Sorry for not uploading yesterday, i forgot, that is my best excuse, so sorry...anyway, enjoy chapter 21...
Chapter 21- Glacier
Meg panicked. Of all the things she was expecting to hear this was not one of them. Her legs felt like rubber, but she knew that if she stayed where she was she would surely be killed.
She tried to run. It felt like she was going three times as slow as she normally would. The adrenaline in her legs was such a handicap. Meg got to the end of the stone corridor, and then heard the doors that she had been listening at swing open.
Meg did not even stop to look over her shoulder. Her legs had regained some of their feeling but still she did not think that they were allowing her to run as fast as she normally could. A big problem was remembering where the way out was. She had been following the right wall on her way to the stone doors which she had ended up at, and had not really been paying attention to where it was she had been going.
There was a person standing at the end of the corridor Meg was currently in. She had to turn very quickly down a passage to her right, which turned out to lead to the exit. I can think about just how lucky that was later.
Getting the exit open was a different matter however. It seemed to have locked itself in some way. Meg pushed it as hard as she could, knowing that in just a few seconds she would be killed…
Amazingly the tile moved out of the way. Meg pushed herself up out of the trap door leading back to the street and then moved it back into position as quickly as she could. She expected it to open again, yet whilst backing away from it it stayed precisely where it was.
There was nothing to gain by staying where she was. Meg would just have to run back home and lock all the doors to try and keep herself safe. She headed off as quickly as she could, getting a lot of strange looks from the people that she passed in the street.
Eventually Meg could not run any longer. She would have to just walk as quickly as she could. She kept glancing over her shoulder, expecting to see some hooded figure with a gun running towards her. It seemed however that she was relatively safe. The only people who were on the streets were normal civilians.
She could not let her guard down though. Meg had to get home as soon as she could. The dark night was making her mood even worse. She was already petrified at the thought of somebody coming up to her and killing her, but the thought of a figure waiting in the darkness for her was very unnerving.
Byron will be able to keep me safe… he will be there when I get home. I know it. Meg could only think positive thoughts to try and keep her mind off the unknown person who was coming after her.
-
"Stupid girl!" The woman shouted in her posh voice, having the urge to slap the girl in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I forgot…" Fiora replied, feeling increasingly stupid having let an outsider find their way into the base.
"How many times do I have to tell you to make sure that you engage the locking mechanism when you enter this base!?" She was in a towering rage. It was a very rare occasion that someone unwanted found their way inside headquarters.
"No point having a shout about it…what are we going to do about it?" Fiora shouted back, very annoyed that her 'tutor' was dealing with the situation in such an unprofessional manner.
"What the hell is going on…?" As if to make the woman even angrier Crimson Nightshade came to join the conversation.
"Fiora…" She began in a very frustrated tone of voice, "…has gone and let somebody in...she did not lock the door!"
To both Fiora and the woman's great surprised Crimson let out a small chuckle. "An easy mistake to make… so what are you going to do about it?"
The woman seemed to be trying to remember something. "When an intruder comes into the base…" She began, as though reciting something.
"…eliminate them immediately." Crimson finished, heading towards the doors.
"And you are going to be the one to do that are you!?" She called after him, then realised that he did not even know who it was who had found their way into the base.
"Glacier…do you really think that I would spoil the opportunity for you when it had been so long since you have had your share of blood?" His voice sounded so sinister it made the hairs on the back of Fiora's neck stand on end.
Glacier smiled. "Well of course not, after all I do know that you are such a considerate person after all." There was no note of sarcasm in her voice at all, which startled Crimson.
"Why thank you…" He left, not really wanting to continue the awkward conversation any longer.
Fiora looked confused. "How exactly are you going to find this woman?"
"Her name is Meg Larogue. I know exactly where she lives…" This sudden revelation of knowledge startled and confused Fiora even more. Countless questions formed in her mind, yet she felt it obvious to start with the most logical one to ask.
"How in god's name do you know that!?" She was extremely curious to know more about the situation at hand, after all she did not think that she knew anyone outside Draconosis.
"That does not matter right now. I have to go and shut her up before she squeals everything to her husband…" Glacier ran out of the main chamber very quickly. It was going to be a very easy task, yet it would require her to get there as quickly as possible before she said anything. If she did not get there in time then it would mean disaster for the whole organisation.
-
God you can never have a conversation with that man without him trying to get a bit more money out of you. Byron thought to himself. He was walking home quite slowly. He was in no real rush to get home.
He did not know why, but Byron felt very peaceful at that moment in time. The clear night sky was a beautiful sight, and Byron had the strangest feeling that things were going to be much better from this day forth.
Perhaps the reason that he was so happy was because the deal that he had signed so long ago was finally coming into place. He did not see why it had taken so long in the first place, the thought that it would have taken a few weeks at the very most, but he did not even consider the possibility that it would take months.
There was no point worrying about this now however, the whole thing was going to take place tomorrow. Byron thought that he would try his best to make it up with Meg when he got home, after all she was hopefully going to start talking again when everything was done.
He quickened his pace, wanting to get home and see Meg as soon as possible now. It would be brilliant to tell her the good news that he had to bring her. He wondered how she was going to take it, but then remembered that she was not talking and would probably just sit there staring blankly in front of her.
This would surely make her cheer up a bit though, and hopefully make her start talking again. If he were silent he knew that if he was given the sort of news he was about to give Meg he would definitely start talking again.
-
Ok, lock all of the doors, bolt all of the windows… Meg thought desperately to herself, rushing around the house and making sure that every single entrance to it was secure.
She did not know what to expect. Meg wished that she had not been so nosey. She wished that she had not followed that mysterious figure into that place. What was done was done however, and nothing that she did now would be able to change it.
But that does not stop me from trying… She thought, trying to think of anything that she may have missed. From what she could tell however the entire house was now as secure as it could possibly be.
Meg could not think of what to do now. The only thing that was left for her to do was to just sit and wait for something to happen. She was very disheartened when she got home and Byron was not there. She was counting on him to be there to protect her, yet obviously her faith was misplaced.
There was no point in brooding over this now though. He had said earlier that he was going for a walk but had not told her how long he was going to be. She could only assume that he was still on this walk and that nothing bad had happened to him.
He will be ok… Meg then suddenly realised what it was she was thinking. Here she was, waiting for something to happen to her, and she was worrying about her husband when really there was nothing to worry about.
Meg just sat there waiting. She kept on going over anything she may have missed in her mind. There was nothing she could think of however, if everywhere was locked up then she would be safe…hopefully.
She then had a sudden thought. Meg opened her mouth and tried to make a sound. Unfortunately for her she was unsuccessful. She had not been able to speak for months now. Meg had not felt it necessary to let anyone know that she could not speak as opposed to not wanting to speak, after all even if she had written it down so that they knew what could they have done?
There had to be some way for her to tell people about everything she had seen without her leaving the house. Meg wracked her brains to try and think of a solution to this problem, but there was the much bigger problem of an unknown murderer coming to kill her which was causing her to think more slowly than usual.
Meg heard movement outside. She prayed that it was Byron, or even just a stray cat, but knowing her luck it would be somebody who was very unwelcome indeed. Meg ran to her and Byron's bedroom, still trying to think of some amazing way of telling people everything she had seen and where it was she had seen it.
It was only when she got into the bedroom that she realised that she had no idea why she had gone there. Meg looked around as though to see the answer written on the wall somewhere, but unfortunately yet not unpredictably it was not.
Written on the wall…I must be going completely… "Mad…" Meg was stunned at herself, at last she had found her voice again. It was weird to finally speak having not used her voice for a good few months.
"Written…" She said to herself, "…written, that's it!" Meg clapped he hands in triumph at thinking of a very good solution.
She ran over to the desk that was in the corner of the room, opened the drawer and pulled out paper and pen. Meg then sat down and thought of what she was going to write. The noises outside were not fading away, meaning that it could not be Byron. If it had been him he would have called Meg to come and open the door for him
Meg tried as best she could to convince herself that it was some sort of stray cat who had just got its leg caught or something… She then turned her mind back to the matter at hand, and began to write in a very untidy and nervous looking scrawl.
To whoever reads this.
I have found out the secret location of a group whose identity I do not know. I believe that whoever they are they are probably linked with the recent murders that have been taking place all over Paris.
The location of this base is directly underneath the Eiffel Tower. There is a stone tile in the middle of a sort of… circle. All I had to do was push it out of the way, yet when I heard them speaking they said something about a locking mechanism, so it may not be that easy next time.
I only hope that I am still here long enough to see these people brought to justice. I was seen when I made my way into their base, and I do not expect to be living much longer. If so then I have a few requests to be carried out when I am gone.
I want my husband to move as far away from Paris as he possibly can, if I am killed then I dare say that he could be next. That is the only request I have…
The noises that she had been hearing were growing louder and louder. Meg started to write even faster than she had been.
Time is running out, whoever is coming after me will be here soon. There are many more than just two killers, a more accurate figure would probably be around twenty, there were so many when I was there…
The noises grew louder still, and Meg could have sworn that she had just heard the front door crash open as though hit with a tremendous amount of force. She could not think of anything else she wanted to write, but knew that there was something important that she had forgot to say.
I am almost certain that the name of the murderer in red is…
The bedroom door burst open, but she did not stop writing, she had to get it all down on paper. Meg then felt a terrible pain in her right hand, which was the one she had been using to write with. She screamed in pain, her eyes were tight shut, she did not know what to expect when she opened them.
When Meg managed to open her eyes however, she saw that a knife had just pierced right through her hand. There was a hand holding onto the knife, Meg looked up at the person who was standing behind her, and saw a woman in a mask that covered just her eyes.
Meg could not make out who it was, the pain in her hand was far too terrible for her to concentrate on something like that. The woman was smiling a very cold smile indeed, causing Meg to shiver involuntary.
"What is the matter Meg, cold are we?" Meg thought that the posh voice sounded somewhat familiar but could not quite put a name to it.
The woman pulled out the knife she had stabbed Megs hand with. Meg expected her to then strike at her throat as she was hardly going to die from the wound that had been inflicted upon her. She was surprised however when the woman simply pulled out a handkerchief from her coat pocket and cleaned off the blood on the blade.
"You…" Meg began, tears streaming down her face from both the pain and the fear, "…you are not going to kill me?"
The woman laughed. "You are already dead…well, as good as dead anyway."
Meg could not understand what she meant, this statement after all did not make any sense. "What are you talking about?"
"You will probably be dead in around… ten minutes I would say." The woman then snatched the letter that Meg had written up off of the desk. "Oh you are a very caring mother aren't you? Ask for your husband to move but not your son…"
Meg knew exactly how this woman knew she had a son. "He is with you anyway, so why would he need to move, you would not kill him would you!?"
The woman simply blinked at this comment. "We have no reason to…"
This basically confirmed Megs suspicions, she had just more or less been told that her son was a member of this group, and that the reason for her loss of voice was not without reason after all.
Meg then remembered what had just been said. "How am I going to be dead in ten minutes?"
" 'Romeo, Romeo… where for art thou Romeo?'" She then let out a laugh at the confused expression that was on Megs face. "I thought that you went to see that production. I could have sworn I saw you there…"
Meg just continued to look puzzled, she could not stand people who spoke in riddles. "What the hell are you talking about?" She could only think that this woman was trying to put Meg's guard down even more than it already was, as though she needed to. Meg knew she was going to die anyway.
"Such a sad ending… she stabs herself when she realises he has killed himself with…"
"Poison…" Meg suddenly realised that there was obviously something pumping through her veins other then blood. Just then her head gave a twitch, though it was not voluntary.
"Precisely… I am just deciding whether or not I should stay here and watch you die…" Meg was so sure that she knew who owned that voice, and was determined to find out who and scream it at the top of her voice.
"Who are you?" She asked, knowing full well that she was not going to get an answer. The tears that had been on her face had subsided somewhat.
"I am Glacier." The woman replied simply.
"Funny name, was it winter when your mother gave birth to you then?" Meg actually managed to force a laugh, if she was going to die she was going to say what she liked before she did so.
"Ha, ha, ha…" Glacier was not amused, "…I think I will watch you die, it will be very satisfying…"
Meg then suddenly realised who it was. She could have kicked herself for not working it out quicker. "I never thought you would turn out like th…"
She could not breathe, it was as though some invisible force was constricting her throat. "What was that? Oh I am sorry, I forgot, you are poisoned…"
Glacier then let out a high cold laugh, and just stood there, watching…
-
I learned to listen
In my dark, my heart heard music…
What next…? Erik thought to himself, putting the pen he had been holding down on the side of the piano.
He could not think what could possibly go next. Perhaps he could do some sort of chorus, but what would the lyrics be, he had discovered over his eighteen years of composing that it was far easier to construct a tune around some lyrics.
He thought of what would fit his opera. This was one of the problems with doing the song a piece at a time, perhaps it would have been a much more sensible idea to have written all of the lyrics…
Erik did not like that way of working however, he knew that this was how any other composer would work, but he liked to be different. Christine came in through the door that led to the kitchen.
"It sounds great." She said to him, then realised that he could not have known that she was listening in.
"You were listening to me?" He asked, as though reading her mind.
"Yes, no problem with that is there?" Erik opened his mouth to reply, but Christine cut him off before he had the chance. "Don't you think it is a little late to be composing… what is the time anyway?"
Erik checked the clock on the wall. It was very late indeed. He thought that maybe it would be best for him to give it a rest for tonight.
"I suppose so…" There was a knock on the front door.
Christine and Erik both looked at each other. Neither of them could think who could possibly be visiting at this late hour. Christine was the one who went to answer the door.
As soon as she opened it Byron burst in through the door. "Christine… Erik…"
His voice was a barely more than a whisper. Christine could not think what would put Byron in such a fragile state. Erik entered the room and looked over at him, he could see that Byron had tears running down his face.
"Byron…" Erik started walking up to him very slowly, "…what has happened?"
Byron looked at them. "Come with me… please…" It was as though whatever it was that had happened he could not say it out loud.
They followed him out of the house. It was lucky that their houses were not too far from each other. When they walked through the door into his and Meg's house both Christine and Erik noticed that the lock had been broken.
He led them through into the master bedroom. When they entered the door they were met by a horrible sight…
"Meg!" Christine ran past both Erik and Byron, she could not believe what she was seeing. She grabbed Megs shoulders and began to shake her. "Meg… Meg!"
Erik could tell even at a distance that Meg was dead. His throat had gone very dry indeed, he could not think of anything to say, anything to do, or even what to think…
Byron collapsed, Erik could not blame him for doing so. He walked over to Christine and put a hand on her left shoulder. "Christine move away…"
"No!" She shouted back at him, still shaking Meg. "Wake up… Wake up!"
Erik tried to pull her away from Meg, but it was not working. "Christine please move away, there is nothing you can do to help her… she is dead!"
Christine began to cry very loudly. "She's not… she can't be!" She continued to shake Meg as though trying to wake her up from a very deep sleep as opposed to an eternal one.
Byron regained consciousness. "She's gone isn't she?"
Erik did not know what to say to either of them. He did not want to break down and show weakness in front of the two of them. He had to be strong for them if they would not be strong themselves.
"She…" Erik did not want to say the next word, "…is."
Byron completely broke down. Erik thought it would be best to go over and comfort him, but he had to stay with Christine. It was a problem which he did not know how to deal with.
Questions then formed in his mind. Who did this? Why did they do this? What am I going to tell Antoinette? This last thought made him feel very uncomfortable, after all she was Madame Giry's daughter.
Erik then noticed some letters on the desk. It looked as though they had all once been one letter, Erik started to read them.
From what he could make out Meg had known she was going to die, and because of that had made a last request. "I want my husband to move as far away from Paris as he possibly can…"
Byron looked up at him. "We were going to…" He mumbled, Erik still heard him however, "…it was all planned, I had bought the house, we were nearly ready to move. I just didn't tell her, I wanted it to be a surprise…what a surprise…"
This startled both Christine and Erik. Christine had stopped shaking Meg now. She seemed to have accepted that she was not going to wake up from the slumber that she was in.
Christine then noticed something on the floor. It was a torn piece of paper, so small that you would only be able to fit about three words on it maximum. She went over to pick it up, her tears nearly falling on it which would have blotched the ink.
fel Tower. There I Christine could not understand what this meant, yet she pocketed the piece of paper anyway. Too many thoughts were running through her mind for her to even begin to make sense of it.
Erik walked back into the room, which surprised Christine as she could not even remember him leaving. "I have sent for help… come on, let's go…"
Byron did not go with them, he seemed unable to move. Erik was nearly carrying Christine out of the house. It was as though she was not putting any effort into moving whatsoever. They left, police started arriving at that moment, yet were in too much of a hurry to get to the scene of the crime to even notice the two of them leaving…