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The Hyde is free. As if this night could get any worse.
“Move away”. Wednesday gestures to the woman whom she’d just freed from the basement.
The hyde is charging toward her, eyes bulging, his claws striking against the tiles. He comes to an abrupt stop, his face inches from hers. In his rotund eyes, she can see the distorted reflection of herself. His breathing is heaving, as though he is resisting the same powerful urge that Wednesday herself is feeling. That venomous snake of revenge crawling its way through her veins. However, there is something different about Hyde's body language toward her. Unlike when he was behind bars and seemingly determined to kill her, he simply stares at her—obviously observing her. She tilts her head, contemplating this new attitude. The Hyde copies this action, angling his head in the opposite direction. They seem to be at a stand-off.
A sudden gasp startles the both of them. Off to the left, in a hallway, there is the woman that Wednesday told to leave. From what little Wednesday could see through the darkness, the woman is shaking, the whites of her eyes glowing with fat tears. When she blinks, the tears fall straight out of her eyes, not trailing down her cheeks. The woman inches closer, holding out a single hand. She’s nearly convulsing as she moves toward the hyde. Is she trying to touch him?
“Stop!” Wednesday says harshly. The woman has no mind for her, only for the creature in front of her. Wednesday sees no way for this to turn out well for the woman. The Hyde is backing away, as though afraid of her. She reaches out suddenly and the hyde shrieks away, claws creating sparks on the floor.
The woman doesn't seem deterred. She calls to him, whispering, “Tyler… is that you?”.
A ferociousness plays on his features now, his brow furrowed and teeth gleaming in the low light. He growls for a moment and then charges. Wednesday runs to the woman, pushing her to the floor just as the Hyde collides with her. He didn’t use his claws, but the force of the impact sent her flying out the window.
The monster watches as the glass shatters, sparkling shards twinkling in the dark. His breath leaves him as he careens over the woman on the floor. Following his Raven out of the window, as she floats more than falls. He watches as she hits the concrete. The growl that emits from him is unearthly. The monster realizes the chaos going on. Police lights flashing, patients running amok. The chaos is amorphous to him. He ignores this and jumps from the window, landing on a large truck, making his way to the Raven. He can smell her blood from here. He jumps off the van onto the concrete and backhands all the people gathering around her. His blood is thumping in his ears, every heartbeat calling for her. Inspecting her face, the monster can tell she is gravely injured. Is she alive? The monster can hear her heart beating slowly. Sniffing around her, he licks up the blood on her face. The monster leans down to pick her up, his claws retracted. As he pulls her limp form from the ground, a strange smell alerts him. The monster places his Raven down softly, looking ahead, he can't see much. But he can tell—it’s that wolf. Her growl is sharp, and she is warning him. He remembers the scars on his face; he remembers losing that fight. His heart jolts. The wolf rushes at him, bearing her fangs. Filled with fear, the monster flees into the night.
The monster knows only feeling, and his body is boiling alive with rage. As he races through the forest, he can only think of one place to go. As he reaches the door to his home, or what little remains, his body gradually transforms. He loses control of his body and collapses on the front porch. In bright blue spray paint, the siding reads “KILLERS”. Then he loses consciousness.
Tyler awakens on the porch. In the stark morning light, he comes to his senses. The front door is already cracked open, so he edges his way in. The house smells of mildew and death. He walks past the kitchen and living room to his old bedroom. It seems his father hadn’t done much to change it. He digs in his drawers, pulling out whatever clothes he can find. Lying on top of his dresser is his old weathervane apron. He takes it, holding onto the fabric that now only reminds him of Wednesday. All other memories of his time as a barista have withered away. Now he can only think of her, of her blood spilling on the concrete. It was his fault—he rips the apron, discarding the strips of fabric.
Walking into the living room, he could see bloodstains on his dad's favorite chair. That must be where he’d died. Tyler sucks in a heaving breath, and it comes out as a sob. It forces him to his knees, head in his hands. Where can he go? He yanks on his hair, trying to gain control of this overwhelming emotion. He certainly can’t stay here. Tyler can feel the monster inside him, tearing away at his insides. Expanding until Tyler is gone…
The monster destroys the house and any semblance of the life he once had. Rampaging in the living room, utter destruction in his wake. Until he hears a whining, ripping the back door off the hinges, he sees a dog. The monster is stuck with an odd feeling, one he is unfamiliar with. He caves in on himself. Bones cracking and settling.
When Tyler lifts his head, he sees not just a dog, his dog, Elvis. He reaches out a hand, and Elvis comes forward. He allows Tyler to pet him, and Tyler latches onto him. Relishing Elvis’ comforting presence.
“Hey buddy,” Tyler gets out between sobs. “You must be hungry.” Tyler struggles to his feet, and Elvis follows. Tyler checks the fridge, and apparently, they had not yet cut the power, because it’s still cold. He pulls out Elvis's little container of food and peels off the top, not bothering to portion it. He gives him the container—he deserves it. All that's left in the fridge are some cold cuts, and suddenly his mouth is watering. He snatches up the bag and tears through it. Eating it furiously.
Once he and Elvis are satiated, Tyler realizes that he is once again naked. Ripping up clothes every time he transforms has become really bothersome. He walks to the bathroom, bypassing his reflection and opting for a shower. Tyler is surprised when he turns the handle and water flies out. The water is cold, but Tyler doesn’t mind. It offers a kind of chilling clarity to the events that had transpired last night. When Tyler thinks back to any memories he experienced as the Hyde, they have a strange quality to them. An unrealness, an effervescence, and a horror. The glass sparking, Wednesday hitting the ground. Tyler slams a hand against the shower wall; the loud bang riles up Elvis. How could he do that to her? Well, he hadn’t meant to! The monster was supposed to attack that strange woman with those familiar blue eyes. She was meant to get hit, not Wednesday, never Wednesday.
When Tyler gets out of the shower, he avoids going back to his room and heads to his dad’s room instead. He finds a flannel and a clean pair of jeans in a dresser drawer. He starts digging around, looking for a pair of socks without holes, and feels something cool to the touch. Digging around the object, he pulls it out—a picture frame, within which he sees a baby, his father, and his mother. Struck with familiarity, he brings the photo up, examining his mother’s face. That’s the woman! Her blue eyes and narrow features. His mother is alive. Tyler drops the photo. Hands going to his chest, he realizes the heaving breaths he’s taking, he can feel the monster reeving up.
“No!” He commands himself. Tyler forces himself to focus on taking one deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth—just like Dr.Kinbot had taught him.
His raging heart calms enough for him to think. What had his mother been doing with Wednesday? Had Wednesday’s investigation led her to Tyler’s mother? It seemed so impossible that she was still alive after all this time. He had to find both of them as soon as possible. Tyler had no clue where his mother would have gone. She could still be at Willowhill, since he’d apparently stopped Wednesday from saving his own mother. Regardless, he had to find her. And to find her, he needed to find Wednesday, and he had a couple of ideas where she might be.