Erik: The Vampire Hunter

Episode 4: Angel of Music

By: Elektra

Ravelle College Campus – Outside the arts building

Erik ignored the wetness of damp grass through the knees of his jeans. All he could do was stare at where Christine had been, hoping against hope that she would turn around and come back. She had seen his face. Worse yet, she had taken his mask! There was nothing he could do to cover himself now.

At the moment, he didn't even care.

"Geez, man," a voice said a few feet away, "The Halloween Masquerade isn't for another two weeks! What's with the face paint?"

Erik jumped to his feet to see a group of male student staring at him, guzzling on various forms of alcohol. With their uneven steps and glassy eyes, he could tell they were very much intoxicated, no doubt coming from the weekend frat parties that were in abundance on campus. "Hey, you come looking like that to the party, you'll win a prize! Guaranteed!" another student in the group said.

Erik swore as he spun around and disappeared into the darkness, "Man, talk about rude!" the first boy shouted after him, but the group were far too tipsy to care about much more then what party they'd crash next.

Christine's dorm room – later

Returning to the dorm room after spending a late night with her boyfriend, Meg came upon a sobbing Christine and quickly went to her best friends' side.

"Chrissy?"

Christine's head was buried in her arms as she clutched a strange black object desperately in her hand.

"Chrissy," Meg repeated, concern clear in her voice. "What happened? What…" she stopped and tugged the black scrap of leather from Christine's fingers, "This isn't… it's not…" her eyes went wide, "PLEASE tell me this isn't what I think it is!"

Christine raised her tear-stained face, "She did it. She took it off. And I saw," she closed her eyes, "God, Meg… I SAW!"

"His face?" Meg gasped. Christine nodded, "Who took the mask off?"

Christine shook her head, "I don't know... she... she said something about killing her, but... that makes no sense!" she took the mask back and held it to her chest, head bowed, "What kind of life has he had, Meg? Looking like that?"

"Is it bad?" Meg asked, and Christine simply nodded. She knew Meg wanted details, but Christine wasn't ready to give them.

Erik's face had been pale, just as she had suspected, but she had no idea HOW pale. Light traces of blue-black veins lay beneath his smooth white skin. His nose was non-existent, more like a black hole than anything else. And his cheekbones and brow protruded so profusely that his golden eyes appeared sunken in.

And yet through it all, his pale mouth and chin remained normal! How cruel had fate been to give him such opposing features?

Christine stared down at the mask in her hands, and her eyes went wide, "I know him!" she gasped suddenly.

"What?" Meg asked, not quite sure what Christine was referring too.

The brunette looked up at her, "I've seen his face before! Oh god!" she closed her eyes as her childhood memory came back. The boy in the handcuffs had looked so sad and lonely.

"That's a good trick!"

She remembered her father's words, but understood now what she did not understand then – Erik's face had been no trick. It had been real! So very real.

"I should have given this back!" she said suddenly as her eyes fell on the mask once again, "He… he's walking around now… without it! How stupid am I?" she quickly got to her feet.

Meg grabbed her friend's arm, "Chrissy, NO! It's one in the morning! You shouldn't be walking around alone this late!"

"But I have to give this back to him!" she protested.

"Then call him. You have his cell number. Tell him to meet you in front of Residence! Do you know how many drunken frat boys are running around?" she shook her head, "RJ was polite enough to accompany me back here, but that didn't stop them from making cat calls and rude comments. The last thing you need is to be harassed right now!"

Christine nodded, then blindly reached for her purse and pulled out her cell phone, immediately finding Erik's number. She held her breath as the phone rang once… twice…

"What if he doesn't have it with him?" Christine asked meekly, but before she could say anything else, she heard a quiet husky 'hello' after the third ring. His voice seemed strained. Tired. Spent.

Christine froze. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him. I'm sorry I didn't listen when you told me to leave. Want your mask back? Her hand shook. She was talking to him… HIM… and she couldn't get his face - that corpse's face - out of her head.

There was silence on the other line, then a hesitant, "Christine?"

She licked her lips, swallowed nervously, then spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "I… still have it. I… can give it back… if you meet me outside…"

More silence from him, then finally a cold answer, "Twenty minutes," followed by the static of a cell phone being turned off.

Christine broke down into sobs once again.

I acted like a scared little girl, and he hates me for it...

Twenty minutes later

Christine stood staring at the wall before her, trying to think of the right words. What could she tell him? There was no excuse for the way she had behaved, for the way she had trembled at Erik's appearance as if he were suddenly some frightening monster.

"Christine?"

She jumped at the silky voice behind her. She was about to face him when his strong hand clamped down hard on her shoulder, holding her in place. "You don't have to look," he said. "Just hand it to me."

Christine nodded slowly, then passed the mask blindly behind her. She felt the brush of gloved fingers as he took it from her, his hand sliding off her shoulder. Christine took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding of her heart. She had to confront him now. Talk to him. "Erik? That girl… who was she?" she began softly.

No answer.

She furrowed her brow, "Erik?" she repeated, then turned around.

He was gone.

Christine's Dormitory

"Did you see Erik?" Meg asked as Christine came back into the dorm room.

"See? No... not see. He wouldn't let me look at him," Christine went to sit down on her bed, grabbing her cell phone, "I need to call Raoul,"

"This late? Why?" Meg asked.

"I just want to be with him,"

Meg took a deep breath, her voice soft, "Chrissy, what's going on here? Are you so shallow that you need to throw yourself at some hot guy to erase the memory of Erik's face?"

Christine looked away, "NO! It's not THAT … it's just…" she hugged herself, "I was reminded of a conversation I had with my father… a long time ago... and… it scared me, Meg. It's like my father knew."

"Knew WHAT?" Meg asked.

"Knew that I'd meet him. Meet Erik. It's like… like he kept true to his word… just like he promised me that night…"

Three and a half years ago

"Are you going to get better?" a 16-year- old Christine asked as she sat by her father's hospital bed, "What did the doctors say?" She had lost track of how long he had been here. Weeks? Months now? Time passed without notice lately.

"I'm sorry, Chrissy, but…" he turned away, "They don't think it looks very good," He turned back to see her eyes wet with unshed tears. "Don't cry, honey. The doctors have done all they could, but there's only so much longer my body can hold out," his voice was weak and raspy, growing steadily softer as the night grew on.

Christine shook her head, "How long?" she asked.

"At the rate the cancer is growing, they can't tell," he took a deep breath, and coughed violently. When he finally composed himself, he spoke again. "Damn… all those years working in restaurants, all the cigarette smoke… it hasn't done me any favours."

"Am I going to be all alone now?" she whispered.

"No, Chrissy, no you won't. I… I'll send you an angel. Someone to watch over you," he offered a weak smile.

Christine shook her head, "No such things as angels, dad," she replied through her tears.

"Really now?" he asked. "Funny," he rasped, "Because I always thought one of them guided me to your mother, and then sent me you."

Christine laughed softly, then grew serious. "I love you, dad. God, how... how am I going to go on without you?" the tears then began to flow freely again.

Charles Daaé reached out and took her hand, but his grip was weak, his strength diminishing by the minute, "Shh, honey. You have to be strong," he said. "If it helps, I'll send you a special angel,"

Christine looked back at him, "Special?"

"Very special! An angel of music, since you love performing so much. And this angel will be there for you. Always."

Christine smiled a little, "Will he be beautiful?"

"HE?" Charles repeated, then smiled weakly. "Ahh, you want a beautiful MALE angel. Typical teenage girl."

Christine let out a small laugh at that, and her father continued, "Yes, HE will be beautiful!" Charles answered "And he'll protect you, and bring you music that will make you happy when you're sad, and make you safe when you're scared," his voice grew serious. "I love you, Chrissy. And HE'LL love you too, I promise. You just need to find him."

"I love you, daddy," Christine replied. "And I'll love HIM as well," she smiled lightly, "Even if he doesn't look as beautiful as you promised,"

"I wasn't talking about his looks, Chrissy. An angel's real beauty is inside," her father winked, "Otherwise, they'd blind us every time we set our eyes on them. Why, I'd venture to guess that the uglier he is on the outside, the better chance of him being an angel,"

Christine laughed at that, then slid onto the hospital bed beside her father. "I think I'll stay here tonight. You can tell me more stories. About angels or whatever."

Her father put an arm around her, his voice soft when he spoke next, "Well, I have a pretty good one that isn't about an angel. It's about a girl named Little Lotte…"

Christine's Dormitory - Present Day

"I remember that night perfectly, Meg. I remember listening to daddy's voice as he told his story, until the both of us fell asleep." She took a shaky breath, "When morning came, I was the only one who woke up." Christine closed her eyes, allowing tears to slide down her cheeks, "He died in his sleep,"

Without another word, Meg put her arms around Christine, comforting her best friend.

"Do you think he knew?" Christine asked. "My God, Meg! He mentioned the music, he mentioned the… the looks… and… I guess seeing Erik's face just brought that all back to me." She glanced up at her friend, "I told Erik he sounded like an angel when I first met him,"

"Honey, you know your dad was just telling a story to make you feel better," Meg spoke softly.

"I know," Christine replied quietly, "There are no such things as angels..."

Christine's dormitory – air ducts

Erik looked down through the grate at the scene before him, a crying Christine being comforted by her friend, Meg.

The two girls neither saw him, nor heard him. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the metal of the ventilation tunnel, guilt filling him. He hadn't heard the entire conversation, but understood that he had upset Christine to such an extent that it had brought back memories of her father's death. He was angry at himself for causing the poor girl such pain.

Erik wished there was something he could do. Anything.

But perhaps there was, after all. One thing. The ONLY thing he could do to ease her suffering. To make sure that she cried no more tears because of him.

He would stay away from her.

Arts Building - Two weeks later

Christine looked into the music room, hoping for just a peak of a moving shadow. But she saw nothing. The window was closed. Locked. He had not come. Again. Why did she bother even waiting for him? He was avoiding her, she was quite sure of that.

I shouldn't have run, she thought. I shouldn't have… she closed her eyes, wondering if Erik would ever forgive her reaction. She was shocked. Surprised. Alarmed. It was only instinct to run.

You thought he was ugly. Horrible. Frightening, a voice mocked her. She shook her head, willing the voice to go away.

He's my friend! I'm not going to hate him because he isn't handsome! She told the voice, but it paid no heed.

If looks don't matter, why are you dating Raoul when you were so angry at him after your high school break up? It's because he's the best-looking man you've ever seen, the voice answered coldly.

Christine hugged herself as she made her way back to Residence, her eyes filling with guilty tears.

A piece of paper blew towards her. The wind had been growing stronger lately. The temperature colder. She quickly grabbed the paper and saw the advertisement:

What: Ravelle's 15th Annual Halloween Masquerade

When: October 31st

Where: Ravelle Auditorium

Prizes to be awarded for best costume!

That was in three days from now. Perhaps it would help take her mind off everything that had been happening lately.

Christine took out her cell phone and called Raoul. When she mentioned the party, he seemed enthusiastic. Had said he wanted to do something for Halloween but didn't know what. The two decided they would meet at her dorm, then head out and enjoy the night.

Dean Giry's Office

"I want you to attend the Halloween Masquerade," Dean Giry spoke as Erik sat in front of her desk.

Erik blinked at that, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she replied. "I want you there. Wear whatever costume you like, but keep an eye out. We found a girl on campus two weeks ago, drained. Another was found last week, and another still a few days ago. We have a feeling someone is using the campus as a feeding ground,"

Erik frowned, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"We weren't sure. And… you seemed distracted," Giry replied. "We brought in one of the other Hunters to investigate, but she could find no leads."

"I would have gladly welcomed the chance to Hunt down a quarry, Antoinette," He said.

"Well now is your chance," she answered, then her voice grew quiet. "Meg told me Christine will be at the party,"

"Oh, how nice for Miss Daaé ," Erik answered snidely, "No doubt she will be in attendance with her handsome lover!" his words were bitter and cold.

Giry took a deep breath, "I only mention it because I don't want anymore distractions, Erik. Your top priority is our intruder,"

"I'll get rid of It, Antoinette. I can guarantee you that!"

Ravelle Auditorium – Halloween Masquerade

Erik stood in the shadows, eyes darting around the auditorium, fittingly decorated with demons, witches, vampires. If they only knew… he thought bitterly. Such creatures looked nothing like these cartoons. No. They looked like humans, which was far more frightening.

He noticed he was getting odd glances from everyone who walked by, though he supposed that was to be expected when one showed up dressed in blood-red Victorian velvet – a high-collar buttoned coat with tails, fitted trousers, knee-high black boots, black leather gloves, finished off with a long flowing cape that hung over one shoulder. He was hiding in plain sight.

As for his mask, well… Halloween was the only night he didn't have to wear his mask. No one was the wiser for it. He'd even been complemented on his wonderful make-up job several times. It looked so realistic, after all…

Tonight, Erik referred to himself as Red Death.

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to face a female with large green eyes and blond hair. She was dressed as a courtesan. The girl smiled at him, "That's an amazing costume! Especially the make-up!" she smirked flirtatiously. Erik forced himself not to laugh. "Care for a dance?"

"I'm busy," he replied.

She pouted, "You're just lurking," she said, then smiled again, "I'm a good dancer," she winked.

He would have offered a cruel response had something not caught his eye and seized his breath.

Entering the auditorium stood a vision of beauty - Christine had arrived. She was dressed as Cinderella in a shimmering white and silver strapless ball gown, complete with glass (or rather, clear plastic, in this case) shoes, and a little silver tiara on her head. On her arm stood her Prince Charming – a handsome blonde man dressed in white and gold with a long golden cape flowing out behind him.

How long had it been since Erik had spoken with her? Sung with her? It had been only two weeks, but felt like ages.

He had been avoiding her calls (glad for his caller ID), erasing her voice mails. He had seen her venture out to the Arts building every night, and had waited until she left before he would dare sneak inside.

He was regretting it more and more each day. But it had to be this way. His face had sent her running, and his coldness would keep her away. Perhaps he should be grateful it had happened sooner rather then later... when it could have hurt far worse.

Erik turned to see the courtesan who had been pestering him move on to another male. It was for the better, anyway. He was here on business. And he easily found it.

Off to the side stood his quarry – a pale young man dressed as, what else? A vampire. Not just any vampire, but one that looked like he had just stepped out of an Anne Rice novel. The kind that girls thought were oh-so-sexy, although what was so attractive about a creature that could rip open a human throat without remorse was beyond him.

Erik watched as Its eyes darted around the room, no doubt searching for Its next victim.

Throughout the night, Erik saw It go from dance partner to dance partner. It seemed to be acting the perfect gentleman, not trying to lure any of them away. Erik furrowed his brow. His quarry was being careful. Why? He received his answer when It looked up at him, and smiled.

It knew It was being watched. But how? How did It even know of Erik's purpose? Erik quickly pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call to Giry, informing her that the vampire was aware of his presence. Neither could figure out how or why.

When Erik disconnected, he noticed his quarry had found yet another dance partner. And Erik was certainly not happy to see that it was Cinderella herself.

Halloween Masquerade

Raoul had been schmoozing – something he was quite good at –and had made some acquaintances with a few students who traveled in the same upper-class social circles he and his brother did. They had eagerly invited him to the student lounge to play pool, and he had gone with them, asking Christine if she'd like to join. Christine preferred to stay with Meg and her boyfriend, RJ, instead.

That was, until the handsome vampire asked her to dance. Meg and RJ urged her to accept, as they wanted to enjoy a dance or two themselves. Christine gladly did. And here she stood, now, face to face with a man she didn't even know. She felt a little uncomfortable, but didn't want to return to being a wallflower. She would have to tell Raoul exactly what she thought of him leaving her stranded.

"I'm cutting in!" a silky voice demanded behind Christine. Two strong hands grasped her shoulders and tugged her away from her current dance partner, who looked rather perturbed at the interruption, but simply walked away with a shrug, "Where is your lover?" Erik asked as he pulled Christine into a shadowed part of the auditorium, making sure to keep her back to him.

"He's not my lover, and… he was invited to play pool in the student lounge,"

"Hardly polite of him to leave you here all alone, where any strange man can grab you," he hissed coldly.

"Strange like you?" she asked with a bit of anger.

Christine attempted to turn around and face him, but Erik immediately slid an arm across her collarbone and pulled her back against him, preventing her movement, "Exactly like me," he replied dangerously.

Christine frowned, "Let me go so I can yell at you face to face for avoiding me!" she tried to move again, but to no avail.

"I think not. You're the only one who knows this…" he slid his hand down her bare arm and entwined her fingers with his, bringing her palm flat against his face, "… is real. And I'll not force you to look upon it again."

Christine closed her eyes, her fingers feeling the smooth skin stretched taut over his protruding cheekbones and brow, the image of his horrid face appearing in her mind once again.

She shivered ever so slightly as she felt his warm breath against her bare shoulder, "As I thought," he let her hand drop. "Even now, it makes you ill, Miss Daaé."

"Why so formal, Mr.-" she stopped, "Whatever-the-hell-your-last-name-is!" She could have sworn she heard Erik chuckle at that, and it only made her angrier.

"You really should go find your your boyfriend and stop dancing with men you don't know," he answered, then she felt his body go stiff, a curse escaping his lips. He quickly pushed her away, and she turned to see his eyes darting desperately around the auditorium.

Christine could now make out his face under the lights of the party. She couldn't help but stifle a cry and turn away. Luckily, Erik didn't seem to notice. His eyes had, instead, fallen on her earlier dance partner, who was now leading Snow White out of the auditorium. Before Christine could ask him why they had caught his attention, Erik sprinted after them.

Christine's insatiable curiousity enticed her to follow.

Outside Ravelle Auditorium

He raced after his quarry as fast as he could, silently cursing himself for letting Christine distract him. Erik could sense It nearby, and quickly reached behind his back, pulling a stake out from under his belt. He was close, he knew that much.

Erik turned a corner to see the creature pinning Snow White against the wall, fangs bared, mouth descending as she desperately cried and struggled for freedom. He quickly grabbed her attacker, throwing It as far away from her as possible, "RUN!" Erik ordered, and she did not hesitate to do so.

A deep growl rumbled from his prey's throat when he saw what had interrupted It. It quickly advanced on the Hunter, immediately sending a fist at Erik's head, which he instinctively blocked. Erik then aimed his boot at his quarry's stomach. It jumped back, barely avoiding the blow. The two dropped into a half-crouch and began circling each other cautiously, Erik holding his stake ready.

"Erik!" a familiar female voice called out, distracting Erik long enough for his quarry to send an uppercut flying toward his jaw.

The punch landed, sending the taller man's head back. Erik quickly regained his balance and shot his foot out, hooking the creature behind Its leg and sending It crashing to the ground.

"Get OUT of here, Christine!" Erik hissed.

His quarry took the moment to jump to It's feet and send the Hunter staggering back with a hard kick to his chest. It pressed Its advantage, trying to jam Its elbow into Erik's face, but he dodged it expertly. Erik's eyes narrowed as he grew angrier. That girl had to go away, and she had to go away now! She was becoming detrimental to his job.

"She said you'd be distracted by the girl!" the Creature replied with a laugh.

Erik quickly came at his quarry, tackling it to the ground and rolling it over to push It's face into the dirt, "WHO said?" he demanded, pressing his knee into It's back, "TELL ME!"

"SHE did!" the creature hissed, "After giving me one hell of a night!" It laughed again, "Oh, such a wild girl, that Laura was. Told me I had been reborn when we were done, and that I was in her debt. She then asked me to keep an eye on you and report back to her." The quarry smiled, "Oh, she thanks me quite well when I make my reports!"

"Laura?" Erik gasped, and this new distraction allowed the creature to reach back and connect It's elbow with Erik's temple, sending the taller man rolling off him.

The creature caught Erik off balance with a sweeping roundhouse. It attempted to land another kick, but Erik stumbled to his feet and caught the creature's ankle in his hand. He twisted the ankle, smirking coldly as he heard a sickening crack, then threw his screaming quarry away from him.

His quarry landed hard on the ground. It tried to stand up using It's good leg, but Erik grabbed the leg and sent It crashing down again. He then pressed a knee to his quarry's throat and swung the stake into It's torso with deadly efficiency, leaving nothing but a pile of dust in his quarry's place. Erik remained in place, catching his breath as a satisfying smile played on his lips. Destroying his quarry always left him with a wonderful adrenaline rush.

"What… was that!" Christine gasped as she looked down at Erik and his new pile of dust. She shook her head, "That's impossible! There's no such thing!" she insisted.

Erik's momentary euphoria quickly dispersed, "You have a bad habit of ignoring me when I tell you to LEAVE!" he snapped angrily as he jumped to his feet, "Damn you and your insatiable curiousity, Christine!"

"Chrissy?" a female voice called out. Meg, Christine realized.

"Christine! Where are you?" That was Raoul. Christine turned around to see Meg, Raoul, and RJ running towards her. "What are you doing out here all alone?" he asked.

"I… I was talking to-" she turned around only to find Erik gone, the dust pile the only sign he had been there. Christine closed her eyes and shook her head, "I… I want to go back to the dorm. I'm feeling really exhausted suddenly," she muttered.

"Are you ok?" Meg asked with concern. Christine looked at her, the unspoken name in her eyes - Meg had a good idea she knew whom Christine had been talking too out here. "I'll take her back," she offered.

The two girls then headed off into the darkness, leaving the two men feeling they had missed something important.

END EPISODE FOUR