The Underground Music (Phantom of the Opera Fanfic)

Chapter 7: Playing Doctor

A...hand? Now, this is a strange sight indeed- something I wasn't expecting to see. Very out of place, it is...My God! What if it's a corpse's hand?! It is just dangling there- is it the hand of a person caught in the earthquake, or whatever that just was?

I brought my closed hand up to my mouth thoughtfully, touching my thumb to my lips. I don't really want to touch a dead person's hand...But wait! I want to be a doctor! I must help this person!

"Don't worry, sir, I'm coming up to help you! Just give me a moment, and I'll be up there!" I started to swim for the fallen boulders once more.

"Are you an idiot?" A booming voice with a French accent called after me.

An idiot?! I turned around and faced the ledge. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Take my hand, foolish girl!"

"Oh, that hand belonged to you! You're alive! Oh, goodness, I thought you were dead!" I said, swimming back to the face of the ledge. "Oh, and by the way, sir, as I can tell you are foreign, the words you used, 'idiot' and 'foolish', aren't the right words- I commend you for trying to use English instead of your native tongue, though- the words you want are 'survivor' and 'courageous'."

"What?!...Never-mind, just take my hand, and let me be done with you!"

Another mistake in his English...I know he meant, "and let me save you."

I found his hand. But there's something odd about the...what would those aestheticians call it? The...the...vibe, that's it- the vibe of this man. Should I take his hand?

Oh, come now, I shouldn't overthink things. This man has come to help me. I'm surprised by how little time it took the people of London to notice I was missing, and to locate me!

I put my hand in his. The leather glove pressed against the palm of my hand, and I could feel the tightness of it. He closed his hand around mine, and his grasp was strong. My hand felt secure in his...I can trust this man.

All at once, I began to be lifted up from the water, and I felt his muscles straining. My heart began to race. Instinctively, I latched my other hand onto his arm.

I was dragged on my belly onto the ledge, but my legs were still dangling over the ledge. His hand released mine, and he left me to get back up on my feet on my own, as he obviously saw that I was fully capable of helping myself. After taking a moment to gather my strength, I bent my arms at my elbows, and, positioning my arms at my sides as if I'm about to do a push-up, I pressed my hands against the ground, lifting myself up ever so slightly. It took all of my strength to hold myself up as I pulled my legs over the ledge and swung them underneath me. Then, I brought myself up on my feet, and stood to face my helper.

But he was gone.

"Sir? Sir?"

There was no answer.

What's the French word for "Sir"?...Ah, that's right!

"Monsignor?"

Still no answer.

Oh, he must have gone off to see if there is anyone else in need...but who would there be down here aside from me?

...The Underground Musician! Oh dear, he must be in danger! I must help- if he's injured, he'll need me, a doctor-in-training, with him!"

But where would he be? Okay, so I've already been right, and that brought me to a dead end...plus, it's closed off...forward it is, then?

Resolving on going forward, I set my sights straight ahead and rushed off. But no sooner had I rushed off than I stepped on a bunch of sharp pebbles.

"Ow-owowowow!" I picked my foot up and held it, as if that would take the pain away.

Jenny! This isn't the time to be a baby! Someone needs you!

As much as it pained me, I pressed my foot back onto the ground, and kept running. It felt as if I was that little girl back on the biggest vacation we could afford at the beach, running as fast as I could over the sharp shells so I could get to the water with as little foot pain as possible.

Mind over matter, mind over matter, block out the pain, Jenny...pain is meant to attract your attention, so if you ignore it, then you'll defeat it's purpose, and you wouldn't feel it! Ha, I knew my psychology course would come in handy!

But no- it didn't work. I still felt the pain. Still, this is of no consequence...I just have to keep on running.

I ran and ran, dodging whatever boulders I could see through the darkness, until I came to a fork in the path. My instinct told me to go left, and so I did.

Then, as I was running, a big, black mass that I passed by caught my attention a split second after I had passed it. I backed up.

It's not a mass...rather, it's a lack of mass. It's a hole in the wall.

There were pieces of crumbled wall scattered upon the ground in front of the hole.

A part of me told me that I'd find something- or find the musician, possibly- if I went through it. Or maybe it was a new adventurous side of me...Or maybe- yes, this has to be it- it was that heroic, brave side of me. Regardless, I put one leg forward and stepped up into the hole.

Inside the hole, the ground was uneven, so I nearly lost my balance right off the bat. I swung my arms out to press my hands against each wall, securing myself in the middle of my outstretched arms.

I took in my surroundings. It was an oval-shaped tunnel...the floor was formed like an upwards parabola, and the walls were curved inwards. No matter- as long as I shimmy myself along, I'll be safe.

I commenced in that exact fashion- shimmying myself along. Obviously, I advanced slowly like this- but I was better safe than sorry. I'm going to need to be alive and well when I arrive at the scene of the injured musician.

Minutes- many, many minutes- passed by. I was determined to come to the end of this tunnel.

Then, my eyes detected a change in lighting. The path ahead was slightly more lit than the path behind me. It was blanketed in a thin, soft orange hue, the hue of candle-light. But the last time I thought myself to be seeing candle-light, there were no candles to be seen.

That's when I realized- it must be a moving torch! Someone must be carrying it!

I ran ahead, and my feet made loud, echoing slapping sounds against the ground. I was moving fast enough to keep myself from completely losing my balance. But as soon as I thought I had reached the end of the tunnel, an opening into a large, open space-

The light went out.

And now it's darker than any other part of the tunnel I've seen so far.

I can't even see! Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! What have I gotten myself into?!

Wait, wait, the person with the torch- she or he was just here, so surely if I yell, he'd , or she'd, be able to hear me!

"Hellooooooo! Can you please turn back on that light?! I'm here on a rescue mission!" I screamed as loudly as possible.

No response, and no light. Maybe I should yell again-

Something slapped against my mouth. I jumped out of my skin.

My mouth was covered.