part 13
A terrible scream from the audience ripped the veil in his head. Just a second after Christine had exposed his face in front of the full room, it seemed to Eric that it had been an eternity.
- Eric... I... - Christina tried to say something else, but he didn't let her go on.
He instantly changed his face: pain and surprise were replaced by indescribable rage. With his blue eyes sparkling with anger, Eric rushed forward like a stinging snake. Grabbing Christine by the wrist, he drew her to him, his lips moving apart in a crooked smile. She fought against his chest in vain as he hugged her waist with his iron hand.
Eric turned his uncovered face towards the crowd, squeezing himself in from the screams of horror coming from the front rows. His flaming eyes saw the armed guards rushing to the stage, and he heard many voices screaming with fear at the sight of his devilish appearance. He felt the hundreds of eyes directed at him, at his face; the shame he had never felt before rose in him, intercepting his breath. All the anger and bitterness that he had ever experienced in his life had increased many times, protecting his broken heart from the humiliation and pain of stealing his breath. "How dare they! How dare they!
One woman's voice blocked all the others: it was more of a horror than a disgust. Looking for a source of noise in the crowd, Eric stumbled upon a woman with unusual white hair. His confused mind recognized her as a young lady who had been snooping around the Opera for days, and who had entertained him so much at the time.
"So she is here... She came as she promised... Eric noticed with surprise that the strange girl wasn't even looking at him, but instead, her wide-open eyes stared up in terror, reminding him of what to do.
For the last three days, Eric had been hesitant as to whether or not to complete the final stage of his plan. Even in the darkest of moments, it seemed too cruel to take such terrible measures just to distract attention. But now that so many were staring at him in terror, all thoughts of mercy had disappeared behind a veil of shame and rage. "If they want to shout, I will give them a good reason.
When Eric pulled out the dagger, he quickly cut the fat rope fastened to the right. The rope fibers split apart and spread out until they split in two. Upstairs on the rafters of the theater, many blocks were threateningly moaning as the rope rushed up, tearing the rest of the supports in its path. The chandelier over her heads groaned ominously, falling sharply by a few feet. The crowd below instantly forgot about the disfigured man on the stage - all eyes rushed upwards; there was a friendly choking sigh.
Eric sent a short, triumphant smile into the box, where he jumped on Raoul's feet. The young viscount was clearly in a panic, but Eric, who was angry, did not see it. All he felt was the delight of victory. He got Christine, and Raoul would soon be left with nothing.
With the secret lever pulled, Eric pressed Christine closer to him, protecting her, and the hatch opened under their feet. Under the influence of the gravity of both of them threw down into the darkness under the stage. Christina's hysterical scream froze on her lips, and the hidden panels returned to their place, closing the passage to the maze below.
Christina resisted the terrible grip of her Angel as he dragged her further and further into the basement of the Opera House. But her fight was in vain: he did not even slow down the step. Previously, she had already witnessed his supernatural power, but never imagined that she would have to fight with him alone.
Now he was furious - each curse and the abominable curse was accompanied by a sharp swing of the torch in his left hand. Christina already knew that he had a heavy temper, but the emotions that overwhelmed him now, went beyond anything she had ever seen in other people. Their heat scared the hell out of her all the time that Angel was pulling her along.
As they descended through the endless corridors and bending stairs, the cold of the dungeons slowly began to sift her to the bone. Cristina couldn't help but shake the body. While the cold was no worse than Eric's grip on her wrist, Cristina felt that her fear was melting in the heat of anger. She always lacked willpower, she knew it and accepted it until her soul rebelled against the fate that her angel had prepared for her. At that moment, Christina realized that she would do anything for freedom, for the happiness that she finally deserved.
The road to Eric's secret underground hideout was surprisingly long. Seven levels of dungeons lay between the surface and his cold home. By the time he pushed Christine into the waiting boat, she no longer had the strength to resist. Tormented, she lay on the floor of the boat while he ruled the pole, entraining them through a network of submerged chambers formed by a vast underground lake. He ruled in complete silence for a long time, but Christina knew that his silence did not mean that his anger had softened in any way.
Soon the boat hit the rocks that framed the small pier in front of his house. Christina quickly sat down and looked up at Eric, who threw his pole aside and got out of the boat. He turned to her, and Christina recoiled, expecting to be hanged on her feet. She was surprised when he simply handed her his hand.
When he noticed her hesitation, he swore irritably:
- Damn it, woman, take my hand. The steps were slippery. - His voice was rude from the recent shouting and barely contained anger, but it still slipped through the cracks.
Cristina got up and leaned on the hand she had proposed. Eric helped her get out of the boat, holding her hand in hers before she was reluctant to let go. His unexpected tenderness had dampened Christina's growing anger. His kindness has always had this effect on her. It was difficult to remain evil in the face of such affection.
Yet when Eric walked silently away from her, Cristina felt again that she was getting angry. That was the only thing that allowed her to remain immune to the attraction of his personality. She didn't have to give in to the temptation again.
to be continued...