Years ago when Tabitha Osborne was 11…

Tabitha Osborne and her brother, Aiden Osborne, are in the wrestling ring in the building behind the Osborne household in Paris, Illinois. Aiden is a few years older than Tabitha, but he is not picking up the lessons as quickly as Tabitha. 

This does not make their father, Terrance Osborne, very happy as he was wanting to knock the “wrestling bug” out of his daughter so she can be a “prim and proper” young lady meant for high society. 

Tabitha catches Aiden off of the ropes and powerslams him to the mat while hooking a leg and looking to their father, who is acting as the referee. He gets into position and only does a two count as Aiden weakly gets a shoulder up. Tabitha stands up and looks at her father. 

Tabitha Osborne - That was the slowest count ever, dad. Why am I not allowed to win?

Terrance Osborne - My counts are fine, Tabs. Though I do have a question for you, my dear. What would you do in a hardcore situation such as a pinfalls count anywhere type of match? Would you be ready to take the match out of the ring and do whatever it takes to win the match?

Tabitha looks at her father, confused as to why she is being asked this question at this particular moment in time. Aiden, on the other hand, gets the hint as he rolls out of the ring. 

Tabitha Osborne - The real question in my mind here is “What would Valora Salinas do in this type of match?” 

Terrance Osborne - And what would she do in this situation?

Tabitha Osborne - Take the match outside of the ring and do whatever it takes to win the match in the end. Even if it means spilling so much blood. 

Aiden slides in a folding steel chair and follows in. He picks the chair up, standing behind Tabitha in a fighting stance. Terrance smiles, but does not give his son away. 

Terrance Osborne - You would be ready if your opponent decided that they could do whatever it took to beat you in the ring?

Tabitha Osborne - Yes, father. I would do anything. 

Terrance Osborne - Alright. The question becomes. Where is your opponent?

Tabitha Osborne - Down on the mat?

She looks down onto the mat to see that Aiden is missing. She turns around to see where he is and is slammed in the face with the steel chair! She goes down to the mat, blood already beginning to run from her forehead. Aiden lifts the chair again and slams her again. And again. Tabitha gets her arm up to block the next shot, but Aiden swings regardless.

Inside the house where Emilia Osborne would be having tea and crumpets by herself. She winces when she hears her daughter’s sharp scream of pain. She wonders to herself if Tabitha will have learned her lesson in that girls are not meant to be wrestlers. 

Inside the building, Tabitha lies in the middle of the ring, surrounded by blood splatter and holding her arm up in the air where Terrance and Aiden can see that her forearm is folded almost in half with a sharp pointy bone sticking out through the flesh. Terrance sighs. 

Terrance Osborne - That’s going to require surgery to set. Isn’t it? Aiden…did I say stop? You have to finish her and go for the pinfall before we can finish the match! 

Aiden Osborne - Dad? Alright. 

Aiden brings the blood splattered steel chair down across Tabitha’s head and knocks her straight out. Her arms fall to her sides and Aiden goes for the pinfall! 

Terrance does a quick three count and makes a phone call. 

Terrance Osborne - Hey, I need a favor. Can you get my daughter into the hospital again? I’m afraid that training has broken her arm. I don’t know how this keeps happening. Yeah, the ambulance might be needed. She’s unconscious from the pain right now. Yeah. 

Several hours later in the hospital, Tabitha Osborne is lying in a hospital bed. Her arm is in a splint, waiting for the okay to do surgery as she is also being treated for a concussion. She is stitched up and bandaged as the nurses check on her frequently to make sure that she does not fall asleep. 

Tabitha is alone at the hospital. No mom, no dad, and no brother there with her to make sure that she isn’t scared. Big girls who want to become professional wrestlers don’t get scared, Tabitha tells herself. Still, she is happy for the company when the social worker named Bethany Strickland walks into the room with a clipboard and pen. 

Bethany Strickland - How are you feeling today, Miss Tabitha? I see that wrestling training was extra harsh today?

It is not the first time that Bethany and Tabitha have spoken. Bethany takes in the bruises, lacerations, and the broken arm with a look of concern that borders on the motherly. 

Bethany Strickland - This can’t be a regular part of wrestling training, Tabitha. People don’t regularly need stitches or break their arms in just training. Tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth, dear. 

Tabitha opens her mouth to speak, but then shuts it. If she tells the truth, that her father has been trying to beat her until she no longer wants to wrestle then he won’t be able to train her any longer. How would she become a wrestler without training?

Tabitha Osborne - Training got a little rough. Nothing to be alarmed about, Miss Strickland. I am glad for your concern though, but I am fine. Thanks. 

Bethany Strickland - I really think that you might be covering for your father and brother. I think they are abusing you when they are supposed to be training you to wrestle. Am I right? Are they trying to break you of the want to wrestle with violence? You’re safe here. Your brother and father are not here. 

Tabitha seems to consider this for a long time before tears begin to stream down her cheeks. Her answer though, does not reflect her face. 

Tabitha Osborne - No, I’m pretty aggressive when it comes to wrestling. I am aiming to become the best right out of the gate. I want to be like Valora Salinas! 

Bethany Strickland - You know that we can find you a wrestling school to replace your father, right? You don’t have to be in the hospital every few weeks because your father would like you to not wrestle. We can help you. Just let us keep you safe! 

Tabitha Osborne - And be in foster care while looking for a forever home and bouncing from wrestling school to wrestling school because I have to also change families? No thank you. My father is one of the best trainers around. He doesn’t do a school because he wants to just focus on us kids right now. 

Bethany Strickland - I would feel better if you would let me sit in on one of your training sessions with your father and brother to make sure that everything is on the up and up. 

Tabitha Osborne - I keep telling you that I am fine. Accidents in wrestling happen. I will be okay. I don’t need child services hanging over me like a cloud. 

Bethany Strickland - You mind if I talk to your Doctor a moment, Tabitha? I just want to get on record the kind of damage done this time and establish that you are turning away any help. 

Tabitha Osborne - That is fine, Miss Strickland. 

Bethany Strickland - Alright. I’m going to go talk to him then. I’ll be back to see you shortly.  
Bethany walks out of the room and walks over to the nurses’ station. There is a single nurse sitting at the station for the Pediatric Ward. ‘

She places a hand on the counter, getting the nurse’s attention. She sees that the name tag says Ruth Parker. 

Bethany Strickland - Nurse…I would like to see the Doctor that is treating Tabitha Osborne please. 

The nurse looks up at Bethany from her seat with tired eyes that brighten. 

Ruth Parker - Oh! You’re the social worker assigned to the case. Yes, Doctor Sarasi Fathema has been looking for you. He’s in his office right now. 

Bethany Strickland - Very good. I’ll see him directly. 

She walks over to the Doctor’s office where the door is open and the Doctor is sitting at his desk and seems to be involved in something on his computer. She knocks on the door frame and lets herself in. Doctor Fathema looks up, seeing her, but does not smile. 

Dr. Sarasi Fathema - Aahhh, Miss Strickland. I was hoping to see you. I have news involving Tabitha Osborne. 

Bethany Strickland - You know where these injuries might have come from? Are they “wrestling related” as Tabitha claims?

Dr. Sarasi Fathema - Well, if wrestling requires one to bash someone with a blunt object over and over again…then yes. 

Bethany raises an eyebrow at this revelation. 

Bethany Strickland - Blunt object?

Dr. Sarasi Fathema - Yes. I called Dr. Ishram Bobat, who works with several pro wrestling companies for their wrestling related injuries. It seems as if young Tabitha wrestled a “hardcore match”. A rather extreme one at that. 

Bethany Strickland - What the fuck? She’s eleven! She shouldn’t be wrestling in a…oh my fucking god! 

Dr. Sarasi Fathema - That is bad, but is not what I was seeking you out for. It’s standard before we perform surgery to do a pregnancy test. Just to make sure that we won’t harm the baby with the wrong anesthetic. Well?

The color drains from Bethany’s face as she sees where the conversation is going. 

Bethany Strickland - No. She’s not pregnant…

Dr. Sarasi Fathema - She is pregnant. Not very far along, but pregnant none the less. 

Bethany Strickland - Who would the father be? Who could the father be? I think I’ve said this before, but she’s fucking eleven! 

Dr. Sarasi Strickland - I know it’s pretty far fetched, but the tests don’t lie. I redid the test to make sure that nothing was done wrong. She’s pregnant. 

Bethany Strickland - Ok. I’ve had about enough. I’m going to go to the police with this. I think her father needs to be arrested for allowing this to happen. 

Dr. Fathema nods, handing over a folder.

Dr. Sarasi Fathema - I thought you might say that so I prepared this as evidence for you. Good luck. We will be doing surgery soon to set her arm and get it into a cast. 

Bethany accepts the folder and walks out of the office. In fact, she heads directly out of the hospital to her car. On her way, her phone rings. She looks at her phone, frowning at the unknown number, but curiosity wins out and she answers the phone. 

“You need to stop what you are doing. Bury this investigation deep. There is nothing wrong with Tabitha Osborne.”

Bethany Strickland - Listen. I don’t know who this is, but there is a lot wrong with Tabitha. She’s in a home that is abusing her in many ways. People need to go to jail for this! Tabitha is going to need counseling. All the fucking counseling! 

“I’m going to warn you one last time. Drop it.”

Bethany holds the phone away from her face so that she can look at it again as if something might reveal itself about who is doing the calling. She shakes her head. 

Bethany Strickland - I’m going to the police, buster. Terrance Osborne is going to spend the rest of his life in a prison cell! Now fuck off! 

She hangs up the phone and gets into her car, setting her purse, clipboard, and folder into the passenger seat. She goes to start the car when she feels the barrel of a gun against the back of her head. 

Bethany Strickland - WAIT! 

BANG! 

Days later, Tabitha Osborne is sitting in her bed. Her arm is casted in a dark blue cast and she flips through the pages of a new book that appeared on her bookshelf while she was at the hospital. Tabitha assumes that it was a gift from her folks for the trauma she was put through and just reads it.

There is a knock at the door and Terrance Osborne walks into the room with a stranger in a Doctor’s jacket behind him. 

Terrance Osborne - Sweetie. I have some uncomfortable news for you that you are going to have to keep to yourself or we may need to pull you from public school to do home schooling. 

Tabitha closes the book, looking from her father to the Doctor.

Tabitha Osborne - What’s up?

Terrance Osborne - Doctor Abo Zhirov is here to perform a procedure on you here in the home that you must keep to yourself.

Tabitha Osborne - What procedure, dad?

Dr. Abo Zhirov - You, my dear, are with child. We aim to fix that. 

Tabitha blinks in confusion. 

Tabitha Osborne - Baby? In me?

Terrance Osborne - Yes, Tabs. You are having a baby, because you’re a harlot. 

Tabitha Osborne - I have NEVER had sex beyond -

Terrance Osborne - We don’t need a list of your conquests. We just need the matter settled discretely. 

Doctor Abo Zhirov - We will need you to get ready for the procedure. Start by stripping down to nothing. Mr. Osborne? I’m going to need to have some towels you won’t mind losing. 

Tabitha looks from the Doctor to her father with pleading eyes. 

Tabitha Osborne - Please, daddy! Don’t let him hurt me or my baby! 

Terrance leans close to his daughter and whispers to her so that the Doctor cannot hear. 

Terrance Osborne - I won’t have you birthing out a bastard child of mine or your brother’s. 

He backs away from his daughter, who has begun to cry. 

Terrance Osborne - Start removing your clothing. I will go fetch the towels for the good Doctor. If you do not cooperate, I will strip you.

Terrance leaves the room while Tabitha watches him go. 

Tabitha Osborne - Daddy! Please! Daddy, no!

**********
The Present Day…

“Zolothach” Tabitha Osborne is sitting at a bar. She has a Coke and two fingers of Super Sake sitting in front of her. She drinks from the coke while looking at the sake like it stole her lunch money. 

Tabitha Osborne - A lot of people have different tragedies in their past. It’s what they do with the time that they have left that makes the difference. I took my family apart, Sadie. That gave me my freedom. I took back my strength. They would never harm me again. 

Tabitha takes a sip from her coke, adjusting the phone in front of her that is broadcasting FaceTwatter Live so that she is fully in the picture. 

Tabitha Osborne - The twelve state killing spree where the press said I killed at random was a crusade. I killed rapists. I killed pedophiles. I killed stalkers. The press doesn’t reveal that. They don’t tell you that when I slipped into a frat house and killed everyone there that every single student in there participated in the gang rape and murder of a fellow student. She went missing and there was no proof, but I knew. The spirits give me their secrets, you see. I knew. I didn’t kill random people. I killed bad people. Bad people who deserved to die in horrible deaths. 

Tabitha finishes her coke and orders another. The bartender refills the glass with ice and cola. He gives her a look. 

Bartender - Are you going to drink the sake?

Tabitha Osborne - No. It’s keeping me company. 

Bartender - Alright then. I’ll leave you to your broadcast. 

Tabitha Osborne - Thank you. 

She takes a sip of the fresh coke and sets the glass down before speaking again. 

Tabitha Osborne - I didn’t care that they had sent me to St Dympha’s Home for the Criminally Insane to die. I found my way out time and time again as people wanted to use me for what I was good at. I’m a wrestler to my core. I’m hardcore to my core. I fought and nearly killed Steve Murdock and Vespertine. Now how I managed to lose to Murdock, but defeat Vespertine is a great question that I don’t have the answer to, but it happened. Am I one hundred percent after my fierce war with Vespertine? 

Tabitha stops talking so that she can take a sip of her coke. 

Tabitha Osborne - I took a show off to finish recuperating since it was obvious when I was in that gauntlet match for a Valor title match that I was not ready to be in the ring yet. I am now, Sadie. Right back into a Falls Count Anywhere match? Seems fine to me. I’m ready for it. I’m ready to tear you down and show you what Zolothach can do in the ring. I am willing to bleed to show the world that I am more than capable of handling myself. I am not the equal of my heroine yet, but I will be one day. I’m still young. I can still do great things. They may be horrible, terrible things to the eyes of the common person, but they will be great. 

A rather large man in a red hat walks over to the bar and has a seat next to Tabitha. He orders a drink and looks over at her. 

Man - Hey, you’re not that pretty, but I bet you more than make up for it in the sack. Name’s Bryan Wright. What are you doing in a place like this?

Tabitha looks the man over from head to toe and shakes her head. 

Tabitha Osborne - I’m broadcasting on FaceTwatter Live a promo for my upcoming wrestling match against Sadie Graves. What’s it to you? 

Bryan Wright - You do have the face of a wrestler. What are you drinking? Let me get you another of that.

Tabitha Osborne - It’s Super Sake and I’m not drinking it. 

Bryan Wright - Oh? Then allow me. 

Tabitha Osborne - Don’t - 

Bryan reaches over in front of the camera, grabs the drink, and downs it like a shot. 

Tabitha Osborne - Do that. It was keeping me company. 

Bryan laughs as he orders a domestic beer. 

Bryan Wright - Well, shit, butter. You got me to keep you company now! 

Tabitha raises an eyebrow. 

Tabitha Osborne - Butter? My name is Zolothach. Why did you call me butter?

Bryan Wright - Because everything is fine, but your face. Like the term butterface. I just pulled the word butter from it to use as my little nickname for you. Since you are a grade A butterface. I’ll bet you can probably suck creamy peanut butter through a straw. 

Tabitha Osborne - Ok, let me get this straight. You want to fuck me, but you have taken every single chance to call me ugly in one form or another. 

Bryan takes his beer and downs about half of it in a single go. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, chuckling as he sets the beer bottle down. 

Bryan Wright - That about sums it up. I’m going to make you feel so good, which probably doesn’t happen much if at all since you are so ugly. 

The bartender walks by and refills Tabitha’s glass of Super Sake with two more fingers. He gives Bryan another beer since he’s making quick work of the one that he has. 

Bartender - Buddy, you know you might be in danger with this one here. I watched the documentary on Zolothach. 

Bryan Wright - Oh please. That shit’s fake. This chick is just glomming onto the name like she’s gonna do my cock later on tonight. 

The bartender looks at Tabitha, seeing the little twitch in her right eye that tells him of her ire being raised. He takes money from Bryan for the cost of the drinks and shakes his head. 

Bartender - We’re not going to be able to open a tab tonight, Bryan. You keep this up and I may need to call an ambulance for you. 

Bryan Wright - That’s just so fucking funny, Brad! What’s this ugly little duckling going to do to me other than get railed?

Tabitha begins to whisper in a language with words that a human mouth should not be able to form. Her eyes begin to glow a sickly green and her index and middle finger match the glowing color. She presses the fingertips to Bryan’s hand. He tries to pull his hand back, but she grips it tight, driving the fingertips into his flesh without breaking the skin. 

Bryan Wright - What the fuck are you doing to me?

And as quickly as she started, she stops. She releases Bryan to allow him to pull his hand back in confusion. 

Bryan Wright - What was that? Some kind of fucking magic spell? Some goofy ass light show? What did you do to me?

Tabitha picks up the Super Sake and gives it a sniff, savoring the smells of the liquor before setting the glass back down onto the bar. 

Tabitha Osborne - I cursed you. For the rest of your life, whenever you get horny…the pain will start. You will feel pain second to none as long as you think impure thoughts and have an erection. Imagine someone electrocuting your ball sack for long minutes at a time. 

Bryan Wright - You did that to me? 

Bryan seems to consider this new info for a moment before he finishes his first beer off and moves onto his second one. He throws his head back and laughs. 

Bryan Wright - You have got to be fucking crazy too if you think I’m going to fall for hokey shit like that. Ugly, crazy, and with a hot bod. You must be down to fuck for sure! 

Tabitha Osborne - Yes…hot bod. Do you want to see a bit more of it?

Bryan Wright - Does a bear fucking shit in the woods? I would love to see a bit more. We are in public, but whatever you whip out I will look at. 

Tabitha Osborne - Of course…

She finishes her cola and picks up the glass of Super Sake again. She smells it one more time before she mumbles an apology into the glass and drinks it down. She sets the glass down onto the bar and reaches her hand up to the underside of her chin. She lets her hand glide down her throat until she reaches the top of her blouse. WIth one hand she unbuttons one button, two buttons. Once she opens a third button, the blouse opens to reveal the absence of a bra, her nipples coming out from behind the guise of the blouse in such a way that only Bryan can see behind it to the flesh behind it. 

Bryan Wright - Just big enough for a bra, but none in sight. Those are pretty little titties. 

Tabitha Osborne - You know more than a mouthful is a waste. Do you want to put your mouth on them? My nipples are already stiff in anticipation for you…

Bryan Wright - I…I would…I would love to suck on those…titties for…what the fuck?

Bryan lets out a horrific scream, doubling over in pain so quickly that he smashes his head against the bar and knocks himself right out. He falls to the floor while Tabitha quickly works to button herself back up. The bartender runs back over and looks down at him on the floor. 

Bartender - What did you do to him?

Tabitha Osborne - I cursed him. 

Bartender - Cursed? Ok, really. What did you do?

Tabitha Osborne - I turned him on. It hurt him so much that he banged his head. You might want to make that phone call…and I need another Sake. 

The bartender looks from Tabitha to the downed Bryan and slowly nods. He pours her a fresh Super Sake and calls for an ambulance to come pick the downed Bryan up. 

Tabitha Osborne - Sadie…where were we? We all have tragedies in our past, Sadie. What we do from here out is the name of the game. I’m sadistic in ways you have never known. I’m vicious in ways you cannot comprehend. I am not the final girl, Sadie. I’m the monster who wins in the end. I’m your Wolf Creek. I’m your Wrong Turn Left for Dead. I’m your Strangers. I’m your Jeepers Creepers. No matter how much you think you will survive the night to win the day. You will not find victory with me. 

Tabitha picks up the glass of Super Sake, smells it, and drinks it. She smiles as if focused on a happy memory before putting the glass down. 

Tabitha Osborne - I’m done, Brad. Thanks for everything. 

She picks up her phone to disconnect from FaceTwatter Live, drops a couple of hundred dollars onto the bar, and walks away as EMTs enter the bar to take care of Bryan Wright. 

Fade