The Sickening

by Madam'zelleG

London recovers from the grips of a raging cholera epidemic. A man washes up on the banks of the Thames, dead under mysterious conditions. Bouts of sickness claim their prey, and a wealthy family must cope with tragedies and insanity. Amongst it all, Sherlock Holmes must sort out the tangle of threads that obscure the true purpose of these seemingly unconnected events. AU

21. Breaking a Solemn Oath

I do not know what's going on. I cannot see… everything is black, everything is pain…

There's nothing.

Why can I not feel?

Darkness….

Letter composed to Mr. M. Holmes on the 7th of July 1896.

Dear Sir,

It falls upon me as my solemn duty to inform you that your brother, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, has fallen under attack that has left him greatly incapacitated.

I do very much wish that I could say the attack was merely physical, a result of a chance meeting on the street with the enemy of one of his clients; I wish it had been such an isolated incident. Perhaps then, I would have been able to write this with a hand not quite as heavy as it is at this time.

I hardly need remind you of your brother's forced absence at the time of his final encounter with Professor Moriarty, and yet it is something that must be mentioned here. The arrest of Colonel Sebastian Moran, which led to the official return of Mr. Sherlock Holmes to Baker Street, appears to have gone amiss. Alas, he, the colonel, is the subject of my story.

His recent reappearance in London culminated in a threat of bodily harm to your brother, a fear that was reported to Scotland Yard, but was dismissed by your brother himself. At the time, those of us in close proximity around him were willing to trust his judgment, albeit in a very worried manner. Your brother can be very forceful when he is in the middle of a case, but I fear that his manner of thinking when his mind is not occupied is far more difficult and dangerous.

And now I fear that we have all made a dreadful error of judgment in ignoring the threats, for the colonel is a man very determined in his mission. I shudder to think what more he is capable of, as your brother now lies unconscious at the royal hospital.

It is against his will that I write to you now, for his few periods of wakefulness have been very adamant regarding the fact that he did not wish for you to be brought into this matter. I do not know his reasoning, only that I am breaking my solemn oath by telling you this. It is for that reason that I must beg your pardon that I cannot reveal myself outwardly in this letter, though I am certain you will be able to identify me regardless.

I beg of you to come to his side, Mr. Holmes. Time is very much of the essence, and he is so very weak.

I fear, and tis not a feeling I can reconcile with.

I fear that my mind will truly come to pass…

I cannot feel, I cannot see… I cannot understand.