Chapter 6: Haunted Music Hall
Alyssa nearly tripped over the edge of the rug as she backed hastily away, her mind scrambling for a way she could escape. Her eyes darted around the room rapidly, but the only exit besides the door was the pair of windows to her right, and she was on the second floor. Her hand absently reached for the bottle hanging from her waist, but she had her doubts about how affective the water would be right now.
It would stall him, but she would still have to force her way by, since his enormous body would be blocking her path.
The hammer-killer laughed as he kicked the door again, making the room shudder. Alyssa continued to back away, until she bumped into the desk chair. The room kept on shaking, but the door, which she thought should have turned to a pile of sawdust by now, didn't cave in or splinter.
He's playing with me, thought Alyssa grimly.
"Come out, come out," the maniacal killer sang, laughing again.
Heart pounding, Alyssa turned around and gripped the back of the chair for support. She had escaped once before, but the thought of him catching her now left her dizzy with fear. She was torn between trying to hide again and facing him head-on, but she hadn't time to decide; the door suddenly tore from its hinges and crashed to the floor behind her.
Alyssa didn't waste a second. She hoisted the feeble chair over her head and hurled it at the killer's face, hoping it would distract him long enough for her to run by.
The massive being just laughed and swung his hammer, breaking the flimsy furniture to pieces. Alyssa was already in motion, barreling toward the doorway like a shot. But there was no room for her to run around him and she ended up crashing into his sweaty midsection.
Caught off guard, the killer stumbled backwards, tripped on the threshold and fell back out into the hall. His head crashed against the wall, right beneath the bloodstain, and he slid to the floor in a heap.
Alyssa's head was spinning. She struggled to sit up, but the floor felt warm and lumpy beneath her hands. She lifted her head and realized, with absolute horror, that she was lying on top of the hammer-wielding murderer.
His body was still and his breathing was slow, but Alyssa didn't feel like sticking around to make sure he was really unconscious. She rolled off, scrambled to her feet and started running. She raced down the stairs, ran through the back room, flew through the main shop and returned to the street through the front door.
Her shoes clapped noisily across the stone street as she raced to the bridge, praying with all her might that the concert hall wasn't much further. Just as her feet touched the wide bridge, she heard the sound of a door crashing open behind her, and her own name echoed through the night.
Alyssa didn't pause or look back, but kept her eyes straight ahead as she tore across the bridge as fast as she could. There was lamppost in the center, but Alyssa didn't so much as slow down as she curved around it. The bridge opened up to another road and Alyssa turned and ran down it, though the strength was beginning to leave her legs. Her lungs were starting to burn and she gasped for breath, but she refused to slow down as images of a giant hammer swiping at her head flashed through her mind.
She could hear the killer behind her, hear the raspy sounds of his breath and the scuffing of his feet on the pavement. She couldn't tell just how close he was, and she didn't dare look over her shoulder to check.
The concert hall suddenly sprang into view. She could see its domed roof stretching above a tall stone fence, and renewed strength coursed through her tired legs as she steered for the open gate. She burst into a wide courtyard, with neatly trimmed trees and shrubs lining the paths and a grand fountain in the center. She veered around the fountain and dashed for the front steps, kicking through a pile of discarded cans on the way.
The cans continued to rattle across the path behind her as she mounted the stairs, and when the sound faded the only thing she heard was the gentle hiss of the flowing fountain. With her hand on the ornate door handle, Alyssa finally paused and risked a peek over her shoulder.
The courtyard she had just torn through was empty. Though her heart was beating wildly and her legs were trembling, Alyssa wasn't ready to breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Her pursuer might be lurking behind one of the trees, waiting for her to lower her guard. Determined not to give him that satisfaction, Alyssa quietly opened the massive door and stepped inside the regal Victoria Hall.
The foyer had bright paneled walls, chandeliers hung over her head and lit her way, and black and white tile shone beneath her tired feet. Across from her was a front desk, almost like something a hotel would have, complete with a registry book and a quill pen sitting in an ink well. There were two hallways on either side of the desk, with multiple doorways running along each.
She chose the right-hand path, which altered between short sets of steps and long landings as it curved inward. The doors all had velvet ropes strung across them, and there were signs marked 'off limits' hanging from them. Alyssa reached over one of the ropes and tested a handle; the door was locked, so she continued on. The hall continued to curve, and Alyssa was pretty sure if she kept going she would wind up in the foyer again.
Going back the way she came didn't interest her, but the large set of double doors she came to did. There were no ropes here, and when she tested the handles, the doors swung outward easily.
The room on the other side was long and wide. It was also extremely dark, with no light worth mentioning in sight. As she stepped across the threshold, Alyssa glanced over her shoulder, but there hadn't been any sign of her pursuer since she arrived.
Moving in the thin path of light shining through the open doors Alyssa made her way across the room, which looked like a massive auditorium. There were rows and rows of seats, like a movie theater. They were all facing the front of the room, which was raised up and had a thick velvet curtain draped along the back. In the center of the stage was a polished grand piano.
Alyssa mounted the stage steps slowly, her eyes on the lovely instrument. She hadn't noticed until now, but the music hadn't started again after she left the tailor shop. The piano stood silent, the keys motionless.
But as she took a step closer, a phantom spotlight suddenly sprung to life, eerily illuminating the instrument from above. Alyssa jumped back with a gasp; the ivory keys were stained red with blood. As she stared, horrified, the keys seemed to depress on their own, with no fingers to play them in sight.
The same tune she had been listening to all night filled the air, as frantic and desperate as ever. Alyssa spun around, her eyes searching the dark as her rational mind tried to find another source of the sound. But no; the music was coming from the piano, and when she turned around again, she realized that there was someone there after all.
The ghost of May Norton sat on the bench, still drenched in blood from head to waist. Alyssa shrieked and recoiled at the sight, but May paid her no mind. Her stained fingers continued to dance across the keys, still playing the song she had tried so hard to master. When she reached the point the song had been halting at all night, May paused. Her head drooped pitifully, and a strangled sob escaped her lips.
Only a brief moment passed before she raised her head and started over again. Alyssa crept closer, her fear retreating as quickly as it had come. She only felt pity now as she watched as May hopelessly tried again and again to finish playing the piece she had failed to complete in life. But every time she reached the middle portion she would falter, and another tortured sob would escape her lips before she lifted her head and tried again.
Alyssa felt a pang in her heart, but she wasn't sure what she could do. She felt sure that finishing the piece would sooth May's soul, but she didn't recognize what May was trying to play, or else she would have gladly sat down and tried to help her through it.
When May stopped again, Alyssa heard a faint scraping sound. It sounded like it came from above, and she lifted her head and saw rows of metal catwalks stretching across the ceiling. And leaning over one of the rails was the hammer-killer, who grinned wildly at her before he hurled himself into space.
May screamed in terror and ran for cover as the monstrous being landed on the stage with a crash that knocked Alyssa off her feet. Out of the corner of her eye she saw May vanish from sight, like a light blinking off. Alyssa dove beneath the piano as the hammer fell, sending splinters of wood flying.
Alyssa rolled to the other side and half-ran, half-crawled to the back of the stage. She saw a split between the curtain and ran for it, hoping against hope that there was a door on the other side, or some other form of escape.
With the killer breathing down her neck she found herself in a narrow space behind the curtain, dimly illuminated by the light still shining from above. Alyssa could see all the way to the back, and she realized with growing horror that she had made a mistake; there was no way out.
But there was no way to turn back now, and she continued to run as she tried to find a way to safety. The curtain was too thick and heavy to push out of her way; she would have to fight her way through like she did last time.
As she neared the end of the narrow passage she spied a small lever protruding from the wall. Without bothering to think about what it might do, Alyssa reached out and tugged with all her might.
There was a creak, followed by a metal grinding, and then part of the catwalk began lowering rapidly to the floor. The hammer-killer glanced up, pausing his pursuit for a moment. Spots of blood suddenly appeared on the floor between them, and then a corpse came crashing down with a wet thump.
Alyssa was too caught up in her own peril to cry out in alarm. Her brutal pursuer, on the other hand, chuckled as he nudged the body out of the way with his foot. A second later the catwalk cracked against his head, and continued pushing him downward until he was flattened against the floor.
Dizzy with relief, Alyssa sank to he knees for a moment as she collected herself. The maniacal killer looked like he had been knocked out again, and the body lying next to him seemed like it hadn't been dead for very long. Alyssa looked up again at the space between the catwalks and wondered just how the poor man had gotten himself pinned up there.
Now wasn't the time to worry about it, and she had just enough space to slip past the unconscious killer without walking on the catwalk itself. As she sidled by, her foot kicked something hard.
Alyssa looked down and saw a large key lying on the floor. Her eye flicked to the corpse lying crookedly on the other side of the passage for a moment before she bent and scooping up the key, which had a label marked 'manager' taped to it. Slipping the key into her pocket, she continued sidling along until she was past the catwalk, after which she broke into a soft run.
Careful not to make too much noise, she descended the steps and moved back into the auditorium. The soft light shining from above was illuminating part of the walls, and Alyssa could now see there was a door near the foot of the stairs. She hurried over and tested the knob; it was locked, so she quickly made use of the key.
On the other side of the door was a small hallway, with sofas lined up along one wall and pictures hanging on the other, so guests could have something to look at while they relaxed. It was much brighter here, too, thanks to the rows of sconces. As she looked up and down the hall, Alyssa found herself faced with a decision; there was a door to her left and a door to her right. Whenever she encountered such a choice, she usually went to the right, so she headed toward the right-hand side of the hallway.
The door at the end wasn't wooden and pretty like the others she had seen so far, but was made from a heavy form of metal that was looking a touch rusty. The corridor she found on the opposite side was no less grand, however; the walls looked like they were made of marble, and the floor beneath her feet gleamed in the light, even though it was much dimmer here.
Alyssa climbed a short set of stairs and emerged in what looked like some sort of sitting room. There was a vase of flowers on a pedestal in the middle of the room, and a sofa and desk was off to the side. Alyssa didn't see anything of interest, so she continued down the corridor that extended to her right.
As she was mounting another set of stairs, she realized that she really didn't have any idea what she was looking for. But the voice inside her, the one that had been prodding her constantly since she arrived here was now telling to keep looking, to snatch up anything and everything that might help her save May. Alyssa was also keeping her eye open for something that might help her get rid of May's tormentor, and it occurred to her that putting the poor girl's soul to rest and ridding the world of the insane killer probably went hand in hand.
It would probably do Alyssa herself some good, too, since he seemed fiercely determined to apprehend her for reasons she couldn't fathom.
She kept her ears open for any sign of thumping footsteps behind her as she mounted another flight of marble stairs and reached another metallic door. Judging by the lack of decoration on the walls and how far away she was from the performance portion of the hall, Alyssa guessed she was in a section meant only for employees.
As she suspected it might be, the door was locked, but she had no trouble opening it with the master key she carried. As she crossed the threshold, she found herself stepping onto the same sturdy metal catwalk she had seen from below minutes ago. Alyssa looked down through the mesh beneath her feet and saw she was standing directly above the concert stage. She could see the piano clearly, but there wasn't anyone at it.
The catwalk stretched out in front of her until it reached a brief wall, which was lined with what looked like a set of cluttered shelves. The catwalk also extended to her right, and further out she could see a line of boards laid across support beams. She couldn't tell exactly where they led, or if there was anything useful on the shelves; it was too dim to make out any real detail.
There were lanterns on the walls, but only a handful of them were lit. Alyssa's instincts were telling her that there was something important here, something that could help her finish what she sought to do. Only it was too dark to find anything, and the lanterns that needed to be lit were out of reach; a section of the catwalk was missing.
Alyssa moved carefully to the edge and peered down, and found herself looking at the narrow passage behind the stage curtain. She could just make out the body of the manager, still lying crumbled against the wall. The portion of the catwalk she had lowered was still on the ground below, leaving an uncrossable space in its place. Alyssa frowned and continued to scan the area below her, but there was no sign of an unconscious killer.
Breathing deeply to steady herself, Alyssa backed away from the edge and started for the door. She had no choice but to go back the way she came and pull the lever again. She just hoped there wasn't a large hammer waiting for her along the way.