Hello, everyone! Just a bit of precaution that this chapter is more intense than previous chapters... Consider this a warning. Plus Finn swears once. Enjoy!

The Demon Inside Me
Chapter Ten: The Devil Calls

He didn't want to let her go, not in the slightest bit. His hands gingerly yet delicately rested against the curve of her spine and the curve of her hip as he kept her body close to his. His lips pressed against her soft ones as these two beings were frozen in this moment. Breathless, overwhelmed, emotional, content: You name it, they were feeling it, and neither wanted to be the first to break the kiss.

It took her a moment from the initial shock, but as her body relaxed into his touch, the Hugger allowed her arms to snake around his neck and her lips to lightly press back against his. Months in the making, and they were admitting to each other - and to themselves - that feelings were there.

Finn was the first to pull away in order to breathe, though his lips lingered millimeters from hers. With gentle eyes, he stared at her blushing face, finding a confidence he didn't know he had.

"I like you, too, Bayley," he murmured.

Her heart fluttered once he said those words back to her. "W-wow…" she whispered mainly to herself, trying to clear her throat and process what just happened. "Thanks for that… good to know, too." She was so nervous now; while she was known for getting flustered on occasion, this was a whole new ballgame.

"I've been wanting to do that ever since I first asked you out on a date," he said, his face lighting up in a wide grin, "probably a lot longer than that actually."

"I'm glad you did." Bayley let a moment pass before continuing. "…what does this make us…?" she asked quietly, clearly shy and nervous to what he could say. A tiny voice in the back of her mind kept telling her to stop being so anxious.

"What do you want us to be?"

"We're more than friends at this point…" She rubbed her forearm. "I… I want to be with you…"

He couldn't hold back a grin again. "Well, I'd prefer to be asked…" he teased, winking at her.

Bayley looked up at him, startled at first before breaking out into her own smile. "Finn Bálor…I wanna know…. will you be my boy…friend?"

The two burst out laughing before Finn nodded his head. "Only if you'll be my girl."

"Of course!" The newly-formed couple slid into each other's arms in a tight embrace before allowing themselves to submit to another satisfying kiss.

Admittedly, Finn had no idea where this confidence came from when it came to her; these past few weeks with the whole Wyatt Family ordeal weighed down on his shoulders, and it didn't help that he felt so isolated from the people he once called friends. The demon rumbled from within his belly, itching for the perfect opportunity to strike and break free from his chains. But Bayley… she was something else; she was the light in the darkness. From seeing her debut and take over Monday Night Raw - main eventing it, no less - to finally being able to kiss her and call her his, the focus was all on her, seeing her shine, and taking a chance. There were no Wyatts; there were no distractions — Monday was all Bayley. Finn knew he had to fight. He had to get in gear and screw his head on straight so that he could be the best man he could be for her and seize his own opportunities. His demon stirred within him, threatening the very thin layer of peace that he still had in his possession, but he had the strength to keep going. Bayley, she knew the demon already — she was no fool, and he couldn't hide this part of him from her. Finn lay in his hotel bed that night, staring at the ceiling and thinking of her smiling face. As he fell into a deep slumber, his mind was preoccupied with a person other than Bray.

Finn walked into the arena on July 4th for Monday Night Raw, and he was slowly feeling stable. Last week, he scored a win — a surprise rollup, but still a win — over former friend, Neville, the United States Champion. A win over him surely guaranteed him a title match, right? But as he walked the halls of the back part of the arena, he was on high alert, watching his back wherever he went. As he came in, he thought he saw the black sheep mask that Braun Strowman typically wore just laying on a bench out of the corner of his eye, and his immediate emotion was panic. All the good that he was just feeling, gone in a matter of seconds. Was it there in reality? Who knew the truth — it was what Finn thought that shattered that confidence. He simply did not know when or where the Wyatt would try to jump him; they were still out there, and they were still toying with him. Couldn't they leave him be; couldn't they move on to their next victim already?

His former friends were still scared of him; no, they were scared of the demon. They all saw what he came when the paint was on, and even when he was just the tiniest bit agitated. His matches with Mark Henry and Bray Wyatt showed how truly merciless he could be, all thanks to the wretched darkness that burned in him; whether or not Finn wanted to admit it or not, his control was breaking, if there were any control at all. The possibility of the Demon coming out permanently could wreak havoc and damage worse than when Demon Kane first took off his mask. Good Ole JR was set on fire, Linda McMahon was tombstoned on the ramps, Shane McMahon was pinned to the ring post and electrocuted below the belt… people were tortured and humiliated due to Kane, so if Finn's demon was unleashed freely, what could happen to the staff, wrestlers, or Finn himself?

Cesaro ran up to Neville in the locker rooms. "Are you alright, champ?" he asked; the high flyer seemed a little tense. The two of them were seemingly alone.

"Still a little annoyed with my loss last week, you could say," Neville responded, putting tape over his wrists. "He's changed, Finn. His in-ring work isn't the same as it used to be. He fancies himself a high-flyer, but last week? No… he was more like a brawler, trying to overpower me and beat me down."

"Maybe we should talk to him, see what's going on. He seems to have gotten into his head a bit; I'm worried about the guy."

"No. Whatever's going on, he can figure it out himself. What's he going to do, cry about he doesn't know what's happening with himself or the Wyatts are torturing him? He'll find an excuse to suck you in and make you feel bad for him. It's the kind of guy that he is, Cesaro."

In the adjacent room with the other set of lockers was the man they were discussing, Finn, hearing every single word coming out of Neville's mouth.

'Tell me how you really feel,' he thought to himself as he sighed. Regardless of the fact that he wanted to turn and walk out of there, he had to get into his wrestling gear…which he had put into one of the lockers near where Neville and Cesaro were standing. He had to suck it up for now.

Finn kept his eyes low as he walked into the room, avoiding contact with Cesaro and Neville at all costs and slipping his fingers over the lock to open the locker. Neville glanced at him, his eyes twitching before grabbing his things and walking away. The Swiss Superman hesitated as he looked from Neville to Finn, conflicted if he should say something or just stay quiet. He stayed quiet and walked off, leaving the Irishman all alone. He knew his friends didn't like him anymore, but to hear this sort of distrust be put into words… somehow, he had to not think about it. 'He'll find an excuse to suck you in and make you feel bad for him. It's the kind of guy that he is, Cesaro,' echoed in his mind louder the more he tried to avoid thinking. Now was not the time for this… he shut his eyes closed so that he could focus himself, and slid his arms through his leather jacket.

Suddenly he felt a buzz from the inside of his jacket pocket; it was a text message from Bayley, his girlfriend. His face flushed a bit when he saw her name pop up on the screen.

"Good luck tonight, Finn! 3" The text read. Tonight he wasn't sure exactly who he would be facing but the well wishes still meant something to him. Another one came through, also from Bayley. "I got your back…always."

She just knew what to say, when to say it. He didn't know how she had this intuition — or why a simple text was really getting to him; was he that alone? — but he knew he couldn't mess this up. His fingers quickly, eagerly responded with his own kind words. "Thanks, sweetheart… if you need backup or some luck of your own tonight, you know where to find me. :)"

His heart was ready to burst out of his chest. She sent a text back: "Will do! [kissing emoji]." Such unexplored territory this was for him, love… The only 'love' that Finn understood was the love he had for his family… and wrestling. Dating was typically out of the question since he had virtually no time to even hook up with anybody, so this experience with Bayley, however slow, was unchartered territory.

Finn left the locker room once he was all dressed, trying hard to keep his mind focused on either a positive energy or what he would be facing tonight.

"Finn, you're fighting Kofi Kingston tonight," one of the WWE officials said in a passing moment. At least he knew what he was going to do in the ring. 'Just focus on Kofi. Be yourself,' he thought, his eyes twitching in reference to Neville's comment about his in-ring work. Oh well, it didn't matter what he said. The clock in front of him said 8:50; it was showtime for him.

Kofi Kingston, with his fellow members of The New Day, went skipping out to ringside, the Tag Team titles around the waists of Xavier Woods and Big E. Woods had his trusty trombone, Francesca, in his possession as well as the group appeared. They seemed to be in particularly good spirits as they grabbed some microphones.

"Finn Bálor wants a piece of me?" said Kofi to the audience. "The New Day is always willing to give talent a go… anytime and anywhere!" They trailed off a little bit, talking about the city they were in and advertising their merchandise — "Booty O's! They make sure, you ain't booty!" — and the crowd was loving every second. But alas, the time came where Finn had to come out in order to kick off the match; Woods and Big E exited the ring as Kofi hopped in place as a bit of a warmup, also testing the ropes.

Finn's music started to play, the smoke filling the ramps as he came out. Bálor Club Worldwide was written in big white letters against the black titantron as he centered himself below it, allowing himself to feel present in that moment. When it was time to go, that's what truly counted — nothing else. He started to walk, albeit slowly so that he could gaze at the audience in the arena, before setting his eyes on Kofi, nodding his head lightly. 'You can do this,' he told himself. 'Focus. Don't forget to breathe.'

But the match was futile as it never got the chance to even begin. The arena cut to black, the lights seemingly burnt out, as the audience went up in uproar. What was happening? Sucking in his breath quickly, fear settled in. His pupils widened — not that anyone could see — his heart banged against his ribcage, his body began to shiver, and he couldn't move. His head creaked as he looked from side to side, not even sensing another presence around him but still acknowledging that fear that plagued his stomach.

It had to be the Wyatts. There was no other persona in the WWE that would pull this off, other than Kane — a man who hadn't been seen in quite some time — and the Undertaker, who also hadn't been seen since Survivor Series. The Brothers of Destruction had no business messing with Finn…

Twenty seconds passed and then the lights flickered back into view, and it was something out of Finn's nightmare; the Wyatts had him surrounded with their ugly masks over their faces… except for Bray. Bray's chilling blue eyes stared into Finn's mere inches away with that eerie, toothy grin greeting his foe. With the agility of a man half his size, the Eater of Worlds wrapped his arm around Finn's neck, bending him over and slamming his face into the steel of the ramps, successfully executing his patented Sister Abigail. Everything went black for the Irishman while Bray couldn't hold back his laughter, getting on his knees with his arms outstretched to the sides.

"You're a fool, Finn Bálor! You cannot escape me!" Bray shouted before allowing himself to snicker once again. The New Day, the leaders of their Tag Team Division, watched this unfold for a few moments before running at the Family, not wanting to allow such lack of sportsmanship in their presence. Kofi ran at Bray while Xavier and Big E charged at Eric Rowan and Braun Strowman respectively, however, their efforts, while at first powerful and dominant, proved to be as futile as the match that never started. Rowan and Strowman smashed Woods and Big E into the steel of the steps and the barricades that separated the audience from them, many of the persons watching shrieking in shock at how close they were getting. Kofi had some success where he was able to momentarily separate Bray from Finn — Finn laying against the ramps unconscious — however one misstep and the Patriarch was able to crash into the Tag Team Champion, slamming him into the apron, most commonly known as the hardest part of the ring. Kofi let out of a loud gasp as his back hit against it, falling to his knees. Bray returned to Finn along with Rowan and Strowman, picking up the cruiserweight by the back of the neck. Rowan and Strowman, they grabbed him by the head and legs, and raised him high above their heads, the Wyatt Family whisking him away backstage with the former NXT Champion.

"You see, this is what happens when you don't listen to Bray, children," the Patriarch declared. "I told you I was coming for you, and you don't listen; no one ever listens. Let this be a warning to all of you watching; don't ever underestimate Bray Wyatt again, because Bray Wyatt is a man of his word!" He dropped the mic and joined his brethren.

The next thing Finn knew was a gush of water raining down on his head, waking him up instantly. It was cold, the icy feeling like needles poking his skin. He gasped from the initial shock but came to quickly realize that the water was the least of his problems. He was tied down to a chair with a bunch of ropes — his hands tied behind his back — and he was not alone. The room he was in was dull as far as he could tell; only a faint light in a lantern illuminated this place.

"You just never learn, do you?" Bray said in his low, raspy voice. Eric and Braun were hiding their faces behind their masks, though Braun leaned over and slapped Finn across the face hard, blood flushing to his cheek and creating a dark bruise. "No! I want him comfortable…" Bray's arm shot up to separate the two men; Strowman obliged and backed off.

'Comfortable?' Finn snarled in his thoughts. 'You pull this shit on me, and you want me comfortable…?' Slowly he lifted his head back up, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. Defiance glowed in Finn's expression, hints of the demon bleeding through even though deep down he was truly scared for his life. His hands shook with anxiety out of view/

"What're you going to do to me?" Finn asked, breaking his silence after a moment.

"We just want to talk, my boy," Bray replied.

"Talk? Don't make me laugh." As the Patriarch leaned beside Finn's chair, a sense of terror shot down his spine and he flinched and turned his head away as he felt his breath against the bare skin of his arm.

"I have and never will lie to you, Finn Bálor; I will always promise you that. Now that I have you here… it's about time we have a chat, don't you think?"

"Are you planning on killing me?" 'Just get it over with already.'

The Eater of Worlds laughed a little. "If I just killed you…where would the fun in that be? Not when there's so much at stake…" He allowed his words to trail off as he nodded his head slowly and to himself; his brethren were standing guard, not moving or saying a single word. "We're going to let you go, my boy, but after we had our fair share of talking.

"What you have inside you… that sweet demon of yours…" Bray placed his finger tips along Finn's abs — it was at this point that he realized he was still in his wrestling gear, his leather jacket pried open to expose his body — causing the former NXT Champion to let out a loud grunt, his body involuntarily jumping. His fear was overwhelming, powerful…only manifesting more fear. "…that is what I desire. I see right through you, man, right through the façade that you think you've so cleverly created. Your power over this inner demon, your true potential and strength, is nothing more than a broken cage. You're so afraid over your real self… It's only causing you more stress…" His fingernails pressed against his bare skin, causing the Irishman to yelp. His heartbeat was erratic, his forehead beading with sweat. "Surrender yourself to me… and I'll be the one to control you. You need somebody who can put you in your place but unleash what you really are. I can make you better."

"You want to weaponize me…"

"Not at all. I want you on my side, Finn Bálor."

"Just let me go. We can put this all behind us, call it a night. I won't tell another soul about this… just let me go." Finn was begging… even he was shocked at how quickly he felt destroyed. His body trembled as he turned to face Bray.

"No… I want you to spread the word… because it won't matter what you do, my boy; it'll all end the same way for I have foreseen the future… you will kneel in front of me and declare your allegiance and brotherhood to me. But this version of you… your demon will surrender. You don't have what it takes to control it, but that is what I am here for. You weren't meant to lead… I was…" Bray slipped behind Finn's chair and sliced the rope that held him hostage with a pocket knife. Finn felt the cool metal against his hand for the quickest second and stopped all movement. He was no stranger to weapons, but this only worsened the situation.

"You're wrong…" Finn whimpered, how pathetic he felt in this moment. The rope fell to the floor and he was free… though he didn't dare move.

"Wrong? Have I ever been wrong?"

"You're wrong… you don't know me… you know nothing…"

"Ignorance is something I do not understand, Finn Bálor…" His lips curled into a sickening, creepy smile, his eyes lighting up in eerie joy.

"Ignorant about ignorance, huh? Isn't that ironic?"

"I like you, my boy… you have no idea how much I like you… but please, man, don't assume that I haven't a clue about your life when I know you better than you. I do my research… not to mention…" He pulled a couple photos from his back pocket, the top one revealing an image of Finn and Bayley kissing. Another revealed the two embracing in a tight hug. Finn stared at the photos in silence, his facial skin drooping into a frown as his eyes widened in horror; he could have sworn his heart stopped beating and exhaled audibly as a result. 'Anybody but Bayley…' What was he supposed to think except for the worst?

"What—"

"I've been watching your girlfriend for quite some time now as well… former NXT Women's Champion, one of the Four Horsewomen—"

"Everyone knows that—"

"—you were the first one she told about her callup back in that bar… she had a meeting with Triple H to discuss her plans. She'd been admiring you for a little while, just as you did with her… Did you know she and Asuka nearly came to blows backstage at NXT?"

"You leave her out of this. She's completely innocent in all this; don't you dare touch her."

"Shh… Put your fears at rest… No harm will come to her and has yet to arrive…" The Patriarch looked over his shoulder at Braun, nodding his head at him as the Black Sheep handed a red piece of cloth to him. "In fact… she's planning on meeting you quite soon…" Quicker than a fox, Bray slid the cloth — a blindfold — over Finn's eyes and grabbed him by the arms to pull him upright. Strowman and Rowan animated and replaced Bray's grip on him, picking him back up over their heads as they started to walk.

Moments later, Finn could feel a gentle, warm breeze against his skin, and he noticed he was put back on the ground, standing still. No one moved momentarily.

"Remember, my boy…" Bray leaned forward, his hot breath burning against Finn's ear. "Run." The blindfold was untied in one quick motion and disappeared along with the Wyatts.

Clarity. Finn was back in front of the arena where he had wrestled that night. Was he taken backstage, and now was outside? Did the Wyatts take him to some other place? All he knew was that he was afraid. Horrified, overwhelmed, and afraid. Why him? All he wanted to do was be in WWE and win championships, maybe one day be great enough to enter the Hall of Fame. 'Tis a simple desire, a dream, yet he felt like he was being crucified over a piece of himself, a part that he hated. He didn't deserve this, point blank. The Authority was enough, now this…

"Finn?" Bayley's voice popped up in the background. The Hugger was leaving the arena and was already comfortable in her street clothes; her brown eyes scanning the area in search of the man she now called boyfriend. "Where is he…" She had a particular good night, defeating the likes of Summer Rae, a woman she had a rich history with in NXT way back when. It meant something to hear to have buried a part of the past she had yet to overcome. Her head moved from side to side before seeing a familiar black leather jacket. Her expression lit up as she knew the man inside it and ran to him. "Finn, there you are! I was so worried about you!"

As he turned around to see her, she knew immediately something was wrong. He was pale, paler than usual; he gave fellow Irish competitor, Sheamus, a run for his money. His eyes that were once filled with such happiness were hollow and glassy. "Bayley…?"

She reached up to touch his face gently, noticing the large bruise that had taken shape; he flinched immediately. "What happened…? Are you okay…?"

"I… it's…" He shook his head and decided to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. She was happy, she was safe. That's the only thing that mattered at that time. His only friend, his love, was safe and sound.