Chapter 40- Darkness

There was no light at all, not even a little bit as Paul and Thomas made their way through the corridor off the main hallway. Paul could barely make out the outline of Thomas in the dark and the harder he tried to see him the worse his sight seemed to get. It was a few moments before he stopped and stood still and turning to where he though Thomas might be standing.

'I think we should split up.' He said and waited for the reply. It was a couple of beats before it came and Paul had begun to break into a sweat.

'Yes,' Thomas replied, 'I think that's probably a good idea, we'll never cover the whole place if we're together.'

Paul nodded though he realised there was no way Thomas could see him. A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck and under his shirt collar and made him squirm on the spot.

He was afraid.

The whole place was buzzing with fear. Not only his but he could feel Thomas' as he stood next to him and he could feel the de Changy's. He had no idea what he would find especially after Thomas had pulled the body of that man down from the rafters and he had found the other gentleman weak and tied in the corner. He knew that somewhere in this building the phantom was playing in the shadows. He just wasn't sure what the game was.

'I'll go this way.' Said Paul, tugging on Thomas' arm to indicate the direction. He could hardly believe how many corridors there were.

'Okay,' was the reply 'Meet you back in the main room in a while.'

And with that they both went their separate ways.

The pitch blackness was more than she could handle as she stumbled along the hallway, her back to the wall, trying to make head or tail of where she was. She thought about going back in the direction she came, it seemed like a sound idea, until she realised that she had no idea which way she had come from. All she knew was that she had lost Meg, for the second time in less than a day. She had lost Meg in this warehouse of hell and darkness and she had no idea how to get out.

Jennifer looked up at the windows which lined the ceiling of the corridor and thought that at least in the day there would be more light if she could make it that long. She knew this had been a foolish move, a foolish thing to do generally. Meg had always been like that, so fearless and bloody impulsive and this is always what it meant for Jennifer. She usually ended up lost, stranded or in trouble with Paul. This time she was sure that she would either end up all three or dead. With that thought she swallowed hard and rather hoped that Paul would simply be furious and not grieving over her body.

She tapped the wall with the back of her hand as she walked across in the vain hope that she might find a door that would lead her back outside. This place was like a maze, the worse maze she had ever been in. Jennifer had never been particularly good with mazes. As she trembled in the corner she remembered the time that she went to a huge maze back in France with her two sisters and their brother. They had entered the same way but soon got split up when they all panicked trying to find their way out. If it had not been for the kind gardener who had found her she was positive that she would have died there.

She tried to look around her again but saw nothing and turned around to go back the way she came. If it was the way she came at all. As she moved along the outline of the corridor she heard a noise behind her. Or at least, she thought she had heard a noise behind her. She chastised herself out loud for being so stupid and continued to edge along the hall. The bricks clicked under her feet and… no, there is was again! She had definitely heard something.

She spun around quickly and tried to focus her eyes, nothing. She was imagining things she thought as she took a deep breath. No! A clicking noise! Behind her? But… she'd just turned around, how could it be behind her? Jennifer, she thought, you are seriously losing your mind. She carried on along her path, hopefully in the direction of some sort of light.

Click.

This time she knew she had heard something and as she turned again she felt something hit her chest and she fell to the floor hard. She was sure someone had knocked her down with their hand. At least it felt like a hand. It ached but the pain was dull and slowly subsiding. As she lay there she felt someone walk over her. Step over her. Oh God, she couldn't see a thing.

And then it was gone. Whoever or whatever it was simply disappeared down the corridor.