Thank you all for your comments! I don't have too much to say about this chapter. The next one will begin the action, though. Updates should continue to be regular. I'm glad that everyone said they would stick with the story, but I guess you guys knew that it wouldn't be all fluff and happiness when you started it :)
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The broad-shouldered young man was jogging down the sidewalk, a set of headphones covering his ears and a black timer hanging from his neck. The hood of his midnight blue sweatshirt bounced with each long step, and his dark blond hair fluttered in the light breeze. His breath was in time with his pace, and his hazel eyes were focused in front of him.
The shadow watched him from behind a tree trunk, his yellow eyes narrowing with hatred. The boy was coming closer to him with each step, unaware that his time on earth was very limited. Perhaps deep down the shadow knew that this wasn't her boy, but the feel of the kill would do well enough.
The jogger continued to near the tree. He briefly slowed down and grunted as he adjusted his headset, before increasing his pace again.
The shadow's hand wrapped around the lasso as venom coursed through his veins. He felt nothing but icy jealousy. The hate kept the pain out of his chest, and the adrenaline from the hunt was suppressing the anguish. A hiss came from his throat as the boy began to pass him, and he prepared every muscle in his body to strike. Soon he would hear a satisfying, musical snap!
The jogger's neck was in the perfect range now. The shadow remained motionless, one hand still gripping the sinuous weapon. Glancing to the left, the young man seemed to sense the presence of another. Turning his gaze forward again, he shrugged and continued on his way.
The lasso did not claim its victim.
The shadow could only watch as his prey abandoned him to his misery. A pained cry came from the back of his throat as the adrenaline faded and the thirst for death went unsatisfied. Clarity slowly returned, and he realized what he had almost done in his rage. Another strangled body would have given away their location.
But maybe it didn't matter if she was leaving him. Maybe it didn't matter whom he killed now.
What if she was gone when he returned? Would he madly search the world for her or hang himself? He hesitated, before lifting the lasso up and dropping the noose around his neck. He pulled it taut and took a shallow breath of cold air, wallowing in his self-pity for a moment. So this was what his victims felt like. After removing the lasso and tucking it away, he began his walk back to the townhouse, his shoulders drooped and his pace slow.
Christine wanted to leave him; that was all he could comprehend. He should have killed Chagny and taken Christine those many months ago. That would have solved everything.
No. That wasn't true. She would have forever hated him if he murdered the damned boy.
He made no noise when he arrived and started to go to her bedroom and see if she had made her escape. The trip wasn't needed, though. Christine was curled up on a chair in the living area, sleeping with her head bent at an awkward, sideways angle. Her face was puffy and tear-streaked, and her eyes were darkly ringed. Although he made no sound as he silently looked down at her, the angel somehow sensed his presence. She opened her eyes and stiffly raised her head to look up at him, blinking several times. "Erik," she hoarsely whispered.
He said nothing, knowing that only screams and accusations would emerge from his hideous lips. "Erik," she repeated, pushing the blanket off her legs and standing. "You have to understand that I wasn't trying to leave you. I never meant to hurt you. All I wanted was for us to be safe…to stop running."
"Chagny," he hissed, his fingers curling.
She nodded. "I don't want him to go to jail. He's been my friend for a long time. But after he sees that I'm safe, he'll leave us alone. That's all I was trying to say." He stood there, attempting to read her eyes. She hesitantly stepped forward and embraced his stiff form, and his shoulders slumped at the feel of her warm arms around his cold body. "I wanted us to have a chance," she murmured.
"You cannot leave me," was all he could manage to mutter as his mind took in everything. The anger faded and was replaced by weariness and the slow realization that he wasn't losing everything.
She sighed and rested her cheek against his chest. "All right," she whispered in resignation. "I won't try-not if it hurts you so much. Why would I leave only to come back and find that you've…" She choked. "We'll keep running. Maybe we will find somewhere safe."
Slight relief overtook him at hearing those words, although an unpleasant knowledge tugged at his mind. The victory was bittersweet. He finally allowed his arms to rest around her back, his distorted mind able to almost believe her.
"You should go to bed," he softy stated. "It is nearly morning."
"All right." She stood on her toes and kissed his exposed jaw. "Goodnight." She started to walk away but paused and turned back around. "Erik. Please don't blame Nadir. It was all my idea…"
"I will not." She nodded, weakly smiled, and left. He heavily sat down and momentarily removed his mask to relieve the pressure on his face. Picking up a map of the city off the table, he started to chart more ways to escape. Feeling a presence behind him, he quickly tied the mask back on and turned to see Mr. Khan standing there with his arms crossed. He glared and turned back to the map.
"Did you talk to her?" Nadir asked.
"She said she would not go," he curtly replied. "The matter is over."
"It is not over." Nadir sighed and took a seat. "She loves you. I will deny that no longer. But it is wrong to hide her away forever. She'll wither."
"She will be fine."
"Why don't you listen to her?" Nadir asked. "Maybe her plan was not perfect, but she did have a grand idea. What if there were a way to make people forget us?"
"Even if every crime I've committed was forgotten, I could not exist in society." He gestured to his face. "Have you forgotten that fact, Nadir?"
"I am not saying that you have to walk down the street in broad daylight! She wants people to stop chasing us, so that she can go out sometimes and have some sort of life. She does not want the police coming to our door."
"I cannot let her go," he muttered, nearly wanting to throw his hands over his ears and leave again. He resisted the idea of using the lasso to silence his irritating companion, if only for Christine's sake.
"You have three choices, Erik," Nadir continued. "One would quickly kill you, one will slowly destroy her, and the other is…uncertain. Uncertainty is the best we can hope for right now."
"You expect me to let her go back there alone?" he growled. "You and I are wanted criminals, and no one will listen to a word she says now that she's been tainted by the monster."
"No! Of course not. I'm fully aware that she would be in some sort of danger."
"Then how is this inane idea supposed to work? She is a dear girl, and I would give everything for her. Everything, Nadir! But she does not understand what she is doing. She is too kind and innocent to know what she is up against."
Nadir hesitated. "Christine wishes to involve a third party. A friend of some sort that would not be wanted by the police."
He waved his hand to the side in dismissal. "It is ridiculous! She is going to end up being ripped away from me, and I won't have it! She is mine! I need her!" His voice cracked, and the wretched Iranian man grasped onto the sign of weakening.
"If she would get sick or injured, then what, Erik? We certainly could not take her to a hospital. Do you want to see her writhing in pain with no medical care? She will have no friends, no schooling, and no contact with the outside world. I am not asking you to let her go. I think she would be very upset if she had to leave you. I am asking you to look at the possible options, for her sake."
He leaned back into the seat and said nothing, an ache forming in his chest. His mind had firmly wrapped around the idea of forever escaping with her, of keeping her as his own to love and care for…of hiding from everyone else. The last few weeks were the best of his life in many ways. And he could not let the idea go.
Mr. Khan sighed and finally backed down. He glanced at the map and clenched his jaw. "Forgive me for asking," Nadir softly began. "But were there any victims of your temper tonight? Any reason we need to leave the area as soon as possible?" He paused and looked away. "I will not tell her if there are."
He looked his friend directly in the eye. "No."
"Good."
"Dear boy. Whatever were you thinking?" Leonie asked, walking behind the swiveling chair so that she was no longer in Raoul's line of vision. She rested a slender hand on his shoulder. "Leaving like that? What did you expect the police to think?" Raoul squirmed, and she managed to hide her smile.
Darrel snickered and leaned over the desk. "They would love you in prison," he stated with a grin. Raoul shuddered.
"Don't be cruel, Darrel," Leonie scolded, before turning back to the young man. "We need to work as a team."
"You said you'd get Christine back," Raoul angrily replied. "And now I'm caught up in this mess, and Christine is still gone! I was trying to find some information."
"Why do care so much about that girl?" she asked with exasperation. "Even if Christine did suddenly appear, she'd need specialized treatment. She'll be a complete mess."
Raoul rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't care. I'd take care of her. Look. I wanted to get away from the city for a while. That's all!"
"Well, you wound up in prison for the night, didn't you?" she declared. "You're lucky that they kept you separated from the other inmates. And now the police are suspicious of the entire company. And I don't have time for this." She took a calming breath and subtly signaled Darrel with a flick of her wrist.
Darrel leaned in again, placing both hands on the edge of the desk and staring down at the boy with a sneer. "The worse you make yourself look, the harder it is for us to get you out of this. And the less we want to help you. Understand?" Raoul glared at him, although his face was becoming paler.
Leonie took her turn, now placing both hands tightly upon his shoulders from behind. She roughly massaged them. "Dear Raoul. If you don't cooperate with me, I'm going to have to act in the company's best interest. Now, I want to be your friend. I want you to be successful here. But I can't be friends with someone who's working against me."
"I'm not working against you!" he exclaimed. "I want to know what the hell is going on!"
"Nothing is going on," she replied through gritted teeth. "There are people who hate this company because of its success. The murder of that prisoner was random. They have no reason to blame it on us."
"Fine. I'm sorry. I'll stay in the city. But you're going to keep searching for Christine, right?"
Darrel was about to say something rude, but she silenced him with a subtle shake of her head. "Of course we will," she murmured. "We'll do all we can." He nodded, and she withdrew. "I'll leave you to get settled and think things over. You can join us for lunch this afternoon, if you'd like." Raoul nodded again, avoiding her eyes.
She and Darrel walked out of the spacious office and into the empty corridor. "That was fun," Darrel stated. "Wasn't much of a challenge to intimidate him, though."
"I really don't know what he was thinking," Leonie replied. "What did he hope to find at Freddie's house? And now it makes us look suspicious. If he doesn't cooperate, I'll incriminate him myself." She pursed her lips and shook her head in disgust. They walked into a plush lounge. Leonie checked to make sure that no one else was around, before sitting on a leather sofa and smoothing out her slacks.
"Are you really going to keep searching for that girl?" Darrel leaned back against a wooden wall that was trimmed with gold along the edges.
Leonie shrugged. "I'd love to see the creature dead, but I'm not expending valuable resources to find him." She tilted her chin. "It's a pity, really," she murmured. "If I had known the monster was so persistent and invincible, I would have made use of him long ago."
"What do you mean?"
"He could have been my trained attack dog." The corners of her lips twitched upward. "Sit. Stay. Kill. Imagine how much a creature like that could get done. He's nearly superhuman…and also subhuman. A remorseless, murderous machine."
"How exactly would you control a 'pet' like that?"
"I was an attractive woman, even in my later years," she replied. "I could have faked compassion, given him little rewards when he was a good boy. I think he would have done whatever I wanted under certain circumstances. But hindsight is always perfect."
Darrel chuckled and walked up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and bringing his lips to her ear. "Are you infatuated with him, love?"
She reached back and pushed him away from her. "I said he would have been a good pet. Don't be disgusting."
"Leonie's pet monster." Darrel snorted. "I have to say that you're an interesting woman." He took a seat across from her in an armchair, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back. "So what next?"
"That depends on the boy. If he cooperates, I'll pull him through this mess. We'll continue to prosper. If he doesn't cooperate, he can go to prison. And I'll have to find someone else."
"And the monster?"
"If he's disappeared forever, then I don't really care. Maybe now that he has a little blonde doll to play with, he'll be a good boy. If he shows up again, I'll be prepared."
Darrel clicked his tongue. "I apologize again that my friend and I weren't able to be rid of him when he was a child. I was only twenty-four…maybe a bit young for the job. It turned into a mess. We only got his mother."
She sweetly smiled. "You've been dependable ever since then, Darrel. I hold nothing against you."
"Whatever happened to my friend?" he asked with a chuckle. "Old Bruce? I haven't heard from him in years." Leonie bit her lip and averted her eyes. "You had him killed?" he asked with disgust. "Why? He was a funny guy!"
Leonie scoffed. "I didn't kill him! I told you. I do things like that as little as possible."
"Then what happened?"
She hesitated and brushed a piece of white fuzz off the sleeve of her grey sweater. "The monster murdered him several years ago. It was very gruesome. Have you seen someone with their intestines dangling out of their body while they hang from a noose? Horrid sight."
Darrel turned green. "Demented freak of nature," he muttered. "That poor girl. Do you think she's still alive?"
Leonie shrugged. "Who knows? But she'd probably be better off dead."
Her awakening was abrupt. Sitting straight up, Christine blinked and saw no one in her room. A period of silence passed, and she wondered what had startled her into consciousness. Hearing three thundering knocks in the distance, she jumped out of bed and was at her bedroom door in three steps. She walked out into the narrow hallway. The little light that peaked through a nearby window told her that it was at least late morning.
Two more knocks sounded at the front door, and her heart began to race with fright. "Christine." Erik stepped out from behind a corner, his muscles tense and his eyes flaring. His dark jacket was gone, and the plain white dress shirt seemed to hang over his emaciated frame. She wondered if he'd been trying to sleep. Nadir stepped out of his room and looked between them.
"What's going on?" she asked, out of breath as she looked toward the door. "Who's there?"
"More neighbors," Erik replied with disdain. "Or perhaps they have brought the police to investigate." He glared at Nadir. "I told you to keep the lights off at night!"
"Is anybody in there?" called a gruff voice from outside.
"We should go to the basement," murmured Nadir, motioning for her to follow. Erik took a step toward the door, and she knew what he was clutching in his right hand.
"Erik. Come down with us," she softly pled. He looked down at her with conflicted eyes. "Please."
The silver doorknob twisted and shook, and the door rattled. "Open up if you're there!"
She reached out and gripped onto Erik's hand. "Please. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Fine," he whispered, still gripping the lasso. "Move quickly!" He opened the door to the basement, and they raced down into the darkness. Only a little light filtered through the dusty windows near the ceiling.
"Should we try to climb out?" Nadir asked.
"It is daylight," Erik replied, retreating into the farthest corner. "We will wait to see if they come inside before we take such a risk." Christine closed her eyes and stayed beside Erik, praying that they wouldn't enter. He tightly held her hand and watched the door, listening to the activity above.
"Erik," she murmured after a moment, her voice shaking. "If they do come down, let me stay. They won't hurt me. You and Nadir should run."
He squeezed her hand. "I will not leave you."
"I don't want you to get hurt," she pled.
"I will not let them touch you."
"Erik!" she exclaimed in a whisper, wishing he would be reasonable. "They think I'm your hostage! They wouldn't hurt me. But it would kill me if anything happened to you!"
Every time that hope had been offered, it had been jerked away from her fingertips. And the more she loved him, the more she was sure that he was going to be ripped away from her. A sob escaped her throat.
"Christine." She heard Erik's voice beside her and saw that he was kneeling. "Christine. Do not cry. I hear them no more. We are fine."
"We will still need to leave soon," Nadir muttered. "As soon as possible. They know that someone was here. They're probably getting permission to enter from the real owner."
"Assuming they do not come back today, we will leave as soon as it is dark," Erik grimly replied. Nadir walked to the door and put his ear against it, ensuring that they were safe. She felt Erik's fingers gently run up and down her back. He stared at her for a long moment, his eyes distant. "Withered," he muttered beneath his breath, reaching out and cupping her chin in his hand.
"What?" she softly asked, slowly calming from her terror. "I'm okay. I just…I thought they were going to come in."
His shoulders moved up and down with each slow breath. "You are not happy," he murmured.
She swallowed. "I…."
"Your honesty will not anger me."
Christine hesitated. She doubted that she could ever keep from angering him, but the truth seemed too important at that moment. If he would only listen to her…"It's hard to be happy when I'm always afraid that someone's going to hurt us."
"If there were no danger…"
"I think we could be happy," she whispered. "We'd at least have a chance."
He stared down and gently lifted her hand. She could feel Nadir watching them both from beside the door. "You will never take your ring off?" he asked, his voice wearier than she had heard it in some time. "No matter who you see, you will keep your ring?"
"I'll never take it off," she replied, holding his shaking hand.
"You have never betrayed Erik before. If you did, he does not know what he would do."
She placed her hands on the upper parts of his arms, her fingers nearly wrapping all the way around the thin limbs. Without the dark coat of his suit, he appeared more vulnerable…frail. "Erik. I would never betray you. I would never leave."
He lifted the bottom portion of his mask and kissed her forehead. She could hear painful effort in his next question, as though each word were searing his tongue. "What is it that you want?"
