The Angel of Coney Island chapter 24

Chapter 24



"Mama!" Gustave cried out in horror as he saw his mother fall down to the ground. He ran to her and landed on his hands and knees by her side. "Mama!" he cried again as he looked down at her, holding one of her hands.



Erik felt his entire body go cold as he saw that Kathleen was the one that got shot. 'No...' he thought in his mind. 'God please not her!' he added as he slowly turned around to glare at Gunner. Erik felt rage and blood lust ignite as he wanted to kill Gunner with his own bare hands. But the little maggot was crawling away trying to escape. 'Like Hell he will get away with this!' Erik thought as he slowly stalked after the monster that harmed his beloved.



Gunner only managed to get a  few feet away before he was suddenly attacked by Erik. In the struggle his gun was tossed away but Gunner could only try to fight back against the enraged former opera ghost. 'He's gone mad!' he thought in his mind. 'Guess he now knows how I have felt all these years!' he added before he managed to get a good hit at Erik's face, making Erik's mask break and fall off. Gunner took the opening of hitting Erik three more times before he started to make a run for his gun. But he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Annibal pick up and unload the gun of the remaining bullets. "Why did you do that?" he asked as he slowly started to back away. "You could've killed me! Why didn't you?" he asked again. Gunner then glanced around as he felt that he wasn't alone with Erik and Annibal. He found that he was completely surrounded by all of the freaks and Gypsies of Coney Island.



"You want to know why I didn't kill you after what you've done?" Annibal asked as he handed the empty gun to one of his guards. "It should be obvious," he said before he glanced towards Erik who was slowly getting up from the ground. Annibal looked to one of his spies and nodded his head before he then tossed something to Erik. "My people have a law about strangers that dare to trespass and threaten the lives of our people," Annibal started to say as Gunner looked around slightly scared.



Annibal smirked at this before he spoke again. "The law is that those who don't belong among us that threaten the lives of our people must be hung by the dead..." he said before he kept his eyes on Erik. "Unfortunately, your life isn't mine to take."



Erik took a breath to fight the pain that Gunner caused him. He was half way of getting on his feet when he saw something landed by him. He then saw the one thing he thought he wouldn't see or use ever again. 'The Punjab Lasso,' he thought as he gently picked up the rope. As he held the object in his hands he then saw that Gunner had his back to him. And that Annibal was looking right at him. Erik knew that this was his chance and stalked behind Gunner. Before Gunner could notice Erik wrapped the Punjab Lasso around Gunner's neck, putting him in a choke hold.



Gunner choked as he tried to fight against Erik's tight hold. He glanced over to see Erik glaring deadly at him. "You....Bastard!" he said choking for air. "I knew I should've...killed you and that slut ten years ago...!" he added with venom in his voice. That was the last thing Gunner would ever say for his words angered Erik for insulting Kat.



Erik tightened the choke hold of the rope around Gunner's neck. "Don't call her a slut!" Erik roared before he then snapped Gunner's neck, killing the monster instantly. But Erik's choke hold didn't loosen one bit.



Annibal then walked to Erik and rested a hand on Erik's shoulder. "Erik..." he said calmly to him. "It's over, you killed him," he added which made Erik look at him. Annibal looked directly into Erik's eyes. "Kat needs you."



All of the anger and rage died within Erik as he heard Annibal's words. Erik instant let go og the rope and instantly ran to Kat's side. He got onto his knees beside her, gently caressing her sickly pale face.



Christine knew that she should allow her sister and Erik to have a moment. "Marius, Meg and Madam Giry went to get a doctor," Christine whispered to Erik. "Keep her awake till then!" she added before she gently took Gustave away. "Come Gustave, your parents need a moment," she said to the scared child. "Your mother will be all right," Christine said comfortingly to the boy as they walked away to Annibal.



Erik trembled as he looked down to Kat. "You'll be all right," he whispered softly as he she weakly looked up at him. "You'll be all right."



Kat smiled weakly up at him. "When you say it, I almost believe you," she said before she gently touched his deformed cheek. "You aren't wearing your mask," she said a bit surprised. Erik smiled at that. She smiled at his smile. "I guess we both are unmasked now huh?" she asked with a half smile before she then looked worried.



Erik guessed that she was remembering about Gunner. "He is dead," he told her. "He won't be bothering you or our son anymore," he added as he brushed his thumb across her cheek. "But don't think of him now," he said as he slightly shook his head. He looked directly into her eyes before he spoke. "You need to save your strength," he said with a slightly shaky voice trying to be calm. Erik then saw Kat's wound and felt a part of him was slowly dying. "You'll be all right Kathleen."



Kat smiled at hid tone of voice. 'He must be really worried about me if his voice is getting shaky,' she thought before she turned his face to look at her. "Are you all right?" she asked him.



Erik nodded his head. "I'm all right," he replied. He rested his hand on top of hers. "I'm more worried about you," he added. "And I am not talking about the wound on your body," he said with a sad smile.



Kat closed her eyes at those words. "You mean me being reunited with my twin sister?" she guessed. "Or the night we shared ten years ago?"



Erik closed his eyes at her words before he opened them looking down at her. "Tell me Kat," he said softly to her as he gently cupped the back of her head. "Did you come to me that night to try and save me?" he asked her. "To save me from being captured by Gunner for the bounty that was on my head?" he asked as he gently lifted her face slightly close to his. "Please Kat."



Kat opened her eyes looking directly into his eyes. "Yes," she answered. "I went to you that night to save you from being caught," she said to him. "You saved me from Gunner's lies. That night of the Masque and when you performed with Christine, you made my dream of being a ordinary woman become real," she said. "That I didn't have to live in the darkness and alone," she added. "And what love really was," she said as she gently caressed his lips. "I fell in love with you from the moment you asked me to dance with you," she said softly. "And I still love you," she added. "Even though I know that you love my sister," she said weakly before she slowly closed her eyes and passed out.



Erik's eyes widened in fear as he saw Kat faint in his arms, not knowing if Kat was really dying or not. "Kat?" he asked as he gently shook her. But she didn't move, which made the fear within him grow. "Please, Kat," he begged as he gently shook her. "Please don't die," he said with a shaky voice.



The sound of an ambulance's sirens echoed alerting Erik that they were close by. He heard them and he gently shook Kat again. "Kat, listen! Help is on the way! Please Kat open your eyes!" he begged again with tears streaming from his eyes. He then trembled as he then pulled Kat into his arms and held her close to him. "Please don't leave me," he said to her as he gently rocked her in his arms. "I love you Kathleen...Come back to me...!" he cried before the ambulance arrived.



The medic attendants came out from the vehicle and quickly got to work on checking Kat and getting her into the vehicle to the closest hospital. Erik soon jumped in the back with them not wanting to leave her side. He prayed to God that Kat would live. He couldn't bear to loose her again nor live in a world without her.







Hours seemed like years for Erik as he sat in the waiting room of the hospital. The Doctors told him to wait outside of the operating room as the doctors worked hard to try and save Kat's life. The journey to the hospital went smooth and quick which made Erik hopeful that God was on their side.



Suddenly Annibal, Christine and Gustave came into the room surprising Erik.



"Father!" Gustave cried as he ran to Erik, embracing him. Erik hugged his son back holding him close for he needed some comfort right now. Erik then glanced up at Christine and Annibal.



"How is she?" Christine asked. "Have they said anything?"



Erik shook his head. "They still are working on her," he replied. Erik gently lifted Gustave up to sit on his knee, and hold him as a father would hold his son.



"Will mama be all right?" Gustave asked him.



Erik nodded his head. "She will be, Gustave," he replied. "Your mother is the most strongest and bravest woman I know," he added as he rubbed Gustave's back. "And she is an Angel. God wouldn't let her leave us when she is doing good in this world," he said with a half smile.



"And because he made mama for you," Gustave said. "She loves you very much father," he added. "She always cried for you in her sleep. Every time I asked where you were, she always said that you were hiding from bad people and that you didn't want us to be discovered by them," he said with a half smile. "I always wondered when those bad people were gone and you can come home," he added before he yawned feeling sleepy since it was near midnight. "Are you and mama going to be together now?" he asked sleepily. "Cause mama thinks you don't love her," he added before he then fell asleep. Erik frowned at that as he gently settled Gustave down on the waiting couch and took off his dress coat to cover the sleeping boy.



"Kat thought that I was in love with Christine these whole ten years didn't she?" Erik asked Annibal. He looked up at the gypsy King while he undid his bow tie and tux vest.



Annibal sighed sadly. "Yes, after the first three months after you and her made Gustave, she began to think that," he answered honestly. "It was that day that she came up with her plan," he added.



Both Erik and Christine looked up at him confused. "Plan? What plan are you talking about?" Erik asked.



Annibal sighed again as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know she is going to get me for this," he said softly before he looked at Erik. "Kat planned on helping you get back together with Christine and make sure both of you had a happy life," he said. "She worked hard to make sure we got the attention of anyone that would have the work that you would be the best job to excel your talents in," he added. "About the first week we arrived here she had Gustave," he added with a half smile. "That poor manager, he was so worried when Kat's water broke right there in what became your loft," he said at Erik with a smile. "Right in your bedroom area, your son was born," he added before he frowned sadly. "She recovered a week later and that is when she first performed there on Coney Island," he said.



"We all remember that day," said a voice from behind them.



They all turned to see Dr. Gangle, Miss Flick and Squelch before them. "How long have you three been here?" Christine asked them.



"We all came as soon as we heard that monster shot Mother," Dr. Gangle replied.



"We all thought being here for her was more important," Miss Flick added.



Erik's eyes widen at those words. "All?" he asked. "What do you mean 'all'?"



Mr. Squelch smirked. "Just as my daughter said sir," he replied. "All of us came," he said before pointing to the door way that lead outside the hospital.



Feeling his heart stop as he slowly walked to the door with Christine and Annibal following behind. What he saw amazed him. Out in front of the hospital building were all of the freaks and performers of Coney Island. "Oh my God," Erik said softly in amazement. He heard Christine gasped beside him.



Annibal smiled in amusement. "Kathleen is that special to them," he said as he saw the crowd of people camping in front of the hospital. "She is like a mother figure to them. She gave them the courage to perform their talent or act in front of people," he added before he looked at Erik. "They all must be here to see or hear of Kathleen's condition," he said to Erik. "Although I suppose they already know that," he added with a shrug.



"There hasn't been a large gathering like this since Kat's first performance years ago," Dr. Gangle said as he was followed by Miss Flick and Mr. Squelch, who was holding the sleeping Gustave in his arms. "She was enchanting that night," he added with a smile. "Like an Angel."



"She had all of us perform with her. Telling unique story... a story about Coney," Miss Flick said.



"More as an introduction for those that were scared of performing in front an audience," Mr. Squelch said as he remembered that day. He then handed Gustave to Erik. The boy softly mumbled in his sleep as he rested his head on his father's shoulder. Erik then looked among the people that were setting up camp before the hospital. He then glanced further to see that some reporters had started to arrive.



Erik handed Gustave to Annibal. "Keep him hidden. I don't want the reporters to wake him and force him to hear harsh things about his mother," he said before he looked pleadingly, which was something he never did before. "Please," he added. Annibal smiled at Erik before he slipped out a mask and handed it to Erik. Erik looked at the mask and smirked as he knew that this mask was the one that Kat gave to him as a gift for his birthday this year. He then slipped it on. Erik then glanced to Christine. "You should go inside with Annibal."



Christine shook her head. "No," she said to him. "I am not going to hide and fail to protect my sister when she is fighting for her life," she said before she looked at the pack of reporters that were heading towards them. "I have to ask though," she added. "Are you going to try and marry Kathleen?"



Erik smiled at that. "I am not going to try," he replied. "I am going to marry her," he added before he prepared himself for the hounds of the press.