Chapter Four
The cellars were dark and musty, rats clawing at her feet. There was no light to guide her path, only the chilling darkness from which she needed her escape. She didn't know of his traps and it didn't even come to mind as the cold metal slapped around her ankle. She screamed feeling the metal teeth grind hungrily into her skin and bone. She crumpled from pain, the metal jawed contraption embedded into her ankle. All she could do was cry. Blood poured out like her tears, quickly forming a pool beneath her foot. The rats sniffed at the wound and tried to get a piece, but she just kept swatting them away. Finally after moments and moments she found her voice. Not strong enough to yell, but strong enough to make any noise.
"Angel." She called out as loudly as she could. Her head beginning to drift off as the blood still poured out. If he didn't come quickly, she was sure to pass out, and eventually die. But why would he come? Bella understood that the things she said were terribly wrong, and would be surprised if her angel even looked at her, here, on the floor, whimpering like a wounded dog.
The Phantom ran as fast as he could. He had heard a cry of pain, someone in the third cellar. Surprise hit him heard, because there were traps almost every foot in the fourth cellar, how had she made it through?
"Bella!" He ran through the third cellar, and heard what he needed a soft moan, a moan coming from someone on the verge of unconsciousness. There she was, bleeding out on the floor, and crumpled in pain. The Jaw was biting into her ankle, from his point of view it looked like it hit the bone, not good. Carefully he fell to his knees, and hit the quick release for the jaw. It slid from her skin, more blood coming out. Quickly he tightly wrapped his cloaked around her ankle. She had passed out when the jaws released, the pain was too much. Quickly, the Phantom carried a pain ridden girl to his home yet again.
oOo
The news had spread quickly, although the managers had wished to be discrete. Another was killed by the Phantom. The angel of Death had struck again. This time it was poor old Jacque, and his daughter, Bella DeRose, was missing. Everyone knew what had happened to that girl, the Phantom had taken her down to his home, and no one would do anything. They would let her stay there, and hope for peace above as long as she stayed below.
"Andre, we shall leave this business soon. We mustn't give the next owners any knowledge that the Phantom still exists, lest you still want to be stuck with this old place." Andre nodded and looked up at box five.
"Take care of her. She was the little goodie two shoe of the maids. The one that refused all men, even the owner of an opera house. Maybe you can show her some respect." His words were poisonous, and he was lucky that the Phantom had other things to attend to, or else the Punjab would have been around his neck next.
oOo
Bella was peaceful when she woke, the pain was gone for a moment as her eyes met the Phantom's. Then it sunk into her quickly. The guilt and inner pain for what she did to the Phantom, for the horrendous things that she had said. In a weakened blood loss voice, Bella spoke.
"If I were her, I would have stayed." The Phantom froze from his tending to her ankle and moved up towards her, sitting next to her side.
"What?" He didn't believe the words that just left her lips.
"I said, that if I were Christine, and not a slut. I would have chosen to stay here with you. That little prissy boy could have found a wife that would have fit the bill. I would have known that he was just going to use me until he was satisfied and then find other ways. I would have stayed. I would have been happier here with you. So, I want to apologize for the things that I have said." The phantom just sat there, wondering what to respond with.
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