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2
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Christine struggled between the flames, taking caution to try to not burn herself. The temperature felt to her like it had doubled in the time that she had been there just minutes before. And it had already been intolerable then. Sweat rolled down her forehead and she wiped it away.
She reached the stairwell and made her way down. The further she went, the less fire there was and the temperature seemed to diminish.
When she got to the end she saw the small boat with the paddle flung down on the ground just as they had left it. She got inside the boat, grabbed the paddle and began rowing down the murky waters.
Raoul entered the building, saw the flames and his heart began to beat faster. He suddenly realized that he had no idea where Christine could've gone. She could've went any way and he would never know. He decided he had a hunch where to start, though.
He began down the stairwell and was halfway down when the floor came away from under his feet. He plummeted down into dark waters and struggled to the top to catch some air. He saw the grate coming down on him and growled. He had went through this torture already. Once was enough! He took in a big breath of air and swam down to turn the control wheel.
Christine had almost reached the Phantom's lair when she saw people beginning to arrive down below, searching around. Searching. They were most likely search parties for the Phantom. They probably wanted to punish him for what he had done to the opera house.
She quickened her rowing and touched land with the boat. She jumped out and ran up to the large pipe organ, looking all around for the Phantom. A deep knot began to form in her stomach when she could not find him and saw the search parties growing even closer.
He was not there. Gone. She looked off to the side, saw an odd goblet lying on the ground. Christine walked to it, picked it up. She studied it carefully for a moment, then looked up from it to notice some broken mirrors standing in front of her. They were odd as well.
She saw a cloth covering over one of the mirrors and parted it away only to find that it was not a mirror but an opening leading somewhere else. She squeezed the goblet between her fingers and gulped, then stepped through the opening and disappeared.