Chapter Five

She woke up slowly with a feeling of confusion wrapped around her. Opening her eyes and sitting up she found her surroundings completely dark. Fumbling in the darkness she couldn't find any lights or light switches and vaguely realized that she had not gotten out of her bed but had stood up on a hard dirt floor. Stumbling forward in the darkness she looked around hearing lions roar and elephants trumpet. Her nose was offended with the smell of rotting hay and animal feces. Wandering down rows of cages and tents she found herself walking up a set of metal stairs and into what seemed to be a vast cavern lit by torches. Grabbing one off the wall she crept back into the cavern as if propelled uncontrollably. Slowly the light from the torch began to illuminate the walls until she realized that if she looked at them she could see her own reflection.

Moving forward she began to hear noises. It sounded like whisperings, but they were too quiet to hear what they were saying. She also noticed that the farther she got into the cave the brighter her torch got and as she passed walls she saw that it was not always her reflection staring back at her. Pausing in front of one wall she noticed the strange reflection. Moving closer she squinted trying to make out the image, but it was too dark to see clearly. Standing so that she was almost touching the reflection, Angel moved her torch closer to the mirror. Suddenly her friend Shawn's bloody image from that night in the ring became apparent and his voice echoed through her head as he screamed for her to save her.

Screeching Angel turned and ran down the corridor. Stopping out of breath she leaned against a wall closing her eyes only to hear Hunter in her head. Jumping she turned to see him growling back at her with blood covering both of his hands and strands of bloody blonde hair grasped in his fists. Screaming again she twirled to see another image of him on the opposite wall. This one appearing as he had in the hospital broken and lonely bent over Shawn's body. Confused and now crying she turned and ran again down the corridors of the cave confused when other corridors began branching off. Running blindly she stumbled from one corridor to the other as images began assaulting her senses not only of Shawn and Paul/Hunter, but soon Kevin, Scott, Randy Orton, Batista and Tyson in one and even a very old and broken looking Flair in another.

Tripping over a rock in the path she was dismayed to find the path ended and turning in the dirt watched the pathway behind her close. The walls still reflecting their images became almost see through reflecting other walls behind them and still more walls behind that each one reflecting an image some begging for her help, some cursing her, some threatening her. Sobbing she turned in the dirt looking wildly for some image of comfort, something that would save her from this hell she had found herself in. Then faintly in the very back behind what seemed like a hundred rows of walls she saw an image of her friend O'Haire standing with his hand out. Desperately she stood trying, needing to get to him, but couldn't find a way through the walls. Frantic she picked up her torch and swung it at one of the mirrors only to have them all break at once and the image of O'Haire disappearing as shards of glass flew at her. Screaming she covered her eyes begging someone to save her…

"ANGEL WAKE UP!" Gasping for air and raising her arms to protect herself Angel opened her eyes to see Bane and O'Haire looking at her. "Seany?" She whimpered and soon the big man's arms were wrapped around her tightly as she cried into his chest. "It was just a nightmare baby," he whispered and trying to control herself Angel nodded. Sniffling she wiped her tears off on O'Haire's chest taking deep shuddering breaths.

When her big brown eyes turned up to him O'Haire growled softly at her tears and kissed her temple. "Shh Angel it's ok." Sean murmured rocking her slowly as he glanced up at Bane who watched on expressionlessly. "I better go before someone figures out I'm in here," Bane offered quietly and turning slipped out of the room. Sean watched the other man go then turned his eyes to Angel who was now blushing. "What was it Angel?" Sean asked softly and Angel just shook her head. "Just a stupid nightmare probably from too much stress," Angel replied then looked up into Sean's blue eyes and smiled. "My hero." Sean grinned and chuckled before kissing her forehead and standing to pace over to the window. "Tell me what is going on Angel. You've only been here a day how are you stressed enough that it is giving you nightmares already?"

Angel sighed and scooted back in the bed to rest her back against the headboard as he watched Sean. "Well let's see. I can't figure out why Vince would hire me. My only real ally got taken out tonight by Kane in what I can tell was an unscripted attack and yet everyone around here seems to think it is business as normal. I found Paul sitting at Shawn's bedside looking like someone had just shot his puppy and he confesses to me that someone is forcing him to do all the terrible things he does. There's the Bane and Batista equation that I haven't figured out yet not to mention where Flair and Randy fall into things. And on top of all of that I have Chris Benoit who hates my guts because of Kevin that I have to deal with. There isn't anyone around here that I know besides Shawn and Paul… well there's Mark but so far I haven't seen hide nor hair of him."

Sean nodded quietly and sighed. "Well Angelface frankly it sounds like business as normal around here. Oh sure matches are still scripted, but someone up on high has decided to deal out… punishments live and in front of the crowd and pass them off as storylines. Paul doesn't exist anymore except when Triple H wants something and needs to con someone. Bane and Batista are… complicated as are Flair and Randy. Chris Benoit is… well… honestly I don't know much about him one way or the other. Mark is… well Mark is purposely kept out of things by people who don't want his presence."

Angel frowned digesting Sean's words. "You sound like you know what is going on Devil Man," Angel observed quietly and Sean shrugged. "Not really, but I notice things people would rather I not notice and I hear things that people would rather I not hear. I mean you don't really think that my contract wasn't renewed because they couldn't think of anything for me do you?" Angel slowly shook her head and Sean grunted glad she hadn't lost her mind. "I can tell you that there is something seriously big and bad around here, but who it is and what it is I have no clue. I just know that it ain't pretty."

Angel nodded quietly as ideas swirled around in her head. "How would you like a job as my assistant? Vince said that I have the power to hire and fire anyone I see fit. I would bring you back as a wrestler but… I would rather not have to have you deal with that right now. I need you to help me figure out what is going on around here." Sean shrugged. "S'fine with me. Angelface, on the subject of why you were hired… I don't want to upset you or anything but, did it ever occur to you that maybe Vince hired you because he thought you were incapable of doing the job and wouldn't have the brains to figure out what was going on around here?"

Angel laughed humorlessly and ran a hand over her face. "Sean I knew that Vince thought I was incompetent before our first meeting, but I know that he knows that I have a brain in my head. He knows Kevin well enough to know that Kevin would have made sure of that." Angel bit her lip as an idea popped into her head. "I think," she started. "I think though that possibly he was counting on my loyalty and friendship to certain people to cloud my judgment thereby making me easily manipulated." Sean nodded after thinking over the statement. "That makes sense. God knows Hunter still thinks he can manipulate everyone even the Kliq." When he saw Angel shaking her head he cocked his to one side not sure what she was disagreeing with. "I would never just believe Paul," Angel said. "Paul knows it and Vince knows it. After Kevin and I… well let's just say Paul was very instrumental in us not talking any longer. Sure part of me misses him and thinks of bits of him as the friend I once had, but they know I don't trust him. No, if they are manipulating me it would have to be someone I would never suspect." Angel bit her lip looking at Sean as doubts began to assault her. "The question is who in my limited number of friends the traitor is?" Sean sighed knowing that his name had to be on her suspicion list and wondered what he was getting himself into.

Read chapter Six of ?? of Monster in the Shadows