The Shadow's Melody || The Phantom of the Opera || Book One

4. What Have They Done To You?

Chapter Four || What Have They Done To You?

My mouth dropped open when I saw the passageway that was concealed by the Prima Donna'a gigantic mirror. So, that's where the breeze was coming from!

Mystery solved!

As for another mystery: who opened it?

A contraption like this couldn't open itself and the wind that blew through here wasn't that strong. Or was it?

I touched the frame and peered down the dark damp passageway.

Who goes this wa-

Click.

The door to the dressing room.

The wind probably closed it.

Woosh.

The light it - it went out. I froze. I impatiently waited for my eyes to adjust to the newfound darkness. I felt frozen, one foot still in the dressing room and one foot on the cold stone floor of the hidden passageway.

I listened.

I heard breathing.

Oh sure, my breathing. Ha! What fear does to your imagination!

No wait, I heard something else. Holding my breath I listened again.

I heard it.

Breathing.

Slow.

Steady.

Deep.

And directly behind me. So close the breath blew a strand of my hair causing it to brush against my nose.

Turning I made a quick run for it but before I made it to the dressing room door I felt a rope tighten around my neck, pulling me back.

A hand covered my mouth as I pulled at the tight rough rope around my fragile neck, "Cry for help and you die. Right here. Right now. Do you understand?"

I nodded the best I could with the person's hand firmly over my mouth. After a few seconds I felt the grip release and the rope loosen.

My eyes searched the darkness for this lunatic, "Who are you?!"

"I'll ask the questions. Who are you?" the voice was low (a man's) and close. But I still couldn't place where he was in the room.

"I asked you first," my throat already felt sore from that blasted rope.

"You don't need to know who I am."

"Well maybe you don't need to know who I am! You ever think of that, creep?! Two can play at this game!" just then I felt a hand close around my throat and push me up against the wall. Oops.

"If we were playing a game I assure you you would lose in a heartbeat. Now. Who. Are. You." the man was so close to me I could feel his warm breath on my face. I clawed at the fingers around my throat and holding me up. His hand was gloved, and as I desperately searched for something to support myself I grazed his face. What I felt was not skin. It was harder, colder, smoother.

That's when I stopped trying to escape his iron grip.

"Phantom," it barely came through my closed off throat.

He moved his head and I saw a glimmer of white.

A second later he released his grip and I crumpled to the floor coughing and gasping for air. Another second passed and light returned to the room.