Just as she was about to burst through the restroom door, she heard male voices in the hallway and halted immediately, pushing it open just an inch to listen. The last thing she wanted to do was to rush out into a dangerous situation and end up hurt...or worse.
"Help! Somebody help!" She heard Debra's voice and then it sounded like someone had slapped her across the face, silencing her in an instant.
"Not this time, Debra." A deep, husky voice came in response. "I can smell your fear...and I have to say, its very arousing."
Persia pushed the door open a little further until she could see past the white doorpost with only one eye, quieting her breath in case it was too loud. When she spotted the source of the commotion, a dry lump formed in her throat and she had to swallow it to keep from choking. Standing about twelve feet away were eight men dressed in all black. The sight of them screamed danger in itself and something about their presence in the hallway was simply malicious. Persia observed each of them and noticed that two of them, both blonde and exposing razor sharp teeth behind wicked smirks, were holding Debra by her arms. The look on her face was of pure terror and anxiety. Her eyes alone begged for the mercy of survival.
She felt like she was back in high school, watching the football players she associated herself with bullying one of the smaller guys or a girl they wanted to have their way with. Because of who she was to them, they had always listened to her when she commanded them to stop their heinous ways. So she was pretty convinced that she still had a bit of "hero" left in her now that she was a grown woman. Taking a deep breath, she palmed the door open loudly and stormed out into the middle of the hallway, facing the eight men surrounding Debra. "Let her go." She commanded firmly, her eyes dark with anger and her expression hard as stone.
But as soon as all eight men turned their heads toward her, she regretted even stepping out of the safety of the restroom, for she had not noticed the man who was standing directly infront of Debra, his massive frame daunting compared to the others. She swallowed as the man's head turned slowly and the only thing she could see after the motion, was a pair of glaring, deathly cold, acid green eyes. It seemed that when he could fully get a look at her, the snarl on his face melted into a straight line and in that instant, Persia felt like her heart had stopped. Holy shit, he's huge. Am I seeing Satan?
For a moment, no one spoke and the enormous man with the Luciferic appearance turned all the way around to face her, his eyes never leaving hers, in fact they were so piercing it seemed like they were looking into her very soul. Persia couldn't move, couldn't breath. She was so frightened by him it was as if time had suddenly stopped all around her and all she could feel in the air was death. Dark, bloody, gruesome death. The man tilted his head at her and she heard a low sound like a hum or a growl rumble in his throat before Debra suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Persia, run!"
It was like a slap in the face. Persia blinked several times, glancing toward Debra, then in every direction and it was then that she saw something that made her gasp. A tall, dark man with a bleached mohawk sitting at the top of his bald head was carrying a motionless body on its right shoulder, holding it down with his long, massive arm. To her astonishment, that motionless body wore the look of a dominatrix. Is that-?
Persia gasped, control returning to her legs as she took several steps back, nearly losing balance. "What've you done to Chyna?" She asked in a soft, shaky voice, feeling completely helpless.
"It's not about what we've done to her, lady." Answered the man carrying Chyna on his shoulder, glaring Persia down with glowing, silver eyes. "It's about what we're going to do with her." A dark chuckle followed the statement and the other men joined in with their own wicked laughter, except for the enormous, Lucifer-like man who kept a straight face as he watched her intently.
Two other men from the group -one black and one white- both with strange, occult-like symbols tattooed across their chests stepped forward and began making their way toward Persia.
"Run!For God sakes, just FUCKING RUN!" Debra continued to scream.
Persia's eyes went wide as she watched the two blonde men restraining Debra ram her back into the wall, causing her to cough violently. The back of her skull had made impact so hard she'd begun to sway. Gasping once again in horror, Persia turned and fled, her heels shooting off in opposite directions. The second she reached the main backstage area, she saw Shawn talking to a tall, well-built, bald-headed man, dressed in a black vest and a pair of tight, denim shorts. The large, white skull printed on the back of his vest let Persia know that he had to be one of the wrestlers.
"Shawn! Shawn!" Persia screamed, pumping her legs faster across the concrete floor.
Shawn's head immediately snapped in her direction along with the man standing across from him.
"They have Chyna!" She ran so fast she could hardly stop herself. Shawn took a few steps forward and held out his arms, stopping her fast-moving body in its tracks before she could run further.
"What the hell's goin' on?" The bald man demanded, his thick Texan accent going unnoticed.
Persia could hardly breathe as she grabbed both of Shawn's arms, looking back over her shoulders while fighting to get past him. "They're coming! They're coming!" She panted so heavily it sounded like her lungs would explode.
"What? Who're you talking about?" Shawn asked loudly, frowning at her as he tried to hold her steady. "Persia, look at me. Calm down and tell me what's going on."
Persia swallowed and looked Shawn in the eyes. "There were eight men in the hallway when I came out the bathroom. They all looked dark and...and evil like they were in some devilish gang. I don't know who they were but they have Chyna unconscious and a woman named Debra Marshall. And now I guess I've seen too much because they're coming after me too!"
"What?" The bald man blurted suddenly, causing Persia to flinch. "Where are they?" He shouted at her.
"Over there." Persia looked back to where she'd just came, then returned her attention to Shawn. "I don't know what they're gonna do to them, Shawn! We really need to go."
"Not without Chyna." Shawn released her and ran toward the hallway, the bald-headed man following closely behind him.
Persia watched them both, spotting the writing on the back of his black, leather vest. Stone Cold Steve Austin.
…...
The audience roared with both fear and excitement as the music used to announce the arrival of the Ministry of Darkness blared all around the arena. The entire area went pitch black except for down below where a dark purplish light shone down upon the ramp and the ring it led to, capturing the attention of the crowd. The eight figures strolling down the ramp as if they owned it were very well known, so any officials or referees standing nearby had immediately fled to hide behind the announcer tables or scrambled beneath the ring like frightened gerbils.
The Undertaker wore a look of pure malice as he led his Ministry into the ring, dressed in his signature ring gear. He didn't bother to show his power that day by turning on the lights after he walked up the steel steps. Instead, him and his minions simply paced around beneath the dark purplish light that had already lit up the ring. While Taker looked around at the responding crowd, his eyes full of hatred toward the simple mortals surrounding him, Edge and Gangrel forced Debra onto her knees on the right side of him. Tears streaked her face til no end and now that she was before thousands, her hands were bound behind her back in thick, heavy chains. She shook her head side to side constantly, sobbing softly in fear. On Taker's left side, Viscera stood with one arm around the unconscious Chyna, holding her tightly against his chest so that he could stroke her silky, blonde hair with one, gloved hand.
Christian walked up to Taker and handed him a mic he'd taken from one of the announcer tables and once the crowd had settled down a bit, the Deadman lifted the device to his cold lips. "I hope this has gotten everyone's attention." He began. "Everyone of you putrid souls surrounding me and the even more putrid souls walking around backstage. The Ministry has returned after two months of absence and we are here for one thing: vengeance. Y'see, two days ago, someone made a cowardous move to anger me and my Ministry. Someone deliberately intruded my property and attacked my conscience, Paul Bearer." He paused to look around, waiting on any responses to die down. "I'm here to find and identify the crotchless, self-righteous son of a bitch who would even dare step foot near my property and attack my conscience. And not only has he been beaten almost to death, whoever's done this also stole my sacred urn. And if I don't get it back within a decent amount of time if not tonight...I. . HELL!"
The audience started up their cheering and roaring again which nearly drowned out the sound of Debra's screaming next to Taker's leg. He looked down at her, grabbed her by the hair and forced her to her feet, turning her around to face him as he yanked her head back. "Now I know whoever did this won't step up right away like a man who actually has a set. So I figured they could use a little...coax. If no one comes out here and tells me who attacked Paul within the next 60 seconds, I will break both of these insignificant little sluts in half!"
…...
Hunter had never heard a more beautiful sound than Stephanie's sounds of pleasure as he felt her warm body move beneath his. Each time he inhaled her scent, it was like a piece of heaven had entered his system, filled him from head to toe with a yearning for her that he'd never felt for another woman. His face was buried in her neck, teeth nipping and sucking at the soft, sensitive flesh as his hand played under her dress. He enjoyed the way her back arched to him as his fingers brushed against the rosy bud inside her panties, meddling with it until her breath quickened in his ear. He could hear her heart pounding against her chest and his own raced at the exact same rhythm as they were both lost in each other. Lost in the moment of being together again.
He was careful not to put all of his weight on her as he lay on top of her, the sofa supporting them both below. His fingers impaled her with hardly a warning, eliciting a soft cry from her lips and she clung to his arms, her arousal stimulated from both his sucking on her neck and his invading hand.
"Mmm. You're such a dirty little girl, Stephanie." Hunter's husky voice rumbled against her neck as he felt just how soaked she was, causing chills to race up her spine.
"I'm your dirty little girl, Hunter." Stephanie moaned in return, causing Hunter's entire body to shudder in ecstasy.
He was just about to make her moan some more when suddenly the locker room door exploded open, startling the living hell out of them both. "Holy shit!" Hunter swore as he and Stephanie jumped up at the same time.
"This is an emergency!" Shawn rushed in, followed by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
"What? What the fuck is it?" Hunter shouted back at him, obviously angered by the sudden interuption.
"While you were in here about to fuck this little sleazy tramp, Chyna and Debra don' got their asses kidnapped!" Steve yelled bluntly.
"Hey!" Stephanie yelled, pulling her dress down as she rose off the couch. "Just who the hell do you think you're callin' a sleazy tramp, Austin?"
"You better watch your mouth, Austin, or you won't be worrying about Debra anymore." Hunter threatened him, holding Stephanie back.
"Guys, seriously!" Shawn jumped in between them. "Chyna and Debra are both in danger!"
"Wait, wait, wait." Hunter waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head clear of all cobwebs. "Who the hell kidnapped them? And why?"
"Well we didn't see it actually happen, but Persia came and told us and based on her description it was..." His heart sank a little and he swallowed. "The Ministry of Darkness."
Stephanie gasped and slapped her hands to her mouth, looking over at Hunter who swore and raked a hand roughly through his golden hair. "Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!" He began pacing around angrily. Then stopped and approached Stephanie, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Stephanie, you have to stay here while we go after the Ministry. I won't let you be the next one to be kidnapped, alright?"
"But, Hunter. You three can't take all of them alone." Stephanie protested, her voice full of concern.
"We'll do what we goddamn can." Steve spoke up. "If I have to go out back and get my goddamn sniper rifle then I sure as hell will! Last time them sick bastards got their hands on Debra, them bloodsuckin' wannabes did some pretty nasty shit to her. She's still scarred from that shit, man!"
"Steph, please stay here. Promise me you won't come out and do something foolish. We both know how you are." Hunter said.
Stephanie was hesitant, but sighed and nodded her response. Hunter kissed her on the forehead to say thank you before he, Shawn, and Austin bolted out of the room, the door slamming shut behind them.
"So where the fuck are they now?" Hunter asked as the three men ran through the hallway.
"They're probably out in the ring, showcasin' the girls like their little hoes." Austin suggested, his arms pumping heavily on either side of him.
"Shit." Both Hunter and Shawn spat at the same time.
"Who knows what kinda heinous shit he's got planned for them!" Shawn said.
After all the bumping into and knocking several people over, not to mention kicking through several doors, they reached the arena and ran out onto the stage just in time to see the Ministry with Chyna and Debra standing around in the ring.
"Debra!" Stone Cold instantly shouted and started down the ramp, but Hunter and Shawn immediately grabbed him back. He saw her head snap toward the stage, which meant she'd somehow heard him above the crowd and immediately she began a fit of screaming. "Steve! Steve, help!" He heard her voice just as clear as day. He noticed the way the Undertaker had her in chains and was pulling back on her hair like she was his untamed bitch. His face went red as blood in anger and he jerked himself forward against the arms holding him back, shouting and cursing at the top of his lungs. "You get your fuckin' hands off her, ya overgrown dead bastard!" His booming voice echoed down the ramp and in return, The Undertaker simply glared at him, completely unfazed and unimpressed. "Bitch, I will kick yer fuckin' ass!"
While Hunter kept Stone Cold from rushing into the danger zone that was the ring, Shawn scurried across the stage where he found a mic someone had left and turned to the Ministry. "Alright, alright, gentlemen." He spoke into the device, his voice now audible above the screaming crowd. "We're going to try and handle this in a calm, professional manner." He looked frantic, rocking back and forth on his widely-parted feet with one arm extended forward in defense. "Now, if you would kindly give us Chyna and Debra, nobody will get hurt. Okay? So just...hand 'em on over-"
"Do I look stupid to you?" The Undertaker shouted into his own microphone, his face turning red in anger. "If you want them so bad, why don't you come down here and get them yourselves."
Shawn exhanged glances with Hunter and Stone Cold, then looked back at Taker. "What happens if we do?"
"You'd better pray your soul to the Lord, boy, because the rest of your scrawny ass will be mine!" Taker growled darkly, fixing the much smaller and weaker man with his cold gaze. "But if you must insist, on handling this whole thing professionally, you'll give me what I really want out of this building."
"What? What do you want? We'll give you anything!" Shawn pleaded. "Is it our souls?"
"No." Taker answered and his cold, dead lips curled up into an arcane smirk. "I'll give you a hint...she is obviously a friend of yours judging by the way she cried out for you when I damn near scared her to her grave. I can describe her features to make it easier for you to guess, but you may not be pleased with my exact opinion of her looks."
"Hanh?" Shawn's face twisted in confusion as he looked over at Hunter and Steve. And then it dawned on him, his eyes immediately widening. "Y-you mean-?"
"Yes." Taker cut him off, the word coming out in a snake-like hiss. He was actually pleased with Shawn's intellect. "Bring her to me and I'll set these two free. You'd better be happy I'm actually making a deal with you."
"Wait." Shawn shook his head. "But why do you want her?"
"That...is none of your concern." Taker growled once again, narrowing his eyes. "I suggest you hurry up and find her. Or you'll never see your precious Chyna again."
Shawn pressed his hands to either side of his head, looking about frantically.
"Shawn." Hunter called from across the stage. "Shawn, who the fuck is he talking about?"
Shawn was afraid to tell him the answer and after a few seconds of thought, he approached both Hunter and Austin, a weary look upon his face. "I really don't want to tell you this, but.." He paused and looked toward The Undertaker. "He's talking about Persia."
Hunter felt the color flush from his face. "You son of a bitch! I won't let you have her!" He shouted viciously at the Undertaker, getting only a low, dark chuckle in return.
"Apparently I overestimated your intelligence, Hunter." The Undertaker took a step toward Viscera and tauntingly ran his fingers through Chyna's hair. Viscera smirked when he did this. "I suppose now she belongs to us, right Viscera?"
Replying with a nod and a chortle, Viscera tossed Chyna up onto his shoulder and caressed the back of her thigh with his free hand. Hunter and Shawn nearly lost their minds when they saw this.
"No!" Hunter shouted, letting go of Steve. In the blink of an eye, he became the one who needed to be held back as he rocketed down the ramp, Steve and Shawn immediately dashed full speed after him.
Watching them run toward the ring, The Undertaker lifted his left hand in the air, his fist closed as if he were holding mistletoe above the empty space before him. "I'll be back." He said lowly before he threw his hand down and a loud shattering noise was heard and all too suddenly and startlingly, every life form standing in the ring vanished into thin air like phantoms, leaving behind only a hovering cloud of swirling, black smoke.
Hunter was the first to dive through the ropes and run right into the mystical residue, his lungs instantly locking up on him as if they'd suddenly turned to stone. He hit the mat hard, grabbing at his throat as his eyes grew wide and his body began to jerk violently, fighting for air to breath. The veins on the sides of his neck began to bulge, appearing as though they would burst as they suddenly turned from a normal green shade to a deathly blue. He felt as if consciousness was fading in and out of him and he rolled onto his back violently, still jerking and twitching for air. Just as the purplish light began to fade from his eyes, he felt two hands grab both of his feet and pull him right out of the ring, causing him to hit the concrete with a thud. He immediately went into a coughing fit, spewing black dust from his mouth as he rolled around on the ground, gasping and choking. "They're gone!" He rasped out, struggling to regain his senses. "They're all fucking gone!"
…...
The locker room was quiet as Hunter paced about impatiently. Stephanie and Persia were sitting on the sofa while Stone Cold and Shawn stood on either side with their arms folded, looking away both awkwardly and angrily.
"I don't understand." Persia spoke up, breaking the silence that hung between them, her voice soft and still a bit shaken. "Who were those men and why did they take Chyna and Debra?"
"They call themselves the Ministry of Darkness." Stephanie began to explain. "They are very evil men who sacrifice people in the name of darkness and they are led by one of the most-feared men in all of the WWF." She turned her head to look at Persia who's eyes were downcast, hands clasped in her lap. She looked as if she were trying to hide her fear, but it showed nonetheless. "The Undertaker."
"Is he..?" Persia tried to ask, but paused, the memory of that giant, demonic being seared into her mind.
"The one that looks like Satan." Shawn finished for her, muttering something under his breath afterwards.
Stephanie nodded. "You do not want to get in that man's way. Ever." She added.
"Ya wanna know why he took Debra and Chyna?" Steve chimed in.
Persia looked up at him, her eyes glassy and sorrowful when she saw the daunting anger written upon his face.
"He took 'em 'cause he wanted us to trade him another woman, but we didn't. Wanna know who that woman was?"
Hunter fired him a harsh glare, knowing where he was going with that. "Steve, stop it." He warned him, but was apparently ignored.
"He wanted you." Austin all but spat at her.
"Shut your fucking mouth Austin!" Hunter stormed up to Stone Cold and roughly pushed him back against the wall, his face still bloodred in anger. "None of this is her fucking fault! So don't talk to her like it is, alright!"
"Then, its your fault 'cause you were too damn selfish to give her to him!" Austin yelled back, spit flying from his lips.
"Listen to yourself! I'm not gonna give up one friend for another! Point blank! I don't leave any man or woman left behind, nor do I use them as scapegoats!"
"That ain't what Chyna's gonna be thinking when she wakes up in The Undertaker's chamber of TORTURE!"
"Will both of you just stop it?" Stephanie screamed, jumping to her feet. "I know we're all pissed off and frantic, but the important thing is to stay calm and think things through!"
Hunter and Steve turned their heads to look at her and for a moment, she simply glared them both down, showing the strength she possessed as a woman. She then lowered her attention to Persia, who was staring straight ahead at nothing. "Now," She said to her, settling back down onto the couch and gently touching Persia's shoulder. "Do you have any idea why the Undertaker would want you instead of Chyna and Debra?"
Persia shook her head. "I've never seen him before in my entire life. I don't even know what I've done wrong." She confessed.
"Are you sure?" Stephanie egged her on.
She nodded in response. "I just know that when he first saw me...and we first locked eyes...it was like..."She paused and shook her head. "Oh, I don't know."
"What? It was like what?" Hunter walked in front of her and squatted down to her level, looking her in the eyes.
"I don't know how to describe it, Hunter. I was just...so scared. It was like looking death in the face. In fact, when I looked into his eyes, it felt like I really was dying. Slowly and painlessly."
"Is something wrong with you? Y'know...mentally?" Steve asked her, squinting.
At that, Persia felt something snap in the back of her mind and she instantly jumped to her feet. "No! Nothing's wrong with me! I'm perfectly fucking fine!" She raised her voice at him. "After all, I'm only wanted by a devil out of hell!"
"Leave her be, Steve." Shawn finally spoke up from the other side of the sofa. "I think we all need to go home and get some rest. It's been a long night."
"I agree." Hunter rose to his full height. "Stephanie, you should probably tell your dad what's going on."
"Oh, trust me. He's gotten every detail by now." Stephanie nodded.
"Persia, I'm gonna drop you off at your hotel and we're all gonna forget about this whole thing until morning time, alright?"
Persia only nodded.
…...
The Hilton Hotel had always been one of Persia's personal favorites. It was simply beautiful and so well adorned from its tropical set lobby to its well-kept rooms and services. Sadly, hardly any of that mattered to Persia as Hunter walked her up to her hotel room. What mattered the most to her was the safety the hotel would hopefully provide her with.
After Persia walked into the suite, Hunter waited by the doorway, watching her throw her purse onto the bed. He looked greatly concerned, for he did not want to leave her alone. Especially not after what they'd all been through that night. "I could stay with you...if you want." He suggested, his voice gentle and assuring.
"I appreciate your help, Hunter. But I'm fine." Persia smiled weakly at him. "You go and enjoy your night with Stephanie."
"That'll be a bit hard to do." Hunter chuckled a bit, leaning against the doorway. "Especially while my mind is on you."
Persia blinked, simply staring at him. Hunter nodded once to her and slipped out from the doorway. "Well, goodnight." He said. "Be safe." And the door clicked shut.
…...