Author note: Heh, yeah, well something weird has happened with the weather here and guess what? There has already been two snow days! It's kinda funny. We don't know when school will start back up again. Luckily I am on the side of the island that has power.

Well thank you(s) go to Penmora Zenith and OG.

Oh and to Penmora Zenith, for some reason I cannot submit reviews from this computer, but I hope you update Bound soon. I really enjoy reading that story.

See you all at the bottom,

TheDragonEye

Attack in the Dark

Part II

"DARIUS!" Nadir called once more into the house while a few of the servants ran about the grounds trying to find the man. As if they had tried to render is as a fluke, a ploy by De Changy to manage Erik into their grip. But as the letter stated, Darius was no where and they had less then an hour to decide what to do.

"How is this even possible? I mean, someone had to leave the house from the inside for the glass to be like that." Erik spoke as he read over the note for the seventh time.

"If you are implying that Darius is on their side you are most certainly wrong, Erik!" Nadir replied as he paced back and forth in the foyer, surprisingly not having worn a hole in the floor boards.

"No, I am saying that somehow someone managed to get in the house and didn't want to be loud about their exit." Erik replied quietly.

There was lapse of silence, the air heavy with thought and uneasiness as to how they should voice their thoughts. Obviously there was so much hanging on each of their minds. Erik's, Nadir's, Christine's, and the other servants who were at least aware of the situation.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Erik finally asked quietly, "Their manor?"

"You are staying put, Erik!" both Nadir and Christine voiced in unison.

Christine snatched the letter from Erik and re-read the letter, as if trying to pick anything out.

To whomever the hell it concerns,

We seem to have taken possession of a very valuable asset in your planning, and unless you would like to have him tortured and sent back to you as a mad man, or dead, then hand over the Phantom of the Opera. Whom our intelligence has told currently resides in your possession. We demand him before Two in the morning, today, or else your friend Darius will be wishing he never mixed up with you people.

Count Philippe De Changy

"It really doesn't seemto state anything, perhaps they are wanting a trade off?" Christine asked pointing to the line of: 'We demand him before Two in the morning, today, or else. . '

"So we sit here?" Nadir asked.

"That would be like them, don't you think?" Erik asked, "Cowards, all of them. But I'm not, it's easy. When they do come, have a servant pose as me, we hide in the shadows and jump them. They aren't smart enough to see past it. After all, they are blinded by their want to torture me, and their avarice will fill in the details of what they want."

"You speak of them as if they are insane." Christine muttered under her breath. Both Nadir and Erik looked at her confused and she shook her head a few times. "No, Philippe is quite sane, a bit revenge thirsty, but sane. And Raoul, is just. . lost and looking to his brother for guidance." she spoke and Nadir muttered a word in agreement.

Erik slumped down to the floor, closing his eyes for a moment to think, "So, what shall we do? They will hurt or kill Darius, and from the letter I take it that the process won't be slow." The masked man let out a soft sigh and looked towards the clock. Why was it that whenever one wanted time to go by slowly it went by fast? Or vice versa, when you wanted time to go by quickly it went by at a painstakingly slow pace? As of now it read fifteen minutes after one. Forty five minutes and either Erik would have to go and find them or else the de Changys would come for him. Or else god have mercy on Darius. The man didn't deserve that.

Erik sighed through his nose and watched Christine and Nadir for a moment, obviously debating over what to do. Seeing as their attention was distracted, Erik took the moment to look towards the clock once more and rise to his feet. He went to the window and looked down at the glass under the window silt. Perhaps there was a spy in the household? Christine had been in her room, hadn't she? Of course Christine was the most natural person to pin being a spy on. But for now Erik would have to believe it was someone else.

The masked man cast a glance back at the two people who were probably deciding what was best for him at the moment. Was he a child that everyone had to decide what course of action to take? Well, he had nearly been raped through their decisions, so whatever they could decide for him could not be worse then his own choice. Without much more thought to that, Erik headed for the door. Quietly turning to look at the clock.

1:20

"They won't do it," Darius repeated for perhaps the seventeenth time to the men who held him captive. There were six in all, Philippe was standing off to one side, his hand gripping the hilt of a dagger almost thoughtfully.

"Shut up, or I'll cut off your tongue myself." the older de Changy grumbled. "He had better come or else we will be sending you back to them piece by piece." The man looked up from his dagger and out of the woods where they were stationed. They were waiting for someone to make a foolish move, already they had hid from a few servants wandering about the grounds and calling for the man they had taken.

But none of them happened to be anyone of an importance. "Your friends must not really care for you." one of Philippe's men jeered at the Persian.

"Shut up, Gard." Philippe snapped. This was getting rather annoying. It was not the warmest temperature, and he was angry that they had not managed the time to snatch the Phantom in the first place. They had searched the rooms cautiously, but none of them hid that deformed man in the first place. So they snatched the man next to two guards when he came to investigate a noise made by one of the less careful men.

Getting in the house had not been a problem, the lock had been easy to pick after all and the bolt had been undone. It had been like an invitation into the house. Though they hadn't managed the real prize they had snatched someone else. One of the Persian's closest friends. Now to see who was more valuable to the man's heart. Darius or a masked freak who had no reason to be alive in the first place.

"His mother should have killed him the moment he was born." Philippe muttered under his breath.

"Sir!"

Philippe's head jerked up and he looked towards the manor in time to see the darkened silhouette of a man as they slipped from the house and closed the door behind himself. It hadn't been that good of a view, but it had been taller then the servants and a swift reflection of a mask was not missed.

"Boys, there is our goal. I want him alive, but don't feel bad about knocking him out. Just don't break a leg unless you need to."

"No. . .Erik. . get back in the house, Allah . ." Darius whispered frantically to himself as if he chanted it then his god will give Erik a sudden change of mind and heart. His heart plummeted when he noticed Erik go about to the other side of the house and bend down to inspect the earth near the shattered window, seeming to search for any other trail.

"Quietly now, we don't want the beast to hear our approach." Philippe muttered as he motioned for the two men on either side of Darius to haul him to his feet.

Erik's hand ran across the dirt, trying to feel for any unnatural grooves of footprints in the soil, not much though, and plus seeing them in the dark would prove to be difficult. Erik looked up towards the dark sky. Nadir and Christine would never understand. He didn't want the blood of a man like Darius to rest on his hands. Perhaps Darius was already dead and they didn't know it. But then again, it could all be a feign by the de Changys.

Erik rose back to his feet, brushing off a bit of dirt from his pants as he headed away from the house, his hands curled into fists as the anticipation of something jumping out of him rose. He couldn't guess at the time anymore now just to keep walking. He could hear people moving around, but when he looked up all he saw was a servant hurrying back towards the house. Erik supposed they had no luck in finding anyone, meaning that the de Changys couldn't possibly be around anywhere.

He was just about to turn back towards the house when another noise caught his attention, sounding more like a weak call of his name.

"Erik. . ."

Frantically looking about Erik called out into the darkness, not loud enough to alert the house if needed, but hopefully in the silence he could he heard.

"Darius? Is that you?"

There was a bit of silence and Erik shook his head, pinning blame on the wind.

"No, but you are damn close."

Quickly Erik whirled around to be met by four shadows coming towards him. "Philippe. . .?" Erik growled at the approaching men.

There was three different laughs from the group and one pair of brown eyes staring at him, which he noticed to be Darius. He took a step forward when there was a reply from nearly directly behind him.

"No, over here Phantom."

Ending note:

Alright, so you all are wondering 'WTF? What is with the cliff hangers?'

Truth be told. . I don't know how else to end the chapters.

Please review, with all the hits I am getting I would hope more people would voice some criticism or praise.

TheDragonEye