TABLE OF CONTENTS

•  The Gentleman & The Doctor

• Something To Hide

• A Case-Sensitive Matter

• Stepping Outside The Door

• The Museum 

• Nowhere To Hyde

• Lock & Key

• Femme Fatale

• Liar

• All Part Of The Plan

• Securing A Friend

• Matters Of The Heart
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Matters of the Heart

 Dorian ventured back out into the rain, his body exhausted and sore, but ready for the next stage of the night's events.
As he came to the street of which was his destination, he looked up at the tall and most lavish building that set high bars to everything else on the London streets before it.
The theater.
His mouth ran agape as he stared at it in awe..and in deep remembrance of his life before.

Remember our past

He closed his eyes, as a memory reassembled in his mind.
One of him, not an ounce different in appearance, escorting a beautiful young woman into the theater. Both smiling and staring into each other's eyes with the utmost love..
And whose hearts were completely devoted to one another...

Remember where I first fell in love with you

He opened his eyes again. His face went pale as the moon.
And he looked on with the deepest sadness he was capable of expressing. He took a long, shaky breath..and he pressed on.
Hoping that his message was understood..

Upon using one of his keys on the locked entrance, he walked into the theater..a place of which was cold and filled with a wide open space..but most pleasing to the eye.
Famous and wealthy folk walked upon this floor...through these halls...a place where imagination ran wild..and one could escape their troubles..a place that always fascinated Dorian ever since he could remember..

As he entered the building, he could see the booth of which tickets were sold..and the stairs that climbed to a greater hall.
The walls were a deep red, the detailed golden trims decorating every edge that was in sight.. normally, such a place would be lively, but as the hour was late..the inside was bare as a bone.
It was silent and quite menacing to be alone in such a large, uninhabited area. But Dorian did not let it deter him. After all, fear is for mortals. What did he have to lose?

He climbed the steps to the hall that led to the auditorium.
The place where the magic happened.
He hurried on, taking quick glances at the decorative taste they had placed in the corners. Exotic plants and exquisite paintings that were skilled at catching the eye. But Dorian did not have time for a tour of the glamorous kingdom. His business was set on finding one person..

He threw open the doors to the auditorium.
His heart racing, his mind reeling.
The inside was the most spacious and wondrous of any building he had entered. Far more elegant than the one he had discovered Sibyl in. He looked all about..there were hundreds of seats, crafted with great detail, with soft velvet cushions and smooth glistening wood. The walls and ceilings had been painted a gorgeous display of artwork, as if every famous painter in the world had come and left their mark upon them. Which the artwork, of course, complimented the largest and most beautiful chandelier he had ever laid eyes upon. Made of serene crystal, that only alarmed Gray with the thought of it deciding to crash down upon the unexpecting theater goers.
His eyes turned to the stage itself.. an enormous wall of silky crimson curtains was before him. With large sparkling bulbs trimmed around the edge of the stage.

As he walked, he was struck with the images of the play he saw with Sibyl. His heart sagged at the thoughts of her and what he had given up. And now..he blamed himself. If he hadn't have left her, she might have not gone on the path she was on now.
The Sibyl he once knew was kind and gentle and had a good, beautiful heart. What she was today was quite the opposite.
"I remember how cold the theater was that day.."
He quickly spun on his heels. His heart betrayed him and fluttered upon what he saw..Sibyl herself.
She was leaning against the wall, her arms folded as she gazed at the room. "..So you put your jacket upon my shoulders and promised me something."
Her eyes gravitated slowly to his and he was instantly filled with dread from the way she stared at him. "That you'd never leave me.. as long as you have a breath in your body."

Dorian swallowed hard. "Sibyl..please, I.."
"You turned your back on me." She accused as she jammed a finger into his chest with a rising temper.
"You swore you'd always be there. But YOU LIED."
Her arm waved. "The life I was to live before is now nothing but a broken promise! It is oceans away from what you have caused me! The hell I have lived!"
Dorian foresaw that she was growing too furious to be reasoned with. And he was correct.
"And now here you are! Trying to win my heart back..trying to swoon me back into your arms..you are too late, Dorian!" "I KNOW I am!"
Sibyl jerked her entire body as Dorian suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to look at him. She was instantly silent, swallowing her own pride. Gray straightened his posture as he cleared his throat. "..I did not come here to argue..or to take you back, Sibyl. I came here on behalf of my friend...and to truly..deeply...beg your forgiveness." He tightened his mouth. "..Something of which you can't give me.." His head shook gently. "..Nevertheless, I seek it. And I implore you..please..don't go down this path. The Sibyl I knew was innocent..pure..not one corruption to speak of..until me..you are more than this. This evil..it is not your path."

Her eyes now lacked the vengeful filter they once possessed. Still, she seemed to be undeterred by his charming persuasion. Perhaps because she saw right through it and knew him to be a callous and self-absorbed man. She came to see past his mask very well..an intuition she should have had upon meeting him. Her fists tightened as she stood her ground. "..No tricks.."
He shook his head sincerely. "No tricks."

The two stared in an awkward silence for quite a few moments.
Before Sibyl gathered her dress from under her and began to climb down the steps of the stage.
"Follow me. Let's talk."

Securing A Friend

 It reached a deathly late hour by the time Gray returned to Cavendish Square, the unconscious body of the now Henry Jekyll hanging from his side as the gentleman dragged him along the streets. He tried to keep a low profile, but when he couldn't, he simply laughed off the confused onlookers with the excuse that his mate had 'one too many drinks' and they reluctantly looked away. Dorian struggled to reach the doorstep of the good doctor, having to work with one hand; he remembered that they had locked behind them, as he tried the knob. And he grunted in frustration. He now was forced to lean the doctor against the wall and wiggle his fingers into his waistcoat pockets. It wasn't long before he found the key, but it was terribly embarrassing and inconvenient, and something he had to do quickly before anyone saw him. He then took hold of the doctor once more, unlocking and throwing open the door to the inside. He sidestepped to the safety of the house, Jekyll's body becoming all the more increasingly heavy. Gray wasn't without some muscle, but carrying his friend the great distance it took him, half of the time being when he was still under the possession of Hyde, a most strong and imposing figure, what little strength he had quickly ran out.

As soon as he shut the door and felt confident the two were safe, he released Jekyll's body upon the carpeted floor. His hand went for his forehead and he let out an exhausted groan as he fell against the wall. His eyes closed as his chest heaved up and down, trying to catch his breath. The good doctor laid before him, soundlessly awaiting Dorian's care. Something of which Dorian needed to do quickly. His business here was to be a short one before he went back out and dealt with the problem at hand.

Gray took a puff of air before opening his eyes and looking down at his friend who still remained unconscious. He sighed, then took hold of Jekyll's shoulders, lifting him back up to drag him forward. It took him a moment, but he reached the basement door, of which Jekyll had been using to supposedly contain Hyde. This time, of course, it was going to work.
He opened the door and wiggled himself to the front as took a step down the stairs. "Sorry if this jiggles your brain about, old boy. Desperate times, after all.."
He began the climb. This was even more of a task as Jekyll's body frequently started to slide out of Dorian's grasp. But he was quick enough to recover his hold and at last, reached the bottom. He adjusted his grip to under Henry's arms and slid him along the floor, to the chains that awaited him in the corner.

It was dark, but a patch of light from the doorway above allowed him to at least see silhouettes of the environment.
Not much was kept down here, except for the chains and a few pieces of old furniture. Gray could make out what seemed to be a table. Next to it appeared to be a box. He honed his sight on its contents..where he now saw it was filled with bottles and papers.
That was it. That was Jekyll's old research..his concoctions.
He hid his past down here the same as he was now hiding Edward. This was the prison he gave to them all.
Further proving that Jekyll was not cured from his affliction.
He was containing it.
The more Gray lingered there, the more thankful he was to himself for coming. If he had not arrived, Jekyll would never have been set free from this curse. A curse Gray was still needing to break.

The gentleman sat Jekyll down on the floor, and with a heavy heart, he placed the locks upon Henry's wrists.
The doctor, for once, looked peaceful. And this made Dorian feel guilty for having to chain his friend up. All because of that monster. But it needed to be done if he was to leave Henry on his own. He couldn't trust that Hyde wouldn't break out again and resume his pursuit of Sibyl. No, he needed to make sure both Jekyll and Hyde were staying put. Until he could return and release the good doctor from his bonds.
He took a deep breath as he looked at Henry's face. And laid a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "I'll be back, friend. Just hold on a little while longer.."
With that, he arose and took hold of his cane that he had tucked between his hip and his belt and made his way back up the stairs, closing it-- and locking it-- behind him.

CONTINUE TO..
Matters Of The Heart

All Part Of The Plan

 Dorian backed away slowly as the monster before him fully recovered from the assault he had inflicted.
Edward Hyde honed his senses solely on Gray, his face riddled with fury. "Ya caused me t' be nicked, Mista Gray."
He stepped closer, his chest rising and falling powerfully, his demeanor becoming greater than Henry could ever dream of making himself. Hyde's gray eyes glimmered at Dorian, as a vicious sneer traced across his lips. "I don' take kindly t' those tha' stab m' in the back."
"Why do you wish to kill Sibyl? I thought she was the one who let you escape all those nights!"
"She don' matta. She's outliv'd he' usefulness."
Dorian's facade changed to one of pure rage, his jaw tightening, his fists curling. "Not to me."
Hyde lifted his chin, smiling wickedly. "That so?"
The two men stared at one another for but a brief moment.
Hyde's eyes fell to the ground. "..Ah well, then ya might just be a lil' weepy if I do THIS-"
Edward suddenly launched himself forward, at such a tremendous speed that he hurled Dorian to the ground, Gray too slow to react..which only gave Hyde an extra pocket of time to begin pursuing the vulnerable Sibyl Vane. Time that Dorian desperately needed against such an imposing foe.

Despite his shock and anger towards Sibyl for lying to and betraying him..he still harbored a particular care for her and would stop at nothing to protect her. He wasn't about to watch her die so gruesome a death at Hyde's hand.
He staggered up in a clumsy manner as he darted after the fiend. "HYDE!!" He screeched, his legs not being able to match his mind's desired speed. It was here that rain began pouring like a waterfall once again upon the dismal little city of London, causing all three Sibyl, Hyde and Dorian to be in quite a game of tag, given that neither of the three, not even Edward, could fully make out what lay ahead in the dark. People were shoved away by Vane, who gave her initial offended glances, before inevitably screaming and backing away from the grotesque sight of the monster that followed right behind. It was true that Hyde was once a small and shriveled display of a man, until his evil grew and grew and became as strong and powerful as ten men. And his appearance became all the more disturbing.
Mixed with the unholy storm that had settled upon the city and the worrying talk of monsters, Hyde did not receive a very pleasant welcome.

"IT'S HYDE!!" One citizen exclaimed.
"It's the murderer, he's come back!!"

Dorian's eyes enlarged as he heard these words echo across the streets. His heart became heavy. These poisonous words would only travel beyond this block..to the police..to the newspapers..and with Hyde being outed as alive..so, too, would Jekyll. His one wish to be free and start over was being taken from him, by this beast, this scourge.. he was ruining Jekyll's life all over again.

As Gray chased the two through the streets, barely making out their silhouettes in the poorly lit area, something dawned on him. Something..that did not occur to him. He realized..
He finally saw right through Hyde..this was exactly what he wanted. Ruining Jekyll's life, indeed...he wanted the publicity..he wanted to be seen..he wanted London to know he was alive.
Why? It was simple...to crush Jekyll's chances of a normal life.
To destroy his hope of redemption.
And two and two were put together..
Hyde was working with the mummy.
Hyde was ordered to kill Sibyl.
Hyde was out to take over London.

He chased the two to a bridge that stretched over water, where Sibyl was dashing across it, using the topmost force and energy her body could muster. Edward was right on her heels, however, despite her best efforts. And Dorian knew she wasn't going to make it. He sped as quickly ahead as possible before screaming, "SIBYL!!"
He knew she would not turn now.
So he pushed through. "REMEMBER OUR PAST!"
It was at that moment that he had actually reached the two and Hyde was inches away from him and like that...he tackled him.
The two men came down violently against the drenched stone below, rolling to a stop that attracted Sibyl's attention.
And she swiveled her body around.
Dorian quickly took his cane and pinned Hyde down, pressing the object forcefully against his throat. Hyde began to choke.
Sibyl stared off at Gray, who's eyes flickered only briefly at the beautiful woman before him. She still gave him such a look of confusion and shock..but that did not matter to either of them now. "Remember our past..remember where..I first fell in love with you.." His eyes moved to the bridge's edge, right over the water. "..And..where your love for me ended."

Her eyes now drifted to the thing he was hinting at.
And her breath was sucked back into her chest.
She wasted no time. There was only seconds to act.
She took a swift and daring leap over the edge and plunged herself into the water below.
Gray's eyes widened at the sight of her doing such a rash action..and the image of her doing this very thing, but as a direct result of his betrayal of her, jumping into the water to end everything, serving as the catalyst which drove him further into his sinful and wicked life, plagued at his mind.
Fortunately, it did not deter him from what needed to be done.
His eyes returned to Hyde and the fiend's gaze rested on him.
And without further ado..Dorian took his cane and delivered three powerful blows to his head. Of which finally knocked the monstrous man unconscious.

CONTINUE TO..
Securing A Friend

Liar

 There she was..a woman who should have been dead.
Standing before Dorian and Henry with the utmost of confidence and grace, recovering quickly from the shock she had displayed seconds before. Sibyl stood straight, her eyes filled with a devilish enjoyment at Dorian's painful reaction.
In fact, she was almost smiling.
"Always a pleasure to make the great Dorian Gray fluster.."
She shifted, lowering her head. "And how surprising to see that you remember me."
Dorian's eyes enlarged. "Remember you?"
He took a step forward, which made her expression slightly tense.
"I loved you!"

This made the atmosphere grow even colder and Sibyl stared at him with a flattened face and a sagging posture as she was taken back by his words. "By your own standards of love...as much as a man like you could love..."
She tightened her fists. "..You caused me to take my own life, Gray. You ruined my brother's life. Everything I once held dear and true died when I met you. All things came to an end."
Her jaw tightened. "I don't even recognize myself anymore."

Henry jerked his head back. "You...took your own life?!"
His eyes flicked to Dorian, "How is this possible?!"
But Gray swallowed away any shock he might have had when he heard this and he tilted his chin up, his eyes filled with realization.
"The mummy....he resurrected you."
Her head tilted to the side, her beautiful eyes narrowing and mouth slowly forming into a soft smirk.
"Oh Dorian..you always were a quick one."
"Why would he resurrect your dead fiancé?" Henry growled in Gray's ear. "What would that accomplish?!"
"Because he knows who I am.." Dorian responded, staring straight at Sibyl, pressing the bottom of his cane down into the ground.
"Doesn't he? He knew I would come here."
"That's impossible." Jekyll denied, looking back at Sibyl.
"How would he even know? He's been dead all this time!"
"Oh, I was resurrected and I do serve the mummy..but no one said anything about him bringing me back."
The two of them snapped their full attention on her.
"Who?!"
She smirked and crept from her spot, swaggering to the boys' right. "Let's just say, he has friends in high places...or low places, depending on your point of view..which are now my friends."

"Sibyl..stop this. You were a good, honest woman!"
Dorian then took Sibyl by the wrist, which made her gasp, as he brought her in close to look into her eyes. "You were the light of my life, woman! You wanted nothing but goodness for me and for you. You would never affiliate with ancient mummies and horrid beasts and dabble in wickedness..whatever hold anyone has over you, this isn't you! You are better than this!"
But her expression only indicated that his words had little to no effect on her and she slightly tilted her head.
"Perhaps I've changed, Dorian..or perhaps I was never the woman you thought I was..did it ever occur to you that maybe..just maybe..I was too kind? Too in love with you?"
Her brows lifted. "..No one is that good, Gray. You of all people should know that."

He breathed, letting her wrist go as he stepped back in shock.
"Y--you lied to me.."
As if adding insult to injury, she quietly giggled, shaking her head at his hurt reaction. "Oh, come now. You lied to me; it's only fair I return the favor. You were wealthy, handsome, an easy target for a woman of my talents. I was a promising actress, Dorian. Do you not think it would be any trouble playing the role of a sweet bride to be?"
"I..I don't believe you!"
"Well you must. Because it is true. I LIED to you, Dorian. I never loved you!"
Hearing her say this was like a thousand knives slicing into his heart. Someone he had held so dear, the very person he regretted hurting most...had never loved him. It was all a trick.
For what, he couldn't even imagine why.

He shook his head. "I can't believe this..I refuse to believe this..you..you would never do this to me....how could you do this to me?!" "You made it easy, Gray!" She hissed. "So lovestruck and naive..what followed only made what I did even sweeter!"
As Dorian shook his head in pain at the shocking turn of events, Henry had another opinion entirely, seeing right through the beautiful yet vile woman in front of him.
"She's lying, Dorian." They both looked at him in surprise.
His eyes narrowed. "Look at her.. everything you said about her, this sad display of a woman would not be capable of portraying. She may be a vile snake today..but my senses tell me that she is only trying to fool you into thinking she has been nothing else."

He stepped forward, his eyes burning with anger.
"You dare toy with this man's heart while he still harbors such great love for you, you sickening wench?! It's people like you that have poisoned this world and blackened the hearts of the innocent!" That's when he suddenly grabbed her by the wrist, making her gasp in fear as he tightened his hold and got even closer to her. Dorian jerked, just as Henry's demeanor became all the more violent.
"People like you should be dealt with..punished for your crimes..stripped from your little thrown of power..shown who is th' TRUE authority!" "Henry, no!"
Sibyl yelped in terror as she tried to break free from the man who's accent was changing, body was transforming, and eyes blackening. And what was once anger on Henry's kind face was now a devilish grin as he brought the girl even closer.
"I'll sho' ya a real devil, woman."
"EDWARD, THAT'S ENOUGH."
Dorian took his cane and whipped it against Hyde's face, causing him to stagger back in shock, letting go of Sibyl in the process.
Gray took the chance of grabbing her by the arm and yanking her back in natural defense.

The two stared at the fiend before them, the fiend who had once again stolen the body of Dorian's good-hearted friend.
"Hyde, bring back Jekyll..you have no business existing any longer."
"Dorian, look at the devil work you have gotten mixed up in NOW!" She grinded her teeth. "You can't help yourself..you bring nothing but trouble!"
"Sibyll, I am not finished with you yet, not even close..mark my words, I will find you again."
His head turned as he gazed into her eyes.
"But you need to run."
She widened her own gaze as she peered back at him with surprise at the concern he was displaying. "What? After everything I said to you.. everything I.." She cut herself off, but Dorian knew, more or less, what she was getting at. He looked back at Hyde, who was quickly recovering. "He means to murder you, that I can promise you."
He only gave her one last glance. "Now GO!"

She was reluctant. She almost didn't listen..
But with Henry's gaze now setting back on her with murder, indeed, burning in his eyes..she no longer had a choice.
She bolted.

CONTINUE TO..
All Part Of The Plan

Femme Fatale

 Dorian and Henry traveled across town, hurrying through the rain and mud. The ground was so saturated by the constant storms that patches of the city were caving in. The hour was getting later, giving the two an appropriate freedom to roam without fighting through crowds of people.
Henry was aware of his female associate's frequent locations to do business in. They just needed to catch her at the right time.

They arrived at the area Henry had intended to find her, but as he looked all around, the girl was no where in sight.
He squinted, peering his eyes to see through the dark street.
"I don't see her!" He called, spinning all around to find her.
They saw a few people standing by the doorsteps of buildings that were laughing, not even paying attention to the two.
Dorian planted his cane into the muddy ground and strained his eyes, trying to make out the shapes in the darkness.
"She has to be somewhere!" Henry exclaimed, certain that she was there.
"Perhaps we missed her, Henry..are you sure she'd be here at this precise time?"
"I am..this isn't right, Dorian, what if she knew we were coming?"
"Impossible, unless she had magical abilities."
"Perhaps she does. I don't know her anymore.."

Henry stopped one man passing on the street by catching his arm. "Please! Sir! Have you seen a woman roaming this spot? She'd have quite the mesmerizing personality.."
"Mate, I've not seen no bloody woman..now get off me."
He shrugged Henry off and hurried away from the two as if their presence was forbidden.
Henry sunk in defeat while Dorian peered after the man in suspicion. "No sense in asking these lots, Jekyll, they're most likely all under the strong influence of that woman. She's a temptress, she is." "That is horribly exaggerated, she doesn't have that much--" Jekyll froze.

His gaze was fixed on the figure staring at him from across the street. A feminine figure peeking from the shadows. His senses went on high alert. "IT'S HER!"
Dorian swung his body alone to take a look at the figure before she reacted to Henry's panic and she bolted.
"After her!!" Gray exclaimed, both him and the doctor soon in hot pursuit.

She ran fast, knocking a few others out of her way as she navigated through the darkness, glimpses of her only available through the few spots of light coming from the buildings beside her. The people reacted with gasps and chatters as they saw the two men pacing quickly behind her, but none were willing to intervene. "Someone stop her!!" Henry exclaimed, but they still did nothing. He and Dorian simply pushed themselves even more.
She dodged the people around her and every obstacle waiting for her on the streets. She was fast, but the men were also.
Both parties were determined.

The further they got into the city streets, the more crowded it became..the more she now had to fight her way past the people. She started to shove the Londoners aside, groaning at the difficulty they were posing for her. And she looked with great panic as she saw that Jekyll and Gray were right behind her.
Her breathing quickened, her speed turned up, and she forced her way past the crowds.
"MOVE!! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Jekyll exclaimed.
That's when Dorian had the winning idea, "THIEF!"
Two men abruptly perked and their eyes zoomed in on the girl. They pounced forward, seconds before she could make her escape-- just as she thought she had alluded their capture, they snatched her by the arms. She screamed and kicked as they dragged her back, forcefully. Jekyll and Dorian skid to a stop and watched as their suspect was literally brought to them.
They exchanged a glance, Dorian wiggling his brows, when they looked at her more closely as she was now only a few feet from them. The men held her in place, her head thrashing around, so much that her hair continuously covered her face.

"She your thief?" One of the men questioned.
Dorian nodded, trying to catch a good look at her.
"Indeed. Thank you, gentlemen."
Jekyll took hold of her from the men and dragged her away, as she continued to resist. He dragged her all the way to a quieter alleyway, Dorian in tow, where he stopped and grabbed her by the shoulders. She was now forced to face him.
He tightened the muscles in his body. "How could you do this to me?! You betrayed me!"
She gave him a look that displayed little to no regret.
Dorian stepped in to look at her, "Madam, I assure you, we--"
That's when the air was sucked right up from his lungs and he staggered back against the wall. Jekyll tossed him an alarming expression. "Gray! What's wrong??"

Gray stared at her as if he'd seen a ghost, his expression teeming with terror. She looked back at him, her own breath shaky and frightfully uncontrolled. Her eyes indicated shock.
"It..it can't be..!!" Gray held his head, staring right at her.
Jekyll threw his head back and forth between the two.
"What's going on?! I demand an explanation!"
Dorian's eyes drifted to Jekyll, now filled with tears, his posture lacking his once confident flare.
"She is..she is Sibyl Vane..."
His body shook. "..She is my dead fiancee."

CONTINUE TO..
Liar

Lock & Key

 Laying within a jail cell, a doctor stirred on a dirty, uncomfortable bed. He groaned and held his head, squeezing his still closed eyes as he experienced an overwhelming surge of pain running rampant inside his skull. He breathed irrationally, turning his body to the side as he faced the light shining from beyond the bars. He finally opened his eyes as he gazed upon the world around him he was not familiar with. He was overwhelmed with confusion and shock, as he had no memory of how he got there.
The air was cold and damp and the environment felt disgusting.
He felt rather appalled that he was present in such a hole.
Slowly, he raised himself up, groaning softly at the pain he felt.
He sat up a moment to try and remember what last transpired that he was fully conscious enough for. He remembered that he and Gray were at the museum, investigating the Egyptian exhibit. And that the mummy beyond the sarcophagus was in fact missing. He also remembered running, feeling a great sense of panic and toxic doses of adrenaline shooting out to every part of his body. He had collapsed. And struggled. And then it happened.....the other side took over.

His face turned to one of horror.
Hyde had come out.
And had done something to get them both imprisoned.

"Ahem"

His bloodshot eyes darted to the other side of the room, beyond the bars, where sitting in a chair across from him was none other than Dorian himself. He had his head held high, resting his palms against his propped up cane, all the while smirking in his usual cocky manner. "Rise and shine, Doctor Jekyll."
Jekyll slowly removed his hand from the back of his head, staring at Dorian in shock. "Gray..??"
He shot up from the sagging bed. "Why are you out THERE and I'm in HERE?!"
He dashed forward and grabbed onto the bars in fury.
"What did you do?!"
"I did nothing, dear boy." Dorian eased. "The question is what did you do?"
Jekyll breathed, his body tensing.
Gray lowered his chin. "Or more specifically..your good friend, Mr. Hyde."

Henry swallowed. He slowly let go of the bars and backed away.
"No.....I can't believe......this can't be happening.....you...YOU PROMISED THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN! YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULDN'T LET HIM COME BACK!"
"Now Henry, I had no intention of him surfacing at the museum. I wasn't really expecting it to occur so fast in our investigation.."
"I knew it..I knew this would happen! I'm too unstable, I shouldn't be out there in the real world!"
The doctor ran next to his bed, hiding his face.
"Leave me here, Dorian! This is where I should be! It's where I belong! As long as I am here, he can't hurt anyone!"
"Oh, pull yourself together, Henry!" Dorian shot up and made for the bars. "You have to stop this! You need to face the truth! You can't keep running from him and burying him, living your life in such fear. It is only granting him the power he craves! That's why he's achieved such power, such strength, and why he has weakened YOU. YOU'RE the one hiding now, Henry. YOU'RE the alter ego. Just a silly, spineless little vessel that the beast within can tear through like a ragged cloth..he is suffocating you..you need to fight him!"

Henry swiveled around and ran to face Gray.
"I was fine! I was safe! The moment you appeared, my life fell apart all over again! And now he's hurt people..and we're both in JAIL! I wouldn't have been in this position if it hadn't been for you!" "Is that what you really think?" "It's not what I think, it's the TRUTH!" Dorian narrowed his eyes. "It's not..do you wish to know why? I did nothing but reveal the true exploits of Hyde. He hasn't been under your control, Henry. You were mislead. He's been escaping your home and doing as he pleases, all while you stifle yourself in seclusion!" "You're lying!"
"He told me so himself, Henry!"
Henry's eyes widened. "He spoke to you??"
Gray nodded, solemnly. "He has had a hand in the mummy's disappearance. My only guess is, he now serves whoever it was that resided in the sarcophagus...and involved with that girl you've mistakenly put your trust in."

Jekyll straightened up, his mouth running agape.
"No! It can't be true! He..he's lying to you!!!"
"I'm sorry, Henry, but he's not..I checked into police records. There's been sightings of a man matching Hyde's description in various parts of town.. rumors of crimes committed that they can never find the culprit of. And that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for that girl...who came to you, promising to help you..and claimed to have assisted in keeping Hyde at bay."
Henry fell apart. He abruptly held his face and lamented over the situation, lowering to his knees, as tears formed in his eyes.
"No..no no, it's happening again..it's happening again!!"

Dorian's eyes lowered to the floor and he swallowed gently, then proceeding to get down at the same level of his friend.
"Henry...I must confess..I gave the police an anonymous tip ahead of time and told them that Hyde would be there....it was insurance, in case you turned and I lost sight of him...if it didn't happen, I would have ushered us both out of there before they could find us, no harm done. It was part of the investigation, I assure you. I didn't want you to turn, by any means. But I had to be safe about it."
Henry removed his hands from his face and lifted his eyes at him.
"You...you called the police??...what...what happened?"
Gray looked down. "He is stronger than I feared. Ten or so policemen surrounded him and he...he...well.."
Jekyll stared straight at him. "What?"
Gray sighed. "He put one in the hospital. He was seconds away from suffocating him to death. He held up the man by his throat with one hand as if he weighed nothing."

Jekyll looked away, slowly coming into realization.
"You're right.." His eyes darted back to Gray. "He was never that strong..he HAS been getting out!"
He pounded the floor. "I was a fool for thinking I could contain him! Stupid, blundering fool!"
"Henry, it's not too late..we can stop him and put an end to whatever it is he, the girl and that mummy are planning!"
Jekyll jerked his head back. "The mummy?"
Dorian nodded, "I was right, Jekyll. The mummy is alive and is indeed the source of the curse plaguing London. I don't know who else could be involved.. but we must find out and stop them before they do something even more drastic. And the bets are, we'll find out through that girl."

The doctor sunk. "Oh yes, because I'm in such a capable position to run off and do that."
That's when a door was opened from afar which rang through the metal surrounding them and Dorian smirked as Jekyll tensed.
"Leave that to me, old boy."
He rose up as a group of men entered inside the room, and gave the two a puzzling stare.
"You uh.." The Inspector glared at Henry, who stared up at him innocently. "You wanted to see me, Mister..Gray?"
"Yes, sir, quite so...I'm here to post bail on my friend here, James Vane." Henry glanced up at Dorian.
The group of police all gave Gray looks of bewilderment.
"Why is that?"
"Well mostly because he has committed no crime."
"That's impossible!" The senior officer shouted and pointed at the cell. "That man is.." He stopped. He peered deeper into the cell, through the poor light given from the room and a sudden look of shock enveloped his face. "That's..that's not Hyde!"
The Inspector perked and swung around to face the officer.
"Are you telling me that you arrested the wrong man?!"
"NO sir! We arrested Hyde, I swear of it..and we put him in THIS cell! But..but it's not the same man!"
The Inspector puffed up with anger. "Or you lot are seeing things! You arrested the man, believing what you want to believe!"
"No, please, Inspector, I'm not going mad..it really was him!"

The inspector glanced at another officer. "Did anyone else recognize him as Edward Hyde?"
The other officers looked away. "He..was the one who told us it was Hyde...and Hyde did respond in a manner that supported this...but this is not the same man we brought to the station, sir. We promise you that."
The Inspector looked down a moment, pursing his lips, before swiveling around in a fit of rage. "Then he must have switched on us! Put the manhunt back on, boys, and find that madman! In the meantime, let this poor bloke go!"
He turned to Dorian and shook his hand, his dignity damaged.
"Apologies for this, Mr. Gray. I can't believe we've been tricked like this. There's no bail payment required as this ain't even the same man we were after." "Ah well, Inspector, no apologies needed. This Hyde fellow sounds like a crafty beast. I hope he comes to justice very soon."
The Inspector nodded. "Yes..we all do."
- - -
Dorian and Henry rushed out of the station, the doctor a free man once again. Henry still couldn't believe it.
"How did you know that would work?! They arrested me and put me in the same cell as Hyde.. and I'm wearing the same clothes!"
"Are you now?"
Jekyll looked down and noticed he was wearing a different coat. He rose his brows. "You..you used your key, didn't you? To switch them!" "I did." "Then why didn't you just break me out?"
"I told you before, Henry, I'm out for a clean slate. I could just as well get away with things as I once did..commiting any crimes my heart sees fit. But I have left that life behind. I want to do things by the book. Yes, it was trickery what I did with the police, but necessary. They are once again on the hunt for Hyde and an innocent man is indeed out of jail. If I had have set you free by any other means, they would have been on the hunt for all three of us. Besides..I switched coats because the thing most people pay attention to is the torso of a person. And most people also don't believe in the supernatural or consider the idea that a man can turn into a completely different one. They would all lose their badges with that theory and that is something they would give even Edward Hyde up for."

Henry's eyes fell to the ground.
"That name you said.....James Vane....a bit specific for a random alias." Dorian lifted his head. "..He was the brother of the woman I once loved..."
Henry glanced at him, frowning. "..Where is she now?"
Dorian swallowed, purposely not making eye contact with him.
"..Gone....both gone."
He sighed deeply. "It was either that or absurdly naming you Jenry Hekyll." The doctor chuckled.
Gray looked to him. "Now...Henry...I do hope you're back on the case..and are willing to lead me to that girl you know?"
Jekyll thought a moment, whether it was right..whether it was true that she couldn't be trusted and that she was in league with Hyde. But the more he thought about it, however, the more angry he grew.... he took a deep breath and started charging ahead of Gray.
"This way."

CONTINUE TO..
Femme Fatale

Nowhere To Hyde

 Dorian backed away, his eyes wide, his senses on full alert.
Edward Hyde slowly rose to his feet, smiling demonically at the gentleman before him. His demeanor was imposing, his presence chilling and Gray felt that at any minute, this entity that had taken over Jekyll's body was about to lunge for the kill.
So he played it off with charm, as he did everything.

"Edward." He said with a smile, gesturing a hand stylishly.
"Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance! I was half doubting I'd ever get to meet that..other side..of Jekyll."
"It's a pleasa to finally make YOUR acquan'ance. You've been quite the catalyst in ol' Jekyll boy's couped up life. I thank ya fo' that."
Dorian narrowed his eyes at the muscular and threatening figure before him. "I seem to recall the reports stating you as a very stout man.."
Edward chuckled. "Yea', they did state that. Cuz I was..until the more evil I did, the more sins I com'itted..the more I grew. More I evolved.." He took a step forward. "See, Je'll ain't much of a fighta. Ain't got the spine. He believed when ta'ing that exila, he'd be savin' the world, curin' it o' evil and all that...but he only gave 'em me. See, Je'll messed wit' forces he didn't un'astand. He lit'ally drove m' out..and made me inta m' own enti'y."

Dorian tensed. "Into your own person with your own separate consciousness and thoughts, yes?"
Edward nodded with a proud smirk.
Dorian chuckled. "As fascinating as that is, dear boy.."
He tightened his grip around his cane. "..I simply can't allow you to continue to plague Henry. He is his own man, before you came into his life..and he deserves to have it back."
Hyde took a deep, irritated sigh, stepping forward.
"An' I can't let ya mess wit' that ol' mummy. See...he an' I have a un'astandin'."
Gray's face dropped. "..Y..YOU broke him out?"
He shook his head. "..But..but how could that be?! That girl has been helping Henry keep you under lock and key unless........."
Realization hit him and he sagged. "...Unless she's been assisting you this whole time."
Hyde laughed wickedly, giving him a wink. "'Atta boy. See, Henry's so desp'rate t' have a friend..he'd trust an'one."
He took another step. "'Cluding you...I know all th' things you done, Gray. We'd make pret'eh great par'nas."

Dorian shook his head. "No..my time of evil is behind me. My duty now is to protect..that includes Henry."
Edward's back straightened. "Look at t' state o' Henry...you and I both know ya time o' evil ain't eva behind ya."
Gray swallowed. Edward grinned evilly.
That's when he lunged.

Dorian dashed the other way, ducking behind the exhibits, as Hyde chased after him.
"There's no where t' hide, Gray!" Hyde laughed. "I can see pe'fectly in th' dark. I'll find ya."
Gray hurried to the other side of the museum while remaining unseen. While Edward peered into the darkness, something of which he was used to as he himself was nothing but darkness itself.
He looked all around, cocking his head to the side to listen for Dorian. His wicked grin never departed, giving Gray chills every time he peeked at him.
The fiend's glazed eyes scanned the area. "That mummy's gonna bring justice, Gray..you'll see."
Dorian rose. "Speaking of justice.."
Hyde shot his head at him. He darted his way, as Gray took off.
That's when a loud smash was heard from behind and the villain swiveled his head in the same direction. The police.

Hyde looked back at Dorian, "You sold Je'll t' th' bobbies, did ya?!"
"Not Jekyll, dear boy!" Dorian looked back, putting his top hat back on as he stood next to the opposite exit. "Just you."
With this, he fled.

Edward at first did not panic, as he knew his way around police.
Except a grand total of ten officers had now entered the room. Hyde's mind raced.
Especially when they spotted him.
One of them pointed his billy club at the fiend.
"Hold it right there!" But upon realizing who it was to whom he spoke, his eyes widened.
"You!" His mouth ran agape. "It can't be!"
Hyde rose his hands up, proudly. "Oh, but it IS."
Another officer, the senior, snapped his attention to the others. "Edward Hyde...you take this man down at all costs!!" "W--why?!" An obviously new officer questioned.
"FOR MURDER AND EVERY OTHER UNTHINKABLE ACTION IN THE BOOK, YOU CLOD."
Hyde cocked his head, grinning wide. "I see m' reputation pr'ceeds me."

The officer did not quite enjoy the cockney's cockiness.
"Take him in! NOW!"
They all jumped in after him. Except Edward was not one to be careless with; he suddenly grabbed the throat of a policeman, squeezing it hard as he lifted him in the air with one arm.
Another he kicked away, launching him several feet, sliding against the floor on his back.
Two officers leaped to subdue him, one tackling him from behind, another sneaking in from below and attempting to shove him to the ground.
Hyde's eyes turned back to the officer he had in the air, who's eyes were rolling back into his skull, losing the fight against Hyde's inhuman strength.

That's where the policemen began pounding him with their clubs.
He winced at the attacks, but it wasn't enough to bring him down.
In an attempt to stall them, Edward threw the now unconscious officer in his possession at the others, where he made a run for it. "Don't let 'im get away!" The senior officer yelled, staggering up. Hyde was making for the exit that Gray took.
"Hurry!" They yelled behind him. He wobbled past the corner and scurried around the entrance of the museum. He grinned as he spotted the entrance, of which Gray most assuredly used to get out. As he drew closer to his escape, so did the officers in catching up with him.
But he was close. So very close.
Close to freedom..

Until he reached the door. Turned the knob. And it did not open. He frowned.
"..No....." He jerked it. It still remained shut. And he noticed..something was blocking the way.
He realized...this was a trap..Dorian had set him up.
His head moved behind him quickly to access the whereabouts of the officers, before turning back to the door in panic. "..No!..Dorian..you..you..." He cursed the very existence of Gray.
"NO!!!" Hyde screamed, using all the strength he had to try and break down the door.
"I'LL 'AVE YOUR HEAD FO' THIS!!!"

Slam!

Hyde's head snapped to the side, his eyes rolling back, as he was knocked right into the door, his skull cracking at the direct impact. And he started to slide down, unconscious.
The officers all gathered around the fiend, staring down in awe.
The officer who knocked him out, the newest, was shocked at what he had done.
The superior pat his back, grinning wide through his loss of breath.
"Good work." He nodded at the others. "Well done, men...we've been looking for this one for a long time."

Hyde laid on the ground, completely motionless.
As the officers wrangled him up, a figure watched from afar.. he repeatedly tapped his cane in impatience, tightening his jaw in thought, his eyes transfixed on the scene taking place.
Dorian Gray then smiled and chuckled. "Look at that, Mr. Hyde..contained like the animal you are once again."

CONTINUE TO..
Lock & Key

The Museum

 Into the pouring rain did Dorian and Henry venture, the darkness surrounding them as the thunder roared furiously in the sky.
The rain was coming down so hard, it almost felt like hail;
The two gentlemen kept their eyes to the ground, navigating under small edges of buildings to stay out of the water as much as possible.
'Twas treacherous business, trying to withstand the storm, with such a long distance to go. But they persevered.
Despite the strange looks they received from the Londoners, they kept going.

Their small venture wasn't in vain; they finally arrived at their destination.
The Museum.
The two men stopped in front of the building and gazed up at it wondrously.
Dorian was quite impressed, while Henry was thrilled to see something other than the inside of his home.
"Marvelous! Just look at it, old boy!" Gray rubbed his chin, in sudden deep thought.
"Dare I say, I might be old enough to be displayed in this place.."
"I'm certainly strange enough to be put here.."
Dorian grinned at Henry. "I believe we both are.."
Henry chuckled. "Well then..we might as well proceed onward or else this trip has been for nothing." "Quite right."
Dorian threw his cane up and caught it in mid-air.
"Let's away, my fine friend!"
He ran ahead, making Dr. Jekyll shake his head and sigh before slowly following after him.

The two walked around the building, searching for the right entrance.
First, they naturally tried the front door, but to be expected, it was locked tight.
They next tried the back entrance; same result.
"Well.." Dorian muttered. He stepped back and examined the door with a finger on his mouth.
"I took it you intended on breaking in when you mentioned coming here.."
Jekyll glanced at him. "Or was I mistaken for assuming so?"
"You were not, sir. I do intend on breaking in. BUT..we need to be sure to avoid creating a fuss over it. We can't make it look..well..too obvious."
He then began to sift through his jacket pockets. "These things, after all, need to be handled with care and patience.."
Jekyll leaned his head against the wall, "That hasn't really been Hyde's field.."
"I imagine so. Your boy is a bit..sloppy."
Jekyll's eyes moved from the ground to Dorian's puzzling young, slender face.
"Please insure that this doesn't get out of hand..I can't...I can't risk drawing him out."
"Don't worry yourself, Henry. I have things completely under control."

Dorian drew out a pouch from his pocket, then took an oddly shaped key from it, proceeding to insert it into the keyhole.
Within a few seconds, he turned the knob and the door swung open.
Henry's brows lifted in surprise.
Dorian put the pouch away and looked at Henry, gesturing with his hand.
"Like so."
Dr. Jekyll glanced at the mysterious gentleman. "Impressive..I feel there's more to you than meets the eye, Mr. Gray."
Dorian chuckled. "Shall we?"
- - -
The two men proceeded through the museum, slowly traversing through the darkened inside.
There were many exhibits, therefore many obstacles, which both men felt mutually obliged to respectfully avoid touching.
"So much history.." Henry whispered.
"It's beautiful.." Dorian added.
"No matter how many wars, plagues, disasters that this world experiences..we still piece everything together and memorialize it..preserving it."
"Only sadly.." Henry's eyes peered more intensely through the darker areas.
"..The people we only memorialize if they do something..significant. Many wonderful individuals that have done incredible things all too
often go forgotten due to not doing just the right thing, according to the world's standards..if it doesn't serve them a purpose."
His head turned to Dorian. "Men such as me? We..build our machines, our medicines, our concoctions, designs, to make this world 'better'.
To remember us..and we only turn into monsters..our own ultimate destruction. And we bring the world down with us."

Dorian shook his head, sighing. "You can't belittle yourself, Henry..you're a good man..who made mistakes."
"Mistakes that still haunt me, I'm afraid. And can still endanger the lives of others...as they did before."
Dorian pat his shoulder. "But here you are..proving to yourself that there is so much more. And it is not too late for you.
That you can correct those mistakes and bury Hyde where he belongs. The world is still in great need of you, Jekyll..you just need to keep holding on for that day."

Dorian's words of encouragement softened Henry's mood, but did not change his mind. In his eyes..he was entirely a monster and nothing could alter that truth.

The two men stopped.
A dark hall beckoned them to enter. One that led to a seemingly special room. They glanced at one another, Henry swallowing, Dorian grinning.
"Dare we peek?"
Henry took a deep breath. "I'm starting to regret this...."
But he was met with only a mocking laugh from Mr. Gray, as the gentleman changed course to enter it.
"Come now, where's your sense of adventure, Jekyll?!"
"I have none." Henry bitterly replied, while reluctantly changing course with Gray.
Henry then took a whiff of the air as they walked further into the room. "It smells musty in here.."
He bumped into Dorian.
Dorian had stopped in front of something. Jekyll peeked, but soon gawked.
Small lights were shining against a particular exhibit. One of ancient design. Golden and meticulous with every inch.
It left both men in dazzled wonder.
The thing before them was a sarcophagus, Egyptian in origin. Their eyes scanned the object to inspect the quality and state of it.
It was perfect in every way. The coffin had been polished, shining against the light, with no traces of dirt or wear.
"How they managed to make it look this untouched is beyond me.." Dorian got closer to it, gazing at every single part of it.
"It looks like NEW."
"But that's impossible. Surely it has to be what..several thousands of years old?"
"Unless the Egyptians placed it in a tomb of the utmost protection. Preserving it with the finest magical methods..which I highly doubt.
Someone went through a lot of trouble to clean this up."

Henry peered at the inscriptions embedded on the surface. "There's something written on it."
Dorian put a puzzled finger on his lips as he stared at it, as well.
"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with ancient Egyptian."
"Sadly, neither am I." Henry said with a sag.
"That's alright.." Dorian pointed. "What does the plaque say?"
Henry drew close to the plaque to inspect the words, but he suddenly gasped. Gray gave him a quizzical expression.
"What?"
Jekyll gave the object a stuttered and greatly shocked reaction. "I-it--it's b-been chiseled off."
Dorian jumped. "What has?!" He rushed and pushed Henry out of the way, inspecting the object himself.
His fingers gently touched the surface. "The words have been removed...."
He lifted his gaze back at the sarcophagus. "Someone..or something removed it."
Jekyll started to back away. "I don't like this thing, Dorian. It's giving me a horrid feeling.."
He held his stomach. "I feel ill."
"Calm down, Jekyll, keep your nerve."
Dorian approached the coffin once more and started to touch it.
"What are you doing, Gray, leave it alone!!"
"Come now, Henry, we came this far and now things are looking precisely--"
He stopped and stared at the edge of it.

Henry leaned in. "What???"
Gray gently shook his head and reached in..he then pulled the edge and began removing the lid.
"WHAT are you doing?!" Jekyll protested. But Dorian ignored him.
He soon had it completely removed. He stepped back in shock, as Henry's face dropped in horror.
"..Now things are looking precisely as I imagined." Gray finished.
The body inside the sarcophagus was gone.

The doctor had enough.
He immediately ran the other way.
Dorian swung around, "Henry, where are you going?!"
"I am not risking certain death from whatever it is that escaped that coffin!!!"
Jekyll ran out of the room and started to navigate through the darkness as he was fully prepared to escape.
That's when he suddenly collapsed, falling to his knees, as a ferocious pain seared through his mind.
Gray exited the room and hurried to the doctor as he held his head, crying out in despair.
"No...no!!"
Jekyll grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut, as the pain only worsened at every passing second.
"Jekyll, what's going-" "STAY BACK, DORIAN!!" Henry yelled, his voice becoming something of rage.
Gray swallowed as he stood in panic, watching his new friend curl into a ball, tightening his fists around his skull.
"Get.....get out!! NOW!!" Henry thrashed his head, gasping and yelling in unimaginable suffering.
"Please...hurry...I can't.....control.....HIM!!!!"
Right before Dorian's eyes, the good doctor began to change.

His jacket busted at the seams as he grew grizzly muscles. His skin became blotched and a mix of red and green in complexion.
His hair began to blacken and stick out, his throat tightening as he seemingly was choking.
His gnarled hands covered his face as his body pivoted around. In that second, he removed them, facing the horrified Dorian.
The gentleman was now met with a fiercely grotesque face, his skin just as scarred and blotched as the rest of his skin, almost resembling burns.
His features became more prominent and exaggerated, his lips blackened, his teeth now chiseled-looking fangs.
And his eyes..well..they were completely glazed over, with a deathly grey tone.

This was no longer Dr. Henry Jekyll.
This was Mr. Edward Hyde.

And with a wicked grin..a chilling cockney accent..
"'Ello, Mista Gray."

CONTINUE TO..
Nowhere To Hyde

Stepping Outside The Door

It reached 4:20 PM on the clock, where Dorian and Henry still remained in their seats, finishing their tea and going over the plan. The plan of which involved venturing to the Museum and sneaking in to investigate the mysterious sarcophagus of which Mr. Gray spoke of. Despite the time, the storm worsened and the darkness grew even darker. This pressured Henry to get out of his chair, where Gray followed, smiling proudly at the good doctor.
"Feeling the excitement, old boy? Blood pumping to run out into the storm?" "No, quite the opposite, I'm just unsettled by this thunder and wind and am experiencing anxiety."
Gray frowned. "Dear God, Henry.." "Shush, just give me a moment.." "Are you even capable to exit out that door?" "I will beat you with your own cane, sir.."

Jekyll hurried over to one of his glasses and grabbed one of his bottles from the glass cabinet, pouring the drink into the cup with a shaky hand. "More tea, Henry?" "I need something stronger than tea." He set the bottle down and lifted up the glass, bringing it close to his lips, as his wild eyes stared into space. But before he could take a drink of it, Dorian grabbed his arm from behind and locked it in midair, where Henry snapped his gaze on him.
"I need you with a clear head for this one, Doctor." The gentleman spoke with a stern authority. "Now is not the time to give in to such bad habits." His eyes glared over at the glass of strange liquid and they narrowed a bit. "Believe me, I know.."
Henry eased and slowly lowered his released arm, setting the glass back on the counter. "Dorian...what if....what if he...emerges during our engagement at the Museum? I can't promise what he would do..to you..to the Museum...to anyone. I don't know you very well, but I can say I wouldn't be able to bear the knowledge of harming you as that grotesque abomination.."
"We'll be fine, Henry." Gray patted his shoulder. "I won't let him take control. Nor let him escape, even if he does. You're a good man, Dr. Jekyll. I believe you have the strength to keep that beast at bay." Henry held his forehead. "But he's so powerful. Stronger than he's ever been. And he's so....angry with me. For locking him up..for keeping him under control..keeping him from committing to his fowl desires...he would do so much evil in spite of me. I know it." "That won't happen. Now calm your nerves, you're stressing yourself into hives, it's only making your condition worse. I wouldn't be surprised if he emerges merely to slap you into your senses." He guided the doctor by the back into the foyer.
"I'm sure he's terribly uncomfortable in all that stress and sweat."
"I'd imagine so. He's quite confident, you know. More than I am now. I used to be that confident..until.." "Until he took over your life?" Henry glanced at him. Dorian looked down upon eye contact. "So was I."

Henry gained a new pity for the gentleman behind him. And also a new respect. Underneath all the swagger and boastfulness was a man who was truly broken from his past. His heart shattered in pieces over his loss. Damaged from the evil that had corrupted his soul. And here he was, trying to make good of his own curse by helping others for a change. Something about Dorian did indeed remind him of himself. And with that realization..Henry puffed up his chest. "WELL, Mr. Gray.." He snatched his top hat from the hanger, wrapped his long green scarf around his neck, put on his coat and whipped out his cane. "It's a fine stormy night, so I suggest we put an end to this sorrowful scenery and go find ourselves a cursed Egyptian corpse!"
Dorian's eyes rose in amusement and he smirked with a chuckle. "Why Jekyll..I dare say I approve of this adventurous approach from you. Carry on, then, sir." He tossed his cane upwards, put on his hat, and caught the cane in midair.
"Let us step out for the evening!"

Henry nodded and the two men pushed forward, the doctor grabbing the doorknob and practically throwing the door open to reveal the scenery outside. The sound of rain, which was previously muffled behind the walls, had now intensified and became more clear. Rainfall from the sky, dripping endlessly from the ledges of the rooftops, the sound frequently overtaken by the distant booming thunder. Henry scrunched up his face as he peeked up at the darkness above and he slowly traveled down the steps. "Perhaps we should grab an umbrella?" Dorian suggested.
"Don't got one." Jekyll responded bluntly.
Gray rolled his eyes. "Lovely."

CONTINUE TO..
The Museum

A Case-Sensitive Matter

Dorian and Jekyll sat in an uneasy silence after that word was spoken...Hyde...
The very sound of it coming from his own mouth made Jekyll's skin crawl. He cleared his throat and took more deep breaths, trying to calm his nerves.
"This..Hyde...is you?"
Silence continued. Dorian pressed further.
"...How dangerous is he?"
Jekyll's eyes cut slowly to him.
"...Very."
The fire crackled, the wind outside whistling wildly against the window. "There have been deaths..horrors you can't even imagine..and they all came from me..the darkness inside of me."
The doctor leaned back, resting his arms against the sides and let an unnerving exhale escape his mouth.
"I only wanted to cure people..to take the darkness within men's hearts and separate it in a way for us to be free of evil..I wanted to cure evil...not succumb to it. Not for it to destroy everything I had ever worked for..."
"...It always does in the end. People like us never go unpunished for our sins.."

Jekyll closed his eyes, his face flooding with dread and regret, as he was visibly remembering the horrors he was speaking of.
"..I turned into a monster which had it's very own consciousness. A demon completely void of any remorse or moral. Hyde became his own entity. An entity that began to take over, regardless of whether I took the potion or not. Hyde is unique in the sense that the more evil he committed, the more he grew. The more he became dangerous and menacing. Within my stolen body, I was suffocated. I had no control when he took over."
"I see......how did you manage to escape his control? Because as I recall....you took your own life."
He nodded. "..And that's what I wanted the others to believe. When merely, I drank a concoction that imitated the state of death which lasted long enough for me to be taken away to the funeral home, where I woke up and escaped. Caskets are thankfully easier to get out of then six feet underground."
Dorian lifted his chin in amusement, "And you came here?"
"I secluded myself. Confining my very existence in this house. I paid an anonymous sum to the owner of this complex to be left alone, to ensure no one discovers who I am or that I am still alive. They wouldn't come looking for a dead man, after all. It's easier this way.. here I have regained control of myself. Suppressing the beast inside of me. There's no reason to be evil when you're sitting alone in a house, with no purpose other than to exist."

"How do you know he isn't coming back?"
"..I never said he didn't. He does...not often..but once in awhile...sometimes he slips through. Takes control for but a night." "And he doesn't escape out the door?"
"You assume I roam around the house freely when night time hits. No.. I chain myself in the basement. Where he screams and thrashes himself into a fit, trying to escape. But he has no chance to. I am confined as Jekyll and confined as Hyde. This house is the only domain I choose to remain in. For the good of all."
"But wait, old boy...how do you manage to be free? Surely you don't keep the key in your pocket?"
"It is brought to me. By a young girl."
Dorian's brows lifted. "A young girl, you say?"
Jekyll nodded his head, "Yes. She appeared not long after I came back here. And started to deliver food and newspapers to my doorstep, every day since. She respects my privacy and doesn't try to pull me out from my home.. hasn't alerted the police or told my old colleagues of my being alive. And every morning, she comes in, takes the key I leave on the table for her and unlocks me while I sleep. Bless her..she has been kind to me. I wouldn't have been able to function if it wasn't for her."
"And how does she know to do all this?"
"Because she left me a letter, her first visit.. stating that she knew who I was and she wasn't afraid. She was willing to help me, with food and news from the outside world, and in any other way she could. Even revealing that she knew of my blackouts and struggles with keeping him entirely at bay, having to lock myself downstairs. And that she would release me, if I only left her the key to do so. She's obviously very quiet, as I never am made aware of her presence out of my sleep. And it's been like that for months now...she's the only person, other than you, that I have contacted directly since I faked my own death."

Gray stood and pointed at the table full of envelopes with his cane. "And what of the letters? How did you manage to confiscate them?" Jekyll only chuckled. "A stretch of the truth, really..she took them. For me. Because I told her to."
"Good God, man..you could have gotten her arrested!"
"No, no..she gladly accepted the challenge. I asked her to visit with my colleagues and try to find some evidence that ensured they were still convinced I was dead, and not secretly.. speculating. She found the letters in their homes and took them before they could be mailed. And she left them with the food the next morning." "How long ago was that?"
"A month ago. Before all this accursed rain and nightfall hit."
He looked down at his pocketwatch and shook his head in disappointment. "It's 3:47 in the afternoon. This state London is under is absolute madness. It's almost as if it is witchcraft, if I believed that sort of thing."
"Oh, not witchcraft. Something more darker, more sinister than that... tell me, Doctor, are you familiar of the history of Egyptian afterlife?" Jekyll looked confused. "I know..they mummified their dead, believing in the possibility they would come back?"
"Indeed..mostly they did this with royal families, in the hopes the family would be made eternal, nevermind the death they endured so many centuries before. Sometimes, however..they would do this to the worst of Egyptian individuals..in which they placed a menacing curse upon..a curse in which I believe is responsible for this infernal darkness."

Gray began pacing the room, nodding his head gradually at the window, which gave a peek at the heavy rain just outside.
"Some time ago, a shipment from Egypt arrived in London, containing something quite astounding that they not yet chose to reveal to the public. Until nearly a week later, the British Museum announced a new exhibit. One that featured the sarcophagus of an ancient mummified Egyptian individual."
He glanced at Jekyll. "Rains began that week. More heavy and frequent than usual. And darkness began to settle.
And as time passed, it grew even worse. And worse. Until it's gotten to the point of constant darkness. Constant rainfall. Not a moment of clear skies or light of any kind. And it all began when that mummy arrived."

Jekyll scoffed at this, "You're not saying the mummy placed a curse on London?!" "What else could it be, Henry?! They shut down the Museum, why would they do that, unless something happened? Maybe paranoia? Maybe a death?"
Henry only held his shaking head, groaning at this silliness.
"Dorian, you can't believe such nonsense! There are no such things as curses! The dead simply can not raise themselves back to life! That's all superstitious babble that only small-minded people convince themselves of to believe they're not alone in this world!" "Heaven's sake, Jekyll, a man shouldn't be able to separate the evil from his own heart that becomes its own person! Don't you see? You, yourself, achieved in the impossible! Why is it so unlikely that the Egyptians, as mysterious and powerful as they were, were not in tune with the reality that stretches beyond life and death? That they were able to cast such a curse using that power? Maybe they're not the ones who are small-minded, Henry..maybe you're the one that needs to broaden his horizons and come to realize we aren't alone in this world."

Jekyll's eyes flashed with anger and he sprung up out of his chair, clenching his fists fiercely. "Why did you come here?! Why me?!"
"BECAUSE, Henry! You're not the only one trying to atone for the atrocities you're responsible for! I lost....I lost the woman I love because of it..I lost the life I was blessed with.. like you, I had a life of privilege and wealth and respectability. And it was taken from me, from my own actions." Jekyll turned his head to the side, "What do you mean?" "....There was a painting. A portrait of myself. And it...it possessed...power... unbelievable power...that it......it captured my very soul." The doctor's eyes widened in shock. Dorian sat back down, staring down at his own hand. "..Look at my complexion..my appearance..how perfect it looks. That is because of the painting. I no longer age. I no longer endure pain or injury. I can not be scarred. I can not be killed."

His eyes darkly lifted at the doctor. "..Henry, I am immortal. Time hasn't touched me since the day that painting was finished. I'm trapped in an untouchable body. But with a heavy price.. like you, I gave in to my own impure desires, my worst fears and nightmares coming true. I committed so many sins and hurt so many lives... and at the time, I had very little care of it. I was absolutely blameless in my own eyes. Thought myself free of consequence. Until I realized that..something was no longer right about me. I had changed........and I found out why. The next time I looked at the painting, I saw the horrific result of what my actions had caused. And what entirely had been inflicted upon me. The painting of myself had changed into a grotesque and demonic looking figure. That symbolized the man I had become. It was all the evil, all the wrong I had committed that showed through that painting. It was my very soul that it contained now. And it didn't just harbor that evil. It harbored my age. My injury. My heartbreak. What I was doing was killing me, without killing me. And there was no way for me to stop it."

The doctor fell back in his chair, staring at the floor.
"...And the painting..what became of it?"
"..Supposedly it was destroyed..only..it wasn't..he only made me think it was.." Jekyll cut his eyes. "..Someone?"
Dorian tightened his jaw. "The man who made the painting...he did this to me. He turned me into..a monster. And now..the painting is missing...and I am still alive." His head fell.
"I left my life and everything that I knew and came here."
"Why? Where do I fit into this?" "I needed you to help me heal."
"Heal?! Why would I, of all people, help you heal?!"
"Because, Henry! We ARE the same, don't you see?! We both have done terrible things and feel trapped in our remorse that we don't see the truth..we have a chance to redeem ourselves. Look at you! You stay here and lock yourself up, and for what? You're not LIVING, Jekyll! You're only existing! Life has given us, supposed dead men, a second chance!" "A chance to do what?!"
"To do things worth the trouble it causes us! To help others, to SAVE others..and not just the innocent. We as men burdened with sin know exactly what it's like for others of the same affliction. The monsters, the ones hated by society..we can save them, too, dear boy! Right our wrongs and make something of ourselves!"

Jekyll stared quizzically at Dorian for a few long moments before lowering his eyes at the floor. "You really believe...there's hope for us?" Dorian nodded, taking hold of the doctor's shoulders. "I do....and you're not the only one I found out about, Henry. There are others, sharing similar curses of their own...for instance, there is a man somewhere in London who has the ability to transform into a wolf...a scientist who turned his very body invisible.. a doctor who created life out of death, into a figure of fearsome power. These are men burdened with evil and we must find them...and free them."
Dorian grabbed hold of his cane and pointed it onward. "But first..we must eliminate the threat that looms over this city..we must visit the Museum and find that mummy. End this curse, once and for all! What do you say, old boy? Will you...join me on this voyage?"

Jekyll seemed reluctant to even look back at Dorian. He sat back down in his chair and took heavy, deep breaths, tightening his grip upon his kneecaps. "I know you're afraid that Hyde might be set free..but I promise you....this will end his reign inside of you...until you no longer have to worry about him ever again.."
This made Henry glance up at Gray, his face flushing with anxiousness. His tightened throat swallowed painfully and he inhaled deeply through his nostrils, exhaling it back out which helped calm his nerves. "Alright..." He finally spoke. He stood back up and nodded at the gentleman before him, a smile surprisingly stretching across his lips. ".. I'll do it."

CONTINUE TO..
Stepping Outside The Door

Something To Hide

Dorian walked into the hallway that Jekyll generously allowed him entry to. He shuddered at the transition from a cold and dismal temperature to a cozy warmth radiating from the nearby fireplace. With that, Jekyll came up from behind and took his coat, where Dorian rose his brows at the polite welcome the good doctor was giving him, despite his initial distrust. As Jekyll turned and hung the gentleman's coat up, Dorian Gray turned his attention to the rest of the house and smiled. "Marvelous!" He praised with a grin. "Simply marvelous!"

"Forgive me for my general curiosity and most likely missing something so apparent, but what is marvelous??"
Dorian didn't bother looking at him. Merely pointed his cane at the interior of the home. "Your humble abode, dear sir! I haven't seen such a well kept living space in quite some time!"
"Well then, if you like it so much, you can have it sir."
Dorian merely laughed. "Not interested in the slightest, dear boy. For I no longer have myself a home."
Jekyll rose his brow. "No home?? Were you casted out? Was it destroyed?" "By Jove, what depressing selections. But alright, I'll be truthful. I no longer have a home because..I left. And I never looked back. From my past and everything. I left to make a better name for myself. To atone for my sins..."
Dorian stepped towards the doctor. "I heard the same of you. In fact, that's why I'm here..because you and myself.. we're kindred spirits."
The good doctor turned his head in a way that displayed curiosity in the most innocent manner. "Kindred spirits? Whatever are you implying?" Dorian nodded and took his gaze from Jekyll to the rest of the house. "I'm implying that I know of your exploits. The ones done under the persona of..Hyde..I believe??"

Jekyll's chest puffed up and his breathing quickened, his sagging eyes filling with renewed energy. "I demand you tell me what you want this instant or I will throw you out back into that infernal storm!" Dorian sighed and rolled his eyes playfully. "Dear boy, no need to get so excited. I promise, I'll get to the point of my visit..as soon as we sit for a good spot of tea?"
Jekyll's eyes glanced over at the lounge, and he quickly took control of his breathing. "..Of course..forgive me..I..I'm just..I just need to get a..hold of myself..."

With a trembling hand, he reached for the edge of the doorway leading to the lounge and held onto it, tightening his other hand into a fist as he bent over and tried to control his breathing.
His eyes closed and his face went from a healthy peach to a frightful red. Dorian took note of this and took a step in his direction, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, dear boy?" Jekyll perked up and switched his gaze from the floor to Gray. "Yes, of course... please..follow me."

The doctor advanced forward with the dashing gentleman in tow and they made their way to two cushioned armchairs, placed before a crackling fireplace. Dorian gestured his hands to the scene and smiled wide, setting his cane beside his selected seat. "Ah! This is the way to conduct business!"
He took his seat and breathed in a comfortable manner, satisfied of the state of his visit so far. His eyes wandered the room and registered all the items and furniture to be seen. One such item that sparked his interest was a small table across from them that was littered with papers. This intrigued him.
Jekyll nodded at him, already departing to go into the kitchen.
"I'm going to go and make that tea. I'll return in a few moments.."
As soon as the doctor left, Dorian peeked behind the chair to make sure Jekyll was truly out of sight. He then turned his head back around and stood back up, rushing forward towards the small table that previously caught his interest.

There, he examined the very top paper resting on the small pile, and brought it up to his eyesight. That's when his gaze narrowed.
They weren't just ordinary papers. They were letters.
Letters from many individuals, in fact.
He took it upon himself to sift through the pile and quickly assess the purpose and the importance of the content contained in such letters. The envelopes harbored the names of ones such as Gabriel John Utterson, Richard Enfield, Hastie Lanyon and a Mr. Poole..

His brow lifted. Naturally, he did not recognize any of the names. But these were from long ago. Why did Jekyll have them laying about on the table? Was he perhaps reading them for memories sake? Or perhaps.. did he steal these? It was quite curious why a man who no longer visited the outside world by choice was immersing himself with it. If he refused to take part in the world just outside his doorstep, then why cling to the authors of these letters? And furthermore..what did these letters contain?

Dorian had to know. He snatched one from Mr. Poole and slipped it out of the envelope, bringing the small yellow ink stained paper close to his eyesight. He peered through the poor lighting at the rather faint cursive handwriting, while simultaneously checking to make sure Jekyll was not ready to come back in any time soon.
"What's keeping you, old boy? Unable to find the tea?"
"No no, I'm only getting it in now, please be patient.."
Dorian bit his lip, seeing that he might have bought himself a little time. He hurriedly sifted his gaze across the letter's contents until he reached the end and caught sight of it.
We mourne the loss of our esteemed Dr. Jekyll, and pray he finds his way to heaven, despite his unspeakable activities..

Dorian lifted his head.
So that was it.
These letters..at least judging from the one he held..
they were stolen.

He heard a sudden rattle as if glass was clanging together and he jolted, quickly placing the letter back on the table precisely where he found it and hopped over to a different part of the room, pretending to examine something else by the time Jekyll entered inside. The doctor was carrying a silver tray with a teapot and two teacups resting on the top, ready for consumption.
His eyes instinctively and alarmingly darted to Dorian as he stepped in, looking quite confused as to why he was wandering the house and fiddling with his things.
"Whatever are you doing, Mister Gray?"
Dorian turned and nodded his head with a smirk at the doctor.
"Nothing, my friend, just taking in the scenery."
The dashing gentleman began strolling around the room, taking quick glances in fake amusement of the contents of his household. "You have such a beautiful house, full of beautiful furniture and antiques. It's a pity you have to stay couped up, unable to share your splendor with anyone else. Not even a friend."

Jekyll set his tray down, clearing his throat, obviously attempting to regain his composure. "..Yes, it is..I haven't had a visitor in....well..I don't get visitors. Not anymore."
Dorian lifted his head. "I see.."
His eyes fell at the small table and he saw now his chance to bring up the pile of seemingly stolen letters. He pointed at the envelopes. "And what of these? If you don't get visitors..don't talk to anyone..then where do these come in?"
Jekyll staggered over to his armchair and took a deep, concentrated breath, sitting down with struggle and bending his body towards the fireplace.
The doctor closed his eyes. "You promise not to tell a soul?"
Dorian slowly nodded, giving Jekyll cause to take another deep breathe.
"Alright....I confiscated them."
Gray's eyes widened a bit at the sound. "Confiscated? You mean steal?"
Jekyll shifted. "That sounds awful.. stealing..that's only something that he.." He sunk. "..Would do.."
Dorian's face teemed with curiosity. "HE?"
Jekyll felt entirely uncomfortable. "...yes....he.."
Dorian perked himself up and sat down quickly on his own armchair. "And who is this...he??"

Jekyll obviously wasn't wanting to answer. He held his chin down and took deep, shallow breathes. And he finally did speak.
"Hyde.."

CONTINUE TO..
A Case-Sensitive Matter

The Gentleman & The Doctor

 The streets of London were littered with large puddles of rain as it fell heavily upon the Earth; the grey skies above darkened by the blanket of night and looming clouds that hovered above the city with no promise of clarity or solace. This rain had been serving as an endless plague for many days now.
Day and night, it continued without pause. Many of the people longed to see the sun again..or at least the clear sky of night, to see the world of stars just beyond their reach.

Little stirred in the downpour. Most stayed indoors to avoid being drenched. But something else troubled the citizens of London. Not just the unusual weather..a presence had entered the city.
A presence unlike anything they had ever felt. A dark shadow had been cast and it made them weary.
It was a shadow that felt unnatural and sickening. But for the life of them, they couldn't explain why.
Or where it had come from. And thus brought them frustration. A restless despair had settled in the hearts of the people. And there was none who could provide any answers.

Amongst the blackened streets, the only light being low-wicked lanterns, which reflected on the piled rain on the brick ground below, walked a colorless figure. Silent, tall..carrying a cane which he used to tap away obstacles to avoid dirtying his hands. He had a strong grip around the glistening silver balled handle..and the level of force he used to tap his surroundings was surprising due to his deceiving build. He trudged elegantly around the streets, aiming for a destination unknown. Only three times did he bother to glance at the sky above, knowing full well there would be no change.

He continued on his way in silence, completely alone on his mysterious journey.
As soon as he reached the end of a corner, he stopped, leaned against the side of a building, and pulled out a paper from his pocket. He hovered his arm over it to avoid it being saturated, and he peered forcefully using the poor light of the lantern behind him to read the paper's contents.
While the glossy brown item had become soggy at the ends, forcing him to hold it up by all its sides, the writing remained untouched. It was written in delicate thick black ink cursive. An address.
An address set in Cavendish Square.

The man's eyes lifted from the paper back to the street ahead of him and a hidden smirk traced across his lips. He was getting closer. With this knowledge, he stuffed the paper back into his waistcoat, took hold of his cane once more and resumed his walk along the dark London streets.
He passed many buildings, many shops, many residents. Even a pub that's entrance was blocked by two clearly drunk men who held their mugs up to the man in a 'cheers' gesture and one drooled out,
"End o' the world, mate! Shadow 'as come t' London!"

The man stopped in his tracks and looked to them, then swung his cane over his shoulder and rested it there as he pivoted his body in their direction and studied them only for a moment. As there wasn't much to study given their graceless state. "Shadow has come, indeed. Though not in the way you assume, I suspect."

The man only grogged, not directly replying to the man he had just spoken to, and leaned back against the frame of the doorway, jugging down the last of his drink. Finding little interest in the two, the man sniffed in secret disgusted disapproval and boredom before pivoting back and proceeding on his way. "Goodnight, gentlemen."

For several more minutes, he strolled across the streets in continued silence, lifting his head up only to check street addresses. The rain only seemed to get worse the further he traveled, and the ominous feeling that came with it. That something, somewhere, had arrived. But it did the man little concern.
His focus was set on one thing and one thing only.

Once he entered a street of very little activity, seeing that all lights were off inside the homes save for one, his head turned to that particular residence, and his mysterious smirk returned.
Gracefully, he took a step to the left and approached the home in a calm, steady pace, carrying himself elegantly. In only a matter of seconds, he was across the street and at the doorstep.
He took another glance at the glowing yellow light shining through the shrouded windows, then at the lantern sitting next to the door-frame, as rain continued to pour not only on him, but all around him, and a looming fog spread throughout the block.

His attention left the scenery and turned back to the door in front of him. With a raise of an arm, he held his hand up and knocked four times. He let a few seconds pass before he once again knocked four times. When the sound of approaching footsteps drifted into earshot, he lowered his arm back to his side and tapped his shoes patiently, humming quietly to himself. The door had not yet been opened.

In the corner of his eye, he spotted something ever-so-slightly flinch at the window and in response, darted his gaze to it. A figure was hidden behind the curtain, his face barely clear enough to make out, visibly peeking from the slat he opened up with his finger to check and see who was at the door. Thinking he was perhaps unseen, he made quite a startled jump when the stranger waved his index and middle fingers at him, equipped with a charming smile that glistened radiantly in the partial darkness.

The figure behind the curtains backed away immediately, stepping out of view.
At first, it seemed the resident of this beautiful Victorian home had ran off to hide, obviously skiddish about new visitors. However, this turned out not to be the case.
Not a moment later, movement was detected from the other side of the door, and one by one, each lock was disengaged and the knob was twisted and pulled.

The inside was revealed when a tall, middle-aged Englishman swung open the door, a look of confusion embedded on his aging face and hazel eyes. Worry soon mixed in once he looked at the man up and down. The man, meanwhile, grinned exquisitely at the one before him, and he rose his arms up gracefully, holding both his cane and removed top hat. "Ah, Dr. Jekyll! What an honor, sir, truly an honor!" With one arm tucked into his chest, he bent down and bowed in respect, rising back just to smile warmly. "You've no idea the lengths it took me to find this place..more importantly you."
He removed his gloves and cleared his throat, turning his head a second to yet again check the sky.
"W--w---"
He looked back at Jekyll, who was currently trying to find his words, the good doctor still holding the door open and shaking his head in escalating confusion.

"Who--who--" "Who am I?" Jekyll looked at him. The man again smiled charmingly and bowed his head. "Dorian Gray, at your service, sir."
Jekyll's head lifted and his look of confusion formed into one of suspicion.
"Dorian Gray...huh..never heard of you."
"Not many have, I'd wager. Not from this part of London, you see. In fact, I don't believe I've ever been to this part of the country before." "How did you find me??" Dorian's eyes returned to the doctor.
"And how do you know my name?"
The young gentleman smiled once more, returning to the level of mystery and intrigue he had carried on the way there. His dark eyes flickered with it.
It was quite clear he had great business with the doctor.
"My dear doctor, these are questions I simply cannot answer out in the open. The things I have to discuss with you are quite case-sensitive, I'm afraid."
"No one has come so far to find me..what's your business here?"
"Don't get many visitors, do you?"
Jekyll's expression melted into a quiet solemn sadness.
"..Not like I used to.."

Dorian looked sympathetic, if only for a minute. "..Right..may I?"
He gestured at the inside of the house. Jekyll tensed in reply, uncertain of what he should do. But when he glanced behind Gray at the rain pouring down without any sign of ceasing, the skies covered with unsettling darkness, and the dark foggy world his visitor had traveled from, he looked back at the young Englishman. His suspicion died down to a reluctant silence. He wasted no more time.
He stepped aside to allow Dorian entry.

CONTINUE TO..
Something To Hide