Dial S, For Super-Samantha
It was a cozy starry night at eleven at night when the earth shook violently, sending everyone scrambling to their beds where they'd be safe or to the doorways to cling on. They hadn't expected an earthquake this late! The rumble strengthened and before they knew it, the horn of an incoming train barreled down through the southern wall with a shake that frightened everyone. Samantha could only sigh in frightened regret to their chosen stay since she never expected train tracks to be present nearby and wondered how the poor barn animals slept since they were undoubtedly closer. The night had been pretty serene up until that point and hoped that the loud echoing horn would disappear soon, along with the frightening quakes of the train's strength. Nattie and Stephen were unfortunately occupied in the respective bathrooms upstairs as they freshened up for the night while everybody else had been preparing to sleep. Of course, this didn't help those already in bed sound asleep as they jolted awake from their shaking beds and the sudden yelling from above.
"What the-" Randy shouted in alarm as the shaking had sent him into his fight-or-flight mode, throwing his blankets aside to find the culprit that had awoken him. It was times like this that he missed having a wooden bat around for extra safety in case he found somebody stronger than himself. Samantha wasn't looking forward to telling him it was all from an innocently large train rolling by rather than an earthquake or intruder.
"Ah! My eyes!" Nattie shouted painfully from up above as her facial cleanser entered her eyes from the tremors, blinding her momentarily as she sought water from the sink. With her hands soapy and wet, it didn't aid in gripping the metal faucet to turn it on and gritted her teeth furiously. Stomping her foot in frustration to her rotten luck, she demanded shrilly to her current predicament, "Why, Lancôme? Why?"
From the men's room, Stephen's razor skewed between his fingers from the sudden shift in balance and it sliced into his perfectly styled facial hair when the heavy tremors struck. His blue eyes widened in horror as the blade cut the left side of the facial hair framing his jaw line rather than his jugular that lay an inch away. The man stood petrified to the unexpected slip of the hand and his uneven appearance, snapping out of it when the floor shook harder under his feet. At this, he dropped the disposable razor into the sink in dismay to what had just occurred and gripped the mirror to shout mournfully, "No! Oh, sweet Jaysus, NO!"
His loud commotion, not to mention his horrified tone, brought Samantha and Mike running up towards the bathroom with the utmost haste. Had he fallen and broken a foot? Accidentally cut himself? Samantha knocked on the door of the woman's bathroom while Mike took the other, asking if they were all right in there. Nattie replied she was as she'd managed to open the faucets halfway to wipe her face clean of the stinging foam cleanser in her eyes while Stephen mourned the loss of his facial hair, uttering a halfhearted okay. Samantha wasn't reassured by Stephen's voice and hoped he hadn't accidentally hurt himself or fallen into the bathtub. Mike quickly ushered the two out of the bathrooms before matters worsened by ordering, "Get out of there. The last thing we want is you guys breaking a mirror with your faces. There are no hospitals out here so be careful."
Nattie opened the door first as she used a towel to twist the doorknob rather than joinder her freedom with her wet hands and had her toiletry bag in her arms, sending Samantha over to check her like a mother hen for any injuries. All three were surprised but said nothing when they spotted Stephen and his awkward shave, shutting their mouths completely when they caught sight of the glare on his sunburned face. It wasn't directed towards them but they weren't about to poke a frustrated bear. When the rumbling ceased completely, all four scrambled downstairs for safety. . .only to find several beds in different locations than their originally spots. Randy sat up in bed (which had thankfully not moved) with a scowl on his stern features, tapping his fingers over his knee in suppressed rage and stated lowly, "This is not the kind of sleep I wanted tonight. I prefer mine without deafening train sounds."
"Could one of you guys move me back there?" Ted asked tiredly with a hopeful voice as his bed had moved directly across from the rear wall with the patio window to Randy's bed. Samantha couldn't imagine how it all must've looked because she'd never witnessed anything like that in her life. His suitcases managed to stay on the lower bunk throughout the shaking and he stared at Randy, seeing as they were now neighbors and piped up pleasantly with a charismatic grin, "Hey there, buddy."
Randy buried his head in his hands to the misery he'd awoken to while Nattie fixed her stuff, picking clothes off the floor that had fallen from her open suitcase. Hastily, she stuffed all of her items into the suitcase to zip it up to prevent another summersault of clothing because the last thing she wanted were her unmentionables spilling all over the place. Samantha tried to keep the order since everyone had experienced a jolt late in the night and suggested gently, "Let's just move everything back into place. I'm sure it's just one train for tonight, what're the odds that-"
Train horns cut off the rest of her sentence, causing everyone to cover their ears as the painfully loud noise zoomed by and Samantha closed her mouth as her voice was drowned out.
"Crap, it's coming back!" Mike yelled out frantically as the blaring sound had been the ominous precursor to the trembling and quickly hung onto a nearby bed post for protection. Hopefully, the bed would stay and the ceiling wouldn't fall on him.
Samantha quickly scrambled onto the top bunk with Nattie, the two huddling together like lost kittens as they sought refuge from the rumbling. Randy's bed decided to be the hockey puck this time and the metal bed creaked in protest as it began rotating around the room with a dull thumping, moving away from Ted's bunk as the blond waved goodbye to his departing friend. He was left alone in the center of the room and hoped his own bunk wouldn't topple over while Randy fought whether to bail on his bed or stay, much to his chagrin. The women yelled at Stephen to move seconds later and he managed to grip their bed, jumping on top of the lower bunk as he narrowly avoid being plowed into by Randy's wayward bed. Both women grasped the redhead by the arms to keep him in place during the tremors while Randy's bed receded from theirs to roam elsewhere. As for Mike, Matthew, and John, they managed to stay in safely in place as they watched Randy's bed with mystified intrigue.
"Cén fáth nach raibh mé a chur ar an traein?" Stephen sighed dismally to the awful night he was experiencing, burying his face into the comforter but thanking the women in a muffled voice for their help. ('Why didn't I take the train?')
"No puedo creer esto" Samantha mumbled disappointedly to join whatever Stephen had said because the day had gone entirely wrong since setting foot on that creaky old van. While its journey in life had come to a full circle, theirs continued in a roller coaster of adrenaline and she patted the top of his spiky head in sympathy. The walls continued rattling surreally, sending goosebumps down her back as she longed for home- or any safe spot- and Nattie glanced upwards at the ceiling as she hoped hoped it wouldn't cave in. ('I can't believe this')
"People, one language!" Randy shouted in warning over their rabble up front as the entire area shook but he wanted to hear the insults of their crappy day in English so he could bask in them. . .and add one in himself.
Ted, who was pretty much wary at that point since he remained in the center of the room where his bed had no protection if it toppled over, made the most sense as he declared, "Let's bail!"
"Wait, maybe we can get help from the owners" Samantha suggested feebly from the top as she tried to find an answer that would keep them housed safely for the night. After all, they were her responsibility and had to prove she could handle everything that was thrown at her. . .otherwise, she might as well start searching for another job. This was a gigantic franchise that spanned worldwide and if she couldn't get the superstars to their scheduled cities or manage her backstage duties, either would be a huge mistake.
"With all this noise, it's plausible to assume it caused their deafness to begin with!" Mike pointed out sarcastically since he doubted they'd awake to her knocking if the train failed to do so. All of them had been frightened out of their wits instantly! They couldn't even hear a peep from their room overhead and he assumed they were sleeping comfortably while his group was avoiding heart attacks from fright. He wanted to get a decent night's sleep and if venturing out on the road would help him find another place, it was a tempting idea. He'd take camping in the middle of nowhere at this point as long as it took him away from the dreadful noise. Another shockwave shook the floor beneath his feet and he called over to Samantha to declare, "Forget it, Sam, I'd rather get on the road."
"But it's warm here and out there, we'll freeze" she stated matter-of-factly to what he was suggesting at this hour of the night and it would only grow colder with the passing hours. If it had been winter, she'd have been more worried but still! They didn't know what lurked in the empty road at this hour and they were a long way from civilization to seek help if someone became hurt or bitten.
Nattie, Stephen, and Matthew agreed with her, blowing into a pro and con argument about the matter as one argued safety over deafness. Randy merely ignored them and proceeded to wrap himself into a cocoon to return to sleep without rearranging his bed, which had ended up near the entrance as its final destination. Ted had decided to open a bag of crispy potato chips and binge on the salty snack for a few minutes since the group was still mulling over their options, eyeing the feuding parties with curiosity. Five minutes into the discussion, another train rolled by with its deafening horns and Stephen changed his vote completely. He covered both ears tightly to seal out the noise, his fingers digging into his scarlet hair as he closed his eyes to the horrible horn and demanded tiredly, "How many trains can possibly pass by?"
"Who votes. . .on leaving. . .now?" Mike shouted to everyone within the room as he used silent gaps between the blaring horns to make his voice heard. Otherwise, he would've made himself hoarse trying to repeat his words over and over. Samantha tried to head upstairs to seek answers from the owners but when everyone started packing up, she was left with no choice but to follow. After all, she couldn't really wrestle all of them to seal them within the room for their safeties, could she? That and risk being abandoned by the gang while she sought help from upstairs.
The creaking floorboards didn't give away their hasty getaway as they scrambled to flee the house with their luggage underneath their arms, knowing full well that the owners wouldn't detect their fumbling downstairs. They were certain of that when Ted accidentally knocked over a wooden chair that he'd missed in the dark and had fixed it while cursing under his breath for the new bruise. Flashlights shone in the dark as Randy quickly popped open the front door, thankful that there was no security alarm and everyone ran for freedom to the outside. He closed the door after locking it from the inside to keep the nice elderly couple safe inside since they had offered them a nice evening, just not a quiet night. Matthew, Ted, and John couldn't contain their glee to escape the sounds echoing through the night and had bounded forward into the darkness with quiet laughter. The women were just plain thankful that there weren't any dogs wandering the premises because they had no dog repellant or heavy bandages.
The moon shone brightly that night as it neared its fullness and the shining stars granted them light to find their way towards the highway but in the dead of night, it was easier said than done.
"How the hell are we supposed to find a highway in the middle of a forest?" Randy complained irritably as he was already sleep deprived and a loud clonk, mostly likely a protruding branch, resounded a second later. His bags fell onto the dirt in a crash as he grasped the top of his head to rub his newest bruise, jumping away from the invisible branch to growl painfully, "Ow! Damn it!"
"Thank you!" Matthew piped up warily since the pitch black darkness sent a shiver down his spine to what lurked around them. Were predators roaming somewhere in the forest surrounding them, ready to drag them into the wilderness to devour them? Either way, he wasn't risking it and huddled close to the wandering group since watching Animal Planet on cable had taught him herds survived longer than solitary creatures so he was sticking close. He ran alongside the women with his luggage, keeping a cautious eye to their surroundings and asked curiously, "So, who's leading?"
The group halted their daring escape to mull over the question since scattering in all directions would have them lost and a few moments of silence passed before a unanimous decision was reached, "Stephen."
The Irishman could only blink with utter confusion at the pitch black darkness surrounding him as they put him in charge of everything, wondering what sound logic brought that decision. He didn't want to end up being their scapegoat in case somebody was lost along the way and although he didn't know who was around him, blurted sarcastically, "Oh sure, put meh in front to face danger."
"Dude, you practically glow in the dark like a beacon" John pointed out with a snicker that quickly resounded throughout the group since he was pretty pale in the night. Even the flashlights illuminated his porcelain skin and Stephen took this time in their laughing bout to strike him over the head with his flashlight. He had to start nipping these jokes in the bud before he created a smorgasbord. The brunette man yelped as his puffy white coat squeaked when he raised hands to nurse the bruise and snapped indignantly, "Ow! We're not on camera, asshole!"
Samantha separated the two wrestlers before their panic drove them into fist fighting and broke the tension by stating easily to seek peace, "I choose Stephen because he's the tallest and can outrun any of us. . .also if a predator happens to come by, he can probably fight it with his bare hands."
An echoing 'oh yeah' sounded off from the group while the redhead stared in utter disbelief at what they were basically implying. They were willing to sacrifice him as a human shield to the wildlife in exchange for their safeties? Well, so much for the kind friendship he'd counted on when he traveled alongside them. On the other hand, being flattered by a woman in regards to being the number one protector among a group of his male peers dissipated any outbursts he might've had. Still, he wouldn't tempt fate by having to prove himself and told the assistant gently, "Sam, Ah might be strong but Ah'm not that strong."
Silence echoed to the harsh truth and Mike completely burst Stephen's heroic bubble when he muttered under his breath, "We should've brought Mark with us. The man is a living tank."
Stephen grit his teeth with sheer disbelief to their doubts of him when a mere second ago, they'd been pleading for his leadership to traverse the dark forest. He took off down the dirt path that his flashlight outlined in the darkness since it had been the only route to the hostel, slowing down slightly when the women complained about his long strides. He often forgot the women weren't anywhere near his stature and granted them the chance to catch up because he was still a gentleman, even in the middle of the night. Samantha, Nattie, and Ted juggled with their bags as they followed any hint of pale skin that their flashlights struck and Mike groaned miserably as he ran behind them, "He better have that luck of the Irish with him. I wasn't looking to do cardio work at midnight in the outdoors."
"No negative stereotyping! This is why other countries criticize America" Samantha scolded hastily to his chosen set of words and hopped over a few random rocks on the road before she tripped on them. She'd never walked anywhere in this kind of darkness as only the moon illuminated the night and it was eerie to see such darkness that only flashlights could penetrate. It had the makings of a horror movie and she shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind as she kept her flashlight pinned on Stephen's back, allowing her feminine side to laugh at the idea of pointing it lower. Well, at least her sense of human had stayed entirely intact.
"No way, you couldn't be more wrong!" Ted intervened to protect his homeland at all costs like any proud citizen since nothing beat a mouthwatering barbecue on a hot day, especially during tailgate parties. Oh man, how he wanted to eat a juicy steak or order pizza right about now and longed for a decent hotel with room service. He snuggled into his warm jacket to create heat, holding his belongings in his arms for added friction, and piped up proudly with a sappy grin, "We're adorable!"
"Theodore, if I'm American and I question the decaying dignity of our society, what makes you think the rest of the world fares any better?" Samantha stated matter-of-factly but laughed to the humor in his voice, making the blond gasp dramatically. She could never hold a straight face whenever he spoke a rebuttal. If there was anyone she wanted by her side during tense or crazy moments, it was Ted Dibiase, because he would allow her to retain her sanity with his insanity.
"Blasphemy!" Ted declared manically as he used humor to keep himself from wondering where the hell they were and shuddered under his warm coat since the temperature was colder outside than it had been within the house. He remembered they walked for more than a half hour until they stumbled upon it so he assumed they were in for the same with this trip, given that Stephen could follow the path without derailing towards the forest. His teeth chattered for a moment as he forgot to put on a beanie to cover his head from the cold and chuckled softly, "Or the cold could be zapping my brain."
Stephen sighed under his breath because he wasn't going to carry the blond if he decided he was mysteriously afflicted with hypothermia in the middle of an Italian summer night. Ted had done crazier stunts before so he wouldn't put it past him, remembering his fake hypoglycemic moment at Dolce Gelato in Arkansas which had robbed Stephen of a nice ice cream sundae. Pointing his flashlight a few feet ahead of the road to make sure he didn't deviate, he spoke aloud to where he'd last seen Samantha at, "If yah get tired of this, yer more than welcome in Ireland."
"Sweet, where do I get a visa? I love the way you guys pronounce Ireland" she chuckled amusingly to keep the light mood ongoing, leading Ted to object indignantly over casting aside their country like that. His promises of cookies increased her laughter, causing Nattie to join her as well, as he vowed to bake goods for their allegiance. Her attempt to stir up a fun mood almost went awry when her flashlight didn't spot the back of Stephen's gray jacket ahead of her and she called out worriedly, "Stephen, please don't leave us behind! Not all of us are over six feet high!"
The redhead stopped in his track to give the group time to catch up because quite honestly, he'd no idea where he was going since their destination was quite far. He was pretty much following the North Star in the sky along with the road to see what luck it gave because finding the highway was the main priority. After that. . .well, he'd use his Google maps app to lead him straight into Florence and hope for the best. Surprisingly, the women caught up to him first as they'd been trying to keep up with him at all costs and he flashed his light over their heads in signal to beckon the rest. Samantha locked arms with Nattie to make sure they didn't separate from each other since two brains were better than one, panting tiredly as she decided once and for all, "No more luggage, only backpacks after this. . .especially with our. . .adventuring."
John was the first to complain from the lagging group as he approached from the far side of the road on the right, "Hey, Celtic Warrior-"
He didn't get to finish his words as ironic karma kicked in and he tripped over a large gaping dark hole in the ground that he failed to see on his way over to them. A loud splash was heard and everyone pointed their flashlights immediately to pinpoint their fallen friend since they hadn't noticed anything but then again, everyone had stretched out all over the dirt road towards the highway. Randy was first on the chaotic scene with his flashlight and discovered that the usually handsome John Hennigan was covered in dirty mud water within a ditch. The shocked brunette cried out in pure disgust from the brown grime sticking on him from head to toe, swiping at the air with frustration as he resembled the monster from the black lagoon.
Stephen had almost forgotten about that ditch as they'd seen it on their way in and had walked around it to avoid falling in. He was incredibly lucky to have avoided it on his path in the night because his blemished skin would've suffered horribly, along with his iron pressed clothes. John's suitcase floated around the waist deep muddy water and Matthew leaned down to grab it carefully to help his friend but didn't want to join the mud bath. Hennigan was left to pull himself back onto the surface by gripping protruding roots or rocks until he landed on the dusty road where everyone surrounded him in a curious circle, their faces mixed in shock and humor.
"Arrgh, gross! There's dirty water in my mouth!" he spat disgustedly as he coughed to clear his mouth of any dirty water, spitting onto the dirt while gagging at what he could've swallowed, and swiped at his drenched clothes in the hopes that the water would seep out. Ugh, he was going to be dirty and freezing cold by the end of the night. They decided to take pity on him rather than laugh or joke to his abrupt misfortune, waiting on him patiently until he stood up to gag miserably, "This is the worst night of my life."
"Less whining and more walking, we'll keep warmer that way" Randy ordered the group to keep them moving like a platoon sergeant and they hobbled along obediently, the rolling wheels of their luggage adding noise to their footsteps. This time, they traveled together as one tightknit troop on the road as Stephen shone the flashlight at the head of the group to keep the path in sight. Randy took up the rear to make sure none wandered away and watched them scuttle along the road, encouraging them by keeping the military persona, "There we go. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2. . .3, 4."
"Can I switch leaders? Randy's gonna make us recite 'Sound Off', I just know it" Ted asked Stephen with a mischievous grin hidden in the dark, causing the redhead to growl under his breath to the blond's comment as it poked his ire. This wasn't a primary school field trip where everyone needed a buddy to hold hands with, but the fact that he was being cast aside like a wet Kleenex for Randy made him feel like the unwanted black sheep of the group. He really was trying his best to keep them together and safe despite he never wanted the responsibility.
"Ah never asked to be leader!" he pointed out hastily since they threw the position at him and heard Randy chuckle lowly from behind, glad that somebody was experiencing the mayhem attached to leading them. Stephen could see why he decided to stay behind whenever large groups were involved because keeping charge of grown adults, especially when Ted was included, was harder than herding a flock of sheep. Leadership was not one of his best traits, resorting to motivational speaking to get people moving (and believing in him) and jabbed a finger to the brightest star in the sky. He moved the flashlight towards the glittering black sky and down the road for emphasis, stating clearly to grab their attention, "We move left since the highway led north and the star above us leads in that direction."
Ted deemed that information viable since the dirt road led west and piped up with a bright smile that peeked through the luminance of his flashlight, "Okay, my faith in you has been completely redeemed."
Dawn arrived on the lonely road headed to Florence, the lost group of travelers wandering the empty roadside in the hopes of seeing one of their colleagues driving a car. They sorely needed rescue at this point, especially when cigarette butts, empty cans, and dirty diapers littered the road with their distinct unfavorable smells to nauseate a few of them. Their group was too large for any passerby to take them to a nearby gas station so they stuck together like a group of meerkats through the dark night. That and most cars probably assumed they were a group of backpackers hiking in an early search for a hostel since an Irishman, a Canadian, and six Americans fit the qualifications.
They had stuck to the road for safety during the rest of the night to prevent becoming lost or mauled by wildlife. Ted had wailed in horror for a pretty good while when his foot accidentally entered a gaping hole of a road killed possum, lamenting the poor creature's fate, but they kept moving. A mud covered Hennigan was more than ready to find a bathroom where he could wash the nasty grime off his body, the mud water already dry and caked over his clothes. The bright lights from passing cars had reflected off Stephen's pale complexion many times and he was sure it had frightened a few drowsy children with the mistake of a rampant well-dressed ghost wandering the highway.
"Isn't that a beautiful sight?" Samantha sighed softly with relief as the first rays of sunlight pierced the lilac-gray hue of dawn and began to bathe the green pastures by bringing a new day. She couldn't wait for the sunlight this time, a horrible irony that wasn't lost to her as her cold skin yearned to bask in it. Her body was weary from the lack of sleep and she didn't want to drink any cold water from her bottle as her throat had become dry from the long endless walk. Her suitcases dragged behind her lethargically as she murmured triumphantly to encourage the other tired wrestlers around her, "We survived."
"I'd feel better if we could find a way home" Ted grumbled crankily as he shivered in his spot, hugging his jacket closely against his body but retrieved his phone from his pocket to snap a picture of the breaking day. It was a worthy a snapshot to keep. With light bathing the highway now, everyone shut off their flashlights to give their arms a rest but Ted snapped a picture of Hennigan's mud covered form and Stephen's bad shaving incident. There was no way he could let an opportunity for future blackmail or poking fun slide by and quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, shivering with chattering teeth from the dry cold morning to admit woefully, "I c-can't feel my fingers. Hey, Sam, Nattie, can you please keep me warm before I suffer h-hypothermia?"
The women were too cold to decline since he was being honest for once in his life and they were freezing themselves in the early morning. Who'd a thought morning could be so cold? It was a good thing they hadn't been in a more northern country or they would've been frozen icicles by that point. Nattie drew Ted close by wrapping her right arm around his waist and he rested his arm across her and Samantha's shoulder to keep a good grip that would keep the cold at bay. The three huddled together cozily like baby cubs during a winter frost as they walked along together, leading the others to sigh in disbelief to their little ingenious plan. Randy didn't mind being a lone wolf since he'd added numerous layers of sweaters and coats throughout the night to keep warm but his legs were now enduring drafts of cold wind that seeped underneath the end of his jeans.
"In our defense, you're covered in dry mud, John" Nattie told the unfortunate brunette with a sheepish face to declining help since he resembled a swamp monster rather than a chiseled living statue. John merely sighed under his breath, cursing himself for forgetting to keep an eye on the road- a simple mistake that cost him both his appearance and a chance at warmth.
"Yeah, let's have a group huddle like sheep" Matthew suggested with optimism since only Samantha and Nattie had kept close to stay warm through the night while everyone else wandered the road like zombies. Mike wasn't ready hug him through a highway and quickly scooted over to Samantha to seize the empty space for himself, settling in as the fourth baby bear to join the cozy group. Randy and Stephen had half a mind to knock him aside for his crafty ingenuity as the last spot was seized before their eyes and both men braved the cold on their own. Matthew wasn't about to be dissuaded because he certainly didn't want to die of hypothermia in the middle of a highway and tried to gain Stephen's approval on it by finishing, "Right? They're always cozy in bundles."
"Just because Ah'm from the Isle doesn't mean Ah've seen sheep mah whole life, it's demeaning" the redhead pointed out to scratch off that stereotype from their minds and the group looked to him for further deliberation, eager to learn about Irish culture. The roster held people of diverse cultures and most were always enthusiastic to learn about parts of the world they'd yet to see since wrestling tours would eventually lead them internationally (as they currently were). He blinked with surprise at seeing everyone's gazes turned towards him and crossed his arms to both warm and mentally kick himself for falling into his own verbal trap. Gritting his teeth as he tried to keep them from chattering, he avoided their gazes by taking sudden fascination with the rocks littering the highway and reluctantly admitted, "All right, Ah saw a sheep once in a while during field trips in primary school."
"Don't forget your fat puffy sheep at home" Ted reminded quickly to add injury to his comment and licked his dry lips as he fantasized about eating a warm meal inside a room with a burning fireplace. Oh, how he wanted to be in a warm bed at this moment and imagined tiny plump sheep that could barely stand under their hefty weight jumping over white picket fences, exhaling longingly with hunger, "Oh man, I can imagine the delicious juicy lamb chops they'd make, fat and succulent with a side of mashed potatoes with gravy-"
Stephen stopped walking to jam a finger towards Ted's fantasy induced grin and ordered briskly to defend his innocent animals, "Stop talking about mah sheep-"
A sudden honk alerted the sleep deprived group and they turned to see a modern navy van on the opposite road, its orange turn signals flickering as it waited for traffic to clear to make an illegal U-turn. Thankfully, with dawn barely on the horizon, the road was pretty empty so it didn't have to wait long as the group watched the approaching car intently with wariness. Had somebody decided to rescue their little lot? Ted hoped somebody had recognized them from the show and decided to take pity on them, promising to shower them with a Dibiase Posse party if they weren't about to be kidnapped. Their initial uncertainty turned to rejoicing relief as they watched Cena make his triumphant return to fulfill his promise, the car rolling up to them as Anthony tagged along in the passenger seat to help with the search. The Canadian wrestler waved his arm to the weary group in welcome, glad to see they were all right after being told of their dilemma, and declared jovially, "We found you at last!"
Randy quickly slid open the side door and everybody began to pile inside with their belongings in haste to reach a warmer environment, sighing contently to the heater running inside the van. The women settled into the last row in the back with Mike and Ted, the latter blond chattering his teeth and practically sobbing his thank you to their rescuers. The other men piled into the car with tired grunts as their misfortune came to an end but Randy clasped the back of the driver's seat to say, "Man, I thought you'd gotten hit or mauled on the road."
"Well, I seemed to fare better than you guys but I managed to call Anthony for a pickup" John replied back with a small chuckle since he'd run for quite a while until his colleague had spotted him on the road and had happily hopped on to rescue their other companions. Anthony handed Randy a warm plastic bag filled with food that he'd wrapped in aluminum to maintain its heat through the ride from the hotel hours ago and John informed them with a smile, "We brought you guys some food in case-"
The bag was ripped open in two seconds flat as their friends' resembled ravenous zombies, their cold fingers grasping whatever they could find in their haste. If they'd been slathered in theatrical makeup, the resemblance would've been uncanny. . .especially when Matthew and Stephen fought for a warm roll bread by baring their teeth. John merely blinked in surprise to their hectic foraging, the plastic bag torn into shreds under their strength, and trailed off hesitantly, "All right then. . ."
"Ow! You bit my finger!" Mike accused painfully as he nursed his index finger, red teeth marks indenting the joint underneath his nail. His narrowed blue eyes were trained on a certain blond, and normally, this would have Ted's name written all over it. . .but not on this chilly morning.
"I'm starving" Nattie defended matter-of-factly without remorse because her face was dry beyond belief due to the lack of finishing her nightly skin regimen and the long walk had stirred quite an appetite. She would never take a long trip in an old vehicle for as long as she lived, deciding that she'd only use a modern car or train for ground transportation. There was no way she wanted a repeat of what had just occurred.
Mike retreated back into his seat after fetching a decent snack of grapes and cheese, keeping his treasure from the others before he was robbed blind from a hunger induced craze. He'd never been so happy to be in a warm place with decent food to fill his cold empty stomach and yawned gratefully that he was well on his way to his new hotel. Popping a red grape into his mouth, he chewed the sweet seedless fruit slowly to savor the taste and lectured the blond woman, "It doesn't mean you can resort to cannibalism, whether accidental or not."
"Nobody wants to eat you, Mike, not even starving animals" she joked dryly as she chewed a pastry filled with strawberry preserves, leaning back against the seat to sigh in relief that she was heading to Florence. Whatever awaited her there, it couldn't be worse than what she'd just done a few hours ago. The first thing she'd do was take a long hot shower and then head downstairs to pig out on whatever complimentary breakfast they offered.
With warm food filling their cold and empty stomachs, the group rejoiced as the van drove north towards Florence.
None of the rescued wrestlers were satiated with the endless buffet the hotel provided and kept devouring for hours after they arrived in Florence, drawing a few stares from other guests. Of course, with some of the wrestlers putting on a meet and greet soon, they had to give up gorging on the delicious hotel food and train to burn off the pounds to maintain their physiques. Ted managed to stuff his pants with breakfast rolls to keep his snacking ongoing and Samantha had thrown him a few butter packets to add onto it with a helpful hand. She didn't know much on their diets but to maintain their strength and flexibility, a lot of munching and exercises had to occur. Her hectic day had managed to avoid becoming a full scale catastrophe by John's rescue and reminded herself to send him a nice gift basket. . .or a cap, he liked those.
She'd done damage control regarding their late arrival by emailing the higher ups but since the wrestlers needed to be ready by the late morning, luck was on her side this time. As long as she'd gotten them to Florence, that was all that mattered and she had. . .at 7 am. Otherwise, she would've been boiled alive in a figurative pot for allowing an old van to stop her from performing her duties. This time, she was forced to stay in the hotel to make sure their next stay wouldn't turn shockingly catastrophic and made sure to rent a modern day car that would actually be there for pickup.
Before the upcoming flight later that day, she decided to use the gym for a little strength training since traveling with muscular people made her feel like a limp noodle through it all. It sunk her confidence when she couldn't pick up one of the others whenever they fell but put the shoe on the other foot and she was made to stand within seconds as if she weighed nothing. Nattie was more than happy to have her company as the other women trained in the hotel's gym for the day but she had a cunning plan in mind. This time, she decided to be open about it rather than leave poor Samantha in the dark to her schemes and lifted her barbell for a standing military press to state openly, "Sam, I think you should just tell 'im."
Samantha almost dropped one of the dumbbells in her hands to the daring idea, gripping it tightly to balance her right arm before she injured it. Was she implying that she march right up to him and ask outright? Well, that is how the dating field was nowadays but she always felt out of sync with it. Her gray eyes widened with embarrassment to her snafu, hoping nobody saw that little mishap and stood next to Nattie to blurt with disbelief, "Are you kidding? Now?"
"We're quite relaxed during regular exercise and cool downs, our blood flows freely" she agreed with an encouraging smile since she enjoyed her exercise routines and began a new set of exercises with the barbell. Samantha needed to take her mind off the whole 'smokin' hot Irishman' running around the place more than lifting weights to boost her physical strength. Nattie could easily give her tips on that later as they toured together and ushered her on like a mother hen by suggesting, "Go on, use that treadmill over there and chat him up. Between the idle chitchat, just slip it in there like no biggie so he knows it's not a big deal."
"Ugh, my dating life is nonexistent like the T-Rex so what do I have to lose?" she sighed morosely to her luck recently but since it would stop the crazy underhanded plans, why not? She placed her weights back on the rack to allow others to use them since her arms were going to be occupied elsewhere and jogged in place to get her blood running so it would add a little courage to her heart. Glancing across the gym, the room seemed to get bigger within a millisecond and she groaned to the meekness trying to bite its way back into her mind. Nattie leaned down to place her barbell back in its original spot to give it a rest for the moment, wiping the handle clean with her towel, and headed for the nearest weight machine to continue her strength training.
Samantha wagged a finger in her direction since the blond had bolstered her courage and pointed out with a nervous grin, "But if this goes horribly awry, you owe me a drink. I can't always be super Samantha in my plans."
"Mocha with cinnamon" Nattie promised with a charismatic grin since she was pretty sure the two would click with Samantha's easygoing personality and his tendency to explore (but not go to extremes like Ted). Besides, she'd never really heard much about the man's private life since he was rather mum on it so who knew. It could go either way, but it was a chance, right? It was times like this that she was happy with TJ by her side and could lean back to bask in that romance, not having to worry over age old dating questions.
Samantha glanced over her right shoulder to where Stephen was training by performing pull-ups on a bar, watching his toned back muscles flex under his black t-shirt and sighed longingly with a hand to her forehead, "Goodness me, why am I being mocked in such an alluringly torturous way?"
"You're the one with the fancy for accents and red hair" Nattie chuckled amusingly from her spot, trying not to burst into laughter at her friend's sullen face. Samantha had admitted those attractive forces in the opposite gender when they'd met, unaware to the redhead that traveled with them until she'd met him during a house show. Nattie had never seen her turn to the shade of cherry red and caught a hint of rose on Samantha's cheeks at the current moment as she shook her head to clear her mind, trying not to get caught glimpsing in the man's direction. She really could be a little quirky sometimes.
"Well, I didn't think this job would bring me a living statue that held all of those qualities and-" Samantha pointed out hastily since her gaze had practically been transfixed on the scarlet haired man from day one and couldn't rub him off of her retinas. It would've been great if he'd had a lousy personality or held pet peeves but no, he was as courteous and friendly as they came so she was out of luck on that one. Since they didn't exactly work together, there was no conflict of interest that could cause either to be fired but paperwork was always assigned for such things as a formality. The red hue that caught her eye at the end of the room caused her to falter in her resolve to walk over there and she sighed softly to tell her friend, "I'm serious, that shade of hair color is hypnotic. He's a male siren!"
"Only to you, Sam" Nattie laughed amicably as her ramblings were similar to her own in regards to her boyfriend since a tiny thing that drove her gaga would make others blink in confusion.
Samantha held her head high like a proud lioness as she strolled towards Stephen across the room, pacing her steps so she wouldn't appear sluggish or hasty. On the other hand, who the heck was really looking? It was a gym, people were focused on their own healthy goals. Her mind ran through a dozen of hectic thoughts as she approached the redheaded wrestler from behind, organizing her words to appear courteous and friendly. Talking about the weather would bore him to death faster than just saying nothing and searched through pleasing topics since their recent adventure was one for the ages. Not to mention, their previous experience at the vineyard.
"Mornin' to yah, Sam" Stephen greeted her with a friendly smile that released tension in her shoulders since it was rather contagious, eliciting one from her in return. She stepped onto the treadmill next to him to start on a leisure run that wouldn't have her sweating straight into dehydration (that would be mortifying enough) and kept a towel in hand in case the machine decided to automatically bump her to the next level. Her exercise routine was mostly cardiovascular as running brought her the most relaxation without straining a muscle but it was time to put a little protein in her day.
"Good morning to you too, I see you're already hard at work" she greeted amicably with the same peppy demeanor, keeping her arms tucked at her sides to run easily while facing the wall for a few moments to gather her thoughts. She found it better to repeat her chosen sentences for judgment before stating them aloud because once said, you couldn't retrieve them.
"Of course, can't slack off" he chuckled softly since training schedules were adhered to and he was the kind of guy that worked his butt off to achieve his dreams. Her eyes trailed over his biceps as he pulled himself up and she agreed wholeheartedly because she hadn't seen a lot of Irish wrestlers in the WWE. Samantha could only stare in awe at the man's strength because she'd more than likely be dangling like a wild fish out of water if she grabbed onto that thing. It made her attraction seem insignificant with her lean physique as they contrasted greatly in that aspect, being reminded of Nattie and TJ, who complemented each other nicely.
"Did you catch up on sleep?" she asked casually to keep up the conversation and her voice from faltering, hoping she wouldn't appear hopelessly untrained in comparison to him. Interacting with Stephen outside of work held a peaceful ambience as he took his time when speaking to people, actually holding a meaningful conversation, whereas Ted had her running after him and Mike was nose deep in his sightseeing books that she had to guide him around. She wouldn't have minded touring the other countries alongside him, as long as nothing outrageous occurred because that would surely drive him away from joining her group again. If anything, she could just turn out to be his bad luck charm.
"As much as Ah could" he replied simply since he'd collapsed into bed after leaving the dining room of the hotel, not even bothering to lift the covers before falling into a heavy asleep. The lack of train whistles piercing his ears had been wonderful but he had to fix the problem with his facial hair, certain that he'd have to ask the women what to do about such problems since they could fix just about anything with their flawless appearances. Releasing the pull-up bar to land neatly on his feet, he turned to Samantha as he decided to trust her since she wouldn't run around blabbing about the problem and asked uncertainly, "Do yah have any tips for fixin' this? Ah don't know if it'll be noticeable on camera."
Samantha's heart went out to him since an embarrassing feature would plummet anyone's confidence, even as an adult, and explained helpfully, "I'd suggest buying a makeup pencil of that hue and dabbing an eye shadow of the same color over that to lock in the color. I'd try a waterproof brand due to your sweating in the ring."
"Ah'm goin' to have to go into a makeup store?" Stephen sighed with regretful dismay to the idea of going to a makeup counter and asking for those products since faking the profession of a makeup artist would not work. He didn't know a thing about that! He remembered visiting his sister last year and seeing the dozens of brushes on her makeup dresser, each for specific uses, had sent his mind reeling. Wiping his face free of sweat with his towel, he wasn't looking forward to that trip and would have to wear sunglasses to hide his flustered appearance.
Again, Samantha couldn't help but offer her help and smiled sympathetically, "I'll go buy them after I finish here. You can ask the makeup artists at the show to fix that for you since they carry all kinds of fancy products I don't have."
"Yer a life saver, Samantha, thank you" he smiled widely with appreciation since she didn't have to offer but the kind gesture wouldn't be forgotten. She'd brought him her mixed concoction to help for his sunburns and her newest aid told him that a budding friendship was in the works for them since she didn't try to put chili powder in his pants or involve him in a car collision. Every time his colleagues had gotten him into a sticky situation, Samantha had been their go-to fixer as she helped with no questions asked. Her only exception was Ted's pranks since bodily harm was not humorous to her and Stephen agreed wholeheartedly on that aspect.
"I'm really sorry about the inn, if the car hadn't broken down. . .we'll never deal with that company again, I promise" she apologized modestly to the mess she'd made with the inn and was sure she'd won the award for worst assistant since her first week on the job hadn't gone as planned. The only excuse she could use was the misleading vendor, which could win them money in court due to their breaking of the contract by issuing a different car, and the fact her department was broadcasting. She didn't want to appear inadequate since she was being pushed into situations that she'd never expected but was determined to show she could persevere.
Stephen, being ever so kind, dismissed the blame game entirely and chuckled optimistically, "Don't worry about it. Life's an adventure, right?"
Now that was a manner of thinking she could get behind, not her bleak ruminations. Summoning up the courage to ask what she'd wanted for weeks, Samantha swallowed her nerves and stepped onto the sides of the treadmill to stop her run. If she was going to speak those words, she wanted them to flow evenly from her mouth rather than be panted out like a poor dog underneath the summer heat. Her fingers wrung the towel to pent out the last of her nerves and she gazed at the redhead to ask calmly with a small smile, "Stephen, I was wondering, if you'd be interested in having dinner one evening?"
Yep, that sounded pretty good to her, straightforward and polite. . .
Except he didn't respond.
Her serene façade broke apart slowly by the seams with every passing second when he hesitated to speak and thinned his lips as his mind reached the final answer. Ah jeez, she felt even tinier now as his azure eyes bore into hers and the silence around them was thick enough to cut with a knife. Stephen was taught to always behave politely with women and Samantha was a sweet woman that deserved the same, even if the answer she sought would not be on a positive note. He scratched the top of his head as he took the easiest route and slowly but carefully, he tried to let her down gently by informing with a modest smile, "I'm sorry, Samantha, yer a good lass but Ah'm already seein' someone."
Well, wasn't that a fantastically good kick in the keister?
Samantha's heart sunk to the unfortunate letdown but tried to save face from the walk of shame by maintaining friendly civility, pocketing her new knowledge. Walking off would've been quite off-putting and she was there to finish her short run on the treadmill, resuming her exercise as she glanced at the beige wall that brought a little peace of mind. Despite her disappointment, she was rather proud of herself for going through it rather than wondering her 'what if's' from the sidelines and lifted her chin with the little confidence boost because she'd earned it. She might've been rejected but she still knew how to dance her way through the dating arena without failing horribly. Stephen wasn't sure whether to say something else in encouragement but Samantha spoke up as she waved her hand to smile widely, "Don't worry about it. Better to know than to wonder, right?"
"Yer a sweet optimistic" he smiled apologetically since she was a friendly woman but he'd never considered her as anything more than that due to work. Not until now. He'd never had the smallest inkling that she might've felt that way since she kept her personal life private and maintained a friendly ambience with everyone, showing him the same civility she displayed to others. He didn't want their work relationship to turn awkward since she was a good addition to their team and smiled courteously to compliment, "Yer a good friend to have, Sam."
"Yeah, I get that all the time. . .all the time" she murmured quietly as her confidence took a small plummet to being buffered in the friend zone only with no hope of escape. Nobody wanted to be seen as the benevolent cute friend by every man rather than the attractive significant other they could possible become but that was the card she was dealt with. Well, at least he hadn't outright lied to her or tiptoed around the question and she did look forward to cementing their friendship, despite her little flame of attraction. Grabbing her towel off the treadmill safety bar at the side, she turned the treadmill off and leaned back to stretch her spine to crack any pressure out of it. It wasn't the exercise routine she'd been looking for today and would resume it later on at their next destination, hopping off the machine and informing the wrestler with a friendly smile, "I'll have your stuff ready in a few hours, Stephen."
"Again, mah most gracious thanks" he replied earnestly because she was doing him a huge favor but it was just another fast run for good 'ol Samantha. Since Nattie's schedule was free for the day until it was time to head for the airport, they could head out together for fun without the horror attached.
She was proud of herself for finally putting a closing stamp on that file in her heart but it was a bittersweet moment as she headed off for her next task of the day. A tasty Toblerone would fix that problem right up; chocolate was a good inanimate best friend when one craved comfort. Passing by Nattie as the blond showed her weight machine who was boss, Samantha snapped her fingers and grinned eagerly to reap her prize of the day, "Someone owes me a nice hot mocha."
"Aw, Sam. . .I'll buy whatever you want" her friend sighed despondently since she'd really expected it to go well for her but would hit the café for a decent coffee. She'd been through that tumble of the romance dance before and a breath of fresh air while sightseeing through Florence would get one's mind clear off of it. First, she'd need to finish her training and find TJ so she could enjoy her visit to Italy on full blast. And who knew, she might just manage to find that tandem bike for three that she'd had an eye for. . .or for two, her boyfriend didn't trust bikes that weren't for single cyclers.
Despite Nattie's kind sympathy to cheer her up, Samantha's day worsened dramatically when the company decided to terminate and renew contracts of the current stars for both shows and not everyone made the cut. She'd almost expected to be canned herself after what happened the previous night but narrowly avoided that as she received the updated roster for her newest chaperoned team while wandering the old streets of Florence with her friends. Thankfully, she was able to keep Nattie, Mike, and Ted, but others weren't so lucky. She was actually quite happy to have Stephen around for the next round of touring since he'd bring a little sanity to their group.
Their next stop: France
A/N: Sorry for the delay, my computer flat out died back in April and I've just gotten my new one set up to restart all of my continuing fanfics. Anyway, we see that the group can turn into ravenous zombies when left to wander an interstate highway and Samantha's gumption did not pay off in the way she wanted. So who was voting for her to her man this early in the story? Poor Samantha's heart aside, the next group will be heading to France to stay in a hotel that will have Samantha battling wildlife in her bathroom.
Thanks for the last chapter reviews, I appreciate them very much.
Angelle Darque: I'm very glad to have portrayed that, especially with your thumb of approval on the wrestling backgrounds. I hope you laughed with this chapter as well!
ThatOneChickJane: Yep, his animals don't seem to catch a break when Ted's around. I can only dream of the mayhem the blond will bring when they land in Ireland.
Next Time: Cody, The Sacrificial Lamb
Sliding the hotel room card into the slot for clearance, the green dot lit up to grant her passage and Samantha entered the dark hotel room to search for her friend. Hopefully, this would not be one of Nattie's smexy times with TJ. She didn't want to add further mortification to her night and hissed her friend's name in the dark to call her attention or wake her. Receiving nothing in return, she crept towards the bed and the illuminating moonlight outline a single form sleeping within it. Well, at least she wasn't popping into something indecent.
Quickly, she latched onto the slumbering body for a helping hand and shook them with an urgent whisper, "Nattie, you have to help me-"
An incoherent groggy mumble that was definitely not Nattie's cheerful voice echoed in the dark and she yelped with horror to what she'd stepped into. She'd slipped into the right room but further grumbles told her this was not Nattie because first of all, her voice was low-pitched and secondly, she was a woman! Questions rampaged through her mind on the whereabouts of her dear friend and her eyes widened into the size of dinner plates when the unknown body sat up in the bed.
Why are you still in here?, her mind screeched to get her butt moving but she was frozen in place like a deer in headlights. He could be a murderer or burglar! You have to find Nattie!
The size of the person was daunting as they surpassed her height and she squeaked frightfully, "Oh no, Nattie transformed into Sasquatch."
The person snapped to attention towards her since she was the intruder in their book and she jumped back immediately, cursing the slip of the tongue as she crashed against the night-table. Her elbow striking the wooden made enough of a noise to wipe the sleep from the inhabitant's mind and she held her throbbing elbow. Instantly, the person was on alert to the trespasser and climbed out of bed with demanding authority, "Who are yah? Get outta mah room!"
That voice was incredibly familiar as it struck the cuckoo birds swirling around her mind with bullets. She tried to find a light to clear up the entire misunderstanding but to Stephen, it appeared as the intruder was ready to make off with his wallet. That was a big no-no in his mind. Throwing the blankets at the intruder to thwart their escape, he was going to make them regret their reckless decision and leapt forward to tackle them into the ground.