He twiddled the coffee cup in his hands for a while. Two hours passed and he was really bored. The nurse hadn't brought Rey back and he figured it was getting late for tests. He decided to go ask somebody, but then he saw Eddie and Kurt coming out form the elevator.
"Hey." Kurt eloquently greeted.
"You're still here esse? Where's mighty mouse?"
"The nurse took him for some tests but he hasn't come back."
"It is a little late for tests don't you think?"
They looked at Kurt agreeing with his remark.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to ask!" Eddie pointed out.
All three wrestlers walked to the reception taking the right corridor, towards the east end of the wing.
"Excuse me miss?" Eddie asked the middle aged nurse who was sitting behind the desk, filling out some papers. She lifted up her gaze and looked at the Latino smiling at her. Her glasses, hooked by a gold chain, stood at the tip of her nose making Eddie's smile wider.
"Can I help you?" she asked, just lifting her eyes upwards, her face not twitching one bit at the sight of the Latino's big smile.
"A couple of hours ago, Mr. Guttierrez was taken for some tests. We were wondering when he will be back."
The nurse sighed. She sighed one second time and rummaged through some papers lying to her left.
"Mr. Oscar Guttierrez? He was not scheduled for testing."
Adam approached the desk.
"No, no. A nurse came and took him for some testing."
"I don't know what you are talking about. Mr. Guttierrez was not scheduled for testing today."
Kurt from a distance thought out loud.
"Was?"
Before the others had time to process his words, the nurse picked up the phone and made a phone call. She waved them to be silent and wait for her to finish it, before she could answer them. A few moments later, she hung up a little surprised.
"Well, I remembered correctly. It appears that Mr. Guttierrez was checked out a couple of hours against doctors' orders…"
"Checked out? By whom?" Adam asked.
"His wife. She came and checked him out. I called downstairs and they looked it up. Mrs. Angie Guttierrez came and signed his papers."
"Then who was that man who took him for tests?" Adam asked raising his voice to the nurse.
"Please don't raise your voice. This is a hospital, and it is late. I suggest you go and ask downstairs at the appropriate desk. I can not help you any further."
Eddie and Kurt removed him away form the desk and lead him back to Rey's empty room. Kurt was perplexed because he couldn't figure out what was going on. Inside the room, he tried to calm down the two wrestlers who hadn't said a word since. They looked like two wild animals ready to attack the first victim who dared approach them. Kurt knew better than to speak, but in his mind, time was important. He broke the silence.
"You guys, what just happened out there? Why the fuss? All we have to do is call Angie and ask her, right?"
The two other wrestlers looked Kurt in anger. But they understood Kurt's remark. He didn't have the whole facts. Eddie and Edge had agreed to keep a little detail between them, but it was becoming more and more apparent that they couldn't keep this any longer a secret. Nobody else knew about Rey's family. Edge nodded at Eddie agreeing silently to fill Kurt in. When Eddie nodded back, Edge took Kurt by the arm and sat him on the bed.
"Kurt, listen to me. This is serious. Angie could not have checked Rey out."
"Why not?"
"Because she has left Rey. She has abandoned him taking the kids with her. I still have the letter, although Rey told me to get rid of it. I am just glad I didn't have the time to do it. We might need it. That's what's eating him all this time."
"I can't believe it." He looked so surprised! His mind just couldn't accept it. "But I have met Angie. She loves Rey so much… and the kids… everything he does is for them… everything… my god" he stopped his words. "This must be killing him."
Eddie laughed bitterly looking outside the window.
"It almost did Kurt… it almost did."
"You mean his hospitalisation has something to do with his family?"
"Edge knows best… don't you?" Eddie asked, his voice somewhat accusing him of something.
Adam got up from the bed.
"If you have something to say, say it straight to my face, like a man. Don't dance around it. You think I have something to do with Rey's condition? You think it is my fault, don't you?"
He took a step closer to Eddie, who was only starring back in anger.
"You guys, come on! What's your problem?" Kurt tried to come between them.
"I am only saying, everything that has happened to him, took place after he came to you for consolation. If you loved him as much as you claim, then none of this would have happened. He would still be safe and sound." Eddie yelled, bringing his face a few inches away from Adam's.
Kurt got between them and tried to remove Adam back to the other side of the room. But the blond man was stronger than Kurt. As soon as Eddie finished his accusation, Adam exploded.
"You fuck! Don't you dare accuse me of anything! What happened between me and Rey is the only thing that kept him from going insane, and it has nothing to do with his family. I didn't push him into any kind of relationship. He is a grown man, capable of making his own decisions. You of all people should know that!"
Kurt was struck with Adam's final involuntary revelation but didn't relax his grip on him. Adam was pushing him away trying to come closer to Eddie. He waved his arms towards him, speaking louder and louder, and Kurt knew that if he let him go, he would hit Eddie. Eddie's face was another story. He had regretted his words the minute they had come out. The sudden news had caught him off guard. All of them. They didn't know how to react or what to do next. Seeing Adam relaxing a little and the uncomfortable silence falling again in the room, he let him go and sat back on the bed rubbing his face.
"Adam… what you said… about having a relationship with Rey… what did you mean by that?"
"I guess there is no point in hiding it any more… not from you anyway…"
Silence.
"What?" Kurt asked impatiently.
Adam gave a desperate look to Eddie, who was intensely looking back and gave back a slight nod.
"Kurt, you have to understand that what happened between me and Rey was… well…" he mumbled.
"Just tell him esse…"
"Me and Rey… we are together… we spend the night together."
Kurt didn't understand at first what he was told. A few moments later, realizing he had actually heard that Adam and Rey had had sex a few night ago, his eyes goggled with surprise.
"We have to do something. Find out what happened. Maybe… Angie did come… or someone else from his family."
"Nobody came Eddie. I was here all the time… nobody came." Adam exploded.
Kurt raised his voice, covering Adam's and keeping him in control.
"We don't know that. Please calm down… BOTH OF YOU."
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. All three men turned their gaze towards the nurse who came inside. It was the same woman they had met at the desk.
"A courier just came for Mr. Adam Copeland. They left a letter on my desk. Would that be you sir?" she asked looking at Kurt.
"No that's me" and took the letter from the nurse's extended hand. She sighed boringly and closed the door behind her, leaving them alone again. Adam looked at the white envelope addressed to "Mr Copeland Adam-St Joseph County general Hospital- Room 205". He turned it around looking for a sender, but there was nothing else written on it. All three gathered around. Adam had a bad feeling about it. He opened it and took out a folded piece of yellow paper. He unfolded it and started reading out loud the few lines typed neatly in the middle.
"The day is lost only when blood rains from heaven.
Blood shall flow in rivers of pain from my brethren.
An angel's wings cut down from the sorrow.
And for the dreams of the mad, no tomorrow."
Kurt was the first one to lift up his head and look at the others puzzled.
"What is that supposed to mean? I don't get it. Is it someone's idea of a joke?"
Eddie lifted his shoulders up showing that he had no clue either. Adam kept reading it over and over in silence. The two looked at him. His face was twisted with amazement and disgust. Only he knew how fast his heart was beating, how much sadness these few lines were filling him… the memories it brought back were strong enough to break him. He found his hands trembling. But he couldn't be sure of anything. All he understood were those four lines; all he could remember were these words.
"Adam?" Kurt asked. "What's the matter?"
"I am not sure…" he whispered still holding the poem tightly in is hands. "This poem… I don't understand… how could anyone know?"
"Know what? Who? Adam, please explain." Eddie raised his voice and approached the Canadian. But he stopped on his tracks when he saw Adam's face. Fear and agony made his eyes shine brighter, as his breath became faster. Eddie came closer and touched his shoulder in support. "Do you know who wrote this?" he asked softly.
Adam looked deep into Eddie's eyes. Tears were filling up his own eyes and his voice broke as he spoke his answer.
"I did."
Silence.
"I wrote it, back in high school. When I was seventeen, my best friend was missing for two weeks… They said he was kidnapped. He… he was found in the middle of a field... naked, battered, tortured. His face was twisted with a horrible mask of fear. The doctors said there was no hope of ever recovering from the coma, so they pulled the plug. He died a few days later in the hospital. I wrote this poem for him soon after his funeral, but nobody knew about it. I never showed it to anybody…"
"Who did it?" Kurt asked.
"Police never solved the case…"
"I don't understand. Why now? How did they get a hold of your poem? What does it have to do with Oscar?"
"I don't know…"
They fell silent again. Eddie and Kurt could see how much this had affected Adam. They were all dumbfounded. The events were taking place so quickly, it was difficult to keep up, let alone understand them. Eddie finally broke the silence.
"OK… let's take one thing at a time. Let's forget the damn poem for a while and concentrate on the hospital. Adam, you said a nurse came and took Oscar away. Do you remember him? If you describe him to the nurses, maybe they might help us. Kurt, can you go down and see if you can find out if Angie really did come to check him out?"
Kurt agreed and left the room while Adam tried to remember the nurse.
"Well, he had short blond hair… He was tall, well built, about my age and he wore a nurse's uniform. I can't remember anything out of the ordinary about him… I only saw him for a while. He just came in and took Oscar for tests. It is a question whether I saw him a couple of minutes in total… I am sorry…"
"It is OK my friend. It's OK." He whispered. "I am sorry about before. I didn't mean those things I said."
"Eddie, you don't have to apologise to me. Don't you think I have already thought about all this? I have. I couldn't help it. I felt responsible somehow. Like it was all my fault. And I think Rey feels the same way I do. As much as he hurts, it is what we feel for each other that can help his wounds heal. I love him more than my own life, more than I ever thought it was possible to love. And you know what? He loves me back Eddie. Is that so bad? Is that such a terrible thing? Would you rather have him not knowing? Would you have him face this alone? Because make no mistake. Rey wouldn't have told you anything and all of you would have ended knowing about it in the news."
Eddie lowered his head. "If I know a few things, they are about guilt and mistakes. I understand that what happened to Oscar is not your fault even if it seems so. If your feelings are mutual, then you have to hold on to that, and he has to as well. You have to hold on to what you have, to your love and never give it up even in times of despair. I myself had to fight in my life for the ones I loved; I had to hold on to my love for my own sake and most important for the sake of those I kept close to my heart. It was this love that kept me going and helped me get my life and my family back."
"And what if we lose this fight? What if the worst has indeed happened and I've lost him?" Adam's voice broke.
"I don't mean to patronise you Adam, but I have fought many battles, and it is no secret, I have lost many of them."
"How did you get over them? How did you manage to move on?"
"This is the thing. You are never over it, you never forget it. You learn to live with the pain, even embrace it… you learn to survive, not hold onto the past but move ahead, look to the future. I only survived because I knew that I did put up one hell of a fight before ever giving up; that I fought with every part of my soul, with every bit of strength I had left in me… but I didn't fight alone. I had my friends with me. Friends like Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko and Oscar, to support and help me in every step… that is why I have to do everything in my power to help him now in his hour of need. Do you understand now why you have to hold on? Why you have to fight?"
"Yes… it is just… everything is so confusing. We don't even know what happened. We don't know if Angie did come or if he just walked away on his own, or even something worst happened."
"Come on man… do you really think that Angie would come after that lovely letter she wrote? In my mind, this poem holds the key… I believe it has something to do with Oscar, we just have to figure it out… If this letter is linked to Rey, then I am afraid that this is your cross to bear. It has been yours for a long time… it has just fallen again on your shoulders. All I can do for you is be there and help you in every way you want me to. You just have to dig deep into your memories and find out, no matter how much it hurts." He opened the door looking for Kurt. "Maybe we should go find Kurt. There is no point in staying here."
Adam grabbed Rey's bag with his things and followed Eddie downstairs to the ground floor. It wasn't difficult to find Kurt. He was talking to a doctor a few feet away from the front desk. He was holding a yellow file and showing a piece of paper to Kurt. As soon as the other two wrestlers approached them, they heard Kurt thanking the doctor for his time.
"Did you find out anything?" Eddie asked keeping his voice low.
"The doctor just showed me Rey's papers. He showed me the release papers and we checked them together. He said everything was in order, with all signatures…"
"Who was the doctor who signed him out?"
"Well it is a bit complicated. Hospital policy says that if the condition of a patient is not life threatening, then a close relative can sign him out. The doctor says that Angie came and signed the papers. I saw her signature."
"He actually saw Angie signing?" Eddie asked surprised.
"Well no…" Kurt mumbled. "Look at this place man…" he said and waved his hand around to show them the place.
It was full of doctors, nurses, patients, relatives, some police men, security… some walking fast, some shouting, others screaming in pain… there were stretchers, beds, oxygen masks, medical trays all over the place… chaos… Kurt continued.
"Nobody knows how these papers ended up in the drawer signed, even the doctor doesn't remember signing it, but he swears it is his signature on the release papers… Listen, when I asked for them, they just handed them over to me. The doctor said that since his wife signed him out, the hospital couldn't keep him any longer. They can't force anybody to stay against their will."
"Great!" Adam cried out. "We know she didn't come and there is nothing we can do to find out where he was taken."
"Is there any possibility that she did come? Maybe she changed her mind… maybe she found out about him, took pity and returned…" Kurt suggested reluctantly.
"Then why didn't she come upstairs and take his things? Why rush him out like a fugitive? And why is it that nobody has seen her or Oscar leaving the hospital? No… this is too weird to be true."
"In any case, we can't stay here any longer. Let's go to the hotel in case someone calls there or if someone shows up." Eddie proposed.
"Wait." Kurt stopped them. "Shall we call the police?"
"And tell them what, vato loco? We have nothing! The papers are all legal… all we have is a freaking poem we can't even connect to Rey… we don't even know if it IS connected to him."
"He is right" Adam agreed. "All we have is what our gut tells us. Police will just brush us off laughing… Let's go…" he finally said sadly and walked passed them by.
Eddie and Kurt just looked at each other and then followed him outside the hospital.
In the beginning there was only darkness. A black veil was covering his eyesight making him see around a black mist. He blinked a few times and his sight became clearer, but his head spun around like crazy. Just then he tried to move, and a surge of pain running from is mouth, his throat all the way down to his spine stopped him. He winced. It was then that he realised his bizarre sadistic bonds. A metallic mouthpiece was forced inside his mouth making his breathing almost impossible. In its turn, it was connected to two metallic bars. One bar was running around his scull forcing the mouthpiece deeper into Rey's mouth and keeping his head high, bent backwards and one bar connecting the back of the headpiece to the tight handcuffed hands and feet behind his back. He tried to move a bit, but even the slightest move made him want to scream in pain. This medieval torture holding his body immobile was more than he could stand. He wanted to scream with every muscle he twitched even accidentally, but instead a quiet moan came out. He felt the cold rusted metal in his mouth. He moved his tongue around tasting the old blood and feeling a few drops of new dripping down his throat. He wanted to cough it out badly, but the strong mouthpiece held tight.
'God, I can't even swallow'
He had dry blood under his nose and the tears from the strain ran down his cheeks. After a while he managed to put his need to cough under control, and inhaled deeply from his bleeding nose. He managed to lift up his eyes and look around the room. There weren't many things he could see at first. Everything around was dark… he tried to move a little, but his bonds would be there reminding him painfully to stay still. He moaned again. The dizziness didn't subside immediately. He laid still, his eyes closed. He felt his body brushing against the hard mattress. He focused on the sounds of the room. In the beginning he heard nothing, just his own breathing. Then a sound made him stop and concentrate on it. There were footsteps coming from outside the room, muffled voices and dragging. Rey began breathing faster. He was confused, cold and afraid. He realised he was naked and that only made his fear grow. His whole body was in pain, his head was pounding and a burn in his chest was beginning to form reminding him his dangerous pneumonic condition. He closed his eyes tighter trying to make the pain go away and think. The last thing he remembered seeing was the face of the nurse above him as he was taking him to do some tests. Tests… he wasn't in the hospital any more, that was sure… he had no idea how long he was out of it. People would start looking for him soon… he would be missed… missed…
'Adam' he thought and opened his eyes wide! Only then did he realise how serious this was. Fear was not the only feeling any more. He felt terror! He had no idea who these people were, what they wanted from him. They had kidnapped him just like that, with no apparent reason. Soon people would start looking for him and Edge first of all. But his heart sunk deeper in terror once he heard someone unlocking the door and entering.
Rey lay absolutely still, keeping his eyes closed. Perhaps if he pretended to be asleep then they wouldn't hurt him. A voice echoed inside the room, dangerously close to his ear.
"I know you are awake."
He caressed Rey's forehead with his cold hand. Rey reluctantly opened his eyes. The nurse was standing next to him. He didn't try to cover his face, and this scared him even more. He started fearing that he wouldn't come out of this alive.
The nurse touched his cheek and let his hand slip down to Rey's tattooed arms. His smile was bizarre; a mixture of lust, sadism and irony. He traced his hand up his arm and lower to his fine tanned chest sending shivers to Rey's body. Those shivers Rey hated. He hated this man's touch; he hated his filthy hands touching him, making him feel dirty. The nurse saw the hint of hatred in his prisoner's eyes and gave him a creepy smile; something between pleasure and ecstasy. Finally, he spoke.
"You hate me right now don't ya?" and he let his eyes roll down to Rey's abdomen, on the 'MEXICAN' tattoo. "You shouldn't hate me. You should fear me… him most of all… when he comes to ya, then you will now what fear is…"
Rey tried to move away from the slimy hand that kept caressing him. Immediately, the nurse laughed and punched his ribs cutting the air from Rey's lungs.
"Jason… that is enough" a voice came from the door of the room. Rey didn't open his eyes to see who it was. It hurt too much. The punch had taken the wind out of him and trying not to move too much took all his effort. He felt his eyes sting from the tears. The nurse,
'Jason…' his mind registered
got up and left the room, closing the door behind him. Rey heard the man approaching him, but not touching him.
'Thank God'
He heard his dominant voice echo on the dirty walls.
"Do you like that? That thing you wear? I designed it. Do you know how I call it? The Gordian Knot because it is almost impossible to untie. It's been a long time since I last used it. I am glad it suits you well. I hope you like it and quickly get use to it."
Rey couldn't believe what he was going through. Being tied up in chains and steel bars that bent and twisted his body backwards almost in a full circle, was something he hadn't even dreamed in his worst nightmares. He had his back turned on the man, not by his own choice but simply because he had woken up like this. He wasn't sure however that he wanted to look at him.
The old man took a step closer and stood by the bed in silence. Rey now wished he was turned around to see him, see his eyes and find out who this old man was, if he should be afraid of him. Then he felt it. Sheer pain tearing every muscle he had, opening up wounds inside and outside his body. The old man had grasped the Gordian knot and pulled it violently turning Rey around to face him. Rey's screams although muffled were loud. The tears ran freely down his cheek erasing all blood he had from his nose, but he didn't care about it. The pain was compared to nothing he had felt so far in his life. The pain just wouldn't stop even when the old man had ceased pulling the bars. So Rey cried and cried, his sobs only worsening his condition, blood flooding his mouth, drowning him.
The old man had goose bumps from the pleasure. Hearing those sweet cries, those gurgling sounds coming from his prisoner's throat were enough to make him hard.
'No… that will have to wait' he scolded himself as he marvelled the superb Latino body writhing in pain before his eyes.
Eventually Rey's sobbing ceased, not because the pain had stopped, but because he felt the need to. He didn't want this freak to get any more pleasure from this torture. The blood still filled his mouth, and he had no choice but to swallow it. Immediately he felt sick. The pure metallic taste of his own blood made him want to vomit, but he managed to contain himself and put his pain under some control. The old man kneeled down next to Rey. Only then did he see his face clearly. He didn't recognise him; he certainly wasn't somebody from his immediate environment. He was old and he was big and muscular. He was dressed in black and a few seconds later Rey realised that the old man was wearing a catholic priest's suit. But there was something about him that looked familiar, something about his figures he knew had seen before, like a faint recollection or a distant reminder, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
The man still wouldn't touch him. He just stood there kneeling next to him, starring at him and examining his beautiful but tortured body inch by inch.
"You are so beautiful my child… so very beautiful. I am sorry to cause you pain, but I'm afraid it is necessary. You are unclean, your body is unclean, you soul is spoiled from the touch of that filthy sinner. Pain is the only way to wash away the sins."
Then he reached out his hand and touched the mouthpiece, he grasped it with his old wrinkled fingers. Rey's eyes opened wide in fear, his breath picking up pace.
"But this cleansing of the soul must begin from the body. It is only through your pain that your sins will be forgiven… and mine…"
And he pulled the mouthpiece, he pushed it, he pressed it to every direction inside Rey's mouth, ripping his lips, slitting the inside of his cheeks, hurting his teeth, his neck. He felt his back bones twist weirdly and his wrists cut open from the handcuffs. This kind of hurt was new. Rey had never been in so much pain, ever. It was too much for his mind to accept and register. He wanted to scream, cry out but he found out he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. His body had crossed its limits in a matter of seconds and Rey was thankful to realize that his eyesight was blurring. Unconsciousness was very close, just like the pain he was experiencing. He didn't want to think what was coming up next. All he wanted was for the pain to stop. He wanted to sleep and maybe waking up all this would be just a bad dream. He felt the Gordian knot being pulled once more, bringing him back to reality. He tried and opened his eyes to face the old man. That is when he wished he were already unconscious.
The old man was leaning over Rey. He had unzipped his pants and was jerking off. His free hand was working fast his swollen dick, while his other hand was twisting the Gordian knot. He was starring at Rey, at his body, at the blood in pure lust and raunchiness. Rey wished again he was unconscious. The old man continued pumping his dick, making it bigger and harder. He was like a vulture, like a vampire, feeding off from the pain, from the blood, from the suffering. His breathing was getting faster and faster as his hands jerked off quicker and quicker. Suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity, he grasped the Gordian knot harder and pulled it hard upwards, lifting Rey's body to the air. He came letting out an animalistic cry, his hot sperm falling on Rey's naked body.
He let the Gordian knot go and Rey fell heavily on the hard mattress. He kept his eyes shut, so he didn't see the old man's face when he caressed Rey's hair, but he heard his voice break as he spoke.
"My boy… my dear boy… this is something we both have to fight. This is our sin and though pain, we will cleanse our bodies and our souls."
And he left, shutting the heavy iron doors and locking them behind him.
Rey was left all alone. His body shivering, but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold, the shame, the humiliation or the pain. It was all that at the same time, though his mind was far too numb to think. Everything he felt was clouded from the pain that was invading him. He was amazed he hadn't passed out yet or hadn't gone crazy, and partly hated himself for that. Unconscious or mad, he wouldn't have to face this new reality, this pain. It seemed like every part of his body was aching, even his heart… his heart… he tried to concentrate on something, something happy, something good and hold onto to that. He ignored the blood in his mouth, besides by now he was kind of used to swallowing it anyway, and tried to control himself. He had to find something good.
His family, his wife immediately came to mind, but a few seconds later he remembered the bitter truth and the pain only got bigger. His heart broke again when he remembered how much they had hurt him. He felt a sting in his eyes from the tears. This was too much to handle. Rey needed to cry, he wanted to cry but he knew this would only bring more pain. No… he had to find something to hold onto…
The figure of a tall blond man leaning over him came to his mind. He immediately registered the image of Adam like he remembered him when they had made love back at the hotel; the soft, wild and beautiful features of his face above him, the gentle touch of his fingers, the astounding sent of his strong body…
And amazingly he fell asleep.
Adam was sitting exhausted in his room, on his bed, hiding his face behind his palms. Almost two days had passed since Rey's disappearance and still no word from him or anybody else for that matter. Kurt had suggested calling the police and after much thought they had gone and reported him missing.
They told the police the whole story from the beginning with every detail… almost every detail. They had kept a secret the intimate relationship Adam had with Rey, and they had simply stated that Rey was just having trouble coping with his family problems and needed his friend's support. They had given the letter to them and they had sent it to the forensics lab for testing. The most painful thing was having to remember the story behind this letter. It was a distant memory Adam had decided to bury a long time ago and forcing himself to recover them was difficult and downward unpleasant.
Back home in Canada were he had grown up, when he was just a little boy, Adam had two best friends, one was Jay Reso and the other was a boy called Vincent Venerouso. Vincent was much smaller in size than the other boys of his age and he had trouble from bullies at school. Adam and Jay couldn't stand watching the other kids picking up on him and they had decided to protect him. And for a while, it worked. They had become best friends, especially Adam and Vincent. Vincent was what they called a geek, but he was kind, smart, honest and funny, and the other two enjoyed his company. One day, on his way back from school, Vincent disappeared. No one knew were he had gone. The police kept looking for him, but there wasn't much hope to begin with. No one had called asking for ransom. He had just vanished without a trace. The police was starting to speculate that they were dealing with a runaway boy, but Adam knew better. There was no chance in hell that Vincent would have left his home simply because there was no reason for him to do so. That is when a farmer found Vincent's body, at the borders of his farm near the national highway. Vincent never did recover from the coma he was in, so they never did find who had done this terrible thing. Adam was never told what had happened to his friend due to his young age at the time. He was not allowed to see him in the hospital, he was not allowed to attend his closed coffin funeral. But rumours said that he was so badly tortured that his parents didn't want to show the world the abused body of their son. The same night of the funeral, he had written the poem, in memory of his friend. But he had shown it to nobody… nobody. Now, all these years later, seeing it again unfolding right in front of his eyes was like seeing a ghost, a nightmare coming back to life. He didn't dare imagine what would happen to Rey.
Now, sitting alone in his room, thinking back to everything that had happened, trying to remember all the details was a truly painful task. But he had hope. He hoped that someone would call asking for ransom, or perhaps even Rey would call telling them not to worry, that he was back again with his family. But still somewhere in the back of his mind a small voice kept telling him how hopeless it was. Rey had met the same fate as Vincent. He was taken by the same men, and he could only wonder if those two incidents were related to him. The presence of the poem was both so clarifying and so confusing it almost drove him insane. He tried to find a link between the two events, put a face to the kidnappers, someone he knew back then and today. Somehow he knew that those who did this had to be linked to him directly or indirectly. Otherwise why send him the damn poem? Why now? Why Rey?
'Fuck'
He felt his head throb and the headache grew stronger. He had to sleep even for a while because tomorrow he had a plane to catch for Orlando Florida for the next Raw taping. He lay to his bed; the same bed he had shared with Rey. It now seemed so big, so empty and so very cold. Adam felt a shiver run down his spine. He took one of Rey's t-shirts and squeezed tightly in his arms. He could still smell his perfume. It was as dominant as Rey. It was strong and spicy, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget it. It followed him everywhere. He brought the t-shirt up to his face and took a deep sniff. It brought back so many memories, old ones but it was the recent ones that truly hurt. He tried to empty his head from the thoughts and get some decent sleep but despite the fact he was exhausted, he found that he couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes, like a switch, his mind started racing to places long forgotten. He tried to remember something from his past, something to help the police, but somehow he knew. If it came to that, if somehow he was able to understand, he doubted the police could get involved.
He sat up from his bed, still the t-shirt held tightly, and walked towards the balcony. It wasn't raining tonight. The night sky was clear and the stars shone like millions of Christmas lights. They reminded him of Rey's eyes.
'Damn'
He cursed himself for not remembering. He almost hated himself for that. There had to be something he had overlooked. Something he had forgotten to tell the police. Then it hit him.
"The man at the reception!" he said out loud. He had wondered about him before but it never occurred to him to ask again, not since Rey's disappearance.
How could he forget that man! He ran down at the reception. There was a young man there wearing a green hotel uniform.
'Bad sign' Adam thought, since the old man he remembered wore a blue uniform. He came close to the desk.
"Uh… excuse me."
"How may I help you sir?"
"A few nights ago, I had a problem and there was a gentleman here that helped me. I was wondering if you knew who he was."
"Can you describe him? There aren't so many night clerks working in our hotel."
"Well, he was kind of old, in his late sixties; he had white short hair and a white beard."
"I am sorry. We don't have anyone working here that old. We don't have anyone with white hair or beard for that matter either."
"Then who was it? He was standing right where you stand! Who was supposed to have a shift that night? Please it is really important."
The clerk saw the desperate look on Adam's face and took pity on him.
"I am not supposed to give out any information for our staff."
"Please, I just want to know what happened. My friend's life might depend on it."
The clerk entered the back door to the left of the reception in the empty manager's office. He came out a few moments ago with a black hard covered book.
"Here is where the manager writes the shifts and the overtime anyone working in this hotel puts. We have to sign when we start and when we finish our shifts. I don't see anything irregular about this, except one night a while back. I had a shift, but got sick and asked Nadia to cover for me."
"No. There was no woman that night. Just an old man! Can we speak to Nadia? Perhaps call her? I know it is a lot to ask, but it is really important and any clue might help us. Please."
Seeing the blond wrestler beg with a tone of emergency in his voice made the clerk nod his head in agreement. He picked up the phone and dialled Nadia's number.
"Hey Nadia, it is me John from the hotel. I'm sorry to wake you up. Listen remember that night when I asked you to cover for me? yes that one... I did?... when?... Nadia it wasn't me!... No… Listen Nadia, this is important. I can't tell you right now but it is related to that incident we had with the WWE wrestlers. Remember? Yes. I don't know yet. Ok. See you in the morning. Thanks."
He hang up.
"This is strange."
"What?"Adam asked anxiously.
"She says she never covered for me because I called her back and cancelled it saying I was feeling better and that I would make my night shift as planned."
"But you didn't call her back did you?"
"No I never called her back. I was really sick that night. I don't know who called her, but it certainly wasn't me. I hadn't noticed it before, but in the 'shift-book' there is a signature for that particular night. It isn't mine or Nadia's. As a matter of fact, it doesn't look like the signature of any of the employees here in our hotel."
Adam looked at the book the clerk was holding in his hands. His heart was racing and his mind went to a million directions at once! Could this be the break they needed? He took out his cell phone and dialled the telephone number the police detective handling the case had given him. His hands were shaking from the anticipation. The young clerk was just standing behind the desk worriedly holding the book tightly in his hands.
The phone kept ringing.
One time.
Second time.
"Come on pick it up… pick it up…" he mumbled to himself.
Third time.
"Scott here."
"Hello detective Scott. This is Adam Copeland. Sorry if this is a bad time, but I found out something you should know. Could you please come to the hotel?"
"I'll be there in half an hour."
Half an hour later, as promised detective Scott was entering the hotel lobby. Immediately he spotted Adam standing in front of the reception desk with a young clerk.
"Hello sir" the clerk said nervously.
"What did you find out?" Scott asked ignoring the clerk.
Adam took the book in his hands and opened it in the right page indicating the proper entry with his finger. The different signature stood up from the rest.
"What am I looking at?" he asked.
"This is the clerk's signature on shift the night Rey got sick. That night I came down and asked for a pain killer from an old man standing were John stands tonight. This is his signature."
"And…" Scott waited for the rest.
"John tell him"
"Well I was supposed to be on shift but I got sick and asked Nadia to cover for me. However, she says I called her back later and cancelled it saying I was feeling fine and that I would do my shift, which is not true. I was really sick at home with my mother, with high fever. Detective, we don't have anyone working here matching the description of the man Mr Copeland saw that night. The signature doesn't correspond to any one of us. I don't know who he saw, but I can tell you that he did not belong to our staff. The manager can verify it too."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes sir. I have been working here for three years now and I know everyone on the staff. Besides we have regulations for cases like these."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that if there was one of us behind this desk, that night, we wouldn't have given him just a pain killer. We would have called a doctor or an ambulance on any time of day. We are not taking any chances with our guests. This is a strict rule and everybody follows it. That is one of the reason's I know that the 'old man' Mr Copeland saw was not a member of our staff."
"OK. I will need to speak to the manager of the hotel and take this book to the lab see if we can find anything from the signature."
"Detective Scott" Adam said pulling his attention. "I have seen this man and I can describe him with every detail."
"Alright. We will go to the police station and have you work with someone on a sketch. With a little luck this will lead us somewhere."
The sound of the doors opening with a loud metallic noise woke up Rey from his cold slumber. He didn't move. Keeping his eyes closed, he concentrated on his breathing, trying to make it sound like he was still asleep. A figure walked in and with heavy footsteps came close to his laying body. Rey heard a weird sound.
'Keys?'
He wanted to see what was going to happen. He opened his eyes and saw a huge black man holding some keys. His size alone was enough to scare him, although he showed no signs of interest towards him like the other two. The black man kept looking for the right key though Rey had no idea what he intended to lock or unlock. It was hard to read the man's face since it was still dark inside. Only his eyes were visible, and even those he couldn't read. They were cold, unemotional, concentrated. Rey was just staring at him when finally he found the key he was looking for. It was a small rusted key. He held it between his thick fingers and reached for the Gordian knot. Rey closed his eyes and prepared himself for the worst. To his surprise, he heard an unlocking sound behind his back. He opened his eyes again. The man had unlocked the cuffs and the Gordian knot. Apparently its locking mechanism was behind the back, between his shoulder blades where he couldn't reach even if his hands were untied.
Rey had no idea how many hours or even days he had been wearing this medieval harness, but now that it was coming off, it was more painful than he expected. His limbs ached unimaginably and he moaned as the black man removed the metallic bar from his back. The worse pain was the one on his neck. Having his head bent backwards was one thing, but having the opportunity to bring it forwards where it should be after all this time was much more painful. Rey was wise enough to keep it still for a while and slowly move it but the hands of the black man touched his face and turned it violently. He unlocked the headpiece and removed it pulling the mouthpiece along with it. Immediately Rey screamed from the pain. The coughing started but he was grateful to be able to breathe again normally. He coughed out the blood in his mouth before managing to put his pain and spasms under control. It still hurt but it was better than before. He looked at the black man for an instant and whispered a faint 'thank you'.
"You'll have plenty of time to thank me later" his bass voice bellowed in the dirty thick walls.
He left Rey alone on the hard mattress. For the first time he was able to move his head without feeling the pain of the Gordian knot, although he could still taste the metallic tang in hid mouth. It was then he realised how cold he was. He was completely naked inside a filthy room, with no windows. The only light existing was coming from the small porthole on the door. There was no way he could tell if it was day or night. He brought himself in a foetal position trying to warm himself a little bit but to no avail. The burning in his chest was getting worse. For now it was just a small pain, but he understood well that under conditions like these, it would soon get worse. He had to get out somehow. But how? The doors were thick and heavy metal doors locked from the outside and as far as he could tell there were at least three people; the black man, the nurse-Jason and the old man. Even if he could slip past the old man and Jason, he could never escape the black man.
He wanted to get out of bed but after all these days under the Gordian knot his legs didn't obey his will. He was still too weak to stand. He rubbed them with his sore fingers; maybe if he got the blood circulating faster, then he would be able to stand.
Then the doors opened again. Rey huddled at the top corner of his bed. To his despair the old man entered along with Jason. He was holding a big steel tray, like the ones they use in hospitals. Right behind them another man entered. He was white too. Rey felt a little relieved not to see the huge black man come inside. On the other hand, he realised that there were more than three people outside those big doors guarding him. He turned his attention to the old man who was standing near the feet of his bed. His eyes were on fire. Rey thought he looked like some kind of devil, with his white as snow hair and beard, wearing his impeccable priest clothes and looking at him so evilly.
"What do you want from me?" he asked hating the fact that his voice broke in the end.
"I told you" the old man replied.
"Why? Why me?"
He didn't answer.
"Henry, will you please?" he ordered the third man who was standing by the door.
Henry took a few steps towards the bed. He was holding a new pair of cuffs.
"No please don't do this" Rey begged but no one seemed to hear his pleas. They seemed unaffected from his cries for help. He looked at them with his innocent dark eyes, filled with fear and desolation. Henry grabbed Rey's hands and cuffed them both to the steel pipes on the bed. He was turned around facing the mattress. The burning in his chest was getting worse, although right now his fear was far too great to concentrate on anything else. He lifted his head to look at the old man.
He had removed his black shirt and placed it neatly on the bed. Jason had left the tray on the floor and was holding a flail. The evil in his eyes left no doubts. He WAS planning on using it today.
"Begin the cleansing" the old voice commanded.
Rey's mind registered two distinct sounds. The first was the sound on a whip falling on the back of the old man without him making one single sound.
The second was the sound of his own screams as he heard his skin tear under the hacking of the flail. His torture was special. This flail had a wooden handle; attached to its top were four black leather straps, and each strap was decorated lengthways with small iron spikes. Each time it fell on his back, each time Rey would scream at the top of his lungs louder and louder.
He had no idea how many times the flail had struck, but they felt like too many. By now apart from his own cries, all he heard was the splashing sound of his own blood when the flail connected with his shredded back. And it hurt. He had gripped the iron bars of the bed so tightly he couldn't feel his fingers any more.
After what seemed like an eternity, Rey couldn't tell any more if half an hour or half a day had passed, the torture stopped. He was half unconscious, although he wished to be completely out of it.
Jason and Henry left the room silently. Rey had his eyes half closed flirting at last with oblivion. Tears were blurring his vision; tears of pain not of despair… not yet… with every muscle he moved, there was one opening wound, one big painful slash across his back to remind him that once again he should lay still. The old man knelt beside him. Rey felt his old wrinkled hand caressing his sweating front like a caring father, sweeping the salty tears and the transparent pearls of sweat from his face. He wanted to spit right to his face, he wanted to hate him, but there was not much strength left in him. He just lay on the bed looking at the strangely serene face of the old man. His hand was caressing his cheeks and his eyes had a creepy loving stare. The old man kissed Rey's forehead with his lips smeared with saliva. His hand was slowly caressing its way back from Rey's wet head to his neck and lower to his back.
His eyes shot wide open as a finger was pushed inside a wound on his back. The old man was slipping slowly, painfully his thumb deep inside a laceration sending waves of pain through his body while the other fingers were gripping his shredded flesh, mixing his blood with his stained palms. Rey opened his mouth but he didn't manage to make a sound. The old man began kissing him passionately, sticking his tongue between Rey's lips, sucking his tongue and savouring inch by inch his sweet mouth.
Rey felt sick. It wasn't just the act that sickened him, it was everything; the rotten taste of the old man's mouth, the smell of liquor and cigarettes in his breath. He tried to break the kiss but another finger pushed inside a laceration on his back made him stop. Once the old man broke the kiss, Rey gasped for air. He looked at the old face above him. It was red from excitement. Rey knew somehow what would follow.
"My child…" he whispered as he began again caressing Rey's sweated face. "You are magnificent. I'm afraid no matter how hard I try I'll never rid of my sin… our sin. No matter how strong our will is, as long as HE still exists in our lives dominating and controlling our emotions, there will be no salvation."
The old man kept caressing Rey's wet head and face with his blood stained hand. He had no idea what this man was talking about, what his sin was but he had no strength left in him to react. It took all his effort just to concentrate on his words. Who this 'HE' was? What did he want from him? Why?
"I know there must be a million questions filling up your mind my child. For now let's just say you are serving a higher purpose…"
"What purpose?" he managed to say though his voice came out low and raspy. Rey's anger was growing by the second. "Making you jerk off?"
The old man's eyes shone from the sudden burst of anger and hate sending shivers down Rey's spine, making him regret his words the moment they had come out. He grabbed Rey by the throat and kept squeezing.
"You dare! You still don't realize who you are dealing with don't you? I can make you wish you had never been born boy! Don't make me give you to those animals out there sooner than planned. You serve a purpose being here. And when I have what I want, you will have NO reason to exist. Soon HE will come to me like a lost sheep, like the prodigal son that he is!" and he let Rey's throat.
He stood up and walked a couple of feet away from the bleeding Rey now coughing, trying to catch his breath. He bent over and took something from the tray Jason had brought in earlier. With the edge of his eye Rey saw a syringe.
"No" he begged in vain.
The old man approached and with one thrust injected the liquid to the side of Rey's sore neck.
Rey only managed to gasp and let out a hard moan. Rapidly he felt spasms invade his body and a strong cold pain grabbing his chest. Soon his eyesight was blurring and he was sure there was saliva coming out of him mouth. He did not see his nose bleed nor a single tear tracing a clean path through the blood on his face and dropping on the mattress. The cold wrinkled fingers of the old man grasped him from his hair and violently threw him against the filthy concrete walls smashing his head with unbelievable force. He continued punching him and kicking him, but it made no difference any more.
Rey had already blacked out.
Adam had followed detective Scott downtown and along with a specialist, they had painted the portrait of the man he remembered seeing at the reception that night. Then he had made a phone call to Vince McMahon about the Raw taping he had missed and he was relieved to hear the WWE president give his permission. His exact words in fact were "Anything Adam, anything to find him."
Adam had then called Eddie to inform him about the last development. He was sad to find out that the press had somehow found out about Rey's disappearance and they were all over the WWE roster about this. Thankfully, no more of the gory details had reached publicity, but already on the internet the rumors were out of control. Sadly, Eddie and Kurt had the worst role to play, and that was to fend off not only the press and the fans, but also the justified questions the rest of the WWE wrestlers were asking.
"Believe me Adam, if I knew what was going on, I would have told them." Eddie stated through his cell phone.
"Them?"
"The wrestlers, the staff… Vince knows what I know. Kurt and I talked to him about it because he must know what is going on with Rey. But nobody else knows. The others suspect we know something and they keep bothering us. Rey has so many friends among us… it is hard not to care about him. I understand their concern. It would be really helpful if they knew. You never know. They might know something we have missed."
"I don't know Eddie. A lot of people care for him but I am not so sure if we should tell them yet. I mean, what do we really know?"
"I hear you. Kurt is with Kidman right now. He has a lot of trouble cooping with whole thing; RVD too. It is really hard without Rey. And people talk! I have heard some nasty rumors, esse. Everybody is feeling either scared or sad."
"Mr. Copeland" a policeman spoke to Adam from a distance.
"Hold on Eddie" he asked over the phone and turned to face the policeman.
"We have identified the man. Would you mind coming?"
"Eddie I have to go. I will call you when I have further news. I am sorry you and Kurt have to go through this alone."
"No man, it's OK. You must do this. You are his only chance esse. I'll be waiting for your call."
They hang up. Adam's heart was racing. Something in his mind told him that this lead would be the break they needed. He entered an office were detective Scott was waiting with the chief. He didn't bother sitting down. He closed the door and looked eagerly the two men.
"Mr. Copeland… please, take a seat."
"What is it? They told me you have identified the man. Who is it?"
Detective Scott stood up and paced around the desk. He was looking directly into Adam's eyes. Then he spoke.
"He is not American. He is Canadian. His name is Jacob Mandeson."
Adam's eyes opened up widely at the sound of the last words. This was a name he hadn't thought about or uttered in a really long time. This indeed was a man from his past, a long forgotten man, a man he had never seen in his life but knew all too well! A man he hated.
"He is my father" he uttered, his voice stuttering a bit.
The two policemen were not prepared for this, Adam could tell from their reaction.
"Would you mind explaining it a bit?" Scott asked.
"There is not much to tell. He left my mother pregnant and he left her before I was born. I have never met him nor seen his face, not even a photo. I just recognize the name."
"But you have never met him? Not once?"
"No, never."
"I know this too sudden for you, but could you please think of any reason why he should be interested in Mr. Guttierrez?"
"I have no idea." He answered. His mind still couldn't believe what he had just heard. How could his own father be involved in this? After all this time, why now? And why Rey? It still didn't make sense.
"Mr. Copeland. I am sorry to ask you this, what is the real nature of your relationship with Mr. Guttierrez?"
Adam was stunned from the direct question.
"What?" he asked angrily.
"Please before you get angry, there is a reason why I ask this intimate question."
Adam sat down on the sofa.
"Rey and I are good friends…"
The two police detectives kept looking at him waiting for him to continue.
"Lately we have become more than that."
No reaction. They did expect it. They did see it coming.
"As you know," the chief spoke breaking the silence "and perhaps heard on TV, there is a category of crimes that we call "Crimes of Passion". Mr. Mandeson has a long criminal history. He was arrested in Toronto Canada for raping and killing four women and two children! But he was never incarcerated due to his mental illness. He was committed in an asylum for the criminally insane for twenty years where received shock therapy."
Adam was speechless. He had just heard his father's life story in a couple of seconds. A life he ignored and would rather not know. His mother was right not wanting to speak about him. Perhaps she was one of his unknown victims.
"Jacob Mandeson was released from the asylum two years ago. He has been missing since."
"Are… are you telling me that my father, kidnapped Rey? Why would he do that?"
"We can not be sure yet. His profile can only allow us to speculate, but we can't be sure of anything."
Adam stood up.
"Then speculate… I want to know the reason damn it!"
The two men looked at each other. The chief spoke again calmer this time.
"We spoke to the Canadian profiler. She had some suggestions, all leading up to you. She believes that he has been secretly watching you since his release form the asylum. He found out somehow that you are his son, and probably came looking for you…"
"Now this is why we asked you that personal question before" Scott continued. "According to the profiler, Mr. Mandeson is very possessive and obsessive. She told us that given the circumstances perhaps you are his obsession… This is where Mr. Guttierrez comes in. The profiler is certain that Jacob Mandeson captured Mr. Guttierrez because he was close to you. He took him to get closer to you."
"I don't understand." Adam was confused. "If he wanted me, then why didn't he get me in the first place?"
"Maybe this is a way of getting closer to you; knowing what and who you love, why, what you are attracted to, your tastes, your preferences. He doesn't dare come close to you yet. He is not afraid, oh no. For now he is satisfied with having in his possession something that is yours."
"Oscar?" he asked more to himself than to Scott. He didn't own Rey, no one did. This didn't make any sense. It hurt but not the way he thought it would. The pain inside him grew, but not for his father. It grew because of him. The fact that it was his own father who had caused all this pain felt like pushing the knife deeper in the wound. Despair rose to his gorge in a thick knot.
"Mr. Copeland there is no use in trying to make sense from all this. Don't forget, this man is instable and no one knows what is going through in his mind or why he does the things he does. What we must focus on right know is finding Mr. Guttierrez."
"How are we going to do that?"
"We have search teams looking the places he used to live and our Canadian colleagues working with us on their country."
"This feels hopeless" Adam whispered softly.
"Mr. Copeland. The chief and I have some experience in matters like these. We believe that Jacob Mandeson will contact you soon. They always do, when…"
"When what?' Adam waited him to finish his thought.
"When the object kidnapped ceases to satisfy their needs" Scott had regretted the way his thought had come out. He cursed himself silently. The look on Adam's face told the whole story. Fear and anger mixed together, making his muscled body shake.
'You mean that he will kill Oscar?"
They didn't answer immediately. The chief spoke first, trying to cover Scott's mess.
"What detective Scott meant was that Mr. Mandeson will most likely use Mr. Guttierrez as bait to lure you to him. And when that time comes, Mr. Copeland you must let us know. You must let us help you and protect you."
Adam's face was blank.
"It will be our only chance to find him alive. Do you understand?"
He didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure what they were asking him to do. It was all too much to digest at once. It was weird. In his life, all the important things came at the same time. Some times, months, even years would pass without any change, without anything important happening. And other times, life changing events would happen within minutes, even seconds. Like now; the last few days were both heaven and hell for Adam, although for the biggest part of it, it has been hell. His mind and his heart were working overtime trying to keep up with the new events and information coming in with every passing second. A voice woke him up form his reverie.
"Mr. Copeland? Do you understand?" the chief was asking again.
Adam nodded and uttered a soft "Yeah". He needed time to think things through. But he knew that time was not a luxury. If the police were right, his father would contact him soon and then he should be ready to take action. He still wasn't sure what he would do. Was Rey alive? Worse, was he dead? No, this was something he mustn't think about. He took a step towards the door. He wanted to leave this place. The two men didn't stop him. They probably realized how much this revelation had troubled the young wrestler. They watched him leave the office. Scott turned to the chief and asked.
"Do you think he will tell us when Mandeson contacts him?"
The chief kept looking at the distant figure of Adam walking away.
"I hope so. For his sake… and Oscar's…"
