~Sherlock's Roommate~ (Sherlock x Male!Oc) //On Hold\\

Chapter 42 | Frankland

"Its okay... it's okay, Henry." Easton says softly and carefully takes the pistol from Henry's fingers. Henry speaks tearfully to Sherlock.

"But we saw it: the hound, last night. We s... we, we, we did, we saw.." Henry stutters.

"Yeah, but there was a dog, Henry, leaving footprints, scaring witnesses, but it was nothing more than an ordinary dog. We both saw it... saw it as our drugged minds wanted us to see it. Fear and stimulus; that's how it works." Sherlock explains.

Henry stares at him in confusion. Sherlock returns his look sympathetically.

"But there never was any monster." Sherlock says.

Just then.. A howl rings out in the woods above them. Everyone's head snaps up, and John and Greg aim their flashlights upwards to the top of the Hollow where a low shape can be seen slowly stalking along the rim and snarling.

"Sherlock.." Easton said as his eyes stayed locked above him.

Sherlock stares up in disbelief as Henry turns to him, horrified.

"No!" He begins to wail in panic, "No, no, no, no!" Easton snapped away from the thing and grabbed Henry, backing him away. Henry clinging onto the Italian.

Sherlock tries simultaneously to hold out a calming hand towards him while keeping his own torch shining up towards the creature above them.

The creature continues to slink along the rim of the Hollow as Henry begins to scream in abject terror. He crumples to his knees, continually screaming, "No!"

The hound turns towards the Hollow and looks down at everyone, snarling viciously. Its eyes glow in the torchlight as Henry continues to wail.

Lestrade was staring up at the rim, "Shit!" He said in disbelief.

John turns and shines his torch into his face.

"Greg, are you seeing this?" He asks.

Greg glances at him momentarily and his expression answers the question. Sherlock takes a quick look around to the inspector to see his face before turning back to stare up at the hound.

"Right: he is not drugged, Sherlock, so what's that? What is it?!"

As Henry continues to wail behind them hugging Easton tightly, shaking violently, Sherlock screws his eyes shut for a brief moment, trying to handle the overload in his mind. He stares upwards again.

"All right! It's still here..." Sherlock says, he pants heavily for a moment before pulling himself together "...but it's just a dog. Henry! It's nothing more than an ordinary dog!"

The hound doesn't think so and it raises its head and lets out a long terrifying howl.

Lestrade stumbles backwards, shouting, "Oh my God!"

And now the hound turns and leaps a short way down the slope, its eyes flashing red in the torchlight.

John stares at it as it stops again, its red glowing eyes now clearly visible as it opens its mouth and reveals a mouthful of long pointed teeth that you would never see on any dog. Its snarl is completely terrifying.

Henry has fallen silent, gazing up at it as if he knows that it is going to kill him shortly. Sherlock is still trying to believe what his own eyes are telling him... and now there's movement behind them. Sherlock looks over his shoulder and sees a tall human figure through the mist.

The new arrival is wearing a breathing mask with a clear visor over his face. Sherlock turns and rushes towards him, grabbing at the mask and ripping it upwards to fully reveal the man's face... and Jim Moriarty grins manically back at him. Sherlock was slowly loosing it...