This Man is Dead {Jekyll/Lanyon Drabble}

This Man is Dead

It was so long ago when Henry Jekyll died. I can still remember seeing my dear friend's lifeless body on the floor. The horror I felt in my blood was a feeling I can't quite explain. Ever since then, I had changed. People around me whispered about it. I could hear them, and I knew the looks they gave me. Ever since I discovered Jekyll's awful secret, my heart twisted. It hasn't unraveled. In fact, it only got worse after Henry died. If only I could apologize. If only I could've fixed him... But he's much happier now.

I had been invited to a formal party taking place that night. The night my life changed once more. I had arrived in my nicest suit, ready to relax and socialize. I was going to show these people that I moved on from the trauma of the past.

Someone caught my eye, however. I looked at the man-- he was tall and had this cold expression. His long, silky brown hair falling perfectly into his shoulders. He seemed so familiar, but so new... Our eyes met, and my heart almost burst out of my chest. This man... It couldn't be... Henry?

~my heart beats faster,
and my mind is racing.
Could it be?
Could it be that you've come back to life?~

He changed so much. But with those eyes, those beautiful Ruby eyes, there was no doubt in my mind. This was my dead friend. His eyes were so cold, so lonely, but it was Jekyll nonetheless.

~I know those eyes
Following me.
Dark, and familiar,
And deep as the sea.~

The longer I looked, the more I recognized the man. He looked so sad, so tired. But I remember Henry Jekyll's face perfectly. It was such an insane thing, I know, but my heart and my mind knew the dear doctor's face.

~I know that face,
Strange, though it seems,
Younger and kinder
It haunts all my dreams~

I had been staring for far too long. He finally turned and began walking out of the room. In a hurried walk I followed. Was I no one to this man now? We're my mistakes never forgiven? My heart beat faster now, being so close to my friend.

We were alone now. And I spoke up. "Henry Jekyll. You're alive... How?"

~how can you stand there,
A whisper from me,
Yet somehow be so far away?
In eyes once familiar,
A stranger I see,
With so many words left to say~

His eyes locked into the floor. When he spoke, his voice was so much less smooth. It may have been roughened by sorrow, or hate, or something of the like.

"Henry Jekyll is dead. He died long ago. Burdened by his secrets, his sorrows, his lies. His soul was chipped away until it could no longer hold the weight of life."

~This man is dead.
He is no more.
He died a little each day.
Like a thief, the Chateau D'If
Has stolen him away~

And in that moment, I felt my heart shatter into pieces. The man whom I once knew broke eye contact, his cold gaze fixed on the wall. "I apologize, but I'm not who you're looking for." He let out a deep sigh that sent chills down my spine. "He's gone. And will be soon forgotten by people like you." Jekyll's red eyes now glared deep into my soul, and I could sense the hatred and helplessness that he felt.

~the mind plays tricks,
You are confused.
The man you seek is long gone.
Dead and cold,
A story told
By those he trusted,
Those he loved,
And those who then
Moved on~

I heard my dear friend's voice, but it was so faint. He was trapped within his own mind, and I had to free him. Yet, nothing I said could free my beloved Henry.

~There in that voice,
Traces of you.
Dark and familiar,
And deep as the sea.~

Jekyll's anger grew noticeably, and his voice rose as he continued to try and drive me away. "He's gone! Henry Jekyll is a dead man, and what's done is done!"

~this man is dead!
He is no more!
And though it's torturing me...~

Our eyes met once again, and I could clearly see the old Henry. He was scared, and weak, and helpless. My hands reached out to take his.

~...Can either of us truly ever be free?~

My broken heart was coming back together as I stepped closer to my friend. Our eyes remained locked on the other's. I let go of one of his trembling hands and placed mine on his cheek gently. "Come back to me. My dearest friend, how I missed you, so. You've strayed so far from who you used to be..."

~how can you stand there, a whisper from me,
When you are still so far away?
And why does the truth seem too hard to be true?~

"I'm afraid I can't. I've gone too far," was his quiet response. "Please forgive me. There are things we simply cannot fix."

~with so much broken,
And so much damage.
There are no words
Left to say.~