A shock of raven black hair flashed through the smoke and Meg appeared before the bloodstained and lifeless Phantom of the Opera. He looked dead, or at least should be after the way he was beaten. Blood was still flowing from his wounds, forming a red puddle underneath the body. Meg bent down and gingerly touched his arm. It was still warm, though whether it was from the fire or not, Meg did not know. Another beam crashed behind her, reminding her that it was dangerous to remain here for too long, and if she didn't get out soon, she would be crushed beneath all the rubble. She turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks when she suddenly heard a low moan. Pausing, she turned slowly around to face the man on the stone floor. He wasn't moving, but another moan issued from his bloodstained lips. My God! thought Meg, The Man is alive! She rushed to his side and grabbed his arm to check the pulse. Sure enough, it was beating. Barely, but beating. Meg was on the verge of panic. She couldn't just leave the man here to die, although, by the looks of him, even if she did rescue him, he wouldn't live long. Something else broke and the smoke was making her eyes water. She scooped the body up and swung one of his arms around her neck. Hoistingit up, Meg attempted to move. Despite the amount of blood the man lost, he was still heavy. Her only hope was that he would regain consciousness and help her out. But no such luck occurred. After a while, her strength began to wane as the smoke filled her lungs. She began to cough and almost dropped him. Panic also began to rise in her chest. Where was the exit?! She frantically looked around, hoping to find something, almost expecting to find a big EXIT sign. But she found nothing.
"Help!" Meg uttered helplessly. "Someone…"
The only reply she received was that of the crackling fire. She was about to collapse and give up when she leaned on the wall and suddenly fell through it. Meg let out a gasp as she tumbled through the doorway. Phantom's body crashed beside her, fresh blood spurting everywhere. She wiped the droplets of it off her face and slowly got up.
Meg looked down the path and saw light and someone standing there. Unthinking, she took off toward it, yelling for help. To her relief, the person in the light rushed toward her. Panic subsided at the thought that someone was coming to their aid. But just as soon, it vanished.Something else flashed at the back of her head. Something felt wrong, something in the way the other person moved. Meg moved to her left, and so did the other person, she moved right, and he or she followed, she stopped, and so did her reflection. Desperation set in. What was she to do now? She turned around and ran back out, past the motionless Phantom. To her utter dismay, the exit from which she had come was now blocked. Meg frantically searched around for any other possible secret passage, but found none. Finally, giving up, she slid down to her knees against a wall and hid her face in her hands. Smoke clouded her vision and, with every breath she took, soot settled on her lungs and lodged in her throat. She coughed. The surroundings tilted and began to swim. Meg glanced over at where she left Phantom, but couldn't see him because there was a flaming beam lying before him. Have to get up, thought Meg, have… to… get… Her eyes fell shut and she lost all consciousness.
The next thing Meg heard were the quiet whispered around her. Did she die? Where was she now? Her eyelids were heavy and her head was spinning. What had happened? A groan escaped her parched throat and Meg realized that she was thirsty. The voices around her became silent and she felt a hand on her forehead.
"She's burning." said a man's voice. "Someone, go get some water and a wet cloth."
"Will she be alright?" asked a woman in an anxious tone that sounded vaguely familiar.
"Not to worry, Madame, your daughter will be fine. As for the other man …" the man, who Meg assumed to be a doctor, left the sentence hanging there in the air. She was alive, thought Meg, but the other person, Phantom, was he dead? Was he going to die? Had she failed?
Something wet and cool pressed against her forehead. She let out a shuddering sigh and slipped back into nothingness.