The Greyback Manor

Chapter three

The rest of the day was tense for everyone, even with the manor being quiet. Everyone was waiting for Jekyll to appear and attack. I feared that the longer he didn't show was the time he spent killing someone else. So, I did some more exploring around the manor to look for something that might help me. I got lost a few times before stumbling across a dark hallway that the twins hadn't shown me.  

"Hello, is anyone there?" I whispered.  

My voice echoed a bit, which set chills down my spine. Nevertheless, I walked down it.  

The floor creaked under my feet, and I could almost hear the sound of mumbling.  

"September 13th 11:30 p.m., I started alone, and I shall end this alone," the voice said.  

More mumbling happened, but I couldn't make it out and despite my brain telling me to run. I kept going. Whatever was behind that black door wasn't going to scare me. The mumbling became crying, and I felt feverish. As I reached for the doorknob, my eyes closed tightly. A cold wind blew through my hair, and I expected to see some kind of monster inside. The room was nearly empty save for the desk with a ton of books and a candle. Along with a nearly destroyed bed that was bolted to the floor.  

"Hello?" I asked. "Who could have been crying if there's no one here?"  

I let out a loud huff and lit the candle to get a better look on the desk. The small orange light illuminated the covers of the books, and I saw they were all addressed to Professor Edward Hyde. "This is Hyde's room. Must be why everything here is chained down."  

A part of me didn't want to invade his privacy, but I didn't have any other ideas, so I picked up the first book. It was dusty, so I coughed a bit, reminding me of when I first arrived at this time and was in that old library. It was mainly science notes, medical treatments, and some patient information. 

I also saw books about werewolf lore with unfinished formulas. He must have been trying to find a cure for Connor, I thought to myself.  

The last book caught my attention, as there was a picture of a woman on it. I sighed sadly and opened the book to see that it was Hyde's journal. The entries were all written in blank ink with blood spots on the pages and newspapers. I read them all, my heart dropping the further I got. 

September 1st  

I don't know what this is. I feel like I just woke up from a long dream. It was nearly 3 a.m., and I could feel a terrible pain in my body. Somebody had injected something into me. I thought I was dying, but then the pain stopped, and I heard voices in my head. The voice is evil. I don't know how to explain it, but he wants to kill. He calls himself Dr. Jekyll, and he created a formula that was used to bring me into existence. I shudder to think about why he wants to kill, but I have to stop him. He's left the formula here, so I have to figure out how it works. Maybe then they'll give me a name and an identity.  

September 3rd 

Jekyll took control, and I can't remember what he did, but I know he's killed people. I can see their faces in my mind and all over the papers looking for the killer. Jekyll isn't phased by it and blames me. He calls me his darker half. But while I may be a mere alter ego, I would never kill anyone. I know that's wrong. So I gave myself the name Edward Hyde in hopes I could use it to help me. So far, no one has found out about the formula, but I'm starting to see how powerful it is. Whatever Jekyll used for it was taken from a red book, but I have no idea where that book is. Nor can I find any traces of what he used, so I'm being forced to guess. The scientific notes that were left are strange, but I can understand them. Must be because of the connection I have to the doctor, but I don't want any connection.  

September 5th 

He's killed more people now, and one of them was by a church. There's no use waiting anymore. I can't watch this anymore and trick everyone around him that he was innocent. Especially his poor fiancé Lisa, who didn't deserve him nor his treatment. I've decided that I'm going to tell her the truth tonight. Maybe I couldn't remember anything, but that didn't mean I was useless. I had to protect her. The formula was almost done, and Jekyll was starting to suspect me, but I made sure to keep quiet. This formula started this, and it could end it. I wish I didn't have to leave this place to do so, but I've come to love this beautiful world.  

 

September 13th  

He...will...come back. And I will be here waiting and wondering if I will end up as Jekyll or Hyde. Am I a good man or am I a madman? There seems to be a fine line between a good man and a bad one. Their deaths are haunting me in the night. The ghosts are screaming at me to fix it or threatening to kill me.  

 

October 7th 

The world has gone insane, and Jekyll is out of control. I've started this alone, and I shall end this alone. It’s taken Lisa and I weeks, but the formula is ready. It will allow me to remain in control. I didn't know how long as Lisa had warned me that it was only temporary. But I am willing to take that chance, as I love her. It wouldn't make sense to anyone else. They would say that I was killer or that I brainwashed her, since Jekyll had convinced everyone that I was the murderer. It made me hate him even more, so I'm going to find that red book and make sure he can never return. I will be the man that he couldn't be and love the world that hated him.  

By this time tomorrow, I will have either succeeded and be married to Lisa, or I shall be gone. Either way, the suffering will end tonight... 

I wiped tears from my eyes. I could somehow see all these memories happening the more I read. Maybe that spell Lindsey used was still connecting me to his memories. The last entry ended abruptly, and all I saw was a silver locket. It contained the same picture as the cover. She was very beautiful, even with the yellowed condition of the photograph. Black straight hair with soft delicate features and gray eyes. At least I assumed they were gray. It was hard to tell due to the lack of light.  

"What happened that night Hyde?" I asked.  

A cold chill ran through me as I flipped through more pages that had photographs inside them. Hyde was with Lisa in the first ones, then she suddenly stopped appearing, and a young teenager took her place. I didn't need someone to tell me it was Connor.  

"I can tell you, my dear." I recognized the voice and tried to scream, but my mouth was covered with a strong hand. “It's a dangerous game that you've been playing."  

"Screw you, Jekyll. I don't care if you’re a vampire. I'll kill you!" I exclaimed.  

He was surprised by my bold statement and let me go. I gave him a look of fury while he stood there laughing to himself like a psycho.  

"Kill me, and you'd be killing Hyde. I would live forever," he said. I didn't think it was possible for my heart to break any further, but it did.  

“No, you’re lying. That's all you do," I responded, holding back tears.  

"I do, yes, but I won't lie to you, my dear,” he said.  

His hand caressed my cheek, and I became disgusted. This sick, twisted man wasn't going to seduce me. I wanted to push him into the desk and knock some sense into him, but I didn't know if that would do anything. He had used that red book to start all this, so I had to find it again.  

"I will find that red book, and I will stop you," I declared.  

"I wouldn’t, if I were you. You don't know the power of that book. Only the author of it can handle its power," he said. I didn't know what he was talking about, so I pushed him but he hardly moved three feet. "Don't be pushy, Clara. I'm sure you'll forgive me, or I guess the other me."