The Phantom's Admirer By: K.C.M

Chapter 22: An Unexpected Ending

For a few months nothing happened, but that never stopped me from worrying. Being silently paranoid is an isolating thing. It makes you feel like you're all alone, with no one to help you. Living in fear is a sad, pathetic thing that leaves you a little hollow inside. You have to put on a smile and push through it, or you will be left to wallow in your fear and paranoia without anyone to help you. It's a sad place indeed, and I hated Erik for putting me there, and I hated myself for staying in it.

I begged that Alexandre didn't notice, but he always knew, and he would always try to help me through it. I never deserved him, and I don't think I ever will.

One night, I was having an especially hard time of going to sleep. Every time I tried to close my eyes images kept popping into my head and my thoughts would start swirling. Alexandre eventually woke up because of my constant tossing around, so he held me in his arms. "It's alright, Valentina. Just calm down." He said in a soothing voice. "Everything's alright. Just go to sleep." He whispered in my ear, and I could feel my heart slow down, and my breath start to level. My eyes grew heavy, and I could feel my body shutting down, getting ready to sleep. Just before I dozed off, I felt Alexandre kiss my head, and I knew no more.

Running. Constantly running with no where to go and no where to turn. When I looked behind me, the glint of an ax caught my eye, and I grew terrified. I turned forward again and kept running as fast as I could. The person behind me was never far away, and I was scared for my life.

When I tripped on my dress, I thought that it was over, but then Alexandre was there. He seemed to come out of nowhere, but he was there, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. "Are you alright?" He asked with much concern. I nodded my head and we were just about to start running when blood suddenly splashed on my face and dress, as Alexandre crumpled to the ground with the ax stuck in his chest. "No!" I screamed as I tried to stop the blood that was soaking into the cold ground. "Time to go." A voice said from behind me. I spun around to see Erik. He was smiling like a mad man, and when he pulled me up beside him, his breath smelled vaguely of something, but I couldn't tell what. "You're mine now." He said. When he spoke, the smell was stronger. It smelled so familiar. It smelled like... Smoke. Smoke?!

I quickly woke up and could smell smoke coming from outside. I ran to the window to see that the stable was on fire, a huge massive fire that was destroying it. "Alexandre!" I screamed to wake him up. He jumped out of bed and ran to the window with me. "Oh my Lord! The horses, there still trapped in there! Valentina, you stay here. I'm going to get the horses out."

"Alright, but be careful!" I called as he ran out the door, then watched with fear as I saw him run to the fire and let all the horses out. They ran out and away kicking things up from behind them. Why was I not going after him? He needed help, what if he got hurt or something happened? Quickly making up my mind, I turned away from the window for just a moment to leave the house, and that's when the shot blasted and my heart stopped.

No. He didn't have the shotgun, he didn't have a gun on him. No! That's all I could think about as I grabbed the only gun that we owned and ran outside.

Alexandre came running around the barn with a bad limp and stopped short when he saw me. "Valentina, what are you doing?! Get back in the house! Go! Run!"

I ignored him completely and ran up to him. "What's wrong?" I asked, looking at his leg. "I was shot, but never mind the stupid leg, get back to the house. Now!" I wrapped his arm around me and said quickly, "I'm not leaving you out here."

We struggled trying to get back to the house, and we were almost there, when suddenly, someone grabbed my hair and I screamed. The person pulled me back and away from Alexandre, and I watched as he crumpled to the ground and fail to be able to get back up. "Well, if it isn't just my favorite little couple in the whole wide world." Said none other than the Phantom. He pulled my head back to where I could see him, and he slowly smiled and said, "And if it isn't my favorite girl. Did you really think I was just gone?"