His growling was enough to send most things, living or dead, skittering back into the dark corners they'd emerged from; all that is, but Dr. Victor Frankenstien and his creation. They stood five feet from the wounded creature, the doctor studying him from a safe distance while his monster stood silently behind him, ready to defend him should the need arise.
From this distance Victor could plainly see the creature was in a great deal of discomfort; he sat with his back against the wall he had crawled to from where he fell, his face pale as he constantly shifted position as if trying to escape from the unrelenting pain he appeared to be in. Victor's experienced eye noted his ragged breathing, indicative of broken ribs or worse, his one arm held protectively against his body and the fact that he was doing everything in his power to not move his right leg; he badly needed help, but first Victor had to come up with a way to do it without getting mauled. He took a step forward and the creature growled even louder, this time baring his inch long canines to emphasize his point.
"I mean you no harm, all I wish to do is help you."
The creature, his eyes a hellish red, stared him down in such a way as to make Victor wish there was an impenetrable barrier between the two of them. Much to Victor's surprise, the creature broke off first and lowered his gaze to the floor, his scruffy black hair covering his eyes.
"Please." He whispered, his voice sounding to Victor like what a dog able to speak would sound like.
After creating splints for the creature's arm and leg, Victor had his monster carry him to the part of the mansion he inhabited and gently lay him upon a bed in one of the empty rooms.
"I'm Dr. Victor Frankenstien." Victor felt it was now safe to offer his hand, hoping the creature felt comfortable enough around him to not bite it off.
" Edward H-Hyde." The creature took the proffered hand in his own; Victor noted how the coarse hair on the back resembled that of an ape; was this being some kind of missing link, he wondered?
"Would you like to explain how you ended up in your current predicament?" Victor asked with a note of suspicion; he'd been on his way to investigate the screams he'd been hearing, one sounding eerily like that of a child, when he'd stumbled upon him. "You haven't killed anyone, have you?"
Edward shook his head. "The stupid brat and those annoying books are long gone by now." He snarled like a wolf who'd been denied its prey. Victor saw that it would be wise to change the subject.
"So, my friend, what exactly are you?"
"How the hell should I know!?" Edward snapped. "All I know is I'm not human and I'm not anything else I've found here."
Victor took a step back. "How long have you been here?" The various ghosts and ghouls that wandered the hallways had been moaning about a feral beast wrecking havoc as it prowled about the house; stealing whatever it could get its hands on, attacking for no reason, and laughing gleefully as its terrorized victims ran away.
Edward shrugged. "Ask that idiot friend of yours, Henry, the next time you see him. He's the one that lets me out."
"Lets you out? And how do you know I'm friends with Henry Jekyll?"
Edward laughed maliciously. "I'M Henry Jekyll, just not the body you're used to. I'm the part of him that he wishes would die."
"He's succeeded, then" Victor gasped as he turned pale.
"And I'm starting to wish I WOULD die! This pain is maddening." Edward whined, snapping Victor back to reality.
"Can I examine you?"
"Right now I could care less if you cut my throat!" He moaned, Victor, feeling nothing but pity as he untied the sling, stopping to say hello to the various spirits that had floated into the room. Edward saw them, and commenced growling; even showed them his teeth again, all to no avail. They saw how wounded he was and, judging him harmless, one made a come here gesture in the direction of the open door. Slowly, various denizens of the mansion filed into the room; all staring with a mixture of curiosity that soon turned to anger.
"That's HIM!" A deathly pale woman wearing a tattered dress, and with seaweed in her hair, shrieked as she pointed an accusing finger at him. "He stole my necklace!"
Soon the air was filled with accusations being leveled at him. "He beat up my brother!" "He pushed me down the stairs!" "He pushed me into a chest and locked it!" "He stole our food!" and on and on for several minutes.
Victor polity hushed them as Edward cowered at the onslaught. Once he'd gained order, he turned to look down at Edward.
"How much of that is true?"
Edward swallowed. "All." He flinched, but Victor held up a hand to stop them.
"He's too injured right now to do much, but I'll see what can be done."
Victor got him to disclose where he hid their valuables and to sincerely apologize to those he'd wronged in other ways, Victor working out a deal wherein he'd do odd jobs for his victims as punishment when he was healed up enough to do so.
Once they'd left, Victor went back to examining him, Edward yelping whenever he found the sight of his various injuries.
"Your arm and several ribs are broken, but your leg is not. You appear to have either sprained or badly bruised it." Victor told him as he readied a shot of morphine for him. "And now I understand why you were behaving the way you were when I found you, you knew if they recognized you they'd be out for your blood. Now hold still, this will only sting a little." He rolled up the sleeve on Edward's good arm, Edward turning his head as Victor injected him.
Seated by his side, Victor held Edward's hand as his body tried to fight the powerful drug.
"Just relax, you'll only fall asleep, nothing more."He whispered as Edward's eyes would start to close, only for him to jerk awake. "I'll stay with you till you wake up."
"He'll be back, tomorrow," Edward mumbled, Victor, running his fingers through Edward's hair.
"We'll come up with a schedule, you'll get more time, but for now that time will be spent atoning for what you've done."
Edward forced his eyes open one last time before the drug took effect, Victor picking up a book as he kept one eye on him.