A/N: All right, folks, prepare yourselves. deep breath
I HATE YOU ALL!
Well, not ALL of you. Just the ones that DON'T REVIEW!
Dod gammit, folks! Ye've only got this and the epilogue to go, now REVIEW OR ELSE!
Bulletin: I have OFFICIALLY FLAMED EVERY PERSON who READS and does not REVIEW!
-Erik: She's mad, folks. Review, or else Hell freezes over and Satan gives free sleigh rides. (Got that from Urkle, sorry.)-
NOW!
Also...I believe that there is...ONE more chapter after this...I'm going with the prequal. It's all Christine. But MAYBE...just MAYBE...if you SPAM my reveiws...MAYBE I will put little Erik in it.
But don't get too hopeful.
Chapter 17—Just A Memory
They turned and walked as fast as they could. They panted, and her voice trailed nervously behind his.
"This stalking patroness…"
"This hating enemy…"
"…who hunts to kill!"
"…who wants my death!"
"I can't escape from her…"
"This deadly voice we hear…"
"I never will!"
"With every breath!"
Meg's hidden voice sounded again.
"And on this battleground, where night is blind,
The Phantom of the Opera will have no place to hide!"
The two hunted ones broke into a run for a fleeting instant before they were abruptly halted. Their hunter appeared in front of them. Christine pushed Erik behind her, shielding him with her own body. The Vicomtess wielded a glinting sword.
"We meet again, Phantom," she said quietly. "God, have you gotten even uglier since I last saw you?"
Christine's hand twitched. She had no weapon—sword, gun, or lasso—and cursed herself for it. She said nothing to her rival's comment as she forced the subject of their rivalry farther and farther back, giving herself room to dodge. She could feel him resisting, but was silently firm. This would be a fight to the death—between her and Meg. She would not let Erik be harmed.
Her commanding touch obliged him to stay far back from the Vicomtess. She moved forward, toward her foe and what might seem certain death. But her keen eyes were already searching out escapes and advantages—particularly the presence of a large tree nearby. The girl opposite her advanced as well, a sickly look of dead vengeance on her face. They stopped when they reached the center of their small battlefield, Christine just out of the reach of the gleaming blade.
"The time has come," Meg said, and struck out. Christine dodged aside, nearly losing her balance. She heard a cry from Erik as the weapon cut the air beside her. Backing up a step, Meg spoke again. "Did you think I didn't know how to use a rapier, creature?"
"You know what you're doing, I'll give you that," replied the 'creature.' "But I'll let you know one thing—there are always places for the Phantom of the Opera to hide!" With agility earned from navigating the darkest passageways and highest hidden causeways, Christine disappeared behind a headstone as Meg lunged again.
"Come out and fight me, coward!" the younger girl screamed. From above, Christine landed directly behind her and grabbed the hilt of the sword, knocking its owner to the ground. She waited as the disheveled Vicomtess slowly arose and turned to face her, unarmed.
Both advanced, but Christine was swift. She lurched out with a vicious backhand and placed a huge gash across her opponent's right cheek. Blood stained the ground. Snarling like a cat, Meg seized a rock from the ground and charged Christine. The stone came into contact with her sword hand, and the force of Meg's attack knocked her flat. The sword clattered away, and Meg stood above her with a pistol.
"Meg, no!" Erik screamed.
"Shut your mouth, you filth!" she replied.
"People will think you're insane if you talk to yourself," snapped Christine.
Click! went the gun as it was cocked. Christine was entirely still, seeing her escape, waiting for Meg to draw near enough. Her hands had a firm grip, and her feet were stable. All she needed was a closer target.
"You're such a fool," Meg began.
"And you, ma'mselle?" Christine shot back.
She took another step. "Shut up, whore! That's all you are, a dirty, good-for-naught, murdering whore!"
"And you are a prostitute's brat."
The girl laughed cruelly. "It will be so easy to kill you, Phantom. You have no place to run." One more step…
She took it. Christine launched all of her energy into a kicking attack, hitting the Vicomtess's arm and sending the pistol flying. She leapt up into the tree, her right hand throbbing from the beating it had received, and tore off her scarf. She knotted it into a rough lasso, hoping she could throw it accurately.
Meg had been distracted by Christine's sudden motion, and hadn't seen where the Phantom had gone. She ran toward the trunk of the tree, with a shriek—just as the deadly loop dropped over her head, cutting off her air. Christine yanked hard on her end, hard enough to raise the girl from the ground, snapping her neck. She tied the loose end of the lasso to one of the tree's branches and leapt down, leaving the late noblewoman dangling.
Erik was bloodless white and shaking violently when she reached him. She put her good hand on his shoulder, looking into his eyes with concern.
"She's gone, Erik," Christine whispered gently. "She's just a memory."
