Mask of Red Death (A Phantom of the Opera Phan Fic)

Paying His Final Debt ~ Chapter 15

Angeline was wandering through the halls of the now, once again, empty opera house. She was now use to the emptiness though. This was her new home, or so it seemed to be. Erik was kind enough to allow it to be her home.

Erik...that name brought along with it so much pain and destruction. Yet not for others, merely for himself.

Angeline's thoughts were interrupted by a loud thud and a horrifying moan. She ran toward one of the hidden doors and into the tunnels that wrapped around the underground opera house. She took a right turn and ran into a colony of rats. She screamed but covered her mouth.

She ran into a dark tunnel and waded knee deep in a small pond of water. Her eye caught a glint of light at the end of the tunnel, and she raced toward it. Pushing the curtain aside, the Phantom's lair stood before her.

Angeline's heart raced as she looked around for Erik. There was the boat on the dock. Small drops of blood made a trail toward the bedroom. Angeline followed them cautiously.

"E-Erik? Are you okay?" She said shyly.

No answer.

Angeline walked toward the bedroom and pushed the curtain away cautiously. She gasped at the sight.

Erik lay limp on the swan bed, with pools of blood surrounding his left side.

Angeline rushed to his side and held his head in her hands. "Erik! Can you hear me?" She cried.

Erik didn't make a noise. His breath was shallow and faltering.

Tears came into Angeline's eyes. Was she going to loose this man? Not now! Not like this!

She propped his head up with a pillow and tore his cloak away. His shirt was stained with blood and was sticking to his flesh. Angeline looked away for a second. She unbuttoned it and rolled it away from the wound. A large gash covered Erik's left side.

Erik's breathing slowed even more.

"Erik! Don't you die on me!" Angeline shouted. She tried mouth to mouth, but Erik's breathing wouldn't steady.

His side continued to bleed. Angeline wrapped the ripped part of the cloak around it, but that didn't help either.

She sat their by his side as tears began to fall. This was really it. Nothing was going to work.

Erik's body had finally had enough and his breathing stopped. Angeline laid her head on his chest and listened to his final heart beats. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Erik..." She sobbed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Peter blinked his eyes. His head hurt, and he was groggy. He rubbed his head and sat up slightly. All he could remember was fighting with some ghostly figure, stabbing at it, then getting hit in the head.

"The Phantom!" Peter practically yelled. He covered his mouth as a younger couple walked by and eyed him curiously. He smiled at them, and they moved on.

The Phantom had hit him over the head with a rock, but Peter had jabbed with his switchblade. That dirty, little rat couldn't survive a blow like that. Peter was sure of it! Now to get into the Opera Populaire and save Angeline!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Angeline must have fallen asleep; because the next thing she knew, someone was tapping her on the shoulder.

She sat up, her cheeks pink and puffy from crying. A slight gasp escaped her lips. "J-Joseph."

"Don't look so surprised." Joseph said dryly. "Why have you been crying?"