Phantom of the Opera (Oneshots)

The Gallows (Erik)

What if Erik was arrested and sentenced to death?
Trigger warning: hanging, guns

"Did you hear? He's been sentenced to death!" "I guess that Phantom fellow isn't so scary after all!" I throw my hands over my ears and pick up my pace, weaving through members of the opera house. My throat burns and my eyes are stinging as I try to suppress my tears. I shove the large doors of the opera house entrance and the sounds from the street hit my ears. I pull up the skirt of my dress so I don't trip as I sprint down the stairs. The noises and movement around me cause my panic to spike. "Are you alright, mademoiselle? Hello?" I stumble over my own foot as I start running again. 

I arrive at Place de la Concorde, where executions are held. There are men setting up the gallows, a few people watching by the side. I turn to the building I know Erik is being held in and throw the front door open. The police officer in the front jumps, startled, and looks at me with wide eyes, "Is something the matter?" I open my mouth to shout at him, but I know it wouldn't do any good. I shake my head no and exit the building.

The gallows are all set up and people are flooding the square, chatting excitedly. Every execution is just a fun show for them to watch. It's disgusting. How could people take pleasure in watching people die like this? So many of the people sent to the gallows didn't even deserve death for the crimes they committed. Erik certainly doesn't.

Yeah, he killed a couple people, but he did it in good faith. He didn't exactly know how bad his actions were. His mother drank poison when Erik was in the womb in an attempt to kill him, but all it did was deform his face. He didn't have parents to give him a normal childhood. His father left before he was born, his mother couldn't bear to look at his face, and then his mother sold him off to a circus. Erik is a tragic man who just needs help moving in the right direction.

People come from behind me and I'm moved forward into the crowd. I'm pressed against bodies of strangers trying to get a better view. People start roaring. A body moves out of my way and I catch a glimpse of someone being led up the stairs to the gallows. His eyes are fixed on the wooden boards, never glancing at the crowd. The sunlight illuminates his face, his deformity giving the illusion of his skin rippling. I push through people, squeezing between the tightly packed crowd to get closer to the gallows. The executioner takes Erik from the police officer's grasp and throws a noose over Erik's neck, tightening it. Erik finally looks up and into the crowd, raising his head and sneering. Even facing death, Erik refuses to surrender. If his hands weren't bound behind his back, Erik would have tried to kill the guards and executioner.

I lift up the side of my dress and grab the cold, hard steel strapped to my thigh. I raise the Beaumont–Adams revolver Erik gave me to use as a last-resort defense tool and shoot at the long part of the rope. I miss by a great amount, but it still helps. Screams erupt from the crowd and people shove each other out of the way as they flee the area, not wanting to be shot. I take advantage of the confusion to heave myself up onto the gallow stage and push myself onto my feet. I raise the gun towards the sky and fire once again, "Shut up, all of you!" My voice rises over the screaming. Many of the people are too far away to hear or ignore me, but around twenty or thirty turn in my direction. The few police officers who were in attendance of the execution are aiming their guns at me. A lump forms in my throat, "The criminal justice system is flawed. People who need help are sentenced to death instead. Trials aren't fair, if they're even held at all." Anger swells within my chest and the lump in my throat clears," You people come to executions and act like they're a theatre performance you should bring your whole family to. You point and laugh and cheer as these people die painfully, all for your entertainment. All the men and women sentenced to death for petty crimes. All the men and women sentenced to death for crimes that were never proven."

"Erik Destler is a man who never learned how to properly interact with society. He has shown the ability to feel empathy and true kindness. He is not one of the psychopaths who deserve to pay for their crimes with their life. For as long as I live, I will take care of him and love him like no one else has tried to do." I grab the rope and press the gun against it, pulling the trigger. The part of the noose around Erik's neck falls loose and I rip it off, quickly untying his hands afterward. Erik shakes the ropes off and rubs his wrists, trying to soothe them. One police officer nudges another and shouts, "What are you just standing around for? Shoot them!" Erik is quick to grab my hand and pull me with him as he retreats down the stairs and down the nearest alley. The officers follow us, so I fire another shot into the air to scare them off. I tuck the gun back into my leg holster and use my now-free hand to hold the skirt of my dress as Erik leads me through the alleyways. I have two bullets left, so I have to save them.

He laughs, causing me to look at him in confusion. Erik has a huge smile on his face as he gazes at me, "Nothing. It just sounded like you were proposing to me up there or something." A moment passes before I register what Erik was talking about. My face feels hot, but I can't tell if that's from running or embarrassment. I exhale in a laugh, "If that's the way you want to take it, go ahead." We turn down one more alley but Erik suddenly stops, nearly yanking my arm out of its socket. I turn to give him a questioning look.

Erik gently grabs both of my hands in his and drops down on one knee. "(Y/N)," He smiles brilliantly, making my heart jump, "let's run away together. We can start our own life somewhere no one knows us. For as long as I live, I will take care of you and love you like you deserve to be loved." Tears, both from the stressful day I've had and the happiness of the current moment, fall from my eyes, "Of course." I can't manage to say any more than that without sobbing, which Erik understands. He beams at me and pulls the black ring off his finger, sliding it onto mine.

Erik and I board a ship leaving for the United States, not telling anyone goodbye. I watch as Paris gets smaller and smaller as the ship sails through the water. Erik wraps his arms around my waist and all the tension in my body releases. Erik and I can finally start a happy, care-free life of our own.