A solid Thump hit Allera hard, sending her backwards a few steps. A woman shrieked from the audience, starting the crowd's frenzy to the exits.
Allegra was frozen for a moment, her eyes widening in shock, before she looked down at the holes in her left shoulder and chest.
Everything worked in slow motion.
She thought to herself, "Oh.., this is what it feels like to have been shot," then fell backwards, protecting her grandfather's violin as she went down.
Nya rushed to her side first, screaming, "Doctor! Is anyone a doctor!? Get one!" Cursing repeatedly, she took out the cloth she used to wipe the rosin off her cello and put it on the worst injury. "Stay with me, Allegra. I'm not going to lose a friend this fast."
Allegra stared at her friend, her face as passive as a doll's. Black spots dotted her vision, and she wondered if this was what it felt like to die.
"Erik," Allegra whispered, feeling herself fade away rapidly.
Erik appeared about ten feet away and rushed to Allegra's side. In the heat of the moment, Nya couldn't tell that he was a ghost. "I'm here. God, I'm here." He too, cursed at the sight of her injuries.
Allegra tried to speak, but couldn't. The pain was shutting down her brain. I love you, Erik, she thought, but you'll never know.
Thankfully, Erik said it for her. "Please don't die, please, no.. I love you.. I love you, I love you. And I don't even know if you feel the same, but I need you, idiot." He attempted to crack a smile, for her, but ended up sobbing, holding her hand as Allegra's consciousness slipped away.
Erik watched the people from the hospital wheel her off, shouting medical terms and putting tubes down her throat.
It was useless.
They had come too late.
Surely, she was gone.
He had no one to keep his anger in check, now that she was gone. No one to save him from himself.
"Who the hell are you?" Nya asked. "Are you the guy Allegra was talking about?"
"Shut up," he almost hissed, his eyes glowing a dark red.
Nya back away to the edge of the stage. "Woah dude. Chill. I'm just as upset as you, but-"
"I said shut up!" He waved his arm at Nya, using an unseeable force to knock her off the stage. Luckily, it was only five feet up, and she wasn't that hurt. She scrambled up and ran off, even leaving her cello, the most prized possession in her life, behind.
He yelled in rage, storming off the stage and into Meg's office.
She was sitting in her chair, talking to a nurse at the hospital on the phone. Erik reached out and slammed the phone down, splintering it into a thousand or so pieces.
"Hey!" Meg saw his eyes and her face paled in fear. "Oh my.."
"You killed her! You killed her you stupid manager! You even tried to kill me!"
"Wait wait!" Meg held up her hands in defense. "That wasn't one of my men. Until now, I thought you were burning in a fiery pit, Allegra's heart burning there as well." Erik paused, letting her speak more.
"I saw it from the box seat," she continued. "It was a lady in her early twenties. She was sitting in the last row on the floor. The man in front of her reported to a police officer that she said, and I quote, 'She sounds like a dying frog. I better quiet that croak.'"
"Her rival," he sighed, the red in his eyes fading.
"Bethany? She was next to Allegra the whole time."
"No, fool. Christine's rival, Carlotta Giudicelli."
"Ah, I remember her. Man, she was so arrogant and proud. Such an annoying prima donna. Christine made her sound terrible in comparison, but it couldn't have been her."
"It was probably her daughter." He slammed his fist on Meg's desk. "Revenge. Cold blood killed her."
"Oh she's not dead yet," Meg replied, crossing her arms.
"... What?"
"I was speaking to a nurse about how bad it was before you so rudely interrupted me."
Erik froze, looking down at the phone shards. He dashed out of the office, Meg calling after him.
He ignored her. The history between them didn't matter anymore.
Only Allegra mattered.
(Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, and it's kinda short. Spring Break is next week for me and my teachers have been piling work on me. My chem teacher has given us three long tests in a row.. But at least it gave me time to think about this story, I have some new ideas that I hope you like. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!)