After the Lair

Slipping Through My Fingers

|| Erik Destler ||

For the first time in a month, I slept comfortably. She was just upstairs. It brought a long missed smile to my face.

When I woke up, I decided to go check on her. I climbed through the catacombs towards the mirror.

I didn't like what I saw.

There was some sort of fabric hanging in front of it, so I had no idea what was happening in her bedroom. I laughed slightly. She was so...illogical sometimes. I can just push the sheet away. Didn't she know that?

I did just that, pulled the sheet to the right to run into all of the woodworks from the dressing room. Okay, so she wasn't being stupid, but she was hiding. I shoved it all away to see an empty bed and no Christine. I felt fear take ahold of me- the kind of fear I hadn't known since I was a small boy.

I ran to get my horse, but dammit that was gone too. I went to other stables and grabbed another. It took a second for it to get used to me.

I started riding, wanting to call out for her, but kept my heads down. I was wanted after all.

After a few minutes of pointless riding, I realized I wasn't going anywhere in particular. So, I rode to the one place I feared she'd be...

I rode to the Vicomte de Changy's home.

|| Raoul Vicomte de Changy ||

I was running through the house, telling the servants about their day off. I needed to be alone.

As soon as everyone was gone, I pulled out every last bottle of alcohol I could find and set it in a pile outside. I then set it on fire and the flames erupted,  scorching my shirt ever so slightly. I grinned. This was a new beginning. A new, fresh start. I could write and be happy.

I sat down at the table, making myself a salad. I then wrote an article that would save Christine from an awful fate. At the top of the paper, I began writing:

The Phantom of the Opera; A Fictional Fable.

Late last evening, an opera called Don Juan Triumphant was put on, said to have been written by an "Opera Ghost." Ah, what fools we were.

The Phantom of the Opera is a myth. It-he- is not real. Investigators show that the chandelier that had fallen was not due to the rage of a ghost, but because the beams holding it had been much to old and had cracked at a coincidental time.

As for the kidnapping of young soprano Christine Daae, it was nothing but a beautiful performance.

The things people do for a good show.

I finished writing and smiled. I heard a knock at my door.

Who could it possibly have been?

|| Erik Destler ||

I knocked.

"Come in, it's open!" I heard him say. He was rather cheery for a man who was going to lose his life in a matter of minutes.

I turned the door knob and ran to the man sitting at the table. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him onto the table.

"What have you done with her?" I growled. His eyes went wide with fear.

"What're you talking about?" He whimpered out.

"Don't play dumb. Where's Christine?" I yelled.

"Daae? She's not here. No one is, it's just you and I. You can search the house if you'd like," he said.

I let go of him and searched the house. Room after room of emptiness. I was growing impatient. That's when I saw it.

"Vicomte!" I shouted.

"Yes?" he called back.

"What's this fire outside?"

"Alcohol. I had a bad habit. Christine helped me break it." He was quite unamused and said it simply.

I walked back into the kitchen, angry and anxious to find her. She wasn't here.

"What're you writing?" I asked, trying to calm my self down.

"An article. I've always wanted to, your Christine helped with that too." My Christine. He said my Christine. He didn't love her anymore...

"What about?" I asked.

"You."

"Me?"

"Rather, the Phantom of the Opera. I just wrote it was a mere myth to scare young ballerinas and something for the managers of the Opera House to blame all of their problems on. You'll be a free man," he said. He looked at me intently.

I was speechless. "I, um, thank you."

"Not a problem. Question though, why isn't Christine with you, then?" he asked.

"She ran away, I suppose." I said it so quietly, that I wasn't even sure he heard me.

"Where have you checked?"

"The Opera Populaire and here," I said, once again, very quietly.

"Let me think, she always liked to visit her father's grave, well, not liked, but it's where she would go to clear her mind from time to time," he explained.

"Thank you." I started walking to the door.

"Wait!" he shouted. I turned around.

"I wanted to apologize for the things that happened a few months ago. I know now that you are not a hell spawn demon, as I once thought, but you're a man. A human being with emotions. I'm sorry I wasn't humane enough to see that."

"Thank you." I was speechless.

"One more thing..." He trailed off.

"Yes? But make it quick."

"May I come with you?" he asked  and sheepishly.

"As long as you don't steal her away again."

"Deal."

|| Christine Daae ||

I woke up covered in snow. It was cold, and the beginning of December, so I was freezing. I stood up and wrapped my arms around myself. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

He was tall, big, and coming right towards me.

I looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide. I could smell the liquor pouring off of him, just like with Raoul. I screamed, but he covered my mouth.

"Well, aren't you pretty?" he slurred.

"Let me go! Let me go! ERIK!" I screeched.

"No, no my name is Richard and I'm going to take reeeally good care of you."

"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! ERIK, HELP ME PLEASE!"

He slapped me. I fell to the floor of my father's grave.

"HELP!" I screamed as he leaned in to kiss me. I pushed up, but our foreheads knocked and a fell back to the ground. He grabbed my arms and put them behind my head.

"Shh, it's alright. I've got you," he said and our lips met. I struggled as hard as I could.

"Please, let me go." I whimpered.

"No, I'm not done with you yet."

"ERIK! HELP! ERIK!"

I felt the weight lift off me in the swirl of a white mask and a black cape.

A/N: HERE YA GO. I'm bored so I'll probably update a bit more. So yeah. PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT. THANKS SO SO SO SO MUCH! 

A/A/N: ^^^^ My original Authors Note. I was so weird. I still am.  So what did you guys get for Christmas? What did y'all do? Comment below!!
-PresleyElmer ❤️