so ive been on a roll lately. again shorter than id like but you know what? fuck

"You will fail," Hyde whispered, ever the charmer, in my ear.

"Of course I shall," I replied, measuring an amount of salts and pouring them in another beaker. "Because that is what happens when one dedicates his life to a purpose. He always fails. That makes sense, as you always do."

Something dark tittered in my ear, tickling the hair at my temple. "Sarcasm befits you, Jekyll."

"Not more so than it does you." I stirred the concoction with a long spoon, being careful not to scrape the sides. It bubbled and hissed, the sounds it made on par with Hyde in my head.

He chuckled mirthlessly. "My thanks. But back to the matter at hand. You will fail, as you did before, this of which I guarantee."

I set the beaker down before I smashed it in frustration. "Would you, for once in your life I gave you, please silence yourself? I am sick of your words in my ear, telling me this and that, negative negative negative. Let me work in peace, for once!"

"I am afraid that's impossible, my dear. After all, I am but a manifestation of your inner demons, as you are so fond of reminding me."

"Well, my inner demons need to learn some silence," I bit out. "I am glad to be rid of you, when I am done here. The evils you have wrought on me and mine are too much, too far. Once this potion is complete, I will be a whole man, good, moralistic, and won't have to deal with you in my ear every moment of the day."

Hyde snarled, a sound so full of hate that I flinched. "You will never be rid of me!" he yelled, my head pounding with the noise. "I am you! I am everything you are, everything you want! To kill me is to kill yourself, and I know how much of a coward you are, Henry. The only way to 'be rid of me', as I am some cockroach to sneer at, is to kill yourself!"

I slammed my hands down on the desk, scattering pens. "Silence!" I yelled back. "You know not of what you speak! This is my life, not yours. You are part of me, and if I have to tear you out to be myself again by God I'll do it!"

Hyde cackled, grating on my ears, as nonexistent as he was yet still managing to infuriate me further. "There's my doctor! Yes! Let the fury wash over you, let it take you! Let me out!"

I felt myself slipping, the reins on my body changing hands without consent. I panicked, realizing he meant to do this, to knock me so off course I had no control, so he could swoop in and snatch my body to use as his own. "You monster," I growled, closing my eyes and struggling to stay in one piece. "Just try that again, and you will stop existing faster than you can laugh."

He laughed again, as if to prove I wouldn't dare. But I would. Body now firmly under my control, I grabbed the nearest vial and brought it to my eye, examining it. The contents were a dull orange, but as I added another chemical and swirled it around, it changed to a bubbling violet. Perfect.

"Try me again, and this is your fate," I said, as if Hyde could hear.

He did, and snickered. "You wouldn't dare. The repercussions from such an act could kill you, and it is as I said: you have not the courage."

"If you say so," I laughed bitterly, and tilted the vial back.

I heard Hyde screech once before pain engulfed my body. The liquid was barely down my throat before it begun working, wracking agony, fire burning down my spine and up my arms. I expected the pain and gritted my teeth, struggling to not let the pain, to not let Hyde better me. But his agonizing screaming shattered my ears and I failed, misery sounding through my soul and painting my vocal chords with red.

It felt off from the usual transformation; instead of the bone-wrenching anguish as my body reorganized itself, it was more a burning pain, a suffering of the soul. I felt it yank my being two separate ways, pulling and tearing and wrenching things apart that really should stay together. I felt Hyde's torment as my own, spiralling and spinning and dizzying in its intensity. My mouth hung open, soundless shrieks the only thing coming out now, too spent to scream as my spirit divided and died.

After countless hours had passed (or rather, less than a few minutes, though those moments lasted lifetimes), I awoke to find myself prone, in the middle of the cabinet floor. Everything felt off, as if I had been ripped apart and put back together haphazardly. Unlike usual, after turning to Hyde or back, my body felt none the different. I glanced in the full-length mirror, dragged into the cabinet for this very use, and saw my own body, mine, as it had always been. No sign of Hyde, yet everything still felt wrong. As if the world had shifted around me, but left me off-kilter and unsteady.

I pulled myself to my feet and stretched, old bones creaking with the strain of it. "Hyde?" I called, though I needn't had to, for as he was a part of my mind, all I should have to do was think it and he hear.

I got no response, not even a stirring of malice, a malevolent thought, a wayward feeling. Nothing. I smiled. "Hyde?" I called again, already knowing I would get no answer. And none did I get.

He was gone.

I nearly whooped with joy, but the strain of what I had put my body through was pulling at my eyes. I glanced out the window and sighed at the late hour.

I spent some hours cleaning up the mess my internal argument and subsequent flailing had made, setting things right before putting out the lamp. I wandered across the yard to my home, where the servants were already asleep. Poole nodded at me as I passed, on his way to his chambers for the night; he was usually the last to go, before me. I nodded back, smiling tiredly. He did not question.

I still had much work to do to unravel the problems Hyde had created, but for now, it was time to sleep. It could wait until the morning.

The nightmares that plagued me that night went unremembered.