A/N: I don't own Phantom of the Opera, the only part of this story I do own is well...everything that's not Phantom of the Opera.

Shelter Me.

Chapter 2

Unnecessary Apologies

18:16pm

Day 3 (out of 14)

3rd May 2015

Sammy POV

For some reason I felt so nervous while knocking on the door, the only thing was – I had no idea of what that reason was. There was no response at all from the other side of the glossy, elegantly carved wooden door after my soft knocks, I sighed sadly and figured he wanted to alone and wanted nothing to do with the likes of us common folk. But then again, why would he open the gate for us if he didn't want us here? Was he expecting someone else? Maybe. As I took a step back and half turned to face the intricate hallway again I heard what I had been waiting for, the deep voice that had anger and sorrow from an unforgivable past was hidden deep within it. "Come," his alluring voice was muffled by the thick walls that separated us but I could hear him clearly in the hallway that was all but silent and it sent a pleasing shiver down my spine. I put my hand on the golden door handle that had curves carved into it, it felt a little strange underneath my warm palm but I ignored the insignificant facts of how oddly good the markings felt and how my nerves made my petite palms sweat slightly, I'm not going to deny it either, I'm actually a little scared of this guy. I pulled down the handle and slowly opened the door. I poked my head in through the door, my growing hair hanging down just past my jaw and almost instantly I caught the burning smell of a rose incense stick. "Well come in and close the door," I guess I'm not only one that has a craze for closed doors that people find peculiar, but the thing is...I can't stand it when doors are wide open.

"Sorry," a rather unnecessary apology but according to Shane I do that a lot...apparently, and then apologise for apologise, now that's something I have noticed various times before. He was rather intimidating; his voice was confident and clear while my stupid apology was nothing more than a pathetic mumble. I opened the door wider and to my surprise the door didn't creak at all, I stepped through and closed the door behind me, the quiet dull thud I noted to be the only sound I have heard the door compose since I opened it . I didn't move from in front of the door, my hands together behind me and my fingers were pulling and fiddling at my sleeves at the tension. If truth be told I was a little scared to gaze at his face directly so I was looked just beside his head. Something an old teacher taught me to do in job interviews because I always had a difficulty looking people and even animals in the eye for more than a few seconds - if that.

Erik was sitting was on the throne like chair that was cushioned with red velvet and the main frame of the elaborate chair was a dull but no less beautiful; gold. He slid his fingers off the smooth keyboard in front of him and looked at me, bored into my very soul with his green orbs. "What do you want?" the way he asked made the question seem less rude than it actually was.

The feeling of shouting at him had completely dissolved inside of me; the heat of it vanished and turned to a chilling fear that was brought when the recollection of being alone with this stranger in a room a distance away from the others popped into my mind. I knew why of course, because even though he looked absolutely gorgeous plus the mystery of what was lurking beneath the mask added to his sex appeal but he was so intimidating and frightening thanks to his horrific personality. "Well, I...erm," I felt so small that I stumbled over my words under the pressure, thanks a lot Dyslexia. "I wanted to say sorry, I didn't mean to upset you about that room. You see I was just exploring, I have a rather curious nature and tend to do things like that," great, now I was babbling like a loon. One moment you can't talk at all, the next you can't stop, for Jesus Christ Sam you're an idiot! Shut up! Cut yourself off before you look weirder than you already do, "even when that strange gut feeling tells you not to go somewhere I still go! Kinda like watching a slasher movie...," anytime soon Sam would be great... "No matter how much we shout at the TV they still go into the room that leads to their death, so, does that mean if I was ever in a slasher movie I would end up dying? Hmmm...not a good sign...and, erm...I'm going to stop talking now,"

I noticed that half way through my embarrassing rant that the corners of Erik's full lips rose at the corners to reveal a smile that neither I nor the others have seen in our short time here. He stood and walked round the desk and leaned back against the dark wood. He crossed his ankles and crossed his arms over his delicious chest and continued to smile with amusement at my humiliation and crumpling self-confidence. "I see I make you nervous. For that I apologise, and for scaring you earlier. It was uncalled for and irrational of me, you see Samantha, I have a short temper – especially when it comes to my secrets,"

I'm such a bleb to think that Erik was completely bad, how could I have been so judgmental? But then again, can you blame me? "I bet," I smiled before waving it off and tried to reassure him with a

Highly predictable "It's alright."

"No, it's not alright," He straightened up off the desk roamed across the library stroke study and stood before me in his godlike greatness. He placed his strong hands on my forearms and looked me directly in the eye, I tried my hardest to look him in the eye but I just couldn't. He instantly caught up on this and made me look at him as he directed my chin, I know, I'll look at the top of his nose and between his eyes instead. Yeah! That would work. "I practically threatened you, and I feel terrible for it. You should allow me to make it up to you," I looked him in the eyes than, only for a few seconds before putting my attention back between his eyes. I had seen the sincerity in this eyes that I had heard in his voice, as I heard the hidden anger and sorrow buried deep behind his top emotion.

"Sorry, erm...you don't need too, I mean, well, you let us into your home that's safe and secure by the look's of it," he nodded in agreement, the house was very much secure and safe against the flesh eating infected whose bellies got bigger the more flesh, guts and muscle they ate. His face made a quick change of emotion before flickering back to what it was. "We didn't even think anyone lived here anymore, we all thought the Blanc family died in that tragic fire," I shrugged, I didn't even think of that but now I said it without realising, but then I remembered something else, before when we were exchanging names he hadn't told us his surname so there was chance he wasn't a Blanc, maybe a survivor looking for safety like them? Most likely brought the house after the death of the Blanc's as he was too familiar and confident with this place and its item's to just use it as a hide out. "Anyway, you've done enough just by letting us in-"

"Not just letting you in, but also letting you stay here until the two weeks are up and you can leave for the outside world," Erik dropped his hands and connected his hand together in front of him and entwined his fingers.

"Oh yeah, not even two weeks as today is the third day, so it's eleven days," I shrugged and shoved my hands into the pockets of my hooded jumper. A sudden thought came to me, "will you be coming with us? To the gates on the fourteenth I mean," surely he wasn't going to stay here, he would surely die.

"My fate is not yet clear. Whether or not I will join you and your friends on the fourteenth is unknown to me, and a decision that you and your friend's should make," was he being serious? God, he looked serious.

"Okay...I make the decision now that you can come with us in the end," simply put, but oh well - I wasn't going to let anyone die if I could stop it, even if they did have major flaws in their personality.

"Not just you, but all of you," he shook his head.

"What like a vote?"

He shook his head again, "no, you all must agree, even if one denies my journey to freedom with the rest of you I will not go. I will stay here and..." he couldn't finish his sentence.

"Die?" I finished for him and we both nodded our heads, "I'm afraid that the Government will kill you before the Snappers reach you," he quirked his eyebrow a bit at the word 'Snappers' but asked nothing of it. He had a knowing look on his face. Well, what could be seen of his gracious face.

"I know, they are going to bomb Hurlingborough, slaughtering all that do not make it to the gates by day seventeen," so, your given three days to reach the gate after the deadline before you are blown to smithereens, great. I still couldn't believe it, I know I should but I couldn't, what the Government was doing was absolutely disgraceful! No one would ever imagine such a thing to happen until it was too late -much like the Holocaust- well, unlike me and the others but the conversations we had were just jokes. None of it was serious and we astonished that our so-called plan actually worked.

I looked to the ground, "it still shocks me that they could do this to their own people," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I felt the pressure of arms wrapping around me, embracing me into a comforting hug and my forehead was on his chest as I had opened my eyes and stared at the ground, my arms unknowingly went up and hugged him back like some kind of unusual reflex.I realised I was still holding that deep breath so I released it and it sounded shaky and jagged. I suddenly laughed and stepped back from the warm embrace from someone I didn't know anything at all apart from his name. "Ha, sorry," Oh God, I wished he would hold me again.

"For what?"

"For being a pussy hole," I laughed nervously, before looking at the door, the moment was beginning to get strange and a little overwhelming. "Well, erm, I think I should start bringing in some things from the van. That's if, it's okay with you?" I didn't want to seem like we would outstay our welcome already and look like a group of hooligans that are going to take over his home and everything in it and treat him like dirt and maybe even kill him. You know, like the people you sometimes see in the movies that are so desperate they will doing anything to anyone if it meant survival for themselves; like that group hiding out in the desert in Resident Evil: Extinction, the third one I think.

Erik just nodded in response and raised his hand to motion towards the door as if say, 'be my guest' I looked down at the ground and smiled slightly before exiting the study. I closed the door behind me as quietly as possible before walking down the hallway, I walked past several side hallways and I wondered what was contained behind the numerous doors.

I reached the front door but turned towards the arch to the living room. "Mary...Mary...Mary...Mary...Maaaary! MARY!" I called to her; she looked up from Sam's shoulder and stared at me.

"What?" she said groggily, how was she so tired? She didn't do much in the recent zombie kickass-ing today.

"Come help me with the van," she nodded and got up off the settee and stretched her back and arms like a cat before walking over to me. I saw Lamby watch her walk for a few seconds before looking back at the extremely large television that was playing an old movie, The Sound of Music on a DVD or Blu-Ray player, though I couldn't be bothered enough to take a closer look at which one it was but I noticed that the quality and age of the camera they used to make this film was 'a bit dodgy' compared to the cameras they used nowadays made the viewing on the very modern television look outlandish and bizarre. I was surprised that Shane could watch a techni-coloured film without complaining, he must like the story itself despite how ancient it is, I wouldn't know however, because I haven't seen it. "Lamby! Chuck us the keys," us, as in me. I have no idea why but sometimes I say us instead me but with my accent its 'ma' anyway so it doesn't matter. He pulled them out the pockets of his denim trousers and 'chucked' them behind himself and over his head towards me. But, because I'm useless and a terrible catch and I knew I wouldn't catch them anyway even if I had tried my hardest so I just let the keys hit the ground with a sudden loss of jingle as they landed on the pale laminate flooring at my feet. I doubled over and picked them up, "cheers Lamby,"

So then, I and Mary exited the house and as we walked over to the van I pressed the button on the keys and we heard the bleep of the doors unlocking and saw the orange flash on the van's parking lights. I opened the back door and looked like I was glancing at the things we have stolen from numerous places, but really my mind was elsewhere and Mary caught the look in the eye. Damn, why did she have to know me well? "What's up? You suddenly look down," she stood next to me and was staring at me with worry in her eyes that were decorated with stolen make-up, all this stealing that we doing in the sudden events; does it make us looters? God, no wonder Erik doesn't trust us.

A/N Another chapter done! Woo, so you got a bit more insight into the main protagonist, Sammy plus Erik is showing a much nicer side Yay! Anyway, I'm going to apologise now because it fits into the chapter title that if Erik may seem a little OOC, and my excuse to that is that it's set in the near future. Don't worry though! More canon characters will appear in the story I promise you!

Shout out to xXThe-Last-Femme-Prime for being my first reviewer! Woo, round of applause!