Christine's POV
"Where is he?" Carlotta snapped. "Where is that monster?!"
"I…I don't know," I cried. "I escaped…I…I ran away from him."
I didn't want to lie, but I needed to, for Erik's life depended on it.
"You escaped?" Carlotta mocked. "And yet, you barely have a scratch on you…"
Nadir scooped me up into his arms and carried me as we headed back to the Opera House. That wasn't before I heard Raoul order the authorities to search the woods. I snuggled my face into his shirt and prayed that they didn't find Erik… When we arrived back in my room, Raoul ordered a doctor to come check me out to ensure that I truly was all right. As he was doing so, I couldn't help but fall asleep for I was extremely exhausted. When I woke, Nadir was seated at my side. His face was filled with worry, which made me instantly feel uneasy.
"Monsieur Khan, what's wrong? Is he all right?"
"They haven't found him," he replied. "But…But there is something I need you to tell me."
"What?" I gasped.
"How long have you known about it?"
"Pardon, monsieur?"
Nadir shot to his feet and grabbed my shoulders… It frightened me, for no one had ever touched me like this.
"How long have you known about it, Christine? How long have you known about your child…"
"Child?" I cried. "Child?"
I was with child? I was going to have a child? I pressed my eyes closed and realized that it was possible, for I had been with Erik…
"I didn't know…"
"The doctor told me… And then, he told Raoul and the authorities that were standing outside the door. Christine, your life is in danger… Everyone in the Opera House knows that you're with child…and that the only man you've been around is Erik."
"I'll lie… I'll tell them that I was with another man."
"Christine, Erik didn't say anything about returning here, did he?"
"He…He said he would come for me."
Before either of us could say another word, the door to my room opened and Carlotta, Raoul and a few of the authorities entered.
"Ah, so our little flower awakes…" Carlotta purred. "Turns out that you left as one and returned with a monster's bastard in your belly."
"That's not true," I spat. "He never touched me!"
"He will be back," Raoul growled. "And we will be ready for him."
"Raoul," I pleaded. "Please…"
"You let that monster attack me! You let him attack me and you left freely with him! You are nothing but a lie, Christine. But it's all right, for when your monster returns for you, we will be ready. I have guards standing at every door and window… Your monster won't get through the doors alive."
I wasn't sure what Raoul was talking about, but the moment I spotted the authorities loading their pistols, I gasped. They were going to kill my Erik!
"Well," Nadir began, gathering to his feet. "I have some work to do in my office."
Nadir was about to walk out the door, when Carlotta grabbed him.
"Sit down, Monsieur Manager… You're not going anywhere. We can't risk you warning him…"
"I would do no such thing!"
"And we don't want to risk it…"
This was it… Erik was going to be killed, and it was all my fault. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't, for if I did, it would give everything away. The most important thing now was to protect the child I was carrying, for I knew Carlotta and Raoul wanted to dispose of it.
Erik's POV
I waited until nightfall before making my way back to the Opera House. Those hours I spent hiding in the woods were the scariest moments of my life. I heard the barking of dogs and the footsteps of the authorities, but I prayed that they wouldn't find me. Only when the sky had gone dark and the woods had become silent did I dare move. I rode Cesar back to the quiet Opera House, knowing that reaching Christine would be too easy. The hardest part would be walking to her room… I looked both ways before climbing down from Cesar's back, making sure that no one was around. When the coast was clear, I hobbled to the backdoor. Nothing sounded better than being able to get off my feet and eat a hot meal. I was freezing from head to toe, which was strange, for the cold never usually bothered me. The halls were dark and quiet, making it all the easier to get up the stairs to Christine's room. After unlocking the door, I slipped inside the candle lit realm. Oh, warmth at last!
"C…Christine?" I hobbled to the couch and sat down. From there, I bent down to unlace my boots. "Where are you? I could use a basin of hot water and some bandages…"
When I didn't get an answer, I knew something was immediately wrong. Curious, I stood and prepared myself for what was to come.
"Christine?" I approached her bedroom door and slowly opened it. And oh, when it was open, what I saw stopped my heart… There, on the bed, was Christine, her mouth being covered by the hand of a guard. Nadir was seated at her bedside and was in the same position. When I heard the click of the safety being pulled back on a pistol, I hurried to the door, and just in the knick of time. Bullets began to fly my way and missed me every time. I dogged out into the hall as they continued to fly towards me. It was over… My life was over now! The Opera House was no more…I was going to die, and there was no changing that. I hurried as fast as I could through the dark corridors and halls, the screaming of guards and the sound of bullets flying frightened me. I was backstage now, backstage and trapped like a rat. I knew if I didn't move, I was going to be found and shot, that being the reason why I climbed to the rafters that were high above the stage. From there, I ducked down and stayed quiet, praying to the lord above that no one found me.
The guards were soon below me and looking behind every seat in the auditorium. I knew if they found me, I would die a horrifying death, followed by my body being placed on display. They were about to leave, when my foot accidently moved, causing a low creaking sound to occur in the rafters. I held my breath, but it was too late, for they were already looking my way. I hurried to my feet as their bullets began to fly… One of them went through the wood of the rafters, causing my foot to lose its balance. That wasn't all, for the next bullet that went flying past me caused a spark, and soon, the enormous curtain that was hanging above the stage caught on fire. As soon as the flames flew down onto the stage, they were no longer interested in me… No, they were more interested in saving their own lives. Both ends of the rafters were now engulfed in flames, and I had no way of escaping. My life…my world, my Opera House! It was on fire and it was too late to save it. Knowing that the only way of escaping now would be to jump, I did so, but not without consequence… My body landed on my feet, causing a painful crack to occur in my ankle… I knew I had either sprained or broken it, for the height I had jumped from was too much.
I dragged my body to the door and struggled to my feet. When I was finally through the door, I collapsed in the hall, feeling too exhausted from the smoke to go on. From up ahead, I could hear the shouting of officers and others who were running for the front door. What I didn't expect was for Carlotta to find me. Oh, but she did… She wasn't going to pass up this opportunity to let me go. I wasn't sure how she spotted me, but she did… She may have seen my body lying in the hall and came rushing over to make sure that it wasn't Raoul. She smiled and lifted me up by my neck… I thought that she was going to call the authorities over, but she didn't... She pulled me through the smoking auditorium and threw me down.
"I was going to spare your life…let the authorities shoot you and then place your body on display, but I'd rather you burn in hell."
I quickly struggled to my feet and stood before this cow…I may not have been strong, but I was strong enough to kill this despicable monster! Anger coursed through my veins as I stood before her.
"If you cherish any part of your life," I spat. "You will walk out those doors. Fail to do so and I cannot promise that you will ever leave this room again."
She laughed. "I believe it is you that should be frightened."
"Me? I'm not frightened by you, Madame…"
A few seconds later, Carlotta lunged towards me, and I dodged her. When she came at me again, I grabbed the witch by her throat, and she grabbed me by my own. We were on the floor now, the smoke and fire making us both struggle. I tightened my grip on the monster's throat, her face turning purple and blue. I was struggling against her as well, and I knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before we both passed out. But I stayed strong, never letting go for a single second… And when she blacked out, I was finally loosened from her grip. I coughed and struggled to my feet just as the ceiling began to collapse. I barely made it out of the Opera House, and when I did, I collapsed to catch my breath. My life and home was burning down, and now, I didn't know what to do. For an hour I lay there looking at the burning building alone.
"Erik?"
When I heard Christine's voice, I opened my eyes to see her running towards me with Ayesha in her arms.
"Oh, Erik! You're alive…"
Next thing I knew, Nadir was there and he was helping me onto Cesar's back. Oh, it was extremely painful.
"Erik, you need to get out of here. The authorities will be back for your body in the morning… You need to be long gone by then."
Christine hopped up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
"I'll join you as soon as I can," Nadir replied. "I have some business that I need to take care of first. Go to your mother's house… You will be far away from the city…"
I didn't want to go to my mother's home, but Nadir was right, it was my only chance at escaping. And so, with Christine at my side, I set off into the night. It was a long and painful journey, but we made it by the early hours of the morning. The cottage had been empty since my mother's death, but it was mine… I was the one who had inherited the property, and now, I was going to be forced to stay.
Christine helped me down off Cesar's back and I opened the gate to let him in the yard. It was still dark, but that didn't stop Christine from hanging onto me as we went inside. This was going to be our home for now, our home and our sanctuary from the authorities.
"Come on, Erik," Christine cooed. "You need to lie down so I can tend to your wounds."
Christine placed me on the couch, a couch I hadn't been on since my childhood. Only then did Christine lean down beside me and begin tending to my injuries.
