Coldness. The cold feeling of a floor was the first thing she felt. She was lying on a floor. Brightness. The light from the fluorescent in the ceiling reached her through her closed eyelids. Fear. Something was wrong.
She opened her eyes and quickly pushed herself up to sit while looking around in the room. It looked like an empty kitchen or chemistry lab with the sinks and counters but that was it. She grabbed the edge of the nearest counter and dragged herself up to stand.
She felt her pockets but her phone was gone. The pack of cigarettes and the lighter was still there but that was all she had been allowed to keep. The irony of it wasn't lost on her since she rarely smoked. She just kept the pack on her for those rare stressful moments that craved a cigarette which maybe happened once a month. Right now she felt such a moment might be crawling up on her.
"Good, you're awake," a voice spoke.
She looked around and saw the speaker and the camera up in a corner. Someone was watching her.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Vince McMahon," he answered through the speaker.
"Why am I here?" She asked.
"You're here to play a game," he answered.
"I don't play games," she crossed her arms in anger.
A low chuckle was heard and she did her best not to show how scared she was in this moment. She, a great fighter out on the streets, normally didn't get scared but this wasn't a normal situation. She was used to knowing what or who she was up against. This time she didn't have a clue. All she had was a name and a voice.
"I've been keeping track on you. You're quite impressive," he said.
"Yeah, well, have you ever been out on the streets? It's kill or be killed out there," she said.
"And you sure can kill," he chuckled again.
A small shiver went through her. If he knew that, he must have been to see her fight in the underground.
"I got five kills under my belt. I'm not gonna lie about that. But if you know that, you also know it was me or them," she said.
"Six," he corrected her. "You've killed six men."
"Five!" She raised her voice. "And they deserved it!"
"Did your brother deserve it too?" He asked.
She gritted her teeth, wanting nothing more than to punch whoever this man was. How on earth could he possible know about her brother, her first kill, which did end her on a total of six kills? Something she never told anyone. There was speculations back then but she was so young and no one actually thought she had done it so they all bought her story about a crazy man entering that house that day, stabbing her brother with one of their kitchen knifes. But he had deserved it. It was her first lesson in kill or be killed.
"My brother was a sick boy who tried to rape me," she spat.
"I know that too but that doesn't take away the fact that you killed him," he said.
"Fine," she sneered. "What do you want from me?"
"Right, let's get to business," he said. "Ten rooms, ten challenges. Kill if you must or have mercy if you feel like it. It's up to you. You got 10 hours to make it through all ten. If you're still inside a room by that time, gas will fill up the current room and kill you."
She shook her head, not wanting to believe this crazy man.
"If you look straight ahead you can see a door with a name on it," he said.
"Charlotte Flair," she read out loud as she looked at the door.
"Your first challenge. Each door has a name so you know who you're gonna go up against," he said.
"Why do I need to know their names? I don't know them," she said.
"Just a bit of mental game for me. Just go with it," he said.
"Do I have any other choice?" She asked.
He laughed again and she already hated that laugh.
"No, you don't. Anyway, as you can see, there's a big red button next to the door. It opens the door. Once it's open you can look inside and take in your surroundings and your opponent. Once you step into the next room, the door closes and there's no turning back," he said.
"Great," she said sarcastically. "And when I make it out?"
"When?" He laughed. "It's an if. A big if. Only a few people have made it out. But if you do, you're free to go."
"I'm coming for you afterwards, asshole," she threatened.
"I'll be waiting," he laughed.
Charlotte Flair
The name burned its way into her mind. A name she had never heard before, a name that meant absolutely nothing to her, yet a name she was about to come face to face with and she wasn't sure she was gonna like it. She sighed and finally moved forward to the door, pressing the red button and watching the door open. And there she was, a tall blonde woman, smirking evilly at her, raising her hand and motioning for her to come forward with her fingers.
"Guess you're not in the mood for a girl talk," she tried joking.
"Come in here and fight, little girl. I'll make you bow down to your queen," Charlotte said.
"Little girl?" She laughed. "My name is Valencia and you're the one who'll be bowing," she said.
She launched forward, striking first. Charlotte took a step backwards in pain and surprise but quickly gathered herself to fight back. A knee to Valencia's stomach made her bend over and then an elbow to the back of her head sent her down to the floor. She heard Charlotte climb up on a table and when she rolled around to see what was happened, the woman jumped backwards from the table and did a moonsault down on her. It hurt like hell but she didn't have time to think about it. Charlotte reached for her and Valencia grabbed the woman's hair and yanked her forward with force so her head smashed into the leg of the table, dazing her momentary.
She jumped up as fast as she could, raised her foot and let her boot rain down on Charlotte's head over and over as hard as she could until she finally heard the loud crack of the woman's skull and saw her body lie still.
"Bitch!" She spat as she tumbled backwards up against a counter.
She caught her breath while her eyes sought out the door across the room.
Alexa Bliss
Another woman. It shouldn't be too hard although she knew better than to ever underestimate an opponent, female or male. She had fought for years on the streets, winning fight after fight, earning respect, but she had also lost many times and sometimes she wondered why she was even still alive.
"I'm alive because I refuse to die," she muttered.
Determined she walked to the door and pressed the button. Inside another blonde woman was standing, way smaller though but with the same sick smirk on her face and a kendo stick laying across her shoulders. However, it wasn't the woman that caught her attention. It was the next door across the room. That name. It couldn't be.
Suddenly all she had in mind was getting to that room and getting there fast. Without even thinking she charged into the room towards the blonde woman. Her mind did register something hitting her stomach but she completely blocked out the pain as she grabbed the woman and forced her into a sleeper hold, sending her to dreamland so fast. She could feel her still breathing but there was no need to kill her. She didn't kill for fun. She killed to survive, as a last resort. She grabbed the kendo stick and dragged it after her on the floor as she moved towards the next door.
Shinsuke Nakamura
She didn't wanna believe it but as she pressed the button and the door opened, there he was. He looked just as surprised as she imagined herself looking. Clearly he didn't know she would be entering. She didn't even think twice about it. She just walked inside towards him and didn't stop until she was right in front of him.
"Shinsuke," she said lowly.
"Valencia, I never thought I'd see you here," he said apologizing.
"So this is where you went to when you disappeared?" She asked.
"I was offered a deal. The money for this job is way higher than what we could ever make in the underground," he said.
She nodded as she took in his words and then she reached her hand up to touch his chin.
"I wish you had said goodbye to me though, maybe given me the chance to tell you..." She said and bit her lip. "...to tell you how I felt for you."
"I knew. I always knew," he said as his hand closed over hers and moved it to his chest. "And I felt the same way about you."
"And now it's too late but it's okay," she said.
"Valencia..." He whispered.
"No, it's okay. I'd rather die by your hand than anyone else," she said.
He pulled her close and kissed her. She closed her eyes and allowed him. She had been dreaming about this for so long. They had run together in the underground, growing closer for each day, and for a long time she had been in love with him.
She felt him move them both. Somewhere far away her brain did register that he dragged her towards the next door and she struggled to remember the name she had seen behind his back.
Bayley
However, right now all she could think about was Shinsuke. Whatever he was planning on doing to her, she would let him. If he was to kill her, she knew he would make it as quick and painless as possible. Instead she heard the sound of the door opening and before she could stop him, he pushed her inside the next room.
"She's afraid of weapons," he quickly said before the door closed again.
How she wanted to mourn the loss of him again but she knew she couldn't. She turned around to see the dark haired woman in front of her that eyed the kendo stick uneasy. This was going to be easy. She simply raised the stick and started raining blows down on Bayley who pushed herself backwards into a corner and curled down on the floor, crying, begging for her life.
"How the hell did someone like you ever get this job?" Valencia taunted.
She left the crying woman, knowing she wouldn't be a threat at all, and walked towards the next door.
Dolph Ziggler
She looked inside but stayed in Bayley's room while she took in the man in front of her. He had a boyish smile planted on his face, winking at her, flirting with his entire body. She sent him a charming smile back. Might as well play his game. He turned around, exposing his back to her while he started moving his hips in circles. She quickly eyed the next door in the other end of his room.
Sasha Banks
Another woman. If she was in luck, she would be just as easy as Bayley. She looked at Dolph again who still stood there, showing off his ass, moving his hips. She looked to the side and saw a chair up against the wall. With a smile she quickly grabbed it. She moved fast towards him, not giving him a chance to hear the door close behind her before she lifted the chair and smashed in down on his back. He went down on one knee and she lifted the chair again, this time connecting it with his head. He went down all the way. A few more blows and he laid still, passed out from the pain.
"Jerk!" She hissed.
Dropping the chair next to him, she moved towards the door and pressed the button. Another small woman stood there, this one with purple hair and a crazy look in her eyes. She could see miss purple would be a challenge.
"Let's play," Sasha said and smirked.
"Yeah, let's play," Valencia said and smirked back.
Hearing Dolph groaning from behind her, he was waking up already, made her take the step inside the next room right away to get the show on the road. Sasha launched at her right away and the fight was on. The little woman was so fast but she tried keeping up as good as she could. A punch to her face dazed her shortly and then a sharp pain went through her back as Sasha jumped up and placed her knees into them, dragging her down on the floor to land on those sharp knees.
She cried out in pain as she felt Sasha bent her backwards but she refused to give up. She clawed, she wriggled, she kicked her legs, anything to make her get out of the hold before passing out. Sasha struggled to keep her hold and Valencia threw her body forward as good as she could. Sasha refused to let go and went forward with her. As hard as she could, Valencia threw her head backwards, the back of it connecting clean with Sasha's nose, and the woman behind her let go and fell over her back.
Valencia wriggled her body out from underneath Sasha and took a look at the purple hair spread all around her. Her nose was clearly broken, blood was running out of it fast, and the pain must have been strong enough to make her pass out.
Valencia leaned up against the nearest counter to catch her breath. What she wouldn't give for a bottle of water right now. Her lungs were on fire and her entire body was aching after going through six rooms even though it had been short fights and she hadn't even fought everyone.
She stood there for a couple of minutes. Luckily Sasha was completely knocked out and didn't wake up so she could buy her time for now. When she finally felt ready, she moved towards the next door and looked at the name.
Mickie James
The second she pressed the button, she heard a female laughter coming from the other side, soon followed by the face of a woman who looked a bit too crazy for her liking.
"Yes! Finally!" Mickie cheered.
Valencia took a deep breath and stepped inside. No sooner had the door closed behind her before Mickie launched at her with a kick, sending her straight back up against the door, the back of her head slamming into it with force. She felt dizzy as she slid down the door and sat on the floor. She didn't get any chance to recover before another kick went straight into her head, making her feel even worse. She felt herself slide slowly to the side until she laid on the floor.
"Come on, get up!" Mickie taunted.
She grunted and looked through the strands of hair that covered her face. Mickie's feet approached her and as soon as they were close enough, she reached out to grab her, sending Mickie straight down the ground. She landed hard and made a sound of pain and Valencia used all her strength to crawl up on the other woman and start raining blows down on her. Mickie didn't give up easy though and soon they found themselves wrapped up in a old fashioned fight.
Blows and kicks rained from both women and it didn't take long till both of them had blood running from different places on their head. Mickie started laughing, this woman really was crazy. One final kick to Mickie's stomach knocked the air out of her and Valencia grabbed her and slammed her head so hard down into the counter that Mickie's forehead split open and she fell to the floor without a sound.
Valencia sighed. She hadn't meant to kill the other woman but she must have used more strength than she knew she had inside her. She let herself fall down to sit next to the dead woman, catching her breath, before she yanked Mickie's shirt of her and used it to dry her head of blood. Once again her mind went to the cigarettes but she decided against it, knowing the smoke would only give her a harder time breathing and she needed her strength.
After a couple of minutes she finally got herself up from the floor and walked towards the next door.
Kevin Owens
She pressed the button and looked at the little round man that appeared in front of her. If he meant to or not, she wasn't sure, but he ran his eyes up and down her body, licking his lips, clearly liking what he saw. She might as well try so she put on the sweetest smile she could before stepping into the room, hearing the door close behind her.
"My my, aren't you a handsome man?" She started.
His eyes were soft as he looked at her, clearly not expecting her to say something like that. She calmly walked towards him, hoping she would have him trapped by the way he seemed to like watching her body. She stopped in front of him and reached up to let her fingers run down his chest.
"You wanna have some fun?" She purred.
She leaned in to kiss his neck, eyeing the door behind him.
Braun Strowman
Another man and she doubted she could use the same trick twice but if it would just work this one time, she would be a step closer to getting out of this place so she would take it. She felt his hands grab her ass and he moaned lowly in her ear.
"Lie down and let me take care of you," she purred and gave his dick a squeeze through his pants.
He nearly jumped from the feeling of her hand but nevertheless he laid down.
"Pants," she said sweetly and tilted her head.
He opened them and started pulling them down, leaving him somewhat defenseless and unable to give chase as soon as they reached his knees. She jumped over him and sprinted for the door, slamming her palm into the red button and running through the door before he got his pants up and followed.
She looked at the door as it closed and turned around with a smile on her face. A smile that quickly faded as she saw the man standing in the middle of the room. He wasn't a man. He was a monster. He stood there with his legs spread, a low laughter starting from his stomach, growing louder as he opened his mouth to let it out.
"A girl? You sent a little girl to take me on?" He laughed.
At that point she almost laughed with him. She knew how ridiculous it must look to anyone who saw them. She let him laugh while she looked at the door behind him, the door to the final room, just wanting to know if it was a man or a woman at the end.
The Shield
That surely didn't give her any hint at all so instead she put her focus back on the man who's laughter started to die down and his eyes grew hard and cold again as he stared her down as if he was gonna swallow her in one bite.
"You wanna fight me?" He asked.
"I don't think I have much of a choice," she answered.
"I tell you what. I'll let you take a swing at me for free," he said and pointed at his jaw. "Better make it a good one, little girl."
"Okay," she said and sighed.
She straightened up, showing him she was getting ready, and he started laughing again.
"Well?" He asked and held his arms out to the side to show her he was waiting for her free blow to hit him.
She ran towards him with her fist balled as if she was ready to strike. He kept laughing but she didn't care. As soon as she was close enough, she threw herself down with her feet first, sliding through his spread legs, jumping up faster than ever behind him and ran for the next door.
"Come back here! I'm not finished with you!" He shouted as she hurled herself through the open door, not even looking at who or what The Shield might be.
The door closed and she sighed in relief. Three male laughters reached her and she looked up to see three men in black swat gear standing there, clearly amused by the sight of her. Behind them was a door, the final door. There was no name on it. Just a white door with a red button next to it. She was so close that she could almost taste it.
"Someone actually made it," Dean said.
"It's been a while," Roman chanted in.
She kept looking at them, her eyes clearly asking the question to what they were talking about.
"Ever since that monster in there got hired, no one has made it to us," Seth answered the unasked question.
"That must make me special," she said and smiled, hoping they would fall for her sweet smile too.
"Special or not, you're not getting out of this room alive," Dean said.
She stopped smiling. Clearly it didn't work. She had to try something else.
"Okay, I know when I've lost," she started.
"Good girl," Roman chuckled.
"So since I've made it here damn quick and I do have 10 hours in total, would you mind if I smoke a cigarette before you kill me?" She asked.
"Go ahead," Seth said.
"Thank you," she said.
She reached for the pack of cigarettes and the lighter in her back pocket. They didn't move at all. They just stood there, side by side like three guards not willing to let anyone pass. She opened the pack and took out a cigarette, trying not to shake too much as she put it between her lips and lit it on fire. She inhaled deeply, looking at them through the smoke.
"Mind giving me one?" Dean asked.
"Dude, you were supposed to quit," Roman mumbled.
"Who cares?" Dean said and looked at her again. "So how about it?"
"You don't want one of these," she said and inhaled again.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Because..." She said and inhaled a third time. "You don't wanna get cyanide poisoning."
Once more she inhaled, watching them watching her, as if they didn't quite understand. She made a hiss, put her other hand on her stomach and went down on one knee.
"Damn!" She muttered.
She sat down completely, her eyes were watery as she looked at the three men again. They finally seemed to catch on to what was going on. She dropped the cigarette and fell sideways straight down to the ground. Her eyes closed, her breath was shallow, her hand felt the warmth from the still lit cigarette that laid on the floor close to it.
"Fuck!" Dean shouted.
She heard two of them running to the side, opening what must be a hidden door she hadn't been able to see, while they called for somebody to help. The third man walked over to her and crouched down, his hand landing softly on her shoulder. She didn't know which one of them it was until he spoke.
"Damn it, little girl, you were so close. You probably wouldn't have made it but I would have loved to see what kind of fight you had inside you," Seth said.
She was getting really tired of everyone calling her little girl in this place. Her name was Valencia and she was gonna make sure everyone remembered it. Well, the ones that she had left alive.
"Hurry up, god damn it!" Roman shouted.
"Is someone coming?" Seth asked.
She felt the slight change in his posture, knowing he was looking towards his two friends instead of her. Now was her chance. She opened her eyes as her fingers reached for the still burning cigarette. As quickly as she could, she pressed it up against his bare forearm, burning him and making him scream in pain.
"What the fuck?" Dean asked.
She jumped up, kneeing Seth in the head just in case, before sprinting to the door. She heard Roman and Dean running towards her and she slammed her hand into the red button and threw herself through the door, landing hard on the floor in the next room. The door didn't close like the other doors but they didn't follow her. They just stood there, watching and smiling.
"Well done," Roman finally said.
"Cyanide," she laughed. "I can't believe you fell for it."
"Well done indeed," Roman said.
"It fucking hurts!" Seth shouted from behind them, making both Roman and Dean turn their heads before walking over to their friend.
She got back on her feet, watching the three men standing together, looking at Seth's arm. She turned around to find a way out and came face to face with an elderly man. Once he opened his mouth to speak, she recognized the voice.
"You did amazing, Valencia. We haven't had anyone getting through for so long," he said.
"Vince McMahon?" She asked.
"Yes, yes," he said and shook her hand. "Welcome to my facility."
"You're an asshole!" She sneered.
"I never claimed otherwise," he laughed.
He looked in at the three men who were all watching them again.
"You okay there, Seth?" Vince asked.
"I'm fine. She burned me," Seth answered.
"I saw. Quite impressive how you played several of my people," Vince said, looking at her again. "Would you like to work here?"
"You wanna put me inside one of those rooms and fight whoever comes through?" She asked.
"Yes. You killed a couple of my people so I have an opening for you. I'll pay way better than when you fight in the underground and it's basically the same thing except you don't have to live on the streets anymore. With the money I'm gonna pay you, you can buy a nice house," he answered.
She should say no. She should beat the living shit out of him and shut his business down for good. She knew she would be able to kill him before the three men in the other room would manage to come running out. They seemed to be more concerned about Seth's arm than their conversation. But there was one thing that stopped her from doing so.
"Shinsuke?" She asked.
"I had no idea you knew each other," he said.
"Will he be punished for letting me through?" She asked.
"No, I'm not a monster," he asked.
"Let's just agree to disagree," she said dryly.
He laughed, knowing she had a point.
"So how about it? Work for me and be reunited with Shinsuke?" He asked.
"I'll take it," she said.
"Good," he lit up into a smile and shook her hand again before taking out a walkie talkie and barking an order into it. "Send Shinsuke to the office. There's someone waiting to see him."