Persephone's Angel

Normality

Chapter Forty Seven: Normality

--* Erik and I immediately rushed the girls out of the mausoleum and cemetery and back to the carriage where Erik ordered us to be taken to the outside of Paris, I turned to Erik. "Where are we going?" I asked, allowing Mimi to hold Emily; Erik sighed and clutched my hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Don't worry, it's someone who can help us" said he, raising up my hand and kissing the top; I nodded hesitantly, unsure of this person, but, I thrust my trust into Erik and laid in his arms as the carriage flew down the road, bumping and throwing us around as it did so.

--* We soon arrived to a ramshackle house on the outskirts of Paris, the wooden house was practically green with rotting wood; the shutters clung to the windows by a singular nail and the concrete pathway leading up to the house crumbled to dust beneath Erik's feet! He helped us out of the carriage; Emily clasped onto my hip and refused to be placed down as we neared the entrance of the house. I transferred Emily to my left hip and held Mimi's hand with my free hand; Emily told me she was scared whilst Mimi remained in a state of curious stupefaction. Erik didn't knock on the door, he just waltzed straight inside! "Erik!"

I whispered urgently, he paused and turned giving his attention to me. "We can't just walk in to someone's house!" I said.

"Yes, you can!" A voice rang out from inside the house; Erik smiled and helped Mimi into the house, helping me in last and closing the door behind us. The house was thickened in darkness and dust, a mixture which coated my lungs. For a while, I couldn't see, my pupils hadn't dilated and I relied on Erik to lead me in the right direction; we seemed to be in a hallway, a long hallway; we passed a room with a small window, but, over the window was thrown a thick quilt and I only made out that it was a window because of the line of light peeking out between the quilt and the wall. I squeezed Erik's hand tighter and pulled myself closer to him, I fretted what would happen if we accidentally split up!

As we continued down the hallway, old boards moaned and snapped beneath our tread; I even fell through once! I was walking over carpet and there was a large snapping sound and I started falling! I gasped and pushed Emily forwards; I didn't see where she landed. As my shoulders fell into the hole Erik got a better grasp of my hands and for a moment I just hung there; suspended. My feet kicked but I didn't feel anything!

No floor, no nothing, whomever this person was, they must have a quite large basement! Erik pulled me up and I scrambled beneath his arms and began coughing; heavy breathing and air thickly hung with dust is not the greatest combination. I shook uncontrollably and held Erik tightly to me; Erik only smiled and stroked my hair, whispering calming words to me and finally kissing my forehead. "It's going to be okay, angel, I won't let you fall." Said he, hugging me and sighing, giving a small cough of his own. He turned from me and instantly began to search, frantically.

"What? What's the matter?" I asked, still shaking from the unexpected adventure.

"The girls, they were standing right here! They're gone!" Erik cried; I attempted to run down the hallway in search of them but Erik grasped my arm. "Oh, no, no, lovely. We need to stay together, I'm not losing my wife" said he, I smiled and nodded, but returned to his arms, I felt so much safer there.

We yelled and yelled for our little ones over and over, only when my voice cracked did something happen; and that something was a dog. A ginormous, velvety, ebony coloured dog with muscular hind legs and teeth that were sharper than razor blades! The dog flashed these to us and Erik pushed me behind him, I peeked over his shoulder at the dog; it's tail was long and slender. Erik backed us away from the animal and, as I squinted, I noticed something decidedly strange; the dog had a clear feline face!