Andre slowly opened his eyes. "What happened?" he mumbled softly, noticing his teammates, and several medics with defibrilators, standing around him in the medical room backstage.
"Jake got the drop on you again, brother, literally. Glad you pulled through, though; we were worried there for a while," Hulk did in fact look relieved.
"Where is he?" the Giant rose upright, a look of cold determination on his face, "I'm going to...!"
"Easy there, Mr. Rousimoff," one of the medics pushed him back down, "Best not to get too excited there; you just went through a major shock; best not to let your heart get too overworked after what it just went through."
"Listen to the man, Andre," Bret firmly advised him, "There's no point in rushing off, right after Jake's been...Mr. Tunney," he greeted the WWF president as he entered the medical room, a solemn look on his face, "He's awake again."
"So I see," Tunney gave a small nod. "Andre," he told the Giant with a firm expression, "I'm sorry to say that after what's happened today, I have no choice but to put you on indefinite medical leave for your own..."
"Please Mr. Tunney, I can't...I said wrestling was my life...I promise I won't...!" Andre desperately begged, fear coming back to his face.
"I'm sorry, Andre; part of me doesn't want to do this after how much you've done for the company, but circumstances right now show you're in too much of a health risk right now," Tunney shook his head firmly, "I told you I don't want to see you dropping dead in the ring, and that almost happened earlier. Now don't worry about Roberts; he's on unpaid suspension until the Royal Rumble for the stunt he pulled, and he's under my strict instructions not to come anywhere near you or bring any snakes anywhere near you during that time, until penalty of expulsion from the WWF, and...hey!"
In a flash, Andre rose up off the gurney and pushed past the medical staff towards the door. "Andre, where do you think you're going!" Tunney demanded, "You're in no condition to...!"
"If I have to face the fear to get back in, Mr. Tunney, I'll go and face the fear, and you won't stop me!" the Giant insisted strongly, pushing past the guards posted outside as well.
"Andre, come back here, you're only making this worse!" Tunney ordered him. Andre did not stop and was soon out of sight. The WWF president slapped both hands to his face and sighed deeply. "If he starts something that gets himself killed..." he mumbled in frustration.
"Elizabeth and I'll get him back, Mr. Tunney," Savage offered, looking a little guilty, "Since I got him into this afternoon's match in the first place, it's probably my responsibility to make sure nothing bad happens to him."
"I'd greatly appreciate it, Randy, but if he drives off, I'm sure where you'd find him," Tunney pointed out.
"Oh don't worry about that, Mr. Tunney," Savage assured him, taking his bride's hand and leading her out the door, "I got a pretty good idea where he's going, yeah."
It was about twenty minutes later that Andre stepped out of the taxi in front of Bearer's funeral parlor again. Night had fallen, and a brisk breeze was blowing, making the funeral parlor seem more ominous than usual. Andre approached the front door and glanced through the window. No one was visible inside. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door down off its hinges and hesitantly stepped inside. "Roberts?" he called out into the dark parlor, "It's me, Andre. I know you're in here; come out and face me like a man!"
There was no response at all. Andre quickly fumbled for the light switch on the wall, and then the same inside the main viewing room, now empty. "I'm not afraid, Roberts," he declared, "You and the Deadman can't scare me any more. I want to end this now; come on out, just you, me, and Damien. I want you and that snake now, you hear me, Roberts?"
Again no answer. Andre plopped down in one of the chairs facing the coffin stand. "I'm going to sit right here until I get you, Roberts," he called out firmly, folding his hands across his chest...
...when suddenly, the floor abruptly gave way beneath him, and he found himself tumbling down into space. He landed with a thud on a cold, stone floor. "What happened?" he demanded, glancing around the pitch-dark room he seemed to be in at the moment.
"Welcome, Mr. Giant," came Bearer's leering voice through the air, as if over a loudspeaker. Andre turned and saw the mortician's pale face in the porthole window of the room. "Welcome to my funeral parlor, Mr. Giant," Bearer reiterated coldly, "Forgive that little entrance slide; my Undertaker and I have to make sure we aren't bothered at inopportune times by people we don't like to be bothered by, such as yourself."
"I want Roberts!" Andre demanded sharply, "I want him now, Bearer, or...!"
"Hold your water, I'm right here, Andre," Roberts' cold face replaced Bearer's at the window. "Well, well, someone still wants to be a man," the Snake all but laughed at him, "I must say, Andre, I'm really scared."
"You should be scared, Roberts, because I'm not going..." Andre froze stone still; something had brushed against his foot in the darkness. "What was that?" he mumbled, his heart rate skyrocketing.
"What indeed?" Roberts laughed coldly, "Why don't we just shed some light on the subject, then...?"
The lights blazed on in the room-and Andre's heart froze again. For dozens of snakes of every size and color were slithering all over the room, hissing menacingly-and more than a few looked poisonous. His eyes widening, Andre rushed for the door and yanked hard on the handle, but it did not give. "Aw, not quite as brave as you thought, big guy?" Roberts snickered at him, "Oh, sorry, but that door's not coming open; we knew you were coming ahead of time; this door's double locked with solid steel bars; I don't think even you can break that, my man, so just sit tight and say hello to all of Damien's friends. They've been eager to meet you-and once they have," he waved the Undertaker, who had a stone cold expression welded onto his own face, up to the window as well, "My good friend here, who I said before the match was Death Incarnate, would like to measure you for a king-sized coffin-yes, I know Tunney orders me to devenomize all of Damien's friends, but I just couldn't put them through that ordeal. And many of them are quite hungry, and haven't tasted giant flesh yet..."
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Andre bellowed, pounding frantically on the door, which still refused to give. He quickly backed away as an anaconda came slithering dangerously close to his leg. "Oh, I wouldn't shout if I were you; shouting just angers them all," Roberts laconically informed him, "So I'd just..."
A buzzer started ringing at a console against the back wall of the funeral parlor's basement behind the men outside. "What is this?" Bearer bustled over the console, Roberts and the Undertaker soon joining him. "Aha, more guests," the mortician grinned at the sight of the Savages hesitantly walking through the knocked-down front door.
"Yes, and just the guests I wanted to see," a dark smile crossed Roberts' lips. "Get back into position, brother," he told the Undertaker, who walked over to a lever on the wall. Roberts and Bearer turned their gaze back to the console. "...been here all right; Andre?" Savage called loudly upstairs.
"I don't like this, Randy," Elizabeth looked worried, "Maybe we should just call the police..."
"And if Andre needs any immediate help? I say we find him first; don't worry, that Snake ain't gonna do nothing to you as long as I'm here," Savage squeezed her hand encouragingly.
"Oh, how little do you know, Mr. Savage," Bearer snickered. "Stand by," he told the Undertaker, who seized hold of the lever. He watched the Savages walk across the floor towards another hidden trapdoor. "Don't, don't!" Andre, having heard the conversation from inside his chamber, begged the men.
"Oh, shut up!" Roberts barked at him, "It's not like you'll be able to do anything to stop us in there."
"I'm asking...AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Andre barrelled away from the door as a python descended from the rafters right by his face. Several snakes slithered towards him, a few rattlesnakes buzzing their rattles ominously. Andre slumped against the wall, his face wide and his muscles frozen.
"Get ready..." Bearer raised his hand at the Undertaker, waiting for both Savages to walk right over the trapdoor. Once they did, he ordered, "Now!" Immediately, the Undertaker pulled the lever, and a trapdoor opened over their heads. Two loud cries rang out above, getting progressively louder until both Savages landed with a hard thud on a stack of bodybags on the basement floor. "Welcome, Mr. Savage, Mrs. Savage; welcome to my funeral parlor," the mortician greeted them dryly.
"Where's...hey!" Savage roared as Roberts and the Undertaker grabbed Elizabeth and himself and dragged them backwards towards the wall, where their wrists were locked in restraints before they could resist. "What the hell's going on here, Snakeman!" the Macho Man roared at his sworn nemesis.
"What Paul and I always do to trespassers, Macho," Roberts retorted, slapping him across the face.
"Where's Andre?" Elizabeth demanded as calmly as she could muster, "If you've hurt...!"
"The Giant is nice and safe in that chamber there," Bearer pointed at it, "He got to meet Mr. Roberts's pet's friends, and they seem to like him a lot."
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Andre cried in terror again, stumbling back to the porthole with wide eyes-eyes that got wider when he saw who was being held prisoner now in the basement. "Let them go!" he demanded the funeral director.
"See what I mean? He likes them too," Bearer chuckled. "The Savages' new lodging, if you will," he instructed the Undertaker, who nodded gravely and walked out a nearby door. "You let us and him out of here now!" Savage bellowed at him, "Or I'll...!"
"You're in no position to order me around, Savage," Roberts told him coldly, "I'M the one with the power, and believe me, I'm going to use it right now. As you can see, I've already destroyed the mighty Giant for good," he gestured at the pale-faced Andre, "And now, I'm finally going to get the satisfaction of destroying the two people I hate most, namely both of you. So I thank you for have the stupid capacity for compassion to follow Andre here, so I can now do what I've wanted to for a long time now..."
The door to the basement burst open again. The Undertaker was wheeling in a pair of coffins. "Oh come on, this is starting to get out of hand!" there was undisguised anxiety in Savage's voice.
"The fun's just begun, Savage; these are just the Deadman's gifts for you two-and, it so happens, I have a gift of my own to give," Roberts opened one of the coffins, reached in, and pulled out...
"The glove..." Savage's eyes went wide at the sight of the familiar black glove.
"Yes, the glove, very astute of you," Roberts all but laughed as he slipped the glove on, "So, I guess you know that what comes next is an old friend..."
He reached into the coffin again and pulled out the ominous black bag. "You wouldn't!" Elizabeth looked terrified, "You can't do this; you've been banned from...!"
"I know what Tunney said: no cobras at ringside. Look around you, sister," Roberts gestured around the basement, "I sure as hell don't see any wrestling ring down here! So..."
He untied the bag and dumped the king cobra to the floor, where it hissed angrily at the Savages. "Now," Roberts bent down and picked it up with his gloved hand, "Since my friend here knows you so well already, Macho, I think it's time he got to meet the so-called First Lady of Wrestling up close."
"Don't you dare!" Savage roared, "You take that thing anywhere near her...!"
"Yeah, yeah, yell all you want, Savage, but it's not going to save her or you. As I said, I've been waiting for this for a long time now," a sick smile crossed Roberts' face as he slowly started forward Elizabeth. "Don't!" she begged desperately. "Andre!" she screamed to the Giant in the chamber, "Andre, do something!"
"Oh yeah, call for the big friendly giant to help; well, he's not riding to the princess's rescue any more than your valiant knight here!" Roberts kicked Savage contemptuously, "Aren't you, Andre?" he mockingly called to the Giant, his faced pressed in horror against the window of his cell, "How does it feel to be so helpless? Terrible, I know. So, do the only thing you can do, big man; watch and see how the devil's work is done. Trust me. Trust me..."
He laughed coldly, ignoring Elizabeth's horrified scream as he started lowering the cobra towards her...
