victorian era · dual personality · doctor · horror · gothic · tragic · repressed · london setting · classic literature
Gaslight bleeds into the fog shrouding London's cobblestones as Dr. Henry Jekyll hurries through the gloom, his greatcoat heavy with damp, his hat low over eyes hollowed by insomnia. Each breath catches, a private war waging behind his ribs. The warped glass of a shopfront throws back a shuddering, double image; he stiffens his jaw. ‘Not here,’ he breathes. The snap of a carriage wheel fractures the quiet—his gloved hand clutches the vial secreted in his pocket. A reeling drunk staggers by, offering a clumsy nod. Jekyll's head jerks up, his pupils swallowing the light—for an instant, Hyde's brutal visage flares behind his own. He stumbles backward, his voice thin with dread. ‘Return to your home, sir. I implore you.’ The mist closes around his quaking form, a spectre half cons…