Disclaimer: I do NOT own the following wrestlers, or any of the events that actually happened on camera, or anything remotely recognizable.
I respect the actual beliefs and sexualities of the following wrestlers.
So, thanks for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy.
Warnings: The usual, plus sexual content
Chapter Twenty-One: Tunnels of Blood
Evan appeared in Matt's room, holding eggs and bacon, when he noticed how he looked. "You didn't sleep?" he asked softly.
Matt snapped around, not expecting to suddenly be with someone there. Then, he saw the food and said, "Tell your master I'm not hungry."
"You're my master, too," Evan said simply. He put down the food and said, "Why won't you eat?"
"You guys tainted it or something." Matt didn't take any chances- he didn't pull of the blanket, laid down, nothing. He just sat on the bed, Indian-style. It was no way to spend forever, but Matt didn't know what to do. He wanted to be here. He wanted to be with Adam and Christian. He wanted to protect his friends. He didn't want to be a demon master. But, it seemed, it didn't matter what Matt wanted.
Evan studied his master's face, wishing he could just go over there and see what he was thinking. But he had very little control over his powers; as of now, he could still only read memories through mouth-to-mouth contact. "We didn't taint it. We'd never hurt you, master."
"Will you stop calling me that?"
"No; you're my master." Evan stepped closer, "Are you okay? If you don't eat, you're not going to stay healthy for long. And it'll make it easier to breathe down here. I know once I ate..."
"I don't care!" Matt shouted, "I'm not eating until I damn well feel like it, and tell Mark I said that!"
Evan shivered a little, saddened by Matt's outburst, and he said, "Master didn't send me here. I'm here because of you. He told me about you, you know."
"Who?" Matt asked.
"The man who helped me realize who I was. The man with the bandages. He said you were going to make everything better for us... I wanted to serve you, make you comfortable while you become our Master, second to none."
"What man with the bandages?" The new information confused Matt; there was someone else involved? "What are you talking about?"
"I don't know much about him, but he helped me out. He's helping me learn to control my power," Evan said.
"What can you do?" Matt decided it was best to find out as much about the kid as possible, in case he needed it.
"I can't really tell you... but I can show you, if you want," Evan said earnestly.
"Um-" Matt was on guard now; what could he possibly do? His eyes trained on Evan's innocent face, and decided it couldn't be anything too harmful. "Sure." Evan smiled and sat on the bed, next to Matt. Then, next thing he knew, Evan's lips were against his, and a brief image of a garden went through his head. Evan moved away, smile still on his face, but Matt couldn't return it.
Someone used that very power on him not too long ago, but it wasn't a garden he saw. It was murder.
Matt looked into Evan's eyes, trying to figure out if there was any way this sweet, innocuous child could possibly be the demon from the future, the one who said that Christian and Adam would kill him. As Matt studied him with fear, Evan grew apologetic. "I didn't mean to scare you, Master," he said, "Really, I thought you'd like the image. My mother used to love flowers more than anything."
Evan moved closer, but Matt moved back, knowing full well that, even if Evan wasn't the same demon, he had the same power. "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry," Evan's eyes were wide with innocence, but Matt didn't know what to believe anymore. Evan moved back, not wanting to get too close. "What did I do wrong?" he asked softly.
Matt couldn't stay scared of him; it was impossible. It was like staying mad at a baby rabbit or something. He swallowed his fear, thinking that, even though they had the same power, he couldn't be the demon. There was just no way. "Guys don't kiss guys..." he started, but Evan looked down.
"You kissed him," he said, "He was a guy too."
"That was dif-" Matt looked at him, confusion dawning. "How do you know I kissed Christian?"
"When I gave you the garden image, I got that one from you. And a bunch of others. Why would you call your friend such a mean word?"
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.
"Well," his voice went down to a whisper. "The D word."
"The D word... oh, you mean Adam," Matt grew sadder, thinking about Adam. "It's an inside joke. He secretly likes it."
"He likes being called the D word? Wow, he's weird." Evan looked at Matt hopefully. "You're not mad at me, are you, Master?"
"No," Matt said, "No, I'm not." Evan smiled widely and said, "Thank you! Oh, I don't know what I would've done if you were mad at me, I mean, we just met..."
"Evan!" Matt exclaimed, "It's okay, it really is. I'm not mad at you." Evan nodded and said, "If you get hungry, just shout out for me!" Evan disappeared along with the plate, and Matt stared at the spot he left from. He wondered what else Evan saw from his mind.
*************
Christian, Adam, Steve, and Little Bastard appeared in a amphitheater, all of them falling to the floor. As they stood up, Little Bastard looked at Christian. This is as close as I'll take you. I didn't know your friend was a favorite of the Master's. Just keep going down this corridor until you get to a room. You'll find him.
He disappeared, and Christian shouted, "A room? That's it? You little..." Suddenly, Christian felt a hand clamped around his mouth.
"Shh," Steve whispered, "We don't want them finding us before we can do anything." Christian nodded and Steve let him go. They began to walk down the corridor, pulling out their guns, ready for anything. "Keep together," Steve said, "If worse comes to worse, though, I want you two to go ahead and find Matt."
Shocked, Adam said, "But... you..."
Steve shook his head. "Longer that kid stays here, more chance something happened. And realize, we've been walking two minutes... that's probably like two seconds on the outside. We got the bastard to bring us over around midnightish, one tops. If Matt's been here since he left you guys..."
"I can't do the math, but I don't like it anyway," Christian muttered. Then, the walls started moving. Christian blinked, to make sure he wasn't crazy, but they were still moving. Waving around like the sea. Then, the next thing they knew, they were in another corridor.
"I don't like this," Adam whispered.
"Fuck shit mother..." Steve cursed, "They know we're here."
****************
Raven felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand up. He sighed, knowing that his Master was angry about something. He hoped it wasn't Matt's refusal to eat; he actually expected it. After all, it wasn't like Matt was going to completely surrender to them overnight. He told Mark in the beginning, didn't he, that Matt needed to be completely broken first?
He appeared at his Master's side, seeing him angrily squeeze the sides of his table. "Yes, Master?" Raven asked.
"Stay with Matthew," he snapped, "We've got a traitor sending Nightstalkers down here. Last thing we need is Matthew seeing them before we've got him." Raven nodded, disappearing. Mark then tapped his fingers on the desk. He felt three presences... who was the third? He expected Adam and Christian, but not a third.
Well, he refused to take chances. "Kane," he said, commanding the fire demon to his side.
****************
Raven looked at Matt, who was pacing the room. "You know, Young Master," Raven said, "If you're bored, we could do something." Matt looked at him, eyes immediately filling with hate. Raven laughed and said, "You know, I think you don't understand that I'm probably the only person who can truly get you."
"Oh really?" Matt spat spitefully.
Raven nodded. "I was once a Nightstalker, just like you. And I was slowly getting my powers..."
"You killed your partner," Matt replied, "I'd never hurt them."
"Sure. I was once as absolute as you were too. I mean, yeah, my partner was annoying, but he was my partner. And I loved our other friends just as much... if not more," he added, thinking about his past. "Just like you, I tried to run... but you can't change what's meant to be. If I wasn't so sure it 'couldn't be true', and if the others hadn't came after me... well, my partner might be alive now. As for your partners..."
"Don't you dare talk about Adam and Christian!" Matt shouted.
"I'm just saying, speaking of dumb moves," Raven chuckled. "By the way, does Christian really lurve you, Young Master? How did it feel to use his pathetic little crush against him?" Raven reveled in Matt's growing anger, hoping to see another display of fire, but Matt held back. There was a hint of sadness in there. "You always hurt the ones you love... and especially the ones who love you, Matt. Don't you know?"
"I don't get it. You have me! What more do you want from me?" Matt asked. Raven shook his head. "Nuh uh, Master, not yet. You might be ours in body now, but not in mind, not in heart, and definitely not in spirit. You've got to give us your all... and we'll give you ours. Every single demon, all for you, if you'd just give in." Raven sat on the bed, almost staring through Matt. "It wouldn't be so bad. In fact, I think you'll find that you'll love our life, just like I have. You were born to lead us, so just... just do it. It's fate, Young Master; it's inevitable."
"If it were so inevitable," Matt answered, "Then why do you guys keep pushing me? If it were so inevitable, why do you keep trying to convince me? I think you're trying to convince yourself, and guess what? You're failing."
"Believe it or not, we're trying to protect you, Young Master. The longer you try to fight it, the more heartache, the more agony you'll face. As your faithful servants, we want to prevent that." Raven grinned again, and said, "And despite that little speech of yours, I can feel the turmoil in you. You fear what you're becoming. Two years ago, Matthew Moore Hardy would've never pointed a gun at anything, much less without remorse. Two years ago, you would have never been able to hold your own in fights against demons. Two years ago, you were weak, naive. Now look at you. Without your knowledge, each day that passed pushed you closer to being the next Demon Master."
"I'm protecting people..."
"...by killing," Raven finished for him, "You've learned to justify killing. You looked at the world, and saw it wasn't black and white; it's shades of varying gray, leaving room for moral ambiguity. You just haven't learned every thing about the world yet, but one day, you will. And you'll look back at this time in your life, and you'll laugh at how silly, how naive you really are."
"Fuck you, Raven," Matt snapped.
"The last ditch effort of a man who knows his argument's crumbled," Raven replied evenly. Matt stared back at him with contempt, trying to stubbornly deflect the speech, and Raven just laughed. Matt needed another push in the right direction, and with Adam and Christian here, well... by the end of the day, Matt would definitely be singing a different tune.
That is, if Mark just kills them, of course.
"What do we do?" Adam asked, touching the wall hesitantly. They were further than before, now; they could be in any tunnel in the demon world, and who knew how many caverns actually existed?
"We keep going ahead," Steve answered, "And fucking pray that we're on the right track. Maybe we'll find a little shithead to get some information out of. We can't just stay still." They both nodded and the group walked forward. Christian felt no bubble of hope now; the corridors we almost identical, and Matt could be anywhere.
Suddenly, Steve stopped. He sniffed the air and said, "Boys, remember what I told you to do if worse came to worse."
Adam and Christian both took a moment to sniff the air, and they understood. "Steve..." Christian said.
"Go a fucking head." Steve dug in his bag and pulled out a machete before throwing his bag at Adam. "And take that. There's nothing in there that'll be of use to me." He saw their hesitance, and Steve barked, "Fuck me, you idiots! He's your partner; I'm one of the greatest fucking hunters of our time. I don't need you, he does. Go find him!"
Adam and Christian exchanged a glance, and nodded. "Be careful," Adam said, before they began running.
"I'm a tougher son of a bitch than that," Steve muttered. He looked around, walking slowly the other way, closer to the smell of ashes that usually accompanied the Fire Demon. "I know you're here, Kane! Show your ugly fucking mug!"
It happened within seconds. Steve hardly had time to jump back. A giant flame combusted directly in front of him, burning despite the fact that there was nothing to burn. Anyone of a lesser caliber would've been incinerated, but Steve wasn't just anybody. Steve struggled to his feet as slow, heart piercing thumps came from within the flames, telling him that the Fire Demon was stalking him.
Kane emerged out of the fire, completely unharmed. The fire licked his skin like an obedient dog, waiting to do his bidding. But the true fire burned in his bone chilling eyes, showing the blood lust coursing through Kane's veins.
Steve wasn't afraid. He didn't know when he lost his fears. Maybe it was when he was first dragged into hunting. Maybe it was when his partner, Dwayne, died way before his time. Or maybe it was countless times Steve fought, facing trials that seemed insurmountable, but somehow still surviving and winning, that banished fear from his mind. If this was the way he was to die, this was how he wanted it: kicking ass and taking names to the very end.
Kane moved closer, fire coming with him as it revolved around his arms. "Steve Austen," he said, his voice like the flames he commanded, smoldering and destructive, "It's a pleasure."
"I wish I can say the same, but I just feel disgusted, looking at that ugly mug," Steve answered.
Kane snickered, and then the fire concentrated in his hands, becoming the shape of a blade. "I wonder how many jokes you'll make when I take your head." Kane swung the flaming weapon at Steve, and he jumped back. Steve's gun was useless; he knew that Kane could just burn the bullets. In fact, he could just burn Steve, but he loved giving a sporting chance, all for the reward of seeing the fire die from a worthy adversary's eyes. Steve needed some kind of opening, a time where he could use his machete to incapacitate him, then he could get a shot at Kane's center.
The next blow came faster than the first and Steve dodged again, but he ended up going straight into Kane's free, moving fist. The blow hurt immensely; it was like getting hit with a hot skillet. Steve fell to the floor, dropping his machete, and barely rolled away from the fire sword as it pierced the ground where his stomach used to be.
Steve lunged for his machete, but Kane anticipated that, kicking him violently in the midsection and pushing him further from the weapon. Steve ignored the pain shooting through his body and avoided the flame sword as it was thrown at him again. The fire that appeared in the cave began to spread, reflecting how eager Kane was getting about the fight.
Steve had to forget the machete for now, it seemed. Until he could find a way around Kane and his flaming weapon, all he could do was dodge. Sensing the plan in Steve's mind, Kane's eyes burned as the corridor behind Steve came alive with an incendiary blaze, cutting off his escape route, making a ring around them. But Steve could only chuckle; he knew Kane would be no easy fiend to defeat.
Kane let out a fierce barrage of blows, and Steve dodged, making the most of the little space he had. The intensity was tangible from both men; Steve wouldn't die, and Kane wouldn't let Steve live. It was a death match, both unwilling to back down.
Steve kept dodging, knowing he'd eventually tire out, but still trying to measure his man. The problem was, this was Kane's home, and he had the advantage. No water, nothing to quench the blazing weapon that was attacking him, or the flames that trapped him within Kane's sights.
Even if he didn't come out of this alive, he would keep the bastard busy long enough to give Adam and Christian an edge. He knew what it felt like, to lose a partner... he couldn't let them feel the pain as well. And they were the future, while Steve was getting older, closer to leaving the prime of his life.
If anyone shouldn't leave this excursion alive, it was him. And he was okay with that.
***************
"Adam and Christian..." the man in bandages muttered, his voice laced with hatred. He had seen what Adam and Christian could do, should they be allowed to live. There were three possible futures he saw. One, the most desired outcome, was that the two should die in the caves, and their deaths would snap something within Matt. The second, being that future Matt saw, where Adam and Christian completely betray Matt, would cause a lot more suffering for Matt, and it was only a backup. Of course, there was a third, but the man knew he could not let it come to that.
Adam and Christian needed to die, and he couldn't trust Mark to take care of the task. Maybe a group of Lingus Demons could work very well...
****************
Adam and Christian kept walking, guns at the ready. After they left Steve, the loud boom almost made Adam go back, but Christian grabbed him and kept him on the right path. If they went back, all they'd do was get in Steve's way.
Neither of the brothers could tell you how long they were walking. It could have been minutes, hours... all they knew was that it all seemed the same, and there was no sign of Matt, or of anything.
"Hey Christian," Adam said, "Have I ever told you I loved you?"
"No."
"Well, good. No need to get mushy at a time like this."
Christian smiled softly. "You are such a dick, Adam."
"And you're an asshole." They kept walking until loud barks filled the air. They whipped around, hearing the sound of claws scratching against the floor, the barks and sounds coming closer.. "What does he have in the bag, Adam?" Christian asked, "Anything that can help?"
Adam opened it. "We've got guns, some hunting knives... yes! You can always count on him!" He pulled out a bottle of vodka, and Christian looked at him, confused.
"Now's not the time for that!" Christian snapped.
"Oh, ye of little faith," Adam said, pouring out half the bottle. He ripped off a piece of his shirt and attached it to the bottle, and then he pulled out a box of matches. "Have you ever heard of a Molotov cocktail?" As soon as the monstrous Lingus demons' eyes came into sight, Adam lit the piece of his shirt and hurled it towards them.
The explosion was impressive, the three Lingus demons in the front immediately burning to a crisp. Those in back warily looked at the flames, but still howled menacingly. "This'll only work for a while," Adam said, taking out one of the smaller of Steve's guns, "Christian, go ahead. I'll catch up with you when they're dead."
"Adam, let me stay with you," Christian said, "We can kill them quicker together, I know it..."
"Yeah, but Matt needs one of us now," Adam said, "And I'm a better shot than you." They locked eyes, and Adam smiled at his younger brother. Christian nodded in acknowledgment and began running ahead. He could only hope that Matt was close, and that Adam would be alright.
***************
Matt sat on the floor of his room, refusing to be near Raven. Raven allowed him to sulk while he mentally felt out the intruders. Kane was taking care of Austen, and Adam was about to face a herd of Lingus demons. Christian was unattended to, but he could feel more fear from Christian than he could from either of the other two.
He read Christian's fears like a book, smiling at each and every dreaded thought flitting through his head. Oh, playing with Christian could be so much fun. And, since Mark wasn't handling the little blondie, Raven would. He knew Mark said to stay with Matt, but it's not like Matt had anywhere to go. Right now, their priority was to make sure Matt's ex-partners were dead.
"I must leave for now, Young Master," Raven said, catching Matt's attention, "But I'll return with a gift for you." Christian's pretty little head, of course.
Matt stared at the spot Raven vanished from, wondering what was going through the Nightmare Demon's head. All he knew was that it couldn't be good.
*************
Christian walked through each winding tunnel, hoping to get some clue as to where Matt was, someone to get the information from, but it seemed there was no one here.
"Christian." Christian looked up and put down his gun, completely taken aback at the sight. There, standing in front of him, was Matt, looking the same way as he last saw him. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think, dummy?" Christian asked, walking forward. He smiled in relief, seeing Matt completely unharmed. "I told you, you're our partner. We weren't going to let you just give yourself up. We're here to rescue you." Christian threw his arms around him. "God, I'm glad to see you're alright."
"Where's Adam?" Matt asked, returning the hug.
"Back there," he said, "Come on, I think we can help him fight..." Christian's eyes widened as Matt's fingers dug into his back, pulling his fingers down and ripping skin. He screamed as Matt left bleeding red scratches in his wake.
"I mean more to you than your own brother," Matt hissed, pushing Christian away, "How very sweet."
"What's going on?" Christian cried out, feeling the scars on his back weep blood.
"Oh come on, Christian, even you can't be that stupid." Matt walked forward and his eyes turned completely black, holding Christian's blue with their gaze.
"I don't believe it," Christian said, shaking his head in denial. Matt sniggered and grabbed Christian's wrist, the one holding the gun. Before he could do anything, the sound of it breaking filled the air. Christian yelped again, the gun hitting the floor.
"Believe it," he hissed. He grabbed Christian by the neck and threw him into the wall. Christian wheezed at the impact, falling to his knees.
"No," Christian said, "I know you..."
Matt grabbed him by the neck again and slammed him into the wall, holding him in place. "The Matt you knew never existed. It was all a lie, Christian. I'm a demon, and you're my prey."
"Matt, this isn't you..." Christian gasped out, "Stop..."
"Are you really this pathetic?" Matt asked angrily, squeezing Christian's throat in a tight vice grip. Christian's hands flew up to Matt's, trying to pull it off, but he couldn't. "This isn't you, stop!" He mimicked, "Damn, Christian, I'm killing you! Do something! Or are you too blind to believe I'm a demon?" Matt's face came closer, inches away from Christian's. "Or maybe the problem is that you can see, and you like what you're looking at. You think I'm gorgeous, don't you?"
Matt pushed his lips into Christian's, violently exploring his mouth. Christian groaned in pain as his lip ripped open from Matt's assault, but the intense kiss stirred something within him. Matt was fully aware of Christian's inner turmoil as he moved away, grinning evilly. "Oh, that's it. You have too much of an erection over me to kill me." He ran a finger along Christian's lip, spreading the blood, coating his mouth with it. "That's so sad, Christian... because I really have no problem killing you."
Matt removed some of the pressure from Christian's neck, allowing him to breathe. "Come on, Christian, do something," Matt goaded, "You don't want to die, do you?"
"Not... Matt..." he finally said, breathing deeply, "You're... not... Matt..."
"Then who am I?" Matt asked smugly, "Look at me, Christian. I'm the demon you so stupidly fell in love with. You just so easily believed that I was good, not questioning me for a minute... Christian, I laugh at you every time I think of how easy it was to manipulate you."
"I... don't care," Christian said, looking absolute, "You might look like Matt... but you're not him..."
Matt rolled his eyes. "Stupid, stupid Christian. Maybe I should beat some sense into you before I kill you."
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