Okay, so I am finally back with another story. This one is a little, well a lot different for me. I've been watching a lot of "horror" movies lately, and am really into the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies so it was sort of my inspiration. Please bear with me, I haven't written anything like this before so I don't have any experience with it. AND I haven't written a story in months, so I might be a little out of practice :) I don't own any of the superstars, or anything else mentioned in this story. It's all purely fiction! Anyway, on with the story.
Texas, 2010
There was nowhere left to hide. I was going to die, just like the rest of them. Perhaps that was the best thing; I didn't want to run anymore. But that would mean that his, oh god it was painful to think of him, death was in vain. He had died to protect me, to give me the opportunity to live. The least I could do was fight until I couldn't do so anymore.
"Angela," his voice terrorized me, sending chills down my spine, "We know you're in here. I warned you that you couldn't hide from us."
I slowly walked the distance of the room in the direction opposite where I knew he was, pressed up against the wall; I peeked around the corner into the kitchen of the abandoned house. It looked empty, but it was dark, I couldn't be too sure. My only chance now was to bolt to the back door that was directly opposite me, the moonlight filtering in through the open door.
"You're going to die here tonight, so why don't you make it easier on yourself. You'll be joined with your little boyfriend; I mean if that's the sort of thing you'se believe in. I personally think everyone goes to hell. I mean, that's where you belong ain't it?"
His voice was getting closer; I had about thirty seconds to make this decision. Where would I go? And what if he found me, maybe it was better to let the old man get the job done. But he would make me suffer, I knew he would, but he would be a better sight to look at than him while I took my last breath. With a little bit of fight left in me, I made my decision. I bolted across the kitchen and pulled the door open with an extreme amount of effort, stepping out into the sinister night.
But I only got a few steps before I was tackled to the ground, a sharp cry escaping my lips as I knew my time was up. I couldn't help but look into that horrible face just as he brought the knife down.
Mickie James POV – Somewhere in New Mexico
"I still don't understand why he even bothered to come," I complained, probably sounding more upset than I should have, "And he invited her of all people? He knows that we don't get along!" I pulled open the back door and took a seat inside, my feet dangling just above the ground.
The eye roll sent in my direction by John Cena was meant to be subtle, but I had caught it none the less. I merely added it to the list of things he did lately, that bothered me but that I pretended to ignore. John was handsome and it was certainly no secret that he was a great guy and had been a kind, caring and loving boyfriend, but somehow not even the great John Cena had been able to salvage what had become our relationship.
We had managed to use up an entire tank of gas all of yesterday, so we were only on the road for a few hours this morning before we had to stop. John said this was the last actual city for quite awhile, so stopping was critically necessary. Our last show was two days ago and Maryse and I thought it would be fun to spend our three days off on a road trip to our next venue.
Having shared the idea with Mike Mizanin, Maryse's boyfriend of three years, he expressed the same amount of enthusiasm and decided to join us, talking John into coming as well. I was like a little child on Christmas morning, excited over the fact that we rarely, if ever, got to engage in activities like this due to our demanding schedule and always being on the road. It was also extremely rare for us to be given three days off in a row, but I wasn't going to question a good thing.
So I was in my own little bubble for the past week, the smile never seeming to leave my face until Monday night, the day before leaving, John decided to finally tell me that Randy Orton was also joining us. It was a surprise yesterday morning when he showed up at the car with the blonde Barbie doll – Kelly Kelly.
"I mean there's only one reason she would ever agree to get into a car with me, and that's to piss me off!"
"Why does it matter?" John asked wearily.
"Because... this was supposed to be a fun trip. And considering we were barely in the car for five minutes yesterday before we got into our first argument, I'd say the rest of the trip isn't going to be any different."
"Mickie, I know you don't get along–"
"That's an understatement," I muttered.
"–but Randy's my best friend," he spoke, almost sternly making me feel like a child. "Now let's just get through this so we can tell everyone the truth, and stop lying about it."
I turned away abruptly, trying my best to ignore the feeling of irritation growing in the pit of my stomach. John often made me feel guilty about... well everything lately, and in fact, our relationship was pretty rocky. I couldn't tell you why, but we no longer talked like we used to. It was as if we had become two robots in our relationship doing the bare minimum to make it work. It was the reason we ended things mutually, but had yet to tell our friends the bad news. Neither of us knew the right way to go about it, seeing as how everyone thought we were the perfect couple, so we had been putting it off for weeks, struggling to make things seem normal in public. It was hard, which is why we tried desperately to avoid public outings, worried that someone would learn the truth. We had agreed, for the sake of the road trip and our friendships that once we hit Chicago we would come clean and let everyone make of it what they will. This was just going to be one last little hoorah.
"Hey we got a few snacks, you guys want anything else?" the voice of Mike Mizanin, the self-acclaimed awesome one, interrupted my thoughts as he, his stunning, goddess-like diva girlfriend Maryse Ouellet and the blonde, that Orton had unceremoniously invited, approached us with a bag filled with small luxuries they had purchased inside of the gas station.
"You guys get any water?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked in their direction. It was still rather early in the morning, so the sun was just rising, but it was already sweltering out. It was crazy that it was already fall here in New Mexico. In just a few ours we would be crossing over into Texas and the weather wasn't bound to get any cooler.
Maryse shook her head, smiling apologetically as she did so, "Sorry we weren't sure what everyone wanted drink wise, so we decided to leave it up to you."
"We got a couple diet drinks for us, but nothing for you. Sorry!" Kelly insisted on telling me, a smug smile growing on her face.
"It's okay," I focused on Maryse as I spoke, "I should probably use the washroom before we hit the road. Hey Kelly, there's still time for us to drop you off at the airport. I know how much you hate drives, not that you'd know really seeing as how you're not even old enough to drive a rental car."
"Oh good one Mickie. Sorry that not all of us are as old as you," she shot back before disappearing around the other side of the car.
Grinding my teeth together, I took a few steps in the direction of the convenience store, before stopping. Releasing a sigh, I slowly turned around, "You want anything?" I asked John.
There was no way he couldn't have heard me, but even though he turned away and started up a conversation with Mike.
I turned away and grumbled a string of swear words as I entered into the building and headed straight for the bathrooms, ignoring Randy who was staring at me from in front of the pepsi cooler. I was in there for maybe two minutes, trying to get back the excitement I had felt before our trip had started. I had somehow deluded myself into thinking this might actually turn out to be fun. But considering three out of the five people I was trapped in the car amongst, I didn't quite get along with; I'm thinking I definitely overestimated how great this was going to be.
Finally after practicing my 'fake' smile in the bathroom, I stepped out of the bathroom to find Randy leaning against the wall opposite the women's bathroom, next to the men's.
"To what do I owe this act of stalking?"
"I missed you," he smirked.
"That's funny, I don't feel the same seeing as how you do nothing but repulse me ninety nine percent of the time," I folded my arms across my chest.
"Hmm our little get together last week tells me different," the smirk was there permanently, it was Randy Orton's signature smirk.
I scowled, "That was a mistake."
"Mistake or not, it happened. And if you don't want John to find out about it, you better start treating me with a little more respect."
"Have you forgotten that he's your best friend?"
Things had been this way between Randy and I for quite some time. I think pathetically enough, I had learned to like the attention because I hadn't been getting any from John. So during an outing last week with the rest of the roster, I got a tad bit intoxicated and woke up the next morning, naked, in Randy's bed. John and I had been broken up at the time, so I wasn't unfaithful to him, but Randy didn't know that and it didn't lessen the guilt I felt because of it.
He shrugged his shoulders, "Accidents happen. I'm sure John can understand that, and if not well hey I got a long list of other guys who would be more than happy to be my new man friend."
I shook my head in repulsion, "You disgust me."
"Face it; I know you can't stop thinking about last week."
I laughed bitterly, "That's really funny considering I can barely even remember it."
Okay that was a lie, I had been drinking but it wasn't enough that I didn't remember everything that had happened. This was just my way of not having to say anything good came out of a situation with Randy.
"That's what you say to make yourself feel better about the situation."
"So you're admitting its wrong?"
"Oh that whole situation was so right Mickie. I don't have even a morsel of regret."
"Yeah well you wouldn't considering you're an insufferable asshole," I spat, "Which was proven when you decided to invite Kelly damn Kelly even though you know we hate each other! So why did you bring her?"
"To pass the time, and she's hot. Are we jealous Mickie?"
I rolled my eyes, "Why do you always ask me that?"
He folded his arms across his chest, copying my act, "Why do you always seem so interested in my love life?"
I scoffed, "Love life? You don't have a love life, you have a sex life."
"If you're jealous Mickie, just say so."
I took a few steps toward him, "I'm not jealous," I replied turning to walk away, but I was caught off guard when he gripped my elbow and pulled me into the men's washroom.
"Randy what are–" but I could no longer verbalize what it was I wanted to say, let alone string together a coherent response, as a new sensation took over my body completely.
It started in the pit of my stomach, and quickly spread through the rest of my body, all the way to the tip of my toes. My chest was feeling really tight and an overwhelming fluttering in my stomach made it difficult to breathe. I couldn't help but notice that his face was mere inches from mine and it was then I realized I was shaking slightly. There was one other time when I felt this way, last week when he and I found ourselves in this same situation.
Finally he pulled back, the smirk once more on his face, "Yeah Mickie, you don't want me at all," it was hard not to miss the sarcasm dripping from his tone.
I scoffed in disgust, and gave him what turned out to be a very ineffective shove before pulling open the door so hard it slammed against the wall behind it. Rushing out of the store, I hopped in the front seat and slammed the door behind me.
"Where's Randy?" John asked.
"How should I know?" I snapped before releasing a sigh, "Using the washroom I think."
"I thought you were getting something to drink."
"I'll just wait until the next time we stop," I replied, leaning my head back in the seat and staring out the window, as Randy exited the store carrying a plastic bag filled with his own purchases.
"Ready to go man?" John asked, as the Viper climbed into the vehicle behind me, and next to Kelly who had insisted on sitting in the middle seat right next to him.
"Yeah, let's get the hell on the road," Randy replied as I felt something cold touch my arm, just as John pulled back onto the road.
Looking over I noticed Randy was offering me a bottle of water from his own bag.
"You left without anything," he reasoned, "Are you gonna take it?"
I released a sigh once more, "Thanks," I said quietly as I took the bottle and instantly took a sip not realizing how thirsty I was until this moment.
"Here man," Randy tossed one up to John who thanked him, and set it down into the cup holder.
"Did you get me a water? I'll need one after finishing up my diet drink," Kelly asked, as if he should have known this.
"No," Randy responded simply, "I didn't get you one."
I had to resist the urge to laugh, as I settled back into my seat and continued staring out the window, not being able to stop thinking about what had happened back in that gas station and how messed up this entire situation was. I was sitting next to a man, who everyone else thought I was still dating when in reality our relationship had been broken months ago, and officially three weeks ago. And sitting behind me, was I man I had slept with who was known for not being able to be serious about anything. I wasn't that type of girl – engaging in sexual encounters with those I wasn't in a relationship with, so it made me wonder what the hell I had been thinking at the time. What was worse was that he was the best friend of the man I had just gotten out of a long term relationship with.
What does that say about me?
The morning turned into the afternoon as we crossed over into Texas and I, for the most part, remained quiet, reflecting upon my thoughts in those few hours while everyone else engaged in conversation to pass the time. We were now on a desolate road where we'd seen a total of maybe two cars in the last couple hours, and the drive was slowly starting to become rather boring. The only form of entertainment was Kelly spending most of the time trying to make out with Randy.
"Man, you gotta pull over. I need to take a leak," Randy said, "Not to mention this vehicle's getting a little crowded."
"How? We have the same amount of people that we started out with," Kelly pointed out, completely oblivious to the meaning behind Randy's statement.
"Precisely," I heard Randy mutter under his breath.
"Yeah I could do with some stretching," Maryse called from the back of the vehicle.
"Alright," John agreed, as he veered over onto the shoulder of the road, which happened to be simply a grassy area.
We all stepped out of the vehicle, instant pleasure when I was finally able to stretch my leg. There wasn't much around, a huge oak tree was closest, and a forest could be seen in the far distance. I could hear the faint mooing of cows but I couldn't quite make out which direction it was coming from. I breathed in the fresh air, and took a few steps in the direction of the large oak tree that branched out several meters. I leaned against it and stretched my arms, before glancing back in the direction of the car. Mike and Maryse were engaged in an intense make out session at the back of the suburban, and near the front of the car John and Kelly were laughing about something.
It was right then and there that I realized my relationship with John was truly over. I hadn't even felt a hint of jealousy when Kelly reached out lightly and touched his arm in a personal way. I could tell from this distance that she was flirting, and he was doing nothing to stop her advances. It was obvious Randy wasn't doing the job to keep her entertained.
I guess John and I should have realized this much sooner, or maybe he had but he was trying to spare my feelings. Perhaps that was why he avoided eye contact more often than not – it was ridiculously clear that he had already fallen out of love with me. But it was even clearer that I had spent a long while denying the fact that I had already fallen out of love with him.
"You okay?"
The sudden intrusion on my alone time startled me, but more so created mixed feelings on how I was supposed to feel towards the man standing next to me.
I scoffed and turned away from him, taking in the view of the field in front of me, "What do you care?"
"I don't care; I'm just hoping to get in your good books so we can enjoy a repeat of last week sometime soon."
"You're pathetic, and that's something I'll never get tired of saying."
"Oh as if you're any better Mickie James. You're in a relationship you clearly aren't happy in, which is evident in our little tryst last week. So who's pathetic now?"
It took a lot of strength not to hit him in the jaw, but instead I kicked off the tree and turned to face him completely, "I know that you're a liar. This means I know that you would care very much if John found out about what happened last week. So how about I go and tell him right now, come clean so to speak."
"Something tells me he wouldn't much care."
Despite my current situation, that was still a low blow.
I shook my head in disgust, "You're a dick," I hissed and stomped off towards the car, but stopped abruptly to turn back to face him, "Oh and you'll be happy to know John and I have been broken up for about three weeks now, we just haven't made it official."
His smirk faded a touch as he processed my words, "You mean you've allowed me to feel guilty this entire week, thinking that I had betrayed him?"
"I thought you didn't care?" when he continued to glare at me I sighed and continued, "You still should feel guilty, I mean we were broken up for two weeks when you and I had sex. Isn't the ex supposed to be off limits?"
"Not in my world."
"Oh of course not, Randy Orton is exempt from all the rules," I said sarcastically.
He shook his head and took a step closer, "You act all high and mighty Mickie, but last time I checked you were right there in my hotel room right alongside me."
"Just add it to my list of regrets," I spoke bitterly.
"Oh I don't know about–"
He was interrupted when a piercing scream sounded through the air coming from the direction of the car. Whirling around, about to dash back if the situation permitted, I noticed a man, dressed in dirty jeans and a black tee shirt standing next to Mike and Maryse, the latter clearly the one who had screamed. But John and Kelly were rushing back, so taking one last glance at Randy I hurried over to see what was up.
"Sorry guys, for screaming. He just sort of caught me off guard," she laughed, gesturing to the man who was now surveying us all curiously.
"Hey I'm Joe; I didn't mean to scare you. But you're the first people I've seen in hours, I got a little excited," he said with a chuckle, one that was charming and instantly made him appear easy going.
"Can we help you with something?" John asked.
"Yeah my car broke down awhile back, and as I'm sure you know there aren't very many towns nearby. I figured my best bet was to go forward, rather than going back. I saw a sign a couple miles back about a town that's about twenty miles ahead. I'm really glad I ran into you guys."
No one said anything for awhile, until Kelly spoke up, "I don't blame you. I don't know what it is about this area, but it gives me the creeps."
"I think it's kind of peaceful," I said, not completely thinking so, but finding myself extremely annoyed with the blonde bimbo who hadn't brought anything good to this entire trip.
Joe looked at me for the first time and smiled, it was almost as charming as his laugh, "Me too. But I guess that could be because I've been walking far too long," he chuckled.
"If you've been walking so long, how come we haven't seen you?" Randy asked rather rudely earning a stern look from me, but he couldn't have noticed because he was staring suspiciously at the man in front of him.
But Joe didn't seem the least bit phased by Randy's rudeness, "I haven't been walking this exact road the entire time. I turned a couple miles back and found my way here."
"You look like you could use a drink, I got a water bottle in the car if you want," John offered, quite obviously making up for Randy's attitude problem, because he threw Randy another harsh look.
Joe nodded his head, "Yeah man I'd really appreciate it."
John led him around the side of the car and they continued their conversation. We all kept a close eye on the duo, watching as they engaged in what appeared to be an amusing conversation.
"He's cute," Maryse whispered, giggling softly as Kelly nodded her agreement.
I tilted my head to the side to survey his face properly and I came to the conclusion that he was in fact easy on the eyes. His eyes were a light green color that sparkled beautifully in the sun. His hair was short, slightly curly and a deep chocolate brown and he had a hard set jaw. His smile and laugh were enough to set anyone at ease, but for some reason it unnerved me. I shook my head, and turned away, I knew it was only because he was a stranger.
"What do you think Mickie?" Maryse asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"I think... he's still a stranger," I said as I watched Mike move over to join them.
"Yeah exactly," Randy said, throwing his hands up in frustration, "We have no idea who this guy is. There is no way we are giving him a ride."
Just as he finished saying this, John walked over and looked at each of us in turn. "Joe needs a ride to the nearest town; I told him it wasn't up to me so I'm asking you guys."
"What's the harm, its twenty miles right?" Maryse said, Kelly agreeing with her once again.
"No it's not happening," Randy spoke firmly, "Are you guys kidding me? This is how horror movies start."
"Mike's okay with it too," John announced, "And I'll do whatever you guys think is right."
"Mickie?" Randy asked.
They all turned to look at me as I glanced once more in the direction of Joe who was still engaged in a conversation with Mike. It was as if he sensed my eyes on him, because in the next second he looked over and caught my eye contact. For some reason I felt as if I should be scared, as if instinct was telling me this wasn't a good idea, but my head didn't follow suit. Eye contact was broken only when a figure placed itself in front of me, and as I looked up I gazed into a different set of eyes, those that belonged to Randy.
"Mickie you can't be thinking this is a good idea."
"There's six of us and one of him, what harm could he possibly do?" I asked rhetorically, as I set course for the front seat, "Let's get going," I called over my shoulder. I think the only reason I really agreed was as a way to disagree with Randy because I was still angry with him.
"Fine then, but I'm driving!" I heard Randy announce.
The car ride for the next little while wasn't silent like I had expected it to be, it was just the opposite. Joe was sat behind the driver's side, with Kelly in between him and John, and Mike and Maryse in the very back. Everyone seemed to have taken a liking to him, as they listened to the many stories of his travels that he had to offer. You could tell instantly that he was a charismatic man, and thus the reason the rest had grown to like him almost instantly despite the fact that he was still clearly a stranger.
I also couldn't ignore the sideways looks that Randy kept shooting in my direction, or the ones he kept shooting in the rear view mirror at Joe. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Randy didn't trust him in the least. And why should he? This was a man we barely knew, no matter how charming he turned out to be; even the most well put together people on the outside could be completely different on the inside.
But I wasn't about to agree with Randy, not now, not ever.
"So buddy do you have a girlfriend?" Randy asked, interrupting a story he was telling.
"No, actually I just got out of a serious relationship. I was ready for the next step but she wasn't so we ended it. I realize now she wasn't the one."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Randy scoffed.
I narrowed my eyes in his direction, "Don't listen to him Joe. Randy here doesn't know the definition of a relationship nor has he ever found someone he thought was 'the one' because he's too much of an ass."
Randy took his eyes off the road briefly, to look in my direction. His face showed arrogance, but his eyes once more told me a different story. In them was a hint of sadness, as if what I said had hurt his feelings.
"Enough children, I'm sure Joe didn't come along for the ride to listen to your never ending arguing," Maryse said with a slight giggle.
"Hey they can do whatever they please, I'm just grateful for the ride," Joe said.
"Well it's not like we would've left you man. We may be arrogant but we aren't heartless," Mike responded, laughing.
Before anyone could say anything more, a loud explosion sounded, the car tilted violently, and skidded off to the side of the road, stopping as it collided with a tree. My head smashed into the airbag that popped out of the dash in front of me, and a throbbing sensation started in my head. The car was tilted slightly backwards and to the left, putting us at an awkward angle.
"Shit!" Randy exclaimed. "Is everyone okay? Mickie, are you okay?" he reached out to me, but withdrew back when I looked at him, confused by his actions.
"What happened?" I asked, rubbing my head and ignoring the concern I saw in his eyes.
I looked back to survey everyone else, and despite being a little shook up and dishevelled they all seemed to be okay.
"You okay?" John asked quietly, placing a hand on my shoulder to get my attention.
I nodded my head but didn't offer a verbal response.
Everyone piled out once more and it didn't take a mechanic to tell us our problem was in the form of the flat tire on the left hand side. Randy had knelt down near the back of the car, after noticing the front of the vehicle had little damage, and was assessing it as I scoured the area and looked down the road to see if I could see anyone. I still felt disappointed, despite not expecting to actually see a car, when I in fact found the road to be otherwise empty.
I put my hands on the back of my head and released a sigh, before digging in the pocket of my jean shorts to pull out my cell phone, "Anyone have a signal?" I held my iPhone up hoping to catch a signal, but nothing happened. I heard a chorus of no's as everyone checked the status of their own.
"We must be in a dead zone," Mike suggested, as he shoved his cell phone back in his pants pocket.
"Looks like we have no choice. We have to continue to that town. How far do you think it is?" Joe asked.
"About five or so miles," John answered. "It'll take us an hour or so if we're quick."
"Let's get going, I'd like to get back here before it gets dark. This isn't exactly the road trip I had in mind," I waited for everyone to catch up to me, Randy needing to lock the door, before we finally started down the road with Joe in the lead, dictating which way to go.
Everyone else collected what they needed to, and finally we were on the road in the hot sun, sharing what little water we had left. After only a half an hour of walking, I was sweating profusely and craved a cold shower. Wiping the back of my hand across my forehead, I felt eyes on me so I looked over my right shoulder and found Randy staring, but I was unable to detect what he was thinking by his facial expressions. There was nothing I hated more than when Randy got in this frame of mind, and it was next to impossible to tell what he was thinking. I couldn't honestly tell you why I cared as much as I did, but he was a man who perplexed me. But you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.
As I went to look back to the front, I caught Joe staring in my direction as well. He was no longer leading the pack, that was John's job at the moment, but he was still the only person who knew where we were going. He claimed the only reason he knew this was because he memorized the map he had before he left his car. I quickly turned and focused on where I was walking, and picked up my pace so I was walking next to Maryse.
"You're all in very good shape, keeping up a nice, quick pace. Made this trip easier," Joe commented, which I thought was a little odd.
"It's not our first rodeo," Randy offered up, "You seem disappointed."
"Now why would I be disappointed?"
"I don't know, why would you?"
Joe merely chuckled, "I don't know why you seem to have such a problem with me."
Randy shrugged his shoulders, "I don't even know you."
"Randy likes to get on peoples nerves, don't take it personally," I commented, throwing a glare in Randy's direction.
"Stop making comments like that, acting as if you know me," he hissed.
I was taken aback by his change in attitude because Randy hasn't ever taken anything I said seriously. Now all of a sudden he's sensitive about his feelings! I can honestly say that I won't ever truly understand this man in front of me, and it was the reason we could never be friends.
"Hey guys, tone it down. We're almost here, you can get some water and food in you," Maryse spoke, quite obviously trying to avoid a fight.
I slowed my pace down slightly, trying to wait for Randy without seeming obvious about it.
"Watch it Mickie," Kelly said rudely, as she ran into me.
I rolled my eyes, "Kelly it was an accident, trust me I wouldn't purposely put myself in your way. It wouldn't end well for you, and you know that."
It was her who rolled her eyes this time, and mumbled an insult that I tried my best to ignore as she caught up to Maryse.
Randy had finally caught up to me; although I'm sure he tried his best to avoid me. I placed my hand on his arm to let him know I wanted to talk to him.
I looked around to make sure everyone was out of hearing distance, "What's your problem now?"
"What are you talking about?"
"We've spent months insulting one another and all of a sudden you become sensitive? I'm not buying it."
He finally turned to look at me, "I hate it when people get involved in my business."
"Oh as if you don't always involve yourself in mine? Comments left and right about my failed relationship with John," I hissed, just loud enough to hear. "Yeah as if I need a reminder that my boyfriend fell out of love with me and my relationship is a failure."
"Mickie I don't care about your relationship with John, as far as I'm concerned it's probably the best thing that's ever going to happen to you. You deserve someone who will treat you better."
Once again his words and actions surprised me, but a moment later his face was impassive apart from looking as if he regretted what he had said.
I narrowed my eyes, opting to go for angry as opposed to surprise, "Oh rich words coming from you. You used me last week and now you won't leave me alone. We aren't friends Orton, never have been, never will be."
I picked up my pace once more and walked alongside the others in silence, until at last, after roughly another hour of walking, mostly in silence due to the overbearing heat and exhaustion, we came up to a building, that looked run down and old. It was the only building that wasn't boarded up or closed off. In fact a lot of the buildings were run down and crumbling, blackened as if a fire had swept through most of the street.
There were all kinds of litter and trash surrounding the one we had found ourselves in front of as well as a bunch of junk, such as a broken down bicycle, several barrels and broken down pieces of furniture. The paint on the building was chipped and faded and there were deep gauges in the wood, probably from horrible rainstorms over the years.
"It doesn't look open," Maryse pointed out, taking a glance in the window, "There's no one in there."
We all exchanged looks until finally Randy stepped forward and pulled the door open with ease. It creaked loudly, but otherwise gave no sign that we weren't allowed in. Everyone hesitated so I took the initiative and followed after Randy, saying we'd be right back. He looked back at me, so without knowing why, I sent him a comforting smile to which he responded with a confused look before turning back to survey the store.
"Hello?" I called out softly, not seeing anyone behind the counter.
There didn't appear to be much in terms of convenience items but there was a cooler with water bottles and several items on shelves behind the counter that I couldn't quite make out. The room smelled of rotting wood, and the overall effect made this place seem undesirable and it was no wonder the town was barren.
"I didn't see much else in this poor excuse for a town, so we'll have to get the car fixed soon or we might literally starve to death." Randy complained.
"This town used to be more populated you know."
The voice came out of nowhere, startling us and somehow I managed to not scream, but I did jump backwards into Randy's chest and it seemed he defensively wrapped his arms around me. Realizing the dishevelled old woman in front of us wasn't any sort of threat; we separated slightly and took a few steps towards the woman now standing behind the counter.
"It's a tragic story," she gestured to a newspaper article that was framed and hanging on the wall to our left. "Some young, reckless folks came through here many years ago and started a fire in the woods, burned half the town and killed most of its residents. Those few that survived, left knowing the town was never going to recover. We didn't do well before, since we didn't get a lot of people through here prior to the fire. But the disaster destroyed anything we had going for us."
I approached the article and read through it, noting that apparently the founder family had been killed all except a son, who survived the fire with horrible third degree burns.
"That's terrible! It says here that a son of the founder family survived. What happened to him?" I asked, feeling remorse for this kid who not only lost his family, but was scarred for life.
"A family took him in," she spoke elusively, "So what can I do for you folks?" she asked, just as the door opened and the rest of my friends filed into the building, all staring around much like we had.
"Is there a mechanic in town?" Randy asked.
"No sir."
"Hey I could change the tire if I had some tools," Joe announced.
Randy turned to face him, "I could fix it too buddy, be we don't have what we need."
"Well my husband has some tools up at the house, and I'm sure he's got a jack as well," the old woman offered.
"Thank you so much, honestly we really appreciate it," I rushed forward and extended my hand gratefully, "I'm Mickie."
She hesitated but eventually she grasped my hand, "It's my pleasure. I'm Rita."
I swear a tingling sensation coursed through my body, but it was a different sensation than the one I had felt earlier in the gas station bathroom. It was cold, and gave me the chills, making the hair on my arms stand on end. Pulling away, I did my best to maintain the smile on my face as I took a step backwards. She bent over the counter a pen in hand as she drew a bunch of words and scribbles on a dirty piece of paper. After about a minute where we all shuffled around uncomfortably, she finally looked up at us again.
"Now I can't leave the shop," she started and I thought it was weird seeing as how there wasn't really anything to sell not that anyone would be coming around anyway. She said the town had all but cleared out. "But here are the directions up to our house. There's a trail at the back of the shop here and it's the quickest way up. I'll give him a call and let him know you're coming so he can get everything ready."
"Thank you," John said once more, extracting the paper from her as she gave him a once over, not being very subtle about it.
"Thank you," she said with a quiet cackle.
John cleared his throat and nodded at her once before leading the way outside. There he led us a little ways over to the left of the door, under a wooden awning out of the heat of the sun.
"Look I'll head up there and get what we need. There's no point in all of us going," he finally said, turning around to survey all of us.
I nodded my head, "I'm going with you then. I don't have a very good feeling about this place, so I'm not letting you go alone."
He seemed to hesitate for a brief moment and I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't want my company or if he was worried about something.
Finally he nodded his head, "Okay let's get going."
"We'll be right back guys, keep checking your cell phone to see if you can pick up a signal," I said just before I started to follow John.
Once more I was stopped as Randy positioned himself in front of me.
"Be careful Mickie," he spoke quietly so it was very likely no one else had heard.
Clenching my teeth and tilting my chin up in defiance, I continued looking up at him for a second before side stepping him and jogging to catch up with John who was waiting and quite obviously had witnessed the encounter with Randy. I didn't know who Randy thought he was, but he had no right to worry about me.
I stopped when I reached John, thinking he was going to say something but I was disappointed when he turned and headed up the trail, directions clutched tightly in his left hand. We walked for about five minutes when finally I couldn't take the silence any longer.
"So you're just going to ignore me this whole time?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"What's going on with you and Orton?" he asked blatantly.
And there it was.
The resentful tone tainting his voice, made me wonder if perhaps he knew something.
"There's nothing going on with me and Randy."
"Doesn't look that way to me," he said, not a hint of emotion to be detected on his face or in his tone.
I rolled my eyes and laughed bitterly, "Well obviously you're imagining things. And even if there was, so what? What do you care? You broke up with me, remember?"
I was so sick and tired of these superstars yanking me around and treating me like garbage. I think from now on it was time to start dating outside the business.
"I didn't break up with you, it was mutual."
"Well, still the question stands. Why do you care?"
He stopped walking so abruptly it took me a few seconds to realize. I turned slowly to face him and found him looking me directly in the eyes for the first time in a long time.
"Because he's my best friend that's why. It'd be a pretty shitty play on your part. Of course considering its Randy, I doubt you'd mean much to him except a decent night in bed."
I prayed to god that the color and warmth in my cheeks didn't give me away. He had unknowingly or perhaps on purpose, made me feel like a piece of trash.
"What the fuck is your problem?" were the words that burst out of my mouth before I could think properly, and they didn't seem to stop there. "You haven't touched me in months, I can't even remember the last time we had sex let alone kissed, and you've treated me like a stranger until finally we had no choice but to end it. And now all of a sudden you care? Screw you John," I swivelled around and continued up the path, not caring whether or not he was following. My act of defiance was short lived however because I couldn't be sure I was heading in the right direction. I slowed my pace and heard that he was still following, and finally he caught up to me.
A couple more minutes passed by in silence, the surroundings still basically the same the entire trip except we were coming up to a row of old, rundown cars that looked as if they had been there for awhile. I found it an odd place for them, but didn't think much of it as I was still very much into our conversation from earlier. The path had veered to the left slightly when I heard John release a sigh.
"I'm sorry Micks, you're right. I had no business asking you that. We may not be dating anymore, but I can't just turn off that part of me that cares for you," he paused for a brief moment before continuing, "I see the way he looks at you sometimes–"
I stopped walking and sat on a tree stump looking off into the distance, "I know, like I'm another conquest. Trust me I don't have any intention of–"
"No that's the thing. He doesn't look at you in the way he looks at the other women. I don't know how to describe it or what it means but it's just– different. Like you mean something more, but in the last ten years that I've known the guy I haven't seen him serious about anyone. So just be careful Mickie, he's a player. That's what he does."
I ran my hand through my hair, and looked down at my boots that had a thin layer of dust on them. I had no idea what John had meant, or what he was trying to say, but it was clear to me that both of us were puzzled by Randy's recent actions towards me. I don't know why I said the next words that I did, but they came out of my mouth as if something inside me knew they needed to be said, if only to comfort the man in front of me.
"I have no intention of getting mixed up with Randy Orton. I'm sure this is just a game to him."
I decided that since we were taking a break, I may as well check my phone again. Pulling it out I was relieved and even more surprised that I had a couple bars. Waving my phone at John with a grin on my face, I scrolled down in my contacts and found the number for WWE Headquarters. After waiting a few minutes, they finally patched me through to Vince McMahon, who was no doubt at the next venue.
He was pissed, and that was putting it mildly. At one point I almost handed the phone to John, his golden boy, but said superstar pretended he was busy surveying something in the distance. Vince complained that we never should have decided to go on this stupid road trip if we weren't sure we were going to be back in time. I told him we still had a day and a half, and that this phone call was merely a warning. I told him where we were, or the general area anyway considering this town probably wasn't on any map, and he threatened that if we weren't back in time we'd all be in a heap of trouble.
After hanging up, I looked up at John, "Nice pretending you are busy, staring at nothing."
"Vince has a soft spot for you ladies," he shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.
"He has a soft spot for you, his golden boy," I teased, "The poster boy of his beloved company," I said dramatically, throwing in a few hand gestures for effect.
He merely chuckled, "Come on; let's get moving so we can get the hell out of here." He extended his hand and I grasped it so he could pull me to my feet.
"I have never agreed with you more."
"Yes, Mickie James certainly doesn't belong in a place like this," he laughed again, directing me in the right way.
"No Cena, I certainly do not!"
"It's nice to know we can still be civil. I'll always care for you Mickie. I think we were just meant to be friends."
Nodding my head once more I linked my arm with his, "Agreed Cena, you always were a better friend than a boyfriend!" I teased, winking at him.
"Oh is that so?" he turned to look at me, a mischievous look on his face.
I nodded my head, "Yeah. So I was thinking, since I just had to talk to a pissed off, red in the face Vince, you're telling everyone we broke up."
"No way, that's not fair!"
"Oh it's more than fair, have fun!" I said with a giggle before stopping dead in my tracks when I witnessed the house in the near distance.
I gasped at the run down look it had, not thinking it was possible to be worse than the convenience store where we had left our friends, but it was. It was foreboding and made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. If I didn't know any better I would say this house had been abandoned for years. There were broken windows, the paint was beyond faded and apart from the grass every other plant life present appeared to be dead.
"Shit, that's one creepy ass house," John replied, finally catching up to me, panting slightly but in otherwise good condition. The shade that the trees had provided on the walk here had been very refreshing compared to the walk to this town.
I looked over at him, with a sly grin on my face, "What did you expect? A white mansion with pillars and complete with a picket fence?"
"No more like a white mansion with pillars and a stone wall with guards patrolling the top and a moat with crocodiles," he smiled that dimpled smile that you couldn't help but love.
"Come on you dork, let's go," I started walking, leading the way up to the front porch of the house, the feeling to run grew with each step I made, but I knew that if we didn't do this, we wouldn't have anywhere to run except to a car with a flat tire and no way to fix it.
Finally reaching the door after what felt like an eternity of dread, it took me a few moments to talk myself into it, but finally I knocked three times. We stood there in silence, John offering me a comforting smile once or twice until finally the door was pulled open and a man who appeared to be in his late sixties appeared behind a screen door. His greying hair was thinning, leaving bald patches mostly at the top, his face had a weathered look about it, and he had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
"You'se must be the out of towners my wife sent up here," he stated, his voice had a gravelly sound to it.
I cleared my throat, ignoring the smell of smoke that burned my nostrils, "Yes sir we really appreciate the help."
"I'm gonna need some help, the stuff is in the back room here."
"Of course," I said, composing a smile on my face.
John and I both set forward as he opened the door, but he put his arm out to stop us," Only one of you'se. My wife tends to be much too trusting, but I trust strangers about as far as I can toss them."
"That's funny I follow the same–"
I cut John off instantly, "I'll go, we'll be right out John," I insisted, grasping his hand and squeezing it tightly.
The man watched this action, a look of interest in his eyes, "Come on. I don't got all day."
With one last smile at John, I entered into the house and went in the direction he pointed me. It was hard not to be creeped out by the state of the house, but I guess considering the couple I shouldn't be surprised. The house, much like the store, smelled of decay except much more strongly. There was a thick layer of dust on just about everything and the house in general didn't appear to ever have been cleaned. Every so often I caught a glimpse of bugs, and once or twice cockroaches, skittering around on the floor and walls. Instantly I wanted out. I could hear the faint sound of a television, but it didn't serve to make the house more homely in the least.
Turning slightly to make sure he was still following, I had to ignore the fact that his eyes were roaming my backside. It wasn't as if it didn't happen all the time when I was in the ring, right?
"So, I'm Mickie," I said, merely to break the silence as we entered into the room he had gestured to. It was a small room, with nothing but a freezer and closed closet and the things we came for sitting in the middle on the floor.
"Jim," he said gruffly, putting his cigarette out on the wall and flicking it onto the floor, as he gestured to the items. "Where you from?"
He leaned against the freezer and watched me, his eyes once more roaming my body but this time the front, and once again I had to pretend not to notice.
"We're from all over, I– originally I'm from Virginia," I finally answered, "but we're sort of on a road trip from Phoenix heading up to Chicago."
"For what?"
I folded my arms across my chest, growing more uncomfortable with the current situation by the minute, "Just meeting up with some friends."
I don't know why I didn't tell him who I was but I figured it wasn't a good idea to make it public knowledge if they didn't already know me. And plus, I didn't like to brag about being a professional wrestler. The real Mickie James was humble.
"I see."
I cleared my throat, "I should get going, our friends are waiting for us."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, "Oh sorry to inconvenience you by trying to strike up a friendly conversation. I'm only lending you my property," he spoke, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"No, no it's not like that. It's just... we've had a long day and we've got a schedule to keep."
"Yeah, yeah just take it and get out. You better leave this at the store with my wife when you're done with it, or I'll call the cops."
"Of course," I said quietly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude."
"Just get out," he said rudely, turning away to look out the tiny, and only, circular window in the room.
I quickly leaned down to snatch up the small tool box and the car jack, and even quicker I exited the room. I stopped in my tracks when I heard a loud banging coming from behind me. Turning slowly I glanced a door to my left, the opposite of the room I had just left and a feeling of panic came over me. I couldn't place why, but I knew I needed to get the hell out of this house.
Once I stepped back out into the sun and got a breath of fresh air, it was as if a weight had been lifted off of me. It took me only a few seconds to see that John wasn't anywhere in sight.
"John?" I spoke, but received no answer.
Descending the few stairs rapidly, I walked out into the yard.
"John?" I called, once again not receiving an answer.
Worry flooded my body, and I started to panic – something I rarely did. But this place, whatever it was brought out all the worst possible feelings in me. Picking up my pace, my breathing growing heavier with each second, I rushed around the side of the house, all different kinds of scary images swirling around inside my head. I was immediately relieved when I found him standing a distance away from the house, where the grass was knee high.
"John! What are you doing?"
"There was a pig, a damn pig running around," he laughed, "We're certainly not in the city anymore!"
I scowled at him, "You had me worried! Come on let's get back to the others." I couldn't help but smile at the grin on his face; it was something I felt like I hadn't seen in awhile, and I hoped to see more of it in the future.
It happened so fast, it took me a second to process everything. A loud thud sounded in my ears, a sickening piercing sound rang through the air, and John shuddered in front of me. He stumbled forward into me, knocking the equipment out of my hands.
"John?" I whispered, wrapping my arms around him as I staggered under this weight. "John?" I repeated, just as my hand brushed over a warm sticky substance on his back. It was then; I noticed the knife protruding from his back.
"John!" I cried, finally falling under the weight but I managed to hold him in my arms, "John, John hey look at me! Look at me!" I grasped his chin and tilted his head up in my direction, just as he started choking up blood.
I let out a cry of anguish, "Stay with me okay, please John!" I wiped the tears that were running down my face, unable to ignore John's body convulsing. "Fuck! Please don't leave me... I'll go get help!"
Brushing more tears away, I made to get up, but it was in that moment I realized he was no longer shaking, and I watched as the light in his eyes went out, the ghost of his last laugh etched upon his face.
"John!" I howled, "Somebody help me! Please!" I leaned over his body, the tears rushing down my face, as a sign of the agony I was feeling.
This couldn't be happening, John couldn't be dead. Not John Cena, the man I was inseparable from the last two years. My best friend. It was in that moment that I first glimpsed the figure in the distance, the position where the knife had to have come from. Squinting my eyes, a feeling of terror came over me and a sharp scream, so foreign to me, escaped my lips. I used my hands to scoot me backwards, trying to put as much distance between me and whoever it was that had killed John.
This man was unlike anything I had ever seen before. His entire body, or at least all I could see of it, was completely covered in scars, as if he had been burned alive. It was his eyes though that scared me the most; they were filled with anger and hatred. They were dark and terrifying, as if I was looking at death. It was then I realized he had picked up his pace and was heading straight for me, what appeared to be a damn machete in his hand.
"No, no!" I screamed, finally coming back to reality. He had killed John, and it was painfully obvious that he was now coming for me.
Okay well there you go. I figured I would do a scary type story in honour of Halloween coming up, and am hoping to have it finished by that time because it will only be five or so chapters. Please review and let me know what you think. If I should just scrap it, let me know and I'll get rid of it, but if you want more let me know :) This is a warning that more chapters will be a little more gory, so this will be an M rated story for vulgar language and typical horror... ness.
Thanks for reading, I really appreciate the support!