Chapter Text
It had been a month since I’d found him rummaging through our back yard. At first it was a shredded deer corpse by the wailing tree, and a bear’s head on my window sill. I had accused Pugsley of being sloppy with his explosives or Uncle Fester killing more things than he could eat at once.
It wasn’t until the first night of May that I found him.
My window had rattled enough to wake me from my corpse-like slumber. Thinking nothing of it, I crossed my arms back over my chest to return to my much needed rest. Then I heard it… A low, guttural growl that howled with the wind. Tyler.
I grabbed my pre-filled syringe, most practiced crossbow and slid the arrow into place with a click before stepping outside to hunt down my new prized prey. Truthfully, I’d been curious of what had become of him after I’d freed him from the shackles of his Uncle. I’d watched the newspapers, hoping he’d near my town, but nothing ever came of it. The most useful information the Jericho police department could provide was that foolish idea that he was dead. I figured the incompetent alcoholics who have the nerve to call themselves “detectives” must’ve found Francoise’s corpse and in ignorance, believed it belonged to Tyler. I knew he wasn’t dead. I believed, somehow, I would’ve felt it if he had gone.
I held the crossbow steady in my arms and stalked the still fresh, but faint, claw prints through the dark forest, my path lit with nothing but heavily interrupted moonlight. My arms twitched with a violent jolt of excitement. He’s here. In my forest. And that is… alluring.
Another growl.
I changed my path towards the sound and my eyes fell upon the remnants of another bear, caked in thick mud. Then, I noticed him. Lying on his side, open jaws dripping with brilliant red blood all while snoring. Entirely undisturbed by the world around him.
As I neared, I peel back the lies my vision had used to deceive me. His skin looked thin, translucent almost and his ribs threatened to tear through it at any moment. Between his growls hid weak, shallow breaths as if his lungs would pop if he breathed too deeply.
I delicately took the glass syringe in my hand and positioned the needle against a prominent vein on the pale underside of his thigh. My eyes flashed to his, watching for even a twitch but he remained still so I stabbed the needle into his skin. He was subdued… that was underwhelming.
I kept my eyes on him as I backed away before running to the house, glancing over my shoulder every few steps just in case.
“Pugsley.” I whispered, stepping into his room.
I was insulted by the childish image of my brother. His arms filled with too many stuffed animals for a high schooler, especially an Addams.
“Pugsley!” I pulled the trigger on my crossbow and the arrow cracked the wood of his headboard, barely an inch above his head.
He drowsily looked up at the arrow before turning onto his other side. “It’s too early to play.”
“Get up.”
“Is it school?”
“No.”
His mouth fell open as he began to drool onto the embarrassing stuffed bear.
“I need your help, there’s not much time.” I grit my teeth, knowing I’d regret asking for his assistance. “It’s about the Hyde.”
He jumped out of bed and stumbled over his clumsy legs, making my lip twitch in disgust. How can I possibly be related to this incompetent thing?
“Quiet.” I snapped. “If you wake Mother, she’ll interfere with my plans… her favorite pastime.”
“Is it Tyler?” He jumped back and forth on his toes like a horse.
“Yes but you are not to speak a word of this or I’ll cut your tongue from your mouth. Understood?”
He nodded eagerly.
“We are going to move him into the cellar below my room-”
“That’s not fair! You’re always in the cellar!” He whined. He was always whining. “I want him in my room!”
“And just how exactly do you plan on sneaking a Hyde into the house?”
He drew his eyebrows together and I could practically see the two little brain cells he had working their hardest to conjure an idea. “Oh! The front door!”
“You spend too much time with the neighbor kids. Baseball and puppies are rotting your already feeble mind.”
He shrunk back into himself.
“There he is.” I directed his attention to the Hyde who continued his drug-induced rest on the forest floor.
He gave me a pout. “He’s dead!”
“He’s not dead. He’s sleeping.” I corrected.
“No! No! That’s what I tell Eugene when I kill his bugs!”
“Are you going to help or not?”
He nodded frantically and I grabbed onto the Hyde’s sticky claw.
“We need to drag him to that door.” I pointed before returning my hands to the Hyde’s. “It’s barely ten feet away so I don’t want to hear your incessant whining.”
“Wednesday!” He whined. “That’s so far!” But he would comply. That’s what's important.
My arms burned as I did my share of moving the body. I glared at Pugsley as he poked and prodded at Tyler’s back.
“Stop it.” I hissed and he rolled his eyes before finally doing some semblance of work. Finally, his final claw dragged into the cellar’s cage, padded with generous layers of pine shavings and I quickly made my way to the bars to lock him in. It was only then I realized that this may have been… shortsighted. His accommodations had been nearly complete but I wasn’t expecting him to simply appear at my house. His bed and bathroom had been successfully integrated into the cage for weeks but recently my time had been invested primarily researching how his deceitful mind worked. However, these bars, this cage, was all merely a suggestion to a Hyde’s strength. I would have to reinforce them before he woke.
“You’re dismissed.” I waved Pugsley off and he stomped his foot. I pursed my lips as I prepared for his childish tantrum.
“That’s not fair!”
“Life’s not fair.” I returned, grabbing a set of pliers from the shelf and shaking the blackened teeth from them.
“I’m telling!”
My eyes snapped to him. “If you speak even a word of this to Mother, she will eradicate not only Tyler, but every other monster that may step foot on this property. Which is a shame… I believe Tyler was only the beginning of a Hyde migration which will be travelling through our backyard…”
He gasped. “I have to get ready! Can I borrow one of your collars?”
“For the last time, those deplorable devices belong to Mother. Never associate me with our parents’ disgusting whims.”
He giggled and skipped off into the forest, falling flat on his face after slipping on mud. Now that brought a smile to my face.
I got to work finishing the outer layer of the cage. Sparks sprayed against my skin as I welded the steel bars to the rusted metal ceiling and savored the bitter pain that sizzled on my hands. The beast inside stretched his legs out and spread his claws with a satisfied huff. Is he waking up so soon?
I stepped down from the crate on which I stood to watch him. He dropped his heavy limbs back into the shavings and I cautiously stepped into the cage to take his vitals before I ran out of time. With any other captive, I could just give them another dose of the sedative but I couldn’t take any risks with a Hyde. They were… rare.
I opened my toolkit and slid the speculum into his jaws to allow me to take note of his condition with my pen light. I committed every detail to memory, including the especially dark tooth on the side. I did the rest as thoroughly yet quickly as possible. Body temperature, respiration rate. I pushed my fingers into the side of his neck until I found his weak pulse and tied the slight irregularities to a possible drop in blood pressure. It was not desirable, but he would survive for now.
Lastly, I filled the deep bucket with water along with a glass before his grumbling grew and I knew it was best to exit his cage. I pulled a now empty crate to the corner and took a seat, watching from the shadows.
His stomach swelled with air and he drunkenly tried to find his claws, collapsing and rolling onto his side before surrendering to his failure and taking another breath. He tried again, this time managing to get up but trembling as if he was one slight gust away from finding himself on the ground again. This is why I put the shavings…
He staggered back until his hind legs were pressed against the far wall of the cage which he used to keep himself upright and he began to scan the room. Within an instant his eyes found me but I stayed where I was, merely crossing my legs over one another and narrowing my eyes on him.
I had been anticipating this day for months now, eager to see how such a creature would react to my presence. I expected violence, thrashing, clawing. I expected him to throw himself at the bars, hoping to get even a drop of my blood. This was underwhelming, disappointing even. I expected hatred. This was irritation at most. I reminded myself of the sedatives possibly still dulling his violent mind. This peaceful, longing look was not Tyler. Tyler was hateful. Tyler despised me. Morning come, I’d be reminded of our mutual hatred.
I watched him for a moment longer before tossing a dusty towel behind a row of barrels, away from his watchful eyes, and laying down. It would be toilsome, but it was part of the meticulous schedule I had created. Of course, he was incredibly early but other than the starting date, I would adhere by these standards I had set for myself. Meaning that tonight, I was sleeping in the lion’s den. Only this was more thrilling.