Chapter 9: Return to Darkness
The doctor arrived with his assistant as well, knowing that Erik was probably having a fit.
" He's in the sitting room," Marie said
The doctor came to the sitting room and looked at four servants holding him down.
" I guess we came just in time," he said
Erik looked at the doctor seeing him pull out the usual medication. Erik breathed deep as the doctor injected it into him and then worked on his leg.
" Erik you need to get rid of the dogs, this is the second time they've attacked a human being," the doctor said
" I won't," Erik said, " They're the only things I have left to remind me of who I once was."
" Erik your not him any longer, you're a man of business," the doctor said, " You don't live in darkness."
Erik's eyes became heavy and they rolled back into his head. The doctor told the servants to removed their hold on him. He became sedated and the doctor looked at him, he called Marie over.
" One of these every 6 hours, he's sedated right now, but come the next morning he won't be to happy," the doctor said
Marie nodded and both the doctor and his assistance left. Gaston lifted Erik and carried him into his chambers. Marie changed Erik into his night dressings and left the room. She sighed and Gaston wrapped his arms around her.
" He's mad," Marie said, " He's been mad since he woke up."
" He'll be better, perhaps Mademoiselle Giry will return or we can write to her mother to come. Madame Giry was after all his care taker when he lived under the opera house," Gaston said
Marie nodded and both walked down, they kept their eye on Colette's condition as the night went on.
The next morning brought rain and darkness all around the estate and land. Erik opened his eyes and moaned, he looked around trying to remember what happened.
" Meg," he whispered
He remembered and covered his face as he slightly rocked back and forth.
" I'm not normal," he thought, " I'm insane, not born into light."
Erik got up grabbing a cane to walk, he made it to the window and looked out. He stared in the distance and leaned his head against the window.
" I am alone and will always be alone," Erik whispered, " I never truly was welcomed to my new life. I was abandoned by the people I loved."
He touched his face and felt his mask under his hand, he removed it then tossed it.
" This face, this devil's mark has brought me to the gates of Hell," Erik thought, " I'm a gargoyle, a carcass longing for normalcy."
Erik turned around and looked at the mirror and lifted a candle holder. He hurled it towards the mirror and shattered it instantly. Erik smiled at his disfigured reflection and then he laughed in a devilish laugh, which echoed through the emptiness of the estate.
" Now I am not normal on either side," Erik laughed
Marie and a few of the servants continued to stir batter.
" He's awake," Claire said
" He's returning to darkness," another said
" We can't do anything about it," Marie said
The doors opened and Erik's voice rang out through the halls, calling the hell hounds. Marie looked up and waited for him to call for her to release the dogs.
" Where are the dogs?" the servant asked
" Outside," Marie said, " tied up."
" Delilah! Pandora!" Erik shouted
He walked to the dinning room and Marie walked out wiping her hands on her apron.
" Good morning Master," Marie said
" There's nothing good about morning," Erik growled
" Of course there isn't, your dogs are outside," Marie said, " that's where they will stay."
" They will follow their master," Erik replied
" Where to Hell? Those dogs will be your death Erik, leave them there," Marie said
Erik narrowed his eyes as she said his name, he rose and looked at her.
" You will address me as master or Comte, never my name," Erik growled, " You should know this. You are a servant under me and that's what you will be."
Erik walked off and untied the dogs to bring them inside. He looked at the servants that cleaned the dark estate and he went to the music room.
" I am the Comte Montague, a man of power and fear," Erik thought, " I will not yield."
Marie looked at him and sighed then got the cooks on their feet. She saw to the cooking and the cleaning once more. She felt that Erik was regressing than progressing like the doctor had said he would. Gaston walked in and Marie told him of Erik's mood and to warn him, that he's ready to kill if someone fails."
Breakfast was served and Erik sat there in silent thoughts. Marie and two other servants served him each course of breakfast. They left the room and the servant looked at Marie.
" He's acting so strange," she said
" I don't know why, it's as if he were in a dream state and snapped back into reality," Marie said, " He is not well at all."
They walked out and set the other course down and then poured him hot tea. Delilah and Pandora rested at his feet and stirred every time he set his fork down. He rose from his seat once finished and went on to business to collect money, he had loaned other investors. Marie walked down the dark halls that welcomed darkness and entered Colette's room. The young girl had gain consciousness, but was weak from the injury to her head. She sat beside the young girl and served her something to eat then went on her way.
Erik rode to town where he went to the local opera house. He attended the rehearsal to see if the money he invested into the performance was worth it. He found little entertainment in the performance and decided to pull his investment.
" Comte, please rethink what you are doing," one manger said
" I'm afraid I have mistaken in putting thousands into this performance. Your singers can not sing and your actors can not act. What gentlemen am I suppose to like about the performance?" Erik said
" Only if we had Madame de Chagny," the other said
" You don't need her, she's a loss cause," Erik growled, " You need to fire your actors and singers and start from scratch. Until then I refuse to invest into such a sad opera house."
Erik walked out and placed his hat back on and climbed onto his horse. He looked down at the two mangers as they looked up with pleading look.
" Gentlemen you will get your act together and start over or there will be hell," Erik said
He rode off and rode East of his estate, there he rode for an hour before reaching an estate just over the hills. He jumped off his horse and rang the bell at the stable. A stable hand ran out and got his horse. Erik climbed the steps and knocked on the door. The door opened and Erik stood there straight and a little boy peeped out.
" Bonjour Comte Montague," the boy said, " I suppose your here to speak to my grandfather?"
" Yes," he said
The boy ran off and let the butler invite Erik in. Erik removed his hat and entered the estate and the he was taken to the sitting room. The servants brought him hot tea and a pastry. An older man, much into his years, past his prime, entered. He looked at Erik and gave a sigh.
" You again," he said
Erik turned around and smirked at the older man.
" Of course it is I, did you really think you could get rid of me?" Erik stated
" I could hope," the old man said
Erik shook his head and shook the man's hand.
" Olivier, I've come to ask your specialties," Erik asked
" What perhaps may I ask that may be?" the man asked
Erik removed his mask and Olivier sighed, he shut the door.
" Your studies of renewal of the flesh," Erik said
Olivier walked over to Erik and sat down lit a few more candles.
" Let me take a look at that face yours," Olivier said
Erik sat down and Olivier grabbed his tools and turned Erik's disfigured half to the light. He studied it, poked at his face to see what he could do.
" Erik, this is something I can not fix, the study is new," Olivier said
" There must be something," Erik said
" Nothing science can do," Olivier said, " perhaps someday science will advance to change the way we look."
Erik slipped the mask back on and rose from where he was sitting.
" If you are worried about not getting a lovely lady because of that face, your wrong there are many women who will look beyond," Olivier said
" I know, I've found her," Erik replied
" That was fast," Olivier said
" It only took me most my life," Erik said
" Come now, your still in your prime," Olivier said, " Unlike me pushing borderline death."
Erik shook the old man's hand and walked out and Olivier watched him leave. The young boy walked over to Olivier and watched.
" He's a strange man grandfather," the boy said
" He maybe strange lad, but he's a good man inside," Olivier said
Erik returned home before the sun began to set. He entered and the dogs came running hearing their master's footsteps. Delilah and Pandora slid across the marble floor nearly sliding into Erik. He moved as they slid into the doorway and walked down the foyer with his long black cloak following behind his dark figure. Marie and Gaston stood waiting for his barking orders.
" I want dinner served on the veranda with a large glass of wine," he said, " Don't delay."
He did not say anything else and went to the his study to be alone. He remained there as he looked about his empty study, his journals had been removed and his books had been rearranged. He saw a glass of whiskey pour in a crystal glass, sitting out for him. He sat down in his throne like chair and sipped on the whiskey as he relaxed. Erik closed his eyes as he remembered the past, it was seconds later that his hand was filled with pain. He looked down at his hand which held the glass in it. His hand was bleeding badly and he just stared at it. He felt his hand burning from the whiskey that came from the glass. The blood dripped to the floor and he watched it, the dogs came up and licked his bleeding hand, but he swatted them away. Erik stood up and dropped the rest of the shattered glass and began to pull pieces out of his hand. He looked at each piece and he shook his head at the glass. He smiled and then laughed a little.
" Tis only a flesh wound, I am mortal," He chuckled
The door opened and Marie peeped in, he looked at her as he held his bleeding hand.
" Did I not give you the settle hint that I wanted to be alone," He growled
" I'm sorry, but I came to tell you dinner was ready," she said
" Get out," he growled
She saw his hand and walked in and Erik looked at Pandora and Delilah, who were licking the mixture of blood and whiskey, that has spilt on the ground.
" You two are not doing your jobs," Erik hissed
Pandora looked up at him and then looked at Marie, she walked up to her and grabbed Marie by her apron. She brought her to the spot and sniffed it then walked over to Erik and nuzzled his bleeding hand.
" Master your hand it's bleeding," she said
" I cut it on something," he said simply, " It's a flesh wound."
" It is not, it's bleeding like the devil," She said
She undid her apron and dabbed it and he hissed in pain. She poured some whiskey on it to clean it and he just looked at her.
" You truly worry about small wounds," Erik said
She looked at him and then just placed pressure on it until it stopped. She looked at it and bandaged it up tightly and then cleaned up the mess on the blood red carpet.
" Master, are you well?" she asked
" Of course I'm well," he snapped, " Who are you to ask if I am well? You and those other fools ask stupid questions."
He sent her away and Marie sighed, Erik looked out his window and placed his hand on the pane.
" What fools do I have in my home," Erik thought
He left his study and went to his room to rest for the rest of the evening, skipping dinner once more.