They made it approximately two steps before Allegra was wretched away from Erik, slamming into the wall opposite of the hallway door. She fell down, dazed, a symphony of pain exploding in the back of her head as she stared at the scene unfolding like a movie.
Erik started to run towards her but slowed down rapidly, like he was walking through quicksand. In less than a second his legs froze in place. Cursing, he used some energy to throw the water bucket at Carlotta's head.
Since she was a spirit and could decide when to materialize, it sailed through her, slamming into the hallway's wall with an echoing crash.
Elizabeth sat in the corner, close to crying. Allegra didn't know why, when it was Erik and herself under attack. Why would Elizabeth be so scared as well?
"Well, let's see.. I could force you," Carlotta pointed at Erik, "to kill her." She pointed at Allegra. "Oh that would be fun to tell Christine. Hm.. If you come up with a good idea, Elizabeth, I might forgive you for almost letting Allegra slip by again."
"Um. Well.. Maybe you don't have to kill her. M-Maybe it would be worse to take away her violin skills, like they took away your singing. An eye for an eye."
Carlotta thought about this for a moment.
"No, please," Allegra begged, standing up. "Music is all I ever had that I loved and cherished with all my heart. Please don't take it away from me."
The begging only seemed to make the situation worse. "What do you think music was to me, child? A hobby? Ha!"
"I know what Erik did was wrong, but maybe he could give your voice back to you."
Erik shook his head at Allegra. "About that.. I destroyed it a long time ago… It sang too much and complained a lot."
"Great, just great. The only diplomatic solution and you had to get rid of it like a ticking clock!" Allegra sighed. Their hopes of surviving today didn't appear that great in the moment, with a demoness standing in the room and all. "Wait, didn't you tell me that you were an angel of music?"
It was Erik's turn to sigh. "I was never an angel, never will be. It was your mother's stupid nickname for me when she didn't want to accept the fact that I was real."
Allegra's mind started to race, trying to think of solutions. She had a gun, but what good what that do?
She pulled the pistol out anyway, grasping it firmly in her hands just in case Carlotta tried to pull it away. "Let us out," she demanded, pointing the gun at Carlotta.
Carlotta laughed hard, almost shrieking in laughter. "Thats cute, really."
"Or I'll shoot Elizabeth," Allegra finished, turning the gun towards the daughter huddled in the corner of the room.
She stopped laughing, smirking at Allegra. "Go ahead. If I knew Christine at all I know her daughter wouldn't hurt a fly."
"Why does everyone compare me to my mom? What if I'm like my dad?"
"Honey, has your dad ever killed anyone?"
"No.. But there is someone who has." Allegra tossed the gun to Erik, who caught it readily.
"I haven't killed someone in ages," he said, looking at the gun fondly. "I do miss that look on their face." He turned to Elizabeth. "What do you say, Lizzy?"
"Mother please don't let him shoot me," Elizabeth plead, weeping. "I know I was never the son you wanted, that I'm a terrible daughter, and you love my sister more, but please."
The woman stared at her daughter's crying face with little passion. The only emotion that shined through was disgust. Allegra wanted to empathize with Elizabeth, for she must have had a hard life trying to earn her mother's approval, but it was hard to do that when Allegra's life was on the line.
"Get out of here. You make me sick."
Elizabeth scurried out of the room, and Allegra heard the slam of the front door a few seconds later. Now their only leverage was gone too.
She was close to giving up. If people wanted her dead so much, maybe it was a sign that she needed to die. There was a chance that she'd become a phantom anyway.
Living life was grueling compared to the deep sleep of death.
Maybe it was better to give in and not fight anymore.
Erik's arm started to twitch violently, slowly pointing the gun at Allegra's head. A few tears slipped down his face, and his eyes looked like those of a tortured animal.
"It's okay, Erik," Allegra said, starting to cry as well and her voice sounded choked. "If I had to choose how to die, I'd want to be killed by the person I love."
"Why?" Carlotta asked, curious.
Allegra looked at her, trying to gain an ounce of confidence. "Because they would be the last thing I see."
"Hm. I'll ruin that image for you then." Carlotta flicked her hand and Erik's mask fell to the ground.
He froze, staring at Allegra while she stared at him.
It was gruesome, she admitted to herself. Parts of his yellow flesh were peeling off, revealing the bone of his skull. The skin looked like a child had smeared it, then pulled it taut like taffy almost to the point of breakage. Only a few tufts of hair remained on the bad side of his face, contrasting against the other side. He looked like the undead.
"It doesn't matter," she said, looking Erik in the eyes.
Carlotta scoffed. "What? How can it not matter? You're lying."
"Unlike the generation you grew up in, looks don't matter to mine. We judge on a person's character, not the clothes they were or how pretty they look. People that judge others like that can rot where they belong."
The demoness clenched her teeth, enraged by the comment. "Kill her," she ordered to Erik, her voice similar to the deep growl of a wolf.
Allegra closed her eyes, preparing herself.
She heard loud rustling and movement, then a couple shots ring out.
No pain occurred. Was she already in the afterlife?
Opening her eyes, gasping in shock and terror.
Nya lay on the floor, gazing up at Allegra. She had taken the bullets for her, with little time left.
Carlotta shrieked loud while Allegra fell to her knees beside Nya.
"Please don't go," she said, taking Nya's hand. "You're the first best friend I ever had, you have to know that, okay?" Nya nodded, a tear escaping down the side of her face.
"Run," she whispered to Allegra, trying to smile as best as she could.
"No, no, no…" Allegra looked up at Erik, who was released of his bondage while Carlotta was distracted by the enormous amount of emotion. "Save her! You shot her! You shot my best friend!"
Erik put his mask back on, then rushed over to Nya, but before he could even examine how bad the injuries were Nya had closed her eyes and gone still.
Carlotta threw the chairs against the other side of the room, splintering them into pieces.
While she was destroying basically everything she could within reach, Erik pulled Allegra away. "We have to get out. She bought us time. Don't waste it."
She allowed herself to be led, running down the street and towards the nearest city. While they were running she broke down, stopping. "She's gone.. Oh my God, she's gone.."
Allegra knew he rarely hugged anyone, but since her friend had just died he seemed to make an exception, embracing her.
"She saved me," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"I know, Idiot, I know.. I was there. I'm so sorry. I truly am."
"It wasn't your fault, I know that.."
She pulled away, brushing away her tears.
Her heart felt numb again, the cold of death threatening to overtake the warmth of love.
"What do we do now?"
"We need to research how to fight her before we return. There's one problem though. I think she's trapped inside the house, like most demons are, but her spirit can attach itself to other spirits or humans, changing their personality and how they act. I think that's why I made you cry earlier today, something I would never do. I felt the same energy then."
Allegra nodded. "That's nice, but not the answer for my question. What do we do now, after we just watched someone die?"
"Oh… I donno.. We live, I guess."
"With a burden on us? Forever on us? It's too hard sometimes.."
"Hey," Erik said seriously, touching Allegra's shoulder. "No matter how hard it gets, know that I'm here. Even if I do die or somehow run out of energy, I still live in you. Nya still lives in you too. Don't forget that."
Allegra closed her eyes from the world, letting the words sink in.
She opened them, trying to smile. "For a not so mushy, emotional guy, that actually did help."
"What else am I here for?" he joked, even when it didn't feel that right to joke around so soon.
"To get a second chance at life," she responded quickly, saying the first thing that had popped into her mind. "Sorry, I guess you're not really alive and all, but you know what I mean."
"It's okay. You're right… Let's just go back to Paris."
Allegra looked back at the street they had run down. Someday they'd have to go back and defeat Carlotta before she ruined their lives.
Someday soon she'd have to relive that moment. That pain of losing Nya.
That terrified her more than Carlotta ever could.