The Evil Contained

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January 25th, 2020

Chicago, Illinois

Off Camera

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The streets are the most private of public spaces, much the same as walking in a country lane in some rural place. Yet if you are okay with solitude, if you matured passed the point of loneliness to feel your own worth, there is a vibrancy here that can uplift the soul. All around there are moments of kindness, fleeting smiles and gestures of appreciation that are the beauty on this canvas of weathered grey. We are separate, it's true, but we are together too. These streetlamps that light the way in every nighttime are ours, as brilliant as any landing strip for skyborne pilots.  Standing off to herself in one of the darker spots on the street corner, just inside a back alley, is none other than Kimberly Williams.  The Woman Scorned is here in Chicago for an SCW wrestling event tomorrow night, a night where she competes for the SCW United States Championship against Bree Lancaster.  But tonight she isn’t training.  She’s done all of the training and preparation she can.  She’s done all of the homework on the reigning champion and now it’s all a matter of going to the ring and getting the job done.  No, tonight isn’t about her wrestling career.  Tonight is about something far more important.  Tonight, The Woman Scorned is just an interested observer...

She has been observing a young man, she never did catch his name but his name is unimportant; he was crumpled on the cobbled streets, a tattered mess of ripped clothes and muck.  A greasy grey mane surrounded his haggard face and intertwined with the long grey whiskers protruding from his upper lip.  The sandstone bricks of the building felt cold as he pressed his back firm against them.  He sat a polystyrene cup just inches in front of his shins - that contained only a few coppers and maybe a pound coin - hoping the hear the gentle jingle of some stranger parting with their coin. 

“Please,” he croaked to some, “spare change,” to others. Just enough money to buy a bottle of whiskey that could warm his chest and cloud his mind. That was all he needed, a couple of drinks to make the night pass faster.  Kimberly felt bad for the man, whoever he was.  If she had any cash on her at the moment she would have given him some but she has nothing to give except for her attention.  He has no idea she is watching and that is how Kimberly wants it.  She wants to see how society works...how society operates…all for one singular purpose: trying to find her place within this society.

It has been several days since Kimberly’s violent encounter with her identical twin sister Marie Jones.  The fact that her psychosis sent her into a blind rage that caused her to assault her own sister was a major reality check for The Woman Scorned.  She wants to be accepted in the Jones family, she wants to be loved and appreciated, but she realizes now that she doesn’t feel as if she is loved, she doesn’t feel the appreciation she desires.  If she had truly believed that she was loved and appreciated then maybe she wouldn’t be hearing those voices in her head, those voices telling her to do horrible evil things to the family that supposedly loves her.

Marie made her believe that she does love and appreciate Kimberly.  And that much has helped the voices to get quieter...not completely silent but at least quieter...and now Kimberly has a sense of hope and optimism that maybe she can finish the job that she and Marie started many years ago.  Maybe she can finally be the woman that she was meant to be and not this sociopathic weapon molded by the woman who took her away at birth.  The problem is the lack of trust and there is a lack of trust from both sides.  Kimberly doesn’t feel loved or appreciated by her family and thus there is no trust, and her family doesn’t feel as if they can trust her.  Trust is earned, Kimberly knows this, and she is going to work hard to earn that trust and hopefully discover who she was meant to be...

The homeless man Kimberly has been watching continues to ask for money.  Instead of money the homeless man received averted gazes as the passers by tried to avoid looking upon his desperate face. Some tried to look sympathetic, but Kimberly saw through the facade to find their disgust. Children looked at him with a youthful wonder, their little eyes littered with questions, “why does the scary man sit on the ground mommy?  Can we help him?” One asks.  Kimberly smiles at this, the innocence of youth.  Too bad they will all grow up eventually.  Too bad their youthful innocence will be gone.

Williams continues to watch as men and women walk past this homeless man, most ignoring him and those few that do give him any attention give him merely disgusted looks.  She watches as slowly but surely the numbers of people who pass by this man start to become fewer and fewer until, for almost a full minute, no one is seen anywhere nearby.  The Woman Scorned checks her watch and looks at the time.  She has seen enough.  It is time to take action.

“Hi there, buddy!” The redhead steps out into the light and waves at the man who turns and looks cautiously, suspiciously at her.  No one has ever approached him like this.  Typically people try to avoid him out of fear.  This woman seems willing to embrace him.  Despite his skepticism he waves back.

“Uh, hi…” he holds up his cup at Kimberly “...spare some change?”

“I would if I had any but unfortunately I got nothing!” Kimberly shrugs her shoulders.  Then her facial features change and it looks as if a lightbulb just went off in her head.  She starts digging in the pockets of her black denim jeans and eventually pulls out a small ticket.  She reaches out and drops it in the cup.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a ticket to SCW Day of Infamy!  It’s a wrestling event!  My sister gave it to me and I was supposed to give it to our mom but oops!  There it is!” She snickers.  The homeless man sighs as he places the cup on the ground at his feet.

“Thanks, I guess.  My name is Dave.”

“Kimberly.  Nice to meet ya.” The redhead approaches and sits down next to Dave.  She is now fully in the light of the streetlamp and Dave can see that his visitor is wearing black leather boots, black denim jeans, and a floral print black blouse.  Dave has never Kimberly before so he wouldn’t know that this attire is slightly different from the attire typically worn by The Woman Scorned.  Would you describe her as a tomboy?  Some may  use that term but that term doesn’t truly do her justice.  How do you describe someone who really has no fashion sense and thinks it is hilarious to wear a shirt that proudly declares that she groped someone or she stabs people. How do you describe that person?  Deranged?  Maybe Kim was deranged at one point but Kimberly wants to change that view.

“Oh yeah, it’s at the United Center?” Dave recalls.  Kimberly nods her head.  Dave sighs and shakes his head. “Eh, I doubt I’ll be able to make it to the arena.  Maybe you should take that ticket back and give it to your mom…”

“No!  You keep it!  Trust me, mom will find her way in.  Hell, they’ll probably let her in if she just flashes that winning smile of hers.  And I’m sure you’ll find a way to the United Center and if you do, make sure you track down Smee Lancaster.”

“Who?”

“Smee L...oh no, wait, sorry, Smee is that pudgy pirate who played second fiddle to Captain Hook in all the Peter Pan movies and tv shows.  Look for Bree.”

“Why?” Dave is thoroughly confused at this point and, to be honest, is growing slightly worried about what is on this woman’s mind.

“She’s rich.  Very rich.  I’m sure she can afford to throw a couple thousand dollars your way, buddy.” Kimberly pats Dave on the back. “Unlike these uncaring jackasses who just passed you by without a second thought.  Can I ask you something, Dave?  Is that normal?”

“Is...what normal?”

“Was this a normal evening for you?  Is it normal for people to look at you as if you were infected?  Is it normal for people to avoid you like the plague?  Is it normal for people to treat you like dirt because, let me be honest here Davey, they were treating you like crap.”

“Yeah…” his voice fades off in the distance as he ponders this woman’s strange question.

“Is it normal just for the fine people of Chicago...although if I’m honest with you, these were not fine people, they were jerks to you and probably jerks in real life...or is that the normal action for society in general?”

“I don’t really know.  Uh, I’m sure this happens elsewhere but really all I know is my own life.”

“And your life isn’t all that great, is it Davey?” Kimberly asks with a sweet smile. “I really was hoping you would have more answers for me but alas you seem to be pretty much worthless.”

The Woman Scorned stands up. “Oh well, you may not have been of any help but that doesn’t mean that I can’t make your day a little brighter...figuratively speaking, of course, because it’s night and shit…”

“What are you talking about?”

Kimberly winks at Dave knowingly.  Then she reaches into her pocket and produces a checkbook.  “Now I cannot make it literally bright outside, I do not have that power.  But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it…”

“Uh, Kim…”

“What?”

“You’re quoting a movie.”

“Oh yeah!  Taken!  It is an awesome movie and I highly recommend it!  Thankfully I don’t have a daughter, am I right?” Kimberly laughs loudly.  “But yeah, I do have a particular set of skills that I have acquired over a very long career and I’m going to use one of those skills to help you tonight.  What is your last name, by the way?”

“Roberts.”

“Excellent.” Kim proceeds to write a check for one thousand dollars, making it out to Dave.  She signs the check ‘Marie Annabelle Jones’ and then hands the check to Dave.  He looks at it and then looks up at Kimberly.

“One thousand dollars?”

“Yup.”

“It’s from someone named Marie.  But you’re not…”

“I know but she won’t mind.  God I hope she won’t mind.  She is my sister and so I’m sure she will be fine with it!”

“Uh, ok…”

Kimberly notices movement out of the corner of her eye.  It is a shadow, a shadow that moved into the alley where she was just standing a few minutes ago.  The Woman Scorned blows a kiss towards Dave.

“It’s been nice meeting you, Davey, but I have places to go, people to see, societies to figure out!” She waves playfully at him as she walks away. “Buh-bye!”

Williams heads straightaway to the alley.  The alleyway is darkness and the sour relics of a hundred take-away meals. As Kimberly walks between the walls that are too high for her to bother seeking the almost black sky, she kicks the garbage with each stride. As she leaves the street, the lampposts cast her shadow like black over deepest charcoal; by midway it has bled out. From the apartments come noises, not so much as in the daytime but all the louder for the absence of light and the quieter traffic. Soon she notices the yellow beams of the lampposts ahead.  In the dim light that oozes through a narrow gap lies the alleyway. It's the underworld of any town: gloomy and unpleasant. The vines that crawl up window sills and the crumbling plaster that envelopes the old stone bricks appear romantic at first but become daunting for most; not so for Kim.  The Woman Scorned is used to this kind of darkness.  It is for this reason that she wanted to meet here.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Kimberly shouts in a sing-song voice.  A few moments later a feminine figure emerges from the shadows.  It is someone Kimberly got to know in a very intimate, passionate way…

...it is Julianne Buchanan.

Julianne met Marie Jones at The Inner Peace Enlightenment Retreat.  Both were victims of the con artist known as Raul Alfaro and it was Kimberly who helped both of them escape what amounted to little more than a sex cult.  Kimberly played a big part by not only getting in contact with Julianne’s brother, who was worried sick about his sister’s whereabouts and well being, but also through other more ‘nefarious’ methods.  Kimberly knew that gaining inside access to the cult would not be easy, so she snuck in under the guise of her twin sister Marie Jones and that night had sexual relations with Julianne.  It was then that Kimberly learned what incident had drove Julianne to leave her family for this cult; she had come out of the closet with her homosexuality and the family rejected her.

“There you are!” Kimberly holds out her arms and approaches her. “Give me a kiss!”

Julianne cautiously back away. “Stay back!”

“Oh what’s wrong, sweetie?  Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“The last time I saw you, you…”

“We screwed each other until the cows came home!” Kim proudly declares. “Then we screwed each other some more after the cows got home!”

Julianne rolls her eyes “...funny.  I was going to see that the last time I saw you, you manipulated me, you lied to me, you deceived me.  You made me think you were Marie.  Wait...you are Kimberly, aren’t you?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.  But if you do wear it out be a doll and get me a new one because Kimberly is so dull, don’t ya think?”

“My God!” Julianne exclaims out of sheer frustration. “You are just...just…”

“Insane?  Psychotic?  Yeah, I’ve heard it all before.  I’ve heard it from my own family, as a matter of fact.” Kimberly sits down on the ground.  Julianne, still not fully trusting her, remains standing in case she has to run. “Did Marie ever tell you about our family?”

“Not a whole lot.” Julianne admits, shaking her head.

“Our mother and our aunt as well as our two half-sisters are all very fashionable.  Marie just like them in that respect.  She’s very fashionable, very feminine, very ladylike.  My mom and one of my half-sisters both have had bouts of psychosis in the past but the difference between them and me is that at least they have a handle on their issues.  But me…” Kimberly points at her head “...I still hear the voices in my head.”

Kimberly looks up at Julianne. “Do you know what it’s like to hear voices in your head?”

“No.”

“Of course you don’t.  Few people do.  But I am making progress, those voices are not as loud as they once were.  Let me ask you another question, Julianne.  Do you know what it’s like to have your own family reject you simply because you’re different?”

The blonde glares angrily at Kimberly. “You know the answer to that question.”

“I do, and that’s why I wanted to meet you tonight.  You and I are more alike than you could possibly imagine.  Both of us have had problems with our families and both of us are seeking to make things right.  Well, I am certainly trying to make things right for myself and my family.  Do you think I enjoy being Crazy Kim?  No, I want to be an accepted part of society but right now, the person that I am, that’s just not someone who is accepted in society.”

Williams points out towards the streets. “Dave out there is homeless.  He’s not accepted by society because of who he is.  He can’t help it, it was just the hand life dealt him.  I cannot help that I have psychotic tendencies.  It was the hand that was dealt to me.  I was born normal but then a woman took me away from my mother and raised me, molded me into the psychopath you see before you today.  I want to be accepted by society, I want to blend in with society, I just want to be normal.  Is that so much to ask?  And I think you want to be accepted as well.”

“What do you mean?” Julianne asks curiously.  Kimberly smirks knowingly.

“Marie.”

“Marie is…”

“Do not try to deny it, sweetie.  I knew you would be here in Chicago and you know why I knew you would be here?  Because I knew you still are obsessed with my twin sister.  Let me tell you some hard truths, darling, just like the voices in my head told me some hard truths the past few weeks; Marie likes you but as a friend.  She already has a boyfriend, she is as straight a freaking ruler, and there is no way in hell you’re getting in her pants...or more likely skirt because she likes that frilly shit more than I do…but you get the point.  And I think somewhere deep down in your heart and soul you knew this to be true, even though you hoped against hope that maybe Marie loved you back.”

Julianne has now been driven to tears.  She sobs nearly uncontrollably. “Is this what you wanted to do?  To rub it in!  To make it hurt!  To…”

“Oh sweetie, if I wanted to hurt you then I would do a lot worse than that.” Kimberly hops up back to her feet and slowly approaches Julianne even as she backs away. “Trust me, I was trained by the best...or worst, depending on your point of view...so when it comes to inflicting pain, I know how to do it.”

“Then what is this all about?!” Julianne demands angrily.  Kimberly holds out her hand.

“I think we can help each other.”

“How can you help me?!”

“You were driven to that Inner Peace sex cult crap because your family didn’t accept you for who you are, they didn’t accept your choice of sexuality.  Tell me, have you even bothered to try and make peace with your family?”

There is a long pause as Kimberly keeps her hand held out for Julianne to take it.  The blonde does not take her hand but does shake her head. “No…”

“We have similar problems, Julianne.  We can help each other.  We both just want to be accepted and together we can achieve that.”

“How do I know you’re serious?” Julianne asks, still sobbing but reluctantly taking Kimberly’s hand. “You deceived me the first time we met.  How can I trust you now?”

“You can’t.  It’s just a leap of faith that you have to take.  I will tell you this much...and I am not lying...what you and I had that night, when we slept together...I felt guilty for deceiving you that night.  It was the first time I had felt any real guilt in a long time because for me that was real.  And you were great, Julianne.  You really were.”

Buchanan sighs deeply as she ponders the possibilities before her.  She shakes her head. “I just…I don’t know…”

“Listen to me, you cannot have Marie.  And maybe that hurts.  But you can have me.  And I do want someone to want me.  I don’t have that right now.” Kimberly looks on longingly at Julianne.  Finally the blonde pulls Kimberly in and embraces her in a tight hug.

“Fine...we’ll give this a chance…”

“That’s all I ask.  A chance.”

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On Camera

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We open to a bright Carolina blue sky.  A beautiful United States flag flies overhead on top of a flagpole.  The stars and stripes wave proudly in the sky.  The camera then pans out and we see a female figure standing underneath the flag.  The camera zooms in to show that this is Kimberly Williams.  She is wearing an American Flag t-shirt, torn denim jeans, and black boots.  Her long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length and she has her right hand over her heart.

“I pledge Allegiance, to the flag…” she stops and with her left hand points up at the flag “...yeah, that thing, that’s a flag, the flag of America in case blonde dimwitted imbeciles like Breester didn’t know.  Now where was I?” She pauses only momentarily to think and then snaps her fingers. “Oh, right...I pledge allegiance, to the flag of the United States of America…”

Kimberly stops and turns to face the camera “...hear that Breester?  America.  Not this whole Breemerica crap you’re spewing.  Or is that how this game is played now?  Insert cutesy catchphrase here!  Insert witty nickname here!  Insert catchy insult here!  You see, unlike you and your friends...who are not really friends, by the way, they are just people who pretend to be your friends only because you have money and connections.  Lose that money and those connections and not a damn person would give one rat’s ass about whether you lived or died.  No one would care if I gutted your ass at Day of Infamy.  People only care about you because you have wealth….but yeah, unlike you and your ‘friends’, I am one hundred percent real.  I am not a gimmick and I am not a catchphrase.  What you see is what you get when you take on Kimberly Williams.”

The redhead nods her head. “Yes, I know, my ‘stabby’ merchandise sells like hotcakes, right?  Does that make me a hypocrite?   Maybe.  But I don’t think so, because again I am real.  Stabby is not just a gimmick.  Give me half a chance and I will take anything, make a shank out of it, cut your skin off only to staple it back on just for shits and giggles.” She points a finger at the camera. “That’s what YOU are facing, at Day of Infamy, Breester.”

Williams turns back to the flag and proceeds with more of the pledge. “...and to the Republic for which it stands…” Kimberly chuckles lightly “...republic…” she stops and turns to face the camera again.

“You know what a Republic is?  Why am I asking?  You don’t give two fucks about civics.  You’re wealthy enough to pay people to care about civics for you.  Since you probably don’t know or don’t care let me educate you.  A Republic is a form of democracy, government by and for the people.  But you, you don’t give a damn about the people.  You do not give a damn about anyone else but yourself.  You are a picture perfect little tyrant, everyone in this company has to worship you and your enormous ego otherwise you’ll throw a tantrum.  That’s damn sure not what America is all about.  At least, it isn’t what it is supposed to be about but more and more with people like you cropping up, people like you becoming more powerful and influential in this world, our great Republic is becoming a nation of selfish whiny little bitches.  Boo fucking hoo! You didn’t wanna face Rachel Tatum Lee!  Boo fucking hoo you didn’t want to fight me either! What’s wrong? You don’t consider me a legitimate threat? Well listen up as Professor Kim educates you again!”

She pats herself on the chest. “I am Kimberly Williams and yes, I may use my father’s surname, but that doesn’t make me any less a Jones. That doesn’t take away from the fact that I am wrestling royalty, bitch. I have held championship gold before, and not just tag titles with Marie. I’ve held singles titles before and I look forward to winning my first singles title in SCW by whipping your entitled ass.”

The Woman Scorned turns back to face the flag. “...and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under god...or Satan or Flying Spaghetti Monster or whatever deity you do or do not worship, gotta be all politically correct in Breemerica...indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

Kim turns back to face the camera. She removes her hand from her chest. “One nation? Indivisible? Liberty? Justice? Does anyone even know what those terms mean anymore?  I don’t know about the good old US of A, but I do have hope that this country, this great nation is salvageable. But Breemerica?”

She shakes her head. “There’s no hope for your precious little Breemerica because it represents everything wrong with our society from uncaring bitches who think they can play god just because they’re rich. That’s you, Breester. Your overinflated ego and sense of self worth made you believe that you could play god with people’s lives and careers. You played god with the career of Rachel Tatum and all because you didn’t want to fight her...or maybe because you were afraid of her...or maybe because you just thought you had the right to do that. Honestly, it was probably a combination of the three.”

Kimberly points at her eyes. “Look into my eyes you little wannabe tyrant and know that while I may not be as rich, powerful, beautiful, or well connected as you, I don’t need any of those things to play god with your career at Day of Infamy. Will I gut you literally or will I just gut your soul by taking that United States Championship away from you and ending this Breemerica nonsense once and for all. Because there’s no way to save Breemerica. At Day of Infamy, I’m gonna start the Breemerican Revolution and it’ll end when I burn that bitch to the ground.”