A Devil in the Storm
Chapter 1: The Musings of a Mr. Edward Hyde
The title of Warden was a boring business.
Hyde often wandered the halls of the hospital, frozen in the time lock of the Land of Untold Stories. He wondered to himself what would become of his ageless form, the soul that would never die in a place like this. In the beginning, his fate was most decidedly in the hands of a Dr. Jekyll, a puny man who had the countenance of a small mouse. Yet this man was the sole reason Hyde was alive and trapped in this dreaded place. This man was the reason that Hyde was a monster, as much as Hyde despised it. He longed to be separated from the real monster. More than anything.
Darkness is born from darkness. Hyde thought to himself. Yet darkness must die at the hands of good.
It was this that drove Hyde in everything he did. He plotted an escape from the Land of Untold Stories to the land where his destiny would be fulfilled, where he would finally reach the absolution he craved, for he could not find it here. He desperately wanted to escape this sorry excuse for a life after mindlessly fulfilling the deepest desires of a coward.
Hyde was always left to face the consequences.
The Doctor was the reason Mary was gone.
The Doctor was the reason Hyde was born into this miserable, bloody existence.
The Doctor was the real monster.
He was the one who deserved to face the consequences.
Instead, Hyde wandered the halls of the empty hospital, frozen in the Land of Untold Hell, with his hands clasped behind his back.
Until recently, he wasn't allowed to wander freely. Tonight, however, with the help of his orderly, Poole, he had regained some control. He was slowly dominating Henry's soul, and one day, Hyde would have full control to do as he pleased. He was usually trapped behind the eyes of Henry Jekyll, waiting patiently to rip his way out again. But it wasn't enough. He wanted to rip through the heart of Henry Jekyll. It wasn't his fault. Violence was all he ever knew, and it was all he was ever conditioned to know. It was the Doctor's deeds that made him so bitter and full of anger. Hyde was the apparition of one's deepest and darkest inklings. That was Hyde's entire being, and he was angry.
His dress shoes made a soft tapping sound as he walked rhythmically to the roof of the large building. It was nearing eight in the evening, and Hyde longed for a sunset. He wasn't sure how much time he had before the Doctor regained control, so he planned to make the most of his precious time.
Tap, tap went his shoes.
Tap, tap went Dr. Henry Jekyll at the door between their souls.
Let me in, beast.
Hyde shook off the voice in the back of his mind. That's the only glimpse of reality that our precious Doctor will get for the evening.
He kept walking, careful to walk quietly from that point on. He ascended the spiral staircase that led to the rooftop, contemplating his plans for the very near future. This included the knowledge of his own death. To anyone else, this would be an omen. To him, however, it was a blessing, and he ran towards it with as much enthusiasm as Edward Hyde was capable of.
That evening, he longed for a sunset, but the only thing he ever really wanted was to die.
And he would bring Jekyll down with him.
Hyde lifted the door to the roof with ease, throwing the door to the side as the orange glow of the evening filled his vision. The sun warmed his pale skin as he stepped out onto the rooftop. This was the only warmth he was provided in a life of cold darkness. He didn't always mind the cold, but he welcomed the sun with eagerness that day.
As he stood unmoving at the edge of the roof, he closed his eyes to soak in the illusion of freedom.
When I am a free man, he thought, there will be time for hundreds of sunsets.
Time for many things.
Life must be more than just pain.
Hyde slowly opened his eyes again, the view of the city presenting itself before him. The water in the distance reflected the soft golden light, bathing the city in its hue. It could be truly beautiful in the light. One could almost forget what lurked in its streets. Hyde could feel himself getting lost in the light, and he welcomed it.
The peace didn't last for long. A faint shadow cast a speck of darkness on the sunset. Hyde squinted at the black speck as it grew larger. It appeared that it was moving towards his estate very quickly, and he was able to focus more clearly on the approaching object.
Is that… dust?
Before Hyde could contemplate further, the shadow was upon him, revealing itself as a storm of black dust. It swarmed around him, suffocating him, yet completely silent. Hyde knew he could not die, yet his eyes bulged in panic at the lack of oxygen. He reached for his throat, the dust threatening to make its way into his lungs. He cackled at the sudden turn of events. He enjoyed this excitement.
Suddenly, the storm ceased attacking him. He hunched over and coughed, taking in sharp breaths and still chuckling when he could. He looked up to see where the storm had gone, and instead a woman stood in its place. At least, he thought it was a woman, judging from the small figure that hid underneath the cloak.
"Show yourself, intruder." Hyde spoke in a loud voice. At first, he was answered only by silence, the brooding figure seemed to be sizing him up. Then, slowly, the figure pulled down the hood of their cloak.
Hyde was struck by golden blonde hair that shone in the sunlight. She was a rather small, puny thing. She did not seem to be the intimidating type, quite the opposite. She should have kept her hood up.
"'Tis quite a feat to be overpowered by such a small thing. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Hyde said in a sinister voice. He straightened his figure to reveal his size to hear, expecting she would shrink back from him.
She didn't flinch. "I'm the Sandman."