Her Innocence || Phantom of the Opera

Chapter Twenty-Nine

PhantomPOV:

I was ready to die, to give up everything. I stepped into the fire knowing that I wouldn't ever see light again. There was a place reserved in Hell for me; yet, even with even that knowledge, the temptation to forget Christine was too great.

How dare someone try to take that right from me?

I cuffed my hands around whoever's throat it was in the water, wishing for their death. They took away my freedom, and now I was to have yet another murder on my hands.

In my rage, I could tell it was a girl who was fighting me. Not Christine, I knew better. The girl though, she was familiar. However, I didn't cease trapping her under the layer of water without the hint of survival. She would pay.

A few moments later, I could feel the women grow weak, but yet my anger didn't go away. Slowly, her arms fell into the water and went limp. She had to die.

'Erik.'

Something pulled me, Erik, back to reality. I blinked a few times, erasing the angry, phantom side of my personality. The girl, who's eyes were now closed, had mouthed my name. Faintly and weakly, but all the same my name. I frantically pulled her from the water, realising that it was Meg Giry. I grasped her head, which dangled lifelessly and pulled her ashore. What had I done!?

I gently put her head down onto the bank and put my ear to her chest. I could hear no heartbeat. No.

I whispered an apology before unlacing her dress and corset. I performed CPR and mouth-to-mouth technique, something I had learned back in Persia before coming to Paris. It rarely worked, but it was all I had faith in left. After a few minutes with no response, I gave up hope. I had to face reality: I had just killed Meg.

I cried out in frustration and hatred for myself. My fists pounded the ground like the madman I was until I saw red. Still, I continued on, past the point of feeling physical pain... It was impossible, though, to stop the pain inside me. I looked back to the fire that was only growing by the second. Soon, it would reach me and Meg's body, and then I would finally be able kill the monster inside me. I would no longer hurt anyone.

With tears in my eyes, I leaned down and kissed Meg. It was selfish, last minute wish of mine; perhaps she could have been my new Christine. She was one of the only 'friends' I had, her and her mother. They had done so much for me, but it was all for nothing. Meg's lips were tinted a light pink, but cold and were just another reminder of my many murders. I let every emotion take its toll: anger, hatred, love, passion. My deformed mouth didn't sync perfectly with hers, but in that moment, I didn't care. I wasn't judged. I stayed leaned over her for what seemed, or might as well have been, a lifetime.

Slowly I pulled away, my eyes remaining closed. The kiss was all I had to offer as an apology for absolutely everything. For all the murders and heartbreaks, for all the scares and worries, everything.

I heard a slight, breezed noise nearby, and I pried open my eyes to look down at Meg's corpse. Suddenly, her cold lips quivered and let out a loud gasp followed by multiple gags. Her blue eyes flew open and I immediately flipped her to her side to allow her to cough up all the water in her lungs. Relief washed over me as I watched the girl cough and breathe. She was alive.

"Er-Erik?" She was breathing deeply after a few minutes of choking. Before I could say anything, she abruptly began to throw up onto the ground. I held her in a crouched position, helping her stay up on her weak hands and knees. When she had used up all her remaining energy, she slouched away from the mess and towards me. She held her dress together with one hand and leaned her back against my chest. "Wha-What... happened?" She gasped.

I didn't know what to say, nor how to say anything. I had almost killed her, after all.

"I remember..." She paused, then shook her head. "You saved me."

"No," I stated. I couldn't lie to her, but I couldn't tell her the complete truth either, so instead I avoided the subject completely. "You saved me."

"But, how...? Why...? Why did you step into the fire? Would you really think your life so insignificant that you would have died?"

I don't have any purpose being alive, I wanted to say, but simply looked to the floor. Sensing my movement, Meg slowly turned in her sitting position to face me.

"Erik," she paused as I slightly flinched at my name. I still wasn't used to people calling me anything but the 'opera ghost,' and even Christine had used 'angel' as my permanent nickname. "Is it's all right if I call you that?" I slowly nodded, unsure if I could say 'no' even if I wanted to. "Well, I personally knowthat everyone's life, including yours, is the most valuable thing we can own. Everyone deserves second, or maybe even third, chances at getting it right."

"Monsters don't get happy endings," I clarified.

She looked into my eyes, her own shaded over in thought. "Perhaps you just need a new beginning for yourself..."

I sighed. How could I look at myself as anything but a monster? I couldn't escape, even if I did try to 'start over.' Maybe she was right, but I would never forget the monster behind my mask.

***

A/N: Sooo...this part of the story is completed!

I'll see if I get around to writing a sequel. Don't make any promises for the near future (:

Love ya guys, and thanks for the read!!

A/N (2020): Thank you all for the continuous support on this story! Even years later, (I first published this in 2014... WOW!) it's still managed to stay afloat on tags and reading lists. I don't have a sequel for this story, unfortunately, but I hope this ending is satisfactory enough? My younger self would be so disappointed in me for not continuing, but I've put my interests elsewhere.

If you'd like to write a sequel to this, be my absolute guest! Would love to read what you come up with xx

As always, thank you.

Sav