7
Erik does not seem to sleep, or if he does at all he does so in secrecy. In those dark, long hours Raoul has tried escaping, but the Phantom has fixed a long chain across his back that goes from one end of the bed to the other, and does not allow him to move up. Raoul must always lie face down, and only listen to see if the monster has stirred. Days go by, perhaps another half week has passed, and Erik sometimes lies down beside him.
He cannot see the other man, but he feels the weight upon the bed beside him, and the sound of Erik's voice chills him over and over. He says things. Horrible things, horrible allusions to a horrible life. He speaks of a mother who would sooner kiss a dog than willfully look on the face of her own son. Raoul sometimes thinks he can hear tears in those lonely croaks and confessions, but all his pity has already been taken by his own misery.
