CHAPTER 23 – Armageddon – Part three

The next morning, Fresia was at the arena early. The courier arrived punctual and she signed the delivering papers, then began to hide the packages inside the drawers and lockers of her room. At that hour there weren't many people at the arena, so she could move freely, with no fear of being caught by her friends. The first guys to arrive would have been the ring crew, they had to finish the building of the cage for the evening's PPV, Armageddon. Then, in the afternoon, they had to test the cage, for the safety of the wrestlers involved in the main event. Jason too had to be there to check the construction's operation that morning, so Fresia thought to start the delivery of the packages just with him.

But first, she had to face Mark.

Mark arrived at the arena ahead of time and decided to have breakfast at the catering, not knowing that Fresia was already in her room. He couldn't eat at the hotel because the restaurant was full of WWF workers, who had stopped talking as soon as Mark entered the dining room, looking at him with hostility. It was like sitting in a freezer. So he decided to have breakfast at the arena. He managed to eat just some toast with scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee then, impatient to see his Squirrel, he threw the napkin on the table and marched to the hair and makeup department.

He had thought all night long about her and how to explain what had happened. He just had to tell her the truth: the words she heard were only the answer to the provocations of a bunch of idiots. They were harassing him and he reacted hardly, to shut them up. Nothing more. He would have told her that in truth their relationship was important for him and as far as he was concerned, he had absolutely no intention of replace her. Everything was going to be all right, he thought.

Her perfume informed him that she was already there, even before reaching her workstation. She was hiding some Christmas packages in a closet, putting one aside on a shelf. She wore a pair of black jeans and an orange sweater, her hair tied in a ponytail.

"Hi Squirrel" he said, to attract her attention.

She turned around slowly and Mark almost recoiled. Her beautiful eyes seemed lethargic and had dark shadows around them. He realized that Fresia, like him, didn't sleep at all that night.

"Ciao Mark" she said. Fresia enveloped him in a quick glance. He was dressed all in jeans, with a blue sweatshirt on his shoulders. His hair was down and fell softly around his sexy face. He had on black sunglasses, a kind of trademark of his character. Fresia sighed inwardly, she didn't want to be distracted by his appearance, otherwise she couldn't concentrate on what she wanted to tell him.

"Why did you want to meet me here?" Mark asked

"We both had to be here today"

"Yes, but there is too much people around. We should talk in private" he said, closing the door.

"Here is just fine, Laura and Cindy will arrive in the late afternoon and for that hour we'll be done already" Fresia said, cutting it short.

Mark was a little taken aback by her brusque manners, she was always so sweet with him. She sure was pissed off.

"Listen Squirrel, I wasn't really thinking the things I said… Glen and Paul were pestering me since a few days, I couldn't stand them anymore and reacted with violence instinctively, but it was just to shut them up".

"Do you think this could justify you? You were stressed because of your friend's teasing and you reacted?"

"I know it's not a justification, but it was just like that"

"And where did you get all that poison? I would never have said such awful things about the man I love" she said looking straight in his eyes.

Mark knew she was right, but why couldn't she understand that he reacted in that way just for self-defense?

"I'm telling you that those words didn't mean anything, it was the only way to stop them. What do you want me to say still?"

"I think you said enough, Mark" she sighed, lowering her eyes. There was nothing left to say, in fact. It seemed like he didn't give importance to what had happened.

"Little one, listen…." he tried to explain, but Fresia stopped him

"No, you listen. Don't you realize how mean you've been? How cruel? I can't think that my man could be so merciless to me, just to get the better of his coworkers".

Mark looked at Fresia while she opened her heart to him; he had hurt her again, but really he had not wanted to do it.

"What are you expecting from me now, to make up for my mistake? What do you want from me, Squirrel?" he asked.

Fresia just wanted to hear one thing… She took a deep breath to calm herself and then lifted her face up and up, so she could look in his eyes.

"Just answer this question: do you love me?"

That's it, she had said it. Now she would have known the truth, finally. But the only answer she got was the silence.

Mark felt weird, as if the room was closing on him; he knew that Fresia was waiting for his answer but honestly he didn't know what to say. Love? He had never pronounced the "L" word, it was a feeling he never considered. He even didn't know if he really believed in love, after all the failures he witnessed in his family and among his friends. How could he say a simple yes or no?

Answer me, please. Say something – Fresia was begging him, inwardly. But his silence was prolonging, becoming heavy and sharp like a knife.

Mark put his hands in his pockets and exhaled his breath, something that Fresia took as an impatient snort. It was over, there was nothing left she could do.

"Well – she said in a whisper – I think I just had my answer, there's no need for you to try to find something to say"

Fresia took the package that was on a bracket, Jason's gift, and walked to the door.

"I don't want to stay with a man who can talk about me in those terms, especially at my back. I don't want to stay with a man who feels nothing for me. I deserve better, Mark".

Mark saw her open the door and go out in the corridor, but he couldn't find anything to tell her. All the phrases he could think of seemed predictable and empty, useless. So he let her leave, doing nothing to stop her.

"See you at work, Mark" she said before turning around with the package in her hands.

Walking toward the ring to meet Jason, Fresia knew that she was leaving the love of her life behind, but she didn't look back. She didn't want the crumbs, she didn't want to humiliate herself begging for the attentions of a man who didn't love her. It wasn't fair. Maybe somewhere there was already a man who was looking for her. Someone who would have loved and respected her, returning her feelings with no fear; someone who wanted to spend his life with her. Yes, and she would have found him, sooner or later, it was only a matter of time.

She just hoped that this man could take Mark's place in her heart, cancelling the anguish that was suffocating her.

She walked down the ramp leading to the ring, looking for Jason. She saw him to the other side of the arena, debating animatedly with two guys of his staff. Fresia attracted his attention waving at him and Jason gestured "5 minutes" with his hand, he seemed worried. Today really was a bad day for a lot of people, Fresia told to herself sitting in one of the chair of the second row, beside the ring.

She took her cell and sent a message to her friends:

Need you girls

Meet me at 2 pm at the catering

I'll explain you then.

Fre

While she was typing the message, she heard a squeak, like a rusty hinge. She raised her eyes and saw that the crew was lifting the cage, protagonist of the "Hell in a cell" match at Armageddon, over the ring. It was almost at the higher point when a sharp noise, like a shot, spread around the arena and the cage began to fall. Someone screamed "Look out!" before the roar of the steel crashing down covered every other noise.

The cell broke in two parts and one of them tilted dangerously in the direction of the frontal places, right where Fresia was seated. She saw the pile of iron and steel coming on her and had just the time to give a shout before the survival's instinct made her throw herself on the floor, between two rows of seats. The cage fell on her, but the seats endured the impact, sparing Fresia of being hit.

She lay on the ground, her head between her arms, waiting to be pierced by some steel bar any moment. But nothing happened. Within a few seconds it was all over and an unreal silence replaced the boom of the crash. Fresia opened her eyes and looked around with caution. She saw a tangle of detritus all over her, closing the space over and beside the two row of seats that had protected her, blocking her in that little space, where the fans put their feet.

Fresia was shaking like a leaf, thinking about what could have happened to her if the cage had struck her. The stress and the fear overwhelmed her, the breath became more and more difficult, until a black veil descended on her and she lost consciousness.

Mark was still on the threshold of hair and makeup room, after Fresia had gone away. She had left him and the sensation he was feeling didn't like him at all. First of all it was the first time a woman dumped him. He was the one to leave women, not the other way around. But the emptiness he felt inside wasn't because of his wounded pride. He couldn't understand what it was but it stung like an injury, it burned like hell and closed his throat like a choke slam.

"It's not so funny when you are on the receiving end, is it?" said a voice at his back.

Mark turned to face Vince McMahon who was looking at him with a severe frown. Great, just what he needed, his boss doing the rebuke. Mark rolled his eyes, but didn't answer.

"What do you intend to do now?" Vince insisted.

"Why the hell should you care?" asked Mark

"Because that girl is far from home and his dad is not here to protect her" Vince answered, for once not intimidated by Mark.

"I understand… and you will do it, in his place right?" Mark scoffed.

"Sure, after all Fresia has the same age of Stephanie, she could be my daughter too and I will not allow you to hurt her"

"Good Lord, Vince. What do you think I could do to her?" asked Mark, exasperated.

"I don't' know, you tell me" Vince provoked him.

"I'll tell you what, absolutely nothing! I could never hurt her, I…"

He could not end his replay, a sinister roar echoed between the arena's walls, followed by a woman's scream.

Squirrel! – Mark thought. He marched toward the arena entrance with Vince at his heels. His steps became more and more fast, as the noise increased becoming deafening. When he was at the ramp, a dreadful sight welcomed him: the cage had fallen down. A part of it had broken the ring, the other side had crushed on the front stalls. A terrible sensation assaulted him, like an ill-omened sign. He knew that Fresia was there, but he couldn't see her,

Oh no, oh God no! – he thought. Panic gripped his heart and he rushed towards the Armageddon.