This is a revision of my recent story, "Step Into The Darkside." I didn't really like the first one when I actually completed it so I decided to make it a bit different. I apologize in advance for those who liked the original version, but in the opinion of the author, this had to be done. Hope you all like this new revised version. Feel free to review.
Summary: The Ministry of Darkness is disturbed beyond reason after an attack is made on The Undertaker's conscience, Paul Bearer. With the sacred urn stolen and Paul Bearer left for dead, all fingers are pointed at The Big Red Monster, Kane. But Taker knows that whoever attacked Paul and stole his main conduit of power was a being more powerful than the younger brother of destruction. As Taker and his Ministry begins their pursuit of vengeance, The Undertaker finds another soul who's heart is tainted and blackened by anger, hatred, and lust for revenge against the supernatural death of her father. The gates of Hell open as past secrets are uncovered and an evil like no other rises from Death Valley...to enslave humanity and silence those who oppose.
The pentagonal chamber was exceptionally dark from its dreary charcoal walls to its cold, stone flooring. A single ray of pale moonlight cascaded in a slanted fashion into the room from the only window in the room, providing very little light. But the main source of light came from a long stone table sitting in the very center of the room. Upon this table, about fourteen candles were lit, each flickering flame casting restless shadows upon the solid white pages of a large open book which lay between them, seven candles on its right, seven more on its left. The pages of this book contained symbols, letters, and markings that were of otherworldly origin, a language long forbidden and perhaps forgotten by the very demonic beings that created them. So accursed were the writings of this book that no human could look upon it without suffering a sentence from the fiery pits of Hell itself. But the large, shadowy figure standing over the table, tracing its massive fingers across each line written on the pages of this book...was no ordinary human being. One could tell as much by the setting in which it resided, the darkness that surrounded it and welcomed it as if it were home. Standing nearly seven feet in height and draped in a sweeping, velvet black robe, the figure was wordless, soundless as it read the contents of the cursed book. It seemed determined in its studies...much to the fear of the eyes watching it.
She was well hidden in a shadowy corner of the room, but her fearful heart still pounded as if she were standing in plain sight. Her ocean blue eyes trembled but never blinked as she examined the demonic entity standing just a few feet away from her. She could hear its every breath, every low growl that rumbled within that velvet robe. It hadn't occured to her own breath was frozen in her lungs, until a harsh burning in her chest relayed the news to her. The moment the air slipped between her lips, she wearily regretted it. For now, the hulking, black figure had stopped its reading and its head slowly lifted upward. As she watched the motion play before her eyes slowly, the only thing she could make out from the darkness inside that hood, were cold, acid green orbs. And then the darkness swallowed her...
...
It'd been a grueling night for the well-sculpted blonde known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley as just moments ago, he was forced to defend his Heavyweight title against the infamous lady-killer Val Venis in a non-disqualification match. There was no telling what the hellbent Vince McMahon was thinking when he decided to make that match. Fortunately, Hunter had won thanks to his best friend, the sledge hammer. Just before Val nearly slugged him with a metal chair, Hunter had rolled beneath the ring, appeared from under the otherside with the deadly weapon and charged Val from behind, ending the man for the night.
Hunter could still hear the sound of the poor man's skull splitting from the awful blow as he entered his locker room, only to find Chyna and Shawn Michaels waiting for him with looks of excitement.
"Hey, good job out there man!" Shawn exclaimed joyously, wrapping an arm around Hunter's shoulders. It was a surprise he wasn't bothered by the heavy amount of sweat sheeting Hunter's half-naked body at the moment. Chyna, on the other hand, chose to keep her distance.
"You kicked ass tonight, Hunter. Way to represent the D-X." Said Chyna as she folded her arms across her chest, keeping her all-business demeanor.
"After tonight, I'm gonna need a couple shots." Hunter replied with a smile, a bit hunched over as he tried to catch his breath. Wet blonde tresses stuck to his cleanly-shaven face, curtesy of thick sweat and Deer Park water he'd splashed on his head before the match.
"And while we're there we can figure out a way to get Vince back for putting you in that match. I mean, seriously." Shawn frowned. "What's been up with that guy lately? He PMS'ing again?"
"He's still pissed about what happened with me and his daughter." Hunter chuckled a bit, but felt a bit awkward when he noticed the hardened look on Chyna's face.
It was no secret that Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Stephanie McMahon had a thing for each other and it was confirmed about three days ago when they were caught having sex in a hotel. Vince found out the very next day and was infuriated. He didn't like Triple H much to begin with so the news had disturbed him to his very core. Eversince then, things had only gotten worse between the two. And to make matters worse, Chyna also had a thing for Triple H but refused to admit to it. Shawn caught on soon after her feelings for him blossomed and wanted to keep it secret from Hunter in respect for Chyna, but the truth slipped eventually. Of course, Hunter was a bit taken aback, but decided to act like he had no clue.
"I know what you're gonna say." Hunter rolled his eyes playfully at Chyna. "I'm the biggest jackass you've ever met. I know. But you still love me." He moved forward to embrace her, but to his disappointment, she backed away, glaring daggers at him.
"Jackass?" Shawn raised his eyebrows. "More like BADass! Hell I'd be prancin' around here like I have the biggest balls in the world if I slept with the boss' daughter!" He burst into laughter and Hunter immediately joined him. "Did he tell you Chyna? Those two buckwild rabbits kept the whole hotel up until 5:00 in the m-" He was cut off by the world's most dangerous glare, his smile fading as he cleared his throat and looked away guiltily, expecting her fist to be down his throat.
"I just want you to know how much you've cost the D-X by doing that, Hunter. God knows what you were thinking." Chyna finally stated with a sigh and soon waved the whole subject off. "Anyway, who's up for blowing up Vince's goddamn limo?"
Shawn and Hunter exchanged glances nervously.
"Um, well," Hunter began. "The complication with that is-"
"We, uh, left the gasoline and matches!" Shawn exclaimed before he could finish. Both men knew Chyna didn't take no for an answer. Excuses usually helped to settle things whenever she was in a murderous mood.
Chyna narrowed her eyes at them. "That's alright. There's plenty of explosives around here. I can easily find-"
"Y'know what?" Hunter reached an arm around her shoulder comfortingly. "How about this? The three of us know Vince isn't after the D-X as a whole. Not anymore atleast. It's me he's extracting his vengeance on. So how about I take care of everything and you just relax. That sound good?" He smiled widely, trying to give her some type of assurance.
Shawn's eyes darted between them several times in anticipation.
After a moment of silence, Chyna sighed and nodded once. "Fine. Drinks tonight boys?"
"Yeah! Sure!" Shawn nodded quickly, his face brightening with the cheekiest smile he could create.
"Let's just get our minds off of this whole thing and relax, okay?" Hunter continued. "Drinks are on me tonight, by the way."
"I'll be waiting for you two in the car. And don't take so long to change this time, Hunter. You're as slow as my fucking grandmother." And with that, Chyna slipped out of Hunter's brotherly embrace and exited the room, her arms swinging by her sides formally. Once the door shut behind her, the duo left in the room looked at each other, seeming to be wearing the same concerned expressions.
"Now, you know you were wrong for that, Shawn." Hunter informed, walking over to a nearby couch where his gym bag lay.
Shawn threw up his arms as if offended. "What I do?" Her widened his eyes.
"The whole 5:00 thing?" Hunter flailed his arms as well, cocking his brows. "You're the one who told me about Chyna's feelings for me. Why would you say something that would urk her? Now she probably is gonna go blow up Vince's limo. Hell, maybe even his office."
"I got a little carried away, man. Gimme a break." Shawn shrugged. "It's not like I can apologize to her about it. She'll figure out that we know and we'll really feel the wrath of her womanhood."
Hunter pulled a white towel from his gym bag and slung it around his neck, looking off into the distance as a sigh escaped his chest. Shawn crooked an eyebrow at him. "I just...can't get my mind off her though." He said. "She has the most amazing rack I've ever seen."
"Woah! Earth to Hunter! She's even more off limits than she was before you two met! Especially for you." Shawn waved his hands in the air like he was signaling something.
"She won't be for long, HBK." Hunter shook his head slowly, his gaze distant as if he were imagining things. "She won't be for long."
...
Dirty Dan's was packed with the worst drunks ever imaginable that night. Hunter, Shawn, and Chyna sat side by side at the bar counter, looking around in awe at how many fights broke out every five minutes. It was something to get used to at that particular bar from what they'd been told by the locals. It was hell on earth, but heaven for whiskey-addicted drunken ass holes.
A few minutes after they had arrived, the bar tender approached them with a rather dry disposition. She was a skinny young girl, appearing to be in her early twenties, dressed in a black tanktop with a faded denim miniskirt. Her jaws worked persistently on a piece of chewing gum as she twirled a lock of her copper red hair around her finger. "What can I get for you all?" She asked in a flat, lifeless tone, her heavily-eyelined eyes moving constantly between the three.
"Get me a shot of whiskey." Chyna spoke up first, leaning forward onto the counter as if to intimidate the girl, but she was unmoving. "In fact...make it a Tequila."
Hunter and Shawn both looked at her nervously, remembering what had happened the last time she had a Tequila. She'd gotten drunk after about ten shots of that shit and had to be escorted out of the bar after nearly killing a few stage dancers because she hated their country voices.
"I'll just go with a Budweiser tonight, ma'am." Shawn looked away from Chyna and smiled politely at the bar tender, recieving a dead stare in return.
"Feels like a Jack Daniels night." Hunter rested one arm on the counter. "One shot." The bar tender turned with an attitude to go fetch the drinks and as soon as she had disappeared, Hunter glanced in Chyna's direction. "Chyna, is everything okay?" He asked over Shawn's shoulders, frowning slightly.
"Everything's fine, Hunter." Chyna responded, not looking back at him. "Why're you asking?"
"Well, you usually order a Tequila when something's bothering you. Y'know, so the buzz can get your mind off whatever it is. You're not still worried about Vince, are you?"
"Of course not." Her tone hardened a bit.
Shawn cringed and looked at Hunter, giving him a warning look. Hunter caught the message and decided to leave well enough alone. But that bothered him as he bore the thought that he could have possibly been the cause of her mood. The bartender returned in less than two minutes, balancing a platter with their drinks on one hand. Hunter, Shawn, and Chyna watched in silence as she set their drinks on the counter before them, then turned to leave once the platter was cleared. By the time Hunter lifted his shot and Shawn lifted his glass mug, Chyna had already downed her Tequila and slammed it down with nearly enough force to shatter the shot glass to pieces. Both men eyed her with raised eyebrows, knowing that couldn't have been a good sign.
"What?" Chyna hissed, firing them dirty looks. "I'll be right back. I have to piss." She slid off her stool and left to find the ladies room while Hunter and Shawn watched her with mouths hanging agape. Once she had disappeared, they looked at each other slowly, their expressions remaining.
"This might be another one of those nights, Trips." Shawn stated warningly. "You should probably go talk to her."
"And say what?" Hunter's arms flared. "None of this is my fault."
"Hunter, you fucked Stephanie just last week. You've known about Chyna's feelings for you for like...months?"
"So what? I can't do anything about it, man."
Shawn slapped his palm to his forehead, looking around the bar to see if anyone had been paying attention to the brief argument. Hunter continued to look at him, sighing deeply. Finding out about Chyna had only made things a little awkward between them and as much as he wanted to feel the same, he just couldn't. His love for her only stopped at friendship and he knew that fact was slowly killing her, but his heart's main focus was on Stephanie. He opened his mouth to make another statement, but stopped, realizing that Shawn was frozen in place, his eyes unmoving. Frowning, Hunter followed his gaze, having to look over his shoulder to see what Shawn was staring at. And no sooner than he had, he froze in place as well.
The wooden doors at the front of the bar parted evenly, the colorful lights from the ceiling instantly casting their dim rays upon a slender figure walking inside. Several men couldn't help but stare as the raven-haired beauty made her way toward the bar with steady, graceful strides. She was dressed in a strapless, black minidress with matching black heels, covered in silver jewelry from her hoop earings to her jingling silver bracelets, to her silver neclace holding a large, diamond heart on its end. She carried a large, black designer purse on her right shoulder, the diamond buckle flashing beneath the blue and green ceiling lights.
It seemed like she was moving in slow motion across Hunter's vision but by the time, he found his bearings, she was passing right by him at the bar counter. For only a second, they locked eyes and he couldn't help but be drawn into her sparkling, ocean blue orbs. Her plush, rosey red lips were slightly parted as she returned his gaze, everything about her flawlessly madeup face seeming to glitter. She broke the gaze herself, turning her head as if he was just another insignificant drunk man thinking of making a move. Hunter, on the other hand, refused to stop staring at her.
"Can somebody say DAMN?" Shawn said hypnotically, feeling around for his beer mug as he was still transfixed on the woman.
"Shawn." Hunter responded quietly, turning his head to look at him. When Shawn didn't respond, he snapped his fingers loudly infront of his face.
"What!" Shawn jumped, snapping out of his transe. "You were thinking the same thing, man!"
"No, Shawn. It's...I know her."
Shawn paused, his expression going from defensive to flat out astonishment. "Oh my gosh. Please tell me you tapped that." He leaned close to Hunter, lowering his voice a little.
Hunter nearly knocked him upside the head. "She's the most hard-to-get girl I've ever met in my entire life. I mean, not that I've tried, 'cause if I did, then she wouldn't resist and well, y'know-"
"Yeah, yeah yeah. How do you know her, though?" Shawn asked.
"High school."
"Was she another groupie?"
"No. She could never be a groupie. She was one of the popular chicks because her parents were rich."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. We were pretty close friends until we graduated and she moved over to New York. Haven't seen her since."
"Damn, man. Are you SURE you didn't tap that?"
"Shawn, focus." Hunter growled. "I have to talk to her."
"What if she doesn't remember you, man?" Shawn asked as Hunter all but leaped from his stool. "And don't forget to introduce me."
"I'll make her remember..." Hunter spotted her across the bar sitting at a booth infront of a large window with an enormous, neon-green skull painted over it. Across from her sat a man with shortcut brown hair, dressed in a simple black-shirt with a pair of jeans. Hunter read the expressions of their faces and they both seemed to be quite serious about what they were discussing. In fact, the woman looked a bit upset. Hunter frowned slightly, walking slowly to give them time to finish the conversation. He watched the woman dig into her purse and pull out what appeared to be a photograph. She slipped it across the table toward the male and he took it up carelessly, studying it. Seconds passed by before he layed the photo back down on the table and shook his head at her. Hunter noticed the way her shoulders sank and her eyes lowered in dismay. The man sighed before he slipped out of the booth and left, walking in Hunter's direction. Hunter looked the man up and down suspiciously, meeting his eyes as he passed by him, recieving a threatening glare in return. Neither man said a word to each other surprisingly. Usually, Hunter would have clotheslined him to the floor and delivered a hell of a beating for staring, but this time, he chose not to start trouble. Especially since there were more important matters before him.
He approached the booth just as the woman was returning the photo to her purse, glancing up a bit startled when she noticed him standing beside her. "Uh, hey. Can I get you a drink, miss?" Hunter asked her, flashing her his sweetest smile.
"That's alright. I was just leaving." She cleared her throat and rose to her feet.
"No, wait." Hunter gently gripped her shoulders, then pulled back at the fierce look she gave him in response. "Are you...Persia Winchester?"
The woman frowned at him, silence hanging between the two for a brief moment before her eyes widened and a look of recognition changed her features. "Hunter?"
I know the first chapter wasn't all that great, but don't worry. It's all building to something. Feel free to review and yes I made some MAJOR changes to this fic so hopefully you all will enjoy it.