Alone in the Dark

by Ablivion

Multi-chapter fic. The Architect of The Shield, Seth Rollins, keeps the peace within The Shield, so how will Roman and Dean keep from killing one another without him? Find out if they can to learn to get along in order to save a missing Seth from unknown enemies. This might be AU, but with no original characters involved. Rating is just to be on the safe side.

7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Seth shook Roman's arm gently, stepping back a pace as he did every time he tried to wake the big man. Right on cue, Roman woke with a start and a wild punch. Once the expected punch was thrown, Seth moved in to calm his friend.

"Hey Rome, it's okay, it's just me," Seth said gently. Roman's sleepy, concerned eyes focused on Seth. "Sorry to wake you man, but I've got to take a leak, and the bathroom light won't come on."

Roman nodded, "Storm knocked out the power."

As he accepted Roman's proffered flashlight, Seth let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, grateful to hear that the lack of power was nature-caused.

"Be right back," Seth reassured him as Roman began to rise to help. "I got it, don't worry."

Roman nodded. "Alright, but if you need anything, just yell," Roman said, sleep already trying to claim him once more. Seth nodded as he thought to himself, over my dead body am I going to ask for help in the bathroom. Smirking at his thought, Seth gingerly made his way into the other room, staggering and bouncing off the walls as the pain pills made his motions sluggish and uncoordinated. Seth carefully handled his business, mindful of his injuries. Then, going to the sink to wash his hands, his heart nearly stopped: taped to the mirror, staring a hole into him, was a strange plastic mask.

Trying to keep himself composed, lest he wake his friends, Seth instinctively crouched into a defensive stance, ignoring the burns and protests of his weakened body. He had no idea how someone had been able to sneak in, without waking anyone, in order to stick that stupid mask to the mirror. There was no way it was there before they came into the room, or else Roman would have seen it when he'd showered, and shown the other two, making a quick joke about it as he did so. As quickly and quietly as he could, given the grogginess from the pills, Seth performed a thorough sweep of the hotel room, but found nothing. Returning to the bathroom, he angrily ripped the mask from the mirror, taking it out with him back into the room. He didn't want the others to experience the fear he had just endured.

Shaking from exerting the small amount of energy he'd recovered while sleeping, Seth carefully made his way back to bed, intent on keeping watch over his friends all night; he didn't want anyone getting the drop on them. On the way to bed, Seth dropped the mask into his bag, not wanting it to startle the others when they woke up to use the bathroom too. Seth knew he'd been able to watch over his friends for at least a good half hour before the adrenaline began to wean, and the pain pills pulled him under once more.