Escape

In less than a heartbeat there were flames all around her. She quickly looked where Eric stood but he wasn't there.

Oh God!

"Help us" she shrieked. "Oh God, someone please help us"

Coughing and choking she tried to find Eric. Already the air was swirling with sparks and debris. The stage was like a tinderbox, melting, collapsing all around her. The smoke was so thick she could barely see, she could hardly breathe. She quickly dropped to her knees and started to crawl.

"Eric! Eric where are you" But Eric didn't answer. No one answered, and no one came to help.

At once she felt an arm snake around her waist and hoisted her up. Christine gasped for breath. Her throat felt raw and swollen. She looked up to see Eric, eyes red from the smoke and lips set in a firm line.

"Christine, we must find a way out. The fire has spread throughout the stage. He's locked both exits. We have to go through the roof" He said looking up.

They quickly made their way to the back of the stage and climbed up the stairs and into the rafters. She knew there was a roof hatch that stage hands often escaped through for a cigarette. She watched as Eric made his way to the hatch. "We need something to reach it, the ladders been taken away." He muttered cursing.

She knew she was losing consciousness. She felt dizzy and the room started to spin. Eric clutched her to his chest and shouted

"Christine!"

All at once there was a deafening crash and a blistering surge of heat billowing over her in suffocating waves. Christine pressed her face into Eric's chest and breathed deeply praying to die before she felt the flames.

"Oh God somebody help us"

Christine screamed herself awake. As her eyes snapped open, she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She slowly tried to stand trying not to throw up. She swallowed hard and looked around trying to figure out where she was. Her whole body ached.

It was pitch dark, but the faint smell of smoke wafted around her.

No!

Bolting she made her way through the dark and felt something soft hit her fingers.

A curtain.

She was on the stage. How the hell did I get in here? She gulped again as the darkness tilted around her. She felt a heaving sensation in her chest and she suddenly realized she was crying.

She cautiously looked up into the rafters. She saw the hatch that led onto the rooftop.

"Please somebody" she whispered.

She quickly brushed her hair back from her face and frowned. She was covered in dirt, and she could feel cobwebs tangled in her hair. There was the sickening taste of smoke in her mouth and in the back of her throat.

Two strong arms held me to his chest.

Her frown deepened. What's that all about? She strained her ears through the darkness. She listened for the treat of footsteps, for the sound of a familiar voice. There was none. She looked down at her dirty jeans. One knee was throbbing, and she could see a rip there, stained with dried blood. She felt like crying again, like running away and never coming back, yet at the same time she couldn't bring herself to do it. She could never leave this place.

She pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes and took a deep steady breath.

"Damn you Charlie" She muttered out loud. "You'd better marry Meg for what I went through tonight"

She made her way across the stage and into the hallway. She had the eeriest feeling and she'd passed through it several times before. Tiny bits of memory were hovering right at the edges of her mind, yet she couldn't quite call them into focus. She made her way down the wide hallway; she knew somehow that she would end up in the foyer again and that it would lead her to the front door. The foyer was there and to her right there was the entrance to the ball room where all of her things sat. She saw the flashlight on the ground, its light still shining. She picked it up and shone it over the walls and ceiling, cringing at the matted cobwebs, the dead bugs, spiders and undisturbed layers of dust that were collected at the grand staircase. It was obvious that no one has been here in years. Yet there was a sense of urgency here, she could feel it. All at once it hit her. It hit her so hard that she gasped and dropped the flash light, flattening herself against the wall.

She remembered. The dream-the vision- all of it came back with a rush, with such painful clarity that Christine cried out and covered herself with her hands. She stood there shaking until every last detail played out in her mind. She slowly slid down the wall onto the floor and sat there with her arms around her knees. She didn't want to remember anymore. Nervous, she slowly stood up and picked up her flashlight again. She shone the light at the top of the stairs. To her surprise she saw an outline of several archways. She could feel her panic mounting. This place was already getting to her. With a deep breath she made her way across the foyer and up the stairs. Taking two at a time she stood at the very top and stared at the line of archways. They were entrances to private booths. She slowly turned left and walked over to the fifth door and pushed the door open. Box 5. It had probably been a beautiful booth once, but now it was sadly deteriorated, with warped molding and stained carpeting. There were huge gaps of peeling paint, and a stale smell that hit her nose. Christine shuddered and pulled her jacket tightly around her. There were several odds and ends of furniture around, obviously antiques that had been shoved recklessly into the corner of the booth. The walked over to the edge of the booth and locked out into the darkness. She clutched the edge and peered out blankly until she felt a sensation next to her. As if someone was breathing into her hair. Startled she made her way out of the box and into the hallway again. She didn't want to explore anymore.

She quickly ran down the steps and into the ballroom where she grabbed her things. Shouldering her backpack she sprinted into the foyer and to the entrance door. Her head was pounding, and her heart felt ready to burst. When she finally goes to the door she nearly wrenched it off its hinges trying to pull it open. The door gave without warning. Christine stumbled out into the night. She sprinted down the steps and past the towering columns where a tall figure detached itself from the darkness and reached out for her cutting off her escape. Christine screamed and bolted in the other direction into the gardens. The figure closed in, chasing her getting nearer and nearer looming over her. She screamed again, and another cry drowned out her own.

"What the fuck Christine!" Charlie yelled, "You scared me to death!"

Christine froze. She thrust out her flashlight and immediately saw Charlie's pale face, his wide eyes staring back at her.

"I scared you?" Christine yelled back furiously. "Are you kidding me!" she swung at him, but he caught her arm nearly toppling her off balance.

"Calm down!" he whispered, "You're yelling!"

"Calm down! Calm down! I'm lucky I'm even alive! I hate you Charlie, I'll never forgive you for this, I-"

"I know Christine, I know I'm sorry!"

At this unexpected apology, Christine went still. She slowly stepped back and let the flashlight shine the entire length of Charlie's body her anger fading into dismay. Charlie wasn't wearing shoes or a jacket. He stood there shivering in his socks, pajama pants, and a T-shirt as though he had run out of the house in a hurry. Even more alarming was that he looked frightened. Christine stared back, and then she asked

"What are you doing here?"

Charlie seemed at a loss for words. After opening, and closing his mouth several times he finally shrugged and made a gesture with one arm.

"I fell asleep." He said quietly "After I left you, I went home and was watching TV, and I fell asleep. I had this dream…."

Christine could feel her own face going pale.

"What was it about…?"

"I'm not sure" He shook his head and clanged his fists. "But you were in it. Maybe not you, but someone who looked like you and Ray were in it too. Some guy with a scar was taking you away, and Ray got angry. There was a fire" Charlie shook his head trying to remember.

"It was like I was looking down at the stage from above. Like it was some kind of play. I watched Ray make his way out and I watched you two." His voice cracked. "It was horrible, and it was so real"

Christine went over and hugged him. He shook his head again, sounding miserable.

"I really thought there was a fire, that you were trapped over here and that you couldn't get out. It was all mixed up- I knew I was awake by then, but it seemed like the dream was still happening. I mean I could hear it- I could hear you scream, the roof collapsing on you. I could even smell the smoke" His voice reduced to a whisper. "And then I just ran. I ran over here and there wasn't anything. No fire. Nothing"

Christine nodded against his chest. She rubbed his back trying to calm him down. She quietly told him about her own experience, but before she could speak Charlie frowned and took hold of her wrist.

"You're bleeding" he said

"I know, I scraped my knee when I-"

"No not your knee"

Puzzled Christine looked down at the trickle of blood running over her hand and down her arm. The blood was coming from one of her fingers, where something had cut deeply into her finger.

"It's this" Charlie told her "You must've scraped it on something"

Christine's heart froze in her chest. As she gazed down at the third finger on her left hand. She felt an anguished cry lodge helplessly into her throat.

She was wearing an engagement ring.

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