Run Just…GO!
Disclaimer: I don't own POTO, but if I did, then it would be great.
He had to get away, that was all he could think about. He had to run as far from Paris as he could, even though he should have stayed below. He knew that there would be a search for him in Paris, and that he shouldn't have left the safety of his lair, but he had to run. The mob was after him, and the opera house was full of memories of his Christine, he had to get away.
In fact, he didn't know why he decided to escape. There was no where for him to go; no one needed him around. No one waited for him, why'd he bother to run anyway?
There was no answer for his reasons, none that he could think of. He wasn't afraid of the mob, certainly he could handle them; and he wasn't afraid of dying, in fact, he welcomed death. All he knew was that he used an escape tunnel to crawl out of the opera house, and the police were looking for him, he began to run to the North West, and hadn't stopped since.
His mind told him to stop, that he didn't have to run anymore, but his legs kept running. His legs began to throb as he left Paris, and was far enough out so he could rest.
Never had he run like that before, or at least- not for a while. The last time he ran as if his life depended on it was when Antoinette Giry helped him escape the gypsies. That- incidentally- ended up being the last time he feared for his life.
"Damn it!" He yelled to himself, slamming his fist on the ground. He couldn't go back, even if he wanted to.
Well, I hope you're happy a voice inside him nagged. You've finally exiled yourself. It was only a matter of time I suppose.
"I didn't mean to, I had to get out. The cellar was filling with smoke, the mob, I had no choice." He argued, he was probably just trying to figure out why he'd done what he did. But for whatever reason, he'd done it; there was no turning back.
Guess what else? The voice mocked.
"What?"
Touch your face. Erik did so; he raised his hand and covered the side of his face, which had no mask!
"Shit!" Erik snapped, fear and stupidity gripped his heart when he realized that he'd left his mask back in Paris, along with his wig, money, and music box.
Yep! The voice taunted proudly. You forgot your mask and wig, although I can't wait for you to figure a way out of this.
Quickly, Erik rose to his feet. Even though his side still ached like mad, and his legs throbbed, he ran. He couldn't risk being exposed for so long. Frankly, without his mask and wig, he felt naked, and a man as refined as him hated to feel naked in the forest.
He ran until he hit the next town, Beauvaris; he had his hand on his face and was gawked at by everyone. But he didn't think any of it, for two main reasons:
He had to find a wig and a mask
He had been gawked at his whole life, so it wasn't much of a surprise. Besides, he'd anticipated it.
He went through the town until he found a store that specialized in Masquerade costumes, ironically enough. He marched in without asking the clerk where the masks or wigs were. He looked like he was on a mission, and he was.
He went right for the masks, and found one that covered his entire face, but he didn't need it to. All he needed was for it to cover his disfigurement, and he also took into consideration that he would be more likely to be arrested for burglary or something stupid if he wore the mask as a whole.
In all actuality, he didn't need a wig. The mask covered enough of his face so that his hair that flung out over the edge of it could be tucked neatly in the mask, and he wouldn't look like the same person, considering the mask was black with some fake feathers on it that he'd pull off later.
It wasn't until after he got the mask that he remembered that he didn't have any money.
Oh well. He thought to himself as he hid the mask within his fluffy shirt. Won't be the first time. He put his hand back over his face, and left the store; but not before stealing a pair of scissors from the sewing department.
It was actually surprisingly easy. He hid in Beauvaris's park until he could cut half his mask off, and put the left half on his face. Wow, you handled that pretty well! The voice praised, and it sounded impressed with him.
"Damn Dirty Thief!" The clerk of the Masquerade shop could be heard yelling not far off. Panicking, Erik stood and ran.
Damn it I hate this! I'm running like an animal He thought to himself as he left the town and started back into the forest.
Just keep going. If you get arrested, they'll take the mask and whatever shred of dignity you've got left. The voice replied as if Erik cared what it thought.
I haven't got any dignity left. Erik snapped at himself mentally as he ran.
No, you've mistaken. You have got dignity, what you haven't got is sanity
He'd spent a couple of days hiding in the forest, eventually he got to Amiens, and had planned on stealing something to eat, but the clerk watched him closely because of his mask (Which he pulled the feathers off of by then.) and he couldn't steal something.
His stomach growled, and the hunger gnawed away at him. Sure, he was used to the feeling. He rarely ate when he lived below the opera, but he could only go so long without eating. Before long he would perish from hunger, and at that point, it sounded like a good idea to him.
Erik went in and out of Amiens within a day, and wasn't able to steal anything to eat. The eighth to worst thing about his situation was that his clothes were being ripped by the branches he ran through, and he probably stank terribly. But all he could think of was how he would survive if he didn't have any money to buy food.
He became so desperate for food that he ended up eating some berries he found on his way to Lille; but an hour before he got into town; he began to feel very sick. Obviously enough, the berries weren't good for him, and he was feeling himself fade. He stumbled a few inches before falling forward onto the grass, and everything around him faded into black, and all he could think of was:
Oh god…I'm dying…
I'm…Dying…
Dying...
OK, this is just an experiment for now. I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not, but I'm going to try it, and if it turns out like a good idea, then good!
And btw: I'm using a guide I bought to writing romances, so it'll probably be different than my normal stuff. Not only that, but I'm trying my hardest to keep Erik in character.