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Blood created a path that trailed its way just outside of the upstairs apartment. Christine lied cold and motionless in the hallway. Time had frozen still and all she could hear was the haggard state of her breathing. Her throat was swollen shut and it was practically impossible to expel or inhale a single breath. Christine's head throbbed and her disoriented vision caused the ceiling to spin in nauseously tormenting circles. She squeezed her eyes shut but it only made it worse.
The sound of heavy footsteps approaching alarmed Christine; she quickly began dragging herself backward through the blood trotted entrance of the room, using the strength of her elbows and forearms. She felt the disgusting moisture, that was puddled in the doorway sweep against her bare arms, yet she ignored it, for nothing mattered to her now except for her survival.
Black gloved hands gestured a sign of safety above her and the man's facial features physically morphed into a number of emotions all at once: anger, despair, guilt, and sadness. The Angel of Music cursed underneath his breath and turned to stare at Christine with tear filled eyes. One escaped the confinement of his white mask and trickled onto Christine's bruised cheek and slid down into her matted hair.
"I'm so sorry, Christine. I wasn't here! I should be damned to hell for this! I'm so sorry," he sobbed compulsively. He grabbed her head and felt the sticky substance that was caked to her scalp.
"Curse the wretched fool who did this to you, for they will not see the light of day!" He shouted in a fuming declaration of war.
"Jose- ", Christine managed.
"Say no more," he replied, understanding instantly. The Phantom quickly placed an old woven quilt over the gray velvet chaise to the right of the bed. He came back and gently picked Christine up from the dingy floor and laid her on top of the blanket. The Phantom started to turn away when Christine grabbed his wrist with all the strength she had left in her body.
"He...he's wounded," she informed. He ran out with that, locking the door behind him. Madame Giry unlocked the door, and she and Meg rushed in minutes later.
The Phantom followed the path marked by the numerous droplets of blood that lead from the upstairs apartment down to the back of the theatre. It was late evening now, so there was no one inhabiting the theatre except a few dancers who stayed in the dormitories downstairs.
When the trail became non-existent, the Phantom relied on his instincts. Joseph Boquet was known to lounge around backstage when he was off duty, which many speculated was due to his homelessness and his drunken tendencies. The Phantom had watched him stalking around several times after hours before the first incident occurred when Monsieur Lefevre was still the manager.
The Phantom waited from the wings. The stage was quiet for a while, he considered leaving, and searching elsewhere until he heard anguished moaning coming from behind a large, wooden-crescent moon that was elevated in front of a night sky backdrop during Hannibal. He silently approached the wooden canvas, with every intention of ending the sorry bastards life as soon as he saw him, but something strange stopped him. Joseph had been gruesomely stabbed in his abdomen. Tears stained his dirty face as he was curled up in the fetal position with a flask opened next to his face and a puddle of liquor but a few inches away.
The Phantom was in shock, his beautiful, lovely, and innocent, Christine had the will to fight back against such an atrocious fiend. He was impressed and proud, to say the least. Before Buquet spotted him quietly observing from the other side of the wooden moon, he had slipped into a drunken coma.
This was the perfect scenario. The Phantom at this point could easily dispose of Bouquet. It would only take one slick strike to the neck with a knife, and the grotesque excuse for a man would suffocate to death, yet as it ironically turned out, Joseph Bouquet, just a few minutes into passing out, had stopped breathing indefinitely.
Christine had successfully defeated him.
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Hey guys! I know this is a super short chapter, but I think it was quite to the point. The next few chapters will be pretty lengthy, for sure! Thank you 🙏 all so much for reading and I can't wait for you all to experience what this book has next for you... it's gonna get a whole lot crazier with even more twists to the stories you have come to love.
Remember, I would love ❤️ it if you would take a couple of seconds to share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section!!! Love you guys and will be updating again soon, sorry for how slow it's been, I've had a little writer's block lately, anyways.... hope you have a Phantastic and Beauty-ful day!
