Tempting Touch

A dance of death

October 7th. 3:30 a.m.

Lucy was relaxing on her chair when she heard footsteps. Who could it be? Oh, Mr. Hyde. That was probably him again. Whoever it was tho, she knew they came just for one thing: her body. She was almost taking off the coat she was wearing to expose her black corset, but soon as she turned around, she put it on again right away. That was Mr. Utterson. He was that one friend who was with Jekyll the night Lucy met him. What was he doing here?

He handed his umbrella to her and she placed it next to the mirror. After all, it was storming out there. She looked at his other hand and noticed he was holding a letter. Strange.

"I have a letter from Dr. Jekyll." He said. Lucy immediately felt her heart beat faster when she heard her friend's name. "He wants you to leave London. Tonight, if possible." He seemed very serious and sort of appalled. She slowly took the letter from his hand and held it, but didn't open it, since she didn't know how to read. Embarassed, she handed the letter back to him, asking him to read it for her. He opened it quickly and did as she requested.

"My dear miss Lucy. I regret more than I can ever express, that my private misfortunes prevent me from ever seeing you again. I have found in you a tender and loving light during these past dark days."
As he spoke those words, Lucy opened a small smile. She never heard a compliment like this coming from Jekyll before. But she was also confused. What was that all about?
"I hope you will accept the enclosed as a small repayment for the lesson you have taught me." Lucy glanced at the envelope on the chair where she had left it and grabbed it. She opened to find money in it, a lot of money. She sighed in relief, for all her hope was restored again, this was her chance. He continued:
"Leave this place, I beg you, and begin again, secure in the knowledge that I shall never forget you. Henry Jekyll." Utterson finished it and gave the letter to her once more.

"He don't owe me nothing." She spoke in a serious and firm voice. "I owe him." Lucy put the letter away.
"That's none of my concern, but I beseech you to do as he asks. I'm sure it's for the best." Utterson said, getting his umbrella and putting on his hat. He walked to the exit but Lucy held his wrist lightly.
"Why didn't he come?" She asked, a little upset. "Why did you?"
He stayed silent for a while and then answered:
"Because he's my friend."

Hearing those words, Lucy stared at the floor for a moment, remembering Henry would never truly love her or see her as something more than a friend.
"Yes. I suppose he's mine too." She murmured.
"Well," he put her hands back to where they were and bowed. "Good night and good luck. May you find a happier life elsewhere." Lucy gave him a soft smile and he left at last.

A new life, the chance she had been waiting for, finally came. This time, it would be different. Lucy packed her bags and took off her coat. She put on her long black skirt and a purple shawl.
"A new start... is it really true? At last... In a new role, I am ready to live!" She jumped, excited and filled with hope. She sat on the chair and looked at the mirror one last time, as she did her hair in a bun and held her bags near her.

She finally left the brothel and went outside without anyone noticing it. Freedom. A tear of joy fell down her cheek.
"I'll live again!" Lucy placed the envelope in her superior part of the corset and followed the way where it led to the train station.

Suddenly, she felt something touch her foot, making her trip and fall. It couldn't be. Lucy gazed at the dark figure behind her.
"Dearest Lucy..." The familiar voice echoed. "You weren't expecting me?" Hyde asked.
Lucy stared at the floor and then her bags, analyzing the possibilities of what could happen right now.
"No." She answered, shaking.
Hyde looked at her for some seconds and then laughed maniacally, walking to her direction.
"But who else could I come to-" he offered his hand. "For sympathy, tenderness?" He weirdly smiled. Lucy immediately got the message. He knew about Jekyll and his letter. She gave him her hand and stood up.
Hyde forced her to the brothel's main door and pushed her inside of it.
"You had another visitor this evening?"
"No, not really, sir." She replied as fast as she could, hoping he wouldn't suspect that she was lying.
He laughed and placed his arm around her, walking around the brothel.
"It wasn't the good doctor himself, was it? No, no, no! Henry is such a very busy man!" He put her agaisnt the wall and put his hands around her neck.
"You... you really do know him? I thought you only knew him by his name and that you were lying about being close to him... And that you only did that to-"
"Shut up!" He held her tighter. "Know him? We've been friends since forever. As I said before..." He abandoned her neck and grabbed her hand, leading her to the swing where she used to sit in back in the old days. And so she sat. "We share everything, just as you and I do, my sweet Lucy, everything."

Hyde touched her hair and then her chin. He slowly moved his hands down to her breasts and took Jekyll's letter away from her. He opened it and read it out loud:
"Leave this place, I beg you?" He crushed the paper and ripped off the money with wrath and threw it on the floor. "You wouldn't leave the city without saying goodbye, would you?"
She looked at him, apparently emotionless, broken inside. She directed her gaze elsewhere.
"No, I'm not going anywhere." She said in a cold tone, with tears forming in her eyes, ready to burst.
He laughed histerically. "That's right, Lucy, you're not going anywhere." He said as he threw her bags away.

Hyde stood behind her and started swinging her.
"Sympathy, tenderness, warm as the summer, offer you their embrace..." He recited the verses. Somehow he knew. He knew what happened when she went to Jekyll's house. That she was in love with Henry, but how?
"Friendliness, gentleness, strangers to your life, they are there, in THIS FACE!" he yelled and stabbed her back with his knife. She was so distracted with his words while he was saying them, that she didn't even notice him pulling his knife out. Lucy screamed in immense and terirble pain, coughing blood out of her mouth. "Goodness and sweetness," he continued, now cutting her neck brutally as she screamed and cried more and more, while he slowly killed her. The blood spilled everywhere, on both of them. Breathless and still coughing, she tried to escape, craving her nails in his arms, but it was useless.
"And kindness abound in this-" Hyde freed her and pushed her to the floor. "PLACE!" He yelled in fury and started laughing like a madman. He licked the blood that was still on the knife while she crawled on the floor, still fighting for the dying spark of living she had left.

Lucy let her last tear stream down her face and splash on the floor. She closed her eyes and gave her last breath.

Hyde stopped laughing and froze. Suddenly, he fell on the ground and started contorcing himself to death, like he was possessed or something, but that was only Henry Jekyll. Jekyll came back to life and Hyde disappeared within his body, temporarily.

Jekyll woke up disoriented and looked at his hands. When he saw they were covered in blood, he fell into despair, knowing he had killed someone. His internal conflict grew stronger and his heart started beating faster. He saw Lucy's body turned down on the floor and ran to it as fast as he could.

"Lucy?" He whispered, turning her body up. "LUCY, NO!" He screamed and cried loudly when he saw her neck cut and all of her body damaged and bruised. He hugged her and kept continually whispering "no, no, no...". After a while, he let her rest and kissed her forehead. Jekyll took off the black coat he was wearing and covered Lucy with it.

"I'll never forget you... You suffered too much," Jekyll said, between hiccups and tears. "My friend..."

The end.