Welcome people young and old! Today I would like to present you a paper that I have kept from the world for 2 years! A tale about yours truly going down to the deptsh of hell and meeting up with some of the superstars in there!
Don't believe me? Well read on!
Inferno
By Green Phantom Queen
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"You must be the luckiest person in the world to by the last ticket to this year's Armageddon pay-per-view," Said the ticket man to me. "Take care of this, young girl." He continued. "Anyone would want to see this show will do anything to get it from you."
"I promise I'll take care of it," I said, placing it into my wallet. "And thanks again!" With that, I had just placed my wallet in my jeans pocket and skipped down the sidewalk down the street to the UHS campus. On my way there, I gazed past the high slopes of the Savemart Center; for some reason, they were going to change the location from Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, all the way to the Savemart Center in quiet Fresno, California. Of course, it's always quiet in the evening; but when it was the rush hour in the morning, then it could be pretty noisy.
It was around 12:45 when I finally made it back to the UHS campus. Usually the thought of a WWE event would get me riled up, but as I placed my hand near my wallet, I was a bit worried. Would it be a good show? Was it right that I paid $40 for that ticket?
I wasn't going to think about that now, I would think of that the minute I left for the pay-per-view on Sunday. Oh well, I just hope I can survive before then...WWE fans can always get rowdy when it comes to pay-per-views.
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It was finally December 16th, the day of WWE Armageddon.
Dad was driving me up to the arena, with me in the front seat. Wrestling was something I had gotten into for about two years now. I now know a lot of the superstars, and want to know more of the past stars that I wished I saw when I was younger. But if I did do that, it was literally going to change me from sweet and passionate, into rough and hard hitting.
"Now remember," sad Dad, distracting me from my thoughts. "The minute this pay-per-view is done, you immediately come out of the entrance."
"Yes. Dad." I replied, my attention to the scenery outside still not wavering. "And I'll make sure my cellphone is one, I have some extra money in my wallet, if someone tries to attack me, I'll call security..."
"And...?" He said as if I forgot something.
"I won't go past the audience ramps when I see the superstars." I said with an annoyed sigh. "I'll stay there, control myself, and won't immediately go looking for them when I get inside the building."
"Good girl," My father said with a smile as he ran his hand through my hair. He soon parked the car near the entrance. I checked my watch, it was already noon. At events like these, it was a good thing to get extremely early for events like this. There were barely a few people inside so I knew it would be okay for me to wander around the center before sitting in the ring.
"Bye dad," I said as I unbuckled my seat belt. "It should be done around 8, so I'll see you in a while!" I exited the car and was about to head straight for the arena when a security guard caught my eye.
"Oh," I said as I pulled out the ticket for the event to the guard. "Here you go." I said as I waited patiently for his answer. After a few minutes, he gave me back my ticket, nodding, at me as if to signal that I can go in. I felt like leaping for joy at the statement as I went inside the arena. It was my first time to go to a pay-per-view event, much less a WWE show...but hey, it was just first time jitters that got to me.
It took me a while to get to the arena seat, counting the row as I stepped up the stairs. I was a front row seat, but decided to hang out around the other areas before the show started. I was going to be stuck inside the building for 6 hours before returning home; half of that time just doing nothing! Great. Just Great. And it wasn't like the superstars would come near me while I was like this. Oh well, might as well use the best of this time for a nap.
I pulled out my Ipod, setting it onto a nice song that would keep me to sleep. I curled up upon seat as my eyes start to close without my consent. Either way, there wasn't going to be a lot of people for a few hours...the place wouldn't pile up until it was time for the dark match. Besides, the hush hush of the arena would keep me company.
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I didn't know how long I slept, or what time it was. But when I woke up my eyes to the sound of a bell ringing two times, I wished I knew how to get out.
Instead of the Savemart Center along with a wrestling ring that wasn't even set up, it was a forest. And I was no longer in my seat, I was sitting upon a dirt road that seemed to go on and on for who knows how long. Surely, if I followed the road I would have been able to find someone that could tell me how to get out of here; I wasn't going to get anywhere if I just sat there and waited for me to wake up.
I stood up, a bit shocked to see my whole outfit had changed. Instead of the blue hooded jacket and jeans I wore when I got inside, I was in a white tunic that was attached with a leather belt, and my feet were adorned with leather sandals. Instead of my Ipod that was with me, I instead had a scroll that was held in my left hand.
"Okay," I said as I walked down the path, adjust my eyeglasses to make sure I truly knew what I was seeing. "Where am I?"
"You're in the Dark Forest," Someone said behind me. "The entranceway to Hell."
At this statement, I slowly turned around, thinking I was going to run into Satan himself. Instead I was met with a muscular man. He looked somewhere in between his late 30's to early 40's; but the strangest thing wasn't the man, it was the strange black symbols that were drawn upon his lower abdomen. It seemed strangely familiar, as my mind raced through all the people I knew in the WWF/E who did something like that. My mind suddenly clicked at the image.
"Wait a second!" I said in surprise, pointing at the man. "You're Bradshaw! One half of the Acolytes/APA along with Farooq. What are you doing here?!"
"I'm here to guide you on your journey to Hell, kid." He said to me in a serious tone. "You're going to go through all circles, seeing all the souls that were deserving to be punished of the sins they have caused."
"But why did you choose me?" I said. "I don't even know a lot of people from the Attitude era! Much less I don't know a lot of people right now!"
This was one of the most surprising things in my life. Ever. I mean, all I wanted to do was see a couple of superstars fight at the last pay-per-view event of 2007. I had sacrificed a whole Sunday for this event; I wasted most of the saved pocket money I was saving up for a Nintendo Wii to get this ticket! I wasn't going to waste it being with a double of JBL's last identity; it was enough for me! I wanted to told him how I felt!
"Well, why not?" Bradshaw said. "If a man can have a chance to take a visit to Hell, why not a girl?"
"Good point," I said, remarking the explanation. At that moment, a shadow lurked between the woods. It was a leopard, looking voraciously hungry for us at it walked off. Followed by that was a lion, its golden mane flowing softly upon it's tawny fur. The two of us barely had a chance to move a step when a mournful howl echoed through the woods. It was that of a she-wolf, her grey skin gleamed and danced through the shadows of the forest and trees. The three animals followed past us, going as far as the dirt road would go, until they could no longer be seen.
"What were those?" I said, staying close to Bradshaw.
"Those are the three beasts," He explained. "Each animal talks about different sins that we shall see as we journey on. But we must be going, our first stop is up ahead."
And with that, we began to walk. It didn't matter who started off first, we just walked down there for what felt to me like an hour or so. And I was wondering more than ever on what was going on. I mean, it's not like I didn't like Bradshaw or anything—I still wish he was in his Acolyte gimmick instead of the 'Wrestling God' thing he had, truth to be told—but this was just more...
"Excuse me," I said to him. "But, why are you guiding me to hell? Why am I supposed to be the one going down here in the first place?"
"Is it my obligation to answer that question for you?" Bradshaw obligated. "I was just given permission to leave the 4th circle just to give you a tour, kid. That's all. And also the fact that you seem to be an interesting soul." That last part was muttered under his breath, but I still heard it. I didn't like to eavesdrop on comments like that, but if it was for a way to get out of here, then I wanted to know. I didn't want to be dressed as a Roman, and I didn't want to be stuck in this dark forest on the outskirts of Hell, and I didn't want to be near Bradshaw because if I got him angry, then I'd be attacked from him. So, for now, I was going to play along.
"What was that?" I said, acting a bit curious at the statement.
"It's nothing," He replied. I was upset that he wasn't going to tell me; but whining would never get me anywhere so I had to accept it. We continued walking once more until the sky had a streak of white in the air; or at least what I was looking at was the sky. The white was a banner flowing upon a breeze—if there were breezes in hell—and many shadows of humans, as they were to my eyes chasing after it. Following the "humans" were wasps and many other insects with stingers that decided to continually use them upon the poor souls.
"Who are those people?" I said, pointing to them. "And why are they chasing that banner?"
"Those are neutral souls," Bradshaw explained to me. "They are there because they did not make decisions to make them either face or heel. This is considered Anti-Hell; these souls are neither in Heaven or Hell, they're just stuck here."
"Why are you using wrestling terms to describe good and evil?" I asked him, somewhat not understood why he would do something like this.
"In the WWF," He explained to me. "You're either a face or a heel. If you're none of them, you're a commentator."
This now startled me; WWF ended around 5 years ago, where it is now known as the WWE. I didn't understand what he meant until I saw one of the chasers. He did look familiar, with black spiky hair, mustache and wearing an expensive tuxedo. It wasn't until I saw the commentator headpiece he had around his ears that I saw him. And to this, I was in shock more than I ever was when I got that ticket.
"Michael Cole?" I said in surprise. "What's he doing in hell? I thought he supported baby faces."
"He supported them, but he didn't do anything to help them." Bradshaw explained. "He just stayed in the sidelines, using only words to express his feelings and not his fists. He didn't go for the heel side either, he only accused them for wrong doings and nothing more. For his decisions he shall be sent here."
"Wait a minute!" I said at the statement. "If he's down here already, what do you mean he's going to be sent here?!"
"It's none of your business." He snapped. And that was all, until we reached the banks of a river. Curious at what my scroll had inside, I unraveled it, finding it to be some sort of aerial map. I peered in closely to see a white star, possibly indicating where we currently were. I looked past the star, seeing a river with the words "Acheron" written in the paper.
"We're here," said Bradshaw, interrupting my thoughts. "The banks of the shore of Acheron." I looked past the scroll and saw a boat tied near the dock. A ferryman was waiting for us, beckoning for us to hop on. "What are you waiting for?" Bradshaw said, intruding my thoughts. "We're not going to continue unless you get on."
I rolled the scroll back to its normal state and hopped onto the boat, some of the water splashing upon the wood. The ferryman shook a fist at me but then sighed as Bradshaw got in with me. With that signal, the ferryman started to row us off to the other side. I started to feel a bit uneasy at the pace he was going; it was like he wanted to get this over with so he could do whatever he was doing before the two of us were going to ride on his boat.
"Bradshaw," I asked him, motioning to the scroll. "What's this supposed to be?"
"It's a map, you idiot." He said, as if he didn't care for my questions. "Now if you have any other questions, speak now or forever hold your peace."
"Well," I started off, pointing to the scenery in front of us. "Why is that place look more bright than that dismal Anti Hell place?"
"That place is the First Circle, otherwise known as Limbo." Bradshaw explained. "That is where the virtuous pagans rest."
At this statement, the boat soon hit the edge of the grass. The ferryman, helped me out, taking my hand so I could get out. Bradshaw, placed a hand on my shoulder as I gazed at the view. The place was full of grassy fields, with a stone castle, upon the towers having flags flapping in the wind...well, if there was such a thing as a breeze in Hell, once again.
"Take the time to check the place out, kid." He said to me, patting my shoulder. "Once you're done, we're heading off to where the real Hell starts."
With that, I walked off. All around me, on my left and right, were people in conversations, seemingly not in pain as the other souls were. I was starting to wonder if this was truly a Hell or not. It wasn't until I hit something in front of me, that my gaze adverted to what was in front of me. A looming shadow blocked my view, and who I saw above me was some sort of giant with dark skin (the background was unknown to me, and I could'n ask him—if he was a man—what it was, as if it could discriminate his kind).
"I'm sorry," The person said, showing his hand out. "Are you alright?"
"No, I'm fine." I said, grabbing his hand to help me stand out. As I stood up, I noticed the cloth he was wearing around his waist had the words "RIKISHI" on it. It clicked into my mind who it was; Rikishi was a wrestler of the legendary Anoa'i family which consisted on many fighters of Samoan decent, one of the most famous ones being Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, if memory serves me right. But the idea of "virtuous pagans" still seemed unsettled in my mind. So...
"Why are you being sent to a place like this?" I asked him, the words immediately coming out of my mouth. "And what's so virtuous and pagan about you?"
"Come with me," Rikishi said as he started to move away. "And I'll explain what I mean." With this, I soon started to follow him; for every step he took I had to take three. I wasn't that great with PE, so it took me a while to catch up.
"This circle is to hold the people who were not followers of Christ," He explained to me. "If the souls were living at the time before he was born, then these are the souls who did not worship their proper deity."
"But that doesn't make sense," I told him, recalling the knowledge I had read about him. "You're of Samoan descent, and yet you were born in San Jose, California. How the heck did you get in here?"
"Virtuous can be considered as a baby face, which I was." added Rikishi "The pagan part is..."
"I know," I interrupted. "It's because you were not a believer in Christ. But this place is better than where Cole is heading."
The Samoan chuckled as we finally reached the castle. He opened the door, and in front of me was a portal of light. I looked at Rikishi and he nodded. It was very sad that I had to leave him behind; especially when I started to get to know him more. Oh well, I couldn't dilly dally here forever, I was going to have to leave this place sooner or later. Emphasis on the word 'sooner'.
"Well, bye then." I said before I walked in. I covered my eyes from the illumination as I stepped forward, until I was able to get a clear shot of Bradshaw waiting for me.
"So," he said. "How was it?"
To me, I was unsure what to say. Before I could say something, the same ringing I heard early on interrupted me. I walked past my guide to see a line of souls, all passing by what looked like a woman in a white ensemble having a bell right next to her. She looked very familiar to Lillian Garcia, a woman who was the WWE RAW announcer. She also had a beautiful singing voice, despite the fact that she's been in the business for about 8 years.
"Look over there," Bradshaw said, pointing to the soul in the front of the line. "That soul is about to find out where he's going to go. The lady and her bell will determine where all of them will be sent; depending on how many times that bell will ring for them." He stayed silent, as the bell rung two times, loud and clear.
"You shall be sent to the second layer," The woman said as the soul continued on its way. As the next one started to come in line, Bradshaw motioned me to follow that specific soul. I wanted to know who this person was, but as we entered the second circle, a giant gust soon came in with the souls inside blowing aimlessly to and fro with no way to touch the ground.
"Do you want to see them?" Bradshaw said. "Well, go!" With that he pushed me into an upcoming gust of wind and I was suddenly above the ground, flowing in directions that I was unable to control. In the corner of my eye, was the soul that we had seen earlier! His blonde hair covered his face, but I saw on one of his arms a sun tattoo; this immediately sparked something in my head and I tried to call out to him.
"Hey!" I yelled, cupping my hands near my mouth as to help make it louder. "Are you the soul that is known as Edge?"
"I am!" He cried back to me, the winds soon picked up and he blew away from me, but even with that he spoke as if he was just near my ear. "I have been sent here for my crimes against my former friend Matt Hardy."
"Was it because of you cheating on his girlfriend Lita?" I asked him once more, grasping onto the scroll so I would not lose it. If I lost it, then it would be very stupid for me to do, for it was the only way to get out of here. "Was it because you back stabbed him and took away the person he loved?
"It is that very reason!" He said. "And aside from that, I slept with her, and cheated on my own wife to have my affair with her! Lita, herself, has been sent lower than I have been all the way to Caina which you will go to at the very end!" And with that the winds that blew me died down, as I fell from my position of 20 feet in the air.
"Good bye!" I yelled back at Edge as I fell like a rock. It wasn't until Bradshaw caught me that I stopped trembling. Immediately embarrassed at my predicament, I got off of him and glared at him nastily for getting me into this mess. After all, he was the one who pushed me into the blustery storms and he was the one who made me be stuck here.
"Don't look at me," He told me. "I'm just the guide." I snarled at the statement as we walked again. Unraveling the scroll again, I saw that we were immediately heading for the third circle. As a matter of fact...
The sky was filled with rain and hail. The ground in front of us was nothing but muck, and people lying around in it like pigs. Ahead of us was Cerberus, the three headed dog, all but the middle head asleep. We started to walk slowly as we could as if not to wake up Cerberus. The muck squished beneath my toes upon the sandals, making me feel a bit ill at the touch. I really wished that the rain would be there to help wash it all off, but it was doing the opposite. Instead, it was making it worse.
"The gluttons." Bradshaw said to me. "This is their domain for their overindulgence..."
"Of what?" I interrupted, putting the scroll under my arm..
"There," He said, stopping at a soul. I looked down at where he was staring at and noticed the grin that was on the face of that soul, despite his condition. Even with all of the rain and hail that was pouring on him, he looked peaceful, and was not disturbed by the muck that had surrounded him.
"Eddie Guerrero?" I said in surprise, whether it was him or him smiling that made me said it in that tone, I couldn't tell. "He's here because of that drug addiction, isn't he?"
"I'm afraid so." Bradshaw said sadly, a rare look of sorrow on his face. "His heart stopped working after that match with Kennedy for the Survivor Series match at '05. After that, they said he died in his sleep. He was a great guy; I'll never forget him."
I felt very sorry for Bradshaw; despite being a jerk I knew him to be when if first saw him, I sincerely remembered the memorandum he gave to Eddie Guerrero when he died. It was very sad that Eddie died, despite the bad things that happened.
"I feel as you had some respect for him," I said, giving him a hug. "That's good, that you feel sorrow for him. I know that he understands your pain too; after all, aren't you suffering in the next circle?"
"I am," Bradshaw said, nodding at my question. With that, we walked again, leaving everyone else behind. The road in front of us started to descend, like a spiraling staircase until the sound of crashing boulders and swearing soon reached our ears. In front of us was some sort of man in a tuxedo with dollar signs sewn on its pockets. His brown kept hair and his glasses soon got my attention as his laughing was soon heard over his tormentors.
"Is that Ted Dibiase?" I said to Bradshaw. "He's in charge of the souls in here?"
"That's one of the many reasons I'm glad to be doing this." Bradshaw explained with a smile seeing the other souls pick up the fallen boulders. "You can say he's our hell keeper for the greedy souls. But there's a difference in this place. There are two types of greed: One is the souls who keep all the money they have to themselves, or find a way to get more money than they had. The other is the ones who spend their money so fruitlessly."
As he said this, I saw an interesting soul going pass the 'keeper' of the circle. His physique intrigued me, very muscular and having blonde hair covering his face, but I soon figured out who it was.
"So Triple H would fit into the bill?" I said, pointing at him. "Because he married Vince's daughter Stephanie so he could get his hands on the family fortune, correct?"
"That will be the one," Bradshaw said, seeing the boulder Triple H was carrying crash upon the ground. He turned around and started to argue with the person behind him. It was starting to get to me that my guide was starting to have fun at his other comrades' expense. For another thing, as we went further and further into hell, it would be stranger and stranger then the last one.
"So," The Acolyte said, patting my back. "Why don't we go down to the other layers and see what the others are doing?"
And with that, we quietly went past the crashing of the boulders, with me only getting one final glimpse of the Game before we made to the fifth circle. When I saw it, I didn't know if I wanted to swim in it, or pack bug spray. It was a swampy area, the water going up to my ankles, and fog going past my range of vision. I tried to wave the fog away so I could see, but it was thick enough to slice it with a butcher knife.
I was about to take a step when Bradshaw stopped me by yelling "Don't do that!"
"Why not?" I said. As I said that, I looked down at the water below me. I shrieked in surprise at the face of a person gurgling beneath the murky swamp. I slowly stepped back, my heart pounding against my chest as I saw multiple bodies, just like the one I was about to step on, doing nothing but gurgle under the filthy water. I stared on and on...the place must've been a hundred, no, a thousand miles away. We were never going to get out!
"This domain is for the Wrathful and Sullen," My guide said. "The Sullen can do nothing but stay under the water of the river Styx. While the wrathful..."
As like magic, the fog started to billow out, and two figures came into view. They paid no attention to us, as they started to fight each other as if they were in a wrestling match and we were their audience. The one on the right got my attention; he was tall, around seven feet to be exact, and wearing an ensemble of red and black around him that covered his chest and torso completely. A glove was on his right hand and his wet brown hair bounced upon his head, and a black and red mask covered his whole face. It didn't take me long to figure out who it was.
"That's Kane," I gasped, being in surprise to see someone exactly like him wearing his original attire. "Undertaker's younger brother, but why would he stuck in here? I mean, despite all the differences they had, didn't they patch things up later on?"
"Even with that, kid." Bradshaw said to me. "Before that, on that fateful day October 5, 1997, he came with intentions on revenge on what his older brother did to him. Undertaker was the one who burned their parents alive on that day..."
"May 19th." I finished, my brain connecting to what was given. "And that's when Paul Bearer, Kane's real father since they were half-brothers, came and after that, and had nothing but revenge for Taker. But wait a minute, if he wanted revenge, and he did hurt Undertaker badly, why wasn't Kane sent into a place that punishes him the violent souls?"
"His punishment of revenge and vengeance made him full of wrath and anger." Bradshaw explained. "It was decided for his actions that he would be sent here. Also, even with the truce the brothers had settled on, Kane still spent those years with his adoptive father with nothing but retaliation for the elder."
As he said this, the sound of splashing started to come forward. The two souls that were fighting had left, continuing their never-ending match far away from us, as the silhouette of a man on a wooden schooner coming toward us. The water under the boat rippled, yet it did not disturb the people below as the boat finally came to a stop. The ferryman was a a short man, African if possible, wearing a white tunic, tattered and drenched in the swamp water.
"Theodore Long?" I said to Bradshaw who shrugged in surprise. It was getting very weird that the hell keepers/specific figures of the Hell I was going through were getting stranger and stranger. It wasn't going to be long until I was going to lose my sanity in this place, I hope I would get out soon.
"Theodore Long was the announcer of the matches on Smackdown, being the General Manager and all." Bradshaw explained. "He could make matches for the fun of it, or if you got on his bad side, he'd announce you in a match with people that would squish you like a bug. And believe me, I know."
"Hop on!" Long said gladly, taking my hand in his. "You two will be heading off from the river Styx all the way down to Dis."
"To who?" I said, quirking an eyebrow and not understanding if the keeper was mentioning a place or a person. I looked down at my scroll, seeing that after the river Styx, was a place known as Dis, located in the Sixth Circle. With more confusion on my face, I looked to Bradshaw who just sighed in annoyance. As I sat myself down on the boat, Bradshaw also took heed and sat beside me.
"Dis," He explained. "Is a city where the heretics are burning in their tombs. Heretics were ones that were against the beliefs of the church or religion. Dis is also the name for Satan, the devil, who's being punished in the 9th layer."
I gulped at the name "Satan"; being religious myself, I did not want anything to do with him. I mean, it's not like I could do anything about it, after all, if there was no Evil, then the balance of the world would be off balance. I was still thinking about what was said as the boat gently floated away. I didn't think of that until I saw the my own reflection in the water. I sighed as I tossed the water aside and peered my hardest through the fog in front of us to see what this city of Dis was.
"We're almost there," Long chuckled, pointing to the city in front of us. I shuddered at the site; it was made of iron with angels, with wings as dark as a raven's feather guarding the way in. I felt like turning back, but quickly remembered about the people in the water, and turned around to see the city.
Soon enough, the boat hit land as me and my guide stood up. While we walked to the gates, the faint splashing sound of Long's boat, became softer and softer, until it was camouflaged behind the fog. The fallen angels at the gates looked at me strangely, as if they had never seen a mortal in their domain before. I started to sweat; if I got on their wrong side, then it was all over.
"Cut the act, you freaks!" Bradshaw snapped at the demons. "The kid's with me, so let us pass!" At this, the demons got away from me, standing in guard as the gates opened up for us. I bowed my head in politeness and walked up, hoping to make sure that the demons wouldn't go back on their decision. When the gates closed again with a loud 'thud', I looked up at Bradshaw, who didn't look at me.
"Um, thanks." I said. "Thanks for helping me back there. I didn't know what I would do if you didn't call off those demons."
"It wasn't for you," He said roughly. "If those demons hurt you, those keepers were going to have to go through me to know what happened. So, all I was doing was making sure I don't get into anymore trouble."
I looked at him with some anger, but smiled a bit. Angry or not, he called them off for me, and he was the one who could help me travel across the land I was going through. For a moment, I thought he had some compassion for me; it must've been a hoax.
As we got past the center of the town, which was covered with twisted iron among the heat, there were many headstones scattered across. Each of graves next to them were set aflame, and I could hear the screams of the people inside them begging for mercy against the headstone. I covered my ears and ran ahead from Bradshaw, closing my eyes as to help stop the noise. Unfortunately, I didn't see where I was going and I suddenly tripped, and my head collided with a headstone. As I heard Bradshaw walk up to me, I began seeing stars floating around my head.
"You alright?" He asked me as he helped me to stand up.
"I'm fine," I said to him, looking down at the gravestone, the name of whoever was buried there eroded away. As I was about to step to Bradshaw, a hand arose form the ground and grabbed onto my ankle! I screamed for help, grabbing onto my guide as to help pull away from whoever was trying to grab me. I turned around slowly, seeing the hand, and its body starting to rise from the flaming ground. It rose, slowly, the body starting to come familiar to my eyes. What made it clear, was the western hat that was perched upon his head.
"It's the Undertaker!" I screeched out, scrambling out of the way. "What's he doing here?!"
"Undertaker went against our 'religion'," Bradshaw rationalized. "He went against our 'religion' and dominated it to become the Ministry of Darkness."
"The WWF have religions?" I said, not believing a word he said.
"He went against Vince McMahon's word." Was the answer. "He went past that and overturned it, and for that, he shall burn in the grave he made."
"Is there anyway we can get out of here right now?" I said clutching tighter to my scroll. "Before he tries to kill us?!"
"Go!" Bradshaw cried out suddenly, and the two of us ran past the tombs, cluster of sepulchers becoming smaller and smaller as we went farther from the city. Once we past the exit gates, we panted for breath, exhausted yet glad that we escaped.
"Well," I said, looking at my scroll. "We only need three circles left before I go." It was quite surprising at the rate we were going; and during that time, I felt neither hungry or tired. It must've been the atmosphere around here for the souls; since they didn't have a body anymore, then they didn't need to eat or sleep.
"Then let's get going." Bradshaw said, pointing forward us. "That's going to take us to the 7th circle, the circle of Violent souls."
I nodded in reply and the two of us walked once more, a bit happier that we had gotten rid of a serious weight of our shoulders. As we were nearing the seven circle, with me dotting it carefully on my map, the scent of warm blood caught to my nose. I held my nose, as to get rid of the smell, still keeping a good eye on the map. I didn't see where I was going until...
"STOP!!!" cried Bradshaw, making me immediately stop in my tracks. "You're going to fall to Phlegethon, the river of boiling blood!"
"Boiling blood?!" I cried out, removing the map away from my face. He was right; in front of me was the river, with people strewn about; the level of blood different to each one. One had the level up to the waist; another had it up to the neck. I didn't know if I could jump or not so I stepped back. "What do we do?" I said to the Acolyte.
"Get on my shoulders," He told me. "I'm going to jump us across!" I didn't have time to think, so I jumped on, wrapping my legs upon his lower abdomen and my hands upon his shoulders.
"Hold on!" He cried as he stepped back. Suddenly he began to run in a speed that I had never imagined him able to do. When he was a foot away from the blood, he jumped; making it feel slower than it usually would have been. He landed safely on the ground, as I fell down and felt grains of warm sand upon me. At the touch I relaxed and felt like taking a nap, making it feel like I was in a California beach.
"No time to relax, kid." said Bradshaw, interrupting my thoughts. "Our next soul is here." He showed me to a cluster of thorn bushes growing in the sand. It was strange that plants like these were able to grow so well in the conditions in Hell, seeing as there was no water or rain.
"Tear off a branch," Bradshaw instructed. "And listen to their story."
I gulped a bit, my hands trembling as my fingers snapped off a branch of the bush in front of me. The minute the snap was made, it started to moan and scream.
"Why did you do that to me?" He moaned, as flames started to sprout where I tore off the branch. "Can you not see I am in pain for the actions? For killing my wife and son, and taking my own life also? I have been sent here to become like this for all eternity." While he said this, green sap started to ooze out from the bush, making me want to hurl.
"I'm sorry!" I said, dropping the branch. "I didn't know!"
"They didn't know," He said, almost mimicking my words. "They did not know how much pain I was in after Eddie died. I did what I had to do so I could be with him again."
"No," I said softly." You're Chris Benoit..." Tears started to stream from my eyes. "Why did you do that?! You had a life, and Eddie's was taken away from him!"
"I did not know what I was thinking." He said in a hoarse voice. "I did not realize until I released the weight that killed me. But I did not kill my family in vain; I am just glad that they are in heaven, and even if I have to rot for all eternity, then so be it." I felt at that moment that he was staring at me. "At least they're happy."
"Yeah," I replied, wiping the tears away from my eyes, and cleaning my glasses with my tunic. When they were clear, I put them back on and saw that the bush I was talking to could no longer speak. I was tempted to talk to Benoit again, but I shook my head and walked off, glancing one last time before I went to meet up with Bradshaw.
"So," He said to me. "What do you think?"
"I think," I said to him. "That Benoit's death, was sad, but we have to think of the good side of some killings. Maybe people don't think of it that way."
"You know I wish there were people like you who think like that." I heard Bradshaw say with a smile. "Even if it's for someone like you." He looked past the sandy ground again. "Now come on, we got three more types of violent souls to see before the 8th circle. And I must warn you, when you get there, our next soul won't be till the last pouch."
"Pouch?" I asked Bradshaw.
"A division of the circle." He explained, looking annoyed.
0 0 0 0 0 0
The two of us had walked down a desert, upon which the sand was no longer warm, but blazing hot. In the skies above, there were fire flakes showering from the sky. I looked upon the souls that were being tormented by this, the blasphemers, the sodomites, and the usurers that had to go through this treachery. I had decided until I got over this trip, I would not go to a beach for a while.
Then the two of us had to go through a cliff on the back of a monster which had a head of a man, a body of a scorpion and a hornet stinger on the end. Along the way, I was constantly looking back from the map and the area below to see if it was accurate. The 8th circle was divided upon these 'pouches' to punish different types of souls corrupted by sins of fraud. And as we went down each pouch, the group of souls that were there were punished in more disgusting ways then the other circles. The one that almost made me throw up was when we were in the 2nd pouch, and seeing the flatterers being steeped in excrement.
"So," said Bradshaw, seeing me drag behind as we got to the 10th and final pouch. "How do you like this layer so far?"
"I think I'm going to be ill." I replied, almost throwing up in my mouth.
"Don't." said Bradshaw seriously. "Because the people we're seeing here are being affected by diseases. These people are many types of falsifiers: astronomers, perjurers, counterfeits and everything in between are in this place."
"Thanks for warning me." I said as I started to sneeze. I didn't know why but I just started to, and I had no control and no way of stopping myself. The other circles didn't bother me, with their punishments—aside from the second layer, but that was because Bradshaw pushed me into the wind, mind you—but that didn't give it the right to let me suffer also.
"Achoo!" I said, covering it with my mouth.
"Gesundheit." Bradshaw said.
I sneezed a second time, and a third time. With that third time, I was blown back and my back hit something. It wasn't hard, so my back wasn't damaged that much; but it wasn't that soft either so it couldn't absorb the force of my blow. I had my hand upon something, I looked down to find it was a leg.
"Sorry!" I said, getting up. "I didn't know you were--"
Before I could finish, I saw the person in front of me and I nearly fainted. He—at least, I think it was a he—was pale and looking ill. He was afflicted with a combination of what looked like smallpox, leprosy and maybe something from the Black Plague. The only thing that was considered normal for the man, was his blonde and wavy hair, along with the pair of fangs in his mouth. He moaned weakly trying to stretch his hand to me. Whether it was just a reflex or not, I swat the hand away and ran up to Bradshaw once more.
"Who the heck was that?" I said, even more terrified than before thinking I would get that person's disease.
"Gangrel." Was the given answer.
"His name is based off the death of soft tissue in the human body?" I said, recalling the term from what I read.
Bradshaw shook his head and crossed his arms. "I said Gangrel, not gangrene."
"Oh." I said sheepishly, looking embarrassed. "So, what's Gangrel doing here in the first place? How is he a falsifier?"
"When Edge was beginning to rise in the WWF, his brother Christian was brainwashed by that very man." He pointed to Gangrel who paid no attention to us, his hands were trembling from the sicknesses he was given. "And thanks to him, Edge joined the dark side and that's where the three formed the Brood. For his actions, for twisting the younger blonde of the real truth with nothing but lies, he has been sent here."
"I can see why," I murmured, looking away. "Can we go now? I want to get away from the 8th circle as far as possible."
"Fine," Bradshaw said. "The next place is where our last soul is heading."
"You mean Lita, right?" I said as we walked away. With every step, it felt colder than usual, with me running my hands on my shoulders to keep warm.
"Exactly," said he. "The last circle, is the circle of treacherous souls." That was the last thing he said as we reached the last circle. The road became icy and the place looked similar between the cross of winter wonderland, and a snow storm. Around the iced walls, were people all encased in ice. Some of them were encased from the waist down; others were submerged into it.
"How will I be able to find her?" I whispered to Bradshaw, the breath escaping from my lips becoming ice. "They all look alike in this frozen cemetery that I might choose the wrong one."
"Ask them if they know of the name Matt Hardy," He whispered back. "Then she will tell you of why she left him." I nodded and laying on my back, slid upon the slippery ice. I closed my eyes as my body soon crashed upon the wall because the area had no friction. I slowly started to stand up, keeping balance so my feet wouldn't slip on the ice. When I was able to maintain my stature, I started to speak.
"Have any of you heard of the name Matt Hardy?" I yelled, the word "Hardy" echoing upon the walls until it became silent once more.
"I have," A voice answered. I turned behind me and saw her. Her red hair upon her face of frozen tears, and her body was encased neck high with the ice.
"Lita?" I said, coming up to her. "Is this the real you?"
"It is." She said, more tears streamed down her face. "I have come down here for my betrayal for my boyfriend Matt Hardy. I was pregnant with Kane's child, and was forced to marry him. But after I lost that child, I fell for Edge, betraying my husband and my boyfriend. For these acts I am sent to the lowest of all the circles, here to be frozen for all eternity while Matt goes to heaven."
"Don't be sad." I said, embracing her as softly as I could. "That was how chaos works, and you fell into her web. Matt wouldn't want anger and vengeance on you. He'd want to make sure that you two had patched things up and become good friends."
"Maybe," The diva said, a soft smile on her face. "There might be a chance."
"I'm glad." I said as I released the hug. Bradshaw soon came, able to go through the ice more able than I was.
"It's time to go." He said. "That was the last one. I'm going to miss you."
The two of us continued down until we had reached the center of the 9th circle; the domain of the devil. We slid down his back, until we had reached solid ground once more. A shimmering portal was laid out in front of us. At the illumination, my attire changed back to what I was wearing before.
"Do I have to?" I said to Bradshaw. "What about you?"
"I cannot go further," He said. "I still need to be punished for my acts of greed." And in a rare moment of kindness, he embraced me. It wasn't too long, nor too short as he let go of me soon enough. "You have to go; your journey is over, kid." With this he whirled me around and pushed me into the light...
0 0 0 0 0 0
"Hey!" Said someone right next to my ear. "Wake up!"
"Huh?" I said, rubbing my eyes. "What happened?"
"You won, that's what!" He said to me. "You were in the seat that had a chance to meet the superstars after the pay-per-view?"
"After?" I said as I looked around. The person was right; the arena was starting to be filled up by fans! Many of them were holding up signs as the entrance ramp was being prepared of the pyrotechnical stuff. The ring, although not ready when I first got there, had two wrestlers battling already.
"Yeah!" He said. "Look in your hand, you have the pass!"
I looked down at my hand and it was true. It was a backstage pass; but then, if that was there instead of my scroll, was everything I had gone through true? I shook my head and put the pass around my neck. I'll think about it later, after all...
I came for the show.
The End