"

[Izzy Anders]

---

FUCK UP! FUCK UP! FUCK UP!

“You kicked my ass for a good bit. I just ended it. Nothing to be ashamed of.”

SHUT UP.

“It happens to the best of us. Doesn't make you any less talented.”

SHUT UP.

“And I also know you're too good to let it drag you down. Sometimes these things make us even stronger than ever.”

YOU DON’T KNOW ME. YOU DON’T KNOW ME AT ALL!

The constant flow of thoughts had Izzy in her locker room, holding her head in agony. She had locked the door after camera operators tried to flood the room. She denied them access with a threat. After they were out of earshot, Izzy let her emotions take over. With a roar, she punched hard into the mirror before her. The glass shattered, cutting up her hand. Other pieces flew past her, chipping at other parts of her form. She sat there, bleeding and crying out of internalized rage.

Blood ran down her previously hurt hand, which prompted her to examine it. Glass shards were embedded underneath the skin, causing her to impulsively rip the bloody pieces out. She threw them on the floor recklessly not caring if they broke against the concrete. The emotionally distraught girl fell to her knees, scratching them against the glass pieces upon the ground. 

She tore into the wound a little, wanting to feel the pain rush over her. At least that would take her mind off her loss to Zero McHannon. When there was not a point in doing so anymore, Izzy crawled pathetically to the nearest wall and laid herself against it. Bringing her knees to her chest, Izzy simply sat idle. Tears no longer fell from her eyes. 

She watched the blood drip from her damaged hand. The adrenaline from her brief meltdown had begun to subside, allowing the pain of her self-damaging ways come into effect. It was a severe pain; one she hadn’t felt in ages. Immediately, she searched for something to help numb it. There was a first aid kit, but it only bore the necessities. She didn’t want to leave her locker room; it was her safe haven. 

However, the screaming pain in her hand forced her to peer out the door. The press had calmed down considerably since the end of the show. Izzy closed the door, locking it again. As she went over to her duffel bag, she reached down to retrieve her trusted weapon. She rose up her black baseball bat, marveling over its design temporarily. 

As she escaped the arena, she peered around corners. Gripping the baseball bat tightly, she turned the corner. “Jesus Christ!” she screeched suddenly. The sudden sounds of her phone vibrating caught her off guard. She almost swung the bat, hoping to hit whatever her mind imagined was there. She took out her cell phone and propped herself against the wall. It was a text message from Emery Harrison, her fiancé.

[TEXT] Emmy: “When are you coming home?”

Izzy attempted to text, but just the motion of her fingers moving caused pain to ripple throughout her bleeding hand. She looked at the bandaging job she did, noticing blood seeping through. She sighed out, opting to text one handed. She managed to send something with proper syntax.

[TEXT] Izzy: “Eh, I got to stop by my apartment for something.”

Izzy hadn’t moved all of her stuff into Emery’s much larger house, knowing that she needed the safe haven on darker days. Emery was lovely, but Izzy’s common fears always crept forward. Ever since the death of Andy, Izzy has been scared of herself. More so, she has been scared of this return to her previous mindset. It ruined Dom Harter with extreme prejudice. What kept Izzy from doing the same to Emery?

She made it to her car, flinging her duffel bag into the backseat. She sat in the driver’s seat, slowly bringing her injured hand to the wheel. This wasn’t going to be a fun ride. Pain immediately resonated, but Izzy managed to ignore it after the first few miles.

She shouldn’t have punched the mirror.

Then again, she shouldn’t have lost to Zero McHannon.

---

Children never liked looking at their wounds. Izzy remembered growing up that when she had a cut on her knee or something, she would wear long pants to hide it. When she had to get it disinfected, she wouldn’t look. It was childish, but it worked. She shared the common belief that seeing the wound was not only scary, but it only made it hurt worse. It stayed with her even now. She kept a glove on over the hand wound. 

Izzy began to take off the glove, taking a good look at its recovery process. It was still evident that she had some damage, but it wasn’t as gruesome as before. She didn’t have to hide it, much to her joy. It had been a good week since her incident. She didn’t hear back from any FGA staff; it was safe to assume no one reported the broken mirror. That was a relief. 

Upon the computer, she gazed at the Vertigo TV spot. “See Salem Cartier take on the FGA Pride Champion, Sunshine Scandalous Tony Carmine in our main event! Also, catch the Mid-Atlantic Legacy Champion, Izzy Anders, face off against Annie Zellor. Vertigo this week is going to be packed! Make sure you don’t miss it.”

Izzy groaned to herself, annoyed by the false enthusiasm that the narrator portrayed. As Law and Order: SVU, the best Law and Order, came back on, Izzy merely began to treat the healing wound. It had become a rudimentary procedure now. It allowed her to think about her upcoming match. Annie Zellor, a starlet in her own right, would be standing across the ring.

The MAL champion couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. Annie deserved a stiff slap across the face for what she did at Final Frontier. Izzy had a chair, primed to smash Annie’s head open and put her out too. But something kept her from doing it. Izzy couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was just a spur of the moment action. In any case, Annie Zellor’s still up and about and ready to face Izzy at Vertigo. That was going to be another test for Izzy. She had officially made it to the upper levels. However, Izzy knew that her personal feelings were still there. Annie saved Dom Harter, stopping Izzy from putting the ruthless man out for good. She deserved something for that transgression.

In her anger, Izzy clenched her battered fist, allowing herself to feel the intense pain for a minute. It calmed her down. Izzy didn’t need to wake Emery up with her temper. So she used this to keep herself in check. Any further injury could result in a breakage or a fracture. 

That revelation would lead to Izzy having to vacate her championship. She had come too far to ruin it. Only a few more weeks until she was the longest reigning MAL Champion. Furthermore, she would officially become the most dominant MAL champion in FGA history. 

As the Vertigo commercial came back, Izzy kept her eyes upon the main event. Salem Cartier’s getting a main event match? How the hell? It must have been the speculation, but that’s not main event worthy. Salem was a newcomer in FGA. She hadn’t made the motions to get that main event match up. Izzy couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous.

Sure, Salem had a great match with Jimmy Page, but did she beat him? No. What did she deserve to get that spot? She beat Camellia. So what? Izzy beat her twice. SO WHAT DID SALEM DO TO GET AHEAD? It took two clenches for Izzy to calm herself. She brought herself back to the argument in her head, the one about Zero McHannon and his credentials. 

Izzy smirked and chuckled to herself. “So that’s it, huh?” she spoke to the TV. “She was in HKW, had two belts there, and made a name for herself. That’s why people love her.”

“Annie and I deserve that spot,” Izzy simply said, not caring if her anger took over. “WE WORKED HARD FOR WHAT WE GOT!” Izzy slammed her capable hand upon the dining table. Izzy swore she heard a shrill come from Emery’s room. She looked back in that direction, solemnly regretting her lack of control. When she settled down, she saw the graphic for her versus Annie. 

“Alright, fine, I’ll just make they get me this time. This mess isn’t fair,” she said, lowly. 

A small smirk crept upon the face of the disgruntled champion that day.

---

Inside of a florist, the camera operator spotted Izzy Anders. She lively spoke to the saleswoman, ordering a large bouquet of lovely flowers. She came outside after a short while, looking to the camera operator. “Sorry about that,” she began. “I had to get a present for a ‘friend’,” she presented the bouquet to the camera. On the tag, it stated “For Dom Harter.”

Izzy beamed once at her rude gesture. “There’s a single girl out there that I need to speak to. She has been on my mind for quite some time. Annie Zellor and I have a match, which allows me to speak my mind on certain matters. For what transpired between us has left a bit of a negative impact on me sadly.”

“Annie, I cannot say that I don’t take personal joy out of this match.”

“When the email dropped and told me that you were my next opponent, a little smile came upon my face. I think it had to do with wanting to teach you a lesson,” Izzy strolled around, holding her MAL championship close to herself. “You know what you did. You saved Dom Harter from me. You said that you never wanted to see someone get their career ended.”

“You said you were not just going to sit backstage while it happened. I hate to sound so rude, but you’re a fucking lie, Annie Zellor,” Izzy said, before laughing loudly. Her laughter became crippling at some point. When she stopped, she had to wipe away a tear. “Is that who your boyfriend fell in love with? A fucking lying piece of garbage? No, he did not.”

“Because where were you when Cordy Stevenson, someone worth saving, got abused by that piece of filth, Chris Q, huh? Where were you when Johnny Cannon took out Evangelista and Chris Bond? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN DOM HARTER PILEDRIVED ME ON THE TOP OF A CAR?!” Izzy lost her temper for a second, pushing the camera operator. The man stumbled back, but managed to maintain himself. 

Izzy stood silent for a bit, having to regroup. She looked up to the fluorescent lights, making an agitated noise as she did. She lowered her gaze to the ground, taking a few deep breaths. She looked to the camera, giving the man a concerned look. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked. The man nodded, seen by the vertical movement of the camera. Izzy smiled, before giving him a thumbs up. She refocused and continued.

“For that kind of hypocrisy, I should beat you bloodied like Dom did me. I should break something in your tiny body like Chris Q or Johnny Cannon did. I should teach you the errors of your deceitful ways, but no. You have a loving boyfriend who wants to take you to Mardi Gras.”

“Now, I’m not going to injure you like I did Dom Harter, no. For the most part, you have a benevolent individual in my life. You have been joyous and always trying to put a smile on my face. It works most of the time, but you did bring a scowl to my face after your rude interruption at Final Frontier.”

“I don’t know why you chose to save Dom Harter, but you did. You lied through those perfect teeth of yours about saving him because it was the right thing to do. Fine, you can believe that, but when he comes back, he’ll do the same exact thing again. This time, he’ll be wary of who he messes with. Or who knows, I might’ve humbled the sick bastard,” Izzy mocked, rolling her eyes as her words left her lips.

“But guess what? I have a theory. I also want to congratulate you. You became something that night when you stormed out and stopped me from finishing Dom off,” Izzy played with her hair, revealing more battle scars from Dom Harter’s vicious actions towards her. “You were a hero, Annie.”

“That’s what you were for that night,” the MAL champion cracked her neck, making a weird vocalization. Even more, she let out a dark chuckle. “But for the wrong reasons. You saved a villain, but you also saved him for your own selfish reasons. Here’s the theory. Are you ready, Annie?”

“You tried to make up for your ordeals with Whiskey Dex and everyone else you scorned over the past few months,” Izzy pointed accusingly at the camera. “You wanted all the fans to love, even though you have been the wrong so much as of late. FGA’s perfect, little angel lost her wings and she’s desperately trying to pick up all the feathers.”

“Even Laurel got pissed at you. Man, you really screwed up,” Izzy said, off-handedly. 

“But anyways, you thought Dom had enough. It was your chance to shine. Put on your stupid fucking cape and be the hero the fans remember you as. So you came out and saved him from what he truly deserved. The fans were still shocked by me fulfilling my promise. So they couldn’t cheer you, but you imagined they would, huh?”

“I’ll be the first to say it. Dom Harter deserved to get crippled. In some places, Dom would be dead right now for the shit he pulled,” Izzy hissed out, adjusting her MAL championship. “Dom Harter’s a man who has left broken bodies and ruined dreams on his selfish path of glory. He tried to add me to that path when he assaulted me for months! Do you know what he did to me?”

“Not only does my body still ache from the heinous attacks. My mind has not been right since then. I flinch every time someone walks around the corner. I have to carry a baseball bat with me at all times to prevent someone trying to take advantage of me again. I have terrors every time I look into the mirror and see some of the scars he left on me.”

“To me, four months on the shelf isn’t enough. A year isn’t enough. I wanted him gone for good. Like I said, I wasn’t showing any mercy. Thanks to you, I was forced to you. He’ll come back soon enough, excited to try to get the Grand Slam again and hurt me all over again. Thanks a lot, you great, big hero. You have successfully allowed Dom Harter to continue to be the Tenacious Little Bastard he is.”

Izzy shook her head once again, disappointed at Annie’s valiant deed. “Let me show you something, Annie.”

Izzy rose up her bangs to reveal a moderately sized scar. It was more prevalent than the nicks and cuts previously shown. “Remember when Dom took off that mask? Everyone does. Does everyone remember the blood he spilt beforehand? Yeah, he beat me to a bloody pulp that night and left me there to the mercy of the medical crew. He left me with this. Luckily, my hair covers it up, but I look at it almost every day. Dom did this.”

“That’s who you wanted to protect?” Izzy snorted, and cracked a weary smile. “Fine. I don’t get to choose who you protect, but I do get to beat you this week. So once again, I say that I will find some personal joy in beating you, Annie.”

“This goes along with my original plans anyways. I want to face the best that FGA has to offer. I was close—“ just the mere mentioning of her close match with Zero made her cringe. “I was close to beating our world champion. I’m sure I opened some eyes there, but it was still a failure on my part. So let me change that by beating you, Annie.”

“I would help prove my message of being the rightful Newcomer of the Year by beating the 2014’s, huh?” Izzy shook her head. 

“In any case, let’s look at it like this. You’re a speed demon, Annie. Catching you will be the name of the game. Once I catch you, though, I’ll make sure you don’t run any more. At least for the remainder of the match. There, I get to test to see how skilled you really are.”

“I hate to toot my own horn, but I think I’m a better technician than you are. I made Dom Harter tap out. I also excel against high flyers. Fujiko? Yeah, she might be the best damn high flyer we have, but I beat her TWICE,” Izzy still derived joy out of her two victories over Lady Luck. “I know my stuff when it comes to, uh, clipping wings. But like I said, Annie, you don’t seem to have yours anymore.”

“I know that it won’t be easy, though. You’re a tenacious little bastard yourself, Annie. Gosh, I remember when Jimmy Page almost ended your career in the Deathmatch Invitational. It only took a while for you to be back on your feet. What’s more amazing is the fact that you were smiling all the while through it.”

“That’s actually the reason why I don’t want to injure you for ruining something beautiful. You’re…unbreakable. I could go through with trying to break you, but I know you would try to forgive me. I’m unsure if you’re capable of hatred. For that, I know I cannot bring all my hatred and rage into this match. So you’re safe from me.”

Izzy allowed a genuine smile. “Unlike everyone else, I have the capacity to forgive you. I get why you intervened. My original anger towards you was immense. When I held that chair in my hand, I wanted to bash your head in. At that time, my complete want for the end of one man almost resulted the end of two. But I didn’t. I put the chair down, because I know that you deserve a chance for forgiveness. Like how I deserve a chance to beat you.”

“So here’s my deal with this match. We’re going to go in and show everyone why we should’ve been the main event over Tony and an undeserving girl. And then, after I beat you, I’ll gladly take you out to dinner or something. We can be best friends. Hell, I can be a #sparklebuddy. Because I forgive you, Annie Zellor.”

Izzy began to walk off, patting the camera operator on the shoulder as he did. “Oh!” she shouted out, prompting the camera operator to turn around to her. She stood there, rocking on her feet. She smiled awkwardly. 

“And hey, Annie…”

The awkward smile became a devious grin when her next words came out.

“Don’t fall off the top turnbuckle, okay? I hear it's really dangerous.”

Izzy took a big whiff of the flowers, then proceeded to actually skip away from the camera.