Under the Ring

October 04, 2025. The Tank Brewing Co., Hialeah, Florida, USA

A pale, waxing moon illuminated the brewery on this quiet evening. The taproom was not as quiet, with a layered mix of sizzling beer filling glasses, overlapping conversations, loud cheers, and slams from a wrestling ring in the center making up its ambience.

Among this mixed crowd of fans, families, and friends was a group of four girls.

Three of them stood together near a row of chairs, while the tallest leaned over the guard rail to get a good look at the ring. The other three stayed back to grimace at the slams.

One was fitted in sleek sportswear of blue and white that accentuated her sleek ebony twin tails. She sputtered at another failed pin before lighting up. She skipped behind the tall woman and prodded her forearm with the end of one twin tail. “Hey Verity. Hey Verity. Hey Verity. Hey Verity. Hey Verity. Hey Verity. Hey Verity.” She droned, trying to contain a laugh.

Verity, who was draped in a maximalist outfit of purple and black, kept her steel gaze on the ring. She fixed the plum-lensed sunglasses that hid her eyes as the shorter one kept poking her. “Mmm?” She hummed back. “Remind me again who we’re cheering for? I’m a little lost.” The shorter girl curled her twin tail around her arm.

Verity sighed through her nostrils before turning her back to the ring, her wavy blonde ponytail sweeping over the guard rail. “Cyndi, there are a lot of people that you can cheer for, and I’d rather you make the decision for yourself.” She mused. Her hidden gaze drifted to a long-haired man outfitted in a fully covered dark outfit.

“Huh. Okay, then! I likeeee that one!” Cyndi pointed to another man in red shorts and white boots. “Good choice.” Verity shrugged, her soft yet stoic expression contrasting with her dry voice.

Next to Verity stood the shortest girl in the quartet. Her pastel green and yellow outfit contrasted nicely against her warmer-toned complexion and hair. She typed something into her phone and had it read aloud by an electronic voice: “Who do you like?”

Without looking away, Verity pointed at the man in black. “I like that one, Jasmin. The Desperado.” She uttered fondly.

“Why? Is his energy good?” The last in the group, a sun-kissed girl, leaned into the swarm. She wore a breezy outfit of pink and white, almost like she woke up and decided that summer was forever even when it got colder.

“Sam, I think he must have pretty good energy if Verity had been keeping her eyes on him the whole time.” Cyndi remarked, slightly tapping Sam’s hand with a curl.

Verity coughed out a slight pity laugh. “Yeah, I guess he does have good energy. But his opponent’s energy?” She drummed her fingers against her arm in time with the referee’s 3-count. “No.” She concluded as a bell of defeat rang.

“Aw, what?! BOOOOOO!” Cyndi groaned loudly. Jasmin softly mouthed her condolences to the exiting losing team. “Oh well, I’m sure the next one will be better!” Sam shrugged, her lips curling into a smile.

The friends huddled into a blank space in front of the guard rail, which made a perfect spot to watch the next match.

The next scheduled match was a fatal four-way. With the ring announcer’s prideful introductions, the girls caught the names of the four contenders.

Among these competitors, the girls were most interested in a twisted scarecrow, a woman with a demonic presence who bore runes on one arm, and a menacing man with a silver skull for a face. The announcer said they were Veritas, Invidia, and Agony.

“Wait. Invidia? Why does she- OHHHH! I remember her!” Cyndi gasped as Invidia made her way to ringside. “You’ve told us quite a lot about her, ah?” Sam nodded, side-eyeing Verity.

Verity jolted and softly scoffed through her teeth in time to the bell. “What? No. I don’t talk about her that much,” She fidgeted with her rings as she tried to conceal a smile.

Liar.

Sam, Cyndi, and Jasmin blankly stared at their friend. They eyed each other, then Verity. The blonde’s brow twitched as she felt their eyes on her.She sighed, “Okay, sure, maybe I do mention her quite often.” The other three still eyed her, unsatisfied. To break the awkward silence, Verity coughed. “Only in passing conversation.” It got a good chuckle from the others.

As the match proceeded, the girls latched onto the colorful characters. Sam found herself rooting for another contender with vibrant orange jeans, Jasmin bit her knuckles in terror at Agony’s terrifying size and strength, and Cyndi…

Well, Cyndi just screamed. Whether from fear or excitement, it didn’t matter as long as she was engaged.

But the three newcomers found themselves drawn to Invidia out of everyone. They weren’t quite sure what compelled them to root for the scarecrow’s manager. Was it her magnetic, warm energy? Her unique horror aesthetic? It mattered not, they relished her character nonetheless.

Verity’s smile returned as the match unfolded. She enjoyed the energy even when she had a micro-flinch when the scarecrow couldn’t get the pin.It seems that all will be fine tonight.

8:26:44 P.M.

Invidia crawled into the ring and stood against Agony, heeding no mind to the referee.“Uh. What is she doing?” Cyndi’s blank smile faltered, anxiety seeping through. “I don’t know. I thought she’d learned not to do that.” Verity hissed, digging her nails into her elbows. Sam’s eyebrows creased in worry. Despite her blank face, Verity was shaking. Sure, she could scare people with her quiet presence, and she’d probably enter a staring contest against Agony and make him blink first.

But no. Verity was trembling, terrified at whatever was occurring in the ring.

“Ah?” Jasmin pointed at the worrying scene unfolding. The girls’ eyes widened from initial confusion to horror as they heard it.

The loud slam of a body occurred not once, but twice. First, it was a chokeslam, then a tombstone piledriver.

Although the crowd’s screams drowned the impact, Verity’s face paled as she heard the unmistakable crack of a neck bone and a pained gasp. It was only after Invidia was unconscious that the referees finally thought to carry her out on a stretcher.

The four girls were silent, processing this strange yet distressing switch in tone.

Cyndi’s jaw hung as she struggled to find the right words to curse the monsters out. Jasmin’s eyes began to water as her fearful breaths became irregular. Sam was chest-deep in denial, fiddling with her shell bracelet and mumbling to herself that everything was okay. Verity was completely still.

“Iiiis this normal?” Cyndi uttered at last to break the silence between them. “No.” Verity groaned, her Russian accent lacing a nauseous sob.

“What?” Sam asked, tousling her thick black ponytail behind her shoulder. “No, no, noooo. Не делайте этого! (Don’t do this!)” Verity shuffled backwards, her head switching between the departing striped huddle to the two monsters at the curtain.

Cyndi swallowed hard, finally allowing the gravity of whatever this was to sink in. “Wha- What do you mean ‘no’? What’s wrong?!” Sam shook her shoulder. All Verity could do was stare and mumble “no” under her breath. Her violet cowboy boots digging into the concrete as she desperately tried to ground herself and suppress the bile rising in her throat.

Above her head, unknown to her friends, flickered a pale violet halo with seven spikes. It allowed her to see the truth of this predicament, one clearer than her spectacles. “Ver?” Sam’s sweet voice faded into the static filling her ears.

Cold drops of sweat cascaded down Verity’s pale, angled face. All she could finally say was a single grave remark:

“Это неправильно.” (This is wrong.)