Author's note: Oooh, this is a fun chapter. Keep in mind that I sometimes have a warped idea of what "fun" is. I hope you enjoy this action-packed chapter!
When Christine woke up, she felt woozy from something she couldn't label. Scientists would call it methyl trichloride, though laymen know it as chloroform. It was no concern to Christine, for once she opened her eyes, she found herself trussed up, suspended on what felt like a stone wall. Her arms and legs were tied, but she forgot about that when she looked across the stone cell she was in and saw Erik, curled up on the opposite side of the cell.
"Erik!" she tried to yell, but it came out as a groan, as she was still feeling the effects of the methyl trichloride.
He heard her regardless, and looked up at her. He tried to stand, but he couldn't stand up all the way, for he was chained around his wrists and his ankles. The chains were long enough that he had some freedom of movement, but not much. She looked at him with pity, even though she wasn't in much of a better situation. However, he had probably been in this room much longer. He was wearing black dress pants, such as he usually wore, and a white dress shirt, and no shoes. But both his pants and shirt were filthy. He also didn't have his mask. When he remembered this, his turned away from her, and murmured, "You're awake. Are you…all right?"
In some sense that could be construed as a foolish question, but somehow Christine felt as though it were the most touching question she had ever been asked. "Yes, I'm fine," she croaked. Her voice still wasn't normal. "But I came to Rouen to save you, and now I've found myself in a similar position as you."
"It's not your fault. As soon as Mathieu heard you were looking for me," saying that, he gave her a side glance, but continued, "he began planning this out."
"Have you been here the whole time?"
"As far as I know. He's never moved me from this room. He even told me what those chains that are holding you up would be for."
"Oh, Erik!" she sighed. "I wish I could have come here sooner. I went to Persia, because I heard you were there. Who is the sultana, by the way? I never met her. Also, I met two different women named Djali. How did you know them?"
"You met two Djalis?"
"Yes…why, you only know one?"
"No, I know two. I simply wish you had never met one of them. You went with M. Khan, did you not?"
"Yes."
Erik shook his head, still not facing Christine. "He should have known better," he muttered.
"Erik," Christine said. "Why aren't you facing me?"
He gave a hollow laugh. "Have you already forgotten, Christine?"
"No, I have not. But Erik, as I've been looking for you, I have realized that you are so much more beautiful than your face. Your life has been so difficult—more difficult than the little that I've seen of it, I'm sure, and yet you have lived it. You did not let yourself be given some cruel label."
"I have been given a label. I have been given several. At the gypsy's fair I was called 'the Devil's Child', and now I am the Phantom of the Opera. I have no name, I am simply an idea—an idea of grotesqueness."
The Gypsy's fair? she wondered, but let it slide for now. "Erik—I have gone across the continent looking for you. I would not do so if I had thought you were grotesque. Your face holds no horror for me now."
"I remember when you said that to me in the Opera House. You finished up that sentence then with 'it's in your soul that the distortion lies,'" he said, continuing to look away. (A/N- Remember? From the musical? "This haunted face holds no horror for me now/it's in your soul that the true distortion lies" That line always makes me sad—if I were Erik I would've dwelled on it)
"I'm so sorry, Erik. I was scared. Raoul had been convincing me that you were evil, and you had Raoul trussed up like a pig, and you had led me to your subterranean lair. Can you blame me for being afraid? It was only when I had lost you that I realized how much I need you." She gave a sad smile. "Isn't that ironic?"
Finally, Erik turned and looked at Christine. "You truly missed me?" he asked.
She nodded, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. "And I never even acknowledged it until Mathieu took you away from me," she said.
"How sweet!" a rasping voice said. Christine turned and saw that Mathieu had come in just then. His eyes were bloodshot, and she suspected him of being inebriated at the moment. "Little Chrissy missed the little mutant!" He turned to Christine and said in a mock-confidential tone of voice, "Between you and me, I think you could do a lot better." Then he started snickering, but stopped when he heard the rattling of Erik's chains as he furiously tried to get free. Mathieu smiled and walked over to Erik. "There, there, little brother, there's nothing you can do about it." And he turned back and looked at Christine. As soon as he did so, Erik leapt on him and held Mathieu by the throat.
"Free me, you bastard," growled Erik.
Mathieu merely smiled. "You know as well as I do that I have backup just outside this door."
"Maybe so, but they will do what I say if I hold your life in my hands."
"Ah, but I hold Christine's life in mine, do I not? Enorme!" he called, and a gargantuan man walked into the room. "Erik here believes he can threaten his way to freedom. Care to show him what you can do with Christine?"
Enorme grunted and walked over to Christine, who felt her heart plummet to the floor. Enorme raised one giant fist, when Erik shouted, "Stop!" and let Mathieu go. "I see your plan, you twisted man, and I will find my way around it. Just watch."
Mathieu laughed, rubbed his neck, and walked over to Enorme. "We shall see, brother, we shall see. I think I need to teach you a little lesson, though. Enorme!" He nodded at the man, and left the room. Suddenly Enorme was at Christine's side, and he punched her square in the face once, twice, three times, until her ears were ringing. She thought she heard Erik shouting, but a swift punch to the stomach made her ignore that. When Enorme was finally done and gone, she hung her head and silently fell to tears, from pain and from frustration with the situation, ignoring Erik's pleading words.
Christine awoke later—she wasn't sure how much later, for the room had no windows—and heard the door creaking open. She assumed it was Mathieu again, come to laugh at her and Erik's misery, so she didn't look up, and simply closed her eyes. She heard Erik give a noise of surprise. That was even more worrying, so she tried to fall back asleep.
She was astonished when she felt some hands at one of her wrists, unlocking the chains that bound her to the wall. She opened her eyes and saw, of all people, Nadir, feverishly trying to unlock her chains with as much expediency and silence as possible.
"What are you…" she started to say, but Nadir shook his head to indicate she should be quiet, so she simply watched and tried to help Nadir a little with her chains. As soon as she was free, they both walked over to Erik's side of the cell. Nadir freed him quickly, and gestured them both out. As soon as they were out of the cell, Nadir pushed them into what appeared to be a broom closet off the hallway they were in.
Nadir closed the door behind the three of them and finally whispered, "We've just accomplished the easiest part of your escape. The hardest is yet to come."
"What do you mean?" Christine hissed.
He shook his head. "You will see. Now, there's no time to lose. Let's go!"
Golly, I didn't realize I'd have to split this into two parts. I mean, I could keep it as one, but then it would be this monster chapter, and for whatever reason I like splitting it up. Hopefully I'll have the second part of their escape up soon! Till then, review, good friends!