Out
of the Darkness... One Step from Hell
Ever since Christian kicked the doctor
out, Harold ordered him back to work. Satine accompanied him every morning to
the Moulin Rouge, while Christian wrote, rehearsed and directed his new play.
Satine sat at a empty table, isolated from the rest, and watched the poet with
admiration for hours on end.
This morning was no different; she sat as
far away as possible from the rest, her head resting in the crook of her arm on
the table. Christian, explaining the
“Alright, that’s all for today,” Christian
concluded quickly. “Tomorrow we rehearsed scene four, the princess’ escape. “
As an afterthought, he called, “
Satine didn’t notice his approach. She
jumped at his warm greeting and snapped out of her daydream.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded slowly; Christian clearly
didn’t believe her. Before he could voice another thought, however, Marie
yelled across the Moulin’s dance floor, “Harold wants to see you in his office
in a few!”
Signing, Christian kissed Satine’s
forehead, “I’ve got to go, but I promise to be back soon.” She smiled weakly at
him and returned to her daydream.
“He’s coming.”
Satine’s haunting voice filled his ears.
“What?” Christian asked, confused. No answer. She only stared at him with her
sparkling blue eyes.
***
The usually silent hall to Zidler’s office
echoed with muffled voices. Someone was already meeting with him. Christian
thought it best to wait until they were finished, so he sat on the chair facing
the office door, and waited.
“I want my end of the bargain,” a familiar
voice screamed. An annoyingly nasal voice.
The color drained from Christian’s face.
It couldn’t be him.
“I can walk out of this office with the
deeds in my pocket, and every single one of you worthless people will be thrown
on the streets!”
It was. As much as Christian wanted the
truth to stay hidden, he couldn’t deny it. The duke. In Harold’s office, that
bastard bargained for Satine like a piece of property.
“She will be mine. You will give me to
her, or I’ll take her like I once did. And we all know how well that turned
out.”
Christian shook with rage. If the duke
touched one hair on her head he would...
He snapped his eyes up at the sound of the
opening door. The duke, taken aback by the poet’s presence, only snarled in a
manner that even a mouse would find comedic.
“Oh. You,” was all the duke said before
disappearing out the Moulin Rouge’s back door down the hall. Harold bade
Christian in. He slammed the door in uttermost fury.
“You won’t let him touch her!”
“Christian, I-“
“If you care the slightest about Satine,
you’ll keep him away from her,” Christian spat.
“It’s not my choice,” Zidler replied
sadly. “The duke is entitled to her. It’s in the contract.”
Christian exploded, “She’s not a piece of
property you can fight over!”
Harold only stared down at his desk.
“He hurt her Harold. He’d do it again. If
you even care whether she’s alive or not, you’d help me protect her.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said, but
nodded in a manner that suggested he’d help Christian. Harold probably knew the
duke would be listening to their conversation.
The poet left abruptly after, and returned
to Satine in the dance hall. He stopped short, seeing the person he loathed the
most at the entrance.
“I’ve come to collect my earnings,” the
duke said possessively, his eyes riveted to Satine. A choked sob escaped her
lips.
“This can’t be happening. Not
again. He can’t take Satine away. I won’t let him..."