Everything was set. Everyone was in their place, the timing was right. All we needed now was the door to set everything in motion. As they had promised, the gypsies had promptly provided us with the map and key Durriken had mentioned, and Nadir had quite happily given them food, flesh clothes, and money, amongst other things. The gypsy women had welcomed him into their camp and had started great discussion with him, and the men and I discussed what needed to be done.

Nadir was to stay at the camp, it would be dangerous for him to come along, but in my opinion, he would be more useful at the camp than running beside me. He would have the essentials close by, in case Jennifer was... disabled. I would fetch Jennifer, bring her back to the camp, and the gypsies would watch over and protect us until dawn. From there, they would begin to pack up their things and leave, and we would be amongst them, hiding from anyone who would be in our way, and we'd be safe back at Nadir house within a few hours, where Rouge and Texas would be waiting for us and take us to a safe place, though what safe place that was, we didn't know.

And so, it all began.

The moon hung high in the sky as I walked with two Gypsy brothers through the forest, I recalled their names to be 'Bolshank' and 'Theorian', and they loud, happy boys back in the camp, but now, walking beneath the starless night, they were as quiet as church mice. They never spoke a word, not that I would have said anything back to them, the night was restless. The wind spoke for us instead, whistling through the trees and speaking through the shaking branches and heavy leaves, the sounds echoing in the back of our minds. Thoughts of the mission ahead stirred our spirits, drove us on as the leaves beneath us crunched from our treading feet. The air was fresh, clean, cleared our lungs, and we were thankful. We knew that the conditions of the asylum were to be less than what it should have been, but I was prepared. That happens, when one doesn't have a nose, after all! The mask does block out most smells too, thankfully.

We approached the hardened shelter that was the bunker to the Asylum, and I noticed that the men had cleared away the leaves and overgrown plants to reveal the hidden door. It was a circular metal door, protruding from the ground, so I wasn't surprised that it had been forgotten. Covered in leave and plants, it would barely been visible to the eye.

"You climb down." Theorian said, standing beside me. "The ladder is safe, we checked it all out. No worries there, mate."

"Yes, thank you." I whispered, feeling the key between my bony, muscle-less fingers.

Bolshank handed me the map, as Theorian began to pull open the bunker door with some struggle. "Good luck mate."

Bolshank chuckled as he joined Theorian, and together, they struggled to open the door, the thick metal door groaning as it moved mere inches. After a few minutes, we were all staring down into the bottomless pit.

"Here," Theorian asked, "She wasn't really your hostage, was she?"

I began to stutter as my hands trembled from the panic. "W-What?"

"Miss Jennifer 'nd you, back at the 'Opera House'. You two were just really good 'nd friendly, right?"

"Yeah," Interjected Bolshank, speaking to his brother. "That's how we know himto be good, right? If you had harmed 'er in any way, we wouldn't be helping him, you see?"

"Yeah, but he was the Phantom, right? And he killed people, dinni he?"

"Yeah, but so do we."

"Yeah, but we do it 'cos we have to-"

"Yeah, but I bet he does too-"

"Must you two start every sentence with, 'yeah, but-'?" I interupted, sighing with annoyance. "And who told you I was the Phantom?"

"Nobody, it was kinda obvious. Nobody really had to say anything, you know?"

"I see." I sighed again. "I've never known gypsies to be like your lot."

They never said a word, and instead, both of them, on either side of me, patted me on the shoulders.

"Off I go." I murmured, climbing into the bunker, the darkness eating me up, both literally and figuratively.

I began my descent, each metal rung of the ladder ringing sharply against the stone wall, and within a few seconds, I was already at the bottom. I looked down the narrow tunnel, and smiled for the first time in a long time. This was really happening. I was really going to save her.

I was going to be the hero. I was going to be her savior. Perhaps, I would get a hero's reward, from Jennifer's lips. I laughed at the thought, what a morbid hero I would make, but those happy thoughts drove me on, and I soon found the door. It was a little taller than myself, but it was wide enough, which I suppose didn't really matter at the time. I fumbled for the key for a second, and unlocked the door, the metal barrier that held me from Jennifer.

Entering the corridoor gave me a strange sense of fear that I had never felt before. I looked around me. There were no guards about, no nurses or anything similar to them. So why did it feel so wrong?

I brought out the map, frowning. It was crudely drawn, but I dismissed it, ignoring the red splotches of ink as I memorised the hastily scribbled markings. I could be with Jennifer in just under 15 minutes, judging to scale, by the map, if I ran.

And I would.