Part 1
It started with the phone calls. Then the letters. And now the creepy feeling of being watched. Christian couldn't help but shiver at the thought. No amount of pretending that it didn't exist could help him. And the letters? He knows who they are from. Just the thought of him sends Christian's skin crawling. How could he have been so weak minded to let himself be controlled like that? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Just plain stupid...
Adam knew how insanely evil he was. That's why he left. That's why he changed his name to Edge. But he promised that he would come back. Christian had no choice but to stay. He planted the seed of envy. Envy of him having the guts to leave, to break his leash. Anger for not coming back. Yes, he took full advantage and had no qualms in reminding Christian who was master and who was slave. The long sleeved guazy shirts, the shades, the long hair in the face hid a lot of his "reminders". It took him so long to break out of that submissive shell. Now?
Christian looks over to Edge. His back is to him. His long golden hair cascades down his back. He's in his wrestling gear, his match is coming up soon. He and Edge don't talk that much these days. Actually not at all. Not since Christian turned his back on him. It felt like Edge would leave him again. Christian would not let that happen a second time. So, he would be the one that leaves first. No longer would he be helpless. He would be the one in control. But now, Christian begins to second guess his decision. It was Edge that pulled him from that madman's clutches. How can he tell him that he's back? Christian closes his silver blue eyes and sighs softly. This is a battle he must fight alone.
Edge can feel Christian's gaze on him. His sigh pulls at his heart. How could he tell him about Gangrel? With his new found independence, this is the last thing he needs right now. Edge smiles as he thinks back to when his Little One turned on him. He wanted his brother to learn to stand on his own. That's why Edge started to distance himself from Christian. He wanted him to fend for himself in case he wasn't around. It hurts him like hell to not talk to him, but this is something he has to do.
And now after all this time, he comes back. It was he, Christian and Gangrel's two new children, the Hardy Boyz that sent him packing back to Hell with his pointed tail between his legs. After that each team went their separate ways. Peace...that peace is now in danger. Christian has come so far. There's no way Edge will see that wiped away! Gangrel will not get anywere near him again...Edge will make sure of it!
Jeff almost jumps out of his skin when Lita touches him on the shoulder. When she asks him what's wrong, he just brushes it off by saying that it's nothing. If she only knew. In his poetry book are the notes. All of them speaking of his return. In the short time that he and his brother Matt were with Gangrel, they learned how domineering he could be. His promises of glory came with a heavy price. His poison slowly dripped into their veins, turned them against their mentor Michael Hayes and then turned their contaminated hunger on his wayward "children", Edge and Christian.
Right from the beginning, they warned them about the evils Gangrel were capable of. Of course, Jeff and Matt brushed them off, accusing them of being jealous. During the Terri Invitiational, the Hardyz begin to see this evil. Especially Jeff. The way Gangrel would look at him was downright creepy. His "devoted attention" was confining to say the least. He tried to mold him into an exact copy of Christian. Sensing that their very existiance was in danger, Jeff and Matt joined with Edge and Christian to take out Gangrel. It worked too...or at least it did. Now he wants his family back. He wants them all. There's no way that could ever happen.
Matt waits anxiously in the ring for Edge. More of wanting to actually talk to him instead of wrestle, but duty calls first. The noise in the background doesn't do anything to calm his nerves or his racing mind. He saw the letters. He heard the voice. Gangrel's coming to claim what he thinks that is his. There's not a chance in hell that he will EVER let himself or Jeff be lead around like that. He needed to talk to Edge, he needed to know if Gangrel contacted him. Gangrel has to be handled and handled soon. Their very lives depended on it!
Part 2
"Hi"
Christian turns around to see Jeff standing behind him. He looks at Christian with timid green eyes. He nervously shuffles his feet, awaiting Christian to say something.
"Hi" Christian responds softly. His eyes shift from Jeff's face to the black notebook tucked under his arm.
"Do you mind if-"
"Go ahead."
Jeff sits down in the chair next to Christian. Silence passes between them as they watch their respective brothers wrestle on the television.
"Did he call you?"
Jeff's question breaks through the silence.
Christian could feel the color drain from his face.
"Yes..." he croaks, his voice hampered by the sudden tightness of his throat.
Jeff pulls out the notes from his poetry book. He hands them to Christian. Christian looks at them, his eyes starting to fill with tears. He adds another one to the group. He had just recently received it and it was crumpled from being held tightly in his hand.
"I can feel him sometimes, like he's right next to me." Jeff tells him.
"I see him in my dreams." Christian whispers. "I can hear his voice...feel his touch..." Christian shivers involuntarily as memories once buried come flooding back.
Jeff puts his arm around the shaking blonde and pulls him close. In a way, he knew how Christian felt. But unlike Christian, Jeff has always been his own person, so Gangrel's influence was nothing more than surface scare. His upper lip curls in anger seeing Christian break down like this and knowing the reason why.
Matt misses a leg drop on Edge, which gets a huge gasp from the crowd. Edge capitalizes on it by grabbing the elder Hardy Boy and setting him up for the Buzzkiller. Suddenly the lights go out. Matt wiggles out of Edge's grip. His heart drums inside his chest as he desparately tries to see through the darkness. The sounds of a near panic crowd surrounds him. Matt could feel himself wanting to join them. Then it happened.
"Be ready..."
Those ominous words whispered into the air. The red flashing lights pierce through the darkness.
"No...NOT NOW!!!" Edge hears himself yell. He and Matt glance at one another, each knowing the meaning and the man behind this.
Just as they dart to the ropes, the TitanTron comes on. They see the ghastly picture. The locker room-the last place they saw Jeff and Christian-has been ripped apart. And blood...blood on the floor...blood on the walls...Then a face comes into focus. A face thought to be long gone. A face speckled in crimson.
"Matthew. Adam. So nice to see you again." Gangrel's mocking tone causes the older brothers' blood to run cold in their veins.
"I've missed my boys terribly." he continues as he reaches up to brush away some stray strands out of his eyes with a bloodied hand. "Christian and Jeffery couldn't wait to come back. Why don't you join us?"
The madman's taunting laughter echoes thought the arena as Edge and Matt tear out of the ring and up the ramp.
Part 3
It has been two weeks and Christian and Jeff are still missing. Even Gangrel hasn't been seen or heard. Investigation of the blood in the locker showed to be cornstarch and red food coloring. Vince gave Edge and Matt time off, even offered body guards. They declined the body guards knowing that it would be pointless, but they did take time off to each try searching on their own. After three days of nothing, both came back to work. It was as if Gangrel, Jeff and Christian fell from the Earth.
Dread eats away at Edge as his mind wonders to what kinds of torture Gangrel is placing on Christian. Everytime he would go out to the ring, his eyes would dart into the crowd, hoping that he would find his brother or at least that coward Gangrel. He knows that he hasn't given up just yet. Gangrel wants the whole family back together and somewhere he's brewing up some sinister plan to get his hooks into the next victim. But who's next? Him or Matt?
Lita can see the worry and frustration in Matt's eyes. On one occasion she thought she had even saw him cry. He wouldn't admit to it, however. Gangrel was already a memory when she arrived on the scene. She only knew the story from the fans' point of view. After what happened to Jeff and Christian, she realized that it went much deeper than that. Lita wishes more than anything to help her friend. It's not fair to just look on as this crazy man pulls at Matt's strings. Whereever Jeff and Chritian are, she silently prays for their safety.
"Edge..."
His name floats to his ears on gossemer wings. Edge freezes his actions. The ice shoots down his spine when he recognizes the voice.
"Christian?" he calls out, hoping and praying that he would get the same response.
A strained moment of silence passes by before Edge hears his name again, this time slightly louder.
This time, Edge spins on his heel and hurriedly walks to the door. When he opens it, he notices how unusually quiet the hallway is. He cauiously steps into the hallway. His heartbeat feels like it's in his throat. His breath...it doesn't feel like he's even breathing!
"Edge..."
Edge slowly turns his head toward the direction of the voice. His sea green eyes grow wide when he sees that it is Christian. But Christian looks different...his eyes are covered by dark wire-frame shades. His blonde hair hides most of his face and ripples over his shoulders. He's wearing a black guazy poet's shirt and skin tight black leather pants.
Christian turns slowly then walks away. Edge immediately runs after him. There is no way he's going to lose him again! When he gets to the end of the hallway, he sees Christian walking toward a set of double steel doors.
"Christian, wait!" he shouts as he continues to run after him.
When Christian gets to the doors, he pauses to look over his shoulder before entering the room.
Edge reaches the heavy door just as it is about to close. He grabs it and pauses briefly to read the sign on it: Boiler Room. The feeling of danger creeps over him. A single sweat drop slides down the side of his face.
"Christian!" Edge calls out. "Christian, where are you?"
His eyes catches a shadow moving against a far wall. His mind snaps into action as he quickly runs further into the boiler room. Through the maze of pipes, Edge finally finds his brother leaning against a chainlinked fence. His fingers grip the links in an almost painful way. His gaze is directed at Edge.
"Christian, why did you run away from me?" Edge asks as he approaches Christian.
Christian doesn't respond. He doesn't even move from his spot. His eyes are still transfixed on Edge.
"What's wrong?" Edge pauses in his steps. Why doesn't he say anything? "What did Gangrel do to you?"
"I showed him the way home. Although he way a bit stubborn at first."
Edge doesn't turn around, but clenches his jaw ans his fists a the recognition of the voice.
"Why couldn't you just leave us alone." Edge growls out.
"It's been so long since we were together. I missed my boys." Gangrel steps into Edge's line of sight. Nothing really changed about him except for the zig zag scar on the right side of his face. That was courtesy of Edge himself. His icy blue eyes are hidden behind silver rimmed shades. His outfit is identical to Christian's except his shirt is white and his pants are actually black velvet tights.
He reaches up to touch Edge's face only to have Edge bat his hand away.
"You use to love my touch." Gangrel purrs in a mocking tone.
"We were fine without you!" Edge yells at him. "Stay out of our lives!"
"You're fine? You call having your dear, sweet brother turn against you fine?"
"I...I made him do it. I wanted him to learn to be an individual. I didn't want to be just like you."
Gangrel's amused laughter eats away at Edge's last reserves. Edge does not look at him, but keeps his eyes on Christian who has yet to move from the fence.
"If you were anything like me, your brother would be by your side." Gangrel spits venomouly in Edge's ear.
With a roar of anger, Egde grabs his former mentor and throws him to the ground then starts punching on him. All the anger that built up in that short moment pours out into every blow. Without warning, something wraps around Edge's neck and yanks him off. Hew instinctively fights against the restraints. He reaches up to his neck to feel that it is a chain.
"So full of rage." Gangrel says as he gets to his feet. He licks away some of the blood on his lip and smiles down at the struggling Edge, revealing his pointed canines. "Time to come home."
Lightheadedness takes over Edge. The last thing he sees is Gangrel approaching him, his deranged smile beaming like a sick beacon in the night.
"Accompanied to the ring by Lita, Matt Hardy!"
Matt and Lita step onto the ramp and receive a huge pop from the crowd. As they play to the audience on their way to the ring, Matt wonders where Edge disappeared to. He hasn't been seen since they worked out their strategy for tonight's tag macth. Edge was suppose to meet Matt at the curtain. Matt did go back to the dressing room and although he didn't find Edge, he did feel an unnatural presence surrounding the room. It felt like cold, clammy hands carressing his skin. He felt it even more when he stepped back into the hallway. Unfortunately, he couldn't investigate further for it was almost time for the match.
Matt climbs into the ring. His eyes fall on his and Edge's opponents: William Regal and the Undertaker. After a brief staredown, Matt turns toward the ramp, praying silently that Edge is okay and that he will show up.
All of a sudden, the light go out and the familiar horror plays itself out.
"Dammit...." Matt growls softly as he realizes that his prayers have gone unheard.
The image that appears on the TitanTron is one that Matt thought that he would never see again.
"Matthew." Gangrel's voice echoes in his ears. "Let's make this easy. It's time to come home."
"What have you done with Edge?" Matt yells at the image. Now he knows the reason for the creepy experience in the dressing room!
As if he heard him, Gangrel steps aside and the camera reveals Edge. He is attached by his neck, wrists and waist to a fence with a heavy chain. His head leans forward, causing his golden mane to fall in front of him.
"Once Edge awakes, he will join us also." Gangrel says off camera. "So as you can see, I almost have my family back. Please come join us...or do you not care about your precious Jeffy?"
Gangrel's sadistic laugh causes Matt to quickly leave the ring. He ignores Lita's pleas as he runs up the ramp and disappear through the curtains. People backstage side step when they see Matt running toward them. He has an idea wher they could be. He saw the door to the Boiler Room earlier. He had went there to get some time alone to think. A sickening sensation creeps over him as he thinks that even then Gangrel could have been spying on him.
He sees the sign with "Boiler Room" coming into view. Just as he is about to round the corner, someone grabs him and drags him into a nearby room. Matt tries his best to break the hold, but only succeeds in thowing both of them to the floor. The person,however,is tenacious and the grip doesn't break.
"Calm down, Matt." the familiar voice breathes into his ear.
Matt's movements stop and he tries to crane his neck.
"Jeff?"
Jeff unwraps himself from his big brother. Matt immediately turns to face him. He right away notices the changes in his brother. For one, his hair is devoid of any color. His green eyes, ususally bright now have a dark alomst evil glint to them.
Matt tries to tell Jeff about Edge, but he's so shocked at his discovery that only his lips move.
"Shhh...." Jeff leans over and places one finger over Matt's lips. "We'll be with Edge soon. We'll also be with Christian too. We'll all be together...just like it should be."
Matt reaches up and removes Jeff's finger from his lips.
"No, Jeff, it's not suppose to be that way!" he whispers harshly. "That's how Gangrel wants it. He wants us back to control. And I'm not about to let that happen again."
Matt could feel his blood run cold at hearing Jeff's eerie chuckle.
"Fighting to the bitter end. Well Matty, it's hopeless. Why fight the inevitable? We were born just to follow him. We are his children."
"No!" Matt shakes his head as he gets to his feet. He looks down at his brother. This person may look like Jeff Hardy, but he's nothing more that some demented puppet.
Jeff slowly gets to his feet. His hair falls over his face like a golden waterfall. The glint in his eyes is now accompanied by a wicked grin. He steps up closer to Matt then wraps his arms around him. Matt instantly stiffens not knowing how to respond. He wills his arms to stay at his sides.
"Don't walk away from me, Big Brother." Jeff whispers silkenly into his ear. "I don't want to be left alone with him. I need you."
Jeff presses his body closer to Matt. Matt inhales sharply as he feels Jeff's tongue glide up the side of his neck.
"Uh, Jeff? What are you doing?" Matt questions nearvously. All signs are screaming at how wrong this is, but he can't get the nerve to push his brother away.
"Mmmmm.....yummy." Jeff purrs into his ear.
Matt lets out a sudden bark of pain and shoves Jeff away when he clamps down hard with his teeth.
"What the hell was that for?" Matt yells as he reaches up to the place where he had been bitten. He feels something wet and sticky and when he pulls his hand back it reveals blood.
He looks back at his brother only to see him smiling as he draws his tongue over his bottom lip to taste the blood there.
Matt stares in shock at his baby brother as he backs away from him...away from Jeff and into something hard. Not a wall, but a body. Matt spins around to see that he had bumped into Christian. Matt takes one step back, then everything goes black.
Part 4
It's been a month since the disappearances of the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian.
The official search for them recently ended but Lita's personal search continues. She chased after matt when he ran way from the ring to look for Edge. She lost track of him around the boiler room area. Teh only thing she was able to find of him was the ripped up remains of the purple 3 X-treme t-shirt he was wearing at the time.
Right now she is holding onto that same t-shirt. She bounces on the balls of her feet, trying to get rid of some tension. Tonight she's going to the ring and call out Gangrel. Everyone everything pointed to how bad an idea it was. She couldn't just turn her back on her friend. She owes them this much. That's why she asked vince for this.
Lita's music hits and she steps through the curtain. She doesn't do her usual ring entrance because tonight isn't about her. She walks to the ring, oblivious to the roar of the crowd. She grips the t-shirt tighter in her fist as she gets into the ring and takes a mic.
"I would usually come out here with Matt and Jeff, but as you can see, they are not here. Neither are Edge and Christian. I know all of you have heard the official story that they are out due to injuries. I'm here to tell the real reason."
The crowd noise lowers to low murmurs as they await Lita's confession. Tears try to fall, but with a shake of her head, Lita wills then to stay put.
"Gangrel came back to the WWF a while back and first kidnapped Jeff and Christian then later Edge and Matt. That wasn't an angle. Gangrel is a true to life evil, sadistic bastard
that has done something terrible involving those guys."
The boos echo throughout the arena. Lita lifts up the ripped up t-shirt to show the audience.
"This is all that I found of Matt that night he disappeared-the same night he went looking for Edge. We all saw what Gangrel did to the others.
"Lita lowers her hand and bows her head. Her long red hair hides the angry tears that she tried so hard to stop. With the boos from the crowd resounding in her ears and the passionate fight in her heart to find her friends, Lita grips the mic in her hand then begins to speak again, this time holding nothing back.
"Gangrel!" She screams. " You demented son of a bitch! Come out here and face me! Tell me what you did to them! I know that they wouldn't have went you willingly. I hate you! I hate-"
An image of Gangrel pops up on the TitanTron, interrupting Lita.
"Lovely Lita." His voice echoes through the arena. "I finally get to meet the Queen of X-treme."
Lita bites back the urge to hiss at the Brood leader.
"What have you done to them?"
"They're safe." Gangrel responds matter-of-factly.
"That's a lie.' Lita spits venomously at him. "If they were safe, they would be here in the ring."
At that moment, the arena lights go out casting the arena in total darkness. Lita couldn't see anything, but could hear the anxious buzz from the audience. She doesn't move, planting her feet for better assurance.
Out of nowhere, an arm snakes its way around Lita's bare waist and yanks her against a hard body. On instinct, she starts to fight against the grip.
"Lita, stop." a familiar voice breathes into her ear, causing her to stop suddenly.
"Matt?" she gasps softly.
Just then the lights come back up. Matt lets go of Lita and she quickly turns around. Matt, along with Jeff, Edge and Christian are in the ring with her.
"I told you that they were safe, Lita." Gangrel says smuggly.
Lita instantly thows her arm around Matt.
"Oh, Matt." she tells him. "I was really worried. I though Gangrel did something wro-"
It's at that moment that lita notices that Matt is not hugging her back. Matter of fact, he hasn't moved in any way at all. She pulls away and looks into his eyes. What use to be soft, warm and friendly are now replaced with hard, cold almost evil in a way. She steps away to look at the others. They also carry evil auras, especially Edge who smiles wickedly at her.
"As you can see, Lita, my boys are finally back where they belong. No more bickering, thay are finally a family." Gangrel continues. "You did make a good point earlier. They are better safe in the ring...unfortunately the ring is not a safe place for you."
Suddenly Matt grabs Lita by her hair just as the lights go out again. Seconds later, Lita's screams fill the air. Then just as quickly as the screams began, they stop. A moment later, the lights come back on, but the horror discovered by the audiance begs to have the lights still out. The ring is empty again except for Lita...sprawled out in the middle of the ring in a growing pool of crimson. Her clothes are sliced up. Each tear revealing a vicious cut on her body. The vicious cut of them all is the one on her neck that still pumps blood. Her hazel eyes transfixed into shock, her red lips still formed into the last scream she would ever make.
Gangrel came back and got what he wanted...his boys-his family. That's all that had mattered.
The End
It started with the phone calls. Then the letters. And now the creepy feeling of being watched. Christian couldn't help but shiver at the thought. No amount of pretending that it didn't exist could help him. And the letters? He knows who they are from. Just the thought of him sends Christian's skin crawling. How could he have been so weak minded to let himself be controlled like that? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Just plain stupid...
Adam knew how insanely evil he was. That's why he left. That's why he changed his name to Edge. But he promised that he would come back. Christian had no choice but to stay. He planted the seed of envy. Envy of him having the guts to leave, to break his leash. Anger for not coming back. Yes, he took full advantage and had no qualms in reminding Christian who was master and who was slave. The long sleeved guazy shirts, the shades, the long hair in the face hid a lot of his "reminders". It took him so long to break out of that submissive shell. Now?
Christian looks over to Edge. His back is to him. His long golden hair cascades down his back. He's in his wrestling gear, his match is coming up soon. He and Edge don't talk that much these days. Actually not at all. Not since Christian turned his back on him. It felt like Edge would leave him again. Christian would not let that happen a second time. So, he would be the one that leaves first. No longer would he be helpless. He would be the one in control. But now, Christian begins to second guess his decision. It was Edge that pulled him from that madman's clutches. How can he tell him that he's back? Christian closes his silver blue eyes and sighs softly. This is a battle he must fight alone.
Edge can feel Christian's gaze on him. His sigh pulls at his heart. How could he tell him about Gangrel? With his new found independence, this is the last thing he needs right now. Edge smiles as he thinks back to when his Little One turned on him. He wanted his brother to learn to stand on his own. That's why Edge started to distance himself from Christian. He wanted him to fend for himself in case he wasn't around. It hurts him like hell to not talk to him, but this is something he has to do.
And now after all this time, he comes back. It was he, Christian and Gangrel's two new children, the Hardy Boyz that sent him packing back to Hell with his pointed tail between his legs. After that each team went their separate ways. Peace...that peace is now in danger. Christian has come so far. There's no way Edge will see that wiped away! Gangrel will not get anywere near him again...Edge will make sure of it!
Jeff almost jumps out of his skin when Lita touches him on the shoulder. When she asks him what's wrong, he just brushes it off by saying that it's nothing. If she only knew. In his poetry book are the notes. All of them speaking of his return. In the short time that he and his brother Matt were with Gangrel, they learned how domineering he could be. His promises of glory came with a heavy price. His poison slowly dripped into their veins, turned them against their mentor Michael Hayes and then turned their contaminated hunger on his wayward "children", Edge and Christian.
Right from the beginning, they warned them about the evils Gangrel were capable of. Of course, Jeff and Matt brushed them off, accusing them of being jealous. During the Terri Invitiational, the Hardyz begin to see this evil. Especially Jeff. The way Gangrel would look at him was downright creepy. His "devoted attention" was confining to say the least. He tried to mold him into an exact copy of Christian. Sensing that their very existiance was in danger, Jeff and Matt joined with Edge and Christian to take out Gangrel. It worked too...or at least it did. Now he wants his family back. He wants them all. There's no way that could ever happen.
Matt waits anxiously in the ring for Edge. More of wanting to actually talk to him instead of wrestle, but duty calls first. The noise in the background doesn't do anything to calm his nerves or his racing mind. He saw the letters. He heard the voice. Gangrel's coming to claim what he thinks that is his. There's not a chance in hell that he will EVER let himself or Jeff be lead around like that. He needed to talk to Edge, he needed to know if Gangrel contacted him. Gangrel has to be handled and handled soon. Their very lives depended on it!
Part 2
"Hi"
Christian turns around to see Jeff standing behind him. He looks at Christian with timid green eyes. He nervously shuffles his feet, awaiting Christian to say something.
"Hi" Christian responds softly. His eyes shift from Jeff's face to the black notebook tucked under his arm.
"Do you mind if-"
"Go ahead."
Jeff sits down in the chair next to Christian. Silence passes between them as they watch their respective brothers wrestle on the television.
"Did he call you?"
Jeff's question breaks through the silence.
Christian could feel the color drain from his face.
"Yes..." he croaks, his voice hampered by the sudden tightness of his throat.
Jeff pulls out the notes from his poetry book. He hands them to Christian. Christian looks at them, his eyes starting to fill with tears. He adds another one to the group. He had just recently received it and it was crumpled from being held tightly in his hand.
"I can feel him sometimes, like he's right next to me." Jeff tells him.
"I see him in my dreams." Christian whispers. "I can hear his voice...feel his touch..." Christian shivers involuntarily as memories once buried come flooding back.
Jeff puts his arm around the shaking blonde and pulls him close. In a way, he knew how Christian felt. But unlike Christian, Jeff has always been his own person, so Gangrel's influence was nothing more than surface scare. His upper lip curls in anger seeing Christian break down like this and knowing the reason why.
Matt misses a leg drop on Edge, which gets a huge gasp from the crowd. Edge capitalizes on it by grabbing the elder Hardy Boy and setting him up for the Buzzkiller. Suddenly the lights go out. Matt wiggles out of Edge's grip. His heart drums inside his chest as he desparately tries to see through the darkness. The sounds of a near panic crowd surrounds him. Matt could feel himself wanting to join them. Then it happened.
"Be ready..."
Those ominous words whispered into the air. The red flashing lights pierce through the darkness.
"No...NOT NOW!!!" Edge hears himself yell. He and Matt glance at one another, each knowing the meaning and the man behind this.
Just as they dart to the ropes, the TitanTron comes on. They see the ghastly picture. The locker room-the last place they saw Jeff and Christian-has been ripped apart. And blood...blood on the floor...blood on the walls...Then a face comes into focus. A face thought to be long gone. A face speckled in crimson.
"Matthew. Adam. So nice to see you again." Gangrel's mocking tone causes the older brothers' blood to run cold in their veins.
"I've missed my boys terribly." he continues as he reaches up to brush away some stray strands out of his eyes with a bloodied hand. "Christian and Jeffery couldn't wait to come back. Why don't you join us?"
The madman's taunting laughter echoes thought the arena as Edge and Matt tear out of the ring and up the ramp.
Part 3
It has been two weeks and Christian and Jeff are still missing. Even Gangrel hasn't been seen or heard. Investigation of the blood in the locker showed to be cornstarch and red food coloring. Vince gave Edge and Matt time off, even offered body guards. They declined the body guards knowing that it would be pointless, but they did take time off to each try searching on their own. After three days of nothing, both came back to work. It was as if Gangrel, Jeff and Christian fell from the Earth.
Dread eats away at Edge as his mind wonders to what kinds of torture Gangrel is placing on Christian. Everytime he would go out to the ring, his eyes would dart into the crowd, hoping that he would find his brother or at least that coward Gangrel. He knows that he hasn't given up just yet. Gangrel wants the whole family back together and somewhere he's brewing up some sinister plan to get his hooks into the next victim. But who's next? Him or Matt?
Lita can see the worry and frustration in Matt's eyes. On one occasion she thought she had even saw him cry. He wouldn't admit to it, however. Gangrel was already a memory when she arrived on the scene. She only knew the story from the fans' point of view. After what happened to Jeff and Christian, she realized that it went much deeper than that. Lita wishes more than anything to help her friend. It's not fair to just look on as this crazy man pulls at Matt's strings. Whereever Jeff and Chritian are, she silently prays for their safety.
"Edge..."
His name floats to his ears on gossemer wings. Edge freezes his actions. The ice shoots down his spine when he recognizes the voice.
"Christian?" he calls out, hoping and praying that he would get the same response.
A strained moment of silence passes by before Edge hears his name again, this time slightly louder.
This time, Edge spins on his heel and hurriedly walks to the door. When he opens it, he notices how unusually quiet the hallway is. He cauiously steps into the hallway. His heartbeat feels like it's in his throat. His breath...it doesn't feel like he's even breathing!
"Edge..."
Edge slowly turns his head toward the direction of the voice. His sea green eyes grow wide when he sees that it is Christian. But Christian looks different...his eyes are covered by dark wire-frame shades. His blonde hair hides most of his face and ripples over his shoulders. He's wearing a black guazy poet's shirt and skin tight black leather pants.
Christian turns slowly then walks away. Edge immediately runs after him. There is no way he's going to lose him again! When he gets to the end of the hallway, he sees Christian walking toward a set of double steel doors.
"Christian, wait!" he shouts as he continues to run after him.
When Christian gets to the doors, he pauses to look over his shoulder before entering the room.
Edge reaches the heavy door just as it is about to close. He grabs it and pauses briefly to read the sign on it: Boiler Room. The feeling of danger creeps over him. A single sweat drop slides down the side of his face.
"Christian!" Edge calls out. "Christian, where are you?"
His eyes catches a shadow moving against a far wall. His mind snaps into action as he quickly runs further into the boiler room. Through the maze of pipes, Edge finally finds his brother leaning against a chainlinked fence. His fingers grip the links in an almost painful way. His gaze is directed at Edge.
"Christian, why did you run away from me?" Edge asks as he approaches Christian.
Christian doesn't respond. He doesn't even move from his spot. His eyes are still transfixed on Edge.
"What's wrong?" Edge pauses in his steps. Why doesn't he say anything? "What did Gangrel do to you?"
"I showed him the way home. Although he way a bit stubborn at first."
Edge doesn't turn around, but clenches his jaw ans his fists a the recognition of the voice.
"Why couldn't you just leave us alone." Edge growls out.
"It's been so long since we were together. I missed my boys." Gangrel steps into Edge's line of sight. Nothing really changed about him except for the zig zag scar on the right side of his face. That was courtesy of Edge himself. His icy blue eyes are hidden behind silver rimmed shades. His outfit is identical to Christian's except his shirt is white and his pants are actually black velvet tights.
He reaches up to touch Edge's face only to have Edge bat his hand away.
"You use to love my touch." Gangrel purrs in a mocking tone.
"We were fine without you!" Edge yells at him. "Stay out of our lives!"
"You're fine? You call having your dear, sweet brother turn against you fine?"
"I...I made him do it. I wanted him to learn to be an individual. I didn't want to be just like you."
Gangrel's amused laughter eats away at Edge's last reserves. Edge does not look at him, but keeps his eyes on Christian who has yet to move from the fence.
"If you were anything like me, your brother would be by your side." Gangrel spits venomouly in Edge's ear.
With a roar of anger, Egde grabs his former mentor and throws him to the ground then starts punching on him. All the anger that built up in that short moment pours out into every blow. Without warning, something wraps around Edge's neck and yanks him off. Hew instinctively fights against the restraints. He reaches up to his neck to feel that it is a chain.
"So full of rage." Gangrel says as he gets to his feet. He licks away some of the blood on his lip and smiles down at the struggling Edge, revealing his pointed canines. "Time to come home."
Lightheadedness takes over Edge. The last thing he sees is Gangrel approaching him, his deranged smile beaming like a sick beacon in the night.
"Accompanied to the ring by Lita, Matt Hardy!"
Matt and Lita step onto the ramp and receive a huge pop from the crowd. As they play to the audience on their way to the ring, Matt wonders where Edge disappeared to. He hasn't been seen since they worked out their strategy for tonight's tag macth. Edge was suppose to meet Matt at the curtain. Matt did go back to the dressing room and although he didn't find Edge, he did feel an unnatural presence surrounding the room. It felt like cold, clammy hands carressing his skin. He felt it even more when he stepped back into the hallway. Unfortunately, he couldn't investigate further for it was almost time for the match.
Matt climbs into the ring. His eyes fall on his and Edge's opponents: William Regal and the Undertaker. After a brief staredown, Matt turns toward the ramp, praying silently that Edge is okay and that he will show up.
All of a sudden, the light go out and the familiar horror plays itself out.
"Dammit...." Matt growls softly as he realizes that his prayers have gone unheard.
The image that appears on the TitanTron is one that Matt thought that he would never see again.
"Matthew." Gangrel's voice echoes in his ears. "Let's make this easy. It's time to come home."
"What have you done with Edge?" Matt yells at the image. Now he knows the reason for the creepy experience in the dressing room!
As if he heard him, Gangrel steps aside and the camera reveals Edge. He is attached by his neck, wrists and waist to a fence with a heavy chain. His head leans forward, causing his golden mane to fall in front of him.
"Once Edge awakes, he will join us also." Gangrel says off camera. "So as you can see, I almost have my family back. Please come join us...or do you not care about your precious Jeffy?"
Gangrel's sadistic laugh causes Matt to quickly leave the ring. He ignores Lita's pleas as he runs up the ramp and disappear through the curtains. People backstage side step when they see Matt running toward them. He has an idea wher they could be. He saw the door to the Boiler Room earlier. He had went there to get some time alone to think. A sickening sensation creeps over him as he thinks that even then Gangrel could have been spying on him.
He sees the sign with "Boiler Room" coming into view. Just as he is about to round the corner, someone grabs him and drags him into a nearby room. Matt tries his best to break the hold, but only succeeds in thowing both of them to the floor. The person,however,is tenacious and the grip doesn't break.
"Calm down, Matt." the familiar voice breathes into his ear.
Matt's movements stop and he tries to crane his neck.
"Jeff?"
Jeff unwraps himself from his big brother. Matt immediately turns to face him. He right away notices the changes in his brother. For one, his hair is devoid of any color. His green eyes, ususally bright now have a dark alomst evil glint to them.
Matt tries to tell Jeff about Edge, but he's so shocked at his discovery that only his lips move.
"Shhh...." Jeff leans over and places one finger over Matt's lips. "We'll be with Edge soon. We'll also be with Christian too. We'll all be together...just like it should be."
Matt reaches up and removes Jeff's finger from his lips.
"No, Jeff, it's not suppose to be that way!" he whispers harshly. "That's how Gangrel wants it. He wants us back to control. And I'm not about to let that happen again."
Matt could feel his blood run cold at hearing Jeff's eerie chuckle.
"Fighting to the bitter end. Well Matty, it's hopeless. Why fight the inevitable? We were born just to follow him. We are his children."
"No!" Matt shakes his head as he gets to his feet. He looks down at his brother. This person may look like Jeff Hardy, but he's nothing more that some demented puppet.
Jeff slowly gets to his feet. His hair falls over his face like a golden waterfall. The glint in his eyes is now accompanied by a wicked grin. He steps up closer to Matt then wraps his arms around him. Matt instantly stiffens not knowing how to respond. He wills his arms to stay at his sides.
"Don't walk away from me, Big Brother." Jeff whispers silkenly into his ear. "I don't want to be left alone with him. I need you."
Jeff presses his body closer to Matt. Matt inhales sharply as he feels Jeff's tongue glide up the side of his neck.
"Uh, Jeff? What are you doing?" Matt questions nearvously. All signs are screaming at how wrong this is, but he can't get the nerve to push his brother away.
"Mmmmm.....yummy." Jeff purrs into his ear.
Matt lets out a sudden bark of pain and shoves Jeff away when he clamps down hard with his teeth.
"What the hell was that for?" Matt yells as he reaches up to the place where he had been bitten. He feels something wet and sticky and when he pulls his hand back it reveals blood.
He looks back at his brother only to see him smiling as he draws his tongue over his bottom lip to taste the blood there.
Matt stares in shock at his baby brother as he backs away from him...away from Jeff and into something hard. Not a wall, but a body. Matt spins around to see that he had bumped into Christian. Matt takes one step back, then everything goes black.
Part 4
It's been a month since the disappearances of the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian.
The official search for them recently ended but Lita's personal search continues. She chased after matt when he ran way from the ring to look for Edge. She lost track of him around the boiler room area. Teh only thing she was able to find of him was the ripped up remains of the purple 3 X-treme t-shirt he was wearing at the time.
Right now she is holding onto that same t-shirt. She bounces on the balls of her feet, trying to get rid of some tension. Tonight she's going to the ring and call out Gangrel. Everyone everything pointed to how bad an idea it was. She couldn't just turn her back on her friend. She owes them this much. That's why she asked vince for this.
Lita's music hits and she steps through the curtain. She doesn't do her usual ring entrance because tonight isn't about her. She walks to the ring, oblivious to the roar of the crowd. She grips the t-shirt tighter in her fist as she gets into the ring and takes a mic.
"I would usually come out here with Matt and Jeff, but as you can see, they are not here. Neither are Edge and Christian. I know all of you have heard the official story that they are out due to injuries. I'm here to tell the real reason."
The crowd noise lowers to low murmurs as they await Lita's confession. Tears try to fall, but with a shake of her head, Lita wills then to stay put.
"Gangrel came back to the WWF a while back and first kidnapped Jeff and Christian then later Edge and Matt. That wasn't an angle. Gangrel is a true to life evil, sadistic bastard
that has done something terrible involving those guys."
The boos echo throughout the arena. Lita lifts up the ripped up t-shirt to show the audience.
"This is all that I found of Matt that night he disappeared-the same night he went looking for Edge. We all saw what Gangrel did to the others.
"Lita lowers her hand and bows her head. Her long red hair hides the angry tears that she tried so hard to stop. With the boos from the crowd resounding in her ears and the passionate fight in her heart to find her friends, Lita grips the mic in her hand then begins to speak again, this time holding nothing back.
"Gangrel!" She screams. " You demented son of a bitch! Come out here and face me! Tell me what you did to them! I know that they wouldn't have went you willingly. I hate you! I hate-"
An image of Gangrel pops up on the TitanTron, interrupting Lita.
"Lovely Lita." His voice echoes through the arena. "I finally get to meet the Queen of X-treme."
Lita bites back the urge to hiss at the Brood leader.
"What have you done to them?"
"They're safe." Gangrel responds matter-of-factly.
"That's a lie.' Lita spits venomously at him. "If they were safe, they would be here in the ring."
At that moment, the arena lights go out casting the arena in total darkness. Lita couldn't see anything, but could hear the anxious buzz from the audience. She doesn't move, planting her feet for better assurance.
Out of nowhere, an arm snakes its way around Lita's bare waist and yanks her against a hard body. On instinct, she starts to fight against the grip.
"Lita, stop." a familiar voice breathes into her ear, causing her to stop suddenly.
"Matt?" she gasps softly.
Just then the lights come back up. Matt lets go of Lita and she quickly turns around. Matt, along with Jeff, Edge and Christian are in the ring with her.
"I told you that they were safe, Lita." Gangrel says smuggly.
Lita instantly thows her arm around Matt.
"Oh, Matt." she tells him. "I was really worried. I though Gangrel did something wro-"
It's at that moment that lita notices that Matt is not hugging her back. Matter of fact, he hasn't moved in any way at all. She pulls away and looks into his eyes. What use to be soft, warm and friendly are now replaced with hard, cold almost evil in a way. She steps away to look at the others. They also carry evil auras, especially Edge who smiles wickedly at her.
"As you can see, Lita, my boys are finally back where they belong. No more bickering, thay are finally a family." Gangrel continues. "You did make a good point earlier. They are better safe in the ring...unfortunately the ring is not a safe place for you."
Suddenly Matt grabs Lita by her hair just as the lights go out again. Seconds later, Lita's screams fill the air. Then just as quickly as the screams began, they stop. A moment later, the lights come back on, but the horror discovered by the audiance begs to have the lights still out. The ring is empty again except for Lita...sprawled out in the middle of the ring in a growing pool of crimson. Her clothes are sliced up. Each tear revealing a vicious cut on her body. The vicious cut of them all is the one on her neck that still pumps blood. Her hazel eyes transfixed into shock, her red lips still formed into the last scream she would ever make.
Gangrel came back and got what he wanted...his boys-his family. That's all that had mattered.
The End