94
As the Evans crew made their way to the stage, Holly’s husband was standing with his faction. Colt and his bad boy crew were to interrupt Doom later in the segment, pretending it upset him that his wife had turned on him on the show the week before.
Colt’s back turned to them, giving Cyrus the perfect chance to torment him. Cyrus got an evil grin on his face. Under his breath he chuckled slowly, creeping up behind his skittish brother-in-law. “He makes this shit too easy.”
Cyrus snuck up behind Colt and tapped him on the shoulder, hiding from his view. Colt turned around and didn’t see anyone and went back to talking. Again, he tapped the other shoulder. When Colt turned around, Cyrus jumped up and growled at him.
Colt screamed like a little girl, jumping behind his best friend, Slade. “Damn it, Cyrus! Don’t do that!”
Cyrus slinked around with creepy motions, trying to get past Slade to taunt Colt. “Are you afraid I’ll take your soul, pretty boy? You know you can’t escape. One day I will get you when you least expect it.”
Colt shivered, shaking off the heebie-jeebie feeling. “Do you have to be so damn creepy? Stop it. You’re freaking me out.”
Cyrus started laughing hysterically. “Oh, relax. I’m just messing with you.”
“If you weren’t creepy before, you sure are now. That new gear is not doing anything to make you look less like a psycho killer. Even though you added a suit to this mess, it doesn’t help the fact you are scary as hell. It’s freaking me out!”
Holly went to wrap her arms around her husband. “He’s just teasing. Do you like my new outfit, baby? Mia helped me with it.”
Colt looked over at his wife in her sexy new leather firebreather look. “You look like straight-up sex. Why don’t we…” Colt motioned his head toward the hallway that led to the locker rooms, wiggling his eyebrows.
Wraith shook his head with a growl. “Not a chance. You two keep your hands to yourselves tonight. If I walk in on you again, in my locker room, I’m kicking both your asses.”
Holly giggled. “It was an accident.”
“Accident? Did he trip and his dick land in you?”
“I didn’t know you were in there and didn’t hear you coming.”
“Really. I sure as hell heard you announcing you were.” Wraith rolled his eyes.
Mia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “You heard her while she was…”
“In the middle of an orgasm. Yes. It was disgusting. Not much better when I hear you and Cy in the woods. You all are a bunch of freaks.”
Cyrus patted his brother on the back. “Payback for all the years Holly and I had to hear you and Lilly.”
Wraith smirked. “That’s different.”
“How?”
“My Lilly is hot as hell and I like it when my sexy momma screams. It lets me know I’m hittin’ that spot just right. She loves her big papas D.”
In unison, the whole group said, “Ewww!”
“DOOM! Showtime!” the stagehand announced.
Holly skipped away. “We’re on!”
Mia took a deep breath and followed behind Holly. Mia would go on first and was shaking so hard she was sure people would hear her teeth chatter. She made her way to the entrance to the stage and Holly hugged her from the side.
“Break a leg, ya sexy beast. You can do this.”
Slow, eerie circus music played over the arena. The stadium went black, and it showed only a spotlight in the middle of the stage leading to the ring. A lone red balloon floated across the stage past the light; that was her cue. Mia stepped out in her ringmaster’s burlesque custom, looking like a star. Once she hit the stage light on her face, all her fears subsided. This was her element.
“Ladies and gentlemen, and children of all ages, the circus is about to begin! I am Anastasia Wild, your ringmaster for the main event. Come one, come all, as I take you on a trip into the world of the underground. Where freaks and sideshow mutants play. Welcome to your DOOM!”
Mia let out a maniacal laugh as the Doom’s original music played, and the faction entered the stage. Holly, in full character, went to the front of the stage breathing fire as the ring shot fire from the ring post, mimicking her act. A sight that made the audience erupt in cheers so loudly the arena rumbled. Several scary-looking sideshow performers ascended on the crowd and were interacting with the audience.
The crowd’s scared screams from the creepy actors brought electric energy that made Cyrus leap into action. He strutted down the ramp and boosted the crowd while taunting people as he went to the ring. Everyone was loving it, even though it had a sense of fright to it, the performance was something to behold.
Wraith leaned into his brother to yell in his ear. “We’re back, Brother. Welcome home!”
Cyrus smiled to himself. That’s what this was. Home.
Wraith, dressed in a terrifying clown mask, jumped on the ring mat, and yanked his mask off, holding it in the air like a sacrifice to the fans. He let out an intimidating roar as his brother joined him. Holly followed by pacing around the ring, lunging at several audience members to scare them.
Mia strutted to the ring, showing off the Doom crew as if they were her personal circus act. She was loving every moment and felt the butterflies slowly replaced with utter and complete joy.
If it all ended tomorrow, this would be the highlight of her career. This was the happiest moment on stage she had ever experienced and was sharing it with the men she had admired for years. Most importantly, the one she loved.
***
Mia ran into the house to find Tammy.
“Tammy! We’re home! Did you see the show? It was amazing! I had so much fun. I brought you and Elias the new Doom shirts. Tammy... Tammy?”
Cyrus walked in carrying their bags and throwing them in the entryway's corner. He stopped just inside the house when he noticed something wasn’t right. Mia was so happy that she didn’t even realize the abandoned feeling of the home. Tammy was not in her chair and the nurse and the nanny were nowhere to be seen.
“Tammy? Where… Cy? Where is everyone?” Mia turned around to face him once she realized the house was empty.
Cyrus went into a panic and ran through the house and to the baby’s room. “Where is he? Where’s my son!”
Mia’s cell phone rang, and she rushed to answer it. “Tammy?... Who is this?... I… What? What happened? Is she okay?... okay. We’ll be right there.”
Cyrus came up behind her. “What’s going on?”
“She’s at the hospital. The nurse said she’s taken a turn for the worse. They had to rush her to the hospital. It must have been while we were heading here.”
“Shit. My phone doesn’t have good reception in this area. How long ago?”
“About an hour. They said we need to get there now.”
Mia grabbed her purse and rushed out the door and Cyrus fell in line, not far behind. As they rushed to his pickup truck, he tried to call his brother and sister.
Mia’s happy moment left as quickly as it came.
