Post by Mark Hunter on Jul 11, 2021 12:30:33 GMT -5
=============
MERCY IS FOR THE WEAK
=============
MERCY IS FOR THE WEAK
=============
“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” - Laurell K. Hamilton
Unaired Footage
San Jose, California
July 8th, 2021 - 22:07
At home he was wondering what the hell he could do, especially when the night was coming soon. He was in the kitchen enjoying a good ol' snack of chips with salsa dip. Sat on the high wooden stool leaning forward against the hard white counter top in the middle of the kitchen room, Mark was thinking more about the match coming his way soon. It was a lot riding on the line with the Legacy Championship belt up for grabs so he had to make a decision. How was he going to attack this challenge, how was he going to fair walking into a Fallout arena, how was he to act? After all Fallout was the opposition. Every choice had a reward and a consequence, pretty much the reality of life itself. Another bite of the chip led to a loud crunch which then lured Jelena in her pajamas to pull up another wooden stool and sit down beside him enjoying the snack.
“You alright?”
She said as she sat on the stool, took a chip, dipped it in the salsa then took a large bite. Mark shrugged his shoulders only wearing black basketball shorts and black socks. Jelena pulled up her long grey sleeves and leaned onto her man's right arm giving him comfort. She knew this fight in Melbourne, Australia, was THE match. The biggest match of his career and his focus was ensuring he would walk out the winner making a name for himself and earning the championship status many can only dream of. They both continue to take bites out of the bowl filled with chips then she decides to change the subject to a more positive one. After all, both of them have been going through some crazy ass emotional shit they wouldn't wish on anyone else right now.
“Do you remember when we first met?”
“At an arena whilst me and Steve were getting stitched up, we had beaten the shit outta each other. You almost attacked me even though Steve and I were mates. Later that night we ended up in the same random bar. I ain't gonna lie. You seemed pretty upset at the time hence why I never wanted to come over but I knew it was the right thing. That was a good night, then I got your number and we went out to eat the next day. It was such a great date. I really enjoyed it but what made you like me all of a sudden?”
She chuckled. Jelena turned her head away then went back to her original posture on the stool. Mark smiled at her cute little laugh.
“You were different from everyone else. You never gave up and you always pushed for a better time. I was in a dark place and here you came to make me feel better. I knew then you'd be the right man for me and now we have two beautiful sons on the way thanks to you. Anyways, Imma' head to bed. I suggest you wash the dishes then join me for a good night's sleep. Okay babe?”
“Hey, I washed the dishes this morning!”
Jelena takes a few steps away before stopping, she turns back to Mark, she now looks extremely serious.
“Actually Markus…You know the subject we never talk about? The thing NOBODY knows about you other than me and Steve?”
Mark’s jovial demeanour drops instantly and he gives the smallest of nods.
“I only met her once… She gave me a letter for you… she said I should read it and use it as I see fit… YOU need to read that letter now Markus, it’s locked up downstairs… YOU need to know who you are. Professionally it’s time for you to dig really fucking deep within and find peace… even if you use evil first.”
Mark doesn’t give an answer, he just stares intently at Jelena, who simply continues.
“As for personally and talking of letters, I got one from Sophie…”
Mark’s eyes really couldn’t get any wider.
“... she’s fourteen now, Alexa’s ten. She’s scared Markus… their nan and grandad are both in really poor health… They may not be your biological children but they seriously idolized you while you were with their mum… they’re gonna be left with no one… think about it Markus… REALLY fucking think about it!”
On that note she left Mark alone. Mark entered the living room and fell back on the long white couch fluffing the back of his head against the white cushion. He looked up at the fan spinning on the ceiling, the cold breeze blowing down his body. He looked across the living room seeing a gold key which remained on the table. He sat up again wondering what the hell could this be leading to. He picked it up and held the key in the palm of his right hand looking completely lost.
Getting up off his ass and walking down the hallway where a wooden door on the right facing the white door to the garage was opened. Mark walked down the stairs very carefully in this pitch black environment rubbing his hands against the brick wall for a light switch down at the bottom. A flick of the switch led to the lights returning showing remnants of boxes, broken furniture, stored up items and other things laid out on the floor. However, one thing caught his eye and that was a steel box on a shelf, he took it in his hands and laid down on the floor. This key opened the box revealing a note left behind and when reading it, it was some of Samantha's last words before she passed away. She gave it to Jelena for a reason and he wants to know why. Why is it here?
Standing on his knees on the cracked cold concrete floor of your average family basement, he could smell the dust being blown away by the ceiling fan on top of him. The lights flickering as he rolled out the piece of paper with her penmanship on the front page. His breathing got heavier, his eyes clearly got teary. He hesitated about what to do with the note. Read it or burn it. Two easy options were spoken but in his heart, he had to read the note. It was the pinnacle of putting her spirit to rest and moving on even if it would tear the young man from the inside out. So here it goes, some of the last words written by Samantha Huntington and as he took a deep breath, it felt like she was there in the flesh. Standing on her knees beside him caressing the back of his head with her soft fingers as every word was read in her voice.
Dear my love,
I know by the time you read this, I will be gone and even though times have been rough. You were always the first man I fell in love with. Before I met you, I was lost. I was on a path of violence, drugs and the worst you can imagine until you came and blessed me with your joy. Your happiness and your love brought me to a higher purpose of loving and joyous occasions. You took the best out of me and showed it to the world where I had tried so long to do. You tell me all the things I needed to hear and you've blessed my two amazing little girls with a positive male figure, you've given me so much.
I ask that you tell them how much I truly love them and how much they mean to me. I know I wasn't the best mother but I really did love my daughters to the bottom of my heart. It killed my soul every day to not be by their sides or tell them how much I love them. Read Alexa her favorite story and have a conversation with Sophie about the little things. Don't blame yourself for my mistakes because you put everything on the table to ensure our lives would be in a very good place for everyone.
You may feel lonely and you may blame yourself but it was my fault. After the passing of my father, I fell to the bottle. I turned to the alcohol and dragged you down a hole you should have never seen in the first place. Please find it in your heart to learn from my mistakes and recreate the best memories you gave me to the woman you love now. Tell Jelena I know she is the right one for you. She makes you happy, something I failed to do in our marriage and it was the biggest regret I hold dear. I always made you unhappy with the alcohol and made you feel less than you are worth. You were a priceless husband, a caring man who inspires everyone around him to be better than they are. You saved me from a life of pain and misery, a deed I can never repay you now. Don't fall back on me, continue to live your life as you see fit. Make sure my daughters are raised well and have as many children as you want with Jelena. Let her do all the things I should have done when I was your love, your woman. It's only right she takes up the mantle I couldn't carry on my shoulders. You are truly a great man and as I continue to write this, I want you to pay very close attention to these words so they may help you in the great everlasting future.
Whenever you feel you can't be the best in the world, you will always have your family to look after you. They are the rock which you stand on and your foundation for your house to be built upon. It may seem as if the odds are against you or the obstacles in your life are too strong to be broken but as I have seen with my own eyes, you do not let anything stand in your way. You are a true world champion in your own right fighting for your family, friends, your loyal following and would never let them down without a fight. It's the reason you used to be called relentless. You push and push without thinking of giving up. Your strongest quality has always been your fighting spirit and your determination to get the job done. Don't listen to any of the critics, don't listen to what others say behind your back. You've done it all in every promotion. You are a multiple time world champion with amazing accolades thanks to your skills and your hard work paying off. Who are you to deny yourself? No one ever denies your talent, your God given talent to be the best professional wrestler in the world. May those who disrespect your name learn the meaning of humility as I did when I married you. You change people for the better and you make things easier to breathe. Believe in yourself as I have believed in you. I always believed in you.
I will be watching from above and watching the one I loved step inside and create an art. Paint a blank canvas with his creations for the world to see. For the heavens to see where the angels will sing your name in a glorious song for all to hear.
You are the true champion in the family and in the world. You've suffered for so long and have broken through your chains of depression and sorrow. What more do you have to give? You can step away into a world you own and breathe a new air of peace and tranquility. Don't be afraid, don't show any fear. Be a man of bravery and courage. Be the man I once saw in the alley who came to get me home safe without even knowing my first name. That is the man the world needs. They need Markus Lee Huntington.
My love. I don't know what God saw upon me and you. We were perfect. You are perfect. As I lay to rest in peace, know that you are the one who erased my sins and made me feel alive. I didn't have to feel lonely or pathetic. You made me into a better person. You made me a champion in my own right. No more pain, sorrow, fears, anger. All joy, peace, happiness, love. Go Markus, create that same moment and spread it for all the world to see. Show them why you are the true...
Champion.
“There is evil in all of us, and it is the mark of a man how he defies the evil within.” - David Gemmell
Aired Footage
Tokyo, Japan
July 11th, 2012 - 10:57
Tokyo, Japan’s busy capital, mixes the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers to historic temples. The opulent Meiji Shinto Shrine is known for its towering gate and surrounding woods. The Imperial Palace sits amid large public gardens. The city's many museums offer exhibits ranging from classical art in the Tokyo National Museum to a reconstructed kabuki theater in the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Here on the lit-up streets of the city we find none other than Mark Hunter, he’s dressed in black shoes, black trousers, and a smart white shirt. Mark had been unsure of himself since losing the Grand Championship and believed a couple of days break in Japan would be good for the soul before traveling on to Australia.
Mark walks in the semi-busy streets of Tokyo, Japan. Heading to the Sensō-ji, an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II. Known as the Temple for the Goddess of Mercy.
“Fear”
“Webster’s defines it as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. How many times a day do you fear? A potpourri of emotions so paralyzing to the nerve, one never knowing what to do next, scared by what they dread most in the wake of an existence so fragile, a single horrifying action can act as a chasm to the absorbent mind and forever traumatize the train of thought that control your very sentiment which in turn can be fervor, sympathy or even despair. Fear has become an ecstasy to those that yearn for the euphoria, convincing one another this is only an emotion and nothing more, one that can be kept in check with proper awareness and resistance but ask yourselves how hard would this be to tackle with prior knowledge there will be more vices than virtue.”
“A great accomplishment for the failed and a struggle for the proficient.”
“Fear, every single day when you wake up in the morning and look at your own reflection in the mirror do you ask yourself if this is going to be the day you finally walk down the path of the righteous or unrighteous into the pearly gates of heaven or the fires of hell? We are all afraid of something and what you may dread or quaver others may not..”
“Look at the struggles of the world we live in right now? A Nation divided, riots on the street and all signs lead to the apocalypse and why?”
“The color of your skin? Religious choices or maybe your sex and why?”
“Fear.”
“It has become a common practice amongst the sycophants, the public view and how they see this world churning, slowly spiraling into the abyss while they clap, insult each other on Twitter with misogyny, racial slurs and sexist acts of violence, rampage and bloodshed in a world where the silent majority rules and do you know what that all means? That when you scream, no one will hear you. At Hell on Earth, I was ready to scream my call of arms, which would be heard through all of Project Honor and then I would smile, walking away as still Grand Champion.”
“And instead?”
His eyes narrow some, he continues to walk, dress shoes clinging to the hard concrete, never waning his attention one bit as he, angered, confused and now focused, sees the opportunity in the horizon and can now only see what is there for him to take.
“The match at Hell on Earth I must now look upon as a mistake, something we like to call experience. From there I learned. Now, I am scorned, Hell hath no fury?”
“No.”
“This is my hell now and I’m the evil that runs it. Beating Lance wasn’t enough.”
“I want to be nice, fun loving and blend into this society, be like all others and maybe it took recent events to open my eyes and allow me to see the world not in rose colored glasses but in its original form, the wasteland I was always told it was. People like me cannot always blend in. Did you know that at least 35 times in your life you will walk by a killer? Do you think these people out in the street right now identify the danger that surrounds them? Maybe, just maybe one walking amongst is thinking of acting upon their impulses and what will they do? How will they cope, victimized by the lack of awareness like me in times gone by, but you see, I don’t have cruel intentions.”
“I have cravings.”
“Look at them all, so distracted within their own little bubbles they pay no attention to their surroundings, much like life itself, always somewhere there waiting to hurt you and you want to believe in love, togetherness and peace? Things that no longer exist. So now, how do I pick up the pieces? Where do I go from here?”
“Easy answer….”
“Elena DeDraca.”
“I must admit, you’re good, but just as generic as everyone else when you talk.”
“The problem we have here Elena is that you’re living in the same fabricated delusional existence that PH sells. This is not about you Ms. DeDraca.”
He cracks a smirk before shaking his head. This is a chance for him to let out some steam, get back on track and make a huge statement over a woman that honestly knows nothing about Mark Hunter. Right now, he is struggling to keep the dark half in check, he continues to speak as his eyes narrow.
“Do you ever think about what you would do Elena if things went wrong? Have you ever sat in the dressing room and thought about losing your next match? You see, life never prepares you for hardships, life never predicts hurt or pain or even agony. Instead as a kid your parents do you a sandwich, sit you in front of the TV and make you watch shows where life is one big sing-along with pretty pictures, talking animals and happy people.”
“You always boast such false courage, a fallacy right under your nose that even you refuse to accept, to see what the landscape has become, what it will bring in this harvest of misery and distress but you instead continue to fester in your fiction, this forgery created by the society we live in today and your bravado will BETRAY you Elena, it will send you down the valley of the shadow of death, a dark and black abyss that if you stare at it long enough will stare right back consuming you into a place that has wonderful horrors to show you and yet you will not allow yourself to believe in anything other than the myth that has become what you and others would call your life.”
“You’re not alone.”
“You see black and white; I see Good and Evil. You see wins and losses, I see opportunities. You see yourself as the ultimate star of Project Honor and I see you as nothing more than a peasant in chains fighting for scraps in order to survive and if any of it is supposed to impress me, I instead laugh, not at you, but at the pathetic state this sport has made you. You are a former Legacy Champion and you brag about how fast you won the belt? However the humdrum that constantly rings in my ears as white noise only tells me part of your story, the one you want me to hear because truth be told.”
“You are in a state of fear.”
Hunter stops at the entrance of the temple. He looks up at the tall monument and takes a deep breath for a moment before closing his eyes. After a few seconds, he opens them back up and slowly starts to turn toward the camera and cracks a small smile.
“Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple created to worship the Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin. Elena, you don’t seem like the type that educates herself so allow me the honor. I came here for a reason; Japan has been known to harness some of the most brutal encounters in this sport, they haven’t seen anything yet Elena, and why?”
“Because they haven't seen my evil.”
“I want to offer you another take, a different perception if you will. I would like to instead direct your attention to this very temple and hope that you can keep up. I stand here in the entrance of the temple as a show of mercy. Guanyin means “The One Who Perceives the Sounds of the World". Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this earth, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus. It brings them peace to know their nurturing mother will care for them when it all ends.”
“I was not sitting in front of the TV watching sing-along shows.”
“Instead I had the chance to listen to those “Sounds of the World”, they whispered for Mercy, for love and peace but a huge part of me never listened. The Buddhist in this temple believed in their savior.”
“Do you believe in Mercy, Elena?”
“Do you believe in that same single notion of honoring the fallen a chance to fight again another day? What have we learned in recent weeks? Mercy is for the weak. I showed mercy...In the end… Mercy defeated me.”
Biting down on his jaw, he slowly starts to clench his fists while standing at the entrance of the temple. He continues to speak…..
“Ms. DeDraca, I don’t know what you’ve had to say but have you fallen into the generic crap everyone else does? Have you boasted that you WANT this more than me? That you are a better wrestler and person than me? That you are the best in Project Honor and you will make me suffer? You want a fight? You want to prove to the world that you are truly the best? Worked so hard to get to where you are and I am simply some stepping stone for your climb to greatness? Abraham Lincoln once said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak and remove all doubt.”
“If you stuck with the same BS everyone else does, shame on you. If you have changed the tune, I look forward to hearing it.”
“Time will tell if my assumptions are right.”
“Elena, people in Project Honor have kissed your ass for too long. They are nice to you, they pump you up, fill you with resolve in hopes that you prove them to be right.”
“I’m not part of that circle.”
“I came here to learn of Mercy, to understand why it should be given and then I realized that mercy is only a delay of the inevitable and that inevitable is the Legacy Championship.”
“Hell On Earth was my curve, a chance wasted, an opportunity seen and gone through the wayside but now you will be the second after Lance to be the recipient of my wrath. I expect nothing less than a fight for I want you to be at your best so that I can see the look of fear in your eyes when you begin to hear it.”
“Shhhh…..”
“Listen closely….”
Mark presses his index finger on his lips before slowly removing it and cracking a smile. His eyes still narrow a little.
“Elena DeDraca, you may be a great wrestler.”
“Your skills may pay the bills.”
“And you’ll try as hard as you can to beat me?”
He cracks a smirk and lets out a small chuckle.
“Do you hear them? They are trying to whisper in your ear. Yes, the stir of echoes and as I drive my nails into your flesh and skull, feel the warmth of your blood pour on my fingers I will remember your bravery, I will show no mercy, the world will become silent and like these people who think they live an innocent existence, you will be introduced into the hell that I have created… You are set to meet something and someone altogether different in Australia.”
Mark leans into the camera and speaks softly….
“….and I’ll be the evil you didn’t even know was within me!!”