Chapter Seventeen: The Tunnel

"Keep your eyes down," Lita whispered to them. "Come on. Get closer." They all swam into each other closely, forming a tight circle within the crystal waters. "On the count of three, we go under, and we swim in five separate directions. Screw him up. It'll have to follow one of us, right? We reunite when we're past it and we're safe. Clear?"

They nodded. "Good. One, two, three..." They submerged their heads and away they swam. As Lita swam deeper, deeper, further away, she noticed a tunnel at the bottom of the sea, about fifty yards away from her. A thought ran in her head, but it was cut short when she felt a slimy green and white tentacle wrapped around her ankle. She felt herself being pulled in deeper, and she felt her air running out. She couldn't scream; she couldn't yell out for help. She was panicking, struggling with the tentacle as it wrapped around her, keeping her eyes closed as not to make eye contact as Jeff Hardy had warned.

Suddenly, the five-headed beast let out a loud cry and it evaporated into a pile of ash. Lita swam up to the surface, gasping violently for air when she broke through the water. She turned to see Kane smiling behind her.

"Hit a rough snag?" he asked, that sick sadistic smirk crossing his face. She nodded, a smile crossing her face.

"Wow. Am I happy we have you on the team," she replied, causing Kane to beam with pride as Cena, Maria and Batista swam up to them. "Guys, I found a tunnel forty yards away. What if she's in there?"

"You mean Queen Stephanie?" asked Batista.

"Think about it: Beyond the weeping willows, beyond the rugged sea, the queen ill be waiting to restore everything we see."

"Beyond the sea..."

"What if Rocky and Steve said that to throw off people like Vince?" she asked. "That tunnel down there would be a perfect hiding spot if nobody thought about looking, am I correct?"

"I'd have to agree with Lita," Batista said. "It does seem like it could be logical. And maybe the reason they disappeared was because they faced down the monster."

"So what do you say, guys? We go down into the deep?" she asked. They nodded in excitement and submerged under the waters. They swam the forty yards to the tunnel and went lower. There was a rock blocking the tunnel, which only helped Lita's initial belief. Batista, Cena and Kane ushered the two girls aside and pushed it open just enough to slide into. When they all landed on the damp sands of the tunnel, gasping for air, they found themselves encased in darkness.

"Anyone got a light?" Maria's voice rang out.

"I can see fine," Lita replied. "Just stay close everybody. God only knows what the hell is going to be here this time."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that Spirit Squad thing out there was the guard," Cena replied.

"If that's the case, Vince could have perished it easily," Lita replied.

"If he knew that Stephanie was down here," Batista chimed in. "Not everyone is smart like you, Lita." Lita shot another glance at him, befuddled by his attitude. She really saw what Candice was talking about.

They continued their way down the tunnel until she saw an opening lit by candles. "I'll bet you she's in there," Lita replied. With a lighthearted rejuvenation washed over her, she jogged through the opening.

"Shit!"