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Maria Hernandez: Fear and Courage 03

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Maria Hernandez: Fear and Courage 03


Maria paced around the ring with a frantic and desperate look, wondering where her opponent would try to strike her toned and slender body next.  She looked left and right, pivoted on her right foot and looked again.  Her eyes were wide open and as large as dessert plates.  Beads of sweat poured down her beautiful, yet frightened face.  Where was she??

“Over here, Little Strawwwberrry…” a menacing and sultry voice rang through Maria’s head, sending a chill down her spine.  Where was she??  She stepped forward again a few paces, still in her fighting stance with her defense prepared for whatever was about to come her way.

Another look left, and then a quick look right.  Right then the face of her tormentor appeared barely a few inches from her own face, staring at her with those bright blue eyes glowing as if they were lights in a darkened sky.  Her smile was wide and exuded her twisted and sadistic nature.

Maria felt the sting of a vicious right hook, and then another, and another; the last of which hit her so hard her head violently snapped to the side, knocking her down.

Instead of a count, she could only hear that same menacing and sultry voice, so close that she could feel her opponent’s every breath in her ear.  A tight clench gripped her as she lay on the mat, the very same one that she experienced when Liz had her down and demonstrated the pleasure she gained from punishing the buxom Spaniard so violently.  Maria was incapable of escaping her.

“Maybe I should just drop you here and go bang your sister in the corner.” Her voiced echoed through her ears.  “You know, I was always breaking my toys as a little girl.  It drove daddy crazy,” she heard that voice taunting her again.

She couldn’t escape, no matter how hard she tried, and no matter how hard she tried hitting the sides of her red-haired tormentor.  “I like to hurt you, Maria,” the voice echoed louder, pounding her senses harder than the worst headache.

“I really, really, REALLY like to HURT you, Maria.  My little strawwwwberrry,” the taunting voice continued to assault her.

“I want to hurt you more than the last time…Little STRAWBERRY!” A huge uppercut sped towards the frightened Spaniard, ready to make contact with her chin and send her flying down to the mat.  At least it would have had Maria not suddenly woken up from the nightmare that had taunted her sleeping moments for the last two weeks.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”  She screamed loudly, her eyes wide open with a terrified look in them as if a hundred ghosts had appeared in front of her.  Her breath was heavy and erratic, and her entire body was wet from her profuse sweating, as were the sheets that lay under her.  

Her breath slowly calmed and returned to normal, though still shaky with the resonance of fear that came from the dreams that would not leave her sleeping, nor her waking moments.  “Why?” she said to herself while trying and failing to hold back her tears. “Why won’t you go away you red-headed monster,” Maria said in a weak and shaky voice.

By now the tears began streaming down her face.  She buried her head in her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably, beaten once again by the tormenting voice that just wouldn’t leave her mind.

“GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!”  Maria yelled through her crying, shaking voice.

__

The gym was alive with the sounds of all the girls going about their day’s training regimen.  Speed bags were thumped with blazing fast hands, heavy bags received their requisite pounding by numerous fighters aiming to hone their power punches, and you could hear the sound of jump ropes, the groans from several girls struggling to finish their sets on the weights, the struggles to finish that last crunch or pushup.  They were the sounds of desire; the desire to be the best fighters they could possibly be.

Everyone was there.  Nobody was taking a day off, but there was still something missing in this gym’s atmosphere.  It was only two weeks before doctors cleared her to return to training after the vicious punishment Liz Vicious administered to Maria.  Perhaps it’s a credit to her durability, or perhaps it’s a miraculous ability to heal in record time.  

She hadn’t taken a day off since coming back to the gym, but something certainly did.  The usually cheerful and helpful nature Maria Hernandez brought with her to the gym every day had not been seen since her return, despite all the well wishes she received from everyone.

She continued her duties helping the fighters with their medical needs as they arose from training and sparring, but her happy bedside manner continued to be AWOL from the building, and it showed on her face.  Her smile just wasn’t there.

Her training was erratic, sometimes weak and half-assed, and at other times it was the most intense you’ve ever seen the Spanish strawberry train.  For those who witnessed the brutality unleashed upon her by Liz Vicious, they were pleased to see their dear friend back in the gym, but at the same time there was a sense of deep concern for how much her match with Liz Vicious was tormenting her spirit.  

__


Maria heaved her body upward with a mighty lift from her abdominal muscles to complete her last set of crunches.  She had done four extra sets, more than she usually did and it was one of the things she was more intense in doing this day.  Lucia looked on at her sister’s work, still not satisfied with the work ethic of her sister.  She was mindful of what had happened to her a few weeks ago, but in her mind, a loss in the ring was no excuse to slack off, even if this was her sister.

“Dammit, Maria!  You did four extra sets, but you’re doing them way too slow!  I could sweep this entire gym up and you’d still be working on those abs!”  She barked as she always did with any fighter she was overseeing. “You’re all over the place today!  You’re half assed one moment, and then you’re on fire like you set off explosions everywhere.  Where’s your focus, girl??”

Maria slowly turned her head towards her abrasive sister and her even more abrasive criticisms.  “I’m sorry, sister.  I’ll do better tomorrow,” she said with a monotone voice, devoid of her usual charming demeanor.

“TODAY, Strawberry, TODAY.  There is no tomorrow!!  You’ve got heavy bag work to do, cardio and damn it all, we’re going to do something about your footwork even if it kills you.” Lucia barked out loud at her visibly dejected sister.  “Get moving!”  She pointed in the direction of the heavy bag that hung in front of a hard working Michelle Lancesseur, who was diligently performing pushups just a few meters away.  

Maria got up gingerly and ambled over to the bag, still without the same charming energy she usually exuded when she was present in the gym.  Ryoko met up with Lucia a moment later as she watched their favorite strawberry get cussed out louder than usual.  

“Lucia, maybe you need to ease off of her a bit.  She needs some time to get her usual self back and-“ Ryoko was unable to finish her thought before Lucia stuck out a finger and wagged it in her face.

“SILENCIO!!”  She said with an authoritative voice.  “What she needs is some hard training to make her forget what happened in the ring back then.  The more she does that, the more she’ll concentrate on toughening up and maybe, MAYBE she’ll be able to handle being in the ring again.”  She barked at Ryoko in Spanish.

“You really think shoving her back just like that will snap her out of this?  It’s more than that and she needs a more supportive tone, not a drill sergeant.” Ryoko retorted with a light frown on her face, getting the gist of the abrasive Spaniard’s diatribe.

“You let me deal with my sister in my own way, Ryoko-san.  Get back to work!”  She said In Spanish.  Ryoko got her meaning, but that didn’t mean that she had to agree with how she was pushing Maria so hard and so soon after she had returned to the gym for her regular training.  Was she really thinking about what was happening inside the Sweet Freza at all?

Maria sauntered up to the heavy bag after putting on her gloves and just stood there for a moment, almost giving a light hug to the heavy instrument before looking for someone to hold it for her.  To her right, the adorable Californian Lilly Blair had just finished her jump rope work and looked to be available for a few moments.

“Lilly, can you come here for a moment?” Maria asked, once again with a monotone voice devoid of the usual charming spirit she carried with her.

Lilly looked up at the buxom and lovely Spaniard just as she put away her jump rope and nodded affirmatively. “Sure, what do you need, Maria?”

“Can you hold the bag for me while I take a few swings?”  She asked the pink-clad girl standing in front of her now.

“Sure!”  She cheerfully agreed.  “Here, I’ve got it for you.  Wail away at it all you want, Maria.” She planted her feet so she could resist the eventual kickback from the Spanish girl’s punches.  Maria, while not the fastest thing in the gym did possess some impressive power in that buxom and slender body of hers.

“Thank you, Lilly.”  She quietly said as she began delivering jabs and 1-2 combos to the bag.  They started slow and light, much like the mood that she had been in since the beating Liz gave her in the ring; each punch lacking the distinctive kick that she would normally give to the heavy bag.

A flash of memory sped through her mind as she delivered another set of jabs.  Liz.  She saw her right at the point of impact between her left jab and the bag.  She delivered a low-high combo of crosses. One blow was without much life, but the right hook slammed into the bag.  Another flash of her tormentor’s evil smile appeared as she hit the bag again.  Maria began wincing every time she saw that maniacal woman’s face.

She delivered another set of blows to the bag, each one more powerful than the other and each time accompanied by another flash of Maria’s vicious tormentor. She shut her eyes tightly while delivering each punch with more and more power.

“Maria, you’re really pounding the bag today!” Lilly commented as she was literally bouncing off the bag with each one of Maria’s blows.  She had a hard time keeping her feet planted in one place as the Spaniard worked the bag. “Take it easy a little, please?  I’m not as big as you are!”

Maria continued to pound the bag with jabs and combos, each time seeing that face, and now hearing that menacing voice.  Left hook, “My little Strawwwberry...”  She delivered another one-two combo.  “I like to hurt you,” the voice echoed in her mind.  A low-high combo hit the bag so hard that Lilly almost lost her grip on the bag. “Maybe I should just drop you and bang your sister…”

“Maria, cut it out!  Take it easy on me, will you?” Lilly was pleading with the Spaniard, but it would fall on deaf ears.

Maria delivered a right hook to the bag and saw the laughing, taunting face of Liz Vicious, “I was always breaking my toys as a little girl,” She heard clearly.  “I want to HURT you more than last time…more than last time…more than last time….”

Maria was now endlessly punching the bag with her right hand, harder and harder with each thrusting blow.  “No, no, no.  Stay away.  Go away.  Go away,” she was whimpering as she delivered her powerful blows to the bag.

“Maria?”  Lilly called as she acknowledged Maria’s pained speech.

Lilly’s head was recoiling strongly with each of Maria’s blows on the bag. “Maria!!  C’mon!  What’s going on over there?”  She pleaded as her footing was beginning to fail her.

That tormenting voice would not go away.  Punch after punch it just got louder in Maria’s mind.  “Time to break this toy now,” she heard over and over again.  “I really, really, REALLY like to HURT you, Maria. HURT you, Maria.  HURT you, Maria…”

“GO AWAY!!!!”  Maria let out a scream louder than she’d ever done so and unleashed a final right to the bag.  She hit is so hard that the ceiling support for the bag failed, dropping the bag into the arms of an unsuspecting Lilly Blair, which shoved her back a few steps and forcing her down on another unsuspecting body, the diligently training Michelle Lancesseur, who had no idea what was coming her way.

Lilly and the huge bag crashed into the French girl, pinning both down on the ground. “Ah!!! Get it off of me!!!” Lilly pleaded to anyone who was in earshot.

“Au secours!!!! Get off of me, please!!”  Michelle called out; seeking the same help Lilly was looking for.  Maria just stood there; eyes wide open in a near catatonic state and unaware of what she had just done.

A few of the girls including Cyan, Erin and Ryoko rushed over to get the heavy bag off the two smaller girls and made sure neither was hurt by the impact it caused.  They then looked at Maria with great concern.  “Maria….” Cyan quietly said, not getting a reaction from the Spanish fighter.

Maria looked down and had tears visibly dropping from her face to the ground in front of her. She finally acknowledged the girls who had noticed what was going on.  “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry…  I’m going to the shower.”  She weakly said; her voice still shaking from the terrible visions she had seen during her exercise.  She lethargically paced her way back to the locker room showers.

__

Maria stood under the showerhead and let the warm water cascade all over her beautifully toned body.  Her eyes closed, and still shedding a few tears over what had happened only moments ago.  She felt remorse for her carelessness concerning Lilly and Michelle, whom were the victims of a rogue heavy bag that was brought down by the strongest punch Maria had ever thrown at anyone or anything.

“I’m sorry, everyone.  I’m sorry,” she whimpered as the water continued to cascade down her buxom figure.  Minutes later she turned the water off, though not truly feeling cleansed of what was troubling her.  She turned to exit only to see the sight of a rather cross Lucia standing in her way.  Maria wrapped a towel around her figure and slowly walked to the shower room exit.

“What do you think you’re doing, Maria?” Lucia said quietly, but angrily.

“Nothing.  Just taking a shower.” She responded quietly.

Lucia blocked her advance with her arm and displayed visible anger on her face. “I said WHAT do you think you’re doing, Maria?”

“I’m sorry about what happened to Lilly and Michelle.  I’ll go apologize right now,” she said, once again in a quiet voice.

“You go NOWHERE until you tell me why you’re so out of it, Maria.  This didn’t happen the first time you met that bitch woman, so what happened this time?  What did she say to you?” Lucia demanded as she placed her face only a foot away from her sister’s somber visage.

“Nothing.  She… didn’t say anything,” she softly said with her head looking down towards the floor.  She knew that wasn’t true.  She knew and remembered all the vile taunts that Liz had delivered into her mind before and during the match.  How could she tell even her own sister of those disgusting words?

Lucia could hardly believe what she was hearing.  Her sister would never lie openly to her, no matter what her situation was.  It was beginning to grate on her far more than her sister’s usual cheerful approach to fighting.

“NO ME MIENTAS!!”  She yelled loudly in her sister’s face, taking the dejected strawberry aback a few steps. “There’s never been a time when you’ve been like this after a match, win or lose, Maria!  Something happened before and during that match that made you lose it all and I want to know what it was!”

Maria was still incapable of looking her sister in the eye.  She didn’t want to repeat a single word that Liz bombarded her with during their match.  Her right hand curled up into a fist and wrapped tightly as another stream of tears appeared on her face.

“I-I…I don’t want to talk about it,” she said with the same shaky voice she’d spoken with the entire week she’d been back in the gym. “Just…leave me alone.  Please.”

Lucia would have none of this hurt girl routine she’d been seeing all week long.  “You haven’t done any sparring, your training’s all over the place, and now you’re putting other girls in danger with your every action!” She banged her right hand on the archway of the shower room in deep frustration.

“I, I said I’ll apologize, so please just let me go,” Maria raised her voice slightly, gritting her teeth as she tried desperately to keep her emotions from bursting out.

“Not until you tell me what that psycho bitch did to you.  It’s not the beating she gave you that’s making you a danger to yourself and the other girls, so what is it?” Lucia’s patience was visibly wearing thin.

“Leave me alone…” Maria said, with her voice audibly getting shakier.  “Just leave me alone…” Her body began to shake, and her fist clenched tighter than before.

Lucia’s face was contorted into an angry glare.  She was at her limit with her patience regarding her sister’s erratic behavior since her brutal knockout by Liz Vicious.  Whatever happened to Maria, she was determined to find out from her, even if she had to punch it out of her.

“Mi Freza, you dumb strawberry!  I can’t help you at all if you keep yourself closed up like this.  What are you gonna do the next time you have a match? Are you going to curl up in the corner and just sit there like the teddy bear on your bed?!”  She yelled with a confrontational tone that was more than just a sister-sister argument.

That menacing voice raced back into Maria’s head upon hearing the last words from her sister.  The teddy bear that was on her bed was a toy, a toy to be played with.  It was a toy that could be broken. “I was always breaking my toys as a little girl…. Now it’s time to break this toy.  Now it’s time to break this toy…” Liz’ menacing voice echoed over and over in her mind as the shock of those words opened her eyes wide.

“I’m not a toy.  I’m not a toy,” she began saying over and over again, with her voice rising with each sentence.  She cocked her right arm as if ready to unleash it upon the angry sister that stood in front of her. “I’m not a toy…I’m not a toy!!!!!  I’M NOT A TOY!!!!”  Maria shouted at the top of her lungs and let go a right hook that struck her angered sister square on her cheek.  

Lucia rubbed her cheek, feeling the power behind her sister’s blow.  She didn’t return the blow; rather she just looked at her squarely in the eyes, as if she wanted to burn right through them to get inside her mind.

“I DARE you to do better.”  She challenged her distraught sister.  Maria just slipped by her, trying to stifle the tears that began streaming down her face once again.  She had dressed in record time and ran out of the gym, nearly running Ryoko over who was just preparing to go out herself for a long jog.

“Maria!” She tried to catch the Spanish strawberry’s attention, but to no avail.  She was out the door and gone before any other words could be exchanged.  She turned in the opposite direction to see the angry face of the Dangerous Cereza, standing and staring at the sister who struck her with all of the pain and fear that had been gnawing away at her since her return to training.

Ryoko looked at Lucia, noticing her holding her left cheek with her hand, nursing the blow she took, then glanced in the direction of the fleeing sister.

“You gonna run, Ryoko?” She asked the quizzical fighter in very awkward English, of which her skills were near non-existent.

“Yeah… Is everything okay, Lucia?”

She let out a loud sigh. “SI,” she said and pivoted on her right foot to go back to overseeing the other girls in the gym.

Ryoko looked out the door.  Maria had disappeared from sight.  She had obviously suffered much greater damage than the terrible beating she took in the ring.  It was clear that somebody had to get through to her, or she would lose herself to her fear. She had to go find her.

“Maria…”

-End of part 3-
Maria returns to her training after recovering from the brutal knockout and vicious taunting at the hands of Liz Vicious, but is she the same cheerful doctor/boxer that she was before that match took place? What comes next for Maria Hernandez, the sweet strawberry of Spain?

Maria, Lucia, Ryoko, Lilly Blair :iconyuukimmd:
Cyan & Michelle :iconevbrock:

Part 1: [link]
Part 2: [link]
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KiraYamato74's avatar
Thanks for the read and the comments, man! How cool it is to have an indy wrestler read my stuff? :) Keep cheering for Maria; there'll be a bit more drama before she gets into the ring again. I hope people will find the ending satisfying.

You can even check out my new OC here [link] and here [link] when you want to sit down for another read.

Fight on!