At the End of the War #2

[Undead Superstar]

As No Way Out ended, Ramona sat in the locker room and kept her eyes locked on the door. Her brother had emerged victorious in the WarGames match but she knew that pain was coming to her. Her eyes bounced from the door to the lights, waiting for the slightest flicker. Kyra was nearby, waiting for her dad. Ramona would have to be ready. If those lights flickered, she'd have to be ready to defend Kyra from whatever repercussions were aimed at her.

Standing she moved to the door and opened it a crack, peering out to make certain that there was no sign of her brother or any of the other family members. It was clear so she closed to door as quietly as she could before starting to pace up and down. She could imagine the brutality that was going to be inflicted upon her. She could already feel the blunt agony of the tire iron. The sting of the belt across her back. The stab of the viper's fangs. Her hand reached up to her throat as she remembered the steel chair that had been wrapped around it at the beginning of her "education".

She sat again and flashed a smile at her grand niece, trying to hide the terror that was welling up within her.  

[Salem Croft]

Kyra sat in her pretty sunflower sundress, a brown and bejeweled body that fed down into a skirt of yellow pedals. Her black hair had been done up into two pig's ears, courtesy of Jessie's grooming. She felt a little anxious during and after War Games - while her grandfather did threaten to abduct her, "Aunt Mona" stood up to protect her, and the little 6-year-old even managed to help even the odds and sneak the cell keys to Apex. Even so, it wasn't enough. Rex had hurt her "Uncle Eryn" with a dark mist to his eyes, and the tiger guy pinned him. Kyra partially blamed herself, thinking the bad guys won because she wasn't good enough to stop them. She missed her dad. She missed Jessie, and Trent, and Avari, and Eryn, and Murphy. Sitting in a chair, the "Snake Princess" frowned and looked over at Ramona, hesitant to speak.

"Aunt Mona...did...did I do something bad? Am I in trouble?" she asked, worriedly.

 

[Undead Superstar]

Ramona was pulled from the thoughts of her own destruction and her memories of torment by the sound of Kyra's voice. Ramona looked to her and then opened her mouth to speak. She wanted nothing more to say something to the small child. To comfort her in a way that she had never known. But Rex's previous damage to her had left her as unable of comfort as her own family. Her mouth slowly closed and she shook her head instead. She raised a hand and gently patted her head. She looked up to the lights again, worried that they'd start to flicker at any moment. Slowly, she slithered an arm around the child and held her protectively, her eyes bouncing back to the door for a moment before she started looking around, starting to feel like she might be being watched from any shadow.  

[Salem Croft]

Salem walked down the hallway with purpose, Jessie at his side as the pair left the medical examination room backstage and headed to find Ramona and Kyra following the War Games match. Apex had lost, but that wasn't the cause for Croft's scowl as he marched past aides and agents, production staff and talent. It was how they'd won, how Cartwright and his cronies had tried to win, that angered "Showtime". Once again, Rex had threatened Salem's daughter, and Kobra's own granddaughter, trying to leverage influence over Salem in his quest to establish the next generation of Cult leadership.

The thought of Kyra being taken and brainwashed by a bunch of robed freaks made the blood boil under the skin of the "Copperhead Cowboy", clenching his fists as he took the turns leading to Ramona's dressing room, part of him wishing he'd run into Rex every time "Showtime" rounded a corner. If it wasn't for Ramona standing up for her kin, who knows what might've happened. Rex could've had Kyra kidnapped anyway, even if Salem had submitted.

And then, there was the matter of Erynys, Salem's tag partner and champion with him holding the WWFG Tag Titles. Rex had made sure Eryn was isolated with Tiger in the other ring, and spit venom in his eyes to help T.H. secure the victory for Cartwright. The medical staff had been trying to rinse and treat Eryn's eyes, but it'd take a hospital to even begin to understand what that toxin could be doing to Eryn, let alone attempt any rehabilitation. Salem considered whether Ramona might have any idea what was in that mist, or how it could be counteracted before his anger took over his mouth.

"I swear, I'm gonna beat his ******** brains in. Kyra, then Eryn...Rex has no shame, anymore. I'm gonna skin that snake if it's the last thing I do, Jess." he said to his partner, talking in a low growl as his eyes were fixated like lasers on where he was walking.

 

[Claire Hawkins]

"Ooooh, we're gonna do worse than THAT. Jessie replied as she marched alongside Salem. The Crucifix powerbomb had done a number on her neck and she had a couple of ice packs strapped to her neck/shoulders, but that didn't mean the Aussie Assault wasn't fixing to pull that trigger if the opportunity arose. She was JUST AS if not MORE PISSED about how things went down.

"But that s**t'll come later. Right now let's just get our girl, yeah?"

 

[Salem Croft]

Salem nodded, taking Jessie's words to heart as they strode fearlessly down the corridors, not even the Devil himself would dare get in their way. There was going to be a time for payback, there would be an hour of retribution, buy now was about unifying and healing. Salem needed Kyra back, Jessie and Apex, also. And if Ramona could help Eryn recover from her brother's venom, all the better. As the pair at last rounded the corner where Ramona's room was, Croft would approach the door and politely knock.

 

[Undead Superstar]

Ramona jumped at the sound of the knock. She hopped to her feet and looked around. Her eyes bounced to the lights and the shadows as she anticipated an attack. Slowly, she moved to the door. One hand clenching into a fist, readying it just in case it was a trap. Opening the door a crack, she peered out before opening it fully when she realized that it wasn't a trap laid by the cult. She moved back to the bench she had been sitting on and climbed onto it to sit in a perched position.