The Enigma vs. Deanna Frost

[SnowQueenSCW]

DISCLAIMER: The following is a work of fiction and not to be confused as complete or accurate representation of any beliefs, religions, etc. Please refer to research/articles by experts for that.

OOC: The following CD takes place at the same time as Selena’s CD in her first roleplay.

Frost No More

”Coming to a Head”

Smoothie King Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 21, 2024
11:17pm

Deanna hadn’t left her changeroom since Lucas Knight had talked to her. Not because he had said anything bad to her and certainly not because of her match with Colleen. But rather, she had kept herself locked in the changeroom, eyes glued to her television, watching the show in case HE showed up.

She had watched every other match, every other segment, and every scene unfold, eyes peeled – even when they burned and teared up a little – for any sign of black smoke or explosions or anything un-SCW and Enigma-like!

That’s the best way to describe it! Un-SCW. Enigma-like. her mind thought before recoiling from the excursion.

Crap… everything hurt. Her head felt heavy, her limbs felt sore, her back was aching, and she was STILL too afraid to sleep – the exhaustion making her head heavy even with her third – or was it fourth today – energy drink? She had lost count.

And her heart…

As if on cue, or perhaps she had manifested it or something, Deanna felt the pain in her chest, clutching at it and breathing through it like she usually forced herself to it. It would pass. It always did. It was just the large amount of caffeine in her system. Her body was still young! Twenty-six…. Twenty-seven! She reminded herself. Yeah, twenty-seven! It could take a bit of stress at least for a bit longer.

“I’ll sleep when he’s gone for good…” she whispered to herself, not needing to identify who ‘he’ was. For all her ‘scouting’ on the television and during her match with Colleen – to which Deanna could only feel guilt over. She had made so many mistakes during that match and probably had done no favors for poor Colleen! – she hadn’t spotted a single thing. Nothing from Enigma.

Which only bothered Deanna even more. What the hell was he waiting for? Was he just messing with her more? Did he even have a plan? Did he even have ANYTHING? Would he even be there?!

She felt her hand slam into the couch she sat on within her changeroom – one of the perks of being a champion it seemed. She actually had a changeroom on par with Selena (though she often stayed on her bus) and the other ‘headliners’. Not that she cared one way or another, but she… she sighed… It was better this way.

She felt another sigh escape her, trying not to think about it but failing. There was no mistaking the looks she kept getting when she walked through the halls of the arenas. Whenever she passed her fellow superstars. It was always the same thing. Their eyes would see her face first, then look down, then back up and, inevitably, have that look on their face.

The look that showed that they believed she was crazy.

Feeling the exhaustion, even with the caffeine in her system, Deanna pressed a hand to her forehead to rub it with her palm. She couldn’t blame them, even if their looks hurt. Everyone thought that things were fine. That Enigma was gone. Or, at the very least, reduced to little more than pranks or something.

And Deanna wished for that to be true. She WANTED it to be true. She didn’t want Enigma in SCW anymore. She didn’t want to have to keep dealing with him. Didn’t anyone realize how AWARE she was of her deteriorating heath? Did they think she didn’t see it every time she looked in a mirror?

She was unravelling and she knew it! She was losing more and more of a battle she couldn’t win with her health. And she knew that if she kept it up, she’d…

But nobody cared about that. Just like nobody really cared about Jessica beyond ‘well-wishes’. Nobody saw her. Nobody inquired. They just went about their business as it pertained to them. Again, Deanna couldn’t blame them for that. Enigma wasn’t targeting them. But Jessica was still trapped. Trapped in some kind of dark ‘magic’, was that what it was?, that she had no desire to be part of. Jessica had never asked for this! She had been taken prisoner and abused! Why couldn’t anyone see that until she was free from Enigma forever, that Deanna couldn’t stop!

Foolish plan…

Those words, spoken by CHBK… Deanna couldn’t stop the tears coming to her eyes every time she recalled them – her mind echoing the very sound in her head as she had heard it. How could CHBK think that? She had watched the man, effectively, wash his hands of Deanna, declaring that, should she go through with this unsanctioned match of hers and lost, then the United States championship would be decided in that triple threat match between Reed, Jones, and Luz.

He’s given up on me…

It hurt. It hurt more than Deanna could even admit beyond a quiet sob as she lay on the couch, holding one of the pillows tight to her chest. She could let the tears fall from her eyes behind closed doors. She could let the pain hit her and not block it numb it. She could let everything just rampage through her – things she had repressed in the public.

The hurt. The abandonment. The failure she had every weeks of being played by that monster.

She just wanted her friend back. She wanted to see that smile again – that real smile – from Jessica. She wanted to see her friend running through the arena backstage halls again, eager to get to her next ‘interview’, not strapped to a bed muttering things about ‘darkness’ and being afraid. She wanted to see her happy for life.

But Deanna wasn’t a sorcerer or a warlock like in her daughter, Elsianna’s, games of Dungeons and Dragons. She couldn’t just wave a want like a Disney movie or something. Even all of this – the unsanctioned match, the title on the line, everything to draw out Enigma, she didn’t even know if it would work.

What if Jessica couldn’t be saved? What if Enigma refused to set her free if he showed up? What if he didn’t show up at all?!

The thought terrified and enraged the redhead. She had acquired the venue and the proper camera equipment to be remotely worked. She didn’t want anyone there but her and Enigma – to keep SCW safe. Not that she expected CHBK to do anything, especially now that he washed his hands of her – again that sting hit her and she rubbed her chest again, though her thoughts persisted.

What if Enigma didn’t show up? If she just stood there all night? Aside from the embarrassment, what else could she do? She couldn’t find him! She had tried! She had wasted so much money on private detectives, spent hours on websites and forums looking for something – ANYTHING!

This was the only chance she had left! To draw him out! And if she failed…

Again, more tears fell down her face. She didn’t know what she could do. For Jessica, for SCW… she was just so tired… Tired of all of this. The nightmares, the looks, the abandonment she felt from CHBK… from Selena…

Selena…

Her heart hurt again, but for a different reason. Perhaps it was her weakening state that allowed her guard to drop, but it was becoming harder and harder to not think about the platinum-blonde. Harder not to miss her or wish she was here with her.

In her mind, she could picture it. Selena marching around the changeroom, admonishing Deanna for her state of health, stating the pros and cons of this plan. She wouldn’t ‘wash her hands’ of Deanna like CHBK did, no. She would chastise her, sure, be the blunt voice of reason, of course, but then she’d shake her head and surrender to the situation, cuddling up behind Deanna and wrapping her arms around her to keep her safe from everything… like she always did…

Or used to…

She let more tears fall. It was safe to do so. No one was coming to talk to her. Not her peers, not CHBK, not Lucas Knight, not the interviewing staff, no one.

No one wanted to deal with the crazy redhead.

So, she let herself cry. Let herself feel the ache in her chest, aggravated by her anxiety and abandonment. It was her trigger, she knew.

Why not? Her parents had left her.
The town she was part of had left her.
Her sister had left her.
Her sister-in-law had left her.
Her wife had left her.

Everyone left, eventually. Even her children – her beautiful daughters and son. They’d grow up and leave one day. She couldn’t stop that – she wanted them to have happy, full lives. Oberon, her dog, would die one day. She couldn’t stop that. The neighbourhood were, more or less, friendly, but it wasn’t like Deanna and them were close.

In the end… she’d be alone. And for so long, at least since she had handed Selena’s those divorce papers, she had accepted that. Really, she had just let it ‘be so’ and not dwelled on it. She couldn’t. Her children needed, Jessica needed her, SCW needed her. She just… hadn’t had time to really mourn the loss beyond short bursts of emotional waves.

But all of this? The lack of sleep? Being pushed to the bring by Enigma? Feeling so abandoned… like she had as a child and more so as a teenager when she came out… those old wounds were still there… she just had forgotten about them.

Until all of this…

Another wave hit her and, not caring how it looked, Deanna turned her head and allowed herself to cry again into the pillow, letting the tears soak the material. She let herself miss her wife. Miss her touch. Miss her embrace. Miss the better days of SCW before ‘magic’ and ‘sorcery’ was brought into it. Back when they were The House of Frost. Or simply Selena and Deanna…

Slowly, though how long it took, she wasn’t sure, but it was enough for the queasiness to pass in her stomach, and her tears stopped falling, Deanna lifted her head from the pillow. She felt lousy, drained, and just awful.

“I should…” she sighed, trying to push herself up and off the couch. “Probably go apologize to Colleen.”

She knew she needed to, even if it wouldn’t have been accepted. Still, she owed to the young girl. She deserved to be praised for her efforts, not believing that Deanna hadn’t taken her seriously due to her distracted mind with Enigma. That needed to be straightened out!

Straightening out her clothes – she still had her wrestling attire – the United States champion took the few steps necessary to walk to the door of her changeroom. She would explain to Colleen about her distracted state, apologize profusely and ensure her that she was deserving of better from Deanna and, lastly, implore her understanding and forgiveness. She wasn’t sure if such a thing would be possible if Polly Pignotti was there.

There were a lot of harsh feelings between Polly and Deanna due to their wars over the U.S title, the conclusion of which being a Last Woman Standing match where Deanna had prevailed. This had made things rather… tense? Was that the right word? Tense between the two women. Add this and part of Deanna was convinced that she as going to get jumped by both women if Polly was there. Even so, she still wanted to apologize to Colleen.

Finally mustering up the courage, the redhead, leaving her things in her changeroom to collect later, made a quick exit of the room, walking down the halls until she spotted the other designated ‘lockers’ for the SCW talent. It didn’t take long after that for the young woman to see the ‘Body, Heart and Soul’ sticker…or was it some kind of decal?... on one of the doors. As she lifted her hand to knock, she suddenly drew the hand back as her nerves made their presence known in her chest, causing the young woman to slam her eyes shut and slowly breathe deeply.

Just a little longer… she whispered. Just a little longer…

Slowly, the pain faded again, allowing Deanna to lift her hand and knock on the door. It only took a few minutes for the door to open and for Colleen to appear before her. Immediately, upon seeing the champion standing before her, the young brunette crossed her arms over her chest.

“Come to gloat?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

For her part, Deanna could only shake her head. “I’ve done nothing to gloat about.” She sighed. “I actually wanted to apologize to you if you have a minute.”

Surprisingly, Colleen didn’t need a minute, for she quickly stepped aside and gestured for Deanna to enter. Quickly, Deanna did as instructed, stepping into the changeroom and spotting the other woman inside – Aisling Reed.

“Hey…” Deanna offered with a small smile. “Hope you’re doing well.”

The woman gave a shrug of her shoulders, which seemed to Deanna as the only response she would get. Awkwardly, she turned back around to see Colleen standing before her.

“Okay… so… yeah…” Deanna sighed. “I wanted to apologize.”
“You said that already.” MacDonald replied back. “But I don’t see what you have to apologize for. You won.”

“Maybe, but…” Deanna looked around the room, feeling a little light-headed suddenly. “I’m sorry but do you have any water? I feel…”

“Aisling?” Colleen asked, to which the other member of the BHS tag-team marched to the back, coming back less than a minute later with a plastic bottle of water, which she handed to Deanna. The redhead took it gratefully.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “I’ll pay you back.”
“It’s a bottle of water.” Colleen rolled her eyes. “Not a kidney. There’s tons of them at catering.”

Deanna, meanwhile, had screwed the cap off the bottle and drank half the contents, thanking the girls again afterwards. “Sorry.” She offered. “What I wanted to say was that I’m sorry.” She spoke a little faster, realizing she had ALREADY said that. “I mean about the match. I… When I warned you about Enigma, that was me being worrisome…and panicked… and anxious and… and I didn’t give you enough credit.” She sighed. “I stupidly forgot that – hey! – you’ve fought him before. And you’ve beaten him! And hey, unlike Jessica, you CAN wrestle and fight… really good too!”

“Thanks.” Colleen shrugged.

“Anyway… I never meant to disrespect you, but I ended up doing that anyway and I’m sorry, Colleen. Truly. I swear, I didn’t mean to make you feel like I wasn’t taking you seriously and I swear that I didn’t hear the official make that call when we were tangled up in the turnbuckle. If I had, I never would have kept going.”

“I know.”

The response truly stunned Deanna, the redhead gazing at her former opponent with surprise. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Colleen offered with a shrug. “You’re not a bitch.”

Deanna remained silent for a moment, expecting more words to come from Colleen. When none did, she merely raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“What?” Colleen asked.
“I mean… I just wasn’t expecting that for the ‘proof’. It’s just… how do you know I’m not?”
Colleen shrugged for the umpteenth time. “You’re just not.”

“She’s got ‘bitch-radar.” Aisling said from behind the two, momentarily getting Deanna’s attention as the third woman pointed at Colleen.

“Radar?” the redhead asked Colleen, who simply… guess… shrugged. Deanna was sure the woman’s arms would fall off at this rate. “Anyways, I wanted to just… say I’m sorry and promise that when we fight again, I’ll be better. I promise…again.”

“Okay.” Colleen nodded. “So will I. Cause I’ll be better than you.”

Deanna laughed without meaning to at the jab, but, thankfully, Colleen didn’t take that for an insult. “Let’s hope so.” She offered her former opponent a smile. “Cause you easily almost had me back there-“

A knock on the door interrupted the three women, causing Deanna to turn towards it. “Probably Polly.” Colleen remarked, causing Deanna’s eyes to widen.

“Should I go?” she asked nervously. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me very much-“ But Colleen had already gone to the door and opened it, as she had done for Deanna. But when she opened the door, it was not Polly who stood there, by Gerald, the young camera operator. Deanna recognized him immediately. In fact, she had run into him several times throughout Breakdown episodes and after her matches. Obviously, she couldn’t speak to him while they were working – they both had jobs to do – but after or before they could chat. He was friendly, with a lovely girlfriend and baby on the way. A good man if Deanna was any judge of character.

“Have you guys seen…” Gerald stopped as he spotted Deanna standing there. “There you are! Boss said you were still around.”

“Knight or Alex?” Deanna asked.
“Knight.” He replied. “He said he’d like to have you do an interview with Jaina for a ‘backstage exclusive’.”
Deanna’s eyebrow shot up. “Lucas Knight said that?” She asked. “What about CHBK calling my stuff a ‘foolish plan’?”

“I don’t know what to tell ya.” Gerald shrugged. “All I was told was ‘Find Deanna Frost and get Jaina to interview her.”

“Oh… okay.” Deanna smiled a little. She hadn’t really been given much time on Breakdown the last few weeks due to CHBK’s limitations. Perhaps this was their way of apologizing or making amends? It wasn’t Breakdown air-time but it was more than enough! She could lay into Enigma and really push the challenge forward! “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She promised, to which Gerald gave a nod and turned to leave.

“Gerry, wait!” Deanna called out, regaining the young man’s attention. “How’s Claire?”

Hearing his wife’s name, the cameraman gave a smile. “Any day now.” He grinned. “I’ve been looking at my phone every ten minutes in case I have to run. Don’t know what it is, but I can’t wait to meet them.” He breathed. “Gonna be dad!”

“You’ll be wonderful.” Deanna smiled kindly. “It’s a magical thing being a parent. I speak from experience.”

“Yeah.” The man grinned before disappearing out of sight.

Alone with the girls again. Deanna offered a sigh of relief to Colleen. “I was worried it was Polly.”
“She’s over with your wife.” Colleen remarked. “Feel sorry for her.”

Opening her mouth to speak and correct the remark regarding her marital status, the redhead slowly closed it before choosing a different set of words. “Me too.” She settled on. “Selena’s in a mood, I am sure.”

“Yeah… I’m…” Colleen sighed. “I’m worried about her.” She confessed, casting her gaze out the door Gerald had just walked. Still, it wasn’t the doorway that Deanna’s eyes focused on. Rather, it was the look on Colleen’s face as she gazed out the door, thinking about Polly.

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

She hadn’t meant to ask that out loud, but when Colleen’s head spun around to stare at Deanna, eyes wide in surprise, it was only then that the redhead realized that she had.

“What?” Colleen asked. “What did you say?”
“I…I said…that is…I mean…” Deanna stammered.
“She said you’re in love with Polly.” Aisling remarked. “And she’s right.”
“Aisling!” Colleen shot back angrily before returning her gaze to Deanna. “How did you…”

It was Deanna’s turn to shrug awkwardly. “The way you were looking at the door and talking about her. I’ve… I’ve seen that look before.”
“Where?”
“On my face… and on Selena’s.” Deanna offered with an awkward smile. “The ‘I wish I was with her right now because she’s my soulmate’ look.”

“That’s a look?” Colleen asked in skepticism.
“Sure.” Deanna nodded. “You just had it.”
“She’s got you there.” Aisling laughed. “Oh this is fun! We should have Deanna here more often!”

“I rather not.” Deanna admitted honestly. “I’d probably just ruin Polly and Colleen’s evening.” She added sadly before straightening herself up. “Well, anyway, I said what I wanted to. So… I should go and- AH!”

Again, her heart was speeding and her chest hurt, causing the redhead to clutch at it and lean on the nearby couch for a bit of support. Before she had stopped moving, she suddenly felt a pair of hands on her, gentle and soft.

Selena? Her mind tricked her for a microsecond, but, of course, her vision cleared it up when she saw Colleen next to her.

“You alright?” She asked, the alarm clear on her face and in her voice.

“Uhh…” Deanna managed to groan out, pushing herself up as hard as she could. “Fine. Just…” she threw a smile at Colleen. “Exhaustion, you know? Didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll take a nap after the interview or something.”
“Okay, but…” Colleen started but Deanna didn’t realize the woman had spoken until she was out of the locker room and walking down the hall.

Mentally, she cursed herself. She probably thinks I’m rude now. she groaned but was too scared to go back and apologize again! Instead, she kept walking, using her excitement to force the other emotions out.

An interview! She finally had some air time that she didn’t have to steal or hijack! She could apologize to SCW and to Knight even to CHBK for worrying them or letting them down! She could explain her reasoning without a ‘time limit’. She could make her case known and explain her side of the story with SCW’s endorsement (it would be on their YouTube channel after all!). She could try and state, without having to talk about a Breakdown match or anything, the dangers of Enigma and how he needed to be stopped.

Maybe she was being a bit too hopeful, but you try basically two or three days at a time without sleep, okay?! And after how many hours of crying and emotionally heaving from the abandonment issues, to have SOMETHING akin to well… anything BUT that? It was like a godsend to Deanna! With a bit more speed, she turned a corner to the ‘interview section’ of the backstage, where the SCW logo was hanging, a camera was set up, and Jaina Lancaster was waiting for.

“Jaina!” Deanna called out, waving her arm, which she regretted as she felt the wincing in her chest from, probably, a bit of anxiety. Still, it did the trick, for the young woman grinned and waved back, prompting Deanna to take the necessary steps over to her. “Good to see you! Thank you for waiting.”

She saw the smile falter on Jaina’s features as the young interviewer took in Deanna’s features. “You’re welcome but… Deanna, are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You…” Jaina seemed to want to choose her words carefully. “You look like you haven’t sleep in days.”
“I…” the redhead sighed. “I haven’t.” she admitted with a sad shrug. “But we get through this, I’ll sleep in the back of the car while Eric drives me home! Girl-Scout’s honor!” she held up two fingers the sky.

“That’s not how the girl scouts do it.” Jaina smirked knowingly.
“Yeah, never was a girl-scout.” Deanna shrugged. “They were afraid I’d ‘hit on the girls’ or something. Cause, you know us lesbians. We wanna bang every girl we see, am I right?”

The redhead shook her head tiredly at the ‘logic’ she had had thrown at her throughout her youth in Kentucky, so much of it so off the beaten path of logic that Deanna wondered if it was even in the same zip-code as actual logic. Still, she dismissed the memories with a wave of her left hand, thankfully that movement not causing any chest issues. “Shall we?” she asked. “I’ll answer anything!”

“Good!” Jaina smiled. “I’m excited!”

“Me too! But… can you answer me something before we start?”
With a surprised tilt of her head, Jaina regarded the champion. “It’s usually me that asked the questions, De. Remember?”
“I know…” Deanna nodded, actually shy for the first time today. “But… did Lucas Knight REALLY okay this?”
“Yep.” Jaina nodded. “I think… and this is just my opinion. I think he feels bad for what CHBK did – like maybe the boss went a bit over the line with his remarks.”
“They… they did hurt a little. I can’t deny that.” Deanna admitted. “I hope we can make up as soon as this whole thing is behind us.”

“We’ll cover that, okay? We don’t have a time limit. We’ll edit what we have to later so it’s not too long, but take your time and answer however you need to.”

“Thanks, Jaina.” Deanna smiled. “I… I really appreciate it.”
“My pleasure.” She smiled kindly. “I want Jessica back too.”

It was the encouragement Deanna needed, feeling her heart swell and pump harder in excitement. Really hard actually. Like if she looked down, she could see it pumping against her shirt…

“And… we’re on.” Jaina declared with a grin. “I’m backstage here with United States Champion Deanna Frost. Deanna, you got your win over Colleen MacDonald, easily an up-and-coming on the rise. Were there any concerns that your focus on Enigma would cost you that match? You seemed a little at odds there.”

Deanna nodded. Easy question right away. Thank you, Jaina…

“Colleen is a concern even at my full strength. She proved that tonight. I’ll admit my head wasn’t entirely focused on things and they should have been. That’s on me, not her. I managed to get a lucky shot in that saved me out there. Colleen is on the cusp of great things, so is Aisling and Polly Pignotti. I won’t be looking to be so distracted next time I face any of them.”

“Good to hear.” Jaina smiled. “Now moving on past that. The reason for your distracted state has been the same for months. The Enigma. After beating up at Rise to Greatness a few months ago, you’ve tried since then to goad him out of hiding to fight you. The result has been an unsanctioned match during Apocalypse. An undisclosed venue chosen by you, no cameramen, only automatic cameras. Just you and Enigma, if he shows up-“

“Oh, he’ll show up.” Deanna pressed, her hand flying up at the jolt of pain in her chest, which she tried to ignore. “He’ll show up because he knows if he doesn’t, then he’s a coward with no real power. And what’s there to fear from a man that’s afraid of little old me, am I right?” she laughed, though it was forced.

“Well, just to add to that. Earlier tonight, CHBK, the runner of SCW, announced that should you fail in your match to Enigma, then the title would be taken from you and given to the winner of the triple threat match between Scott Reed, Marie Jones, and La Pequena Luz. Seeing as how a title can’t really change hands during an unsanctioned match, CHBK would effectively be stripping you of the title. Thoughts on that?”

I think I need more water… Deanna breathed the thought, quickly recovering – were the lights almost this bright?

“Um…yeah that…” She smiled at Jaina. “Sorry, what was the question?”
“Your thoughts on CHBK effectively stripping you of the title if you lose to Enigma.”

“Right! That, yes.” Deanna smiled. “Yeah, sorry, um… Like I said, if I can’t beat Enigma, I don’t deserve to be United States Champion. Didn’t I say that earlier tonight? I can’t remember. I’m serious.”

“You did.”

“Oh good, I did. Thank you. I legit wasn’t sure if I said it or imagined the whole thing.” She breathed. “But yeah, that… do you mind if I sit down for a second?”

“Ummm… yeah.” Jaina asked, her confusion turning more into concern. “Deanna, are you alright?”

“Fine fine!” Deanna smiled as she settled on sitting on a chair that was nearby, still within the shot of the camera Gerald held. “Just tired. Match and all – and I don’t have anyone to cuddle in bed anymore. Sort of miss my Snow Queen wife, you know? But that’s what a divorce will do to you.”

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! The rational part of her mind screamed, but it was getting more and more drowned out by the pain in her chest and the heaviness of her head. TALK ABOUT ENIGMA! TALK ABOUT WANTING TO DO GOOD FOR SCW! WHY YOU…..

The voice seemed to fade in the fog of Deanna’s, her focus growing more and more on her chest pain and the heaviness of her head. “Sorry, I…I got into my own thoughts there.” She struggled, feeling her breath shorten a little. “Next question.”

“Deanna…you’re not okay.” Jaina tried.
“Who is around here?” Deanna shrugged. “Come on, I want to talk about Enigma. That masked bastard has been dodging me for weeks! Hasn’t accept my challenge! Hasn’t said anything! Not even a postcard! Do people still send postcards? AH!”

She felt the pain dial up to a near 10, causing her slam her eyes shut. “I… okay, yeah, I’m going to take your suggestion. I don’t think I’m doing that good. Everything’s getting a little tricky to do.”

“Like what?” Jaina asked.

“Like… well…” Deanna heaved. “Breathing for instance.”

“GERALD, GET SOME HELP!”

Deanna heard that, but for some reason Gerald was suddenly sideways and running up the wall. What was that about? Didn’t he know nobody lived on the walls? They were in the halls! All Gerald would find there is flies, spiders and maybe a bat or two. Maybe Batman could be there! He’d be able to help!

“Batman…” Deanna whispered as the pain gripped her chest, her heart hammering inside of it. “Batman would be awesome! He could beat Enigma! Cause he’s…Batman!”

It was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.