The fire crackled brightly inside the fireplace, emanating a certain warmth to only be found by the light itself. The place was formed of charred bricks that once resembled the maroon of a dark wine. A man stood in the room, leaning over the fire, brandy in hand. He was staring into the fire with a look of worry, as if the flames themselves would leap out and melt the flesh from his bones. His arm was perched on the mantle, his head hanging below it and his hair falling in straggly locks into his eyes. His blue eyes were streaked with red from exhaustion. He cleared his throat and swirled the brandy in his glass. The room he was standing in was grand indeed, wood working that of professionals. He rubbed his eyes with his left hand, looking at the clock. The firelight glared off of the glass surface and reflected the time into the weary mans retinas. He stands on his own, taking in the rest of his drink in one pull and walking to his desk lit by a single candle. He dipped his quill into the black ink that would mark his parchment with the words spewing freely inside of his head.
"October second, eighteen eighty-eight" read the heading in the upper left hand corner. "I have further investigated the reaches of the human mind, and have found many causes for evil action. The search for what makes us act in the evil ways that we persist in continues full force, and I have begun to experiment in the field of chemicals and experimental drugs as if to find a temporary reaction of full on evil. Perhaps this could be thought of as a poison, and then will there be an antidote?" He rested his quill into the ink jar, and sighed. He looked over what he had just written and stacked this piece under fourteen others. His "investigation" into the reaches of the mind had brought him to new discoveries, but no conclusions. Though the search was frustrating, as a scientist he knew to not give in.
"People already believe me to be insane due to the ideas alone I have expressed with them" he thought. Having forgotten the time that only moments before he had tried to commit to temporary memory, Henry made his way back over to the blazing fire to gaze upon the clock once more. He scoffed at how tired he was at only eleven o'clock.
"There have been times that I have spent nights upon nights awake in my studies, perhaps I am just in dire need of rest" he spoke aloud. As he came to this conclusion there was a knock at the door.
"Who on earth could that possibly be?" He began to stretch his neck muscles out as he approached the inside of the entrance to his home massaging the over worked muscles. Ceasing this action, he reached a weary hand out and grasped the cold, metal handle to the door. Pushing it down and unlatching the door, he swung it open slowly. The outside air was biting and cold and easily felt through his shirt, with the sleeves rolled to about his elbows. The air stung his previously warmed face; he compared the feeling to that of bee stings. In his threshold stood a person cloaked completely. His facial features were totally covered in darkness, but it was easy to see his stature. The person standing there was tall and well built for a man of this time. Henry assumed it was a man, and asked his question accordingly,
"Can I help you sir?" A quiet and raspy voice came from inside of the hood of the cloak.
"May I sit by the fire good sir, perhaps as well catch forty winks…you see I am a traveler and am without lodging or money to find so." Dr. Jekyll scoffed for a moment, but his heart was mild and his thoughts oddly found themselves softened by the mans plight. Perhaps it was the sound of the beggars voice that drew Henry to allow him into his home, he would mull over for years to come.
"Of course, come, come" Dr. Jekyll welcomed the stranger. The man made a slow pace past the doctor, and over to the fire. He closed and locked his door, never thinking twice about the stranger and the fact that he just allowed a person he had never met before into his home.
"Could I offer you a blanket, or something to drink?" He asked in traditional hospitality. The stranger removed his hood to reveal long flowing dark hair. His hair dropped to his shoulders, which still managed to cover his face.
"Yes, yes something to drink would be nice" the stranger seemed to choke out. He rose from his sitting position by the fire and approached Dr. Henry Jekyll with his head facing downward. There was a sudden chill that struck the doctor and ripped down his spine as if he were frozen to his spot. The fire suddenly went out leaving the room completely dark, save the star and moon light that poured in through the window. The room went to a temperature of most chilling discomfort, and Henry couldn't move. His eyes whipped around the room hurriedly as he heard footsteps approaching.
"S...s...sir?" he stammered, taken aback by his own fear and utterly amazed at what had just happened. Suddenly he heard breathing most heavy, this proved to further spook the doctor, yet he could still not move. As his eyes madly swept the room, trying to find some trace of the stranger, two glowing lights appeared directly in front of him. They were gleaming a soft red and were sinister as the devil himself. The lights were moving closer and closer to the doctor and his fear grew significantly. Dr. Jekyll's breathing became as rapid as a running horse; sweat poured from his brow and made him clammy over most of his body. It seemed as though a specter from hell itself had begun to haunt his humble home. There was a sudden hissing and two sharp pains stabbed into the doctors' neck on the left side. He could feel the objects sink deep into his neck and was conscious of the blood that began to flow from his veins. He tried to scream but no sound escaped his parched lips for his mouth had gone dry and his muscles into convulsions. Though the blood was flowing freely from his neck, none dripped onto the rest of his body. As he began to feel faint from his new attacker and wound, he realized exactly what was happening. The stranger was drinking from his life's blood. A rage began to burn inside of Henry that had never before existed. It was as if a fire was lit in his chest and was being pumped through his very veins to warm the ice that had previously frozen his being. No stranger would enter his home and drain him of his life, none! This thought tore through his mind as he regained control over himself. He clenched a tight fist from the right side and while the fangs were still inside of him, he struck the stranger in the side of the head. His fangs were ripped from Dr. Jekyll's neck and the intruder was sent sprawling to the ground. The doctors wound seemed to instantly heal and he felt renewed strength that he could not explain.
"Impossible, you could not have changed that quickly" The strange man spat in astonished anger. His voice had become deeper, and fuller. The rasp was gone, most likely due to the feeding.
"I'm not quite sure what you are speaking of sir but you have signed your death warrant!" Dr. Jekyll couldn't believe the words coming from his own mouth, and then a realization dawned on him. This must be the ultimate evil that lurks within me! Embracing his new discovery he walked toward his attacker. The man was agile, but Dr. Jekyll was faster. He caught him by the hair as he began to run and threw him against the wall that was but a foot away from Henry. His fists flew with blinding speed, connecting one after another, after another, after another. Face, chest, stomach, face, strike after strike. Normally it would be thought that he would have grown tired after such exertion; however he seemed to gain stamina as he continued.
"You shall perish!" he screamed and threw the man across the room in a maddening rage. The stranger merely allowed a grunt or whimper while being beaten to his death. A thought then occurred to the doctor, and he could not comprehend why he had the instinct to do this. The strangers red eyes seemed to be fading and Dr. Jekyll walked over to his desk. He kicked the leg of the desk; it broke into a sharp splinter of itself. His research was discarded and strewn about the room as the desk fell, and Henry approached the stranger.
"With your last breath, reveal to me your name!" he exclaimed. The stranger glanced at the wood in Henry's hand and began to laugh.
"Vampire" the stranger muttered between laughs, "MY NAME IS VAMPIRE!" And with that, Henry plunged the broken wood piece into the heart of the stranger, and he turned to dust at his feet.
The fire that once burned ferociously inside of Henry's chest began to dwindle and go out slightly. His body weakened quickly and he took a quick gaze around his house to observe the aftermath of the confrontation. He sighed at all of the wreckage, his brow furrowed in complete confusion and dismay.
"Vampire?" he asked himself in an overexerted breath, as his eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed from exhaustion.