Fears Within a Dream...
Listening intently to the eerie echo of his own footsteps, Erik ambled idly down the dim corridor. The lit sconces seemed not to aid at all in lighting the hallway, the only true light laminated from some unseen source. Curiously, Erik paused in the hallway aside to a sconce, glowering for a moment, before his gaze turned to the sconce. The flame flickered violently, as if it were in fear of being smothered by the dim light that surrounded it. With an idle hand, Erik reached out to the flame, impassively holding his gloved hand above it. No burn. Eyes lighting with curiosity, he ran his hand through the flame leisurely. The flame sputtered, then extinguished by the lack of oxygen. Brow furrowing, Erik stepped back, staring at the rising, thin line of smoke as it whirled and died. Starting back at the echo of a thud, Erik stood poised for a moment, before his alarm waned and he straightened up. He hesitated to explore the noise further, though as the sound of violent choking followed, Erik took off in a steady sprint.
Careening round the corners of the maze of hallways, Erik's heart raced in worry and excitement. The only logical person he would imagine was Meg. Though, this place had created persons to daunt him before, perhaps this was another trick? And he would stumble upon someone dying, someone...'Like Christine.' His mind suggested, and he slowed, heart sinking. No, she came in different manners. Much different, and much worse.
As Erik cautiously rounded a corner, he stared momentarily at the withering mess of cloth on the floor in front of him. Meg lay recumbent, soaked and gasping for breath. Her hair was disheveled, veiling her face as she shakily inhaled and lifted one hand to her mouth whilst her other supported her. "Meg." Erik called hastily, striding to her and kneeling aside her. In response, Meg heaved a sigh of relief before falling into another coughing fit. Hurriedly, Erik reached to brush back the sodden hair from Meg's face. As her coughing, waned, Meg tilted her head to look at Erik, a trail of saliva mixed water trailing down her chin.
"I died." She choked, and Erik's brow contorted. Meg's body trembled in exhaustion, as she stared at Erik with a triumphant countenance. Keeping his quires at bay, Erik grasped Meg's upper arms and gingerly maneuvered her into a sitting position, leaning her back against the wall. Settled, he gazed at the disheveled woman in front of him as her body relaxed and she exhaled wearily. "Heavy.." She murmured, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall. After a pause, she opened her eyes and gazed at Erik. "Are you okay?" She inquired, and instead of receiving the cold glare she expected, Erik nodded gravely,
"Better than
yourself, Mademoiselle, by the looks of things." He commented
placidly as he reached to remove his cravat. Once done, he slid it
from his collar and handed the cloth out to Meg, who nodded her
thanks and began to dry her face. Taking this time to rest, Erik fell
to a sitting position, surveying Meg to determine if she was well
enough to speak.
"Thank you." She
said quietly, reaching forward to offer his cravat back. Though, Erik
pantomimed throwing it aside, and Meg did so before clearing her
throat. She felt sick, and despite having coughed up much water, it
still felt as if her lungs were water logged, and her own body felt
like lead.
"What happened?"
Erik inquired listlessly, sounding disinterested. His tone
disheartened her subtly, as she imagined he was merely asking to
begin conversation- not that he would care.
"I believe I won.
You know? Erik, were you harmed? You...were caged and then when you
disappeared, I thought something horrid must have happened to you."
Meg inclined her head as she reached to wring out her hair, listening
to the noise of the water falling to the carpet. Her voice became
less distress and more placid. "I irritated that man, and I allowed
myself to drown." Sighing, she glanced over at Erik and listlessly
shook off her hands. Lifting her gaze to Erik's, she resisted the
urge to bridle in response to his irked manner.
"At least you are
well." Erik glowered, clearly aware Meg was purposely not
enlightening him. Shifting, Erik leaned against the opposite wall,
watching as Meg averting her eyes.
Uncomfortable under Erik's disapproving gaze, Meg resisted the urge to fill in the missing sections of her story. Though, looking back she imagined it was not of importance- and Erik was not telling her what happened to him either. So why must she? Time slipped by with an uncomfortable air between them, Meg lost interest in trying to spark conversation with the brooding Phantom, after awkwardly discussing the state of drowning to...herself. Instead, she took the time to periodically drift in and out of sleep without a second though of the ominous man who sat some few feet away from her.
"We should be
going." A resonant voice aside her mused, breaking the silence.
Erik brushed himself off, standing, he gazed down at Meg as her eyes
fluttered open. "Are you able to?" He inquired, offering his
right hand down to her.
"Mmhm." Meg
sounded, nodding before reaching to grasp Erik's arm. Pulling
herself up, and grunting in the process, she clung to his arm
desperately, as the weight of her sopping petticoats weighted her
down. Steadying herself, and surprised Erik did not nearly fall over
himself, Meg reached with one hand to remove what she could of the
wet under slips, unaware that her grasp on Erik's arm was
tightening. Watching her for a moment, Erik turned his head away and
waited patiently, ignoring the lack of blood circulating to his lower
arm.
Squirming out of,
and kicking aside two petticoats, Meg smiled, feeling much lighter
now with only a single slip. "Better." She voiced, looking over
at Erik who looked over at her, blinking blankly for he glared.
"...What?" Meg inquired, confused.
"I cannot feel my
arm." Erik enlightened placidly, and Meg smiled sheepishly before
releasing him.
"My apologies."
Meg said quietly, stepping back and taking a moment to brush the hair
from her face, wishing she had some way of tying it back. "Oh! Wait
Erik." She said hurriedly, before turning and kneeling beside one
of the slips. Grasping the wet cloth with one hand, she grabbed the
hem with her other and took some seconds before she was able to
successfully rip a strip of cloth. Smiling, she straightened up and
looked at Erik, though, remembering his callous nature, her smile
faded as she averted her eyes and took to tying back her hair. Once
finished, she nodded and gestured for Erik to lead the way. He stared
intently at her, before turning and beginning his steady gait down
the hall. Silently, Meg strode after him, sighing in annoyance with
the discomfort of her dress and developing a hatred for anything wet.
"It is rather dark down here." Meg observed, glancing around the hall Erik and herself currently occupied. "It doesn't look a bit like the other halls..." She murmured, gazing at Erik's back. He was silent, though the air round him told Meg he was simply thinking. So, she remained quiet, and instead put her interest in watching a staircase to the right of her. "I wonder.." She whispered, hesitating to follow Erik as she caught sight of a change in lighting on the staircase. Like a cloud of ink, darkness began to ascend round the corner of the stairs; idly melting its way down each stair. The smooth moments seemed enchanting, and Meg found herself staring dumbfounded despite her mind protesting for her to run, scream, do anything productive but stare. Her eyes grew wide, as from the wall of blackness, rotten hands reached. Peeling, and seemly molded in water, the grayish hands, melted in the tar like blackness, ascended down the stairs. Meg startled, feeling a strong grasp on her shoulder. Looking over, she stared at Erik for a moment, before looking back at the stairs.
"Run!" Erik demanded strictly, before grasping Meg's wrist and tugging. She seemed to protest for a moment, though soon torn her eyes away and stumbled, as Erik all but began dragging her down the hall.
"What was that!" Meg cried, as she dared to look back. The thrashing hands seemed to disappear, and now only darkness drew toward them. "Erik?" She called breathlessly, though it seemed he had released her hand, and her hand was now trailing something smooth. Stopping, she looked aside her, staring at what appeared to be glass. Lifting her gaze, she stared at the masked face behind the glass. "Oh God..." Meg whispered, stepping back and staring at the glass that separated them. He turned to look down the hall. The dark shadow was still ascending, though now was enveloping toward both Erik and Meg. In distress, Meg whirled about to look around, catching sight of a door. Upon seeing it, she looked over at where Erik stood, and he nodded before hesitantly turning and looking down the corridor, mouthing something to Meg before turning and leaving through a door of his own.
Inhaling deeply, Meg nodded gravely before turning and reaching to enter the door to her left, closing her eyes warily as she stepped into the darkness of the room.
