Thank you for the reviews, guys. I hope you enjoy this chapter. For those who don't...oh, well, I'm probably going to go to hell for this story anyway. Lol.

Chapter Sixteen: Beyond the Rugged Sea

It seemed like forever, but when the bright sun made an appearance beyond the horizon, the five finally made it out of the willow woods. They could hear the cries of what they assumed was either Jeff or Matt – or both – earlier, but Kane had prodded them to keep going, and they had even veered off the path. The deviants were hot on their trail and they knew it.

Batista had to admit; he was floored at the way Lita had accepted the role of the leader. She was strong, sexy...he had to stay focused. Cena and Maria had become cautiously quiet within the last several hours; he could sense the change in John's normally laid-back demeanor. Maria was frightened; he could see it, her eyes wide with every unfamiliar sound around her.

But now the five stood on the exit, on the cliff, leading down to the waters. The crystal blue waters. Lita was jumping up and down, trying to wake herself up.

"How in the hell are we going to get down there?" Cena demanded. There didn't seem to be a ledge to lead them down.

"How do you think?" Lita asked.

"Oh, hell no!" Batista protested; he was slightly scared of heights.

They heard the screams again. "You wanna see what's causing that?" Lita asked. They all shook their heads. "Then hold your breaths, take the plunge and remember: no eye contact with the Spirit Squad." With the count of three, Lita did a flying dive into the waters below. Shooting a look of hesitation at the others, Batista followed, the waters making a loud thud as he landed. Kane followed.

Maria looked at Cena. "I don't want to do this," she replied, her voice tearful. Cena took her hand.

"Come on; we'll jump together," he assured her. "I won't let you go. Ready?" Her face still disfigured with fear, she nodded. "One, two, three..."

They both jumped together, Maria's screams ringing out through the sky, quickly silenced by the depths of the water.

"Who the hell was screaming?" Layla asked. The quartet were walking towards an abandoned funeral home, the home of the stone magician.

"Who cares?" Randy murmured, his nerves on the end of his ropes. Even Stacy was starting to wear on him. What he didn't realize was that Stacy and Kristal were getting annoyed as well. Layla talked too much, Orton hit on everything that moved, and they needed to get back and report to Vince that he assigned them to two idiots. They hoped the other girls were on the right track.

"We have to go...get a few things. Wait here for us?" Stacy cooed flirtatiously. Randy cocked an eyebrow.

"You know it, babe," he replied. Stacy smiled; she had him wrapped around her finger. The deviants grinned at each other and they left down the road.

"Let's go," Layla replied.

"Didn't you..."

"Randy, those girls I think know more than they're letting on. And I think the girls up there know that." Layla motioned up to the heavens with her eyes. "And I think that's why we're lost. So let's get a move on."

With a sigh, Randy followed Layla. She was probably right. But Stacy...

Damn.

Lita had to admit, the cold water felt good. They were all gathered about in a circle of five in the water. "How's the adrenaline?" she inquired. They all laughed. "You okay there, Maria?"

Maria was laughing, so Lita knew that things weren't too bad. But the laughter was cut short as a giant green and white monster with five heads slowly rose out of the waters behind her. Following the advice of Jeff, they stared at the water. Lita's hazel eyes widened.

"It's behind me?" she inquired. They nodded.