07-31-2020, 11:32 PM
Ignore the pain… sleep it off…
Ever since she’d joined The Unforgiven, this had almost become a mantra of sorts for Melissa Killgraves. Whatever pain she endured either through actual competition or the rigorous training she was subjected to at the hands of Cindy Todd, she just mentally blocked it out until it was time to turn in from the day, at which point she would just let the pain lull her to sleep so her body could rest and heal until the next day. Some might believe she was subjecting herself to a sense of torture through this, but being taken under Cindy’s wing was arguably the first time she’d willingly embraced this work ethic.
Once upon a time, it would just be the natural way of things forcibly ingrained into her by her father’s attempts to make her follow in his footsteps, and as much as she used to hate this routine, it became second nature to her a long time ago.
Melissa could only scowl as her father crossed her mind once more as she laid down on the couch in the hotel room she was sharing with Claire and Jennifer, knowing they were both out cold by now together in bed since her training had gone a bit late. The man had been quite a conflicting topic on her mind for the past several weeks because while he was always a great ignition point for the inferno that was Melissa’s anger so she could weaponize it, she couldn’t get her mind off the absolute breakdown she witnessed from someone she would begrudgingly admit was probably the strongest person she knew and pondered if the caring father he had buried beneath the military discipline was finally fighting to reveal itself, far too late.
Deep down, the little girl who never felt like she truly had any parents to guide her in life was touched by the prospect that she might finally get her wish after all these years, but Melissa wanted to keep herself planted firmly in the reality that Cindy and The Unforgiven had, despite what others think of them, been more of a family to her than she’d ever had before, and she was more than happy with fighting for them against those who tried to force her to pick a side and wouldn’t simply let her go about her own business.
Despite the darkness of the room, Melissa couldn’t resist looking down at her knuckles, which had been bruised and scarred from abuse day after day in preparation for this Taipei Death Match that she hoped would finally settle things once and for all with Annabelle Burchard. Even if it wasn’t for her ability to fuel herself with rage from the thought that this issue had still not been settled because of some guy who was also under this delusional belief of seeking redemption at her expense, she had to wonder what was truly going through Annabelle’s mind about this match. After all, it was no secret at this point that being able to engage in a bare-knuckle fight was among the military training she’d been forced to receive growing up ‘in the event she was disarmed in combat’ and one of the biggest weapons in her arsenal that people tended to forget about was a violent haymaker punch that could and would knock out just about anybody. Asking her to tape up these fists and glue broken glass to them was effectively telling the ‘lost little lamb of God’ that she was fighting on Melissa’s terms now, which only ever meant bad things.
A low growl escaped the military maiden’s throat as her father briefly resurfaced in her thoughts, forcing her to try and get as comfortable as possible despite the throbbing agony her hands were in before squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to simply knock her out so she could begin this process all over again. It wasn’t like she could see the man even if she wanted to, considering that even without Emerge in the equation he was either sitting in a prison cell or a straightjacket, and she seriously doubted she’d get visitation rights considering she was the trigger to his present instability. He’d be a puzzle to figure out at a later point in time… right now all she needed to focus on was literally beating Annabelle to a bloody pulp, and that was the thought she settled on as sleep finally began to overtake her.
That was the only thing Melissa could register in her adrenaline rush, and it was all she needed to keep her going.
Her vision was blurry and she couldn’t make out the details, but all she needed to know was that she was fighting someone in the ring and she had knocked them back into the ropes with enough force that their arms were trapped. Like a shark smelling blood, she quickly closed the distance and began leveling the defenseless soul with brutal haymaker after brutal haymaker, feeling their blood spattering against her skin with every blow that only seemed to further entice the bloodthirsty sea of humanity around her. Maybe this was an omen of what awaited Annabelle? Maybe this was actually happening and she was on the verge of leaving the woman questioning once and for all if this had been a good idea at any point in time? Maybe it was someone else that was on the receiving end of this treatment that deserved it, considering there were plenty of names on that list?
She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. All she knew was that by this point the coat of blood had to be so thick that nobody could make out the identity of the person beneath the crimson mask. Even then, there was no hint of remorse or restraint as she kept hammering away, almost like she was in a trance and violence was the only thing she could comprehend at that moment. The life of the person on the other end of her fists was irrelevant… all that mattered to her was making a statement that no one would ever forget.
A statement that would soon be stopped when she was finally pried off the trapped individual and dragged away, her vision briefly clearing just enough to see a limp carcass trapped like a prisoner in a dungeon as blood trailed down their body like a waterfall into a disturbingly large pool at their feet. She tried to return to her onslaught, but whatever was holding her was determined to keep her away from her prey at all costs. The idea of an official risking himself to try and stop her was the first thought that came to mind, and she immediately latched onto it as it was the only thing that made sense to her.
“Let me go, ref! I don’t care if she can’t continue, I want to make sure she understands that this is over!”
“You’re right Melissa… it’s over. But was going too far to prove a point really worth it?”
That voice… the chill that went down her spine introduced the first moment of clarity she’d had in this moment. Her vision almost immediately cleared up and whatever pain and fatigue had been coursing through her veins was suddenly gone. She didn’t want to believe it, but when she saw a referee actually move in to check on the person she’d been bludgeoning, she knew there was no other possibility. Finding her anger once more, she violently twisted around and tried to slam the point of her elbow into the face of the man she expected to be standing behind her, only to find nothing there as the force holding her back was inexplicably gone.
As was everything that had been around her just a second ago.
It took a moment for her to get her bearings, but Melissa didn’t seem fazed by the idea of standing in a seemingly vacant space. She was more concerned about the voice she’d heard and trying to find it, leading her to take a few steps forward as she looked all around her. Growling in frustration that she was seemingly still being haunted by him even when he was an ocean away, she slowed to a stop when something seemed to appear before her out of thin air, resting on the ground in an open gold jewelry box. She leaned down and retrieved it, her grip on it tightening once she got a closer look at it.
In her hand was a photo she hadn’t seen in years… a photo of her after an elementary school play while she was still in costume, sitting on the broad soldier of her father, beaming with the kind of pride she could barely recall him ever showing her despite recognizing the facial expression.
“Do you remember that night Melissa? I remember how proud I was of my little girl being a leading lady at such a young age.”
Melissa turned around and immediately found herself locking eyes with her father. It didn’t take long for her anger to begin boiling over again, but when she tried to march towards him she found her body refusing to cooperate, almost as if she’d been petrified. No amount of grunting or angry yelling or brute force could cause a single muscle to even so much as flex, and it only served to piss her off more. Looking back at her old man since that seemed to be the only thing she was actually able to do, she found her anger starting to ebb away like a wave after crashing into a cliff. Standing before her was not the beloved military hero in full Army regalia or the police chief that busted his ass to uphold the law the way it should be upheld in today’s world. No… he stood before her with no sense of sternness or expectation, dressed in the same semi-casual outfit he’d worn on the night the photo was taken, staring at her not with anger or hatred or even a hidden demand for her to give up what she’d built for herself. It was a look she hadn’t seen in so long she could barely recall it, a look she truly believed no longer existed.
Sgt. Brett Killgraves was giving his daughter a look that told her how proud he was of her.
“Look at you, young lady. You’ve forged your own path, made a name for yourself separate from anything you could’ve ever gained just by serving our country just as I did. You’ve proven yourself to be a champion… I want to be proud of you, but it’s hard to show that pride when we’ve both made mistakes.”
“Mistakes!? You want to talk about mistakes? The only mistake I’ve ever truly made was not getting the hell away from you sooner! I made it no secret that I was miserable living under your roof because all you ever did was treat me like just another soldier who needed to be convinced they should be willing to die for their country!”
“I can’t fault you for being upset Melissa. I’ve had a lot of time to think on it and… I finally realize that I haven’t truly been a father to you. I was so caught up in what I’d accomplish that I stopped seeing you as your own person and instead-”
“Will you shut the hell up and spare me the speech!? You aren’t fooling me… whatever this is, I know it’s all some ploy to get me to abandon wrestling and-”
Melissa’s mouth immediately snapped shut when she felt his hand on her shoulder. It was nothing like when he’d tried to arrest her near the end of 2019 that ultimately led to what should be his present incarceration. It was the kind of touch a father gives to their child when trying to calm them down and show them that they are not alone in whatever struggle is bothering them. She tried to resume her counter rant, but now her lips betrayed her and acted as though they were sewn shut, leaving her with no choice but to hear her father speak once more.
“I’ve made mistakes Melissa… I’m only human, just like you. I have no one to blame but myself for the way I tried to raise you, the path I tried to make you walk even when you told me it wasn’t what you wanted. I let my stubbornness get the better of me, just like you have. You were so desperate to try and sever all ties with me that you allowed yourself to be led astray.”
“I-”
“Can you honestly tell me that things are any different under Cindy than they were with me? You work yourself to the bone preparing to fight in a war and you’ve never shown any true appreciation for it. When you succeed, it’s just one step forward. When you fail, you’re treated as though you’re worthless. Was becoming a monster really worth it just to show me what kind of monster I’ve been?”
Even if she had the ability to truly speak, Melissa would be at a loss for words right now, especially when her father fully embraced her, the photo in her hand of that rare happy childhood memory between them falling from her grasp and fading away. It was the kind of warm, loving hug that seemed nonexistent from this man even in his kindest of moments, and here she was, finding herself in it as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She was listening to her father admit to all of his faults, something he would never do, and in the process, he was making her question the choices she had made. In The Unforgiven, she had finally found a family, and yet her actual birth father was causing her to wonder if things truly were any different between her old life and her new one. She could hear a voice screaming at the top of its lungs in the back of her head, demanding that he let her go and shut his mouth, but he only hugged her tighter, causing her entire body to feel like an inferno was engulfing it. She could feel her senses fading, the confusing feeling consuming her, and when he spoke one more time, it was almost as though she could finally feel something shatter, decimating her perception of whatever was going on right now.
“All I want is a second chance, Melissa. Everyone deserves at least that… even you…”
As she shifted her focus to the mirror in front of her, she found her eyes widening as what looked like her father was hugging her from behind in the kind of embrace that was meant to show her that he was still there for her and not giving up on her. She could swear she still heard him trying to tell her that it wasn’t too late to leave this all behind… that he loved her and wanted a second chance to be her father and let her live her life her way. To her, it was reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, and she couldn’t take it anymore as she let out a scream of pure, unadulterated fury.
The smashing of glass… a searing pain coursing through her hand… that was all that registered to her after that.
She could hear the panicked cries of Claire and Jennifer, having been awoken by the sound and standing in the doorway in shock at what they saw before trying to pull her away to fix her up. She could feel the blood pouring from her hand as her training wounds were reopened along with a few new areas of torn open flesh. Even as she blankly stared down at the mess, all she could focus on was the sudden silence that finally embraced her thoughts. She didn’t know if it was one last desperate attempt to force the situation with her father behind a barrier so she could compete unhindered, or if she was finding acceptance in the idea that sometimes, when you go too far, there is no such thing as redemption.
The only thing that brought a disturbing smile to her face that would have made even Cindy Todd feel unashamedly proud was the feeling of glass puncturing her flesh, and how she would soon be able to use that to prove to Annabelle that in losing her chance to seek redemption, she had already lost this war and just didn’t know it yet.
Ever since she’d joined The Unforgiven, this had almost become a mantra of sorts for Melissa Killgraves. Whatever pain she endured either through actual competition or the rigorous training she was subjected to at the hands of Cindy Todd, she just mentally blocked it out until it was time to turn in from the day, at which point she would just let the pain lull her to sleep so her body could rest and heal until the next day. Some might believe she was subjecting herself to a sense of torture through this, but being taken under Cindy’s wing was arguably the first time she’d willingly embraced this work ethic.
Once upon a time, it would just be the natural way of things forcibly ingrained into her by her father’s attempts to make her follow in his footsteps, and as much as she used to hate this routine, it became second nature to her a long time ago.
Melissa could only scowl as her father crossed her mind once more as she laid down on the couch in the hotel room she was sharing with Claire and Jennifer, knowing they were both out cold by now together in bed since her training had gone a bit late. The man had been quite a conflicting topic on her mind for the past several weeks because while he was always a great ignition point for the inferno that was Melissa’s anger so she could weaponize it, she couldn’t get her mind off the absolute breakdown she witnessed from someone she would begrudgingly admit was probably the strongest person she knew and pondered if the caring father he had buried beneath the military discipline was finally fighting to reveal itself, far too late.
Deep down, the little girl who never felt like she truly had any parents to guide her in life was touched by the prospect that she might finally get her wish after all these years, but Melissa wanted to keep herself planted firmly in the reality that Cindy and The Unforgiven had, despite what others think of them, been more of a family to her than she’d ever had before, and she was more than happy with fighting for them against those who tried to force her to pick a side and wouldn’t simply let her go about her own business.
Despite the darkness of the room, Melissa couldn’t resist looking down at her knuckles, which had been bruised and scarred from abuse day after day in preparation for this Taipei Death Match that she hoped would finally settle things once and for all with Annabelle Burchard. Even if it wasn’t for her ability to fuel herself with rage from the thought that this issue had still not been settled because of some guy who was also under this delusional belief of seeking redemption at her expense, she had to wonder what was truly going through Annabelle’s mind about this match. After all, it was no secret at this point that being able to engage in a bare-knuckle fight was among the military training she’d been forced to receive growing up ‘in the event she was disarmed in combat’ and one of the biggest weapons in her arsenal that people tended to forget about was a violent haymaker punch that could and would knock out just about anybody. Asking her to tape up these fists and glue broken glass to them was effectively telling the ‘lost little lamb of God’ that she was fighting on Melissa’s terms now, which only ever meant bad things.
A low growl escaped the military maiden’s throat as her father briefly resurfaced in her thoughts, forcing her to try and get as comfortable as possible despite the throbbing agony her hands were in before squeezing her eyes shut, waiting for the pain to simply knock her out so she could begin this process all over again. It wasn’t like she could see the man even if she wanted to, considering that even without Emerge in the equation he was either sitting in a prison cell or a straightjacket, and she seriously doubted she’d get visitation rights considering she was the trigger to his present instability. He’d be a puzzle to figure out at a later point in time… right now all she needed to focus on was literally beating Annabelle to a bloody pulp, and that was the thought she settled on as sleep finally began to overtake her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The roar of the crowd…That was the only thing Melissa could register in her adrenaline rush, and it was all she needed to keep her going.
Her vision was blurry and she couldn’t make out the details, but all she needed to know was that she was fighting someone in the ring and she had knocked them back into the ropes with enough force that their arms were trapped. Like a shark smelling blood, she quickly closed the distance and began leveling the defenseless soul with brutal haymaker after brutal haymaker, feeling their blood spattering against her skin with every blow that only seemed to further entice the bloodthirsty sea of humanity around her. Maybe this was an omen of what awaited Annabelle? Maybe this was actually happening and she was on the verge of leaving the woman questioning once and for all if this had been a good idea at any point in time? Maybe it was someone else that was on the receiving end of this treatment that deserved it, considering there were plenty of names on that list?
She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. All she knew was that by this point the coat of blood had to be so thick that nobody could make out the identity of the person beneath the crimson mask. Even then, there was no hint of remorse or restraint as she kept hammering away, almost like she was in a trance and violence was the only thing she could comprehend at that moment. The life of the person on the other end of her fists was irrelevant… all that mattered to her was making a statement that no one would ever forget.
A statement that would soon be stopped when she was finally pried off the trapped individual and dragged away, her vision briefly clearing just enough to see a limp carcass trapped like a prisoner in a dungeon as blood trailed down their body like a waterfall into a disturbingly large pool at their feet. She tried to return to her onslaught, but whatever was holding her was determined to keep her away from her prey at all costs. The idea of an official risking himself to try and stop her was the first thought that came to mind, and she immediately latched onto it as it was the only thing that made sense to her.
“Let me go, ref! I don’t care if she can’t continue, I want to make sure she understands that this is over!”
“You’re right Melissa… it’s over. But was going too far to prove a point really worth it?”
That voice… the chill that went down her spine introduced the first moment of clarity she’d had in this moment. Her vision almost immediately cleared up and whatever pain and fatigue had been coursing through her veins was suddenly gone. She didn’t want to believe it, but when she saw a referee actually move in to check on the person she’d been bludgeoning, she knew there was no other possibility. Finding her anger once more, she violently twisted around and tried to slam the point of her elbow into the face of the man she expected to be standing behind her, only to find nothing there as the force holding her back was inexplicably gone.
As was everything that had been around her just a second ago.
It took a moment for her to get her bearings, but Melissa didn’t seem fazed by the idea of standing in a seemingly vacant space. She was more concerned about the voice she’d heard and trying to find it, leading her to take a few steps forward as she looked all around her. Growling in frustration that she was seemingly still being haunted by him even when he was an ocean away, she slowed to a stop when something seemed to appear before her out of thin air, resting on the ground in an open gold jewelry box. She leaned down and retrieved it, her grip on it tightening once she got a closer look at it.
In her hand was a photo she hadn’t seen in years… a photo of her after an elementary school play while she was still in costume, sitting on the broad soldier of her father, beaming with the kind of pride she could barely recall him ever showing her despite recognizing the facial expression.
“Do you remember that night Melissa? I remember how proud I was of my little girl being a leading lady at such a young age.”
Melissa turned around and immediately found herself locking eyes with her father. It didn’t take long for her anger to begin boiling over again, but when she tried to march towards him she found her body refusing to cooperate, almost as if she’d been petrified. No amount of grunting or angry yelling or brute force could cause a single muscle to even so much as flex, and it only served to piss her off more. Looking back at her old man since that seemed to be the only thing she was actually able to do, she found her anger starting to ebb away like a wave after crashing into a cliff. Standing before her was not the beloved military hero in full Army regalia or the police chief that busted his ass to uphold the law the way it should be upheld in today’s world. No… he stood before her with no sense of sternness or expectation, dressed in the same semi-casual outfit he’d worn on the night the photo was taken, staring at her not with anger or hatred or even a hidden demand for her to give up what she’d built for herself. It was a look she hadn’t seen in so long she could barely recall it, a look she truly believed no longer existed.
Sgt. Brett Killgraves was giving his daughter a look that told her how proud he was of her.
“Look at you, young lady. You’ve forged your own path, made a name for yourself separate from anything you could’ve ever gained just by serving our country just as I did. You’ve proven yourself to be a champion… I want to be proud of you, but it’s hard to show that pride when we’ve both made mistakes.”
“Mistakes!? You want to talk about mistakes? The only mistake I’ve ever truly made was not getting the hell away from you sooner! I made it no secret that I was miserable living under your roof because all you ever did was treat me like just another soldier who needed to be convinced they should be willing to die for their country!”
“I can’t fault you for being upset Melissa. I’ve had a lot of time to think on it and… I finally realize that I haven’t truly been a father to you. I was so caught up in what I’d accomplish that I stopped seeing you as your own person and instead-”
“Will you shut the hell up and spare me the speech!? You aren’t fooling me… whatever this is, I know it’s all some ploy to get me to abandon wrestling and-”
Melissa’s mouth immediately snapped shut when she felt his hand on her shoulder. It was nothing like when he’d tried to arrest her near the end of 2019 that ultimately led to what should be his present incarceration. It was the kind of touch a father gives to their child when trying to calm them down and show them that they are not alone in whatever struggle is bothering them. She tried to resume her counter rant, but now her lips betrayed her and acted as though they were sewn shut, leaving her with no choice but to hear her father speak once more.
“I’ve made mistakes Melissa… I’m only human, just like you. I have no one to blame but myself for the way I tried to raise you, the path I tried to make you walk even when you told me it wasn’t what you wanted. I let my stubbornness get the better of me, just like you have. You were so desperate to try and sever all ties with me that you allowed yourself to be led astray.”
“I-”
“Can you honestly tell me that things are any different under Cindy than they were with me? You work yourself to the bone preparing to fight in a war and you’ve never shown any true appreciation for it. When you succeed, it’s just one step forward. When you fail, you’re treated as though you’re worthless. Was becoming a monster really worth it just to show me what kind of monster I’ve been?”
Even if she had the ability to truly speak, Melissa would be at a loss for words right now, especially when her father fully embraced her, the photo in her hand of that rare happy childhood memory between them falling from her grasp and fading away. It was the kind of warm, loving hug that seemed nonexistent from this man even in his kindest of moments, and here she was, finding herself in it as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. She was listening to her father admit to all of his faults, something he would never do, and in the process, he was making her question the choices she had made. In The Unforgiven, she had finally found a family, and yet her actual birth father was causing her to wonder if things truly were any different between her old life and her new one. She could hear a voice screaming at the top of its lungs in the back of her head, demanding that he let her go and shut his mouth, but he only hugged her tighter, causing her entire body to feel like an inferno was engulfing it. She could feel her senses fading, the confusing feeling consuming her, and when he spoke one more time, it was almost as though she could finally feel something shatter, decimating her perception of whatever was going on right now.
“All I want is a second chance, Melissa. Everyone deserves at least that… even you…”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With an audible gasp, Melissa suddenly shot up, taking several deep breaths as she took a moment to get her bearings. The darkness was a familiar feeling surrounding her, but after her ears caught the quiet breathing of her best friends in their slumber, it finally hit her that she’d been dreaming. Groaning, she pulled herself off the couch and made her way into the bathroom, turning on both the light and the faucet so she could splash some water on her face, hoping to snap herself out of whatever daze she was in so she could forget about the thoughts running through her head and try to get some more sleep. After all, Cindy wasn’t going to accept a lack of sleep as an excuse to keep her from being ready to put an end to this Annabelle situation once and for all.As she shifted her focus to the mirror in front of her, she found her eyes widening as what looked like her father was hugging her from behind in the kind of embrace that was meant to show her that he was still there for her and not giving up on her. She could swear she still heard him trying to tell her that it wasn’t too late to leave this all behind… that he loved her and wanted a second chance to be her father and let her live her life her way. To her, it was reminiscent of nails on a chalkboard, and she couldn’t take it anymore as she let out a scream of pure, unadulterated fury.
The smashing of glass… a searing pain coursing through her hand… that was all that registered to her after that.
She could hear the panicked cries of Claire and Jennifer, having been awoken by the sound and standing in the doorway in shock at what they saw before trying to pull her away to fix her up. She could feel the blood pouring from her hand as her training wounds were reopened along with a few new areas of torn open flesh. Even as she blankly stared down at the mess, all she could focus on was the sudden silence that finally embraced her thoughts. She didn’t know if it was one last desperate attempt to force the situation with her father behind a barrier so she could compete unhindered, or if she was finding acceptance in the idea that sometimes, when you go too far, there is no such thing as redemption.
The only thing that brought a disturbing smile to her face that would have made even Cindy Todd feel unashamedly proud was the feeling of glass puncturing her flesh, and how she would soon be able to use that to prove to Annabelle that in losing her chance to seek redemption, she had already lost this war and just didn’t know it yet.
![[Image: yC0vuyj.png]](https://i.imgur.com/yC0vuyj.png)