The Relax Inn
The rain pounded on the windshield of the beat up rental car. The wipers flailed miserably against the onslaught of the drops, and visibility was reduced to a bare minimum. Liz sighed from her position in the passenger seat. It was getting late, the rain was intense, and she knew she and her traveling partner were going to have to pull over even though she really didn’t want to.
Liz and the driver, Eva, were professional women’s wrestlers, and on their way to just another event in the middle of some podunk town as they often were in the middle of the week. Liz was a chiseled blonde, and had been built as the company’s top female wrestler. She was even the women’s champion, and fiddled with her belt nervously as Eva squinted through the rain in an attempt to make sure she stayed on the road. Liz looked over at her brunette counterpart, and knew that she was just about at her wit’s end. Eva was one of the new girls who had gotten in because one of the scouts had seen her in one of those bikini magazines, and she wasn’t yet used to the wears and tears of life on the road. Eva’s eyes were drooping, and though Liz really wanted to make it to the next town, she said, “Eva, let’s see if we can find a sign somewhere so we can pull over and call it a night. We’ll make it to the next show in the morning.”
Eva sighed with relief. A reprieve from the driving was definitely welcome. She knew Liz didn’t totally respect her yet, which was why she volunteered to drive her around in the first place. The company had made some cuts to bring Eva in, and had let go of a few of the more popular women to make room on the shows, and on the payroll. Eva felt horrible, but it was a good and steady gig, and she wanted to make the most of it, and prove that she wasn’t just another pretty girl with big breasts. She trained hard, and was looking to make an impact. She was anxious to get to the next destination because she’d finally be squaring off against Liz, but knew they weren’t going to make it due to the reduced visibility. She didn’t want to ask to stop, and Liz’s suggestion was welcome.
“Alright, can you keep an eye out so I don’t run off the road?” Eva asked.
“Sure. Hey, you know what? I think I see a marker coming up. Next exit, one motel. The Relax Inn. Huh.”
Liz could barely make out the sign due to the poor lighting and heavy rain, but it appeared that the logo for this Relax Inn was a spiral. She shook off any doubts she may have had because it was their only option. Eva smiled over at her, and Liz halfheartedly flashed one back. Eva was trying hard to please her, but Liz had a tough exterior, and it would take more than simply driving to earn her trust and respect.
After pulling off the highway on the exit, and driving a little more than half a mile down the road, Eva and Liz arrived at their destination. The parking lot was empty save for one car, and Liz assumed that the vehicle probably belonged to the owner, which meant they were all alone. Other than that, the place seemed to be in pretty decent shape. It was just a simple, one story building, and aside from the main entrance, there were no other outside doors, which meant they’d at least have their privacy and safety from the storm.
As they dashed inside to get out of the rain, Liz glanced up to see the sign for the place, and saw that the logo was indeed a spiral. She made a note to ask the owner of the place what that was all about.
Eva couldn’t help but laugh as they ran through the rain to the cozy confines of the indoors. She was deliriously drowsy at this point, and the sight of an annoyed and wet Liz was just too much to handle.
“Aw, Liz. Cheer up. It could be a lot worse. We could have broken down or something. At least we made it here safely. Tell you what. I’ll set an alarm for the early morning, and we’ll get out of here right away. Maybe we can even get a discount since it will be such a short stay.”
Eva’s plan fell on deaf ears, though, as Liz was staring in shock at the woman who was working behind the counter. She looked so eerily familiar, she thought, but surely it couldn’t be...
“Alexis?”
“Liz?”
Liz smiled, and ran up to the check-in desk to talk to her old friend. Alexis had once been a wrestler in the same company. In fact, her feud with Liz had really set the women’s wrestling world ablaze back in the day. Liz and Alexis had become really close over the years, but sadly Alexis had been let go recently to make room for the crop of girls that included Eva. Painfully aware of this fact, Eva shifted over to the side to let Liz and Alexis catch up.
Alexis was stunningly beautiful with her naturally tan skin and straight, long brown hair. She’d gained notoriety for being one of the first female wrestlers to admit to having synthetic breasts, and it had worked in her favor as she soon became the most popular girl on the circuit. Liz smiled to herself, noting that Alexis still knew how to work her best features; she was wearing a necklace with a dazzling red crystal pendant on the end, and it was resting against her cleavage. Interested more in talking with her old friend, Liz didn’t even notice that Eva was now unabashedly staring at Alexis’ chest, her eyes glazing over.
“Alexis, so good to see you! What the hell have you been up to lately? I keep reading all the wrestling sites hoping to find news, but I haven’t seen anything. You haven’t given it up, have you?”
“As a matter of fact, Liz, I have. Life on the road was just too much for me. I’m a lot happier now. As you can see, I opened up this little motel, and it takes up all of my time. I don’t have a big staff. It’s really just me and Marie.”
“Marie? The Marie?”
“Yup. The same one. When we got let go, we stayed in touch. Eventually, I was able to convince her to come and join me here. We run this operation together. I handle all the business stuff, and she does a lot of the odd jobs like maintenance.”
“Maintenance? Marie? Doesn’t sound like her at all! Where is she? I’d love to see her.”
“She’s...um...around, I’m sure. Marie, why not come up and say hello?”
Suddenly, Marie popped up from behind the counter, licking her lips. Liz was taken aback. In all the years she’d known both Marie and Alexis, she had thought of them both as straight.
“You weren’t...uh...you know...” Liz asked.
“Oh no. I was just fixing the cables for the computer down there. Damn ethernet cord keeps unplugging itself,” Marie said brightly.
Marie was still every bit as gorgeous as Liz and the fans had no doubt remembered. Marie hadn’t possessed a lot of athletic ability, but with her flaming red hair, spectacular green eyes, and bubbly personality, she’d won over the fans. She’d been let go in the same round of cuts as Alexis. Marie glanced over at Eva, and allowed herself to smile as she looked at her. Her mouth was slightly open now, and she was obviously lost in Alexis’ pendant. Liz hadn’t yet noticed because she was so engrossed in conversation.
“It just hasn’t been the same since you two left,” Liz lamented.
“There’s plenty of room here if you want to join us!” laughed Alexis.
“Aw, maybe someday, Lexy. Eva and I are checking in for the night, and we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning. Isn’t that right, Eva?”
She looked over at Eva, who didn’t respond. She was still gazing at Alexis’ chest. Liz chalked it up to her being tired from all the driving.
“Eva!”
Eva blinked her eyes, and then shook her head violently, her momentary stupor broken.
“Oh! Gosh, sorry. Spaced out there for a second. Yeah, we’re just gonna sleep for a few hours. We gotta be at the next town by noon for the show.”
“Not a problem,” said Alexis, “It’s empty here save for the two of you, so vacancy isn’t an issue. And since you’re friends, you can stay here for free.”
“You’re the best, Lexy,” said Liz, beaming.
“Oh, it’s no problem. It’s great to see both of you. Marie, why don’t you show them to the VIP suite?”
“You have a VIP suite?” Eva asked.
“It’s recently renovated, and the nicest room we have here,” answered Alexis, “It ought to more than suit your needs. I guarantee it’ll be the best night’s sleep you’ll ever have.”
As Eva and Marie led the way down the hallway, Liz took one last look over her shoulder at Alexis and the check in desk. She couldn’t help but notice that her old friend’s pants were wrapped around her ankles, confirming her earlier suspicions that Marie definitely wasn’t fixing the internet. She shook it off, thinking that it probably got lonely out here at the motel, and decided not to judge her two former workmates.
Marie dropped their bags at the door, and turned to face the two worn out women.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call up to the front office. Alexis and I are always on call!”
With that, she turned, and traipsed back down the hallway toward the front desk. Liz and Eva stepped inside their room, and Liz immediately chuckled to herself as she surveyed her digs for the night. It looked like a standard hotel room with two beds, a TV, and a bathroom. Liz wondered what shape the rest of the rooms were in if this was the so-called VIP Suite.
“It’ll have to do,” she said.
“And it’s only for one night. At least we have our own beds, right?” Eva replied.
Eva picked the bed on the right, and sat down on it. She looked up at the clock on the wall.
“Hey, look at the time. I think the replay of our show is on. I think I’ll check it out,” she said.
Liz thought about just lying down, but then realized that she hated the smell of rain, which was exactly waht she smelled like.
“Eva, I think I fancy a shower before turning in. Do you mind?”
“Not at all. A hot shower sounds pretty nice.”
Liz entered the bathroom, and closed the door behind her as Eva picked up the remote to watch whatever time was left on the wrestling replay.
Eva wasn’t sure what the channel setup was for this particular cable provider, but she figured that she’d be able to find it once she started just flipping through the channels. She turned the TV on, and it flickered, but all that was displayed on the screen was a plain black image. She pressed the channel up button repeatedly, but nothing seemed to happen. She mumbled to herself that perhaps the remote or set were broken when suddenly the screen flashed a ring of color. Eva looked up at the screen, and it happened again. At first, the rings were spaced far apart, but they soon occurred more and more frequently, presenting a pattern of sorts. Eva was taken aback, but soon found the spiraling rings of color oddly soothing, and put down the remote. Instead of turning off the obviously malfunctioning TV, she lay back on the bed, and immersed herself in the whirls of color. She was soon dead to the world, lost in the fascinating display.
In the bathroom, Liz stripped down and took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. She worked hard to keep in shape, and it showed. When she was in a locker room full of girls, she rarely had a moment to give herself a good look over, and she was now taking advantage of finally having a bathroom mirror all to herself. She noticed that Eva had fallen quite silent, and assumed she must have fallen asleep instead of watching the show. That was fine, it gave her even more time to herself. She took a moment to massage her perfect breasts, and quietly moaned. A life on the road meant little time for sexual pleasures as well, and decided then and there that she’d masturbate in the shower.
She stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and immediately hopped out in shock as a cold jet of water came streaming from the head. She fiddled with a bunch of different settings, but it was all for naught as nothing but cold water came out. Frustrated, she put her bra and panties back on, wrapped herself in a towel, and reentered the sleeping area quietly as she thought Eva was asleep.
When she looked up, she gasped. The TV was emitting a random pattern of swirling covers, and there was Eva, naked on the bed, masturbating furiously.
“Eva! Jesus, cover up or something!”
Eva didn’t respond. Liz shouted her name again, but again, Eva didn’t react. Liz took a few gingerly steps toward her companion, and saw that her eyes were completely glazed over, and her face had gone slack. She was even drooling slightly. It almost appeared as if she were in a total trance. She snapped her fingers in front of Eva’s face, and she finally blinked, and snapped out of it.
“Wha? Where am I?” asked Eva, startled.
“We’re still in the hotel room. What the hell is wrong with you? Cover yourself up! You can do that if you’re alone, but not when you have a roommate.”
“What are you—oh, jeez! I’m naked? What the hell?”
Eva quickly pulled the covers over herself.
“Why are you acting like this, Eva? You’re scaring me. You really need your rest. Look, the shower is broken, too. I really feel like I’ll need to take one, so I’m going to call down to the front desk to see if they can fix it. I guess I’ll also tell them about this TV.”
Liz strode over, and turned it off. She then picked up the phone, and dialed the number Alexis had given her for the front desk.
“Hello?” came Alexis’ voice from the other end of the line.
“Alexis, hi. It’s Liz. The room you gave us has a busted TV and the shower only runs cold water. Any chance we can swap rooms?”
“Afraid not, Liz.”
“Why not? You said we were the only guests.”
“Um, we’re having hotel wide renovations done, and yours is the only room that’s finished.”
“Well, you oughta fire the contractor because they did a number on the bathroom.”
“Sorry about that. I’ll come down to look at the TV, but if you want the shower fixed, you’ll need to get in touch with Marie.”
“And just how would I go about doing that?”
“You’ll have to find her. She’s wandered off. She’ll do that on occasion.”
“Alright.”
Liz hung up, and started to feel some serious reservations about her current situation. Something didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
She finished getting redressed, and set off to find Marie. On her way back to the front area, she crossed paths with Alexis yet again. She was relieved to see her old friend had her pants on this time. She didn’t seem to be sporting a tool belt of any kind, though.
“Hey, Alexis.”
“What’s up, Liz? I mean, other than all the other issues?” Alexis laughed.
“I was just wondering how you plan to fix the TV without any tools.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Sometimes the sets just need a good thump on the side or the top. If not, there’s a tool chest in a nearby utility closet. Is Eva still awake?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
“I don’t want to wake her, that’s all,” said Alexis, hurriedly.
“Alright then. Any idea where I can find Marie?”
“She’s probably in the boiler room, checking on the pipes or something. Don’t worry, she’ll turn up.”
“Thanks.”
Liz and Alexis parted ways. Liz couldn’t help but notice that Alexis had been fiddling with the chain around her neck the whole time, but didn’t dwell on it. She set off to find the suddenly absent Marie.
Alexis knocked on the door, and was pleased when Eva opened it up to greet her.
“Hi there!” said Eva with a smile.
“I’m here to fix the TV.”
“Oh, yeah. It was, um, displaying some weird circles of color.”
“Is that right? And did you watch this display of colors?”
“Actually, yeah. I must have been really tired because I spaced out, and when Liz found me, I was totally naked, but I don’t remember stripping. Uh, I guess you didn’t need to know that part, eh?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. That means it’s working, then.”
“Excuse me, what?”
Alexis checked the back of the TV to find the DVD player she’d secretly installed was still there, and set to play. The trap she’d set had worked, it seemed.
“How long did you watch? How much did you see?”
“I...I don’t know. Are you going to fix it?”
“Like I said, Eva, it’s not broken,” said Alexis, seductively. She sidled up to Eva, and their faces were almost touching. Eva backed away slightly. She was confused. She wasn’t in to women at all, but something about Alexis was so...erotic. She felt a stirring in her loins as she looked into Alexis’ eyes, and saw her smile seductively at her. What was wrong with her?
“I think...I think I need to go find Liz.”
“What’s the matter, Eva? Scared of a little sexual tension with another woman? I guess I should have expected this from the girl who got me fired.”
Eva acted like she was hurt by the accusation, but Alexis saw right through it.
“That’s right. You saw me checking you out in the locker room, and you went to management. I was shocked they canned me over a harmless incident, but there you go. I’ve waited a long time for this day. You’re not into it now, but you will be.”
“This isn’t right. Stop it!”
“Stop it, Eva. Don’t act like you’re not enjoying this.” With that, Alexis inserted two fingers into the crotch area of Eva’s cut off jeans. Eva gasped both in shock and arousal.
“How dare you!”
“I noticed you haven’t moved my fingers away yet.” Alexis laughed, and licked the two fingers. “Mmm mmm. Yes, you’ll be a nice addition around here.”
“No...I won’t join you here. I like my job. No. Leave me alone.”
“Didn’t think you’d come willingly. You didn’t watch the program long enough, I suppose. No worries. I have another idea. I saw how you reacted at the front desk. Since you’re not into women, I know you weren’t looking at my breasts. Couldn’t take your eyes off of it could you?” Alexis was now fiddling with the chain around her neck, making the pendant twirl slightly. Eva was resisting as best she could, but her eyes were still drawn to the jewel and the light dancing on its surface.
“That’s it. Good girl. Look at my pendant.”
“No...please...”
It was no use. Between the viewing of the video and previous exposure to the crystal, Eva’s reserves of resistance were all but gone. Her eyes locked on as Alexis lifted the pendant in front of her eyes, and she watched, fascinated, as Alexis swung the crystal back and forth.
“This is better, see? All you had to do was listen to me and watch the crystal. That’s a good girl. Now all we have to do is watch the crystal, and listen. Watch, listen, and relax. Can you do that for me, Eva?”
“Watch...lissssten...relax...yessss, Alexisss...”
“Alright. You will notice that your eyelids are getting heavier now. You want so badly to keep watching the crystal, but you’re getting so, so sleepy as your entire body relaxes. First your feet, then your ankles, up through your legs. The relaxation flows through you now as your eyelids struggle to stay open to watch my crystal. You’re doing so well, Eva.”
“So...gooood,” came Eva’s halted reply. She was now drooling slightly as her eyes fluttered open and closed. In just a few more seconds, Eva would be Alexis’ forever.
“Now, I’m going to count to 3. It’ll be just like in a match. When I get to 3, you will have lost your will and mind to me. Your eyes will close, and you will submit to me. You will say, ‘I submit to Mistress Alexis.’ Understood?”
“Yessss...” Eva’s eyes were barely open, but she was still diligently following the crystal.
“1...almost mine, Eva...2....nearly gone...and 3...you’re mine now. Submit.”
Eva’s eyes finally fluttered closed, and she fell forward so her head was resting on Alexis’ shoulder. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “I submit to Mistress Alexis” right into Alexis’ ear. Alexis nearly came when she heard the meekness of the submission, but stopped herself because it was now time to exact revenge, and enjoy the spoils of her victory.
Liz wound her way through seemingly corridor after corridor. She hadn’t remembered it taking this long to get from the front desk to their room on the way there, but she admitted that she’d been distracted by Alexis’ lack of pants at the time. Eventually, she made her way back to the front desk, but was all turned around. She wasn’t surprised when no one was at the desk to greet her, but rang the bell anyway. She rang it a few more times, hurriedly. Liz didn’t like to admit it, but she was worried about leaving Eva alone with Alexis for too long. Something about this whole night just felt off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. The longer no one answered, the more antsy she got. About to give up, Liz looked up and saw that there was a flickering light coming from the office behind the desk. Since no one was around, she went to investigate.
Liz deftly slid over the front desk, and stood at the slightly ajar door of the office. As the whole night had a weird vibe about it, she was very nervous about what she was going to find, but knew for hers and Eva’s sake that she had to see. At the very least, she was hoping to get a nice warm shower out of this deal.
What she saw made her scream in such a high pitch that no noise was actually emitted from her open mouth. Much like she’d found Eva, the TV screen was displaying a rapidly changing set of colors and shapes, and there was a soft, faint noise accompanying it as well. It almost sounded like music, but Liz thought she heard a soft voice, too. Sitting directly across from the screen was Marie. She was completely naked, and furiously playing with herself. Her juices had spilled onto the chair, and were dripping down onto the floor. Her eyes were glassy, and her mouth was an open smile with drool hanging from the corner.
“What the fuck is going on around here?” shouted Liz, having regained her voice.
This was enough to snap Marie out of it. She turned in her chair, and smiled at Liz.
“Why hello there, Liz. Judging by your outfit, Mistress hasn’t gotten to you yet. But don’t worry, she will. My Mistress always gets her woman.”
“I don’t know what in the hell Alexis has done to you, but you can bet I sure as hell won’t let it happen to me. I’m getting Eva, and we’re getting out of here.”
“If you left Eva alone with my Mistress, it’s already too late,” said Marie with a sinister smile.
Liz felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. She had indeed left Eva alone in the room with Alexis. Thoughts of Eva being chained to a chair and forced to watch whatever mind control program Alexis had cooked up swam to the surface. She was panicking.
“There’s no need to fear, Liz. Eva’s life as a slave will be a happy one, as will yours. It’s a wonderful existence.”
“Shut up! This isn’t right! Shit, I gotta get Eva!”
“Wait a second—”
Marie didn’t have time to stop Liz because Liz immediately bolted from the room, and took off down the hallway. Marie, still completely naked, gave chase, hoping to stop Liz from interrupting anything Mistress Alexis may have gotten going with Eva.
Liz, still in peak physical condition due to touring with her wrestling company year round, easily beat Marie in the sprint down the hallway and back to her hotel room. Marie called out for Liz to stop, but it was of no use. Liz turned the knob, and burst through the door to her room, her concern for Eva’s well being outweighing the fear of what she might find. Her worst fears were confirmed when she practically tripped over the pile of discarded clothing that lay near the doorway. She turned to see Alexis, naked with a look of pure ecstasy on her face as Eva vigorously ate out her pussy. Liz didn’t know Eva well, but she knew enough to know that Eva wasn’t doing this willingly, and that she was already too late.
“You bitch,” she snarled at Alexis.
Between short breaths, Alexis shot back, “I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this day, Liz. This slut got me fired, and it was the least I could do. Now she’s my mindless sex zombie, just like Marie.”
Liz’s eyes darted around the room, and she spotted her suitcase. Eva was a lost cause, but there was still a chance she could get herself out of the jam.
“Don’t bother trying to escape, Liz. You sealed your fate the moment you walked in the front door. I am guessing you haven’t seen my special video, but it’s no matter. You’ll be mine just the same. That’s enough, my pet,” Alexis said. Eva slid off her hypnotic captor with the blankest expression Liz had ever seen. Eva kneeled obediently as Alexis stood up off the bed, and made her way toward Liz.
Liz made a move to attack Alexis, but Alexis snapped her fingers, and Liz suddenly found herself restrained by Marie. Liz’s arms were now pinned behind her back, and the situation seemed hopeless.
“That’s better, isn’t it? There’s no need for this to get violent. It’ll all be over soon.”
Liz shuddered as Alexis brushed her hair back, and stroked her face.
“Calming down already, yes? Now, this little gem did wonders for Eva, but I saw that you didn’t even notice it when you checked in. It appears you’re going to be a little harder to break than that whore you call a travel companion.”
“Fuck you, Alexis. Whatever you did to her and Marie is not gonna work on me. I’m going to kick your asses, and then go straight to the police station.”
“Oh, I highly doubt that, Liz. You see, your eyes will be drawn straight to this pendant, and then you’ll forget all about your previous life.”
Alexis once again removed the chain from around her neck, and now dangled the crystal in front of Liz’s eyes. Liz’s eyes were immediately drawn to the light dancing off the gem’s reflective surface, and it’s smooth movements as Alexis deftly swung it back and forth.
“That’s it, Liz. See? This is much better, isn’t it? You can just watch the crystal, listen to my voice, and forget about everything else. Let it all fade away. All your thoughts and worries seem to vanish in a haze. Let me do your thinking for you.”
Liz helplessly watched the crystal as her brain seemed to sag under the combined power of the hypnotic jewel and Alexis’ seductive and sultry tones. It was all too much.
“See? Just like Marie and Eva. No one can resist Mistress Alexis.”
The name Eva set off an alarm somewhere deep within the recesses of Liz’s mind, and she suddenly snapped out of her halfway induced trance. With a yelp, she elbowed Marie hard in the gut, and charged forward onto the shocked Alexis.
“You can’t hypnotize me, bitch! I’m too strong.”
She had Alexis’ shoulders pinned to the floor, unsure of her next move. With her knees firmly on her the hypnotist’s shoulders, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out her cell phone. It seemed hard to believe, but the nightmare was over. She was about to calmly dial 911 when Alexis cried out for Eva, and Liz felt a hard smack across the back of her head. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was a nude Eva standing over her with a book.
Liz was welcomed back into consciousness by a swift slap across the face, courtesy of Alexis.
“Welcome back, you bitch.”
“Wha...when...”
“Eva’s my slave now. She saw her Mistress under attack, and put a stop to it. You’re lucky I stopped her at just one blow. She was ready to kill you.”
Now fully awake, Liz was realizing the dire circumstances of her newest predicament. She was seated in a chair, bound by rope and duct tape. Directly in front of her was the TV, and she knew where this was headed. She could hear a distinct smacking sound, and turned her head round as best she could to see Eva and Marie going at each other with an intense fury. She’d never seen two women as into a sexual act as they were now.
“Don’t mind them, Liz. It was just to give me something to watch while I was waiting for you to wake up.” Alexis snapped her fingers, and Eva and Marie immediately stopped, turned, and faced her obediently, waiting for their next commands.
“I love how easy that is.”
“Let me go, Alexis. I don’t want this. What have I done to deserve this?”
“Well, admittedly before you attacked me, nothing, but I have to admit that I’ve always longed after you, Liz. For years, I hid my true sexuality from everyone in that locker room because I didn’t want to be shunned, but you made that oh so difficult.” Liz shuddered as Alexis stroked her cheek, and then licked it. This was too close for comfort, and even worse, she was semi aroused by the whole thing. What was wrong with her? “Now thanks to my newfound talents, I can have you any way I want. After tonight, with just a snap of my fingers, I can have you kiss me passionately or lovingly eat me out. You’ll be my adoring sex slave, and my new favorite pet.”
“No...please. Alexis, don’t do this to me.”
“You act is if you have any hope of avoiding your fate, Liz. Trust me, there isn’t. Just accept your new life, and make this all a little easier on everyone.”
Alexis strode over to the TV, and hit the power button. The dazzling color display started, and Liz had nowhere to go, no method of fighting back. The restraints were too powerful, and the lights were so bright that she could even see the patterns when she closed her eyes.
“See you on the other side, my love.” Alexis walked away from the TV, kissed Liz on the cheek, and then joined Eva and Marie on the bed to watch.
At first, Liz tried to squeeze her eyes tightly closed, but found that was no use because she was so close to the screen that the light pattern permeated through her eyelids. She tried looking away, but that was so hard on her neck, and Alexis taunted her by saying that she’d bring the crystal back out. It was no use. A tired and defeated Liz slowly turned to the TV. Her last hope was that she’d somehow be able to resist the hypnotic program.
She steeled herself by repeating in her head that she’d overcome so many powerful opponents in the ring that this should be a piece of cake. After all, these were just colorful circles of light. They couldn’t possibly hold any power over her. The circles sometimes changed color and shape, and they eventually started to appear with more frequency. Liz tried to make out a pattern, but every time she was close to cracking the code, it would change. She thought that if she made a game of it, her brain wouldn’t betray her.
The circles of light were coming thick and fast now, a dizzying array of colors and shapes. Liz’s brain once again began to sag under the weight of it all, and her eyes were drooping yet transfixed. The panic alarms were sounding in her head now, but she was in too much of a stupor to pay them any heed. The display was fascinating, and the soft music had put her in a relaxed state. The screen was flickering now, but she wasn’t even sure if it was the program or the fact that her eyes could barely stay open, and her brain was shutting down. She finally figured out the pattern, but it was far too late. It was the logo she’d first seen on the highway all those hours ago, a spiral. The last victory she’d ever have brought a sleepy smile to her face, and she finally closed her eyes, accepting her hypnotic fate.
Months later...
A single car pulled into the deserted parking lot. Natalie hadn’t wanted to pull over, but the storm was severe, and she didn’t like the thought of driving in such bad weather all alone. She had never heard of The Relax Inn, but she couldn’t afford to be picky, and it was the only hotel she’d seen listed for miles. She ran inside, and tried to shake off as much of the rainwater as she could before approaching the desk. She saw an athletic brunette at the desk, alone but with a rather content smile on her face.
“Hi, I’m Alexis! I’m the owner of this here joint. Are you here to check in?”
“Uh, yeah. Hi. My name’s Natalie, and I am trying to make it a couple of cities over, but the storm is too bad. I am lucky to have found this place.”
“You sure are! A few cities over, eh? Say, you’re not with the wrestling league, are you?”
“Wow, good eye! I sure am. In fact, Id to leave early tomorrow morning. I’m the new girl, and it wouldn’t look too good if I showed up late. They’ve been hiring ever since a few of their girls randomly quit on them a few months ago.”
“Quit? That’s odd.”
“Yeah, but I got a job out of it, so I can’t complain.”
“I guess that’s true. Well, alright, Natalie. I’m going to put you up in the VIP Suite so you get a good night’s rest. Liz will show you to your room. Isn’t that right, Liz?”
Natalie almost jumped out of her shoes when a muscular blonde popped her head out from under the front desk, and wiped at her mouth.
“Yes, Alexis. Anything you say.”
Alexis winked at Natalie as Liz strode out from behind the desk, picked up Natalie’s bags, and said, “Follow me.”