One Heart- The Greatest Showman

Chapter 30

Elizabeth's Pov

One match was all that it took and the room was ablaze. Fire seemed to be gaining more power by the second.  Smouldering, fire grazed the bottom of the wooden post, crawling its way up. To contrast the orange fire, thick black smoke filled the room - fighting a war with the fire, to see who inflict the first wound. 

He stood their. Right in front of me. His nose, off centred as always, had been tinged with ash while his eyes stared at me. A victorious snarl forming on his lips alongside the traces of alcohol and the remains of protests from tonight's show. He had his hands wrapped around his captives neck, holding something that small and sharp. A broken piece of glass maybe? Whatever it was, I knew it was meant to cut the skin.  Despite having a sharp pressed against his throat, the man stared at me. His piercing icy blue eyes remaining on mine. 

Phillip began to cough as smoke violently filled the room, the shard of glass beginning to open the skin. 

"No!" I cried out, trying to lurch forward. To run to Phillip's aid. My voice was laced with desperation as I could see Phillip fading away quickly. The two men behind me, holding me back so I could not move a single inch towards Phillip. The man laughed viciously as Phillip fell to the ground due to him inhaling enough smoke to loss consciousness. He stood over Phillip ready to place the shard of glass into his throat, to end his life right in front of my eyes.

 "Please, Please don't. I'll do anything. I'll stop fighting Just, please don't kill him" I begged as tears streamed down my face, attempting to remove any ash as I saw Phillip hurting and in pain .

The man looked at me intently, debating how to make me suffer, before stepping away from Phillip. Just as I thought he was going to leave Phillip, the man whipped back around - jamming the shard into Phillip's stomach until only a tiny piece of what seemed to be a label could be seen.  The metallic sent of blood filling the air as I could see blood gushing out around the glass. Staining his white shirt.

"NO!" I screamed as I thrashed around in the men's arms. Trying to get their grip to loosen. They men dragged me away from the bleeding Phillip as I could feel my eyes shutting, escaping from what had just happened. 

*****

I screamed, lurching up right in bed. I was covered in cold sweat as I quickly jumped out of the bed and went to the other side of the room. The dream leaving me terrified. 

Anne ran in not long after I screamed and began to guide me back over to the edge of the bed, attempting to calm me down. But even she couldn't no matter how much we tried. I would be like this - a panicked, terrified, anxious wreck - for the next two hours or so. It was now a battle which I had to enter and fight alone.

Anne, left in order to get food for today, and I began to get ready for the day ahead of me. We were all going to meet up at the building, or what remained of it, and attempt to figure out what on earth we were going today. 

The thought of going back there just made me shutter. What was once beautiful and colourful, was now a pile of black - uniformed into the rest of society. Exactly what they wanted. 

Anne and I left a little while after, holding two baskets full of food for everyone. Despite being awake, I could feel the dream lurk over my head. Like a cloud that was threating to release a storm. I mean, I was still shaking and the residue of the cold beads of sweat remained. 

When we neared the old building, I told Anne that I would catch up, that I wanted to look in the bookstore quickly. This was half true. I did want to look in the store, but it was also giving me more time to calm down. I didn't really want anyone to see me when  I was still worked up. 

*****

Anne's Pov

Lizzy peeled off and ran into the bookstore as soon as we passed it, giving me her basket. It was her place of escape. I knew she needed more time. Three days since she got back and three nights where she has had her nightmares. 

She kept telling me that she "wasn't getting them" or that she was "fine" but I could tell she was lying, perks of being a best friend. You can tell when they are lying. For Lizzy, her eyes would furrow slightly and she would push her hair behind her ears. 

Phillip saw me straight away and, subtly, made his way over when he noticed Lizzy's absence. 

"Again?" He questioned when he was close enough that nobody else could here. He was the only one, other than W.D and myself, who knew about Lizzy's dreams.  And for the last couple of days, he knew that if Lizzy was missing - it meant she was panicking or worrying about something. 

I nodded to his one worded question. 

"Are they getting any better?" 

I shook my head, "They are getting worst and more frequent." My tone filled with regret. " Like this morning, she flinched when I touched her shoulder. She had never done that before! Do you get them that bad?" 

"Occasionally." He stated. " Typically once I am awake and realise that it is no real, I am all good." 

He asked me where Lizzy was before slowly parting from the crowd of performers. 

"Foods Here!" I yell cheerfully, despite feeling so anxious about Lizzy. 

"Where'd Phil Go?" Someone yelled out, drawing everyone's attention to Phillip's absence. 

"He has just ducked out to get something from the market. He will be back shortly." I said, hoping my story would cover Phillip. 

Everyone nodded before digging into the bread and jam Lizzy and I had brought in. 

*****

Phillip's Pov 

"Liz?" I questioned as I walked into the book store, sticking my head around the corners of shelves to try to find her. 

And there she was, sitting near Shakespeare's works ( no surprise there). Pieces of hair falling around her face as I could see her try to calm herself down. 

I walked slowly up to her, trying not to scare her, before crouching down. Taking her hand in mine, our fingers intertwining .  

Lizzy slowly met my eyes, hers signalling her anxiousness. I ran my thumb over the back of her hand before placing my lips on it lightly. Something, that appeared to calm her down a little bit. 

We just sat there in silence, Lizzy knowing that I was there seemed to help her when she would get all flustered after a panic attack or nightmare. 

Not long after, she nodded her head. Letting me know that she was ready to see everyone. We didn't really have to talk, we just knew what the other was thinking, how the other was feeling. 

"Later?" I questioned and stated as we walked out of the book store, her hand resting in the crook of my arm. 

"Yes." She responded, telling me from her one word answer that she would explain what the nightmare was about latter on this day. 

When we had arrived back at the building, all the performers we sitting around on numerous things; rocks, chairs, remnants of burnt building. Discussing how we were going to continue the show. 

"What about the docks?" Lizzy piped up as she detached herself from my arm. 

Everyone look puzzled by her question but I knew exactly where she was going. 

"Land is cheap down there." I stated, looking Lizzy as she formulated a plan in her head. Using her fingers to draw things in the air. 

"But we don't have any money to purchase the land, no bank in America will give us any." Barnum said. 

"Well, since I knew who I was working with, I took my  10% share weekly. So how about it P.T? Partners? 

I extended my hand, Barnum shaking it as we officially became partners. 

"So that covers land? But where a we going to perform?" 

"I have an idea." Lizzy said as she ran up to Barnum and I, explaining her well formulated plan.